¡Hágalo!

I am glad we have arrived at Easter. I’m also relieved this is the week of the octave of Easter. Timely is the infusion of Spirit and life that these early days of the season bring. 

Joshua is on retreat with his community of Maryknoll priests and seminarians; at the Franciscan retreat center in Tarata, in fact. This leaves me on my own in class this week. Ugh. It was hard this morning working one-on-one with Profesoras Julia and Karla for four hours without my lively sparring partner. I should say working out, because this is a mentally tiring exercise, a workout that feels less gratifying than an hour or 90 minutes on the treadmill. Yes, I was wiped out by the time it was noon, with no euphoria or release of feel-good chemicals. Thank goodness I had a nearly full night of rest and plenty of energy this morning. 

What is more, my teachers were in the mood to give quite a bit of homework today. Making up for a light load during Holy Week, were we? 

Ah, I love to complain! My superego wants to chastise me for resisting this, my prime opportunity to stretch and go deeper, to make the connections, to integrate what I’m learning, to get stronger, more fluent, more fluid. What’s the matter with you? This is why you are here! Seize the moment! Just do it! ¡Hágalo! 

Well, yes, but. I am here for the gardens, the mountains, and the fountains, too. They teach me a language beyond words, a language of beauty and grace and truth. I am here for the vision of the people without which they and I would perish. I am here for chess games and drawing pictures with the girls who know both wounds and resurrection in their bodies. I am here for chapati from Joshua and anything Diana prepares in the convent kitchen. I am here to dodge the batty drivers and make them think twice about cutting off a cranky Capuchin friar from New York trying to cross the street. I am here to tease Carmelo, making ugly faces and uttering hexes at him in English and Spanish. 

For these favorite things, for these foolish things I have come. With them, God opens my ears and my lips. Without them, everything stays shut. So to the superego I say, be quiet. And to the God who can do more than we ask or imagine, in all those ways mysterious to me, I say, ¡Hágalo! 

In other news, I am sad to report that Fray Jorge S., one of the student friars here at Convento San Francisco, has decided to leave the Franciscan order. I am sure he has made a good discernment, but all the same I am sorry to see him go. He was and is my best friend among the brothers. He has always been friendly and outgoing toward me. We talked many times at lunch about his studies, whatever he heard in his lectures that day or was reading that evening. We talked about Freud; we talked about dreams. We talked about movies and music. He is a talented musician, playing guitar, piano, and percussion. In my opinion he is also the best soccer player among the brothers. The Holy Spirit burns brightly in his heart and soul. May God lead him along sure paths as he brings the light of the risen Christ to others. I will have an opportunity to say goodbye to him tomorrow, the day he leaves. Tomorrow is also his birthday. Feliz cumpleaños, y yaya con Dios, mi hermano en Cristo resucitado.