A Journey Full of Surprises

Br. Jing Porcia, SJ; and friends Dane Sacdalan and Mykey Cuento during last year's Vow Day at the Sacred Heart Novitiate, Quezon City. I took this picture.

I found one of these pictures of what was my first time setting foot at the Jesuit novitiate almost a year ago. This immediately called to mind one of the things I had been thinking about all the while as I continue trying to know about God's call. If I choose this way of life I will have to die with it. The other way may be true about marriage, but I don't know which will be more attractive in the future.

Some of the posts I have written here have spoken about my yearning for family life in the future. Recent events, however, have led me to think twice about concluding prematurely what God's plans may be. I, as for now, am not sure yet what the Lord holds for me. He gives me pleasant surprises about myself.

Like how, for the past 5 months, there lies within an insatiable urge to study Spanish, and not rest until I converse like a native. I just chatted with a friend from Venezuela who incidentally shares my strange name Jaifred. Before that, I completed typing a reviewer that I had hoped will help me remember the notoriously difficult verb conjugations. Chatting with the Venezuelan Jaifred, however, reminded me that I still have to study more. Despite the fact that this person is almost 7 years my junior, chatting with him felt like attending an online lecture in Spanish. Not few of my replies merited this remark, "Tienes in error, ¡te rias! You are wrong, and I'm laughing at you!"

This is quite a test of both diligence and acting in accordance to a strange yet seemingly God-given urge to learn more and study more. I suspect that the Spanish language will be instrumental in my future.

I have even included writings of St. Alberto Hurtado amongst the things I read to broaden my vocabulary and practice my pronunciation. It is quite a personal achievement to hear oneself speaking and reading in another language. I have to admit that I pray to him for guidance in my discernment, as well as in my learning Spanish.

To those who get the access in reading this post, please continue to pray for me. God isn't done with me yet.

Estoy acalorado por Su sorpresa proxima.
I can't wait for His next surprise.

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San Alberto Hurtado, ayudame a saberla y hacerla a voluntad de Dios.

Back to Visiting Arvisu

San Alberto Hurtado Cruchaga, SJ (1901-1952, Chile)

I only have a number of minutes to compose this entry, I am actually in an Internet zone in the hospital where I could access my Blogger account more conveniently, for free. Good thing I have a laptop to use.

As some of the hispanoblantes have noted, I posted in my Spanish blog my visit to Arvisu, the prenovitiate house of the Philippine Jesuits in Quezon City. It was one of their open houses last Monday.


Admittedly though, I still find the difficulty of expressing myself fully in Spanish, because, beneath the simple words that I have typed in there, there lies a feeling of immense happiness and the yearning to seek Christ in everything I do, again. I think I have to write in English just to share how happy I really am right now.


Throughout the day there was an intense feeling within me, as we Filipinos call "kaba," throughout the hours preceding my visit. All the while I seem to palpitate, while listening to some downloaded material (a sermon in Spanish from St. Alberto Hurtado, SJ, the Chilean advocate of social justice) and thinking about God's will.


While on the way, many questions were in my mind. How is Arvisu, and how were the people now? It had been six months since my last visit. How are the friends to whom I have confided some reasons why I did not paid them a visit at an earlier time? How is my faith? Am I still called?


The visit somehow gave me insights on my own spiritual journey and how my questions can be answered. The visit did not directly give me the answers, but somehow paved the way for me to realize and meditate possible answers. I am still continuing to pray that I may always think of God, and how to please Him in others. Notwithstanding the roadblocks I encounter along the way.


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Saint Alberto Hurtado, pray for us.

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picture credit: http://www.csgabriel.edu.ec/aulav/file.php/69/hurtado.jpg