and so it begins…

Each year on August 1st, I am amazed at the change in the air.
It seems like everything is aligned, when we flip to the new calendar month. The weather breaks and the mornings are a little cooler, afternoon are more tolerable and the evenings lend themselves for sitting by a fire with a warm beverage.

This is also the time when we see the reality of the new pastoral appointments.
mixed emotions fill the air as parish communities navigate the send offs and welcomes.
This is the time when we need to ask the Holy Spirit to come into our hearts, so that we can live out the Gospel message, the mission of Christ and his Church.

Let remember the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray,
Our Father… thy kingdom come, thy will be done…
We need to have courageous humility and “Be not Afraid”, to accept and live this line out.
We cannot let will of pride and comfort guide us, it needs to be the humility and surrender of Faith, Hope and Love.

Come Holy Spirit,
Fill the hearts of the faithful,
Enkindle in us the fire of your love,
Renew the face of our hearts, family, parishes and the world.

Saint Pope John Paul II, Pray for us
DG

Happy Birthday … to my openness to the Holy Spirit.

O God,
who by the mystery of today’s great feast,
sanctify your whole Church in every people and Nation,
pour out, we pray, the gifts of the Holy Spirit across the face of the earth,
and with the divine grace that was at work when the Gospel was first proclaimed,
fill now once more the hearts of believers.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
Amen

This is a prayer taken from the Liturgy of the Hours, Morning Prayer for Pentecost Sunday.

I am sure most of us would like to see this happen in the world,

We would all like to see in our newsfeeds, on the TV news and Facebook blow up with visuals of the Gospel being proclaimed and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in full display for all the world to see.

I believe the first step is that each of us need to be open and ask for this for yourself.

Too many of us, at times wish to see others, the world and even the Church change, while we are ready to keep of feet firmly planted.

Today this Pentecost, maybe it’s time to focus on ourselves, maybe a Birthday wish that we pray this prayer for ourselves, ask the Holy Spirit to work in us.

The prayer is simple…

“Lord, I don’t totally understand, but I want what you want for me. Come Holy Spirit, you are welcome here.”

In Flanders Fields

A few years ago I spent some time in a friends studio… with some songs that I wrote.
Not sure when … but at some point I put the John McCrae poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ to a melody with some chords.

Today is All Souls Day, where as a Church we pray for the Faithful Departed.
Watching the news this morning, the hosts were wearing poppies… and I thought of all the men and women who made the greatest act of love that we can live in freedom… DG



Give God Permission…

It has been a little more than a month since we lost a wonderful shepherd in our area.

Reality seems to have set in … so it is a good time to ask, have we already lost the sound of his voice… have forgotten the mission that he lived and worked for.
Have we lost the beautiful spirit that drew us to him… the Christ-like spirit.

Today, may we the right time to talk to Jesus and give him permission to do the work that will help you bear fruit for the mission… his mission
Ask him to guide throughout the day, weeks and months ahead.
Let him show you a wound that needs his healing touch, and allow him to touch it.

Pope Francis’ special intention for the month of October is:
Holy Spirit, Help your Church to sustain a loving, listening (synodal) lifestyle in every way.
May we promote the participation, communion, and mission shared by clergy, religious, and the laity.

In the spirit of his intention, this is my prayer:
Lord, I lift up all the faithful in our area!
I am asking you to move in our hearts,
break down the walls that have been built up,
And soften our hearts so we can hear you clearly.
Lord, break every chain, set us free from pride, envy, jealousy,
help us surrender, to give you permission to be Lord of our lives as children of God.

Lord, please send us shepherds,
Shepherds that we will listen to,
and who know you, and love you.
Who will not give up on us.

Glory be to you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen

Peace,
DG



Focus on the Peace of Christ …

This morning, I wake up to some news articles that remind me to focus on the Peace of Christ and not the chaos of the world.
– recent bot campaign, shows AI easily accessible.
– National Security agencies should explain how they are using AI.
– cyber attacks in an attempt to sow discord
– AI generated content shows celebrity’s backing candidates is false

All these seem pretty normal in the past few years with the rise of AI and our reliance for online content … it seems that we spend most of our brain power trying to navigate truth, plausible and false.
we have lost the sense of right and wrong and moved to just being more right or less wrong that someone else or status quo.

It was this article that caught that caught my eye because it summed up the thread of conversations and emails and messages that I have been navigating for many years now.

“Scams, conspiracies, and surprising theories, why do we fall victim to them”

After a quick read there were some points
– We have a natural sense to trust people.
– Most online content has been structure to generate income or create an outcome that will move people to act or react.
– People reach for something that makes them feel good about what their life is, and who they are, and what they desire.
The online world is just too easy in so many ways, that we have become accepting and trusting that if it is made public it must be truthful.
In the not to distance past Print, Radio and Television were the main methods of mass communication of ideas and held and still held to a set of standards that someone is accountable to ensure they are fact checked.

Online content from social media and video sharing platforms is not regulated, falls under the notion of the Wild West, or Buyer Beware … reminds me of the signs that we see at some swimming areas.
“The area is unsupervise – Use at own risk”

To combat this … I aim to avoid using what I see or sent by others as a means of decision making … there is just too many ways to manipulate visuals and audio today.

Take some time to watch -The Social Dilemma, it is eye opening and should create caution. https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/

Every hear of Deep fake …. scary stuff.

In addition, this same monetization mindset has crept into the Catholic mainstream as well, where we have “Catholic” influencer generating content for likes and views, selling books and other wares that do not promote the Faith or inspire Peace but confusion and division. They make you feel uneasy, fearful and live as though you are not doing enough or missing out.

Many faithful as read these new best selling authors and not looking to the Church Fathers or Magisterium to validate or confirm the narratives that are spending time reading.

If you are reading or viewing this material without consulting the Bible, catechism or the writings of the Church Fathers, you make be walking a journey of faith beside a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Peace,
DG

Be, The Open Book …

Back in 2020, on August 10th, the Archbishop placed the Book of the Gospels in my hands, and prayed these words…
“Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you now are.
Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach.”

At each Mass, I hold the Book of the Gospels in procession and place it on the altar.
Then after a blessing I pick it up again, but this time I notice the weight of the responsibility … I have been called to give voice to the words of Christ, to share the stories of those he impacted 2,000 years ago in his public ministry.
I have also been called to carry the Gospel of Christ outside the ‘safe’ walls of the church buildings to each and every person that God’s places in my daily path.
Each and every person has their story of redemption & salvation written in the Book of the Gospels.
Today I ask the Holy Spirit to allow me the grace to continue to live out this prayer and allow other to see their story in Christ through me.

Peace,
DG

The Deacon Retreat – Step 1

Every journey starts with deciding to move forward… then continues with the first step.

Here are some focus points from my first step…
– The deacon serves the poor through the many ways found in the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, he serves them foremost as a spiritual man bearing spiritual gifts.
– The last thing a deacon wants is for his ministry to become a skill and his presence to other to become routine.
– A deacon’s ministry is to live out Christ’s invitation to receive the love and intimacy willed by God for all his creatures.
– Deacon’s are called to accompany people to the very depths of their souls and encourage them to receive the presence of God over and over again.

Each time a deacon put on his stole, may it remind him of the generosity of God, as he calls him to share in his Son’s service.

August – My Reflection Month

August seems to be the month where we naturally begin to look forward, the days are not quite as long and the nights are getting cooler. We start to see fall registrations for sports and classes and the Back to school advertisements start to appear.
We start to shift from the lazy days of summer to the structures and routines of fall.
In the Church we have shifted to John’s Gospel, which focuses on Jesus’ Eucharistic discourse, and with in the Sunday Gospels.
With the anniversary of my diaconate ordination in the month of August, in the past few years it seems that I take this month as a personal reflection month, in which I focus my personal reading and prayer on the ongoing formation, ministry and life of the Permanent Deacon.

For the next little while … I step back, or maybe it is step into, actually let’s go with step aside… because life is still forward, I cannot go into ‘Monk Mode’. I still have to be present to my family, my job, my Parish, and my ministry.
So I will journey with myself and two of the books that I impacted me at the beginning of my diaconate journey.
A Deacon’s Retreat by Deacon James Keating
A New Friendship by Edward L. Buelt

During this time, if I may… I ask that you pray for me and all of my brother deacons, that the Holy Spirit may guide us in our home life, employment and in our ministry to God’s people.
That we may have understanding of others and compassion for all. To help us know the gifts that we have been given and to show us how to use them in serving others.
Bless us with the humility needed to accept rejection, and the ability to discern God’s will, and the peace of mind that comes with serving Him.
This prayer also extends to the men in the deaconate formation and those being called, their wives and families, the Pope, our Bishops, Priests, religious, parish communities, and all peoples. May we serve each other in love, and understanding.
Give us the courage, strength and grace to help build a world of justice and peace through Jesus Christ, the Living Bread from Heaven.
Amen.

Peace,
DG

Stay on Mission …

Over the last few years, I have come to appreciate the cycle of readings and the flow of the church year. It seems that the weeks after Corpus Christie, up to this past Sunday where we began the John 6 eucharistic discourse…we have been focused on the mission of the church.
That leads me to three questions…
1) What is the mission of the Church?
2) What is the mission of my parish?
3) How am I living out this message in my life?

I can across this quote.. it summarizes a lot of what is happening today, as we navigate our history, the present times as well as what is to come.