Greetings!

     This was the word that I used to begin this journey of sharing my thoughts on priesthood by using this blog: "Journey Thoughts".  That was on March 11, 2011 - almost eight years and eight months ago.  Since that time I have posted 1,139 times and as of the last count have witnessed 152,183 pageviews during that time period. My postings of late have been few and far between, and I believe that there are two reasons for this gap.  I'll share those in a moment.

     I have contemplated bringing "Journey Thoughts" to its completion, not because I have lost interest, but because of the remorse I feel at not being faithful to publishing my thoughts and feelings.  But every time I "make up my mind", I suffer regrets and am not ready to let go.  So, I begin today's post with the same word … GREETINGS!

     I mentioned that two things occurred in my life that have created a block to my creative spirit.  The first of these was retirement from active ministry as a pastor which occurred in July of 2017.  A priests' life in retirement, while not boring, is very different than it was in active ministry.  Your experiences are greatly lessened even though your doctors' appointments seem to increase as the years go on.

     The second factor that has affected my posts is the child sexual abuse scandal by priests that has rocked the Church.  Being a priest, albeit a retired priest, in this day and age is a challenge that covers a wide range of emotions.  There have been many days when I wanted to sit at the computer and type out my thoughts, but those thoughts were so scattered and caught up in varying emotions that it was hard to make sense of them.  Add to that putting my thoughts to written form may not be the most prudent in this crazy world in which we live.

     I hope to endeavor to do so and to make sense of my roller coaster of emotions and spiritual anguish.

     For now, as we begin this month of November, we began with the Feast of All Saints.  I shared with the men at Neumann House (our retirement residence) at Mass that morning that the day was not only a celebration of our spiritual heros and heroines who the Church has recognized as saints.  Celebrating their lived expression of holiness would be enough to inspire us and lift our spirits.

     But the Feast of All Saints is also about us ... about the universal Call to Holiness that we received in the waters of Baptism and have fleshed out over the years with the power and grace of the Holy Spirit.  It is less about setting our vision on achieving the goal of holiness by the end of our lives and more about acknowledging Jesus and walking with him on this life's journey.  Holiness is not about the end of our life ... it is about this moment in our lives.  And all of us, who begin our journey with nothing, as sinners on our knees before a just and merciful God, are, like Zacchaeus of last Sunday's Gospel, invited by Jesus to come down and open our homes ... to open our lives to him, for he desires to dine with us.  He chooses us ... he blesses us ... he embraces us with his love.  And that brings us holiness, the sanctity of the Divine transforming the human and helping us realize that we are made "in the image and likeness" of God.