Deacon's Door - Pentecost Sunday May 31, 2020

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   "The Deacon's Door"

      May 31, 2020

“When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together.  And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.  Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…”  (Acts 2: 1-4)

Pentecost is the Greek name for the spring harvest festival of the Israelites, which was going on when the Holy Spirit came. The disciples were together in Jerusalem after the Resurrection of Jesus.  They were fearful because He was no longer with them.  On that morning, however, there appeared tongues like of fire, that sat upon each of them. “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…”

Because of the festival, there were large crowds of visitors in Jerusalem.  They had come from many places for the festival and were speaking many different languages.  When the disciples of Jesus came among them and spoke to them, every one could understand what was being said.  They spoke about the wonderful works of Jesus and the Good News of the Gospel.  It was then that Peter made a moving speech to the crowds and many were baptized as new followers of Jesus.  

The Third Glorious Mystery of the Rosary is the Descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday.  Today, we are much like the disciples that gathered in the Upper Room in isolation.  We too are confused and in some cases in a state of loneliness, fear and despair. We have been denied the opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist with our family and friends.  The elderly that are homebound, or in hospitals and nursing homes, are not allowed contact with loved ones due to the fear of transmitting this deadly virus to each other.

We cry for the support and gifts of the Holy Spirit to help us during these trying times, and yet, we may have neglected to realize that when we were baptized, we were given the gifts of the Spirit, and then we were sealed by those same spirit in Confirmation.  The Holy Spirit lives in our parishes, our family and friends and in our homes and nursing centers.  Jesus gave all of us the Holy Spirit to be with us in our daily lives, let us allow ourselves to be guided and comforted by the Spirit, whose disciples we are.

The window of light and spiritual well being in our lives comes from the faith and knowledge that we are not alone.  Our Lord is with us during these challenging times and His Holy Spirit is there to provide us the comfort, love and compassion we are crying for.

YOUR LIGHT SHINES:

No matter how high the trees,
no matter how close the branches,

no matter how dense the foliage:
your light shines through, O Lord...

No matter how gray the sky,
no matter how thick the clouds,
no matter how heavy the rain
your light shines through, O Lord...

No matter how black the night,
no matter how few the twinkling stars,
no matter how think the silvery moon:
your light sines through, O Lord...


No matter how dark my path,
no matter how gray my thoughts,
no matter the tears that dim my sight,
your light shines through, O Lord...

No matter how bad the news,
no matter how grim the numbers,
no matter how long the wait,
your light shines through, O Lord...

No matter the shadows of fear,
no matter the dusk of doubt;
lift my eyes and my heart to see, O Lord,
how your light shines through on me...    AMEN

                     - Austin Flemming

We love all of you and include each of you in our daily prayers.  My greatest joy is in serving you at SH and IC as your deacon.  I continue to look for ways to connect with you and to be the servant of Christ that God has called me to be.  Please pray for me as I continue to pray for you, that one day, we will return to a time of health and prosperity and that when it is God’s plan to call us home, we will all be able to join together as a Family of Faith in the eternal glory of heaven.

“Pax et bonum” (Peace and Goodness)

            Deacon Jim Patera   319-509-1210   deacon.jim.patera@gmail.com

Deacon's Door for May 24, 2020 - Ascension of The Lord

 Welcome to

"The Deacon's Door" 

Ascension of The Lord

(May 24, 2020)

The Chapel of the Ascension on Mount of Olives, Jerusalem is built on the site where Christians and Muslims believe that Christ was physically lifted to Heaven.  On a rock inside the chapel, is a stone with a footprint which is identified according to Christian tradition as the print that Jesus left as he ascended into Heaven.

The Ascension of the Lord is revealed in the Acts of the Apostles today as part of the first reading: “When they had gathered together, they asked Him, ‘Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?’  He answered, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by His own authority.  But you receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’  When He had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight…”

As important as this is to our faith, in today’s Gospel, there in no mention of the Ascension.  It is here that Jesus commissions the disciples to tell the good news to all in the world.  This story is called the “Commissioning of the Disciples or The Great Commission. 

As we celebrate this important weekend in our homes under the guidelines of isolation and social distancing, we can reflect on this great commissioning.  We are all sent, like the disciples to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ.  We are called to be on a mission and to live the values of the Gospel as Jesus has taught all of us.

May our lives be lives of discipleship, demonstrated by our service and sacrifice for others.  Let us all, ordained and lay people of God, be a true witness that others are drawn to.  In doing so, we will be assured that we are living the pascal mystery of Christ.

During this month of May, let us also continue to call on Our Mother Mary, asking for her intercessions to keep us from harm and end this pandemic that challenges us in our daily lives.

“Mary weeps for all of her children who are suffering during these challenging times as well as for those who do not yet know her Son, Jesus Christ!” (Carma Schmidtke)

“Pax et bonum” (Peace and Goodness)

            

Deacon Jim Patera   319-509-1210                                  deacon.jim.patera@gmail.com

Deacon's Door - 6th Sunday of Easter May 17, 2020

Welcome to "The Deacon's Door" 

Sixth Sunday of Easter (May 17, 2020)

The Jewish Cemetery on the Mount of Olives, is the most ancient and most important Jewish cemetery in Jerusalem. Burial on the Mount of Olives started some 3,000 years ago in the days of the First Temple, and continues to this day.  The cemetery contains anywhere between 70,000 and 150,000 tombs from various periods, including the tombs of famous figures in Jewish history.

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If you have seen the movie, “Schindler’s List”, you most certainly remember the final scene where survivors of the holocaust and their families file by the grave of Oskar Schindler, the man responsible for saving so many Jewish lives during this terrible time.  As if part of a ceremony, the family members place stones on the grave.  For most of us this may seem to be a strange custom, after all, we have practiced burying the dead with flowers on the grave.  In the Jewish tradition, we would leave stones, rather than flowers.  Stones, large and small are piled without pattern on the grave of the loved one.  There was even a feeling that bringing flowers was a pagan custom not to be followed.

So why do the Jewish wish to pile stones rather than flowers on the graves, even today?  Stones have a very special character in Judaism.  In the Bible we find that an altar would be made of little more than a pile of stones and yet it is used for ones offering to God. Beyond that, the explanation spans from superstitious to a common belief in the hearts and souls of the Jewish people. 

The Superstitious thinking is that the stones keep the soul down to continue to dwell for a while in the grave.  To some it is a way for the living to say to the one who is passed, to “Stay put!”.  An interesting superstition.   To others, there is a very simple reason that they use stones.  As I was told by a Jewish person on my recent visit to the hills of the Mount of Olives, where thousands of these grave have existed for thousands of years, “Flowers will wilt and eventually fade away, but the stone will last forever as a sign of the loved one who came to visit and offer prayer for those who have passed.” 

The Jewish families have brought their dead to the Mount of Olives for centuries.  The graveyard is the holiest place for these faithful to be laid to rest.  From this sacred place it is only a few hundred yards to the Holy Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City.  Everyone is buried with their feet facing the Temple Mount so they can come straight up at the time of the final resurrection of the dead.

An interesting custom that, while having been a practice for many generations, will come to a stop soon, as the area is lacking in space now for new graves.  These burial spots are so sought after that the current cost could run as high as $22,500.00 for a current plot, if one can be had at all.

While the Gospel today does not speak directly to the raising of the dead and the glory of eternal life with Our Father in Heaven, it does speak directly to how we might get the opportunity at the end of days to be included in those who have lived a love of God by following His Commandments.   “If you love me, you will keep my commandments… And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”  (John 14: 15-21)

This Sunday is a good time for us all to reflect on our life and on just how much we love God.  It is easy to say,    “I love you”, but it is very difficult to live that love in all we do and all we practice every day of our lives.  Even Saint Peter struggled along the way and yet, his love won out and God rewarded him for that loyalty and love. 

The life of discipleship that Jesus is calling us to is one that will stretch and challenge us.  Let us all pray that we will have the gifts from the Holy Spirit to make us strong enough to meet that challenge in our daily lives and follow His Commandments.

During this month of May, let us continue to call on Our Mother Mary, asking for her intercessions to keep us from harm and end this pandemic that challenges us in our daily lives.

“Pax et bonum” (Peace and Goodness)

            Deacon Jim Patera   319-509-1210    

Deacon's Door for May 10, 2020 / 5th Sunday of Easter

This is a picture of The Church Dominus Flevit (Latin for:   ”The Lord Wept”). It is half way down the slope of the Mount of Olives.  This small church gives us, from this very unique window behind the altar, a panoramic view of the city of Jerusalem, where it is said that Christ looked down and wept.

Welcome to "The Deacon's Door" 

Fifth Sunday of Easter (May 10, 2020)

The pictures I have shared with you this week cause us to reflect on the message Jesus is sharing, not only in today’s Gospel, when he states, “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You have faith in God; have faith also in me…” (John 14: 1) but also in His message of faith in God, that was driven forward just prior to the events of Palm Sunday, when He was nearing the city of Jerusalem for His triumphant entry only then to be arrested and crucified. 

According to the 19th chapter of the Gospel of Luke, Jesus, while riding toward the city of Jerusalem, becomes overwhelmed by the beauty of the Second Temple and predicting its future destruction, as well as that of the Jewish people.  It is with that emotion that He, weeps openly (an event known as Flevit super illam in Latin).

Gospel of Luke:  19: 41-44

“As he came near and saw the city, he wept over it, saying, ‘If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Indeed, the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another; because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”

And again, in the Gospel of Matthew 23: 37-38

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you were unwilling!  Behold, your house will be abandoned, desolate.

The image of a hen with her chicks under her wings is found behind the altar at the Church of Dominus Flevit. Latin for "The Lord Wept"

Jesus wept because of the people’s lost opportunity. The Israelites that assembled in Jerusalem for the Passover missed the opportunity to be saved from both earthly and eternal destruction. They were visited by their Savior, but they did not know it. Instead of receiving Him, they killed Him.

During these times of isolation and social distancing, we too are given an opportunity to remind ourselves that God is with us through it all. He says to us, “Do not let your hearts be troubled, you have faith in God; have faith also in me.”  Do we turn to God during these times of challenge?  Do we open our hearts and souls asking God to give us the strength and faith to sustain us during these days?  We live in a time when so often our lives are consumed with possessions and access to wants rather than needs.  Can we hear the voice of Christ calling out to us that this is our opportunity to have faith in God?  This is a time for us to turn to Jesus and remember that He is the Way and the Truth and the Life. 

Things are not like we would have them now and most likely will not return to the life we had for quite some time, and yet, God has never abandoned us.  Do not let our hearts become troubled.  Remember, have faith in God and He will see you through this storm.  2000 years ago, Jesus wept over the peoples’ missed opportunity to turn to Him, to recognize Him and receive Him as their Lord and Savior.  Will we miss this opportunity to turn to God during our time of need? 

During this month of May, let us call on Our Mother Mary, asking for her intercessions to keep us from harm and end this pandemic that challenges us in our daily lives.

“Pax et bonum” (Peace and Goodness)

            Deacon Jim Patera   319-509-1210   pateraj@msn.com