Tag

deacon | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker

deacon | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker

On the Inside; On the Outside


 
May 10 2018
Love0

As Clear as Day

Posted by | Everyday Life | No Comments

For those of you who haven’t heard, I recently had a bad case of influenza. If that wasn’t bad enough, it arrived day before Holy Thursday, and it proceeded to “do me in” for at least two weeks.

One thing you need to understand is that in all the years of my existence on this planet, I had never missed attending parts of the entire Triduum and Easter Sunday. (And for a deacon, this feat is nearly impossible.) But that’s what happened. I was bed-ridden through the holiest days of the year.

I struggled with mini-bouts of anger for being sick and missing church. This really troubled me and I even felt guilty for being at home. I was going through the various stages of mourning, and I even broke out in tears at one point.

So I began to pray and placed myself into the passion story. I tried to connect my sickness to what Jesus had experienced. Of course, there is no comparison, but it helped me reframe my situation and gave me a powerful spiritual experience that got me through that difficult time. It’s hard to explain what happened, but I will always treasure the moment.

In today’s Gospel (John 16:16-20), we are reminded that we may weep and mourn at times, even when the world may be rejoicing. We may grieve over things that we experience, even things out of our control. But we must trust and believe that Jesus is always with us along the way. He desires to be in relationship with us. He loves us so much that he laid down his life for you and me. He didn’t take the easy way out, but had faith in his Father’s will.

We may not always see the Lord in all that we do, but he is always there with us. All we have to do is have a little faith and simply trust in the Lord. Then, in a little while, we will see clearly. And that will be more than enough to turn our grief into unimaginable joy.

Aug 10 2017
Love0

Slow-Roasted for Christ

Posted by | Hodgepodge | No Comments

Saint Lawrence was one of seven deacons who were in charge of giving help to the poor and the needy. When a persecution broke out in the year 258, Pope St. Sixtus was condemned to death. As he was led to execution, Lawrence followed him weeping, “Father, where are you going without your deacon?” The Pope answered, “I am not leaving you, my son. In three days you will follow me.” Full of joy, Lawrence gave to the poor the rest of the money he had on hand and even sold expensive vessels to have more to give away.

The Prefect of Rome, a greedy pagan, thought the Church had a great fortune hidden away. So he ordered Lawrence to bring the Church’s treasure to him. Lawrence said he would – in three days. Then he went through the city and gathered together all the poor, the sick, the blind, lepers, widows and orphans. When he showed them to the Prefect and said: “This is the Church’s treasure!”

In great anger, the Prefect condemned Lawrence to a slow, cruel death. Lawrence was tied on top of an iron grill over a slow fire that roasted his flesh little by little, but he was burning with so much love of God that he almost did not feel the flames. In fact, God gave him so much strength and joy that he even joked, “Turn me over, I’m done on this side!” And just before he died, he said, “It’s cooked enough now.” Then he prayed that Rome might be converted to Jesus and that the Catholic faith might spread all over the world.

Today, St. Paul tells us that whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully (Corinthians 9:6-10) . St. Lawrence understood this and it led him to realize these two simple truths: that God is able to make every grace abundant for each one of us, and that God loves a cheerful giver.

May each of us burn with the fire of Christ’s love so that we can readily serve our Father and others with honor, joy, and holy humor.