A hurdle cleared?

Sunday nights are fast becoming my popcorn nights. I find some comfort in the familiar by making popcorn. It signifies the end of the week just occurred, but I know the start of the week is fast paced. When I rise on Monday mornings, I'm hitting the floor running. So, this sabbath break is welcome.

I feel like I cleared a hurdle this week. I had decent conversations with 3 of the 4 pastors of the churches where I serve. We talked about various pastoral and spiritual needs and we were all grateful for the conversations. We each realized it is good for us to be in continuous conversation. It is a welcome relief.

I also made necessary contacts at the Philippine embassy. These resources will be helpful for me in determining the various pastoral and sacramental needs of that community as well. The long and short of it is that I do not feel as if I am alone. I have a generous team of people who can navigate the streams of life together.

Fr. Michael has returned to the community after visiting the States for three weeks. It is good to have him back. After I christened the new Diwan (the greeting parlor), we began to have morning coffee and a chance to chat at 10:30 a.m. It is a time when we can relax, but also communicate small matters among the team. This also prevents people from stopping in during lunchtime to ask questions of the priests.

I had a burger this week that was so tasty. The Jordanians were born in Chicago and they opened up shop at Abdoun section of town. The burgers were great. They cooked them medium-rare perfectly, but they served it with a salad that was excellent. I would be happy to return just for the salad. After chatting with the staff, I went into the only real Mexican restaurant in Amman. The owner is from California where he runs a Middle Eastern restaurant on Fillmore Street in San Francisco. He was such a pleasant man.

Fr. Al and I stopped in to see our friend in Jebel Webdeih who runs the pizza restaurant. He has not received his long awaited tables, but his chairs are in. He detailed his walls with artistic renditions of Italy and he has painted the sidewalk where outdoors tables can be set up. He has a nice plan for outdoor lamps as well. Fr. Al and I will probably go there this week to help him with his business. He has a very pleasant personality and he doesn't smoke. I like when the chef does not smoke as he looks over the food he is preparing.

The U.S. elections are Tuesday. Everyone knows that. Ohioans feel curses with all the ads. Australians are saturated with news as if they are a U.S. colony. A dear friend in North Carolina sent me two election buttons. They read: Vote Ignatius - 2012. She says that we need a man of integrity to run our country and world.

As a political news junkie, I'm not sure I'll sleep Tuesday night, but I'm glad Wednesdays are my days off. I don't know that I"ll sleep in, but there's so many important signals in this election. I find it to be a pivotal election. I do pray that politicians and the system breaks enough so they can converse and be enriched by one another. Politics used to be described as the "art of the possible." I think today we are in "times of the impossible." We cease to try to advance a local, national, or international platform. We have to work together as one nation with various philosophies. It can work. I has worked. Still, I want my candidate to win.

I'm proud of the parishioners. They are making necessary adaptations as we go along. I'm doing a two-minute catechism before each Mass. They are responding well to it and are asking that I continue it. They know how to care for one another. I sense we are all striving for the same goals. We want to respect one another and not find fault when someone who is hurting creates an offense. I feel good about the direction we are heading.

Well, it is 9:00 p.m. Since we did not fall back on our time the way the U.S. did, we are now 8 hours ahead of the East Coast. That means I'll never be able to watch online a full game of U.S. NFL football. At least the Patriots have the week off.

On towards a new week. Forward!