Thoughts

When I think about my blog, I usually think about my brother. Curious about how often her reads it; what does he get out of it; what he wishes I could do, like write more; etc. I know, or think I know, others read this too, but I imagine that what I report thinking of him is what others might ask as well. I want my brother to know me well, to be a part of my life, and in doing so, others get to go along for the ride. I'm not saying that everything is exclusively aimed for or to him, but I'm always keeping him in mind.

Thanks being said I was thinking about his name: Jose Maria or Josemaria (I'm not sure how he spells it). Why did he choose these names? I can imagine a few reasons, speculate on a few more, and think of some bonus reasons that he might not of thought up yet. There are the names seperately, Jose and Maria. Jose is his middle name, keeps a remnant of his given name in his taken name. A memory of home, of his past, of my father and grandfather with the same name. Jose is also a humble saint, father of Jesus. A guy who takes on the mission of raising the son of God, with some struggle no doubt, and has no other recognition. A saint who every knows, everyone likes, but no one thinks about right away when people ask, "who's your favorite saint." I think that appeals to Orlando. Mary...not enough can be said about her. She is the humble servant of God, the vessel in which God brought the world his son. A woman who has had an image transform throughout her veneration. No one is praised more than her, to contrast Jose. He power to affect others is only surpassed by her influence on her son. She's cool beans. Now, there is also a saint, Josemaria Escriva. He wrote, "The true life stories of Christian heroes resemble our own experience: they fought and won; they fought and lost. And then, repentant, they returned to the fray." Basically, his schtick was that everyone can be a saint in any situation. You don't have to live the 'perfect' life, just life your life perfectly, and when you fail, which you will, try again. That's his motto, and I'm sure Orlando agrees with him. Escriva was also a big influence on my father, which brought some tension b/n my bro and him. This might be a subconscious or intended reason to include the name. I remember some of the arguements ending with Orlando saying basically I agree, but that is not the way I choose to live my vocation.

Then again, I don't know what goes on in his head. Anyways, I get to talk to him on Sunday and I'm pumped. He's a good kid.

Peace.