One in Faith/Uno en la Fe

 My brothers and sisters, Well, throughout my time here, I have experienced a number of opportunities- cultural, spiritual, historical, etc… and I do have to say, this experiences is far from over, and I have just hit the tip of the iceberg in introducing you all to a nation, to a people, and to a community that we are so far removed form, but we really are not. Yesterday, July 25, the people of Guatemala celebrated the Feast of Saint James- Fiesta De Santiago. For those who do not know who Saint James is, here is a very brief overview of who this man is. St. James was one of the original 12 Apostles who followed Christ. He was the brother of St. John, the beloved Apostle, and is known as James the Greater (there is a James the Lesser who becomes the first Bishop of Jerusalem.) St. James was one of the three that was present for the Transfiguraron of our Lord, Jesus’s Agony in the Garden (all the Apostles were there, but only three of them went on further with Jesus), and was prese...

 My friends, due to some construction outside of the house, the wifi has not been the greatest, which prevented my previous post ‘Part I’ to not be published when I desired it. As my former professor at seminary would say, ‘Technology is the ontology of modernity’! Anyway, I would like to share with you ‘Part II’ of this short post series with an introduction to Blessed Stanley Rother! As mentioned previously, Santo Hermano Pedro Bentancour was a Saint of the poor and sick in Antigua, and an example of what it means to live out our Baptismal Priesthood- not just through fundraising or a share in our own surplus of our material wealth- but through the sharing in of Christ’s own poverty at Bethlehem when He humbled himself to take on our own weak and ‘poor’ human nature. Santo Hermano Pedro showed us that our own wealth comes from our own poverty as human beings, and by giving of ourselves, we share the greatest gift of wealth that we have- nothing material or words of ‘inspiration’-...

My friends, over this past weekend, I have had the pleasure to learn a little bit about the ‘sanctity’ of Guatemala. What I mean by this, is that the Guatemalan people, especially in Antigua and Atitlan, have a great devotion to Santo Hermano Pedro Bentancour and Bl. Stanley Rother. Both of these individuals, have had some impact on the life of the Faith in Guatemala. Due to the fact that they have had this impact I am going to write two parts- each identifying both of these individuals and their impact in Guatemala. First, Santo Hermano de Pedro- Br. Pedro was born in 1626 and died in 1667. He wa sa man who lives in through the eyes of the Mysteries of Bethlehem and the Cross. As he was about to disembark for the ‘new world’ he became ill. Through his illness he came in direct contact with the poor, the outcast, and those who were ill and suffering. Once he recovered he consecrated his life to God. Although he was not able to complete his ecclesiastical studies to become a Priest, he ...

Antigua- translated from Spanish to being called ‘The Ancient City’, and quite literally it is an ancient city. Much of the architecture, the culture, and the people portray the influences of the Mayan heritage. Antigua has been designed in order to protect the ancient cultures and traditions of Ancient Guatemala- from the time of the Mayan civilization to the time of the Spanish conquistadors and explores and the Spanish influence on the culture. One of the many structures int he city itself that portrays both the Mayans nd the Spanish cultures are the Churches. Though they are not designed to be like Mayan temples, nor anything European like, they are structured in a way that represents both heritages. The designs around the inside and outside of the Church is very much Mayan influenced, while the size and the interior layout is more Spanish-European.  The people- some continue to dress in the traditional Mayan colors- which signify the family they have descended from. Various co...

As mentioned in my previous post, the Mayan culture and ceremonial actions were heavily influential in Guatemala’s cultural and religious practices. The Mayans established their culture and society around their religious practices and ceremonial sacrifices. Nothing the Mayans did was without a ceremonial purpose.  One of the beautiful things is that the Mayan culture, although no longer continues as it was in the past, still is active in a more contemporary way. Those who descended from the true Mayan culture continue to return to Tikal in order to offer sacrifice. In the past, their sacrifices were not just that of animals, but also human sacrifices as well in order to please the gods of the cosmos. Today, the Mayan people return for their ‘Holy Week’ to Tikal at the beginning of March. They spend one day sacrificing small animals (chickens, hamsters, birds, etc…) and spend about 5 days in prayer and contemplation. They have ceased doing human sacrifices today, but you can see all...

 Over these past two weeks, I have been introducing you to the cultural and religious life of Guatemala here in Antigua. However, over this past weekend, I have been able to experience, how should we say, the beginnings of the ancestral heritage of this ancient nations. So, over these next few weeks, I am going to introduce you to the Mayan culture, its religious practices, and the influence that the Mayans continue to have today. A group of us from Probigua had the privilege of going to Tikal, which is the ancient Mayan city. What most people do not know is that the people, or at least the cultural and devout spiritual practices, come from the Mayan nation. Tikal, was one of, if not the first of the Mayan cities to be established. It is dated back to about 600 A.D. (some other people say it goes back further to 1 A.D.) It is home to over 20 temples, with 13 of them being the main places of sacrifice. It is home to the Mayan ceremonial, culture and commercial center for the Mayan n...

 Buenos Noches mis hermanos! Yo oro con tú! Today, was, well, and ordinary day- waking up, going to school, going to the Casa for meals and study, celebrating Mass and praying, and doing ALOT of walking! One of the things my maestra and discussed, yes- in Spanish- was how the education system worked here in Guatemala. Most if not the entire school calendar- Parochial or Public- is centered around religious holidays, not seasons. The schools, most of them any way, go on break from the 15 of October and return to school 15 of January (public may go back earlier). This means, that they are able to celebrate Todos Los Santos (All Saints Day), All Souls Day, La Solemnidad de Concepcion de Inmaculada (The Immacualte Conception), Navidade (Christmas), La Madre De Dios (Mary, Mother of God and 1st of the Year); Three Kings Day, the Epiphany, and the Baptism of our Lord. The rest of time (with respect to 2 more breaks- Holy Week, and Mothers Day) they are in school.  The day for a chil...