“In this monument. there is a soul. A soul. And we feel that when we enter now. We feel that,” said Philippe Jost, President of the public establishment for the conservation and restoration of the cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris, in an interview with 60 Minutes’ Bill Whitaker.

Jost's observation was very astute. A soul is what gives a person life, animating our humanity. Inanimate objects, such as buildings, are rarely described as having souls—unless it’s the soul of someone inhabiting or sanctifying them. 

Last Sunday, while laid up on the couch nursing a cold, I eagerly watched 60 Minutes, anticipating their story on Notre Dame’s renovation and upcoming reopening. Yet, despite the teasers and fanfare, the piece left me sorely disappointed.

It started with my daughter’s Mini Cooper. She said the brakes failed while driving in heavy traffic after leaving work in Miami Beach, and she rear-ended another car. Nothing happened to her, thank God! Nothing really happened to the car, or at least, nothing I could see. But I drove it home after going to the scene of the “crash” to make sure the brakes were alright, and I took it to the shop to be checked out. Sure enough, the mechanic said the car needed new brake pads and rotors.

Aristotle once said, "nature abhors a vacuum," which came to mind recently as I reflect on how politics has become a religion for far too many, particularly during the heat of a presidential campaign. 

In the absence of God, human nature tends to turn to what St. Thomas Aquinas identifies as the four substitutes for God—wealth, pleasure, power, and honor.

"Carlos, if I had eight more like you, I'd be a happy man."

Those were the words my high school baseball coach said to me one day during my senior year in 1982. Now, more than forty years later, I still remember them.  

That's the impact that kind words can have on a young man and it's a reflection of the character that my coach embodied throughout his life.  

Coach Dunk, as he was known by his ballplayers and assistants, was a players' coach. A man's man, who was genuine through and through.

"When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around.  But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years."  -- Mark Twain

My son and I have always had a great relationship. They say boys tend to be closer to their moms and girls closer to their dads. That may be true on a spiritual level in our household, but on a more practical and tangible sense, that doesn't seem to fit reality.

I wasn't looking for a relationship.

I was at point in my life where I was getting over a failed relationship, and I was enjoying spending time on my own without any attachments.

I had returned to my parents' house. What can I say? I'm Cuban! A man in his early 30's moving back home doesn't have the same negative connotations among Hispanics as it does in American culture.

Silence.

The only noise was the humming of an air conditioning unit in the background and the thoughts that formed quietly in my head.

Uncomfortable? It can be, especially at first.

Revealing?  Without a doubt.

"Strange, isn't it?  Each man's life touches so many other lives.  And when he isn't around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?"  -- Clarence, It's a Wonderful Life. 

It was a lesson George Bailey had to learn the hard way.  

Unfortunately, it's a lesson, we often have to learn as well.   

This week, I was rattled by the news that an old high school friend, Tony, died unexpectedly.    

The news came about a week after another high school friend, Ana, also passed away.

My wife and I are about four years away from being empty nesters but after almost a decade of limiting our travels to family trips, we finally took our first vacation sans the kiddies a few weeks ago, and I must say, it was a pleasant look at what our life may be in the not-too-distant future.

I'm in line for Confession at my parish one recent Saturday morning; doing an examination of conscience and praying before the Blessed Sacrament, which is now exposed at the church after morning Mass and during Confession.

I look to the other side of the sanctuary and noticed a Carmelite nun in line for Confession as well.

I couldn't help but think of  the classic Fulton Sheen line, "Hearing nuns confess is like getting stoned to death with popcorn" and laughing internally.
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Welcome to Living the Faith on a High Wire...
Welcome to Living the Faith on a High Wire...
This blog is basically what the title suggests, my attempts at living the Catholic faith to the best of my abilities.
I write about my struggles as a husband, father, son, brother and Christian man.
From a faith standpoint, I also write about my observations, interests, videos, and things that catch my attention, as well as, celebrities that are trying to live their religious beliefs in the public eye.
I refer to it as life on a high wire because those of us who are trying to live our faith in today's culture are are walking a fine line over a precipice between two worlds; what our faith teaches and we know in our hearts and what the society accepts and expects us to accept.
God, religion and Christianity, especially Catholicism, have been under constant attack and this is my small way of fighting back.
I often use humor and poke fun at myself but am also serious when I have to be.
I'm not an expert or pretend to be. I'm just a lay Catholic who is living and learning, as I go, like many others.
So, feel free to browse, get to know me better and, if you feel compelled, leave a comment...

About Me
About Me
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Born in Oriente, Cuba, raised in Hialeah, Fl and graduated from The U. I’m a husband, father, son and older brother. I was a lapsed Catholic for most of my life until attending a men’s spiritual retreat in April 2006, which totally changed my perspective on life. That weekend, the emptiness I had always tried to fill with the things our culture promises will make us happy (wealth, pleasure, power and honor; St. Thomas Aquinas’ 4 substitutes for God), was filled with the love of God. I have been passionately studying my faith and, hopefully, drawing closer to God ever since. Now, I see my purpose in life is to become a saint and to lead my wife and kids to heaven. It’s not easy! I am no expert by any means. I'm just learning and trying to live my faith to the best of my abilities.
Blog Archive
Books I Have Recently Read...
Books I Have Recently Read...
  • Long Shot by Mike Piazza with Lonnie Wheeler
  • The Protestant's Dilemma by Devin Rose
  • Jacob's Ladder; 10 Steps to Truth by Peter Kreeft
  • Absolute Relativism: The New Dictatorship and What to do About it by Chris Stefanick
  • Special Heart: A Journey of Faith, Hope, Courage and Love by Bret Baier
  • The Church and New Media by Brandon Vogt
  • The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty
  • Confessions of a Mega Church Pastor by Allen Hunt
  • The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
  • Be A Man! Becoming The Man God Created You to Be by Fr. Larry Richards
  • Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life by Charles J. Chaput
  • Raising Good Kids Back to Family Basics by Ray Guarendi
  • The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton
  • The Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming by Henri J. M. Nouwen
  • How Firm a Foundation by Marcus Grodi
  • First Comes Love: Finding Your Family in the Church and the Trinity by Scott Hahn
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