Fr. Bob's Corner

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Cognitive Daily reported a few years ago that there is probably much to be gained by learning to count one’s blessings. Of course, if you are constantly in the practice of focusing on what is missing or wrong, rather than on what you have and is right, this probably won’t be so easy. But, it is worth the effort, if preliminary research is correct. Read More.

New Year’s Eve and the Eve of the Feast of Mary the Mother of God is a great night to post one of my favourite Scottish Ballads. It was also a favourite of my grandfather who would often sing it at cèilidhs. Enjoy!

As we come to the end of one year and begin another, it is a time to let hope stir our hearts and minds, and give thanks for another New Year. Each moment, each hour, each day, each week, each month, and yes, each year is a blessing to be lived in gratefulness.

With hearts filled with gratitude let us begin 2011 asking God to inspire us in all that we can be, and all that we can do. May the Lord bless us and teach us to to celebrate life, and to live in love and peace.

May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. And, may the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace. (Book of Numbers)

Happy New Year 2011!

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.
One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.
At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water.
Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.
But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.
After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.
‘I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.’
The old woman smiled, ‘Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side?’
‘That’s because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.’
For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table.
Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.’
Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding.
You’ve just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.
SO, to all of my cracked pot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!

(Sent to me by a parishioner – author unknown)

I haven’t posted for a while for a variety of reasons: health, parish duties, and a sense of weariness from the many problems our church is  facing. As I meditated on this Sunday’s Gospel about the lost lamb, the lost coin, and the prodigal son – powerful parables that leave no doubt in my mind of God’s unconditional love for each and every one of us, I felt the comforting sense of the Lord’s presence and love in my life. Yet, I still tossed and turned after I went to bed, and found myself getting up and reviewing emails and then coming across a little article from a previously unknown Jesuit publication: Company Magazine.

Today is the Anniversary of 911. Lately we have been bombarded  by controversies about ground zero in New York. ( I don’t need to name them, you’ve probably heard most of them.) In the midst of all the rhetoric and arguing  there seems to be a total loss of the courageous outpouring of heroic love this tragic day released. In the midst of mayhem, death, fear, and even despair, there was a powerful message of hope and inspiration, as the people of New York and around the world responded. This little article (albeit vintage), “Amid the Ashes: An Ignatian Response to September’s Terror.” could  prove a partial anecdote to the weariness you might be feeling too. The world has definitely changed since that day – war, terror, religious bigotry, etc…. Yet, it is in the midst of darkness that the light becomes bright and stunning. David Nantais, SJ, a university minister for the College of Engineering and Science at the University of Detroit Mercy, was so inspired by the response of many of his Jesuit colleagues and friends that he wrote:

 “Men and Women for Others. We (Jesuit’s) say this so often that it can seem trite. But it was anything but following September 11. At Jesuit institutions all over the country love definitely showed itself as deeds. Whether working in the midst of the horror of Ground Zero, showing up to donate blood In Kansas City, or lighting a candle at a prayer vigil in Chicago, the true heart of Ignatius’s words were witnessed and felt.

Read his little article, it will help relieve some of the darkness of this present time: “Amid the Ashes: An Ignatian Response to September’s Terror,”

The recent tragedy in the Gulf of Mexico was a real reminder of all the beauty God has given to us to appreciate, benefit from, and look after. Here is a little video that a parishioner sent to me. It is indeed gorgeous and inspiring. The author, I believe, created It as a call to faith, and a reminder of our awesome responsibilities. LINK Make sure you have your speakers on to appreciate this inspiring video.