Back In The Saddle

Years ago - more than I like to think - we owned horses - an appaloosa for me - a pinto for my wife - and a Shetland pony and a small mixed breed pony. Every day we mucked the stalls - feed the horses and ponies - shoveled manure - brushed and groomed them - on occasion - rode  them. Those were good days - good memories. Last week - while my son and daughter-in-law and grandson visited us in Arizona - we went horse riding - the first time for my grandson. Everyone had a great time - everyone - casual riders - did well - stayed in the saddle - none fell off their horse.  Afterwards - my legs - killing me - not as limber as when I was younger - not as flexible.  My legs spoke to me - for days - telling me - I am out of shape - no longer a young horseman. 

Returning to church - after an extended absence - as a Catholic - similar to riding a horse. The Catholic Church - moves slowly to make changes - an absence of years - hardly noticeable by most - lack in regular attendance - return to Holy Mass - back in the saddle - an easy adjustment. No major pains - no major adjustments - faces different - songs similar - Scripture unchanged - same old - same old. Jesus welcomes all - regular worshipers - casual Christians - to visit Him - often - the empty saddle - waiting for you.

Deacon Dale 

Holy Year of Mercy

Having just celebrated Divine Mercy Sunday - it is only fitting that we focus today on the Holy Year of Mercy - proclaimed by Pope Francis this past March - in which he announced that he is convoking a jubilee year to be called the Holy Year of Mercy. The year officially begins December 8, 2015 - a special year - a jubilee year - to receive blessing and pardon from God and remission of sins. Typically jubilee years are called every twenty-five or fifty years and on occasion also called on special jubilees years - the last jubilee year was held in 2000 - declared by Saint Pope John Paul II. The jubilee year will close on November 20, 2016 - the feast of Christ the King.

Those who have experienced God's Divine Mercy - celebrate His Mercy daily in their lives - a normal part of their life. Their obligation - to share their stories - how God acted in their life - their experience of Mercy - His Divine intervention.  This celebration should be an integral part of every one's daily life - not only on one day or in one year. Jesus has shared all with all - not all respond - but all should. As a committed Christian - we who have shared this gift - called to proclaim daily - in our lives - in others - God's Divine Mercy.

Deacon Dale 

Divine Mercy

Mercy - the lenient or compassionate treatment of a person - group - community. When God is the One showing mercy - Divine Mercy - divine treatment. Today the Church celebrates - Divine Mercy Sunday - a day proclaimed by Saint Pope John Paul II on the Second Sunday of Easter in 2000 - the same day He elevated Sister Faustina Kowlaska to sainthood. In the last fifteen years the Divine Mercy devotion has grown immensely in the Catholic and some Anglican communities. Praying to God - praising Him for His unbelievable Mercy - thanking Him for prayers answered.

When Jesus walked this Earth - He shared with the people God's Good News - His love - His forgiveness - His healing - His reconciliation - His Mercy. It is hard to believe that His message was rejected by many - ignored - laughed at. To those who did believe - to those through the ages - to those who today still trust in Jesus' message - blessing upon blessing. To all who have accepted Jesus as their personal savour - to all who call God their Father - grace has been given - received - enjoyed. On this Divine Mercy Sunday of 2015 - each of us offers to Him - our faith - our belief -  Jesus I trust in you.

Deacon Dale 

Tornadoes

Tornadoes have been in the news again - in the Midwest - causing destruction - grief - loss. The recent Illinois tornado reminds us of the power behind wind - natural forces of nature. Unfortunately - at times - life - property - security - is lost. There is no prevention - only precaution - recovery efforts - sympathy for those involved.

One would wonder why God - creates - allows - tornadoes - hurricanes. There is no simple answer - acceptable to most - uncontrolled energy - unleashed upon the world. The Holy Spirit - the Holy Wind - of God - not an element of destruction.  Through the power - energy - of the Holy Spirit - healing - creation - recovery - life. It has to be hard for Jesus - God - to stand by and watch the forces of nature run wild - out of control. Luckily - although on a grand scale - the personal impact on most - minimal and in those lives - God works His miracles. Alongside the stories of destruction - death - stories of miracles - unbelievable moments - when people were spared - life preserved. Jesus is there - constantly helping each of us to weather all the storms in our lives - personal - natural - looking to grant us His safety - protection - peace.

Deacon Dale 

It Is Done

It is done - words to bring a smile to any one's face - involved in a long project - composing a musical score - writing a play - filing their taxes. Nothing is sweeter than speaking those three words - it is done. Shout for joy - throw hands in  the air - break out in dance - swing your partner - child around the room - it is done!  A sigh of relief - the tension gone - a sense of accomplishment - relief.  We have all been there - done that - everyone understands the concept - the feeling of relief - the absence of pressure - life looking good again.

When Jesus exclaimed - it is done - finished - sacrifice completed - stress gone - peace following. The difference between Jesus and ourselves - He was giving up His life - not a project. His suffering on the cross - over - ended - completed. As much as we enjoy the relief of stress being eliminated from our lives - Jesus could only enjoy the approval of His Father - the obedient Son - salvation guaranteed for the lost. When we contemplate all Jesus did for us - in this Easter season - we proclaim with sincerity - it is done.

Deacon Dale 

Black is White - White is Black

I am in the process of erecting a fence around my swimming pool equipment - to protect from the elements - to soften the noise - to create a more appealing view around the pool. As part of this project - after installing the poles and connecting lumber - we painted with a white primer - then applied a black finish coat. That got me to thinking about about my physics classes and how light is reflected and refracted. To make this easy - objects either absorb certain colors of the spectrum or they reflect certain colors of the spectrum. In other words when an object appears red - it is reflecting the red color back to your eyes and not absorbing that particular color - so what we see as red is really not red at all. With that in mind - we note that white contains all the colors of the spectrum while black is the absence of all colors - when you see a white object you are seeing all the colors reflected back to your eyes  - appearing white - when you see black - no light is being reflected to your eyes - so an object that appears white has no color and therefore is black and the object that appears black has absorbed all colors and reflects no color back - thus the object is white. Thus black is white and white is black. 

Understanding Jesus - God - is easier than understanding the physics of black and white color and for most people is as clear as - black and white. God is the supreme being - the center of our lives - the reason we exist - without God nothing exists - and all exists in God. Jesus is the human manifestation of God - the Son - who with the Holy Spirit makes up the Holy Trinity - three persons - three manifestations - of the One triune God. It is to God that we owe our devotion for all that God is - has done - will do - in our lives. There is no reason to question God's existence - it is as clear as - black and white.

Deacon Dale 

Writer's Block

Writer's Block - the feared enemy of anyone who writes for a living - that stuck in the mud - cannot get anywhere - brain dead - desperately seeking inspiration - my God what is happening to me - feeling. We have all been there - writers - authors - public speakers - priests - deacons - pastors - bloggers - everyone who communicates with others on a daily basis. Using material from someone else - not appreciated - criticized - unethical. Frustrating - does not even touch it - hard to explain to others - words cannot describe. With over 525 posts to date one would never guess that I would be at a loss for words - especially those who know me well - who can talk for hours - about almost anything. Truth be told - words are worthless - unless they are heard - digested - appreciated - consumed with interest - move another to action - educate - inform - inspire.

When Jesus spoke - people listened - reacted to His message - hearts were moved - motivated - to improve their lives - lives of people around them. Not all were motivated for good - a few - maybe many - hostile to His message - fearing condemnation of their own lives - actions. Even today - not all are inspired - not all react positively to the Good News - some mock - make little - of God and His love for mankind. In spite of this - God - every day - sends His messengers - His ministers out to proclaim the Good News. To those of us who have been called to serve - ordained or not - we are the mouths that speak His truth - we are the hands that type His words - we are the ones - to carry on the works of Jesus. With Holy Scripture - no writer's block - the Word - clearly laid before us - our one task - to share the Good News - with all we meet. 

Deacon Dale 

Mighty Acts

There are acts - things accomplished - routine - normal - sometimes - not so normal - unusually cleaver - awesome - mighty acts - things beyond expectations. For the majority - expectations are that any task will be done - as usual - not out of the ordinary. Once in awhile - unexpected results surface - impressing almost everyone. The majority of the time we see what is routine - good works - done well - not outstanding - business as usual. To impress us would take an act of God or something else highly unusual.

Being told that you have been healed - cured of an incurable disease - a mighty act.  In today's scriptures Peter does just that - tells a cripple to get up - walk - go about life - healed - surprised the cripple - surprised everyone. As we journey through this season of Easter - we read scriptures from the Act of the apostles - acts done in the name of Jesus - acts done through confidence in God - not just acts - mighty acts - miracles. Today those mighty acts still happen - here and now - through faith in the risen Christ.  

Deacon Dale 

Easter Day #2

Yes - Easter - Day #2 - not one single day - an entire season - celebrating the miracle - mystery of Easter. Unlike Christmas - when Christians celebrate the birth of the Christ - a miracle - not unlike our own birth - each a miracle - special event in its own right - Easter - a celebration of resurrection - none - except - Jesus - known to have raised from the dead. This miracle - this mystery - so great - 50 days - to contemplate - celebrate - this unbelievable event . In the end - none - will ever really understand - except through the eyes of God.

In these 50 days - Jesus continues to reveal Himself - His message - His love for all mankind - no single person - group - over looked.  Just as the butterfly goes through changes to become a beautiful new creation - we also change - into new creations - life filled - filled with life - beautiful in the eyes of God. Just as Jesus called us closer to Him during Lent - He now calls us to live a closer relationship with Him in New Life.  50 days - to celebrate our own rebirth - to make a permanent commitment to Him - forever.

Deacon Dale 

Easter Joy!

Happy Easter - Buona Pasqua - Boas Pascuas - Wesołego Alleluja! - Frohe Ostern - ¡Felices Pascuas! - ஈஸ்ட்டர் நல்வாழ்த்துக்கள் - in any language - the greeting for this Sunday - from believers and non-believers alike. Like Christmas - Easter has evolved from one of the most significant religious holy days - to a secular holiday. Attend early morning sunrise services - early tee time - hunting for colored Easter eggs - all these and more - rolled into one day of festivities. Easter in this day and age - more about the gathering of families - friends.  People celebrating - life.

For the believer - the Celebration - Celebration of New Life - Life in Christ - Life Redeemed - Life Saved - Forgiveness - Resurrection.  Resurrection not only of Jesus - one day - our own - His promise - to believers - a share in His Heavenly Kingdom - peace - healing - comfort - eternal joy. This Gift - from God - offered to all - available to all - offered at no price - no personal sacrifice - no judgement - free for the taking. As the World celebrates Easter Joy - may each of us - join in that celebration - for ourselves - our family - our friends - for the lost - the saved - for all. As His disciples - may each of us - share this Good News - with all.        Buona Pasqua!

Deacon Dale