Daily Thoughts: St. John in the first reading today makes it sound so simple. If we believe we will know what is of God and what is not. Sure when someone speaks against Jesus it is a sure sign that we should not follow in that direction, however there are many voices, many spirits out there that claim to be followers of Jesus yet I am not always sure their way is the way to go.
John reminds us we need to believe in the name of Jesus and love one another, yet often the very people who ask us to believe in the name of Jesus do not seem to love others. What should we think? What should we believe? It doesn't always seem clear cut. Certainly John did not live in this age of mass communication, of social media. The challenge of today is how to believe, how do we test the spirits to see whether they belong to God?
To be honest with you I do not have an answer, for me it is a work in progress. I listen, I digest, I compare and I pray and hope that I make the right choice, the right decision. I pray and hope that I am walking with God. One of my criteria for testing the spirits of today comes from the Gospel today, from the life of Jesus. The criteria that I place on today's spirits is how compassionate are they. Jesus' life was about compassion for others. I test the spirits of today with a sense of how compassionate are they? How caring for others are they? How willing are they to provide hope in a troubled world? How willing are they to unite not divide people? It is not always easy to make the call, to know for sure, but the spirits of today must past the Jesus test, they must be spirits that proclaim the "Good News!"
Daily Prayer: Loving God, help us to become images of your light for all, especially those caught in the darkness of injustice and violence. May we always live in your spirit so that we too, like Jesus, might bring compassion, healing and hope to a world caught in the grip of the spirits of fear, hatred, anger, violence and injustice! Amen!
We continue to pray during this Christmas Season for families in grief; for little ones whose lives were too short; for teachers, administrators and responders who put others first; for a community that must find a way to live; for all of us who seek a world of lasting peace! Amen!
Runner's Thought: As you run look for good in the world that you pass by, look for good in the people you encounter, sense the good in you and know you do not run alone!
To all my Dominican friend happy feast day as you celebrate the feast of St. Raymond of Penyafort, my middle name is Raymond, so I am celebrating with you today! To all have a blessed and holy day and may you encounter only the Spirit of God in your work, your travels and your living of life! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul
PS On Thursday this week I will be giving a Day of Recollection at the Bishop Molloy Passionist Retreat House in Jamaica, New York. The day runs from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm with a Talk, Time for Reconciliation, Lunch and Mass all for only $30 and you get me too! What a deal! If you are interested please contact the Retreat House and make a reservation (718-739-1229) or go to their web site www.bishopmolloy.org. Hope to see you there if you are in the area!
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