The Trinity

What a mystery!
El Greco's painting of the Most Holy Trinity is one way to consider this essential Catholic doctrine.
Another is to look at each of the Persons of the Trinity and reflect on their existence. In that respect, God the Father is our Abba, or Daddy. El Greco and others possibly do Him a disservice to have us envision Him as an old man. Abba is our Father but not necessarily an old man. He is the vibrant, eternal Being who wants us to know and share His innermost Being. He sent His Son to lead us to Him, and He desires us to know both Him and the Son.
One of my goals during the next 33 days of preparation for my total consecration to Jesus through Mary is to also have Jesus and Mary show me the Father. I want to know the innermost Being of the Father who has adopted me into His eternal family, into the Trinity.
I think it is so providential that I have been able to make such a fundamental transition in my life in order to plunge into service as an aspirant to the diaconate, unencumbered by the role I used to have as a public figure running a school. Being in a subsidiary role allows me to express more fully this dynamic development towards service and love of God than I have ever been able to do.
I can minister to more people in this fashion, and to offer deeper relationships to those I serve, even those individuals to whom I request money for DeLaSalle.
I believe that God is using my recent life changes to allow me to be more open to His grace, and to embrace that grace and to live it more openly, and to witness to His love for us, for me. What a blessing!
The Trinity brought this to mind for me, and so I wanted to share it with you. I know this is jumbled, but it is heartfelt!

Annual and Total Consecration

Today I begin my 33 day preparation for my annual total consecration to Jesus through the Blessed Mother.
That's a mouthful, isn't it?!
But it means so much to me, especially this year, as I have changed my life so dramatically to follow the Lord more deeply.
This total consecration was a practice revealed many years ago to a French priest, St. Louis Marie de Montford (pictured).
Some call it an archaic and outdated practice.
But it has had miraculous affects in my life, and has led me consistently deeper into the mystery of God's love for me and for all of us.

St. Gregory and the Perils of Administration

Today is the feast of St. Gregory the Great, an administrator in the Roman Empire, monk and then pope. While in the monastery, he was known for codifying monastic prayer and developing Gregorian chant.
But most interestingly, he was a prolific and engaging writer. He wrote of his frustrations with himself, and the problems he faced upon leaving monastic life for the papacy. He observed that he was consumed with the matters of administration. His mind was "divided and torn to pieces" by problems, he found that he let his "tongue run" and was drawn into "idle conversation" and talking "freely about matters which once I would have avoided. What once I found tedious I now enjoy."
Since leaving my administrative responsibilities, I resonate with these thoughtful observations of such an honest and holy man. I hope I did not lead too many people astray by my chatter and droning on about things when I ran DeLaSalle. It's been good for me to step back from what I once thought was so essential to my life, and to try to do things differently and with more love and purpose. I pray that God can lead me more deeply into loving service without focusing too much on myself.

Office Blessing

I was honored today that my pastor and KC housemate came down to Eleventh Street this morning to bless my office. Father Carlos Saligumba prayed that my work in my office would reflect God's glory and bring about much good. Amen!

Dogs, Chickens and Cats, Oh My!

Here are two of our four dogs, two of our twenty chickens, and none of our five cats. Yes, it's quite a menagerie in Mountain View, Hawaii!

Backyard Grotto

As soon as I got the backyard of our house in Hawaii cleared of brush and other objects, I took an older crucifix and placed it against a large rock. This crucifix will be there until our statue of St. Theresa of Liseaux arrives, and is placed in this grotto. Karol has a deep devotion to "The Little Flower" as St. Theresa is known. The nearby parish to which we belong in Mountain View is also named after St. Theresa!

New Haircut

As hot as it gets in KC, I need to keep my hair short and cool!