Blessed is the Kingdom

–1–

For real country sausage, the best you ever tried, pick up a pound or two of Tennessee Pride!

This has been the song stuck in my head all week long. It started with a search for Jimbo Whaley’s cover of a Journey song that I heard him perform a few months back. What I had forgotten was that he also recorded the Tennessee Pride theme song.

–2–

The news in Haiti has loomed large in my mind this past week, as I am certain it has for most of the world. It is really hard to imagine things being worse there than they already were. Many Catholics in Tennessee feel as special closeness to the Haitian people due to a longstanding Parish Twinning project that many parishes are involved in. The twinning program has given me the opportunity to visit Haiti twice. I was happy to learn from Jude Jean that in Boucan Carre most everyone was fine, but that many had lost relatives who lived in Port au Prince.

I still remember how hot it was in Haiti on my first visit and the frustration of not being able to speak the language. Then I found a guitar in the house where we were staying and several of us took turns sharing songs and playing the drum. It taught me that communication is not always about words. May our actions communicate to the Haitian people our love and concern for them in this time of need.

–3–

Many people are focusing their prayers in a special way this month on the sanctity of all human life. I came across this picture from my seminary days. Fr. John O’Neill and I both look a bit younger in the photo!

–4–

Elizabeth Esther is hosting an online book discussion on Thomas Howard’s Evangelical Is Not Enough that begins next week. I began reading the book last week and am very much looking forward to the discussion. When reading the list of his heroes in the front of the book, I came across quite a few of mine as well. Thanks for the recommendation Elizabeth!

–5–

Last weekend’s Search retreat went very well, but it certainly wore me out. I was tired for several days afterward. It was a great reminder of the power we have as Christians to build one another up through prayer and encouragement. This week following has also shown me the importance of taking time for rest.

–6–

Here’s hoping the weather continues the warming trend we have been seeing here in Tennessee. The hills seem to be calling me to strap some extra weight to my body and go for a little walk in the woods. I’m also praying for more rain as I need to do some experimenting with a tarp before committing to an idea we have that would involve leaving behind our tent.

–7–

Yesterday a surprising email arrived in my mailbox with a request from Bishop Stika that I share my reflections on priesthood with our presbyterate this coming Monday. We began this tradition of having a few priests who are celebrating milestone anniversaries speak to the group as a whole last year and it is an honor to have been asked.

I am not yet certain what I will say in the few minutes allowed to me, but it will most likely be along the lines of this reflection written last year entitled, Take this heart…

Tags: abortion, backpacking, books, Boucan Carre, Elizabeth Esther, Fr. John O'Neill, Haiti, hiking, Jimbo Whaley, journey, life, Parish Twinning Program, priesthood, Quick Takes, rest, sausage, SEARCH, Search for Christian Maturity, tarps, Tennessee, Tennessee Pride, Thomas Howard, vocations

This entry was posted by Fr. Christian Mathis on Friday, January 22nd, 2010 at 12:56 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.