Morning Ritual

Everyone has a morning ritual - even if they do not recognize - acknowledge one. Waking early - stretching - visiting the bathroom - shaving - showering - brushing hair - teeth - morning coffee - juice - toast - cereal - leaving early for work - school - church - the same routine day after day. Five days a week - many repeat over and over - the same ritual. The weekend - similar - most likely a different schedule - each weekend a repeat of the previous. Our prayer life often falls into a similar ritual - morning prayers - daytime - evening - bedtime - words spoken to God - often the same praises - words of gratitude - petition - repeated - over and over. We are people of habit - doing - speaking the same mantra - repeatedly - a ritual. 

When we talk to Jesus - God in prayer - we need to be active partners in this conversation of praise - thanksgiving - petition. God knows our hearts - minds - no need to constantly say the exact same words repeated in a dulling mantra. Variation of the words - praises - petitions - shows God we are actively engaged with Him. When you pray an Our Father - add your personal words - introduce other thoughts - in the conversation. There is nothing wrong with learned - memorized prayers - adding onto a prayer shows that you are actively thinking about the words you speak. Pray formula prayers slower - thinking about the words - what they mean - to God - to you - reflecting on what the impact is on your life - situation. In all prayers - make your ritual a non-ritual - break free - use your own words to speak to your Lord. He waits to hear from you - your morning ritual.

Deacon Dale 

Cruise Control

Cruise control - sometimes known as speed control or auto cruise - is a system that automatically controls the speed of a motor vehicle. The system is a servomechanism that takes over the throttle of the car to maintain a steady speed as set by the driver. On most modern cars one simply activates the cruise switch - selects the speed to cruise - drive at - then sits back with foot off the accelerator - allows the vehicle to continue on at a steady speed. As long as the driver pays attention to the road condition - traffic changes - other vehicles - a safe system to use. On very long road trips - alleviates legs discomfort - driver fatigue. There is a risk - monotony - boredom - falling into a trance like state - when accidents may occur. Even when using cruise control - driver must be aware constantly - where they are going.

Many people who have made a commitment to God - to Jesus - have unfortunately placed their relationship on cruise control. Prayers spoken as in a trance - words voiced - without real meaning - blindly repeating prayer after prayer - no active thought involved - are in danger of an eventual spiritual collision - with themselves - with God. When developing a prayer life - a relationship with Jesus - it must always be an active - conscious effort. To keep your relationship fresh - openness to God and the many faces of the Divine must be investigated. Cruise control on a vehicle is fine when actively monitored - the same goes for your prayer life.

Deacon Dale 

Walk - Run - Walk

My wife and I enjoy hiking - casual treks through the desert - walking up and down mountains - navigating various trails - through the sides of mountains - over river beds. It took awhile - eventually we found a pace that was comfortable for both of us. On occasion we hike with others - hiking groups here in Arizona - friends - family - who come for visits. We prefer a slower pace - partially because we are older - mainly because we have learned not to rush - to enjoy the view as we walk. When we walk with others we find that often we have to push - walk faster - to catch up - stay with the group. What starts out slowly gains momentum - the need to push faster - to catch up - to start walking again - over and over - depending on the terrain.

When a person first starts walking with God - hand in hand with Jesus - it may feel like a race - many things happening all at once - new experiences - new feelings - excitement - exhilaration - then the slump - the normal - much slower. For some - times when they do not feel God's presence - absence of the Divine - abandonment - all alone. Those who are mature in their faith have learned that life has a pattern of up - downs - highs - lows. Our spiritual life mimics the daily life - fluctuations in activity - intensity. Through all of it God is always present - even when we do not sense Him - He is there. In the quiet moments - it is then when we are called to slow down - to relax - to listen.

Deacon Dale  

Quality Versus Quantity

During Lent there are many people who get caught up in how much - how much to fast - how many things to give up - what else should I deny myself -- seeking to maximize the quantity of things they sacrifice - searching for a Holy Lent.  Fasting to an extreme where they risk damaging their health - attending every extra prayer service - every Stations of the Cross - every penitential rite - as a means of trying to purify themselves. Others look only for truly meaningful events - services to attend - quality time spent in prayer - meditation - reflection. Often chastised because they only did this or that - few events.

God asks us to seek quality not quantity. He doesn't care if we say a thousand prayers - if spoken in haste - without thought - compared to one true heartfelt conversation with Him. Spending unnecessary hours in church - when the family begs for one honest hour of your time at home. It is not how much - rather how well - honest - sincere - an effort you made. This Lent make your time - your actions - count.

Deacon Dale  

Thirsting

If your parish has people in the RCIA program - then at one of the Masses today - the First Scrutiny of the Elect should be celebrated and the Gospel should be about the woman at the well (John 4: 5-42) and the Hebrew Scripture should be about Moses and water. Both Scriptures form an image of peoples need for water - to drink - to wash - to bathe. Without water - nothing can survive - man - animal - plants. At our home in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona it is a rule that all homes use irrigation systems to insure that any plants will receive enough water to keep them alive - guarantee them a chance to grow - develop. We recently added some plants to our property and after digging holes in the rocky soil and adding mulch and fertilizer - the next step was adding drip lines - water source. The First Scrutiny today - with the Elect - begins that final purification process - moving them closer to the Easter Vigil - preparation for baptism - reception of the Holy Spirit - receiving the Living Water that leads to eternal life in Christ.

Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that the water she would get would cure her physical thirst - but what she needed was the water - that cures all thirst - Living Water. He was referring to the Holy Spirit - water that would freely flow through her life and lead to eternal life. That water is available today - to all of us - God offers - we accept - reject - His offer. Even those who have already been baptized - may receive again - and again - a fresh out pouring of Living Water - to strengthen - to fortify. No one has drunk of the Living Water so much that they will not benefit from a new outpouring. God waits - Jesus offers - a drink.

Deacon Dale 

Training Day

Anyone beginning a new venture will usually experience a training day - introduction to materials - procedures - protocols - training manuals - workbooks. Training may last a few hours - many days - weeks. In that time - knowledge is shared - acquired - absorbed - formed into ones mind. Today my wife and I began our training to become volunteer instructors for ESL - English as a Second Language. Hopefully - within the next month - we will begin helping others learn English - to help them communicate - with medical personnel - employers - everyone they meet in their daily lives - opening doors to new possibilities. Lent is similar - a time of opening ourselves up to new possibilities - learning new ways to communicate with God - with ourselves. 

All the instruction we need for life is available in the Bible - how to live - how to act - how to treat others. God has inspired many to put into writing - for all generations - a road map for life. Your Bible is all the instruction manual you will ever need - open it today - see where it leads you - this Lent.

Deacon Dale 

Pins and Needles

The phrase - on pins and needles - anxious - waiting for some news - high expectation of something - comes possibly from a similar Old English expression which described the feeling when numbness was leaving an extremity and feeling - sensations - were returning to the affected limb. Anyone who has experienced numbness knows that - tingling sensation - pins and needles - as  the numbness fades - feeling returns. The phrase is also used - when anticipating many different things - Lenten changes in ones life - new prayer experiences - experiencing  a moment when one comes in contact with the divine. Often expectations fall short - disappointment surfaces. We are ending our second week of Lent and yet - for some - nothing drastic has happened. Lent only follows a time table as far as how many days have passed - how many are left. Other than that - Lent has no timeline. Today we planted some new cactus plants - very careful not to touch - tonight - pins and needles  on arms - legs - still wondering why - when we did not touch. Cactus needles - not touching - Lent - not seeming to move forward - sitting on pins and needles - similar.

God acts in all our lives - every day - nobody should sit and worry - on pins and needles - when the time is right - He will manifest Himself in our lives. Until then - we trust - we believe - we wait - patiently - in silence.

Deacon Dale 

Baby Steps

Everyone becomes excited when a baby is ready to take their first steps - learning to walk. With hands held high - helping baby to learn balance - coordination - moving one foot in front of the other - trying to stand erect - all without falling. Of course - the inevitable - always happens - baby falls - most often on their seat. The routine - attempted - over and over again - until finally - one day success. Two steps - then three - finally a walk across the room. Whenever we attempt anything in life - we start with baby steps - cautiously - testing the waters - making sure we have the correct technique - procedure down - to avoid issues and errors. In almost every area of life we learn to walk - before we run. The same goes with our spiritual exercises done during Lent - we begin cautiously - moving slowly - considering what it is we wish to do - hopefully by the third week we have our plan well into motion - on our way to a rewarding Lenten experience.

When God created mankind - He knew that we would have to learn through trial and error - false starts - failed attempts - trying to do too much in the beginning - regrouping - taking baby steps. With God there is no need to rush - no need to run - moving slowly forward is always better than rushing into disappointment - failure. God is much more patient that most would believe - He waits - day after day - looking forward to your first spiritual baby step.

Deacon Dale  

There Is An App For That

In this age of smart phones - iPad - tablets - almost everything has an application - app - developed to make it easier to become involved with specific products - services. Prayer is no different. Often during Lent we are asked - what should I read - what prayers should I pray - where are good meditations. Today - if you are so equipped - inclined to electronic aids - there is an app for that. ECHO  - PrayerMate - Instapray - PrayWithMe - IBreviary are all apps available for installation on your smartphone or tablet. For Roman Catholics the iBreviary app helps you to pray the official hours of the church as well as many other options.

Already stated numerous times - prayer is the number one tool to help us in our Lenten experience. God is always available and now in modern times - electronic aids to help us in our pursuit of a healthy prayer life. Prayer with God is always free - real time - instantly available - try it - today 

Deacon Dale 

Mercy - Divine Mercy

As we journey through Lent - we need to realize that it is all about Mercy - Divine Mercy - God's Divine Mercy. Because of God's great love for all of us - He makes so many things possible for each of us. The cleansing process - the remodeling - the rearranging - the elimination - addition - of what we really need - is all make available through God. It is up to us as we pray - reflect - meditate - on those changes - that we are guided by God to the point that He wants us to be. 

If God did not care for us as much as He does - He would never have sent Jesus - to teach us - inspire us - die for us. Most people have no idea just how merciful God is. Where we judge harshly - God does not. It is because of His awesome mercy - His Divine Mercy - that we are forgiven - healed - renewed - into better people. Trusting in His Divine Mercy - we know that our Lenten journey will be fruitful.

Deacon Dale