Words are very powerful. Words not only convey information but are a reflection of our innermost thoughts. And it doesn’t matter whether we write them down or say them out loud, words have an impact on both ourselves and others. I’m reminded of this quote:
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
As I was cleaning out some old papers, I came across this anonymous heart-warming story from many years ago and thought I would share it with all of you.
Read More
If you follow the contemporary rap music scene, you may recall hearing the word “represent” quite frequently. For example, “You gotta represent” means that one should be publicly candid about one’s social status or geographical origin; to acknowledge and even be an example of one’s roots. A different form of represent is often called “repping.” This means representing, glorifying or praising. For example, a sports fan who wears his team’s colors is “repping” his team – or he is uplifting, praising, glorifying, and representing them all at the same time.
There are so many groups, platforms and causes that we can represent in our lives. There are so many different things that we are “repping” for – the things that drive us to be more passionate, active and involved. But are we also remembering to represent our faith?
In John’s gospel (John 13:16-20), we are told that whoever receives Jesus receives that one who sent him; and whoever receives the one Jesus sends also receives Jesus. This means that if we are “representing” Jesus to others, we are not only sharing Jesus but we are also receiving the gift of Jesus ourselves. And I cannot think of a better gift than that.
Today, let us bring to prayer these questions: are we representing Jesus in our day-to-day lives? Can others see that we are Catholic Christians by the way we live? Do we show the world that we sons and daughters of the Lord by the actions we take? When we are “repping” Jesus, we are representing, uplifting, praising, and glorifying Christ to others – for it is in giving when we truly receive.
Today we remember those who have passed from this life with faith, hope and trust in the promise of eternal life. Life is a gift from God and nothing that God gives or does is ever wasted. And let us always remember that each of us is a beloved child of God.
Our lives are a reflection of God and his love. Those who have passed whom we remember today somehow reflected that love. Sadness, sorrow, and grief may fill us today, but that is a reminder of their presence and love in our lives.
While we still mourn, we are confident that our loved ones are enjoying the peace, comfort and joy of eternal life. All Souls’ Day is a great reminder for each of us that we are given the gift of life.
So we pray today for our deceased parents, spouses, children, relatives, and friends. We want them to be capable of receiving the full bounty of God’s love; so we pray for them in our daily prayers.
All Souls’ Day touches us personally. Yes, it is a day of mixed emotions. It is our day to remember, to miss, but also to be joyful. We also reflect on our own existence. Each of us is a soul…a soul on a journey. We are still walking on that journey to become all that we were meant to be – a child of God enjoying eternal life with him.
“I will not reject anyone who comes to me,” the Lord said in our gospel today (John 6:37-40). We trust in the God who loves us – to care for us and our loved ones in life and in death. And so we pray, “May the souls of the faithful departed through the mercy of God rest in peace. Amen.”
Today, Jesus teaches that we should pray with persistence (Luke 11:5-13). Of course, the question comes to mind: if God is such a loving and caring parent who will only give “good” things to us, why do we have to persist in asking? Why do we have to ask at all? The reason is not because God needs persuading. Persistence in prayer is for our benefit. Read More
Just the other day I was flipping through TV channels and came across a show about a guy who picks up road kill for a living. I thought, “Why in the world would anyone want to watch this?” And then, of course, I couldn’t turn it off! That show was called “Dirty Jobs,” and Mike Rowe was the man who became famous for trying some of the dirtiest jobs on the planet. He has waded through sewers, castrated horses, farmed worm poop, and sorted through medical waste, just to name a few. He goes out and learns about the jobs that none of us would ever want to do, and gets coached by the people who do these jobs every day for a living. It’s not just for entertainment, because Mike goes deeper in order to pay respect to the men and women who roll up their sleeves and do these challenging jobs every day. Read More
I was looking through some old photos of our past family camping vacations not too long ago. It was fun looking back on all of those vacations that we took, many to some incredible places with some amazing campsites. As I was looking at the pictures of all of us sitting around the campfire at night, I fondly remember lighting all of those fires – and keeping them going well into the night.
If you’ve ever been around a campfire, you know that once the wood catches fire, there is a need to poke the wood every so often in order to keep it burning. Sometimes you even need to adjust the position of the logs so that the entire log has a chance to burn. And that is a great analogy for our spiritual life as well.
As St. Paul wrote, each of us must “stir into flame the gift of God.” (Timothy 1:1-8) Sometimes, we become stuck right where we are. We become comfortable in our faith, almost to the point of non-action. We go through the motions and do what we’ve always done, but we don’t go any farther. We become stagnant, complacent, and our fire doesn’t burn completely – and we need to be poked. We need to get re-energized, renewed and redirected so that we can continue to follow our baptismal calling and mission to proclaim the Gospel to the entire world.
Let’s not hide our lamp under a bushel basket, but spread our light for all to see. Let us use our gifts to serve our Lord and our neighbor. The measure with which you measure will be measured out to you, and still more will be given to you.
Consider yourself poked!
Father, all of Creation rightly owes you thanks and praise.
Your justice, love and mercy abound.
We thank you this day for all that you have given us:
For the Passion and Death of your Divine Son,
we thank you Father,
through the Cross, He redeemed the world.
For the Church,
we thank you Father,
it is our beacon for salvation.
For the martyrs and saints who give testimony to your Son,
we thank you Father,
their witness to your Son is our inheritance.
For our loved ones and friends who have died and gone before us,
we thank you Father,
their love abides with us forever.
For loving spouses,
we thank you Father,
together we seek you.
For the gift of children,
we thank you Father,
they are your precious gifts to us and to the world.
For the gift of our families,
loved ones and good friends,
we thank you Father,
Through them we see the reflection of your Son.
For jobs, our homes and all that we have,
we thank you Father,
give us only that which we need, as we seek Your Kingdom.
For the bounty we are about to eat,
we thank you through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
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
© 2024 Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker. All rights reserved.
