Magnificat Talk Palm Desert

I have been asked to talk for an hour today, at least 45 minutes. I don’t know if I can, if I even know myself well enough to do so. I am anxiuous to speak about my Lord. He is far more interesting.

Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. 7 Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Php 4:6–7.

And as I had written on my priest card: Philippians 1:18 “What difference does it make, as long as in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is being proclaimed? And in that I rejoice. Indeed I shall continue to rejoice,”

brief intro about myself and my love for Christ and following the Saints.

Uncle Doug

Growing up as a Catholic.

My mom said once.

Done with baseball studying for the CPA exam. Grant desme.

Movement of the Holy Spirit

“Do you want to be a priest?”

Arguing about why priests should get married.

My sisters graduation at USF

I want to be a Jesuit, or a CPA at a big four firm, or promoted, or an IRS/FBI agent.

Trip to Guatemala

El señor negro

Your vocation is about to get tough, pray.

Accused of being gay. Not decided yet on vocation. Take an extra year.

After seminary

Read the letter that fr dave wrote dad.

Live Nazareth

30 day retreat

The words of st Anthony of Padua at ordination of Dominicans:

He was asked to preach because the Dominican preacher couldn’t arrive. “They are holy, but they don’t have learning.”

“I have a question to ask you, why have you come here, why are you in your best clothes, why all the incense?

To celebrate these men who hae embraced Christ’s cross and have promised to help him carry it. They have reached this moment coming from different and difficult paths dfollowing the light which illuminates the darkness of night, the light of Divine Providence. It is written that the Lord is the light. Each one of us dreams of Him at night and looks for him in the morning, these young men have done this. This is what the men who consecrate themselves to God do. They abandon the woman they love, forget their friends, they disappoint their father and abandon their mother. They say goodby to pride, wealth, comforts, homeland, yet they are not alone, no longer alone, wherever they go, they take with them their loved one, their friends, their mother, their father and their homeland because Christ is home and peace, adventure and tranquility, because the questions are infinite, but there is only one answer, our Lord Jesus Christ.”

And that’s what people say about the diocesan priesthood. Here they are, neither holy nor learned… But we’re just men following our Lord, staying home, because home is where shepherds are needed.

St Martha’s