Deacon Dan Wright

Blogging Resolutions/Resolve

Making New Year's resolutions is something that I typically have never done.  Perhaps I had a deep-seated fear that, if stated, would go something like, "Resolutions were meant to be broken so why go to the trouble? Just live a life of resolve instead."  This year I decided to do things differently--my approach in the past was too vague.  Sure, I'm still open to living a life of resolve all year.  However, I'd like it to be somewhat more directed.

Now, I'm not going to share my resolutions with you, other than to mention that returning to blogging is part of it.  For the most part resolutions tend to be private, at least mine are and besides I doubt anyone would necessarily be interested in knowing how many books I have promised myself to read, though the titles and content may come up here from time to time in the coming year. 

As far as blogging and the possibility of topics goes, I'm not going to shy away from politics this year.  There's just too much to set it all aside in favor of the nice, beautiful, or pious topics that occasionally dawn on me.  Forget it--we'll go ahead and discuss politics along with religion, Bible, denominations, parenting, education, special education, liberalism, conservatism, traditionalism, modernism...you name it.  If you care to post comments we'll make this year interesting at deacondanwright.org 

This year I'm going to be open to being less restrained.  I figure at my age I should go ahead and say what's on my mind.  I've been holding back for almost 50 years and the only people I'll get into trouble with are those who care to read every paragraph closely.  Not everything needs to be said, but often I've felt strongly that something should have been said when it wasn't.  Maybe that was what swimming around in my mind when I began this blog in 2006. 

Okay, now with the three-paragraph intro out of the way there's just a thing or two I want to mention today.  First, besides being New Year's Day, today is the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.  I was a little bothered when I arrived at the church last night to serve the vigil Mass and found that someone had put a sign on the door earlier in the day that read, "No daily Mass. New Year's Vigil tonight."  I asked the parish liturgist about it and she said that she thought the pastor might have put it up.  I don't know it was that the pastor put the sign on the door, but I did remark to her that it was wrong. 

What we were celebrating in our Mass was much more important that the mere marking of a new year in the midst of the short and dark days of winter.  In celebrating the Solemnity of the Mother of God, we not only celebrate Mary but even more we celebrate and proclaim our faith in the the divinity of Jesus Christ.  I think what really bothers me is that often I notice a tendency to recoil from anything that elevates or venerates the Mother of our Lord.  For me, to be Catholic means celebrating everything that Catholicism implies.  It means engaging the tradition and being a part of that faith which extends to the beginning of Christianity. 

Still, I wasn't disappointed necessarily with the Mass or the pastor's message in itself last night.  I thought it fit in well with the continued celebration of the Christmas season; however, the message would not have satisfied you if what you were looking for was a high Marian feast--though the music, provided by our contemporary musicians, was in keeping with the tone of the feast.

Part of my resolve this year is to tackle a few things that I've avoided in the past and to face things with the sense that there's not a real need to fear failure.  As I read Psalm 149 as part of today's Morning Prayer I was struck with the contrast of it.  I've read it hundreds of times but it never seemed so stark that the God whom we praise, the God of peace who comes into the world by the "yes" of the humble Virgin, promises us that we shall take swords in our hands and bind our enemies in shackles of iron, exacting the vengeance of Lord.  Naturally, I don't give the psalm a literal interpretation as some might for, say, going to war, but for me it's a great affirmation of the hope that I have in the God who has come into the world, born as an infant, to save humanity and offer us victory against the greatest darkness and all our fears and challenges.

My resolution this year, plainly put, is to face my fears and challenges--and express my hope and vision--with resolve and with faith in the victory of the God who became a man.  I'll be posting frequently.

Being at Peace

I wasn't exactly sure where I wanted to go with the blog this evening before I turn out the lights and call it a day.  Indeed, a busier than usual day was still weighing heavy on me--it was one of those days when we ask, "Why do I choose to do this?"  The answer to that question, of course, is never too far away from the dedicated heart.  We need only look as deep as our hearts.

I believe there is a truth in saying that a day's work bears a similarity to a life's work--especially when the struggle is such that we can feel it pressing in: when we can literally sense age being added.  There has to be a place to turn where we find perfect peace.

The Psalmist says, "In God alone is my soul at rest; my help comes from him."  Of course, as Christians we certainly believe that being in Christ is the only source of rest for our souls--this I would never deny, but I think that often our being at rest--that is, our being at peace--finds expressions in the things that point us to an intrinsic peace in the world and a rest that becomes clearly visible with only a little uncovering.

Earlier this summer I was fortunate to have acquired a guitar.  I have always loved the sound of classical guitar pieces--for me, music has the power to go beyond the ordinary world where often meanings conflict if they are to be found at all.  This morning in the Morning Prayer, the Canticle from Isaiah read, "we shall sing to stringed instruments in the house of the Lord all the days of our life."  It came as a little affirmation to me.

I have never really tried to learn to play an instrument with any seriousness, but now as I am only a year away from turning 50 I have decided to dedicate a good portion of my spare time to finding oneness through the vibrations of nylon strings--not to sound too far-fetched.  After all, I'm not attempting to make a doctrinal statement of any kind, nor am I commenting on one.  I'm just commenting on something I see after looking deeply.

Many years ago as a university student I studied the philosophy of art.  When we came to Picasso's El Viejo Guitarrista the prof didn't say anything, which was surprising for a fellow who was in the first place a knowledgeable musicologist.  Some things just go beyond words and still manage to express all the meaning in the world.  A work of art is like that, whether the medium is oil or nylon.

Recently, I told my guitar teacher that my goal for age 90 is to resemble Picasso's guitarist.  What I see in it is an expression of peace, harmony, and oneness with everything.  If something like satori can really be achieved, I think it has to do with frequently returning to the idea that life--complete with it's struggles and hardships, with it's no easy answer days--always has something to give and something to say, though meaning expressed in words may or may not be part of it.

Happy 4th of July

Isn't this what it's all about?

Friday

I arrive at another Friday with my prayer, bringing my heart's longing. The week with all its temptation, sin in varying degrees and miniscule trials has once again brought me here. Yet I arrive with a sense of joy. I arrive at a day to remember.

It is a day that I call favored among days; a day preordained to give us a moment to call good among the passing of moments. Perhaps it's more the end of a long week that some may celebrate, but I, like you, know of another significance infused in this good day.

I was born on a Friday afternoon in a desolate and arid wilderness. Perhaps it was this event that triggered my insatiable thirst for something that quenches eternally. I always come back to Friday, remembering Fridays that should have long been released from imprisonment in my memory.

It was on a Friday that mother drove past the church that had a statue of Mary and that bore her name as well. I know it was Friday because such things remain in the minds of schoolchildren for all of their days. There was fish on the school menu that day. I sensed a holy connection to St. Mary never to be dismissed. Mother said they prayed to him through her.

Friday brings me to the foot of the Cross where sorrow was seen and salvation was won once and for all—for me and for anyone else who might approach with longing, faith, and a heart of love. I stand here; rather kneel, on this day. It is I, he says, who give to you this Friday. It is a day, I say, for the one I love, at whose Cross I remain—faithfully waiting.

Don't Complain!

Recently a friend and I had a conversation amid a busier than average day.  As I looked back on the week I realized that in many ways it had been less than perfect, and in some ways things didn't look like they were going to get better any time soon.  When my friend asked how things were going I replied, "I prefer not to complain."

"Thats good," she told me, "because complaint is nothing more than practice for the afterlife."  I had to think about it for a moment, after all there will be nothing to complain about in heaven.

In a kind of an odd way, the topic of complaint is an appropriate place to start out the month of November--a time when we remember saints and saintly people.  Personally, I don't take the extremes when it comes to points of view.  I'm a well established moderate with a pinch of radical that goes both directions.  I think a lot of saintly people have had their shares of complaints, but where they differed from the everyday complainer was that when they lodged their complaints they brought a solution with it.

I'm being practical more than anything, but I sensed a great a deal of wisdom in my friend's admonition not to complain.  Often I don't like the way things are, but may God help me to offer solutions.  After all, isn't that the way the world gets changed for the better?  Isn't solution finding the way we move mountains? God grant us the faith to find a solution every time we have a complaint.

Almost Caught Up

Forgive my absence for the past couple weeks.  Although I anticipated that getting started for the new school year would include a tremendous amount of paperwork, I failed to foresee that it would take a lot of my blog time.  The past two weeks have been filled with those "Now where do I start" moments.

Hopefully this week you will again be seeing regular posts from me--it's not that I haven't had some great spiritual ideas come my way recently.  It's just that writing time has been a real premium.  Add to it that I've had weddings and baptisms the past two weekends and you'll begin to see the picture.

Not that I'm complaining though--being busy has been a great blessing, and honestly I haven't felt so good in some time.  I'm still excited about my new job this year and as I begin to settle in I'm seeing the hand of God in it everywhere.

The message of service and humility are still strong on my mind from my last post, which was a Sunday homily, and the reality of it is the fuel that keeps me going.  It seems that in every situation that one might count as stressful or slightly unpleasant there is an opportunity to offer ourselves to others--also, there's nothing bad about considering life's uphill moments as penance.  May we always have the grace to offer our situations to the sufferings of Christ.

Bear with me this week as I gather my scattered thoughts.  Deacondanwright.org is far from being over--I'm just getting started.  The Holy Spirit says "write" so here I am.  It may be that I don't know all the reasons yet, and that's often how it is when God tells us to act, but still ours is to obey with faith.  Look for new posts this week!

Catching Up, Making Plans, or How Time Flies

Pardon my absence for the past week or so.  I haven't given up on the blog, it's just that it's now beginning to be a busy time of year for me in making preparations for the coming school year.  I do plan to return to a more regular blogging schedule--even if only a little each day--just bear with me.

It's true that time flies, but it seems to be more the case for a teacher who has a couple months off during the summer.  Actually, as I've gotten older it seems that the months and years go by much faster than in the idyllic seeming days of my youth when time seemed not to move at all.

Thanks to unceasing rain, my usual summer trip to the beach didn't pan out this year; however, I did have a nice visit to my hometown.  Summer this year gave me time to catch up on some reading--the Pope's book, Jesus of Nazareth, which I am still digesting, as well as the documents that have been in the news.

The interest in the motu proprio caused me to seek out the Latin Mass community here in Austin and to discover the experience of the Tridentine Mass for the first time.  I feel compelled to look deeper into it; undoubtedly my appreciation for the Novus Ordo, especially when it is done with beauty and reverence, was heightened.

You may notice a slight change to my blogroll--I've added Deacon Tom Stonecipher, a newly ordained deacon serving near Atlanta, Georgia.  Deacon Tom, like myself, is a convert from evangelicalism.  I plan in the near future to add even more blogs of interest.  Please visit Deacon Tom's blog and leave a comment! 

Looking several months in advance, my long range plan for deacondanwright.org is to eventually revamp the look (provided that I get a hold on CSS).  However, don't expect too many changes before next year.  I would like to include more of my own photos on the blog, so be on the lookout.  I'll still be doing my regular spiritual reflections and occasional news blogging, but as the school year begins don't be surprised to see more that has to do with special education and disability advocacy.

Meanwhile, I have one last out of town trip coming up, which I'll be sharing with you soon.

How Great Thou Art

For several weeks I've wondered if the rain would ever stop.  Finally I decided that it wouldn't and, determined to get out of town for a few days, I left Austin for a brief getaway in spite of being waterlogged.

About once a year I make it a point to return to the area where I grew up: the far NE corner of Texas.  This year I decided to make it something of a spiritual retreat--or perhaps a pilgrimage--in that I wanted to visit places in my life that have been decisive in my formation as both a human being and a Christian.

I'm sure that the loblolly pines and expansive lake had everything to do with it.  I remember the tall trees being everywhere when I grew up, and at least they kept me looking heavenward.  Certainly, there was something heavenly about the natural beauty of it all, and thus my title for today's post.

Last Friday I decided to visit the Church where I was married.  I'm including an interior photo of it.  My visit to the church was the day before the release of the Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum, and while there I couldn't help but think that this church was made for the old Mass, and in actuality it was.

I'm also including a photo that I recently took of the interior of the church where I currently serve in Austin.  While my parish has its beauty, the stark contrast between the two should explain to anyone with curiosity why I tend toward things a little more traditional.  I don't get a lot of tradition on my plate as a rule, but it's always possible to let it be an attitude of heart. 

I find that it does good to revisit places that I haven't been in years.  It helps me to place my current life in a better context of appreciation.  Change seems to be a constant, but God renews our hearts daily. 

Through it all I offer a prayer of thanksgiving.  Through time God's presence has permeated my life in rich and varied experiences.  In all I have learned more than anything to appreciate the goodness that being Catholic has brought.  Truly, God is great!

Summer Moves Along

This week I had hoped to get a little more blogging done than I have, but as the summer moves along so does life.

The past week's activities have ranged from swimming lessons for my youngest child to typical ministry stuff.  June is especially a popular time to get married, and also a popular time to decide to get married, so there have been several meetings at the parish office.

Also this month I have been looking forward to my new job next year, which I am actually very exicited about.  I wanted to wait until I signed my contract before I jumped up and down, rang the bells and blew the whistles.  Today--what a relief--I returned my contract for my job teaching next school year. 

With great anticipation I am looking forward to teaching at a high school and working with older students, and I'll still be working with students with significant cognitive disabilities.  It is something I am convinced that God has handed me to do in this life!  There are many things that could be much easier to do, but this is what God has given me.  I accept it with gratitude and a glad heart.

There's still a lot of summer ahead, such the annual family vacation.  This year I'd like to do a couple different things and perhaps take a few photos to post.  Certainly another trip to the beach is in order--the kids won't let that one get by us--but also this year I have longed to return to the piney woods of east Texas where I grew up.  Don't be too surprised to find a photo of a loblolly pine posted sometime in the next couple weeks.  Yes, even the deep piney woods have gone wireless.

This evening I took a moment to exhale.  It was a needed breath amid a lot of mental movement.  There was a meeting at the parish, and the couple was running a few minutes late.  I had time to go into the church and pray in my favorite place: in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament.  Always, though not always immediately noticable, God leaves a word in my heart when I visit Jesus in the tabernacle.

It was a good occasion to remember to pray a few decades of the Rosary tonight as well.  I haven't mentioned yet but when I first decided to leave my former job earlier this year, turning frequently to the Rosary gave me the courage to move ahead.  It was about the same time that I posted on the Rosary a couple months ago.  Undoubtedly God was with me again through yet another time that--quite honestly--was filled with uncertainty.

Throughout the seasons of life, but especially in this season, I hear a soft say "have faith, trust in God."  I also hear in my soul, "Pray often; be disciplined, and share the truth of the faith you have received."

I feel fortunate to have a life that I can share on so many planes with others--with my wife and children, in my profession and in my ministy, and here on the Internet with you.  Summer moves along, and so do the many, many blessings from the Lord who makes the seasons of life.

This summer take a moment to thank God for all you have.  In the midst of it all ask God to come to the forefront.  You will not be disappointed.

Mercy, Gratitude, and Celebration

As the three o'clock hour arrives in my time, I take this moment to reflect upon God's great mercy and my gratitude for it. 

I had planned on getting into the blog somewhat earlier, but I had a busy day planned in light of my summer job search.  It actually turned out fruitful in that I received a call only an hour ago offering me a position that I hoped for--one in which I will continue to serve as a teacher for individuals with cognitive disabilities--closer to my home and also allowing me to gain experience working with high school students.

I looked earlier at the readings for today and I was impressed with Sirach's discourse on mercy.  Sirach speaks to God, "Give new signs and new wonders...give us evidence."  His is a prayer of faith, and certainly when we want--when we have needs--we must speak to God out of our faith.  We learn to say "Lord, here are my needs; you know them well, and now I wait.  I trust in you to show your great mercy."

Time and again in my life I've seen that God is looking out for me.  It doesn't mean that there aren't tough times, and, as always, we are expected to hold up our end in things.  God makes us his partners in salvation.  That's why it's okay to say "show me your wonders Lord.  Give me evidence."  God wants humanity to cooperate.  I rejoice that Catholic doctrine teaches me that I am an active partner in the work of salvation rather than a passive recipient only.  Still, I thank God for what I have received...for what I have been given in grace.  It's all about mercy--receiving mercy and giving mercy.  Thanks be to God for all good things!

I'll return later with more...the summer has just begun.