A Christmas Run-down!

I do lament I wasn't able to post some lovely commemorative post regarding Christmas but before I knew it a few days had already passed! There are far more wise and insightful people that wrote lovely lovely things regarding Christmas (One of my favorite "blog reads" is here: The Strangeness of Christ (by author Ryan Duns SJ ) so I thank God I am blessed enough to read and share it! 


An excerpt from this great blog post is the following:

".....My belief about Jesus, put into its simplest form, is that he is God's Love made flesh, Love that is vulnerable, the Love whose effervescent presence emboldens women and men to risk being the persons they are called to be. I believe that Jesus Christ is the act of God's creation made present in human history. I believe that Jesus is the fruit of Mary's "Yes" to God's friendship, that Jesus is the result of humanity's "Yes" to God's "Yes" to humanity. I believe Jesus is simultaneously the Word and Deed of God written into human history. I believe that the sin of humanity reacted - and continues to react - violently to the presence of this Love in our midst and that we killed him. I believe, finally, that the Resurrection shows us the depths of God's love for us, shows us that God's way is one of restoration and life rather than vengeance and death. I believe that we are, as Christians, called to follow the path of the Risen Christ."


Christmas this year was certainly different. Different to be so far from things I hold so dear, different (and difficult) to not see my parents and embrace them, different to not be at my home parish for Midnight Mass, (despite how terribly messy it is every year! But that's its charm!)! But somewhere along the "different" I found myself with a most familiar silence, a most familiar silence of God's presence and goodness, that was not different at all and how glad I was! There is so much more I could say but I am blessed, and I was blessed to have attended a messy Christmas Day Mass with a classmate from college that lasted about 20 minutes, blessed to have been with folks, family, who hadn't spent Christmas with me in 10 years, blessed that He is with us, blessed I know this and blessed I can have the joy in sharing this.


Anyhow, here's a quick Christmas "run-down" in photographs, from past and recent blessings!


Much more writing to come soon! Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2011- My brother Benedict and I

Christmas 2010

Christmas 2009- Little Ms. Gonzalez

Christmas 2008; My empty home parish after Midnight Mass

Christmas 2006- With the great company of some SJ's!

Silly Face

Recent Skype Snapshot-Little Ms. Gonzalez

The little face of this wondrous creature is the one I shall be missing very very much this holiday season! Sure, ask my parents and they'll easily say that even at 13 she's the reason for many of their headaches but I thank God it's all with boundaries that I pray she'll never pass. She is lively, funny, sarcastic, and a very obvious extrovert. In many ways it's as if my parents got opposite personality types with their two girls... but to me that's the most fun!

The Little Bride

As I approached Our Lady of Victories parish (my home parish here) Saturday morning for Mass I noticed a large crowd outside dressed in formal attire. Nearing the small island where this parish is located I considered more than twice driving up a few blocks to a nearby adoration chapel instead of venturing into what celebration this could be, but alas, the strong toll of the bells invited me to Calvary.

Much to my surprise (since I had been expecting a wedding, or quinceañera celebration) I saw a little girl in the middle of the aisle waiting nervously to take her place in the wooden kneeler in front of her. I took a seat and was relieved perhaps a first communion would not take nearly as long as what I had feared other celebrations might. 

The Mass unfolded as normally, and I event felt some guilt in wanting to avoid the the more social aspect I thought it would bring. However somewhere between the Homily and the offering of the gifts a beautiful moment occurred. The priest descended from the altar and asked the girl to walk to the entrance of the church with a white flower he handed her from a vase next to the portrait of Our Lady of Guadalupe. As he handed her the flower he told her this was her wedding day and that she'd be walking down the aisle to meet her bridegroom. The little girl smiled and walked up the church doors, and the organ lady suddenly started playing "Here Comes the Bride" as she walked down the aisle. When she approached the priest he asked where her groom was and why he wasn't there. In a half-giggle the girl pointed at the crucifix and mentioned he was there already. The priest smiled in agreement and asked for her to approach Him then. Obediently the little girl walked up a few steps to the cross and then returned to her kneeler. 

As the priest spoke a bit of this little girl's "marriage", I couldn't help but smile and feel a great peace. I was reminded of the Carmelites in St. Louis I know, of the marriage Mass a cousin had over the summer with her now husband... and I even recalled a bit of my own "little" marriage ten years ago. I also grew enthusiastic that in a few minutes I was meeting the bridegroom. The marriage continued, His love continued, despite tears, doubt, joys, and everything else that had occurred in those 10 years.

My first communion at St. Cecilia's Parish (St. Louis) 2001

"I betrothed you to one spouse, that I might present you a chaste virgin to Christ" (Corinthians 2 11:2)

Happy (Late) Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe!

I really must apologize for not posting this a day before! I absolutely adore this particular feast day! Probably the favorite feast day of yours truly because it's one filled with such strong memories and despite still growing in my relationship with Mary, this feast day brings a very strong connection culturally and family-wise from many years. ANYHOW, here is a "blast from the past" from past celebrations, mainly in St. Louis or nearby towns in IL. Mary Mother of God, pray for us!

Holy Family Parish (IL)-  2006

My humble but loved home parish in St. Louis (2010)

Our Lady of Victories parish, Mexico, 2011

A Child's Face & Gratitude

This rambunctious bunch was my company Saturday morning for Mass and a Christmas presents-giving event and small party. These kids (ages ranging widely, from 3-17, and girls too) come from a home near my parish here in Guadalajara called Instituto Cabañas.Whatever struggles their little hearts have endured, whatever longings they carry due to their broken family structures were forgotten temporarily by the joy of each other and the anticipation for Christmas gifts. Please DO keep these wonderful youngsters in your hearts and prayers!

Truth be told, it was such joy to spend time with these kiddos! These small gentlemen were particularly keen in this photo "shoot". The one to the left in later photos even posed with a pseudo-heavenly posture, hands clasped, his glance heaven-bound! They're an absolute riot!

I've missed a family-like atmosphere! I was grateful to them, for their spontaneity, for their curiosity, for their most simple joy at Mass and enthusiasm for the gifts. Their company was great change of pace from a rather independent/solo schedule of driving to and from school, dinner on the road or home alone, and yet more time alone to finish work for classes.

Speaking about solo time, classes have finished and now only two more projects await next week. First semester of college is nearly to its close! Regardless, with 7 weeks until classes start again I anticipate plenty of freedom to write a lot more on this little corner of the web and further reflection from events past and this "solo" upcoming Christmas away from my parents.

Until Soon!

In Between Lycopodiophyta and Equisetophyta

It's been a much much too long of a break! Again, I don't know who really reads this but despite, I've missed writing here! I have much to write about but right now I can only afford a small 5 minute break, between the two terms listed in the title for an exam in 2 hours, golly how I dislike my Taxonomy course!

I was browsing through an conversation I had nearly two years ago with a dear Dominican friar, now also ordained priest and suddenly all the studying I was doing (or should be doing!) felt it could wait for a bit.


Sadly I don't have much time to give more of a retrospective on it years later but it reminded me a lot of a memory, of a time, that for the me two years ago was much too painful and yet I am impressed at the resilience I express in the e-mail, in the resilience I express amidst the pain. I know most surely that this is all through the grace of God, shown by His love and faithfulness for this undeserving young woman since eternity! More thoughts on this and other things very soon (after this exam! :)) but for now here is the bit:

Written on February 13, 2010

Right now I feel fine. In a sense before there was the facade and it "appeared" that we were just great. We seemed like a pretty happy family unit but we/they were broken a long time ago. It's the change of no longer having that shallow infra-structure and change in routine. The change in whatever image we once portrayed. And there is sadness and pain with that, but I think maybe I long for what I wished it were and not what was. But it's fine because otherwise I wouldn't have this to share with Christ, who knows what this will teach me? I think I still need/want to "mourn" a little bit more because he did just move out Thursday but after that then it's time to start again. It's time to re-build.