Reflecting on the CTFCM's Benefit Dinner (10/26/2023)

My wife and I almost did not attend the Benefit Dinner. Originally, I had a trial setting that would have precluded me from attending the Benefit Dinner. However, the case settle but then I had forgotten about the Benefit Dinner. One of the representative from Central Texas Fellowship of Catholic Men (CTFCM) reached out to me and asked if my wife and I could attend. We checked out calendar and said we could.

I am glad we were able to attend because one of our good friends and fellow parishioner at Saint Albert the Great Catholic Church was nominated for the inaugural Catholic Man of the Year award. We were blessed to be there to support him and his wife, and enjoyed a good meal and conversations with them and others at the Benefit Dinner.

Bishop Joe Vasquez led us in the Invocation and shared some opening remarks. Fr. James Misko shared some closing remarks and led us in a closing prayer. I love being Catholic because we always start with prayer and end with prayer. The keynote speaker was David Bereit, founder of 40 Days for Life, and he gave an amazing, energized presentation, talking about how the culture in America is heading in the wrong direction with (1) decrease in participate in religion, (2) increase in (sexual) immorality, (3) the decline of the family, and (4) a disregard for the sanctity and dignity of human life. Mr. Bereit said that these are all things that left to the decline of other cultures throughout human history (based on his research).

Mr. Bereit said that we must get into the game and do what we can to right the ship, and it must start men of faith, devoted to God, his spouse, his family, and missionary work, which our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ calls us to do as his followers and disciples. In particular, I love this mission statement / call to action (paraphrasing):

When we strengthen the man, we strengthen the family.

When we strengthen the family, we strengthen the Church.

When we strengthen the Church, we transform the culture (and society).

I an grateful to the CTFCM for all they do to strengthen the faith of men through the Men's Mass, Men's Conference, faith-sharing small groups, and not the Benefit Dinner. I have attended many Men's Masses and Conferences over the years and it has helped to strengthen my faith and shape my diaconal ministry. I would encourage all men to attend these Masses and Conferences and bring their sons, grandsons, nephews, cousins, etc., and invite other men to join them.

Here is a click to learn more about the Central Texas Fellowship of Catholic Men (CTFCM) and their mission: https://centexcatholic.com/.

Congratulations to all the men (and their wives) for being nominated for Catholic Man of the Year!

Homily for Thursday of the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A - 10/12/2023)

In yesterday’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us how to pray and gives us the “Our Father” prayer. It is an invitation for us to enter into a more intimate relationship with our Father in heaven through prayer. The words of the “Our Father” prayer embody Jesus’s Great Commandment to love God and our neighbor, as well as his teachings on the Beatitudes, asking God for “our daily bread”, helping us to “forgive” as He forgives us, and delivering us from the snares of the Devil. When we pray the “Our Father”, we are reminded of how much God loves us and, like a good Father, we are given a roadmap on how to live our lives in a way that would transform our hearts to be like Jesus’ Sacred Heart, to be imitators of Christ for the salvation of our souls and the souls entrusted to our care.

Now, in today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us to be persistent in our prayer life. Persistence is something that we all should know well because we are taught that persistence leads to success in life. I saw this meme once that said: “Persistence [is the] virtue of never giving up.” My family and I lived in Wallingford, CT when I was in grades 3 through 5, and I remember having to go door-to-door in my neighborhood to sell products for a school fundraiser every year. I wanted to sell a certain amount of products to get a prize and that was my motivation to persist in my efforts. Now, I probably would not be knocking on someone’s door at midnight, like the man in today’s Gospel, but I would have given it my best effort and not give up until I had reached my goal. We are persistent in almost every aspect of our lives - careers, studies, friendships, relationships, etc. - and, yet, when it comes to our relationship with God and our prayer life and spirituality, we often give up too quickly when we feel that God is not answering our prayers.

We forget that God will answer our prayers according to His will and His time and not our will and our time. We forget these words of the “Our Father” prayer: “. . .thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. . .” Jesus promises that our Father hears our prayers and will answer them, saying: “And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” However, according to His will, not ours; His time, not ours. Therefore, let us be persistent in prayer, not only in words but in how we live our lives, as Saint Basil the Great tells us:

“Prayer is a request for what is good, offered by the devout of God.  But we do not restrict this request simply to what is stated in words. . . We should not express our prayer merely in syllables, but the power of prayer should be expressed in the moral attitude of our soul and in the virtuous actions that extend throughout our life…  This is how you pray continually - not by offering prayer in words, but by joining yourself to God through your whole way of life, so that your life becomes one continuous and uninterrupted prayer.”

And this is our “reward” for persisting in prayer - thus says the Lord : “I will have compassion on them, as a man has compassion on his son who serves him. . .  for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.”

Homily for Wednesday of the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A - 10/11/2023)

In yesterday’s Gospel reading, we heard how Mary “sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak” while Martha was “burdened with much serving,” and Jesus said to Martha that “Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her” (Luke 10:39-40, 42). Christ knew that the mission given to him by his Father in heaven was urgent and he only had a short period of time to complete that mission. So when he spoke, taught, and preached, he wanted his disciples and the people to listen attentively to his words. Now, you can imagine how elated our Lord must have been when one of his disciples said to him: “Lord, teach us to pray. . .”, as we just heard in today's Gospel passage (Luke 11:1). Throughout the Gospels, we read about instances where the Son went off to “a certain place” to pray and spent some alone time with his Father. In teaching his disciples (and us) the “Our Father”, Christ not only teaches us a powerful prayer but he also invites us into a deeper intimacy with our Father through prayer.

Growing up, I asked my dad how to put bait on a fishing hook, helped him in the garage when he worked on our family cars - like changing a flat tire, and learned how to operate a lawn mower and mow the yard. I listened to my dad with childlike wonderment and enthusiasm because I looked up to my dad. I trusted him. I loved him. I still do. Understandably, we all have different experiences with our own fathers and, oftentimes, we project those feelings and experiences - good ones and, unfortunately, not so good ones - on our Father in heaven. In reflecting on the “Our Father” prayer, Pope Francis said that “[our] God needs nothing: in prayer, he only asks that we keep a channel of communication open with him in order to always recognize that we are his most beloved children. He loves us very much” (January 2, 2019). Therefore, when we pray, it is important that we approach prayer with humility, childlike dependency, and trust in God’s love and goodness.

In teaching us the “Our Father” prayer, Jesus wants us to know that we have a Father in heaven who loves us, forgives us, and will never abandon or forsake us because we are his beloved sons and daughters. The Holy Father said: “Jesus is crushed by the evil of the world. However, he trustingly surrenders himself to the ocean of love of the Father’s will. . . Out of love, God can lead us to walk along difficult paths and to experience wounds and painful thorns, but he will never forsake us. He will always be with us, beside us, within us. For a believer this is more than a hope, it is a certainty: God is with me” (March 20, 2019). Therefore, let us say to Jesus, “Lord, teach me to pray. . .” and then, let us listen attentively to him.

Homily for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A - 10/8/2023)

Good afternoon. Who here has heard of Gary Chapman’s “The 5 Languages of Love”? For those who have not heard of the 5 languages of love, I would encourage you to Google them and, if you are married or in a relationship, I invite you all to take the inventory and share what your love language is with each other. Now, for those of us who have not heard of the 5 languages of love, allow me to share them with you all in terms of one of my favorite beverages - COFFEE. For a person whose love language is AFFIRMATION, when they give you a cup of coffee, tell them: “Your coffee is delicious.” For someone whose love language is ACTS OF SERVICE, brew them a delicious cup of coffee and say, “I made you coffee.” If your significant other’s love language is RECEIVING GIFTS, then treat them to a cup of coffee, saying: “Here’s a coffee for you.” My wife’s love language is QUALITY TIME, so I would say to her, “My love, let’s go get coffee together.” Finally, for a spouse whose love language is PHYSICAL TOUCH, hold them like you would a hot cup of coffee on a cold day.

What do the 5 languages of love have to do with the acrostic C.H.R.I.S.T. that we have been listening to during this message series on Discipleship these past few weeks? Well, we can return God’s love for us and show our love for Him by living out the acrostic C.H.R.I.S.T. in our lives to help us grow as disciples of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let’s review. “C” is for Community and we encourage everyone to participate in faith-sharing small groups to help us experience Christian community. Jesus said that when two or more are gathered, He is present in their midst so when we gather, God is physically present with us and we with Him. “H” is for Holiness and we encourage everyone to grow in their faith through a robust prayer life, especially spending time in the Presence of our Lord in Adoration. God desires us to spend quality time with him in prayer; that is how we grow in holiness. “R” is for Retreat and we encourage everyone to attend at least one retreat a year. As a deacon, I attend the annual deacons and wives retreat in the summer with my wife, Theresa, and, in a couple of weeks here, I will be attending the annual deacons retreat. Like with Community, when we go on retreats, we are physically present with God and our sisters and brothers in Christ. Then, during this Mass last Saturday, Fr. Michael gave a wonderful homily on “I” and encouraged everyone here to Invest in our parish through service. After Mass, everyone here had the opportunity to discover how we can serve our parish as liturgical ministers. These acts of service help us to build up God’s kingdom and in a very tangible way right here at our beloved parish of Saint Albert the Great.

That was the recap. . . which brings us to this week as we unpack the “S” in C.H.R.I.S.T. “S” is for Share, specifically sharing our Catholic faith with others, starting with our “domestic church” - our family - and rippling outward from there. Now, sharing our Catholic faith with others should not come as a surprise to any of us because, as baptized Catholics, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ commissioned each of us priest, prophet, and king to “[go] and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). During the Baptism class that I taught on Tuesday evening, I reminded the parents and godparents of their baptismal calling and shared with them this quote from Dr. Edward Sri. In the “Reborn” series, on Formed.org, Dr. Sri said:

“The work of the Church [cannot] be accomplished by priests only. All of us need to answer the clarion call of our baptism, to take up our part in the mission of the Church.. . . we’re not mere bystanders in the unfolding work of God, [we are] soldiers and servants - priests, prophets, and kings. . . This is not just our deepest identity. This is our mission.”

What better way to affirm our faith and trust in God and our love for Jesus than to share our Catholic faith with others! It is as easy as clicking on the “Share” button and sharing a social media post by Saint Albert the Great, sending a text or an email to family members or friends with daily prayers or devotions, etc. Let us be instruments of peace and joy by using the technology available to us to spread faith, hope, and love to counter the darkness in the world.

This is today’s Gospel Acclamation: “I have chosen you from the world, says the Lord, to go and bear fruit that will remain.” That, my sisters and brothers in Christ, is what gives our lives purpose and what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ - “to go and bear fruit that remains.” If we say we love God but we do not share His love and mercy with others, then do we love Him with all our heart, mind, and soul? If we say that we are Christians but we do not share our Catholic faith with others, then are we authentic disciples of Christ? If we say we are Catholics but do not speak Truth with love, then are we living our faith boldly? The call to discipleship challenges us because, as disciples of Jesus Christ, we cannot be “mere bystanders.” Believe me, I am NOT telling you how you should live out your Catholic faith. I AM sharing with you what Jesus said to Peter. Jesus said to Simon Peter: “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” Peter said to him: “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him: “Feed my lambs.” Jesus said to him a second time: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter said to him: “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him: “Tend my sheep.” Jesus said to him a third time: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter said to him: “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him: “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:15-19) Like Peter, we show Jesus that we love him when we share our Catholic faith with others and live our faith boldly, authentically, and in a tangible way. If we do not bear fruit, then as Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel, “. . .the kingdom of God will be taken away from [us] and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”

Finally, the Diocese of Austin has identified the second Sunday of October, October 8th, as Deacon Sunday to foster diaconate vocations in the Diocese. As you may know, I was ordained in 2019, along with 30 brothers in Diaconal Formation, including Deacon Dan Lanicek and, here visiting with us today, Deacon Scott Dillon. Since then, the class of 2022 ordained 16 men and the next ordination class currently has 15 men in Formation. We certainly need more men to discern the diaconate. Men, why should you discern if God is calling you to life as a deacon, in service of God and his Church through word, liturgy, and charity? Here is my answer, do it for the retirement plan. . . working for God does not pay much, some days the hours are long, and you often have to work nights and weekends but. . . His retirement plan is heavenly! The salvation of souls - not only your own but the souls of those that you lead to Christ.

So why did I want to become a deacon? This is what I wrote on my application for the Diaconal Formation Program, back on March 27, 2013: “My motivation to become a deacon stems from my desire to (1) have a more personal and intimate relationship with God and (2) use the gifts and talents that God has blessed me with to help others grow in their relationship with God.” This was a true statement back then and it remains a true statement today. The three years that the disciples spent traveling with Jesus was time spent growing in relationship and intimacy with Jesus through prayer, to allow Christ to help them discern God’s will for them, to learn everything Jesus had to teach them, and to die to their old selves so they can become who Jesus needed them to be to serve the people of God in word, liturgy, and charity. That is five years of Diaconal Formation in a nutshell. It starts and ends with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and following the acrostic C.H.R.I.S.T. will put us on the right path as disciples of Jesus, in particular our desire to share the Gospel message and teachings that the Church holds to be the Truth with others. That, my sisters and brothers in Christ, if how you know if you or a man you know is being called by Christ to serve His Church and the people of God as His deacon. Amen.

Cor: A Knights of Columbus Initiative (Part 1)

KC Council 10333 held our first #Cor meeting tonight and we had almost 30 men in attendance. These men "sacrificed" #TNF and came together for prayer, formation, and fraternity! Many thanks to the Cor leadership team, led at Grand Knight Patrick J. Medina, for their efforts to make the launch tonight such a wonderful success!

We prayed the Rosary, watched the "Into the Breach" video on "Masculinity", and had small group discussion.  My small group table included Steve S., Stephen C., Art B., and Arnold L., and we had great discussions about masculinity and what it means to us.

Also, gratitude to Fr. Charlie Garza for leading us tonight. He talked about how men are called to be responsible and vulnerable. He also shared a wonderful story that really speaks to a man's role as the spiritual leader of his family and how Satan attacks the father/husband to bring down the family (and society).

I want to share these resources with not only the men who attended Cor last night, but with everyone on the Council e-mailing list.

Here is a great article on "toxic masculinity".

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-sex-and-relationships/202103/what-is-toxic-masculinity

Here are great articles on authentic masculinity in the image of Christ crucified.

https://catholic-link.org/catholic-masculinity-men-grow-holiness-part-1/

https://catholic-link.org/catholic-masculinity-men-grow-holiness-part-2/

https://www.catholicgentlemansguide.com/catholic-masculinity-explained/

https://thosecatholicmen.com/articles/the-masculine-genius/

I encourage the men who attended last night to share their experience and encourage other brother Knights and men in the parish to attend Cor next month. This is an Initiative from Supreme and had the full support of Pope Francis (see article below). #VivatJesus

"Faith-Centered Friendship: Cor offers Knights and other Catholic men a way to deepen their relationship with Christ and one another" by Supreme Knight Patrick E. Kelly (9/1/2023)

https://www.kofc.org/en/news-room/columbia/2023/september/fromthedesk09012023.html

Trial Preparation: A Reflection on Getting to Heaven

Over the past 3 years, I have had to prepare for 3 2-week jury trials. In 2021, it was the "pandemic" trial. We were the first major trial in Travis County during the pandemic. Our clients, Litigation Support person, and I were confined to the jury box. The jurors sat in the gallery, spread out 6-ft apart, and we had facemasks and face shields. I supported 2 attorneys during that 2-week jury trial and the weeks of trial prep leading up to the trial. In 2022, while we still wore facemasks, things were more or less back to normal post-pandemic. In that trial, I supported 3 of our attorneys and, in a sense, 2 of our co-counsels. I also learned a available lesson: attend pretrial and track which exhibits were preadmitted.

However, the preparation for the trial in 2023 took it to a whole new level for me. Now only did we take this case over from another law firm, but I also took this case over from another paralegal. Leading up to the May trial setting, the biggest challenge were the trial exhibits - ours and the other side's exhibits. On the deadline to exchange exhibit lists, I was at the office until midnight as two attorneys sent me documents after documents to add to the exhibit list. We ended up with over 700 exhibits on our list and served our list with a couple of minutes to spare. The other side had over 700 exhibits on their list as well. The task then became to gather the exhibits and affix exhibit stickers on set of exhibits. However, since both sides decided not to exchange exhibits, I also had to pull the other side's exhibits and affix exhibits stickers on them. This presented a challenge because they listed multiple variations of the same document on their exhibit list. In the end, the trial got continued and reset to September.

Fast-forward to September and we faced a different challenge with our trial exhibits. One of our attorneys wanted to convert all our Excel files to PDFs and add the "metadata" information for the Excel spreadsheets at the end. It took us days to complete this conversion but we did it. Since the May trial setting to this one, we added another 100 exhibits to our list and the other side added another 50 or so more exhibits. They did not send us their exhibits until the weekend before trial started but, at that point, I was just glad that they sent the PDFs of their trial exhibits to us. In the end, the case was resolved before jury selection and, just like that, it was over. In the days following the resolution of the case and, after I was able to catch my breath, I thought back on lessons learned and reflected on my experience supporting 6 attorneys preparing for a 2-week jury trial. Interesting enough, God put on my heart thoughts on how this trial preparation experience is like preparing ourselves for heaven.

In this Gospel for the Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, we read Jesus parable of "The Workers in the "Vineyard" from the Gospel of Matthew. In this Gospel, we learn that to obtain the kingdom of heaven, we have to work for it in our lifetime. Even those who come last still have to work and do their part to obtain the kingdom of heaven. They must experience a conversion of the heart and make the effort to repent and change their ways of life and thinking, putting behind their old ways and being renewed in Christ. However, they were not alone in the vineyard. There were other workers laboring away beside them. While I was the primary paralegal supporting 6 attorneys in preparation for trial, I could not have done it without the help of my fellow paralegals. From highlighting deposition designations to converting Excel files to PDFs to responding to the various needs of the attorneys, my colleagues jumped in to help me with various aspects of trial preparation. It was a team effort! I am blessed to be part of this amazing group of paralegals! On our journey to heaven, we cannot do it all my ourselves, which is why God gave us each other - the many parts of the One Body of Christ. In our CALLED TO BE ONE Marriage Class, we tell our couples that their most important responsibility is to get each other to heaven but they do not have to do it alone. They have their families and friends but they also have their parish community and the Communion of Saints to help them.

In the first reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, we hear that God is "generous in forgiving." I remember one afternoon, we were feverishly working on the trial exhibits to meet a deadline. Emails were flying, phones were ringing off the hook, and I had attorneys in and out of my office giving me instructions and checking up on our progress. Then I received a phone call from one of the attorneys who apologized to me for being short with me earlier. It took me by surprise and I tried to think of if and when this attorney was "short" with me. I responded saying that I did not think the person was "short" with me at all. When tasks have short fuses and everyone has worked long hours and late into the night, it is important to be respectful of each other. After all, we are call on the same team, working toward the same goal. It is the same on our journey to heaven. Peter once asked Jesus how often he should forgive a brother who had sinned against him - 7 times? Jesus responded 77 times or 7 times 77 times (in another passage of the Gospels). In those moments, when I receive tasks (at work or from God) that cause me to think to myself "seriously" or "are you kidding me?", I pause, say a prayer, and remind myself that God is merciful and for me to trust in Him.

Whenever I have a case that is approaching trial, I always pray for the case to settle because I know that the two parties can reach an agreement that is in each other's best interests if they work together rather than put it in the hands of 12 jurors. This is how Jesus teaches us to resolve our differences. We first approach the person who wronged us and try to work it out. If that does not work, then we invite a few others as witnesses to help us work through things. And, if that does not work, then we involve the Church. For more personal and selfish reasons, I have experience and prepare for enough trials to last me a lifetime. However, I trust in God that if a case does go through a full trial, then there is a lesson that God is trying to teach me through that experience. I find this to be true with the trials in 2021 and 2022, and preparation for this trial in 2023 that was resolved before jury selection. I am reminded of what Saint Paul wrote to the Philippians in today's second reading: "I am caught between the two. I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better. Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit." We are on this journey in life for a purpose and that purpose is to prepare ourselves for eternal life. We help each other along the way, we forgive and ask for forgiveness, and we trust in God's mercy and turn to Him in faith, knowing in our hearts that everything we are going through has meaning and purpose - to help us grow closer to our Father in heaven.

In the throes of the craziness of life and work, we can lose perspective on the goodness and faithfulness of God in our lives. For example, I had a case set for trial at the end of April, which would have caused preparing for the May trial setting to be challenging, but that case settled. Then, I had a case that was set for trial in October, which would have made preparing for that trial while handling this trial to be challenging (to say the least), but that case also settled. When we go through various trials and tribulations in life, as we a living through them and not being able to see the "light at the end of the tunnel", we lose sight of God's loving presence in the midst of it all. However, if we take a deep breath and pray, we will know in our heart that God is with us each and every step of the way, guiding our path to be with Him in heaven. Jesus, I trust in you.

Other related blogs:

Trial Preparation: A Reflection on the Call of Saint Matthew https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2025/05/trial-preparation-reflection-on-call-of.html

Trial Preparation: A Reflection on the Great Commandment https://dcnphuc2019.blogspot.com/2025/05/trial-preparation-reflection-on-great.html

Reflecting on a Brother Deacon's Funeral Mass

On September 2, 2023, my brother deacons and I, from the Diocese of Austin Diaconal Formation Class of 2019, remembered the life of Deacon Noel. One of my brother deacons said that it was the first time he had been back to St. Anthony de Claret Catholic Church since the funeral of another brother of ours - Deacon Daniel Guerra. Deacon Daniel died on August 15, 2018, a little over a week after he was ordained at a special ceremony with Bishop Vasquez, at our annual couples' retreat. Deacon Noel died on August 11, 2023, a few days short of the 5th memorial of Deacon Daniel's death. Back to what my brother deacon said. It made me sad to realize that since Ordination, we had not seen each other much except for Diocesan celebrations. I think we have to do a better job of keeping in touch with each other and our families, especially with the 5th anniversary of our Ordination in March 30, 2024. We shall see.

Theresa and I arrived to St. Anthony de Claret Catholic Church at around 8:45 and see saw Deacon Hector and his wife, Lizette, arriving so we waited for them and we shared hugs. Liz is Deacon Noel's sister, which made Deacon Hector his brother-in-law. What a blessing! Theresa and I waited our turn to see Deacon Noel one last time. Deacon Hector and Lizette was before us. I was so touched my the love that Lizette showed her brother and I cried. Theresa and I parted as she went to find her seats with the other deacon wives while I sent to the bridal room that as reserved as the clergy vesting room. It was so great to see so many of my brother deacons from our class. I think 20 of us were present at the funeral Mass (while another 14 were present at the Vigil the night before).

As we lined up to process in, I was reminded of all the times that my brothers and I lined up to process in during Formation - from the Rite of Lector to the Rite of Acolyte to Ordination. I was paired up with Deacon Robert Lindberg and as we processed in, I cried. Bishop Joe was out of the country so our Vicar General, Fr. James Misko, was the main celebrant. Deacon Hector was Deacon of the Word and Deacon Roy Briceno (another brother in Formation) was the Deacon of the Altar. I had the blessed opportunity to serve as a host minister alongside some of my brother deacons. So many parishioners came up to receive Communion with tears in their eyes and I did my best to hold back my tears.

Deacon Hector gave a moving homily in English and Spanish. Two things struck me the most from his homily. First was the wonderful relationship that he had with Deacon Noel that span decades. The deacon was the wisdom of Deacon Noel's daughter who truly understood how our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ can redeem our suffering and pain. Deacon Noel's daughter told her Tio (uncle), Deacon Hector, that Jesus Christ is bigger than the suffering and pain that she is going through after the lost of her father. What faith! It is faith that hope springs forth from because of the love of her Father and her father shared with her - their beloved daughter.

Finally, in his closing remarks, Fr. James talked about the late Pope Emeritus Benedict XVII and his reflection on heaven. Pope Benedict XVI said that heaven is not some distant land in a galaxy far, far away. Rather heaven is present all around us because God is all around us. Upon our death, God, our Father and Creator, pulls us to himself because He loves us. The veil between this world and heaven is so thin that, when we receive our Lord and Jesus Christ, present soul, spirit and divinity in the Eucharist, during Communion, we can feel the loving presence of our deceased loved ones who God has embraced close to His bosom. What hope for all of us who have lost loved ones! Our Lord and our God is so good, so merciful, so loving.

After the funeral Mass, all the priests and deacons present formed a line from the doors of the church to the hearst as we bid our brother, Deacon Noel Caballero, a final farewell. Deacon Daniel and Deacon Noel are reunited in heaven and, now, we have two holy men interceding for us from Heaven. We miss you both, Deacon Noel and Deacon Daniel. Until we meet again, please pray for us and our families but, most especially, please look after your wives - Maricarmen and Flora - from Heaven.

Eternal rest grant unto Deacon Noel, O Lord. May the perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of Deacon Daniel and all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.