deacon's corner

is the best you can do

Some years ago, during diaconate formation, we were tasked to discuss a number of serious and ever-growing global issues (e.g. poverty, hunger, genocide, persecution) and to attempt to discern some possible solutions. These discussions spanned several sessions and while conducted with noble intent, generally resulted in complete and utter frustration on the part of the participants. The cause of our frustration was simple: the problems we were asked to discuss and form some positive response were simply too large and overwhelming for any individual or small group to adequately comprehend, let alone be capable of proposing any reasonable and ameliorative resolution.

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A life lived in the presence of God

Rare is the encounter with a soul so profoundly created and graced with the smile of God’s love that its mere presence seismically disrupts your being to its very core. Few souls are capable of perceptibly altering the established course of one’s life, and yet, such an encounter inevitably leaves a life forever changed. It is a memory permanently inscribed upon the tendrils of the mind, a song sung so purely that its music breaks the heart with its aching melody.

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origin and reason considered

Seldom do we pause to consider the origin or reason for the existence of and ubiquity of legal systems, for the rationale behind the law that guides and shapes our lives and our interactions with one another. If we were to do so we most likely would paint an often negative and limiting portrait of a system designed primarily to restrict our actions and constrict our freedoms. We might more positively describe the law as a protective shield that helps keep evil at bay, while insuring safety and legitimate recourse for those who are injured by those who would wish to do us harm. And those would be reasonable definitions but would significantly fall short in providing adequate resolution to the questions of its source – the where – and reason – the why.

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considering the dogma of absolutes

Our journey through life is complicated by its very nature, filled with unforeseen twists and turns, and traversed without benefit of foreknowledge of what lies ahead. Yet we dare to blindly travel that road, without a care or serious thought as to where life might lead us, and almost certainly without any consideration for the destination that awaits us at the end of our wanderlust.

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At the center of the universe

It is within our nature to dream, for disconnected visions and distant images to drift vividly along the somnambulant pathways of our unconscious mind. And yet that which held us so captivated in our mental dormancy is instantly discarded and forgotten upon waking from our slumber. At least that is the normal way we dream. There are other times when we might dream while we are fully conscious and aware. Science calls these dreams either waking (hypnagogia) which are experienced during the moments just prior to sleep or lucid (hypnopompic) which occur during the onset of wakefulness.

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Making the impossible possible

When we read the Gospels and study the life of Jesus we quickly discover just how much he enjoyed the use of metaphor, allegory, idiom, and parable to teach his disciples. He was often addressed as rabbi, master, or teacher and was generally granted the deference due to one so titled. What might surprise is how seldom Jesus spoke with any degree of literal exactitude, which begs the question: Why not?

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Overcoming uncertainty and doubt

Faith “is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God, so that what is visible came into being through the invisible.”[1] In writing to the Hebrews, Saint Paul describes faith as an innate ethereal longing for evidence and proof of the unknowable and the invisible as might be discovered through the refractory lens of the knowable and visible universe.

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Belief and trust are not enough

Religious faith has variously been described by many theologians and biblical scholars as either a belief or trust in God and Jesus Christ. Each position has its own adherent community and each view bears controversy and is definitively non-Catholic.

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How much is enough?

Much has been said and written on the subject of faith; so much so that it is often difficult to clearly discern its exact nature and meaning, especially when expressed without adequate foundation or within appropriate context. The word faith is fraught with nuances and understandings as numerous as those who would speak of it and as a consequence it is often one of the most misunderstood, misconstrued, and misused words found within the English lexicon. The ever increasing tendency toward obfuscation and deliberate linguistic gymnastics only serve to further confuse and mislead those who find themselves on the receiving end of any such pedantic argument.
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An uncomfortable awareness

Recently a visiting missionary priest presented the congregation with an interesting scenario and a compelling question. He said, “Suppose for a moment that tomorrow morning when you step outside your front door you were to find Jesus physically standing there waiting for you. There he stands beside you with his long hair and beard, clothed in a dazzling white robe with his name embroidered in gold letters above his heart and he tells you that for today you don’t have to concern yourself with anything at all because he has your back and he will speak for you, work for you, do for you all that is needed and necessary.” Then he asked, “Do you believe your behavior would be any different than any other day?”

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