Fastnacht

Fastnacht also known as Fasching or Karneval in Germany and Carnevale in Italy and Mardi Gras in France and  most commonly Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday in America is an exciting celebration of excesses.  Fastnacht in some regions in Germany begins November 11th at 11am or 11.11:11.  I have not been able to find out why that exact date and hour but it is what it is.  The begining of  Fastnacht or Fasching in November is a time of celebration of the ending of winter and preparation for the coming of Lent with it's period of fasting and denial.  But before Lent starts the German people - especially in Koln (Cologne), Germany begin celebrating life and the beauty of each other with music, food, beer, dancing and large celebrations and parades.  In Italy Carnevale - which literally means without meat - also looks forward to the end of winter and the beginning of Lent and the Italians also celebrate with great festivals and beautiful masks and balls.  In America - for the most part - we limit our celebrating to the day before Lent by eating local favorites which may be doughnuts, pancakes, or Pączki (if you are Polish). 

To celebrate life is good - to enjoy life is better - to prepare for eternal life is best. Yes, today we celebrate and indulge ourselves - but tomorrow will come all too soon and with it the beginning of Lent and all that it entails. In this day enjoy all that you have and all that you hold dear.  Celebrate with family and friends, with co-workers and enemies alike because in all this celebration is God, for He has created all things for us to experience and enjoy.  God bleses our celebrations of life, if we ask Him.  He wants to be with us constantly and when we recognize that God is all in all - then we can truly celebrate the life that He has blessed us with.

Deacon Dale 

When I Grow Up

Remember when you were a young child and always talked about when you would grow up and what you wanted to be or what you wanted to do?  Yes, I would guess that most of us had dreams about our future.  If I remember correctly, I went through fire fighter, policeman, Superman, Don Juan and who knows what else.  You might say they were unrealistic and I would have to agree.  But, no matter how wild the dream, it was a dream and as such fueled efforts to grow, learn and accomplish skills.  So I may not have achieved any of those early goals but I did manage to get all the way through six years of college, have a very rewarding professional career and along the way was even able to fit in spiritual formation which allowed me to become ordained.  


Even with all I - and others like me - have managed to accomplish thus far in our lives - it is not uncommon to hear people in my age group make comments like "when I grow up.." as a way to state that even as you age it does not have to mean that your life is over and that you no longer are useful.  Having "retired" four months ago I find myself filling my life with so many different things and projects - I wonder how I was able to do what I do now and previously worked a full time job. One renewed focus I have now is my spiritual life and it would probably surprise many that although I am ordained, I am still seeking to improved my relationship with God.  No matter how many hours I spend reading books on spirituality, no matter how many prayers I say, no matter how many hours I sit in the silence of His Presence at Adoration - I still have to say "when I grow up".....


Deacon Dale 

Home Sweet Home

There is nothing as exciting as taking a trip to a far away place.  It is even more exciting if that far away place is somewhere that you have dreamed about for years.  When the day finally arrives and you are able to take that trip it becomes a highlight of your life.  The new peoples that you are able to meet, the foods that you get to taste, the culture that you experience - all makes for a very rewarding trip.


The reality is that no matter how long you have to travel or how much you enjoy this experience - there is always that point when you begin to long for home - to stop the traveling and get back to the old and comfortable.


And so it is when you have been drifting in your spiritual life.  You may have drifted far away to a place of nothingness or maybe you have been church hopping and wandering from one spiritual experience to another in search of that special something that might give meaning to your life. So many people have spent years in search of that spark of the Divine only to continue to go unfulfilled.  Then when all options have been exhausted - in desperation - they return to that place where they started - their home church and to their surprise discover that in the process of wandering and drifting they have finally come to appreciate what they had in the beginning.  Finally - when they have returned they discover that what was old and irrelevant is instead the answer to their inner peace and joy.  In their wandering - through that time of uncertainty - God was with them - waiting patiently - waiting for that moment when He could hear them exclaim - Finally, Home sweet Home.


Praying that you have found your home
Deacon Dale 

Morning Light

If you have ever done the dusting in your home, then you know how frustrating it is when you dust your tables and hard surfaces and you think they are clean until you open the drapes and the morning light reveals that there is a fine layer of dust remaining. Sometimes in that morning light you can even see the dust floating in the air.  Why is it that under certain lighting conditions everything looked just fine and then in that early morning light - bingo - the truth is revealed?


That is exactly what happens when a person sins and why sinners prefer darkness to light. Holy Scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 4:5 - "the Lord comes who will bring to light the things hidden in the darkness....".  It is easy to lie and deceive and do all sorts of things that you are not proud of in the darkness of the night - but in the light of day become ashamed of what you have done.  


Most of us have done things in the past that we were not proud of and hoped that our sins would stay hidden in the darkness. But sins do not hide in the dark forever - they always manage to rear their ugly heads in the daylight and then - when we have been caught in our lies and actions - our sins are revealed for all to see.


Jesus is the Light that reveals all - not to embarrass us - but to bring us to wholeness.  He alone can dispel the darkness in our lives.  He alone can heal our hearts.  He alone can bring peace and joy into our lives.  


If you have been living with guilt and fear of exposure because of something that you have done in the past - rest assured that Jesus is the gentile healer of souls.  He comes to give your life meaning not condemnation - a wholeness not reprisal.  Jesus invites each of us to step into His Light - to enter into a new relationship with Him that will bring us eternal joy.


Deacon Dale 

Diet God?

It seems like everything these days is diet this or diet that - with caffeine or  decaffeinated - regular or unleaded, etc etc etc.  There are various reasons for this trend.  Perhaps you think you need less than what the regular product offers - it may be a health benefit or maybe it is just simply less expensive or easier to deal with.


Being actively involved in our lives is a good thing - after all, it is our life.  Rather than passively allowing life and all that it entails to just happen - we take it by the reins and direct our lives in the direction that we believe it should go.  We chose options in many aspects of our lives - what we eat and drink - what we wear - what we drive - where we work - what occupation we practice - where we worship or if we worship.  There are so many choices it can become very confusing.


Today we are at a point where even worshiping God is a choice.  First of all, we have to decide if there is or is not a God - for me an easy choice - for others, not so easy.  Once an individual chooses to acknowledge the existence of God then the decisions get a little more complex.  How will we worship God - will we be mainline or go in another direction?  Do we join a church or temple or mosque - or do we practice our spirituality privately at home?  If we do join a community place of worship do we just slip in the door and observe or do we automatically sign up and become an active follower?  What about the rules - the precepts and dogmas professed by the church community - do you agree with all of them or do you go for the restaurant style where you pick and chose which beliefs you will agree with and follow?


All too many people who want to worship their God find that following all the rules - the precepts - the dogmas are too difficult - so they opt to go with diet God.  With diet God you believe most of what He has spoken - but not all.  You become the head master and in choosing diet God - you place Him in a box.  You  limit His love - His power - His authority.  


Choosing diet God you deny yourself the opportunity of experiencing the fullness of God's presence in your life.  Diet God does not fill your soul with everything that it needs because you you have elected to go with the lite version.  If you have made this decision - you will eventually realize that diet God / God lite is not what you need or deserve.  No - you deserve the fullness of God in your life.  If you have been living with the diet version - just ask God to enter your life completely - give your life over to Him - to the One who truly Loves You!  You will be amazed how good the fullness of regular God can be!


Deacon Dale 

Dream Home

Is your dream home like the one being promoted by HGTV's Dream Home?  Perhaps you would like to live in a secluded area in a sparkling new home with beautiful amenities.  Or maybe your ideal location would be in the middle of a busy downtown area with hundreds of people as your neighbors.  You might prefer a home on the water so you can relax with friends on a luxury boat running charters to supplement your retirement income.  What ever your dream - whether it is one that will never be realized or one that is many  years away - it is a dream that you can hold on to - something that gives you hope for a pleasant future.


My personal dream home is a house situated where I can be happy with my spouse - relaxing and enjoying dazzling sunrises and beautiful sunsets - time to spend with friends enjoying activities (which includes bocce), dining and conversing.  Where ever I can be happy and at peace - will be my dream home.


Right now God has a dream home waiting for all of us.  At the end of our days on this earth, He will provide each of us an eternal space where we can dwell in His Holy presence.  Worries and cares will no longer exist and only everlasting joy will fill our lives.  The best part about this is that we do not have to enter a contest (two entries allowed daily), nor do we have to buy this or that product with entry form attached.  Our home with God is guaranteed to each of us - free of charge.  The price has been paid in full by His son Jesus - with His precious shed blood.  Our true dream home exists only in God - only with our Lord and Savior - Jesus Christ.


Have a large day!
Deacon Dale 

Moving Mountains

Unless you are in the construction business, I doubt if you will actually be moving any mountains in the near future.  There may be times during the course of your normal day that you may feel as if some tasks might be as daunting as moving a mountain; however, when you give yourself time to analyze your situation - you will almost always recognize that the situation is not nearly as bad as you thought.


This same thing happens all too frequently when people are rediscovering their relationship with God.  Having been away from the church they grew up in - most people will ask "where did my church go?"  Changes in physical arrangement of the facilities or changes in the worship style and leadership and changes in the makeup of the congregation makes these even more noticeable.  Taking time to step back and intelligently review what appears to have been major changes very frequently reveals that it is not as different as what was remembered.  For one thing memories from youth rarely translate into adulthood.  What we perceived as a child, although exactly the same, as an adult will carry a different perception.  "Oh I guess it didn't change - I just didn't remember that it was this way".  So we move through the real and unreal changes as we reacquaint ourselvss with our spiritual home.  


Once done accepting those changes it is time to get down to what really matters - which is the personal relationship we may or may not have had with God.  Again - how we understand God as a child and as an adult will be very different.  As an adult you will have to change some concepts that were probably watered down when presented to you as a child - so as an adult you can now accept and understand the true concepts of your faith.  It all takes time - but as long as you keep moving in the right direction you will be successful in your task of rediscovering your relationship with God.  Be patient and give yourself time - after all God has been patiently waiting for you to move your mountains on your journey back to Him.


Deacon Dale 

Valentine/Valentinos/Valentina?

Saint Valentine may have been one person or many, depending on local custom.  Notwithstanding the fact that Valentinus was a popular name ascribed to many different people of both genders, it remains a fact that Valentinus/Valentine was a person worthy of note.


As each of us remember our own Valentine  this day - we proclaim to all around us that this person - this special Valentine - is a person of note.  They may be our spouse or child or other person whom we chose to recognize on this day commonly celebrated as a day of love.  Today -out of all days in the calendar year - we profess our love for these special Valentines.


Would that we should celebrate love and special people everyday of our lives - then we would truly be Christ like!


Deacon Dale 

COU

This evening my wife and I, along with my son, daughter-in-law and grandson were privileged to attend the Children of Uganda 2012 Tour of Light performance in Glen Ellyn, IL.  It was a real treat to watch as they performed native song and dance.  I was particularly excited to attend this concert since my young cousin had spent two years in Uganda working with the Peace Corps and youth such as those who were performing.  Although her tour of duty was over years ago, she still continues to support the youth of Uganda and stays involved with them.


During her tenure in Uganda she was able to construct a library and stock it with books because of the generosity of her church family and my family.  At my home parish, we have been involved in our own way in partnering with a sister parish in Uganda supplying thousands of handmade rosaries and sending financial aide to them.


As I watched tonight's performance I could not help but think that these youth are just like the youth that our parish has partnered with and it made me proud that our parishioners have generously supported that ministry.  Helping people to live better lives, improving their living conditions and doing it all in the name of our one God - awesome!


Deacon Dale 

Sir Knight

This past Saturday I spent the majority of the day with 300+ Catholic gentlemen who participated in presentations on the history of the USA and the fine men and women who have served this country in the various armed forces.  The presentations reminded me of my father-in-law who served this country as a Navy Seabee and my younger brother who gave four years to our country also serving in the Navy.  I remember my brother's stories of carrying documents to the White House and being called by his first name by the President.  I am proud of them both.


The crowning point of the day was the Knighting ceremony in which 190 Catholic gentlemen were Knighted as 4th degree members of the Knights of Columbus.  I had the privilege of sitting next to an 89 year old gentlemen who was not only knighted but also honored for serving in WWII.  I feel privileged to have been able to assist him in the vesting ceremony and shaking his hand upon being knighted.  I am humbled that I was able to share this experience with him and my brother Knights.


The loyalty shown by all the men, women, priests and deacons gathered at the evening Mass and following banquet to the USA and the Holy Roman Catholic Church left me with a memory that I will never forget.  I am proud to call these men brothers!


Deacon Dale