I read this a long time ago and it has
stayed with me ever since. Perhaps it is because my life has been made up of so
many relationships, so many friendships that have gone unfulfilled, friendships
that have been there and then are gone. Friendships that have afforded me the
chance to love and be loved only to see those love lost. I can say without a
doubt that the desire to love and be loved is profoundly important but at the
same time profoundly difficult.
The first reading for today’s mass from
the Book of Sirach (Sirach 6:5-17), talks about the value of friendship, about
the gift of friendship in our life but it also points out how difficult at times
friendship can be. Today’s reading points out that having a true friend is a
treasure yet finding a true friend can be difficult.
Friendship and love demand trust. They
demand openness to self and the other and there are many ways in which we can
be hurt by both. Yet a friend born out of love can be one of the greatest gifts
in life and to lose the love of a friend can be one of our greatest sorrows.
As we journey through this day let us
remember our friends. Let us remember our love for them and their love for us
and how important they are in our life. Let us give thanks for the gift of our
friends and the true treasures in our lives that they are!
Daily Prayer: O God, give us
insight into our friendships. Help us to see your gift of love, your presence in
them. Help us to be faithful friends to others, loyal, generous and kind. Grant
us the gift through our friendships to love and be loved. Bless our friends
this day and always with the richness of life and the faithfulness of our love.
Amen!
Runner’s Thought: If we run as a
spiritual runner let us remember that it is being a runner that matters, it is
not how fast or how far we go. The joy, the gift is in running, in the journey
and not always in the destination. We have the best chance of encountering our
friend God, in the midst of our run when we remain focused in the present and
don’t think too far ahead! (I
adapted this from a quote by John Bingham, the author of No Need for Speed: A Beginner's Guide to the Joy of Running.)
TGIF everyone and welcome to the unofficial
start of summer! Well ok not quite yet as some of you are in the midst of a Friday
work day. I hope your Friday has started off well and it will be a short one
that will take you into a relaxing and fun weekend. The rain and clouds are
still hanging around us here in Pelham. They say even the cold, or cooler
weather will return for the weekend, not so much summer yet and not so
enjoyable! I hope the skies will be brighter, the sun will be out and the weather
will be warmer where ever you are this weekend!
Have a great Memorial Day weekend may it
be a time of rest, relaxation and fun. May it be a time of family and friends
rich with smiles, laughter, good food and many blessings. Enjoy and know you
will all be in my prayers that the weekend is not only fun but safe! Peace in
Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
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