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Most of us have heard the expression “she looked like a deer caught in the headlights”. This is how Ale Curiel looked when she arrived in the United States. Why, you might ask? Ale is from Mexico so everything in the US was foreign to her: country, language, food and culture.
Ale is a Consecrated woman who arrived in Greenville, Rhode Island in 2008, to continue her mission work. That was four years ago and if you asked her, she would say “4 very fast years ago”! She can’t believe graduation is just around the corner, and in just three short months she will be donning a cap and gown. To earn her diploma, she first had to achieve something difficult: the English language. Not only has she mastered it, but she continues to use it with grace and style every day. How did she accomplish this arduous task? Intense, long hours of hard work. Focus, determination and sheer will power drove her when the going got tough.
When Ale came to the United States, she only knew one simple word: hello. Some of us probably know what hello means in at least two other languages- hola and aloha, to name a couple. So it was taken for granted that she knew that word, but after hello she was stuck. And English is not like the Hawaiian language, where hello means 2 things –hello and goodbye. Ale didn’t even have that small advantage!
So, how did Ale really master the English language? What follows is a short interview with Ale telling of an accomplishment that she can be proud of:
Q:
How did you learn English?
Ale: For the first few months, I sat next to a translator. I rotated between three Spanish speakers, or anyone else I could find in the moment! They helped me in class and during conferences. They treated me like family and were very patient. I also had a dictionary that I carried with me everywhere!
For my first two first years, I took English class. But I learned the most by listening to others, asking the meaning of words and trying to speak.
Q: Was it frustrating sometimes? Were you ever angry or tired? (Basically how did you feel those months?)
Ale: When I first arrived I was ok, because everything was new and people tried to speak to me in Spanish. But when I began having classes and the novelty of things wore off, I felt really frustrated. It was hard to feel like myself because I couldn't communicate or even understand many things that others could.
Q: How many months did it take until you felt like it started becoming easier and you understood more English?
Ale: I understood quite a lot after a month. It wasn’t until 6 months later though, that I started speaking more. I felt more confident speaking English only after two or three years. It was hard but also a beautiful time to grow in my love for Christ. Many times after a long day and having a headache from trying to concentrate all day, I felt so relieved by going to the chapel and telling Jesus “Thank you for speaking Spanish”. Since I couldn't speak much with others I spoke and listened more to him!
Today I still am amazed when Ale laughs at a joke, answers a Theology question or reads aloud in English; It seems as if English were her first language. She had many sleepless nights, tears, headaches and brain cramps, but she got through it and is a stronger individual today for it. To know she accomplished this all for Christ makes me even more proud of her. She never would have come to the States in 2008, unless she was following Gods plan for her life. Her simplicity is an example for me and I only hope I can master the Spanish language with as much style as she mastered the English language.
“In the midst of a busy world
No time for God…
No time, yet someone died for you
Someone died… for you…
The week that changed the world…
Come and live it with Him…
Come and live it For him…”
As I saw these words flash across the screen, my heart beat faster. The words slowly sunk in. There is no denying it: we do live in a busy world. Even as a Consecrated woman, who has dedicated all her time to God, I still struggle with trying to keep my focus on him. I see all around me, from my neighbors to commercials…no time for God. At my CCD class it is hard to ask the kids to put their phones away for an hour. In any available place with wi-fi, there are students and coworkers plugged into every sort of device. Every time I email my friends, they ask me when I am getting a face book and why not sooner. Yet in the midst of our hungering and hurting world, there is someone with a message waiting to be heard. It is a simple message, one that makes hearts resound. Christ loves us and died for us. It is not just any love…it is unconditional and total.
I turned to the consecrated sitting right next to me and said, “I would love to do something different this holy week… missions would be my dream…” A few days later she approached me, beaming from ear to ear.
“I know you have good news…out with it!” I said.
“Therese, you are never going to believe this. But do you want to come on missions with me this holy week, in La Piedad, Mexico? I already worked it out with my parents and we can stay with them!” I could barely keep up with her words.
“Are you serious? I’m so there!”
She continued, “Get excited! This will be one of the best Holy Week experiences of your life! There is an opportunity for 7 consecrated from Greenville to go. How do you feel about being one of the privileged few?” She didn’t need an answer; the excitement apparent on my face .
I went to the chapel to talk about it with Christ. I couldn’t believe my good fortune. I had a deep certainty that I was going to get there- I didn’t know how, I don’t have a dime to my name-but I knew I was going. News spread rapidly that I was set on going, and people kept asking me how I planned to raise the funds.
The one glitch: I had absolutely no clue. So I ran to the one person who has never failed me in times of need, The Blessed Virgin Mary. We have a life-size image in our house of the Virgin of Guadalupe, and it was there I went to pray silently.
“Mother Mary, you know how much I want to go on missions, but I have no idea how to raise the money. I place this mission trip in your heart and I trust in you. Get me to Mexico!” I also turned to the other Mary who has never failed me either- my big sis! I knew she could help me. She has had many experiences with raising funds fast! Later that day I heard that she found a generous benefactor who had agreed to cover the cost of my mission trip. To say I was in shock would be an understatement. I ran back to Our Lady of Guadalupe and the tears poured out. Peace. Gratitude. Silence. Happiness. Once again Our Lady had brought me to victory.
The mission trip will be in La Piedad, Michoacán from March 30-April 11. I can’t wait to spend Holy week down there. Once there we will meet up with a group of 30 other missionaries from Mexico and climb the mountains and hills, bringing Christ’s love to every person we meet. I have a feeling I will learn much more than I give. Those simple smiling faces of the Mexican people seem to have a way of reaching straight to the heart.
Who will Love Me for Me
When was the last time you heard words that sent chills down your spine? It happened to me when I read John Paul II’s words: “A young heart feels a desire for greater generosity, more commitment, and greater love. This desire for more is a characteristic of youth…” –Pope John Paul II
Blessed John Paul II was one of the most well-known men of the 20th century. Both atheists and hard-core Catholics knew him and loved him. Maybe it was his passion for reaching out to all people, especially the youth. Maybe it was because they realized he understood their deepest desires for life, love and happiness.
Why did Pope John Paul reach out to the youth? Why did he spend hours addressing them and befriending them? Because he saw a treasure in young people. He believed in young people. And youth desperately need to be believed in today.
Not many people are committing themselves to teens today and teens can feel it. Our culture sends them- through a myriad of ways such as TV, music and movies- subliminal messages 24/7. There is no way you can make it to 18 and still be a virgin- so hey, here’s a condom. There is no way you can go to out for a drink and not end up smashed- so hey, here’s another drink. Are these the messages we want them to abide by?
Young people, especially teenagers, are some of the most sensitive and big-hearted people. They desire life-- not just any life, but life to the fullest. John Paul II said over and over at youth gatherings, “Young people are the real tool to change the world.” He discovered personally that when a young person finds a reason to live, when they discover love and a real meaning for their lives the impossible becomes possible.
Sadly most teens today are not finding the meaning to life that they are searching for. There is a violent reality in the United States. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents and teenagers. What are our youth not finding in life?
In a survey of high school students, the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center found that almost 1 in 5 teens had thought about suicide and more than 1 in 12 teens had attempted suicide in the last year, according to teendepression.org. Studies have also shown that as many as 8 out of 10 teens who commit suicide, try to ask for help in some way before committing suicide, such as by seeing a doctor shortly before the suicide attempt. Something in the very depths of their beings is crying out for life and love; whether they realize it or not- they are thirsty for meaning in their life.
Do we want our young people to grow up in a culture that has as suicide as its third leading cause of death? Is our fast-paced, media-racing, promiscuous society satisfying? Are teens possible searching for something deeper? A reason to live? This became clear to me when I read this story.
“A friend and I were in the basement of an abandoned warehouse shooting up heroin. I watched as he loaded up our two syringes with a triple, lethal dose and locked his glazed-over eyes onto mine. ‘Let's cut-to-the-chase,’ the other addict whispered. ‘Neither of us can find any purpose to life. Unless one of us can come up with a reason to live in the next 30 seconds, let's go out on a high with this triple dose of gold.’
“I was desperate” recalled Andrew, “but not ready to end it all, so my scrambled brain went into overdrive to discover some purpose or meaning to life. And what came to mind, was the third question and answer I learned in second grade from our catechism: ‘Why did God make you? God made me to know him, love him, and serve him in this world, and to be happy with him forever in the next.’ That's what I blurted out just as the other guy said, ‘Time’s up,’ and began to look for his vein. ‘Say that again,’ he asked. ‘God made me to know, love and serve him in this world, and to be happy with him forever in the next.'” The other guy shrugged and said, ‘Sounds good to me,’ and we both dropped our syringes.”
Suicide does not need to be an option for a teen and it should not. All of us have an inherent desire with in us for life and love. Recently a song came out on the radio titled “Who will love me for me?” Sounds like the battle cry of teens. Will we rise to this daring challenge? Teens are searching for a meaning to their life. Aren’t we all? Some of us have found it, but for those of us who haven’t, the prophet Jeremiah has something for us to think about, “We come from you, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they return to you for all eternity.”
Do you believe a look can shake a soul?
Genevieve’s gentle blue eyes spoke of hunger, fear about when the next meal would come, and gratitude for the plate I put before her.
Something I love about my college is the activities we do with the people that make a difference. The Mater Ecclesiae College service projectsare a way to reach out to the community. So far, whenever I participate in them, I receive more than I give.
A few months back, my friends and I pulled up to a small building in inner city Providence. We piled out of the van laughing and talking. A sign hanging on the door caught my attention. “McCora house”. As I entered the homeless shelter, I took a quick glance at the masses of people and grew quiet. I could hardly breathe. Eventually, I smiled and did my best to meet as many of them as I could.
The volunteers in the dining room served the day’s visitors as if they were kings and queens. Each person, regardless of dress and manner was escorted to his or her table and brought a hot plate. “How are you doing today sir? Impressed, I grabbed some gloves and an apron myself and got to work busing tables and serving drinks. It was then that I met Genevieve.
Genevieve had big blue eyes and a sweet smile. I gave her a plate of food, and she immediately began eating. Would she see food again today? Between bites, those eyes fixed on mine and her smile spoke of gratitude. Time stopped. I looked at all the faces around me, starving both for food and for love. The tears came. “Why God!” I prayed. “Why are there people who have nothing? Why do I have everything I could ever want? Why do I never need to worry about food or cold or love? It’s not fair.”
His answer came in the form of a song,
“I the Lord of Sea and Sky, I have heard my people cry
All who dwell in dark and sin, my hand will save
I who made the stars of night, I will make their darkness bright
Who will bear my light to them, whom shall I send?”
“I know their suffering and pain, and I carry them. I send you to be my hands, feet and heart. Show them how much I love them.”
Genevieve was still smiling as she ate at her table. “God” I prayed, “make me a little more like her.” I walked on to the next person waiting for a hot meal.
Genevieve will never know how much she touched me. Nor will she ever know how much her smile taught me. If she could smile amidst a life of utter need, if she could be grateful for every meal Providence provided for her, then I could too. I left McCora house satisfied. Once again, I received more than I gave. My day was brighter. I knew I couldn’t stop all the poverty in the world. I knew I couldn’t stop the need for homeless shelters. But every time I remember Genevieve’s smile, I know that God is aware of our suffering and he is holding us close. God doesn’t always take away our sufferings, but he helps us to get through them. He carries us on his shoulders and “holds us in the palm of his hand.” Is. 40:39
Why do we chase riches and forget about people? Why do we find it so easy to focus on the masses instead of the individual? Pope Benedict once said, “Man needs a look of love.” He is crying out to be fed; not just with food, but also with love. When I think of Genevieve, I remember her eyes that were crying out for something more than food. How many people are like Genevieve? Like Mother Teresa, let us make the world a better place by loving one person at a time.
Can a 20-year-old young woman be happy who has given up having a husband, children and career?
Pilar Berber can. At 18-years old, Pili (as her friends affectionately call her) consecrated her life to God in the Regnum Christi Movement. Sound pretty radical? It is, but according to her, it’s also totally fulfilling.
“In giving up my dreams and plans, I have found everything in Him.” Pili says.
Pili is not a nun. She is a consecrated woman of Regnum Christi. She has given her life totally to God, to serve him and his church through Regnum Christi, a Catholic Movement that began in 1941.
“Both of my parents were pretty involved in Regnum Christi, and they signed me up in one of their youth clubs for girls. I liked it and had fun and it was there that I met the Consecrated Women. But don’t think I wanted to be one. Oh no! I was too young to think about a vocation.”
When so many people today claim that drugs, drinking and sex are all it takes to be happy, Pili says she found her happiness elsewhere.
“I remember once I saw some nuns sitting in this church for hours, just staring at the tabernacle. This was a very strong testimony to me, because who would do that, unless God was a real person and really lived in the tabernacle? It was very clear in that moment, that God was also calling me to give my life to him. I was filled with fear but at the same time deep joy, because I have experienced that real happiness is in giving myself, and not in doing whatever I want.”
“After I got consecrated in Mexico, my directors told me I would be going to the States with seven other Consecrated women. Here I would start my four years of study in our Formation house, to prepare myself for my mission. I said yes, I’d love to go. I landed in Greenville, Rhode Island two years ago and these have been very happy years of my life!”
Pili lives in a community with 70 other Consecrated women at Mater Ecclesiae College (MEC). She lives in an environment of deep spiritual life; lots of prayer and charity. The college was recently accredited, so she will receive her bachelor’s degree in Religious and Pastoral studies when she graduates in June of 2013.
“After graduation, I am headed out to the mission field to be a full time missionary! I would love to go to Brazil. Not only are the people very fun, but I see a real need to preach the gospel and evangelize to my brothers and sisters there. I’ve encountered so many people who are thirsty for real happiness, but don’t know where to turn to find it.”
“Right now my priority is to study and prepare myself for my mission.” Here at MEC, I try to put into practice some of the gifts I believe God has given me. For example, I love kids and being with people. I love to motivate others and share with them their joys and sorrows. By teaching CCD at our local parish, I get to do this. This is a great way for me to interact with the community and reach out to our youth. I also love to act and perform in front of an audience. I am in our school choir and I frequently perform and sing for my friends here at MEC.”
Why does she wake up at 6:00 am, put on nylons and a skirt and hurry to the chapel to pray every morning?
“Because I love Him. It’s all for Christ. He needs people who will give him their lives, and show this world how much He loves them. Besides, he promised me that he will make me happy and I believe him! I know my vocation is to belong totally to him. This is the only reason I do what I do. I found happiness where I never thought I could, in a man, Jesus Christ.”
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