Thought of the Day

A friend had given me an article to read a while back by then Cardinal Ratzinger on the New Evangelization. I finally got around to reading it today, though, and found it extremely relevant to my time in Honduras. Some food for thought:

To evangelize means: to show this path-to teach the art of living...The deepest poverty is the inability of joy, the tediousness of a life considered absurd and contradictory. This poverty is widespread today, in very different forms in the materially rich as well as the poor countries.

Well, that is what I am going to Honduras to do. I must "surrender to the mystery of the grain of mustard seed and not be so pretentious as to believe to immediately produce a large tree." Instead, I pray that I can be a humble and patient servant of Jesus so that He can use me to do what He desires to do in the hearts of those I meet, even if that means I am led to Calvary, in a spiritual sense. But that is what it means to be a missionary. I only hope that God continues to form me so that this journey is not about me, but about Him and His work.

And the Countdown Begins...

I just thought I would give an update since it has been a while since I have written. It is starting to sink in what I have said yes to and it is certainly a learning experience trusting in God. Also, the Missioner's formation program started yesterday. There are daily reflections based off the encyclical Redemptoris Missio and well as reflections from the Missioners of Christ. "The Church is missionary by her very nature." That was part of today's reflection. It's true. We are all called to spread the Good News, to work in God's vineyard, whether that is at home, school, or a foreign country. I pray that no matter where we are, we all let God work through us to reach the world.

Long Time, No See

Well, it's been a while but it is time to dust off this blog once again. I will be returning to Honduras soon for a couple months, discerning a longer commitment to serve there. This decision has been a long time coming. Yes, I want to teach. Yes, I hope I get to do something teaching-related while I am in Honduras (though it is not up to me). But quite simply, I feel in my heart that this is where the Lord is leading me. He has certainly placed the people and mission in Honduras on my heart. I know I cannot do much to change the situations down there and that breaks my heart. I do not know why God seems to be calling me instead of others who could probably do more. I do know, however, that if God is in fact calling me, my heart will be restless until I respond to His loving call, that whatever He wants me to accomplish in Honduras He must do through me, and that He certainly has some (difficult) lessons in store for me. But I am so excited!

Mis Amigas

If anyone is interested in hearing about the summer from a different perspective, here are the links to the blogs of two friends who were in Honduras with me.

http://www.yoursarethehands.wordpress.com

http://angiemartin08.blogspot.com/

Photos

Here are some photos from the summer:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2067050&id=1520295210&l=b6a8dc53e9

Llegué a mi casa ayer

Well, I’m back in the states now. It was very sad to leave the community and all the people that I have come to love. During the goodbye party everyone was crying. But there is a time for everything and it was time for those of us who came for the summer to go.

It wasn’t as much of a culture shock as I had expected. I guess I had not been gone for long enough. There are still some things though. Hondurans are, as a general rule, quite modest so after being around that for a while it was strange seeing girls in really short shorts and tank tops at the Houston airport. It was also strange to have so many choices of things to wear this morning instead of one of the seven shirts that I brought with me. Last night I tried to reach for my water bottle to brush my teeth, forgetting that I can use the tap water. I also kept trying to respond to American flight attendants with sí, buenas tardes, gracias etc. out of habit.

Carol challenged me before I left by reminding me that my time in Honduras was not just an experience to file along with my other college experiences. It is meant to change me and transform the way I see life and to help me grow. I know that I have grown a lot and the challenge now is to not settle back into complacency as I return to my comfortable life here.

I thank you for your prayers. Please, always keep the country of Honduras in your prayers. There is so much beauty there, but also so much suffering. It has been a pleasure to share my life in Honduras with everyone. I hope to post a link to some pictures within the next couple of days.

El último día

As I am preparing to leave the community here in Honduras and return home I have been reflecting on what I have learned and how I have grown. One of the common themes of this summer has been mediocrity vs. holiness. Christ says “you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all you soul, with all you mind and with all you strength.” (Mark 12:30) In other words, with your all everything. There is no middle ground. We either live our lives totally dedicated to Christ or we don’t. It's time for us, both Catholics and all Christians, to become who we say we are: followers of Christ. That means living the Gospel message, even the hard parts about the cross, loving our enemies, etc. What will it take to shake us out of our comfortable lives and wake up to the reality of heaven, hell, infinite love, truth, sin, and mercy? We need to ask God to transform our hearts. I’m not there yet, but I hope that at the end of my life I can say I was a true follower of Christ, lived totally for Him, trusted in His mercy and His plan and did all that is asked of His followers in the Gospel. And I hope I can say that at the end of this summer I am a little closer to that calling. It takes little steps. For instance, finding somewhere I can serve when I go back to school.