Sometimes, things don’t always go according to plan. Sometimes, we become frustrated, disappointed, and upset. Sometimes, we think we’re doing a bang-up job when someone comes along and gives us a slap on the side of the head with a major dose of reality. This is what St. Paul encountered in Macedonia in today’s scripture reading (Acts 18:1-8). Read More
love | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker - Part 15
On the Inside; On the Outside
The word “excitement” means: “to be stirred or thrilled, the state of being emotionally worked up, the feeling of active and cheerful joy.” Some would say they have excitement at times, but it all depends on what they are doing, what they are “into” at the moment.
For example, many get excited at sporting events. Some will be thrilled at getting a new outfit, or a good meal out. Everybody gets excited with their gifts at Christmas or a good holiday. However, do we have that same level of excitement when it comes to God our Father? Read More
Have you ever accidentally missed a big moment? It feels terrible! You got distracted right before your child scored a goal. You missed the winning touchdown because your cellphone rang. You were driving to the hospital to witness the birth of a grandchild, and the baby arrived before you did. Maybe you missed the two Popes being canonized this morning because you overslept. It’s a terrible feeling, and this is exactly how Thomas feels in today’s Gospel (John 20:19-31). Read More
What are we waiting for?
Holy Saturday is a time of waiting, of living in the uncomfortable middle between the necessary death of Jesus and his Resurrection. It’s a day of grief and mourning, of patient waiting and hoping. It is a day of holy waiting, which requires a spirit of patience and prayerfulness. Yet, for most of us, we are so busy with Easter baking, last minute cleaning, preparing for guests, or prepping for Easter liturgies. So how can we hold onto the spirit of patience and prayerfulness in the midst of such busyness? 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
There is a saying: “Jealousy is thin because it bites but never eats.” And that is so true! When we find ourselves filled with jealousy, we feel and experience a never-ending biting or gnawing, a pinching and grabbing that just drives us nuts! Read More
Source: zengardner.com
I have a confession to make…I hear voices. I swear, I hear voices all the time. Now you tell people that you hear voices these days, and they are probably going dress you up in a very special kind of jacket, lock you up in a room with padded walls and put you on some heavy medication. Our modern world is not so accepting of people who hear voices.
And yet, when you think about it, we all have lots of voices running through our heads every day. We still hear the voice of our parents and the things that they taught us, the messages and lessons that they wanted us to have for life. We can still hear the voice of our favorite teacher or our favorite coach challenging us to be better and to try harder. Maybe we can hear the voice of a colleague, a supervisor, or even a friend, trying to give us some good advice. Read More
With the holidays upon us, my wife and I are blessed to have all three of our boys home from college. It’s been a wonderful experience to have all of them home together for the first time in a long time. Not only is it precious time to spend together as a family, but we get to witness first-hand how they are growing and maturing right in front of our eyes. It is a very good thing to be a part of one, big happy family! Read More
Every time I hear the story in today’s Gospel (Luke 1:26-38), I can’t help but to be in awe of Mary and her acceptance of her call to be the Mother of God. I can’t help but to think about how Mary responded with complete, obedient faith.
I’m sure that Mary had a ton of questions that were bouncing around in her mind. And I’m sure that Mary, so innocent and young, struggled with her fear and not really knowing what was being asked of her – just as we too struggle with allowing God to accomplish all things through us. But it is in faith that we know that God will use us in spite of our weaknesses, our deficiencies, and even our own ignorance.
In these remaining weeks of Advent, let us take a deliberate step back from the rapid pace of our lives and take some time to simply breathe. Let us then focus on what God is asking of us; knowing that God has chosen each one of us, just like Mary, to carry Christ to others.
Let us pray for the strength to echo Mary’s words of prayer: “May it be done to me according to your word.”
When tenor Luciano Pavarotti was a boy, his father, a baker, introduced him to the wonders of song. He urged him to work very hard to develop his voice. Arrigo Pola, a professional tenor in Pavarotti’s hometown of Modena, Italy, took him as a pupil. He also enrolled in a teachers’ college. On graduating, Pavarotti asked his father, “Shall I be a teacher or a singer?” “Luciano”, his father replied, “if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.”
Life is full of choices. Every day we are invited to choose. We choose what we are going to eat, what we are going to wear, how we are going to act, what we are going to do, and where we are going to go. Read More
