A star

A star
Broke the darkness
One night
Over 2000 years ago.
The light
Ushered in the arrival
Of God’s Son,
God’s love
For everyone.
He came
Despite the darkness
Of our sin.
He came
To set us free
And show us
How to live.
He came,
And we
Are forever changed.

Have a blessed Christmas!

Tribute to Heroes

Folks along the River Road are working hard building this year's bonfires. There is a truck and a tugboat. A few miles up river from those, there is a blackhawk helicopter. I don't know the reason why this bonfire was built in the shape of a blackhawk helicopter. But, I believe it was built as a fitting tribute to our military men and women. ...For our military men and women serving in the Middle East. ....And for the heroes and heroines of Hurricane Katrina. These are the men and women of the Coast Guard and National Guard. They rescued so many people in the aftermath of the hurricane. So many from New Orleans and St. Bernard parishes are alive today because of their heroic rescues. Hovering helicopters overhead must have been a wondrous sight for those who were stranded on rooftops.

Thinking back to the days right after the storm, there were so many helicopters flying overhead. We almost became accustomed to their presence. We eventually could identify the type of helicopter by their distinctive sound.

I pray for those heroes and those heroines who rescued so many. The people whom they rescued will live another day and live to celebrate another Christmas with their families. And, I pray for the men and women who are fighting in a war on foreign soil. I pray that they will come home soon to be welcomed by the loving embrace of family and friends.

That time of year

Silhouetted hawks stand sentinel gazing at sugar cane fields below. Sugarcane trucks go whizzing up and down the River Road. Night begins earlier with sunlight dwindling around 4:30 pm. Cold fronts bring frost blankets that settle on rooftops and lawns. It is late fall in my part of the world, St James Parish in southeast Louisiana. Winter is just a few weeks away. Christmas is almost here, too.

A part of Christmas for folks in my area is a ritual that has been around for decades. The ritual and family tradition of building bonfires on the levee along the River Road brings young and old together. Weaved into each bonfire structure are sacred family stories of shared time working together. The task of sawing, chopping, hauling and building is a labor of love for family and friends. This custom is culminated on Christmas Eve when all bonfires are lit at 7PM. The levee is outlined by fires equally spaced for several miles. The same family and friends who worked so hard constructing the bonfires gather around the fires, share gumbo and welcome visiting relatives and friends.

Reflecting on this custom, I see God in the middle of all of these gatherings. I see God strengthening relationships when family and friends gather to work and to celebrate this Christmas bonfire tradition.

May God and God’s son, Jesus be at the center of your Christmas gathering.
Merry Christmas!

The analogy of the path

Life is a journey to God. It is a journey even for those folks who do not believe. They are just one conversion moment away from faith. If you don't believe me, check out Paul's story in Acts (chapter 9).

Pardon my digression. Where was I? Oh yes, life is a journey. The path of that journey is filled with twists and turns as well as hills and valleys.

There are wonderful discoveries along the way. There are dangers lurking in the shadows.

Sometimes, we walk the journey alone. Other times, we journey to God together with family or a friend or a spouse.

I believe the important thing to do is to take care of those who journey with me. That is my obligation of Christian baptism.

May your journey be filled with sunshine and love.

As the sun sets over the small community of Grand Point, Louisiana, I count my blessings. My family members are safe. We made it through Hurricane Katrina.
I am still trying to find some of my friends from New Orleans.
I pray that God is keeping them safe. Please pray for us as we clean up and re build.

Counting blessings

Many years ago, a wise person once told me, "count your blessings--that will always make you feel better."
So in the style of Letterman, here are my top 10 blessings for today:
10. Waking up to a new morning.
9. Having a job to go to.
8. Having a vehicle to drive to work in
7. Having decent, kind and thoughtful people to work with and for.
6. a roof over my head
5. the beauty of the Earth
4. the means and ability to attend Loyola's Institue for Ministry program
3. friends
2. family
1. God's love, Jesus' example and the Spirit's inspiration and guidance.

There. I'm feeling better.
Count your blessings so you can feel better, too.

Discovery is Home

I watched with great joy and relief as Space Shuttle Discovery landed in southern California. Commander Eileen Collins performed a beautiful landing lightly touching down Discovery at 7:10 CDT.

As Discovery glided through the atmosphere, infrared cameras captured the outline of the shuttle as it emerged from its burning-reentry. I watched in amazement the white outline of the very hot underside of Discovery. Commander Eileen Collins performed a series of S-manuevers to slow the velocity of Discovery. As Discovery banked the last time and lined up with the runway, the tip of the nose cone was a white dot indicating its hot encounter with the atmosphere.

As I watched the landing gear deploy and Discovery touching down, I lifted a prayer of thanksgiving that the 7-member crew arrived safe and sound. I heard the NASA announcer say, "Discovery is home."

Coming home is a wonderful experience. Feelings of joy swim in the heart with anticipation of seeing family and loved ones. For the crew of Discovery, I suspect coming home took on new meaning especially in the shadow of Columbia's catastrophic trip home two and a half years ago.

I believe God has blessed us with the intellect and innovation of technology. When we use this new technology in ways like space exploration, we help to improve humankind.

We have greatly benefited from space exploration. Perhaps the greatest and most unlikely discovery to come from space exploration is how we have learned to work together. Together, many different nations built a space station. We put away our differences and came together to study, to learn and to innovate so that we could explore Earth from the fringes of our atmosphere. In and through that exploration, we endeavor to help humankind. Nations who once were enemies now share living quarters in Earth's orbit.

Let us thank God for the safe return of the Discovery crew. Let us prayerfully remember the crew of Columbia and all men and women who sacrificed to advance our technology that we might improve life on Planet Earth.

Family

Have you experienced a family reunion lately? Has it been many years since you have seen some members of your family?

I experienced a family reunion yesterday in the small community of Mt. Airy, LA. Two uncles, eleven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren gathered at my maternal grandparents home. Though family attendance was not one-hundred percent, our combinded group of thirty plus two dogs shared plently of good food and fun.

Family members from New Hampshire impressed the rest with yummy BBQ cuisine. While I shared my discovery of yummy crawfish cornbread dressing with all. It was great to hear questions about my crawfish cornbread delight from family members who think that I cannot cook.

Though it is true that I am somewhat cooking-challenged, I can bake food from the frozen section of the grocery store.

I enjoyed the eucharistic family celebration. It was the second time we were able to get together since my mama went to her eternal reward last November. I found great consolation in the shared conversation and laughter.

Our family has experienced much loss, but we have found much support from each other. We have had a mixed share of happiness and grief. I thank God for my family. I have been blessed by each one of their smiles.