Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Sept 14 Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross
As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the desert, in the same way the Son of Man must be lifted up. John 3:14
On the grounds of a retreat house outside Chicago is a life-sized stone crucifix. It is especially striking at night because it is floodlighted dramatically. It is
even more striking on rainy nights, because then water trickles down the face and the body of Jesus. One rainy night a retreatant came upon the crucifix and was moved deeply.
Going up to it and touching it, the retreatant prayed for a long time. Later, the retreatant detailed the moving experience to the retreat master, saying with deep
sincerity: "I touched only the cross because I wasn't worthy to touch the body of Jesus."
Why did Jesus die as he did?
It wasn't the nails that held Jesus on the cross but his love for us. Anonymous
Jn 3:13-17 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Nicodemus cannot have been a very great teacher – and Jesus hinted it – because Jews at that time spoke of converts to Judaism as people who were “born again.” He didn’t seem quite to understand this expression.
The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James, first issued in 1902, is an enduring classic. There he illustrates the contrast between the “once-born” and the “twice-born” (or “born again”) Christian. The soul of the once-born (or “healthy-minded,” as he calls them) “is of a sky-blue tint… their affinities are rather with flowers and birds and all enchanting innocencies than with dark human passions….[they] can think no ill of man or God…. They have a certain complacency and perhaps romantic sense of excitement.” In contrast to these, the “twice-born” or “morbid-minded” are more likely to feel that “from the bottom of every fountain of pleasure, as the old poet said, something bitter rises up.” All natural happiness is infected; there is a deep sense of sin and failure. To people of this stamp, the attitude of the once-born seems “unspeakably blind and shallow,” while to the once-born the attitude of these “seems unmanly and diseased.”
What if we don’t care for either? We would prefer to be neither starry-eyed nor morbid-minded. Are there any other possibilities? Of course there are! There are billions in between. These expressions ‘once-born’ and ‘twice-born’ are labels: they don’t describe anyone in fact. “If all the good people were red and all the bad people were blue, what colour would you be?” someone asked the little girl. “Stripey,” she replied. Nobody is just once-born and nobody is just twice-born. Anyway, how could you be twice-born unless you were first once-born? But people still fight about these labels, mostly under new names: ‘creation-centred spirituality’ versus ‘sin/redemption spirituality’, original blessing versus original sin.
Labels encourage us to think that there are only two possibilities: ‘good’ and ‘bad’, for example. But everyone is simultaneously once- and twice-born. We need to remember that it was the same Jesus who said, “Behold the lilies of the field…” and who died on the cross. The challenge, as always, is to refuse to become partisan, but rather to enter into the drama and refuse to be limited by labels.
As Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the desert, in the same way the Son of Man must be lifted up. John 3:14
On the grounds of a retreat house outside Chicago is a life-sized stone crucifix. It is especially striking at night because it is floodlighted dramatically. It is
even more striking on rainy nights, because then water trickles down the face and the body of Jesus. One rainy night a retreatant came upon the crucifix and was moved deeply.
Going up to it and touching it, the retreatant prayed for a long time. Later, the retreatant detailed the moving experience to the retreat master, saying with deep
sincerity: "I touched only the cross because I wasn't worthy to touch the body of Jesus."
Why did Jesus die as he did?
It wasn't the nails that held Jesus on the cross but his love for us. Anonymous
Jn 3:13-17 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Nicodemus cannot have been a very great teacher – and Jesus hinted it – because Jews at that time spoke of converts to Judaism as people who were “born again.” He didn’t seem quite to understand this expression.
The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James, first issued in 1902, is an enduring classic. There he illustrates the contrast between the “once-born” and the “twice-born” (or “born again”) Christian. The soul of the once-born (or “healthy-minded,” as he calls them) “is of a sky-blue tint… their affinities are rather with flowers and birds and all enchanting innocencies than with dark human passions….[they] can think no ill of man or God…. They have a certain complacency and perhaps romantic sense of excitement.” In contrast to these, the “twice-born” or “morbid-minded” are more likely to feel that “from the bottom of every fountain of pleasure, as the old poet said, something bitter rises up.” All natural happiness is infected; there is a deep sense of sin and failure. To people of this stamp, the attitude of the once-born seems “unspeakably blind and shallow,” while to the once-born the attitude of these “seems unmanly and diseased.”
What if we don’t care for either? We would prefer to be neither starry-eyed nor morbid-minded. Are there any other possibilities? Of course there are! There are billions in between. These expressions ‘once-born’ and ‘twice-born’ are labels: they don’t describe anyone in fact. “If all the good people were red and all the bad people were blue, what colour would you be?” someone asked the little girl. “Stripey,” she replied. Nobody is just once-born and nobody is just twice-born. Anyway, how could you be twice-born unless you were first once-born? But people still fight about these labels, mostly under new names: ‘creation-centred spirituality’ versus ‘sin/redemption spirituality’, original blessing versus original sin.
Labels encourage us to think that there are only two possibilities: ‘good’ and ‘bad’, for example. But everyone is simultaneously once- and twice-born. We need to remember that it was the same Jesus who said, “Behold the lilies of the field…” and who died on the cross. The challenge, as always, is to refuse to become partisan, but rather to enter into the drama and refuse to be limited by labels.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
El Grito de Dolores
El Grito de Dolores ("Cry of Dolores") was the battle cry of the Mexican War of Independence also known as El Grito de la Independencia ("Cry of Independence"), uttered on September 16, 1810 by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Roman Catholic priest from the small town of Dolores, near Guanajuato.
Hidalgo and several criollos were involved in a planned revolt against the Spanish colonial government, and the plotters were betrayed. Fearing his arrest, Hidalgo commanded his brother Mauricio, as well as Ignacio Allende and Mariano Abasolo to go with a number of other armed men to make the sheriff release the pro-independence inmates there on the night of 15 September. They managed to set eighty free. Just before midnight on September 15, 1810, Hidalgo ordered the church bells to be rung and gathered his congregation. Flanked by Allende and Juan Aldama, he addressed the people in front of his church, encouraging them to revolt: My children: a new dispensation comes to us today. Will you receive it? Will you free yourselves? Will you recover the lands stolen by three hundred years ago from your forefathers by the hated Spaniards? We must act at once… Will you defend your religion and your rights as true patriots? Long live our Lady of Guadalupe! Death to bad government! Death to the gachupines!
Hidalgo’s Grito did not condemn the notion of monarchy or criticize the current social order in detail, but his opposition to the events in Spain and the current vice regal government was clearly expressed in his reference to bad government. The Grito also emphasized loyalty to the Catholic religion, a sentiment with which both Creoles and Peninsulares (native Spaniards) could sympathize; however, the strong anti-Spanish cry of “Death to the Gachupines” (Gachupines was a name given to Peninsulares) probably had caused horror among Mexico’s elite.
The Battle of Guanajuato, the first major engagement of the insurgency, occurred 4 days later. Mexico's independence would not be effectively declared from Spain in the Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire until September 27, 1821, after a decade of war.
Since the late 19th century, Hidalgo y Costilla’s "cry of independence" has become emblematic of Mexican independence. Each year on the night of September 15, the President of Mexico rings the bell of the National Palace in Mexico City. He repeats a cry of patriotism (a Grito Mexicano) based upon the "Grito de Dolores" from the balcony of the palace to the assembled crowd in the Plaza de la Constitución, or Zócalo, one of the largest public plazas in the world. This event draws up to half a million spectators. On the dawn of September 16, or Independence Day, the national military parade starts in the Zócalo, passes the Hidalgo Memorial and ends on the Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City’s main boulevard.
A similar celebration occurs in cities and towns all over Mexico. The mayor (or governor, in the case of state capitals), rings a bell and gives the traditional words. This year the Governor Ivonne Ortega Pacheco will ring the bell and give the Grito at 11PM on Paso Montejo …….I will be in bed.
The following day, September 16 is Independence Day in Mexico and is considered a patriotic holiday, or fiesta patria (literally, holiday of the Fatherland).
Hidalgo and several criollos were involved in a planned revolt against the Spanish colonial government, and the plotters were betrayed. Fearing his arrest, Hidalgo commanded his brother Mauricio, as well as Ignacio Allende and Mariano Abasolo to go with a number of other armed men to make the sheriff release the pro-independence inmates there on the night of 15 September. They managed to set eighty free. Just before midnight on September 15, 1810, Hidalgo ordered the church bells to be rung and gathered his congregation. Flanked by Allende and Juan Aldama, he addressed the people in front of his church, encouraging them to revolt: My children: a new dispensation comes to us today. Will you receive it? Will you free yourselves? Will you recover the lands stolen by three hundred years ago from your forefathers by the hated Spaniards? We must act at once… Will you defend your religion and your rights as true patriots? Long live our Lady of Guadalupe! Death to bad government! Death to the gachupines!
Hidalgo’s Grito did not condemn the notion of monarchy or criticize the current social order in detail, but his opposition to the events in Spain and the current vice regal government was clearly expressed in his reference to bad government. The Grito also emphasized loyalty to the Catholic religion, a sentiment with which both Creoles and Peninsulares (native Spaniards) could sympathize; however, the strong anti-Spanish cry of “Death to the Gachupines” (Gachupines was a name given to Peninsulares) probably had caused horror among Mexico’s elite.
The Battle of Guanajuato, the first major engagement of the insurgency, occurred 4 days later. Mexico's independence would not be effectively declared from Spain in the Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire until September 27, 1821, after a decade of war.
Since the late 19th century, Hidalgo y Costilla’s "cry of independence" has become emblematic of Mexican independence. Each year on the night of September 15, the President of Mexico rings the bell of the National Palace in Mexico City. He repeats a cry of patriotism (a Grito Mexicano) based upon the "Grito de Dolores" from the balcony of the palace to the assembled crowd in the Plaza de la Constitución, or Zócalo, one of the largest public plazas in the world. This event draws up to half a million spectators. On the dawn of September 16, or Independence Day, the national military parade starts in the Zócalo, passes the Hidalgo Memorial and ends on the Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City’s main boulevard.
A similar celebration occurs in cities and towns all over Mexico. The mayor (or governor, in the case of state capitals), rings a bell and gives the traditional words. This year the Governor Ivonne Ortega Pacheco will ring the bell and give the Grito at 11PM on Paso Montejo …….I will be in bed.
The following day, September 16 is Independence Day in Mexico and is considered a patriotic holiday, or fiesta patria (literally, holiday of the Fatherland).
El Grito de Dolores
El Grito de Dolores ("Cry of Dolores") was the battle cry of the Mexican War of Independence also known as El Grito de la Independencia ("Cry of Independence"), uttered on September 16, 1810 by Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Roman Catholic priest from the small town of Dolores, near Guanajuato.
Hidalgo and several criollos were involved in a planned revolt against the Spanish colonial government, and the plotters were betrayed. Fearing his arrest, Hidalgo commanded his brother Mauricio, as well as Ignacio Allende and Mariano Abasolo to go with a number of other armed men to make the sheriff release the pro-independence inmates there on the night of 15 September. They managed to set eighty free. Just before midnight on September 15, 1810, Hidalgo ordered the church bells to be rung and gathered his congregation. Flanked by Allende and Juan Aldama, he addressed the people in front of his church, encouraging them to revolt: My children: a new dispensation comes to us today. Will you receive it? Will you free yourselves? Will you recover the lands stolen by three hundred years ago from your forefathers by the hated Spaniards? We must act at once… Will you defend your religion and your rights as true patriots? Long live our Lady of Guadalupe! Death to bad government! Death to the gachupines!
Hidalgo’s Grito did not condemn the notion of monarchy or criticize the current social order in detail, but his opposition to the events in Spain and the current vice regal government was clearly expressed in his reference to bad government. The Grito also emphasized loyalty to the Catholic religion, a sentiment with which both Creoles and Peninsulares (native Spaniards) could sympathize; however, the strong anti-Spanish cry of “Death to the Gachupines” (Gachupines was a name given to Peninsulares) probably had caused horror among Mexico’s elite.
The Battle of Guanajuato, the first major engagement of the insurgency, occurred 4 days later. Mexico's independence would not be effectively declared from Spain in the Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire until September 27, 1821, after a decade of war.
Since the late 19th century, Hidalgo y Costilla’s "cry of independence" has become emblematic of Mexican independence. Each year on the night of September 15, the President of Mexico rings the bell of the National Palace in Mexico City. He repeats a cry of patriotism (a Grito Mexicano) based upon the "Grito de Dolores" from the balcony of the palace to the assembled crowd in the Plaza de la Constitución, or Zócalo, one of the largest public plazas in the world. This event draws up to half a million spectators. On the dawn of September 16, or Independence Day, the national military parade starts in the Zócalo, passes the Hidalgo Memorial and ends on the Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City’s main boulevard.
A similar celebration occurs in cities and towns all over Mexico. The mayor (or governor, in the case of state capitals), rings a bell and gives the traditional words. This year the Governor Ivonne Ortega Pacheco will ring the bell and give the Grito at 11PM on Paso Montejo …….I will be in bed.
The following day, September 16 is Independence Day in Mexico and is considered a patriotic holiday, or fiesta patria (literally, holiday of the Fatherland).
Hidalgo and several criollos were involved in a planned revolt against the Spanish colonial government, and the plotters were betrayed. Fearing his arrest, Hidalgo commanded his brother Mauricio, as well as Ignacio Allende and Mariano Abasolo to go with a number of other armed men to make the sheriff release the pro-independence inmates there on the night of 15 September. They managed to set eighty free. Just before midnight on September 15, 1810, Hidalgo ordered the church bells to be rung and gathered his congregation. Flanked by Allende and Juan Aldama, he addressed the people in front of his church, encouraging them to revolt: My children: a new dispensation comes to us today. Will you receive it? Will you free yourselves? Will you recover the lands stolen by three hundred years ago from your forefathers by the hated Spaniards? We must act at once… Will you defend your religion and your rights as true patriots? Long live our Lady of Guadalupe! Death to bad government! Death to the gachupines!
Hidalgo’s Grito did not condemn the notion of monarchy or criticize the current social order in detail, but his opposition to the events in Spain and the current vice regal government was clearly expressed in his reference to bad government. The Grito also emphasized loyalty to the Catholic religion, a sentiment with which both Creoles and Peninsulares (native Spaniards) could sympathize; however, the strong anti-Spanish cry of “Death to the Gachupines” (Gachupines was a name given to Peninsulares) probably had caused horror among Mexico’s elite.
The Battle of Guanajuato, the first major engagement of the insurgency, occurred 4 days later. Mexico's independence would not be effectively declared from Spain in the Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire until September 27, 1821, after a decade of war.
Since the late 19th century, Hidalgo y Costilla’s "cry of independence" has become emblematic of Mexican independence. Each year on the night of September 15, the President of Mexico rings the bell of the National Palace in Mexico City. He repeats a cry of patriotism (a Grito Mexicano) based upon the "Grito de Dolores" from the balcony of the palace to the assembled crowd in the Plaza de la Constitución, or Zócalo, one of the largest public plazas in the world. This event draws up to half a million spectators. On the dawn of September 16, or Independence Day, the national military parade starts in the Zócalo, passes the Hidalgo Memorial and ends on the Paseo de la Reforma, Mexico City’s main boulevard.
A similar celebration occurs in cities and towns all over Mexico. The mayor (or governor, in the case of state capitals), rings a bell and gives the traditional words. This year the Governor Ivonne Ortega Pacheco will ring the bell and give the Grito at 11PM on Paso Montejo …….I will be in bed.
The following day, September 16 is Independence Day in Mexico and is considered a patriotic holiday, or fiesta patria (literally, holiday of the Fatherland).
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Simple thoughts
Saturday 11th September, 2010
"I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of his people."
Paying vows to God is our way of acknowledging the presence and action of a divine being in our world. We do not pay our vows alone but as a community united by the faith in God we share. We pay our vows by raising the cup of salvation, the ritual fulfilled by Jesus at the Passover meal with his disciples on the night before he died.
St Paul refers to ‘the blessing cup that we bless’ as a ritual act familiar to every Christian community. The tradition remains with us. Each time that the chalice of salvation is raised in the Eucharistic celebration, we pay our vows to God by undertaking to live as his Son showed us how live.
"If a man loses pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured, or far away. "
Henry David Thoreau
Last night, the Orquesta Sinfonica de Yucatan honored the composers of a bygone era. The audience was treated to works by Blas Galindo, Jose Pablo Moncayo, and the icon of Mexican cinema, Silvestre Revuletas, whose work defined music in the Golden Age of the Cinema. Guest performer for the evening were Yucateco guitarist Cecilio Perera. Today, this young Meridano studies in Salzburg, Austria, but his resume goes far beyond that. In fact, the Cecilio Perera Resume is stunning! You will certainly want to hear him, along with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Yucatan, under the direction of Juan Carlos Lomonaco, pay tribute to composer Manuel Maria Ponce with Concierto del Sur para Guitarra y Orquesta.
"I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of his people."
Paying vows to God is our way of acknowledging the presence and action of a divine being in our world. We do not pay our vows alone but as a community united by the faith in God we share. We pay our vows by raising the cup of salvation, the ritual fulfilled by Jesus at the Passover meal with his disciples on the night before he died.
St Paul refers to ‘the blessing cup that we bless’ as a ritual act familiar to every Christian community. The tradition remains with us. Each time that the chalice of salvation is raised in the Eucharistic celebration, we pay our vows to God by undertaking to live as his Son showed us how live.
"If a man loses pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured, or far away. "
Henry David Thoreau
Last night, the Orquesta Sinfonica de Yucatan honored the composers of a bygone era. The audience was treated to works by Blas Galindo, Jose Pablo Moncayo, and the icon of Mexican cinema, Silvestre Revuletas, whose work defined music in the Golden Age of the Cinema. Guest performer for the evening were Yucateco guitarist Cecilio Perera. Today, this young Meridano studies in Salzburg, Austria, but his resume goes far beyond that. In fact, the Cecilio Perera Resume is stunning! You will certainly want to hear him, along with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Yucatan, under the direction of Juan Carlos Lomonaco, pay tribute to composer Manuel Maria Ponce with Concierto del Sur para Guitarra y Orquesta.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Friday
Luke 6:39-42. "How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord, mighty God!"
Luke’s gospel reminds me of how we are called to serve each other—not to judge, but to acknowledge our own weakness and vulnerability. It is only when we can see our own limitations that we able to appreciate each other’s struggles. Paul reminds us that just as he has been entrusted to preach the gospel we are called to live out the gospel to the best of our ability.
In both accounts, living the Gospel invites us to befriend out weaknesses and frailty, our humanity, rather than robustly surging forward as a tower of strength, ready to judge and win.
The psalm is a lovely invitation to rest peacefully in God, knowing this place of peace as our home and a place where we can trust. Lord, I pray that I may be able to trust your loving embrace enough to acknowledge my weaknesses and vulnerability. In being open to your presence in my life, may I be witness to your Word, and one who can embrace the life you have called me into.
Luke’s gospel reminds me of how we are called to serve each other—not to judge, but to acknowledge our own weakness and vulnerability. It is only when we can see our own limitations that we able to appreciate each other’s struggles. Paul reminds us that just as he has been entrusted to preach the gospel we are called to live out the gospel to the best of our ability.
In both accounts, living the Gospel invites us to befriend out weaknesses and frailty, our humanity, rather than robustly surging forward as a tower of strength, ready to judge and win.
The psalm is a lovely invitation to rest peacefully in God, knowing this place of peace as our home and a place where we can trust. Lord, I pray that I may be able to trust your loving embrace enough to acknowledge my weaknesses and vulnerability. In being open to your presence in my life, may I be witness to your Word, and one who can embrace the life you have called me into.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Two small boys “swim” in a makeshift pool in San Luis [Dzununcán] south of the city of Merida, a village with 80 families. Notice the house, tin roof, tin, plastic and cardboard exterior walls. The writing on the wall of the house, in red…..is the address. Of all the poverty I have seen, this one touched me deeply. [the simplicity, happiness and ability to exist without “things” we consider important]. They had a TV, the old fashioned ones we all got rid of....no phone, no computers, no IPods, none of the "berries" we all consider impossible to live without.....just family. You want to talk to a neighbor....walk to their house and TALK, face to face. The boys were the most polite and well behaved I’ve seen. We bought food, used clothing and some “over the counter” medical supplies.
Here I was fretting all day because I lost my bicycle lock and gym locker key, unsure of where I lost it and would have to buy a new one. I was hungry and mentally wondering when we would eat lunch....or if we would eat lunch......today! This has given me a new and different perspective on poverty.....it has nothing to do with "things"......it is all about where your heart is! "Live simply so that others may simply live." -
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
And the beat goes on..........
With only weeks to go before the Snowbirds head down for the winter, the weather continues to be problematic along the east coast of Mexico. In Tabasco, six rivers are still out of their banks, with rain falling and more on the way. In addition, there is a low pressure area located in the Gulf of Mexico, right off of the coast of Veracruz. All five of its projected paths make landfall in Tamaulipas, one of the two worst hit states by Hurricane Alex just two months ago. It must also be noted that Quintana Roo is on Blue Alert, which is the lightest of all possible hurricane warnings, because Hurricane Gaston may be strengthening and headed in their direction. Needless to say, the weather will certainly not be dull this coming week!
A man from Washington State, U.S., has driven a car all the way from the Canadian border to the Mexican border (1,384 miles) on only 12.4 gallons of gasoline! Craig Henderson and Bill Green developed the car in the 1980s, but the auto industry wasn’t interested, so Henderson just kept on making it better on his own. The car is a cute little roadster that Mr. Henderson is planning to sell in a kit car. At 119.1 mpg, we would be willing to bet that this will be front page news the minute the Avion kits hit the market.
Last year, we had the H1N1 flu scare that was fueled by an already rabid foreign media run of Mexico-bashing, in concert with worldwide health organizations that either wanted their name in the paper or wanted to try out their rapid response scenarios. The result was worldwide panic. This year, the flu is back but is barely a blip on anyone’s radar. What we know is that it is Influenza (type A) H3N2. It began in Australia, hopped over to Europe and South America – then came up through Central America to southeastern Mexico. Symptoms include a garden variety of complaints, from coughing to sore muscles, but it does not seem to be life-threatening unless someone is already ill. Individuals who are in advanced age, very young, or have respiratory problems should see a doctor immediately if they show symptoms of the flu. Otherwise, eat well, sleep well, get plenty of exercise, and have a great winter.
The worldwide abuse of antibiotics has led to a situation in which, without intervention, it won’t be long before bacteria have developed an immunity to anything we have that might kill them. We hear reports from a number of places around the world where antibiotics are not only overused, but are dumped into local water systems and are even being found in local seawater. The overuse and abuse of antibiotics is now judged to be a worldwide crisis and Mexico, this past week, took steps to do its part to help resolve the issue. No longer will anyone be able to obtain over-the-counter antibiotics in Mexico. From now on, customers must have a prescription for medications listed on a 51-page list of antibiotics. COFEPRIS is the Federal Commission for the Protection of Public Sanitation and they have some pretty stiff penalties waiting for pharmacists caught disobeying this law, so keep that in mind as we all adjust to these new rules.
This past weekend saw the 4th Anniversary of the Bici-Ruta in Merida. Since its inception, one town after another has begun to view bike riding as an at least weekly event in the fight against obesity and coronary disease. We have seen bike paths open in Tizimin, Valladolid and Motul. Now, there is a bike path in Peto, 135 km southeast of Merida.
A man from Washington State, U.S., has driven a car all the way from the Canadian border to the Mexican border (1,384 miles) on only 12.4 gallons of gasoline! Craig Henderson and Bill Green developed the car in the 1980s, but the auto industry wasn’t interested, so Henderson just kept on making it better on his own. The car is a cute little roadster that Mr. Henderson is planning to sell in a kit car. At 119.1 mpg, we would be willing to bet that this will be front page news the minute the Avion kits hit the market.
Last year, we had the H1N1 flu scare that was fueled by an already rabid foreign media run of Mexico-bashing, in concert with worldwide health organizations that either wanted their name in the paper or wanted to try out their rapid response scenarios. The result was worldwide panic. This year, the flu is back but is barely a blip on anyone’s radar. What we know is that it is Influenza (type A) H3N2. It began in Australia, hopped over to Europe and South America – then came up through Central America to southeastern Mexico. Symptoms include a garden variety of complaints, from coughing to sore muscles, but it does not seem to be life-threatening unless someone is already ill. Individuals who are in advanced age, very young, or have respiratory problems should see a doctor immediately if they show symptoms of the flu. Otherwise, eat well, sleep well, get plenty of exercise, and have a great winter.
The worldwide abuse of antibiotics has led to a situation in which, without intervention, it won’t be long before bacteria have developed an immunity to anything we have that might kill them. We hear reports from a number of places around the world where antibiotics are not only overused, but are dumped into local water systems and are even being found in local seawater. The overuse and abuse of antibiotics is now judged to be a worldwide crisis and Mexico, this past week, took steps to do its part to help resolve the issue. No longer will anyone be able to obtain over-the-counter antibiotics in Mexico. From now on, customers must have a prescription for medications listed on a 51-page list of antibiotics. COFEPRIS is the Federal Commission for the Protection of Public Sanitation and they have some pretty stiff penalties waiting for pharmacists caught disobeying this law, so keep that in mind as we all adjust to these new rules.
This past weekend saw the 4th Anniversary of the Bici-Ruta in Merida. Since its inception, one town after another has begun to view bike riding as an at least weekly event in the fight against obesity and coronary disease. We have seen bike paths open in Tizimin, Valladolid and Motul. Now, there is a bike path in Peto, 135 km southeast of Merida.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
I write today having reflected on a letter of a friend who has been hurt by the church.
DREAMS
Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams for when dreams go life is a barren field frozen with snow.
Langston Hughes
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." Henry David Thoreau
"I have wept in the night For the shortness of sight That to somebody’s need made me blind; But I never have yet Felt a tinge of regret For being a little too kind."(Anonymous)
Christianity is about a God who lovingly gives himself to us, who delights in giving gifts (Luke 11:9-13), and invites us to give ourselves back to him and to others. ‘God so loved, that he gave…’ (John 3:16). Jesus, the Son of God, says Paul, ‘loved me and gave himself for me’ (Galatians 3:20). The Spirit of God similarly loves, and gives gifts (1 Corinthians 12-14).
These ’spiritual gifts’ or ‘charisms’ (charismata from charis, grace) are given for the common good; to each for the good of all (1 Corinthians 12:7). The same Spirit who enabled Jesus to bring good news to the poor, release to captives, healing for the sick, and freedom to the oppressed (Luke 4:18,19) is given to us to do in our world what He did in his.
We as clergy MUST focus on one of these gifts: generosity (Romans 12:8). Generosity of TIME, of SELF, of PRESENCE.
Being there, holding hands, and lifting up spirits are important, to be sure, but a ‘ministry of presence’ must bring more than a mere pat on the back or a well-meaning prayer. A ministry of presence embraces the presence of Christ by meeting the emotional, spiritual, and physical needs of the helpless and hurting. The power of MY presence in suffering finds its source in Christ’s enduring presence in our own lives. It is an awesome responsibility to stand in the stead of Christ offering whole-person, Christian care.
It is a privilege to be present in the name of Christ. A ministry of presence is a ministry with the gospel as its matrix. A ministry of presence helps transform victims into survivors, a necessary step on the road to recovery and renewal. While it is a privilege to be with people and listen to their story, empathy without action is not ministry. A ministry of presence does more than listen. A ministry of presence replaces moments of misery with moments of mercy. Moments of mercy are delivered by those privileged to stand in the stead of Christ at the crossroads of tragedy and triumph. The privilege of presence includes service in tangible ways.
DREAMS
Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams for when dreams go life is a barren field frozen with snow.
Langston Hughes
"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." Henry David Thoreau
"I have wept in the night For the shortness of sight That to somebody’s need made me blind; But I never have yet Felt a tinge of regret For being a little too kind."(Anonymous)
Christianity is about a God who lovingly gives himself to us, who delights in giving gifts (Luke 11:9-13), and invites us to give ourselves back to him and to others. ‘God so loved, that he gave…’ (John 3:16). Jesus, the Son of God, says Paul, ‘loved me and gave himself for me’ (Galatians 3:20). The Spirit of God similarly loves, and gives gifts (1 Corinthians 12-14).
These ’spiritual gifts’ or ‘charisms’ (charismata from charis, grace) are given for the common good; to each for the good of all (1 Corinthians 12:7). The same Spirit who enabled Jesus to bring good news to the poor, release to captives, healing for the sick, and freedom to the oppressed (Luke 4:18,19) is given to us to do in our world what He did in his.
We as clergy MUST focus on one of these gifts: generosity (Romans 12:8). Generosity of TIME, of SELF, of PRESENCE.
Being there, holding hands, and lifting up spirits are important, to be sure, but a ‘ministry of presence’ must bring more than a mere pat on the back or a well-meaning prayer. A ministry of presence embraces the presence of Christ by meeting the emotional, spiritual, and physical needs of the helpless and hurting. The power of MY presence in suffering finds its source in Christ’s enduring presence in our own lives. It is an awesome responsibility to stand in the stead of Christ offering whole-person, Christian care.
It is a privilege to be present in the name of Christ. A ministry of presence is a ministry with the gospel as its matrix. A ministry of presence helps transform victims into survivors, a necessary step on the road to recovery and renewal. While it is a privilege to be with people and listen to their story, empathy without action is not ministry. A ministry of presence does more than listen. A ministry of presence replaces moments of misery with moments of mercy. Moments of mercy are delivered by those privileged to stand in the stead of Christ at the crossroads of tragedy and triumph. The privilege of presence includes service in tangible ways.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
September 1, 2010
One of my favorite things about Mexico has been the pleasure of sitting in her many plazas and watching people. Mérida has an especially nice plaza in the center of its downtown as well as many others scattered around in nearby neighborhoods. Fairly regularly you can find me sitting in the Plaza Grande watching the city pass me by and enjoying the shade or the cooler evening air. The Plaza is raised and has many trees so it always seems to have more breezes than the street level.
There are lots of regulars who pass me by. If you have spent any time sitting on the park benches watching people you will likely recognize some familiar characters. There's the performing clowns, the Chiapas textile vendors, the hippies with their usual trinkets, the regal nut lady with her basket of nuts, the rose sellers, Gloria--the lady with the bulbous eye who quietly begs, the guy who sells the pecking chickens on a wooden paddle, the man who makes music on his saw, people posing silently as statues, the preacher with a megaphone and perhaps my favorite: the fan guy. There are actually several fan vendors but this guy is more dashing and suave. He imagines himself to be a Zorro like character.
In English, there is only one way "to be". English has only one verb meaning "to be". Perhaps that explains the emphasis in the United States upon "doing" rather than "being". And a lifetime of doing may have stunted the being you perhaps wanted to be.
In Spanish, there are two ways "to be". Spanish has two verbs meaning "to be". One is "estar" and the other is "ser". Estar connotes location or temporary condition while ser has to do with permanent or innate conditions.
There is a richness in living in a place that recognizes different ways of being and gives you ways to communicate that to others. That richness overflows to the literature, philosophy and way of life. A culture that respects ones right to be naturally has a mañana attitude. A culture that advocates only one way of being rigidly requires uniform behavior from all its citizenry. It is no wonder that many expats struggle when their way of being clashes with alternative ways of being. Spanish can conjugate twice as many ways of being as English can. So can you once you have lived here awhile.
Bájate! Vive sin prisa! This is one of my favorite road signs in Mexico. It means something like "Slow down. Live without hurry or haste." Good advice for all!
There are lots of regulars who pass me by. If you have spent any time sitting on the park benches watching people you will likely recognize some familiar characters. There's the performing clowns, the Chiapas textile vendors, the hippies with their usual trinkets, the regal nut lady with her basket of nuts, the rose sellers, Gloria--the lady with the bulbous eye who quietly begs, the guy who sells the pecking chickens on a wooden paddle, the man who makes music on his saw, people posing silently as statues, the preacher with a megaphone and perhaps my favorite: the fan guy. There are actually several fan vendors but this guy is more dashing and suave. He imagines himself to be a Zorro like character.
In English, there is only one way "to be". English has only one verb meaning "to be". Perhaps that explains the emphasis in the United States upon "doing" rather than "being". And a lifetime of doing may have stunted the being you perhaps wanted to be.
In Spanish, there are two ways "to be". Spanish has two verbs meaning "to be". One is "estar" and the other is "ser". Estar connotes location or temporary condition while ser has to do with permanent or innate conditions.
There is a richness in living in a place that recognizes different ways of being and gives you ways to communicate that to others. That richness overflows to the literature, philosophy and way of life. A culture that respects ones right to be naturally has a mañana attitude. A culture that advocates only one way of being rigidly requires uniform behavior from all its citizenry. It is no wonder that many expats struggle when their way of being clashes with alternative ways of being. Spanish can conjugate twice as many ways of being as English can. So can you once you have lived here awhile.
Bájate! Vive sin prisa! This is one of my favorite road signs in Mexico. It means something like "Slow down. Live without hurry or haste." Good advice for all!
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