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Jesus | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker - Part 6

Jesus | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker - Part 6

On the Inside; On the Outside


 
Oct 18 2018
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Cool Hand (St.) Luke

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In 1967, Paul Newman starred in the prison drama Cool Hand Luke. Luke Jackson (Paul Newman) knows how to win at poker, even with bad cards, by using his smarts and playing it cool. When Luke finds out his mother has died, he plots his escape; when he’s caught, he simply escapes again. Soon, Luke becomes a symbol of hope and resilience to the other men in the prison.

On the Feast of St. Luke, we are indebted to him for so much information about the early Church, but we know so little about him.

He was of Gentile origin, a Greek from the city of Antioch in ancient Syria, and he made his living as a physician, and he was the companion of St. Paul. But Luke is mainly known as the author of the third Gospel and the book of the Acts of the Apostles. It is in these writings that we will find three reasons why he has become a symbol of hope and resilience to all of us.

First, he had a special love for Mary, the mother of Jesus. It is from Luke that we have most of what we know about Mary: her steadfast faith, her child-like trust and obedience to God’s will, her generosity and readiness to serve others, her acceptance of God’s plan, and her pondering prayerfulness.

Second, he focused in on Jesus’ compassion and mercy for those who suffered. As a doctor Luke was very familiar with sickness and suffering. Luke calls us to be aware of the needs of each other, and especially those without the necessities of life, for those who are lost, and for anyone who is sick or suffering.

And third, he had a passion for evangelization. Luke wanted to spend his life spreading the good news about Jesus, both in his writings as well as in his journeys with St. Paul.

May we strive to be more like Cool Hand St. Luke: cool-headed, independent, individualistic spirit that won’t submit to the power of the evil one. May we be a symbol of hope to others by having a deep-seeded faith like Mary, taking care of those who are less fortunate, and spreading the good news about Jesus to everyone.

Sep 17 2018
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I Am Worthy

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“Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof. Therefore, I did not consider myself worthy to come to you…” ~Luke 7:6-7

 

Photo courtesy of OdysseyOnline.com

Here I am, Lord. I stand before you a sinner. As I look at my life, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve used Your name in ways that I shouldn’t have. I’ve lied and cheated so it would benefit me. I’ve put my needs, wants and desires before the needs, wants and desires of others. There were so many times when I talked behind other’s backs, treated my friends and even family unfairly, and judged others unjustly. And let’s not forget the number of times I shouted angrily at other people on the road because they weren’t driving like I think they should be driving. How many times have I ignored the poor and needy on the street corner, or spent my money on something that I really didn’t need instead of helping out someone who was in real need?

Sometimes, I look in the mirror and don’t even recognize the person who is staring back at me. I can’t help but to wonder what happened, why I feel so empty, so abandoned, so unworthy.

And then, I stop what I am doing and simply sit in Your presence. For when I am with You in prayer, I realize how blessed I am. When I am with You, things become less cloudy, less stressful, less painful, and more peaceful.

When I am with You, I remember that I matter and that I am the most precious thing in Your eyes. I am reminded that I have a purpose and a calling. I may not always know what you want me to do, but I trust that it will be revealed to me in time. When I am with You, I realize that I am Your child, and that I am loved for who I am.

Lord, if it’s not too much trouble, I ask You to be with me and speak to me. Give me the strength to freely come to you.

I am ready. I am here. I am listening. I am worthy!

Aug 23 2018
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Save the Date!

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My son and his fiance came to visit us last weekend and they were joyfully telling us of how their wedding plans are progressing and how “ahead of schedule” they were in a number of things. They also stated that the “save the date” cards were ready to be mailed. This is something that Stephanie and I didn’t have to do when we got married. Back then, we just sent out our wedding invitation and that was it. Nowadays, it’s proper etiquette to notify people ahead of time so that they have time to prepare and put it on their calendars.

In today’s Gospel (MT 22:1-14), Jesus tells us about how the kingdom of heaven is like a wedding feast, and how each of us has received a “save the date” announcement. Each of us is invited to participate, but we often don’t respond. Sometimes we have too much to do, or it’s not high on our list of priorities, or we may not even care to celebrate with this particular group of people. We often find an excuse just so we don’t have to go to the party.

But what if we received a “save the date” announcement from Jesus? What if we had plenty of time to prepare? What if we were warned? Perhaps if we knew the date of our entrance into heaven, we’d better prepare ourselves and perhaps live life differently.

This is the message for us today. We have been invited. We have been notified. We have been warned. Entrance into God’s kingdom is not automatic. We need to take action and respond. This means that we need to take responsibility for how we are living. Are we treating others with dignity and respect? Do we forgive others instead of holding grudges? Do we love unselfishly and put the needs of others before our own? Do we love our enemies as we do ourselves?

It’s time we start living the way that God intended us to live – by truly loving one another, helping one another and being a witness of Christ to everyone we encounter.

The venue is ready, the party is planned, and the table is set. But are we really prepared to “save the date” and accept God’s invitation to partake in the heavenly feast? Let’s hope so, for our eternal life depends on it!

Jul 12 2018
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Being a Disciple is like being a Parent

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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
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Rock-Solid Faith

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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.

May 17 2018
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May We All Be One

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It’s the night of the last supper. Jesus has shared a meal with his disciples, washed their feet, given them a new commandment to love as he loves, and told them of his leaving. Now he prays. In today’s gospel (John 17:20-26) we overhear a portion of his prayer to his Father. He prays for us and asks that we would all become one as he and the Father are one.

If Jesus is praying for our oneness, then he is also recognizing and rejecting the boundaries and differences that divide us. There are divisions within ourselves, our families, our churches, our nation. We live in a world full of divisions – male or female; rich or poor; gay or straight; Christian or Muslim; conservative or liberal. We could go on and on, but for every boundary we establish there is a human being. Ultimately, boundaries and differences are not about issues. They are about real people, with names, lives, joys, sorrows, concerns, and needs just like us. I think we sometimes forget or ignore this. It is easier to deal with an issue than a real person.

We often deal with the boundaries and differences that divide us by writing agreements, covenants, and legislation that govern how we will get along with each other and behave in the midst of our differences. But that is not Jesus’ prayer.

Jesus does not pray for our tolerance, our getting along, or just being nice to each other. He does not even pray that our differences would be eliminated. Instead he prays for our oneness. He prays that we would be one as he and the Father are one so that our oneness would be the revelation of God’s presence to the world.

Oneness is not about eliminating differences. It’s all about love. God loves us the same as he loves Jesus. God loves our neighbor the same as he loves Jesus. God loves our enemy the same as he loves Jesus. If that is how God loves, how can we do anything less and still call ourselves Catholic-Christians?

Even though Jesus is praying to the Father, you and I will be the ones to answer Jesus’ prayer – and we answer it every time we choose who to love, where to love, when to love and how to love.

May 10 2018
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As Clear as Day

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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.

Apr 12 2018
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To Boldly Preach in Jesus’ Name

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After having been miraculously released from jail and returned to the Temple to continue their preaching in the name of Jesus, the apostles were re-arrested and brought again before the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jews. They were accused of two things:

  • They had continued to preach in “that name” (their accusers could not bring themselves even to mention the name of Jesus), even though they had been strictly forbidden to do so; and
  • They were blaming the Jewish leadership for Jesus’ death.

The apostles were not in the least fazed by these accusations. These men who were so fearful at the time of Jesus’ death now spoke out boldly. “It is better for us to obey God than men!” they told their judges. (Acts 5:27-33)

There is a lesson in there for all of us. How often are we fearful of speaking out for what is right? How often do we revert to silence when someone else is being accused of something that they didn’t do? How often do we question our faith when things become too difficult?

We need to follow the example of the apostles and realize that we already have the power of the Holy Spirit to push us forward. We have no need to be afraid or to worry about what could happen. Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in everything that we do so we may boldly preach in his name to the entire world.

Let us pray that our testimony and actions always be directed and confirmed by the Holy Spirit, who is given to all who respond to God with the obedience that comes from faith.