Daily Reflections

If you would like to receive these daily reflections (written by various parishioners) in your email box each day, contact darcy.wharton@rocklincatholic.org
Reflections for Jan. 17-23, 2022

January 17, 2022—Garage Sale
Garage sales are fascinating. People have a lot of interesting items they’ve been holding onto and I am always surprised at what people will buy! As I am planning my own garage sale, I am having fun thinking about laying out all the things I once loved and watching them be chosen by someone new. I also find garage sales to be a very intimate act. We open the largest doors of our homes and “invite” people to look over the items that were once precious and used in our homes. It is quite an act of trust that we let strangers peruse our items and decide if they are worthy to be purchased! It would be easy to drop everything at Goodwill and believe that they are going to good use. The garage sale requires guts to say, “this doesn’t serve me anymore, but it may serve you.” As we progress through life, we have many opportunities to open large doors into our hearts and invite people in to look around. Do we have the faith to let them see inside?
Erin Gallawa

January 18, 2022—Corgis
Those who know me well probably find it surprising that I made it this long without writing about corgis. No, I do not have a corgi. No, I do not plan on getting a corgi. But I LOVE corgis! Their short legs, massive ears and wiggly butts are just the cutest thing I have ever seen. If I spent half the time praying that I do watching corgi videos on the internet, I would be halfway to sainthood by now! All joking aside, my obsession with corgis reminds me that there is time in every day to focus on prayer and my relationship with God. We all live busy lives, and it is true that I am overcommitted in many ways. But I make time every day to scroll through pictures of other people’s dogs. Each of us makes choices on how to spend our time and there are lots of ways to find time for God. I can pray the rosary in the car, listen to a Catholic podcast on a walk, or make a prayer out of preparing dinner. The challenge is to choose God first and always. As 2022 unfolds, I hope to find more ways to pray alone and with my family, putting my relationship with God always first.
Erin Gallawa

January 19, 2022—Taste
We are all familiar with the old adage, “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” I’ve learned the value of that phrase many times throughout life, but my most recent experience is with my sense of taste. I contracted COVID at the end of the year and have been left with the lingering symptom of lack of taste. This experience quickly changed my entire outlook on eating. I have always found eating to be joyous; with no taste, food has lost that joy. The process of cooking for my family has also changed; I’ve never been one for sticking to recipes, but the loss of taste means that I cannot sample my food to know what the meal is missing. But despite the lack of taste, my body still hungers. This experience made me wonder about those people who have lost their “taste” for the Church. While the “taste” for the Church may be gone, do they still hunger for God? For those who have shaken off bad relationships, do they still hunger for love and connection? How can one reawaken the senses to reclaim something that our body or soul so deeply desires?  Let us pray for all those who have lost their “taste” for something they deeply hunger for.
Erin Gallawa

January 20, 2022—Landscape view
I love taking pictures of nature. My phone is full of pictures of mountains, rivers, lakes and trails. As I was taking yet another picture of the Yosemite Valley recently, I realized that I favor landscape photography. Every photo on my phone is a wide shot of a landscape. I guess that makes me a big picture person! When I reflect on how I live my life, it’s true that my whole worldview is in big landscapes, not in small details. I think this frustrates some people in my life who love the small details! But this big view keeps me in balance. I know there are individual trees, plants, bugs and rocks that I can focus on, but my wide view allows me to see them in relationship with one another. I witness the harmony of all these individual objects as they play their unique part in creating a complete landscape. I am confident that our God sees both the minute details and the sweeping landscape at the same time. He knows each individual tree on the mountainside, yet sees the world in landscape, each piece where he placed it. As I continue to grow and change, I hope that I can become more like God, appreciating both the small details and the big picture.
Erin Gallawa

January 21, 2022—Bright Light
While driving in the fog one evening I decided to teach my girls about driving  safely in bad conditions. I told them that in fog we always use the regular headlights and never the high beams. From a safe place in front of our house, I showed them how the high beams obscured our visibility. It struck me how odd it is that there is ever a time that a brighter light can make it harder to see. But fog isn’t the only time. Sometimes the sun can also be too bright. After the recent rain, there was a morning when the sun felt blinding; even with my sunglasses the sun felt too bright. How ironic that in two such distinct situations— in dark fog and in clear daylight—there can be a light too bright! Our greatest light, Christ, never obscures the way. No matter how he comes to us, his light is never blinding. The light of Christ is steady, safe and always illuminates the path to God. May we embrace the BRIGHT light of Christ!
Erin Gallawa

January 22, 2022—Knowing
While listening to a book a few months ago, I jotted down a line that resonated, “Children are not easy to know.” I thought about this line for days. As a mother, I feel connected to my children and want to believe I know them better than anyone. But I also acknowledge that no one knows these children better than themselves and God, and I am just a witness to their journey. I’ve been afforded a cherished front seat to their lives, but in the end, I’m still an outsider. I wonder how God feels about us, his children. Does he think we are difficult to know? Or because he created us so lovingly and tenderly, does he find it easy to know us? I like to imagine that we can still surprise God with our kindness and our joys, in ways unexpected, even to him, the all-knowing. I hope he takes delight as we become who he created us to be. To those raising children, grandchildren or watching the children of our parish grow, may you too find delight in the knowing of these children and in learning about who they are to become.
Erin Gallawa

January 23, 2022—Rest
I am not a person who rests. In fact, if given an empty schedule, I find myself restless as I look for a way to fill my time with productivity. We recently visited Yosemite and tortured our children on the first day with a very difficult hike. The next morning they were longing for leisure, so we walked a flat, easy path in the valley until we found ourselves in a meadow next to the river at the foot of El Capitan. There, on a sandy beach next to golden grass, I sat down and rested. There was nothing to do and nowhere to be. No TV to distract me, no social media to scroll. There was only rest. I wonder how God calls me to rest and all the ways I am ignoring that call. We know that productivity is not the goal, as even in Scripture we are told that after the creation of the Earth, God rested. May we all embrace the gift of rest and see how God has blessed rest.
Erin Gallawa

Reflections for Jan. 10-16, 2022
January 10, 2022 - Carpet
Recently we had the carpets in our bedrooms replaced. We waited almost 5 years before we had them done and the old carpet just felt hard to walk on. But the new carpet is so comfortable to walk on. You feel like you’re walking on a cloud. One day walking in our bedroom, Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp upon my feet and a light on my path” came into my head. The comfort of the carpet is how I feel when I really take God’s word within me to guide my path. His word not only allows me to see the obstacles in front of me but helps me walk a little lighter. It also makes my spirit lighter, just like walking on my new carpet.
Kurt Peterson

January 11, 2022 - Thy Word
In today’s reading, Mark 1:21-28, Jesus spoke in the temple and the people were amazed at how he spoke with such authority. The Gospel of John starts, “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God”. As part of the Trinity, Jesus was the author, originator, of these stories. He is the only one that could truly speak with authority for He is the word made flesh. It must have been amazing to hear him speak because every word had his essence in it. I don’t have the ability to see and hear Jesus in the flesh but through prayerful reading of the scriptures I too can feel His essence and be amazed by His authority.
Kurt Peterson

January 12, 2022 - Greater
I recently watched the movie Greater, which is the story of Brandon Bulsworth. At the end of the movie, you see his tombstone and it reads “Our loss is great, but God is greater”. This past year I have experienced a lot of loss with loved ones and friends but my resolve in God is even greater than it was before. Maybe that is because at 68 years of age I am closer to seeing my own mortality than ever before.  We as a church talk a lot about Jesus’s second coming but Jesus told us we do not know the hour or the day.  What I do know is that I will most likely go to meet Him before he comes back. Maybe that is why the prayer Jesus gave us does not talk about the future but the present. The reality of life is that I only have the present so what matters is how I live each day.       
Kurt Peterson

January 13, 2022 - 2022 Look Forward
It feels a little weird living in the year 2022. When I was growing up it was a year that was usually only seen in futuristic novels and now that it is here it really does not feel very futuristic. Sure, the technologically and many of the other things in those novels are now part of our world but as for relating to each other, we have not progressed. Some may say we have regressed. For 2 years we have created divisions among ourselves and have allowed the need for “social distance” to restrict our openness with one another.  However, 2022 will be a year of looking forward. For me 2022 will be the year of personal connection:  to talk to more people, see more people, reestablish relationships that have been put on hold. There are many people out there that have been isolated and are lonely. So, what can I do about that? It can just be a call, a smile, a card, something just so they know someone cares. What will you do in 2022?
Kurt Peterson

January 14, 2022 - Joyful
I love the song from The Rend Collective called “The Joy of the Lord” which is based on Nehemiah 8:10.

“The joy of the Lord is my strength. The joy of the Lord is my strength
In the darkness, I’ll dance, In the shadows I’ll sing. 
The joy of the Lord is my strength.”    

It is a song about choice. To dance in the darkness or sing in the shadows is a choice we make. To still be joyful in to still be joyful in the Lord is a choice I make.  Joy comes from within and no matter what comes my way God is there to redeem me if I chose His redemption. Throughout God’s history with man, God is always there for those who seek Him and it is no different today.  What I have learned over the past two years is that most of what happens in the world is beyond my control. I can become consumed with negativity, or I can choose to experience the Joy of the Lord and let His Joy become my Joy and in that Joy I will live forever.                           
Kurt Peterson

January 15, 2022 - Side by Side
I heard a story the other day about why God used the rib from Adam to make his mate. God didn’t take it from the head so that man would lord over the woman or from the feet so she could be walked on but from man’s side so she would be equal to him, and they would go through life side by side as partners. Being a child of divorced parents, I saw firsthand what happens when there is not equal partnership in a marriage. But I also had a great example of two people walking side by side from my Grandparents. This was my grandmother’s second marriage, but you would have never known that from seeing them. My grandfather was devoted to her and treated my brother and me like we were his own. In fact it wasn’t until I was grown that I realized, he wasn’t my biological grandfather. He has always been the example to me of how a husband should be. They are no longer with us, but their example still burns in my heart and after almost 44 years Sarah and I are still walking side by side and I pray we will for many years more.
Kurt Peterson

January 16, 2022 - Worship
Going to mass with little children can be a challenge. They haven’t quite learned the concept of the “inside voice”. They are always moving and eventually falling so they bump their heads or knees and then the loud crying begins, which makes the parents cringe. Then Fr Bony calls out the child’s name, not to scold but acknowledge their presence and that it is good they are here with us. When we come to mass, we not only come as a community but as a family, the family of God. And when any family comes together to celebrate, it is never done in silence but in jubilation. Going to mass is a celebration because we celebrate God’s word and His love for us. We also come together to continue what Jesus asked of his apostles over two thousand years ago:  to receive him in the bread and wine. We gather at the table of the Lord and that is always a celebration. So next time you come to mass remember you are coming to share the Lord with your family of God so make a joyful noise.
Kurt Peterson

Reflections for Jan. 3-9, 2022
January 3, 2022 – Light Has Arisen (Mt 4:16, Is 9:1)
I was serving a coastal village parish in India during the period of 1998-2000. To welcome year 2K, the parish planned a special program of having a bible service in every house.  We made a portable Bible stand with an oil lamp on it named ‘Bible Jyothi Prayanam’ (Journey of the Bible Lamp). The lamp was lit at midnight Mass on December 31, 1998. The Bible Lamp was carried through all 370 families of the parish and returned to the church again at Midnight Mass on December 31, 1999. Then it was placed in the Church as the sanctuary lamp by the tabernacle. It was a profound spiritual experience for the parish families, symbolizing the ever-loving presence of the light of Christ through the Word of God dwelling in their homes.
The light of Christ is enkindled within us through the Sacrament of Baptism. “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mt. 5:15-16). How do I show the world that he is present in me? Let my action shed the light of his presence.
Bony
 
January 4, 2022 – Missing Jesus (Bread from Heaven) (Mk 6:34-44)
‘I go to church only on Christmas and Easter Day!’ ‘I don’t go to church, but I am spiritual, and I pray every day.’ I have heard comments like these from many who are Catholics. I feel sorry for them that they do not know that they are missing Jesus, in the Holy Eucharist.  
Do we need to go to church and celebrate Holy Mass? As Catholics we believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and that makes church-going special. Holy Communion is the bread from heaven, not Manna, but Christ Himself who saves us and lives in us. Let us come to Jesus, let us individually and collectively be with him in the Eucharist.
With great humility I thank God for the vocation of being a Priest, an unworthy human being, made worthy to celebrate His Holy Sacrifice. Let us celebrate every mass ‘as the first mass, the last mass and the only mass” (St. John Mary Vianney). We can’t feed others with Christ when our souls are starving without His communion.
Bony

January 5, 2022 – “He Came Toward Them Walking on the Sea” (Mk 6:48)
Serving in a coastal parish for 3 years I have seen the great faith and the hard lives of fisherfolk families. These hardworking fishermen would go out to fish every day with great hope and limited facilities in their small boats. They strongly believed in the protection of Christ who walked on the sea. 
Once a father and his son did not return to shore after dark. As other boats left to search for them, people waited on shore with torches. A good number of ladies with their families were in the church praying. The search boats returned in vain while the group was in the church still praying. In the early morning, the lost men returned safe ashore, tired and exhausted. There was great relief and joy in the village. One of the fishermen said, “Our engine stopped, the current was heavy; we tried rowing but stopped after sometime because it was tiring. We just decided to move along with the current. We prayed for direction and then saw the roof top light of the church and started rowing. It was Jesus on the waters guiding us ashore”.
When Jesus the Lord of the universe is with us, we will never be lost.
Bony

January 6, 2022 – Christ impact
After quoting the mission statement of the Messiah’ from Isaiah “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” He {Jesus} said to them, “Today this scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4: 18,19, 21). In simple language, I understand that Jesus said:  it is fulfilled here and now in the person of me. This we see later in His actions.
This Christ-impact is seen throughout the gospel as an ongoing phenomenon on the people and situations which he encountered. The best example is Zacheus, who made an instant change with determination. The Apostles too made this Christ-impact on the people whom they encountered and interacted with. As people of Christ, our call is to be part of this process of making an ‘impact’ in the life of others, to be a Christ-impact!
As we open another new Year, this is my resolution - to bring a Christ-impact in every one I encounter. How about you?
Bony

January 7, 2022 – “Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said, ‘I do will it. Be made clean.’ And the leprosy left him immediately. “(Lk 4:13)
We see a perfect prayer in the leper: total disposition (he prostrated himself) and submitting to His will (if you wish you can make me clean). Then Jesus touched and healed him. We too can touch many through our prayers when they are made with the same disposition and attitude of surrender. The saints touched many through their prayers. I have many living saints who pray for me; my mother is one of them. 
What I am right now is because of many who have touched me through their prayers and lives. God, make me your instrument to touch others with compassion and your love through my prayers.
Bony
 
January 8, 2022 - John Said, “He Must Increase; I Must Decrease.” (Jn 3:22-30)
John the Baptist’s statement shows his mission, humility, and sacrifice to make Jesus known among people of Israel. This spirituality is seen in St. Paul as well – “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20) I have seen this sense of fulfilling a mission in the spirit of humility and sacrifice of my parents. They sacrificed a lot to make all of their children grow. Every sacrifice is a willingness to be ‘decreased’, so that others may be ‘increased’. And it becomes more meaningful when it is given in totality with a joyful heart.
I need His grace to decrease myself so that the presence of Christ increases in others and we together become His source of love to even more. There are a lot of self-sacrifices in this journey. I personally experienced this in my social work ministry. And those experiences made me a mature leader to help others grow. Every project in this ministry was to make others increase and, in the process, it was an experience of growing in humility and sacrifice.
Bony
 
January 9, 2022 – ‘Beloved’
God, the Father proclaimed at the Baptism of the Lord, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Lk 3:22). Jesus is God’s beloved son, but this acknowledgement is for us as well. “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are”. (1 John 3:1)
Moreover, the statement, ‘I am well pleased with you’ inspires me very personally. My personal interpretation is this: Jesus, Son of God, though He did not need to be baptized, came forward humbling Himself as any other human and submitting to John’s baptism. God the Father seeing this, commented instantly on His Son’s act of Humility.
We too have received this experience in the Sacrament of Baptism when we were anointed as God’s beloved sons and daughters, and the Spirit of God came down to dwell within us. The Sacraments and our daily spiritual exercises must strengthen our sonship and enable us to humble ourselves to do what pleases Him and let us try to be like him (Eph. 5:1)
Bony


Reflections for Dec. 27, 2021-Jan. 2, 2022
December 27, 2021 - Music to My Ears AND to My Soul
There are songs that speak to me in various ways, some popular as well as those I’ve sung through the years in church.  I intend to devote this week to some of those which are meaningful to me.  I hope that they are not too dated or unrecognizable.

During this octave of Christmas I’ve been listening to two of my favorite albums:  Godspell, a musical based upon the Gospel of St. Matthew and Jesus Christ Superstar, another musical.  I enjoy and appreciate each of the songs on both albums for different reasons but for today I’d like to focus on one from each that seem particularly appropriate.  Perhaps a bit late with Christmas gone by, but the song “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord”, from Godspell, stands out in directing me, along with St. John the Baptist, to use all of the gifts God has given me to do exactly that: prepare His way, and this isn’t limited to just Advent.  That song echoes in my head as I go about my daily activities. And from Superstar there’s a tune named “Everything’s Alright” in which Jesus tries to remind the Apostles that even when bad things happen, God is ultimately in charge.

By the way, I’m happy to lend my CD’s if you’d like to listen. 
Deacon David

December 28, 2021 - I Love You, You Know I Do….          
The band Chicago has been around quite a few years but I still enjoy their lyrics as I find them easy to understand.  Among their many hits is one called “Call on Me”.  While the lyrics clearly refer to human emotion, I choose to substitute God as one of the parties and He sings along with me responding to my joyous song of recognition.  I say to Him and He responds to me saying those marvelous words…”I love you, you know I do.”  One of the most difficult things that I’ve had to do in my journey as a Catholic is to realize that it is TRUE that love is not a one way street.  I find it easy to say to God that “I love you” but it has taken a long time to accept that He loves me, just as I am, as He created me, despite my continual failings.  So, as I listen again to Chicago I’m pleased and thankful for their simple words of love embracing me and all who listen…so long as God is part of the equation.
Deacon David

December 29, 2021 - Origins            
I’ve mentioned numerous times that I was born and raised in East Los Angeles in a racially mixed neighborhood with people of Mexican, Armenian, Chinese, Russian and African-American descent.  Along with the many great places to eat with absolutely the best Mexican food in my experience, East Los Angeles also had great Mexican music.  One song in particular, as recorded  by Los Lobos Del Este De Los Angeles is “Cielito Lindo” (Cute Baby).  Whenever I play that CD I’m reminded of my origins and how incredibly fortunate I was/am to have been raised in that wonderful city/barrio where I experienced so many different ways to be good.   

I failed to learn the language of my Russian forebears so I could not know the depth of their faith because three of my four grandparents spoke no English, but I could observe their faith practices.  Hearing and singing along with Cielito Lindo reminds me of my time in ELA and my long-gone grandparents (Babas and Dzedas) as well as the gracious and generous people of different races and faiths in the neighborhood.  Thanks to Los Lobos for reminding me with their music of that diversity.
Deacon David

December 30, 2021 - Unrecorded       
You won’t find the music I will talk about today recorded professionally.  It was, again, when I lived in East Los Angeles.  My grandparents and parents belonged to a Protestant Russian sect known as Molokans.  A good part of the church liturgy involved singing.  Everyone would sit on benches, the men congregated on one side and women on the other, facing each other.  They would sit in silence until someone, man or woman, would be moved by the Spirit and begin singing, in Russian (of course).  Slowly the rest of the congregation would join in, acapella, blending their voices wonderfully (that was the only part of the service I appreciated) and continuing until, again slowly, the singing would diminish to silence.  While there are some commercial recordings of the same sort of singing it was forbidden to record in the church. While I was never a regular attendee, going only for funerals, I did feel a spirit there which has remained with me, causing me to long somewhat for that experience again.  It was then perhaps that God planted a seed in me via their singing that led me to seek out and receive the Spirit of God more deeply in the sacraments of our faith. 
Deacon David

December 31, 2021 – Time to Say Goodbye        
Another of my somewhat dated CDs features Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli who sing a duet that grabs my heart each time I listen and that is the title song of this reflection.  The lyrics, except for the noted four words, are in Italian.  I possess maybe five words of Italian so I cannot translate the Italian words but the feelings and emotions come across strongly.  I refer to this song because today is the final day of a very difficult year given the pandemic and how it has affected each of us, differently perhaps but together.  There are many things to complain about of 2021 but it has also been a time of challenge, challenge to deal with illness, unemployment, housing insecurity and getting along with people who may respond differently than I do to these concerns.  I remember how we adjusted to social distancing with parking lot Masses and using hand sanitizer until our hands chapped.  I recall how our ushers and E.M.’s rose to the occasion and how the congregants responded with appreciation and smiles.  Even getting out of the parking lot was easier then than with inside church Masses.  It wasn’t a totally bad year given that we’ve survived to fight a new variant but it is time to say goodbye to 2021 and to renew ourselves for 2022.                      
Deacon David

January 1, 2011 - Happy New Year, Again                   
Deacon Bob’s homily on the first Sunday of Advent began with the words “Happy New Year” then he went on to explain that it was the first Sunday of the Church New Year.  Now we’re through Advent and in the Octave of Christmas until January 10, when we begin counting down the weeks until Lent.  Don’t things seem to go so quickly? 

Back in 1966 a singing group named Four Tops recorded a song that has direct connotations which I sort of think that all of we baptized Christians might claim as our theme song for this new year: “Reach Out I’ll be There”.  The Four Tops may not have had me in mind, but I think I can take it that way.  There are now, and always be, people in need and the words “reach out” require me to actually listen to and, more importantly, hear the need in their voices.  Next comes the “…I’ll be there” as a response.  IF I’m going to make any New Year’s resolutions, this is the one I intend to put at the top of my list: Listen, hear, respond.  I recall the parable of the
Good Samaritan who saw and heard the need of someone he didn’t know but who was in obvious need. In contrast to others who recognized the same need and passed by, he stopped and did something. 

Lord, give me eyes that see, ears that hear and a heart that responds to need in this new year and always.       HAPPY NEW YEAR
Deacon David

January 2, 2022 - Open…                                 
Sort of continuing yesterday’s thoughts I remembered one of my favorite church hymns which says “Open my eyes, Lord” and goes on “Open my ears, Lord” and further “Open my heart, Lord” which, each time I sing it, reminds me that there are people who I often ignore, that is, I don’t see them, or hear their pleas for help, or allow them into my heart.  This further reminds me that Jesus is to be found, that is seen, heard and in need, in the people I encounter day by day.    So, in these early days of the New Year, when people are making resolutions to better themselves with a new start, it is time for me to resolve to see, hear and make a heartfelt response to the cry of the poor.  Lest I limit myself only to the economic need which abounds all around me, I have to remember the people who are poor in spirit, and who cry out for meaning in their lives, eg. those who either don’t know or accept the Good News of Jesus the Christ.  This is where I again remind myself that I was baptized with the direction to go into the whole world to share the Good News. 

Thank You All, blessed community of SS. Peter and Paul, for being both inspiration and guide towards my goal of seeing, hearing and responding to those who look to me to do these Christian activities throughout this new year.  God’s Blessings to You All.
Deacon David