Recall

This morning we are taking our car in for yet another recall - something about it might possibly burst into flames - not ignoring this one.  The car is a 2017 so three recalls in five years not so bad?  I say even one recall is one to many - however - better that they learned about the issue(s) - willing to pay for it - only cost to us - some time at the dealer.  Only Jesus was - is - perfect - everything else flawed.  That is the number one reason for Lent - admitting our flaws - identifying them - dealing with them.  We just have to admit - we are a flawed people - God never intended any of us to be perfect.  Oh - He does expect us to come close - with His help - flaws built into our DNR - a reminder that we need to actively participate in our search for Holiness - not automatically guaranteed.

Jesus - even though He was perfect - had to struggle with many issues that we struggle with - making friends - building community - building trust - coping with negativity from others.  Even though Jesus was perfect - did not live a perfect life.  In Lent we follow Jesus as a model - strength - humility - focusing on His goal.  His goal - proclaiming the Gospel - leading people to His Father - our  goal - draw closer to God - become a holy person.  Perfection never a goal for anyone - accepting that we are flawed - need God's help.  No matter how often God calls us - issues a recall - we accept our flaws - take it in stride - continue on the path laid before us. In God we do trust - Jesus we trust in You - for all the days of our life.

Deacon Dale 

Some Days Don't Count

If ones does the math - more than forty days between Ash Wednesday and the Triduum when Lent officially ends.  Why the extra days?  The period of Lent was originally much shorter - a special time for those preparing to enter the Church at Easter - expanded to forty days of - prayer - fasting - sacrifice - to reflect the forty days Jesus spent in the desert.  Those forty days - along with Sundays - always considered - Little Easter - celebration of New Life - for a complete Lenten experience.  Because Sundays are not viewed as penance days they are not included in the forty days - adding six more days to the period of time.  This explains why some who have sworn to give up certain things - candy - alcohol - will consume these things on Sundays since they are not technically days of Lent.  One can argue that a promise of abstinence applies to every single day from Ash Wednesday to Easter - others taking advantage of the reality that Sundays are not Lenten days - enjoy those things they have given up for the other six days of the week. 

Jesus spent His forty days in the desert - did not break His fast because of Shabbat - the Sabbath - during that time.  In His time - the Holy Day - always a day of rest - avoiding work - not the same as Sundays celebrated by Christians.  Christianity did not evolve until after His death and resurrection - no comparison to how we observe the forty days of Lent.  As faithful Christians - observing Lent - all days - including Sundays - should take on a more serious practice of our faith.  Celebrating the Sundays of Lent should take us deeper into our Lenten experience - not remove the deeper level of devotion observed during the other days of the week.  As Christians - as faithful disciples - we should never say - some days don't count - rather every day of our life should count more - every day - drawing ourselves - deeper into our relationship with Jesus - God - Our Father.  No vacation days ever - from God.

Deacon Dale 

Courage

For those who hold religious beliefs - it takes a certain amount of courage to openly share their faith.  In these days when so many deny their faith - the faithful - ridiculed for believing.  Too many feel that belief in God - a sign of weakness - electing to claim their accomplishment - success - on their abilities alone - completely forgetting where those abilities - skills - came from in the first place.  Giving credit to good genes - education - life experiences - above those given freely by a Higher Power.  For those who freely give the credit to God - living in boldness - acknowledging God - the grantor - of all they possess - numerous blessings.

When Jesus called our name to become His disciple - He not only gave us His Holy Spirit - also the gift of Boldness - the ability to live our faith openly - free from fear that we would become a target for others to ridicule.  As we invest our time - energy - in these forty days of Lent - freely sharing our experiences with others - we boldly journey where many fear to go.  As we continue - we are encouraged by others who walk a similar journey - share the experience - in communal worship time - community events.  Together - as brothers - sisters - in faith - we continue towards that golden ring - Holiness.

Deacon Dale 

Signs and Wonders

So many people have difficulty accepting the Word of God as valid - real - unless they are accompanied by - Signs and Wonders.  Too many fail to accept Holy Scripture based solely on reading - hearing it proclaimed.  All too often we hear - yes - I heard - but I doubt it is real.  Just because it is written on paper - appears in Holy Scripture - does not make it real.  For some - not real - unless some supernatural event accompanies the Word.  Although the Bible is filled with miracles - we often hear - but that was back then - at the time of Jesus - never hear that these still happen in our time.  Sadly - this is a modern day myth perpetuated even by some clergy.  For those who are more open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit - miracles - signs - wonders - seen very frequently.  What many claim to be coincidences - over looked natural occurrences - really are modern day miracles.  For  those who close their eyes to the signs around them - missing out on special blessings God sends every day.

Camino Sign Post - Northern Spain 

When my wife and I walked the Camino de Santiago Pilgrimage route in Spain - our eyes focused not only on the goal at the end - also on Camino sign posts - pointing the correct path to follow.  Most noticeable - concrete pillars like the one above - the historical sun shaped arrow with radiating rays - the modern arrow - always in yellow - on pillars - painted on walls - roadways - directing us on the Way.  Jesus very often pointed people in His day to the Way - not with yellow arrows - rather by using the miracles He performed.  Through numerous signs - wonders - Jesus got the peoples' attention - stopped them in their tracks - made them rethink things they thought they knew - corrected errors taught by others.  Even now in this day - in this Lent - Jesus constantly pointing us in the right direction - along the correct path - to His Father - to Holiness.  Blessed are we who see - believe - His Signs - Wonders.

Deacon Dale 

A Moment In Time

When we take time to meditate - consider - awesome events in the course of history - it all comes down to a single moment.  A moment - a fraction of a minute - smaller than a single second - a time so small - insignificant - yet - very eventful.  Everyone has had those moments - minutes - hours - days - spent considering the pros - cons - about a decision you had to make.  Education - job selection - commitment to something - someone - marriage - a final decision.  No matter how much time was spent - lingering over the decision - the final yay - nay - made in a split second.  

From Pxfuel.com 

When God decided to create the world - inhabitants - animals - people - made in a split second.  The time for that decision to become reality - to materialize - much longer - in our way of counting time - years - thousands - millions - of years.  Even those who are not religious - agree that the creation of the world began with a single spark - wherever that came from - an energy surge - some celestial event - the mind - will of God.  In a micro-second that spark happened - what followed over time - creation of all life.  When we reflect on our life during Lent - very often we are inspired by a thought - in a moment in time - in a micro-second - what we have done - good - bad.  It is in that moment our spirit touches - the Divine.  In that very tiny space of time we - understand.  Although that moment lasts for such a short time - it does happen - an opening - a doorway - window - into our hearts.  When that happens we pause - contemplate - reflect - invite Jesus into our hearts to investigate that thought. In those moments - Jesus is with us - encouraging us to go deeper - leading us to His Father - to Holiness.  In that special - moment in time - some - not all - accept that invitation - choose to make their Lenten experience - significant. 

Deacon Dale 

Give It Up!

One of the biggest focuses during Lent - by clergy - parishioners - bystanders - giving up things for Lent.  There are numerous thoughts on these sacrificial actions - the value of what was given up - the reasons behind them.  I remember one youngster - years ago - very proudly telling me they had given up watching their favorite television show - not television itself - just one particular show - replaced it with another show.  To them - a sacrifice - to many - no sacrifice at all - just an altered habit.  For adults - similar to a smoker who quits during Lent - not intending to quit permanently - resuming that habit once Lent ends.  For myself - nothing material given up - rather - make a point to focus my free time - on others needs - increasing prayer time - spiritual writing - thus the increase in blog posts.  Spending additional time on this blog - very helpful for me to focus my thoughts - say more prayers for guidance - benefits me - those who read my posts.  One of the most important things in my life - my personal time - how I spend it - alone - with others - what I do - what I don't do.

When Jesus walked in the desert - as we walk alongside Him this Lent - lots of time to consider the important - compared to the non important.  It is important for us to know why we sacrifice - give up things - especially in Lent.  When we give up one thing - it is usually to make room for something else - more important.  Denying one self - food - smokes - time - creates an opportunity for other things - prayer - meditation - worship - connecting with the Divine. As we journey closer to Jesus during this Lenten experience - take time to seriously consider what you have given up - will give up - what will be gained in return.

Deacon Dale 

Deliver Us From Evil

Whenever we pray The Lord's Prayer - we always ask to be delivered from evil.  Just the fact that we are constantly surrounded - tempted by evil - should be enough to make anyone live an honest - honorable - holy - life.  That is not how it happens.  For many - evil is the food that they thrive on - being evil - doing evil - enjoying evil.  That fact makes one ask - why?  Why is evil so attractive - so seductive - even when the majority shun - go to extreme ends to avoid.  The answer - it is easier to do evil - be evil - than be good - holy.  That is what Lent asks us to focus on - not on how many sins we commit - rather that we sin in the first place. In Lent we need to re-evaluate our lives - what we do that is good - what is bad and why.  In these forty days we reflect - take spiritual inventory of ourselves - leave others to themselves.  The life we ought to focus on - ours alone - it is not our responsibility to focus on others - that belongs to them alone. 

Looking at self 

Jesus has told us - your sins are forgiven - go and sin no more - yet we do.  Avoiding sin - harder than losing weight.  Unfortunately in the world that we live - it is so easy to mess up - do - say - the wrong things - not necessarily evil - still wrong.  One exercise now - ask why we slip - allow these to be a part of our life.  Identify the fault - why it happens - correct whatever it is that makes it so easy to do - then - concentrate on eliminating it from your life.  It takes time - very possible.  Then when you have solved that one - move on to the next - yes - we all have more than one fault to correct.  In  these forty days - Jesus - always at our side - working with us - to seek - holiness.

Deacon Dale 

Tool Chest

When a person is given a task to accomplish - the first thing to do - assess one's tool chest.  What tools are available - are there enough - proper tools - how well can one use those available .  After all the tools are gathered - time to begin the task at hand.  As we start our Lenten experience all of us should also look at what is available to help us have the best experience we can.  Books - writing materials - time schedule - Rosaries - Mass times - availability of Adoration - Confession - Stations schedule - Days of Reflection - Retreats.  With six weeks of Lent - plenty of time to make use of everything available.  

In Lent there is no wrong way to experience the bountiful blessings - no wrong way to use the tools available - pick as few - as many - as one wishes. All efforts are rewarded - praiseworthy.  The goal - the golden ring - holiness - available to all - at different degrees of effort.  As long as ones tries - the attempt will be rewarded.

Deacon Dale 

Eyes On The Prize

Ten years ago when my wife and I made the decision to walk the Camino de Santiago in Spain the first thing we did - research.  We looked for the who - what - why - where - everything we could learn about the Camino.  We learned that many others who made the decision to walk this 500 mile pilgrimage - primarily on foot - jumped into it both feet first - no research - no preparation - often resulted in early failure.  No planning - bad planning - in a rush to reach the goal - ended their pilgrimage after only two or three days.  We did not want to be those pilgrims - spending time and money to fly to Spain - only to return home four days later.  Our preparation time involved research - selection of equipment - testing - returning - new selections - multiple times - as the pilgrimage had multiple variables.  Once we had settled on the equipment - actual training for walking began.  Our decision had been made in the late fall of 2012 - outside training delayed until spring 2013.  Finally - August of 2013 - we left for Spain - our focus on walking daily - through what I referred to as - the back yards of Spain.  Flat - hilly - mountainous trails through Northern Spain - Madrid to Santiago - to Finisterre - the end of the world. From the very beginning in the fall of 2012 through a long month of walking - through blisters - very hot days - our eyes firmly focused on the Cathedral at Santiago - to the sacred bones of St. James.

    Sonoran Desert Arizona

Jesus calls us to walk with Him - eyes on the prize - that golden ring of - holiness - never wavering - never losing sight of what is truly important.  The world is filled with distractions - some important - unavoidable - others frivolous.  In Lent we are asked to make a few decisions - choosing what is important versus unnecessary.  So often what we think is very important - not important after all.  One's eternal life - the most important to many - not all.  The individual is the only one who can honestly make that decision.  All have been called by God - not all with answer that call.  Because of the Gift of Free Will - that decision is up to the individual.  In Lent - we are called to choose - what prize do we seek - will we keep - our eyes on the true prize.

Deacon Dale 

And Left And Right And....

When anyone decides to take on a new challenge - the hardest part - starting.  One can think - plan - schedule - calculate time required - barriers - all sorts of variables - hardest part - actually starting.  Once that first effort is made - the first step taken - it is simply a matter of continuing the motion.  One foot after the other - left - right - until the goal is reached - project completed.  That is exactly how we should approach Lent.  There are many ways to observe Lent - silently alone - vocally in groups - sitting in church - Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament - Bible Study - attending Holy Mass - Stations of the Cross - meditation - reading inspirational articles - sitting on the back porch - making oneself present to God.  In the quiet - in the noise - in the peaceful moments - times of chaos - God is there.  It is important for everyone who has made a decision to participate fully in the Lenten experience to understand that quality not quantity is what is important.  When my wife and I walk through the desert - the greatest effort is not always the climb - rather the length of the journey.  A short hike up the mountains at a slower pace often is very relaxing compared to the temptation to walk quickly over flat terrain.

Sonoran Desert Arizona

As mentioned before - God is looking for quality - not quantity.  Better to spend fifteen minutes in deep meditation - rather than an an hour of distracted prayers.  As pilgrims on a journey - better to walk sure footed than run on a slippery slope.  Lent is forty days long - plenty of time for everyone to draw closer to Our Lord.

Deacon Dale