“The LORD God said: It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suited to him.” (Genesis 2:18) Since the second creation story, God created us for community. As Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas puts, the human person is a social and rational being. We do not live life in isolation, but in community with others. This past Sunday, I had the chance to join the Filipino community for a Mass celebrated by... Read more
This month has been a whirlwind, explaining why I haven’t posted in a while. Last week, I finished my time with the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving as a Senior Grants Associate to start a new job with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford as a Grant Writer. Parting ways with the foundation was difficult because I formed so many great relationships with people during my time there, just over two years. When I first started, it was quite... Read more
This past Sunday, I had the joy of being with the Lay Dominicans at Our Lady of Grace Monastery in Guilford, CT. I myself am discerning to be a Lay Dominican, currently in a temporary profession. Some of us were sitting outside the monastery grounds before a statue of St. Dominic. As we were engaged in study, I found myself reflecting on St. Dominic since his feast day (August 8th) was recent. I recall a particular quote that St. Dominic... Read more
The marathon event had a bit of a wait in the Olympics, being one of the last events. I wasn’t able to watch it, just catching the highlights on my phone when I woke up. To my surprise, I saw that Eliud Kipchoge dropped out of the race and had a DNF (did not finish). He’s hailed as one of the greater marathoners in the sport, but this past Saturday was not his day. Hard to say it was the... Read more
My wife and I purchased our first home in 2020 and moved in the week everything shutdown because of COVID-19. Talk about timing! Since then, we’ve embraced milestones in adulting: sharing a space together, getting married, learning to fix a home, cultivating routines, and creating family traditions. Along the way, we’ve learned a lot about ourselves individually and as a couple. As a Catholic husband and father, I’ve learned about myself through plants! Learning to Keep Things Simple One summer,... Read more
Earlier this week, I texted my older brother to see if he and his family attended the Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, IN. Lo and hold, I get a shower of texts with photos of him and the family (with five kids) at Lucas Oil Stadium gathered with 50,000 Catholics! What a sight to see! While I was not there in person, I was praying for them and everyone else from afar! The Eucharistic Congress came at a time when our... Read more
“Fathers are not born, but made. A man does not become a father simply by bringing a child into the world, but taking up the responsibility to care for that child, “ writes Pope Francis in Padris Corde. This gets at the heart of our four-part series. In part four, we’ll explore what it means to be a father in the shadows. A Father to Others When I was in the seminary, I had brief impressions of what being a... Read more
We’ve arrived at part three of the reflection series on Padris Corde (With a Father’s Heart). Here, I’d like to highlight creative courage and work. In my previous post, I talked about how embracing challenges forges us into men because we take responsibility for the outcome. After we’ve embraced a challenge, how do we navigate it? How do we navigate challenges in family life and in the workplace? Creative Courage In Padris Corde, Pope Francis speaks of creative courage. Creative... Read more
“It is what it is” is a phrase that I often come across during difficult exchanges, whether it be with family or coworkers. I understand, yet struggle with it. On one hand, it makes sense to acknowledge the situation and not read too much into it. On the other hand, it’s not the easiest thing to do. As we continue reflecting on Padris Corde (With a Father’s Heart), I’d like to explore two more great dimensions to St. Joseph, obedience... Read more
June is the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart. I have a deep devotion to the Sacred Heart, but this year I find myself rereading Pope Francis’s apostolic letter Padris Corde or “With a Father’s Heart, written on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of when St. Joseph was proclaimed patron of the Universal Church. Throughout this month, I will be doing a four-part series reflecting on Padris Corde and how it speaks to us Catholic men. Growing up, I... Read more
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