Much to our surprise we awoke this morning to a very rainy mess. On the southshore of Lake Pontchartrain it was an all out downpour. In the area where we used to live, generally called the Westbank of New Orleans, street flooding and a few homes and businesses flooding ushered in the new work week. The early news shows were a non-stop update of which areas of the New Orleans area were flooding and where road closures where necessary. I was a little concerned because at that time my youngest daughter was driving home from the Florida Gulf Coast and reports also indicated heavy rain along I-10 even in Mississippi. As I woke my wife for work she reminded me that she was headed to a clients for a two day audit; a client right in the middle of the Westbank flooding. I'm happy to report both daughter and wife navigated the roads and the weather and are both safely at work.
Not so much for yours truly. A nasty stomach virus, which afflicted both my wife and a co-worker last week, caught up with me in the middle of the night. This is not the best week to be home sick as we have a very busy business initiative ahead of us. But work will have to wait for another day.
On this mellow, rainy Monday I have spent the morning reflecting on an upcoming retreat for our diaconate candidates; the 2012 version. These men are now just 17 months away from ordination, if it be God's will, and are soon to be instituted as acolytes on August 10th. This retreat will help them focus on the fruitfulness of their own spirituality and help in the ongoing discernment that is formation. This has been a great exercise for me as I have spent much time reading and reflecting on Mother Teresa's A Simple Path, Bishop Oscar Romero's The Violence of Love and Pope Benedict's Deus Caritas Est. I also spent some time today in the 13th chapter of the Gospel of John.
Reflecting on Mother Teresa's A Simple Path is a great reminder to all, and perhaps especially to a deacon, that the fruit of love is service. With each example of the service she and those of her order provide to one and all, especially the marginalized of society, love is evident. It is a great read.
So hopefully my stomach bug will soon fly away and Monday will be it's only victim in this busy week ahead. But I can even put to good use this time spent at home recovering and reflecting.
No comments:
Post a Comment