Car troubles and some commitments with Caritas have kept me
from getting out to the countryside until this past Saturday.
The car was finally fixed and so I got out to a meeting of
one of the sectors of the parish. I arrived late for a number of reasons. As I
tried to enter quietly I listened as a kid of about 12 was reading the minutes
from the church council of his village. I was impressed. It was also good to
see other young people there involved in leadership positions in their
villages.
Lunch at Grandadillal |
I got back to Santa Rosa and stopped to get money out of the
bank to pay rent. The car wouldn’t start but made a grinding noise. I called my
mechanic who came out and got it started, but he told me to get the car to the
shop. They fixed it, something about something loose in the starter. No charge!
But I stood around and talked with the young guys who work there for about half
an hour. They entertained me, including sharing a few things from a list of
Honduran expressions, some of which are a little risqué. One of the least
risqué was “Los catrachos no comen, se
hartan.”
The car being fixed, I went home.
The next morning I set out to Dulce Nombre to go with Padre
German to tow villages for Mass.
In Quebraditas there were two baptisms. There are more
scheduled for the end of the month but this was an exception since the
godparents were back visiting from Long Island where they live and work.
Baptism in Quebraditas |
After this we went to Plan Grande, one of my favorite
villages.
As we went toward the church, we passed by a gathering in a
house, the house of the current mayor of Concepción. It was a political meeting
related to the upcoming elections. (The current mayor is not running for
re-election, but his brother is a candidate.)
Despite this, there was a good crowd at Mass.
In Quebraditas Padre German had asked me to do the reflection
after the Gospel at Plan Grande. As I reflected on the readings, I realized
that the music group in Plan Grande, “La Gran Familia,” had written a song
which was appropriate – “El Apego al
Dinero” – “Attachment to Money.” I asked them to sing it during the
reflection as a way to connect the readings with a song the people already
knew. As I listened and watched from the side, I saw some people in the congregation
singing along with the group.
It was delightful was to see the involvement of young people
in the readings as well as the leadership of Gloria, the village’s communion minister
and a member of the parish council.
Gloria, her youngest son Eliú, and another girl from Plan Grande |
I left and got home before a strong wind and rain storm
struck. After it calmed down I went out to Weekend’s (the best pizza in Central
America, I claim).
Today I took the car back to the shop because the brakes
felt funny. I’m headed off to Tegucigalpa tomorrow – a six to eight hour trip –
and want to make sure the brakes are good.
And so life continues on – with little joys, car troubles,
and opportunities to see the hand of God in the lives of the people in the countryside.
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There are more photos at the Dulce Nombre parish set on Flickr here.
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