On A Roll

Taking those first steps of your Camino - starting the journey - placing one foot after the other - starting with one prayer - then another - anticipating the journey - awesome - a MasterCard Priceless* moment. Some things in life just cannot be repeated - the second time is never exactly like to first - it will pale in comparison - or be so much better - never the same. We have begun our Lenten Camino - we are now into the beginning of the first week of Lent and doing good - pacing ourselves -trying not to be too over zealous - avoiding the common error of early burn out. This morning began slowly - midday passed by smoothly - evening quietly approaches. The day has been good - refreshing - rewarding - our Lent Camino - now well on track.

With Jesus leading us - we will all accomplish our goal for Lent. Keeping our eyes focused on Him - paying attention to what He tells us - means success for our efforts. Like our canine friend on the skateboard - we will do well - as long as we keep our balance - with God - with prayer.

Deacon Dale 

Camino Blues

One of the most frustrating things about planning a Camino journey - just like El Camino de Santiago - is the all too often Monday morning blues - that constant reminder that it is Monday - again - and you still have not started the Camino. Just as with the Camino in Spain - those seeking to walk a Lenten Camino - will feel the same frustration because they have yet to begin the journey. It is so typical of humans - we really want to do something - we plan - budget - prepare - then hesitate - balk - freeze up. Why we do that is any body's guess - maybe a natural part of unsettled resolve. When we made the decision to walk the Camino in Spain - it took a few days to settle in - did we really want to do that - were we sure - questioning each other for multiple days - then finally - making the commitment - taking the plunge. Once the exercise in making the commitment was over - peace set in - planning started - progress began. That is exactly what has to be done with our Lenten Camino - we made the commitment - didn't we? - we decided what we were going to do - right? - so now we move onward with our plans. Going to read Holy Scripture - get your Bible - going to pray more - make the time - now - looking for acts of charity - open the eyes - yes! - it is possible - today we start. Progress will come - usually at a slower pace that we had hoped for - but it will come.

When Jesus asked us to follow Him - he meant today - not tomorrow. When He asked us to pray - He meant now on our lunch break. He knows how difficult any journey can be - He was in the desert for 40 days - right? No journey starts off easy - there are always those last minute delays - but once started - it flows with unbelievable simplicity. Jesus tells us - God will not give us more than we can handle - He will be with us all the way - encouraging - helping - smoothing out the rough path - straightening the narrow - helping us constantly. He will let us walk on our own - for a time - we may think we are alone - but always - He will be there.  Now - start - and enjoy your Camino.

Deacon Dale 

Lenten Camino Preparation

As we celebrate the First Sunday of Lent - we look toward a successful Lenten Camino. To accomplish this we must be well prepared - minds - hearts - bodies - in shape for the journey ahead. We need our equipment - prayer books - bibles - rosaries - holy cards - as well as other supplies. We must lay out a plan - an itineriary - where we are heading - how far to journey each day - a timeline for success. We need to plan for our nutrition - rest times - how to manage our thirst and hunger - providing for a complete camino experience. We begin with prayer - we walk with prayer - we celebrate with prayer. Although excited and anxious to rush into our Camino - we pace ourselevs - ensuring that we do not burn out - that we attempt too much - that we become an early failure. Doing what is sensible and reasonable is very important. Laying the ground work will help ensure a successful Camino. When we first began our journey with Jesus - we rushed into it - and failed early on. Now that we are more mature we recignize the error of our early attempt - this time we approach it a bit wiser - a bit smarter - planning this time for
success.

God calls each of us to journey more closley with Him - Jesus is our guide - slow to anger - quick to forgive - always ready to come to our aid. To walk with Jesus - we pray - come Lord Jesus - help me in my Lenten Camino - be with me on this journey - guide me - that I may draw closer to you.  Spoken in earnest - He answers - come journey with me - take my hand - I will never forsake you.

Deacon Dale 

Lenten Camino - First Steps

In Isaiah chapter 58 we are told - "Thus says the Lord - If you remove from your midst -oppression - false accusation - malicious speech - If you bestow your bread on the hungry - satisfy the afflicted" - in other words - if we live as Christ taught us - if we dare to walk a path that others do not follow - if we place the needs and concerns of our bothers and sisters above our own - we will become true disciples of Jesus. In this day and age - there are so many excesses - in the midst of so much need - there are too many seeking to acquire more - while others seek only the bare minimum to exist. Lent is the perfect time for us to stop in our path - to pray and reflect - to consider what we have done - what we are doing - to better ourselves - to better others - to better the world. In a world filled with so many who hunger and thirst - for the basic needs of life - who hunger and thirst for the basic words of hope - who hunger and thirst for a hand up rather than a hand out - we are called - to act.

As we walk our Lenten Camino with Jesus - we will experience the dry and loneliness just as He did in the dessert - if we stop and reflect - we will see the naked and hungry - if we put aside our personal desires - we will see the desires of the sick and thirsty - we will see - with the eyes of God. To walk a Camino - to walk any journey - is difficult when done by oneself - to walk with God is a completely different experience. We walk as people of faith - keeping our eyes open for the signs He gives us - pointing The Way. As Isaiah continues - "thus says the Lord - if you honor by not following your ways - seeking your own interests - then you shall delight in the LORD - and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth - I will nourish you with the heritage of Jacob - your father - for the mouth of the LORD has spoken". We walk our Camino journey - first and foremost - to honor God - to empty ourselves - to draw closer to Jesus.

Deacon Dale 

A Lenten Camino

It has been five months since my wife and I walked approximately 400 miles of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela in Spain. While walking that Camino - we spent hours upon hours in prayer - for our Bishop - our diocese and its ministries - for our parish - our priests - many others' special requests - for ourselves. It was easy to do - no cell phones - no television - no distractions - just lots of quiet time to steep ourselves in prayer. As we begin our annual Lenten observance - I invite you to journey with me on a special Lenten Camino. Over the next 40 days - I will be praying and posting - reflecting on various topics - offering thoughts on multiple aspects of Camino - journey - pilgrimage.  As I begin - I wish to focus on a special Lenten presentation offered by my friend Tajci - Tatiana Cameron - whom I met a few years ago when she presented her Lenten program - I Thirst.  It was a powerful presentation and an excellent way to observe Lent. As you journey with me on this Lenten Camino - my prayer is that you will find yourself thirsting for more and more of all that Jesus offers each of us.

During Lent we are called to empty ourselves - to fast - to open ourselves to whatever God has in store for us. Jesus calls us to thirst - for Him - His Spirit - God's presence in our lives. We need to become empty - dry - hungering and thirsting for God - in our prayers - thoughts - deeds. We need to begin focusing on others - the invisible - the cast aways - the less fortunate - those whom society ignores. We need to actively look - to seek these souls out - to thirst for the blessings due them by God. By practicing random acts of kindness and senseless acts of beauty. - we hope to satisfy our thirst - for a world that is right and just - for a world where people care for each other - for a world where all are healed and whole.

Deacon Dale 

Lenten Sacrifice

One of the most common concepts of Lent is sacrifice - giving up something - emptying oneself - making more room for prayer - meditation - reflection. I agree wholeheartedly about the concept of sacrifice - not completely with what so many give up - chocolate - candy - television - smoking - Facebook. All of us have more free time than we like to admit - time to nap - time to waste - time for almost anything - except prayer. I personally think the best sacrifice one can make during Lent is that of self - giving up ourselves - thinking about others - doing random acts of kindness - unrequested prayers for the needs of anyone besides yourself - senseless acts of charity - with no recognition - no recompense -- nothing - except the knowledge that you did the right thing - at the right time - in the right way - building  the kingdom of God - one prayer - one random act of kindness at a time. I devote more time to pray - considering the needs of others - especially those who don't attend church - those who do not believe in God - those who walk a different path. My goal this Lent - growth in the time spent helping others - not in organized activities - but those known only to myself - known only to God.

God doesn't need more temples - churches - shrines - programs - edifices built in our image. He needs us to break free from the common - to do the uncommon - the unrecognized - the anonymous - the senseless - touching hearts - through prayer - personal sacrifice - random acts of kindness and charity. He calls us to be true disciples - not promoting or advertising what we do - letting our actions speak for themselves. God calls you and me - to true servant hood - to true discipleship - to live our Lent - not just think about it - but to live it.

Deacon Dale 

Ash Wednesday

Wednesday - Ash Wednesday - celebrated around the world as the beginning of the Lenten season of prayer - fasting - alms giving. As an older member of the Church the rules of the Lenten Fast no longer apply to me - yet I still fast and abstain from meat products. I am healthy enough and have no dietary restrictions that otherwise dispense me from imposing these rules upon myself. So - no meat - two small meals - was enough to suffice. As a deacon - I spent a large portion of the mid-day visiting nursing homes and senior centers distributing ashes to whomever wanted them. It was interesting that perhaps half of the people who requested ashes were not Catholic - one woman was a self professed Jew - who explained that any prayers and blessings from God - were just fine in her book. The day ended by assisting at Holy Mass in the evening - again distributing ashes to a large group - many who do not attend Sunday Mass regularly - but always show up for their ashes.  One young man even approached me after Holy Mass to explain that he arrived late and "did not get his ashes" - easily remedied - he left church very happy - smudged forehead - blessed by God.

God is pleased with any and all actions that bring us closer to Him - to Jesus - to His Holy Spirit. In these 40 days of Lent - each of us is called - by name - from God's lips - to enter into this season with expectant hearts - with open eyes - seeking Him - above all else.

Deacon Dale 

Fat Tuesday

Fat Tuesday - also known as Mardi Gras - gets it's name from the French for fat = gras and Tuesday = Mardi - is an annual festival in New Orleans, Louisiana. The annual festivities begin on January 6th - the Twelfth Night Feast of the Epiphany - when the three kings visited the Christ child - building to a climax on Fat Tuesday - which always occurs the day before Ash Wednesday. Partying continues until midnight on Tuesday - the beginning of Lent. In New Orleans - Mardi Gras - has been an annual event for two centuries. In the rest of America and around the world similar celebrations are observed - celebrating excesses of food - drink - revelry - letting the senses run wild for one last day before the period of abstinence and fasting of Lent begins.

God understands us - our need to act and do excessive things - prior to an extended period of self denial - prayer - fasting - alms giving. He may not condone - but allows us this indulgence - knowing that it will strengthen and steel our resolve to experience a good - fruitful - prayerful - Lent. Each of us is a promise - a promise to God - to ourselves - to be the best that we can be. We are a promise to each other - to our families - our friends - strangers on the street. As we prepare to begin our Lenten devotions - let each one of us - hold the promise of self denial - promise of commitment - in our hearts.

Deacon Dale 

Melting Point

For all you scientists enjoy this - 

For everyone else - we can simplify the formula above for calculating the melting point of a substance and state that the melting point is that state or condition at which a solid substance becomes liquid - in general terms. If you try to discuss  this with a physicist or mathematician - they will be able to prove you wrong - as it really is not that straightforward or simple. At the moment - those of us in the Midwest are asking ourselves - when is all this - snow - ice - going to melt and go away.  It is what it is - it will melt - when it melts. Snow and ice are easy to cope with - emotions - much more difficult. Quite often we are forced to cope with people who insist on disappointing - proclaiming lies in place of truth - bending and shaping words to tickle ears - win over those not able to comprehend deceit. It takes time - like waiting for ice to melt - for most to reach that melting point - to finally endure enough - to proclaim - I quit - stop it - shut up! 

Jesus promised that He came into our lives that we might live our lives to the fullest. With Jesus - with God - all things are possible - not always probable. Jesus works in our hearts and minds - He sets the stage - unfortunately - all too often - others filled with their own self importance - defile the playing field - giving in to temptations - feeding their desires.  It irritates us - makes our tempers boil - bring us to a melting point. In all this we have to know that the devil has many followers - knowingly or not - who are seduced into following the wrong path. For us - our eyes must be kept focused on Jesus and Jesus alone - not worrying how we will be fed - how we will be clothed - what we will build - what we will accomplish - placing our total trust in God and His plan for us. Only by doing this may our souls be at rest - our melting point kept in control - our lives fulfilled. 

Deacon Dale 

Snowbirds

According to Wikipedia - A snowbird is someone from the U.S. Northeast - U.S. Midwest - Pacific Northwest - Canada who spends a large portion of winter in warmer locales such as California - Arizona - Florida - Texas - the Carolinas - or elsewhere along the Sun Belt region of the southern and southwest United States - Mexico - areas of the Caribbean. These people are typically retired persons who - wishing to flee colder weather - relocate to warmer climates during the cold months. At one time only the wealthy were able to afford this - today many more are able to qualify as snowbirds due to lower costs of relocating.  Some people acquire permanent residences while others rely on  rental properties. For many years I found it hard to understand why people felt inclined to become snowbirds - until this January - when the bitter cold made it very clear to my wife and I why we might consider following this flock of snowbirds to warmer climates.  

In each of our lives we seek the basics of life - comfort being paramount.  If you are not comfortable then happiness will elude you.  Compromising your beliefs - living a life that is not compatible with your own comfort zone will lead to an unhappy existence.  To be true to ourselves means being true to your inner spirit - in contact with that spirit which unites you with God.  To deny yourself - to deny your happiness - is contrary to God's plan for your life.  Jesus came that we might have life and live it to the fullest - in comfort. If you are uncomfortable then invite Jesus into your life and He will create the warmth and happiness that you seek.

Deacon Dale