Christmas Season

Contrary to common belief - Christmas is not only one day out of the year. In the Church Christmas is a season that lasts from the Christmas Vigil until the Celebration of The Baptism Of The Lord on January 8th.  In some locations Christmas season goes until the Epiphany celebrated on January 6th.  Throughout these days we celebrate the fact that God sent His only Son into our world.  In my family we begin our Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve with immediate family - Christmas Day finds us with extended family - cousins - aunts - uncles - in the evening the group gathers again -  a bit smaller - we with our children - grandchildren for part three of our celebration. The day after - again finds us with family - relaxing and continuing our acknowledgment of God's blessings. In the days following - the celebration continues with friends and those whom we do not see often - through New Years Eve into New Years Day and beyond praising God for all He does for us. For us Christmas is a very joy filled time of year - extending as long as possible - rejoicing in the spirit of Christmas.

In Christmas God celebrates with us - reminds us that He loves us - as we are - where we are - close to Him - far away - His love everlasting - always there for each of us. In the busy days which have now passed - His presence should be even more visible - as we continue this holy season into the new year - anticipating the extended celebration - finalizing with the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord - inspiring us to be constantly vigilant seeking the presence of God in our lives.

Deacon Dale

Christmas Joy

It is a wonderful day today - celebrating Christ's birth with family and friends - experiencing the joy of all.  Last night we celebrated the Polish Vigilia - our daughter-in-law provided us with an awesome 9 course meal - which kicked off our annual Christmas celebration. All the family is home so that makes it even better.  This morning - Holy Mass with a large group of people at church and for the afternoon - gathering with extended family - cousins - to continue celebrating God's gift to the world. We love family gatherings - it is always a joy to catch up on everyone's life and activities. Family is one of God's best blessings - having people with whom to share life's adventures. We love all the smiling faces - the excitement in the eyes of the young children and adults alike.

We pray that on this very holy day - that everyone has an opportunity to experience - the joyful moments of this holy day.  We rejoice - share the joy - of God's gift in Jesus - Jesus' gift in His love - The gift of the  Holy Spirit - which fills the world today with Joy.

Merry Christmas
Deacon Dale 

Christmas Magic

The wonder of Christmastime - snow in the air - snow on the ground - - a white Christmas - adding to the magic that springs forth from this awesome season. The preparations for Christmas ending soon - ready or not - this evening - Christmas Eve - the vigil begins - waiting for the arrival of the baby in the manger - reindeer hoofs on the rooftops - the arrival of Santa Claus. Everyone - religious - spiritual - or not - finds something special in this season - best described as - Christmas Magic. Those normally grumpy - tend to smile - people who quickly pass by others - slow their pace - if only to smile or offer a quick greeting.  Happy Holiday - Merry Christmas - Feliz Navidad - Buon Natale - Bah Humbug - in one way or another - acknowledging the special feelings all around. The majority - in good spirits - welcoming - greeting - sharing with others - family - friends - strangers - Christmas joy.

For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son - to us - to all - that we might have life and live it to the fullest. To all He came - many accepted - rejoiced - but not all - for reasons unknown. He came to bring us Good News - most listened - accepted - for some - words falling on deaf ears.  The greatest gift of all from God - besides His Son - Jesus - the gift of free will. The ability for each of us to accept or reject - Him - His Son - the Good News. The choice is ours - to accept - reject - without judgement. Perhaps those in time who do not - may change their minds - that is not for us to worry about. Our duty - to rejoice and celebrate God in our lives. We leave the others in God's hands - to His Divine Mercy. Today - this evening - tomorrow - Christmas Day - we who believe - believe in Christmas Magic.

Buon Natale
Deacon Dale

The Christmas Dance

It is now three days before Christmas - that special time of year when all rational thought - actions - plans are down the drain - gone. Today marks that special time of year when logic fails - tempers flares - Christmas Spirit - fades into - frustration - feelings of despair - the Christmas Dance begins.  Not to worry - this is what happens yearly when the true meaning of Christmas begins to fade - replaced by last minute races to complete everything previously planned.  Office parties - cookies to be baked - pierogi to be made - final decorations - last minute shopping - wrapping of gifts - all in an effort to have a perfect Christmas. Somewhere - in the background - tossed into a corner - Jesus - His birth - the significance of the season - the reason for the celebration - clouded by us - seeking that perfect Christmas Day.

Time to stop - take a very deep breath - gather our wits about us - realize that there is absolutely nothing we can do to create a perfect Christmas. Something always goes wrong - gifts get misplaced - given to wrong person - wrong size - color - item - dinner runs late - turkey gets burned - not enough food - too many guests - babies cry - adding to the confusion. No matter how well - poorly we plan - Christmas arrives on time - in a rush like a team of galloping horses over the finish line - prepared or not.  In all this confusion we know - trust - believe that Jesus Christ Himself is the leader - conductor of the Christmas Dance. He is there with us now - not as an infant in a manger - rather as Lord of our lives. He brings to each of us His Love - His Peace - His Joy - as we celebrate Life - given freely to us by God Our Heavenly Father. The pace of the dance may be fast - hectic - always led by God Almighty. Through it all we realize that the First Christmas - that Night when Christ was born - was the only Perfect Christmas we will ever know.

Merry Christmas

Deacon Dale 

Fatima - Lourdes Pilgrimage Recap Video

It took me awhile to get this done - surgery on the hip got in the way of creating this video memory for those who recently joined us on the pilgrimage to Fatima - Burgos - Lourdes - Montserrat - Barcelona. I am posting it now to share with all of you. Included are video highlights of the shrines - Holy places - that we visited while on pilgrimage - praying ourselves though Portugal - Spain - France. This was the first time that we had visited Portugal and France and found both to be great places to visit. Of course - visiting while on pilgrimage - traveling with people of like minds - similar spirituality - made this an awesome experience.  I do not get the opportunity to preach frequently these days - on pilgrimage - I typically share preaching with our spiritual director - so this pilgrimage I had three opportunities to break open the words of Holy Scripture with our pilgrims.  I do not remember anything I preached - being led by the Holy Spirit - but I do know that in some small way - everyone was touched by the few words I was called to share.  In the video highlighted - there are no no words spoken - let the photographs and music speak to your heart instead - enjoy!

FATIMA-LOURDES PILGRIMAGE VIDEO RECAP

Deacon Dale 

Thanks For Giving Blessings

I am not the first to use the phrase - thanks for giving - very popular this year - at Thanksgiving time. Even now as Black Friday - Cyber Monday - Giving Tuesday have faded from the media - that phrase still lingers on - as it should. What should be normal - done throughout the entire year - only highlighted at years end.  It is not only at Thanksgiving that people should be in a thankful mood - rather - we should all appreciate every blessing that we receive anytime in the year. Whenever a gift is received - we should  thank and then pay it forward. Anyone can be the giver - as well as the receiver - at any time - any day. I recently read a story about a homeless person who was offered a bag full of breakfast bars - who immediately offered one to his donor. There are many who would have accepted the gift and walked away - this person - without hesitation - wanted to immediately return the favor.
God blesses each of us constantly - so often that too many take His blessings for granted. Today when you receive - and receive you will - pay it forward - share freely what you have received with others. You will be surprised how your blessings become multiplied.

Deacon Dale 

Pilgrimage Miracles

Miracles are not a thing of the past - they happen everyday to so many people that it would be impossible to track all of them. Very often what is seen as an occasional bit of good luck - is in fact - a miracle. People of faith - recognize miracles for what they are - those without faith - miss them entirely. When our group of forty pilgrims began our journey to Portugal - Spain - France in early November - we were hopeful that somewhere along the journey one of us might experience a miracle. Unknown to any of us - we were to be granted that wish before we even got to Portugal - our first destination. Our flight plan took us from Chicago to Madrid, Spain where we met up with three of our group flying out of Philadelphia. As we waited to board our connecting flight to Lisbon, Portugal - we learned than one of our group was missing her purse - containing her passport - credit cards - money. Anxiety gripped the group - attempting to locate the purse - considering what to do if her passport could not be found - leaving her behind in Madrid - figuring out how to contact the U.S. embassy to expedite a replacement passport - who to contact - where to go - what to do. Speaking to the least likely person for help - a lady who transports travelers with disabilities - she immediately understood - despite limited English language skills - the urgency of our concern. She started helping the lady - searching possible places where the purse might have been left - contacting security people where luggage is inspected - abandoning her post - against the advice of her co-worker - to help. In the meantime - Father Michael asked the group to join in prayer to Saint Anthony - finder of lost articles - for assistance.  Within fifteen minutes we were informed that the purse with passport and credit cards - minus the cash - had been found - at the security check point.  In spite of being told that they would not hold the plane for us - with only minutes to departure - the lady was transported to security where she retrieved her purse and made it to the departure gate minutes before final boarding was completed. Our first miracle!  - Even before arriving at Fatima and officially beginning our pilgrimage tour. Some would say this was just a happy turn of events - no miracle.  When you consider the timing - forty minutes before the plane was scheduled to depart - a confused older passenger - a local lady with limited English skills - a gate agent who refused to delay our departure - yet - in the end - the entire group was able to board our second flight and depart on time - as scheduled. Yes - a miracle.

Saint Mary - the Mother of Jesus - Our Lord - is God's messenger - bringing us God's reassurance that He loves us and cares for us. At home - on pilgrimage - always performing miracles for us - even when we are not aware of them. This Thanksgiving remember to thank God for all the blessings - miracles - He has given you.

Deacon Dale 

Pilgrimage Recap

We are back!  After ten days of traveling through three countries and visiting numerous shrines - all forty of us returned safely home. Coming from five different states - Illinois - Indiana - Wisconsin - Utah - Philadelphia - we came together as one big family for the spiritual adventure of a lifetime. Seven men - thirty-three women met in Madrid, Spain and began this journey heading first to Lisbon, Portugal to visit the Shrine at Fatima. Surprising the  group - three of our men were asked to participate in the nightly procession - carrying the statue of Our Lady of Fatima. Father Michael Callea, MIC - our spiritual adviser and Deacon Dale Metcalfe were also selected to actively participate in two afternoon Masses in addition to Father Michael being selected to fill in for a missing priest for the nightly procession. From there we moved on to Burgos, Spain then to Lourdes, France, Montserrat, Spain and finally Barcelona, Spain before the return flight home. We celebrated daily Masses - prayed Morning Prayer - numerous Rosaries and Divine Mercy Chaplets and listened to many meditations provided by Chaplain Arlene Metcalfe. In the evenings we relaxed together at dinner and during quiet hours - often wandered the fresh night air as we explored on our own the wonders of the countries we visited. New friendships were made - old ones renewed - forty people of different backgrounds - moving as one giant body - one family of Christians.

2017 DeaconTravel Pilgrimage Group

It would be a miracle if the entire world could experience what we did in those ten days - sharing - bonding - helping - caring for each other as if we had known each other for a lifetime instead of a few days. There were no differences that could separate us from the group - all focused on God the Father - Jesus the Son - Mary the Mother of Our Lord. On pilgrimage this happens every time - when offered the opportunity to join a pilgrimage group yourself - jump at the opportunity - you will not regret it.

Deacon Dale

Quando Sei Qui - Sei Famiglia

Translated this means - When You Are Here - You Are Family. I have heard and read this phrase at some Italian restaurants in America - in Italy I have been told that one of the main reasons restaurant staff in Italy say this phrase is because they actually mean it. The idea is that when you come to their restaurant - it is the same as if you came into their home to visit - share conversation - eat and drink  - have an enjoyable time. 

When you attend Church - you should have the same feeling - whether an old timer or a first time visitor. We are all children of God - brothers and sisters - in the Lord.  One Lord - One God - One Family. As God calls us to weekly worship - He calls us not as a group of strangers - rather as cousins of one giant family.  We worship together - we pray together - for each other - we rejoice - face issues - together - as family. The minute you enter the parking lot - walk through the door - all of us gather as family - coming together - with similar likes and dislikes - with similar needs - wants - concerns - to support each other as we worship God.  This weekend join the rest of your family - at church - Jesus waits at the door 

Deacon Dale 

Donde Ha Pasado El Tiempo?

Literally - where has the time gone - a phrase spoken by almost everyone. All of us - at one time or another - has had one too many irons in the fire - too many tasks to accomplish - all at the same time. Invariably - something suffers. In my case my daily blogging has become bi-weekly at best. It is not that I forget - or that I am too tired - rather I have been too busy - occupied with many other things.  And - this coming from a person who is retired!  Yes - Virginia - even in retirement - days become filled with too many tasks to accomplish. Retirement is not all breakfasts with other seniors - days on the golf course - casually hiking over numerous mountain tops - enjoying the newest book. Life goes on after retirement - just as it has done all ones life - the only difference - work - for pay - no longer gets in the way of the more enjoyable tasks of life. The month of September flew by faster than a speeding bullet - family reunion - annual apple picking - chili cook-off - tending to the lawn only to be greeted by an even busier October. The primary task - remodel one of the bathrooms. When you live in a house constructed sometime in the 1860's - always a surprise - two by fours that actually measure two inches by four inches - studs placed in random locations - joists not where they should be - the pains of previous amateur attempts at construction - remodeling with which to be contended. Demolition almost always goes easy - it is the reconstruction - correcting previous errors and oversights - making things fit around misplaced studs and joists - creating space that meets current codes - that is the  challenge. Craftsmen being the artists they are - manage to find a way to turn a sow's ear into a silk purse - and eventually a new creation rises from the ashes of the old - liked the fabled Phoenix - into a new shining creation.

We approach God much like we do when remodeling our homes. Many - from various lifestyles - experiences - as old worn down and worn out messes - needing to remodel our lives after Jesus and His Mother Mary - into the sons and daughters He intended us to be. Before we can be made new - we must first remove all the old - the clutter that has our lives in disorder - anything that is preventing us from being the person we were designed to be. Through this process - Jesus - will be with us constantly - in the rough times - in the joyful times - until God has completed His transformation. With God all things are possible - and even we - batter and bruised - unworthy - may be made new - recreated into His work of art - a person to behold. It takes time - but God has all the time in the world - for each of us. Today - invite Jesus into your life - let the Carpenter begin the renewal process in your life.
Deacon Dale