Day 4 Part 1
The Protest
Because of security restrictions and street closings we had to turn our car in a day earlier than expected. So I followed my new friend Paulinho (my sister-in-law's cousin) out to the airport. While on the way we ran into the protesters that you may have been hearing about. They were attempting to block transportation into the airport in protest to how their government is spending the people's money. A trip that should have taken 25 to 30 minutes instead took two hours. It was an adventure to say the least. Paulinho took me on all sorts of back roads and through a favela neighborhood and ultimately we wound up entering the airport through the secured taxi cab entrance. How he got us through? I don't know but he did.
It all made me think about our faith and how people keep trying to change us. We have a rare privilege of being a part of the one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic church. Did I say, the one and only? Yes, the one and only Church created by Jesus Himself. Yet somewhere along the line man has tried to make the faith more relevant to the times. The truth is that this Catholic thing is hard. The protesters to our one, holy, Catholic and Apostolic faith just want to make it easier for them to succeed at being faithful. If you shorten a golf course enough sooner or later make it easier for each and every one of us to get a hole-in-one. But we all know that that is not the real game of golf. Christ sacrificed His life for us so that we may have the chance of Heaven. All golfers don't make it to the PGA (Pro Golfers Association) tour. In order to do that you have to practice every day, hitting balls at the range, practicing chip shots and putting endlessly to get your game to the highest level. We should be doing the same, day in and day out, with prayer and Mass. This is the best way to increase our chances of making it to something far better than the PGA tour, Heaven.
My new friend Paulinho
After dropping off the car Paulinho took me to see a couple sites and to his place of business before dropping me off to the hotel. We saw the old Catholic Cathedral which was stunning as well as another incredibly beautiful (aren't they all?) authentic Catholic church that had an office building built over and around it. Once back at the hotel we gathered the troops and headed to Paulinho's home as he invited us for a visit. Some of you may know my sister-in-law Somaya, but it is hard to get in and out of her house without eating, not that we ever want to not eat because she is awesome in the kitchen, but I should not have been surprised when I entered Paulinho's home that he had a table full of food ready for us. Before eating, Paulinho invited me into a room to meet his aunt. She had been living with and cared for by Paulinho's family for the past five years as she was nearing the end of her Earthly life. Paulinho shared many stories with me about his aunt, she was very special to him. Together we prayed for her and her comfort and her soul. We joined the group back in the dining area, said grace and gave thanks for all that we have and then we ate. After lunch Paulinho invited the rest of our group in to see his aunt and pray for her. After having a great meal with a truly authentic Brazilian family we headed on our way to get our passes for the Pope's Welcome Reception (more about that in Part 2.) While waiting for the Pope to arrive at Copacabana Beach, I received a call from Paulinho. His aunt had passed.
I am very glad I met Paulinho, his family and had the opportunity to share some time with his aunt. Paulinho is a very special man as is his family. He lives a life of service for the comfort of others and not just for himself. I learned a lot from my time with Paulinho and I will be forever grateful. God certainly has blessed us with many spiritual moments and experiences on this trip. My hope is that sharing our WYD experiences with you will help you in some way.
I am truly blessed from Rio,
Tim
