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trust | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker - Part 5

trust | Deacon Allen Tatara Catholic Speaker - Part 5

On the Inside; On the Outside


 
Jul 23 2020
Love1

Come and Follow Me

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“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” ~Mark 8:34

If you are anything like me, you have probably thought about this verse more than once over the years. What did Jesus really mean by following him? What does it truly entail?

Following Jesus means responding to his call every day and believing in the gospel. But it is more than just following and believing; it is also about imitating his example. We need to be asking ourselves these questions: Are we living in a manner that reflects Christ to everyone we encounter? Are we putting the needs of others before our own? Are we being kind and treating our neighbors (and I mean ALL our neighbors) with dignity, respect, and love – acknowledging that they, like us, are made in the image and likeness of God?

Honestly, following Jesus is downright difficult; however, it can be done. During every step of our journey, we must make a conscious effort to follow Jesus through the narrow gate of life into the abyss of the unknown. If we can faithfully do this, we will find peace. Fellow composer and musician John Angotti wrote about this when he quoted Jesus in a song:

“He said to me, ‘Come and follow me.’ He said to me, ‘Come and follow me.’
There you’ll find peace of mind if you just come and follow me.”

And this is what I now ask of you: to make that conscious effort to come and follow me, too. I want to assist you on the journey by providing spiritual and faith-based guidance through my thoughts, writings, and insights. But due to my busy schedule, my blog posts do no appear as often as I would like. Therefore, the best way to keep up with me is to follow me on social media. Hopefully, I can provide you with some peace of mind through my Daily Thoughts, Noonish Nuggets, PM Ponders, and just a little bit of my ‘Deacon Allen’ humor. Here is where you will find me:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeaconAllenT

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeaconAllenT/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deaconallent/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/deaconallent

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/DeaconAllenT

Website: https://www.deaconallen.com

Blog: https://www.deaconallen.com/blog



In the words of author Francis Chan, “We never grow closer to God when we just live life. It takes deliberate pursuit and attentiveness.”

I would be honored if you would come and follow me. May God bless you on your journey.

Deacon Allen

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.

Apr 11 2020
Love1

New Life is Right Around the Corner

Posted by | Emotions/Feelings | 4 Comments

Though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit appears on the vine,
Though the yield of the olive fails and the terraces produce no nourishment,though the flocks disappear from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls; Yet I will rejoice in the Lord and exult in my saving God.

God, my Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet swift as those of deer and enables me to tread upon the heights.

These short verses from Habakkuk (3:17-19) is a small portion of one of my favorite scripture passages. For me, it’s always a reminder that even in the face of fear and uncertainty, there is always an opportunity to express faith and trust in God’s awesome majesty and power. However, during this particular Holy Week, this has been a bit more challenging.

All of us are battling the dominant forces and effects of this COVID-19 outbreak. So much so that we cannot help ourselves from being overcome with fear. We have fears after being introduced to new terms such as “global pandemic, social distancing and self-isolation.” We have fears of becoming prisoners in our own homes – quarantined from those we love and our communities of faith. We have fears of losing our livelihood, our ability to socialize, our freedom to do what we want, when we want, and where we want. We have fears of losing our jobs, returning to our jobs, providing for our families and getting back to some sense of normalcy. And we are fearful of this powerful disease that is taking more and more lives ever single day. We can’t help but ask the question: when will this all end?

 I’ve been reflecting a lot this week on how the disciples were feeling after Jesus had died and how similar it is to our current situation. Think about it. Jesus had been unjustly convicted, crucified and buried. His friends feared for their lives. They feared that they would be the next ones to die. They feared the uncertainties ahead of them: what to do, where to go, and how to move on. They isolated themselves to avoid any contact with others out of fear of what could happen. They were fearful that life outside of their community of believers would never feel the same again. They had to be asking that same question: when will this all end?

But despite all of their fears, they still held onto their faith. They still believed in Jesus and trusted that his death was not the end – but just the beginning. They were finally starting to understand that they needed to first experience death in order to experience resurrection – to experience new life in Christ; a life that knows no end.

We too must fall back on our faith during this period between death and resurrection, between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We must believe that whatever comes our way, whatever we encounter, whatever fears overtake us, whatever uncertainties confront us – we are never left alone. We trust that our God and Savior is always with us, especially during the difficult times in our lives. We believe that Jesus is suffering right along with us, holding our hand and guiding us through the darkness. It’s our faith that will bring us that much needed comfort and hope.

On this Holy Saturday, let us rejoice in the Lord and give praise to our saving God. May we, just like the disciples, find the strength to ride out these dark days and patiently wait for the stone to be cast aside – for new life is right around the corner.

Mar 05 2020
Love1

Ask and You Shall Receive

Posted by | Emotions/Feelings | 2 Comments

For the past several weeks, I have been under an overwhelming amount of stress. Most of this was work-related: working long hours with short deadlines. Throw in several church-related activities and tasks on top of that, and I was running on non-stop overdrive.

        In the midst of all of this, we had a family emergency at the hospital. Upon driving to the hospital one day, I noticed that I was having difficulty breathing and felt some odd pains in my chest that I had never felt before. I thought that I was having a heart attack. I immediately broke into prayer asking God to help calm me down. At that very moment, a song came on the radio – and I heard these lyrics:

Every anxious thought that steals my breath,
It’s a heavy weight upon my chest.
As I lie awake and wonder what the future will hold,
Help me to remember that You’re in control.

You’re my courage when I worry in the dead of night.
You’re my strength ’cause I’m not strong enough to win this fight.
You are greater than the battle raging in my mind;
I will trust You, Lord, I will fear no more.

As soon as these words touched my ears, I felt the power of God within me and I began to realize that I could not handle all of this weight on my own. I suddenly felt a calmness come over me and began to breathe normal again.

In our first reading, Queen Esther, filled with anguish, breaks into prayer and realizes that there is no one else who can provide her with the help she needs other than her Lord and Savior.

Every now and then, you and I need a little reminder that we need to turn to God for help. We cannot handle our stress alone but need to rely on the one who can help us carry our load.

During this Lenten season, let us get into the habit of turning to our Father in prayer. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Lord, turn our mourning into gladness and our sorrows into wholeness. Praise be to God, now and forever. Amen.

Feb 13 2020
Love1

Persistence Pays Off

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Today, we meet a Syrophoenician woman (Mark 7:24-30), which means she was from the area near Tyre and Sidon, just north of Galilee. These were cities truly lacking in faith, and those that lived there were Gentiles. Bottom line: if she was not a Jew, she was considered an enemy of Israel. But this was one brave and determined woman.

She cried out to Jesus to heal her daughter, who was possessed by a demon. But she was a Gentile, so he would not help her.

But she persisted. Finally, he acknowledged her, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” (Many Jews referred to Gentiles as ‘dogs’.) The children of the Israel were to be fed first, meaning that she might expect that her turn would come, if she waited. But she wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. She basically humiliated herself in a desperate effort to save her daughter, refusing to give up even when Jesus pushed back. Jesus is no match for her: she won’t leave; she beats him in the argument (willingly, I might add). She ends up breaking down his resistance and he changes his mind. Then, she ends up placing her complete and total trust in him.

It’s a great story of a mother’s love. The Syrophoenician woman teaches us something about prayer: sometimes God keeps us waiting so that we can deepen our faith. Persistence is key; that’s the reason God responds to persistence because prayer changes the one who is praying. Prayer doesn’t change God – it changes us. As we pray, God is making us spiritually ready to receive what God is already willing to do.

Let us put our complete trust in the Lord and remember that persistence in prayer makes all the difference in the world.

Jan 23 2020
Love1

In God I Trust

Posted by | Discipleship, Everyday Life | 2 Comments

Today is the feast of St. Vincent, Deacon and Martyr. Vincent was ordained a deacon by his friend and bishop St. Valerius. The Roman emperors had published their edicts against the clergy in 303, so Vincent and Valerius were imprisoned in Valencia, Spain. They seemed to thrive on suffering, for hunger and torture failed to break them.

Valerius was sent into exile, and the Roman governor now turned the full force of his fury on Vincent. Many types of torture were tried, but all failed.

Finally, the governor suggested a compromise. If Vincent would give up the sacred books to be burned according to the emperor’s edict, he would stop the torture. But Vincent would not give in, so the torture continued. Vincent remained courageous, and the torturer couldn’t take it anymore. So, Vincent was thrown into a prison cell and ended up converting the jailer. The governor wept with rage; but strangely enough, ordered the prisoner to finally be given some rest.

The faithful came to visit Vincent, but he was to have no earthly rest. For when they finally settled him on a comfortable bed, Vincent fell into his eternal rest.

Even in the midst of turmoil, God sticks with us and uses those challenges that we encounter to shape us and make us better disciples. As it says in the psalm, ‘In God I trust; I shall not fear. When we remind ourselves of this, we no longer see our setbacks as failures and our problems as obstacles; we see them as moments when God is working in us, strengthening us for our earthly journey. We will be rescued from our stumbling. All we have to do is trust in the Lord with all our hearts. For when we trust in the Lord, we have nothing to fear.

Oct 31 2019
Love0

A Scary Thought

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Halloween is an ancient Celtic festival that dates back some 2,000 years ago when the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. It was believed that on the night of October 31st, the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. Ghosts? That’s pretty scary!

What else do we find scary? According to a recent Internet poll: spiders, snakes, clowns, death, heights, falling, and fear of the unknown, just to name a few scary things.

As Catholic-Christians, we frequently find ourselves doing other scary things such as: talking behind each other’s backs, seeking revenge for something that was done to us, treating others unfairly, judging others because of who they appear to be in our eyes, neglecting to look out for those in need, not standing up for what is right – doing things that we think will disappoint God.

Yet no matter what we do, how we act, what we say, or who we betray, God is always looking at us with great mercy. God loves us no matter what. God is always with us, encouraging us to keep moving forward and to keep striving to live the gospel each and every day. God wants us to understand that although we may not be perfect in our eyes, we are made perfect in God’s eyes.

When the darkness of this world envelops us and we feel like we have been left alone, abandoned or forgotten, let us remember that nothing or nobody will ever separate us from the love of God.

That’s not scary; that’s praiseworthy!

Jan 23 2019
Love0

A Life of Joy

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When I was in junior high, my mother asked me one day to clean my room. I decided to go all-biblical on her because we had just talked about today’s gospel in religion class. I said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” (Kids – do not try this at home!) I honestly didn’t know how quick her reflexes were or how strong she was until that very moment when her hand quickly smacked across my face. That was not a joyful experience.

Something that was a joyful experience happened a few years later. I bought my parent’s a wall calendar – and their reaction was truly priceless. It was called “Nuns Having Fun,” and it was filled with a variety of images of fully-habited nuns doing fun things. There were nuns in bumper cars, nuns on roller coasters, nuns having snowball fights, nuns skeet shooting, and on and on. My favorite was a group of nuns running in the ocean, arms up in the air with the biggest smiles on their faces! It was a really goofy calendar, but it brought up a great point: the Christian life isn’t a life of suffering, but it’s a life of joy!

And we can see this in our Gospel today. A lot of things are going on. It is Jesus’ first public miracle and it really kicks off his public ministry. It also shows us the deep relationship that Jesus had with his Mother. And the transformation of water into wine reminds us of the Eucharistic imagery that we experience during the Mass. But one detail that is overlooked is that Jesus was doing all this at a wedding feast! This is no small thing. Jesus lived a life of joy – and he actually went to parties! (OK, so he went with his mom, but still!) It shows us that Jesus wasn’t a stranger to the good and fun things in life. It’s important for us to remember that the good things in our lives are gifts from God.

There are two distinct parts in our gospel that I want to point out: one, Before Christ; and another, After Christ. The first scene that St. John describes is one of emptiness, and the second, on the contrary, is marked by abundance. And what brings about the difference between these two time periods is key: it’s the intervention of Jesus.

The marriage feast had come to a complete stop because they ran out of wine. Wine is a symbol of celebration and happiness. No wine meant that they had no joy. There were experiencing emptiness!

Mary noticed this, so she turned to Jesus for help. Though he initially hesitated, Mary trusted that Jesus would make everything right and instructed the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” The rest, as they say, is history. Jesus changed water into wine and saved the hosts from disgrace.

But of course, the point isn’t just the wine. The wine is a “sign.” As we look at our own lives, we can’t help but notice that the wine always runs out. Whatever the gains, life always brings losses. We grow up and we grow old. We have children (sometime in pairs). Children grow up and lose their innocence. Parents see their kids leave home (and sometimes come back again). We find jobs; and sometimes we lose jobs. We work and work and work until one day, we find ourselves facing retirement. Our body parts eventually lose the battle against gravity and we lose hair where we want it and gain it where we don’t. Aches and pains become more frequent, so we moan in despair. And no one gets out of here alive. Add all the technology you want, but our human resources eventually come to an end. That’s the bad news.

The good news – the great news: the resources of God never run out! New energy springs out of weariness, new opportunities emerge from failure, and new hope arises in the ashes of doubt and despair.

Jesus asks the servers to fill the six empty stone jars with water. (Interesting fact: six is a symbol of chaos, imperfection and evil.) When they drew out some of the water, they discovered that it was the best wine! The party could continue! There is abundance, order and celebration – all because of the intervention of Jesus.

The question for us is how do we keep our water jars filled?

We first must continually invite Jesus into our lives. We need to pray daily and believe that God is always right by our side guiding us every step of the way.

If we trust Jesus, our wine – or our happiness – will never run dry because when we realize that God is our first love, the wedding feast never ends.

And that superior quality of wine that he transformed is the quality of life that we will find in and with Jesus. We no longer feel abandoned because we are espoused to a God who gets involved in our lives by entering into it constantly so that he can share in our little and big joys.

And this brings me back to my original point: that the good things of life are gifts from God. God gives us so many good things and so many causes for joy for a reason – to draw us back to him. They give us little hints about what true communion with God will be like. Jesus didn’t just change water into wine to keep the party going, but to draw us into the mystery of God’s power and love. And what greater love does our bridegroom have for us then his ultimate sacrifice on the cross. As we approach this altar today to receive Jesus, let us thank God for our earthly joys, and to remember that when we entrust our lives to Jesus and do whatever he tells us, we will discover an abundant life that is overflowing with love, happiness and immeasurable joy!

Dec 27 2018
Love0

Eyewitness for Christ

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Back in college, I spent some time as a reporter for The Daily Herald newspaper. I covered village board meetings, park district meetings and the like. But every now and then I was given the opportunity to cover breaking news. And I remember from my journalism classes that in these situations, interviewing an eyewitness was extremely important because they had personally seen something happen and could give a first-hand description of it. That would help make the story more believable.

Today on the Feast of St. John, Apostle and Evangelist, I am reminded of my reporter days. What I really love of John’s writing style is his ability to place the reader directly into the story – as if we were right there with John. He writes from an eyewitness point of view. He does this so that we can identify with what is happening and help us to believe what has taken place.

That is essentially the role of an apostle, and that is what we are called to do each and every day. We need to be Jesus’ eyewitnesses to the world. We must help others see that Christ is in their lives, to know that the Lord is always with them, and that Jesus will never leave our side no matter what we do.

Each of us is called to be a disciple, and that’s not always an easy thing to do. But when we become an eyewitness for Christ and bring the Good News of Jesus to others, we will find a joy like we’ve never experienced before.

Dec 17 2018
Love0

Groping, Hoping and Waiting

Posted by | Everyday Life | No Comments

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!