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 

Take A Hike

 Take a hike - often spoken when one is tired - irritated - with another person - get away - leave me alone - take a hike. The truth - hiking - taking long walks - away from your normal busy life is very healthy. It is not just the fact that you are off the couch and exercising your body - but there are beneficial aspects to your mental health. According to an article posted on the website of outsideonline.com - research has been done both in America and England citing data to show that hiking makes one happier. The study followed participants who walked in cities and countryside walks measuring their levels of depression - happiness. Bottom line - getting out side your house - away from hectic lives - the stress of work and daily commitments - helps one cope much better with their life overall.

Jesus told us in Holy Scripture - that He came that we might have life and live it to the fullest. Some would say that means spending all your time on your knees - in prayer - alone and quiet. If you really think about what Jesus said - He declared that we should live life to the fullest - taking advantage of the world created for all of us by God. That means the land - water - air. We are called to explore - investigate - immerse ourselves - in all of God's creation. If we sit in our chairs - spend countless hours on our knees - when is there time to explore - experience all the rest? That is only possible when we move outside our homes - our comfort zones - into the rest of the world. Hiking through a woods - forest - nature trail - traveling to other cities - states - countries - meeting and exploring the cultures of the world - is how we experience life to the fullest. God calls each of us to move - from complacency - to being active participants in all He offers us. He asks you and me to venture with Him - into the unknown - uncharted - corners of our lives.

Deacon Dale 

Safety Recall

 I think almost everyone is familiar with the concept of a safety recall - merchandise or product - deemed to have an inherent flaw - dangerous to the well being of the public in general. My sister frequently sends me notices about food recalls - contamination with bacteria - foreign material - unhealthy for even animals to consume. The food recalls are unbelievably common - more common that we would like to think.  Other products - toys - contaminated with lead paint - toxic plastics - harmful vapors - harmful to anyone who uses them. Possibly the biggest and most well known - automobile recalls - failed brakes - steering systems - faulty air bags - and on and on - all defects - discovered after the fact. At the time of manufacture - production - safety tested - only to fail ongoing testing at a later date - after it has landed in the hands of the final consumer. Thankfully - few are harmed - because of the due diligence by these companies.

When God sent Jesus - no need for safety testing - no need to follow up with additional testing - rather - follow up only to see how effective His Word - actions were. God is the original - Jesus - the real deal - no prototype - no future model. God gives us His best - first and foremost - no need for a second or third edition. What we see - what we get - day after day - hour after hour - minute after minute. Unlike the rest of the world - we get the best first and forever. In these days we tend to relax - let up on our spiritual observances - take the low road - ignore the high road - skip a Mass here and there - let our relationship with God slide into a lower place - possibly - no place at all. Instead of allowing this to happen - insert God moments - times when you may touch the Divine - into your summer activities. Had a great golf game - thank God - experience an awesome camp out  - praise the Lord - enjoy an well deserved vacation - sing your praise to the God who loves you. The only recall you should have with God - is recalling that He loved you - first.

Deacon Dale 

It's A Crazy Life

 Yes we are not alone - too many of us -  experiencing crazy times. Now that we are back in the Midwest - life has taken on a whole new aspect.  After enjoying a relatively relaxing four months - the hectic stuff has quickly crept back into our lives.   Illinois is more challenging - lots of grass to mow - lawn tractors that break down when you want to use them - weeds to pull - flower gardens to spruce up - not to mention just getting back in touch with everyone we left behind - reconnecting - gathering - getting crazy.  Add to these issues - coping with life's daily issues - the political scene - social media - humidity - lots of bugs - fixing things around the house.  Slowly getting back to deacon duties at church. 

God looks over every thing that is going on - not only in my life - but all of our lives - and smiles. Smiles because we are experiencing life to the fullest - with ordinary events - extra ordinary - happy - sad - frustrating - fun - stressful - relaxing. Just as He wanted - exactly why Jesus came - that all might experience life to the fullest. Often people will complain about the unpleasant things in life - why do we have to have those off moments - yet - if we think about it - the rough times - make the good times better - makes us appreciate little things - like peace - quiet - blue skies - white puffy clouds - handshakes - hugs - moments sharing with others. Like my friend Tom said last night - keeping in touch - looking to the future. God is present in 

everyone - everything we experience. Crazy or not - God is always there - smiling - calling us to touch the Divine.

Deacon Dale 

Mother's Day

 Today - a universal celebration of women - mothers - moms - grandmothers - women who have either given birth to another human - women who have acted very much lke a mother to children not born by them.  Going through the process of pregnancy - the actual - percieved - pain - sacrifice in order to bring another person into this world.  Unless one has personally given birth - not able to truely share that experience.  As a male I can only share what I have observed - been told by women what that process is like.  I know there are struggles - difficulties - pain - joy in that process.  I recently read that a women's body goes through multiple changes biologically in order to carry - give birth.  It almost sounds like a woman's body internally becomes a very different person - unseen by the naked eye.  On this Mothers Day - I for one say thank you!  

When Mary was told that she had been selected to bring the Christ child into the world there is no way that she knew what was being asked of her.  In those days even highly educated people really had no clue that a women went so many biological changes.  The could only observe the changed emotions - the obvious weigh gain - the tears - pain that most experienced.  Add onto the natural pain - the additional struggles to local customs - religious beliefs - heaped upon women due the no knowledge of the process.  To St Mary - thank you for saying - Yes - to the angel when told she would become pregnant through the power of God.  Thank you for making it possible for God to take on flesh - to experience human life - as the God wih flesh on.  I know that for Jesus - He could oly love Mary evn more for her sacrifice - a gift for Him - a gift for all humanity.  Happy Mpthers Day - St Mary - Arlene my wife and all women in the world.

Deacon Dale 

May Day

The first day of May is celebrated around the world - primarily in the northern hemisphere - 

as a festival - public holiday. In Europe - Great Britain - Finland - Estonia - France - Germany - Ireland - Italy - Greece - Bulgaria - Romania - Spain - Sweden - Poland - Canada - United States - Hawaii - celebrations predating the time of Christianity. One of the earliest - to honor the Roman goddess of flowers. Most celebrations - the crowning of a May queen - dancing around a maypole - village festivities - bring people together. The Roman Catholic Church in the 18th century selected May as the month to celebrate and honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. Many churches sponsor special prayer times in which the rosary is prayed in community - First Communicants crowning statues of Mary at Holy Mass - focusing on our special relationship with the Mother of Jesus.  This Sunday - in our parish - those who just received their First Holy Communion will crown the parish statue of Mary during the primary Mass for all to witness.

Celebration of all God's gifts are good - taking time away from our normal routine - to focus on the good things in life. Honoring God with music - dance - festivities - prayers - always good. As we begin this month of May - may our days be filled with sunshine - warmth - joy - all gifts from Our Father in Heaven.  Mary - Mother of God - Pray for us. 

Deacon Dale 

In This Moment

 When communicating with people from the midwest - it is not common to hear anyone use the phrase - in this moment. This was brought to my attention a few years back when speaking with people who speak English as their second - not primary - language. Relatives and friends from Italy and Poland made me aware of this comment - attempting to translate - now - or - right now - into American English. Each of  them used this same phrase - in this moment. To my ears - a funny way to express - now - immediately.  As a native North American - speaking the North American version of English - different from British English - we have adapted - modified - the original language from England to a somewhat different version - so that at times it would appear that we are speaking two completely different languages. As I pondered why anyone from Europe would express themselves with unusual English words - foreign to my ears - I came to realize that they were speaking British English words and phrases - not the North American version. Definitely a learning experience - expanding my understanding of other peoples - their language - cultures.

Pentecost changed many things when it happened to the disciples in the upper room - the room where they had shared the Last Supper - with Our Lord. That room - visited today in Jerusalem - a very basic plain room - the most interesting feature - I can remember seeing when I was there in 2010 & 2012 & 2018 - the capstones on the pillars - carved intricate designs. Beyond that feature - nothing outstanding to the naked eye. What the eye could not - cannot see - the history that took place between those four walls. The words spoken - actions taken - meals shared - stories of love for one another - a quick departure - an admonition from Our Lord to His disciples - the washing of the disciples' feet - the breaking of the bread - passing the cup of precious blood - the first consecration - institution of the Eucharist - the Priesthood - all hidden from sight - buried in the rings of time - spoken - unspoken words of - adoration - reverence. If we could only experience those moments for ourselves - the affect it would have on our lives - we can only imagine. As it is we have those memories recorded in the Holy Bible - words to be read - digested - over and over - to contemplate our place in God's Plan for the world - for each of us - in this moment.

Deacon Dale