Ash Wednesday

There was a time when, on Ash Wednesday, every Irish church was filled to capacity and beyond. While this day that marks the beginning of Lent doesn't seem to have the same attraction that it once had, it is, nonetheless, still true to say that receiving the ashes on this day continues to be a very popular practice. This has been the case in every country in which I have lived or have visited on this day - the simple sign of the ashes, that has been used for thousands of years as a sign of penance (there are examples of sackcloth and ashes in the Old Testament and many ancient cultures have similar practices) seems to connect with something in people, in a way that words just can't.

Today I was asked to say Mass in St. Joseph's Home which is a care centre run by the Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa's nuns). This is a place that welcomes some of the most severely handicapped children from the very poorest of families; it also welcomes old people who have been abandoned/ neglected by their families.

I have been to this place (known by the locals as Calcutta) many times and it always strikes me that the place (buildings and grounds) is maintained in pristine condition: there is certainly nothing obviously poor about it. In fact, it looks a lot better than some of the more exclusive sports and social clubs that are scattered about the city. The sisters take great care to give the best of what they have to their residents. While they do not receive government help (other than policemen guarding the gate) people are very generous to this institution with gifts of money, clothing, and food. I am told that it is not unusual for the nuns to receive more than they can possibly use so they pass it on to other places that cater for a similar profile of person.

Today I met nuns from India and Honduras. Apparently, there is only one Panamanian sister in the Congregation (I'm not sure where she is stationed). The Indian nun was delighted to have someone to speak English with - I think that everyone, when they are surrounded by a foreign language all the time, no matter how fluent they may be, enjoys the relaxation of conversing in their mother tongue (even though, I'm pretty sure, that for that sister English wouldn't have been her mother tongue - but it is, most likely, the language she would have used while going to school from a young age).

Mass was like all the Masses here - lots of singing. It lasted for almost an hour and a half which (at least for me) is very exhausting in the heat. I am told that Ireland is having some very cold weather at the moment - well, in contrast, Panama is experiencing record high temperatures. Officially, it hits about 33 or 34 every afternoon but I am told that when account is taken of the reflection of the heat off concrete roads and buidings, that you can add another 4 degrees or so to this. Also, and this is the killer, humidity is very high here which means not only that you sweat, but also that you seem to use up your energy more quickly.

Outside of my window in the seminary there is a Three-Toed Sloth who sleeps for up to 20 hours a day: maybe he has the right idea.