It's been a while...

This has probably been one of the busiest weekst of my life, and I think, that's saying a lot! What's happened this week? Well, I don't have a ton of time to depict all the details, but instead, I'll bullet point and expand:

• I selected the classes I'm going to teach for the next 4 semesters
• Our website was attacked because of this article: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=15176
• The company that supports our server was very unhelpful and rude to the IT people here (because they were Texan and didn't have patience for the less-than-perfect english of my co-workers), so I had to regulate on them. We got the website up and running with the help of a Catholic who was trying to access the story, but couldn't so he sent us a fix and now we're moving our business to him.
• For Lent, I've been going to bed at 10:30 pm (Sunday-Thursday, because I've been staying up late...and it's been a real sacrifice! I hate to get up early, but it's better for me, so that's what I'm doing.
• I've been working on developing our internship program for the summer, which is a lot of work! On top of just organizing the details, we also have to raise the money, and attract the interns!
• In addition, I've been trying to prepare my syllabis, identify articles, create my presentations, and layout my final paper requirements for my class.
• Working out hasn't been a priority, but I'm still making it to the gym 2-3 times a week.
• I played soccer again on Saturday, I scored a goal from mid-field (it really was a great kick), the rest of my game is still pretty horrible!
• "Uno" has become one of my favorite games here. We played until 3am on Friday...I also learned how to say a few bad words in Spanish from playing...
• I made a 15 minute presentation on my Economics Seminar to 100 people on Tuesday and it went really, really well (I'm teaching in English because it's a bi-lingual school). So well, in fact, that a teacher that doesn't understand any English came up to me and said he understood everything I said! It was clearly because I drew pictures, involved the audience and made the normal specticle that you've come to know from me...
• Yesterday I had an outstanding meeting with the two teenagers I'm teaching Catechesis to. They are really starting to understand the faith, ask deep questions, and make strong moral arguments. I also got a nice email from their mom saying how she's starting to see a real change in them! Praise be to God! The Holy Spirit is certainly working! She also sent me home with a loaf of banana bread and some money (which was nice to have a little bit of income for the first time in a while).
• Oh, and I'm still trying to learn Spanish...

I promise to do a better job of updating in the future. It was just one of those weeks...

Peruvian Economy

In case anyone's wondering how the economy in Peru is doing...

Maybe we should take an economic lesson from a third world country...

Peru: Years of growth will help to combat crisis
The Associated Press
Published: February 10, 2009

LIMA, Peru: Nearly a decade of growth has given Peru the strength to counteract the global financial crisis and maintain the Andean nation in the upper echelons of global economic growth, with a 5 percent rate this year, Peru's finance minister said Monday.
"Things are going well in Peru; out there it's different," Finance and Economy Minister Luis Carranza told Lima-based RPP radio.

The surpluses Peru has enjoyed over the past three years will allow the government to boost public investment by 52 percent this year to maintain employment, Carranza said.
The boost is part of a $3 billion anti-crisis package the government announced in 2008, aimed at infrastructure and public works.

The finance ministry estimates that the economy grew by 9.4 percent in 2008, the highest growth in the region and one that surpasses even booming China's 9 percent growth rate for the same year. Official figures for Peru will be released this week. The economy, which has been expanding for more than seven years, grew 8.9 percent in 2007.

Peru, which holds $32 billion in U.S. dollar reserves, is currently running a "small" deficit equal to 0.7 percent of its gross domestic product, Carranza said. He said it will be covered with savings from last year.

"We are not excessively increasing the debt, we are using only a part of the surplus from 2008 to finance 2009," Carranza said.

He said the strength of Peru's economy and the boost in public spending will hold growth at 5 percent this year and 6 percent in 2010. The government and the International Monetary Fund had previously projected 6 percent growth in 2009.

Analyst Enrique Alvarez says a 3 percent to 4 percent growth rate is more likely, as Peru's exports, particularly top mineral exports, are hit by the global

financial crisis and an extended recession in the U.S. and other purchasers of Peru's goods.
"The reasonable approach at this time is to expect something lower," said Alvarez, head of research for Latin American financial markets at IDEAglobal in New York.

The U.N.'s Economic Commission for Latin America projects 1.9 percent growth for Latin America as a whole in 2009, while the IMF projects global growth of just 0.5 percent.
Peru is the world's top silver producer and one of the biggest exporters of copper, gold, zinc and fishmeal.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/02/10/business/LT-Peru-Economy.php

The Thomas Weekend Update

So I found where my 1989 Jeep Cherokee ended up. They gave it a nice paint job, some new wheels and sent it down to Peru. Looking real good!
Played a little soccer this weekend...well...I was on the field, I don't know if you would call what I did out there "playing." It was fun, good exercise, and I didn't break anything...success.

How did I play David? Thumbs up...riiiight.

This little guy in the stripped shirt owned me on a few plays. I told him to meet me on the basketball court and we'd see what would happen...

Also, my roommate "accidently" locked me out of my house for a couple of hours yesterday. I'll post some pictures on my Mission Impossible moves to get back in. Don't worry Alejandro, nothing's broken and I'm ok...

Creatio Mission Work

One of my new friends just sent me this photo. This precious child could be on the cover of the next National Geographic (and I think some of you might want to kidnap her). My friend Ricardo has an amazing story of conversion that would put the movie, "Into the Wild" to shame. This guy, at the age of 18, bought a $2000 plane ticket around the world searching for God. All he brought was his surfboard and some clothes.

After traveling to India, through the Himalayas, the East Indies, and the South Pacific; spending time with Hindu and Buddhist monks and healers, traveling to the most hidden beaches and living in a "paradise," he felt empty. None of the wise people he met had the answers he was looking for. Even the perfect waves couldn't satisfy his thirst for God. This guy was even coaching the Bhuton national soccer team (because he was Brazilian), but he didn't find God doing that either. It was only when he arrived back home and found God in the Catholic Church, the place that he least expected it, did he have this thirst quenched.

Today he runs mission trips from the US to Peru. You can information on his website: http://www.creatioweb.org/index.htm We're looking to overhaul this site to make it as exciting as his mission trips, so please leave some comments about what you think we should add.

His trips are really amazing because they not only introduce you to the culture, connect you with the people, allow you to build something, but you also are challenged on an intellectual and ecological level. There's really nothing else out there that connects with people on all of these levels. I'm going to be going with him in June if anybody wants to join us...

A few new updates...

After spending some time reflecting on some of my areas of opportunity (A Vanguard flashback), I decided to implement a tight new daily schedule. I think that this will not only make me more productive, but I think a certain amount of structure and order is just plain good for the soul!

Yesterday, I went up to the Andes, as you can see in the pictures below. We were planning a trip to the jungle, but because a big rain storm hit (it's the rainy season) they closed the highway. So, instead we made a trip up to the mountains. It was really interesting to see how the different people lived. We went to a place that doesn't get many visitors, besides maybe a truck driver passing through, and these people had seen even fewer gringos. It was pretty funny to see the looks on the children's faces when they looked at me. Maybe they were thinking, "Does this guy ever see the sun?" Or "is he a giant?" Either way, the kids were precious, and I know a number of you want me to kidnap a few and bring them home...

I started formal Spanish lessons today, and it's going to be difficult. My instructor only speaks to me in Spanish and it's just the two of us, so there's no where to hide! My homework is to watch an hour of Spanish CNN each day. Apparently they speak slower and with no accent. I'll keep you updated on how that's going.

Also, I'm thinking about starting a little non-profit business down here. Many of the Sodalites in the CLM have incredible ideas, but no business sense. So I'm wondering it I should start a little consulting group here to help them raise money, organize their projects, and help them to manage their cashflow. This, I think, will allow them to spend more time working on what God has created them to do, and leave the administrative business stuff to someone that knows it a little better. I'm still thinking about the specifics, but I think it might be one way for me to do God's work here. Also, if I teach at the high school, I might be able to grab a few of the top students and give them an opportunity to learn business first hand, and provide the CLM with some cheap labor...more to come on this...

A visit to the Andes

Working out at the gym

Last night I worked out for the first time in months and months. It's true, I've fallen terribly out of shape!

After signing up at Gold's Gym, they have a policy where they give you a tour, a physical, and a session with a trainer. Naturally, I didn't want any of this. I understand why they do this, but it's not like I've never been in a gym before. Yet, I went along with it (reluctantly and complaining as well). During the process, my poor roommate went along with me to bridge the language gap, I think he was actually entertained by my complaining.

The first step was a quick tour. Ok, this is where that is, and this is where you do this. Great. Next, came the quick physical. I'm ___cm's tall, I weigh ___kg's, my arms and chest are __cm and __cm (I leave it blank because I can't remember, which is probably a derivative of the fact that I couldn't relate to what those meaurements mean). Then I step on the body fat scale. Finally, something I can relate to, a percentage.

This, of course, is after I tell my roommate of the great days of my youth when I was only 4.5% body fat at Regis...oh, the good ole' days...Bam! 11%! What! Holy Bill of Rights Batman, I'm flabby!

So this joke physical test all of a sudden became a real mission for me: get my out-of-shape body back into acceptable form.

My goal: 10lbs (maybe 2.5kgs?) and down to 7% body fat in the next 4 months.

PS. I won't have any blog updates for the next two days, going on a quick trip to Central Peru. Hopefully I'll have some good reflections and pictures to share!

My first earthquake...

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/03/content_10753319.htm

This morning the ground shook for a few seconds. It kind of didn't seem real to me, until people started freaking out. You would have thought they had never been in an earthquake, or, more realistically, remember what a big one feels like. Either way, it's a good reminder that Peru is on the ring of fire, which is so strange because before I went to bed last night I was thinking about writing a blog entry about the possibility of experiencing an earthquake. I scratched the idea because I thought it would sound a little dramatic.

Instead, now I look like I'm making stuff up. Either way, we felt a small earthquake, it was my first one, no damage, I'm alive, I hope I don't experience a big one, and I'm still disappointed the Cardinals blew the game (with the help of terrible officiating).

My last big development of the day: I signed up at the Gold's Gym. They wanted to charge me $/. 1,600 ($500) for 12 months, but my roommate and I woked them down to $/.1,200 ($400) for 12 months, which is almost as good as already being in shape...

My next blog entry will detail the 20-30% gringo surcharge effect...

A Couple of Paradoxes

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090201/ap_on_bi_ge/savings_frugal_society

Anytime someone says, "It's good for the individual, but bad for the economy," we know something is out of wack! An economy and society that says the person must be put in a worse situation (slavery to debt), for the salavation of the economy must be questioned.

Let me be clear, I'm a firm believer in classical education, but we also need common sense education. How many people don't know how to save for the future? How many people don't have an emergency fund? How many people put their happiness in material things, often at the financial risk of their families?

This crises is being blamed on failure to regulate. Some are calling for a New World Order, and the Obama Administration has been quoted as saying, "Never let a serious crisis go to waste." We don't need a New World Order, we need a return to Common Sense! This crisis should not be used as an opportunity to push an ideological agenda, instead, this must be a return to the foundational principles that create responsible wealth (from the Richest Man in Babylon - I still have to give this back to Tyler):

• Start thy purse to fattening. Take one-tenth of what you bring in and save it for the future. The book uses a coin analogy: for every nine coins you spend, take one and put it away for yourself. This is very sensible; a goal all of us should have.
• Control thy expenditures. Don’t buy frivolous things even if you have enough money to pay for them. Instead, make sure that you can continue to save one-tenth of what you bring in.
• Make thy gold multiply. Once you start to build up some savings, invest that money so that it will make more money for you. Another pretty clear point; if you start saving money, it shouldn’t just sit in a mattress. Even a high-yield savings account is much better than that, and it can double your principal in about fifteen years.
• Guard thy treasure from loss. This one is interesting: you should only invest in things that you understand.
• Make of thy dwelling a profitable investment. One should own their own home rather than renting because then money can be invested in the home or invested in other things rather than handed over to the landlord. Something tells me that this lesson applied better before people were looking at homes that were three or four times their annual income.
• Insure a future income. In other words, invest for retirement and your family’s well being after your passing. You should be dropping some Benjamins right into your retirement account if you can afford it.
• Increase thy ability to earn. Work hard, look for opportunities, and educate yourself. Today, a college education is one of the best investments you can make, but it's only one piece of the puzzle. Keep look for opportunities to grow and increase your ability to add value.

Final paradox of the day: "stop having children, people are killing the earth, instead we should kill people in order to save the planet."

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,486390,00.html

It's scary to think that the Green Peace movement has nothing to do with peace, and in fact considers humanity to be a deadly disease. These people are really in the government and are behind many anti-human policies that are positioned as "green." This is an important reminder that even good (green policies), can result in bad (limiting human freedom and elminating human life) and we may not even know it.

A good reminder from St Paul (2 Timothy 4)

For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine but,
following their own desires and insatiable curiosity, 2 will
accumulate teachers
4
and will stop listening to the
truth and will be diverted to myths.
5
But you, be
self-possessed in all circumstances; put up with hardship; perform the work of
an evangelist; fulfill your ministry.
6
3 For I
am already being poured out like a libation, and the time of my departure is at
hand.
7
4 I have
competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.
8
5 From
now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge,
will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for
his appearance.

Congressional Summary and SuperBowl!

This week I attended a Congress on the Anthropology of the Human Person. It was my first introduction to the Spirituality of the Christian Life Movement. Now, I think that I'm a pretty smart guy, and I have studied philosophy in the past, but this stuff was pretty heavy. I was extremely impressed with the intellectual firepower this Movement has.

I'm not going to claim to be able to summarize everything that I heard this week, but what I will try to do is take some of the pieces I grasped (it's more difficult to understand complex philosophy when it's being translated by non-professionals than one would think, although they did a great job for not being professionals, yet some things were certainly lost in translation).

The CLM Spirituality seems to be able to analyze the current issues of today, in a non-political way, and tear these approaches down philosophically, revealing the core beliefs about humanity that many of these ideologies claims.

Also, they draw on classic philosophy to explain how civilizations developed, and they also consider current philosophical movements and how they're causing the turmoil that we're seeing today. The other important piece, they note, is the technological and communicative change we are experiencing, thereby shrinking the world. Many of these philosophies are able to attack and gain followers so much more quickly, and without a proper analysis of what the end result of the ideology is - think marketing and packaging.

Topics at the conference included (translated by me, so they may not be exact):

• Carism and Spirtuality
• The Human Person and our Fundamental Dynamism
• The Human Person and our Relational Dynamic
• Fundamentals of Industrial Anthropology in Greek thought
• Body, Soul, and Spirit in the Sacred Scripture
• The Human Person, made in the Image and Likeness of God
• The Vision and Trial of Man
• Original Sin and key anthropology
• The Lord, Forgiveness and Revelation of the Human Person
• The Human Person and Free Cooperatoin with Grace

I think I've met more professionals (ie. doctors, lawyers, professors, etc.) in 3 weeks here than I've met in my life. The thing that is really appealing, is that they just don't work as professionals, they do their work for the most disadvataged, while at the same time working on intellectual initiatives. It's a great balance that I hope to achieve.

These men are called "Sodalites" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodalite, a sodalite is a "form fitting rock", think St. Peter, "the Rock." It's also rare, but found in large numbers (like the Movement). I don't know if they were named after this rock, or if it's just a coincidence, but it's a neat connection.

Clarification: The Sodalites are not named after the rock. The founder of the
sodalites found them in a rock shop on his birthday one day and made the
connection symbolically. The rock actually stands for (reconciliation). The
rocks are mostly found in Brazil and parts of Canada. They are bright blue rocks
(color of Mary).

Well, today is the SuperBowl and I haven't really found anyone that cares about American Football, so I'm going to throw my own party. I'm thinking about ordering some Dominos and having a traditional SuperBowl Party for myself!

More Congress Updates

Last night the Congress went a lot better for me for a couple of reasons. First, I felt better. Second, the speakers weren't speaking a million miles an hour. Third, we had handouts in English on the Powerpoint slides. Fourth, they turned down the heating lamps above my head that were frying me. Fifth, the pieces to the puzzle were starting to come together a bit more. I'm going to hold off on putting my thoughts down on paper yet, because I still have some more reflection and research to do before really being able to communicate the concepts.


One of the aspects of the Congress is Relgious Artwork. Above, you can see a sculpture of St. Rose of Lima. Apparently St. Rose is almost always depicted with a baby Jesus. I really need to read more about her...

This picture is a part of an 8ft tall piece of work that has all these little characters in different scenes. Above you can see the Bishop and the people singing around the tomb of Jesus.

After the Congress, my roommate, his friend Juan, and I went out to grab a bite to eat. When walked a bit to this diner and I was greeted with this fake US $20 bill. Apparently, the owner is showing that they can detect forged bills and this is what happens if you try to use them here.

One thing that really annoys me about Peru is the tiny, thin napkins that are provided. Essentially they're only for "one time" use. I pretty much go through 5-6 of these little suckers at every meal.

After dinner, I got a history lesson from these guys. I learned a lot about the liberation of South America and how "history" incorrectly celebrates the liberation as a mostly South American battle, when in reality, the British and French were dominate players in trying to dissmantle Spain's colonial influence. One comment that Juan made really resonated with me, "I don't think that South America was ready for independence. We kind of had it forced upon us without the structure and ability to govern on our own." This made a lot of sense to me. How can a people, with no experience in democracy, or ruling for that matter, be expected to produce a democracy? This, I think, is a good example of what may happen in Iraq and Afganistan. Instead of a full Representational Democracy, maybe something simpler like a Democratic Monarchy, which moves the people in the right direction, without completely overthrowing power, might be more realistic.

Also, notice in this picture the great care that they are taking trying to get over this little fence. I just stepped over this thing with no problem, but being short Peruvians, they were in quite the predicament. Let's just say the pole was a little to high for comfort...

Feeling better...

I'm feeling a bit better as I write this entry. For those of you who have been following along, this is the second stomach episode I've had, but luckily it wasn't as bad as the first go round.

Here are some pictures from the Congress on the Anthropology of the Human Person:

I really liked this depiction of the last supper (Peruvian style). If you can't tell, the food is tradition Peruvian. Very cool.

There are about 50 Religious Sisters here, and maybe 70 in formation (the sisters have the navy blue habits and the ones in formation wear white). The really awesome thing is 95% of them are under the age of 40! I believe they are one of the fastest growing orders in the world.

A couple hundred of us taking a break and getting a snack.

Outside of the art exhibit.

Tomorrow I'll share some information on what the Anthropology of the Human Person is all about (because it's pretty amazing!).

Until then, I better rest up and feel better for another busy day tomorrow!

Peter Kreeft Culture War Part 10 (Concluding Thoughts)

I conclude with a claim to infallibility. I give you two infallible prognoses: One, if you we do not use this weapon, we will not win this war. Two, if we do use this weapon, we will win this war. Or more subtly, insofar as we use this weapon, we will win this war, and insofar as we do not, we will not.

We can win, because we wield here the world’s most unconquerable weapon, the strongest force in the universe. To translate it from the abstract to the concrete, the weapon is Christ’s Blood. Not Christ without blood, not merely a beautiful ideal. And not blood without Christ, not a merely human sacrifice and martyrdom, but Christ’s Blood.

Back when there were more communists in Russia than in American universities, Archbishop Fulton Sheen used to say that the difference between Russia and America was that Russia was the cross without Christ, and America was Christ without the cross.

Neither will win. Neither will work. Neither sacrifice without love nor love without sacrifice. But the Blood of Christ will work. For that blood flows from His Sacred Heart, and the heart of that Heart is agape, divine love. That is why it will work—because love never gives up.
And that is why we will never give up and why we will win. Why we whose food is this Blood are invincible.

The hard-nosed, successful, secular lawyer Gerry Spence writes: “A small boy and a bully meet. When the small boy is knocked down, he gets up and attacks again, over and over, until at last he will win. For nothing in the world is as fearsome as a bloody, battered opponent who will never surrender.”

Never.

Winston Churchill delivered the shortest and most memorable commencement speech of all time at his alma mater during World War II: “Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never give up.” That’s all.

We will win the war, because no matter how many times we fall down, no matter how many times we fail at being saints, no matter how many times we fail at love, we will never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never give up.

Peter Kreeft Culture War Part 9

Last year, an American Catholic bishop asked one of the priests of his diocese for recommendations for ways to increase vocations to the priesthood. The priest replied in his report, “The best way to attract men in this diocese to the priesthood, Your Excellency, would be your canonization.”

Why not yours?

But how? We always want to know how. Give me a method, a technology, a means to this end. What does that question mean, “How can I become a saint?” Or “Give me a means to the end of sanctity.” It means, “Give me something that is easier than sanctity, which will cause sanctity. So that if I do this something or attain this something, then this something will be the middle term, the link between me and sanctity.”

No. There is none. No prayers, no meditations, no 12-steps programs, no yogas, no psychological techniques, no techniques at all. There can be no button to push for sanctity, any more than for love. For sanctity is simply love: loving God with all your soul and mind and strength.

How do you love? You just do it. A cause cannot produce an effect greater than itself. And nothing in the world is greater than sanctity, nothing greater than love. Therefore, no cause, no human cause, can produce sanctity. There can never be any technology for sanctity.
Of course, God is its cause. Grace is its cause. The Holy Spirit is its cause. “Oh well, why doesn’t God cause it then? If sanctity isn’t a do-it-yourself thing but an only-God-can-do-it thing, then why doesn’t God make me a saint? If only grace can do it, why doesn’t He give me that grace?”

Because you don’t want it. If you wanted it, He’d give it. He promised that: “All who seek find.” It’s back to “just say yes.” It’s infinitely simpler than we think, and that’s why it’s hard. The hard word in the formula “just say yes” is the word “just.”

We are comfortable with Christ and theology or Christ and psychology or Christ and America or Christ and the Republican Party or Christ and the Democratic Party or Christ and phonics or Christ and dieting. But just plain Christ, all Christ, Christ drunk straight, not mixed, we find far too dangerous for our tastes.

Aslan is not a tame lion. Just say yes to Him? You never know what he’d do with you!

Feeling...well...numb

Well, I don't know where to begin today.

Each day, I try to think about something interesting that happened, something exciting that I could take a picture of or share about.

There were no pictures today, there were no "exciting things," just some deep realizations:

1. The Church is much stronger than I thought. I've spoken to lay people, priests, and bishops, and I've heard their valid concerns: we are losing many battles. We have fought the pro-life battle for 30+ years and are only making incremental advancements. We have fewer religious than we did 30 years ago, more young people have little to no concern about being married in the Church (let along remaining a practicing Catholic). There's also the growing hostility of the secular world to religion (ie. Universities, Politicians, and the Media). Yet, after all that, I believe the Church is strong. Tonight I went to a Mass for the opening of the Congress of the Anthropology of the Human Person. The scene was impressive 150 Sodalites dressed in dark blue suits (Brothers who take vows of celebacy and obediance to the Pope), 50 religious sisters in habits, 25 priests, 2 Bishops, and 100s of people packed into the Church to celebrate Mass. This wasn't a normal Mass celebration, these were serious soldiers. You could have heard the congregation singing from at least a mile away.
2. The Church has many Saints. After Mass I met 15 or so people, including a few Americans that were in the CLM. They all wanted to know what I was doing here, which considering the length of my story, I spared them. Each one of them shared with me the type of work they're doing here, or what they'll be doing, and it wasn't out of pride, because they were deeply humble people, but it was clearly out of the Love of God that brought them to do the work that they were doing. I met 2 Sisters from the Philippines, who had gone there with nothing but faith. Now there are 7 of them, with 6 in formation to join them. I met a jack of all trades professor who spent time in the ghettos of Brazil working with the poorest of the poor, who also happens to be an intellectual and an expert on the Shroud of Turin.
3. I'm very special, but not. Probably for the first time in my life, I felt like there were so many people that were just like me. People with intellectual curiosity (and the IQ horsepower to drive it), an intense sense of adventure (yet tempered with prudence and obediance), an unyielding committment to God and the Church, and the courage to answer any call. It was like meeting God's Special Forces: there were the ground troops, specialists, generals, medics, drill sergents, nurses, the whole 9 yards. The incredible thing is that people are coming from all over the world to Peru and the CLM. They're not just Peruvians or South Americans, but folks for all 4 corners of the Earth - which is strange because the CLM is only in about 20 countries, but so many of them just have incredible stories of how they came to be here.
4. I think I'm going through a dark night of the soul (http://www.gotquestions.org/dark-night-soul.html). I know God is taking care of me, I don't have much anxiety about things (and why I'm here), but at the same time, I feel distant from Him. It's almost like He is teaching me not to be dependent on "feeling good," but instead being faithful without the "warm feeling" I had when I decided to come here. Let me be clear, I'm not doubting my decision, in fact I have no doubt that I should be here, but I think He's just trying to call me closer and I have no where to hide.
5. Life is so much clearer without distractions, but it also involves more suffering. It's been wonderful not having a cell phone, not having TV, not having the constant pounding of media and advertising that we get so much of in the US. It's also been nice to be lonely. It's been nice to have more prayer time, to be alone, to think, and to not be distracted by "work." Like Our Mother Mary said, "Totus Tous" (All Yours), nothing less. Yet, the consequences of this are everything. When you say "all yours," you have nothing (and everything). There is no place to hide, but also nothing to hide from. You have the promises of eternal life, but also the consequences of what that will mean while you're here. The question becomes not: "is it worth it?" but "what else is worth it?"

Top 5 Monday Hits

So, I'm running short on time, but I wanted to give a Top 5 update:

1. It's good to be tall in Peru, clothes may be harder to find, but when you do they're on clearance - So, think about sales in the US, they usually have clearance items that don't sell. All those XL, XXL, and XXXL clothes, here it's the L's that don't sell!
2. You need a passport to use your Credit Card. Oh, and if you don't have it with you, memorize it. If you don't you look like an idiot and...a thief
3. ATM's don't post their fees...concerning. Do I take out a lot of money and get hit with a flat fee, or a little and get hit with a percentage?
4. Micro-Buses post fixed fees, but they charge you whatever they want (and they usually do)
5. Remember that you still have friends working at Vanguard, and if you want to keep them as friends, you should be careful of the non-politically correct emails you may send and also updates on your latest trading habits...

5 1/2. It's funny that Congressmen Boehner is complaining about contraceptions in the stimulus package...his name is ironic, and it makes you wonder what Pelosi is wanting to stimulate because it's certainly not the economy (my middle school joke of the day!).

Peter Kreeft Culture War Part 8

3. The Weapon

And that gives us our third necessary thing to know—the weapon that will win the war and defeat our enemy. All is takes is saints.

Can you imagine what 12 more Mother Teresas or 12 more John Wesleys would do for this poor old world? Can you imagine what would happen if just 12 people in this room did it? Gave Christ 100 percent of their hearts with 100 percent of their hearts 100 percent of the time and held back nothing, absolutely nothing?

No, you can’t imagine it—any more than anyone could have imagined how 12 nice Jewish boys could conquer the Roman Empire.

You can’t imagine it, but you can do it. You can become a saint. Absolutely no one and nothing can stop you. It’s your free choice.

Here is one of the most wonderful and terrifying sentences I have ever read, from William Law’s Serious Call, “If you will look into your own heart in utter honesty, you must admit that there is one and only one reason why you are not even now a saint. You do not wholly want to be.”

That insight is terrifying because it is an indictment, but it is wonderful and hopeful because it is also an offer, an open door. Each of us can become a saint. We really can. We really can. I say it three times, because I think we do not really believe that deep down. For if we did, how could we endure being anything less?

What holds us back? Fear of paying the price. What is the price? The answer is simple. T. S. Eliot gave it when he defined Christianity as “a condition of complete simplicity (costing not less than everything).” The price is everything—100 percent. Martyrdom, if required, and probably a worse martyrdom than the quick noose or stake, the martyrdom of dying daily, dying every minute for the rest of your life. Dying to all your desires and plans—including your plans about how to become a saint.

Or rather, not dying to your desires but dying to the you in your desires. I think this sounds much more mystical than it is. It is simply giving God a blank check. It is simply islam, complete submission. Fiat. Mary’s thing. Look at what it did 2000 years ago when she did it; it brought God down from heaven and thus saved the world.

It was meant to continue. If we do that Mary thing, that islam, and only if we do that, then all our apostolates will work—our preaching and teaching and writing and catechizing and mission-ing and fathering and mothering and studying and nursing and business-ing and pastoring and priesting—everything.

Peter Kreeft Culture War Part 7

Most of our religious culture is simply embarrassed at this idea, therefore it is embarrassed at Christ. For He is the One who gave us this answer: “Do not fear those who can kill the body and then [have] no power over you. I will tell you whom to fear: Fear him who has power to destroy both body and soul in hell.” That is Satan, of course, not God, who work is to save souls, not to destroy them. Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to have you that he might sift you as wheat.” And Peter learned the lesson and passed it on to us in his first epistle: “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist, steadfast in the faith.”

Paul, too, knew that we are not contending against flesh and blood but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Pope Leo XIII saw this truth. He received a vision of the coming 20th century—a vision that history has proved terrifyingly true. He saw Satan at the beginning of time allowed one century to do his worst work in, and Satan chose the 20th. This Pope Leo, with the name and the heart of a lion, was so overcome by the terror of this vision that he fell into a swoon like a Victorian lady. When he revived, he composed a prayer for the whole Church to use throughout this century of spiritual warfare:

St. Michael, archangel, defend us in battle. Be our protection against
t5he wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly
pray, and do thou, O prince of the heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust
into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who roam through the world seeking the
ruin of souls.

This prayer was known by every Catholic and prayed after every Mass—until the 60s. Exactly when Leo’s Church was struck with the incomparably swift disaster, which we have not yet named, but which future historians must: The disaster that has taken away half of our priests, three-quarters of our nuns, and nine-tenths of our children’s theological knowledge by turning the Faith of Our Fathers into the doubts of our dissenters in a miraculous reversal of Christ’s first miracle at Cana, turning the wine of the gospel into the water of psychobabble. An anti-miracle by the anti-Christ.

The restoration of the Church, and thus the world, might well begin with the restoration of the Lion’s prayer and the Lion’s vision. Because this is the vision of all the saints, all the apostles, and Our Lord Himself—the vision of a real Satan, a real hell, and a real spiritual warfare.

I said there were two enemies. The second is even more horrible than the first. There is one nightmare even more terrifying than being chased by the devil, even caught by the devil, even tortured by the devil. That is the nightmare of becoming a devil. The horror outside your soul is terrible enough, but not as terrible as the horror inside your soul. The horror inside the soul, of course, is sin. Another word, which, if any dare to speak it today, elicits embarrassment from Christian and condemnation from the secularist, who condemns only condemnation, judges only judgmentalism, and believes the only sin is believing in sin.

All sin is the devil’s work, though he usually uses the flesh and the world as his instruments. Sin means doing the devil’s work, tearing and damaging God’s work. And we do this. That’s the only reason why the devil can do his awful work in our world. God won’t allow him to do it without our free consent.

And that’s the deepest reason why the Church is weak and why the world is dying. Because we are not saints.

Visiting some CLM Communities

Alejandro and I standing in front of a hand made mosaic of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The Sodalites hand crafted this depiction by cutting pieces of rock. They worked in shifts 24 hours per day for about a month. Each stone is a sacrifce that one of the Sodalites made (for example running 10 miles). It is an incredible piece of work!Javier's feeding the community's pet Squirrels!

The "gringo" squirrel (he's white).

Come here little feller!

San Pedro High School

My adventures today surronded visiting the largest high school in South America. It's run by the CLM and is an absolutely beautiful school! More than just being physically beautiful, the anthropology of it is amazing.

The school is called San Pedro (St. Peter-the Rock!). The school is separated between a boys and a girls school from K-12th grade. At the bottom of the hill, you have the younger children and each year you graduate, you move up physically to the next level. It's a beautiful strategy that teaches the children the importance of being role models for the younger students.

The picture above is the Quad where they meet around the "Rock" as a community.

Alejandro is posing here for me in one of the mini-symposiums that the children experience. Here the children, as young as kinderguarden, meet in a round type like environment to discuss different important topics. They may have a guest speaker like a priest or the principal to have an open Q&A session.

The chapel above is truly beautiful. Again, continuing the idea of the "Rock", the alter is made of one giant stone, simple but beautiful. Students are required to attend Mass weekly, but a number of them chose to celebrate daily.

This was a really neat aspect of the school, a paintball battle field. In addition to having they typical sports, they also offer the ability for men to be men, to teach courage and strategy.

Something else very fascinating about this school, is that they naturally collect their own water for the plants on their grounds. At the top of this mountain, you can see what looks like fence posts. Essentially what they do is they run a tarp which caputures the winter mist, condense it, and channel it down a canal like system to water the soccer fields and plants. Pretty amazing!