Sunday, October 31, 2010

"Love your neighbour as yourself"

I'm not sure if everyone has noticed, but I have a bible quote underneath my blog title.
This quote refers to the "Word of Life," of the Focolare Movement which is basically one short sentence from the bible that anyone can try to live specifically for that month.


"Love your neighbour as yourself," is the one for the month of October. 
In the Word of Life (one page meditation upon the quote), it reflects on this sentence and usually includes an experience of how someone has lived these words . In the reflection, it focuses on key aspects: Loving everyone, Being the First to Love, and Loving to the point of reciprocal Love. If you want to read the whole reflection (not long):"Love your neighbour as yourself.


As I think of how I've lived the Word of Life this month, it reminds me of my experience with my boss at work (a few posts back). Even through her rude attitude, I knew that she was "my neighbour" too, and I had to love everyone including her. After embracing the suffering, I was able to be the first to love her even though in my heart I was really hurt. And the last part, loving to the point of mutual/ reciprocal love. So ever since that incident, every time I see her I still greet her with a great big smile because I enjoy going to work. And most of the time, she smiles back at me. Last week, I made a mistake again, but this time the way she spoke to me was with a different attitude. She spoke more softly so not everyone could hear and with a "gentle" tone of voice. I could see that now she has respect for me and doesn't treat me differently like before. In her way, this is how I've felt her reciprocal love. Also last week, she was even giving comments of encouragement to everyone, which is very unusual. To sum it up, only love can really conquer all. Word of Life: "Love your neighbour as yourself."





Sunday, October 17, 2010

pics :)



Oct 2- A visit to Theotokos: this is the church I attend mass at everyday
with about over 12 priests celebrating the mass and everyday the mass is packed.
The roof of this church is triangular to represent the Trinity;
also it looks as if it is ascending to heaven.
Inside this beautiful church
The Eucharist is actually behind the stained glass windows;
it slides open during mass.
This view is from the small chapel that is behind the alter

This cross is made from the same material used to make the church.
Also it stands on the alter (the picture is sideways).

The view from inside the church, overlooking the mountains.
This is what I see everyday on my morning runs.
With mia Sorella (sister) from Ecuador;
we visited the house within the church
Oct 3- the Philippino girls cooked "Chicken Adobo"
Oct 9- The delegates from around the world had come to Rome
 for an international annual meeting.
 So We Canadians got to spend lunch with Hortensia, the delegate of Canada.
Chestnut dessert: a creamy and delicious treat :)
This was the BEST lunch I had since going to Italy.
It consisted of: Appetizer: tomatoes and salad
Entree: Mash potato with broccoli (in Front); Steak, simple Pasta,
Stirfry eggplant and peppers; Bread with olive oil
From Left: Hortensia, Maria Chiara (Calgary), Ana Maria (Calgary), Froila (Toronto)

This is our ritual when someone leaves. We gather in a circle.
Then shout and shant "Bon Viaggio"
The joy and tears all at once. Iris from Mexico stayed for 2 weeks with us.
Listening attentively:)
In the middle: Sylvia wearing the black skirt (one of Chiara's first companions)
Canadian and U.S zone together 
Chiara Lubich: this picture is in the lobby area of the Sophia University
(where we had the lunch with the delegates); this University is founded from the Focolare Movement.
It provides studies in Theology, Philosophy...

Posing by the globe outside Sophia University.
With Hortensia again!
There is the land of Italia on the globe!
With Adel, the delegate of Hong Kong zone
With the Hong Kong Zone
Oct 10- posing outside the Church as we always do.
From left: Ula (Philliphines), Orosyla (Romania), Ana Maria (Calgary),
Laura (Columbia), Lourdes (Philiphines), Cessi (Paraguay)
From Left: Me, Lourdes, Cessi, Laura, Ana Maria, Orosyla, Ula
with Lourdes
Cessi, Laura, Lourdes, Me
thought it would be interesting to take a picture like this.
From Left: Ana Maria looking like an old grandma, Cessi, and ME
Tanti Augrui Maria (happy birthday)
but translates to Best Wishes.
Since I've been in Italy we've celebrated i think 6 birthdays.
Yohanna (Ecuador), Laura (Columbia), Ana Maria (Canada)
Big big chocolate cake (bomb cake with condensed milk and nutella as the icing)
I had LOADS
For every party we turn the dining room into our dancefloor
Oct 13- Pamela's Birthday (from Ecuador)

Ana Clara (Fiuma) from Brazil, and Natalia from Brazil
surrounding the coconut cake:)
again the dance floor
in the green: Birthday Girl Pamela
 with Cessi from Paraguay;

Sunday, October 10, 2010

JOY.

A week has passed by and we've been doing italian lessons everyday for 3 hours this week. I'm finally starting to speak simple conversations and understand most of what is said. Even though I probably sound horrible, but the effort counts. And this week we've worked just 3 times doing the same thing: packaging soaps and putting stickers on the soaps...which leads me to my next experience.

A few days ago at work I was helping with carrying the finished soap boxes to this big table so that others could place stickers on each of the soaps. And being me, I was trying to do this "efficiently" as I call it, quickly, with as many soap boxes as I can carry, and without dropping any. So my supervisor saw me doing it this way and thought I was carrying too many, so she told me to only do 4 boxes at a time, as I was managing like 8 boxes each time. So I listened obediently, and then my boss comes in and she sees me carrying the boxes and with a rude tone of voice (in italian) you must do this "delicately," placing the boxes on the table. And of course I listened and tried my best to do it delicately.

Then 10 mins later she sees me again, and says in an angry tone "Can someone please translate for her because she understands nothing in italian." I understood that part of what she said and most of what she said but she thought I didn't understand her. I also understood that she said "fa male" which means I was doing my job badly. Inside I felt such a humiliation as she was speaking to me rudely in front of everyone, and everyone saw it. For 10 mins, my face was just so stone cold as I was really hurt on the inside because I felt that she was using her authority and the fact that I didn't understand everything in italian to her advantage. But I just couldn't allow myself to cry infront of her, I had to stand firm.

One comment after another within 30 mins, she was constantly speaking to me in a rude tone and telling me to do my job "with LOVE." In my heart I was thinking speak to me with LOVE, and then I'll do my job with LOVE. But right after I thought that, I realized that I need to love her first and see Jesus in HER, I thought maybe she didn't sleep much, or she is really stressed, or something else that made her speak rudely to me. As this was Jesus Forsaken (suffering) that came, I knew I needed to embrace it as soon as I could (always, right away, and with Joy). And then  as soon as I was able to embrace it; What remained was pure JOY, a joy that has such freedom - an indescribable joy.

Then later on in the day and 10 mins before I left, my boss got really upset at me because again I wasn't doing my job right. It was so hard to do what she said because one person was telling to do it this way and she was telling me to do her way. But when she got upset with me and said again many rude comments that I won't mention, I was so unaffected by what she said because I had let go of my anger towards her, I was just joyful. I was looking at her seriously, but when I turned to everyone else I was just smiling because I was actually happy. At the end of work, I looked to her with the biggest smile and said "Ciao!" She actually smiled back at me and waved goodbye.

And the next day I came to work, again with the biggest smile, I said "Ciao!" She looked at me with a smirk and said something like "oh, it's you, the one that made all the mistakes the other day." But this time I made sure I did or tried my best to do everything to perfection and nothing happened that day thankfully.

So in suffering, if we embrace it right away, always, and with JOY...suffering actually bores such supernatural joy that doesn't come from everyday happiness, or just doing acts of love/ kindness. It only exists when there is suffering.

:)

Saturday, October 2, 2010

pics!

Sept 19- FESTA for the Gen leaving after Chiara Luce

Dining Room area

with Shatha and her sister Samar (from Jordan)

interesting pizza with tuna and corn-tasted good nonetheless

Stella (Hong Kong)-Joslyn (India)-Froila (Canada)

Me-Liana (Jordan)-Froila-Mariam (Palestine)

Sept 22- preparation for the introduction of Loppiano to Czechs, Slovakia youth 

Sept 23- FESTA for the Portuguese and Spanish youth before Chiara Luce

the girls I lived with in the Gen Quattro House,
now I moved to a different stanza (room)

My unit- the 50 girls are divided into 4 units.
Mine is Unit Natalia.
From the Top: Anna (Columbia), Claudin (Burundi), Me, Michelle (Philiphines), Andrea (Ecuador), Laura (Netherlands)
From the Bottom: Anne (Scotland), Cecilia (Maymar), Stella (Hong Kong), Myra (Ecuador), Vicky (Jordan), Myriam (Lebanon) 

With Anne from Scotland (She was leaving in the next few days)


outside the church before the Beautification of Chiara Luce

inside the Church!

the choir (I love this picture because in the background there's a picture of Blessed Chiara Luce

Friday, October 1, 2010

the first.

soo all the joy, fun, incredible adventures, parties, 4 birthday party celebrations, the beautification, the festas, the gelatos, and all the amazing stories I could tell....this one is even better.

it's even better when suffering is involved....that might sound a little different.

So here's my first real experience here in Italy after 3.5 weeks. A little background to this experience is that 2 months I had my SLR camera stolen and man did it really suck. In the moment I was extremely upset and without words. But in the end, I realized that I was "attached"....attached to material possession that I shouldn't be. I shouldn't have felt this Hurt feeling. In the end, I had to really live the present moment without thinking constantly of my camera, and I said my "yes" to God in each moment I felt upset. In the end, I felt God's incredible love as some of my friends gathered money from others and also my godmother had given me money for my trip to Italy. The amount I received was basically equivalent to the amount my camera was worth. God is always good.

So I finally got a new camera 3.5 weeks ago and this time I told myself that I wouldn't be attached to it. It's mine and I'm gonna take good care of it, but I'm gonna detach myself from it. These were words obviously that I said, but it's only proven when it's acted upon. So 3 days ago, a friend was telling me about her camera problems and she needed to borrow a camera for a few days for her trip to the Vatican. I realized this was my opportunity to really show that I'm no longer attached to my camera. In my mind and all my thoughts were thinking of all the consequences if I lent my camera. But with a smile, I said to her, "Yes you can use my camera." Even reluctant to give her my charger because that meant that she also needed the travel adapter I use for my computer. So I wanted to love her to the end giving her everything. Even though at times afterwards I worried about lending her the camera because she isn't a close friend of mine. But I reminded myself not to worry because worrying is a sign of lacking of faith and trust in God.

So today was the day she came back. She handed me back the camera, and speechless I noticed there were little scratches at almost every corner of the camera, along with a slightly bigger scratch mark on one of the corners, and one of the sides of the camera had been popped out slightly. I didn't know how to react, but right away it was "Jesus Forsaken (suffering)" knocking at the door. Loving him always, right away, and with joy. As Blessed Chiara Luce had done, "If you want it Jesus, I want it too!" ... I went to talk to her. We talked about the situation and she said she hadn't dropped it or anything. But the camera shows otherwise. There wasn't much I could say, but after I talked to her I said "Let's just try to start again." I was already late to italian lessons, and on my way there I just kept repeating to myself, "God Loves Me Immensely." over and over again. Because it's always easy when everything is going good and life is amazing the way you want it to be. But suffering only brings about true love and faith. When I found out that the camera was damaged; in my mind I said I'm not going to be upset or hurt, or at least try my best to not be because I don't want to feel attached to my belongings, attached to material goods.

"It's easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle, then a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."

I saw her afterwards at dinner time and I approached her and said "I've let go of it (the situation), let's move foward."

So now its been a few hours since this happened, but again I'm trying my best to freely and with joy to embrace this suffering, such a small thing in the grand scheme of things. It's really just a camera.

And it's funny because I was reading this book "Purpose Driven Life," and it mentioned about what happens when you feel distant from God...especially in suffering. Not that I feel distant from Him, but I feel a little bit of suffering...just a TAD. and in the book it mentioned, only true faith comes from suffering, or moments of trial/ challenge. Many times, people rely on a "feeling or experience" when it comes to their faith, "I really feel God through this song, or I feel God's presence." But faith is not based on a feeling or emotion. What happens when you don't feel God's presence, and you continue to believe. To believe that God has a masterpiece plan for everything that happens. so last but not least, I love you Jesus, always, right away, and with JOY.