Ahora en espanol

In a whirlwind of a week, I have made the journey from Rome, through Phoenix, and have finally arrived in Antigua, Guatemala.

It was a bit of a push to finish all my finals, but (mostly) they went really well and I am happy to be done with them.  It was a strange feeling leaving Italy and boarding the plane for the U.S..  Leaving such an amazing city, it is strange to be excited, but there is nothing like going home, especially after almost a year.  I had about four great days to spend with my family and take a breath in my own cutlure, before beginning the next phase of my journey.

I arrived late last Sunday night in Guatemala City and after about an hour car ride arrived at my home for the next nine weeks.  It took some time during the first week to get oriented and know where everything is and how to do the basics; but now at the beginning of the second week, I feel much more comfortable and at ease.


As I try to take it all in, it is amazing all the places God has brought me.  There is little I can do but be docile and be formed by the people and places that he has graced me to experience.

The time is totally dedicated to studying Spanish.  I don't have to say how important it is in Phoenix for priests to know Spanish and be able to minister to the large Spanish speaking population in our diocese.  This, of course, gives me a lot of motivation to learn Spanish; but on the flip side, learning Spanish gets me very excited for the priesthood because it is so practical.  Every day I get a piece of what I will need and will use in parishes in Phoenix,  in the not too distant future.

The city and the surrounding area is absolutely beautiful. I'll share more as the summer goes on.  What more can I really say of God's goodness to me?  I only ask that you please pray for my success.

When the Blogs Go Silent

Well, about a month after most back in the States finished up classes, Fernando and I are finally coming to the end of the semester, and our first year in Rome.  The year has been great; it was full of joy and challenges, both of which motivate and strengthen us to take and the summer and next year. 

Writing on this blog, in its own way, was a important experience.  We got to see first hand how the power of the internet can be used to share our experiences and, hopeful, build up the Christina community.  In this world were the New Evangelization should be on everybody’s mind, the opportunity to witness personally to the joy and blessing of life in Christ is all the more important. 

Yet as we get closer and closer to almost a year of blogging, I want to point to something, perhaps counter-intuitive which the pope said recently.  In his annual address for the World Day of Communications, Benedict drew attention to the importance, in this world of radio, TV, and Youtube, of silence.  Here is what he said:

Silence is an integral element of communication; in its absence, words rich in content cannot exist. In silence, we are better able to listen to and understand ourselves; ideas come to birth and acquire depth; we understand with greater clarity what it is we want to say and what we expect from others; and we choose how to express ourselves. By remaining silent we allow the other person to speak, to express him or herself; and we avoid being tied simply to our own words and ideas without them being adequately tested. In this way, space is created for mutual listening, and deeper human relationships become possible. It is often in silence, for example, that we observe the most authentic communication taking place between people who are in love: gestures, facial expressions and body language are signs by which they reveal themselves to each other. Joy, anxiety, and suffering can all be communicated in silence – indeed it provides them with a particularly powerful mode of expression. Silence, then, gives rise to even more active communication, requiring sensitivity and a capacity to listen that often makes manifest the true measure and nature of the relationships involved. When messages and information are plentiful, silence becomes essential if we are to distinguish what is important from what is insignificant or secondary…Read more.

This is a humbling message for Fernando and I, reminding us that it is not so much the words that we say but the message that we communication;  it is not that you hear my words, but the Word, who has come from the Father.  And silence is an essential part of that.

So as we head of to our summer works, myself to Guatemala to learn Spanish and Fernando to India to work with the poor, we hope to keep you up to date and continue to share the experiences the Lord gives us.  But we want to encourage you to reflect on the role silence plays in your life.  When all the blogs go silent and the internet is shut down, can you participate in the depth of communication that happens then?

 

Please pray for us as we take our exams.  Since this post did lend itself to pictures, enjoy some random one that (I hope) I haven’t put up this year.

p.s. Here’s a song by Switchfoot that hits on the similar theme.