Medida

“ ‘Give and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap’ ” (Luke 6:38).

A quick word of thanks to everyone who tunes in to the blog. I appreciate the comments I receive from everyone, both offline and on the blog itself. We remain united in a communion of words and prayer.

Another quick word of thanks to the Maryknoll Fathers, who last evening with wonderful hospitality opened the doors of their home at the mission center to the language students, and to other friends and colleagues. Sunday was the Second Sunday of Lent, but it was also March 17, the feast of St. Patrick. Of course we could not let the day pass without a celebration of Christian faith and Irish heritage! And a fine dinner party it was. But it was more than that. The Maryknoll community is a global family, and the missionaries take pride in every people from every land. So as the guests tucked into Irish beef stew and mashed potatoes, and maybe sipped Irish coffee and whiskey, too, they also enjoyed guacamole, quinoa, and salsa from the Americas; and chapati from Kenya. The best of African, American, and European cuisine at one table of plenty.

Then, after the meal, a night of singing! Someone provided a songbook of traditional Irish tunes. We went well beyond “Danny Boy.” We put our hearts and lungs into what Bob Dylan called “those rousing rebel songs,” and those who knew the tunes well went for them with gusto. My favorite new song is “Wild Colonial Boy.” You can see and hear a lively rendition here. Again, this being Maryknoll, we celebrated the most beautiful songs of several nations. So we also sang songs from Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, and the United States. I stepped up to deliver “This Land Is Your Land” with my fellow Americans, every verse filling me with pride. One Maryknoll priest said Woody Guthrie’s song ought to be the national anthem; I agree with him. I got to practice my listening skills as we heard several Spanish songs. I’m glad we heard “La Bamba” from Mexico; the lyrics are simple and repeated often.

I bow to everyone who prepared the table spread: the Maryknoll priests and staff, the seminarians and language students, and the guests who brought their favorite dishes. (I didn’t do any cooking, but I did bring some nice cookies.) A very pleasant evening was had by everyone. But it was more than that. The work the missionaries do is hard. The work the students do is hard. Sometimes you can feel the weight of the work. Sometimes you can feel the weight of living in another land. And sometimes the troubles of the world can make you flinch from the work God give you to do. So thanks be to God for celebrations, for spontaneous expressions of beauty and goodness and truth. May the measure that the Maryknoll community gave everyone Sunday evening be given back in good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing.