Graduating Friends

Time flies! A year ago, almost to the day, I graduated from Regent.

Tonight was graduation night for three friends who also finished their theological studies: James, Connie, and Carla. As last year, the celebrations were held at the church on W. Broadway. The faculty speaker at this year's graduation was Rikk Watts.

Here's to my friends who worked very hard to learn not only about God, but to know him and love him in a deep and profound way. Congratulations! God's blessings upon you!

6 Months Later

Six months ago today was the first time I kissed Jennifer. Today we celebrated what we both thought unlikely when we started seeing each other: that we would last 6 months! But we gave it a try, and here we are, still together. Some cracks are starting to show, but persevere we will.

In honour of this occasion, we went for a walk, from my place to Granville Island. Once there, we enjoyed a snack. I had the usual "Euro" hot cocoa they sell there at one of the outlets.

Messy

It's time to get my House in order. My apartment's a mess, my lifestyle's a mess, and consequently my f*cking life's a mess.

When will I learn?

Back Home

I flew home today early in the morning.

I was up late last night, packing, as well as keeping Jennifer company, so I didn't much sleep at all. At 4:30am I got into the taxi, and by 5am I was at the airport. It was time to say goodbye to Mexico.

After checking my luggage I sat down in the waiting area, and, out of nowhere, I started to feel dizzy. I felt sick and thought about going to the washroom to throw up, but decided against it. The sick feeling passed about an hour later, but I was worried for a while that maybe now I was going to get sick too, and just prior to my flight home!

I arrived home in Vancouver shortly after noon. I immediately began the clean up process, unpack, wash laundry, etc....

I went to bed early, feeling down. I don't want my vacation to be over yet. I don't want to face the rainy weather. Worst of all, I don't want to go back to work Monday. I dread Monday.

Monasterio: Nuestra Señora de la Soledad (1)

After a few pictures at the terraza, I packed my bags, ate breakfast, and said good bye to the charismatic Irena, dueña de la casa. I left La Casa de Dante with fond memories of warm hospitality in a lovely city.

One of her employees helped me carry my bags down the 100+ steps and then fetch a taxi. He was a kind man, this bag-carrier. It was not difficult to detect Jesus in him so humble was he. I wish I remembered his name.

Thirty minutes later, I found myself at the Central de Autobus, the main bus station in Guanajuato.

At exactly 11am, the ETN bus left the bus station; the last piece of the Mexico puzzle was now set in motion: a trip to the Benedictine Monasterio Nuestra Señora de la Soledad. I plan to stay here until Friday morning, March 13.

The road to the monasterio was as all roads to a monastery should be, dry, dusty, and harsh. The desert: this is where Jesus was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1), this is where the desert fathers went in the 4th century when life in the christianized Roman Empire became lax and decadent, and this is where I want to go to deal with my demons too.

The drive from Guanajuato to San Miguel de Allende is only 1.5 hours, plus another 30 minutes or so to the monastery. The weather was hot and dry, probably about 30 degrees. The entrance to the monasterio:

The newly constructed church (left), and the small chapel (right), both of them built by the monks.

I checked into the monastery at about 3pm, tired and exhausted. I met hermano Elias, the guestmaster, who was kind and friendly and immediately showed me to my room. My habitation for the next two days is much bigger than expected. I have an entire house for myself, complete with kitchen, reading room, eating room, bedroom and bathroom. Not exactly ascetic...

There are lots of trees surrounding my habitation, providing an oasis of shade during the day. By day, the chirping of birds abound in the trees, and at night, well, an orchestra of frogs and crickets puts me to sleep.

At 5:30pm, as the sun set, I went to the church and witnessed the Evening Vespers, tranquil chants of the Psalms by the monks. It was lovely hearing the voices of these young men worship the Lord. My focus and attention was taken away from me and towards the Beautiful.

Dios es nuestro refugio y nuestra fuerza;
nuestra ayuda en momentos de angustia.

Por eso no tendremos miedo...... (Psalm 46:1-2a)

Right after the Vespers was dinner. On my way to the refectory (common kitchen) I noticed that the sun had disappeared and what we'd been doing in the church was already being done by all creation, the symphony was on, all creatures and critters, large and small, were singing the praises of God.

Dinner was simple but complete. A serving of meat, salad, and bread, and for dessert, fruits. And following Benedictine tradition, there was no talking during the meal. Instead, one of the monks served as lector, reading to us from the book of Isaiah and from some other book I don't remember the title for: food for the mind and soul to go along with food for the body.

I made it back to my apartment by around 7, and upon arrival there, I was all of the sudden struck with an immense sense of loneliness. I think several factors contributed to this feeling. I've been with people 24/7 for the past 13 days in a row, visiting mostly noisy, well-populated places. And now, all of a sudden, I'm alone, in a house well separated from the rest of the monsastic community, in a desert. And my room was surrounded by the thick, black, almost tangible darkness of the night.

Alone. Silence. Darkness. A strange feeling. Tears even welled up. I was reminded of 1 Kings 19:11-12:

"The LORD said, 'Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.' Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper."

God speaks to us in all conditions, loud or quiet. However, his voice is heard most clearly when it's not in competition with other noises. And that is the first lesson I've learned here so far. God wants to commune with us, and yet we often don't let him, we're too busy, caught up in our "noisy" lives of mundane busyness, enslaved by our schedules to go from place to place, like a yo-yo tied to a string. It's only when we slow down and sit ourselves in a place of quietness - confronted with our own loneliness and need - that we give him the time of day, or in my case, night.

Over the next day and a half I want to do just that: untangle myself - rather, allow God to untangle me - from the web that is this world, which gradually but surely overcomes us with its stress and anxiety, if we are not in a deep and profound way connected to and rejuvenated by the One and only possible source of Peace.

Guanajuato: Pípila, Teatro Juárez, Basílica, Ex-Hacienda

Here's a picture of my room at La Casa Dante.















View of Guanajuato from the terraza.

After a quiet morning at the terraza at Dante's, I got all my stuff together - camera, maps, sunglasses, and 2 water bottles - and went downstairs to eat breakfast at 9am. Irena'd prepared a wonderful fruit salad, as well as ham and cheese chilaquiles. The chilaquiles were so delicious, I had 4 of them! She also prepared café de olla, the same type of coffee we encountered last week in Tepoztlán. She saw how much I liked the coffee, so she told me she'll give me a ceramic olla (cup) to take with me when I leave tomorrow.

I'd planned to eat in a hurry, because I had much to accomplish today, but being in a hurry to get out of the house here seems a big mistake. The conversation I had with Dante yesterday upon arrival, and then today over breakfast with Irena, showed me that this household is interested in engaging with its guests, something I find quite refreshing. Today, Irena and I talked about numerous topics: the church, Mexico, culture, languages, travelling, and a few other topics, and all that, in 1 hour.

Below are a few pictures of La Casa Dante: it's certainly got a lot of character!

By 10:30, I was out the door, and immediately I once again saw the steep descent to the city before me.

The first place I went to visit was the Pípila, a monument close to downtown that offers great panoramic views of the city. The route up to the monument was rigorous, but the houses along the way seemed to characterize typical Guanajuato architecture:

At the top, the view was even more rewarding:

After breathing in the fresh air atop the city, I walked back towards downtown, and landed at the Teatro Juarez, considered among the most beautiful theatres in the country. It's known for its distinctive architecture of Roman inspiration, and Moorish (arabesque) style interior.

Then I continued on Sopeña street, towards the Basílica Nuestra Señora de Guanajuato. The church was as beautiful during the day as it was at night. I went inside the church and I'm glad I did, as the Mass had just started. I sat down, closed my eyes, and prayed.

Right beside the church people were living their regular lives, selling clothing, shoes, and food, lots of food joints.

A few more pictures of the city, including the Casa Diego Rivera, the house where this famous local artist was born:

I'd decided earlier that morning that I wanted to spend a good portion of the day at the Ex-Hacienda San Gabriel de Barrera, an 18th century hacienda which, according to the Museum Guide of Guanajuato booklet, "is similar to an old Spanish palace, architecture which contrasts markedly with Mexican baroque style, with its indigenous influence and exaggerated ornamentation." So, early afternoon I boarded the micro bus downtown, and took the 15 minute trip to the hacienda.

What I found particularly appealing about this hacienda was its 17 gardens. Below are pictures of some of the gardens, beginning with the Jardín de San Francisco.

Jardín Japones.















Jardín Mexicano.















Jardín Árabe.















Jardín Italiano















Jardín Español

I had a really enjoyable, relaxing afternoon, walking through the gardens, taking pictures.

I got back downtown after 6pm, hungry as ever. I'd eaten lunch at the hacienda restaurant, but that was quite possibly the worst lunch I've had during my stay here in Mexico so far, so I was eager to erase the lunch memory with a nice dinner. Sadly, the place I went to for dinner was not much better, and so by the end of the evening I was left with a bitter taste - literally - at least in terms of food.

After walking around the city for about another hour I went back to my room at Dante's, but not before attending another misa, this time at another church, Parroquia del Inmaculado Corazon de Maria. Again, I was moved by the serenity and reverence that makes up the Mass in the Catholic tradition.

After reading a little, I went to bed.

Impression of the Day: I've already alluded to a few times that I have been blessed tremendously by attending the Catholic liturgy of the Mass. I'm always especially moved by the emphasis on the Eucharist, the real presence of Christ among us. I'm always a bit sad when I'm unable to partake of the body and blood of Christ. The Eucharist - Christ's thanksgiving to the Father on our behalf, our thanksgiving to the Father through Christ, and our thanksgiving to Christ for his work on the cross - is what unites all Christians, and to not be able to participate in this unifying, strengthening sacrament is sad, to say the least.

In fact, in addition to the beauty and reverence of the liturgy, participation in the Eucharist becomes a very compelling reason to become Roman Catholic.