Recently I received a notice that those who have been getting my blog by email will lose that function this July. If that happens to you please return to this main page for an update fix.
Thank you
Deacon Dale
Thursday, April 15, 2021
Monday, April 5, 2021
El Camino - The Way #48
Last Things
Divine Mercy Sunday
April 11, 2021
It would be impossible to end my Lenten Reflection series of posts without mentioning God's Divine Mercy. On Good Friday we began the Divine Mercy Novena - 9 days of prayers celebrating Jesus' Divine Mercy - His love given freely to mankind - young & old - male & female - everyone. God - Jesus - the Holy Spirit - does not limit His love - forgiveness - to any one group of people. He is all for all - period. With this novena - we celebrate and honor our Lord with all that is Divine and good. The Chaplet of Divine Mercy is prayed daily at the 3 o'clock hour by many. In a series of revelations to St. Maria Faustina Kowalska in the 1930s, our Lord called for a special feast day to be celebrated on the Sunday after Easter. Today, we know that feast as Divine Mercy Sunday, named by Pope St. John Paul II at the canonization of St. Faustina on April 30, 2000.
Deacon Dale
Sunday, April 4, 2021
El Camino - The Way #47
Easter Sunday
Happy Easter!
We pray that this day is filled with true joy and happiness and everyone gathers and celebrates in their own way. Thank you to those who followed this blog for part of their Lenten reflection. Thank you for your comments. In this blog I showed select photos from the Camino pilgrimage that we walked in fall of 2013. At your request I am posting the link to a video that is on YouTube from our Camino. This will include our entire video file and comments that were posted daily as we walked those almost 400 miles You are invited to get a drink and a snack and sit back and enjoy the video - it runs about 34 minutes. Enjoy!
Deacon Dale
Click this link or copy & paste the link below into your browser
https://youtu.be/IggCogi4HNw
Saturday, April 3, 2021
El Camino - The Way #46
Holy Saturday
Tonight the Easter Vigil - the Mother of all vigils. This - not Christmas - the greatest celebration in the Christen Church. Yes - celebrating the birth of Jesus - very important - the day when God came to earth as Man - Easter - even more important - celebrating Resurrection - the day Jesus rose from the dead - giving hope to everyone that they will one day share in that resurrection - life in Heaven. Although apparently quiet and abandoned early in the day - a lot of activity going on inside. In my parish - the early morning Blessing of Easter baskets - an ancient tradition celebrated by the Polish and other Slavic peoples - followed by the final instruction and blessing of those who will be baptized and received into the Church at tonight's Vigil. The Art & Environment crew removing signs of Lent - the purple banners and replacing with signs of renewal - Easter flowers - white banners - all signs of hope. After sunset - the faithful gathering - marking the beginning of the Easter liturgies.
This day on the Camino we finalized our pilgrimage - walking almost 400 miles - by ourselves - not alone - carrying cremains of my two brothers and my deceased sister-in-laws' rosary with us. This day we head to the farthest point in Finisterre, Spain where we will say prayers and commit those cremains and rosary to the depth of the Atlantic Ocean. Jesus we trust in you - we trust that you are always with us - in life and in death - will always be with us on earth and in heaven - always.
Please do not drive your car off the edge - we are walking
Heading to the edge
Our goal in sight
Up the stairs and to the left please
At the end of the earth
Happiness
Arlene tossing the rosary into the ocean - RIP Susan - Miss You
Dale tossing the cremains into the Atlantic - RIP Dennis and Dean - Miss you
And on that day God shined His love on His Ocean of love
As we celebrate Resurrection tomorrow on this Easter Sunday - we rejoice in the fact that no matter who we are - where we are - what we have done - have not done - God loves each and every one of us. For those who believe - for those who do not believe - for those who question - Jesus is always there. Just as we wait this Vigil night with prayers - Jesus waits with His Love.
Deacon Dale
Friday, April 2, 2021
El Camino - The Way #45
Good Friday
Wrapping It Up
Having completed the walking portion of the pilgrimage - we had just a few things to do before heading home. Initially we had anticipated spending 7 weeks in Spain - we finished after 5 weeks and admittedly were homesick as this was the longest we had been away from home. Some had urged us to visit Barcelona or go south to Seville - we had already visited the southern part of Spain on a previous trip and trying to be reasonable with our expenses did not think spending two weeks in Barcelona would be justified as two weeks in normal hotels and restaurants would easily double our budget that we had allowed for the Camino. We changed our flights and scheduled our return for 4 days later. We wanted to go visit Finisterre - the purported end of the earth. Before anyone had ventured father west - Finisterre was the western most point of land in Europe. Unknown to anyone we had walked the Camino carrying some special cargo with us. I had a small container that I kept with me night and day containing the cremains of my older brother Dennis and my twin Dean. Arlene had carried a rosary that belonged to Susan - my twin's deceased wife who - although not Catholic - had frequently prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet on that rosary. Our intent - to send both container and rosary into the Atlantic ocean at the end of the earth. Having ended Lent and now in The 3 days of the Triduum - time to let go and let God. Whatever one needs to let go of - now is the time - give it to God - expect nothing in return - except Joy as we all celebrate Easter this Sunday.
Welcome to the Port of Finisterre - Doorway to the Ocean
Another Monument Pilgrim - Sailor
The Harbor
Anchors Away
Small Castle
Finisterre on west coat of Galicia, Spain - Atlantic Ocean
For many pilgrims walking to Santiago ends their pilgrimage - for many others continuing on to that spot which was once considered the end of the earth - an added experience - seeing the Atlantic ocean. In Lent many Christians observe the full forty days of Lent - miss the Days of The Triduum - returning only on Easter Sunday. In The Triduum we celebrate with moving liturgies the institution of Holy Eucharist and the Priesthood - The day of final atonement when Jesus was crucified - veneration of the Cross - the Vigil with a multitude of Scriptures and Prayers as the faithful wait in anticipation of the Resurrection on Easter morning. For those who are able - the Triduum is not to be missed.
Deacon Dale
Thursday, April 1, 2021
El Camino - The Way #44
Holy Thursday
The Botafumerio
Botafumerio 80Kg (167 pounds) 5 feet tall
At the conclusion of the Camino pilgrimage the majority of pilgrims will attend the daily Pilgrims' Holy Mass in thanksgiving for blessings received during their pilgrimage. A large number of pilgrims are not Catholic - these pilgrims also attend the Pilgrims' Mass out of curiosity just to see the Botafumerio fly through the Cathedral at the end of Mass. I am listing two video clips for you to see.
The first is from the Pilgrims' Mass in 2011 - note the volume of smoke - originally it was not just signifying that the prayers rise like incense - in the early days of the Camino the pilgrims had spent a month or more walking - most without baths thus the smell was not pleasant and the incense provided a way to eliminate the stink.
The second clip is from this past December 31, 2020 with much less people and the focus is strictly on the Botafumerio marking the beginning of the Holy Year of St. Joseph. As you observe either or both clips - please use those minutes to reflect on your Lenten journey - the prayers that you offered up to God - flying like the smoke from the incense to heaven above.
With this post we officially end Lent - tonight marks the beginning of The Triduum - the three holiest days of the Christian Year. Holy Thursday - Good Friday - Holy Saturday. Tonight at Holy Mass we celebrate the institution of Holy Eucharist and the Priesthood. Tonight we commemorate that day when Jesus told His disciples - Take and eat - this is my body and in a similar way - Take and drink - for this is my blood shed for all mankind. After supper Jesus told them - Go and make disciples of all - baptizing them in the Name of the Father - and the Son and the Holy Spirit thus the creation of the priesthood. As baptized Christians - have we done as Jesus commanded?
Deacon Dale
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)