From the heart of Deacon Doug.
At the time of Jesus if you had leprosy you were separated from the community and lived in isolation. If a healthy person approached, you had to call out “unclean”. There was good reason for this isolation because they knew it was highly contagious and there was no cure. Sounds like the isolation Read more…
Yesterday I mentioned we were in Boise, Idaho visiting parish and Cursillo friends Gary and Carol Ritchens. Somehow this part of my message got edited out! So I mention it again to thank them for their hospitality! We need to be careful when call out Lord, Lord without understanding totally what we Read more…
Today is the feast of St. John the Baptist. Christmas was placed on what was thought to be the shortest day of the year so that after Christ’s birth the days and daylight increase. John the Baptist’s feast day was placed on the longest day of the year because he Read more…
Jesus says; “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged….”. It’s hard for us not to judge others especially those who look or speak differently than myself. Our society and economy relies on judging. Eg: you need to buy my product Read more…
First of all, Happy Father’s Day to all of the fathers reading this reflection. May God bless you to be that role model your children and family need ! In my life I have had many jobs and many job titles as I worked for ten major US corporations over Read more…
Did you know that Jesus asks more than 300 questions in the four Gospels? By contrast, he directly answers just a handful. Today he tells Mother Mary when they find him in the temple; “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” Can you imagine how Read more…
For any of life’s major commitments, you simply have to give up some things. For example, when we get married we relinquish some individual freedom such as autonomous decision making and total financial control. But we gain more important things like love, companionship and family. When I commit to being Read more…
Today Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray. It is a prayer most of us learned when we were small children. The problem is that we know the Our Father so well, we can rattle off the words without really having to think about what we are saying. The message of the Read more…
Today Jesus tells us not to pray like the hypocrites who pray so that people may see them praying on street corners or places of worship. He says when we pray go to your inner room and pray to the Father in secret. My question to you is where is Read more…
Every time I make the sign of the cross, I am signing myself with the Trinity, with Christ and with the Word of God. But there is much more to being a disciple or traveler than just making the sign of the cross several times a day. The defining difference Read more…