Month: April 2011

Jesus is the Word made Flesh.
Jesus is the Bread of Life.
Jesus is the Victim offered for our sins on the Cross.
Jesus is the Sacrifice offered for the sins of the world and mine.
Jesus is the Word – to be spoken.
Jesus is the Truth – to be told.
Jesus is the Way – to be walked.
Jesus is the Light – to be lit.
Jesus is the Life – to be lived.
Jesus is the Love – to be loved.
Jesus is the Joy – to be shared.
Jesus is Sacrifice – to be offered.
Jesus is the Peace – to be given.
Jesus is the Bread of Life – to be eaten.
Jesus is the Hungry – to be fed.
Jesus is the Thirsty – to be satiated
Jesus is the Naked – to be clothed.
Jesus is the Homeless – to be taken in.
Jesus is the Sick – to be healed.
Jesus is the Lonely – to be loved.
Jesus is the Unwanted – to be wanted.
Jesus is the Leper – to wash his wounds.
Jesus is the Beggar – to give him a smile.
Jesus is the Drunkard – to listen to him.
Jesus is the Retarded – to protect him.
Jesus is the Little One – to embrace him.
Jesus is the Blind – to lead him.
Jesus is the Dumb – to speak for him.
Jesus is the Crippled – to walk with him.
Jesus is the Drug Addict – to befriend him.
Jesus is the Prostitute – to remove from danger and befriend.
Jesus is the Prisoner – to be visited.
Jesus is the Old – to be served.

To Me …
Jesus is my God.
Jesus is my Spouse.
Jesus is my Life.
Jesus is my only Love.
Jesus is my All in All.
Jesus is my Everything.

– Mother Teresa

Today I finished reading Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of “The Saint of Calcutta”. It was a fantastic behind-the-scenes look at one of the spiritual heros of our generation. A few things stood out to me in the book:

• Mother Teresa’s obsession with Jesus. She made a vow to God very early on not to refuse Christ anything, and she did her best to fulfill her vow for the entirety of her lifetime.
• Her humanity. Believe it or not, she had conflicts, was misunderstood, was impatient, was sometimes short with people, etc. Yep, she was a lot like you and me. 
• The incredible darkness and spiritual desolation she endured. For almost 50 years Mother Teresa lived with the agonizing pain of interior suffering and contradictions – what John of the Cross called The Dark Night of the Soul
• Her faith in the midst of darkness. In spite of – or, as she came to embrace – through her suffering she was able to better help others.
• Her humility and teachability. She was constantly seeking spiritual guidance and input and was willing to humbly embrace direction from her overseers. 

Yesterday our family thoroughly enjoyed an adventure on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, the World’s Largest Rotating Tramcar, which took us up 2.5 miles of cable through the Chino Canyon in just 12 minutes, ascending to 8,516 feet above sea level affording us breathtaking views of the Coachella Valley.

Here’s a picture of Adriana at the same age as Claudia is now. Is there any doubt they’re mother and daughter?

Early last week I was talking with my friend Vinny Vetere when we realized that, totally independent of one another, our families were going to be in Palm Springs, California at the same time. So, on Friday we went over to the resort they are staying at with their friends the Nietos (not Pat from SCS), and all three of our families enjoyed an awesome day. Each of our families have two daughters, all with corresponding ages, so they had a blast being together, as we did as couples. First some of the kids led us in family devotions which was really great. We then spent the day at the pool. So fun!

On Thursday we had to go to the airport at 4 a.m. When we got up to leave, we opened the door and were greeted by this:

Some of my beloved students (the Bunn kids) decided to give me a birthday present. The picture I did not get to take was of my van which was completely covered with drawings and “Happy Birthday” wishes written all over it. We didn’t have time to clean anything up, so until we return people will have to wonder why we are so eccentric as to use plastic forks as yard decorations, and we drove to the airport looking like we were going to a national cheerleading convention. So glad the people staying in our house will enjoy the wonderful landscaping. Also glad the art work washed off  the van as I confirmed later!