Rousing Rambling

I was raised in a home that when someone came to visit, we pulled out all of the stops to make them feel welcome.   Glasses would quickly come out of the hutch.   A pitcher was given to one of the children to go down to the “wine room” to fill with some of my father’s home-made wine.   Plates were quickly filled with nuts, dried fruits, and any other appetizers that were kept in the house for when “company came.” When we expected visitors, all of this work was done prior to their arrival.   As a child, once the feast was set, I would simply stare at all of the goodies, which could not be touched until our guests arrived.   In the case of unexpected company, we were still so thrilled to receive them into our home, but the first few minutes of their visit was spent putting together their welcome feast.   Everything had to be just right.   At a young age, I truly learned what it meant to serve another with a joyful heart. I never once heard my mother co...

Sometimes when I pray, I look for great signs that God has heard my prayer.   Honestly, sometimes what I am really looking for are signs that God is going to hear my prayer in the way that I want to have it heard.   Rather than placing my trust in God, and remembering that, “ all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose,” (Romans 8:28)   I am guilty of needing just something, anything that can assure me that I have been heard.   When I seek out God’s presence, I sometimes seek Him in the great and majestic.   I expect that His voice will be loud and powerful, because He is great and powerful.   But the reality is that God speaks to us in so many calm and gentle ways.   I have experienced the presence of God in the gentle touch of another.   I’ve heard God’s voice in the laughter of a baby.   I’ve felt God’s love and presence in the last breath of family members.   I’ve known of God’s lov...

The Canticle of Daniel Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about all that I have to be thankful for in my life.     Truthfully, it’s a never-ending process.   My life has been filled with so many graces and blessings, and I don’t know that I have the capacity to ever truly appreciate all of the blessings that I’ve received.   Like many, I can easily focus on the things that haven’t gone right in my life, but sometimes need a gentle reminder of what’s right in my life.   Sad, but true.     One of the blessings in my life was the time that I spent in the seminary discerning my life’s vocation.   My seminary experience is very much a part of the man that I am today.   My sense of both community and spirituality was truly deepened in those few years.   Praying the Liturgy of the Hours daily gave me a love of the Psalms and of Scripture, and has helped me to find strength and comfort in all things, joys and sufferings alike.   An...