On Tuesday evenings we have a special table for learning to speak Spanish by chatting. It is attended by the Spanish teacher, anglos learning Spanish, and sometimes a few native speakers. I go because I plan to do door to door evangelization soon. It would be good to brush up on my weak Spanish skills first.

Tonight, maybe because it was Easter and also the last week of classes, many hispanic seminarians came to the table. They hail from Columbia, Peru, Mexico, Puerto Rico, etc. They began singing hispanic songs most of them knew but few of us anglos knew.

These men, who usually look serious, and some even morose, were filled with joy to be singing in their own language, not as part of some program at the school, but spontaneously! I thought, that is why I think it is so important that we have hispanic Masses in this country. Of course, every immigrant should learn English. The next generation usually only wants to speak English. But for those brought up to pray in Spanish, out of love, we should want them to have this joy.

I usually put this point in a “nastier” way: since we anglos are contracepting and aborting ourselves out of existence, we better learn Spanish! Adios, amigos!

Dr. Ronda Chervin has many free e-books and audios on her website rondachervin.com. If you go to her website and read or listen and then want to correspond with her she will be available. Her schedule does not permit, however, responding to comments on the Blog, though she enjoys reading them. Dr. Ronda’s newest project is spiritualityrunningtogod.com.