Indeed history keeps on repeating itself. It should be remembered that the other year, we were gathered also to bade farewell to our Lord's servant (Fr. Marco) who had to leave us for another parochial assignment somewhere else, away from us.

And now here comes  Fr. Rafael. It's his turn to say "goodbye" and leave us in anguish. Human as we are, we feel the pain -- to say the least. Pretty sure, we have human emotions about how we feel when someone so dear and important is leaving us. One thing for sure is nostalgia or loneliness. We will surely be missing his wonderful memories and moments that he unselfishly  shared with us in the service of the Lord. Yes, we have anxieties and apprehensions as to where will be his next destination. I know for a fact that the Lord is against the kind of anxiety that consumes us and makes us believe that God does not care about us at all. But instead I know God invites us to see beyond our anxieties and look up to Him who cares for us. No matter what happens we will still be bigger than all our anxieties combined because God is greater than our hearts. So therefore, whatever our anxieties, apprehensions and other adverse feelings we may have, let's put them aside and hope for all the best with regards to Father Rafael's departure.

Fr. Rafael, muchas gracias por vuestro amor!  Thank you very much! Hontou ni arigatou gozaimashita!  Adios, adios.... Hasta la vista. We'll gonna miss you, Fr. Rafael Sanz!