The Epiphany of the Lord_C - Lighten the Load_010222

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Lighten the Load”

The Epiphany of the Lord, Year C

As difficult as it was in the past to take a flight to see the kids or to go on vacation, it has gotten much worse since the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic. The additional testing is another level of frustration on top of those airline regulations that have routinely irritated us. I refer to the 50-pound weight limit for our baggage which, if you go over, you get dinged $35 or $50 penalty. Perhaps you have seen people pulling items out of their check in bag and stuffing them into the carry on to avoid the penalty. If you are smart, you use your scale at home to avoid such a scene at the airport. In that case you might be confronted with the difficult choice of leaving behind that extra sweater or the additional pair of dress shoes and if push comes to shove, and you can’t decide, oh well, you are just going to have to pony up the extra bucks!

I wonder if the Magi had trouble packing all they needed for their trip. They didn’t know how long their journey would take nor what exactly they would need along the way. There was only so much that they could bring with them and there were no shopping malls along the way like there is today. They had to pack wisely if they wanted to find that special object they were seeking, the infant King of the Jews.

This journey of the Magi that announces the Good News of God’s salvation to the entire world invites us to reflect on the journey of our lives. The Magi’s story prompts us to ponder the direction of our lives and asks us, “What is it that we are looking for in this life”? What is the object of our hearts’ desire that is driving us forward each day; what is that “special thing” that will completely satisfy us when we find it? Most of us recognize that our lives are so busy and cluttered at times that we often neglect those important things that give us the most joy and happiness. Suffering from that same condition, I have been asking myself what are the essential, absolute necessities I need to enjoy life. It comes down a single word…relationship. Relationships with my family, friends, and God are what matter most to me at this stage of my life. Perhaps the same is true for you also.

There are so many activities that contribute to the busyness of our lives that don’t contribute to the quality of our lives, nor do they lead us to what is most important: a deeper relationship with those around us and God. If the choices we are making aren’t leading us to deeper, more profound relationships, then, these are the things we need to leave behind, just like we must leave some things behind when we pack for the airport. Life, as we are often reminded, is full of choices…some are good, and others, well, not so good.

There is no doubt whatsoever that we have been in challenging times these past two years brought on by this world-wide pandemic. Worse, it continues to evolve and infect people at an alarming rate. It has changed many people’s lives in ways that were unthinkable as 2019 came to a close. It has created this immense “work from home” workforce; it has changed how people shop, where they shop and what they buy... if you can get it; it has changed the education system by transitioning from classroom to virtual educating, and we have virtual doctor’s visits. Some people are wearing masks, getting vaccinated...and boosted; there are those who are avoiding large indoor gatherings... Yes, it is a different world today and we have all experienced many changes in one way or another. And that includes spiritual matters. Our churches are open for the most part with few restrictions. But many people still avoid attending for fear of getting Covid themselves or infecting their immunocompromised loved ones. Again, all a matter of choice. As I said, some choices are good.... and others, well, not so good.

The choice I hope all can agree upon as we enter into 2022 is our own individual need to make better spiritual choices in the New Year. By that I mean, to choose to spend more time in prayer, more time examining our conscience to see where we need to make some changes in our attitudes or to identify areas where we just aren’t living up the teachings Christ taught us, those difficult things to do like forgiving others, not judging others, stopping gossip or overcoming our skepticism over so many things. As our lives have been turned upside down in many ways because of the pandemic, perhaps we can use the time going forward to delve into our spiritual lives and toss out any baggage that is not leading us into intimate communion with the Heart of God.

May God, who sent His only Son to “dwell among us,” help us to accomplish this in the New Year. And, may God bless you and your loved ones in the days to follow.

Enjoy the day and a very Blessed, Holy, and Happy New Year to you and your loved ones.


Deacon Tom

Image Credit: Epiphany_Three-Kings_reyes

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph_C - Family Life or Family Strife?_122621

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Deacon Tom Writes,

Family Life or Family Strife? 

Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

You can’t expect to be on a championship team if you aren’t willing to give it all you’ve got… and then some! Anyone who has played sports or attended their kids’ practices knows the coaches’ constant demand for 100% from each player. Those who want to win bad enough do everything within their power to increase their performance so they can achieve their goal. Our human nature is such that we will do whatever it takes to get what we want once we want it bad enough.

St Paul’s Letter to the Colossians, one of the optional readings for today’s feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, envisions a quality of life so desirous that we are willing to sacrifice a great deal to attain it. St. Paul is giving us incredible insight on how to live wholesome, faith-filled lives rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ, so that we can succeed at having lives that yield peace, thankfulness, gratitude, and harmony for ourselves and those with whom we share our lives, hopefully starting within our own families.

Paul is creating within us the desire to be God’s family. He is giving us a clear image of what it is like to accept this generous invitation. In a world that was brutal, suspicious, violent, insensitive, uncaring, Paul offers a vision of hope that flows from our identity as being a part of God’s family. He says, “Put on… heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience…” In addition, we must bear with one another…forgive one another…settle disputes justly so that “the peace of Christ control(s) your heart”. What an alternative vision compared to the harsh reality the Colossians’ day-to-day experience. Is it any wonder why Christianity grew so rapidly in those early days?

“I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live,” we read in Deuteronomy 30:19. The life that we are called to imitate is modeled on the life of the Holy Family. Within the structure of that family Jesus came to know and experience the love of a mother and of a father. That is where Jesus came to know of God’s love for Him. Amid the day-to-day life of the Holy Family, Jesus’ conscience was formed, His love and dependency on God fashioned, His love for God’s Holy People realized. In the safety and security of the Holy Family, Jesus was able to discern the Father’s call.

As we celebrate this Feast of the Holy Family, let us strive to create an environment for our children and for one another that is healthy, safe, loving, respectful, joy-filled, generous, and full of laughter. Let us give our children and one another the space and atmosphere where we can all come to know God’s love, hear His call, and grow together as His children, members of God’s Holy Family, so that the peace of Christ controls our hearts.

Wishing you a most joyous and peace-filled New Year!

Deacon Tom

Fourth Sunday of Advent_C - I Come To Do Your Will_121921

Deacon Tom Writes,

“I Come To Do Your Will, O God”

Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year C

Isn’t it strange that the one thing that can keep us furthest from God’s love is the very gift God intended to draw us closest to him? It’s this unique gift of “Free Will” that flows from God’s unimaginable love for us that enables us to say “No” to him. When we misuse this gift, we are free to reject him completely; we can ignore him when it is convenient to do so; we can even deny that he exists. Imagine that! Once we liberate ourselves from our Creator, we are completely free to live our lives with reckless abandon trying to find substitutes for those very things God intended us to have from the beginning – our complete joy and happiness. But striking out on our own to find “the good life” usually has dire and “unintended” but predictable consequences.

Of course, God did not intend for us to use the gift of “Free Will” to reject him. In giving us this gift God revealed something about himself. He revealed his unconditional love for us and for all his creation. No “normal” parent gives their children something that would harm them. The giving of gifts reflects the deep love parents have for their children. Genuine giving is an intimate sharing of parents’ desire for their children to experience joy and happiness here in this life, to reach their full potential as they mature into adulthood, and one day to enter into eternal life for which we were all created.

In the Second Reading today, St. Paul quotes Jesus’ words letting us know that he is aware of the gift he has received from God, and that he knows how to respond to that gift. He responds to the precious gift of free will by saying “Yes” to God. In the Gospel, Mary is visiting her cousin Elizabeth to share with her the good news of how God responds to her saying, “Yes” to him. Both Jesus and Mary use the gift of their free will by submitting themselves to God and disposing themselves to do all that God asks them to do. Jesus, Mary and John the Baptist know and teach us that this is the only way for us to fully experience all that God has promised us in this life….and, to look forward to the life that is to come.

As we prepare to exchange gifts this Christmas, let us recall the gifts that we have received from God. And, let us respond joyfully to the many other gifts we have been blessed with over the years by echoing Jesus’ words, “I come to do your will, O God” and then, sit quietly and await his response in silence.

God bless and keep you and your loved ones close to him, now and always. And may the Christ Child fill you with his peace and love.

Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom

Third Sunday of Advent_C - What Should We Do?_121221

Deacon Tom Writes,

“What Should We Do?” 

Third Sunday of Advent, Year C

John the Baptist was like a magnet drawing people out into the desert. They came because they were looking for something, and perhaps, because John was so very different from anyone they had ever heard or seen, they may have thought that he had what they were looking for. So, they came and listened. Some even went so far as to be baptized, a sign that they bought into what he was preaching - lock, stock and barrel!

The baptism that John was preaching called for a change of heart. Those who felt called to take John up on his offer had to leave their old ways behind and start out fresh, as if it was a new beginning, or at the least, a new mindset. Those who desired to change their ways asked John an obvious question, “What should we do?” And so, to the Tax Collector, John says, “Stop collecting more than is prescribed.” In other words, do whatever is the right thing to do in all your business affairs. To the Soldiers who asked what they should do, he answered, “Do not extort…do not falsely accuse…. be satisfied with your wages.” That’s the equivalent of saying don’t abuse your power or misuse your authority. People from all walks of life came to John for his advice and it would basically be the same, “Stop the injustice; start doing what is right.”

John is preparing the people for the one who is to follow him, Jesus. John lays the foundation of justice that Jesus will build on. The call to justice requires that we look within and see how we have contributed to the injustices that surround us and to have a change of heart and recognize that we need to change our ways.

John calls us to conversion, a change of heart that comes from within. When we experience this conversion, we too begin to ask the question, “What should we do?” While we still have some days of Advent remaining, let’s pause and ask Jesus to help us answer this question from within so we may always “act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8)

Enjoy the Day!
Deacon Tom

Second Sunday of Advent_C - Love Changes Everything_120521

Deacon Tom Writes,

“Love Changes Everything”

Second Sunday of Advent, Year C

Paul tells his brothers and sisters in Philippi of his great love for them and he prays for them “…always with joy in my every prayer for you.” He says further, “And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more” [so you may] “discern what is of value.” Paul emphasizes that love is the most important virtue in his letter to the Corinthians, in one of his most famous quotes, “So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love” 1 Cor 13:13. Love, as a song written by Andrew Lloyd Webber expresses so well, changes everything!

Advent is, as we are so well aware, a time of preparation...a time to get ready for visits from friends and family; a time to cook and prepare the traditional family meals; a time to write Christmas Cards to distant friends with whom we share fond memories but have not seen in a while because of distance or the pandemic that has isolated us from one another; a time, oh yes of course, for shopping for special gifts, wrapping them, and decorating the house and Christmas Tree. Whew! We often reap a whirlwind of fatigue trying to get “prepared” for Christmas. Sometimes, perhaps often, we just get too wrapped up, pun intended and miss out on the “Meaning of the Season.”

Advent is a time of preparation, yes. But, while these other efforts are worthy and hopefully driven by our love of family and friends, it is a sad reality that we often fail to prepare ourselves for the most important of friends, family, and loved ones... Emmanuel, the Word Made Flesh. The most beautiful preparation we can make, the one that is most worthy of the Christ Child we anticipate, is to open ourselves up to a change of heart. That is, to open ourselves up to overcome our hardness of heart, our negative judgments of others, our insistence on holding on to grudges and resentments of the past, our unwillingness to forgive those who have hurt us. We are “broken” and we need to be healed from the inside out. The only gift the Christ Child desires is for us to have a change of heart so that we may welcome him into our lives untarnished by the bitter resentments of the past, to offer him hearts that long to be filled with the Peace and Joy of the newborn babe. Love really does change everything. Love changes us from the inside out as Dickens demonstrates in his famous Ebenezer Scrooge.

May this Advent Season be different than all we have experienced in the past. May God’s grace increase our desire for those gifts that last forever: a generous heart, a deeper sense of compassion and empathy for those who are hurting this year, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. And, may our love increase so that the Holy One may use us when and where the Divine Presence is needed to bring healing and reconciliation to our troubled world.

Yes, “Love changes everything” and, when it does, “Nothing in the World will ever be the same.” Advent is that time of year when we dare to dream that the forces of love can cast out the darkness we see and experience in the world around us and prepare our hearts for the King of Glory to enter within.


Enjoy the day!
Deacon Tom

Image: Giotto Nativity