Wednesday, October 17, 2012

My article today on IgnitumToday...

Faith Manifesto
 | October 16, 2012 AD Reply
This month marks the beginning of the Year of Faith, which has gotten me to think… do I really have faith? If I lived at the time of Jesus, would I really touch Him, approach Him and talk to Him with faith? I came across an interesting footnote to Lk 23:6-12 (The New American Bible, 1987), when Jesus is before Herod. It says,
“The appearance of Jesus before Herod is found only in this gospel. Herod has been an important figure in Lk (9,7-9; 13,31-33) and has been presented as someone who has been curious about Jesus for a long time. His curiosity goes unrewarded. It is faith in Jesus, not curiosity, that is rewarded (7,50; 8,48.50; 17,19).”
Do I really believe? … or am I just curious, like Herod?


Monday, October 15, 2012

A few reasons why "I'm gonna marry that good hearted man"...

I don't think love is entirely logical (just somewhat), nor can it be confined to a few reasons. But I just have to share a little about why I think about this man 24 hours a day. I've made a lot of wrong decisions in the past, but these are a few reasons why our wedding next summer will be a eyes-wide-open YES! YES! decision for me. 

1. He is a "good hearted man". I won't go on and on about his qualities, but they are never-ending. 
2. God put him in my path... quite literally. We met in church when he asked me about a Bible study I was helping out with. Then I invited him to the youth group.
3. Our relationship is getting better over time (not worse), we are handling disagreements well and I can't imagine life without him. 
4. When we were experiencing a lot of difficulties in our relationship 1 year and a half ago, he not only was open to receiving help but actively sought it out with me. I think that's not only a sign of great humility, but of health as a person and for our relationship. 
5. He has made and continues to make a lot of sacrifices for me. He is willing to listen, to change and to wait for me. 
6. He treats his mom really well. In my opinion too well (!)... but don't they say you should look at how a man treats his mom? ;)
7. I just can't imagine a more beautiful human being, inside and out. He is different from and better than any dream man I could have imagined in my little head. When I am with him, I feel at home.   

(Pictures of us in downtown Lisbon...)

Thursday, October 11, 2012

If you liked it then you should have put a ring on it...

It's true, I really did dream of a ring (see quote below) and it has changed my life drastically since I received it a few months ago. Luckily, it hasn't been just an exterior thing, but interior: good decisions, clearer priorities, more stability, better prayer, more awareness of what's really important. And this has all been thanks to my "adequate help" (Gn 2:18)... and current fiancee... Daniel. He not only makes me a better person, he makes life a lot better. 

Two or three years ago, someone told us: "If it's really love, it will only grow each day." And in the last year, it really has. I'm so excited about the future. 


“Aristóteles define o seu ponto de referência: ‘Por macho entendemos o ser que gera noutro, e por fêmea o ser que gera em si’. O homem penetra e a mulher é penetrada; o homem gera no exterior de si, a mulher concebe no seu seio. Isso não significa que um é activo e a outra passiva, mas que a acção masculina é transitiva (termina fora do agente) e a acção feminina é imanente (acaba no interior) – o que confere ao homem e à mulher uma imagem dos seus corpos radicalmente distinta. Onde no amor ela sente como acolhedora, ele apreende-se como conquistador. Como é que a sua relação com o mundo poderia ser a mesma? O menino brinca à guerra. A menina sonha com a aliança no dedo.”
From A Profundidade dos Sexos by Fabrice Hadjadj, p. 66

(my translation)“Aristotle defines his point of reference: ‘By male we understand the being that generates in another, and by female the being that generates in herself’. Man penetrates and woman is penetrated; man generates in his exterior, woman conceives in her womb. This does not mean that one is active and the other passive, but instead that masculine action is transitive (ends outside the agent) and feminine action is immanent (ends inside) – which confers to man and woman a radically different image of their bodies. While in love she feels welcoming, he sees himself as a conquerer. How could their relationship with the world possibly be the same? The boy plays war. The girl dreams of a wedding ring on her finger.” 

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

A hidden chapel

Last week, I was very upset about the train I usually take to work being on strike (for about the fifty-millionth time this year). 
The bad part (VERY bad part): I had to get up an hour earlier (5:30 to catch the only train available). 
The good part: with my extra time (getting to work an hour earlier) I found a place I had been wanting to see for some time: a Schoenstatt chapel. 

It's right behind a residential house and I was so surprised to find the gate open when I pushed it and the little chapel with its lights on at 7:30 in the morning. It was so surprising and comforting to see that in the places where I least expect it, there is something really amazing and providential happening. In the middle of a residential neighborhood, so close to my work... something that if you didn't look for it you wouldn't find it! I realized, after having found this hidden place of prayer and holiness last week, that... 

anything that is great and important to God is small and hidden in the world. 


Schoenstatt's unity cross: "It depicts the Virgin Mary - the 'woman' at the foot of the cross - as an icon of the Church and humanity, receiving the blood of the crucified Christ in a chalice. It is the moment of the mystical, spousal union of the New Adam and the New Eve (see pp. 120-123 for a discussion of this mystery)." - p. 271 of Christopher West's book, At the Heart of the Gospel

Monday, October 08, 2012

Ourem for the weekend

A weekend I have been dreading for a long time turned out to be... quite alright, surprisingly. Daniel and I went to Quinta da Alcaidaria-Mor in Ourem (near Fatima) with his friends from college. They have an annual get-together in different places. This place was beautiful and had lots of things to do. Other than stuff our faces with good food, we rode bikes (until Daniel's tire got a hole), he swam in the pool and went go-karting with his friends. The girls were girly (myself included) and just watched while the boys drove their karts around in circles and got really competitive and aggressive. 

I think I finally learned to value his friends, even though they are different from me and different from what I used to think would be "good" for Daniel. Life really is so out of our control... and I'm glad it is. I'm glad it's difficult/uphill yet surprising and better than I could imagine. 


“No friendship is an accident. ” 



This house has always been Christian (sign on left); This house has always been monarchist (sign on right)
Riding bikes...
Daniel and his friends competing in go-karts (he's the one in the middle...)
...Vroom! There he goes...