Regnum Christi

Today, the second part of the Eucharist Congress officially began. The city of Cebu is booming with pilgrims from all over the Philippines and also from other countries.

In the morning we had time to finish some details in our Regnum Christi booth at the Convention Center. We also walked by the area where we are staying. Cebu is a city of about 700,000 people full of contrasts. Richness and poverty live side by side. We are staying in a well-developed part of downtown. There are several tall, new buildings, big malls, offices and hotels. Nevertheless, there is also poverty everywhere. The streets are full of street children. Right by our hotel there is a whole family living at the street: dad, mom and two children, one who is three months old and was lying in the midst of flies. Continue reading →

Today we received reinforcements. Two consecrated women and two lay people from Regnum Christi joined us. Our Mission was to prepare the Regnum Christi booth at the Convention Center, where all the activities of the Congress will take place. As you can see in the picture, they did a great job. Side by side with other groups and movements of the Church, Regnum Christi will be presenting our charism and spirituality to the pilgrims. We`ll also have a consecrated woman and a Legionary sharing about vocations. Continue reading →

Today the readings seem to me to be about scripture itself. The Jews show respect and joy at hearing the Word proclaimed. In the Gospel, I can imagine Christ in the synagogue reading that passage of Isaiah and closing the book with a big smile on His face. How much joy He must have had when He told the people of Nazareth that what they were hearing was being fulfilled.

Fulfilled

These words today also are fulfilled. This is the beauty of scripture because it is fulfilled in Christ always. We are still able to reread scripture and know that what we are reading is still alive for us today. We need to take the time to go through scripture, discover Christ, and through our encounter with Him there, be able to find Him always and everywhere. He is fulfilling the message of scripture constantly in each one of our personal stories of salvation.

Today was the third and last day of the Theological Symposium. So, we’re done with our translation task and looking forward to the beginning of the second stage of the Congress.

What struck me the most in this last day was a talk by a bishop from the south of the Philippines. In his diocese 98 percent of the population is Muslim. The previous bishop was assassinated by a terrorist on the steps of the Cathedral. Indeed, when the current bishop accepted his appointment, he knew he was accepting also the possibility of being a martyr. In the past years, three priests were brutally murdered, and very recently a Church was bombed during Christmas Mass. Continue reading →

Let me tell you a story about Cinnamon Buns.

When we arrived at the Philippines we went first to Manila for a connecting flight to Cebu. There was a flight delay and we got stuck for about six hours. Two people from Cebu who were waiting the same plane bought Cinnamon Buns for us. I’m very much impressed with the hospitality of the Philippines.

On this second day of Symposium, the talks were about a topic that interests me a lot: liturgy. The first conference dealt mainly with the dialogue between the Church and the different cultures in the liturgical context. This is important in the evangelization of Asia. If we`re unable to enter into dialogue with the cultures of these peoples, faith will be always something foreign for them. Continue reading →

We arrived in Cebu very late yesterday. And since our work as translators started early in the morning, we did not get much sleep. Despite that, our first day of the Eucharistic Congress was incredible. Today, the Theological Symposium began, which will last three days offering conferences in the morning and workshops in the afternoon, all about the Eucharist, Hope and Liturgy. The day ended with the Holy Mass, attended by 1,500 participants. Continue reading →

The other week Christmas came to a close by celebrating the Lord’s Baptism.  So too, the last group of young men visiting the novitiate for retreats and a Test Your Call experience also returned home.

The guests came from as far south as Texas, as far north as Saskatchewan, and many places in between.  In spite of much extra work the novices commented that “it was all worth it.”  When one after another the guests took the mic and spoke of how they experienced Christ during their visit, would never, ever forget their encounter, that God had a special presence in this house; a simple light came to mind.

Yes, to receive is to give.  Since Christmas is about Christ, I think this was the best gift we could offer the Lord.

When Pope Francis speaks about creating alternative spaces for young people to encounter Christ, one cannot but help to think of the novitiate as one of those alternative spaces, especially for young men who are looking for something more in life.  Like the early disciples, the “Where do you stay?” is still answered by Christ with: “Come and see.”

You know you´re Catholic when you measure your month by your Magnificat.

Whenever I have to flip past the red section in the middle to get to the next day, I have this weird moment of suddenly realizing the month is halfway gone.

I have those moments in regards to my life, too, even in my short 23 years…of realizing how fast time has gone and how much I´ve changed. One happened recently when I routinely opened my email one morning, and among the daily news and practical organization of community life, an extremely exciting email took me by pleasant surprise: an announcement about the new websites for the consecrated women  and Legion of Christ vocations. As I clicked through the consecrated site from headline to headline, reading the articles under Meet the Consecrated: Our Spirituality, Our Mission, Our Community, and Our Consecration; and watching the videos under Discern Your Vocation: FAQ´s, Our Stories, and Our Formation Process; it brought me back to the moments when I did the same thing during high school from the Mac in my living room. I was reminded of the chord that was struck in my heart during those years, as I would read testimonies of the vocational journeys of RC consecrated women and vocation Q&A. Little did I realize what melody that chord was the prelude of. Continue reading →

We finally arrived in the Philippines. We are in Manila, waiting for our flight to Cebu. We’ve been traveling a whole day towards the east. This is more or less what the Magi did, but in the opposite direction. Like them, our final destination is Jesus.  Like them, did we follow a star? Well, no, but we did see two different kinds of stars: Neymar and Messi! But seriously, like the Magi we also bring presents with us. First, lots of love for the Eucharist and the Church. Then, we bring many hours of preparation for the translations. And finally, we bring a good supply of Brazilian sweets, thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Lemos. Continue reading →

        I never imagined I would go to the circus for the first time as a religious and a seminarian. After watching Dumbo as a little kid, I dreamed of going to see the lions, flying trapeze, dancing horses and tightrope walkers—I wasn’t too keen on the clowns. This January, my dream came true.

In his general audience on January 7^th, Pope Francis greeted the performers of the Rony Roller Circus who were in attendence:

First of all, I would like to thank the people from the circus who have come here. Here’s a thought: “Let’s go to the circus, we’ll have a little fun…”. Yes, that’s true, the circus is a spectacle and we have a good time there. We also see men and women perform unusual feats, who have great balance: yes, this is true, we’ve seen it. There they are, let’s all greet them! But they also teach us something more. People who perform in the circus create beauty, they are creators of beauty. And this is good for the soul. How much we need beauty!  Continue reading →