Deacon Dave Etters | St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church | Jackson, Michigan
Read spiritual reflections and parish updates from Deacon Dave Etters at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church in Jackson, MI.
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From the Desk of Dcn. Dave Etters – 6/29/25
The Saintly ‘Odd Couple’ “I was one way, and now I am completely different. And the thing that happened in between… was him.” (Mary Magdalene in film series The Chosen) Today we celebrate Saints Peter and Paul – recognized as the two ‘pillars’ who hold up the doorway of the Church. Both are patron saints…
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From the Desk of Deacon Dave Etters -2/23/25
Sacred Spaces, Sacred Faces In his 1981 book Addicted to Mediocrity – 20th Century Christians and the Arts, then-evangelical Franky Schaeffer satirized the arts and media of the so-called ‘religious right’ movement of the 1980s. The target of Schaeffer’s acerbic wit was predominately fundamentalist and evangelical Protestantism. And although not in his crosshairs, Catholics were…
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From the Desk of Dcn. Dave Etters – 12/15/24
“When There Remains Nothing to be Desired” Today, once again in the midst of the Advent season we have come to Gaudete Sunday.Those of us who have been around the block a few times are aware that Gaudete is aLatin verb that means ‘to rejoice’. Although much of the penitential quality of theAdvent season has…
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From the Desk of Dcn. Dave Etters, 9/22/24
“Whatever you ask, I will give you.” No, that was not the voice of a genie emerging from a magic lamp; it was the voice of God speaking to King Solomon. Early in his reign, Solomon had gone to the high place at Gibeon where he offered sacrifice in the LORD’s presence on the bronze…
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From the Desk of Dcn. Dave Etters, 8/4/24
What is it? The morning sun rose in the desert wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula where the Israelites were encamped – and they woke up hungry…again. Just the previous day the entire community had complained, grumbling against Moses and Aaron for lack of bread. In so many words, they said it would be better to…
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From the Desk of Dcn. Dave Etters, 5/26/24
“It Doesn’t Make an iota of Difference.” Many of us have heard, or perhaps even used the expression, “It doesn’t make an iotaof difference.” It is used to indicate how small or inconsequential something might be,its meaning derived from ‘iota’ the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet. Actually, anexample is found in the Gospels. In…
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From the Desk of Dcn. Dave Etters, 4/7/24
His Mercies Never Come To An End In the year 587BC devastation fell upon Judah. Babylonian armies of Nebuchadnezzar II invaded, plundered and laid waste the city of Jerusalem, including its holiest site, the Temple of Solomon. Temple treasures were confiscated and the Ark of the Covenant was seized. Many of the Jews were deported…
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From the Desk of Dcn. Dave Etters, 2/18/24
Running Raw, Lizard Meat, and Lent Some things are perhaps best left to fade away into the forgotten halls of history: the AMC Gremlin, leisure suits, and the ancient Greek Olympic practice of running nude. Astonishingly, from 800 BC to 400 AD, nearly all of the events of the Olympiad were performed in-the-buff. According to…
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From the Desk of Dcn. Dave Etters, 12/3/23
Advent Poetry Advent, a journey through time and space,A pilgrimage to a sacred place.With every carol, a melody's embrace,Echoing dreams of love and grace.So, in this season of wonder and glee,May your days be filled with harmony.As Advent whispers its last goodbye,Embrace the love that will never die.ChatGPT 3.5 This past Thursday was ChatGPT’s first…
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From the Desk of Dcn. Dave Etters
“From every mountainside, let freedom ring.” These words from Samuel Francis Smith’s 1831 hymn America rang throughout our land last week as we attained the ripe old age of 247. And what better way to party on our birthday than with fireworks, burgers and brats on the grill and a couple of brewskis? After all,…
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From the Desk of Dcn. Dave Etters, 5/28/23
Vino Nuevo “For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.” It was quiet – the calm before the holy storm. Suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind and filled the house in which the disciples were gathered on…
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From the Desk of Dcn. Dave Etters, 4/23/23
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the sameman.” Heraclitus, 500 B.C. How many times have you heard people complain about Michigan weather? “Well, wait a fewminutes and it will change!” we say, consoling ourselves by accepting something over which wehave no control. Last…
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From the Desk of Dcn. Dave Etters, 3/12/23
“Now I Begin!” Say then with boldness, “Now I begin,” and go forward constantly in God’s service. Do not lookback so often, because one who looks back cannot run. And do not be content to begin only forthis year. Begin every day, because it is for every day, even for every hour of the day,…
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From the Desk of Dcn. Dave Etters, 11/27/22
“Tis the Season to be Hopeful” Last year at this time I was preaching at the all-school Mass during the first week of Advent, explaining to our youngsters how Advent is a two-part season of hope: the First Coming and Second Coming of Christ. The approach was based on the following text from the Universal…
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From the Desk of Dcn. Dave Etters, 9/18/22
Sunrise, Sunset The 1971 film Fiddler on the Roof, which won an Oscar for best music, featured the moving song Sunrise, Sunset. The scene is a Jewish wedding where the entire community, each holding a candle, processes at sundown to the wedding site where the groom, in black suit and top hat, is waiting for…
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From the Desk of Dcn. Dave Etters, 8/21/22
Tempus fugit! Has anyone noticed lately that the sun is setting lower in the sky, or that the duration of our daylight is slowly shrinking? Could it be that summer is slipping away and coming closer to an end? Say it ain’t so! To all of the Doubting Thomases among us, please be advised of…
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From the Desk of Deacon David Etters
Lent, O Lent, Where Didst Thou Go? Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion – the beginning of Holy Week! With Easter only a week away, it seems as though Lent just flew by this year, even though there are a few days left to go (Lent officially ends when the Mass of the Lord’s Supper…
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From the Desk of Deacon Dave Etters
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. (Proverbs 4:18) Happy 6th Week of Ordinary Time! Our responsorial Psalm today is Psalm 1, one of my favorite Psalms. It is brief, but clearly distinguishes the life of the ‘blessed one’ from the life…