Tree of life

An image of a lone majestic tree continues to appear in my prayer life. Someone, I take him to be the Lord, sits beneath it. I am on a well worn path, making my way toward the tree. Ripe wheat lies on either side of the path. It is the most serene image I have ever found while praying.

It's going by too fast!

"Does all of life go by this fast?"

"No, just the summers."

--from Paul Monette's play, Just The Summers

Baby Boom

My parish is experiencing a baby boom. Even the usually sedate Saturday evening Mass is frequented by young families now. It's nosier of course but so much more joyful. For me, as a celibate turning 50, the sight of so many kids brings out what must be a grandfatherly type of love. Children do no wrong in my eyes and I feel happy just seeing them.

It's all too complicated

People of faith are sometimes accused of being smug and holier than thou. In truth, finding faith means you've accepted the complicated pattern of darkness and light within this world. It's the light, however, that interests us more.

I haven't all the answers and that's why I choose faith.

Thought For The Day

"When an oak is felled the whole forest echoes with its fall, but a hundred acorns are sown in silence by an unnoticed breeze."

Thomas Carlyle

The stained glass in the church is German designed; the Munich studio in Chicago.

My parish church: built in 1924 by a Spanish-American architect for a Beligan pastor and German-Czech-Irish congregation. It's a beautiful structure. The men of the parish dug the basement, hauled the bricks and painted the interior. The women sold 'subscriptions' to fund the project and, of course, kept the men fed.

This just in from the 'who cares?' desk.......

Michelle Obama photographed wearing shorts (in August)...........

Health Care: moral imperatives vs costs

The health care debate has taken a turn into the realm of 'moral imperative'. Does the country have a moral imperative to provide unverisal health care?

It's an interesting and legitimate question. Then again, so is the question, 'can this country afford universal health care?'

With our massive endebtedness and the chronic loss of quality jobs to the developing world, I wonder how long before it sinks in that we are an economic train wreck just waiting to happen.

Of course, the cost of fighting two wars complicates the health care debate. Maybe the question should be 'can we continue to afford imperial power if we offer universal health care?'

Health Care Reform I Support

1) Deduct money from everyone's paycheck and force workers to use THEIR money to buy (at least) catastrophic health insurance.

2) Reform immigraton so that even those working here illegally could be herded into a health care policy of some sort.

3) Increase the tax on cigarettes, booze and fast food; use the money to offer health insurance to the poor.

4) Decrease the tax on fresh fruits and vegtables.

5) Promote home health care and hospice programs (but, no "death panels" please).

Thought for the day

Life isn't about avoiding storms; it's about learning to dance in the rain.

Count The Cost

Islamic militants recently beheaded four Christian aid workers.

Are you a lawyer?

True Story

[phone rings]

Me: Holy Name Church

Caller: Mr. G____ please

Me: This is Father G______, may I help you?

Caller: This is Anna with the American Bar Association.

Me: Good morning.

Caller: Uh, are you a lawyer?

Me: Yes.

Caller: Oh, well when you said Father G_______ I uh.....

Me: I'm a priest and an attorney.

Caller: [laughs] Isn't that an oxymoron?


Even the ABA seems to hold a dim view of the lawyers (or priests, or both).