Catholic in the City: A Woman's Journey to Living Out Her Faith

Nada te tubre,                                  Let nothing disturb you, Nada te espante,                              Let nothing frighten you, Todo se pasa,                                  All things are passing away, Dios no se muda.                             God never changes. La paciencia todo lo alcanza;          Patience obtains all things; Quien a Dios tiene nada le falta;     Whoever has God lacks nothing; Solo Dios basta.                              God alone suffices. - Santa Teresa de Jesus                   - St. Teresa of Avila As I drove to Oxnard today to visit my mami, I was listening to a lecture on CD given by the former head of the Dominican Order, Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, OP, at LA Congress, on Spirituality and the Universal Call to Holiness.  He quoted St. Teresa of Avila.  All throughout the day this prayer was ingrained in my mind, in Spanish.  All things are passing.  God never changes.  Patience obtains all things. The last time I saw my mami was

Today I had a really great conversation with my papi.  I am truly looking forward to going to visit my mami and papi this Wednesday.  It's been too long since my last visit.  This whole situation has taught me a lot, although, most of it I cannot verbalize yet.  The one theme that continues to resonate in my prayer is love.  My parents love for one another and their love for both me and my sister is so evident and abundant.  God is present.   Last week, since my husband and daughter were in Ohio I was able to spend a lot of time with my parents.  Every day I was not working I was in Oxnard, and on the days I did work, I commuted from Oxnard. This weekend, instead of going to Oxnard, I re-charged my spiritual batteries by attending the LA Religious Education Congress with 10 amazing students from the USC Caruso Catholic Center, my husband, Mike, Sofia and 40,000 of my other closest Catholic friends.  It was a weekend of prayer and community.  Fr. James Martin, SJ, the man in the

Today I was back in Los Angeles, working at USC.  However, even though I was working, I was in contact with my dad via text message most of the day.  My mom was moved out of ICU and now has her own room!  Small steps! My mami also stood (not sure if it was with or without support) for 30 minutes and sat down without support for 32 minutes.  She started acupuncture on her ears so to subdue the pain she is feeling.  The more the pain is controlled the easier it is for her to focus on recovering.   Also, today, she had voice therapy.  I can tell her voice is coming back stronger.  I was able to talk to her on the phone for a few minutes.  She is absolutely one of the strongest women I know.  I am so blessed to have her as an example of strength, perseverance, and love in my life. I received an email today from GBS International and was given contact information of two people who live in Southern California who might be of support for my family through this, they are GBS surv

I am sitting in my mami's room again as she sleeps.  She looks so peaceful.  Today, Wednesday, before I drove up from Los Angeles to visit my mami again, I did some more research on Guillain-Barre Syndrome.  I found, the Guillain-Barre Syndrome International Foundation ( http://www.gbs-cidp.org/ ). Along with my dad,  we are in the process of attempting to find a good rehabilitation center for my mami.  On the GBS International Foundation website they have links for support groups and also facilities that are renowned in care for people with GBS.  In hope of seeking the best medical advice, I have already contacted UCLA's medical center and I am in the process of looking at USC's and Cedar Siani's programs. Yesterday, Tuesday, when I was with my mami, before I left to Los Angeles so that I could work, my mami sat down in a chair for 15 minutes, all by herself!  It was tough for her because she told me that her lungs felt stiff, like maracas.  But my cousin said th

My mami is healing in baby steps.  Today she had more movement in her left arm.  My mami was also able to speak a little bit louder. Imagine when your leg falls asleep.  What does it feel like when it starts to wake up?  It tingles and burns.  This is what my mami is feeling as her entire body "wakes up".  It was hard to see her in pain.  However, we know that it's good that her body is "waking up".  We are working on a plan for pain management.  It's all a part of the process.   As I pray my examen ( http://tinyurl.com/br5vu8e ) tonight there are several places I have seen God's presence: 1)  Eva (pictured on the right), my cousin Carmen's baby.  She made me smile a lot.  She was a calming presence. 2)  The long conversation I had with my mami tonight about life and love. 3)  My cousin, Carlos, who came to visit from New Jersey.  It's been nice to have a family member here who is a doctor.  Not only has he provided us with good advice bu

This afternoon, I am sitting next to my mami as she sleeps.  Last night was a rough night for her.  It was the first full night that she did not have the respirator.  Naturally, she was nervous.  I promised her that if she slept, right now, I would sit next to her side and make sure she was still breathing.  So here I am...sitting next to my mom, the strongest woman I know, journey from place of pain towards physical recovery. My mami is noticeably doing better than when I last saw her on Wednesday.  She does not have a breathing tube!  Praise the Lord!  Since she is having trouble swallowing she does have a new very small feeding tube in her nose - it is much smaller than before.  My mami did request some frozen yogurt from Yogurtland yesterday, so my papi just left a little while ago to pick up so froyo so that my mom can attempt to eat again soon.  Froyo is a great first food!  She also has more strength.  The nurses and physical therapists are helping her stand up every day so

My mami was filled with lots of insight today!  Things I have re-learned from my mami today: 1)  You must stay strong through challenging times.  If you don't feel strong, pray.  God will give you strength. 2)  Pray.  Pray all of the time.  Don't allow your favorite past time to be playing on your cell phone, watching TV, listening to music that does not build your relationship with God.  Pray unceasingly. 3)  Continue to build the relationships in your life.  Love the people that are in front of you.  Love the people who have hurt you.  Love the people who you have hurt.  Love people you do not know.   4)  Don't hang onto issues of the past.  Let past mistakes change your future actions. 5)  Don't hold on to regret.  Don't allow it to weigh you down.  Regret won't change the past.  However, allow it to transform your future.   6)  Forgive others.  Forgive yourself.  Move on.  Love. Today I also learned that my mami has Miller Fisher Syndrome ( htt

I have been getting many requests to write an update about my mami.  I visited my mami yesterday.    Sofia and I drove straight to the hospital.  When I saw my mami I could instantly see that she was doing a lot better. Her face not only was back to its normal color, it also carried an expression of joy in seeing me.  She was communicating with me using her right arm and hand.  She was attempting to write in cursive in the air with her right hand.  She was trying to mouth words to me.  I failed miserably at guessing what she was trying to say, many times.  With her gestures she was asking me to give her massages and to pray with her.  Once I told her it was Ash Wednesday she motioned to me that she wanted to receive ashes on her forehead.  Her eyes are more open.  One can see her green eyes clearly and without redness.  She is also annoyed with the breathing tube still in her mouth and throat.  My papi told me that she has been breathing 3 hours without the ventilator (although, like

This blog post is theologically simplistic.  Love is something that is analyzed constantly in our "love hungry" society and has been philosophized about for thousands of years.  It's something that people crave because God created us to love.  Therefore, I don't blame people for seeking love.  However, where many of us miss the mark, is that ultimately the love that will fulfill us is the love of God.  Because of life circumstances, the past few days I have been reflecting a lot about love.  I am not referring to the romantic Hollywood, Bachelor type love that is fleeting.  I am referring to to the deep love God has for all of us.  How do we learn about and allow ourselves to feel that love - a love that is so intimate and everlasting? The last three weeks have been a bit crazy.  On Jan. 29th, a good friend of Mike & I, Br. Tom Reis, passed away.  Br. Tom was a man of God.  When I was in his presence I knew that God was standing in front of me.  Br. Tom ha

  2 Corinthians  1:3-7   The God of all consolation.   Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and God of all encouragement, who encourages us in our every affliction, so that we may be able to encourage those who are in any affliction with the encouragement with which we ourselves are encouraged by God. For as Christ's sufferings overflow to us, so through Christ does our encouragement also overflow. If we are afflicted, it is for your encouragement and salvation; if we are encouraged, it is for your encouragement, which enables you to endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is firm, for we know that as you share in the sufferings, you also share in the encouragement. On  Saturday while I was visiting my mami, with the assistance of the Catholic Book of Blessings, I blessed my mom, asking God to watch over her and give her the strength to fight through GBS.   "For mami, your servant who is sick, we ask that y

The picture on the left is of Sofia & my mom taken in December, 2012 at the Olive Garden in Oxnard, CA.   What a difference two days make!  I can honestly say that my mami is the strongest women I know. It was a real struggle for me to leave Oxnard on Wednesday night.  God was carrying me throughout my last 48 hours.  My husband, Mike, has been my bedrock.  Sofia my source of joy, smiles, and laughter.  My father, Rolando, has shown me the love, care, and dedication of God, as he stands by my mom.  My friends, Karen, Marie, Greg, Steve Herrera...the list goes on...have been tremendous in big and small ways.  My co-workers have been a God-sent.  The students at USC don't realize how much they are ministering to me, by just being themselves, while I minister to them.  If we are looking for God working in our lives, even in suffering, we don't have to look too hard to see and feel God's presence.  The challenge in seeing God in our lives, usually is ourselves.  God i

For those of you who do not know, my mami has been in the hospital since last Thursday (1/31/2013).  She is being treated for Guillain Barre Syndrome.   http://tinyurl.com/yqkjfe While this blog won't be as elegant as previous blogs I have written or other peoples blogs I have read, I am going to write some updates as often as possible about my mami and her condition. This will help me process things and also will allow others to read about how my mami is improving. Just to give you all a recap: I was in Oxnard/Ventura for several days and my mom was been doing about the same everyday. It's going to be a very slow healing process. Tuesday morning I started giving her three massages a day, reading her the daily readings, reflecting upon the readings for her, praying with her, and telling her that many people were praying for her. My mom is on a breathing tube, her eyes are shut because she is too weak to open them, and she can only respond by kicking. It is really har