Rousing Rambling

"Live each day as if it was your last."  It has often been said, "live each day as if it was your last."  The quote has been attributed to so many famous people, as if they had some tremendous insight and wisdom that's been unknown for time.  But yet, the concept is a simple truth that has been spoken for many centuries.  I often reflect on these words from the book of Ecclesiastes 7:2, "It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, because that is the end of every man, and the living takes it  to heart."  Nobody can escape death.  We should all be aware that those who live, will one day die.  Every day is a gift.   Oftentimes, death comes like a thief in the night, unexpectedly or sometimes even violently.  People sometimes express regret with words like, "I wish I had...." or "If only I had said..."  People wish for just one more day with their loved ones to be able to finally forgive, or to tell the...

  2 years ago Mariano J R Pimentel N o v e m b e r   7 ,   2 0 1 8    ·  Shared with Your friends When we were younger, the greatest gift that our parents gave to us was the gift of presence. Some of my favorite childhood memories include waterfront picnics with the Garcia families and Sundays at my grandmother’s house with the Pimentel Brum families. Simplicity. Just being with one another was enough to bring us all joy. Simply reflecting on those days still brings me joy today. Later in life, the same is true for what we can give to our aging parents. Monday nights are my “date nights with Papa.” Honestly, sometimes, after a long day at work, the 30-minute drive feels like a chore. Sitting with my dad and really listening to his stories (not just the hearing that I did for years) has given me so much insight into the times and events that shaped the person that my father is today. Learning about his childhood, leaving his country, starting a new l...

Monday! Monday!  I have to admit that I am struggling in my professional life.  It’s somewhat strange to admit, because there are so many things about my professional life that I love.  I love the work that I do.  I love the people that I work with. I feel that I am good at what I do.  A few of my coworkers have even become like family to me.  What I don’t like is the very negative and political nature of my workplace.  There is a complete and utter lack of trust in the organization.   Employees don’t trust management. Management doesn’t trust the employees.  Our words are all the right words to say.  Our actions don’t agree with our words.   As I was rounding the corner to approach the parking lot at work this morning, the first thing I noticed was the car of an executive leader.  Just seeing the car gave me a feeling of dread about what craziness I might experience this day.  Without thinking, I quietly said to the car (...

  Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary (COVID-19) Time 2020  “…repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."   The Pharisees went off and plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech.  They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.  And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion, for you do not regard a person's status.   Tell us, then, what is your opinion: Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?" Knowing their malice, Jesus said, "Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? Show me the coin that pays the census tax."  Then they handed him the Roman coin. He said to them, "Whose image is this and whose inscription?"  They replied, "Caesar's."  At that he said to them, "Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."   This w...

Sometimes in our lives, our souls are filled with great longings; the desire for healed relationships, the emptiness of those taken much too soon from us, happiness in the midst of the mundane, fulfillment in what we do, what we’ve become, and who we are.   Our very being is filled with an emptiness that comes from once having seemed to be full.   It is easy to focus on what we have lost, or what we are looking for, that which we don’t have.   Our humanity focuses on all the ways that things should be perfect for us, our relationships, our finances, our here and now.                 Yet, in the middle of this mediocrity are signs of great wonder, and the realization that we will always be less than full while on this journey.   Our hope and our help comes from the Lord, who made the Heaven and the earth.   One day, all will be perfect, and our joys will be complete.   In th...

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...

Originally written 07/13/2015 “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.   Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.   Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen”   I have probably prayed the Hail Mary thousands of times in my life.   Sometimes my prayer is done like a Marian marathon runner…hurrying to get through the prayers of the rosary so that I can do something else. In hindsight, most of the time that I am rushing through my prayers, I am doing so to free myself to do something else; go to bed, get a bite to eat, waste time on the Internet, or any other meaningless task.   However, lately I have been graced to pray a bit more deliberately.   Almost a year ago, 93 year old “Nana” fell and broke her hip.   She was admitted to the hospital where she had emergency surgery.   While recovering from the hip surgery, the symptoms of congestive heart fa...