A la derecha - Spanish for - to the right - turn here - on your right side - go the correct way. In English we often confuse - not only non English speaking persons - often ourselves - when we use the word right. Taken out of context - not written down - we are unsure if the speaker is talking about a direction - an attitude - the act of inscribing a word. To clearly understand which word the speaker is attempting to use we need to hear it spoken in a sentence. Much of everyday conversation - in many languages - incorporates the use of slang - idioms - phrases - as a normal form of communicating with others. It is not until confusion arises - errors made - that we realize that we should have spoken in a more formal manner - complete with all the adjectives - adverbs - word modifiers - to express ourselves in a clear and precise manner. Good communication requires good communication skills.
When speaking to God - in prayer - we should be as concise as possible - elaborate sentences - long stories - not necessary. God knows our minds - hearts - our needs - our desires. Even before we open our mouths - He knows what we will say. Many question if this is true then why does He wait before He acts in our lives. Sometimes He does - often He waits to hear it from our lips - from our minds - from our hearts. This process is how we communicate with God - humbly - personally - with sincerity. Every day - Jesus - Our Lord - Our Savior - waits to hear from each of us. Long conversations - not necessary - daily conversation - even very brief ones - the rule. Try it today - He waits for you.
Deacon Dale
When communicating with people from the mid-west - it is not common to hear anyone use the phrase - in this moment. This was brought to my attention a few years back when speaking with people who speak English as their second - not primary - language. Relatives and friends from Italy and Poland made me aware of this comment - attempting to translate - now - or - right now - into English. Each of them used this same phrase - in this moment. To my ears - a funny way to express - now - immediately. As a native American - speaking the American version of English - different from British English - we have adapted - modified - the original language from England to a somewhat different version - so that at times it would appear that we are speaking two completely different languages. As I pondered why anyone from Europe would express themselves with English words - foreign to my ears - I came to realize that they were speaking British English words and phrases - not the American version. Definitely a learning experience - expanding my understanding of other peoples - their language - cultures.
Pentecost changed many things when it happened to the disciples in the upper room - the room where they had shared the Last Supper - with Our Lord. That room - visited today in Jerusalem - a very basic plain room - the most interesting feature - I can remember seeing when I was there in 2012 - the capstones on the pillars - carved intricate designs. Beyond that feature - nothing outstanding to the naked eye. What the eye could not - cannot see - the history that took place between those four walls. The words spoken - actions taken - meals shared - stories of love for one another - a quick departure - an admonition from Our Lord to His disciples - the washing of the disciples' feet - the breaking of the bread - passing the cup of precious blood - the first consecration - institution of the Eucharist - the Priesthood - all hidden from sight - buried in the rings of time - spoken - unspoken words of - adoration - reverence. If we could only experience those moments for ourselves - the affect it would have on our lives - we can only imagine. As it is we have those memories recorded in the Holy Bible - words to be read - digested - over and over - to contemplate our place in God's Plan for the world - for each of us - in this moment.
Deacon Dale
You know the saying - when it rains - it pours - not necessarily anything to do with water. This phrase is a common expression - used by many - expressing frustration - anxiety - about events which are happening at a pace - faster than one would desire. It could be a series of unfortunate or sad - happy or pleasing events - the issue that the rate of events leaves one barely enough time to breathe - to recover from something bad - to enjoy the goodness - in something pleasing. Now that we are into the month of May we will be over active with First Communions - Confirmations - Graduations - Weddings - just for starters. Add into that mix any other special activities that you are involved with and you too will be singing - Dancing in the Rain. May is also the month in Spain when activity on the Camino de Santiago starts to get very crowded - especially in this Holy Year of Mercy. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims will walk all or part of the 500 mile pilgrimage to Santiago, Spain. Many people think this is a - walk in the park - a very long park of 500 miles - in reality much more difficult than most would realize. Today I will post a photo from an acquaintance currently walking the Camino de Santiago. If you look closely at the photo - what appears to be a waterfall in the background is actually part of the trail she is walking. This is the Camino - one hill after another - one mountain range after another - when it rains....
When God moves in our lives and asks us to do anything - helping out at church - teaching a religion class - re-potting plants for spring planting - walking a pilgrimage - helping a neighbor - it often seems like too much - too soon. Quite often we beg God - wait - let us catch our breath - you are asking too much - too soon. The beauty of God's plan for our lives is that He will give us the strength - the energy - the time to accomplish whatever it is we are suppose to do - when we run out of the resources listed above - He gives us more - strength - energy - time - to finish the task. Daily God rains down His blessings - love - upon each one of us - daily - He calls us to walk with Him - in the rain.
Deacon Dale
Royalty - in the most popular sense - when referring to people - indicates those born of Royal blood - The Queen of England - those who control an entire country. There are Kings and Queens - Princes and Princesses - Dukes and Duchesses - Barons and Baronesses - all held in high esteem above the ordinary people - the commoners. Not all royalty in reality from Royal blood. In Germany it is common for different groups to select a Queen - a young woman - to be their spokesperson - representative for their specific region or product. There is a Queen of the Blossom - Queen of the Lakeland - Queen of the Horseradish - Queen of the Bavarian Veal Sausage. Typically they are photographed in the county they represent - next to the product they promote - always alone - no pomp - plain stark reality - simple beauty. Celebrating the beautiful - simple things of life.
God created us all to be equal. In His eyes we are all Royal - all worthy of special attention - His Son Jesus - the only One to wear the crown. When we were baptized - we were baptized into the Body of Christ - to share in His ministry. Our obligation - as baptized Christians - to promote the Gospel of Jesus - to minister to the poor- to strengthen the weak - to bring comfort to the sick and dying. We are royal - in the sense that we have an obligation imposed not by Earthly powers - rather from heaven. We are called - each of us - to be servants to all - our crown - the sweat on our brow - our scepter - the dirt on our hands - our robes - the garments with which we clothe the naked. Today - our royal duty - to serve God with our entire heart - soul - mind.
Deacon Dale
The first day of May is celebrated around the world - primarily in the northern hemisphere - as a festival - public holiday. In Europe - Great Britain - Finland - Estonia - France - Germany - Ireland - Italy - Greece - Bulgaria - Romania - Spain - Sweden - Poland - Canada - United States - Hawaii - celebrations predating the time of Christianity. One of the earliest - to honor the Roman goddess of flowers. Most celebrations - the crowning of a May queen - dancing around a maypole - village festivities - bring people together. The Roman Catholic Church in the 18th century selected May as the month to celebrate and honor the Blessed Virgin Mary. Many churches sponsor special prayer times in which the rosary is prayed in community - First Communicants crowning statues of Mary at Holy Mass - focusing on our special relationship with the Mother of Jesus.
Celebration of all God's gifts are good - taking time away from our normal routine - to focus on the good things in life. Honoring God with music - dance - festivities - prayers - always good. As we begin this month of May - may our days be filled with sunshine - warmth - joy - all gifts from Our Father in Heaven.
Deacon Dale
Tempus fugit - a Latin phrase - often translated in English as - Time Flies - coming from book #3 of Virgil's Georgics - appearing as - fugit inreparabile tempus - it escapes irretrievable time. In simple terms - time is wasting - an admonition to stop procrastinating - get with it - get a move on - do it now. In a more modern translation from the Star Trek: The Next Generation series featuring Captain Jean-Luc Picard played by actor Patrick Stewart - his famous line - Make it So. Do it now - get the lead out - ready - set - action. A call to move from just thinking about something - to doing - something - anything. Nothing ever gets accomplished until action happens - nothing changes - gets better - reaches completion - until positive movement forward occurs.
Jesus warned us to be vigilant - to take advantage of His warning that time waits for no man - the day will come when least expected - without warning - like a thief in the night. At that time we will be called to - judgment - the last day - no time left - times stops - we enter eternity - either with - without - God. Daily we are reminded that our decision to follow Christ - to be ready - on a moments notice - is now - later - too late - no second chances. It only takes a minute to pray the sinner's prayer - Lord have mercy on me a sinner - to accept Jesus as your Lord - Savior. Now would be a perfect time to do just that - Tempus fugit - Make it So.
Deacon Dale
No Way - a definite No! Zero chance of ever doing it - never going to try - buy - attempt - whatever. Decision made - no need to even discuss it any further. All of us have said these two words at one time or another. For everyone there is always at least one thing that we find impossible - repulsive - threatening - scary - highly undesirable. No one should ever be surprised that anyone has limits - boundaries - never to be crossed. It could be skydiving - bungee jumping - flying in an airplane - hiking in the mountains - sailing on the ocean - speaking in front of a group - eating sushi - any imaginable thing you can think of. We all have limits - a normal part of who we are - how we have been raised - what we feel - think.
When we come to Jesus - to God in prayer - especially when asking for forgiveness - for anything - He always offers us His Heart. His Divine Heart is so large - so forgiving that many doubt - question - the possibility that He is able to forgive certain sins. What we must understand is that His love is not like our love. Our love is limited by human weakness - His love has no limits. Just as God is so much more than any of us can imagine - so is His love. It is called agape - beyond limits - love. He will - can - forgive - anything you place before Him. Lies - stealing - cheating - broken vows - adultery - abortion - murder - all forgivable by God. Denying His existence - turning your back on Him - speaking foul words towards Him - all forgivable. He has the power to do anything - even forgive the forgivable. Turn His back on you - refuse to forgive you - No Way!
Deacon Dale
When a person accomplishes an awesome feat - does something out of the ordinary - far exceeds expectations - the event is declared - great - super. This may be applied to anyone - man - women - child - even animals. Everyone has opportunities to excel in life - to perform so well - to attain what were believed unreachable goals. A female runner - setting a record time - superwoman - a young boy - saving a small toddler from drowning - superboy - a teen girl - receiving a perfect ten in gymnastics - supergirl - a father honoring his wedding vows - not straying outside marriage - superman. The list can go on and on.
When God created man and woman - they were told to go and multiply - to create with God's blessing. Create they did - children - families - neighborhoods - communities - towns - cities - countries - nations. What started with a few - blessed by God - has become the world. We have been created to become super at all we do - in our daily living - in our families - in our communities - in the work place. We are called to be super - to go beyond the ordinary - to make our lives count - to make other peoples lives count - to make what we do - super. Many live very ordinary lives - merely existing - those who know better - called to a higher level of life - to be who God created us to be - to live as one - to worship the Lord - to be super people.
Deacon Dale
In any competition - everyone strives to be number one - the best - greatest - among all competitors. Whomever that person is gets all - the attention - the publicity - the grand prize. All others - "also-rans" - second - third - fourth - place - passed over - smaller rewards - less publicity - very little attention - losers. All eyes on the big prize - the rest - ignored. All worthy of attention - anyone who enters the competition - should be acknowledged - complemented for making an effort.
When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was he told them - Love the Lord your God with all your heart - your soul - your mind. That is the number One - First -commandment - He went on to say - there is another - second commandment - Love your neighbor as yourself. The second commandment - an also-ran - second place - often overlooked - ignored. Like the First - the Second is very important and not to be overlooked. To understand what it means to love one's neighbor means you have to understand what it means to be - loved as yourself - loved - not by yourself - rather as you are loved - by God. That also-ran commandment - very important - it tells us to love others as God loves us - them - a love that cannot be measured - limited - put into a box. We are each called to love in earnest - consciously - with our whole heart. Not always easy to do - not something we wish to do with those who oppress - offend - hurt us. As disciples of Jesus - we have no choice we must love - without limits. To love without limits does not mean accepting bad behavior - rather if we truly love - care about others - we will speak honestly to them - in love - informing them why they are hard to love - what they are doing wrong - why they are difficult to love. It is incumbent on us to be frank - honest - to bear the burden of trying to help them to become lovable. Our job - as Christians - to turn losers - into winners.
Deacon Dale
Take a hike - often spoken when one is tired - irritated - with another person - get away - leave me alone - take a hike. The truth - hiking - taking long walks - away from your normal busy life is very healthy. It is not just the fact that you are off the couch and exercising your body - but there are beneficial aspects to your mental health. According to an article posted on the website of outsideonline.com - research has been done both in America and England citing data to show that hiking makes one happier. The study followed participants who walked in cities and countryside walks measuring their levels of depression - happiness. Bottom line - getting out side your house - away from hectic lives - the stress of work and daily commitments - helps one cope much better with their life overall.
Jesus told us in Holy Scripture - that He came that we might have life and live it to the fullest. Some would say that means spending all your time on your knees - in prayer - alone and quiet. If you really think about what Jesus said - He declared that we should live life to the fullest - taking advantage of the world created for all of us by God. That means the land - water - air. We are called to explore - investigate - immerse ourselves - in all of God's creation. If we sit in our chairs - spend countless hours on our knees - when is there time to explore - experience all the rest? That is only possible when we move outside our homes - our comfort zones - into the rest of the world. Hiking through a woods - forest - nature trail - traveling to other cities - states - countries - meeting and exploring the cultures of the world - is how we experience life to the fullest. God calls each of us to move - from complacency - to being active participants in all He offers us. He asks you and me to venture with Him - into the unknown - uncharted - corners of our lives.
Deacon Dale
