Lent Day 18 - Holding Hands

 Holding hands - parent with child - caregiver with patient - lovers - young and old - just dating - longtime married. Holding hands with another person is possibly one of the easiest ways to say - I care - I love you. I love to see people holding hands with each other - it reminds me that in spite of all the bad stuff in the world - there is always hope - always the chance that somebody cares. 

In Isaiah 41: 13 we read   "For I am the Lord, your God, who grasp your right hand; It is I who say to you, Do not fear, I will help you". Just as our parents held our hands when we were children - just as caregivers offer us their hands in support - just as those close to us - spouse - children - lover - holds our hands in times of need - so to does God. As we slowly work our way through Lent - Jesus - is there - offering you His hand - helping to guide you through this Holy Season.

Look for Him- He is always there.

Deacon Dale 

Lent Day 17 - Dinner Date

 One of the pleasures of adult life is the - dinner date - taking your special companion out for dinner - just the two of you - together - alone as  a couple. The two of you sharing a special time - together - at a favorite - new - restaurant - eating favorite entries - exploring - new menus. Perhaps an evening celebrating a special event - an anniversary - birthday - new job - promotion - date night - away from work - kids - spending needed time alone as a couple.  All couples need a time of respite - time away from obligations - rediscovering each other - reconnecting as individuals.

Jesus loves dinner dates - especially when it is just the two of you - Him - you - together - gathered around His table - altar - sharing bread - wine - Mass - celebrating His gift to you - the world - to all who call Him Lord. Unlike other couples - you can meet Him on a daily basis - always there waiting for you.  As we continue in Lent - as we pray - fast - we look forward - in these special days - when we can share His meal - together.

Deacon Dale 

Lent Day 16 - Making Yourself Great Again

All of us entered the world the same way - naked - innocent - crying our heads off. For most of us - we have grown beyond those initial assaults on our lives. Over the years we have learned - acquired - knowledge - skills - to help us through our lives. Unfortunately some of what we have learned has not always been the best - worthwhile - knowledge.  Foul language - learning how to lie - becoming skilled in deception - to mention just a few - not something of which we should be proud. Those are the things - we seek to eliminate during our Lenten exercises. Like dust bunnies that cling to our souls - we seek to brush them from ourselves. 

Jesus is our role model when we seek to attain holiness. He who was without sin is our guide - mentor - in how to recreate the lives we were initially blessed with. No matter what shape our present life is in - it can become great again - if we only try.  Focusing our eyes on Jesus - reading His Gospels - going deep into understanding His teachings - then adopting them as our own - will give us the tools to achieve holiness for ourselves. Try you must - for to be great as your Heavenly Father intended - takes work.  Time to buckle down.

Deacon Dale 

Lent Day 15 - Holier Than Who?

 OK - let's admit it - those who are always at church - always praying - always talking about their relationship with God - may come off as - holier than thou. The thou - meaning you - yourself. It is not unusual for people to talk about - those - people - gossiping about how many hours - how many devotional practices - how often they are seen - on their knees - in prayer. There is no justification for this kind of criticism - spoken in angry tones - shared with others who hold the same attitude.  In fact - it is none of - your - business - how - they - pray - how often - they - take time out of - their - day to practice - their - devotions. Guilt and justification for your lack of a prayer life - the most common motivator. Everyone has to acknowledge - realize - that a person's prayer life - relationship with God - is theirs and theirs alone. No two people are expected to have the same prayer - spiritual - life. If that were true - we would all be robots - blindly doing the exact same thing.

Just because we have been created in the likeness of God - does not make us God. On the contrary - we are very far from gods ourselves. Psalm 8 tells us that we were made a little less than a god - the difference is our tendency to sin - to do things that separate ourselves from God. Gossip is one - being uncharitable towards others - another. When we look at one's level of holiness - it should be our own level and no other's that we look at. Each of us is called to holiness - to a closer relationship with God. Each of us is an individual and as such - is expected to meet similar but different standards. You cannot put everyone in the same class - category - box. We attain holiness in many and various ways - through different - but similar - devotions. In this Lent when  you reflect on your life - ask your self - holier than who - yourself!  Have you grown over the past year spiritually - have you finally mastered that one sin that separates your from God - are your truly holier than YOU?

Deacon Dale 

Lent Day 14 - Fixie

A fixie refers to a fixed gear bicycle - one gear - sweet - simple. Uncomplicated biking. With a  fixie you avoid the confusion of which gear you should be using - up hills - over rough terrain - cruising - at leisure. Most people who own bikes with multiple gears -admit they rarely use all the gear combinations - rather settle into a routine - selecting perhaps six out of eighteen combinations available. Keeping life easier - especially on long bike rides.

In Lent the Church asks us to do something similar - strip away the excess - avoid the unnecessary - simplify.  For those who give up things during Lent - eliminate unnecessary projects - strip away time wasters - Lent becomes easier. In this time of less things - less projects - more time to focus on self - on Jesus - on God. This Lent why not get a "fixie" for yourself - in your daily routine - strip away everything that is not mandatory - see what God will reveal to you. 

Deacon Dale 

Lent Day - 13 - Green Eyed?

 Ah today - the wearing of the green - Saint Patrick Day - celebrated by much more than just Irish heritage persons.  Saint Patrick's Day originated as a religious holiday  – honoring Saint Patrick -  who introduced Christianity to Ireland in the 5th century – but has evolved into a celebration of all things Irish.  In 1991 - Congress designated March as Irish American Heritage month - celebrations of Saint Patrick's Day date back to the 1600s.  America’s first St. Patrick’s Day celebration was in 1600 in the Spanish colony of present-day St. Augustine, Florida.  Spanish colonial records mentioned a celebration for Saint Patrick in 1600 and the first known St. Patrick’s Day parade was held on March 17, 1601.  The tale of Saint Patrick likely traveled from Ireland to the Americas in the 16th century by way of Richard Arthur, a priest in St. Augustine and an Irish soldier,  The Washington Post reported records of St. Patrick celebrations died with Arthur, but additional records show Irish soldiers in the English military marched in celebration of Saint Patrick in Boston in 1737 and New York City in 1762. Today - even though it is reported than only 1 in 19 claims Irish heritage - over 60 percent of those in the USA celebrate this day with many various celebrations.  The city of Chicago is known to dye the Chicago River - which runs through the downtown area - green each year in commemoration of Saint Patrick. The first St. Patrick Parade began in Boston USA.

St, Patrick Parade in Ireland

It is important to note that the commemoration of Saint Patrick is much more than celebrating Irish heritage - all the parties - festivities - that are celebrated. The deeper connection with each of us - Irish or not - is that Patrick was a man of faith. Also interesting - although considered the Patron of Ireland - Patrick was not Irish - rather of Romano-British ancestry. In simple terms his ancestry came from Roman - perhaps Italian parentage - from his father a deacon - grandfather a priest - and born in Britain. Kidnapped at a young age and taken to Ireland where he lived for six years - escaped - returned to Britain where he continued studies in Christianity begun in Ireland - eventually becoming ordained - returned to Ireland to bring Christianity to the pagans there. The rest - as they say - is all history. The point for us - as we celebrate Saint Patrick today - during Lent - it is never too late to experience conversion - make more of our lives - than they are. Today - wearing our green - a great day to confess - admit that we may have been slack in our observance of our faith - the perfect day to - like Patrick - pick up our cross - become much more involved in our own personal story. Never too late to start a new chapter in the book of our life. With God - all things are possible.

Deacon Dale

Lent Day - 12 - Second Sunday

 Today we celebrate the Second Sunday of Lent - our focus on the Transfiguration of Christ before His disciples. This event not only confused - but also scared - His disciples. Who was this man - who changed before their eyes - did amazing things - unseen by others. I can imagine that you and I would be just as confused - concerned - wondering just what was going on before our eyes - and why. I doubt any of us would just say - oh - a miracle from God - rather - slowly inch away - waiting to see what followed. 

God does not expect us to blindly accept everything that happens right in front of our eyes - there are those who would deceive - manipulate what was happening. That is a lot of what is happening right now in world politics - people - misleading - misinterpreting events - to draw us into their mindset - to make us believe - their truths. Today we heard in the Gospel - watch and listen - great advice for each of us. Using our days of Lent to read - listen - ponder - think - reflect - will bring us to the truth - which is Jesus.

Deacon Dale 

Lent Day - 11 - Barriers

Coping With Barriers

A few years back the HOA in Arizona sent out a request for residents to notify them if they had any issues with property cared for by the association. Like all the homes in Arizona - we have a cinder block wall that surrounds our home and the majority of it is cared for by the association. I notified them that I thought there was an issue with one section which seemed to be tipping inwards toward our property. Happy to report they were out in a matter of a few days to inspect the wall from our side - the community side had been inspected previously and appeared normal. After viewing from our side - decided to tear down a twenty foot section and rebuild at no cost to us. When they did the work they removed the wall - block by block - tearing it down to its foundation - then rebuilding - back up six feet. The entire work done easily in one day - straight in line with the remainder of the existing wall.

As we journey through Lent we are asked to examine our lives - to see where we have built walls - keeping others out - locking sins in - putting up barriers to our relationship with God. Time heals all things - so we are told - and in time - most things are healed. Unfortunately some will not live long enough for time to do its work. As we spend time in prayer - meditation - we need to look inward first - at our lives - our relationships - our walls - before we can start the process of restoration - tearing down - building up. Removing barriers in our lives should be simple - one of the most complicated tasks known to man. Attitudes - feelings - past history - often confuse the real issues. Through prayer - patience - perseverance - walls can be torn down - removed - opening us up to everything hidden on the other side. Need help - ask Jesus - He is awesome at removing - healing all barriers.

Deacon Dale

Lent Day - 10 - Abstinence & Fasting

Abstinence is the self-enforced restraint from indulging in bodily activities that are generally experienced as giving pleasure. Catholics across the world and other religious expressions practice avoiding specific foods during designated holy days and days of fasting. For Muslims - fasting during Ramadan - for Catholics - fasting and avoiding meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays of Lent. Many other religions also observe abstinence - fast days along their specific guidelines. It is not unique to one religion or another - exact restrictions and times do differ among them.

The entire idea of fasting is to empty oneself of earthly desires - creating room - time - in ones life for filling the inner spirit with thoughts of the Divine. As you hunger and thirst for earthly foods and drink - one is reminded that their inner spirit needs to be nourished as well. The emptiness felt in the stomach mirrors the emptiness of ones spirit. The goal through fasting is enlightenment - spiritual growth - touching the Divine. It may not always be easy - end the end - always rewarding. 

Deacon Dale 

Lent Day 9 - Lent Fog

When a person begins to become more deeply involved in Lent in their spiritual life - many things to experience.  New activities focused on a spiritual life - attending church - getting involved in parish groups - Bible study - prayer meetings - volunteering for various ministries. All are good - all take up time - for many - a sudden feeling of over involvement - feeling stressed.  When that happens time to hit the brakes - slow things down a bit.  

Too many people in Lent tend to focus on doing things at church - in groups - projects that take up more time than they honestly have to give.  The truth - being involved at church - with church projects - not necessarily the best way to create the personal relationship with Jesus many seek.  When one realizes they are slightly off track - time to withdraw - go to their personal prayer closet - spend time - focusing on what is really important - looking through the fog - setting  their sights on the Cross - that place where Jesus lives.  For all - Lent is the time to really focus our eyes on Him - The Lord - The One who gives us the eyes to pierce the fog in our lives - to experience Him - perhaps clearly for the first time.

Deacon Dale