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.