I am so stressed! I am stressed out beyond belief! In fact, if stress burned calories, I’d be a supermodel. I am being bombarded from so many different directions that it’s beginning to take a toll on me mentally and physically. I am in the midst of moving my mother out of her home into a smaller place; my daily job has been insanely busy and hectic; the band that I play in has been working every single weekend; my responsibilities at church have been steadily increasing; and family and household obligations are thrown into the mix as well. It just doesn’t seem to stop. I am running nonstop. I am so stressed! Read More
Deacon Allen | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker - Part 24
On the Inside; On the Outside
About three weeks ago, Stephanie and I returned from a well-needed (and deserved) vacation in the Canadian Rockies. We spent about 10 days hiking, sightseeing, and taking in the beautiful scenery. Some people say that’s it’s the most beautiful place in the world. I can’t really speak to that, but I will say that it felt like I was standing in a painting that was created by God’s fingertips. It was truly amazing, and I couldn’t stop thinking the entire time we were there of how great and glorious our God is. Read More
Today, we celebrate the Feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. At the age of 14, on Christmas Eve in 1886, Thérèse had a conversion that transformed her life. From then on, her powerful energy and sensitive spirit were turned toward love, instead of keeping herself happy. At age 15, she entered the Carmelite convent in Lisieux to give her whole life to God. She took the religious name Sister Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face. We know her better as “The Little Flower.” Living a life of humility, simplicity, and prayer, she was gifted with great intimacy with God. Through sickness and dark nights of doubt and fear, she remained faithful to God, rooted in His merciful love. After a long struggle with tuberculosis, she died on September 30, 1897, at the age of 24. Her last words were the story of her life: “My God, I love You!” Read More
A Parable on Modern Life (adapted from The Song of the Bird by Anthony de Mello S.J.)
The animals met in assembly and began to complain that humans were always taking things away from them. “They take my milk,” said the cow. “They take my eggs,” said the hen. “They take my flesh for bacon,” said the hog. “They hunt me for my oil,” said the whale. The snail was the last to speak. “I have something they would certainly take away from me if they could. Something they want more than anything else. I have time.”
You have all the time in the world if you would give it to yourself. What’s stopping you? What obstacles are preventing you from living in the present? What activities are taking up your time? Are these activities truly necessary? Are these activities life-giving or life-taking?
We constantly find ourselves searching to find more time to do the things that we think we should be doing. Perhaps we need to start thinking about how we can better spend our time doing the things that God wants us to do. Spend some time today in prayer and ask God to enlighten your mind in order to make better use of your time and to discover those things that are truly important in life. You’ll be amazed of how this changes your perspective of modern life.
“If you want to have the time of your life, change how you use the time in your life.” ~ Tim Fargo
Photo Credit: musicpsychology.co.uk
It’s September, and while the leaves begin to prepare to depart from the security of its tree branches, so our children begin to depart from their families back to school. Summer is officially over, at least according to the school calendar. So as all of our children begin to form new routines and practices, I wanted to share a prayer that has been attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas. Please pass this on to any student that you know so that it can help them in their studies this year.
Prayer Before Study
Come, Holy Spirit, Divine Creator,
true source of light and fountain of wisdom!
Pour forth your brilliance upon my dense intellect,
dissipate the darkness which covers me, that of sin and of ignorance.
Grant me a penetrating mind to understand,
a retentive memory, method and ease in learning,
the lucidity to comprehend, and abundant grace in expressing myself.
Guide the beginning of my work,
direct its progress,
and bring it to successful completion.
This I ask through Jesus Christ, true God and true man,
living and reigning with you and the Father, forever and ever.
Amen.
Back when our three sons were younger, we used to go camping on our family vacations. And I can recall that some of the best trips we ever had were when we camped in the mountains. There’s something about the fresh mountain air and the fabulous views that really make you feel awake and alive.
I remember one summer night when we were sitting around the campfire. I was lying on the ground looking up at the night sky. I had never seen so many stars in my entire life. As far as the eye could see, I saw what appeared to be millions upon millions of stars twinkling brightly. As I was gazing upward, I found myself opening my eyes as wide as possible so that I could see as much of the sky at once. I just didn’t want to miss any part of that magnificent light show. Even after a long day and mile-upon-mile of hiking trails, sleep was the last thing on my mind.
“Stay awake!” Jesus says. “For you don’t know on which day your Lord will come.” (Matthew 24: 42-51)We need to be attentive and constantly alert so that we can see God in the world. This can’t be just a casual observance, but something that needs to be integrated into our very being. It can be so easy to be lulled to sleep by the familiar, the comfortable, and the mundane. It can be so easy to fall into auto-pilot mode and do what we always do; to walk around like zombies following our daily rituals and patterns, completely missing what’s right in front of our face. But today and every day, we are called to be alert and to find those things that challenge us and make us feel alive in our faith. For when we are not awake, we are not fully alive.
Let us always make a conscious effort to see the light of God that is right in front of us, all around us, and within us. And let us strive to keep our eyes wide open so that we can witness the immeasurable love that God has for each one of us. Believe me – that in itself is worth staying awake for.
A friend of mine called last week. She asked, “How are you?” It’s a common question, one we ask and are asked every day. You and I both know the standard answers and I gave them. I said, “Fine. I’m doing well. Things are really busy right now. I’m good.” She laughed and said, “Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”
I suspect I’m not the only one who’s had this type of conversation. Most of us have these kinds of conversations several times each day. We offer the usual answers. We might be fine and busy, getting our work done, meeting deadlines, fulfilling obligations, volunteering our time, and loving and caring for our families, but there is a huge difference between living life and having life within us. Read More
Sabbath Place Hermitage
This past weekend, I went away on retreat to a place called Christ in the Wilderness (http://citwretreat.com) outside of Stockton, Illinois. I typically try to go away for at least four days, but with the way my calendar was this year, I could only manage a weekend. I didn’t set my spiritual expectations too high due to the short two-day retreat. (It usually takes two-days just to wind down from the stresses of life before I can solely focus on my relationship with God.) But this time, it was different.
Being completely isolated in a secluded wilderness hermitage immediately placed me in God’s presence. I was surrounded by nature, birds, animals, and God’s love for me, and an immediate peacefulness enveloped me. Read More
Ah, summertime. A time of rest, relaxation, and recreation; a time of sunshine, warm breezes, high humidity and mosquito’s. Summer is a great time to remove oneself from the ordinary routines of life and rediscover that one actually has a life. As students in school, we called this summer vacation. As adults, we call this a much-needed break from reality. Read More
Having spent three days this week with our parish teens at Youth Ministry talking about vocations, you can imagine that this topic is still fresh on my mind. The very fact that each one of us is called to a vocation is a powerful thought; but to be able to discern your vocation and live it out is an entirely different story. Read More
