Too Old

There is probably nothing more frustrating to people of all ages - youth - young adults - seniors - to be told that they are too old to do almost anything. As children grow older they are told - too old to play with dolls - too old to pretend - youth - too old to act certain ways - too old - to grow up - young adults - told that is child's play - they are too old to do almost anything that seems fun - seniors - too old - to do almost everything. As a senior - I am constantly reminded that people my age don't do this or that. I am reminded that I don't act - old - that I insist on acting - doing things - reserved for those much younger. When people learnd that my wife and I walked almost 400 miles in Spain on the Camino de Santiago - concerns were expressed that weren't we too old to do that? Today we bike - not your normal - ride a bike around the block - first of all we don't have a block - we live in the country - our block is miles long and encompasses highways that any intelligent person would not bike on. We seek bike paths - much safer - for anyone - of any age. Today we biked from our home to downtown Aurora and back - some 26 miles - 42 kilometers. We are waiting for the - you are too old comments which will surely come.

We were baptized as babies - dedicated to God - as infants - recommitted ourselves as followers in our youth and again as young adults. On October 5, 1980 - we attended a marriage encounter weekend - again we rededicated ourselves to God as modern day disciples. At my ordination in 1988 - I again made that same commitment - this time to serve Him as a member of the ordained Catholic clergy. Now 27 years later - having just celebrated 70 years of life - I and my wife - continue to rededicate ourselves to serving God. You see - when it comes to serving - worshiping -God - Jesus - the Holy Spirit - you are never too young or too old. If you have never made a commitment - feel the call to do so - simply offer Him - the Lord of Lords - King of Kings - the Author of Life - this simple prayer - Have Mercy On Me A Sinner - then profess with all your heart - mind - soul - spirit to serve Him - in anyway He calls you to. You are never - too old.

Deacon Dale 

I AM

I AM - what?  Now a days it seems that nobody is who they seem to be. Famous people reveal they are not who everyone thinks they are - saints become sinners - sinners become saints - trusted dignitaries show they cannot be trusted - men become women - women become men. For most of my life I thought it was only people - like me - born as a twin - who had to cope with confusion about who they were. As an infant - I was the skinny one - my twin a bit heavier - you could see in our faces who was who - as long as you remembered who the skinny one was. As toddlers we grew more similar - the issue compounded by mom dressing us in identical clothes. Even when we started selecting our own clothes to wear - making an obvious effort to look different - people still could not tell us apart. We both chose the same career path - the same occupation - similar wives - both having two sons. It has only been the last five years - since my twin died - that I have been a single person. Even his death did not solve the issue of who I am. To this day - I meet people who still think I am my twin - dead or alive - it will never end. Inside - I know who I am - God knows who I am - and in the end - that is all that matters. I never had to wander - never had to worry - about who I was.  I feel sorry for those - today - confused about issues - created by unreasonable expectations - unreasonable demands - unreasonable attempts to be politically correct - to define individuals. We are who God made us - pure and simple. We may not fit into - the same box - pigeon hole - predetermined niche - that makes others comfortable - at the expense of our comfort. That is their problem - not ours. What we are - who we are - belongs to only one person - concerns only God - period.

When asked what His name was - God replied - I am - Who am - period. No definition needed - no explanation provided. A simple - complete - outrageous - statement. God does not fit into a box - is not limited by our fragile minds. He is - He was - He will be - I AM.  As we grow in our faith - as we understand His - I AM - we come to know the reality of what He is all about. For most of us - this will be a lifetime journey - no problem - we have our entire life to learn.

Deacon Dale 

New Pilgrimage

It gives me great pleasure to announce a new pilgrimage opportunity for 2016. This trip will take us to POLAND - flying to Warsaw - traveling around central and southern Poland visiting shrines - churches - cultural sites - ending in Krakow before returning home. This is an updated trip similar to the trip we had planned for 2014 - at a price $500 less than 2014. Everything of significance related to Saint John Paul II - Saint Maximilian Kobe - Saint Faustina Kowalska - Divine Mercy will be covered. In addition we will visit the Auschwitz concentration camp - the Market Square in Krakow - and an option to visit the famous UNESCO Salt Mines. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

POLAND Pilgrimage 

June 20 - 28, 2016

Chicago & Orlando $3299*

Phoenix - Los Angeles - San Diego $3399*

Above Prices Reflect a $150 Early Registration Discount

More Information At

www.DeaconTravel.org

To Register Call 1.630.334.5065

Painting In A Corner

It is a common joke when discussing painting of rooms - houses - lack of planning - painter ends up going in the wrong direction and finds themselves painted into a corner - trapped - forced to wait until the paint dries - before they can move. In reality - a story about planing - thinking a project through - before beginning. The saying - failing to plan - means planning to fail. Whenever we begin any project - all aspects must be considered - plans made - materials gathered - reviewed - before starting. If a project begins with no thought - the door is opened for chaos.

Chaos

God has a plan for each of us - His concept - His design - perfect. As we seek to understand God - we fail - time after time. No one has the mind of God - no one understands God's plan - for us - for the world. Seeking answers to the impossible - fruitless - time waster. Faith teaches us - acceptance - of that which we cannot understand - comprehend. With faith - we believe - with faith we trust - with faith - we come closer to God.

Deacon Dale 

Finding Denise

Denise Thiem - #DeniseThiem - #helpdenisenow - an intensive search has been going on now for four months - seeking to find a forty-one year old woman last seen walking the #CaminodeSantiago in Northern Spain. Like many people seeking guidance in their lives - Denise quit her job and started traveling the world. Her last journey was walking the popular Camino de Santiago. Photos have been posted on social media showing her on various stages of the Camino. Her appearance - use of credit cards - contact with family - suddenly stopped. For months now her family has been searching - hospitals - areas along the Camino - through search groups - personally going to Spain to seek her - with no luck. Notices have been posted here in the USA - internationally - with no results. At this point foul play is suspected. Our best efforts - as people of prayer is to pray that she is found - soon. You can read more Here

God knows each of us as intimately as how many hairs are on our heads - God knows where this woman is - that place yet to be revealed. Although lost to her family - she is not lost to God. Pray that she is found and returned to her family soon.

Deacon Dale 

Sign Of The Times

In life everything changes - very little stays the same. How we apply for jobs no longer requires walking into a shop or business to speak to the manger - it is all online these days. Many items and services can no longer be paid by cash or check - credit and debit cards or electronic transfers only. Every day new changes appear out of nowhere. Newspapers have gone electronic - no home delivery - no "paperboys" - for most of the country. All of this is driven by the need to become consumer friendly - adjusting - modifying - to reach a larger audience - to be more effective in what we do.  I am just as guilty as the next fellow - if you looked at the title of my blog - its has changed - no longer "Deacon Dale's" - rather "The Eye of God".  As I continue to write - attempt to reach a larger audience - I have questioned why a person would be attracted to an obscure deacon named Dale - so I am changing - with an eye on God - an I on God - seeking to see as God sees - commenting on simple things - that we make complicated.

The only thing that I know that doesn't change - God. God the same today - as yesterday - the same tomorrow. God - Jesus - The Holy Spirit - the only constant - the only simple answer - for all complex issues. Nobody will ever know - understand God. Rather than seek complex and confusing answer - sticking with the simple truth - all we really need is - Jesus.

Deacon Dale 

Vacations

Vacations - time off from work - getting away for the summer - traveling to fun destinations. Everyone looks forward to a change in the daily routine - sleeping late - visiting family and friends - relaxing - not working. All too many people do not know how to relax - take their work home - carry their work on vacation. The whole idea of a vacation is to get away - from everything - to allow yourself time for - yourself. Americans work too much - too long - little time for the things that really matter. Those who take work home with themselves - miss the point. The body - the mind - needs time away - away from everything that burdens them. The best vacation - time away from the daily obligations - to focus on yourself - your family - your life.

Even in His life - Jesus - had to get away - away from stress - away from concerns - away from the crowds. Just like us He needed time by Himself - to find Himself - His purpose - to focus on His goals. Jesus calls each of us to a place away from the daily commotion - away from the World and its issues - to a place alone with Him. In Jesus alone - will you find rest.

Deacon Dale 

Put It In Writing

Put it in writing - a common phrase - often when something is spoken - unbelievable - out of the ordinary - worthy of remembering. This morning I received a call from a friend - a parishioner - seeking information - advice. I did not have a clue what I would be asked - told - requested. Whenever I am in this situation I do the only thing I know to help prepare myself - to speak - listen - react - appropriately. I pray. This morning I prayed - God guide me - help me - to be present - attentive - receptive. As I drove to our meeting point - driving through the ongoing construction in our area - I came upon a flashing road sign - warning drivers of the current construction conditions. The sign flashed three messages - Be Alert! - New traffic patterns - Focus on the road. To anyone driving that route - warnings that - once again - the lanes had changed - again - ignore everything else - focus on the road - the barriers - the flashing lights. To me - a different message - immediately I saw in that sign - God's hand in the construction of those three messages - preparing me for my meeting - Be alert - paths are changing - keep my eyes on the road - on the journey. As I met my friend and discussed his concerns - I shared with him - God's message to me - the same message I left with him. Pay attention to his situation - there were changes happening in his life - how he would act and react to those changes - challenges - had to be carefully discerned - with eyes on the road - the journey - the end goal he was seeking. He wrote those three messages down - God's advice to me - in writing - shared with him as a brother in Christ - the message - the answer to his questions. Our meeting - an awesome time - spent together - sharing our lives - sharing the one message - for each of us.

God does not always write His answers down - most often when we seek His counsel - we hear nothing - see nothing - we wonder if He heard our request. As a firm believer - I know God always hears us - the answer normally - a work in progress - often manifested only at a later time. Jesus assures each of us that He - His Father - are always there for us - listening - guiding - answering. In faith we wait - in faith we rest - knowing that in His time - not ours - He will answer our prayers - our requests. Very rarely will we get our answer in writing - always - His answer - written in love - will be etched in our hearts.

Deacon Dale 

Jurassic Monsters

Monsters - Dinosaurs - Jurassic World - all the rage right now. This movie is packing theaters like crazy. This is one movie franchise that seems to never end - thrilling - exciting - scaring - viewers of all ages. I think the attraction  is our basic connection as humans to animals. We share this world with all sorts of animals - from the very smallest insects and one celled amoebas - to giant billion celled animals such as giraffes and elephants and - maybe - dinosaurs. There is a bond - a special connection - between man and animal. Keeping pets - dogs - cats - birds - gerbils - fish - in and around our homes. Feeding them - caring for them - watching them grow - sharing our lives - together. If possible - more than one person - one family - would own a dinosaur - just the idea of being able to communicate - to share life with another species - is exciting.

God's simple message - spoken by Jesus - the same message of sharing life well. We are all one family - different colors of hair - eyes - skin - many languages - one hope - for a peaceful - fruitful - existence - among family - friends - strangers. No one better than another - no one more gifted than another - all blessed by God - in different - similar ways. Sometimes it works - sometimes it does not. Something worth working at - to create a world where everyone is seen as a gift - no one a monster - not even in Jurassic World - not even in our lives.

Deacon Dale 

In Search Of A Hero

Recently - in social media - there has been much talk about heroes - what makes a hero - what gender may be a hero - past - present - future. I will not debate that issue as recently presented. Heroes come in all sizes - shapes - forms - gender - species. One of my favorite heroes was a dog - yes a dog - who saved another dog's life.  Most people would immediately say a dog cannot be a hero - I disagree. Heroes are those who go beyond normal limits - to excel at one specific task. Heroes do not have to repeat an event - once is enough for most to be recognized. It might be a firefighter - carrying a person from a burning home - a high school youth - rescuing a young swimmer - a dog - dragging an injured companion out of harms way - a parent - showing their children by example - how to live a good healthy productive life.  Some years ago a study was done with high school youth - asking who their heroes were. A small percentage - named Michael Jordan or another sports figure - an overwhelming 98 percent - named their parents - as their hero - who they most admired - wanted to grow up to be like. Nobody named any of the popular Super Heroes as their real life hero.

Jesus did not want to be a hero - He came - as the obedient Son - following His Father's wishes - to share the Good News - with all.  Some listened - followed Him - became disciples - students - others - ignored - turned away. Although He came for all - not all accepted Him. That same situation remains today - we have believers - non-believers - accepting - rejecting. In the big scheme of things - not ours to worry who accepts or rejects - ours is to stand firm in our faith - to live lives - that inspire - create hope - sharing the Truth.
We do not have to be heroes - Super Heroes - just ordinary people of God - doing a super job.

Deacon Dale