Illustration from Percy Bacani showing a wheel expanding if you move away from fear to learning. I add a sacred zone that keeps you optimistic as you anticipate God’s miracles. I attended Vatican Mass and Pope Francis homily paid tribute to 60 priests lost to the virus. He talked of the missionaries, a Franciscan priest wrote him. The first thing he does when he is new to the place is to visit the cemetery and he looks for the fallen priests, mostly young ministering to the communities. One knew all the names in one town, including the dogs, calling it “priestly closeness.”
He asked that our feet be washed by the Lord, to allow Him to serve us, in turn, serve the Lord by serving others. Learn how to forgive, he said, for all of us are sinners. If you cannot, he said to keep the doors open so another can enter. “Allow your feet to be washed by the Lord, so you can wash others’ feet – you will be great forgivers, the measure with which we are measured – you will be forgiven as you have forgiven others. I ask that you allow Him to wash your feet.”
Yesterday, Fr. James Martin quoted Sam Rockwell’s interpretation of Judas Iscariot who committed suicide after the Crucifixion: “Maybe Judas was throwing Jesus into the deep end of the pool (when he sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver) hoping Jesus would swim and lead a revolutionary change.” Which Jesus did, after His Death on the Cross, and 3 days later, His Resurrection.
Photos taken while walking in the neighborhood.#princess2015la all grown and is still beautiful in disposition. She now makes fresh pastas and gave me #spaghetti to go with my #spaghettisauce feeding seven
To stay vibrant, hubby bakes sourdough bread. Notice the crust and crumb are perfect and slathered with butter, it is my luxury. Today, made adobo for 7 folks.
Yesterday, cabin fever hit me hard. But, by 6pm, when I heard Fr. John Cordero of Holy Family Artesia thanked the parishioners and those outside of the parish about their church collections, his hopeful and joyful comments meant a lot. The church is vibrant through daily livestreaming and folks gave electronically to sustain their expenses.
My reflections: Imagine that – last Sunday’s mass had over 1,200 devices plugged in while daily mass averages 390, and if 2 to 3 per device, it means about a thousand attend daily masses. First Sunday live streamed mass was viewed by over 11,000!! Hallelujah!!!
Today’s homily by Fr. Joachim -“What are the illusions offered to us to betray Christ – after we have hurt our brothers and sisters – is there joy in betraying Christ?”
Today, day 32 of social distancing, I read Greg Castilla’s post about his grandson’s sixth birthday, Xavier who always had family gathered around to celebrate. How will they now do it? Read his post, as it brought me joy to read that his daughter emailed the neighbors. At first, they thought if 5 joined in, they would be happy. They had 23 families who made posters, stood by their windows, as Xavier’s parents drove by. Writing this is giving me goosebumps and tears in my eyes.
Xavier’s 6th birthday as he thanks his neighbors. 23 families made posters for him. and photo collage posted by Xavier’s grandfather, Greg Castilla. 23 families in their neighborhood made happy birthday signs fir Xavier and Xavier got to see all 23 posters and thanked them with his own poster. I am crying as I read his lolo’s post.
I also had tears listening to 40 children’s voices collated by Pete Avendano as they sang individually in their homes and electronically put together as One CHOIR.
But, I am most grateful for my beautiful favorite daughter who gave us homemade pandesal as I got to see my beautiful 5yo #princess2015la in her scooter, both were wearing masks.
I prepared brunch and was grateful for Hubby making us fresh sourdough bread, which I paired with home grown avocados.
Thank you dear God for my family, my friends, my neighbors and a newfound church, Holy Family of Artesia.
Amidst grim news of 1, 381, 014 new cases of CoronaVirus; 79, 091 deaths in 184 countries; US has 380, 749 new cases since January 22 to April 6, 2020 with 11,931 deaths. Worldwide fatality rate is 5.7% and US is 3.1%.
To go through this uptick of new deaths daily, I go to live streamed mass daily. On Palm Sunday, I attended 4 masses. I needed God’s light to accompany me, going through this tunnel of darkness.
Day 31, today’s homily by Fr. John Cordero of Holy Family Artesia touched on 2 themes: descending the dark path of betrayal with Judas Iscariot and the ascending theme of passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
This can be moments of glory, to choose lives over money. To choose to share in God’s glory. Perhaps, he said, develop the spirit of humility that we are not exceptional like Peter who wanted to be heroic as if he would be spared as a sinner, only to betray Jesus three times. Peter was a bit cocky. How about we go through life, caring for people and share in God’s glory?
Fr. John Cordero – Holy Family Artesia
First photo is our get together with family and friends. It just popped up in my gmail. Yesterday was one of my dear friend’s birthday, who has left us too soon. I was thinking of my dearly departed when this came up to bring smiles to friends whom I shared it with and myself, too. Yesterday, it was my mom’s photo with me and my daughter that surprised me.
Other photos are my favorite daughter’s gifts to us: shisho leaf pesto with her homemade pasta and her homemade bread with my homemade kumquat preserves.
The last three slogans came from my hubby, which corresponded with the pastor’s homily:
Hubby woke me up as I was talking in my dreams. I remembered praying “Our Father who art in heaven,” quite loudly that he woke me up. Yes, 30 days of being inside the house with short walks around the block and back and doing two to three essential errands is like having cabin fever. But, when I heard Fr. Parker Sandoval described it as a sacrament of charity towards others, I had renewed attitude to stay homebound.
Today’s homily by Fr. Joachim of Holy Family Artesia was quite exceptional, maybe because I am in that mode of reflection. He said, “Jesus saw Judas’ goodness before his betrayal of Jesus. Did he value his companionship with Jesus? In our community, what do we do to prevent others’ rise in spirituality? In what manner do we act like Judas? In loving Jesus, do we use our heart or our minds? What’s dearest in us that we give to Jesus?”
Credits to AZ Quotes
I was then blessed to watch Fr. James Martin’s 30 minute interaction on today’s gospel with folks. The gospel spoke of Mary’s anointing oil, the pungent aromatic nard, in Jesus’ feet and wiping it off with her hair. She lavished such abundance on Jesus that Judas questioned that act as unnecessary and the oil should have been sold for 300 days worth of wages. Sandra Schneider, an author, interpreted that as Judas controlling the form of discipleship of women, that of Mary and Jesus bluntly said to leave her alone. Jesus valued Mary’s initiative. Nard continues to be sold in Bethany.
“We are charged not with obliterating our diversity and difference but instead with heightening our connection to each other.”
Fr. Greg Boyle – Homeboy Industries
I then prepared our dinner of home grown lettuce, home grown avocados, applewood smoked bacon with Corina’s homemade challah bread and for lunch, spiked up korean spicy noodles with carrots, bokchoy and egg.
Grace overflowed today. My octogenarian neighbor, LM made apple tartatine from scratch, using a copper dutch oven made in France, a gift from his wife, Lola. He peels the green apples, he rolls out the dough, and of course, layers the apples in the copper pan, then adds sugar and butter. Oh my heavenly delicious! I know the process as he shared it with us when he had us for dessert and coffee last year.
Then, my daughter drops off freshly baked challah bread. It looks so golden delicious too!
I had cooked dinner for 5 people, included her family and prepared pesto pasta, salmon belly with ponzu and calamansi and stir fried kale, carrots and asparagus.
Speaking of Palm Sunday, I am inoculating myself with God’s words and attended four masses. At 230am, I could not sleep and sobbing. I came upon the livestreamed mass at the Vatican, presided by our dear Pope Francis, who looked quite healthy and refreshed.
Imagine how comforted I felt after seeing the Miraculous Cross from St. Marcello Church. To realize a love that loves me and all of us to the very end, a love that when this Cross was taken to the streets of Rome during the plague, it relieved the plague.
Actually, it was the pandemic of the Spanish flu or influenza which claimed millions of lives. It reminded me when I came upon the archival display of deaths in Portugal in 1918 when I went to Ourem, in Portugal.
Second mass was quite a feast for my weary soul, listening to the eloquent, spiritually deep homily of Fr. Parker Sandoval at Incarnation Church Glendale. It spoke of “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” A lament, a complaint from Psalm 22, when Jesus felt alone pointing to a chasm about what we know, that God is there, yet, not feeling in our heart, that He is close to us. Without that closeness, frustration, anger and sorrow sets in. Crying from the laments of our soul, reaching up from being rock bottom, we ask him, as Jesus progressively gets isolated from His companions, friends, rejected by authorities and ridiculed by soldiers and bystanders. Yet, we know while Jesus feels alone on the Cross, Father answers the son’s prayers on the 3rd day, Jesus rises.
My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Psalm 22:1
While there is the descent into darkness, there’s an ascent into the light. Father does not abandon the Son. In faith, we know it.
A third mass and homily by Fr. Rodel Balagtas who exhorted us to look beyond the fear as something great will come out of this crisis. To look at what’s essential, those we disregarded before, our family, our relationships, the essential workers and to let the best version of ourselves cine through, in solidarity and in fidelity.
