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peace | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker - Part 3

peace | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker - Part 3

On the Inside; On the Outside


 
May 21 2020
Love1

We Are All in This Together

Posted by | Emotions/Feelings, Everyday Life | No Comments

Where is the one who brought up out of the sea, the shepherd of his flock? Where is the one who placed in their midst his holy spirit, who guided Moses by the hand, with his glorious arm? 

Where is the one who divided the waters before them— winning for himself an everlasting renown— who guided them through the depths, like horses in open country?

As cattle going down into the valley, they did not stumble. The spirit of the Lord guided them. Thus, you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name. ~Isaiah 63: 11b-14

 

Since the very beginning of this pandemic, there has been one phrase that we continue to hear: “We are all in this together.” It reminds us that you are I are not the only ones facing the challenges and struggles of COVID-19. Like it or not, we are all in the same boat.

As part of my day-job, I get to speak with people from across the globe every single day. This past week, I spoke with individuals from Japan, China, Sweden, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Every call begins with the topic of self-isolation, how we are surviving in this current environment, and if our families are safe. I see on a daily basis how we really are ‘all in this together.’ This is truly a global experience.

I have been thinking about this and how we can make a direct connection with our own Catholic faith. Catholic means universal. The Mass and the other sacraments are celebrated exactly the same throughout the world, bringing all Catholics together in a spirit of unity.

When I have attended Mass in other countries; even though I may not have fully understood the languages, I was fully aware of what was taking place. No matter where we may be, our Catholic faith is universal, centered around Jesus Christ and our belief in Jesus’ presence in the Eucharist.

But being Catholic is also about having an ongoing personal encounter with Christ so that we may be a witness of God’s love in the world. This means that we are called to live like Jesus and to work for peace and justice for one another by living out the Gospel.

We are part of this universal Church together, believing that God is not only present in the Eucharist, but is also present within us. This means that whatever we are going through, whatever comes our way, whatever obstacles we encounter, we are never left alone. God is always with us. Now I’ll admit, it’s not always easy to recognize Jesus when our eyes are cast down, when life is difficult, or when we find ourselves in our own personal pit of despair. But that is when we must fall back on our faith, trusting and believing that Jesus is the only one who can lift us out of our pit. We just need to be able to lift up our eyes and our hearts to see that Jesus is right there and to feel his presence.

My sisters and brothers, as Catholic-Christians “we are all in this together.” We always have been, and we always will be. May the spirit of the Lord guide us always and let us remember that Jesus is with us; Jesus is here – and we are never left alone.

Jul 17 2019
Love0

Removing the Veil

Posted by | Everyday Life | No Comments

A veil is an article of clothing that is intended to cover some part of the head or face. Veiling has a long history in European, Asian, and African societies and is prominent in many forms of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Veiling continues to play a role today especially in wedding customs where it’s used to hide the face of the bride so that the groom would not see her face until after the ceremony. Then the new groom would lift the veil hiding the bride’s face and kiss her.

Sometimes it feels like you and I are walking around with veils covering our faces. We go through the motions of life not clearly seeing due to the many temptations of our modern culture like power, wealth, success, adulation, etc. – everything in relation to “me.” When we wear this veil, we become disoriented, disillusioned and lost, and we cannot see where we are heading.

St. Paul tells us that a veil lies over our hearts, but when we turn to the Lord, that veil is removed. It reminds me of that beautiful image we often see of St. Anthony of Padua holding the infant Jesus in his arms. When our veils are removed, we can experience the power of Jesus in our lives. When we gaze upon the face of Christ, we will find joy, happiness, comfort, peace, love, and the true light that shines out of darkness.

It’s time to remove the veil that hides us from seeing Jesus. Let us put aside the darkness that the world draws us into and allow the joy that comes from living with Christ permeate our lives for all to see. Let the unveiling begin!

Apr 25 2019
Love0

Peace Be with You

Posted by | Everyday Life | 2 Comments

My father passed away in 2014, and there are still so many days when I miss him dearly. About a year ago, I was at a busy shopping mall when I noticed a man from a distance that looked exactly like my dad. I couldn’t believe my eyes, and since this man was far away, I needed to get closer to see if it was really him.

As I made my way through the crowd, my heart began beating rapidly. I began sweating and my mind was racing with fear and questions. As I approached, he turned around, made eye contact with me and then vanished into the crowd. It wasn’t him, but the similarities shook me to my core.

As I walked away, I felt deeply troubled, and I wondered what would I have said or done if it was indeed my father.

Today, we hear how the disciples thought that they saw a ghost because Jesus had died, and now he was standing right in front of them again – very much alive. (Luke 24:35-48) They had so many questions on their minds. Their hearts were filled with uncertainties and they began doubting themselves, their faith, and their mission. Jesus appeared and gave them peace, reassuring them that everything was going to be just fine.

Our lives are filled with so many questions, problems, and struggles. We get scared and often find ourselves lost. It is during these times when we need to remember that Jesus is right here with us. All we have to do is reach out to him in prayer and he will show us the way.

Jesus is offering us his peace. If we accept this peace, Jesus will open our minds to His word; and that Word will guide us and give us the courage to overcome whatever darkness comes our way. May God’s peace lead us to the brightness of each new day.

Feb 28 2019
Love0

Seeing Clearly

Posted by | Everyday Life | One Comment

For those who have not noticed, I am now wearing eyeglasses all the time. This was a Christmas gift from my eye doctor – although, it wasn’t much of a gift because I had to pay for them. I’ve worn glasses for reading and computer work for years, but a change was needed in order for me to see more clearly all the time. And that is precisely the message for us in today’s gospel (Mark 9:41-50).

The text we heard this morning is extremely powerful, as long as it’s not taken out of context. The danger of this gospel is when people take the words literally and start cutting things off and plucking things out. But Jesus isn’t instructing us to hurt ourselves. After all, the body is sacred because we were made in God’s image. But the true meaning of the gospel goes much deeper than the physical – it goes directly to the eyes of our hearts.

If we can put on our spiritual glasses, we would be able to see how each of us needs to change. We would clearly see how we sometimes neglect to treat others as sisters and brothers of Christ. We would clearly see how we sometimes focus on our own needs and wants instead of the needs and wants of others. We would clearly see how we sometimes abuse others by our actions and language, or how we manipulate others so that we have power over them. Sometimes, we lose sight of who we are because we become blinded by a society who tells us who we ‘should’ be. If we could clearly see and believe that deep down, we are all good – but sometimes, we just make bad choices.

Today is our wake-up call. Let us begin this day with a new set of eyes. Let us clearly see that we need to change, to become better people, better listeners, better friends, better neighbors, and better disciples. Let us not make a “spectacle” of ourselves by focusing on us, but truly see life through the “lens” of God so we know how we are called to live. If we want to find true peace in this life, we need to put our hope in the Lord. Only then will we be able to clearly see.

Dec 17 2018
Love0

Groping, Hoping and Waiting

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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!

Oct 04 2018
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St. Francis’ Favorite Words

Posted by | Discipleship | No Comments

As you may know, St. Francis started a religious order after his conversion. He and his brothers, known as the Lesser Brothers, lived a life of poverty and the brothers had to go out into the streets to beg for their daily bread. Francis insisted that the Rule of the Lesser Brothers was to live the rigor of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now the brothers began to complain about their suffering. Francis understood their pain, but he could not understand why they should utter that pain so loudly. That wasn’t the case with Brother Giles.

Brother Giles was all about cheerfulness. He always welcomed humiliation and misunderstanding and rejoiced in it. How totally selfless one must be to remain cheerful.

Brother Giles put that wisdom into words, and these are the words that Francis enjoyed and kept close to his heart:

  • Blessed are you who love and don’t expect to be loved in return.
  • Blessed are you who fear and don’t want to be feared.
  • Blessed are you who serve and don’t expect to be served in return.
  • Blessed are you who treat others well and don’t expect like treatment in return.

Then Brother Giles stated that if you possess these three qualities, you cannot be evil:

  1. If, for God’s sake, you bear in peace all tribulation that comes you way.
  2. If you humble yourself in everything you do and receive.
  3. If you love faithfully those things that cannot be seen with fleshly eyes.

It’s holy contrition, holy humility, holy charity, holy devotion, and holy joy that makes one holy and good.

That is the secret of living a Christian life, and that is how we will bring the Kingdom of God to our present world.

 

Based on the book, “Francis: The Journey and the Dream” by Murray Bodo

Feb 15 2018
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Take Up Our Cross

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What did Jesus mean when He said, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”  (Luke 9:22-25) What does this look like in our lives?

I don’t think Jesus was referring to our daily toils and trials. To take up our cross and to follow Jesus starts with literally taking up our cross. We can’t take it up for someone else nor can anyone take it up for us. The point is, it is “your cross” to pick up and not mine, and neither is mine for you to take up, so first we must take up our cross, and only then can we follow Jesus. Our cross is not dealing with chronic health problems, dealing with disobedient children, experiencing a relationship issue, or having one of the worst jobs on the planet. I don’t believe we can say, “That’s the cross I have to carry,” if we’re referring to things that cause us problems in life. Jesus wasn’t carrying His cross of being mistreated and beaten by the Roman guards or falsely accused and arrested. His cross meant only one thing for Him; death, but His death would bring eternal life for us, so His cross wasn’t about Himself, but about others.

The only way to God is through the cross … and to follow Him means to take it up. The words, to take it up, are a challenge to us. We often think of the perks of faith and not of the costs. But following Christ is not a passive endeavor. We have to be active in our faith, and being active in our faith will, quite frankly, cost us. This means that if we want to follow Christ, then we must be prepared to nail ourselves up there.

But in order to do that, we need to strip away all those things we cloak ourselves with. We need to strip away selfish desires, rip off arrogance and pride, and scrape off stubbornness. It means making God’s will our will, not creating our own path, but following in the footsteps of Jesus.

Our Lord chose the cross as the means of our salvation precisely because of the great cost it meant for Him and for us, so that in recognizing that cost, we can appreciate the immense joy and peace we find in His victory. So be not afraid. Let’s take up our cross and follow Jesus. It is definitely worth it!

Nov 02 2017
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All Souls’ Day

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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.”

Sep 17 2017
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Forgiveness is a Tough Job

Posted by | Emotions/Feelings | One Comment

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