Stay on Target…

Today we read a passage from the The letter of Jude, it is the only time we read from Jude in the liturgy.
Jude’s Letter in the Bible is kind of like a post-it note placed right before the Book of Revelation to John … but in its 620 words there is a powerful verse that we need to live out each day in our Christian journey.
Maybe it is a reminder of what we need to do above all else …

verse 20 & 21 – But you, beloved, build yourselves up on your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God; look forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

In my local area, most likely in my greater Archdiocese and the rest of North America, we are distracted from the mission because of the current situation that we find the family, our parishes, countries and the world in.

Families are so focused on making money so be able to afford the things that will distract them from reality that they are simply people living instead of people loving.

Parishes are spending so much time talking about which ones should stay open that they do not realize that they are closed off to anyone not already within their walls.
Again, before we get lost and confused with all that we read in the Book of Revelation to John, this small letter from Jude is reminder, “keep yourself in the love of God”.

Maybe we need to live life, our Christian life, like that final scene in Star Wars, A New Hope when they are attacking the evil Death Star.
Pilots are in a trench with an intense battle going on around them,
feelings of fear and desperation are causing them to doubt and fall victim.
In their radio headset, they hear a clear message from their leader, “Stay on Target”, and in the end the do fulfill the mission.

Peace,
DG

A Birthday wish…

Today on this great feast, Pentecost, the birthday of the Church… it may be appropriate to make a wish.
Most Sundays in the Easter Season, at the end of the 11:00 am, as we prepare for the next day and close up the church, one of the tasks is to blow out the Pascal Candle.

Today is different as it will be the last time as we now now enter into the second half of ordinary time in the liturgical year.

This time as I blow out the Pascal candle I will offer this prayer from Saint Pius X:
O Holy Spirit,
Divine Spirit of light and love,
I consecrate to You my understanding, my heart and my will,
my whole being to you forever.
May my understanding always submissive to Your heavenly inspirations and to the teachings of the Catholic Church, of which You are the Infallible Guide.
May my heart be ever inflamed with love of God and of my neighbour.
May my will be ever conformed to the divine will and may my whole life be a faithful imitation of the life and virtues of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, to whom with the father and You, be honour and glory forever.
Amen.

Come Holy Spirit,
Rekindle our hearts with the fire of your Divine Love.
Peace,
DG

The Good Shepherd…

This past Sunday we celebrate Christ as the Good Shepherd, we also take time to reflect on vocations to the priesthood, religious life and the diaconate.
The Gospels in the lectionary of the week progress through John chapter 10.

Here in first world North America we have lost the impact of what it means to be a shepherd … much less a “Good Shepherd”.

This is the image we keep of what a “Good Shepherd” is, Jesus lifting up a a cute little lamb onto his shoulders to make the journey easier, a little more tolerable.
It is no wonder that we become frustrated or feel forgotten at times with ” the Good Shepherd” because our “Christian journey” is not as tolerable or as easy as we feel it should be… I blame the “prosperity Gospel” mindset from popular megachurch ministers who sell a lot of books, live in mansions and drive fancy cars.

Think of this when you feel you life is not quite the way you feel it should be…

When a lamb is not staying with the fold, wandering off and putting itself into danger, a shepherd who cares about his flock and each individual lamb will purposely break one the legs of the straying lamb.
He will them bandage up the leg and place the lamb on his shoulder and carry them around until the leg is healed.
As a result, there is a new bond that forms between the shepherd and the lamb that results in the lamb staying with the shepherd, and not straying away from the benefits that being close to the shepherd provides.

When parts our lives seem to be broken, could it be that the ‘Good Shepherd’ is invited us to surrender ourselves, you allow him to come and bandage us up and carry us… so that be can reconcile our attachment to him.

Peace,
DG

Have a wonder-filled Sunday…

The Gospel this Sunday is Luke 24-13:35 … the walk to Emmaus.
How often do we read a story in the bible and wish that we were able to experience in real-time, in the first person.
Buckle up because every time we attend Holy Mass … Luke 24-13:35, not the walk, because most of us drive to Holy Mass … but the recognizing of Jesus in the breaking of the bread.

As we attend Holy Mass this Sunday, ask the Holy Spirit to burn away anything that is insulating your heart and not allowing it to be open to the wonder that Jesus makes himself available to you in the Holy Eucharist.

Not because you have done anything to deserve his presence,
but because He has done everything to be in yours.

Peace,
DG

WHY DOES A DEACON WEAR HIS STOLE ACROSS HIS SHOULDER?

I came across this post from Catholic Online Class, it provides an outlook on the charism of the order of Deacons.
It is a good reminder that my ordination is not to be taken lightly, or casual and being addressed as Deacon, even when in public and not vested is a wonderful reminder, because that is where the Deacon live out his calling.

Not Power, But Service

The deacon is not ordained to lead the Church like a priest.
He is ordained to serve, just like Jesus did.

The word “deacon” comes from the Greek “diakonos” meaning “servant”.
So, his vestment, especially the stole, must reflect that.

While a priest wears his stole straight down on both shoulders,
the deacon wears it from his left shoulder, across his chest, and ties it at the side.

But why?

Every Part Has Meaning:

-From the shoulder, because that’s where you carry a burden.
The deacon carries the burden of the Gospel, of the poor, of the Church.

-Across the chest, it crosses the heart.
Because service must come from love. Without love, it’s just work.

-Tied at the side, because he’s ready to serve.
Like a servant rolling up their sleeves, the deacon is always ready.

The Stole Is a Cross

That stole, crossing from shoulder to side, is shaped like a cross.
It reminds the deacon, and all of us, that to serve like Jesus is to carry a cross.

  • It’s not about looking important.
  • It’s about loving deeply, serving humbly, and giving joyfully.

The deacon wears what Christ wore:

  • A towel to wash feet.
  • A cross to save the world. A Message Without Words

When you see a deacon in his stole, you’re seeing a message:

  • “I am here to serve, not to be served.”
  • “I carry Christ’s message, with love.”
  • “I stand between the altar and the street, to bring God to the people, and the people to God.”

So:

The priest’s stole says: I lead you to the altar.
The deacon’s stole says: I walk with you to the streets.

  • It’s not just a cloth.
  • It’s a cross.
  • It’s a calling.

And it’s worn…
with the heart in the middle.

Peace,
DG

He has Risen … have we?

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“This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Ps 118:24

Allow me to shamelessly quote the Gospel Acclamation from today, as an Easter people this should be the quote that we live by each and everyday.
Of course it is easy to fall into the trap that the world we live in today is crazier, more chaotic, disenchanted, unmoral… feel free to add whatever word you would like to use to describe that state of the world, the dog ate my thesaurus.

I think every generation feels that the generations before had an easier time.
So it seems we have a choice, we can wake up every morning, look out the window and say “the world looks the same” or “Don’t worry, Be Happy”.
Maybe Padre Pio said a more appropriate quote, “Pray, Hope, and Don’t Worry.

Imagine if we woke up every morning and lived out…
“This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

Would that not change how people see the World, the Church, see people who follow Christ.

We need to change the narrative…
we need to stop living like we will be joyful once everything is fixed and start living joyfully because this is the day the Lord has made.

There is no generation that lived joyfully because they lived in a perfect world, they needed to choose to be joyful.

God created us in his image, I think that is a good reason to be joyful.

Let’s rise up each day rejoicing … inspiring gladness.
Peace,
DG


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