Passion for Paraguay

I have been somewhat emotional these days. Nicole is the first of our four kids getting married. Not hearing the door slam, or her harp playing in the house is harder than I had anticipated.  She is self determined, and a woman that will do anything she puts her mind to - I know that.  But she is still my girl, my daughter whom I have seen grow and become a woman of God.  I did get to walk her down the aisle lead the ceremony between tears, smiles and sniffles. So many emotions invaded my heart that evening. I think all that emotional high and low is catching up with me.  Carlos is a wonderful young man. I love Carlos.  He has walked the talk. He has a very good heart, loves the Lord, and is working hard in providing for Nicole.  After the first week away, they came to our home and did not wanted to leave. We talked, ate, played games, talked and ate some more. We did not wanted them to go away. I think we are all going thru relational withdraw I shared in my homily about Agape LOVE.

Monsenor Gimenez at the central mass in Caacupe spoke today about purification. A believer needs to imitate Jesus and the life he portrait. He  stressed the importance of purification of  the faithful and the church.  Thousands of believers, many of them pilgrims gather for the Virgin of Caacupe Day in Caacupe, Paraguay, gather every year. This is the most important religious celebration. Located 50 km from the capital, Caacupe is the centre of the country's religious events on the day when the Catholic calendar marks the Day of the Conception. I resonate with the message of holiness and the need for our life's to be under Gods spirit purification process. In my own life over the years I have realized how easy it is to talk about faith, but how difficult it becomes to enact, live out, incarnate the virtues of Jesus and the life of a true christian.  Some faith assemblies call this process; baptism, cleansing, holy spirit infilling, having the fruits of the spirit. John Wesley i