It's All Too Much

"It's All too much for me to take, the love that's shining all around us" Even though these are the words of the late great George Harrison, I apply them here to my visit last fall to Peru and especially to Machu Picchu.

This is the only picture that proves I was actually there, and I want to thank Nigel Young for passing it along. As many of you know from prevuious posts, I found a spiritual and very lasting peace in Peru. It has nourished me in the last few months and remains in my heart as a place of great power.

Having said that, I wish everyone the best of New Years ... expect the best and take advantage of the possibilities during the 12 days of Christmas. 2006 will only come this way but once. I pass on to you the words of the famed Megan McKenna, ...

"There is an ancient tradition that God gives each of us a gift for each of these 12 days ... but they are wrapped in the new clothes and rags, and papers of Incarnation ... so sometimes it's hard to recognize the gift until you open it, or you miss it, or don't think it's what you had in mind etc. So I pray you are alert to catch the gifts of God these 12 days ... they are always gifts of light and joy and hope ... and may the new year coming towards us be filled with peace, ever more peace for all of us and earth."

Visit Megan at http://meganmckenna.org/

With all the best wishes for a great year, I remain yours in the Lord.
Patrick

Let It Be

Gloria In Excelsis Deo
et Pax Hominibus Bonae Voluntatis

Imagine

Imagine all the people living life in peace.

When I Get Home

OK, here are some thoughts I have had of late ... having just recently returned to the good ol' USA.

- When I landed at the airport in Chicago, I was amazed to see water fountains from which people can just … drink freely.
- People on the street speak … the same language as I do, and I can understand them.
- Unlike Lima, our intersections here seem to have an overabundance of stop signs and traffic lights.
- I have this urgent and strange desire to read everything I couldn’t get my hands on in South America.
- On my computer, I was so used to looking for “Escritorio” to save files … I forgot it was called “desktop.”
- Unlike keyboards in public Internet sites in South America, the @ symbol is easily accessible on US keyboards.
- I find that I am cold … seeing as how the temperature today in Chicago was 25 F.
- I miss rice.
- And indeed I miss all the people I met. Sigh.

Across The Universe

"Words are flowing out like endless rain into a letterbox ... " and there are simply not enough of them to say appropriately how GRATEFUL I am for everyone here for making this South American journey a smooth and enriching experience.

Leaving is very difficult, and saying goodbye or thank you is even harder. The words are so cheap, but the senitment profound. So, let me throw in a picture.

This is the new moon setting in the west as seen from the southern hemisphere.

The first day I arrived in Bolivia, as the plane landed in LaPaz at about 5 am, I beheld a smiliar sight, the faintest of crescent moons ... but it was rising. A moon rising in the morning is very old, almost finished after 29 days of shing. But a cresent setting in the west is brand new, ready to reveal more of itself and reflect His light.

That's why I choose this song title and this picture to symbolize the end of my trip. I feel like I have been across the universe and that I have found pieces of life and matter that have rejuvenated me and charged me with fire and energy (see Teilhard de Chardin for more on that).

I return to Chicago on November 22, my little brother's birthday. Love and kisses to him (although his mouth is probably covered with slobber) and love and blessings to all I met in South America: Thomas, Alex, Pablo, Ryan, Tatiana, Cesar, Stephen, Caitlyn, René, Gary, Jorge, Emily, Kevin, Megan, Gonzalo, Roy, Fritzi, Oscar, Frances, Martin, Chi Chi, Ana, Pancho, Seu Chin, Fabián, Carmen, Sergio, Raffo, Christina, Ale, Victor, Attilie, David, Chuck, Pato, Juan Manuel, Marcos, Teresita, Jaime, Jose Antonio, Adolfo, Edy, Rey, and especially young Anthony who did his arithmetic perfectly in Pamplona. More and more of you too. Thank you.

Tell Me What You See

Hmmm, let's see ... in this landscape I see the city of Arequipa, Peru in the foreground (including what looks to be the Jesuit novitiate where I am staying) and several mountains ... no ... VOLCANOS in the background.

On the right is the famous Mt. Misti, rising high into the sky at over 5,000 meters above sea level. The city itself is 2,000 meters above. To the left are the Chachani Volcanos, a little higher than Misti. In any case, this is close to the view I woke to the morning of Wednesday November 16. I am hosted by the Jesuits at the St. Stanlaus Kostka novitiate. They have 8 novices in the house, and all of them are as gracious and helpful to this graying priest as can be. I am most grateful.

We celebrated Mass this morning, the Feast of St. Roque Gonzales,S.J. and the 16th anniversary of the martyrs of El Salvador.

To read a bit about this anniversary, and the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Maryknoll martyrs (December 2nd) click here: http://www.rtfcam.org/martyrs/UCA/UCA.htm

I am privileged to be in this least Society of Jesus where finding God in all things I see (especially volcanos) is an every day pleasure. Peace to all.

With A Little Help From My Friends

Greetings all from Lima, Peru. I won't say too much about the city of Lima itself ... I'd like to keep this message positive. But I can speak positively about the people in Lima, they are fantastic!

Here is a shot of me with a few of the scholastics (seminarians) who live here in La Cominidad San Juan Berchmans. This is a great community of guys who are studying humanities and philosophy in Lima at the Jesuit college here. From the left are: Gary (from Bolivia), Marcos, Oscar, and Pancho. I have been visitng them for a week, and tomorrow I will travel to the lovely city of Arequipa, an hour south of here by plane.

I will write more later, but I wanted to send this photo. For more pictures, please click the "See My Photos" at the left. Bye for now.