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God | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker - Part 8

God | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker - Part 8

On the Inside; On the Outside


 
Jul 25 2019
Love1

Keep on the Sunny Side

Posted by | Everyday Life, Family | No Comments

My grandmother was one of the most positive persons that I ever met. And although she was taken from this life far too early, she still has an important impact on me today.

The thing about grandma was that she always seemed to keep on the sunny side of life. Whatever difficulty or hurdle that crossed her path, she took it all in stride. When she couldn’t find answers to her problems, she never despaired. Whatever challenges were presented to her, she never appeared to be put into a corner and always found a way out. She was always so positive in a world that is often so negative. That is something that I truly admire about her, and it is something that I find very difficult to emulate.

But I believe that she had a great understanding of today’s reading from St. Paul (2 Corinthians 4:7-15). She knew that no matter what we are going through, we are not alone. Jesus is always within us, beside us, and in those around us. God works through others for us just as God works through us for others. We are earthen vessels molded in the hands of the Father, shaping us like a potter molds his clay. God’s hand is always guiding us away from our despair and towards new life in Him. Whatever hardships come our way or when we are challenged by our afflictions, let us remember that we have the power to overcome them with God by our side. May we always keep on the sunny side of life, living in the moment, and praising God for the gift of His constant presence. The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad indeed.

Jun 06 2019
Love0

Write it Down!

Posted by | Everyday Life | One Comment

A couple in their nineties are both having problems remembering things. During a checkup, the doctor tells them that they’re physically okay, but they might want to start writing things down to help them remember.

Later that night, while watching TV, the old man gets up from his chair and asks his wife, “Want anything while I’m in the kitchen?”

“Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?” “Sure.”

“Don’t you think you should write it down so you can remember it?” she asks. “No, I can remember it.”

“Well, I’d like some strawberries on top, too. Maybe you should write it down, so as not to forget it?”

He says, “I can remember that. You want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries.”

“I’d also like whipped cream. I’m certain you’ll forget that, write it down?” she asks.

Irritated, he says, “I don’t need to write it down, I can remember it! Ice cream with strawberries and whipped cream – I got it, for goodness sake!”

Then he goes into the kitchen. After about 20 minutes, the old man returns and hands his wife a plate of bacon and eggs. She stares at the plate for a moment and says, “Where’s my toast?”

Have you ever had that feeling like you’re forgetting something? It happens to me all the time. But let’s face it: we’ve got a lot of stuff going on in our lives and it’s hard to remember everything. Between work, school, family, kids, church, social activities, home projects, etc., we often feel like something is missing. We feel like we’ve forgotten something important, but we just can’t remember what.

Today’s reading (Deuteronomy 6:4-9) reminds us to stop, take a deep breath, and feel the loving presence of God in our lives. When we truly feel God’s love, we can’t help but love God in return. But sometimes, in the midst of our crazy-busy lives, we forget to love, thank, and praise God for who God is and what God has done for us. We forget to live the Gospel, to be kind to our neighbor, and to be Christ to all we meet. We forget to love others like God loves us.

Maybe what we all need is a little reminder. What if we wrote down notes for ourselves reminding us to pray, or to notice that God is standing right next to us; or to thank God when something good happens to us; or to be strong in faith when temptation comes our way? Writing things down activates a part of our brains that helps us focus on these things – and God should be our top priority.

Let us remember to love the Lord with our whole heart, our whole being, and our whole strength. Write a note on our arms, doorposts and gates of our houses, if we must. God is worthy of our praise, and that is something worth remembering.

Dec 17 2018
Love0

Groping, Hoping and Waiting

Posted by | Everyday Life | No Comments

Not too long ago, I was at the grocery story waiting in line to check out. All was good with the world when suddenly I noticed that the checker ran out of change and had to call a manager; and I had to wait. So, I switched to another lane and quickly learned that the person in front of me had some sort of problem. The checker had to call for a price check, and I ended up waiting and waiting and waiting.

We get so easily frustrated and impatient with the little things of life, especially this time of year: the irritations of what happens around us, the daily struggles with our own attitudes, and the busyness of the season. These small, seemingly innocent circumstances have a way of piling up until we finally explode from the pressure.

What would happen if we were to put all this behind us and just focus on our relationship with God? Instead of groaning and complaining, we chose to be joyful and giving. What would happen if we lived every moment as a prayer, being in constant communication with the One who is to come and the One who is already here? Perhaps we would live our lives with more happiness, thankfulness, peace and love.

Lord, we come to you just as we are – right where we are. Help us to use these remaining days of Advent to constantly seek you, perhaps even grope for you as we patiently wait with hopeful anticipation.

O come, o come, Emmanuel!

Dec 13 2018
Love0

Rules to Live By

Posted by | Everyday Life | No Comments

After going on a couples retreat at the Benedictine monastery St. Meinrad, I wanted to learn more about the Rule of St. Benedict. I bought a book that described the three vows that convey the core of the Rule. These are stability, obedience, and conversion of life.

Stability is a calling to remain where we are and to find grace in each relationship, place or situation. Basically this means that we can find God at the very center of our lives including in our family, friends, marriage, church community, etc.

Obedience is the ability to listen to what God is saying and responding to what we hear. We need to figure out what God is asking us to do and then respond to that call.

Conversion of life is really the balance to the concept of stability. While stability calls us to remain, conversion of life calls us to change and grow. We’re not fully the person God created us to be; so we need to open ourselves – which enables God to change our hearts.

We hear this same message in today’s readings. We need not fear for the Lord is always with us. We must find God in our daily lives, rejoice in Him being there, and then have the ears to listen to what He wants us to do.

In these remaining weeks of Advent, let us focus on remaining present and faithful to others. Let us listen and respond to God’s direction for us. And let us remain open to being transformed so we can experience conversion of life as we await the One who is to come. With Christ all things are possible; without Christ, nothing makes sense.

Aug 09 2018
Love0

New Covenant with God

Posted by | Discipleship | No Comments

One of my many diaconal duties at our parish is to meet with our engaged couples. I, along with my wife Stephanie, help prepare them as they journey toward marriage. One of the things that I always tell them is that marriage is not a contract, but a covenant. A covenant is an unbreakable bond, something that our couples need to understand as they prepare for a lifetime of commitment to one another in marriage.

In our readings today, we hear of God making a new covenant with his people. It’s a covenant so deep and important that it is placed and written on our hearts. It’s a covenant so intense that we are only made aware of it because God has revealed it to us. And much like our engaged couples discover, it’s an unbreakable bond. No matter what we do or what we say, God is with us and forgives us. God does this because He loves us so intensely that we actually become one with each other. We are bonded in our love, and we are never left alone.

Back in college, I helped form a group of Catholic musicians and singers that sang at our campus Masses and events. When I was researching a name for our group, I consulted the Bible. Today’s reading from Jeremiah really hit home (Jeremiah 31:31-34). After a group vote, we decided to call ourselves “New Covenant.” (I even wrote a song about it!)

Each of us is called to have a personal relationship with God, so we are able to not only recognize God in our daily lives but to also spread Christ to those we encounter. This is the new covenant, and it is with us every single day. We just need to look inside our hearts (it’s written right there) so we can experience and share it with others.

Let us rejoice in the fact that we are loved by our Creator, our heavenly Father, who hands over the keys to the kingdom to those who will accept them. We are bound together in an unbreakable relationship of love. He is our God; we are His people. As it is written in the verse of my song:

He lives in you, and you live in Him, and that covenant will never end.

Jul 12 2018
Love0

Being a Disciple is like being a Parent

Posted by | Discipleship | 2 Comments

Last weekend, our oldest son got married. It was a beautiful day and everything went as well as could be expected. It was a wonderful time filled with happiness, family and a really good party.

But as we were waiting for the wedding to begin, my mind started reminiscing as I happily watched our son in the final moments before the ceremony. I started thinking about his early birth into this world (three months early to be exact) and how Stephanie and I watched him overcome the many obstacles as he grew. I started thinking about all of the good times we had when he was a young boy and all of the activities that we did together. I started remembering all of the joy and sadness that we encountered along the way of watching him grow into the young man that he is today. I also thought about how unprepared I was to be a parent.

Raising children is not easy. We do the best we can with the knowledge gained from our own upbringing and experiences. Sometimes it’s a struggle. But we do the best we can do and pray that our choices and decisions will benefit our children for years to come.

In our Gospel today (Matthew 10:7-15), Jesus informs us of what we need to do in our mission to be his disciples. It’s similar to parenting. Sometimes, things fall right into place. Other times, we have no clue as what to do. The job is not always easy and sometimes we have doubts. So we need to trust and remember that God, our Father, is always with us guiding us and showing us the way – just like any parent would do.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not upon your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your path. ~Proverbs 3:5-6

Jun 28 2018
Love0

Rock-Solid Faith

Posted by | Everyday Life | No Comments

Whenever I hear today’s Gospel (Matthew 7:21-29), I can’t help but think about St. Irenaeus. He is hardly a household name among Catholics today, and it’s easy to understand why. The distance between his time and ours is about 18 centuries. But St. Irenaeus remains enormously important to the Church today, especially for those who want to better understand and defend their faith.

Irenaeus was crucially important in establishing the belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The Eucharist, Irenaeus writes, consists of “two realities, earthly and heavenly.” He describes Christ as the “perfect bread” of the Father who enables us to enter into full communion with the being of God: “He did this when He appeared as a man, that we, being nourished, as it were, from the breast of His flesh, and having, by such a course of milk nourishment, become accustomed to eat and drink the Word of God, may be able also to contain in ourselves the Bread of immortality, which is the Spirit of the Father.” These are not the words of someone who views the Eucharist as a symbol, but one who has a deep, rock-solid faith.

Irenaeus is also famous for recapitulation – the concept that all things are summed up, or, literally, brought back to their head – which is Christ. Irenaeus is saying that Christ, in a sense, re-enacted all the events and all the figures from the Garden of Eden, in the process of undoing original sin. Irenaeus writes, just as Christ is the new Adam, so also Mary is the new Eve. And just as tree was the cause of the curse, so also we were saved through a tree (the cross).

Through all his writings and by his actions, St. Irenaeus teaches us that if our faith is strong, we can overcome anything that is thrown our way. If our lives are built on the rock of Christ and we listen to his words and act on them, we will have a powerful foundation for the rest of our lives.

Jun 14 2018
Love0

Give in to Love, Not Anger

Posted by | Emotions/Feelings | 2 Comments

Anybody have difficulty with anger or controlling your anger, maybe even leading you to behavior that you’re not exactly proud of? Write my name down on that list; better yet, put it at the very top. If you want to see me NOT at my best, make me angry. If you’re with me in feeling that way, there’s a powerful message for us in today’s Gospel (Matthew 5:20-26).

Jesus is talking about anger, holding onto grudges, hurt and perhaps even hate. I assume that most of us do not hate someone. However, I am sure that all of us have dealt with anger, grudges, hurt and jealousy at various times in our lives. These are emotions that we all have. They are part of being human. Do we always like these emotions? Most likely not! Yet, these emotions that we may consider negative are as much part of us as are the positive emotions.

As human beings, we experience both ends of the spectrum of positive and negative emotions. Today Jesus is talking to his disciples about the choice we all have. We can choose to focus on the emotions that we know are positive and make us feel good: love, gratitude, appreciation, hope, understanding and faith Or we can choose to focus on the emotions that disturb and upset us: anger, jealousy, hate, etc.

The reality is that our emotions are neither “bad” nor “good.” They simply are! The key is learning how to deal with all of these emotions. When we hang onto those disturbing emotions, it can lead to feelings that block love and therefore block God in our lives. Jesus teaches us this about anger so that we can not only learn to forgive others and love as God loves us, but to also learn how to humble ourselves and ask for forgiveness. If we are truly to be the men and women that we are called to be, then we must learn how to give in to love, rather than anger.

We all know what Jesus is asking us to do. It’s just not easy! So we must pray for the grace, strength and wisdom to overcome these love-blocking emotions. God will give us the grace that we need, but it’s up to us. So what will we choose today?

May 31 2018
Love0

It’s Not About You

Posted by | Everyday Life | No Comments

A while back, I was having the worst day ever. At one point, I decided that I needed to take a long walk or I was going to explode. I needed to vent, and I thought that taking my venting to God was what I needed to do. So I spent my entire walking journey complaining and whining to God in prayer.

I let everything out, and I didn’t hold back. (It was not one of my prouder moments.) At the end of my walk, I suddenly felt this phrase fall upon my heart: it’s not about you.

This was certainly one of those moments where I knew that God was speaking to me. It was just so out of nowhere that I knew it wasn’t something that I could have conjured up. God was reminding me that all my problems, concerns, worries, frustrations, and issues were all centered around me. Everything was about me!

In Scripture, whether we are looking at the Visitation, Annunciation, the Wedding in Cana or other events, Mary says very little, but her words are packed full of meaning. The one thing that underscores all of her communication is that it’s not about her – it’s about Him.

Her only desire was to be known as a lowly servant – a handmaid, if you will – of God. She wanted nothing more and would settle for nothing less that total surrender to Him.

What difficulties are you facing in your life? What conflicts do you find in your workplace, your family, or among your friends? Could it be that God is using these as a gentle reminder that it’s not about you and cause you to grow and experience the transforming power of God in your life?

Let us pray that “It’s not about you” rolls through our minds daily. Let us feel the invitation of God’s Spirit to change our attitudes and behaviors so that we become less self-focused and begin to see things as God sees them.