It's All About Sin - Isn't It?

Lent - it is all about sin - right?  Actually - no.  Rather Lent calls us to focus - not on sin - but on Holiness. It asks us to take a personal inventory of our lives - how we live - what we do - how we react - our goals in life and beyond. Of course - sin is involved in the evaluation process - and if we are burdened with sin - eliminating it and what causes us to sin is good - as we seek greater holiness in our life. Committing our self to a period of quiet and reflection - looking deep into who we are - what we do - leads us to that goal of holiness.

When God created the world and mankind - He saw that it was good. Not just O.K. - rather He saw good. Each of us has to remember that one truth - we are all created good. How we live our life has an effect on our goodness.  In Lent - we reflect - we pray to correct faults - to regain any goodness that we have lost.

Deacon Dale  

El Segundo Día

Lent - The Second Day.  Ashes gone - face washed clean - all visible signs of Ash Wednesday gone until next year. The homily from yesterday's Mass - still faintly lingering in the mind. Time to get more deeply involved in some sort of Lenten exercise. Today we look into our lives - what needs to be fixed - maybe too many things - better to start simple - otherwise failure is guaranteed.  Giving up unnecessary time wasters - making that wasted time available for better things. Say an extra prayer - or if not normally praying - start to pray. Looking at the sky - the vast expanse of possibilities - an ocean of opportunities - needing to make a decision - to focus. 

God makes all things possible - a Lent that is meaningful to everyone is a distinct possibility. It may take a little time to focus on that one or two things that will make our personal life better - but that decision will happen soon. Right now - just realizing that we need to make some decisions-  is a great jumping off point. Knowing we have to start is the first step to an awesome journey. Tomorrow we map out our course.

Deacon Dale 

A Smudge - A Stroke - An Ash

Ash Wednesday - observed today around the world - different nations - different continents - different cultures. A day of acknowledgement - the beginning of a Holy Season - a Season of repentance - Repentance for what we have done - have not done. A time of deep reflection - where we have been - where we are going - unless a change is made. A Season made for all mankind - religious - or not. Today we received ashes imposed on our foreheads - ashes from the burnt palms from lasts year's Palm Sunday celebration. Palms once waved in joyful expectation and remembrance of Christ's entrance into Jerusalem. From Celebration to Repentance - Joy to Sorrow - Hope to Renewed Hope.

Jesus came that each of us might experience life to the fullest - to all He came - not everyone accepted Him - the same exists today - many believe - many others do not. It is not up to us to worry about the non-believers - that is God's business - that is Christ's concern. Our focus -this Lent - is on ourselves - on our own salvation - on the direction that our individual life is going. It will be hard enough for each of us to straighten the path we walk - the life we live - hard enough that Holy Roman Church gives us the gift of this Season - to pause - pray - to reflect - on our own life.  You have 40 days....

Deacon Dale 

A Year of Mercy

As we complete this first week of the 2016 New Year - the Holy Year of Mercy - we ask ourselves - what is different - what is suppose to be different - what do we want to be different. Each of us would have many and various answers - finances - health - relationships - serious - frivolous - too many to count - too many to contemplate. A New Year - for each individual - filled with thousands of variables. Every one of us - down to the last man - woman - could write volumes of changes they would like in their own life. 
New Years resolutions - quickly proclaimed - too often forgotten - minutes after declared - carry little use. For most people - something no longer contemplated. Most are numb - locked into a time - place - that precludes any thought of improvement.  The status quo - nothing more - nothing less. 

A Year of Mercy - offers - hope - a chance to break the bonds - to move beyond the status quo. In this New Year - Pope Francis - has given the world a gift of New Life - filled with the awesome Mercy of God Almighty. No one knows the mind - the heart - of God - Jesus. In this new year we offer our prayer - Jesus - I trust in You - in Your Divine Mercy. Trusting in God Almighty - in Jesus our Saviour - the Holy Spirit - is a great place to start.

Happy Divine New Year of Mercy
Deacon Dale 

Merry Christmas!

Christmas greetings to everyone - everywhere. To believers and non-believers - I wish you a Merry Christmas - the blessings of the Author of Life - The God Who Loves You - The Lord Jesus Who Died For You. Whether we believe - or not - God freely sends His blessing upon all.  Not everyone will be open to reception of His blessings - to those who are - His presence is constant - to those who are not - His blessings are like an unwrapped Christmas present - waiting for you to pull at the ribbon - to reveal all that He has for you.

Santa Claus is the expected giver of gifts - for all. Toys - clothes - electronics - gift cards - all freely and happily received. Acceptance by most - the majority - gladly. Digging deeper - Santa - Saint Nicholas - a mortal in whom God was very much alive - a mortal who reflected God's generosity - in ordinary human acts.  Today we who give - reflect too God's love - compassion - forgiveness.  As we share this day with family - friends - strangers - may each of us - through ordinary - extra-ordinary acts of kindness - be reminded of the One Who Loved Us First.

Deacon Dale 

Year of Mercy

We are now in the fourth day of the special Jubilee Year - Holy Year of Mercy - proclaimed by Pope Francis earlier this year. Starting on December 8th - this Holy Year continues until November 20, 2016.  Between those dates - many opportunities for everyone to become involved - either in their home parish - or across the world. In our diocese - nine parishes have been designated as "Pilgrimage Churches" - sites which may be visited as an exercise in personal piety. Pope Francis has asked us to focus on the Corporal Works of Mercy - feeding the hungry - giving drink to the thirsty - clothing the naked - sheltering the homeless - visiting those in prison - comforting the sick - burying the dead. I am happy to report that my homes parish has an excellent track record in all these - except visiting those in prison. For some reason - mostly red tape with entering prisons - we have not addressed that particular ministry.  Perhaps going forward - this will become a new and vibrant ministry of our parish.

Jesus asks us - when did you feed me - give me drink - clothe me - visit me in prison - BAM! Stopped dead in our pious tracks - no Lord we have not visited those in prison - there is so much red tape - it is dangerous - these people are the lowest of the Earth - they scare us. I would have to agree - to some extent.  Then again most of us have never visited a prison - nor do we wish to - intimated - afraid of the consequences. Our personal filter about prisons - mostly fed by movies - makes us shy away form this important ministry. We all know of the success of prison ministry - many others are visiting one daily - but not us.  In this Holy Year of Mercy - we must remember that to receive Mercy - we must show Mercy - to all.  Something to think about this Advent - as we seek to make changes in our own lives.

Deacon Dale

Reflections On A Pilgrimage

We are back! It has been three days now since we returned from our Shrines of Italy Pilgrimage. Our group of sixteen joined up with a Florida group of seven and six pilgrims from Canada at Rome for an awesome spiritual travel experience.  Our tour guide was one of the best we have ever encountered. Contrary to predictions - we had warm sunny days every day while there - our tour guide commented that it was unusual to go for so long without rain or clouds - we were all happy that we were blessed with excellent weather. We started in Rome - ventured to Assisi - Florence - Loreto - San Giovanni Rotondo - Pompeii - Salerno - Cava de Tirenni - Montecassino - back to Rome - visiting the shrines of St. Francis - St Clare - St Benedict - St Scholastica - St Matthew - Michael the Archangel - St Mary - St Peter and St. Paul. Most of us also ventured around Rome to visit the Coliseum - Plaza Navona - the Pantheon - the Roman Forum - Trevi Fountain - all spectacular sights. In our evenings and free time in the afternoons we enjoyed the wines and cuisine of Italy.  Friendships developed quickly among the group - the shared experience blessed everyone. Holy Mass was celebrated almost every day with Father Dennis - Father Terry and Deacon Dale - delivering inspiring homilies - complemented by special meditations from Chaplain Arlene. Eleven days focusing on the Divine - inspired by the words of Pope Francis at the Wednesday Audience - drawing each pilgrim closer to Jesus - Our Lord - closer to God - the Author of Life.

Deacon Dale's Pilgrims at St. John in Lateran Basilica - Rome, Italy 

Pilgrimage is as old as the Church - since the time of Christ - people have been seeking God's presence everywhere in the World - in simple - grand places - in peoples from all walks of life - at every turn of the corner. Participating in a pilgrimage is one of the most rewarding adventures anyone will benefit from  - following in the steps of Christ - following in the steps of fellow pilgrims.

Deacon Dale 

Mirror Mirror

Almost everyone is familiar with the phrase - Mirror Mirror - on the wall - who is the fairest one of all - from the story Snow White. When seeking answers to questions - where answers elude - alternate sources are sought. Most of us would be very happy to have a magical mirror - provide answers. Owners of modern iPhones - have - Siri - a component of the iOS computer program that works as an intelligent personal assistant and knowledge navigator.  Siri is accessed thousands of times daily - seeking directions - answers - providing information in a moments notice. Siri will not provide personal information - her phone number - her age or weight - focusing only on whomever asks the question - information for and about them. Helping inquirers - the prime directive.

When we seek information from God - His answers - rarely spoken.  God does not perform magic tricks - does not hang on a wall - waiting to be called to service at the whim of an individual.   God is there - waiting for each of us - to draw closer to Him - to His Son - Jesus. We only have to seek Him - in prayer - no mirror needed - in silence - in meditation. Some will pray before the Blessed Sacrament in Adoration - others on knees before Holy statues - all focusing their deepest attention on - God - waiting in silence for the answer which always comes - in His time. If you have a special need - forget magic mirrors - forget computer programs like Siri - instead turn your focus on the God who waits - for your attention.

Deacon Dale 

Messy

If you are like me - you like order - tidy - everything in its place - order. I find it difficult to achieve that - especially on my desk - in real life. Today I have to lead two funerals - two persons - related - died in the same auto accident. An error in judgement - a distraction - nobody knows for sure - except for two who died. Leave it to say - it is a mess. If we think about it - life is always a mess - order - disorder - plans made - plans broken - life changed. What we thought was under control - out of control - in seconds - life changes. As Christians we participate in Rites of Passage - rituals that move us from one reality - to another. When we were born - a Rite of Passage - moving from an intimate relationship with God - to life on Earth - birthing - messy - sloppy - in His time - not ours. Life - as we know it - always messy - sloppy - constantly changing - constantly challenging. At the end of our life - another Rite of Passage - dying - always inconvenient - unplanned - mostly messy - not on our calendar - only in His time - returning back to an intimate relationship with God. Wealth - poverty - cannot - will not - alter these Rites of Passage.

Jesus told us - (Matthew 11:28-30) Come to me -  all you who labor and are burdened - I will give you rest. In this scripture we see the gentle mastery of Christ -  Jesus - always available to each of us - believers and non-believers - any time of day - any day of  the week. While on this Earth - we are never alone - even when we want to be alone - He is there - close at hand - waiting on us - ready to act in an instant - to clean up our mess - to straighten out - organize - to bring order into our messy lives.

Deacon Dale 

Year Of Mercy

Pope Francis has dominated the news media for the last few weeks and as we approach December - it is important that we reflect on the Holy Year of Mercy - declared back in March. In an article published by The Catholic Herald from the U.K we read

"More than a dozen individual celebrations will be scheduled for the Jubilee of Mercy in 2016, giving pilgrims the chance to celebrate their own holy year with Pope Francis in Rome. Consecrated men and women; deacons; priests; catechists; the sick and disabled; teenagers and prisoners have specific days on the calendar set out for them. Young people will be able to celebrate their jubilee with the Pope at World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland. The Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization , which is organizing events for the Holy Year of Mercy, published a full calendar of events online. The Holy Year is meant to be lived as a pilgrimage, people taking part are asked to prepare themselves with prayer and sacrifice, and make a portion of the journey on foot. Efforts also will be made to offer concrete signs of God’s love and mercy by offering tangible assistance to those in need, and bishops and priests around the world are asked to conduct “similar symbolic gestures of communion with Pope Francis” in their dioceses by reaching out to those on the margins. The motto, “Merciful Like the Father,” is an invitation to follow the merciful example of God, who asks people not to judge or condemn but to forgive and to give love, the council said. One way the pope wants to show the church’s “maternal solicitude” is to send out “missionaries of mercy” that is, specially selected priests who will preach and teach about God’s mercy. They will be given special authority, the pope said, “to pardon even those sins reserved to the Holy See.”  The following is a list of some of the major events planned in Rome for the jubilee year:

• Opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica, December 8, feast of the Immaculate Conception.
• Opening of the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. John Lateran and in the cathedrals of the world, December 13.
• Opening of the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Mary Major, January 1, feast of Mary, the Holy Mother of God and World Day for Peace.
• Jubilee for those involved with guiding or organising pilgrimages and religious tourism, January 19 – January 21.
• Opening of the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, January 25, feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.
• Jubilee for Consecrated Life and the closing of the Year for Consecrated Life, February 2, feast of the Presentation of the Lord.
• Sending forth the Missionaries of Mercy, St. Peter’s Basilica, February 10, Ash Wednesday.
• Jubilee for the Roman Curia, February 22, feast of the Chair of St. Peter.
• “24 Hours for the Lord” with a penitential liturgy in St. Peter’s Basilica, March 4th.
• Jubilee for those who are devoted to the spirituality of Divine Mercy, April 3, Divine Mercy Sunday.
• Jubilee for teens aged 13 to 16 to profess the faith and construct a culture of mercy, April 24.
• Jubilee for deacons, May 27-29, the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.
• Jubilee for priests, June 3, feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
• Jubilee for those who are ill and for persons with disabilities, June 12.
• Jubilee for youth, July 26-31, World Youth Day in Krakow, Poland.
• Jubilee for workers and volunteers of mercy, September 4, the vigil of the memorial of Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.
• Jubilee for catechists, September 25.
• Marian Jubilee, October 8-9.
• Mass celebrated by Pope Francis in memory of the faithful departed, Nov. 1, feast of All Saints.
• Jubilee for prisoners, November 6.
• Closing of the Holy Doors in the basilicas of Rome and in the dioceses of the world, November 13.
• Closing of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica and the conclusion of the Jubilee of Mercy, November 20, feast of Christ the King.

God's Divine Mercy is present in the world constantly - this is not a once in a lifetime event - rather a reality of His awesome Mercy. Participating in special prayers - act of kindness - mercy - traveling on a pilgrimage - all afford everyone an opportunity to go deeper into their relationship with God - deeper into the mystery that is His Divine Mercy.

Deacon Dale