Friday 13... TWICE.

So today was Friday the 13th. What could possibly go wrong? That's just a silly superstition anyway. 

Fun Fact # 1: The Superstition around the number 13 dates back to the Legal Codes of Hamumbri (I think I spelt that right) around 5000 years ago in Mesopotamia. There must be something to this superstition if it has been around this long.

 So to today's events. T'was an early start. I was at the airport and checked in at 6:15 am. I chatted with the new people I was meeting. There is a grand total of 18 of us and after going through security our first stop at Lauren's insistence (not to mention my stomach) at maccas. We boarded our flight to LA at 9 am and we were away! I watched Pussin Boots (not Dreamworks best) and Jane Eyre (also not the greatest) and a bunch of random documentaries. The last hour I got right into the Conspirator (a film about the trial of a supposed conspirator in Abraham Lincolin's Assasination, Mary Sarrat) and much to my dismay, the crucial dialogue was continuously interrupted by landing announcements. We arrived at Seoul around 5pm with 2 hours to kill. I went walking. I had a serious case of hyperactivity given I had slept an hour on the last flight. That is when Friday the 13th started to catch up with us. Our plane was delayed so instead of arriving at 1:30pm, we arrived at 3pm with mass in the Mary of the Angels Cathedral at 3:30. The cathedral was 40 min away and we hadn't got through customs yet! So at 4 pm we all got through but one of the poor girls got pulled up and interrorgated because the idiot at the customs desk stamped her documentation with the wrong date! At this point we were dead exhausted. None of us had a good flight. It was packed and economy sucks. I barely slept a wink and most others didn't either. And we were hungry. At least I was! We then had more delays due to a miscommunication error between the bus company and the travel agent. Another hour later and thanks to the good humored Arnold the bus driver. We set out for the cathedral to this an amazing LA sunset. 

Fun Fact #2: the original Name of LA is 'Pueblo de Nuestra Senora de La Renia de Los Angeles del Rio di Porciuncola' which is named for the church built around the origial chapel where St Francis of Assisi started the Franciscan Order.

We arrived at the cathedral. The original church dated back to the 1800s but it was destroyed beyond repair in a 91 earthquake and rebuilt on its current site in downtown LA. Now it is a very modern Cathedral, and modern cathedrals can go horribly wrong. Not this one. It's huge! The windows are white alablaster abd the buidling's color evokes the desert and mountains that surround LA. There is beautiful timber and polished marble. The most amazing was the tapestries on the wall. They all were hand made and the depict he communion of saints, all the church calendar and the American saints too. There are also 12 unnamed people ther amongst them representing the unrecognized saints and the future saints. We had Mass in the crypt and it was lovely. A good way to begin the pilgrimage despite the dramas. It turns out we have Peter Comensoli to thank for the trouble. Jackie Francois did the music for us. We then finally arrived at the Hoilday Inn back at the airport and I finally got some dinner! A beautiful salmon and salad. I love America because you don't get charged for sides! Funny. I forgot all about how hungry I was whilst in the cathedral. We have a 6 am flight to Mexico City tomorrow. The best thing is it will no longer be Friday the 13th!

Today's prayer intention:
For all the men, women and children who have suffered at the hands of the culture of death. Lord, show them your Love and infinite mercy. Lead them to healing and show them that you can forgive, even if they themselves can't.
Amen.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of life, pray for us.