Lent #34 - The Price of Sin

In today's morning scriptures we hear of two instances of women who were accused of adultery - one falsely - the second - justified.   The remedy - stoning to death.  In the first case a false accusation by two men who eventually were proven to have told a false account.  In the case in the Gospel a woman who definitely was guilty - brought before Jesus for judgement.  His response - sure go ahead stone her - let anyone who is without sin cast the first stone.  All walked away - everyone a sinner. Before anyone could suffer death by stoning - first had to be brought to judgement.

Unfortunately too many people are very willing to judge others - often without complete information - jumping to conclusions.  As we reflect on our own lives - our own sins that we have committed - the things we have failed to do - the sin of omission - all have sinned in the eyes of God.  Jesus the only one who never sinned - the rest of us - guilty as charged.  The hardest sin to avoid - unjustly judging others - need to quit that - accept others in the spirit of love - forgiveness.  Offer your prayers to God - in the name of Jesus - Father forgive us - we know not what we do.

Deacon Dale 

Lent #33 - New Life

 Today - the Fifth Sunday of Lent - the third Scrutiny of the Catechumens -  Scriptures focus on resurrection - New Life.  The Gospel very clearly shares with us how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead.  Just as He gave New Life to his friend - offers us the same.  Today marks the end of the Scunities for those preparing to enter the Church at the Easter Vigil.  In the past three weeks the scriptures have been focusing on the three elements of baptism - water - light - new life.  For those entering the Church - very special liturgies - for those of us - baptized many years ago - those baptized as infants - a chance to journey with the Catechumens - re-live that special moment in our own life.

In the Scriptures - daily - at every Holy Mass - we are offered New Life in Christ.  For those not in a state of grace - opportunity in confession to make things right -  to start lives freshly.  There is no magic - no special requirements - a repentant heart - commitment to leave the past behind.  Each of us is a work in progress - God working in our lives - molding us according to His plan - if we listen to Him - do as He asks.  Jesus always at our side offering His help along the way.  Palm Sunday - Holy Week - only one week away - time to still do what is necessary to prepare ourselves to be ready to celebrate the Easter Mystery.

Deacon Dale 

Lent #32 - God Is With Us

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Annunciation - the Scriptures contain a wealth of thoughts to contemplate during Lent. Considering that the Scriptures sound more like Christmas - all three readings contain words that fit in perfectly as we look for thoughts to meditate upon - on Scriptures that will help us draw closer to God - Jesus - the reason He became human to share our life experiences. In the first reading from Isaiah the Lord told Ahaz to ask for anything - His response - No - did not want to be guilty of tempting God - God responded - OK - here is the deal -  the virgin will bear a child and name him Emmanuel - which means God is with us.  WOW - That is one Scripture that really hits one heavily.  I want to know more about you God - BAM - you are going to come as a human! Really!  In the second reading from Hebrews we are told that it is impossible for the blood from bulls - goats to  take away sins.  So - God sends the Christ - His Son - His blood will do what could not be done with sacrificial animals. Again - WOW - human blood - a human becoming the Sacrifice! In the Gospel from Luke we read about the Angel appearing to a young girl - a girl so young that in our country she would not be able to drive a vehicle - not be able to vote - not be able to legally get married - here she is being asked to bear the Christ child - the future Savior of the World.  Her response - YES - let it be done to me as the Lord asks.  She could have said no - nope - she gave her approval - her YES.  These three thoughts will fill the mind of anyone and give you enough to meditate on for the remainder of Lent. 

Just writing this makes me think - who am I that God cares for me - that Jesus was willing to die for me - what have I done to receive this offer of New Life.  Everyone should have the same thoughts - just who am I - WHY?  Honestly - I could spend the rest of my life - asking those questions - day after day.  When did I say my YES - when did I choose NO instead.  What have I done as God asked - when did I close my eyes - go the other way. I am nobody - yet in God's eyes - I am somebody.  Meditate on that.

Deacon Dale 

Lent #31 - Magic Beads

It is interesting when discussing different prayer forms with Christians who are not Catholic when the conversation turns to Catholics and their - Magic Beads - otherwise known as - the Rosary.  Even though most faiths have prayers that involve some repetition - memorized words - chants - the rosary as a tool for prayer - seems to confuse some Catholics - majority of non Catholics.  Often it is hard to explain to others - without showing them - how to use  the rosary - letting them physically hold a rosary in their hands - saying prayers along with them.  Besides the official prayers of Mary's Rosary - chaplets - other short repetitive prayers prayed using the beads to help one keep track of where they are in the different sequences. Once properly explained - once personally experienced - many non Catholic develop an understanding - comfort using rosaries in their own prayer life.  A few become so comfortable that as non Catholics -  praying Mary's rosary becomes a daily practice. 

Getty Images Praying the Rosary 

When Jesus was asked to teach His disciples how to pray - the Lord's Prayer was the first.  Eventually - in addition to spontaneous - free form prayer - other prayers developed over the years.  Today the different forms - prayer styles - have developed so much - hard to keep track of all of them.  There are no bad - wrong - prayers - as long they are spoken to Our Lord - God - the Father - Jesus - the Son - the Holy Spirit.  All Prayers help lead us to God - closer to the Father - His Son - helping us to know Him better - helping us to draw closer to the Mystery that is Him.  At this point in our Lenten journey - prayer should be occupying the majority of our time spent with God. 

Deacon Dale 

Lent #30 - All Ready?

We are now well into the fourth week of Lent and very soon Lent will be over and we will be celebrating Holy Week and Easter.  By now everyone should be well entrenched in their spiritual exercises - fasting - prayers - meditations - devotions - quiet time - being able to be present to God.  For the past weeks so much has been happening - Holy Mass - penitential services - gatherings with others - seeking God - Jesus - in shared experiences.  In these final weeks of Lent - time to focus - attention - energy - leave all distractions behind - dive deeply into all that Lent is intended to be.

Jesus calls each of us to constantly improve our personal relationship with Him - His Father - Holy Spirit.  For many a lifetime of study - prayers - meditations - still lots to learn - experience.  In the end it is not about quantity - rather quality - all time spent with Jesus - extremely valuable.  Just as one may spend hours - days - weeks - at the gym developing their physical body - so too is it important to go to your personal spiritual fitness room - daily - developing your entire body - mind - spirit - into one unified holy person.

Deacon Dale 

Lent #29 - Seeking Faith

When one comes to Faith - has an experience - decides that it is time to learn more - about God - Jesus - the Holy Spirit - that can be a very daunting task.  Just trying to understand the Trinity - the entire idea that God is One person - yet - three persons in One.  How can this be - nobody - can ever make sense of the Trinity - how it exists - where it has its origin - how it gained its power - all one giant Mystery.  As an avid fan of sci-fi - mystery books - scientific explorations - mathematic logic - my poor small human mind - never will understand - comprehend - God.  Oh I can make assumptions - they will be wrong - I can discuss with those who have better educations - we will be wrong - never - will any of us ever truly understand God.  Faith - now that is easier I think - there is some logic - studies - that explain how one develops faith - grows in faith - lives a life of faith.  

Most of us grew up in religious families - in different denominations - varying structures of faith.  As children we were told point blank what we were suppose to believe - never questioned our parents - we couldn't because they did not have the answers either.  When people questioned Jesus - He shared stories - spoke in parables - attempting to explain.  The majority of the time - the Mystery was still as clear as mud.  His final answer to His followers - Trust in Me.  Now thousands of years later - it is all still a - Mystery.  All we can do is respond - Jesus I Trust in You.  In time our Faith will grow - even when we fail to understand - the peace in our hearts - minds - will fill that void.

Deacon Dale 

Lent #28 - Rise And Get Up

In today's Gospel we hear the story of the man who had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years - unable to walk - move about - forced to beg for a living.  Like others burdened with one illness - or another - he chose to lay by the pools at Bethesda - encouraged by stories that when the water bubbled up - moved by some sort of healing power - the first one to jump in the water would be healed.  It is not known if anyone ever was healed -  besides the natural fact that water cleanses - refreshes - it is possible that some minor issues may have been made better by the natural nature of water. When Jesus approached that specific man He did not automatically heal the man.  First he approached - asked him - do you want to be healed? Only after Jesus heard his yes - did He tell the man - rise and get up - take your mat with you.

Even today many come to God - Jesus - expecting cures for any and all issues.  They may be seeking physical - emotional - spiritual - financial - answers - often walking away - disappointed.  Jesus is not some sort of vending machine that grants healing - answers - on demand. Before one can receive any answer from God  - they have to first prepare their minds - hearts - approach in humility.  One needs to approach with the heart of a true believer - leaving any attitude - expectation - behind - placing  their wishes - desires respectfully at His feet.  Very often what some ask for - not what they really need - God knows our hearts - needs - better than we know ourselves. As we continue our Lenten journey - we are reminded - again and again - do not cripple ourselves with worries - concerns that we cannot fix ourselves - rise up - leave those things behind - take up the hope that is in Jesus - in time you will receive your answer.  God does answer all prayers - in His time.

Deacon Dale 

Lent #27 - The Works We Do

Turning words into works not always a difficult task - it takes some planning - selecting the project - often recruiting others to guarantee the success - making a final commitment.  There are so many opportunities available - one only has to ask - before one knows it - you are involved.  Some projects may be harder - more difficult to complete - always something almost anyone can do.  The number of groups seeking volunteers for community focused projects is endless - schools - sport clubs - youth groups - health - church focused groups - you name it - somebody is seeking people to lend a hand so their efforts are successful.  Over the years our family has participated in numerous events - scouts - sports - church groups - raising funds to benefit others - selling wreaths at Christmas - sitting at store entrances - asking for donations - most fairly easy.  One event that took more energy was walking in the yearly - March for Babies - fund raiser to help babies born prematurely - helping families with preemies - large financial expenses to cope with.  Happily the family was willing to assist - with brothers - sisters - cousins all joining in on the project.  Many hands make light work - working with friends - family - always a fun time.

Family Team Cugini - March for Babies 

As Christians - as those seeking to become Christian this Easter - it is imperative that this be ingrained in our minds - hearts - following the Gospel message of Jesus - following His example of how to live a life completely formed in Scripture - Tradition - living a life based in Worship - Service to others.  This Lent look around - somebody is looking for your help.

Deacon Dale 

Lent #26 - Words Are Not Enough

Today - the Fourth Sunday of Lent - Holy Scriptures - very powerful filled with meaning for everyone. The Lord speaking to Samuel - not as man sees does God see.  Paul instructing the Ephesians - live as children of the light - Gospel - Jesus opening the eyes of the blind - giving sight to those who see.  This Sunday also the second scrutiny for the catechumens - asking them to consider how well prepared they are on their journey towards baptism - confirmation - Eucharist.  For those - already full members of the Church - asking us to consider our own journey - have we followed what we were taught - are we being the active disciples - members of  the community - leading others to Christ.  All of us have heard the -Words - have we really listened to what we heard.  A difference in hearing - listening - contemplating - what those words were asking us to do.  For the catechumens - have  those words encouraged them on the journey - inspired them to make a real commitment to Christ.  For us - are we still deeply committed to the words we heard years ago that brought us to this day.

Jesus told His disciples - words not enough - once one hears - action demanded.  What naturally follows words - are works.  Inspired - encouraged by the Holy Spirit - words spoken by God - Jesus - our eyes having been opened - the darkness wiped away - born again as children of the light - we see - we believe.  In Lent - hours spent in prayer - meditation - study - adoration - leading to works of charity - service - to others.  For each of us - are we only saying words - or - have our words born fruit in the works we are doing.

Deacon Dale 

Lent #25 - A Little Humility Please

One thing social media has done is to help those - quite ordinary - inflate their egos - posting hundreds of crazy comments about themselves in an effort to make themselves look - better - more popular - more interesting - than they really are.  Not being happy with a normal life which most find very pleasing - these people forget the value of real friends - seeking instead - fame - popularity - over enduring lasting relationships.  We have been warned "for all who exalt themselves - will be humbled - all who humble themselves - will be exalted" (LK 18:14)

Jesus reminds us constantly that "He came that we might have life and live it to the fullest" (John 10:10) - does not mean that we will become wealthy - famous - exalted.  Living a full life means experiencing all that life has to offer - the bad - as well as the good.  None of us can expect to ever be perfect - nor can we expect our lives to be perfect.  As C.S. Lewis wrote in the graphic displayed above - think of yourself - yes - think of others - how you can help them - just as much - perhaps more.  One thing to focus on this Lent - humility - swallow one's pride - look outwards - not inwards - you might be surprised at the wealth waiting for you.  Jesus at your side - amazing things can - will - happen.

Deacon Dale