A Week in South Florida

Jerry's Deli, South Beach, Florida. Pause, relax and enjoy the eats!

The Hud: restaurant in Siesta Key, Florida (the coast of Sarasota)

Inside The Hud

Ready to plunge!

Father Joe Stearns, the Pastor of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church in Siesta Key, Florida. Father Joe is a classmate of mine whom I had not seen in over 20 years.

St. Vincent de Paul Seminary in Boynton Beach, Florida. This is where I attended graduate school, Theology, for three years. Our seminarians attend this same school today.

A beautiful campus.

Boardwalk lined with Palms.

A hammock waiting to be used.

The Intracoastal Waterway behind St. Joseph Church Rectory

Father Juan Sosa, Pastor of St. Joseph Catholic Church, Miami Beach. Father Sosa is a classmate of mine and I had not seen him in over twenty years. It was about time.

Last day in Miami: downtown

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Art on local building.



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The Feast of the Epiphany

Many cultures celebrate "Little Christmas" on the Feast of the Epiphany. For them, this is the day of giving and receiving gifts.
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Reflecting on our celebration of the feast of the Nativity, Christmas:

+ + + some people will be thirlled by the gifts they received. Others may be disappointed. Some may feel that they were able to select just the right gifts for loved ones, others may feel that for one reason or another, the gifts they chose weren't received as they had hoped. And some of us are already worried about the "Ghost of Christmas Past", which will show up as bills in our mailboxes very soon. Our Scripture readings for this Sunday of the Feast of the Epiphany can help us put all the gift giving in context, since the greatest gift of all was offered by God whose Son came to dwell among us.

In reflecting on this:

+ What more can I do to bring light to darkness in my own spirit as well as the hearts and minds of those around me?

+ Epiphany is a kind of "second Christmas":
>>>What gifts do I have to offer?
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>>>How can I best use them?
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>>>Do I do everything I can to welcome people, just as the Magi from the East were welcomed at home of Jesus?





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Happy New Year: 2011

My wish for you this coming year:

An Irish Blessing: performed by "The Priests"


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++ if you wait for the space after the Irish Blessing you will see their live recording of
Pie Jesu (Merciful Jesus)
which is a motet taken from the Latin Requium Mass. ++

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