Have you ever gazed at yourself in a mirror and wondered who was looking back at you? Have you ever questioned if you were following the path of God’s will? Have you ever asked if you are being the person God made you to be? Read More
relationship | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker
On the Inside; On the Outside
Stop Thinking and Start Experiencing
Posted by Deacon Allen | Emotions/Feelings, Everyday Life, Family | No CommentsGrowing up, I was quite an inquisitive child. There were always questions that I needed answered. Questions like:
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I love modern technology! Maybe this is because I have spent the bulk of my career surrounded by its bleeding edge innovations, but I am constantly in awe of the immense impact it’s had in our lives. However, it has been said that technology has exceeded our humanity. Well, I don’t know about that, but technology is super cool – especially if you know how to use it. Read More
In our first reading (1 John 2:22-28), John tells us that as we have received the anointing from Christ, that anointing must remain in us. When the anointing remains in us, it teaches us about everything and is true. When that teaching remains in us, then we will remain in Christ.
The word “remain” really means persistence. When we “remain” in someone, that means that we are persistently living in that location. When we are persistently living in Christ, then our life is all about him and we are staying with him. In the same way, when John said that the anointing abides in us, this means that we need to think about the word of God persistently living in us and directing our lives. When we pray the words, “remain with us,” we are asking for the Lord to stay with us through all of life’s good times and bad times. We are asking for the Lord to persistently hold on to us and never let go. John is calling for us to live our lives in Christ and in his word, and not in the world.
To remain in Christ daily requires us to do three things:
- We must have a life-giving connection or relationship with God. This is a mutual union where we are united with Jesus always; for when we have no connection, we have no life.
- We are to be dependent on Jesus and rely on Him for everything. Are we spending consistent and regular time with the Lord in prayer? When we are apart from God, we find that we can do nothing.
- Lastly, we must continue to always remain in Jesus. We must persevere in His teaching by living out the Gospel. Are we meditating on God’s Word and applying it to our daily lives? To remain in Christ means to have a new relational direction.
So, as we begin this new year, let us make this our daily mantra: that we have a constant connection with God, are dependent upon God, and continue to remain in God. For when we remain in Christ, Christ will remain in us and abide with us always.
In July of 2005, our family vacationed out west, and the highlight of the trip was going to Zion National Park in Utah.
All of us love hiking, so I was super-excited that our three sons and I were going to venture on an adventurous hike. (Stephanie had surgery a few weeks before our trip and didn’t want to risk going on this particular hike.) We decided to do the ‘Angel’s Landing’ trail which was advertised as ‘5 miles of strenuous and steep paths with high elevation and exposure to long drop-offs.’
So off we went, climbing higher, and higher, and higher. We finally reached a flat cliff and decided to take a break. The view was spectacular. As we caught our breath, one of my boys (who will remain nameless) suddenly said to me, “Dad, I think I’m afraid of heights.” I couldn’t believe that he waited until that point to tell me this important piece of information. I pointed to the visible end of the trail stating that we were almost there. I asked his brothers if they wanted to continue on; but after seeing how high we still had to climb and the extremely narrow ledge we had to ascend to get there, they all wanted to go back.
I was really hoping to continue; but I was also very fearful for their safety. So, we headed back down the mountain. To this day, I still wonder how it would have felt to have continued our journey to the top of that summit.
The reading from Isaiah (Isaiah 2:1-5) talks about our spiritual journey as an ascent up the Lord’s mountain. And that is what Advent is all about. It’s a time for us to step back from life as we know it or life as we live it, and re-look at the direction of our spirituality. Are we walking toward the Lord, or walking away? Are we trying to deepen our relationship with God, or are we burying ourselves in the black hole of busyness? Are we taking steps to improve our prayer life by following the light of Christ, or are we falling into the darkness of temptation and deceit? Are we in such a hurry to reach the destination of Christ’s coming at Christmas that we’re not being patient enough to enjoy the journey?
It’s only the second week of Advent. There is plenty of time left for us to focus on the Lord’s coming. And it all starts with a desire to journey forward and not let fear get the best of us – and to prepare the what lies ahead so that we are able to tackle the obstacles that we face on a daily basis. If we can improve our relationship with Jesus, our ascent up the Lord’s mountain – although challenging – will be achievable.
During this busy season, let us begin tonight by stepping back from the busyness and walking toward our God who loves us so deeply. Jesus is coming, but He is also here right now. Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
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!
After going on a couples retreat at the Benedictine monastery St. Meinrad, I wanted to learn more about the Rule of St. Benedict. I bought a book that described the three vows that convey the core of the Rule. These are stability, obedience, and conversion of life.
Stability is a calling to remain where we are and to find grace in each relationship, place or situation. Basically this means that we can find God at the very center of our lives including in our family, friends, marriage, church community, etc.
Obedience is the ability to listen to what God is saying and responding to what we hear. We need to figure out what God is asking us to do and then respond to that call.
Conversion of life is really the balance to the concept of stability. While stability calls us to remain, conversion of life calls us to change and grow. We’re not fully the person God created us to be; so we need to open ourselves – which enables God to change our hearts.
We hear this same message in today’s readings. We need not fear for the Lord is always with us. We must find God in our daily lives, rejoice in Him being there, and then have the ears to listen to what He wants us to do.
In these remaining weeks of Advent, let us focus on remaining present and faithful to others. Let us listen and respond to God’s direction for us. And let us remain open to being transformed so we can experience conversion of life as we await the One who is to come. With Christ all things are possible; without Christ, nothing makes sense.
One of my many diaconal duties at our parish is to meet with our engaged couples. I, along with my wife Stephanie, help prepare them as they journey toward marriage. One of the things that I always tell them is that marriage is not a contract, but a covenant. A covenant is an unbreakable bond, something that our couples need to understand as they prepare for a lifetime of commitment to one another in marriage.
In our readings today, we hear of God making a new covenant with his people. It’s a covenant so deep and important that it is placed and written on our hearts. It’s a covenant so intense that we are only made aware of it because God has revealed it to us. And much like our engaged couples discover, it’s an unbreakable bond. No matter what we do or what we say, God is with us and forgives us. God does this because He loves us so intensely that we actually become one with each other. We are bonded in our love, and we are never left alone.
Back in college, I helped form a group of Catholic musicians and singers that sang at our campus Masses and events. When I was researching a name for our group, I consulted the Bible. Today’s reading from Jeremiah really hit home (Jeremiah 31:31-34). After a group vote, we decided to call ourselves “New Covenant.” (I even wrote a song about it!)
Each of us is called to have a personal relationship with God, so we are able to not only recognize God in our daily lives but to also spread Christ to those we encounter. This is the new covenant, and it is with us every single day. We just need to look inside our hearts (it’s written right there) so we can experience and share it with others.
Let us rejoice in the fact that we are loved by our Creator, our heavenly Father, who hands over the keys to the kingdom to those who will accept them. We are bound together in an unbreakable relationship of love. He is our God; we are His people. As it is written in the verse of my song:
He lives in you, and you live in Him, and that covenant will never end.
Just in case anyone’s stressing over this, getting ashes doesn’t mean we’re holy. In fact, getting ashes means we’re not holy. Read More
While on retreat a few months back, my spiritual director asked me this question: what am I seeking? (She asked me this question because it states that I am a seeker on my website and business card.) And, it was a good question for me to ponder while on my retreat. And ponder and pray I did – while walking and sitting on the shores of Lake Michigan. Here is the answer to this question as it came to me.
I am seeking to grow ever closer to the God of love. I want to continue to deepen my relationship with Him so that I can help others to have a personal relationship with our heavenly Father through a solid prayer life.
I seek to learn more about our faith.
I seek to become a better husband, father, and man of faith.
I seek to discover new and fresh ways to show the importance, relevance, and need of our faith to teens and young adults.
I seek to help others know that God is always present and with us – no matter what we do, say, or think.
I seek because I never want to be complacent or stuck with where I am. I may not always know where I am headed, but I want to try to enjoy the journey. And I am always looking forward to the surprises that God has in store for me.
I am seeking to help others find the way.
I am seeking; forever seeking.
What about you? Are you a seeker too?
