Corpus Christi

Sunday was the feast of Corpus Christi - the Body and Blood of Christ - celebrated around the world- not only in Catholic churches - but other Christian denominations as well. For centuries - the Blood of Christ has had special significance - blood being a very precious commodity. It is impossible for any person to live without blood - the life force essential to existence. It carries not only oxygen and nutrients to the cells of the body - but also micro nutrients - enzymes and hormones - very small - yet important to the proper functioning of the various systems of the body. Even in the earliest days of mankind - with limited intellect - before the study of sciences - blood was honored and respected. Blood from animal sacrifices-splashed on the altars - in early cultures - medical cures through the process of blood letting -among the most popular. Even today blood draws respect among all peoples - blood lost in surgical procedures- the desperate call for donors - particularly those with rare types  - blood lost on the battlefields of life- in political hot spots - in the neighborhoods of too many cities. Blood oaths - blood baths - in modern life -continues in the enlightened world.

Jesus shed His blood for each of us - men and women - young and old - Christian - Jew - Muslim - Buddhist - whomever. He shed His blood - gave His life - that we might live - that we might have full lives - that we might become all that the Father expected of us - that we might learn to respect and honor not only our blood and bodies - but that of those around us. He gave His life that the bloodshed around neighborhoods - cities - countries - the world might end. This feast of Corpus Christi asks us to not only honor the the Body and Blood of Christ - but also the Body and Blood of the Christ that lives in each one of us. In loving each other - putting the needs of others first - raising up the lowly - feeding the hungry - clothing the naked - respecting others beliefs and lifestyles - we honor Jesus Himself - we honor His Holy Spirit - His Heavenly Father.

Deacon Dale 

Holy Trinity

Today we celebrated the Holy Trinity - Father - Son - Holy Spirit. Explaining the concept of One God - Three persons - Three personalities - One God - difficult for many - way too easy for most. We are people of faith - most just accept the concept - no questions - no thoughts on how this is possible. In a nutshell - easiest to say - God is capable of anything - if He wants to exist as three persons and one person at the same time why not - He IS God - after all. Saint Patrick used the image of a three leaf clover - one flower - leaf - made up of three smaller leaves - connected to one stem - simple easy - understandable. Fine if you are a plant person - understanding three  persons as one person - a little more complicated. I like to use the example of one person who wears three hats - has three characteristics that are distinct but exist in the one person. Since today is Father's day - let me use the example of a father - myself.  I am definitely one person - just ask my wife or children - and that is my point.  I am my parents child - therefore I exist as their son - I am my wife's spouse - therefore I am her husband - I have two grown sons - therefore to them I am their father. Simply put I exist as one man - recognized as father - son - husband. What appears as three persons - father - son - husband - is all summed up in my one person - if I can be one person and exist as three distinct personalities - or designated titles - how much easier to understand God as Father - Son - Holy Spirit.

As Christians we are called to be people of faith - not wasting our time trying to understand God - we will never ever really understand God - rather - our time should be invested in serving God. Serving Him by serving the people we encounter in our daily lives. In the end there is only one thing that matters - Love of God - Love of others - Love of self - all to the benefit and glory of the One Triune God.

Deacon Dale 

Don't Drink The Kool Aid

When someone tells another person "don't drink the kool-aid" they are not referring to the popular drink enjoyed by many adults and children - rather they are referring to the event described by Wikipedia in which  ["Drinking the Kool-Aid" is a figure of speech commonly used in the United States that refers to a person or group holding an unquestioned belief, argument, or philosophy without critical examination. The phrase derives from the November 1978 Jonestown death, where some 300 members of the People Temple, who were followers of the Reverend Jim Jones committed suicide by drinking a mixture of a powdered soft drink flavoring agent laced with cyanide. Although the powder used in the incident included Flavor Aid, it was commonly referred to as Kool-Aid due to its status as a genericized trademark.]  The sad thing - with the aforementioned event - is that only the leaders of the group knew what was going to happen - the followers - adults and children - duped by their leaders and Reverend Jones - became innocent victims because they did not question - placed their complete trust in them. A similar tale is told of the Hale-Bopp group in which 39 members of the American Heaven's Gate UFO religious Millenarian group based in California committed mass suicide in order to be "picked up" by an alien space craft following the Comet Hale-Bopp in March 1997 in hope of a new life better than the one they were living.  Today belief in all sorts of cults and miracle movements continues to exist and causes confusion among people - people professing miracle cures - roads to instant wealth - quick fixes to rebuild dwindling church membership  - being drawn into false agendas by questionable religious groups claiming affiliation with established organizations -  attempts to scare and misinform - using misdirection and deception - focusing on who fired the first shot in 2012 and other times - while the uninformed masses are constantly being told "drink the kool-aid - do not think for yourselves".

There are no magic cures - no silver bullets - the only reliable answer is God - working though His loyal ministers - proclaiming the complete Gospel - not a watered down version - calling everyone to confession of sins and acceptance of His only Son - Jesus - as the Lord and Saviour of their lives. When people open themselves to full reception of the Holy Spirit and start acting in loving and charitable ways - when they forget their personal wants and agendas - when they honestly strive to become servants to all - giving the people what they need and not what they think they need - when they speak the truth in place of lies and falsehoods - when they feed the hungry and clothe the naked - when they welcome all - no matter what their color or creed - when they stand hand in hand and raise their voices in one common prayer to God - then will churches be rebuilt - then will "Friends" who are filled with false agendas and lies be silenced - then will this world become one people united under the One True God. We are all called - don't drink the kool-aid - think for yourself - drink of the Holy Spirit of Our God - become a true disciple of Jesus- open yourself to His Holy Spirit working through your life - then - watch what miracles finally happen.

If this is the desire of your heart - then simply say this prayer - Lord Jesus - have mercy on me a sinner - I thank you for the blessings you have bestowed upon me - for the graces received - I ask you Lord - to pour your most Holy Spirit upon me in abundance - to release the power of your Holy Spirit in my life - that I may truely become - the disciple - you have called me to be - 


Deacon Dale

Alive!

Being alive - breathing in the fresh morning air - being able to walk freely about - going where you want - when you want - making your own decisions - that is being alive. Many people know what it means to be alive - many others - do not have a clue. They are bound by fears - depression - worries - guilt - anxiety - the unknown.  Often they are held back by physical limitations - others who tell them that it is not possible - jealously by others.  Whenever a person gives in to these - the chance to experience life to the fullest is diminished - completely taken away.

(John 10:10) Jesus came that we might have life and live it to the fullest - no guarantee - it is up to us to stake our claim on His promise. He will not force the fullness of life on us if we fail to act. We cannot be afraid - rather it is imperative that we act boldly - people of faith - confident in His promise - confident in Him.  As Easter people - as people of Hope - we rejoice in all that He offers us - we live in Him - we share His victory over death - we are alive!

Deacon Dale 

Call to Service

Quite often people pose the question about why are we "here" - what is our purpose - what goal are we to accomplish in our life time. There are many ways to view this - the answers will vary depending on the person who is asked and their personal perspective on life. For myself - I believe that we are here to help each other - in many and various ways. We might be teachers - doctors - lawyers - nurses - mechanics - artists - musicians - thinkers - doers - role models for those who know and see us and what we do. Each of us projects a certain image - a persona that is specifically ours - others watch - wait - listen - observe what we do - how we react - how we cope with our own lives. In a way we are all teachers - leading by example - helping in ways - often unknown to ourselves.

After the first Easter event - when Jesus had been crucified - died - rose - His disciples asked themselves the same questions. Their prime directive - Go - baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit - carry the Good News to the four corners of  the world. A large task by any measure - a task that was overwhelming - a task that needed more than  the twelve to accomplish. (Acts 6: 2-3) So they looked around for men suitable - those who could help - they prayed over them laid hands on them - thus the first seven deacons of the Church. Today the number of permanent deacons is close to 40,000 - men ordained specifically to serve the people of God - through acts of Charity - serving the needs of others especially the marginalized - Liturgy - serving at the Eucharistic table - solemnly baptizing - witnessing marriages - presiding over funerals and burials - bringing Eucharist to the home bound and in hospitals - Word - proclaiming the Gospel - preaching at Mass - catechises - evangelization and sacramental preparation - ordinary men - ordained to Holy Orders - assistants to the Bishop - working alongside the parish priests - to fullfil their call to service. Jesus calls each of us - ordained or otherwise - to make ourselves servants to each other - in plain and simple ways - for although He is mighty and powerful - He works through the week and ordinary. Listen to Jesus - He just might be calling your name.

Deacon Dale 

M Is For Mother

M is for mother - mama - mom - mommy - mysterious - masterful - magnificent - mine.  We all have a mother - many of us are married to women who are mothers. In our lives few women impress us as much as mothers. They might be your own - your friend's - your neighbor's. Whomever they are - wherever they may be - they surround us - touch our lives. There is nothing like a mother's love - that unconditional - always loves you - always forgives you - always cares for you - love. Mom is always there - always waiting - always helping - always encouraging - constant - a peg firmly set in place - hard to move - hard to change.  Mothers are a treasure to behold - God's gift to His children.

Mary - beautiful by any name - Saint Mary - Mother of Jesus - Mother of God - Mother to the World - Mother to all Mankind - the First Mother. Mary prays for us - intercedes for us - cares for us - just as she does for her own son - Jesus. As a role model for all mothers - Mary reminds them and us - of God's constant love - God's constant forgiveness - God's awesome agape love for all people - Christians - Jews - Muslims - Buddhists - Hindi - all faiths - believers and non-believers - atheists and agnostics - everyone -  everywhere. This Mother's Day as we celebrate the gift of our own mothers - remember who created her and who loves each of us - every day.

Deacon Dale 

Changing Times

Those of us who live in the Midwest are still waiting for Spring to arrive in full force - bringing with it some long awaited warmer temperatures. Last week my wife and I spent seven days in Arizona looking for a winter home - seeking to avoid the cold Midwest winter next year. We were blessed with very nice temperatures all week long - ranging from the 90's to over 100 - wishing that we could have brought some of that warmth back home with us. Today - our second day back - cool and wet - not exactly the weather either of us prefer. It is what it is - and as the saying goes around Chicago Land - wait a few minutes - it will change. While driving all around the Phoenix area - with the sun constantly shinning and beating down on us - one question that came to mind was - how hot can we tolerate - keeping in mind that famous Arizona expression - but - it is a DRY heat. We will give them that - at 100 degrees we did not perspire - we did not wilt - but it was still hot. As we age we learn more and more every day how our tolerances have changed from our younger days - when we tolerated all sorts of things - not just the weather - but attitudes - people - politics. Tolerance is a virtue too often ignored by many these days - we try to the best of our ability - to be tolerant - especially to other people.

Jesus was probably one of the most tolerant people of all times - yet - He too had His limits. The money changers in the temples - a common sight in His times - finally rubbed Him the wrong way - causing Him to overturn their tables - driving  them out of the temple with cords formed into a whip. Even God has limits - our One True Loving God - can become irritated with any of us. When we fail to listen to His words - fail to do as He asks - fail to turn the other cheek - time and again - knowing all the good examples left for us by His Son - even God becomes angry. Unlike we - who chose to ignore - who chose to go astray - who chose to turn our backs on Him - on each other - He is always there - waiting. Waiting for us - to turn back - to come around - to seek - to ask. God - Jesus - tolerates us - until we are ready to let Him into our lives.

Deacon Dale 

Yes Viriginia - There Is A Heaven

Many people know without a doubt that heaven exists - no questions - no arguments - others - quite the different opinion - varying from questioning its existence - to outright denial. Obviously none of us have seen heaven - the proof of its reality - only in testimony - in Holy Scripture - only in Near Death experiences. The Majority of people hope there is a heaven - pray that it is real - disappointed when some refute its reality. Near Death stories support believers - are fodder for those who chose to ridicule. Evidence supporting its existence does tend to conflict from witness to witness - the one common aspect is the sense of peacefulness - serenity - comfort. As we read and listen to stories - it appears that heaven is more of a personal experience for each person - one person's heaven may be similar to others - yet still different.  Christians are not the only ones to believe in heaven - other religions - have similar beliefs of a special place where one receives  their eternal rewards after leaving this life.

Jesus promised His disciples - Us - that heaven does exist. In John 14:12 Jesus tells that his Father's house has many rooms and that He goes before to prepare a room for us. If we who believe in Jesus - believe in His promises - then there is no question for us - no doubt - no fear. Jesus says to you - to me - to Virginia - yes there is a heaven.

Deacon Dale 

Easter Frenzy

It is now four days after Easter Sunday - four days in which I have been decompressing - coming down from the activities of Holy Week - The Chrism Mass - Holy Thursday - Good Friday - Holy Saturday - Easter Sunday - planning - scheduling - meeting - rehearsing - making phone calls - recruiting - emailing - a one man show - attempting to make Holy Week and Easter special for all who would participate.  It was not my plan to undertake all of this - on my own - it was not my plan to attempt all that had to be done - on my own - it was the reality of being told that it was my job - one week prior - that I was expected to arrange Holy Week - on my own.  In the past - others have been in charge and I have willing helped - this year those same people - for various reasons - could not help - did not want to help - so I did it - on my own.  I will never repeat that error - again.  I was there - I attended every service - I planned and led every rehearsal - I did the extras - the Holy Saturday blessing of Easter food baskets - the final rite for those in RCIA - I even bought the special candles and certificates for our RCIA participants - because that also fell through the cracks - on my own. My sole help - my sole support was my wife - who helped where she could - who allowed me the time - to make all this work - without a single heartfelt thank you.  I know I was serving God - serving His Son - my only real regret is that I failed to spend any quality time worshiping Him - my saviour - this past week.  My prayer is that He forgive me for allowing myself to be so unbelievably busy during the holiest week of the year - that I was caught up in such a frenzy organizing - that I failed to worship. This week - I pray that in some small way I can make it up to Him.

Jesus had a lot more disciples - followers - than the dozen we commonly hear about. They came from all over to see him - to listen to him - to worship Him - to touch Him.  At the end - with hundreds and thousands of followers - He ended up alone - walking the final step - on His own - enduring the punishment - on His own - hanging on the cross - on His own. Nobody else could have done what He did - nobody else could suffer the way He did - it was His - His alone to do - on His own - for you - for me - for the world.  As we continue our celebration of the Easter season - each of us needs to realize - if we were the only one worth saving - He would have still died for us - on His own - for us - alone.

Deacon Dale 

Easter Season

Easter is such a monumental event that one day does not do it justice - therefore - Easter season - 50 days - which lasts all the way to Pentecost - the Christian Church celebrates Christ's victory over death and sin. The victory is so important - so grand that one day is not long enough to honor the significance of this victory. In this season we are affirmed in our belief - in Jesus - in God - in the promises of New Life for ourselves. Jesus was the first - we are to follow one day - assured that He has gone to His Father to create a room for each of us.

Jesus is the same today as yesterday - His promises as valid today as when first spoken -  He calls each of us - daily - to come to Him - to accept His offer and promise - of New Life. In these 50 days - He waits for you to respond.

Deacon Dale