Lecture last night, many firsts

Husband, Number Seven and I had dinner at a new-to-us Vietnamese restaurant near campus last night. After that went to the Catholic student center at MSU for the first time. We actually had a difficult time finding it as it is embedded in the cluster of buildings in downtown East Lansing. 

The lecture was put on by the Notre Dame Alumni association. Attending a lecture that it not for school-age kids was a first for Number Seven, who found it very interesting. Dr. Motavina is a theology professor at ND and his talk was indeed very good--about how how the bible reveals the truths about God via different, sometimes contradicting accounts of events, and how our protestants brothers sometimes overlook that the Church, and Tradition, existed before the bible was ever put together. He told us so many interesting facts about the first Christian communities sand how the texts were written, studied, compiled. He juxtaposed different accounts of same events, he pointed sto some lines we have heard every year at mass and beever paid attention to, he made us laugh, and above all he truly inspired a deeper love for sacred scripture.

After we arrived home, I wrote to him:

Dear Dr. Matovina, I am the lady who brought up Flannery O’Connor earlier tonight at the East Lansing lecture. Your lecture was excellent and both my husband (a scientists and prof at MSU) were so pleased. Our teen daughter was with us and talked on the way home on how very interesting you were! She is applying to Notre Dame as her two oldest siblings (of seven) are ND alumni.
When we heard about the lecture and were debating on attending, I researched you online and discovered your work with Latino Catholics in the USA. That was one of the reasons that made me want to attend. I’m Brazilian originally and have lots of thoughts about it. I’ve seen parishes trying to integrate the Latino population with different degrees of success. I also believe liturgical music is a big problem when it comes to Latino Catholics.Last but not least, I’m the Latin teacher at a local parochial school. In class with the younger kids I bring up classical stories, and just today I spoke of Aesop and told them the “sour grapes” fable! What are the odds? I haven’t thought of that fable in years! So you may be assured that some schools are still teaching Aesop’s fables.
In Christ Our Lord, Ana

His response:

What a gracious note. Thank you so much. There are so many connections between us, from parables to fables to Flannery O'Connor, etc. Pleased to meet you and I hope our paths cross again. Tim