Saint Of The Day

Today is Saint Patrick's Day - the Saint of the Day - honored in today's liturgy at Holy Mass. Of course today - everybody is Irish - wears green - eats and drinks green food and drink - tries their best to speak with an Irish brogue. There are a lot of saints - not all are as popular as Saint Patrick - most daily Masses in the Catholic church - celebrate one saint or another. Many more saints - than most can count - are aware of. Saints are everyday people who - for the most part - lived ordinary lives - did out of the ordinary things. Everyone has a chance to become a saint - not necessarily recognized by the Church - people who live good lives - trying their best - commendable - for all the good they did while alive.

God calls all of us to sainthood - to holiness - to live honorable - upstanding lives - as role models for others. As we complete this fifth week of Lent - look forward to Holy Week - the Triduum - Easter - we ask ourselves - have we done enough - prayed enough prayers - attended enough extra services - made an effort to take unnecessary things out of our lives - put good things - ideas into our lives. We still have time for personal examination - evaluation of ourselves. Lent continues until Holy Thursday evening - one last week to make it happen. Jesus calls each of us to Himself - to be embraced in His arms - to feel His warmth - His presence - as you journey - to sainthood.

Deacon Dale 

Doubting Thomas

I received an email from a friend named Tom recently - have not seen him in a few months since we are in Arizona escaping the Illinois winter. He use to ask me where I get my ideas for topics to blog about.- wondering if I used a service - versus original thoughts. If you knew me you would find that my mind - travels a very different path from most. Quite often I amaze myself at the titles and content - definitely a sign of God working in my mind. My friend reminds me of another - doubting Thomas - could not believe the stories he heard about Jesus - had to see for himself - poke his fingers in His sides - hands. Most of us are doubting Thomases - in one way or another - questioning - wondering - challenging - that which we do not fully understand - comprehend. It is perfectly alright to question - almost anything. 

Jesus faced Thomas - looked him in the eye - place your hand here and there - see and believe - blessed are those who believe and have not seen. I have not seen - nobody I know has seen - yet we are believers. Many - unable to accept the witnesses of others - question so much about God - Jesus - Holy Spirit - religion - faith. None of us has hard concrete evidence - we defend what we have not seen - have not heard - never touched - yet we believe. This Lent we pray - hope - struggle - question everything - we believe. It is not an easy task - time will tell - in the end we will know -  if we hold out - if we keep the faith - stop doubting.

Deacon Dale 

High Rollers

Recently we have been attending Sunday Mass at a small church on an Indian Reservation. The route that we take to the church - passes by a casino operated by the local tribe. On previous Sundays we always had a schedule to keep - this past Sunday - no prior commitments - so we stopped at the casino - a quick coffee and donuts after church. After breakfast we wandered around to see what they had to offer. A large amount of the space - dominated by slot machines - the majority - nickel - penny - slots. I thought it funny that people would sit - many for hours - on a machine that would potentially pay only pennies - the last of the gaming high rollers.

When a person commits to a personal relationship with Jesus - God - there are no questions - winner - loser. Everyone who makes the commitment - a winner. Jesus changes the way we look at life - the ups - downs - the positives - negatives. Making the decision to give your life to God - no crap shoot - always a winner. If you are still on the fence - not sure if making a change this Lent is for you - go ahead - pull the trigger - be a high roller - Jesus has a jackpot waiting for you.

Deacon Dale 

Same Old Same Old

You know how it is - the best laid plans of mice and men - grand ideas - big expectations - shooting for the stars - the final winner. So often - too often - grand plans - fizzle - die a slow quick death - failure. We are now in the fifth week of Lent - so many hopes - yet unrealized - so many ideas - now a pale memory. Failure - rearing its ugly head - smack in ones face. Too often this is what happens to many - failure seemingly so permanent - a cruel joke on oneself. Yes - we are in the fifth week of Lent - the fact remains - Lent is not over. If your best laid plans have not born fruit - there is still time to cultivate - to generate - new interest - in yourself - your plans. It is never too late to start - even for the tenth or more time. The goal - still possible - the tunnel still visible.

God knows how difficult it is to change - to leave behind - start over - go in a new direction. For  this reason - He is more patient that we would ever hope Him to be - He waits - patiently - for weeks - months - years - if need be. The hardest thing to give up is - is giving up. The fear of starting over - again and again - unrealistic. If anything worth attaining - it is worth working for - over and over - until finally achieved. Lent is a time of changing direction - when one turn does not work out - you change direction - again and again - until you are finally on the correct path. Need help - ask Jesus - He will light the way.

Deacon Dale 

Rocks In Our Pockets

In today's Gospel we heard of the woman caught in adultery - who was in the process of being stoned to death - until Jesus intervened.- told the crowd that whomever was without sin - should throw the first stone. Everyone dropped their stones - walked away - none without sin. In today's homily Father talked about all of us - who have rocks in our pockets - willing to judge - condemn others - even when we are guilty of perhaps the same sin. Gossip kills a lot more people - than stones - destroys reputations - creates distrust - animosity - often in error - often due to jealousy. In Psalm 8 - we are told - all have fallen short of the glory of God - you - me - all of us.

God understands us a lot more than we realize - knows our minds - hearts - sees what we do in darkness - hidden from view of others. Each and everyone of us is entitled - owed - respect - justice - for all our actions. If we have sinned - a just punishment is expected - anticipated. Jesus goes one step beyond justice - a gift - His Divine Mercy. As we search our souls this Lent - as we ask forgiveness for what we have done wrong - we know that we must do penance - pay the price - in a just punishment - trusting that Jesus - God - in HIs Divine Mercy will go beyond the anticipated - grant us the gift of His Mercy - complete forgiveness - healing - for a fresh start in life - life in His Holy Spirit. 

Deacon Dale 

Tub Time

Growing up in the mid-west most families we knew celebrated that honored tradition of - the Saturday night bath. Coming from a family of seven children - nine of us in total - the treasured hot bath - relegated to a once a week ritual - was an ordeal to endure when young. It never seemed to make sense why you had to bathe on Saturday night - when you washed almost every body part during the week. That as it may - once a week you took your bath - needed or not. The old joke - clean mind - clean body - take your pick - would never have flown in our house. We did as told - no talking back - squeaky clean for Sunday and church services. Dad always told us that we had to honor God with our best - that included our bodies and clothes. 

When God calls anyone to a closer relationship with Him - He calls - as you are - where you are. You do not have to bathe - no need for your best attire - just your acceptance of Him - His desire for you to be close to Him. Once you have drawn near - experience His awesome love - forgiveness - you will feel unclean - unworthy. It is then that you ask to be bathed in the waters of regeneration - in baptism. As Easter draws closer - the Elect - those preparing for reception into the Church - look forward - anticipate - the most special Saturday night bath they will ever receive - baptism in the font of newly blessed Holy Water - at the hands of their priest - in sight of the congregation - together as one family - celebrate Saturday night baths.

Deacon Dale 

Fish Story

Almost everyone has spun a tale or two in which the details - not as accurate as should be - perhaps embellished - the truth stretched - a bit. The six foot fish caught in the ocean - in reality maybe 18 inches - off the end of the dock. Perhaps photo-shopped to extend the tale. Long tales often center around sporting feats - the number of guys or gals you have dated - the size of your boat - house - summer home - bank account. The deception - a lie of sorts - not meant to defraud - rather impress - family - friends - strangers. These fish stories - an attempt to boost ones self image - in the eyes of others.

God knows not only our minds and hearts - also what we have done - will do - are capable of. Only God sees our true potential - abilities - to succeed - fail. To Him - it does not matter - He could care less about the feats we have done - rather He looks at our hearts - who we love - will love - care for. He wants us to love Him first - foremost - above all else - to worship Him - serve Him - in the persons we live and work with. With God - no need to stretch the truth - He loves you just the way your are.

Deacon Dale 

You Can't Do That

One of the biggest killers of personal growth - you can't do that - prejudging a situation - ability. How many of us were stopped - dead in our tracks - by that comment. Learn to play a musical instrument - participate in some sport - travel to a distant land - join a special interest group - you can't do that. Most of the time the one judging if we were capable - themselves - unable to do what we intended. Often we are limited in our expectations - only because others were limited - held back. Not all of us have the same abilities - desires - expectations - hopes - dreams. This would be a boring world if we were all identical - did the same things - had the same limitations. The world needs dreamers - risk takers - those who push themselves beyond the ordinary. 

When God created humankind - we were given Free Will - the ability to accept - reject - ideas - thoughts - dreams - hopes. He created each of us to - be. Everyone has the ability to excel - in one way or another - to become more than we are - to reach for the stars. In our searching - reaching - attaining - we need to remember the One who gave us this ability - who created us with an inner potential - the possibility of becoming more. As we advance in thought - reason - expand our abilities - we need to first thank the One who is -  the Author of Life - Our God.

Deacon Dale 

Two Too To

Two people too busy to make a difference - caught up in their own world- focusing on their own issues - self absorbed - in themselves. Not an unusual situation. Most couples - their first priority is themselves - their needs - wants - desires. It is normal - not the only option - choice - available to them. All of us at one time or another - share the same plight - serve ourselves - serve others. It is important that we see to our basic needs - to take care of our own mental - physical - spiritual - health - to make ourselves whole - to be better equipped to serve the needs of others. We need to feed ourselves with good wholesome foods and drink - exercise our bodies to keep our muscles toned and in good shape - to stimulate our minds - thoughts - to focus on the important things in life. Only then may we be empowered to reach out - to help those - too week to help themselves.

Jesus is the answer to all our questions - He is the goal we all seek - in one way or another - we know that at the core of our being - the presence of God - lives. It does not matter if we actively attend a church - worship services - if we refuse to acknowledge that we are - spiritual beings. "Our being is an instantaneous flash of light in the midst of eternal night." As living - thinking - rational - people we are blind if we refuse to acknowledge that each of us has a spiritual part of our lives. Just as we have a physical and intellectual - we have a spiritual - facet - a three fold - trinitarian existence. This Lent - seek that inner spirit - dig deep into your very self - see that the two parts - too easy to see - lead to the third hidden part - that makes you whole.

Deacon Dale 

Faith Of Our Fathers

When discussing a person's faith life - not unusual for them to respond - that was my father's faith - I was raised that way - not necessarily what I believe now. I have heard this very comment from people from all faith backgrounds - Jewish - Christian - Muslim - Buddhist - Hindi - to name a few. What these people are saying is that it was perfectly fine for their parents to believe - worship - in one way or another - for them - no longer applicable. This is particularly noticeable in times of good employment - healthy economy. It is not until things fall apart - unemployment rears its ugly head - financial market hits a low - that people begin to show interest in their faith life. It is a common concern of many parents these days - concerned that their children who were brought up in a family with a very active faith life - no longer attend services - show no signs of belief in the spiritual life - credit their good fortune instead to knowledge - science - money - technology. All forget where the ability to create ideas came from - minds of ordinary people - blessed with extraordinary intellect. None of us created our own minds - although we may exercise and develop them - the ability to think - assess - evaluate - create - goes beyond the intellect we were born with. We have to acknowledge that we are not the creator - we did not design our bodies - minds - natural abilities - all credit goes to the One who created humankind in the first place. Recognizing this - why do so many fail to worship - practice any faith?

God is very patient with us - more patient than anyone of us would ever be. He knows our problems with acknowledging His presence - yet - He continues - to love and bless us in spite of ourselves. Leaving hints - clues - signs of wonder - awe - often fail to gather attention - still He persists. One day - one time - eyes will be opened - hearts will receive - His message. Until then - we of faith - keep on praying.

Deacon Dale