After several years of lingering in obscurity among dozens of unread books on my bookshelf (one of my many weaknesses is buying more books than my reading can keep up with), I finally picked up and read Return of the Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming by late Dutch priest Henri J.M. Nouwen.

I'm sorry for letting it sit there for so long. What an amazingly powerful and profound little book (only 139 pages plus notes).

Return of the Prodigal Son was actually given to me as a gift by my wife, who bought it after hearing rave reviews on it by a young priest who gave a talk at a women's retreat she attended. I think all the husbands in our group of friends received a copy shortly thereafter.  Granted, it may have taken me longer to read than most of my friends.
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Talk about soapbox street corner preaching…

You may be familiar with flash mob videos of people unexpectedly breaking into song and dance in public shopping centers, streets and parks. But, this one has a different twist.

Several months ago, I wrote a blog about the plight of Fr. John Corapi, one of the most revered Catholic televangelists of our time, who was suspended after being accused by a former employee of sexual misconduct.

As an admirer and fan of Fr.

If not for a speeding ticket in Northern Georgia on our way back, our family vacation to North Carolina last week couldn’t have gone smoother or been more enjoyable.

Sure, there were the occasional flare ups in the minivan over a toy, book, pillow or blanket, and my wife had to pinch and poke me from time to time to make sure I was awake, but overall, our drive was a lot of fun and, more importantly, gave us plenty of family bonding time.
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I have very fond memories of road trips with my family while growing up.

I remember the hour upon hour of sitting or lying in the back seat of my parents’ car with my younger brother. Sometimes we would start fighting because his leg or my leg would incidentally (or not so incidentally) touch the other’s body.

Many times in the chronicles of human history, men have risen against oppression and persecution and changed the course of events through bloodshed, valor and sheer determination, despite the odds against them.

That was the case in the late 1920’s, when a ragtag band of Christian ranchers and rebel fighters took up arms against the more highly  trained and armed Mexican government to protect the rebels' right to practice their faith in what became a bloody three year civil war.

Although schismatic groups in the East can date as far back as the fourth century, they would eventually return to conformity with the Catholic Church in Rome, until the 11th century.

In the year 1054, Christianity experienced, what is today still referred to as, the Great Schism. Church leaders in Constanopole separated from the Roman Holy See, mostly over the authority of the papacy.

When I was a little kid, I couldn’t wait for summer vacation; no more homework, no more having to wake up as early and, thus, no more bedtime curfew.  More importantly, I looked forward to seeing my cousins from Chicago, who would come visit us every year.

However, now as an adult, I don’t feel the same charge of energy at this time of year. As a matter of fact, this week, which is my son’s last week of school, I have been somewhat melancholy.
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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
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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