What to post?

The first question is actually why am I blogging?  I don't know.  Perhaps just because it's there.  I certainly don't think I have anything earth shattering to say.  Nor do I think that everything I do is worthy of a blog.  We did lose one of our pets at the rectory recently.  Why is that worthy of this blog?  Well it's because Maga was a special cat.  Even her name refers to the Magi; merely because she was adopted from a shelter by my predecessor on January 6th, the Feast of the Epiphany.  I assumed ownership (or is it parenthood as she was adopted) when I became pastor here, not very easy since I already had Tobey (a topic for another blog post.)  Maga was a great friend of all who came to the rectory, from overnight guests to visitors at the door.  She had an usual, or rather atypical, feline friendliness.  Her style was to greet anyone and everyone.  I think deep down she thought they might feed her some treats.  She was rather obese.  The poor thing had developed stones in her bladder, which we noticed just a few weeks ago.  What to do?  Should we just let her live out her life, as she would in the wild, or do something to alleviate her pain?  We did the latter.  Normally she would have come out of the surgery and recovered soon, even in spite of the 80 stones removed.  What we didn't realize is that she was losing blood and became anemic.  While I might have been able to justify the surgery it was harder to do so for a transfusion that would have been upwards of $1,000 dollars.  You can't just get feline blood at a blood bank for cats.  Eventually the combination of complications arising from the illness were alas, too much for her to bear.  Fr. Cristiano and I visited her a couple of days before she passed to confer with Dr. Katia, her very loving veterinarian.  She is survived by the four priests living here, a very caring housekeeper, parish secretary, the Director of Religious Education, a special friend and Tobey, her feline rectory mate.  As have I only known her for the past three years so have they known each other.  I really didn't think they were very fond of each other, but now I think he is really missing her.  He walks around the house as if looking for something and has taken up a rather strange meow in the evening.  The other night he found a mouse, something he hadn't done in a very long time.  Maybe he's afraid the same unknown end might come to him if he doesn't contribute to his living.  Maybe he is just missing Maga.

No I didn't begin this blog to write about our pets but it has been a start.  As I write you'll probably hear more about Tobey and the other priests in the rectory, Fr. Jim who is the parochial vicar; Fr. Cristiano who is from Brazil and is here studying toward a Doctorate and Fr. Leonel who is from Portugal and is also studying.  I'm sure you'll also read more about the others who work here at the parish.

I had thought that these initial posts would be of reflection papers for a course that I am auditing at Boston College, School of Theology and Ministry.  It's been 15 years since I was ordained and so I thought it wouldn't hurt to take some classes and do some reading concerning ministry.  The first class is Christology.  Who knew that by now the time I returned to studies that there would be a Third Quest for the Historical Jesus.  Each week for the course there is a reflection paper.  Although they are not required as I am an auditor, I thought it best to avail myself of the opportunity to write and thereby make myself delve deeper into the assigned readings.  On one of the papers the professor wrote that he hoped I was sharing the papers with others, hence the birth of this blog.  You can be the judge, just don't be the grader!  They will follow soon...