Inspiration

I was once again inspired and on fire from the beautiful collection of stories from Brazil compiled by Mev Puleo entitled The Struggle Is One. Gathering with many who have also been touched by this book, the spirit of Mev and those she interviewed was alive and flowing through the conversations and questions posed. To begin the conversation, we were invited to think about three things: pretext, context, and the text itself. My own pretext for joining in the gathering and discussion this evening was that I love this book, the people and stories it contains, and wanted a chance to share a bit of the impact it has had on my life since I read it almost 6 years ago. In short, this book helped change the course of my life. I read it at a time that I was already seriously questioning the religion and institution that I had been raised in, and in a context of being in a foreign country experiencing challenging questions and realities on a daily basis. I believe that God brought this book into my life to inspire me and give me hope. Through the reality I lived in El Salvador and the stories of liberation theology at work that I read in the book, I was introduced to a new face of the Church and God at work in the world. This was a Church and faith that made a preferential option for the poor, that lived solidarity with one's neighbors, that was awake to the reality that we belong to one another and the struggle is one. This was a Church and faith that spoke to me and challenged me to learn more, to be more. I returned to SLU to switch my major to theology to study more about liberation theology, feminist theology, and other theologies inspired by the people in a ground up not top down flow.

In reflecting on context, I conversed with some friends about imagination and creativity. Our context today is not the same as it was 20 years. While some struggles and systems remain the same, we cannot limit ourselves by what has been done in the past, but rather constantly reevaluate our current reality and context to come up with new, innovative, and pertinent solutions. Re-evaluation Counseling theory teaches that the mark of human intelligence is being able to come up with a completely new and fresh response to each new situation. So given all that, what do these stories have to teach us today? Is a book written about the reality of life in Brazil 20+ years ago still relevant today? Is this spirit and practice of liberation theology still pertinent and at work today? I think it is, now more than ever. I see the work being done by those who were inspired maybe 40 years ago and are still in the struggle. I see a generation of young people connected to the world in ways previously unimagined, and inspired to work for change through these connections. The reality has changed, but we still belong to one another. The faces of those in power, those who abuse their power, or do anything to maintain it, might have changed, but there is still truth to be spoken. And it quite frankly still needs to come from those on the bottom, those at the base, whose struggle is a daily struggle to survive, to find and create beauty and order, to maintain their hope and exercise their joy. We need to first listen to one another's stories, and then share them with others. That was a beautiful part of the gathering this evening and many such similar gathering on Sunday evenings: the sharing of stories to inspire one to discover and share their own story.

And we are constantly writing our own stories. We have the power of text. The words we choose to use, the conversations we seek out or don't shy away from, the questions we ask. Text can inspire, can move someone to action, can reawaken one's own imagination. What is the story that I am telling? What will others glean from my text? If I returned to Brazil and interviewed these same people, I am sure their stories have changed. It would be a completely different book. And that's beautiful. Our stories do change. From one chapter to the next, the text can take us in all different directions when new characters and situations are introduced. Whether something worked or didn't in the past isn't the question to ask. We need to look at our current context to determine what new ideas we might be able to dream up.

The stories in this book and many other stories I have been blessed to hear and share throughout the years, do give me hope in a people inspired by faith to live justice, to shake things up, and do things differently. Do I think liberation theologies have changed and will continue to change? Absolutely. Because inherent in the theory and practice is that it comes from one's lived reality, which is also going to continue changing. But do I think it is still relevant? Absolutely. We need to step out of our comfort zones, to come face to face with those whose reality may differ from mine. I believe people of faith are looking for inspiration and community, and not finding it within an institution of exclusion that claims exclusive access to God's truth and teachings. There is a phrase that I can't remember where it comes from, but to be “evangelized by the poor.” To be reminded that we still have work to do. Our faith and religion should challenge us to learn more, to be more. And we need to be open to that challenge and inspiration coming from the people on the street, rather than the pulpit.

A Letter To Dorothy Day

In my writing class last Thursday one of the practices was to "Write a letter to someone (in)famous in history, someone really dastardly, or someone really inspiring."  This was the letter I wrote:

Dear Dorothy,

So they're talking about making you a saint.  Have you heard?  Can you believe it?  Are you rolling over in your grave right now?  I have to admit I sort of laughed out loud when I first saw the facebook post: USCCB overwhelmingly supports making Dorothy Day a saint.  I thought it was a joke.  Maybe something from the Onion.  Seriously? These same men who are leading the witch hunt against nuns and girl scouts?  These same men who sit on thrones in fine robes and never go for wont of a good meal or warm comfy bed?  These same men want to lift up you and your life's work amongst the ranks of the saints. What are they playing at?  These men who so easily can say they support you but then continue to condemn the holy women of today who continue your works of mercy, serving the poor.  What do you think about this?  There seems to be a lot of support among the laity as well for making you a saint.  But has everyone forgotten that infamous phrase you told us?  "Don't call me a saint, I don't want to be dismissed so easily."  You didn't want to be a saint when you were alive, how about now that you're dead?  You wanted to remind us that there was nothing extraordinary about you and your beliefs.  Your life's work was and is the call of all who follow Christ.  This is who we are called to be.  This is the message Christ gave us to love one another, serve the least of these, and that whatever we do for our brother or sister we do for him.  So what happens now future Saint Dorothy?  How does your memory live on in the Church and the world?  What is it that you want to remind us of?  What words of wisdom do you have today for those who wish to call you saint? 

Remember

The Sacred Valley gets its name from the river that runs through it called the Sacred River. The Incas said the river was a mirror of the heavens. Water was also holy and respected. It could bring life and take life and all the land and peoples were connected to the Sacred River, as well as the mountains, the sun, and the moon. Today, driving or hiking through the Sacred Valley, the Sacred River runs brown, no longer reflecting the heavens but rather the dirt of erosion and pollution.

This culture and people that had so much respect for the earth and recognized their connection to it, was conquered, raped, and massacred right along with the earth for which they cared. This is the European history from which I come. This is the Catholic history from which I come. The Spanish Church and Pope with gold in their eyes and greed in their hearts eagerly approved and consecrated as a holy mission from God the genocide of an entire people; people who were able to use the rich natural resources around them for all they needed, who were able to create accurate calendars and markers of time and seasons, who built palaces and temples with minimal resources, and who celebrated and honored the divine presence in the world around them. But they were barbarians, heathens, devil worshipers ... at least according to the Church. Why? Because they recognized and revered the power of nature instead of claiming false power to control and dominate in the name of God Almighty. One of my tour guides at Machu Picchu said, "Men think they are the owners (dueños) of the earth, but they aren't the owners of anything. We are here for but a short time; from the earth we come and to the earth we will return. The Incas recognized this; the Spanish did not." From womb to tomb mother earth births us into life and receives us back in death.

And I found myself wondering where is God in all of this? God isn't in the giant churches and cathedrals built on top of ancient Incan temples and buildings. God isn't the giant White Jesus statue high on a hill with arms outstretched looming down at the city below, offering constant reminder to the symbol of Catholicism used to dominate and destroy. But God is present here and always has been. She is in the mountains, the soil, the trees, the crashing river, the rocks. Sophia still speaks to those who listen; ancient wisdom of unity, reverence, and care. She whispered to me in silent meditation on top of WaynaPicchu sweet melodies of love, joy, and deep sorrow. Remember we are One.

Celebrating 800 years of the Franciscan Order and 20 years in Peru

Sorry it’s been a little while. Life has become full with less time to sit and write. This weekend marked the end of three weeks of festivities at St. Francis parish celebrating 800 years of the Franciscan order and 20 years of Franciscans in Peru. I helped with a number of events and tried to attend as many as possible. Below is a run-down of the events.

The whole celebration started September 27th with a morning of recreational games and music for the whole family. Our youth council and confirmation kids were in charge of this event, so I had lots of meetings leading up to the big day trying to make sure we had everything prepared. Well, organization and preparation are not what Peruvians are known for so up to that morning I wasn’t sure how everything would run. We would have been good to go if the electricity would have worked. The event was outside in the plaza by the ocean and for whatever reason the electricity did not work; so we had 2 choirs and a group of animators from Periacoto (a Franciscan parish in the mountains) all ready to go but no sound. Yet, it was a beautiful day and we made do. I think all those who came (which weren’t many outside of our own youth) had a good time but I know the padres (priests) were upset because it had cost quite a bit. That afternoon there was a blessing for pets and people from the parish brought their cats, dogs, rabbits, and even a guinea pig (although they mostly eat them here) to be blessed by one of the Padres. It was a lot of fun to see all the kids with their dogs and cats and to see actual pets in Chimbote, since there are so many wild dogs who roam the streets. St. Francis loved all of creation and this was a great way to encourage and celebrate caring for animals.

Then we were supposed to be opening up a photo display in 3 different locations the following day, Monday, but the displays were far from ready. So for basically the next 48 hours I worked with Padre Carlos and another woman, Juanita, on preparing the photo displays and setting them up in their locations. By Tuesday evening everything was finished, so only two days late. Either I didn’t understand or Padre Carlos failed to mention that that evening (Tuesday) we were having a reception to kick off the photo display. I thought we were just putting a few finishing touches on the display at the cultural center, so I showed up in my overall jeans, black t-shirt, sweatshirt, and winter cap. Everyone else was dressed in their formal Franciscan robes or nice clothes so I asked if they had an event afterward and they said a brindis (toast). I soon found out we were all going to the brindis. I was a little embarrassed, but everyone was very kind and no one cared what I was wearing; they were just happy I had helped with the photos.

Wednesday they had a panel forum on life and caring for creation, which I was not able to attend because I was sick and resting.

Friday night we hosted a rock concert in the same plaza as the events on Sunday morning, but thankfully this time the sound worked! About a week or so before the concert Padre Raul told the group EXODO (a band from our parish who was in charge of the event) that he wanted one of the missionaries to be an animadora (kind of like an M.C.) for the event. Courtney is in the band EXODO so she couldn’t be an animadora and no one else wanted the job, so I reluctantly said yes on the condition that I had a script. I was still settling into life and not sure what to expect as well as being concerned about the language difference. Well, Friday night comes and no one has a script for me, but they all seem to have a lot of confidence I will make a great animadora. There are three other guys who host the concert with me and it turned out great! I had a lot of fun and after the concert (and actually still to the day) everyone said I had a lot of energy and did a great job! (although some also said they couldn’t understand a word I said ☺ ) So I can say that in my first month in Peru I helped host a rock concert downtown. I’m also starting to expect that everything will start late. The concert was scheduled for 7pm and our first band didn’t start until about 8:30pm. But it was great and aside from being cold (with the wind from the ocean) everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

Saturday we hosted a marathon from Nuevo Chimbote to Chimbote. I’m really not sure how long that is, but it wasn’t a full marathon length. It started at 8am so I didn’t attend this event either, but it sounded like a success. Also on Saturday was a poetry contest. I attended this, but since it started about 2 hours late I only heard 3 poems before I had to leave for Confirmation that night. Also, the participants never showed, so other people just read the poems that were submitted. Everything had to do with the theme of creation and St. Francis’ Canticle of Creation.

Wednesday (the 30th of Sept.) contained a painting contest and I was pretty impressed with the paintings of both students and teachers. Most of the people here seem to be very gifted in the arts, whether it be music, dance, drawing, painting, theater, or singing. I love it!

Friday morning we had a jornada de limpieza publica which I thought meant we were just going to go around and clean up the streets etc. It was actually more of a march through the streets. Three different schools showed up with their students and everyone had made signs about respecting creation. The most beautiful thing was that all of the posters were so different and truly represented a consistent ethic of life and respect of all creation. Whereas I thought ok, we are focusing on the environment, these students saw the connection between all life and their posters reflected it. There were posters about not littering, not polluting, as well as posters against abortion, against domestic violence, about respecting one another, caring for animals, etc. A great event to have considering it is respect life month. One of the schools brought a band as well so music accompanied our march through the streets, raising awareness and picking up trash along the way.

Friday afternoon there was a program for children in honor of national children’s week (semana de los niños). There were balloons everywhere as well as Disney princesses, Backyardigans (Megan and Beth this made me think of you and Geriana, Ariel, and their siblings), and of course pooh and barney. Lots of singing and dancing and dinamicas provided the kids who came with hours of entertainment and fun.

Saturday was the choir contest held at the Catholic University ULADECH. There were five choirs who participated, but since this also started late and I had another event at 7pm I only heard the first 3 choirs. I also had my first visitor to Chimbote on Saturday! A girl that I went to SLU with, Shannon, is currently living in Lima for a couple months and came to Chimbote on her way to another city. So she met up with me at the choir concert and spent the night. It was fun to have a familiar face and to catch up with Shannon on what she’s been up to. On Saturday night our theater group from the parish performed some scenes from the life of St. Francis. It turned out really well! Everyone did a great job and we had lots of positive feedback. I was a blind person who was cured, and someone who received the good news from one of the Friars.

Sunday was the actual feast day of St. Francis of Asisi so we had a big mass in the morning followed by a small procession around the block of the Church with a statue of St. Francis. The nine days leading up to the feast day were part of what’s called a novena. This means there are nine masses, one each day, leading up to a special celebration.

Finally to wrap things up we had two big events this past weekend. Friday the 9th was a celebration with the whole Franciscan family commemorating 800 years of the Franciscan order and 20 years in Peru. Priests came in from Lima and Periacoto, and the archbishop of Chimbote said mass that evening. There was a charla (discussion) in the afternoon, followed by mass, and then performances of dance, music, and theater. The group of youth from Periacoto did an incredible job as performing two dances: one from the mountains (sierra) and one from the jungle (selva). Our theater group performed our skit again on the life of St. Francis. It was a great celebration of St. Francis and Franciscan spirituality with the whole community gathered together!

Then on Saturday I attended the second annual Franciscan youth encounter. It was from 8am-5;30pm and was similar to youth rallies I have attended in the U.S. We were split into different groups, each with a name that corresponded to St. Francis or the Franciscan order. There were 4 different talks in the morning as well as time to get to know the people in your group. While joven here usually means anyone between 15-35, most of the kids were around 15-17 years old. About half of my Confirmation kids came and there were lots of different parishes represented. Many Franciscan sisters helped plan and organize the event and were wonderful to meet. In the afternoon we had dinamicas, dances, and then ended with a mass where all of the kids received necklaces with the letter T (not a cross as I was corrected, but the letter Tao which is a Franciscan symbol). I thought it was a successful event and hope to help form a group of Jovenes Fransicanas (JuFra) at our parish.

So, that’s just the parish events that have been going on. I’m getting involved in a few other activities but I’ll start another blog for that. This one is pretty long already!

paz y bien (that’s the motto everywhere around here with the Franciscans)

p.s. I wanted to include some pictures, but my computer doesn't like me. So I'll try and work on that.