Men In Black

When you mention Men In Black most people might think of MIB3 the newest movie in the Men In Black  series with Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. If you have seen the movies - they depict a group of primarily men - although there are some women - who dress in completely black suits and wear dark black sunglasses - a pseudo FBI or CIA group whose objective is to protect the Earth from alien creatures who want to harm the Earth. Part of the premises is that alien creatures freely roam the Earth disguised as normal humans - on occasion the Earth comes under attack by aliens and it is the job of MIB to bring a halt to those plans.

The actual Men In Black that I really wish to focus on is the priests and deacons who tirelessly give of their lives to help people on their spiritual journeys. It is this group of men who help protect the faith of the men and women of their parishes. It is their leadership - their listening skills - their guidance - that helps people avoid alien thoughts contrary to the Truth. The priest and deacons - who through the Grace of ordination - are empowered by God to cope with issues that are literally not of this world. To these men - my fellow clergy - I offer my prayers for constant blessings from God. The next time you see your priest or deacon - let them know how much you appreciate them and the time they devote to you.


Deacon Dale 

For Greater Glory

The movie For Greater Glory which is currently in theaters - is about the Cristeros War of 1926-1929 in Mexico. It is the story of religious oppression and the response of the people to that oppression. It is a sad story - not only because of certain events portrayed - but also because no government should ever feel it has the right to suppress religious freedom. Unfortunately that has happened more than once in more than one country. Currently our own government is trying to do that very thing with the current HHS Mandate - an action which if successful sets the stage for the government making regulations about other facets of American Life. The argument is not really about health care - it is about liberty of all Americans. You do not have to be Catholic to stand up and speak out against liberties taken away from yourself and your neighbors. 

Struggles such as this can only be won through the intervention of God. It is up to you and me to storm the gates of heaven with our prayers. Jesus can and will change the hearts of men and women so that all liberties may be protected. We need to pray for ourselves, our families and each other. Through prayer - through constant ardent prayer - God will reign supreme - for His Greater Glory.


Deacon Dale 

Growing Old

You hear it all the time - somebody in your life has a birthday rapidly approaching and the next thing you hear is something about growing old.  If we are to continue our life on this Earth - there is no way to avoid the ageing process.  When you are a child you just can't wait until you are older and when you are a teen being twenty-one seems like the ultimate goal.  Approaching thirty or forty or sixty brings feelings of wishing you were younger once again. Throughout life we all age physically and intellectually - hopefully in the process we take care of our bodies and minds so that over time we get better with age - like fine wine!  But I say there is a difference between getting older and getting old.  Being older means you have lived another year - being old means you have stopped the living process and have resigned yourself to the end of your life. Personally I hope to never get old no matter how much older I become. Although the numbers of years tallied in my own life have become quite numerous - mentally I still think and act like someone half my age. 

Spiritually I am at an older stage in my life - but I have not yet become old to the point that I do not need to continue my spiritual development. Seeking God's presence in my life - in the lives of the people around me - in the lives of people that I influence - is a quest that hopefully will continue for many many years to come. None of us can ever really know God - that is not a reason to stop trying.  Knowledge of God - of His Will - of His desire for us to achieve spiritual maturity - all comes with age and the amount of time we invest in spiritual inquiry. The Bible and the Catechism contain pages and pages of information on how to live a good and spiritual life - the best way is to make a personal commitment to Jesus - to get to know Him on a personal level - but to do  that you must be spiritually older!


Deacon Dale 

Defending the Faith

As you would expect - Roman Catholics are often called upon to defend their practice of Catholicism - as I am sure many other people of other faiths have done. Although I am a fairly staunch Catholic - I personally prefer to leave decisions about faith up to God's Hand.   Rather than try to force feed my beliefs upon another person - I like to sit back - smile - and watch God do His Work. And - amazingly enough- He does! When given the opportunity to add my own voice in another's faith journey - I very willing jump right in.  It is always rewarding to see how God works in people's lives and the results. As a Catholic when you are called to defend your faith - you need to arm yourself with good resources.  I recently came across two of these - blogs written by recent converts to Catholicism. One blog is by a young lady who I knew as a teen and was Catholic at the time - but then wandered - and recently came home to the Catholic Church. I encourage you to check out her blog at The Recovered Catholic.  The second blog is one I just came across that reads just as well as the first at St Paul's Center for Biblical Theology. 

Jesus calls each of us to personal conversion again and again.  At first He calls us to make a personal commitment to Him and then He calls us to continually turn our lives back to him day after day. Being a committed Catholic Christian is a task that never ends. There is so much that exists in the world today that tries to turn our vision away from Jesus - that we have to constantly turn back - to experience conversion over and over again. Best news - Jesus is holding our hands the entire time!


Deacon Dale 

Outrageous!

Outrageous - i.e. wildly exaggerated or improbable - going beyond all standards of what is right. So what is outrageous you ask - lately it seems like so many things qualify for being outrageous. The way people walk all over each other and then ask "why?" - the promises made to get elected but never get honored - people who commit a crime and end up being rewarded damages because they injured themselevs in the act of committing the crime and more. So today my wife and I took a break from our other commitments and decided to "take a drive" with the new puppy so he can get adjusted to riding in the car. While driving around Lake Michigan we happened on a private road that we wandered down and stumbled upon some very nice looking beachfront houses. Being curious - I stopped our car and flagged down a police car that was slowly patrolling the area - the first sign that this was a special neighborhood. I introduced myself and asked him to tell me about the area.  As I thought - it was a very special area - with the "big" house up the road valued at ten million dollars! The outrageous part - he pointed out a vacant lot that was for sale - approximately one acre in size - bare land - priced at $ 2.8 million dollars - and the kicker - they will get it he said.

Maybe you don't think that is outrageous or perhaps you are one of those skeptics that believe that outrageous things don't exist. As a person of faith I only have to point my finger at Jesus - just as His cousin John the Baptizer did. There - with finger extended - "there is the Lamb of God,  who takes away the sin of the world." (John 1:29-30) Jesus was considered outrageous by many who listened to His words and experienced His presence in their lives. From those who sat on damp ground listening to His "Sermon on the Mount" to those healed by His touch - all of them would state - outrageous! To those of us today who know Him as Lord - as Teacher - as God Incarnate - we too make such a claim. You can experience Jesus in this way - you simply have to ask Him into your heart - to take control of your life - to give yourself up to Him. That - would be outrageous!

Deacon Dale 

Va Bene

Va Bene is Italian for "it is good".  And so it is for those who cooperate with each other and get along. When people put aside their differences and work together for the common good - then good works are accomplished - communities are strengthened - neighborhoods become better places to live.  It could be a project to help out a senior citizen or a family who are having financial problems or perhaps a neighborhood beautification project. It really doesn't matter what the project is - as it benefits everyone involved.  All it takes is people making a commitment to join and become involved.

Jesus made that commitment to each of us - no matter what the cost. He wanted people to connect with each other - to experience life - to celebrate living - to enjoy all that His Father provided for us.  Following on that thought - I have made arrangements to host a pilgrimage to Italy this November.  We will be traveling 11 days from Venice to Florence to Assisi and Rome. We will participate in a Papal Audience and visit many spiritual sites in Italy. Father Michael Callea MIC has accepted my invitation to be our Spiritual Director and offer Holy Mass daily. This pilgrimage promises to be very special. More information is available at DeaconTravel or for more particulars you may email Deacon Dale   I will see if I can post the pilgrimage brochure on a follow up post.  God calls us to be His disciples - He calls us to experience Him daily - God calls us to celebrate life!

Deacon Dale 

Full Coverage

When it comes to buying insurance it is like any other purchase - you have options - often too many - and confusing. Do you need only basic coverage - or extended - earthquake - or flood - umbrella - or other add ons?  What any person really wants is enough coverage to cope with whatever surprise arises - an illness - an accident - an act of Nature. That is all - enough to make sure that you do not end up with a financial nightmare because of an incident.- no frills - just full coverage - to limit your liability and out of pocket expenses.

Jesus offers each of us exactly that - Full Coverage. He came and died on the cross for you and me - to make an atoning offering for our sins - so that we can be guaranteed a place in Heaven.  He died that we might live - and enjoy an eternity in the presence of His Heavenly Father. He is our insurance that our debt to God has been paid in full. Rejoice in the fact that God loves you so much that He sent His Son to pay the price to be your insurance policy for eternal life.


Deacon Dale 

Garage Sale

Garage Sale! What excitement that sign brings - unbelievable deals - low prices - extra money in the pocket - hours of hauling old things you no longer want or need - giving it all away at the end just to be rid of it!  I, myself, am not a fan of garage sales. It bothers me that so many people who hold garage sales - end up giving away items for far less than they are worth. A twenty-five dollar pair of slacks - worn once or twice - out the door at fifty cents!  A fifty dollar light fixture - replaced because you remodeled - carried away for five dollars. I find it very difficult understanding why the purchaser feels they have the right - are entitled - to buy a slightly used item at a mere pittance - and the homeowner feels that their possessions basically - have unbelievably little value.

God does not do garage sales - everything He created is beyond value! From the smallest insect to the tallest mountains - all have value beyond compare! Each of us is worth much more than  we would believe. When God created us He broke the mold - each of us is a one of a kind creation. You will never find God offering you up to anyone - you are His and His alone - your value is beyond compare!


Deacon Dale 

Silence is Golden..

Maybe it is just me but I do not understand the phrase - "people of color". Is that suppose to be a nice way to indicate that somebody's skin color is different from your own? What is it with people who have to focus on the obvious - which has no bearing on anything of value? Pretty ridiculous is it not? What do we say when we notice the seriously over or under weight - or the extremely short or tall - or those who limp or are missing extremities - why is it that we feel that we have to make any comment at all? Would it not be better to avoid saying anything at all -focusing instead on the positive - rather than the negative. .

The phrase "silence is golden"  is reported to date back to ancient Egypt and meant about the same that it means today - better to keep silent rather than speak stupidly. Jesus calls each of us to speak the Truth - openly and freely. He calls us to proclaim love - not observations of no value. He calls us to build up - not tear down - to create not destroy.  When we lack the proper words - then we are called to silence.


Deacon Dale 

Insert Foot..

Almost everyone I know has said something that they later regretted.  You know when someone says to you about putting your foot in your mouth - or put brain into gear before opening your mouth. Most often the misspeak is not intentional nor meant to harm or offend anyone. Recently the President of the United States misspoke when talking about the death camps in Poland. Anyone with any common sense knows that what was said by the President was read off a teleprompter or from a script that he did not write himself - but never the less he did say what he said. You would hope that if placed in a similar situation you would catch the error before committing to spoken word. It is a completely different thing when a video clip is edited and reported to intentionally make anyone look like they are completely clueless as did MSNBC recently with a clip of Mitt Romney. If you watched the complete clip of what actually was said and the edited one shown on the news - you can clearly see what was done. At the least - it is shameful what they did - not because he is a candidate for the Presidency - but because he is a fellow human being.

Jesus had to contend with similar misspeak and misrepresentation. The people who feared Him could not verbalize true statements that would convict Him - so they invented ones. Like those whose intention was to make a presidential candidate appear uninformed - so too did those in opposition with Jesus. They feared Him because He spoke the Truth and the Truth that He spoke was God - God's Love - God's Forgiveness - God's compassion. Anything they could speak against that - was no better than putting their feet in their mouths! 


Deacon Dale