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  Thursday – 8 th Week of Ordinary Time Gospel – Mark 10:46-52 The Deacon’s New Clothes Ordination Vesting 11 years ago last week I was ordained a Permanent Deacon.   Part of the Rite of Ordination included Investiture where I put on the stole and dalmatic of a deacon for the first time.   I was assisted in this vesting ceremony by my wife Ginger and my pastor and friend Father Neil. Needless to say it was an emotional and profound moment where symbolically I left behind my life as a lay person and put on my ‘new clothes’, my new ministry as a member of the clergy. Something similar seems to be happening in today’s Gospel.   Bartimaeus, a blind man, is sitting along the road outside Jericho begging for a few coins.   He hears that Jesus is coming and he cannot contain his excitement.   People try to quiet him down but to no avail.   He keeps shouting for Jesus.   “Have pity on me.”   When Jesus calls to him, Bartimaeus immediately ge...
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  Wednesday – 8 th Week in Ordinary Time Gospel – Mark 10:32-45 Sacrifice – Part 2 Sitting in the Pew Heading back to Chicago tomorrow for 8 th grade graduation at St. Robert’s!   I’ve known many of these kids since they were in kindergarten; many of them I trained as altar servers way back in 4 th grade.   So very proud of all their accomplishments, so full of hope for their future!   It brings back so many fond memories – all the prep work for those server trainings, all the practice sessions, the nervousness during their first Masses, all those service projects, ice cream handouts, pizza parties, celebrating Christmas by decorating the church for the holidays.   So much time and effort!   So many hours of planning and prep work!   All that sacrifice! And I’m not talking about me !!   I’m talking about Ginger!   All her sacrifice!   All the times she sat in the pew alone!   All those evenings when I was away at church ...
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  Tuesday – St. Philip Neri Gospel – Mark 10:28-31 Sacrifice! Dad My Dad began working in a little country store at the age of 16 and retired from that same store over 50 years later.   It was part gas station, part ice cream stand, part deli and liquor store, post office, supermarket and local gathering spot.   After hours, it was also home for a long string of brotherly games of poker.   During all those 50 some years, my Dad ran the store on his own, hardly ever took a vacation, and worked roughly from 5 in the morning to 10 at night, at least 6 days a week.   During the school year we basically say him only at dinnertime for about an hour.   In the last 10 years of the store’s existence, he was also doing double-duty as the postmaster.   And yet in spite of all the hardships, somehow out of that tiny little store, he managed to put all four of his children through high school and college.   I have yet to figure out how he managed to ac...
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