Happy Ash Wednesday

 (www.nataliealfaro.com)

I hope that this Lenten Season is a beautiful journey in striving for a more Christ-like life and a stronger relationship with God for all of those who participate in this preparation for Holy Week. I like to think of Lent as a time to create a new good habit; a habit that strengthens character, if you will. I hope that it can be a season of reflection, prayer and guidance. I pray that in this season it is remembered who Christ was in his last days, what Christ walked the Earth for and ultimately died and was risen and ascended into Heaven.

Nica, you're on my mind

 

I realize that I have not been doing a very good job at keeping up with this blog. I really am trying, but it always amazes me how much time being a student takes up. This quarter is a little different though. My time is not being filled with exams and papers and readings. Instead, I have been busy planning events and diving head first into studying, researching and trying to get a better grasp on the region of Latin America. 

I am currently doing research for a paper that will be exploring the relationship between the United States and Nicaragua and how it changed (or morphed) as the last Somoza was in power to the time of the revolution to Ortega's first presidency. Interestingly enough, this research has magnetized me to my interest in the role that the Roman Catholic Church and Liberation Theology has played in Latin American revolutions. And this is only indulged more with a current professor that I have a class with this quarter; she just happened to do her dissertation on Liberation Theology and had spent some time in Nicaragua during the revolution. 

I am excited to learn again. I am excited to have a wealth of knowledge to pass on to those around me.

On my mind.

All night after mass yesterday and so far this morning I cannot get this scene from CS Lewis' The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe out of my head:

"Is-is he a man?" asked Lucy
"Aslan a man!" said Mr. Beaver sternly. "Certainly not. I tell you he is the King of the wood and the son of the great Emperor-beyond-the-Sea. Don't you know who is the King of Beasts? Aslan is a lion-the Lion, the great Lion."
"Ooh!" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he quite-safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion."
"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," said Mrs. Beaver, "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without ther knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else just silly."
"Then he isn't safe?" said Lucy.
"Safe?" said Mr. Beaver..."Who said anything about safe? Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you ."

I know that this an often-quoted part of the book, but for good reason in deed. It is so easy for one to think about Jesus as safe and one's life with Jesus as safe, because that is easy. But a life in Jesus is anything but safe. But it is good.

It's hard to remember that being scared and not knowing is okay.

Holy Week

(RomanCatholicBlog.typepad.com)

It was nice to have an Easter that was more home-like than most of the holidays that I end up celebrating in Seattle. I went to an Easter Vigil last night at Blessed Sacrament, a beautiful, old Catholic church in the University District. It was a beautiful service that I got to share with some new-found friends here at Seattle Pacific University.
{I am excited to continue to go to Blessed Sacrament and get to know some of the people that make up the Catholic community here at SPU.}
This morning I got up and had a late breakfast with those that I have spent the last few nights going to mass with. We prayed together, ate some yummy food and talked about our Lenten season. Then, I headed back to my room and finished up some projects that I had laying around. Apart from the rain, today was pretty much all I could have hoped for. I feel so blessed to finally feel as though I have found a home in a community of followers!

Most importantly though, it was one of the most impacting and meaningful Holy Weeks and Easter Celebrations that I have experienced in a long time.

My realizations at the light on the Hill

Today I went to mass for the first time in a few months and it felt good. Before this morning I forgot why I used to go to church. I used to go because I actually liked it. And I am glad I remembered that.

But, that is not the point of my writing today. I had two much needed and humorous realizations as the priest at St. Anne Catholic Church began to introduce the congregation to the Book of Mark. As he started talking about John the Baptist and the scribes and the Jewish synagogues and the demonic spirit Jesus drove out of the convulsing boy, I felt my heart pumping harder and the wheels in my brain kick into learning mode. My hands wanted to reach into my bag and grab a pencil and paper and start writing. I wanted to start taking notes. This led me to my first realization: I am, more or a less, a Scriptures geek. I thirst for a deeper understanding of the Bible and its contextual histories. I cannot help but want to absord it all. And I laughed at myself because I have actually considered dropping my Scripture classes to focus on my major. Ha.

As the priest kept talking, a second realization quickly came upon me like a deep, cold breath of fresh air: here is a Catholic priest preaching the word of God to a congregation and supplementing the miracles, the teachings and the wanderings of Jesus with historical and contextual facts. How dare people claim that Catholics do not know their Bible. And come to think of it, there had previously been readings from the Old Testament. Of course there were because there are always readings from the good ol' O.T. I cannot tell you how many Protestant churches I have walked into without once hearing about the Old Testament. I cannot tell you how many times I have walked out of those same churches only hearing about how Jesus loves me and the lowest of the lows. That is really important but there is so much more there. And I will be the first to admit that Catholic churches are not perfect and not all Protestant churches only focus on the New Testament, but the Catholic Church is pretty freakin' holisitic.

(And now I just had realization number two point five: I do not have to worry about leaving SPU and no longer having access to knowledgeable theologians because a good church should be teaching the congregation about the Bible and offering classes in order to go deeper with the Word.)

Lastly, I read this article from the BBC and it made me giggle. It is about the word "bankster" and is more or less criticizing Wall Street and the corrupt wealthy people in this world.

Peace be with you.