One of my all-time favorite Scripture quotes is summed up in the Latin phrase, Caritas Christi urget nos… “For the love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all; therefore, all have died. He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.”
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
Hello, I’m Patrick Mulcahy (you can call me Pat if you want; I answer to both). I’m a Catholic Priest who is taking a leave from ministry for the foreseeable future, in order to focus on my own mental, physical, and spiritual health. The last few years have been a relatively difficult time for me and my family, and I need to focus on that without the added stress of a 24/7 on-call ministry to a large Catholic parish. Please keep me in your prayers, and know that you are in mine.
That said, I’m in my 60s, and live in the western suburbs of Chicago. I am currently looking for work in a company where I can use my gifts of compassion, organization, love for people, and ability to problem solve. If you know of any such opportunities, please contact me. If you are a representative of such an organization, please see my CV.
Outside of work, I enjoy social media (although I have cut ties with Meta products, and Twitter/X in order to own my own data and privacy). You can see my social links here. I also am trying to get healthy, so I’m going back to my workout regimen (and you’ll see posts about that here); I particularly enjoy boxing for recreation and fitness, but don’t worry; I’m not giving anyone a run for the world title! I love to cook, and you can visit my recipe blog, and you may even see some recipes here from time to time.
So the title of this blog … Boxing God. It comes from the 1998 song of the same name by Layton Howerton. You can listen and see the lyrics below. It speaks to me about how often we (okay I) struggle with the will of God. God always wins, and that’s for the best. But sometimes we take a few punches before we learn that lesson. Life is a wonderful, wild, up and down journey of faith, and in good times and in bad, it’s always a great blessing.
I’ll be thankful just to walk away
From boxing with You, God
And live to fight another day
You finally broke me
This time You really
Knocked me to my knees
You got my attention
You rung my bell
Yeah, You stung me like a bee
Now you gotta know when
To throw the towel in
‘Cause I’m tired of pain
And the taste of sufferin’
Of blood and sweat
When you get what’s comin’
Of push and shove
Of boxing gloves
Of fisticuffs that test
The stuff you’re made of
And I’ll be thankful just to walk away
From boxing God
And live to fight another day
In the battle of wills
Your legs were stronger
Round after round
I swear Your arms kept gettin’ longer
‘N’ longer ‘n’ longer
Up to the bitter end
I was goin’ down swingin’
But I’m tired of pain
And the taste of sufferin’
Of blood and sweat
When you get what’s comin’
Of push and shove
Of lacing up these gloves
Of fisticuffs that test
The stuff you’re made of
And I’ll be thankful just to walk away
From boxing with You, God
And live to fight another day
Okay You win
I won’t get up again
‘Cause I’m tired of pain
And the taste of sufferin’
Of blood and sweat
When you get what’s comin’
Of push and shove
My face in Your glove
Of fisticuffs that test
The stuff you’re made of
And I’ll be thankful just to walk away
From boxing with You, God
And live to fight another day
And I’ll be grateful just to crawl away
From boxing God
And live to breathe another day