Jim Mayzik SJ Blog

Can we agree that children are among the most amazing of graces that the world has ever seen? 

"Why are you doing it again?" several people asked me when I told them I was going to walk the Camino de Santiago for a few weeks this summer.  

I crossed the new Tappan Zee bridge that spans the Hudson River 15 miles north of Manhattan. If they hadn’t replaced it, the old bridge would have fallen into the river, it’s steel exhausted and worn out.

I was alone on July 4th—the pastor was away, the staff was on vacation. It was the first time I was king of the rectory and the church, reigning over the whole empty building. But that wasn’t much fun, so I decided to take a walk over to the west side of the island, to the mighty Hudson river.

Happy Fourth of July from Companion Pictures

When they get a chance, my sister and her three daughters love to treat themselves to a trip to ‘the spa’.

You have seen him in layers of rags, his face creased and darkened by dirt and beating sun. You have seen him walking the streets at all hours, in all weather. You have heard him howling like thunder on street corners and public squares.

As you may have heard, there’s a new documentary out about Fred Rogers, the ordained Presbyterian minister who had a secular TV show for kids that lasted 33 years, called Mister Rogers Neighborhood.

Internet and social networks open many possibilities to us. However, it is necessary to use them well, and to do good; not to isolate ourselves, but to communicate better; not to spread lies, but to speak the truth.

On Memorial Day I was walking in the city all by my lonesome.  It was a beautiful day and everyone was out—the streets were crowded, the parks were filled, café tables on the sidewalks were all occupied. 

I saw God in the dancing dapple of the sidewalk poplar…

There is one window in the room where I write my homilies and screenplays on my computer, and where I read and pray and reflect. Pigeons alight upon the sill outside the window, and when they purr and coo it’s a soothing sound. 

I was in Connecticut on Friday, visiting a friend who had experienced a tornado in his neighborhood.

Some observations about life. Our lives.

Years ago I used to visit someone in a nursing home, a young man who was 102 years old.  His body was only then beginning to break down—he had finally required a wheel chair to get around---but his mind survived a century of wear and tear.

Ollie was 8 months old when we traveled to Hawaii. Exactly 1 year later, we sat him down and "interviewed" him about his trip. By this time, I assume his memories had already faded to a dream like state.  This film is a record of that dream.

Who do you love?  How do you love? 

Nothing. When we realized you weren’t here we sat with our hands folded on our desks in silence, for the full two hours.

A few years ago I was in Manhattan to meet an actor to talk about a film project I was working on. 

For you dog owners out there, I read about a recent scientific discovery that your personal smelly scent activates the pleasure centers in your dog’s brain, in the same way that the human brain responds to the perfume or cologne of someone you love.