100 Thanks 2024

 100 Thanks 2024

1.     The altar of sacrifice where I bring my people closer to the heaven

2.     The confessional where I get to free my people from the chains of sin

3.     Those sacred 10 minutes or so every week where I preach the Sunday homily

4.     The nerves I still get before every Mass after 22 years of priesthood

5.     When the choir lifts our souls to heaven

6.     When the people actually sing

7.     A church full of people and full of children and young families

8.     The joyful chaos of the children’s collection as Christ’s little ones approach his altar

9.     The sound the children make

10.  The stillness and quiet of an empty church

11.  The dozens of “good morning” greetings that I get walking to school

12.  First graders holding up THE U sign

13.  8^th grade Thanksgiving lists

14.  Reading all of them and compiling a collective list

15.  20 years of doing this divine exercise with my kids

16.  Teachers and the sacrifices they make every day

17.  Teacher Appreciation Week

18.  Room Moms 

19.  Full School Open Houses (more like bursting at the seams)

20.  The happy problem of having too many families wanting to enter our school

21.  That Mass attendance has shot up

22.  That our gym was finally approved by the Board of Architects (I think…)

23.  That the Carmelite Sisters pray for me every single day

24.  Their Mother House in Alhambra, California

25.  Visiting Los Angeles for the first time

26.  That I don’t get what the big deal is about In N Out Burger (It’s like my Lil Sebastian)

27.  The majestic Pacific Ocean which always leaves me speechless

28.  Waking up to a 61-degree morning in August with no humidity

29.  Air Conditioners that work

30.  Snow during the March for Life in D.C.

31.  Snowball fights with my favorite people after the March

32.  The crab cakes at Clyde’s

33.  That Amendment 4 was defeated

34.  Using a sledgehammer to demolish something (both therapeutic and an incredible workout)

35.  City of Miami Fire Rescue

36.  Being their chaplain

37.  Washing feet

38.  The Holy Thursday Altar of Repose and all its visitors 

39.  When my kids start having kids (and there were a whole lot of them this year)

40.  When I get to baptize them 

41.  When their kids start receiving their First Communion

42.  “Mass should be your excuse for missing everything else.”

43.  8^th grade reunions

44.  Finally walking across the top of the arched breezeway (shhh)

45.  Granada golf course

46.  That crazy birdie on the 3^rd and later in the year on the 4^th

47.  The Wizard of Oz

48.  “There’s No Place Like Home.”

49.  The Wicked Movie

50.  “Everyone deserves a chance to fly”

51.  Those last 15 minutes

52.  Karaoke Nights

53.  “Oh that voice…”

54.  Diamond Dog movie nights

55.  That Ted Lasso is coming back (maybe?)

56.  “Be a goldfish”

57.  "Guys have underestimated me my entire life. And for years, I never understood why. It used to really bother me. But then one day, I was driving my little boy to school, and I saw this quote by Walt Whitman, and it was painted on the wall there. It said, 'Be curious, not judgmental.' I like that."

58.  “Don’t you dare settle for `fine’. You deserve someone who makes you feel like you’ve been struck by lightning,”

59.  The West Wing Thanksgiving episodes

60.  Pilgrim detectives!

61.  “I'm just sayin', we've been working hard and we'd prefer to watch football rather than listen to a history of the yam in Latin.”

62.  “Butterball has a hotline? God I’m sorry, I love my country.”

63.  Friends Thanksgiving Episodes

64.  “Custard? Good. Jam? Good. Meat? Good."

65.  "My Two Greatest Enemies: Rachel Green And Complex Carbohydrates."

66.  Reggie’s redemption! 🫡 

67.  That my oldest nephew graduated from Belen Jesuit

68.  That he got to go away to college

69.  Rediscovering the joys of going on a cruise

70.  Sitting on the balcony of your stateroom with the moon perfectly reflecting off a calm sea

71.  Praying the Divine Office on that balcony

72.  Seeing the coast of Cuba on the horizon and hoping, praying

73.  Finding that beautiful little church in Curacao right near the beach and kneeling before the Blessed Sacrament

74.  Off roading in Aruba

75.  Jumping off a cliff!

76.  Driving around Bonaire in an ATV with very precious cargo

77.  Silent disco

78.  That one martini bar

79.  Traveling with extended family and enriching our friendship 

80.  Sunsets in the Florida Keys

81.  Breakfast in hole in the wall diners in the Florida Keys

82.  The unexpected gathering of my home parish for a funeral Mass…a flashback to the 90s

83.  Going to the World Series in the Bronx

84.  Roll call in the right field bleachers and getting drenched by beer after an Aaron Judge home run

85.  Any sandwich in any deli in New York City

86.  The Florida Panthers hoisting the Stanley Cup

87.  The Miami Dolphins frustrating me to no end, but what else is new?

88.  Cam Ward and the 2024 Canes

89.  Satisfied reunions when everyone is there

90.  Family happy hours

91.  Negative cancer diagnoses 

92.  Kids that know me way too well and aren’t afraid to get in my face

93.  For the gift of my family spiritual director who was called home to God this year. Well done, good and faithful servant 

94.  Old friendships that endure time and distance 

95.  Random, out of the blue phone calls I receive to share good news

96.  The lists I make specifically for others 

97.  My parish family that challenges me everyday to be holy priest

98.  My actual family that love me unconditionally (mom, dad, sister, brother in-law, nephews)

99.  That I get to spend Thanksgiving with them

100.                 That I get to wake up every morning and be the pastor of the Church of the Little Flower and share my priesthood with the people of God

100 Thanks 2023

 100 Thanks 2023

1. “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.”

2. “It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.”

3. The Eucharist

4. Frequent Confession

5. God’s abundant and generous mercy

6. God’s divine patience 

7. The gift of the priesthood

8. My brother priests

9. Confessors

10. Holy wisdom from others (and praying that I may dispense some too)

11. Last call in the rectory chapel before I retire for the night

12. Prayers from Carmelite Sisters who love their priests

13. My mom’s daily rosary and her Holy Hours

14. My dad’s (almost) daily therapy by the shoreline at sunrise with a fishing rod

15. My sister’s daily heroism managing her house full of boys

16. My oldest nephew’s last year of high school and his almost perfect report card

17. My middle nephew putting on the same football uniform his uncle wore

18. My youngest nephew becoming more obsessed with football than I am and taking losses harder than I do

19. My brother in law’s patience and peaceful presence

20. All my many cousins who keep me quite busy (seriously, I can open up a small parish to serve the needs of just my extended family with all their baptisms and weddings)

21. Happy Hours with the cousins 

22. That one random cousin who is always missing that prevents us from taking a good family picture

23. Thanksgiving dinner at my parent’s house where turkey is a side dish

24. Dad’s mashed potatoes (and there are many people who are thankful for those)

25. My sister’s stuffing (she really makes it for me!)

26. Anis del Mono

27. Pies! (not pumpkin though)

28. That unexpected whole cooked turkey the priests get every year 

29. Noche Buena (been far too long since we roasted an entire pig)

30. The Children’s Christmas Vigil Mass and how packed it gets

31. How I somehow make it through Midnight Mass

32. Christmas morning Solemn Mass with the Sisters at the convent

33. Full church on a Sunday morning/evening

34. Casual New Year’s Eve get togethers looking at the Biltmore fireworks at Midnight

35. Karaoke nights and that unexpected person who surprises you with their musical chops

36. 4th of July on the golf course

37. Any time I have time to actually be on a golf course

38. The 6th hole on the Red Course (not to be confused with the 6th hole on Granada, ugh)

39. The 12th hole at Deering Bay

40. My first birdie ever this year, and how long that putt was too!

41. My dedicated and hardworking parish staff

42. The heroism and selflessness of the teachers at my school and all teachers for that matter

43. For my 8th graders’ Thanksgiving lists

44. “My challenges because it reminds me a small part of Jesus’ suffering.” (written by an 8th grader)

45. For those kids who appreciate good music and movies that are well before their time

46. For that one kid who wrote down “The 1949 Classic `Who’s on First?’ Skit” 

47. For musical theater especially the shows put on by my school kids! 

48. For the times my sister and I can actually attend the theater

49. Seeing Wicked for the second time and screaming “Again! Again!” after Defying Gravity brings the first act to a heart-stopping close! (“It’s meeeeeeeeee!”)

50. For my big screen TV and the short turnaround film have from movies theaters to digital that allow me to skip the movie theater experience (which I used to cherish) and avoid the now 25 minutes of trailers that I’ve already seen

51. For The Greatest Show on Surf: Starring a Cheetah and a Penguin!

52. For our head football coach who is unapologetically himself

53. That its Thanksgiving and we’re in first place and talking deep playoff runs and not draft

54. For the slow but steady progress of the University of Miami football team

55. For the magical run of Canes Hoops to the Final Four. Still don’t believe we made it that far and dared to dream of being on “One Shining Moment”

56. That we’ve become a basketball school?

57. The simple purity of a baseball game at Mark Light Stadium

58. The Marlins surprisingly great year with a, albeit brief, postseason stint

59. Jimmy being Jimmy and willing us to the NBA Finals #Heatin5

60. Attending my first NBA Finals game (and wishing there were more actual diehard fans in the arena than corporate shells)

61. The generous soul who took me to that NBA Finals game and the WBC Finals

62. Seeing Ohtani pitch to Trout in person (an electrifying baseball moment)

63. Messi coming to Miami (well, Fort Lauderdale) and winning a trophy for Inter

64. Caring about soccer during a year without a World Cup

65. Remembering how great a deep Stanley Cup Playoff run is

66. The Florida Panthers and one Matthew Tkachuk 

67. Our collective dominance against every Boston team this past year

68. Visiting Fenway Park for the first time (and seeing Yankees-Red Sox in person for the first time too!)

69. Lobster Rolls in New England

70. My newfound love for mechanical action organs

71. Architects and lawyers and project managers that allow me to be a priest

72. A “Chief of Staff” who takes stuff off my desk so I can be a priest

73. Monday mornings at 9am

74. Festivus Dinners

75. Stare downs and slam dunks during the children’s collection

76. PreK Thanksgiving celebrations and the big plates that accompany them

77. The “Mr. Turkey” song and its brilliance

78. Old Cuban sayings and idioms

79. Friends who have pools in their backyards or basically any friends who live by the water 

80. Memorial Day Weekend Pool Parties

81. Movie Nights where I educate the youth on what cinema truly is!

82. Our yearly viewing of “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”

83. “If I woke up tomorrow with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn’t be more surprised than I am right now.”

84. Speaking of surprises: the joyous surprise of when my kids (who aren’t kids anymore) tell me they’re having kids of their own

85. When I get to baptize those babies

86. An abundance of Catechumens this year

87. The Gloria at the Easter Vigil

88. The Little Way

89. Visiting Lisieux for the first time (and Paris and Normandy and Mont-Saint-Michel and San Sebastian and Madrid and Avila) plus ten more travel thanks:

    a. Beholding the Cathedral of Notre Dame for the first time and knowing a majestic church is being heroically rebuilt

    b. Getting to celebrate Mass by the tomb of the parents of St. Therese and visiting her convent

    c. Carrying her relics which were the same ones that had just visited the Pope and were in my parish 24 years ago

    d. The overwhelming emotion of standing on the sacred beaches of Normandy 

    e. Being awestruck by the splendor of Mont-Saint-Michel and celebrating Mass in an 8th century church there

    f. The purifying visit to Lourdes (and discovering an incredible Italian restaurant there)

    g. The gem that is San Sebastián and its bay and pinchos 

    h. El Hotel Londres in San Sebastián and that corner “office” with a view of one of the most perfect sunsets in the world (on the water framed by two mountains)

    i. Finally visiting Madrid and eating several lunches and dinners every day

        i. Cooking my own meat at El Buey

        ii. Tintos de verano 

    j. Unexpected surprises in Avila walking in the footsteps of a mystic and the private guided tour away from tourists with new friends 

90. Offering the Divine Sacrifice of the Mass in some glorious old churches in Europe

91. Seeing the joy of some my parishioners as they experienced Europe for the first time 

92. Sunsets and late-night fishing in the Keys

93. New York City at Christmas and the Radio City Musical Hall Christmas Spectacular 

94. Trips to Washington, DC to stand up for life and minister to the largest gathering of young Catholics in the United States

95. Hearing confessions during the March for Life

96. Taking my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew this last year

97. Conversations with people who have rung bells who are wiser than I am

98. The joy the Class of 2023 brought me and the joy my students still give me 

99. The undeserved honor of having people see Jesus in me especially on tough days when even this poor priest struggles to see Him

100. Being the Pastor of the Church of the Little Flower and St. Theresa Catholic School on this Thanksgiving Day

Happy Thanksgiving!

100 Thanks 2022

100 Thanks 2022

 

1.     My family

2.     Talking about the spiritual and the divine with my mom

3.     Fishing and golfing with my dad

4.     Broadway shows with my sister

5.     Any conversation with my nephews

6.     Quiet drinks with my brother-in-law

7.     Old Fashioned’s prepared right (Wow, this list took a boozy turn rather quickly!)

8.     Sitting on a terrace overlooking Florida Bay in the Keys

9.     Going maskless on planes

10.  Fried Oysters in the Big Easy

11.  8^th grade Thanksgiving lists (allow me to share a few…)

12.  “Sunsets, when someone passes in my life I tend to look at the sky and appreciate the heavens above. The sunsets are all different colors and the unique thing about them is that they are never the same. When someone dies, you have that hole in your heart and sunsets make me feel better like there’s a sense of joy and they made it to heaven and they paint the skies for us.” –written by a 13 year old student

13.  “The Carmelite Sisters, everyone thinks nuns are weird and scary but those are the people who don’t know them. Those who know the sisters really know that they are one of the best people in our lives. These special women have impacted my life. Every day they strive [to help] me to grow closer to God and to always do His will. They are living saints sent down to teach me, and all young kids that our faith is important.” –written by same 13-year-old 

14.  “The fact I don’t pay taxes (yet)” –written by a 14-year-old, but this priest unfortunately has to be pay taxes

15.  “Grateful for the Eucharist, because the Eucharist reminds us of Thanksgiving and how we need to be thankful for everything we have” – written by a 14 year old who has a better understanding of the Eucharist than most adults

16.  “Praying and then God answering your prayers.” –written by a 13-year-old who gets prayer

17.  Reading the 8^th grade list to my students on the day they leave for Thanksgiving break

18.  That one kid whose list was so deep this year that made my list look like the work of a 1^st grader (no offense to 1^stgraders)

19.  11:15am on Thursdays

20.  Real estate lawyers

21.  “Executing” a contract 

22.  Closing days

23.  Dedication days

24.  Dairy Queen ice cream runs with Carmelite nuns to celebrate little victories

25.  The wisdom of Venerable Mother Luisita (seriously check out her biography “Unleashing Hope” which is an excellent read)

26.  Golf carts

27.  Having an imperfect golf game that makes me foolishly keep playing such a frustrating sport

28.  That I’m even playing a sport!

29.  That I get to play with my best friend (even though in less than a year he went from novice to soundly beating me every time which does not sit well with me)

30.  The “August National” of Colombia (the 6 iron was definitely not working that day)

31.  Masters Sunday

32.  Early morning World Cup matches

33.  Cafeteria Chocolate Chip Cookies with sea salt

34.  Unexpected phone calls from New York

35.  Spiritual direction over the phone/Facetime/Zoom (and sometimes in person) that goes to a late hour

36.  Karaoke in Comber Hall 

37.  Movie nights in Comber Hall

38.  Duffy’s on a Monday night (burgers are half off…This Thanksgiving list is brought to you by Duffy’s Tavern: “Where the Elite Meet to Eat”)

39.  Hearing the Marines sing the Marine Hymn at the top of their lungs on the Marine Corp Birthday

40.  Teachers! And their Happy Hours especially on the last day of school

41.  Reliable WiFi and Internet

42.  FPL trucks (especially when you’ve been without power for 18 hours)

43.  Podcast microphones

44.  9am on Monday mornings

45.  When we have to start a podcast over again because one of us can’t stop laughing about something ridiculous the other said.

46.  Meeting that one person who listens to the podcast (I’m kidding, there’s more than one, but it’s amazing what this medium does for spreading the gospel)

47.  Satisfied

48.  Friday nights in backyards by a pool in a place I used to call home

49.  When you get to the section of the list that will be exclusively movie/TV quotes or song lyrics with each one encapsulating various amounts of gratitude

50.  “Early each day to the steps of St. Paul’s…”

51.  “On that glorious morn, when we’re finally reborn, and we’re all of us human again!”

52.  “Never tell me the odds.”

53.  “Well over three and half centuries ago, strengthened by faith and bound by a common desire for liberty, a small band of pilgrims sought out a place in the New World where they could worship according to their own beliefs - and solve crimes!”

54.  “Boy, I love meeting people’s moms. It’s like reading an instruction manual as to why they’re nuts.”

55.  “A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man.”

56.  “Pero está…está es para Cuba.”

57.  “Well, I’ve been afraid of changin’”

58.  “To love another person is to see the face of God!”

59.  “Get used to different.”

60.  “In fourth grade, I stole my Uncle Max's toupee and I glued it on my face when I was Moses in my Hebrew School play.”

61.  My childhood best friend (and I miss our Saturday morning walks around the lake of my first parish while her kids went to CCD…while we’re at it, I miss our morning rides to school with Bon Jovi playing in the background, but our talks weren’t as good back then.”

62.  ßThis is the number of home runs Aaron Judge hit this season

63.  Tua! (I mean I expected a change but not like this)

64.  The Dolphins having a winning record and leading the division while I write this list

65.  A cheetah and a penguin walk into a stadium (more like sprint into a stadium)

66.  Even in adversity, I am still thankful for the University of Miami football program and that a Cuban kid from Miami realized a lifelong dream and became our head coach

67.  Instant replay that clearly shows that Max Strus was inbounds in Game 7

68.  Jimmy Butler in the playoffs

69.  The United States Men’s National Soccer Team in the World Cup

70.  I Believe That We Will Win (well, maybe not the whole thing, but out of the group stage)

71.  Tiger Woods walking, which is far more important than him playing golf, but I am thankful that I can watch him do that too

72.  Winning the Presidents Trophy (hey I would’ve preferred Lord Stanley’s Cup but that pesky team in Tampa Bay has our number, and the Panthers had a season for the ages)

73.  Watching my first MLS game in person

74.  Watching a courageous girl sing the national anthem before said MLS game

75.  We have an unspoken understanding

76.  Second moms who I miss

77.  When no one complains about anything after Mass

78.  Dreaming about centennials

79.  Staring at the church from my porch during golden hour

80.  The view from the backyard of the Sisters’ new convent

81.  That section of the list where I go to saint quotes and bible verses

82.  “We should rest entirely in His hands, understanding that His eyes are always upon us, that He will see to it that we lack nothing and grant us anything that we need, if it is for our own good.” --Venerable Mother Maria Luisa Josefa of the Most Blessed Sacrament

83.  “Do you realize that Jesus is there in the tabernacle expressly for you-for you alone? He burns with the desire to come into your heart… don’t listen to the demon, laugh at him, and go without fear to receive the Jesus of peace and love…”  ― St. Therese of the Child Jesus

84.  “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” John 14:1

85.  Love consumes you, but it is beautiful to die consumed precisely as a candle that goes out only after it reaches its goal. Whatever you do will have sense only if you see it in terms of eternal life. – Servant of God Chiara Corbella Petrillo

86.  “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7)

87.  “Never give up prayer, and should you find dryness and difficulty, persevere in it for this very reason. God often desires to see what love your soul has, and love is not tried by ease and satisfaction.” –St. John of the Cross

88.  “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” —G.K. Chesterton (well, not a saint, but a sublime spiritual writer)

89.  “The secret of happiness is to live moment by moment and to thank God for what He is sending us every day in His goodness.” – St. Gianna Beretta Molla

90.  "The best way to show your gratitude to God and to people is to accept everything with joy.” — St. Teresa of Calcutta

91.  “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.” Psalm 136:1

92.  Meeting quiet saints in my ministry every single day

93.  Reconnecting with 23 years’ worth of former students who have formed me into the priest that I am today.  Just a text, a hello, and, if I’m lucky, a phone call, makes my day!

94.  Redemptive suffering: because it brings us so very close to Our Lord and the weight of our sins he carried on the cross

95.  Memories of my brother: because even after 8 years, I still carry him in my heart, and he awaits me on the other side of eternity.

96.  The undeserved love that I get from the people of God for being a priest.  If only they understood that I receive so much more from them than they can possibly get from this unworthy servant.

97.  That after 20 years of priesthood, I still get nervous and am wowed by every single Mass.  As St. John Vianney said, “If we truly understood the Mass, we would die of joy.”

98.  The love and support I feel every day from our Blessed Mother Mary and from St. Joseph who moves mountains that seem insurmountable (seriously, pray more to St. Joseph for his intercession.  Our Lord does not deny his mother nor his earthly father who raised him.)

99.  Quiet moments in our private chapel before our Eucharistic Lord (and the endless struggle to spend more time before that tabernacle).

100.        Cherishing every single Thanksgiving Day because we gather to give thanks to our God who never ceases to surprise us with his mercy, his love, his blessings, and his overwhelming generosity.  So for all these things, only three simple words suffice on this Thanksgiving Day: thank you, Lord!