4th Sunday of Lent (C): WHICH PATH WILL I CHOOSE TO PRACTICE MY FAITH?

Dear Subscribers –

Beginning with the week of Easter, April 20, 2025, the blog you have known for the last six years as “A Catholic Deacon’s Perspective” will no longer reflect only my thoughts but will be renamed as “A Catholic Clergy’s Perspective.”

Added writers will be Bishop Kevin Vann, Ordinary of the Diocese of Orange, California, and Father Glenn Baaten, a former Episcopalian priest, ordained into the Roman Catholic Church as a priest. Both spiritual leaders will author articles on a periodic basis based upon the time they have to devote to the blog. I will continue to offer my weekly articles based on the Sunday Gospels and readings for the three-year cycle of A, B and C along with various current events that challenge us to balance our humanity with our spiritual lives.

As always, I invite you to have an open mind and to offer positive comments from your perspective about what is being offered.

Thank you to those subscribers who have been with me all these years and welcome to new readers that will be added when Bishop Vann and Father Baaten join Easter week.

God Bless,

Deacon Jim Merle

Third Sunday of Lent (C): GOD IS A GOD OF SECOND CHANCES FOR THOSE WILLING TO REPENT

None of us are perfect as we are all sinners. Given that scenario, how do we stand a chance of being rewarded the promise of eternal life with the unpredictability of obstacles in our life such as diseases, violence and natural disasters in addition to our own culpability?

12th Promise of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: “The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under My displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My Heart shall be their assured refuge at the last hour.”

The final and most profound promise of devotion to the Sacred Heart is one of the most consoling gifts from Jesus to His faithful followers. He promises, “I promise you in the excessive mercy of My Heart that My all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Fridays in nine consecutive months the grace of final perseverance; they shall not die in My disgrace, nor without receiving their sacraments. My divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in this last moment.”

Second Sunday of Lent (C): TRANSFIGURATION MEANS WE NEED TO BELIEVE GOD’s TRUTH OF HIS LOVE FOR US!

If you have not figured it out yet, God is very patient with those who practice their faith. The Chosen Race of Jews of the Hebrew Scriptures who either witnessed or were taught about what God did to release them from slavery took 40 years of wandering in the desert before fully accepting His love for them. It has been 2000 years plus since Jesus walked the earth and Catholics are still questioning the teachings of Jesus and His plan for our salvation based upon a Pew Research Center recent survey indicating only 31 percent of believers accepts that the bread and wine is transubstantiated into His body and blood and not just a symbol.

11th Promise of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: “Those who shall promote this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart.”

Though I have lived most of my life in California, my heart is still attached to the Chicagoland area of Illinois. As a Chicago north sider, I am a devoted Cub and Bear fan and have an affinity for the entire city; especially downtown.

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT (C): LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL

Every human since the beginning of time has been tempted, whether in his or her faith or in something not related to a faith. What is important about this rests on everyone’s response to the temptation. Did he or she act upon it for self-gratification, or was it squashed for a better action that would improve the life of not only the one tempted but others who may have been affected.

Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time (C): WE NEED TO KNOW OURSELVES BEFORE WE CRITICIZE ANOTHER. USE OUR HEART TO SPEAK GOD’S LOVE.

An adage I often use when people ask about me is: “What you see, is what you get.”  I say this not to be glib, cocky or without thought. I want to honestly reflect on the true me as much as possible with whatever positive and negative aspects I portray. I know I am not perfect and have many faults. With this attitude, I hope that people will see I mean well in all my relationships, and I can continue to learn how I need to honor the other person’s self-worth.

Tenth Promise of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: “I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.”

 The tenth of the Sacred Heart promises stands out as a unique one, not given to all the Catholic faithful but specifically to priests: “I will give to priests the gift of touching the most hardened hearts.” As the chaplain of the First Friday Friars Men's Catholic fellowship, who is dedicating this year to the Sacred Heart of Our Lord, I feel personally compelled to reflect on this powerful promise.

Seventh Sunday In Ordinary Time (C): HATE THE SIN, NOT THE SINNER, SO WE CAN LOVE OUR ENEMIES AND PRAY FOR OUR PERSECUTORS!

 Monsignor Owen P. Jinks, deceased pastor of St. Paul of the Cross Catholic Church in La Mirada, California, when preaching on St. Luke’s Gospel from today, would say: “Hate the sin, not the sinner.”  He did so because he understood we all have people who come into our lives who we either do not like or who cause us problems. So, instead of focusing on the person, it would lead us to look at what happened and why we found it difficult to love someone we believed was our enemy or at least caused us to be upset or angry.

Ninth Promise of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: “I will bless the homes in which the image of My Sacred Heart shall be exposed and honored.”

It is rare when I enter someone’s home that I do not see a picture of a family member or a friend adorning a wall or on a piece of furniture. If I ask who the person is, the response is one of honoring he or she for who they are or were or what they do or did.

GOD’S KINGDOMS ON EARTH AND IN HEAVEN PROVIDE US WITH A LIFE OF FULFILLMENT IF WE FOLLOW HIS WAYS OF LOVE AND REPENTANCE!

One of my favorite children’s movies is Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  It’s about a candy maker who issues five gold tickets in various chocolate bars he sells so a child can become a partner in his business and help them produce new ideas to grow their business.  What makes it interesting is how the five children who found golden tickets react to all the choices with which they are presented at the plant and how they make their decisions.

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time: VOLUNTEERING TO HELP THOSE IN NEED CONFIRMS OUR TRUST OF FAITH IN GOD

My main purpose for writing my weekly blog is to help all those who read it to find the purpose for which God created them and in turn to use the God-given gifts and talents they possess to fulfill that purpose. Our Gospel and readings for this Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time call us to do just that.

Eighth Promise of the Sacred Heart: “Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.”

The eighth promise of the Sacred Heart devotion is indeed a wondrous one: "fervent souls shall quickly mount to high perfection."  This promise draws us into the reality that a soul enflamed with the love of Jesus' Sacred Heart is led toward sanctification, becoming more like Him and reflecting His perfect image. It is not about instant, seemingly magical perfection, but rather a dynamic process of spiritual growth fueled by fervent love.

FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: CREATED BY GOD’s LOVE FOR A SPECIFIC PURPOSE, WE ARE TO FIND THE REASON FOR OUR CREATION AND USE IT TO BRING THE GOSPEL MESASGE TO ALL

At my previous assignment, the principal of that parish school invited me to be one of two speakers at an assembly on vocations. A former teacher, Mr. M, and husband of the current eighth grade teacher gave a PowerPoint presentation about vocations focusing on life’s goals, purpose and the call from the perspective of God’s influence in our lives. My part was an extemporaneous offering dedicated to my call from God on why I was called to become a deacon and accepted.

Seventh Promise of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: “Lukewarm souls shall become fervent.”

 

“I KNOW YOUR DEEDS; I KNOW YOU ARE NEITHER HOT NOR COLD. HOW I WISH YOU WERE ONE OR THE OTHER – HOT OR COLD!”

 

                                                                                                                                    Revelation 3:15

Sixth Promise of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: “Sinners will find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy.”

 "The Sixth Promise of the Sacred Heart of Jesus offers us profound and comforting assurance: "Sinners will find in My Heart the source and infinite ocean of mercy."

This promise speaks directly to the boundless compassion of Jesus and His ceaseless desire to draw all people into His loving embrace. As we reflect on this promise, we can delve into the depths of His mercy and the transformative peace it brings to our lives. There are two parts to this promise—Jesus is our source of mercy; and the infinite ocean of mercy that we are invited to abide within throughout our entire earthly lives. As Christians, we receive forgiveness and abundant life.

PRESENTATION OF THE LORD, PURIFICATION OF MARY AND HONOR AND RESPECT OF ELDERLY!

Saint Luke’s Gospel on the fourth joyful mystery, Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, seems to be more about ritual as proposed during the time of Moses and handed down as a covenant from God. Jesus was already named and circumcised eight days after His birth per the covenant of circumcision documented in Chapter 17 of Genesis. This is now the 40^th day after Jesus’ birth and a time for Purification of Mary to be noted in the temple records. Payment of the two turtledoves represented holocaust and sin offerings for which the priest made atonement for her to be clean again as noted in Chapter 12 of Leviticus.

THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: IT TAKES GREAT COURAGE AND STRENGTH TO ACCEPT FULFILLMENT OF OUR FAITH

Biblical writings from both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament are filled with countless stories about believers who found it difficult to practice their faith according to the various covenants God offered. 

The Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years after being freed by God from slavery in Egypt because they continuously complained to Moses about God’s return plan to the Promised Land. They grumbled it would be better to return to Egypt to be slaves again rather than suffer their time in the desert due a lack of trust in God’s ways.

Fifth Promise of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: “I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.”

We live in a world that teaches us to be successful by working towards such temporal blessings as wealth, fame and power. The idea behind it is to strive to be self-sufficient so you never have to rely on anyone and to be the master of one’s own fate. Happiness is about joy in this world. If there is a world beyond death, it will not have the kinds of amenities we currently enjoy.

SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: JESUS REVEALED AS GOD’s SON BY THE MAGI, AT HIS BAPTISM AND MIRACLE AT CANA FORMS A SPIRITUAL CONNECTION IN GROWING OUR FAITH

Today marks the last of three Epiphanies in which Jesus was revealed as the Messiah, Son of God and Divine in 2025. The solemnity of the Epiphany on January 5th had the Magi from a foreign land confirm they had found the Shepherd of Israel, King of the Jews. On January 12^th, following Jesus’ Baptism by his cousin, St. John the Baptist, God the Father spoke from heaven telling all in earshot that He was His Son. And now, at the wedding celebration in Cana, Jesus turns water into wine as His first miracle which the first four Apostles witnessed and helped them to believe in His divinity.

Fourth Promise of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: “I will be their secure refuse during life, and above all, in death.”

The twelve promises of the Sacred Heart devotion are deeply moving, each offering a unique insight into God's love and care. The fourth promise rings out: “I will be their secure refuge during life and above all in death.” This promise is not just a general statement; it is a personal one, spoken directly by Jesus. He offers His protection, care, and refuge to us in our lives and in our final moments.

Third Promise of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: “I will comfort them in all their afflictions.”

 

GOD COMFORTS THE SUFFERING
WHEN THEY REACH OUT IN FAITH

To help us better understand this promise, let us use the following Bible verse from 2 Corinthians, Chapter 1, Verses 3 and 4 which reads:

“Praised be God, the Father of mercies, and the God of all consolation! He comforts us in all our afflictions and thus enables us to comfort those who are in trouble with the same consolation we have received from Him.”

JESUS’ BAPTISM IS A SIGN FOR US TO BE IN FAITHFUL SERVICE TO GOD AND HIS CREATION THROUGHOUT OUR LIFE

In my 19-1/2 years as a deacon at three Catholic churches in the Diocese of Orange, California, I have baptized nearly 1,000 children under the age of seven years old, including one granddaughter and one great granddaughter.  For me, it is the most joyous, communal Sacrament for three reasons:

•       It marks the beginning of a person’s spiritual relationship with God;
•       It is the official beginning of one’s membership into the Catholic Church; and
•       Usually everyone in attendance has a smile on his or her face as I baptize a child with water from the River Jordan.

Second Promise of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: “I WILL ESTABLISH PEACE IN THEIR HOMES”

The first of the twelve beautiful promises that Jesus shares with those who are devoted to His Sacred Heart is that He will “give them all the graces necessary in their state of life.”  What an inestimable gift to receive from our Lord! He is generous with His graces! The second promise of Jesus follows right upon the heels of that first one, where the graces we receive find their way in the most primary place in our lives... our homes.  “I will establish peace in their homes”.

EPIPHANY: HOPE REVEALED

Today’s moveable feast of the Epiphany of our Lord is one of those liturgical celebrations that use the same readings, psalm and Gospel for Cycles A, B and C. Based on the revelation of the Savior, Jesus, who brings hope to the world, its theme is one of Hope Revealed in relation to what is happening in the world.  Since that time 2000 plus years ago, believers and non-believers have been trying to recognize what that means in their life.