Coming to the End!

It is hard to believe we are at the end of the year.  You might say, “Wait, we have at least six more weeks!” It’s not even Thanksgiving!  However, I’m talking about the liturgical year which culminates with the solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe or simply the Solemnity of Christ the King.  The following Sunday we begin the new liturgical year with the first Sunday of Advent.

When our secular year ends on December 31 most of us are recovering from the Christmas rush of parties, gifts, (probably returning some!), perhaps cooking and baking, busy visiting family and friends and maybe with an eye to some resolutions we’d like to make for the new year. However, in the midst of such busyness, it's not always easy to think about changes we might like to make in our lives.

Preparing for Advent is a more opportune time put aside all the “noise” in our lives and reflect on our interior life. How have we grown spiritually?  How is our relationship with our Best Friend coming along?  Have we grown closer throughout this past year?  Does my life truly reflect my relationship with Him?

We have had such great example from Pope Francis.  During his visit to the United States his prayerful spirit  was obvious.  He certainly showed through his actions his concern for the poor, the lowly, the infirm and those most at the margins of society.  Our pastor in Mexico City has frequently mentioned how when in Washington Pope Francis chose to eat with homeless rather than with the most powerful body in world, the U.S. Congress.  For Padre Pedro that was quite a testimony!

As we approach Advent we might take stock and ask ourselves how we have done.  Are we closer to Christ now than we were last year at this time?  How and with whom do we spend our most precious resources, especially our time?  Self-reflection is not always easy, but the results are out of this world!

Pardon the Hiatus

Three years is a long time but can pass quickly.   In one of my last posts I mentioned that Sister Olivia and I were looking for a house in Mexico for young women seeking to learn more about our Community and enter the process to become Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity.

We searched and searched. Most houses were too small, too expensive, too far from classes, too...  Finally Divine Providence took over.  Our brother community was moving their post-novitiate to Columbia and the house would be vacant.  They graciously offered us the use of the house – a ready-made formation house!  In January we will celebrate three years at Cenáculo Misionero San José (St. Joseph Missionary Cenacle).

We have been blessed to be able to offer retreats for women discerning their vocation, and we have been especially blessed to now have four wonderful young women in the formation process.  God is so good! 

It has been three years of learning the ropes of Mexico City, dealing with the maintenance of a large house, finding electricians and plumbers, getting our immigration documents, opening a bank account, etc. all in a new country and in our second language!

There probably could have been some really interesting blogs sharing some of these adventures, but with limited time something had to give, and unfortunately, it was the blog!

Hopefully, I can be more faithful to this blog and share more of our life here as well as the life of the Missionary Servants.