Being an ordained deacon does not provide me with a leg up, so to speak. I am challenged daily as everyone else who espouses Christianity as the faith of their choice. My temptations are no less and my struggle with giving in to sin is a difficult choice at times, depending on the decision I am given to make. The difference for me is remembering the pain when in the past I have given in and the disappointment I am to God for not living up to my promise to be faithful no matter what the cost.
Dear Subscribers –
Following the Fourth Sunday of Advent on December 22, 2024, A Catholic Deacon’s Perspective will, in addition to the Cycle C, Christmas season and ordinary homilies that normally appear at this time or by itself, offer homilies or commentaries for 12 weeks on the 12 Sacred Heart of Jesus Promises made to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque between 1673 – 1675. The homilies/commentaries will be written both by me and Rev. Glenn Baaten, spiritual advisor of the First Friday Friars representing Catholic men in the Diocese of Orange, California, who meet monthly on the first Fridays from September through May.
Founded in 1959, the First Friday Friars gather to celebrate the Sacred Heart of Jesus, building friendships and networking to expand contacts in the Catholic community. It meets on the first Friday of the month from September through May each year to attend Mass, to receive reconciliation, pray the rosary, eat a fish lunch and hear speakers on topics of interest to the community.
St. Margaret Mary said about the appearances of Jesus to her, “I do not know of any other exercise in the spiritual life that is more calculated to raise a soul in a short amount of time to the height of perfection and to make it taste true sweetness to be found in the service of Jesus Christ.”
It is hoped that these added homilies and commentaries will provide each person an opportunity to better understand God’s love for us and how we can return His love to be in His service throughout our lives.
God Bless,
Deacon
Jim Merle
“What should we do”? That is the question in St. Luke’s Gospel today that the crowds are asking St. John the Baptist when he challenges people to repent from their sinful ways. His response: Be Lovable to others. This should not be so difficult considering we are approaching the official Christmas season with the birth of Jesus in less than two weeks. The world decided in October prior to Halloween that we will have a Christmas of buying things to show our love for others. This is not the love of which John the Baptist speaks.
In our baptismal promises to love God above all and all that He has created as Jesus loves us, we often lose focus because we confuse becoming a responsible Christian with a need for personal attainment. When we do this, we fall into a type of entrapment in which sin overtakes our good intentions. It is at this juncture that more than ever we need to ask God’s forgiveness, let go of whatever led us astray and follow Jesus by emulating what He taught us while he walked this earth.
