Daily Thoughts - 06/03/2013

Daily Thoughts: I think we have all had one of those moments when listening to a reading from Scripture we think, “O my God that is directed at me!” There is something in the message, the story that hits home that makes us pause and think about our faith, our relationship with God, our life.

I get the sense that today’s Gospel story (Mark 12: 1-12) was one of those moments for the religious leadership of Jesus’ day. Jesus’ story was directed right at them and they knew it. However rather than taking it to heart, rather than giving it some thought, rather than discerning how to change their lives they chose to consider ways of getting rid of Jesus. The uncomfortableness of the truth did not set them free it just made them blinder to the presence of God in their life.

I ran across a quote the other day that I have always liked and you might have seen it on my Facebook page or in one of my tweets. The quote goes something like this, “Someone described a biblical prophet as one who comforted the disturbed and disturbed the comfortable.”  That was certainly true of Jesus especially in our story today.

Yet our reaction to today’s Gospel might be to sit back and relax think that Jesus is speaking to leadership and not to us and that would be a mistake. Jesus’ words should also make us uncomfortable today. How often has God sent people into our lives with a message, with the presence of God and we have rejected them. Thinking they don’t fit in, thinking they don’t have the truth, thinking they don’t belong?

The point is that we never know when God will come a calling, sending a servant, a son, to collect the fruits of our labor. Will we recognize that it is God and embrace his presence or will we reject the visitor because we think we know best?

Daily Prayer: O God, search us and know our hearts; test us and know our concerns. See if there is any crooked way in us, and lead us in the everlasting way. For we truly do believe so our prayer to you is help our unbelief. Amen!

Runner’s Thought: Remember if we have the desire to run with God, then the specifics of the techniques used do not matter very much just keep hold of the desire and God will be with you!

Happy Monday everyone! I hope your day has started off well though if you are in the east like me it is cloudy and rainy this morning. Not only do the clouds and rain make it a gloomy day but we are battling ants here in Pelham these days. Can’t tell where they are coming from they just seem to appear. Not real fun! But hopefully they too will pass like the clouds and the rain.

Have a great day everyone. May it truly be a good start to your week but if not I pray that things will get better. Please continue to keep Jake and his family in your prayers and continue to know that wherever you are and wherever your life brings you today you are in my prayers! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul