Behold the man!

First again, I would love to apologize for taking a very long break. There are so many reasons why, but in essence they are only excuses. I know that I have apologized before, but through the grace of God I will persevere.

It is without a doubt a fact, that our lives are very hectic. We run from here to there, and we live on Reminders and schedules. Those reminders help to keep us on track, and that is good,  but if we forget why we were created in the first place the reminders actually have no purpose.

We were created to Love! We were created to love and serve our Lord Jesus Christ!

I want to share with you that I have not wasted the time away from posting anything on this blog. Several months ago a really good friend of mine, a priest friend of mine, issued a challenge to all his parishioners, read at least one book this year. I am one who is always up for a good challenge. He gave us a list of books to choose from, and I chose one from Saint mother Theresa of Calcutta.

The book was absolutely awesome! So much so, that I was hooked. I know I've shared with all of you that I have never had a great love for reading. I really can't explain why this happened in my life, but it is so. Given that, something needed to change in my life! Father Andrew helped push me to that point, without a doubt from a lot of nudging of the Holy Spirit!

Well here we are several months later, and really not about bragging, but about giving glory to God that time in study was desperately needed. I needed to know more and more about our glorious faith. There became a hunger inside of me that became insatiable. This quote from Jeremiah seems to resonate in my heart and in my mind, when he says when I discovered your word I devoured it! Often times I feel like I'm at a banquet with so much to choose from, so much to devour, but I don't know where to start. Well it started with one book, and now it seems like it will never end. I have a great list of books that I need to go through, realizing that it is all one at a time. 

So here we are and I know you're really wondering where I am going with all of this. The title of this posting should suggest where I am. That is the name of the book that I'm reading at this time, Behold the Man, A Catholic vision of male  spirituality. The book is authored by Deacon Harold 

Burke-Sivers.

The main reason why I was drawn to this book, is because I strongly believe that the Holy Spirit is guiding me to work with men in order to become true men of God true men of the Spirit true men of what God has created us to be. With men being about 15% of our parishes population that is going to mass, something needs to change. I am a strong believer that the Lord Jesus Christ through the movement of the Holy Spirit, stirs something within all of us to be agents of change.

Far too often I am hearing these words that are starting to irritate me. I am a good man, I've done enough! As I look at the cross I am reminded of the Jesus prayer "Lord Jesus Christ son of the living God have mercy on me A sinner." Jesus gave it all, he gave himself up completely for us, and we are called to do no less.

I am not telling you that you need to read this book, I am telling you you need to read to discover the richness the beauty in the tradition of Christ's one and only Church, where the fullness of truth resides. Here is the quote that I would love to share it with you at this time, "we cannot, in a sense live life as it is meant to be lived, as it truly exists, if we are not open to participating in the life of the Spirit." It is time for all man to live life in the Spirit!

I am sending this challenge mostly to you men  out there, it's time for us to be who God created us to be, and that is real men who love unconditionally, and who'll share that love unconditionally. This world is sorely lacking in real men! Once again men out there it's time for you guys to be an agent of change.

I promise you through the grace of God that I will put my best effort to post something at least once a week. Tomorrow Terry and I are off to a retreat with our diaconate community. I am so excited as it will be the The first time since ordination joining my brothers and sisters in Christ! It will be a time of reflection and prayer that is desperately needed also in my life. Stand tall my brothers, the devil will not be happy with what you were doing, but stand tall!

May the God of mercy, the God of love, who conquers all fears, descend upon you and remain with you all forever Amen!

Deacon Mitch

No shortcuts to the top!

Several weeks ago I'm helping my family pack up some belongings of a lost loved one. We were busy and focused on the need at hand to quickly clean up the house. We worked well as a team and accomplished so much in such a short period of time.

In a quiet moment I noticed a book on hiking (he was a hiking nut) that had this title "No shortcuts to the top!" I couldn't help but feel being tugged by this title, almost on a daily basis. It brought memories of my youth where it seemed to be the thing to find a shortcut, to save some time. This process almost always brought this sense of satisfaction accomplished. I felt proud feeling that wow, I was able to do this in less time, finding a way around something.

Two nights ago we were  having an RCIA information night and the doors are wide open. Two people came in looking for information on the primary election that was being held upstairs in our Church Hall. They having found they were in the wrong hall, asked this question....."Is there a shortcut to getting to the top floor?" 

Looking back on my journey of faith, I've noticed many times that I sought the shortcut, a faster way of getting to the top floor without extending myself, or putting in greater effort.

Once again there is the dilemma I'm working on. After ordination I really thought I've read all I need to and I've grown as much as I possibly could. How wrong was I! Jesus has been tugging at me to move forward, to work harder, to pray more, and avoid the shortcuts that human nature is inclined to seek.

So now you maybe asking what I'm doing to avoid the shortcuts and excuses that I've used in the past. I started to pray the rosary daily, and I've grown so much that I've gotten my wife and I to do it together to pray for our children who really need the prayers, two a day now. I've also encouraged a young lady to pray the rosary, and she has procrastinated so I've found a book to help her out with praying the rosary.

The rosary and meditating on the mysteries that are designed for Deacons is changing my life. Yes, another life changing experience, go figure. We are all destined for many life changing events, all we need to do is pray.

Yesterday I preached at daily Mass and the inspiration for my homily was....yes meditating on the mysteries was an epiphany that inspired me to share that joy with my parishioners. Yesterday was the feast of the Exultation of the Cross and I shared with them that two things stood out. That at the Elevation of the Host by our Priest is also that moment where we are at the Intersection of Heaven and Earth...we are there at Mount Calvary at that very moment and that the Cross is the fulfillment of the Eucharist. The Passover, The Last Supper and the Crucifixion is one moment of the Eucharist and we are there. NO shortcuts, we are truly there.


Pray the rosary, encourage others to pray the rosary. Find a way, make it happen, because after all ......There are no shortcuts to the top!

Deacon Mitch

A time for grief

At the present moment and into some time in the future I will be away grieving the loss of a family member.

Peace

Deacon Mitch

With the help of Mother Mary, a Blue Nun, the hint finally took root!

It's something that I had been doing almost daily as a child but in time it slowly faded away, but obviously never disappeared. The Rosary and pondering the meditations.

 Yes, I have done it regularly but it never took a strong root into my heart until now.

For quite some time now I have been getting some very gentle hints that I should be praying the rosary. I would say it began in earnest when I rejoined the Knights of Columbus and received a gift, a rosary. At the time I said, it's beautiful, it's nice, I'll hand it at the side of my bed. There it stayed for quite some time. I happened to lose it once in my garden when I attempted to pray irregularly. I shared that with my Dad and he gave me his. Another hint that never took root.

A few months ago my mother gave me her father's rosary, wow! My Pepere was a very faithful man. Like in the past I had the perfect place for it, hanging it in one of the shrine areas of the house I have. I thought to myself it looks good.

A few weeks ago I received a gift from my sister in Illinois. My Mom called to tell me to quickly come over to see. A huge rosary with large beads. Wow! What did I do? The same, I had a great place to hang it around the framed charge to a Deacon! It looks great.

A week ago I'm serving Mass and my little niece was there and we had a long talk, and then she shared that Sister Rouen a Blue Nun and a friend gave her a rosary and invited her to pray everyday. I was moved to say to her, let's make a pact that together before Jesus, we will both pray the rosary daily.

The little nudge, or hint, finally took root. I really needed help in something I must work on in my life and I need to tell you that the power of the rosary is immense. I've learned to change my life in so many ways, simply by praying the rosary and meditating on the life of Christ, and Mary.

I also brought out a book I've had since ordination "Ordained to Serve...Prayers and Blessings for Permanent Deacons." In there I discovered a treasure! Meditations that are set for a Deacon to help them in service to Christ and His Church!

I pray that this little story, this little hint, maybe all the nudge you need to pray!

On this feast day of St. Monica, through her intercession we pray for the conversion of all our loved ones who have gone astray. Never lose hope, never stop praying.

Peace,

Deacon Mitch

Unless you become like a child...

I'm sharing today words from Michael Phelps after las nights win....."I feel like a kid again, and that's the difference, Phelps said. I feel like I did when I was 18. That was the only way I was going to get back and race at this level consistently."

Today and everyday lets make it our life to be a kid again in order to run the good race!

Peace

Deacon Mitch 

How far would you go???

Good afternoon! I'm finally having my first vacation for the year. My wife would remind me that it's about time. This morning I'm listening to the Patrick Madrid Show on Immaculate Heart Radio and the discussion turned to abortion. I must have been fired up listening to the discussion that I had to share the thoughts discussed during break time with her. She reminded me that we had just talked about how I've struggled with coming up with something to share on this blog,  she said...."you have what you are looking for, go ahead and do it." So here it is...A response was given that abortion is okay, after all "it's the law, the Supreme Court said so!"

Patrick then shared "well, slavery at one time was deemed the law of the land and upheld by the Supreme Court, would you agree or disagree that it was a bad law and stand up with Abolitionists?"

The caller struggled to answer the question knowing quite well where this was going. If a law is immoral and Abortion is, shouldn't we work to repeal this law?

The discussion moved on a very slippery slope for many. What about if a gay gene was identified, by the way there isn't, but if there was one how would you answer that question on abortion, or a mother wanting a daughter with dark hair realizing that her next child would be born with red hair.  How far would you go?

Unfortunately all things that are evil that have been introduced with so called good intentions eventually move on to be more and more.

As we approach the canonization of Blessed Mother Teresa let us reflect on her wisdom about Abortion:

"It is poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish."

"I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is 'Abortion' , because it a war against the child....A direct killing of the innocent child, 'Murder' by the mother herself....And if we can accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love....And we remind ourselves that loves means to be willing to give until it hurts...." 

"The right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father's role in an increasingly fatherless society. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts....a child.....as a competitor, an intrusion and an inconvenience. It has nominally  accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the dependent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters. And, in granting this unconscionable power, it has exposed many women to unjust and selfish demands form their husbands or other sexual partners."

and lastly.....

"If a mother can kill her own child.....what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me....there is nothing in between."


How far would you go?


Peace,

Deacon Mitch 

Pope reflects on parable of Good Samaritan at Angelus

Pope reflects on parable of Good Samaritan at Angelus