As mentioned in last week’s blog, waiting is not easy. As we get closer and closer to Christmas, the wait gets more difficult. In these final days of Advent, there’s no time like the present for a time of patience – especially in prayer. Read More
A young man who had been raised as an atheist was training to be an Olympic diver. The only religious influence in his life came from his outspoken Catholic friend. The young diver never really paid much attention to his friend’s sermons, but he heard them often. Read More
Five…four…three…two…one…Happy New Year! Wait, time is already flying quickly enough without skipping an entire month. Read More
‘Twas the rush before Christmas, when all through the house,
I was stirring like crazy trying to wrap my wife’s blouse.
The stockings were crooked, the house was disjointed,
If Santa were to come, he’d be very disappointed.
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I believe that there are two types of people in this world: those who like surprises and those who don’t. I, for one, do not like surprises. And I think the reason why is that the surprise usually doesn’t end well for me. Let me give you a perfect example.
It was a cold, crisp December morning as I ventured down the stairs to follow my weekly routine of watching Saturday morning cartoons. A commercial came on the air, and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen…it was the Big Jim Sports Camper. It was the coolest toy ever! It included a boat, camping gear, and a bunch of manly accessories that a boy could only dream about. I swear that I heard angels singing when it came on the TV; and at the moment I knew, that is what I wanted most for Christmas. Read More
With Christmas fast-approaching, I wanted to share this true story that I discovered from many years ago as I was sifting through some of my older writings. My prayer is that each of you will experience the true meaning of Christmas, discovering the true peace and joy of the season.
There are many things in life that confuse me. For example, why does lemonade have imitation flavoring, but furniture polish contains real lemon juice? Why does “fat chance” and “slim chance” mean the same thing? If something “goes without saying,” why do people still say it? Why is it that if someone tells you that there are four billion stars in the universe you believe them; but if there’s a sign that says wet paint, you have to touch it to be sure? Some things just don’t make any sense. Read More
In July of 2005, our family vacationed out west, and the highlight of the trip was going to Zion National Park in Utah.
All of us love hiking, so I was super-excited that our three sons and I were going to venture on an adventurous hike. (Stephanie had surgery a few weeks before our trip and didn’t want to risk going on this particular hike.) We decided to do the ‘Angel’s Landing’ trail which was advertised as ‘5 miles of strenuous and steep paths with high elevation and exposure to long drop-offs.’
So off we went, climbing higher, and higher, and higher. We finally reached a flat cliff and decided to take a break. The view was spectacular. As we caught our breath, one of my boys (who will remain nameless) suddenly said to me, “Dad, I think I’m afraid of heights.” I couldn’t believe that he waited until that point to tell me this important piece of information. I pointed to the visible end of the trail stating that we were almost there. I asked his brothers if they wanted to continue on; but after seeing how high we still had to climb and the extremely narrow ledge we had to ascend to get there, they all wanted to go back.
I was really hoping to continue; but I was also very fearful for their safety. So, we headed back down the mountain. To this day, I still wonder how it would have felt to have continued our journey to the top of that summit.
The reading from Isaiah (Isaiah 2:1-5) talks about our spiritual journey as an ascent up the Lord’s mountain. And that is what Advent is all about. It’s a time for us to step back from life as we know it or life as we live it, and re-look at the direction of our spirituality. Are we walking toward the Lord, or walking away? Are we trying to deepen our relationship with God, or are we burying ourselves in the black hole of busyness? Are we taking steps to improve our prayer life by following the light of Christ, or are we falling into the darkness of temptation and deceit? Are we in such a hurry to reach the destination of Christ’s coming at Christmas that we’re not being patient enough to enjoy the journey?
It’s only the second week of Advent. There is plenty of time left for us to focus on the Lord’s coming. And it all starts with a desire to journey forward and not let fear get the best of us – and to prepare the what lies ahead so that we are able to tackle the obstacles that we face on a daily basis. If we can improve our relationship with Jesus, our ascent up the Lord’s mountain – although challenging – will be achievable.
During this busy season, let us begin tonight by stepping back from the busyness and walking toward our God who loves us so deeply. Jesus is coming, but He is also here right now. Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
Not too long ago, I was at the grocery story waiting in line to check out. All was good with the world when suddenly I noticed that the checker ran out of change and had to call a manager; and I had to wait. So, I switched to another lane and quickly learned that the person in front of me had some sort of problem. The checker had to call for a price check, and I ended up waiting and waiting and waiting.
We get so easily frustrated and impatient with the little things of life, especially this time of year: the irritations of what happens around us, the daily struggles with our own attitudes, and the busyness of the season. These small, seemingly innocent circumstances have a way of piling up until we finally explode from the pressure.
What would happen if we were to put all this behind us and just focus on our relationship with God? Instead of groaning and complaining, we chose to be joyful and giving. What would happen if we lived every moment as a prayer, being in constant communication with the One who is to come and the One who is already here? Perhaps we would live our lives with more happiness, thankfulness, peace and love.
Lord, we come to you just as we are – right where we are. Help us to use these remaining days of Advent to constantly seek you, perhaps even grope for you as we patiently wait with hopeful anticipation.
O come, o come, Emmanuel!
© 2024 Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker. All rights reserved.
