The Beautiful Face of Mary

The traditions that depict the ancient saints according to various events of their life and attributes of their person are beautiful - and it is just as beautiful that there is variety in the different cultures and traditions within the depiction of the same saint.  Even Christ has a very broad variety of depictions in sacred images.

The Virgin Mary is no exception to this.  I have seen icons of our mother's beautiful face in so many styles and traditions - Byzantine, Japanese, Ethiopian, Renaissance and even Inuit, to name just a few.

Yet, in the case of the Virgin Mary, the most saintly of all saints, we have a special gift that we do not have for any other ancient saint; we have an exact image of her face.

From almost 500 years ago, we have this event:

'the peasant Juan Diego saw at the Hill of Tepeyac, near Mexico City, a vision of a girl of fifteen or sixteen years of age, surrounded by light. It was the early morning of December 9, 1531 (celebrated as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in the Spanish Empire). Speaking to him in Nahuatl, his language, the girl asked that a church be built at that site in her honor; from her words, Juan Diego recognized the girl as the Virgin Mary. Diego told his story to the Spanish Archbishop of Mexico City, Fray Juan de Zumárraga, who instructed him to return to Tepeyac Hill, and ask the "lady" for a miraculous sign to prove her identity. The first sign was the Virgin's healing Juan's uncle. The Virgin told Juan Diego to gather flowers from the top of Tepeyac Hill.

Although December was very late in the growing season for flowers to bloom, Juan Diego found Castilian roses, not native to Mexico, on the normally barren hilltop. The Virgin arranged these in his peasant tilma cloak. When Juan Diego opened his cloak before Bishop Zumárraga on December 12, the flowers fell to the floor, and in their place on the fabric was the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe, miraculously imprinted there.' (from Wikipedia.)

One of the most miraculous parts of this image is that it remains in its original form, on the original cloth.  This is not an artist's rendition, an age-old tradition of depiction, nor someone's attempt to replicate what they saw in a vision; it is an image of the Virgin Mary directly imprinted on a cloth.

Basically, this means we know what her face looked like, at least in her early/mid teens when she bore Christ.  And as we know from Revelations chapter 12, in this apparition she is pregnant with Christ. (The image on the cloth is that described in that chapter.)

Recently I have been looking at this image and reproductions of it closely.  I am amazed by how beautiful her face is.  Yes, the image is aged, but it is not so hard to look past that.

Now, this does not diminish or remove the beauty or importance of the rich traditions of images of the Virgin Mary.  Yet, it is simply amazing that we can say that we have this direct image of her.

How Many Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist Does a Catholic Parish Need?

Notice: only 2 Extraordinary Ministers for a huge parish

How many Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist does a Catholic parish need?

The short answer is, in most small to medium parishes, none.

I've been to medium sized parishes in the Mexican countryside where those partaking would rather line up out of the door and have mass go overtime overlapping with the beginning of the next mass (creating the kind of disorganized chaos that is a part of normal life in Mexico anyway) than receive the Eucharist from anyone but the priest.

These same parishes also offer communion under both species by means of intinction (dipping the Body of Christ into the Precious Blood), making it impossible to rush through in any way because of the special care required (and probably offering yet another reason not to have anyone but the priest delivering.)

Even the elderly man using the walker prefers to approach the altar

My wife and I are reminded of this every time we go back to Mexico.  While in Playa del Carmen, there are Extraordinary Ministers, and they do not practice intinction, our home parish here (Our Lady of Guadalupe) demonstrates the point as well.

We estimate that an any given Sunday Mass there are probably between 1000 and 1500 people present (and there are 5 Sunday Masses.)  And how many Extraordinary ministers are there?

2.

The priest is in the middle in front of the altar, and the other 2 (usually the leading nun, and a deacon) are at the front of the side aisles.  No one goes to the back of the church.  Everyone approaches the altar.

I have been to parishes in Canada that have less than 1/10 of that mass attendance.  Yet they have 2 or 3 extraordinary ministers.  One goes to the back of the (very small) church.  I'm not sure why that is considered to be necessary.

The Precious Blood and Body of Christ

(In Mexico there is also no row by row.  It's less organized but it removes the pressure that everyone should go up.  When you do row by row, there's always the chance of that awkward moment when someone ready to go up for communion waits for that person next to them kneeling and praying to go up, and the person coming out of the row behind them also waits for them.  It draws unnecessary attention to the person who doesn't go up for communion, and - in some cases - may pressure them to simply go up.  But that's a side point.)

Mexican Catholicism isn't by any means perfect.  It has its flaws - some of them glaring.  But there are certainly good points we could pick up from them.

A Boat Tour in the Mexican Caribbean

My family and I just spent a wonderful month in Mexico, and I have so many things to write about that I'm not sure where to start.  But for now, I'll just start with something easy - a relaxing and fun boat trip we went on on Saturday.

The trip started just out of Cancun, and took us around Isla Mujeres, a beautiful little island where Mexico's old Caribbean lifestyle can still be seen.

Here are some pictures.

This is the dock where the trip started.  We had breakfast in the larger hut at the back:

The twins, on board:

Getting ready to snorkel:

 The two older sons, watching me snorkel:

This is the view they had.  My oldest son claims he knows which one was me:

After snorkeling, with my lovely wife:

A typical hotel on Isla Mujeres:

A traditional wooden house on the island, in this case converted into a shop; this kind of simple wooden house was typical on the Mexican Caribbean before tourism took off.  Now everything is concrete.  I can imagine that these would stand up to a hurricane too well, but these little homes seem to have been around for a while:

Most homes have images of this sort:

The island's church; nothing "fancy" but the people's devotion and respect is truly beautiful:

 This is the beach where we spent the afternoon:

Some of the docks in the fishermen's district of the island; many of these local fisherman had their dock, home and a little restaurant all next to each other:

Although it's not very clear in this picture, this haphazard home is built of bamboo on a floating island. The island was made of old plastic bottles, covered with plastic and then soil on top:

Dinner at the beach club:

The view of the beach from the beach club:

My oldest son enjoying a dip in the pool:

Back on the boat, one of the crew members (the bartender) caught this barracuda:

This is one of the last pictures from the trip:

After my wife took this picture, the barracuda jumped and got the hook caught in the wrist of the man who caught it.  It was a very large and thick hook (2 1/2 inches or so).  Seeing the accident put her into shock; combined with low blood pressure and the motion of the boat, this was enough to put her out of commission for the next 24 hours!  She spent the night in the hospital.  Thankfully, she is much better now!

The fisherman downplayed the pain, and claimed that this kind of thing was normal for people who live at sea. I saw him as we got off the boat and he was smiling and waving.  I assume that he had removed the hook in a procedure similar to section 2 of this diagram:

In any case, that didn't help my wife very much.  But otherwise the trip was very enjoyable!

It's also worth noting that we were the only couple who brought our kids with us.  The other couples left their kids at home to enjoy a vacation alone.  While I understand that couples do need a break from the kids now and then, our trip was that much better simply because we brought them!  They loved it and so did we.

The Church as a Field Hospital After the Battle

After an outstanding show from the press of twisting and distorting what Pope Francis said in a recent interview, many bloggers and commentators have offered some very nice overviews showing what Pope Francis really said. 

Besides that, all you have to do is read the original completely, and you will see that Pope Francis did not say that abortion was OK, or that criticizing gay marriage is small minded.

Since there are so many good commentaries and rebuttals to the media misconceptions, I won't offer my own, but rather briefly summarize some main points I remember, and then a list of useful blog posts:

• Problems (doctrinal disputes, etc.) should be solved on the most local possible level; a long-time Catholic principal.
• The Church is not just the magisterium.  Lay people offer some very important contributions that theologians cannot, such as popular devotions.
• We shouldn't focus only on abortion, gay marriage, etc. all the time. 
• When we do, the focus should be an example of love, and the hope that those who've sinned in these ways will repent and find forgiveness.
• When this doesn't happen, we must love these people none the less.
• Whether talking about these or other concepts, first comes love for Christ, then out of that love discipline will grow.
• The Church functions best as a "field hospital after the battle;the thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity."

None of this implies a change of the Church's teachings on morals or other matters, but I see as a challenge about how we present these to the world, and how we interact with the world.  The final point, the "field hospital" metaphor, is the one which, for me, best summarizes what Pope Francis wants to see, which is a good thing!

Here are some good commentaries to read:

• First thoughts about the Francis Interview 
• Why LifeSiteNews and the New York Times are both wrong about Pope Francis
• Pope Francis’ comments on homosexuality in the Big Interview
• THURSDAY: MSM reports Francis said Church is obsessed about abortion! FRIDAY: Pope Francis talks about abortion! 

A Gospel of Love; Evangelization in Context

This blog post had been brewing in mind for a few weeks now, mostly in reaction to some of my own reactions. Now, just two days ago this interview from Pope Francis came out. (Read it, the original, completely.  It's worth it.  Don't read the mainstream news about it, though.)

So, this is now the perfect timing to repeat that message that our Holy Father is emphasizing so much; in order to evangelize, we must start with Christ's love.  By "evangelize" I mean to spread the Gospel ("Evangelia,") not the shameless proselytizing that we have a tendency to mistake for it.

After that, on top of that and in that context the rest will begin to come into place.

Let Your Voice Be Heard

Having said that it is necessary to take morality for granted from the very beginning.  It is important that people know where we stand.  In my case, inspired by some admirable friends, just this year, after a life of being a "closet" pro-lifer, I decided to "come out" and make my views known publicly, by means of this blog and on my Facebook page.

The Next Step ...

I'm content with this. Now, I feel that I have made it clear that abortion is unquestionably wrong. This is probably a good moment to focus on other points, except in cases where the issue turns up somehow - which happens often enough.  I am ready to begin looking for that next step - that important one - of first showing Christ's love in a very real way.

One thought I had several weeks ago is this; if we do not love the woman who has an abortion, and even the doctor who carries it out, our effort is lost.  And, we can't forget that we must love and pray for the baby; speaking for myself, it's often easy to get lost in the "cause" and forget even this first and most basic point.

What we hope for those who did this horrible act is repentance; what's required of us, even as we tell them what they've done is wrong, is absolute love.

Now to put this into real, concrete action ...

It's Not Just Abortion

If the pope's words from yesterday's interview struck a cord with me it's the fact that there are so many other places where we must take care to act in charity even as we engage others.  For example, in how Christians of different traditions approach each other.

We must share the truth of God's Church with everyone.  Yet, this only helps when others see authentic love along with it.  I think of my own journey to Catholicism; the final, most powerful and decisive step was to see the church's charity in very real action, together with an un-apologizing presentation of the church's teachings, presented in that same love.

However, I don't engage with other Christians with this in mind - i.e. I don't imagine that I will somehow lure them into being confirmed in the Catholic Church.  But charity must be at the heart of it when we engage with each other.  I hope that this intention has come through in true and recognizable charity whenever I have discussed or debated some point. If it hasn't then I ask forgiveness.

A few weeks ago I also posted about my reaction to certain disrespectful proselytizers.  While I don't take back that reaction in general, especially the point of defending those who need it, I take back the tone of "fighting back."  These are people who are attacking God's Church and more than anything, whenever possible, they need to see His love.  Can I step in to defend another person who needs it and yet reply in compassion and love?  That is my challenge.

The Challenge

When it comes to reform, everyone loves to see big visible and large shifts in structure, sweeping changes, etc.  Both those in and outside the Catholic Church, those of all stripes, are hoping to see the Curia turned on it's head and given a kick in the ass.  Yet, I don't think this is going to happen.  It's not going to happen because Pope Francis knows that those kinds of changes make a lot of noise, but don't in themselves bring about the deeper change necessary.

He reminds us: "You can have large projects and implement them by means of a few of the smallest things."  In this case, part of these "smallest things" is the simple act of reminding ourselves to approach others in Christ's love.  This will be the true reform of the Catholic Church, and - guess what?

No one will notice.

Those looking for the "big things" will be upset that the Curia still looks the same as last year, and that we haven't sold St. Peter's Basilica to feed Africa.  The only ones who will notice will be those simple human beings right next to us whose only contact with the Church is what they see in us.

Who is the Virgin Mary?

"This is how it is with Mary: If you want to know who she is, you ask theologians; if you want to know how to love her, you have to ask the people." 

- Pope Francis

Why I Love Mexico

Two days ago I wrote a short piece sharing my opinion of people who tell you you should've used birth control when they find out you have four children. (In case you didn't read it, and you couldn't guess, it's not a good opinion.)

What I wrote two days ago didn't just pop into my head out of nowhere, and it didn't just turn up out of an entire year of "mixed" reactions to my babies.

A week and a half ago, I arrived in Mexico again with my family, this time on a work trip. (My last one, since I am less than a week away from finishing this job.  The last 2 weeks will be a vacation.)

An Unpleasant Welcome

Upon our arrival to Playa del Carmen, we were greeted with the usual visuals of Mexico; dirt and garbage in the streets, mangy street dogs, half-built homes, graffiti-covered walls, children playing with trash in filthy parks ...

The list could go on.  Home, sweet, home?  Well, not quite.

Den of Sinners

Then comes the visible immorality of Mexican culture. 

Like everywhere, marital infidelity abounds; and here, intentions along these lines are made all to visibly obvious, as are the relationships themselves.  A married taxi driver has his "companion" joining him in the passenger's seat, who is almost certainly not his wife, men cheating on their wives is chronic. (First hand stories.)

Dishonesty is endemic.  Just today, my commadre's daughter told me how a store worker stole her cellphone from a fitting room, and then called her a "bitch" when she tried (successfully) to reclaim it. (Commadre = godmother of my son.)  People here "find" other people's things and assume that this sequence of fortunes means that people have lost all rights to their belongings, even if they "find" those things in someone else's front patio.

Just two examples of so many.

At this point, I would like to talk about how I actually like the fact that in Mexico sin, immorality, dishonesty, etc. all look like exactly what they are - but that belongs to a different post.

Loving People

So far, I'm guessing I haven't inspired many would-be expats to make the leap, abandon their home and move to Mexico.

But in spite of all its problems and unpleasant sights (which I would argue are not actually bigger, but simply more visible) there's something about Mexico - even the dirtiest most unsightly places - that captures my heart:

Mexicans have a deep love for being with other people.  The don't need to share common interests, understand each other, have something to do together or have anything else that we would consider fundamental to a "healthy relationship;" the love of another person and the joy felt in seeing another person is enough.

Seeing and feeling a joy for human life is something that surpasses many other comforts and conveniences in life.