July 21, 2013: Martha made some pao de quiejo for Jesus

Luke 10:38-42

³⁸ Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. ³⁹ She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. ⁴⁰ But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” ⁴¹ But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; ⁴² there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Today, bright and early, I visited a Catholic church in Goiania with Professora Vera that is more charismatic than the ones that I have already experienced here. It has many ministries in the community, including a food pantry and a type of health clinic to help people pay medical bills, and though I will not be able to visit them, it was nice to see the site and to get a better idea of the community. The Church of the Holy Family is what the church is called and it is big, but modern, and filled with beautiful stained glass, including one that depicts the Holy Spirit dove surrounded by fiery reds, oranges, and yellows. There were two priests for the mass as well as a band and a choir. It was really interesting to see how lively the people were during mass. That is not to say that there was a lack of reverence among the parishioners, just that there was reverence with a visible excitement to be participating in the mass. This included movements during the songs, the priests encouraging the parishioners to sing louder, and applause after the readings for the word of God. As a Catholic, it was good for me to learn about this part of the church, especially after seeing hints of it in the other parishes that I have visited here. 

I did have a realization during the mass that was quite exciting for me that I thought I would share. During the homily, which included background piano music (why???), the priest spoke about the readings from Genesis, when three men visited Abraham and Sarah and told them that Isaac would be born, and the Gospel reading from Luke when Jesus visits Mary and Martha, Mary dropping everything to be with Jesus. The priest began to describe the encounter between Jesus, Mary, and Martha, telling about Mary sitting with Jesus. He then said, "And there was Martha, standing in the kitchen preparing some

pao de queijo and a little juice for Jesus,
instead of remaining with him in the living room." I am sure the priest was joking and I was so glad that I now understand enough Portuguese to be able to understand the jokes! I laughed so hard! However, if Martha really was making pao de quiejo for Jesus, I am sure he would have been impressed with how delicious it is!

pao de queijo and a little juice for Jesus

I would also like to give my well wishes to Pope Francis and all who travel to Rio de Janiero to celebrate World Youth Day this week, especially those traveling from Goiania. A part of me wishes that I could make that a part of my PGlobal experience here, but I am sure in actuality I will see more (and not to mention be safer) on TV in the nuns' house!