Alright, as a NY Mets fan, I am not inclined to root for the Philadelphia Phillies by any stretch of the imagination. They are probably the team I would least root for.

However, as a Catholic man and Christian, I gotta root for Mike Sweeney who is going to the playoffs for the first time in his illustrious 17-year Major League career.

As this article in Catholic Online points out, early in his playing career, Sweeney was told he had zero chance of ever making it to the big leagues.

Downcast and dejected one day at Mass, he noticed a sticker in his Bible of a tandem bicycle (the kind made for two people).

Ok, so what do you do when your toddler has urinated in the middle of an aisle at a toy store while you were too busy looking at Star Wars action figures to have noticed? I was faced with that dilemma Sunday afternoon, just seconds after my son came up to me saying, “Pee-pee, pee- pee.”

Great, I thought, he is making progress, let me rush him to the bathroom quickly.

British political writer and commentator Peter Hitchens once followed his older brother’s example, renowned atheist Christopher Hitchens (who along with Richard Dawkins, is part of the “new atheists” group determined to take God out of modern society, with special emphasis on Europe and the United States).

However, somewhere along the line, as Fr.

“Dad-dy,” she said with great enthusiasm as I walked in the door from work.

It actually caught me by surprise. My 9-yr-old daughter is not often so affectionate with me.

However, Wednesday night, as soon as I walked through the door, she came up to me and gave me a great big hug; probably the longest, and most heart-felt, embrace she has given me in recent months.

I immediately realized that we were having a rare and special moment.

Last week, Archbishop of Miami Thomas Wenski wrote a powerful article on prayer; a topic near and dear to me since slightly over four years ago, prayer served as the catalyst for my reversion to faith.

But for some, prayer can be intimidating and often difficult, especially if they feel their prayers in the past were offered in vain. In this sense, instead of bringing them closer to God, it can lead to estrangement.

That is exactly what the Archbishop addresses.

I nudged my 9-year-old daughter with my elbow as I noticed the final tally on the cash register: $161.57 (Yikes! That’s before I handed the cashier the coupons my wife had given me, which brought down the total to $159.27… woo-hoo!).

My daughter looked at the digital numbers on the register and just opened her eyes and mouth in a look of horror, that, while she didn’t say it, meant, "Mommy is going to kill us!”

Yesterday was my first venture into grocery shopping for my family.

What a sad state of mind, it must be, to live without hope; with no God to turn to or aspiration after death. 

Fr. Robert Barron's latest commentary deals with yet another book on atheism that is being released this weekend to coincide with Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to England (see video below).

The commentary reminds me of a discussion I led on the subject last year and the themes that made it one of the most interesting and livelier meetings of our men's group.

Scotland Yard’s Counter Terrorism Command agents arrested five men in what London's Telegraph is reporting to be an apparent Islamic terrorist assassination plot against Pope Benedict XVI.

The men were working as street cleaners in London, about of mile from a location the Pope was expected to appear, when taken into custody at about 5:45am.

Pope Benedict's security was reviewed and his itinerary will continue as planned.

I have been accused by a couple of co-workers of being sooo Republican.

I argue that I’m not so Republican; I’m pro-life and believe in traditional family values.

Now, given that the Democratic Party has made pro-choice (otherwise known as pro-abortion) a fundamental issue of their politics, then that would make me a Republican.
2

“This is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.  Happy are those who are called to His Supper.”

“Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.”

Silence… Peace… Solemnity…

I go deeper into prayer…

Then...

Conga?… “C’mon shake your body baby do the conga, I know you can't control yourself any longer.  Feel the rythm of the music getting stronger...
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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
My Photo
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
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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