Rousing Rambling

  “If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but [also] everyone for those of others. Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.  Rather , he emptied himself,  taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance,  he humbled himself,  becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.    Because of this, God greatly exalted him  and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,  that at the name of Jesus  every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  and every

              “Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness.  Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the tame animals, all the wild animals, and all the creatures that crawl on the earth.  God created mankind in his image; in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27)               Among the first words in the Holy Bible, we find the story of creation in the book of Genesis.  We learn that human beings are made  imago Dei , in the image and likeness of God.  The concept is a fundamental belief of Catholicism, and one that should help us to reflect on the inherent beauty and dignity of every human being.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church highlights the differences between man and God’s other creations, most importantly that “the human person, created in the image of God, is a being at once corporeal and spiritual, it contains a soul, and it shares in the dignity of  'the image

  Reflection on “The Joy of Being a Deacon” by John P. Flanagan Several years ago, while presenting at another parish’s Lenten retreat, I finished my talk on holiness by asking the retreatants the question, “At the end of your life, how do you hope to be remembered by others?” I shared with the retreatants that I hope to be remembered as a man of joy.  I confessed that I know that I have a long way to go to achieve that goal, but that I continue to try to live a life of joy by attempting to love others as God loves them.  Small group discussions followed.  As each table reported back to the full group, people reported wanting to be remembered for charity, love, compassion, faithfulness, generosity, and so many other positive attributes.  I thought the sharing was going extremely well, until a woman stood up and emphatically declared, “there were a lot of good answers at our table, but I don’t think any of them matter.  I don’t care what anyone thinks about me, as God’s judgement is the

  April 21, 2022 St. Anthony’s Shrine, Boston, MA      I have developed quite a love for St. Anthony’s Shrine in downtown Boston, MA as a place where I have experienced the merciful presence of Jesus on more than one occasion.  It is known to many as “the worker’s chapel.”  I first came to know them while working in the financial district as a place to attend Mass on holy days, but also as a place to seek mercy in the sacrament of reconciliation.      It was there several years ago that I confessed to a priest that I wasn’t honoring my father.  I told him that long periods of time could pass without me making an effort to reach out to my father and speak with him.  My penance was to pray for my father, and to begin to offer small acts of kindness toward my father.  As a result of that confession, I spent years making Monday nights my designated time to spend with my father.  It brought me more graces and blessings than I could ever even imagine.  Today, I went to confession at the shri