Gap in my posts/what's new

For a couple of reasons, I have taken an unforseen holiday from posts to this blog. At the root is the fact that I ran out of things to say. I have not been vegetating in my faith journey during this time. Two related paths have occupied my time, first evangelizing about Lectio Divina within Sacred Heart Parish, second, rejuvenating a dormant Adult Faith Formation program also within Sacred Heart. Please pray that the first evolves into the second while I have time to work on this.

Hurricane Irene

After two days of no power, ConEd was able to restore power to our house midafternoon Tuesday. Under the circumstances of the damage Irene caused, Kathy and I feel blessed at the inconvenience of only having a power failure. People fared far worse than us and our prayers are with them.

The striking moment for me was a broadcast Tues p.m. on NBC channel 4 in New York which contained a report that every road in the state of Vermont was damaged and would require repair. I do not mean to exclude the states NC, VA, MD, DC, DE, PA, NJ, NY, CT, MA, NH, MA or the Canadian provinces that bore the wind and rain. What struck me was the landlocked state of VT, the swollen rivers and the former covered bridges which used to cover those rivers.

I must admit that during the power outage, I let myself feel sorry for myself, get frustrated with above-ground power and telephone lines and the same black out zone as two previous outages this summer.

Back to the important point, a friend's brother exited his home in NJ just as the water was entering his home. Please remember Louis and all the other people who suffered under the effects of Irene. In case of need, here is the National Hurricane Center's website, which already shows a tropical storm named Katia, in the mid-Atlantic.

God be with us

Family get together yesterday evening

While Owen was home for a week's vacation, we took the opportunity to share a dinner yesterday at Dinosaur Barbecue. First let me list our family members, Dan and Owen are Kathy & Ray's sons, Peggy and Kelly are Kate & Rich's daughters, Dan is dating Monica. Peggy announced that her boyfriend, Ryan got his first teaching job yesterday!!!!!! Second let me tell you that before we touched a bit of food, the service was beyond excellent. Our party of 9 arrived in three installments and instead of making the early birds wait for the late comers, three of us were sat and finished our second round and some appetizers. Shortly after the appetizers arrived, the middle 4 arrived and dove in. The last 2 arrived in time for drinks and dinner. If you like barbecue and want to laugh all night long while feeding your inner beast, give this place a look see. The maître d' and wait staffs were Helpful, Friendly, Courteous and Kind, which I find rare in a busy restaurant these days. I wonder why they are the way they were?

Twenty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time Aug 21, 2011

Mt 16:13-20

....Jesus said to them, "But who do you say that I am?....

At the same time that Jesus was learning more about himself, so too were the disciples, including Peter. At today's Mass, Fr. Ted asked us to examine the previous day to ask if we were Christians in our thoughts and actions. A couple of weeks ago, I offered the Ignatian examen in case of need. I remind myself today of that examen and Fr. Ted's call.

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 2011

Let me introduce my sister, Kathleen Mary Doino, nee McCarthy and Kathy's sister, Mary Eileen Corbett. Both have the name Mary in common due to their birthdays, Aug 15 and 17, respectively.

So today's hope and prayer are for both Kate and Eileen to have great birthdays and have peace and joy in their lives.

God bless each of them.

"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb."

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Aug14,2011

A twist on the Sunday routine of blogging on today's readings, instead one of the hymns sung at Mass today, Come to the Water, by John Foley, SJ.

In the gospel reading, a Canaanite woman has the courage and temerity to ask Jesus to help her daughter who is being tormented by a demon. The lesson of the reading seems to be patience and fortitude, on the part of the woman. Jesus reinforces the message that God's love is for everyone. Back to the hymn, which has perhaps the simplest lyrics and the most beautiful message. Take a look and a listen and tell me your thoughts.

Goodbye and good luck

Recently, one of the Parochial Vicars at Sacred Heart parish in Yonkers was announced as leaving for a new assignment in Jamaica Plains, MA. Fr. Andrew Nowak and I had a few common events during his time at Sacred Heart, one involving the Secular Franciscans and an idea for an open conversation designed to enliven this group of faithful people. The second was a ongoing joint participation in the Spiritual Activities committee under the Sacred Heart parish council. I wish Fr. Andrew peace and contentment in his new assignment.

Catching Up

For a couple of reasons, today's is the first post in one week. Kathy and I were away until Wed p.m. thus we had to catch up on things at home for a couple of days. I went for a job interview on Fri and the experience plus the commute took more out of me than I expected, so it was a short day.

3rd floor renovation is virtually complete, one remaining saddle, some curtains for the hallway and we are done, photos are linked above in case you want to see the before and after, please note that taking photos of empty rooms was more difficult than I imagined.

One week holiday to Pittsburgh and D.C. was very enjoyable, the Pittsburgh Pirates failed to stop their losing streak, which should not take away from their 2011 achievements. D.C. was centered on visiting Owen, our youngest. We had a couple of meals with Owen and his girlfriend Caroline. The Red Sox beat the Yankees on Sunday night, we enjoyed hearing about Caroline's first steps in her MBA @ Georgetown University and one dinner in Georgetown near the C & O canal. Lots of miles driven, great weather and good friends and family.

The Holy Spirit was with us the entire way and also enjoyed the trip.

Mt 14:22-33

....“Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”

He said, “Come.” ....

Returning to a novel that rings with me, despite having read the book, more than 10 times, The Shack by William P. Young contains a scene where Mac and Jesus need to cross a lake, Jesus assures Mac that with God's help. Mac can join Jesus in walking across the lake. All goes well the first crossing and soon its time for the return crossing, Mac jumps the gun and starts across before Jesus is ready. Jesus laughs when Mac sinks to his knees in the shallow water and then adds, Wouldn't that be easier if we did it together?

Today's Gospel highlights the same faith point with Peter leaving the boat and Jesus chastising Peter, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

For me the lesson is simply, All things are possible with God.

O you of little faith, why do you doubt?

Mt 14:22-36 Thanks to Peter for reminding me that all things are possible with God and not so much by ourselves ;-)

A couple of decisions are pending that affect my life, none are being made in the timeframe I had in mind and that bothered me yesterday, duhhhhh

Today's reading is the reboot I needed and I pray that when God asks me to Come, I am able to follow.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam

A.M.D.G. as it is more commonly known by everyone slightly familiar with the Society of Jesus. Literally, to the greater glory of God. In honor of the feast day of Ignatius of Loyola today, instead of the usual Sunday reading, I will write more about my Jesuit education.

St. Francis Xavier High School, 30 West 16 St, New York, NY was the scene of my secondary education. The decision to attend Xavier was mine in so far as my decision agreed with my father. Previously I knew nothing of Jesuits as I had been raised in a diocesan grade school. Freshman year brought many new lessons, one of which was the practice of entering A.M.D.G on the top, center of each paper, test, quiz and homework I submitted. I studied Latin I among my other subjects and the phrase had been drilled into me early and often. One day I (and a number of my classmates) neglected to place the acronym on a quiz that Mr Finnegan ,who taught Freshman algebra, had given that day. He noticed, smiled and said nothing that day. The next day's period was taken with a lecture concerning AMDG. I never forgot to start the paper after Mr. Finnegan's lecture.

There were countless other Jesuit experiences while I was at Xavier, suffice is to say that the Jesuits changed the most introverted young boy into most of the man you know me as today.

The nest time you see me, as for a rendition of the Xavier fight song.

Seriously, the next major influence on my faith life were the Capuchins of Sacred Heart, to be continued....

Imagine

Explaining Christ within you to someone who does not believe, take a look at this video and spread Christ's love

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

As usual

1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12

Would that each of us, when asked for a single wish, seek the wisdom and understanding to place the needs of others ahead of our own.

America magazine

Harkening back to my Jesuit education and with the guidance that Kathy provides, we subscribe to this monthly publication. Among the features I like the most are:

• THE WORD which contributes to my weekly scripture study preparation
• OF MANY THINGS, the OP-ED section and it would be no secret that I agree with most of the Jesuit opinions
• ARTICLES, which obviously vary from month to month and present a fairly unbiased review of the topic

During the last two issues, social media and technology have been presented to help reach younger Catholics.

Usual Sunday

Rom 8:26-27

Romans Ch 8 speaks volumes about the Holy Spirit. Backtracking a bit,

16: The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,

26: In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.

27:And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God's will.

v27 spoke to me today for many reasons, here are three:

• Searching hearts, is a process of not accepting things at face value but instead seeing from a number of points of view
• Intention of the Spirit, is a matter of faith as well as understanding
• Intercedes according to God's will, this harkens back to my faith statement, an additional building block in my faith

Matthew 11:28-30

Very simply, this two verse passage from Matthew's gospel is what everyone wants but cannot figure out a way to make it happen.

28 "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.

29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves.

30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."

I learned from some my German friends, the art of looking at something 'the other way around' in other words, look at the reading from God's point of view.

Faith Statement

Since this blog is about a faith journey, here's my 5 mins.

I believe God knew me before I was born and knew everything that would happen in my life. I was also given free will. Regarding evolution, I believe God created the origins of life on Earth and watched life evolve from that point forward.

There are two things I am working on at this stage of my faith. First is this new conversation with the Holy Spirit and God's work in my life.

The second is making sure others know that God loves them, whether each person cares about that, is not important. I am driven to share the love that has been shared with me.

Religion and Civilization

I hope this is the beginning of an ongoing dialogue,

The June 2011 edition of the National Geographic magazine cover article prompted a question that I had never considered, Did civilization generate religion or vice versa?

The article posits that the Göbekli Tepe, (pronounced Guh-behk-LEE TEH-peh) dates from 11,600 years ago and the title of the article Birth of Religion sets the tone. I am interested in the above question as well as the historical, scholarly view as well as the faith-based view

Sacred Heart Yonkers Ministries

Today's post concerns something, which is difficult for people to start and near impossible for them to stop. Once you begin a ministry, you generally have no reason to cease. If you become either a Eucharistic Minister or Lector, some people express concern about being in the sanctuary or speaking in front of people, If you have experience with either (altar server or giving presentations) then these concerns are less prevalent.

Being an EM is one of the most personal experiences with God that I can think of. It's different than reading scripture or praying but a lot like volunteering your time with those in need. A smile comes to my face when I say, The Body (or Blood) of Christ, perhaps because I see God in the faces of the communicants.

I asked to become a Lector in order to expand my ministry, more than likely as a result of this faith Journey. The training I received in order to "proclaim" the readings was not only helpful in Church but in other presentations as well. 'Spooning' is the process of lifting your eyes near the end of a sentence or paragraph in order to make eye contact with the congregation. The rest of the training consisted of, ensuring that "proclaiming" does contain contain any theatrics. Simply read the words and proclaim.

If you have any questions about either ministry, ask me or see the parish office for more details.

Theology on Tap

The concept has been around for a while, drinks and a discussion about God, faith.

A few years ago, the NY archbishop, Timothy Dolan was the guest speaker at one of there events. My friend Alan and I went with some young friends from Citibank. We arrived early, anticipating a large crowd. By time the archbishop arrived, it was standing room only. His Grace spoke for a few minutes, then took questions which had been submitted earlier in the evening. http://www.totnyc.org/ is the NY archdiocese's ToT website.

In a less formal setting, here are some topics I would like to address with the guest speaker:

• Faith journey, would the speaker spend some time talking about their own journey and focus on some segment, in detail
• the American Catholic Church, what is the speaker's estimate of the ACC at this time, focusing on any specific the speaker chooses
• Adult Faith Formation, what experience does the speaker have to share?

Would anyone like to join me in an informal ToT?

Faiths of Abraham

Today's topic involves the three Abrahamic faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. A friend's daughter asked a question about Islam and the answer to her question was to bring representatives from the three faiths to Sacred Heart for a public conversation regarding their faiths. Imagine a rabbi, priest and imam speaking about a specific topic that each of the faith's share. For the first thirty minutes, each representative would speak for ten minutes each. For the last thirty minutes, the audience can ask questions for the representatives. The idea is to educate, share ideas and letting the audience discuss rather than argue or criticism what they do not understand.

Some background can be in two Vatican II documents, Dignitatus Humanae, and Nostra Aetate, each of which speaks about the other faiths. If you want to go back further than Vatican II, please review the Remonstrance of the Inhabitants of the Town of Flushing to Governor Stuyvesant, Dec 27,1657.

Sundays

For two simple reasons, the Sunday posts will reflect a Sunday reading and a thought.

Jul 3 I will reflect on Matthew 11:25-30, imagine a day where despair, frustration, insecurity and all the rest are no more because people give their burdens in exchange for Jesus's easy yoke.

Same sex marriage

Recently New York State passed a controversial law regarding same sex marriage.

Today's post is simply my opinion about the matter. I have friends who are gay and I would frame the matter as fundamentally about rights.

On the weekend we celebrate the Independence of our country from England, I thought about two of the earliest documents in our history, the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution, both of which lay out the rights & goals for the people of the U.S.

I hope that the same sex marriage law increases the rights for people in the state of N.Y.

church

Today's topic is the first of a recurring topic. I mentioned previously that my two sons, Dan and Owen, both enjoyed Jesuit secondary eductions. Yesterday Dan and I had lunch. Our conversations are eclectic, eventually the topic of this blog and a bit of our respective faiths came up.

A moment please,

The Roman Catholic Church is more than 2,000 years old, is based in Rome and is well known around the world.

The not so well known church of my faith consists of the people I study scriptures each week, the people who attend Mass, religious and most importantly, the people who never attend Mass, do not think about their faith and think that their lives are complete. If people only knew how much God loves them, they would realize how incomplete their lives really are.

Some have called me a "conversational terrorist", for the passion I have for speaking with people. Today I think this quality is an important part of my faith journey.

Having said all of this, my wish for today is for people to differentiate the Catholic Church and its churches from the people who form the heart of the church. Hear a small voice in a quiet moment. (More to come)

Jesuit education and faith journeys

The topic this day is in the nature of background material. One of the stops in my almost entirely Catholic eduction was Xavier High School, NY. The Jesuits are well known for their education talent. Both of our sons graduated from Fordham Prep and seem satisfied with their respective educations. If you need a lengthy introduction to the Jesuits, see attached
I want to say that part of the reason I am who I am, is due to the Jesuits. They first taught me the preeminent value of education. Secondly, I learned independence & critical thinking. Now that my faith journey is in "second gear" so to speak, I am also thinking about Ignatian spirituality and the Daily Examen , this is what the Holy Spirit and I discuss each and every day.

Families

Recently a lesson taught to me years ago was retaught in a couple if ways. Family support is incredibly important in my faith journey and my job search. My wife Kathy has been instrumental in both, a good friend GianniJet has been very supportive in both areas as well. Friends from various aspects of my life and career have been supportive in my job search.
Along the way, I have been absorbed into a number of loving famiies, the Corbetts, the Serios, the Doinos and the DiPaolos just to names a few. Each in their own way, taught me lessons about love, unselfishness and sharing.
A friend once described the Trinity as the Lover, the Beloved and God's Love for each of us, as God the Father, the Holy Spirit and Jesus. If you would like a fictional but very loving depiction of the Trinity, I would suggest reading
The Shack by William P Young.
What the Trinity means to me is the extent of God's love, in particular God's love shared with me each and every day. I am humbled to share that love with the families I belong to!

Job search

I was aware of the possibility that I would be leaving my last job more than nine months before it happened in Mar 2011. I decided during that time that I would give up control of my job search to the Holy Spirit. A word about my use of the word control, this does not mean that I do nothing for my job search, while waiting for the Holy Spirit to take care of it for me. Instead I discuss how I feel about the process, discuss action steps, review reactions to both good news and bad with the Holy Spirit. This is in stark contrast to my previous job search, in 2008.
At that time, I needed a job in the sense that I was in shock after being laid off for the first time in my career. This time, I do not worry (much) about when I will next find a job. My part of the process is to network (thanking all the people who are helping me, at each step in the process, provide my resume, interview, follow-up on interim dates and items. The Holy Spirit's role is to help me decide what will happen next.
A word from earlier on my life, when my first son was born healthy, I can still remember that God was watching over my growing family. My wife, Kathy and I, remark periodically how fortunate we have been throughout out our life together. When we needed something in our family, it always seemed to work out.
Two people in particular, in addition to Kathy, have been very involved in this job search, in providing contacts, supporting me periodically emotionally, etc.

First Post

This is meant to be a personal record, shared with anyone who wants to follow. The faith journey started in earnest when I started recording Masses for Sacred Heart, Yonkers. The journey continued when I started attending scripture study sessions each Saturday morning. The next steps were the millennial celebration in 2008 for St. Paul and the 800th anniversary for St. Francis in 2009. All of these events led me to believe that the Holy Spirit was guiding me in some direct way. I started listening with my heart and soul then began conversations withe the Holy Spirit which evolved into daily conversations. By conversation, I do not mean in the human manner but instead prayer and response. I hope this means something to each reader as the journey means everything to me.

Peace be with you.