What I learned in Mexico during my two week visit

What I learned in my visit to Mexico…May 29 to June 15, 2010
How strange that often one makes plans…good plans…and God rearranges them so that His will can be done.
The main objective in visiting Mexico was to meet and greet the Superiors of the convents which had more or less offered me the possibility of HOSPITALITY with them in Mexico. Reneé Jaime from Willamette University in Salem offered to accompany me to Mexico as she was going to visit and bring her mother back to Salem. She said she needed vacation time, too.
I. It was important to make CONNECTIONS
A. Religious Sisters: I met and visited “Las Hijas del Sagrado Corazón y de Santa María de Guadalupe” who were founded by Father José Anastasio Díaz López –JADILOP or Jadilopistas. This community was recommended to me by Father Edgar from the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit.
The second group of Sisters that I met was: “Las Mínimas de Maria Inmaculada”. Their Motherhouse is located in Leon, Guanajuato but they have Sisters in the town where I lived with Reneé Jaime’s Mom in Encarnación de Diaz in the state of Jalisco.
B. Priests: I met and greeted the parish priests but they were too busy to sit down and talk at length. I met the Vicar of Consecrated Life from Aguascalientes…Father Manuel Arreola and his friend, Father José Gonzalez at a dinner we hosted at Reneé’s Mom’s house.
C. Lay People and Families: I met and made many connections with Reneé’s extended family…the Albas and the Jaimes. I met a shop keeper who has taught Religious Education in the town of Encarnación and immediately invited me to help her teach.
II. Taking note of THEIR LANGUAGE AND CULTURAL WAYS
A. It is very evident that faith and culture go hand in hand. These two parts of the Mexican people are understood, celebrated, spoken about and lived out together. For example, on the first Friday of July, the entire town celebrated the feast of the Sacred Heart. The town plaza featured both professional and high school bands which played into the wee hours of the night. Around noon the school children all attended Mass together at the main church … grade, middle and high school students were all at one Mass in “gala uniforms”. There was hardly any standing room for locals as there were so many children. The Sisters and lay teachers had to remain standing by their class’s pew during the Mass. The students sang and responded to the prayers of the Mass in loud and clear voices.
B. Protocol is very important. It is best if one knows the most courteous and formal way of interacting with others. It is a sign of an educated person to observe the protocol between guest and the host—at all times! Protocol is observed outside and within the home from the moment one gets up and greets the elders until one retires in the evening by formally excusing oneself and saying, “Good Night. God bless you. Sleep well.” When arriving at the homes of relatives or friends, the host initiates the handshake, kiss on the cheek, hug or whatever else. The host is the initiator, not the guest. Formalities are of extreme importance. The greeting rituals and the departing rituals are executed with great care. Much of the conversation must remain formal, not sharing too many personal details. The host must lead in the conversation. The guest must listen and answer questions without many details.
C. Founders—the founders of religious congregations or the founders of the schools are all reverenced and respected by both students and teachers…lay and religious. It is as if these people or events form the foundation on which they stand and therefore these founders must receive daily recognition and respect. Many institutions have gardens with the statue or bust of their founders. Some have quotes written and displayed on convent walls or school bulletin boards. Their founders are almost on the same level as a saint whether beatified and canonized or not. The children in the schools can practically recite the philosophy of their life based on the founder or foundress who through their own holy lives can lead the follower to God.
III. Activities of DAILY LIVING
A. Communication & Transportation: It seems that computers, cell phones, wireless/Skype…all these forms of communication are available. I had access to wireless internet by asking the owner of the Internet Shop next door to the family home if I could borrow the code and use his wireless wave. There are many types of services for phones, TV’s, internet, etc.
The most common mode of transportation is walking. Everyone walks everywhere…on narrow sidewalks (not always maintained in the best conditions). Taxis are always available in every street corner. City buses are noisy and folks ride them carrying whatever needs to be transported. The family with whom I lived would hired a “particular car” (a taxi driver who used his van) for larger groups of people and more extended trips. The price of a trip: $100 USD—paid for the use of the van plus driver for a six hour round trip to Zacatecas, for example.
B. Slow to Answer: Even though it seems that electronic communication is very important, the need to respond is not. The word “ahorita” is used a lot. To us it means, “in a few minutes”; to them it means some time in the future. Instead of learning patience I learned just how frustrated I can really get.
C. Church: A lot of people assist at daily Mass. There are several Masses offered throughout the day. In the small town of Encarnación de Díaz had 3 daily Masses: 7:00 a.m., 12 noon and 8:00 p.m. The members of the family with whom I lived attended the 8:00 p.m. daily and after that we took a walk around the plaza right in front of the church and after that we might have dinner. Mass attendees: young and old, mothers with children and office workers, students and poor beggars.
D. Meals: Seldom did we eat an entire meal at home. I thought that it was the host family’s way of eating… going to the “corner” shop for enchiladas, taquitos, cold drinks, etc., but many people walked by the family home all day long while eating or drinking something. A person’s eating habits: eat a little bit all day long. Most of the people…young and old are very slender. The time of their meals: 7:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. In the morning, upon rising, the family sat at table to drink a cup of instant coffee with a piece of “pan dulce” (a piece of Mexican sweet bread…which is not really sweet by our standards). Maybe they would have a piece of fruit or a glass of fresh squeezed juice at 10:00 a.m. At 1:30 p.m. the family might go buy some cheese and make some quesadillas and have some fruit. This was not enough for me! Around mid-afternoon we would go buy some more fresh squeezed juice or frozen fruit “paletas” or popsicles. Right before retiring we would go to a little restaurant and sit down for some cheese enchiladas. An order consisted of 3 small enchiladas with sour cream and shredded lettuce on top. I would sit and wait for my order while shooing away the flies. When I commented about all the flies, the family would reply: “What flies?
I got very ill with stomach flu-like symptoms for 4 days after I returned to the USA. I had been so careful not to eat meat or drink milk. I only drank bottled water, but we always ate the food sold by street vendors.
E. Plaza Gathering: Every evening after dinner the people congregated at the plaza to buy and eat a piece of fruit, drink a fruit drink or just talk and visit with passers-by or allow a place for the children to run and play. Often there was music or a band playing or something. Family time seemed very important to them all. A lot of greetings included the prefix “tio, primo, padrino—which means: uncle, cousin, god parent. Often this is a sure way of hearing “reports” of comportment about your son or daughter.
IV. Opportunities for SERVICE/MINISTRY
A. Teaching or “shadowing” with a Sister in their convent “colegios”
B. Teaching ESL to Sisters in the convent formation programs
C. Shadowing school lay teachers—would not be able to take a full-time position as my stay in any one place would last 3 months or so.
D. “Apostolado”—pastoral ministry will be available in Irapuato, Guanajuato. The Sisters are involved in parish ministry…catechism, etc.

Do I know and accept Jesus?

This has been a rollercoaster of a summer. Time is flying by and I prefer to spend all my time cleaning out closets at the main house (our Motherhouse) rather than prepare my heart for the inevitable…my leaving soon for year’s stay in Mexico.
God, I ask you to create in me a new heart, a heart capable of “knowing” You! These days, the daily Mass readings have beautiful messages for me…God loves me with an age-old love. He will always love me. He takes me by the hand. These words echo the beautiful words of Hosea: “It was I … who took them in my arms; I drew them with human cords, with bands of love. I fostered them like one who raises an infant to his cheeks.” (Hosea 11:3-4)
See how close God walks with me? God says, deep within her I will plant my law, writing it on her heart. I will be her God, and she shall be my girl. This way I will no longer be ignorant of God and his will in my life. I will know Him in the fullest sense; in a deep and intimate way! I will find Him in every experience…even in cleaning out closets...and be aware of His unconditional love for me and I will try to communicate that love to all my Sisters around me.
In today’s readings, however, I see that after the euphoria of knowing that their Master was the Messiah, all the dreams and hopes of the disciples are shattered by some terrible revelations. It is hard for me to imagine the impact these words must have had on the disciples. Peter, who had just covered himself in glory and been appointed leader, almost patronizingly takes Jesus aside, “God forbid that any such thing ever happen to you!” Yes, that would be my reaction, too! I would shout out, “No way!”
For him and the others this was an unthinkable scenario for the Messiah they were all waiting for. But the worst is yet to come. How shocked Peter must have been at Jesus’ reaction. “Get out of my sight, you Satan! (Get out of my face!) You are trying to make me trip and fall. You are not judging by God’s standards but by man’s.” Ouch! I would have been devastated! Just seconds before Jesus had called Peter a “Rock” and now he is accused of being Satan’s advocate! Instead of being a rock of stability, he is seen as a stumbling block in the way of Jesus. Ay! Ay!
I must ask myself to what extent I accept Jesus…all of Jesus…the rejected, suffering, dying and rising Jesus.