Trustful surrender to Divine Providence

"God, deliver me from the secret ills that are far greater than those I complain of.
Poverty serves to keep me humble while my nature is proud, the scorn of the world to free me from attachment to it, illness to keep me from pleasure seeking which would be my ruin. It would be scorn for my cross to be lifted before being given the virtues I lack. Either free me from poverty, or make it so pleasant for me that I would would not exchange it for all the wealth in the world."

From Trustful Surrender to Divine Providence, The Secret of Peace and Happiness by Fr. Saint-Jure Jean Baptiste and Blessed Claude de la Colombiere S.J.

I love your ways most high spirit,
Oh Lord!
Distract me not,
from the comfort of your desire,
for I am yours,
As waves of light dip and rise in frequencies
my spirit too, lowers in the absence of you.

Let not anticipation of your dawning in my soul wane,
while slumbering in your shadow
Arise, arise, manifest, oh light,
and darkness shall abate!
I am yours, I am yours
no patience to wait,
Surrendered, my life,
to you do i avail,
To wait, in providence
till light tears the veil.

"Without the help of grace, men would not know how "to discern the often narrow path between the cowardice which gives in to evil, and the violence which under the illusion of fighting evil only makes it worse." This is the path of charity, that is, of the love of God and of neighbor. Charity is the greatest social commandment. It respects others and their rights. It requires the practice of justice, and it alone makes us capable of it. Charity inspires a life of self-giving: "Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it."

Paragraph 1889 Catechisim of the Catholic Church

Campesina Seeking Justice...Venceremos

This woman was among many campesinos that camped for five days in the central square of the city of Oaxaca. The were there to protest the government's arbitrary lowering of payment for the fruit of their labors. Ultimately, joined by students and other supporters the issue was resolved non-violently and they left as peacefully as they had arrived.

Bras for Sale

This Sunday market under the volcano, Popocatepetl, outside of Mexico City, has been going on since the days of the Aztecs, so I was told. The range of items for sale was astounding. There were caged birds, tiny figures woven of straw, and this bra stand.

"It was a lovely walk."

This was the last time I saw this inspirational man. John Collier Jr. was a noted visual anthropologist, Farm Security photographer and a blessing to young documentary photographers in the Bay Area.

John was spending much of his time in his last days resting on his daybed. When I came for a visit, he was especially happy to have a friend help him down the uneven trail to the beach.

We happily headed down the hillside from the perch that was the Collier's Muir Beach home. Other than having to remove one of his shoes which got stuck in the rocks as the waves grew close, then asking a group of young men to ferry him across a briny rivulet, we finally fell together on the sand just shy of this driftwood bench. As he said as I was leaving " it was a lovely walk"!

Luncheria

.