Over the past week, I have been watching my father’s old 8mm home movies. This was a project that was started months before his passing, where he was cleaning out his basement and wanted to get rid of all these old reels of film. Being the video buff that I am, I said that I would take it and capture on video all of the important parts so we had it as a memory of the past. So for months, this stuff sat here in my “things to do” pile. Well, I’m finally getting to it, Dad! Read More
gift | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker - Part 2
On the Inside; On the Outside
The Gift
If one cannot grow, one cannot learn
the meaning of life; the gift of return.
If one cannot fly like a bird of a feather,
feelings held captive and held in forever.
If one cannot reach for a star in the sky,
dreams are left shattered and the future will die.
If one cannot say what rests on the mind,
the two doors of speech will be closed to the blind.
If one cannot feel for the strength in the air,
nearness is coldness, darkness, and fear.
For if one cannot love, one cannot live,
and grow in the Spirit and possess what you give.
(I wrote this poem on February 2, 1984.)
During the last few days of June, I went on a private, silent retreat. A retreat is a requirement for deacons so that they take time each year to break away and spend some private time with the Lord. This year, I went to the Franciscan Spirituality Center outside of LaCrosse, Wisconsin. I stayed in a hermitage located on a forested ridge. It was four spiritually-fulfilling days of silence, prayer, reading, contemplation, meditation, and peace. I also reflected on the many gifts that God has graciously given me. And I couldn’t help but to praise and thank God for all of these wonderful gifts. But the important thing for all of us to remember is that we must use these gifts that we have been given.
In today’s Gospel from Matthew (MT 10:7-15), Jesus tells us, “Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.” Sometimes, it’s easy to look at our gifts and the successes that come from them and brag and say that I was the one who was solely responsible for making that happen. After all, I was the one that did all of the work; therefore, I should take the credit. I’ve learned over the years that it takes a lot of time, effort, and spiritual awareness to know that everything is a gift freely given to us from God. Let me say that again: EVERYTHING is a gift freely given to us by God – every breath we take, our brains, our talents, our skills, our personalities, and on and on. All of it is a gift! Read More
This morning, I was standing in our kitchen, waiting for my tea to steep. Gazing outside the window at the cold and snowy landscape, I noticed a robin in our neighbor’s tree. How strange, I thought, to see a robin at the end of January. We usually don’t see these birds here until the weather warms up, like around early March. But there she was, just sitting in the tree and enjoying the winter morning. Read More
I have one of those magnifying mirrors in our bathroom that enable you to see everything on your face. And I do mean everything! It’s a little scary (and humbling) to see all the little bumps and pores on your skin. But this past Saturday as I was shaving in the morning, I noticed something a little out of the ordinary. Read More
What does Jesus really ask of us as one of his followers? Are there certain requirements that we need to have? Are there a number of hoops that we need to jump through? Actually, God’s requirement is simple: love God and love each other. This sounds simple, but are we really doing this? Read More
It is so easy for us to take things for granted. It is so easy for us to become negative because of all of the bad things that are going on around us. It is so easy for us to get wrapped up in the drama of our lives, along with our ups and downs and troubles and trials.
Now more than ever, there is a need for us to try and live our lives more fully, and always in the present moment and not letting our heartaches about the past or our anxieties about tomorrow cheat us out of the riches of today. Read More
