Holy Thursday always seems to trigger a host of memories from my childhood. I remember how we attended this evening’s Mass as a family, and afterwards how we would visit other neighboring churches. But I never fully understood what was going on and why we did these things.
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prayer | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker - Part 6
On the Inside; On the Outside
In light of ‘The Academy Award’ incident that has been all over the news and social media, we should be reminded of this beautiful and timely quote from Scripture:
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Sometimes, certain things in life touch your heart right when you need it most. That happened to me this week as I was looking up some information on the Internet. An image of a T-shirt popped up on my screen, but it wasn’t the shirt that caught my attention. It was the anonymous quote that was on it:
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How Is Your Lent Going?
Posted by Deacon Allen | Discipleship, Emotions/Feelings, Prayer | No CommentsLent is the time when we seek the Lord through prayer, by giving alms through service, and by practicing self-control through fasting. Each of us is called to a true inner conversion of heart as we try to follow God’s will more faithfully in our day-to-day lives. Read More
4 Ways to Get Through Hard Times
Posted by Deacon Allen | Emotions/Feelings, Everyday Life | 2 CommentsThere is a great deal of stuff happening in our world right now – the lasting effects of the pandemic, economic inflation, rampant hatred of others, and global power struggles. It’s enough to stress one out. Here are four ways to get through hard times.
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Name It, Claim It, Change It
Posted by Deacon Allen | Emotions/Feelings, Everyday Life, Prayer | 2 CommentsThis past Christmas, my son and daughter-in-law gave me something called ‘Your Desktop Confessional.’ It looks just like one of those old-fashioned confessionals that you would find in an old, city church.
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5 Faith Lessons from a Fallen Tree
Posted by Deacon Allen | Emotions/Feelings, Everyday Life, Hodgepodge | 2 CommentsThere’s nothing better than sitting in the shade of a tree on a hot summer day, sipping on a cold beverage while contemplating God’s beautiful creation. We often take these enormous, leafy landscape-enhancers for granted – until these are gone.
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Paying It Forward, Wet Pants and All
Posted by Deacon Allen | Emotions/Feelings, Everyday Life, Hodgepodge | 4 CommentsThis story was shared with me by a priest a few years back and is a great reminder for all of us to ask ourselves if we are paying it forward, wet pants and all.
Blessing or Woe? Which Way Do We Go?
Posted by Deacon Allen | Discipleship, Everyday Life, Prayer | No CommentsIf you were to search the Internet for the word “paradox,” you would get a couple of different definitions: a paradox is when two things are both true, but the two things seem to contradict each other; or a paradox is a statement that may sound contradictory but upon further reflection, reveals a deeper spiritual truth through the comparison of their parts. Confused? Let me give you a few examples:
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Groundhog Day All Over Again
Posted by Deacon Allen | Emotions/Feelings, Everyday Life, Hodgepodge | No CommentsI just came to the realization that yesterday was February 2nd. Fortunately, I did not find myself living Groundhog Day all over again – as is the premise of the 1993 romantic comedy, Groundhog Day.