Run With Jesus

Hahaha, TRUE LIFE! 🙂

Running has always been part of my weekly routine. I ran three times a week in college because it gave me some time to myself. I was always one of the first students in the Plourde on my running days, because I liked to get my day started off right. Running gave me a chance to clear my head, to think about the day ahead, to make sure I was in the right frame of mind. Running, you could say, is essential.

And yet, there are some days where I think to myself, “You know, one day off won’t hurt.” And I don’t run. I sit. I think. And I go insane. Because I’m someone who gets caught up in his thoughts very easily. I’m reminded of the Green Day song, “Basket Case,” in which Billie Joe Armstrong sings, “Sometimes I give myself the creeps. Sometimes my mind plays tricks on me. It all keeps adding up. I think I’m cracking up. Am I just paranoid? Am I just stoned?” I can assure you I’m not high. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, and I don’t “mess around.” But I am paranoid. And running helps calm me down, put my head right.

Forever a Hound

Where it all makes sense

This morning, Professore and the AC-Rome kids came to our convent to celebrate an English Mass in our little chapel. It was the first English Mass I’d heard in 4 months. It was the first Mass I’d heard with Assumption students in about 5 months. So, naturally, a ton of memories came flooding back. To be standing there praising God alongside Professore, to see one of my friends serving the Mass alongside Padre Gervais, to see all of AC-Rome kids there, and to be able to proclaim His word again in English, I thought I was back home at 500 Salisbury Street. It felt like I was right back in the Chapel on a Sunday night. And, let me tell you, it felt so good. So much love, so much joy, so much peace.

Hearing that Mass, like I said, brought back a lot of memories, it was another “I love Assumption” moment. There is no way I could express all of my deep love for Assumption in words, because it was built with experiences. That first START 1 retreat I went on, where I met Abe Robinson and JB, who totally blew me away with their intellect and their profound view of the world. I remember to myself, “This is real education. They’ve lit their fire. I want to be like them.” As a young freshman just struggling to find a place in the life of the College, they first introduced me to a love of the Catholic intellectual  tradition, the fact that its beauty comes from its depth. God encompasses and enlivens all.

Revisiting the Stained Glass Masquerade

This morning, I received a Facebook message from one of my sisters back home (if you haven’t figured by now, my brothers and sisters aren’t just related to me by blood). One sentence was particularly surprising: “I hope all is well in Italy and just know that you are freaking awesome and doing amazing things, so don’t ever forget that!!” 🙂 🙂 🙂

I had to read it over. I thought to myself, “What??? What could I be doing that could be considered anywhere near amazing?” I’m not trying to be self-righteous or falsely modest. I think honesty is one of the most important things in life: so, one of the hardest things for me during these months has been practicing serenity in service. I’ve striven to give up my entire self to God, let HIM guide me above all, but often, my own frustrations get in the way. I think to myself, “Why am I not really working yet? Why haven’t any of the opportunities I’ve pursued opened themselves up to me?” It’s like, sometimes, I want to force myself into this year of service. I am being self-centered instead of G0d-centered. 😦 😦 😦 I want to make a masterpiece right away. It took Michelangelo a bit over four years to paint the Sistine Chapel ceiling.

Finding His Noise in the Silence

I miss Camaldoli SO MUCH, man. This past week, we had our chapter meeting at a Carmelite monastery in Camaldoli, two hours north of Florence. In order to get there, we drove through Chianti vineyards, beautiful valleys, and past gushing waterfalls. The monastery was tucked away in the woods, shrouded by a canopy of green pines and oaks. The halls were littered with signs that read, “Silenzio” or, “silence.” When I first walked to my room, I thought, “Man, time to buckle up. This is gonna be a hard two days, bro.”

Which is funny, because I would have been completely fine in this setting 3 years ago. As a sophomore, I was most at home in my “shell,” which basically meant my cubicle in the D’Alzon Library’s third floor. I used studying as an excuse to not face my insecurity and self-confidence issues. I was basically living a hermit’s existence, so much so that my bromate even called me a hermit behind my back. I wanted to strangle him when I heard about it, but now I couldn’t be more thankful for his observation. It was one of those, “Wake up, Daniele! Time to live!” moments. I began to realize that something needed to change.

Congo Oyè!

Padre Pierre Landu Safari and I 🙂 WOO HOO NEW CONGOLESE FRIENDS! 🙂 ❤

Alright, so this isn’t going to be a long one, but I think last night is worth documenting. For the past week, Fr. Pierre Landu Safari,  the bursar of the Africa province, has been a guest at the convent. He’s attended Masses at our parish at San Donato, gone to a peace vigil at Santissima Annunziata, and shared many meals with us. Last night was his last dinner with us, so we asked him to give us his impressions of our community.

What he said blew me away. He spoke very kindly about our spirit of brotherhood, the freedom and joy he experienced with us, and he lauded our passion for our Congolese brothers throughout the world. He was particularly touched by our little chapel, in which pictures of the captured Congolese priests stand prominently. As you’ve read before, on October 19, 2012, 3 Congolese priests were captured from their community by rebels. As of now, witnesses have testified to their being alive, but their fate is still a mystery. Padre Landu thanked us for always keeping these priests and their brothers in our hearts.