¡Jesús viene!

We are in the middle of the third week of Advent, the season in which we are preparing to receive our Savior in human form - Jesus is coming to us! Something I have been meditating on recently, and had in my mind for the past four months in my time here in the Dominican Republic, is the simplicity and beauty of a short homily, where usually one point is driven home. Nothing against American homilies that are upwards of 20 minutes, and filled with good, solid theology! However, with our limited minds, it is hard to focus on many different points at once and get anything out of them at all - even for educated people. Education here is lacking, to say the least. Kids only go to school for 4 hours a day, and it canceled for rain. (Rain here is like snow in Virginia...threaten a big storm and school is canceled.) Thus, because of a lack of materials, [and thus, motivation] kids, if they are lucky, know how to read in third or fourth grade. But I digress. Thus, these people are a simpler people. And it's beautiful, as I've mentioned before, that they have the right ideas about life. They know that people are more important than material things. And how important love is. And Father O'Hare does a great job of drawing out of daily Scripture one main point, and explaining to us in a way that we can relate to. Back to Advent - Jesus is coming, and today's homily struck me. Father was explaining that since the mystery of Jesus' total humanity and divinity came to pass as a baby, that to remember Advent and his coming, we should focus on children, and loving them. So my point is that our life is supposed to be about love. Father O'Hare loves his parish and wants to share the beautiful Catholic faith on their level, not necessarily his. Jesus loves us so much that he came down to die for our sins, and bring us hope of eternal life. The people here love each other so much that they know that peole are what matter. So how, today, on this 15th of December, you can love the children in your lives and make them feel important as we enter into the final half of Advent?

Las Magdalenas

Sarah and I co-run 4 different high school Bible study groups for girls in four different communities [Banica, El Fondo, Sabana Cruz, and Higuerito]. Here's some pictures of us in action. This is the Banica Magdalenas group, we meet on Fridays at La Casa de Juventud. This is the El Fondo Magdalenas group. We meet at different houses each week after Mass in Sabana Cruz. Here we have our Higuerito Magdalenas, we meet outside usually under a tree after the Mass in Higuerito. This is the Sabana Cruz Magdalenas group...we meet on Tuesdays in el centro. Our smallest group, definitely one of the most talkative. :)