1st Sunday of Lent, March 05, 2006

Sunday, March 05, 2006
1st letter of March 2006

1) 1st Sunday of Lent, March 05, 2006

Monday, February 27, 2006.
This week the liturgical team of our community is Father Rocco, Harno and me. In the morning I attended classes of Natural Law and the Beguines then in the evening the Biblical Foundation of Spirituality.

Tuesday, February 28, 2006.
In the morning I studied at my room then in the afternoon I went to CTU library to read some articles. I got my Capstone paper from Amy’s room. I got the official letter of General Direction of the Xaverians in Rome about the admittance of my final vows and deaconate order signed by the vice general, Father Luigi Menegazzo. Today we received the invitation from the Xaverian theology community in Parma, Italy, for the final vows and deaconate ordination of Utomo Wijayanto (Indonesian) and Melecio (Mexican). They will be held on March 18 and 19. In the afternoon I attended a lecture of an SVD priest who works as a researcher at Nanzan University in Japan, named James W. Heisig. I was very much impressed by the capacity of this 60’s year-old man who slowly and fluently envoying his thought without any note with him. A lot of stories he utterrred in the lecture about Buddhist-Christian dialogue in Japan including tea ceremony tradition I just read as well today in the Journal of Japan at CTU. I was invited by the Indonesian Christian Group (Ibu Dian Nursanti) to give some reflection on March 26 afternoon based upon the hidden treasure parable in Matthew 13:44-46.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006.
In the morning we celebrated the Mass of Ash Wednesday in our community presided by Father Rocco. I attended the morning classes both Natural Law and the Beguines. From 12.30 p.m. to 13.30 p.m. I met Father Rocco for personal formation direction in preparation toward final vows. In the night I did some research on the Internet for my paper in this semester. I have only two more months to work on my paper. Before entering month of May I hope I can finish all of my paper so that I approach the celebration of my final vows and deaconate ordination with peaceful heart without worrying my paper.

Thursday, March 02, 2006.
In the morning I attended the class of integrating core of spiritualiy-prayer-contemplation then I did some research at the library and borrowed some books. At 5 p.m. Father Rocco guided our Holy Hour. At 7.30 p.m. to 9.00 p.m. we had community meeting. I did laundry at night.

Friday, March 03, 2006.
In the morning after the Mass I went to Mercy Hospital with Valery who will check his blood at the laboratory. I was practicing of driving the white car with Valery. I passed the highway toward CTU then I returned many books about religious life to CTU and borrowed some others. I am only allowed to take out or borrow some 50 books at CTU. Since yesterday I couldn’t borrow any book because I had borrowed over limit so I returned them in order to get other ones. In our mailbox I got a letter of Dawn Notwehr who asks me to meet her. I immediately came to see her at her office. She offered me to work together in contributing my paper I did last semester in her class of Justice and Peace and Reconciliation for her book. With my pleasure I am open and available to offer my paper. I meet her again on Tuesday, March 7 at 1 p.m. At 5.15 p.m. we prayed the station of the cross at our chapel. At 5.40 p.m. Mateus from SVD picked us up to go to Taize Prayer at a Catholic Church in Oak Park for our class assignment of Liturgy-Prayer-Contemplation. There were a lot of people coming to this monthly Taize prayer and the majority is Caucasians middle class. It lasted for one hour (7.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.). Coming back home we had our own supper.

Saturday, March 04, 2006.
In the morning after breakfast I did clean the kitchen, had lunch in togetherness with all Xaverian students here (8 people) that made the kitchen crowded with fraternal charity. At night I did some reading on the biblical spirituality for Monday.

Sunday, March 05, 2006.
After morning prayer at 8 a.m. in the community, Valery and I went to St. Therese by CTA bus and train. We attended the Mass at 9.30 a.m. and there were coming some young people of David Darst Retreat Center where I ministered last year. Now, they have different supervisor which is a Christian Brother and one CTU student, named Heather. I was teaching the confirmation class with the topic of Baptism. All 6 of them came this time. At noon Deacon Paul invited us to have lunch at a Vietnamese Restaurant together with a young lady from Japan named Yuki, a lady from China who is not Catholic and Cesare. They are Ph.D student at Northwestern University and University of Chicago. So, I have one more contact person of Japanese. Yuki is from Tokyo and doing her research on sociology at University of Chicago and she’s a Catholic who was just baptized in 2001 in Tokyo. It’s snowing today and we went back home with Deacon Paul who gave us a ride. In the afternoon I typed this journal and I looked at the calendar of 2006…85 more days I leave for Indonesia for vacation.
In our Vesper (Evening prayer) there were Father Ivan, our provincial and two guests from the parish of Holy Name of Mary in Chicago in which Father Willy does ministry. They the pastor and a lady named Mary.