Category: Spiritual

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La Posada



The resting place at the top of the mountain at Mt. Irenaeus. La Posada is one of my favorite places at Mt. Irenaeus although it has been many months since I hiked here. I decided to walk along the Mountain Road following brunch today. It was a great day to be in the woods. Everything really smells like fall and there were lots of chipmunks scurrying in front of me as I walked along the road. This hermitage is the most rustic at Mt. Irenaeus and the furthest from chapel and House of Peace. It was built in 1993 by Steve Andrews and an Amish fellow named Milt. There is a journal inside the hermitage and guests are invited to write a reflection. Today I read Steve Andrews’ reflection and it was very lovely. I’ve spent several nights here on many different occasions. As I walked along the Mountain Road I came to a fork in the trail. As I stood looking I thought of the words of a prayer that hangs in the House of Peace.

Grant me the ability to be alone.
May it be my custom to go outdoors each day.
Among the trees and grasses, among all growing things
And there may I be alone.
And enter into prayer
To talk with the one I belong to.

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Good and Evil

I came across this very good TED Talk by Phillip Zimbardo and it reminded me of the writings of both Thomas Merton and Thich Nhat Hanh. We all have within us the seeds of good and evil. Good and evil reside within us all. They are not external forces acting upon us.

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The king shall rejoice..

Psalm 63 is one of my favorites and my favorite version of it is in the King James Bible. The psalm was written by David when he was in the wilderness of Judah. These verses have been with me for two days now.

But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

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Garden at Mt. Irenaeus

Garden at Mt. Irenaeus

Tonight after work I drove nearly thirty miles to be part of a gathering of Partners in MInistry at Mt. Irenaeus. The mountain as we call it is one of my favorite spots. I almost blew this meeting off. In fact it was only Monday that I decided to come. I got there about 4:15, which was about forty-five minutes after the meeting had started. Fr. Dan asked me to reflect on a handout that included the Mountain’s mission and some thoughts of about the mission statement. As I sat and listened to the others share what this place and its form of ministry mean to them, I thought of my own path here. What was there about this place that continues to invite me back.

The garden is central to what brings me back here time and again and that is hospitality. At Mt. Irenaeus all are truly welcome. Christians of all stripes, Jews, Muslims, agnostics, atheists, all are welcome here. No one is asked to accept a particular theology. There is no proselytizing. Words and thoughts are shared, but central to it all is an overwhelming feeling of peace and hospitality. I think it’s what Jesus is really about.

The Eucharist followed our time of sharing and then it was down to the House for dinner. Each of us played a part in its preparation and mine was to help Br. Kevin Kriso, OFM collect lettuce, peas and beans from the garden. I joined two other guests and Br. Kevin and we gathered just enough for dinner. Tonight we all enjoyed a simple dinner and the company of many friends. Our meal was completed by a sumptuous blueberry dessert prepared by Fr. Dan Hurley, OFM. Dan Hurley is 88 years young and though he can no longer see well, he is able to contribute insight and culinary delights.

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Holy Peace


I took this picture as I was walking up the trail to Holy Peace Chapel at Mt. Irenaeus this morning. It was a beautiful morning and one of the nicest of the summer. Today’s readings were very meaningful for me. Psalm 63 was read after the first reading and it really embodied how I’ve been feeling lately. I almost walked out of Mass after I got there as I felt a bit low and troubled.

O God, you are my God– for you I long! For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts, Like a land parched, lifeless, and without water. So I look to you in the sanctuary to see your power and glory.
For your love is better than life; my lips offer you worship! I will bless you as long as I live; I will lift up my hands, calling on your name. My soul shall savor the rich banquet of praise, with joyous lips my mouth shall honor you! When I think of you upon my bed, through the night watches I will recall That you indeed are my help, and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy. My soul clings fast to you; your right hand upholds me.
But those who seek my life will come to ruin; they shall go down to the depths of the earth! They shall be handed over to the sword and become the prey of jackals! But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by the Lord shall exult, for the mouths of liars will be shut!

I stayed at Mass and this Psalm along with the blog about Paradox of Peace that came from the Merton Institute a couple of weeks ago stayed with me. After Mass and brunch I stopped and visited some Franciscan friends and then I drove north to Abbey of the Genesee. I spent Vespers and Compline with the community. I visited the store and bought Thomas Merton’s, “The Way of Chuang Tzu,” along with fruit cake and some Monks brownies for my friends. Between Vespers and Compline I went to the chapel and sat in silence inviting the presence of the Holy Spirit and seeking answers. Just before Compline while looking at one of Merton’s books in the store Brother Jerome approached and asked if I’d like to talk. I came here seeking answers today and the improbable coincidence of an invitation to talk by a monk I’d never visited with before floored me. I’m going back tomorrow and sit with Brother Jerome. Maybe his counsel is that voice of God that I’ve been seeking.

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Paradox of peace

I got this quote in today’s mail from the Merton Institute and it really resonated for me. The second sentence here is right on target.

Paradoxically, I have found peace because I have always been dissatisfied. My moments of depression and despair turn out to be renewals, new beginnings. If I were once to settle down and be satisfied with the surface of life, with its divisions and its clichés, it would be time to call in the undertaker. …So, then, this dissatisfaction which sometimes used to worry me and has certainly, I know, worried others, has helped me in fact to move freely and even gaily with the stream of life. My unspoken (or spoken) protests have kept me from clinging to what was already done with. When a thought is done, let go of it. When something has been written, publish it, and go on to something else. You may say the same thing again someday, on a deeper level. No one needs to have a compulsion to be utterly and perfectly “original” in every word he writes.

Thomas Merton. A Thomas Merton Reader. Thomas P. McDonnel, editor. New York: Doubleday, Inc., 1962:16

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Pass in Review

Division 290 Ship 11 enters

Friday Morning at 0900 the Pass in Review ceremony at Great Lakes Recruit Training Command began and after the preliminary review of colors and a short film about life in Boot Camp we got our first look at the graduates. My nephew’s unit, Division 290 Ship 11 was the first to come marching into the drill hall. They looked great. A sharp unit with crisp military bearing. For my nephew, Tom, the journey began on June 18, 2008 when he arrived at Great Lakes Recruit Training Command. Friday morning, August 15, 2008 it culminated with his shipmates as they passed in review.

As we drove onto Recruit Training Command through the Illinois Street entrance our car was inspected by Navy Police and then after our IDs were checked we were directed to a parking area. Driving across the parking area I exclaimed to my brother that we were on the grinder, as we called it then, that I had graduated from in October 1972. Once we were parked, we walked with hundreds of other parents and families to the drill hall for this momentous occasion in the lives of these the U.S. Navy’s newest sailors.

Much has changed in the years since I had been there. Only one building looked the same, the rest had been replaced with new construction. It was great to be back. I know all the parents and friends were filled with anticipation and the drill hall where we were eventually seated was full of families anxious to be reunited with loved ones. As each division entered the public address announcer stated the unit and so when to door rose and the announcement, “Division 290 Ship 11” rang from the speakers my heart began to beat a bit faster. I couldn’t find my nephew from among the crowd of shipmates that surrounded him. My nephew, Dan who was seated next to me was the first to spot his brother. I trained my Kodak even more and tried to capture these moments for history. God smiled on my efforts and I managed to get dozens of great shots of these brave young men and women who have answered the call to serve their country.

In all 967 new sailors graduated that morning. Being in the presence of so many brave young men and women filled with reverent awe and gratitude. I felt a sense of hope for the future of our country that I haven’t felt in a long time.

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It still fits

I got out one of my old white hats as I prepare to return to the Great Lakes, IL area tomorrow. It still fits and it’s in very good shape. I thought I’d bring the hat with me so that my nephews could see it. I had been looking for my old neckerchief that I wore with dress blues. I was going to give it to my nephew as a gift from an old sailor to a new one. Alas, I can’t find the neckerchief. I’ve got my dress blues, dress whites and a couple of white hats, but no neck gear. My Dad gave me his neckerchief from World War II after I got out of Boot Camp and I wore it on some occasions. I wanted my nephew Tom who passes in review on Friday to have a keepsake too.

Tom passes in review on the Feast of the Assumption. It’s a day that has meaning for Tom. He brought it up in a letter he sent me a few weeks back. There is something Marian about the Navy and Great Lakes. I’ve loved the color blue all my life and Friday I’ll be in one of the bluest places on earth. I’m going to get Tom a gift certificate to Starbucks. He said the chaplain said that God’s love is like a double chocolate chip frappucino and I think the chaplain might be right on the money. God bless Tom, his shipmates and the United States Navy.

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Mystery makes us humble

One day you may say, “I found God, I know him, he is so and so, he is there and there, he is in me, in creation, in the eucharist …” That is a day of disaster for you because you will have found your God, your own projection, so pitiful and small. These gods – these idols – in turn keep us pitiful and small. We would fight for them … They can be terrible … Mystery does not require defenders. Idols do. Mystery makes us humble.–Anthony De Mello, SJ.

I came across this quote in my reading tonight and it took me back to something that I had written on Thursday on “Merton and Me.”

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Lady of the Genesee

I began my day driving to nearby Olean to the Verizon Wireless store. I was returning one phone and exchanging it for another. When I finished it was 10:40 am and I thought with luck I can get to Mt. Irenaeus at least in time for communion.  I did better than that, I got there in time for the Gospel. The chapel was packed today with nearly 60 people, many who had come to celebrate a wedding, some to visit Fr. Dan Hurley, OFM who is aging and ageless. Hurles as he is affectionately known is 88 years old and still going strong. His eyesight is failing but not his vision, his heart nor his appeal to family and friends. Following Mass and a sumptuous bruch I made my way up through the Genesee River Valley to one of my other favorite spots in Western New York. I got to the Abbey of the Genesee in time for Vespers and Benediction. I love the adoration of the Eucharist, it is one of my favorite liturgical ceremonies and combined with vespers it was a beautiful way to spend part of my afternoon.  I used the camera of my new Blackberry Curve to take this lovely picture of Our Lady of the Genesee. I often stop to pray near this statue and today’s weather combined to make a beautiful picture. As I sat near the statue I thought of the Magnificat we’d just prayed as Vespers ended.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour;
he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed;
the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his name.
He has mercy on those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm
and has scattered the proud in their conceit,
Casting down the mighty from their thrones
and lifting up the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good thing
and sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the aid of his servant Israel,
to remember his promise of mercy,
The promise made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children for ever.