Sunday Reflections

Along with every trip comes the cultural shock and realization of how similarly different life is.  It's only the first day of working in our service placements and we've already had a multitude of profound life lessons.  If it's this good thus far, we can only be eager for what happens next.


On Sunday night, a few of us went to mass at St Martin's parish.  Of course the mass was just like mass anywhere else, but the community and service was a different experience. Aside from our group and a few other tourists, it really stood out to me that the only white people in the whole chapel were the priests.  I've been raised Catholic and love everything about Jesuit ideals, but the first thing I could think of was "this must be how the whites took over the rest of the world."  I don't mean that with any sense of judgment or stereotype, but it really stood out to me that in a crowd full of dark-skinned Belizeans, Hispanics and Kriols the ones that led and stood in front were white.  


Along with that and as with every Jesuit mass, the homily was really thought provoking.  The priest talked about feeling restless and reverting that unnerving feeling of not knowing what to do life towards God.  I hope Bev doesn't mind me posting this, but she did a great reflection on the homily:


Fr. Brian (SJ) at St. Martin de Porres Church in Belize City started the homily with a story of a brother & sister fetus who were hanging out in their mother's womb. The sister asked the brother if he ever thought of life after birth or the idea of having a mother in whom they live, and he just laughed at her and thought she was crazy. Why wonder about after-birth when they are perfectly comfortable in the warm, dark womb. And how could she even think of having a mother whom they had never seen before!

The gospel for today was about the Transfiguration of Jesus; that short period of time when heaven is revealed to us. Fr. Brian (SJ) spoke of the "mountaintop" or "peak" moments in our lives that make everything so clear for us. It answers our questions, erases our worries, and makes us feel like we're on top of the world. But they only last a moment. What do we do after this enlightenment? Some people stay dormant, thinking that this knowledge and understanding of heaven will save them. But others, like Jesus, feel the need to do something for the world. After that moment of heaven disappears, it leaves us wanting more; wanting to know Jesus more, yearning for a deeper and more substantial relationship with Him. Jesus Christ left the mountaintop, walked back to Jerusalem (knowing what He would have to stand up against), and carried His cross for the salvation of the entire world.

It is our human nature to feel restless, empty, and yearning for something greater. It is only through this emptiness that we are guided to in the right direction to be able to attain what we are seeking. "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you."

The brother fetus tells the sister fetus that they will have all they want, as long as they just hold on to the cord. The sister says to the brother, "there's been a lot of rumbling. Something great is bound to happen."

Do you believe?


From talking to the rest of our group and reflecting on our own motivations, it seems like restlessness and questioning how to make the most of the present moment are among the reasons why we're here.  We are eager to experience how the rest of the week can help us find this answer.