This has been happening to me for some time now; it just seems like it happened quite a bit over the last couple of weeks. With overflow crowds at most Masses and well wishing inspired by the Christmas spirit, I was often greeted with a "Merry Christmas father" or "have a great day father" or "beautiful Mass father".
For the most part I usually let the well intentioned greeting go. Afterall, they all could not be more sincere. Now that I have been a Permanent Deacon for over a year and have made the loop through the liturgical calendar, I must admit that this concerns me. Remember, these are church-going, Sacrament receiving Catholics who still do not understand the distiction in office between a Priest and a Permanent Deacon.
Have we failed to do a good job of cathecizing the faithful? Do Catholics understand the three offices of Bishop, Priest, Deacon? Is it not easily observable that the Priest and Deacon function differently at Mass?
Since the Permanent Diaconate is only about 35 years old in my archdiocese (New Orleans) I guess we may have done a poor job of teaching the faithful about the role and function of the Deacon. Perhaps Catholics, especially those who were active in the church 40 years ago, still believe that Deacon is a step toward Priesthood. Of course this is true of those on the path of ordination to become a Priest. These men are ordained as Deacons, usually a year or so before the Priesthood, and they are considered transitional. When they function as a Deacon at Mass, they vest like a Deacon. Same for the Permanent Deacon; he never vests like a Priest.
Before I give some helpful hints to the faithful on how to spot a Deacon at Mass let me start at a more important place. Deacons are ordained clergy. Yes, they come from the lay faithful, the parishes but once ordained they are clergy. Deacons serve primarily in ministries of charity, like food banks, hospitals, prisons, youth centers, etc. But Deacons play ever increasing roles around the parish. Deacons, by their office, can preach, prepare the gifts, invoke the penetential rite, the sign of peace and the dismissal. If a Deacon is present at Mass, he will proclaim the Gospel; always!
You can spot a Deacon on the altar by his vestments. Many times Deacons do not wear the outer garment but have a stole, which crosses his chest, over an alb. If he does wear an outer garment his is a dalmatic; it has sleeves, where the Priest wears a chausable, no sleeves. You may notice that the Deacon never presides and never speaks during the consecration. The Deacon does not take the Eucharist onto himself; the Priest gives the Deacon the Eucharist. And during Mass, the Deacon never gives the blessing; this is given by the Priest.
Another helpful hint; after Mass, wen my wife comes to me and gives me a big hug or I'm greeting my daughter, that can be a sign that I'm not a Priest.
The full restoration of the Permanent Diaconate is one of the many great blessings and graces of the Second Vatican Council. Deacons serve a much needed ministry in the Church and do not exist because of a shortage of Priests. Oh yes, Deacons are more visible these days in places where Priests used to be visible. The restoration of the Permanent Diaconate has allowed our Priests to attend to parish matters, spiritual direction and minister Sacraments.
I'll never get offended if you pass me after Mass and say good day father. Just look for the signs and remember that Deacon is indeed an ordained ministry of the Catholic Church.
And if you want to look for me ministering away from Mass, come find me at work, the store, around the community, at the prison or just helping others.
I hope this helps. And I would be interested in your opinion: should I correct those who call me father or just let it go. I'm anxious to find out what you think!
Monday, January 4, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
An American Saint
Since it will be all work all day tomorrow let me reflect tonight on the life of an American born saint. Her name is Elizabeth Ann Seton and she was born in New York in the 18th century. She was raised as an Episcoplian and married Richard Seton who was very wealthy.
Unfortunately, Seton's business fell apart and he was forced into bankruptcy. Soon after his health failed him and doctors sent him to Rome for treatment and recovery. Elizabeth followed her husband to Rome where he eventually died. Elizabeth was left a widow and a mother of five although they were reaching ages of independence.
While in Rome, Elizabeth was taken in by a Catholic family, fell in love with the faith and was accepted in the Catholic Church in 1805. Still concerned with taking care of her family, Seton established schools, with some difficulties but eventual success and later turned her attention to founding a women's religious order. This would become the first women's religious order totally established in the United States and was devoted to helping poor children. From these humble beginnings, six religious communities in the United States are still in existence.
Elizabeth Ann Seton had a fierce devotion to the Eucharist, Sacred Scripture and the Blessed Virgin Mary. She was eventually declared a Saint in 1975 by Pope Paul VI, becoming the first American born Saint.
Here in New Orleans we used to have a all girls high school named in her honor. The diocese of Shreveport claims St. Elizabeth Ann Seton as their patron saint.
So on this upcoming first work day and back to school day we can ask St. Elizabeth Ann Seton for her powerful intercession.
Unfortunately, Seton's business fell apart and he was forced into bankruptcy. Soon after his health failed him and doctors sent him to Rome for treatment and recovery. Elizabeth followed her husband to Rome where he eventually died. Elizabeth was left a widow and a mother of five although they were reaching ages of independence.
While in Rome, Elizabeth was taken in by a Catholic family, fell in love with the faith and was accepted in the Catholic Church in 1805. Still concerned with taking care of her family, Seton established schools, with some difficulties but eventual success and later turned her attention to founding a women's religious order. This would become the first women's religious order totally established in the United States and was devoted to helping poor children. From these humble beginnings, six religious communities in the United States are still in existence.
Elizabeth Ann Seton had a fierce devotion to the Eucharist, Sacred Scripture and the Blessed Virgin Mary. She was eventually declared a Saint in 1975 by Pope Paul VI, becoming the first American born Saint.
Here in New Orleans we used to have a all girls high school named in her honor. The diocese of Shreveport claims St. Elizabeth Ann Seton as their patron saint.
So on this upcoming first work day and back to school day we can ask St. Elizabeth Ann Seton for her powerful intercession.
Saints will limp into the playoffs
Provided here is blunt analysis of the Saints season and the prospects for the playoffs. First, we all know by now that the Saints lost their third game in a row vs. the Carolina Panthers. Truth be told, there was never any effort expended to win this game. Even after the Saints scored to make it 23-10, the boys in black and gold had four possessions and never got serious about trying to score. When the opportunity did present itself late in the game, Mark Brunell threw one of the worst passes in Saints history.
So now we have the contradiction of the NFC's #1 seed, a team with the noble accomplishment of 13 wins, and a team limping into the playoffs with 3 consecutive losses. Never in the history of the NFL has any team won a Super Bowl with 3 straight regular season losses to close out a season.
So what happens in mid to late January? Which Saints team shows up? Can the team that played exciting, clean, crisp, aggressive football reappear? As I said last week, with the exception of two games, the New England game most notably, the Saints have been missing in action for 8 weeks. With all of this said, they do have a 13-3 overall record and the #1 seed but most factual points of emphasis do not bode well for the Saints.
The Saints can absolutely positevely not stop the run. Anybody with two legs can run through this swiss cheese d-line. Charles Grant is a wash out and we need a healthy Sedrick Ellis to also reappear. Will Smith is good and Anthony Hargrove played like a stud today but man, the d-line looks bad going into the playoffs. And as we enter the playoffs we now own the distinction of giving up 4 drives of 90 or more yards for a touchdown. Now most kool-aid drinking fans will always fall back on injuries. You know what the definition of those who constantly whine about injuries is: fans of a team that has never been to the Super Bowl. Remember, it was a starting d-lineman that enabled the long TD run by the Panthers today.
Offensively, the Saints have grown weaker and weaker by the week. Today is hard to assess although we all can agree that Mark Brunell is the worst back-up quaterback in the NFL. His play today was pathetic. How many times did he have the open streaking receiver but his throws fell way short from his aging body. And what about Robert Meachem? All of a sudden you have to question some of his decisions lately. And I mentioned this last week but it could not be more obvious today; has Mike Bell lost a step or two in the second half of the season?
Many people say that the playoffs is a brand new season and the Saints know what they are doing. In two weeks we will see. My question is how can anything that happened in the last 3 weeks give any confidence to a squad that seems to have lost its' way. The Dallas game, in part, was a combination of catching a good team when they are getting better and unfortunately a case of the collective big head. I'll say it again, analyze the tapes. Most of the comments and answers coming out of the lockerroom for almost two weeks before Dallas was about the 16-0 and were going to the playoffs and were going to win the Super Bowl. Talk the talk AFTER you walk the walk. But I can handle the Dallas loss and whatever that was today. That Tampa game is what still has me steamed. The more I analyze that game, the more concerned I become.
Look what happened today. With a lot less on the line, Atlanta whipped Tampa Bay today. Another omen that bodes poorly for long suffering Saints fans.
So here we are, listening to Coach Payton acting like nothing is wrong. For his sake I hope he is right. Soon, we will know who we play in week 2 of the post season. I can assure you of this; even though the playoffs go through New Orleans, this should not be a source of concern for the other guys. Honestly, anybody can beat anyone on any given Sunday. But if you are one of the other 5 teans and someone shoves a microphone in your face and forces you to say, who do you want to face in the playoffs, your answer should be the Saints. When the Saints back is really against the wall; when they truly play for something huge; well, we know the record.
I truly wish that I could post something contrary to what my analysis reveals. I still will have my fingers crossed and cheering for a victory in the playoffs, but football facts are stacking up against the Saints. And if this continues to go down the drain, they will have no one to blame but self. In just one short window of 3 hours or so, two weekends from now, will result in a historic possibility or the most disappointing end to a fabulous start in Saints history.
And nothing we can do will influence this. It's all on the Saints. Do they want it and will they go get it. We will know in 2 weeks.
So now we have the contradiction of the NFC's #1 seed, a team with the noble accomplishment of 13 wins, and a team limping into the playoffs with 3 consecutive losses. Never in the history of the NFL has any team won a Super Bowl with 3 straight regular season losses to close out a season.
So what happens in mid to late January? Which Saints team shows up? Can the team that played exciting, clean, crisp, aggressive football reappear? As I said last week, with the exception of two games, the New England game most notably, the Saints have been missing in action for 8 weeks. With all of this said, they do have a 13-3 overall record and the #1 seed but most factual points of emphasis do not bode well for the Saints.
The Saints can absolutely positevely not stop the run. Anybody with two legs can run through this swiss cheese d-line. Charles Grant is a wash out and we need a healthy Sedrick Ellis to also reappear. Will Smith is good and Anthony Hargrove played like a stud today but man, the d-line looks bad going into the playoffs. And as we enter the playoffs we now own the distinction of giving up 4 drives of 90 or more yards for a touchdown. Now most kool-aid drinking fans will always fall back on injuries. You know what the definition of those who constantly whine about injuries is: fans of a team that has never been to the Super Bowl. Remember, it was a starting d-lineman that enabled the long TD run by the Panthers today.
Offensively, the Saints have grown weaker and weaker by the week. Today is hard to assess although we all can agree that Mark Brunell is the worst back-up quaterback in the NFL. His play today was pathetic. How many times did he have the open streaking receiver but his throws fell way short from his aging body. And what about Robert Meachem? All of a sudden you have to question some of his decisions lately. And I mentioned this last week but it could not be more obvious today; has Mike Bell lost a step or two in the second half of the season?
Many people say that the playoffs is a brand new season and the Saints know what they are doing. In two weeks we will see. My question is how can anything that happened in the last 3 weeks give any confidence to a squad that seems to have lost its' way. The Dallas game, in part, was a combination of catching a good team when they are getting better and unfortunately a case of the collective big head. I'll say it again, analyze the tapes. Most of the comments and answers coming out of the lockerroom for almost two weeks before Dallas was about the 16-0 and were going to the playoffs and were going to win the Super Bowl. Talk the talk AFTER you walk the walk. But I can handle the Dallas loss and whatever that was today. That Tampa game is what still has me steamed. The more I analyze that game, the more concerned I become.
Look what happened today. With a lot less on the line, Atlanta whipped Tampa Bay today. Another omen that bodes poorly for long suffering Saints fans.
So here we are, listening to Coach Payton acting like nothing is wrong. For his sake I hope he is right. Soon, we will know who we play in week 2 of the post season. I can assure you of this; even though the playoffs go through New Orleans, this should not be a source of concern for the other guys. Honestly, anybody can beat anyone on any given Sunday. But if you are one of the other 5 teans and someone shoves a microphone in your face and forces you to say, who do you want to face in the playoffs, your answer should be the Saints. When the Saints back is really against the wall; when they truly play for something huge; well, we know the record.
I truly wish that I could post something contrary to what my analysis reveals. I still will have my fingers crossed and cheering for a victory in the playoffs, but football facts are stacking up against the Saints. And if this continues to go down the drain, they will have no one to blame but self. In just one short window of 3 hours or so, two weekends from now, will result in a historic possibility or the most disappointing end to a fabulous start in Saints history.
And nothing we can do will influence this. It's all on the Saints. Do they want it and will they go get it. We will know in 2 weeks.
The first full week of the New Year
Early on this cold and crisp Sunday morning I realize that all of us are facing the first full week of the New Year. With New Year's Day falling on a Friday, most of us have enjoyed a 3 or 4 day weekend or perhaps an even longer break if you had any end of the year vacation. I'm in that category as I have been off from the job since December 22nd.
Over the past few days many of us have concentrated on what the New Year will bring or have been fine tuning our New Year's resolutions. I have already mentioned how hard it is to plan or look forward well into the future. But this Sunday morning may give us an opportunity to put into practice a resolution of sorts. We all can gather our thoughts and plans today and look at the week ahead and make plans to get 2010 off to a great start.
For me, and I suspect many of you, it will be back to the office tomorrow morning. After a couple of weeks of sleeping in, which I really don't do anyway, it will be a sharp 6 a.m. wake up call. As is often the case with a long abscence from the desk, there will be the usual backlog of emails and phone messages and tasks left incomplete from two weeks ago. Unlike in my past life, I resolve not to burn out in one day or one week. My goal is to be a little better organized and in control. Maybe I can update you on how well that goes or how long it will last.
School starts locally on Monday and for my church parish that means the first day of CCD classes in almost a month. One of the really nice ways to kick off a new week, let alone a new year, is to surround yourself with these children. I enjoy visiting with our CCD children or leading a prayer service in the church. Either way, it will be very nice to see them all gathered together again learning more about Jesus and our faith.
In this first full week of the New Year I will try to be aware of the fact that we are still in the Christmas season. We are in the final week of the liturgical Christmas season with January 6th coming up on Wednesday and the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord this Sunday. January 6th used to be universally accepted as the Epiphany; now we celebrate it on the first Sunday of the New Year. For us locally, January 6th also is known as King's Day as we also mark the beginning of our Mardi Gras season with 12th night celebrations and the tradition of eating King Cake. Baked into the dough of a King Cake is a tiny plastic baby, symbolizing the Christ child found; just as the three wise men found the Christ child in Bethlehem.
In the week ahead I also have resolved to be aware more of what I'm eating and to take a couple of walks; to simply get away from the computer and the easy chair and move more. It would be a wise thing to get in a little better shape in 2010 as the demands of both job and ministry can be physically demanding.
January on it's own is a challenging month. For us living in the deep south, we will face one of the coldest weeks in a long time with 4 or 5 days of predicted lows below freezing. For some of you reading this you probably laugh at this as I know a large part of our nation is bitterly cold. Trust me, after a few days of lows in the twenties our locals will be convinced we live in Siberia. Will January bring us, the long suffering fans of the New Orleans Saints, a playoff season we have dreamed about for years? We will learn nothing today as the Saints play second string against Carolina. But we will host a playoff game in two weeks but it will come after a 3 game loosing streak. If the Saints of the 13 game winning streak show up, we may be loving January in New Orleans like never before.
So, if you are in the same position I am, enjoy your day today. Make it to Mass and spend some quiet time in prayer. Plan the week ahead and don't look to far into the future. Make this a great week. Tough out those resolutions or ideas you have to make your life a little better. Pray more, laugh more and smile a lot. Don't let anything get you down and live in the moment.
It's the first full week of the New Year; another gift from God! What will you do with this gift? The answer lies with each of us.
Over the past few days many of us have concentrated on what the New Year will bring or have been fine tuning our New Year's resolutions. I have already mentioned how hard it is to plan or look forward well into the future. But this Sunday morning may give us an opportunity to put into practice a resolution of sorts. We all can gather our thoughts and plans today and look at the week ahead and make plans to get 2010 off to a great start.
For me, and I suspect many of you, it will be back to the office tomorrow morning. After a couple of weeks of sleeping in, which I really don't do anyway, it will be a sharp 6 a.m. wake up call. As is often the case with a long abscence from the desk, there will be the usual backlog of emails and phone messages and tasks left incomplete from two weeks ago. Unlike in my past life, I resolve not to burn out in one day or one week. My goal is to be a little better organized and in control. Maybe I can update you on how well that goes or how long it will last.
School starts locally on Monday and for my church parish that means the first day of CCD classes in almost a month. One of the really nice ways to kick off a new week, let alone a new year, is to surround yourself with these children. I enjoy visiting with our CCD children or leading a prayer service in the church. Either way, it will be very nice to see them all gathered together again learning more about Jesus and our faith.
In this first full week of the New Year I will try to be aware of the fact that we are still in the Christmas season. We are in the final week of the liturgical Christmas season with January 6th coming up on Wednesday and the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord this Sunday. January 6th used to be universally accepted as the Epiphany; now we celebrate it on the first Sunday of the New Year. For us locally, January 6th also is known as King's Day as we also mark the beginning of our Mardi Gras season with 12th night celebrations and the tradition of eating King Cake. Baked into the dough of a King Cake is a tiny plastic baby, symbolizing the Christ child found; just as the three wise men found the Christ child in Bethlehem.
In the week ahead I also have resolved to be aware more of what I'm eating and to take a couple of walks; to simply get away from the computer and the easy chair and move more. It would be a wise thing to get in a little better shape in 2010 as the demands of both job and ministry can be physically demanding.
January on it's own is a challenging month. For us living in the deep south, we will face one of the coldest weeks in a long time with 4 or 5 days of predicted lows below freezing. For some of you reading this you probably laugh at this as I know a large part of our nation is bitterly cold. Trust me, after a few days of lows in the twenties our locals will be convinced we live in Siberia. Will January bring us, the long suffering fans of the New Orleans Saints, a playoff season we have dreamed about for years? We will learn nothing today as the Saints play second string against Carolina. But we will host a playoff game in two weeks but it will come after a 3 game loosing streak. If the Saints of the 13 game winning streak show up, we may be loving January in New Orleans like never before.
So, if you are in the same position I am, enjoy your day today. Make it to Mass and spend some quiet time in prayer. Plan the week ahead and don't look to far into the future. Make this a great week. Tough out those resolutions or ideas you have to make your life a little better. Pray more, laugh more and smile a lot. Don't let anything get you down and live in the moment.
It's the first full week of the New Year; another gift from God! What will you do with this gift? The answer lies with each of us.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Homily for the Epiphany, January 3, 2010
Do you want to be where everybody knows your name? Remember these lyrics from the TV show Cheers? The lyrics say we want to be where everyone knows your name.
What’s in a name? Is a name by itself important?
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany and the great Gospel story of the visit of the Magi. We are familiar with the term Magi, although it is more common to refer to them as the 3 wise men, or the 3 kings.
As people of faith, do we know the names of these important visitors? What’s in a name? Do we know what their visit to Jesus is really all about?
The three wise men were called to come and give worship to the child Jesus. They were called by the powerful light of a star and by careful study of Old Testament Scripture. As scholars of non-Jewish heritage, they realized that the messiah has come to visit his people.
The Feast of the Epiphany is the celebration of the manifestation of Jesus the Lord to the Gentiles. And this manifestation is represented by these mysterious kings from the Far East. The visit of these kings will make clear that the King of King came to save all people of every nation. This is the manifestation of the New Covenant. This is the beginning of the universality of Christ’s church; that universality we call Catholic.
The Magi journeyed far and for quite some time to pay homage to Jesus. This would not be an easy journey. Yet their faith in the promise of new hope motivated them to press on. They did not have the advantage of witnessing Christ’s miracles, reading the stories of Jesus in the New Testament, they hardly could know of the passion, crucifixion, death and resurrection that were to come. Still their faith was enough.
And they came not to say hello, here we are. No, they came to pay Christ worship and to bring him their finest gifts. And these gifts we all know so well; gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold is the most precious of all earth’s metals, frankincense is the incense that is burned in churches down through the centuries to make a pleasing offering to God and myrrh is a byproduct that is used in the holy oils for anointing. These precious gifts represent all that the life of Jesus, sent to us through the Virgin to save us, is all about; for He is our priest, our prophet and our King.
What does all of this mean for us today? Is the example of the Magi for us a wake call at the start of another New Year to be more generous? Is this not the perfect week to ask ourselves some very important questions?
Do I offer fitting worship and praise to the Lord?
Do I avail myself to those times and opportunities for Adoration?
How generous am I in my giving? What about my time and talent? What about the amount I choose to give weekly to my parish family? How much do I give to the poor and needy?
These men gave their all and sacrificed much to be able to do so? What kind of time to we devote to giving ourselves to Jesus? If we truly reflect on a typical day or a typical week in our lives what would we discover about our faith commitment to Christ?
Today, we can ponder the example of the 3 wise men, these mysterious Kings from the Far East known as the Magi.
God called them, as He calls us, by name.
So we thank Balthazar, Caspar and Melchior; for we too want to be where everyone knows your name!
What’s in a name? Is a name by itself important?
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany and the great Gospel story of the visit of the Magi. We are familiar with the term Magi, although it is more common to refer to them as the 3 wise men, or the 3 kings.
As people of faith, do we know the names of these important visitors? What’s in a name? Do we know what their visit to Jesus is really all about?
The three wise men were called to come and give worship to the child Jesus. They were called by the powerful light of a star and by careful study of Old Testament Scripture. As scholars of non-Jewish heritage, they realized that the messiah has come to visit his people.
The Feast of the Epiphany is the celebration of the manifestation of Jesus the Lord to the Gentiles. And this manifestation is represented by these mysterious kings from the Far East. The visit of these kings will make clear that the King of King came to save all people of every nation. This is the manifestation of the New Covenant. This is the beginning of the universality of Christ’s church; that universality we call Catholic.
The Magi journeyed far and for quite some time to pay homage to Jesus. This would not be an easy journey. Yet their faith in the promise of new hope motivated them to press on. They did not have the advantage of witnessing Christ’s miracles, reading the stories of Jesus in the New Testament, they hardly could know of the passion, crucifixion, death and resurrection that were to come. Still their faith was enough.
And they came not to say hello, here we are. No, they came to pay Christ worship and to bring him their finest gifts. And these gifts we all know so well; gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold is the most precious of all earth’s metals, frankincense is the incense that is burned in churches down through the centuries to make a pleasing offering to God and myrrh is a byproduct that is used in the holy oils for anointing. These precious gifts represent all that the life of Jesus, sent to us through the Virgin to save us, is all about; for He is our priest, our prophet and our King.
What does all of this mean for us today? Is the example of the Magi for us a wake call at the start of another New Year to be more generous? Is this not the perfect week to ask ourselves some very important questions?
Do I offer fitting worship and praise to the Lord?
Do I avail myself to those times and opportunities for Adoration?
How generous am I in my giving? What about my time and talent? What about the amount I choose to give weekly to my parish family? How much do I give to the poor and needy?
These men gave their all and sacrificed much to be able to do so? What kind of time to we devote to giving ourselves to Jesus? If we truly reflect on a typical day or a typical week in our lives what would we discover about our faith commitment to Christ?
Today, we can ponder the example of the 3 wise men, these mysterious Kings from the Far East known as the Magi.
God called them, as He calls us, by name.
So we thank Balthazar, Caspar and Melchior; for we too want to be where everyone knows your name!
Friday, January 1, 2010
A New Year does little to help LSU Tigers
After a few months of posting about the Saints it's high time I weigh in on the LSU Tigers! Of course this is being written just minutes after their New Year's Bowl appearance so be forwarned.
Some backgroud first. LSU has always been the football team of Louisiana. Even many of us that love the Saints keep LSU first in our football hearts and minds. I love the Tigers. For most of my life, with the exception of the Curly Hallman years and some rebuilding years in the late 70's the Tigers have been good; very good.
How many of you who love college football and have a favorite team you follow would love to claim two national champions in one decade. The Tigers did that. And when as a fan we complain, it's because we finish with 8,9 or 10 wins and that does not satisfy us. Many get excited for far less. So with all of that out of the way we turn our attention to this game and this season.
The LSU Tigers are a good team this year with some exceptional atheletes who overcame the unbelievable disadvantage of poor coaching; very poor coaching. LSU had a defense this year that employed a bend, don't break philosophy that let them down in 4 losses and some very uninspriring wins against meager teams. We supposedly have a defense genuis in John Chavis who, reportedly is/was in running to go to Georgia. All reports say he ain't going and after today, the Bulldogs don't want him either. If he is a defensive genuis than I'm Einstein. His defense was always out of position all year long, created few turnovers, rarely sacked a QB in games that count and lacked heart.
Offensively, injuries did play a role, especially today. But here is where I question the head coach; where in the heck was Russell Shepherd; not just today but most of the year? We won the recruiting war for this guy who most experts said was the best high school QB in the country. He was rarely used and I just confirmed did not play a single down today. With all our RB's hurt, we needed every offensive weapon on deck but this head coach sat him. And what about this reported to be all world offensive line. My how easily they were pushed around this year.
Today was another example of why I call Les Miles Least Miles. What could he possibly be thinking by challenging the Ridley fumble which cost us a much needed time out? His clock management of the Ole Miss game was a prime example of why he ain't ready for prime time at an elite program like LSU. And today, we had no time out to help us in the end.
This once proud program has now lost 9 games in two years and that will keep you middle of the pack. Since the national championship, as other SEC programs get better, the longer the Miles fingerprints are on this program the sicker the patient becomes. It's not all his fault; somebody had to hire him!
I realize that he is going nowhere which means Tiger fans, count on another 8-4 or maybe even 7-5 looking 2010. Most people who claim to be far superior in football knowledge disagree with my criticism of Miles but the proof is in the record; and the manner in which we not only lose games but win against inferior opponents. Too many of you are more intereted in hating so this will set you off; Nick Saban is the last good coach we had and his spectre did contribute to our last championship. Deal with it; this is true.
What Least Miles needs to understand is a couple of 8 or 9 win seasons is ok for Okie State, but this ain't Oklahoma Least.
Thank you LSU Tiger players for doing your best to overcome this amazing hurdle you have to overcome every day. You played well but were let down. And thanks to the real LSU faithful who support this program and truly make it what it is. Your efforts today to cheer on a poorly coached and under prepared squad in bad weather and a worse field is heroic. There are no better college football fans in the world than LSU fans.
Always stay proud of LSU the institition and the student athelete; but please Least; go away.
And when you need some comfort when we blow a SEC championship or a national bowl apppearnce, LSU fans remember; at least we ain't Tulane. And that's a lot to be thankful for.
Some backgroud first. LSU has always been the football team of Louisiana. Even many of us that love the Saints keep LSU first in our football hearts and minds. I love the Tigers. For most of my life, with the exception of the Curly Hallman years and some rebuilding years in the late 70's the Tigers have been good; very good.
How many of you who love college football and have a favorite team you follow would love to claim two national champions in one decade. The Tigers did that. And when as a fan we complain, it's because we finish with 8,9 or 10 wins and that does not satisfy us. Many get excited for far less. So with all of that out of the way we turn our attention to this game and this season.
The LSU Tigers are a good team this year with some exceptional atheletes who overcame the unbelievable disadvantage of poor coaching; very poor coaching. LSU had a defense this year that employed a bend, don't break philosophy that let them down in 4 losses and some very uninspriring wins against meager teams. We supposedly have a defense genuis in John Chavis who, reportedly is/was in running to go to Georgia. All reports say he ain't going and after today, the Bulldogs don't want him either. If he is a defensive genuis than I'm Einstein. His defense was always out of position all year long, created few turnovers, rarely sacked a QB in games that count and lacked heart.
Offensively, injuries did play a role, especially today. But here is where I question the head coach; where in the heck was Russell Shepherd; not just today but most of the year? We won the recruiting war for this guy who most experts said was the best high school QB in the country. He was rarely used and I just confirmed did not play a single down today. With all our RB's hurt, we needed every offensive weapon on deck but this head coach sat him. And what about this reported to be all world offensive line. My how easily they were pushed around this year.
Today was another example of why I call Les Miles Least Miles. What could he possibly be thinking by challenging the Ridley fumble which cost us a much needed time out? His clock management of the Ole Miss game was a prime example of why he ain't ready for prime time at an elite program like LSU. And today, we had no time out to help us in the end.
This once proud program has now lost 9 games in two years and that will keep you middle of the pack. Since the national championship, as other SEC programs get better, the longer the Miles fingerprints are on this program the sicker the patient becomes. It's not all his fault; somebody had to hire him!
I realize that he is going nowhere which means Tiger fans, count on another 8-4 or maybe even 7-5 looking 2010. Most people who claim to be far superior in football knowledge disagree with my criticism of Miles but the proof is in the record; and the manner in which we not only lose games but win against inferior opponents. Too many of you are more intereted in hating so this will set you off; Nick Saban is the last good coach we had and his spectre did contribute to our last championship. Deal with it; this is true.
What Least Miles needs to understand is a couple of 8 or 9 win seasons is ok for Okie State, but this ain't Oklahoma Least.
Thank you LSU Tiger players for doing your best to overcome this amazing hurdle you have to overcome every day. You played well but were let down. And thanks to the real LSU faithful who support this program and truly make it what it is. Your efforts today to cheer on a poorly coached and under prepared squad in bad weather and a worse field is heroic. There are no better college football fans in the world than LSU fans.
Always stay proud of LSU the institition and the student athelete; but please Least; go away.
And when you need some comfort when we blow a SEC championship or a national bowl apppearnce, LSU fans remember; at least we ain't Tulane. And that's a lot to be thankful for.
New Year; time to look forward
Happy New Year. The partying and singing of Auld Lang Syne are over and many are struggling to wake up. For my part, I love waking up early on New Year's Day and watch the many news features on the year that was. And then I catch some college football preview shows and await the onslaught of bowl games. This year is more interesting than some as I will be cheering on the LSU Tigers today!!
New Year's Day is also the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God. Having already assisted at the vigil Mass last night, I'm relaxing at home this morning and look forward.
No one really knows what a New Year will bring. There are of course some plans in place but for the most part no one really knows what will happen in the future. We do have a big wedding in 2010 as my son will marry his fiancee in North Carolina this May. That is certainly something to look forward to. And my daughter has big plans to study abroad in London this summer and hopefully tour other parts of Europe.
But I am looking forward to the everyday that 2010 will present. I have opportunities in the year ahead to expand my new role at work. And I pray for more opportunities to do His will in my ongoing ministries as a Permanent Deacon.
In 2010 the diaconate community will welcome newly ordained deacons from our current class of acolytes.
But for now, I am content to celebrate day 1 of the New Year and cheer on the Tigers. And I think it o.k. to look forward to the rest of the weekend. As a Deacon I will be preparing for the celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany which will be this Sunday. Yes, I know this used to be celebrated on January 6th but the church has moved this feast to a Sunday.
Monday will also dawn and it will be back to work after a week and change off from work. But that is what the New Year is all about; new beginnings. And that happens every day!
So without really knowing what the New Year will bring let's enjoy it, one day at a time. And make every day a walk with God and devote yourself to daily prayer. I sincerely wish all of you a joyful and prosperous 2010!
New Year's Day is also the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God. Having already assisted at the vigil Mass last night, I'm relaxing at home this morning and look forward.
No one really knows what a New Year will bring. There are of course some plans in place but for the most part no one really knows what will happen in the future. We do have a big wedding in 2010 as my son will marry his fiancee in North Carolina this May. That is certainly something to look forward to. And my daughter has big plans to study abroad in London this summer and hopefully tour other parts of Europe.
But I am looking forward to the everyday that 2010 will present. I have opportunities in the year ahead to expand my new role at work. And I pray for more opportunities to do His will in my ongoing ministries as a Permanent Deacon.
In 2010 the diaconate community will welcome newly ordained deacons from our current class of acolytes.
But for now, I am content to celebrate day 1 of the New Year and cheer on the Tigers. And I think it o.k. to look forward to the rest of the weekend. As a Deacon I will be preparing for the celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany which will be this Sunday. Yes, I know this used to be celebrated on January 6th but the church has moved this feast to a Sunday.
Monday will also dawn and it will be back to work after a week and change off from work. But that is what the New Year is all about; new beginnings. And that happens every day!
So without really knowing what the New Year will bring let's enjoy it, one day at a time. And make every day a walk with God and devote yourself to daily prayer. I sincerely wish all of you a joyful and prosperous 2010!
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Homily for Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God
I was thinking about making a New Year’s resolution this year. I did not make any last year and it was a pretty good year. Quite simply, I really would like to get in better shape.
All of us at one time or another have made a New Year’s resolution. Most studies show that about 80% of all New Year’s resolutions are broken in about 20 days and completely abandoned before we turn the calendar to February. Ouch!
Then some of us have this wacky tradition of eating certain foods on New Year’s Day. My wife swears by a meal of cabbage, black eyed peas and pork. This is supposed to bring happiness, health and wealth. Well, over the years I guess one out of three ain’t bad.
As people of faith, I have a few questions for us today. Do we take time to reflect this New Year’s Day on this wonderful solemnity the Church provides in honor of Mary the Mother of God? Do we follow the example of Mary to resolve to do God’s will in our lives? And how can we make this our top priority in the year ahead?
You know last week someone asked me why did the Church makes us go to Mass just to celebrate New Years. Then one of my non-Catholic friends asked me recently how can we call Mary the Mother of God when God always existed?
These questions revealed to me that a little catechism lesson may be in order on this first day of the New Year. Of course for all of us here gathered in church today we pretty much know what today’s celebration is all about. Yet I wonder how many Catholics go to church on January 1st and pay little attention to the solemnity. Here are some interesting facts that may help us all appreciate how we come to celebrate this solemnity on January 1st.
From as early as the year 230, Mary was honored by the Church with the title Mother of God. She was referred to as the “theotokos”, which is Greek for “God-bearer”. It is important to note that all this was designed to say more about who Jesus is than to assign titles to Mary. You see there was a great debate in the early church about whether Jesus is fully God and fully human, or if he was two distinct persons, or if his divinity is separate from his humanity. Two great church councils, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, Ephesus and Chalcedon, both in the 5th century, declared once for all that Jesus is one, fully human and fully divine. Therefore, when Mary gave birth to Jesus, she bore the Son who is God and man, the second person of the Holy Trinity. In no way has the Church declared that Mary preexisted God or is mother of God the Father. But since she indeed gave birth to Jesus, her title as Mother of God is affirmed.
In many ways and in different forms, the celebration of Mary as Mother of God has existed since around the year 500. In the mid 18th century, the Pope formally allowed a celebration of Mary’s maternity in Portugal. It gained wide acceptance in Europe and in 1931, was made a universal feast day, although in October. It was Pope Paul VI in 1974 that fixed this solemnity on January 1st and made it a universal celebration.
It is completely and entirely fitting to celebrate Mary as Mother of God on this the octave day of Christmas. We see the Church giving us the Gospel story of the visit of the shepherds to the manger scene in Bethlehem. As the shepherds made known the message they received from the angel, St. Luke writes that Mary kept all these things and reflected on them in her heart. Mary continues to follow God’s will, to reflect on His divine plan and willingly trusting her very life and that of her family in God’s hand.
That’s what we all need to take home with us today. This is what should replace all those silly New Year’s resolutions. Yes, we all can resolve to be better; to improve our health or do something for others in the year ahead. But using Mary, the Mother of God, as our model, we can simply resolve to do God’s will, to reflect more deeply on God’s plan for us in this life and the life to come and follow that plan. And while the journey may not always be easy, like Mary we can keep all these things in our heart. We can be comforted by God in tough times and joyful with God at all times. Just like Mary’s motherhood gave flesh to Jesus, God made man; we too can give flesh to Jesus in our lives and our personal relationship with Him. Mary is our model. We can respond to God with our yes, we can give flesh to our faith life by more devout prayer, responding to the sacraments and being present to our brothers and sisters in Christ. And we can ponder these things, and keep them in our heart, all year long.
Go ahead and make that New Year’s resolution; down that cabbage and black-eyed peas. But resolve to follow God in the year ahead by following Mary’s example with your most sincere yes.
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
All of us at one time or another have made a New Year’s resolution. Most studies show that about 80% of all New Year’s resolutions are broken in about 20 days and completely abandoned before we turn the calendar to February. Ouch!
Then some of us have this wacky tradition of eating certain foods on New Year’s Day. My wife swears by a meal of cabbage, black eyed peas and pork. This is supposed to bring happiness, health and wealth. Well, over the years I guess one out of three ain’t bad.
As people of faith, I have a few questions for us today. Do we take time to reflect this New Year’s Day on this wonderful solemnity the Church provides in honor of Mary the Mother of God? Do we follow the example of Mary to resolve to do God’s will in our lives? And how can we make this our top priority in the year ahead?
You know last week someone asked me why did the Church makes us go to Mass just to celebrate New Years. Then one of my non-Catholic friends asked me recently how can we call Mary the Mother of God when God always existed?
These questions revealed to me that a little catechism lesson may be in order on this first day of the New Year. Of course for all of us here gathered in church today we pretty much know what today’s celebration is all about. Yet I wonder how many Catholics go to church on January 1st and pay little attention to the solemnity. Here are some interesting facts that may help us all appreciate how we come to celebrate this solemnity on January 1st.
From as early as the year 230, Mary was honored by the Church with the title Mother of God. She was referred to as the “theotokos”, which is Greek for “God-bearer”. It is important to note that all this was designed to say more about who Jesus is than to assign titles to Mary. You see there was a great debate in the early church about whether Jesus is fully God and fully human, or if he was two distinct persons, or if his divinity is separate from his humanity. Two great church councils, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, Ephesus and Chalcedon, both in the 5th century, declared once for all that Jesus is one, fully human and fully divine. Therefore, when Mary gave birth to Jesus, she bore the Son who is God and man, the second person of the Holy Trinity. In no way has the Church declared that Mary preexisted God or is mother of God the Father. But since she indeed gave birth to Jesus, her title as Mother of God is affirmed.
In many ways and in different forms, the celebration of Mary as Mother of God has existed since around the year 500. In the mid 18th century, the Pope formally allowed a celebration of Mary’s maternity in Portugal. It gained wide acceptance in Europe and in 1931, was made a universal feast day, although in October. It was Pope Paul VI in 1974 that fixed this solemnity on January 1st and made it a universal celebration.
It is completely and entirely fitting to celebrate Mary as Mother of God on this the octave day of Christmas. We see the Church giving us the Gospel story of the visit of the shepherds to the manger scene in Bethlehem. As the shepherds made known the message they received from the angel, St. Luke writes that Mary kept all these things and reflected on them in her heart. Mary continues to follow God’s will, to reflect on His divine plan and willingly trusting her very life and that of her family in God’s hand.
That’s what we all need to take home with us today. This is what should replace all those silly New Year’s resolutions. Yes, we all can resolve to be better; to improve our health or do something for others in the year ahead. But using Mary, the Mother of God, as our model, we can simply resolve to do God’s will, to reflect more deeply on God’s plan for us in this life and the life to come and follow that plan. And while the journey may not always be easy, like Mary we can keep all these things in our heart. We can be comforted by God in tough times and joyful with God at all times. Just like Mary’s motherhood gave flesh to Jesus, God made man; we too can give flesh to Jesus in our lives and our personal relationship with Him. Mary is our model. We can respond to God with our yes, we can give flesh to our faith life by more devout prayer, responding to the sacraments and being present to our brothers and sisters in Christ. And we can ponder these things, and keep them in our heart, all year long.
Go ahead and make that New Year’s resolution; down that cabbage and black-eyed peas. But resolve to follow God in the year ahead by following Mary’s example with your most sincere yes.
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
December 31, 2009; a day to reflect
There is something about this day that gives us pause to reflect. As we get older, I believe we like to look backwards. This blog may not be too interesting for many of you to read unless you know me personally and have followed my recent journeys. So in the next few paragraphs I plan to reflect on my journey through 2009, which you will see, was greatly influenced by my service as a Permanent Deacon in the Catholic Church.
January 2009 was when I felt like I finally activated my ministry as a Deacon as I began my visits to Rayburn Prison. I was profoundly impacted from the first night there at the manner in which those men welcomed me as "their" Deacon. Since that time I have made over 30 visits to Rayburn to pray with and for these men as they strive to turn their lives around.
Over the first few months of the year I also got more comfortable with my role as a Deacon at my home church parish. I was blessed to be allowed to preach several times each month and always take this responsibility seriously. I will never forget the first time I baptized a baby and welcomed her into the Catholic Church. Every opportunity to baptize a new little Christian is a joy.
Early in the year I was selected to be a mentor for three men discerning their call to perhaps be ordained one day as a Deacon. These sessions proved to be meaningful for me and I hope for them as well. This brought back many nice memories of my 5 years spent in formation.
February brought my entrance into the world of blogging. On February 9th, I posted my first blog and have been happily doing so ever since. My prayer, then as it is now, is that these reflections, homilies, articles will help enhance the spiritual life of all who find their way to this site.
In March I received news that I was being reassigned a new job position at the bank. Initially I was skeptical but it was obvious this had to happen. The change in routine and location brought to an upbrupt end my comittment to attend daily Mass. With the help of prayers and some solid spiritual direction I have been able to deal with this in a meaningful way. And after submitting myself to intense training and using my skills of being a financial professional for almost 30 years, I have transitioned well. I do love my office and the staff I work with in Mandeville and am getting more comfortable in this position every day.
As my job and my diaconate evolved I continued in 2009 to be loved and supported by my wonderful wife Wendy. In June we celebrated our 32 wedding anniversary. We have two great kids, Jimmy and Elizabeth. Jimmy lives in North Carolina but we got to visit with him a few times. We saw him this summer when he comes in for the Grand Isle Tarpon rodeo and Wendy and her mom went and stayed with him in August. Then Wendy and I went up and spent a week with him in October. He is a successful veternarian and is planning his May 2010 wedding.
Elizabeth completed her sophomore year at LSU, came home for the summer and went to work at two jobs. She hopes to save enough money to take a trip to Europe this summer. She went back to LSU for her junior year and was doing great. She moved to her new apartment, took a job, mentored in a grammer school and posted a 3.8 g.p.a. And then two weeks ago she was robbed at work by gun weilding thugs. She is doing well since that night and thankfully was not hurt. I don't want to say too much here, but yesterday the police apprehended these guys. I will never take for granted the gift of safety of our family.
I survived summer. In a previous post I explained that I hate summer. Too hot and I dislike the hurricane season. I never seem to cope with the endless grass cutting that comes with acres of property. In this past year two dear friends, Aimee and Keith, realizing how overwhelmed my schedule can become, made many trips to the property and cut my grass and did many other things. How dear is good friendship.
I have been loving the fall and winter this year. Well, I could do with less rain. Like many of you, I have enjoyed the Saints season, although you could probably never tell by the frustration in my last post about their second loss. And I love LSU football, even though I believe they underachieved this year. In the last few months, Wendy and I did our first Supper and Substance together in New Roads. She did pretty good in front of an audience. We did this for an old friend from my Jaycees days.
2009 was also the year I learned all about facebook and twitter. I thought to myself, not too bad for an old man. I tend to use facebook to connect with Catholics, and others of faith, to promote and proclaim Christ. Yes, I did reconnect with old friends, even family and lots of my jaycees buddies from the 80's.
At year end, despite dealing with Elizabeth's big scare, we prepared dutifully for the Advent and Christmas liturgies that dominate the life of a Deacon. As we approach New Years Day tomorrow, I can say well done.
I plan to post something tommorrow or over the weekend about the year ahead. But for now, as I reflect on 2009 I give thanks to God almighty for keeping me and my family safe, well and together. I also give Him thanks for my ministry and for my new job.
I hope you get a chance too to reflect on the year ahead; even if it was a difficult year. And we can all look forward with hope, optimism and joy at the year ahead.
January 2009 was when I felt like I finally activated my ministry as a Deacon as I began my visits to Rayburn Prison. I was profoundly impacted from the first night there at the manner in which those men welcomed me as "their" Deacon. Since that time I have made over 30 visits to Rayburn to pray with and for these men as they strive to turn their lives around.
Over the first few months of the year I also got more comfortable with my role as a Deacon at my home church parish. I was blessed to be allowed to preach several times each month and always take this responsibility seriously. I will never forget the first time I baptized a baby and welcomed her into the Catholic Church. Every opportunity to baptize a new little Christian is a joy.
Early in the year I was selected to be a mentor for three men discerning their call to perhaps be ordained one day as a Deacon. These sessions proved to be meaningful for me and I hope for them as well. This brought back many nice memories of my 5 years spent in formation.
February brought my entrance into the world of blogging. On February 9th, I posted my first blog and have been happily doing so ever since. My prayer, then as it is now, is that these reflections, homilies, articles will help enhance the spiritual life of all who find their way to this site.
In March I received news that I was being reassigned a new job position at the bank. Initially I was skeptical but it was obvious this had to happen. The change in routine and location brought to an upbrupt end my comittment to attend daily Mass. With the help of prayers and some solid spiritual direction I have been able to deal with this in a meaningful way. And after submitting myself to intense training and using my skills of being a financial professional for almost 30 years, I have transitioned well. I do love my office and the staff I work with in Mandeville and am getting more comfortable in this position every day.
As my job and my diaconate evolved I continued in 2009 to be loved and supported by my wonderful wife Wendy. In June we celebrated our 32 wedding anniversary. We have two great kids, Jimmy and Elizabeth. Jimmy lives in North Carolina but we got to visit with him a few times. We saw him this summer when he comes in for the Grand Isle Tarpon rodeo and Wendy and her mom went and stayed with him in August. Then Wendy and I went up and spent a week with him in October. He is a successful veternarian and is planning his May 2010 wedding.
Elizabeth completed her sophomore year at LSU, came home for the summer and went to work at two jobs. She hopes to save enough money to take a trip to Europe this summer. She went back to LSU for her junior year and was doing great. She moved to her new apartment, took a job, mentored in a grammer school and posted a 3.8 g.p.a. And then two weeks ago she was robbed at work by gun weilding thugs. She is doing well since that night and thankfully was not hurt. I don't want to say too much here, but yesterday the police apprehended these guys. I will never take for granted the gift of safety of our family.
I survived summer. In a previous post I explained that I hate summer. Too hot and I dislike the hurricane season. I never seem to cope with the endless grass cutting that comes with acres of property. In this past year two dear friends, Aimee and Keith, realizing how overwhelmed my schedule can become, made many trips to the property and cut my grass and did many other things. How dear is good friendship.
I have been loving the fall and winter this year. Well, I could do with less rain. Like many of you, I have enjoyed the Saints season, although you could probably never tell by the frustration in my last post about their second loss. And I love LSU football, even though I believe they underachieved this year. In the last few months, Wendy and I did our first Supper and Substance together in New Roads. She did pretty good in front of an audience. We did this for an old friend from my Jaycees days.
2009 was also the year I learned all about facebook and twitter. I thought to myself, not too bad for an old man. I tend to use facebook to connect with Catholics, and others of faith, to promote and proclaim Christ. Yes, I did reconnect with old friends, even family and lots of my jaycees buddies from the 80's.
At year end, despite dealing with Elizabeth's big scare, we prepared dutifully for the Advent and Christmas liturgies that dominate the life of a Deacon. As we approach New Years Day tomorrow, I can say well done.
I plan to post something tommorrow or over the weekend about the year ahead. But for now, as I reflect on 2009 I give thanks to God almighty for keeping me and my family safe, well and together. I also give Him thanks for my ministry and for my new job.
I hope you get a chance too to reflect on the year ahead; even if it was a difficult year. And we can all look forward with hope, optimism and joy at the year ahead.
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