As the weather begins to change from the warmth of Summer to the crispness of Autumn, I began reminiscing about summers long past, back when our children were younger. Those were enjoyable times that were filled with carefree days and never-ending summer fun (at least for the kids). Read More
When you were growing up as a child, what was your go-to object when you needed comfort, safety, or security? Was it a snuggly blanket, a pillow, a doll, or a stuffed animal? For me, it was my stuffed Winnie the Pooh. He may be small in stature, but to me, he was a giant. His protective presence was always felt, and he never failed to make me feel safe. When powerful storms bombarded the night-time sky, he was always there for me to grab on tightly and hold close. I always felt comforted when Pooh was there.
There’s something very special that happens when we are being held, especially by a loved one – like a spouse, parent, or friend. There is this intense connection that permeates any negative emotions that we are experiencing – and almost instantaneously, these vanish from existence. There is an unspoken power in that embracing hug that tells us that everything is going to be alright. In that very moment, we feel loved, appreciated, and worthy, and we feel as if we can overcome anything that comes our way.
This is what we experience when our Lord holds onto us. When we are filled with fear because we cannot see the road ahead of us or where we are going, Jesus tells us that everything is going to be just fine and points us in the right direction. When we have doubts about our abilities or talents, Jesus tells us that we already have everything that we need for our mission. When we feel like we’re carrying all of the world’s burdens on our shoulders, Jesus is there to take the load from us. When we hit rock bottom and when life seems to keep handing us insurmountable hills to climb, Jesus is there to give us a hand and help us up.
Anytime we experience pain, struggles or setbacks in our lives, we need to remember that Jesus is right there with us, giving us the biggest bear-hug ever. Our loving Father is always there to wrap his arms around us, brush off any remnants of our worries, fears, concerns, or anxieties, and simply hold onto us – and he will never, ever let go!
May God’s loving embrace strengthen us during our times of weakness, and may his powerful words always be with us when he says: “Fear not, I am with you. I will strengthen you and help you.”
“Love God greatly; be always united to God; do everything for God; love everything for God.” ~St. Gerard Majella
While on retreat, my lodging accommodations found me in the St. Gerard hermitage. This was quite ironic as this is also my middle name. In my room was a little booklet with novenas to St. Gerard. Admittedly, I did not know much about him, other then he is known as the patron saint of pregnant mothers. (Apparently, my mother prayed to him when she was trying to get pregnant with me – which is where my name derived.) And reading about him was very timely as his feast day is October 16th.
I read this little novena book cover to cover and discovered many things about St. Gerard. He was so attracted by God that his whole life was immersed in the greatness of God, surrendering completely to him. He strived to make everything he did an act of love for God. And he had the gift of recognizing the presence of Christ in the faces of others. That is certainly a gift that we need to pray for in our own lives.
St. Gerard was all about living God’s divine will. He had a sign on his door that read: “Here the will of God is done.” If you were to summarize his life-long intention, it would be with this phrase: to always please God in whatever he did. This should be our goal as well.
Whatever tasks or duties that we undertake, these should all be done cheerfully. We need to change our mindset and truly believe that everything we do should give delight to God. According to Gerard, no matter what comes our way, even when the worst things happen, we need to accept it as God’s will (even if it doesn’t seem to be) and try to make it into something joyful.
We pray that we are able to know and love God, to do everything for God, and have the strength to carry out his will each and every day. Make us always aware that no matter what we do, it matters to God. May we want nothing for ourselves but strive to want what God wants for us. Amen.
While on retreat at the Redemptorist Retreat Center in Wisconsin, I had the opportunity, or shall I say the necessity, to pray to our Blessed Mother for something that was going on in my life. It just so happened that on the center grounds, there was a shrine dedicated to Our Mother of Perpetual Help. Realizing that I could use all the help that I could get, I ventured inside.
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you.
All things pass away, God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
He who has God lacks nothing.
God alone suffices.
I found these words in a Catholic magazine that I was reading while on retreat. I have seen these words before, but at this particular moment in time, something was different.
Too often in my life, I have let those petty little things “get to me.” So much so, that it manifests within me and changes my physical being. For example, I often won’t be able to sleep at night or I experience severe internal stomach issues. Many times, as much as I hate to admit it, my moods seem to frequently shift throughout the day. Thankfully, I’m not experiencing any of these symptoms while on my retreat, but the above words immediately took me back to all of those times when I have lived these symptoms. And now, as I reflect on these words, I realize the absurdity of my actions and behavior.
Why do I allow these things that are out of my control to ultimately take control of me? Why should I get disturbed over situations that arise that, when you really think about it, just come and go? And the patience thing? Oh my, this is a huge one for me. Every morning I pray for patience to get me through the day. (When they were passing out patience at the beginning of my life, I must not have been paying attention – or I was distracted by a shiny, fancy guitar.) But for whatever reason, these words really touched my heart today.
With all the things that are happening in our lives such as work, home, family, etc. and the various tasks and responsibilities hitting us from all angles, isn’t it comforting to know that God never changes? It is an incredible feeling to be reassured that when we have God in our lives and have a personal, active relationship with him, that we have all that we need. We lack nothing because God alone suffices. If we change our mindset to think this way, we will be filled with an amazing sense of peace which nothing else in this world can provide.
Read these words at the start of each day and you will realize that God is right there with us giving us all that we need – and that’s all that really matters!
There was one thing that my family took very seriously when I was growing up, and that was Family Night. This usually involved playing a game or watching a movie, like those on Family Classics, The Wonderful World of Disney, or network TV. One of our all-time favorites and one that we would never-ever miss was The Wizard of Oz.
Decisions, decisions, decisions. No matter where we turn in life, there’s a decision that needs to be made. What should I do today? What do I wear? What book should I read? What do I want to be when I grow up? Should I exercise or binge watch some TV series? And on and on.
According to the people who know about this kind of stuff, adults make 35,000 decisions every day. Crazy, right? And 226.7 of these decisions are about food alone! What should I eat today? Do I pick it up or have it delivered? Do I stick to my diet or snarf-down that piece of chocolate cake? And on and on. Our lives are filled with decisions. Read More
I’d like you to imagine this scene. You are in grade school standing with a group of your friends on the school playground. Two people emerge as captains and begin picking their teams. You stand there, waiting for your name to be called and to be chosen. What are some of the emotions that are running through your mind? Is it excitement in anticipation of your name being called? Is it anxiety and the stress of waiting? Is it doubt that maybe you don’t feel like you’re worthy of being chosen? Or is it fear, thinking to yourself, “Please don’t let me be picked last.” Finally, you’re picked. What were you feeling? Was it relief that you landed on a team? Were you hesitant because you weren’t sure of what was to come? Or were you filled with exuberance, ready to jump in and get started? I remember one time in grade school, there was a boy named Billy who had absolutely no athletic skill at all, and neither captain wanted him on their team. Eventually he was the last kid standing. When he was finally chosen, he didn’t reluctantly mosey over to his team because he was last. He was filled with such joy and excitement that he began yelling at the top of his lungs, “Woo hoo! Yeah! Alright! Let’s do this!” The rest of us kind of looked at each other in complete shock because we had never seen anyone so excited to be chosen. Read More
When I was growing up, money was scarce at times, and we often had to do without. My dad worked two jobs to help make ends meet while my mom made every penny stretch as far as possible. That was probably the major reason why everything they gave me was always two or three sizes too large. I remember when I was 12 years old, I received a pair of roller skates – so large that I had to stuff an old sock in them to fill up the toe space. When I took them out of the box, I looked up and said, “Mom, I can’t skate with these.” She said, “Be grateful for what you have, Allen.” And then she said the phrase I had become so accustomed to hearing over the years, “Don’t worry; you’ll grow into them.” Read More
It was a beautiful afternoon as I hopped into my vehicle to run some errands. The sun was glistening in the sky and the birds were soaring amongst the giant, puffy clouds that decorated the Spring landscape. Drivers were hurriedly passing me by as if all were late for an important engagement. Sometimes I feel like the speed limit is only a guideline for most people. Regardless, it did not deter me from my tasks at hand.
As I was cruising down the road, a car passed and signaled to enter into my lane in front of me. Once in the lane, I noticed a bumper sticker on their rear fender that read: God Bless The Whole World: No Exceptions!
That really struck me in a number of ways. I immediately thought of all of the hate that exists in our world – and our nation. A thought often crosses our minds that some of our enemies should not exist. And I’m not just talking about those in other countries, but also the individuals that cross our paths in life. But to see this statement on that bumper sticker reinforces the fact that no matter the color of your skin, the language you speak, the faith you profess, or where you call your home, each of us is made in the image and likeness of God. We are Gods’ creation and his chosen people. Every single person in this entire world is worthy of God’s blessings and love.
The modern-day mantra of “it’s all about me and what I want and what I think or believe” is really getting old – and it has to change. It must change! Everyone needs to accept the fact that God loves and forgives all people – no exceptions. God has chosen each and every person on this earth for a specific reason and purpose. Each of us is called to do great things in Jesus’ name and to make a difference in this world. Each of us needs to spread the love of Christ to others. But we cannot do this if we are prejudiced and biased against one another. We have to find a way to genuinely love our enemies and forgive those who have wronged us. This was the message of Jesus, and this needs to be our message as well.
We need to make sure that we pray and ask God to continue to send his blessings down upon us AND everyone else – always!
May God bless the whole world: no exceptions! Amen.
© 2024 Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker. All rights reserved.
