WOW! is a word that expresses wonder - amazement - surprise. Almost anything may have that WOW! factor. A special dress for that once in a lifetime occasion - a shinny new car loaded with options - A spectacular accomplishment - a hole-in-one - a home run - a surprise ending to an outstanding movie - an outstanding gourmet dinner. It is not that frequent that we are able to experience things or events that have a WOW! factor. When we do - we know that something very special happened. When these special occasions do occur - we are very pleased - with life - with ourselves. We rejoice and look forward to more of those times.
God revealed himself to Moses in the Burning Bush - an unexpected and awesome event. If Moses had spoken English - he might have said WOW!. If we were to encounter God in a burning bush - we would definitely say WOW! As it is - our encounters tend to be more on the everyday or mundane side. We attend church - we pray - we follow our devotions - day in - day out. We seek comfort - peace - joy. Jesus offers us His promise - that He will always be there for us - always ready to help - always faithful to us - even when we are not faithful - that alone should make us shout - WOW!
Deacon Dale
There are many times and places that we use a count-down clock or calendar. Getting ready to leave on vacation - preparing for an exciting event - marking off the days and hours to our wedding or ordination - counting the minutes until a special birthday. As the time becomes shorter and shorter - our excitement grows - until finally the final hour - the last minutes. It is time! Let's go! Start the party! Celebrate! Counting down the time helps us to make important and significant events in our lives - memorable.
When we were children - studying our catechism - we anticipated that day when we would be able to receive Holy Eucharist - to be Confirmed - to celebrate our first Confession. All those events were significant - and for most - very memorable. As an adult - learning about your faith - your relationship to God - to Jesus - to Mary - all became significant memories - when you finally grasped that which eluded you as a child. Thank God for memories and the special moments in our lives - praise Him for being patient with us - glorify Him for His awesome love - thank Him for not counting us out.
Deacon Dale
Decisions rule our lives - every day we have to make decisions - when to wake up - what to wear - where to go - who to call - how to do - one decision after another. The problem with making decisions - is that sometimes they are wrong. We judge poorly - we speak wrongly - we act hastily - we rush our decisions. In the end - we have to accept that we will make wrong or bad decisions - having discovered our error we move on - we make new decisions. That is one of the beautiful things about making decisions - we can always change them! Very few decisions are cast in stone - most decisions can be altered and changed. What a gift to be able to correct a poor decision.
When we were first introduced to religion and the worship of God - our decision on how and when to worship - for the most part - was made for us by our parents. We automatically followed what they did - questioning nothing and accepting everything. Then we matured - grew up and became adults ourselves - and started questioning. We wanted answers to questions previously unasked - hearing the answers we decided to accept or reject. For many of us - rejecting the faith of our parents was a given - we were better informed - more enlightened - or so we thought. Drifting in an ocean of confusing theology only made the decision process more difficult - so we continued drifting until the Island that is God - was so far away - that many gave up - drowned in that ocean of confusion. Thankfully for us - although we left God behind - He never abandoned us. All our lives Jesus has been there - walking with us - patiently waiting for us to make our decisions - holding His breath when we chose poorly - clapping with joy when we chose well. Today Jesus is still there - waiting for you - waiting for your next decision - waiting for you to walk His way.
Deacon Dale
Real-time is a modern designation of time in which the event or action taking place is happening at the same instant that you are reading or participating in that event. Attending a baseball game - sitting in the stands - watching the action as it evolves - is real time. Watching a video or pictures of that same event at a later time - a few hours - days - weeks - is past time. With today's technology we are able to participate in numerous real-time activities that were not available in the past. Many services that previously had to be delayed - waiting prior approval - are able to be done almost instantly because of the availability of real-time computer processing. Real-time has made life easier for those of us who both use and work with those systems.
Jesus has and always will be available to us in real-time. We do not have to make a request through a prayer of petition and wait hours or days for that request to be submitted. The second it leaves our hearts - our minds - our lips - it is received by Him. He is available to us 24 hours a day - 7 days a week - 365 days a year. Getting an answer to our prayers - is not always as simple - although He receives our requests in real-time - He answers in His time. Sometimes His answer is No - Maybe - Not Now - Later. What ever His answer - it is His answer - not ours - and how He answers may not be what we expected - but it is always for the best. In His time - according to His will - not ours - in His way. Jesus waits for you.
Deacon Dale
Maps are very helpful documents - they are most often used to show geography - cities and states - entire countries and places around the globe. Pirates were famous for their treasure maps - leading people to vast treasures of silver and gold. Today we have the technology to do brain mapping - DNA mapping and even extraterrestrial mapping. Maps show us where we are and how to get to where we want to be. They may be global - providing an entire world view - or highly detailed - showing streets and individual homes. Modern computer technology allows us to even view mapped locations in real time views. Without maps many people would not have any idea how to get to their destination.
When God inspired humans to write down His words - to share with others - He was designing the first written map - a map on how to live our lives - how to relate to Him and to each other. His map - the Bible - is a story of God's love for us throughout the ages. His map takes us from the creation of the world - to the birth and death of His Son - to our future lives with Him in Heaven. If we follow God's map - we will see clearly where we are on this Earth - we will see clearly how we are suppose to react and travel with those around us. He will show us the paths to avoid - the danger spots - the places of great joy - the location of our final home. Jesus is the guide who shows us how to read God's map - Jesus is the One who walks this journey with us - Jesus is the Son who shows us the way home to God's eternal treasure.
Deacon Dale
Babysitting is probably one of the most charitable things that you can do for another person. Often the caregiver just needs some time away from the daily grind of taking care of their children - patient - spouse or whomever they care for. There is nothing wrong in admitting that you have been worn thin and need some assistance. Everyone who cares for others will come to a point in time when they have had enough of the pressure of being a caregiver and needs some respite - time away from their responsibilities - time to collect themselves - mentally and physically - so that they may return to their duty as primary caregiver with a renewed sense of mission. This does not apply only to parents with young children - but to persons who take care of the aged - ill and infirm. All of us have a limit to how much we can handle - and it is the smart person who knows when they have reached that limit and asks for help. For those of us on the helping end - we need to also realize how stressful care giving can become - and willingly offer our time to allow caregivers respite time.
Life - as lived in today's modern world - can become very stressful and we may often find that we need to escape the daily obligations - to give ourselves a rest. To escape from the pressures that surround us - to wander in the valley of quiet - could be one of the best things we can do for ourselves. It may mean wandering away from the crowd - to a secluded beach or park or even the back porch - anywhere where everyone else is not. In our search for healthy down time we seek peace and quiet. When life becomes too much for you to cope with - you need a caregiver who can offer you that respite you seek - Jesus is that caregiver - He can take the burdens from your shoulders - He can lighten that load - He can offer you the peace you seek - all you need to do is ask.
Deacon Dale
An eyewitness is valuable in so many situations - they give credibility to statements of fact that would be difficult to verify otherwise. If you made a hole in one playing golf and were playing by yourself - who would believe you - without an eyewitness? If you set a Guinness World Record and wanted your accomplishment recorded as the new record - who believe you without an official eyewitness? If you were charged with a criminal act and wanted to prove your innocence - where would you stand legally with or without an eyewitness? Having another person - of record - who would be willing to speak out - is necessary when verifying unsubstantiated information and claims.
When Jesus rose from the dead - the event would have gone unnoticed if numerous eyewitnesses had not stepped forward to verify the truth of the statements. If there had been none - or if nobody was willing to speak up - the way we worship and who we worship would possibly be very different from what we know. Because humans are inherently good - people do step forward and tell about the events they have eyewitnessed - they share the details - the excitement - the sadness - the joy - the miracles of life. Jesus calls each of us to witness to others that we meet about how He has worked in our lives - to share the Truth that He is.
Deacon Dale
Riposa In Pace is Italian for Rest In Peace - a statement made at wakes and funerals after someone has passed away. Very often you will see these words in one language or another inscribed on funeral markers and headstones. But what does it mean? Depending on your personal beliefs - it may mean something or nothing at all. The majority of people would probably take it to mean that the living are wishing a peaceful time in the here-after to the one who has died. Depending - again on your own beliefs - that may mean either total darkness - nothing at all - or a rebirth to an eternal existence - either in Heaven or Hell. Obviously - Rest in Peace - would be expecting an eternal life in Heaven - because everyone knows that there is no peace in Hell.
To Rest In Peace in Heaven - means enjoying the promises Jesus made to His disciples and to us - who believe in Him as Lord and Savior. A life away from this existence - and in a new and much better life - where there is no pain or suffering - no sin or temptation - no arguments or anxiety - no pills - no frustrations - only peace and harmony - celebrating all that God is - all that is good and wonderful. Sound too good to believe - people are just dying to find out!
Deacon Dale
Today it is all about networks and networking. To be able to connect with other people with similar interests either for leisure activities or for your job - makes it very nice to have the input you desire from others. The team concept - working with multiple people - rather than independently - removes a lot of the stress that normally comes with projects. Being able to maximize your personal skills - while allowing others with different skills manage other facets of the project - means maximized efficiency - with a lot less stress than you would have if you were doing it all on your own. Efficiency and economy of resources is the major benefit of networks.
When we come to God in prayer it is typically an individual experience. There are times - when networking with others who share the same faith perspective - is a bonus. Asking God for special blessings in intercessory prayer - is always better when you network with others who are willing to add their prayers to yours for special intentions. The same concept of shared prayer - networking - is what communal prayer at Holy Mass is all about - as we gather as a family of faith - and add our separate voices - to give life to prayers for others as in the prayers of the faithful - is the best example of our faith in action. God - Me - We!
Deacon Dale
Today marks blog entry #200 and it is only fitting that I begin the next set of one hundred entries by focusing on Mary. Throughout history there have been many famous women named Mary - Mary Queen of Scots - Queen Mary I of England also known as "Bloody Mary" - Mary Magdalene - Mary of Clopas - and more. The most famous Mary has to be the Virgin Mary - Mother of Jesus. As the Mother of God incarnate - she is the most popular Mary spoken or sung about. A simple Jewish girl selected by God to bear His Son - catapulted her to a position of importance in both Christian and Muslim religions. It is interesting to note that there is more written about Mary in the Qur'an than in the Bible. While Catholics, Orthodox and Muslins hold a special place for Saint Mary - Protestants - in general - pay little attention to her - only acknowledging that she is the mother of Jesus. Many people misunderstand the place of Mary in Catholic and Orthodox theology - where she is honored and venerated - but NOT worshiped - as she is fully human and not divine. It is because of lack of education that some think that Catholics and Orthodox "worship" Mary as divine - which is not true. To gain a better understanding of Mary - click this link: Saint Mary for a video that explains this.
As we worship God - we acknowledge Him as the One God in three persons - Father - Son - Holy Spirit. As we worship Jesus - the Son of God - or God Incarnate - the God with flesh - it is only fitting that we honor and recognize the mother of Jesus - the young Jewish girl who had the guts to say "yes" to the angel - when asked if she was willing to bear God's child. As a twelve to fourteen year old girl - Mary had to make a very adult decision - to risk ridicule and expulsion and even possibly death - with her approval. You have to respect her just for the courage that she exhibited - you have to honor her for her level of commitment to God - you have to venerate her as the one human on earth who opened the gateway of Jesus' entrance on Earth - you just have to love her!
Deacon Dale
God revealed himself to Moses in the Burning Bush - an unexpected and awesome event. If Moses had spoken English - he might have said WOW!. If we were to encounter God in a burning bush - we would definitely say WOW! As it is - our encounters tend to be more on the everyday or mundane side. We attend church - we pray - we follow our devotions - day in - day out. We seek comfort - peace - joy. Jesus offers us His promise - that He will always be there for us - always ready to help - always faithful to us - even when we are not faithful - that alone should make us shout - WOW!
