A "meet & greet" session is a meeting in which people are gathered together to meet for the first time and become acquainted with each other. There are many reasons for these types of meetings - parents of school children - scouting groups - travel groups. I recently held a travel meet & greet for a group of people who will be traveling together on a pilgrimage to Italy. My wife and I made sure the meeting room was properly arranged and decorated to give an ethnic feel to the room - complete with Italian colors - glasses of red wine - international flags. It was a great success and in a very short time everyone felt as if they had been a group and friends for years. The pilgrimage will be very pleasant and a rewarding adventure for all of them since they are no longer traveling with complete strangers.
An important consideration in Jesus' ministry was the fact that He met people where they lived. Very often they met and shared their lives over a glass of wine and a piece of cheese or bread. Jesus knew that He had to make people comfortable with Him before He could have an effect on their lives. Following in His footsteps - many successful ministries today still follow the meet & greet format combined with shared food and drink. The next time you want to share your personal relationship with Jesus with others - stop - invite - share - food and drink first - then evangelize. It worked for Jesus - it will work for you.
Deacon Dale
Pacing has to do with the pace or gait established by a person, animal or team when moving forward - as in a race or march. Horses are trained to run, trot or pace - marching bands train for hours developing marching and playing skills - athletes train endlessly to develop their best pace for endurance and stamina. The goal in all three examples - to do the best - to maximize performance - to accomplish their goal. In our own lives we establish a pace - a rhythm - to how we live out our daily lives. We wake - prepare for the day - experience the day - end the day with rest. Even those whose lives are filled with numerous activities - fall into a rhythm.
As a good Jew - Jesus also had a rhythm to His life - daily functions and needs - daily prayers - religious observances - living life to the fullest. As He lived - so He asks us to live - as faithful people - observing God's commands - listening to Him who nurtures - breathing in the Spirit of Life - seeking balance in a world of confusion. In God's hands - we can have a normal pace - a normal pattern - a normal stream of a life lived well - in God's hands we experience Him - Father - Son - Holy Spirit. We live Life!
Deacon Dale
A validation is the act or process of making something valid - legal - official. It is common for people to validate all types of things - parking stubs - concert tickets - appointment times - test dates - relationships - friends on social networks. When something is validated it tells us that everything is in order and on schedule. As people of order - we are comforted when we validate these different things. In the Roman Catholic Church we frequently process marriages that were contracted outside the Church. Many people refer to this process as "blessing a marriage" - the correct term is a validation ceremony. In this ceremony vows are repeated and men and women recommit themselves - validate their relationship - in the presence of a priest or deacon - the marriage is validated - made legal in the Church.
In Mark 9:2-9 Jesus was transfigured before his disciples - that action by God validated His divinity and revealed to the disciples that Jesus was no ordinary person. Most of Jesus' ministry was validating the worth of people - to their friends - to their neighbors - to themselves. Today - just as in the past - Jesus reassures us and reminds us that we are worth more than we realize - that as modern day disciples we have a valid ministry - a valid challenge - to do as Jesus did - to validate the worth of each other.
Deacon Dale
Providence is a middle English word which comes from provident and is translated from the Latin pro = for and videre = to see. Therefore, providence means the action of being provident or seeing to the future - to prepare - to be prudent - as watching for future events. When one is being provident they might store up food for the winter - money for unforeseen expenses - time for future activities and the like. Years ago my wife was in a Christian praise band called Providence - their goal was to spread the Word of God to all who would listen - to proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven - here and now - to encourage people sitting on the sides to become active Christians. It is not only singers and musicians who have the opportunity to touch the minds and hearts of the common person - all of us have the potential to spread the Gospel message of Jesus through our actions and words. Although doubted as an authentic quote of Saint Francis - he is accredited with the phrase "preach the Gospel constantly - when necessary use words". Futureyes was the name of a local youth group who were challenged by their youth minister to see the future and their potential to effect change for the good - to spread Jesus' Gospel as teens.
Jesus lived His life proclaiming His Father's message of love - forgiveness - healing - redemption - in what He said and did. Many times it was a touch or embrace - an admonition - words of encouragement. He was the Word that became flesh for the "life of the world". Jesus gave His all so that even today - 2000 years later - His words might heal and save souls. Each of us needs to pause and reflect on His awesome gift of life - life for today - life for eternity. Today we - like Jesus - need to proclaim His message to all we meet - we all should have futureyes.
Deacon Dale
Merriam-Webster defines servant as one that serves others - a public servant - especially one that performs duties about the person or home of a master or personal employer. A servant may be an employee or a slave. Employees have the ability to leave - if treated poorly - a slave does not have that option. Servants are used to perform tasks that their master does not want to do themselves - cooking family meals - doing the laundry - maintaining the property - landscaping - handling repairs - being a nanny - or any other task you might think of. Servants in general who are employed - do so willingly. Slaves perform their obligations because they are forced into service against their will. To willingly be a slave of another person is not the norm and highly unusual.
In Isaiah 53 we are introduced to The "Suffering Servant" - a proclamation some 700 years before the birth of Jesus. While the original Hebrew text clearly refers to the Jewish people as the “Suffering Servant” - over the centuries Isaiah 53 has become a cornerstone of the Christian claim that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus was the One who came to serve - rather than be served. He did not see Himself as royalty - One to be waited upon - He was to be the One who waited upon all. In boldness and humility - He proclaimed a new vision of Heaven on Earth - a new way of thinking - a new way of serving - a new way of life for all. As a disciple of Jesus - we are called to share with Him - the service of others. We are called to be last - among those who seek to be first. We are called to quietly continue the work - first begun by our savior - as servants - as slaves. We are called.
Deacon Dale
A compulsion is a strong - usually irresistible - impulse to perform an act - especially one that is irrational or contrary to one's will. Compulsions take many different forms - perhaps eating excessive amounts of food for fear of starvation - practicing an athletic skill such as hitting a 1000 practice balls for fear of losing a golf match - anything that a normal person would not do. Compulsions may be either damaging or beneficial - depending on the focus and the eventual outcome. After watching the movie The Way - both my wife and I have become engrossed in the idea of going to Spain and doing the 800 Km walk ourselves. In a way we feel compelled to do this - a walking pilgrimage of great distance - a compulsion.
Jesus was compelled to fulfill His mission on Earth. He could not deny who He was or why He had been born. His was not a desire to merely do His Father's will - He was compelled to the point that He gave His life willingly - He could do nothing else. So great is His love for each of us - He would do it all over again if He had to. If you have never made a commitment to Him - now would be a good time.
Deacon Dale
El Camino de Santiago de Compostela was the focus of "The Way" - a movie that I viewed recently written by Emilio Estevez and starring actor Martin Sheen. It is a moving story of a father and son and of a very special journey. As a deacon whose primary ministry these days is promoting pilgrimages - this movie - opened my eyes to what I would consider one of the ultimate pilgrimage experiences. While the normal pilgrimages I promote involve traveling to distant lands - Israel and the Holy Land - Italy and The Vatican - involving ten or eleven days - The Way - promotes a walking pilgrimage of some 800 Kilometers (497 miles) that takes anywhere from a minimum of two weeks up to a month or more to complete. It does not feature air-conditioned buses and four-star hotels - rather, gravel paths and inexpensive hostels. It is a pilgrimage walked by some two hundred thousand or so pilgrims yearly - for the past thousand years. It is a journey - not into impressive cathedrals and basilicas - but rather into one's own heart - and the hearts of fellow pilgrims on the way. It requires special preparation - good hiking boots - stamina - to complete the journey.
Jesus was not unfamiliar with walking - visiting places outside of His home town. He walked with a purpose - His mission - to spread the Good News to anyone who would listen. He traveled light - He traveled with companions. His walks brought Him to many places and peoples - into the hearts of those who met Him - and even today - into the hearts of people who He never saw. As we walk our own journeys - we need to walk with intent - with conviction - with honesty - with God. Wherever our travels take us - The Holy Land - The Vatican - The local shopping mall - we walk as modern day disciples - we carry Jesus in our hearts - we share the Good News - we show what modern day disciples look like. May our paths meet one day - on The Way.
Deacon Dale
A recipe is a list of ingredients and directions which are used to assemble and create a product. That product might be a dish for eating or it might be a formula for producing something completely different such as a political campaign. All recipes list the ingredients required in the production process and the manner in which those ingredients are combined - in what proportions and at specific times and intervals for the desired product to be realized or completed. With a food recipe it is important to follow the list and quantities of ingredients and the instructions for mixing and heating or cooling in order to create an edible food item that tastes good and may be reproduced in the future. In a political campaign - the main ingredient is a support staff that provides the candidate with reliable and true information so that when assembled and delivered to the voting population helps the candidate to win the election. Unfortunately - many recipes - both food and otherwise - are not followed accurately or truthfully and the outcome usually leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth.
In John 14:6 Jesus proclaimed to His followers that He was - The Truth - The Way - The Life - the ingredients needed to attain Heaven - to be able to see the Father face to face. His recipe -shared with His disciples - guaranteed the product of meeting His Father - God in Heaven - as long as His recipe was followed. Believe in Him - Believe in His Words - Believe in His promises and Eternity in Heaven was possible - His recipe for an eternal life of peace and joy. That recipe still exists today - for you - for me. All we have to do is follow it accurately and truthfully and we will see Him in heaven!
Deacon Dale
According to Wikipedia In folkloristics, a myth is a sacred narrative usually explaining how the world or humankind came to be in its present form, although, in a very broad sense, the word can refer to any traditional story. Myths were typically promoted by rulers or priests in order to make a significant point or to teach a lesson. In many myths ordinary people were turned into superheros in order to dramatize a teaching point or to justify a ritual. The study of myths is known as mythology - in which the various forms and origins are learned. The most common myths that most people know are ones in which ordinary people or ordinary events were elaborated by the storytellers to make either or both more significant than they originally were. On a local level - common myths abound in regards to stories which are spread about people and events in which the storyteller is misinformed and uneducated about the very thing they are speaking. One very common myth involves religion - specifically the Catholic religion - in which the false myth is spread that Catholics treat and worship Saint Mary as a god. Nothing could be further from the truth - yet that myth just does not want to go away. In cases such as this - a person who has a negative view of another person or group - spreads myths that are plausible - but not true - to the effect that they actually become believed by the uninformed.
In faith matters - it is always best to go to the source to verify the validity of such myths that make unsubstantiated claims. Too often it is discovered that many of these myths are outright lies - perpetuated by others seeking to destroy the faith of those followers. In the Catholic Church - our beliefs are found in Holy Scripture and in Tradition - as laid down by the Church's Fathers. Anything not found in these two sources lends itself to myths and lies. It is unfortunate that some - seeking to promote their own beliefs - try to destroy the beliefs of others. Before one speaks in matters of faith - one needs to be informed - so they do not spread myths in place of the truth. Jesus is the Truth - that sets all people free.
Deacon Dale
Destiny or fate is a predetermined course of events. It may be thought of as a future that has been predetermined, whether in general or of an individual. It is a concept based on the belief that there is a fixed or logical order of nature. Fate defines events as inevitable or "ordered" and unavoidable. Destiny - on the other hand - deals with regard to events that have worked themselves out. Many people believe that their lives - their complete lives - have been predetermined by God or nature. Many believe that no matter what they do - or what God may do - will ever change the course of their lives. Who they will marry - what type of work they will do - when they will die - is all determined by their personal destiny. To live a life under this concept of predetermination traps a person to a life of fear - anxiety - disappointment Whenever anything happens that is not pleasant they assume that it was their destiny and accept it as is. Trapped by this mentality - one has a sad life to look forward to - blaming all events on destiny.
Jesus told His disciples and He tells us that our one destiny is to become like Him - to become Christ like in all we do. If we believe in His promises - we will realize that we have the power - the ability to change our lives for the better. God blesses each of us with talents and skills and knowledge. He expects us to use those gifts to help others - to help ourselves. No matter what anyone's future looks like - it can be changed - it takes effort on our part - with God - all things are possible.
Deacon Dale
