Some years ago, I used to visit a house of hospitality run be a few nuns, to take a day away for reflection and prayer. They were nice and engaging people, and the space worked out well for me. After hearing more about my background and what I’ve been doing, they mentioned that they saw…
Last year, I finally met up with a friend I hadn’t been in contact with for over 12 years. They got in touch with me, and it was a very good surprise. We met up and caught up for a while. We ended up staying more in touch and catching up once in a while.…
The year 2000. That’s when things started to change for me in life. Starting with the spiritual life, the life inside of me. That’s when I began to notice things differently that happened to me in life. It seemed like every once in a while, something was being communicated to me. What was it? What…
Many years ago, I volunteered in the pastoral care department in a hospital in Boston, visiting patients. I would go sometimes on Saturday or Sunday, but then I started to get the idea of going to Sunday Mass in the shrine community that I was active in, and then going to the hospital straight from…
There is a saying here in Ecuador: “En boca cerrada, no entran moscas.” Flies don’t enter a closed mouth. It’s an inverse way of saying, “Loose lips sink ships,” or any of the other sayings against gossip. But do flies really enter an open mouth? Chontal has a sub-tropical climate, and during times near rain,…
One of the common questions I get is about the future. What are you going to be doing in a year? I often respond that I don’t know what I’ll be doing in a few months, never mind a year. A life with God is like that. If you want to keep the relationships fresh…
If you live in Boston, you might remember a certain incident that happened back in July on the Orange Line of the subway system. A train was passing across the train bridge over the Mystic River when the front car caught on fire. People broke through the windows to escape onto dangerous third-rail tracks. One…
Some months ago, I was looking for the theme music to Jurassic Park, and I came across a YouTuber who wrote their opinion about it. They broke down all the ways they think it’s actually worse than typical Spielberg movies. The music was too brassy. Well, I had had enough. I thought that Steven Spielberg…
I’ve spent about half of the last 10 years of my life in Ecuador. The other half, I’ve pretty much spent in Boston. Boston is where I was born and grew up. My parents’ house is still standing, although sold to a new family. When I’m back, I try to make it back for a…
When I’ve been in the community Chontal, I’ve been visiting a sick friend who lives up in the mountain. It’s about an hour walk, but only about 15-minute drive up the mountain, until you get to a footbridge over a river, where you have to park your car. After that, you walk up the remaining…
There’s a line in Matthew’s Gospel that has given comfort to countless people over the centuries. It’s when Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you…
A few months ago, I realized that money was leaving my miniscule bank account left and right. The balance was shrinking each week, and there was no money coming in. Working always in cash, I seemed to lose money every now and then, too. And then, when working with someone in the village, I got…
One of the young men in the hotel I’m staying at explained to me one day what drinking is like in Ecuador. First, as you start to drink, you listen to upbeat, happy music. As the alcohol begins to take effect, the music becomes more subdued and the mood more melancholic. Then, there are the…
In the hotel where I’m staying in Ecuador, there’s an extended family helping out in the management of it. One of the young men working there is very much still in the woman-seeking stage of life. But it’s a little complicated, because more than anything, he’s looking for a visa to the US, and a…
Five one hundredths of a degree. That’s how far I am from the equator right now. And that makes things a little strange at Christmas. There’s no cold or snow. And, unlike Boston where the winter days shorten by 3 whole hours, the daylength only extends and contracts by 1 minute and 1 second throughout…
ALM 