Last weekend I was passing through New York and was able to step out into Manhattan for the first time in about 20 years. I had a few hours to make my way around midtown and had my cellphone map working overtime. I had a list of sites to pass by with my backpack, including…
The human body is an amazing thing. Let’s just take the human eye, for example. The human eye receives light within it, and the surface inside of it – amazingly – can produce signals to send to the brain that give us shape and color. But here’s the crazy part – the image inside the…
I first went to Ecuador in 2010 for a few weeks. Then I returned to Boston. I went again in the same year for a few weeks, and then I returned to Boston. The next year, I always went again for a few weeks, and then returned to Boston. In 2012, I went for a…
I’m very glad and excited to share the news – today on the feast of St. Jerome – that I’ve published 3 books from the spiritual reflections at A Living Monstrance! After starting the work over 2 years ago, and with the assistance of others and a gradual effort, the three books – Flowers in…
I spent some years in pastoral care in a hospital, visiting patients. I also spent a number of years in nursing homes visiting patients. In all, it means that I visited a good number of people who were dying. One person I was visiting I already knew. In one visit, in a more intimate moment,…
A while ago I took a subway train I don’t normally take in order to meet with someone. My stop was the second to last one, and so I had some time on the train, which had plenty of open seats. I set my bag on the seat next to me, and began to read…
I am a part of a support group, that meets regularly. The first step in being a part of the group is to admit that you have a problem and that you need help. Then, you come to the meeting where there are others who have the same problem, and things go from there. I…
The last time I was in Ecuador, I had eyeglasses with silver frames. I was in a school with the little kids, and one of them tried on my glasses. Immediately, all the other kids began to laugh at him. “Grandpa! Grandpa!” they shouted. Then, of course, a girl had to try them on, and…
55? Red delicious apples. 65? Granny Smith apples. 133? Bananas. I can still remember the codes for the produce that I learned when I was a cashier at the local supermarket as a teen. Heartland was a low-end supermarket that brought people from all over the city to do their food shopping. I spent a…
A good news announcement will be coming soon about something I’ve been working on for months. It could be before the end of this month. Stay tuned! -Jerome PS, the reflection posts will continue as usual …
I grew up in a place called West Roxbury. It is technically a part of the city of Boston, but because it’s at the outer edge of the city, it’s really urban-suburban. And it has its quirks. If you want to find a bank in Boston, you will have no problem in West Roxbury. If…
I’ve been working part-time while back in Boston, helping out in a variety of ways in a rectory house and business office. One of the problems to address was to update and work out some bugs in the phone system. So, one day I decided to call the phone system people to see if they…
