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Deacon-structing: Natural Law- Part 1
I was struck this past June when I read the Instrumentum Laboris, or working document for the 3rd Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which will take place from Oct 5-19, 2014. The...
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Deacon-structing: Natural Law Part 3
So far in part 1 and part 2, we looked at how natural law is usually defined and how some of these definitions cause confusion. I also offered a definition that has always worked well for me. It...
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Deacon-structing: The Law of Love
A reflection for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, year A. The readings are Exodus 22:20-26, Psalm 18, Thessalonians 1:5c-10 and Matthew 22:34-40. Which is the greatest commandment of the Law? This...
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Deacon-structing: All Souls
Yesterday we looked at the Book of Revelation and how it is a powerful reminder to those who too easily compromise their beliefs. This message is clear right from the beginning of the book with the...
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Deacon-structing Vocations: The Single Life
If there is anything that we learn from reading Scripture is that God calls people. Consistently, every story in the bible, involves a call: Abraham, Moses, Noah, Gideon, Jonah, Samuel, Ruth, Esther,...
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Deacon-structing Vocations: The Religious Life
After looking a what it means to be called and the meaning of discernment, last week we looked at the most misunderstood vocation: The Vocation to the Single Life. There are many people who, while...
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Deacon-structing Vocations: Ordained life part 2
Last week we looked at the Vocation to the Ordained Life and the Sacrament of Holy Orders. The tradition of the priesthood is not specific to Christianity and our tradition dates back to the early...
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Deacon-structing Vocations: Ordained life Part 3
I could not speak about the Ordained life without speaking about the two questions that most people have about the priesthood: The ordination of women and celibacy. Some people will ask why women are...
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Deacon-structing Vocations: Married Life part 1
So far we’ve looked at the Vocation to the Single Life, the Vocation to the Religious Life and the Vocation to the Ordained Life part 1, part 2 and part 3. Let’s look at the other Vocation that is...
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Deacon-structing Vocations: Married Life part 2
Recently I heard a talk by Julie and Greg Alexander of The Alexander House which helps parishes strengthen their marriage ministry or to help build a foundation to create one. Greg says that the...
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Deacon-structing the Call: Conclusion part 1
For the last couple of weeks we’ve been talking about Vocations. We’ve looked at what it means to be called and how to discern that call. We also looked at the Church’s four Vocations: Ordained Life,...
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Deacon-structing the Call: Conclusion part 2
Last week I said that everyone gets called. But sometimes we don’t recognize it, because we’re distracted or ‘cause we’re not expecting it. But the call comes and looking at Scripture helps us...
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Deacon-structing: Reconciliation part 1
The whole week between the Feast of the Epiphany and the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord we heard readings from the First Letter of St. John and on the Saturday I heard something that I had never...
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Deacon-structing: Reconciliation part 2
Last week, we began looking at sin and the difference between venial and mortal sin. Even though we`ve all been cleansed from Original Sin at Baptism, we are all still wounded by Original Sin. Because...
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Deacon-structing: Reconciliation part 3
So far, in part 1 and part 2 we’ve looked at sin and why we need the Sacrament of Reconciliation. There are two Sacraments that can be received every day: The Eucharist and Reconciliation. The Church...
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Deacon-structing Lent: part 2
Now that in part 1 we’ve taken care of questions regarding fasting and abstinence, let’s focus on the meaning of Lent. We all know that Lent is the 40 days leading us to Easter. But what really is...
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Deacon-structing Lent: part 3
In part 1 we looked at fasting and abstinence and in part 2 we looked at the meaning of suffering. Today, let me share with you something I like to do as part of my prayer (and we all know that Lent...
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Deacon-structing Lent: part 4
So far in part 1, we looked at questions people have regarding fasting and abstinence, in part 2 we looked at suffering and in part 3 we looked at what Scripture has to tell us about why Jesus had to...
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Deacon-structing Faith, Hope and Love
Listening to all the readings at Mass about the end of times at this time of the year makes you wonder if we should be proclaiming them as “the Good News!” Recently while visiting my parents I found a...
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Deacon-structing Mercy: Where are you going?
Two weeks ago we looked at why we need mercy and last week we reflected on Don Francisco’s beautiful song, “Adam, Where Are You?” Last week we also saw what the Church teaches about Original Sin:...
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Deacon-structing Mercy: Justice
mer·cy m?rs?/ noun noun: mercy; plural noun: mercies Compassion or forgiveness shown toward someone whom it is within one’s power to punish or harm. jus·tice j?st?s/ noun noun: justice; plural...
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Deacon-structing WYD: How We Prepare
Delegates from 88 countries participated in the 2nd Preparatory Meeting for WYD Panama 2019. World Youth Day is a monster! That is how I have been describing the work the last couple of months, when...
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Deacon-structing Mission: Social Justice
As I reflected on what I would first share about my time at the 5th Missionary Congress of the Americas that took place in Santa Cruz de la Sierra in Bolivia last week, I never thought that I would be...
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Deacon-structing: Reading Scripture – Part Two
Paschal Vigil. Photo by Yandry Fernández Perdomo on Cathopic. Last time I tried to make a case for reading Scripture. Our faith teaches that, not only should we read and study Scripture, but we should...
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Deacon-structing the One, True Church
Saint Peter the Apostle holding a gold key. iStock Photo. At a high school reunion shortly after Pope Benedict XVI was elected, I was challenged by a former classmate who is now a United Church...
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Deacon-structing Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery
iStock Photo. February 8th was the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, who was enslaved as a child and brought from Sudan to Italy in the late 19th century. She later became a Canossian Sister. She was...
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Deacon-structing: St. Gregory of Narek
Mosaic of St. Gregory of Narek in the Mekhitarist Monastery on San Lazzaro degli Armeni, Venice. Wikimedia Commons. Some 1000 years ago, Armenian St. Gregory of Narek set out to write what is today...
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Deacon-structing: Excommunication
A bell, a book, and a candle, the traditional symbols used to announce that an excommunication has taken place. Wikimedia Commons. Someone recently asked me why Hitler had not been excommunicated. I...
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Deacon-structing: What is a Heresy?
The condemnation of iconoclasm at the Second Council of Nicaea. Wikimedia Commons. When I was in the seminary, we had a professor who frequently called us heretics when we expressed an opinion or...
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