The morning in Rubiães was cool,sixteen degrees Celsius beneath a smiling sun.We began climbing with the Glorious Mysteries,our fingers wrapped around the rosary. We prayed as the road rose steeply,reciting, sweating and breathing heavily.The glory on our lips met the strain in our bodies,and prayer became as breathless as the climb. We barely held onContinue reading “Strong Enough to Remain Faithful”
Tag Archives: god
The Grace of the Pause
We left Ponte de Limaby crossing the old stone bridge.The rising sun stretched across the sky,while morning coolness settled over our bodies. Below us, the Rio Lima flowed peacefully,carrying yesterday’s weariness away.Its waters reminded me of the deeper journey:to follow the river of grace towards its Source. Some companions remained behind,their bodies asking for aContinue reading “The Grace of the Pause”
Bridge Over Aching Waters
I awoke in Barcelosto the crow of an imaginary rooster,calling me from sleepand back towards the cave of my heart. But pain had awakened before me.It waited inside my right knee,whispering that I should abandon the roadand separate myself from the group. Fear quickly became worry.Worry began drawing me towards desolation,where every difficulty appeared largerandContinue reading “Bridge Over Aching Waters”
Roosters at the Cave’s Entrance
“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek.”— commonly attributed to Joseph Campbell We travelled to Barcelosto begin our walk towards Santiago.After hearing the “Sound of Silence” on the banks of the Douro River,I knew the journey would ask more of me than just walking. In Porto, I had wondered whether IContinue reading “Roosters at the Cave’s Entrance”
God Clothed Me Again
I came ashore wearing dirty clothes of exhaustion,still carrying the salt and struggle of the deep ocean.I had fallen from the high horse of ministryand no longer felt fully present to myself.The retreat grounds seemed to know my conditionpatches of brown grass, uprooted trees, fallen dry coconuts,and a dry, crooked branch lying before the altar.“CanContinue reading “God Clothed Me Again”
The Gardener Has Not Left the Garden
A Reflection on My Thirty-Fourth Priestly Anniversary – June 28, 2026 On the morning of my thirty-fourth anniversary of priestly ordination, I intended to pray before the Blessed Sacrament. Instead, the Spirit gently drew me elsewhere. Rather than entering the chapel, I found myself sitting quietly in my garden, beside the grassy car park, sensingContinue reading “The Gardener Has Not Left the Garden”
Finding Humility in the Vastness of Creation
The chapel occupies only a small space within my home. My home, in turn, occupies only a small corner of the city. The city rests within the country. The country finds its place within the Caribbean basin. The Caribbean belongs to the Western Hemisphere. The hemisphere is but a portion of the Earth. Earth circlesContinue reading “Finding Humility in the Vastness of Creation”
Beyond the Reef
Vulnerability,Brené Brown says it’s uncertainty, risk, emotional exposure—but it feels to me like standing barefootat the edge of the sea,where the sand still remembers my nameand the water does not.Lately, the tides have changed.What once felt like a gentle shorelinenow asks me to swim—past the protective reef,past what is familiar,into waters that are deep, dark,andContinue reading “Beyond the Reef”
The Marriage of Christmas and Emmaus
Christmas is God’s greatest surprise:God steps onto the dusty and rugged road of our human journey.No longer distant—no longer mediated only by fire, cloud, angel, or law—God walks with us now in flesh and vulnerability,as companion, as Child, as Presence.For this mystery, the heavens themselves cannot remain silent:Gloria in excelsis Deo.And yet, so often, weContinue reading “The Marriage of Christmas and Emmaus”
I Am
I am—born and grown under the bright Caribbean sun,cradled in the warm, salt-sweet womb of the Caribbean Sea.Before my ancestors dreamed of freedom,God was already stirring the waters,brooding over chaos, whispering life into broken beginnings.The waves sang my lullaby before I knew my name,and the trade winds carried the stories of those who came beforeContinue reading “I Am”
