Growing up, choosing what to “give up” for Lent was hard. However, saying I wasn’t going to eat something for 40 days and go right back to eating it at 12:01 a.m. on Easter morning didn’t make any sense. The practice of fasting was never meant as a challenge, to see what you could live […]
Manaolana | Makana Aiona: Dessert and desert
I find it helpful to know where words originate. Today I’d like to look at two words. The first, dessert, comes from the old French word desservir, “to clean the table.” It literally means “un-serve” (des -“un” and server -“serve”) signifying the end of a meal. The second, desert, originates from the Latin word deserere, […]
Manaolana | Makana’s helpful hints: Doin’ work
“Doin’ work!” In basketball, that phrase describes someone taking over the game and getting things done on their own. Since the “showtime” days of the Lakers to today’s “Big 3” (Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Tim Duncan; LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love; Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Bogut, etc.) the team game is being overshadowed […]
Manaolana | Makana Aiona: LOL
Exciting ways to enhance young adult ministry Again my inspiration comes from my wife and one of her favorites, the “now on her way to heaven” Sister Anne Bryan Smollin. She taught Stephanie a very important lesson: laughter is powerful! Sister Anne was great at using humor to open people up to God’s graces. “We […]
Manaolana | Makana’s helpful hints: Remember the pauses
Wow! Thanksgiving is gone and there are only three weeks until Christmas begins. Last week’s Black Friday sales actually started the day before Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations and sales popped up even before that! It really feels like corporate America (save a handful of companies) is trying to hide Thanksgiving! Now, I hope you caught […]
Manaolana | Makana’s helpful hints: Whoa!
The thing that comes to mind first when Molokai is mentioned is: “Whoa!” Anyone who’s been there has probably stopped at a “Whoa!” sign. With the Thanksgiving holiday, secular sales, ADVENT, and CHRISTMAS SEASON fast approaching, many people easily let those things in lower case lettering overshadow those in all caps. Each year, there are […]
Manaolana |Makana’s helpful hints: It’s simple … not easy
I like to hear about people’s aspirations. It gives me a good gauge on where their hearts are. I’ve had many aspirations myself, but now only one. When my parish young adult ministry was “re-branding” itself, the name RISE and a three-word mission statement were chosen. This mission statement is a summary of the church’s […]
Manaolana | Makana’s helpful hints: Can I be perfectly honest with you?
“By its very nature, lying is to be condemned. It is a profanation of speech, whereas the purpose of speech is to communicate known truth to others.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2485) The point of speech is to pass truth on to others. The purpose of every word we say or action we take […]
Manaolana | Makana Aiona: Are you divided
Exciting ways to enhance young adult ministry In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus tells the crowd, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house.” If you are registered to vote, then you have an important task on Nov. 4. As citizens of the United States, voting is a right […]
Manaolana | Makana Aiona: The timeless
MAKANA’S HELPFUL HINTS Today’s first reading (Ecclesiastes 3:1-11) is one of my favorites. Time is such an incredible concept. It’s the measurement of life on earth. Without time, we wouldn’t exist. I saw a video that portrays a teacher telling his students that God must have created evil because God created everything. One student rejects […]
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