Rest In Peace Buddy

Today the family gathers to celebrate the life of my nephew Joshua - the first born of my twin brother Dean.  My twin - his wife Susan - will not be there - Dean left this world almost 16 years ago - his wife - 8 years before him. None of us know the day - the hour - when our life on this Earth will end. Unlike most - Joshua knew what would cause his death - not discounting an accident or such. Like his grandfather and mother - Joshua was born with a genetic defect known as Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), or Machado-Joseph disease (MJD) - a rare, inherited, progressive neurodegenerative disorder. It was not until after Sue's death that a test was finally developed to know if you had inherited this anomoly.  Joshua and his yournger brother did the test.  Joshus was positive - his younger brother tested negative.  What that meant to Joshua was that he would die a very similar death as his mother at an early age.  His grandfather died at 61 years - his mother at 51 years - for Joshua that ended up being 45 years.  Facing the fact that you knew you were born with a defect has to be traumatc.  There are  many people born with inherited diseases.  Diabetic - heart issues - visual abnormalities - walking issues - brain disfunction - and much more.  Many can be dealt with - insulin for diabetics - eye glasses for visual - mobility devices for bone issues and even more.  For him - no cure - no treatments - Joshua functioned as a fairly normal person - graduating college - having a successful career as a computer IT person - socializing with friends - family - until the SCA3 finally kicked in full force.  Living with the knowledge of what the end of his life would look like and facing it head on - took courage.

St. Faustina & Jesus

Jesus had to deal with a similar situation - being God - Himself - He knew that His life would be a short one - His time on Earth - walking with the very humans that He created - eating - drinking - laughing - loving - all too short of a time - knowing that HIs death would come at an early age - a burden few would really understand.  Jesus lived about 33 years - Joshua 45 years.  The majority of humans avoid the thought of death untiil we become much older.  As we age - the end of life becomes a true reality.  It is in these last years we seriously consider how we handle our death - funeral preparations - writing wills - instrucions to family.  Because we tend to think it will not happen to us - many avoid last minute preparations.  God gives us many gentle reminders as friends our own age pass away - make way for the Lord - the day YOU will meet Jesus face to face.  It doesn't matter if you attend church every day - week - month - year - it is all about how well are you prepared.  Have you accepted him as the Lord of your life - have you lived as He said - are you sharing the message of His Gospel to all you meet - have you personallly led - brought someone to a personal relationship with Christ.  What have you done - what will you do - if you are reading this - you still have time. 

Deacon Dale 

Best Dressed

 Almost weekly one group or another seems to publish their list of best dressed - celebrities - international figures - men - women - children - senior citizen - teen - child actor - dogs - cats - ad nauseum. We seem to be obsessed with how people look - how clothes look on certain people - who wore it the best - worse. If we believed the media then looks would be the criteria upon which we valued people. Personalities - manners - attitude - aside - only what pleases the eyes - not the mind - heart. Being caught up in these mindless games - not a sign of maturity. Everyone knows that what really matters - is inside - who the person really is - not what they look like. A beautiful woman - man - might just be the shallowest - meanest person alive. 

God knows each of us so well - He does not look at our appearance - clothes - jewelry - homes - cars - bank accounts. He looks into our hearts - minds - where we love - whom we love. Inside where no one can see - except God - is what really matters. The same goes for us - we should not judge a book by its cover - nor people by their possessions - rather their words - actions. When God call us to serve Him - He did not ask us to first buy a new suit - dress - rather He accepted us as we were - no changes needed -  we need to continue to celebrate the gift of New Life offered by God - for ourselves - for others - just as we are.

Deacon Dale  

Guinea Pig

 A guinea pig is a species of rodent - despite the name - not a member of the pig family - not from Guinea. They originated in the Andes and were not found in the wild - played an important role in folk culture of many South American groups - as a food source - in folk medicine - religious ceremonies. At one time - used as laboratory test animals - now replaced by mice and rats - more often found as pets. One wonders how many households would be host to a guinea pig if they realized it is basically a fuzzy plump mouse. The name in modern use is often applied to any animal used as a test subject for many different projects - often including humans. The term - guinea pig - often used to refer to an individual - selected as the target - without  prior knowledge to be the first to attempt - try something in which the safety is unknown - testing a rope bridge - particularly an old one of dubious construction - the first one to attempt a safe crossing for a group. 

Although God is known to test people in various ways - He rarely uses the guinea pig method. On occasion - He may ask an individual to do something first - not at risk of their life - rather as a role model for those who will later follow. None of us is expendable - all have value in God's eyes. Each person a precious jewel in His crown - to be loved - nurtured - protected by God. When you feel that God might be testing you - pray for strength - He will provide - assist you through whatever trial you face. 

Deacon Dale 

Sounds of Silence

 The Sounds of Silence - a popular song by Simon and Garfunkel - popular recording artists of the 1960s - counterculture icons of the decade's social revolution - stirred people to rethink life - social issues. The true importance of the term - sounds of silence - is the concept of what silence really is. Silence is not only the absence of audible sound - a necessary part of making sound. Silence is what separates one sound from another - one musical note from another - one word from another. If there was no silence - all sound would run together into one continuous sound or hum. Anyone who has studied music is familiar with rest notes - moments when no sound is played on an instrument - no sound sung. These rest notes - moments of silence separate - embellish the sound just made - the note - sound to come. When using speech - pauses - moments of silence - introduced to bring attentions what was just said - what will be coming next. Without silence all forms of communication would lose much of its value.

When we speak to God in prayer - silence is golden - extreme value - in sitting in silence - not speaking - rather listening. In that silence God has an opportunity to speak to our mind - heart - to come close to us - giving us an opportunity - to touch the Divine. Many are uncomfortable with complete silence - choosing to speak rather than listen. In prayer - communicating with God - the sounds of silence - truly golden.

Deacon Dale

Name Calling

 As children it was not uncommon to yell at another child who was not being nice - not playing fair - bullying others. Physical violence was out - usually the one being mean - bigger than anyone else - stronger - older. The only thing left was to call the offender a name - any name - mean spirited - poking fun at anything - trying to get even - level the playing field - attempting to get them to stop. Sometimes it worked - more often than not - an adult heard what was going on - made you stop - not polite - not the way to treat a fellow human. The majority of us gave up name calling as we grew - matured into responsible adults - citizens. Unfortunately name calling is again in vogue - especially among politicians - candidates for public office - failing any legitimate criticism of an opposing candidate - slip into the gutter - spewing lies - filth - attempting to steer attention away from the other person - to oneself in an attempt in becoming popular.

Jesus - guilty of name calling in His day - brother - sister - friend - teacher - healer - names to compliment - build up - reinforce ones self esteem. When speaking a truth about another - using kind words - gestures - focusing on the true value of another human. God calls all of us to be like Jesus - to put on His manners - positive characteristics - to become Christ-like. He is with us always - guiding - helping - giving good direction to our lives - actions. If you listen - you will hear God's voice - calling your name.

Deacon Dale

Write - Rite - Right

 For those of us born in this country - learning English from our youth - our native tongue - easy. Those who come from other countries usually have a difficult time learning English. It is not just learning a new vocabulary - how to pronounce the words - complete with various dialects - inflections - but the number of words that sound identical - with completely different meanings which cause major issues. Write - the action of forming letters and numbers into words and sentences - Rite - a ritual or ceremony often involved in religion and solemn gatherings - right - as in the direction one may be looking or walking - the right side of the body - also meaning correct - morally good - justified - true. In just these three sound alike words - four different meanings. The list of other words that pose the same issue - many which are spelled identical - with different sounds and meanings - bass - the sound - bass - the fish - lead - to walk in front - lead - the metal. This does not include the very common issues with there- their - they're - pray - prey - to - two - too.

Language may be  the nemesis of people at different times - not an issue for God. No matter what words we speak - how we pronounce them - He always understands. When we come to God in prayer - when we initiate a discussion with Him - He listens - hears - understands everything we tell Him. He not only knows our words - also our hearts - the truth of what we speak. Language is no barrier when speaking with our Lord - when thanking Him - singing His praises. With God there is no phone line - no internet provider - no gateway that needs to be negotiated. He is available to all of us - at the same time - every second of the day. He is there for us to initiate a conversation with Him - open and available waiting for us - whenever we wish. No rite needed to follow - no letter to write - He is there - right now. 

Deacon Dale

Star Gazing

 In its simplest form - star gazing - staring - looking - at stars - in the skies. Astronomers 

would be the most likely to be involved in this activity - joined by many amateurs - observing the activities up in space. Telescopes - long range lens - cameras - all incorporated in this study - hobby - documenting positions - movement - in the skies. On a lower level - there are also those who gaze at stars - not in the skies - rather on the streets - especially in Hollywood - wherever public figures - celebrities - gather. The stores are filled with magazines focusing on both types of star gazing - the internet loaded with an uncountable number of sites - for both kinds.  As people we are drawn to the grandiose - brilliant - shining - glamorous - around us - above us. As a diversion from what many see as a boring - ordinary existence - people gaze at stars. 

For Christians - all Believers - Jesus is our Star. When God filled the heavens with the 

planets - stars - He knew we would look up - to see - observe - all above us. His hope - that in looking up - away from ourselves - from our problems - concerns - worries - we would see that the world is a lot more than just us - our daily existence. He painted the skies with awesome colors - mostly blue - often gray - frequently with bright reds - oranges - fire in the sky.  He 

wants us to know that He lives everywhere - around us - above us - below us - in us. When Jesus ascended up to the heavens He became the One Star that all would gaze upon.  His disciples wondered what was to come.  They had been instructed to go spread the Gospel message - take that message to the four corners of the world - to baptize all they encountered

 - in the Name of the Father - the Son - the Holy Spirit.  As modern day disciples His messaage

to us - do the same. We are called to look outside ourselves - to the beauty of His world - our playground. When your life begins to feel boring - lacking the beauty you seek - you only have 

to look upwards - to God.  Do as He commanded - spread His message and your life will be filled with joy.

Deacon Dale

The Second Greatest

 In any competition - everyone strives to be number one - the best - greatest - among all competitors. Whomever that person is gets all - the attention - the publicity - the grand prize. All others - "also-rans" - second - third - fourth - place - passed over - smaller rewards - less publicity - very little attention - losers. All eyes on the big prize - the rest - ignored. All worthy of attention - anyone who enters the competition - should be acknowledged - complemented for making an effort.

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was he told them - Love the Lord your God with all your heart - your soul - your mind. That is the number One - First -commandment - He went on to say - there is another - second commandment - Love your neighbor as yourself. The second commandment - an also-ran - second place - often overlooked - ignored. Like the First - the Second is very important and not to be overlooked. To understand what it means to love one's neighbor means you have to understand what it means to be - loved as yourself - loved - not by yourself - rather as you are loved - by God. That also-ran commandment - very important - it tells us to love others as God loves us - them - a love that cannot be measured - limited - put into a box. We are each called to love in earnest - consciously - with our whole heart. Not always easy to do - not something we wish to do with  those who oppress - offend - hurt us. As disciples of Jesus - we have no choice we must love - without limits. To love without limits does not mean accepting bad behavior - rather if we truly love - care about others - we will speak honestly to them - in love - informing them why they are hard to love - what they are doing wrong - why they are difficult to love. It is incumbent on us to be frank - honest - to bear the burden of trying to help them to become lovable. Our job - as Christians - to turn losers - into winners.

Deacon Dale 

Super Who?

When a person accomplishes an awesome feat - does something out of the ordinary - far exceeds expectations - the event is declared - great - super. This may be applied to anyone - man - women - child - even animals. Everyone has opportunities to excel in life - to perform so well - to attain what were believed unreachable goals. A female runner - setting a record time - superwoman - a young boy - saving a small toddler from drowning - superboy - a teen girl - receiving a perfect ten in gymnastics - supergirl - a father honoring his wedding vows - not straying outside marriage - superman. The list can go on and on. 

When God created man and woman - they were told to go and multiply - to create with God's blessing. Create they did - children - families - neighborhoods - communities - towns - cities - countries - nations. What started with a few - blessed by God - has become the world. We have been created to become super at all we do - in our daily living - in our families - in our communities - in the work place. We are called to be super - to go beyond the ordinary - to make our lives count - to make other peoples lives count - to make what we do - super. Many live very ordinary lives - merely existing - those who know better - called to a higher level of life - to be who God created us to be - to live as one - to worship the Lord - to be super people.

Deacon Dale 

No Way

No Way - a definite No!  Zero chance of ever doing it - never going to try - buy - attempt - whatever. Decision made - no need to even discuss it any further. All of us have said these two words at one time or another. For everyone - there is always at least one thing that we find impossible - repulsive - threatening - scary - highly undesirable. No one should ever be surprised that anyone has limits - boundaries - never to be crossed. It could be skydiving - bungee jumping - flying in an airplane - hiking in the mountains - sailing on the ocean - speaking in front of a group - eating sushi - any imaginable thing you can think of. We all have limits - a normal part of who we are - how we have been raised - what we feel - think.

When we come to Jesus -  to God in prayer - especially when asking for forgiveness - for anything - He always offers us His Heart. His Divine Heart is so large - so forgiving that many doubt - question - the possibility that He is able to forgive certain sins. What we must understand is that His love is not like our love. Our love is limited by human weakness - His love has no limits. Just as God is so much more than any of us can imagine - so is His love. It is called agape - beyond limits - love. He will - can - forgive - anything you place before Him. Lies - stealing - cheating - broken vows - adultery - abortion - murder - all forgivable by God. Denying His existence - turning your back on Him - speaking foul words towards Him - all forgivable. He has the power to do anything - even forgive  the forgivable. Turn His back on you - refuse to forgive you - No Way!

Deacon Dale