Hope in Honduras 2014

A new year has begun.

The prospects for Honduras are not good.

A new president will be inaugurated in the shadow of serious charges of fraud in the election. He is a president connected with the ruling political and economic elites. As president of Congress he railroaded through legislation and packed the Supreme Court with supporters. In the midst of the violence he promises to do whatever needs to be done. What this means can be seen by his pushing through the establishment of a military police force.

The economy is a disaster. The coffee harvest is not good, because of the roya fungus which affected much of the coffee raised by the small coffee farmers. The Congress passed new tax laws which will raise the value-added-tax (a hidden sales tax) from 12% to 15%. The cost of the basic food basket will rise.

Violence continues, especially in the large cities and the north coast. The lack of a functional judicial system – only about 5% of crimes come to justice – lead many people to take the law into their own hands. The lack of a culture of dialogue in some areas leads to vengeance killings.

The drug-traffickers maintain and may even be increasing their control of some political leaders.

I could go on; in fact, I’m trying to write something on why there is so much poverty here.

But can one hope?

Pope Francis has written: "Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of hope!"

Last November’s elections saw the emergence of new political parties. I hope that this means a breaking of the “bi-opoly” [a two-party monopoly] by the two traditional parties. The strong sowing for LIBRE, the new party that is an offshoot of the Resistance to the 2009 coup, showed that there are many who want a radical change in Honduras.

Now that the elections are over, I hope that there is renewed interest in real grass-roots democracy – not just the politics of power-seeking political parties.

Those are “hopes” I have, but they are not signs of hope. For those, I have to look at what I see around me. And since I am most rooted in the rural parish of Dulce Nombre de Maria, that’s where I find signs of hope.

Small signs of hope in the Dulce Nombre parish.

Padre German changed the rules for baptism of infants and children under seven. As a result of the changes and the new manner of preparing parents and god-parents, he baptized hundreds of small children and infants.

Baptism in El Zapote on December 29 (one of almost 50)

The catechists tell me that this openness has provoked another reaction from the people. Some of their communities are seeing more attendance at the Sunday Celebrations of the Word and even some people returning to base communities.

I have also seen a number of young people getting involved in leadership roles in the parish. Some of them experience discrimination from some who have been leaders for decades. But the presence of young people is something that is encouraging – and that I hope to encourage this coming year.

A new young catechist at a training session

There are also about 90 catechumens, mostly young people in their late teens and early twenties, who will be baptized at the Easter Vigil this coming April. 

Catechumens at the rite of entrance into the catechumenate

Another hope I have is based in the parish planning.

There will be continued formation of catechists, so that they can better lead their communities to a living participative faith.

There will some formation of choirs and music groups, leaders of Celebrations of the Word, and base communities.

The Triple Ministry – liturgical, prophetic, and social – needs to be renewed in the base communities. These communities also need to become more participative and imbued with a sense of real solidarity which responds in faith to the social challenges the people face.

This year there will also be more retreats to help provide a spiritual base for faithful living.

All too often some people here have reduced their faith to knowing about the faith and adherence to doctrine and rules. Padre German is trying to move from preaching and religious education based mostly on “information” to processes that lead to real “formation,” so that, with the grace of God, we may be “transformed.”

One way we hope to do this is forming teams for faith formation and spirituality in each of the four zones of the parish. A small team will be entrusted with helping these teams grow in their faith and in understanding of participative religious formation.

That’s what is inspiring me with hope for this coming year.

But that means work – for hope is not something that just happens. As Pope Francis has written: “True Christian hope, which seeks the eschatological kingdom, always generates history.”

Hope is God calling us forward.

In this I share what Pope Francis wrote in his extraordinary apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium: The Joy of the Gospel,  ¶ 25:

I hope that all communities will devote the necessary effort to advancing along the path of a pastoral and missionary conversion which cannot leave things as they presently are.

There are many things that are not good here. But, as Pope Francis also wrote (¶109):

Challenges exist to be overcome! Let us be realists, but without losing our joy, our boldness and our hope-filled commitment. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of missionary vigor!

In this spirit, I look forward in hope to a new year of challenges, of possibilities, and of the opportunity to accompany the poor of the parish in our efforts to be signs of God’s Reign – on earth as in heaven.

Dawn in Dulce Nombre, December 7, 2013

Christmas wanderings

The past week I’ve not stayed much in Santa Rosa.

Last Monday I went out to Plan Grande where I’m planning to move next year. I also wanted to arrange a visit to the village with Fr. Jon Seda, the pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas in Ames, Iowa, who is coming this Friday with two others.

I went to the place on the grounds of the church where I’m thinking of building a small house (with guest rooms). In the future the parish could also use it for small retreats.

My friends who live near the church had an unusual Christmas tree in front of their house.

What a creative use of plastic pop bottles. (For you non-Mid-Westerners, they are soda bottles.)

Tuesday, I went out to El Zapote de Santa Rosa for the graduation ceremony for their Maestro en Casa program. Seven students finished ninth grade – the end of Ciclo Común (the equivalent of junior high). It was great to see their accomplishment. They will probably not have a chance at this point of going on to high school since there is no high school nearby.

Graduates in El Zapote with their teacher (in the center)

In the afternoon I went to Gracias, Lempira, to spend Christmas eve and Christmas day with the Dubuque Franciscan sisters who live and minister there. It is always great to be with them, not only because I’m a lay associate of their community but also because it is an opportunity to pray, eat, talk, and play dominos with friends.

We went to the Christmas Eve Mass at the church of San Marcos in Gracias.

A children’s group put on a pastorela, a Christmas pageant, before Mass. The dramatization was fantastic – and their singing was very good.

Gabriel visits Mary

Simeon (mop hair and beard) greets the holy family (with a real baby)

Thursday and Friday were days at home in Santa Rosa – cleaning the house, doing errands, making a few needed purchases. Saturday I went to the Mass of priestly ordination of two young men here in Santa Rosa.

Today I went out again to El Zapote de Santa Rosa, one of my favorite communities, for Mass – complete with about 49 baptisms: 23 of children under seven, the rest between seven and fourteen.

Baptism of a months old baby girl

Before Mass, I had a chance to see their nacimiento, their nativity scene. When I had passed by there on Tuesday they were getting ready to set it up. They were proud that it would be all–natural. They had gone out into the woods to gather real plants.

It was a marked contrast to the nacimientos I saw last week in Quebraditas. See my previous post. 

Nacimiento in El Zapote de Santa Rosa de Copán

As I witnessed the baptisms I marveled several times when I saw the look of awe on the face of several of the children. 

They were really experiencing the loving embrace of God in their baptism.

The trip down the hill from the church was treacherous, even in four wheel drive. The rains and heavy fog had turned the road into a slick muddy mess. It was like driving on pure ice - though a little more scary since there was a steep drop off on the left.

Tomorrow I’m out to Dulce Nombre again to talk with Padre German about several things, including the upcoming visit of Fr. Jon.

New Years Eve is Tuesday. I don’t know what I’ll do, though the Franciscan sisters down the street (from a Spanish congregation) invite me to drop by. In any case, I’ll have to prepare myself for the barrage of firecrackers with which people celebrate New Years. I may have to find my earplugs.

A Christmas moment

The Christmas season didn’t get real for me until this morning.

It wasn't a nativity scene - un nacimiento - that brought this on - but witnessing the anointing of the sick.

The nacimientos can be very moving - though they are often amusing as the people put all sorts of items in the display - from Snow White on a horse to Winnie the Pooh and a half-naked Barbie doll. 

Everything is present at the birth of the Savior - even if his image gets lost amid the other figures.

I went to Dulce Nombre to go with Padre German to Mass in two towns – Quebraditas and San Augustín. But first we went to visit a very sick woman who lives outside of the nearby town of Concepción.

We got there, down a rutted dirt road, through a field, and up a hill. We first passed by a very poor house with a mother and four kids.

The old woman, 81 years old she told us, had been in Tegucigalpa but was abandoned by some of her family. But finally ended up in this dirt-poor house. The floor was dirt and the house was of bahareque – mud and sticks p with a tin roof.  Three members of the family – a couple and their 15 year old son escorted us into the room where Adela was lying on the bed. She was so sick that she could only consume liquids.

The woman had not been baptized (as well as she could remember). So Padre German baptized her conditionally, gave her the anointing of the sick, and shared communion with her.

The poverty was tangible.

As I watched and listened, I noticed a small picture of the Baby Jesus in the manger over Adela’s bed.

In a place like this, Jesus was born, God became flesh.

In the midst of poverty God comes to save us.

As he left, Padre German told the couple that he could send over some basic grains when they needed them.

We left for Mass in Quebraditas.

As Mass was finished I spoke with a young woman whom I know whom I find very thoughtful. She told me that her mother was very ill, suffering for nine months, and that the doctors still haven’t been able to treat her adequately. She thinks it’s something to do with the liver.

I told Padre German and he went to anoint her mother and share the Eucharist with her. It was moving as the spouse and several of the children and grandchildren gathered around her bed. Tears were flowing.

As we left, Padre German got a call and a request for another anointing. On our way to San Augustine we stopped in Granadillal, where Padre German spoke at length with the 77 year old man and anointed him. The house was poor – with just one bed. But a crowd gathered – some relatives and about 8 kids  (who may or may not have been related.)

Mass at San Augustin was not as crowded as normal – probably because of the coffee harvest. Padre German asked me to preach – to give him a little relief.

It may seem strange but the three anointings of the sick have made Christmas more real – especially the first visit.

God has come among us as a poor, defenseless baby. Today he came, in a special way, to visit the sick and dying.

Our God doesn’t save us – or give us hope – from afar.

Children in Debajiados, December 23, 2012

He pitches his tent among us – in the midst of the poor houses of the poor.

Christmas, the poor, and Archbishop Romero

... no one can celebrate an authentic Christmas 

unless they are truly poor. 

The self-sufficient, the proud of heart, 

those who despise others 

because they do not possess the material goods of this earth, 

those who do not need or want God 

--- for these people there is no Christmas. 

Only the poor, the hungry, 

and those who need someone to come to them 

because they have need of someone, 

someone who is God, someone who is Emmanuel, 

God-with-us 

--- only these people are able to celebrate Christmas. 

Without the spirit of poverty 

one is unable to be filled with God.

Archbishop Oscar Romero

December 24, 1978

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The original Spanish can be found here.

A blog post on Romero, Christmas, and the poor can be found here on Super Martyrio.