A few years ago, I completed all the Spanish language courses at the adult high school in just over a year. My vocabulary grew rapidly, verb conjugations were easy to grasp, and even the notorious subjunctive was fairly manageable. The courses ended abruptly, but I continued to use the Duolingo platform diligently every day. Now I have practiced it consistently and abundantly for 1,787 days, and I notice that everything I learned is like it has been wiped away when I need to produce spoken information.
A few weeks ago, I turned to Fr. Mauri to ask him to write an extensive article about all the activities of the Church of St. James the Apostle, which is located in Lauttasaari. The lure was that we would reserve a huge space in the printed Fides which will be published in June.
Father Mauri answered agreed politely, but asked for mercy until the turn of the year so that we could also include a first impression of the Catholic school which will open this autumn. In addition, Lent was ending, Easter was about the start, and there was a huge amount of work ahead. The justifications were good, and so I promised to help compile the article at the end of the year.
I went to the cathedral for a Misa en Castellano once before the coronavirus pandemic, and I did not understand a word. Now, however, I have also started following St. James’ event calendar. There really are plenty of activities, and not all events even appear on the calendar. I recommend attending different and multilingual events with an open mind and without prejudice. Even if you do not understand everything, you can give space for feelings.
Masses are held in many languages. Especially for someone who loves Romance languages, there is Latin and languages that have developed from it: Italian, Portuguese, Spanish. I chose Spanish. On the 3rd Sunday of each month a Mass is celebrated in Spanish, but best of all, on the 2nd Saturday of every month there is a two-hour retreat, ‘Retiro en español’ before the Spanish-language Mass, ‘Misa en español’. I decided to go to these.
”Tú crees porque me has visto. Dichosos los que creen sin haber visto”
At the beginning of the retreat, we gathered in the church. Father Mauri reflected on the readings of that weekend and spoke about the disciples of Jesus, who were not quite reconciled with the idea that Jesus was no longer in the grave. We later came to realize that one of them even believed in Jesus’ resurrection only after having seen and touched the Lord. ‘Blessed are those who believe without seeing.’
”Corazón y alma”
After the introduction and prayers, we moved to the meeting room. A young woman addressed the topic emotionally in her speech and in a clear Spanish that sounded right to the Finnish ear. She stated that crucifixion is cruel, painful, and humiliating. For the disciples, the awareness of the brutality directed at Jesus was certainly a traumatic experience. They loved Jesus, and no one wants a dear person to suffer. The word heart was repeated. The season of Easter is a wonderful time because Jesus has risen from the dead and He is in everyone’s hearts. “If only it were always Easter and Jesus always in the heart,” the woman smiled, her hand on her own heart.
“Santo Rosario”
We returned to the church and to the final stage of the retreat, the Rosary. That was actually the climax of the retreat, because I have listened to this prayer in Spanish on long car trips and can recite the Hail Mary prayer as quickly as a native Castilian speaker. Sometimes a person experiences the joy of success.
“Dios te salve, María, llena eres de gracia, el Señor es contigo. Bendita tú eres entre todas las mujeres, y bendito es el fruto de tu vientre, Jesús. Santa María, Madre de Dios, ruega por nosotros, pecadores, ahora y en la hora de nuestra muerte. Amén.”
“La Misa”
The Mass was beautiful. The piano was not played, but we got to enjoy the amazingly beautiful voice of the young woman who acted as the song leader. I followed the readings and the Gospel from an app on my phone.
In his sermon, Fr. Mauri returned to the theme of Easter. This pleased me because I know that this will also be the case at other Catholic Masses here in Finland, but also all over the world. Lent is the best time of the year, but Easter in its true meaning is happier, because the mind is relieved. We Catholics may eat lamb and chocolate eggs, but the true nourishment is given to us by the inexhaustible love of Jesus Christ.
“Dad gracias al Señor porque es bueno, porque es eterna su misericordia”
Christel Monni