People are always asking me for ideas for what “things” they can do during Lent to partake in the hallmarks of a Christian life of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. As our Lenten journey is about to begin, I want to focus on the first hallmark: prayer.
There are many ways to pray, but there are a few methods that can really help us spiritually prepare ourselves during Lent. 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
Have you ever had a song just pop into your head out of the middle of nowhere? And it was a song that you haven’t heard in years? Well, that happened to me a couple of days ago when the song “Like a Rock” from Bob Seger entered my brain. And what a great tie-in with today’s Gospel (Matthew 7:21, 24-27). Here are some of the lyrics:
My hands were steady; my eyes were clear and bright.
My walk had purpose; my steps were quick and light.
And I held firmly to what I felt was right. Like a rock.
Like a rock, I was strong as I could be. Like a rock, nothin’ ever got to me.
Like a rock, I was something to see. Like a rock. Read More
God and a man are walking down the road. The man asks God, “What is the world like?” God replies, “I cannot talk when I am thirsty. If you could get me a drink of cool water, we could discuss what the world is like. There is a village nearby. Go and get me a drink.”
The man goes into the village and knocks at the door of the first house. A beautiful young woman opens the door. His jaw drops, but he manages to say, “I need a glass of cool water.” “Of course,” she says smiling, “but it is midday. Would you care to stay for some food?” “I am hungry,” he says, and your offer of food is truly kind.” He goes in and the door closes behind him. Read More
Many Americans think of Thanksgiving as a wonderful time to celebrate getting out of school for a long weekend, and eating a great dinner. Or, maybe they think it is the start of the Christmas holiday season. What is the real meaning behind Thanksgiving?
We can trace this historic American Christian tradition to the year 1623. After the harvest crops were gathered in November 1623, Governor William Bradford of the 1620 Pilgrim Colony, “Plymouth Plantation” in Plymouth, Massachusetts proclaimed:
“All ye Pilgrims with your wives and little ones, do gather at the Meeting House, on the hill… there to listen to the pastor, and render Thanksgiving to the Almighty God for all His blessings.” Read More
I saw a commercial last night on television for a very large sandwich chain. They have a special going on where you can get a different sandwich every day of the week for a low price, eliminating the possibility of getting stuck in a routine of eating the same sandwich day after day. And that got me thinking: what if we did the same thing with our prayer lives? Read More
One Sunday morning, I was going through the Lost and Found box in the usher’s room at our church to see if I could find someone’s rosary. I didn’t find any rosary, but there was a pair of glasses, a set of keys, one glove, a watch and many other interesting items. And I couldn’t help but to think of that prayer:
“Tony, Tony, turn around. Something’s lost that must be found.”
It’s a prayer to St. Anthony who is the patron saint of lost items. Read More
If you haven’t had a chance to read the America Magazine interview of Pope Francis, I have included the link here. It is a wonderful insight to our Pope. (http://www.americamagazine.org/pope-interview) One of the things that struck me the most was when the reporter asked him: “Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?” The pope answered, “I am a sinner.” Well if the Pope is a sinner, what does that make me? Our Pope has inspired me to come clean…I too am a sinner! Read More
Today is the feast day of St Ignatius of Antioch. He was the bishop of Antioch in Syria and was the second successor of St. Peter. He was a disciple of the apostle St. John, and also met St. Peter, having probably been ordained by him.
During the reign of Emperor Trajan, Ignatius was sentenced to be thrown to the wild beasts. He was transported in chains to his martyrdom in Rome; along the way, he was met by Christians from nearby places. To these friends, he wrote seven letters, six addressed to some Christian communities and one personal letter to Bishop Polycarp of Smyrna. All seven are most beautiful pearls of our early Christian literature.
Prior to his death in the year 110, he wrote a letter to the Ephesians where he highlighted the following four points, which are still relevant to this very day: Read More
This reflection is based on today’s reading from the Book of the Prophet Haggai (1:1-8)
We live in a materialistic world today. Enough is never enough. More than enough is never enough! But this is nothing new. This was the state of affairs in Judah 2,500 years ago. It’s not as if the people of Judah didn’t have what they needed. But instead of seeking after the Lord’s house, they were only concerned with their own. Instead of looking to the Lord’s will, they were only concerned with their own. As a result, they were never really satisfied. Read More
© 2024 Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker. All rights reserved.
