Daily Thoughts: The readings today are interesting on the one hand we have the famous story of Herod and John the Baptist. It is a rather gruesome story, it is hard sometimes to think of a young girl being presented with some one's head and then turning and giving it to her mother. Yet, I guess gruesome things happen in life every day, thankfully not in my life.
I am always struck in this story with the fact that Herod is moved by John, that he likes to listen to him, yet he gives in to the worldly pressure around him. I get the feeling Herod knows that John is right, but his power, his self-importance; his ego will not let him say yes. Herod has surrounded himself with people who push him in the wrong direction, he give in to the peer pressure of his time!
On the other hand the write of the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us to be faithful. There is a great line in today's section; "Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels." What great advice! Perhaps it is advice that Herod should have heard or heeded. He certain had one of God's angels, John the Baptist in his presence.
We need to be aware that God can come to us, be present to us in many ways. We need to trust that God is with us always. We need to remember that we are a community of faith not just individuals and we need to always be aware of the struggles and joys of others because they can often bring God into our midst.
Let us today live by the phrase, God is my light and my salvation, whom should we fear? Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever!
Daily Prayer: O God, help us to always love and reverence your presence in ourselves and others. Keep us always trusting of your presence and love and help us to be hospitable to all we encounter especially the angels you send into our life! Set out life today on a firm foundation of your love so we may live with the hope and trust that you will never forsake or abandon us because you are with us always! Amen!
Runner's Thought: Let's make our run today a God centered run. Let us honor the voice of God in nature, experiencing all the sounds and sights of nature as we run. We can let our breath join in the chorus and we look purposefully for all the signs of God in nature because if we do this we surely will not be running alone!
Rejoice we have reached the end of another week! Have a great Friday everyone! I know some of you are bracing for the storm, in some places it might have even started. I am still in sunny warm Orlando and I am not sure what tomorrow will bring, a journey into the cold and snow or another day in sun and warmth! Whatever, I will try to enjoy it! We had a great end to the mission last night. This is a wonderful faith community and I have truly enjoyed my time here at Holy Family. Blessings upon this faith community and all the people who journeyed with me this week! Blessings on all of you today where ever you are and in whatever you will encounter today. Stay safe, stay warm, have a great day and enjoy your weekend. I may be traveling tomorrow so you might not hear from me! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul
Friday, February 8, 2013
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Daily Thoughts - 02/07/2013
Daily Thoughts: We have begun the last day of the Mission here at Holy Family and it has been a great four days. Please continue to keep the community and preacher in your prayers as we celebrate this final formal day of the mission.
The readings today talk about trust, especially trust in the promises of God. In the Letter to the Hebrews the author reminds the community and us that a relationship with God can be a struggle. Down through our story of faith things have not always gone smoothly. The community has not always followed God invitation. We have often gone in our own direction. God has sent prophets to get us back on the right road but it hasn't always been easy.
It takes trust to make our relationship work. We have to learn to let go and let God. For us human beings that is not always easy. We want to be in control and yet as we have learned God's ways are not always our ways so faith demands trust in God. We need to trust that God is leading us down the right road!
Jesus in the Gospel today is trying to teach the twelve the value to trust. He sends them out to preach, teach and heal but they cannot take anything with them. The have to trust, trust the communities that they go to and trust that Jesus will be with them. The twelve find out that if they trust good things happen. They cast out demons, they heal, they are able to proclaim the Good News.
So as we journey through our day let us take each step today trusting in God so as we live this day good things will happen.
Daily Prayer: O God, strengthen the gift of your hope within us so that we may trust in your presence as we live our life today. Graciously, enliven our faith with your presence that we bring you to everyone we meet. Help us with your grace to know that our faith is the beginning and you love is the end and that we bring to two together by living our life in hope! Amen!
Runner's Thought: Remember our faith is like running the journey is rarely a straight line. There are often hills, valleys and bumps in the road but we must always make the choice to keep looking ahead because God is always right around the corner!
Have a great Thursday everyone! I know those of you in the northeast are getting ready for a storm. Gee, I might not get out of here on Saturday that would be a real shame. I would be stuck in warm Orlando for another day or two. With my luck though my plane will be the only one to get out and the only one to get into New York! Many blessings on your Thursday, may it be a good one. Please continue to keep the Faith Community here at Holy Family in your prayers along with the preacher as we bring a close to the mission tonight. It has been a great week, there is a wonderful spirit here! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul
The readings today talk about trust, especially trust in the promises of God. In the Letter to the Hebrews the author reminds the community and us that a relationship with God can be a struggle. Down through our story of faith things have not always gone smoothly. The community has not always followed God invitation. We have often gone in our own direction. God has sent prophets to get us back on the right road but it hasn't always been easy.
It takes trust to make our relationship work. We have to learn to let go and let God. For us human beings that is not always easy. We want to be in control and yet as we have learned God's ways are not always our ways so faith demands trust in God. We need to trust that God is leading us down the right road!
Jesus in the Gospel today is trying to teach the twelve the value to trust. He sends them out to preach, teach and heal but they cannot take anything with them. The have to trust, trust the communities that they go to and trust that Jesus will be with them. The twelve find out that if they trust good things happen. They cast out demons, they heal, they are able to proclaim the Good News.
So as we journey through our day let us take each step today trusting in God so as we live this day good things will happen.
Daily Prayer: O God, strengthen the gift of your hope within us so that we may trust in your presence as we live our life today. Graciously, enliven our faith with your presence that we bring you to everyone we meet. Help us with your grace to know that our faith is the beginning and you love is the end and that we bring to two together by living our life in hope! Amen!
Runner's Thought: Remember our faith is like running the journey is rarely a straight line. There are often hills, valleys and bumps in the road but we must always make the choice to keep looking ahead because God is always right around the corner!
Have a great Thursday everyone! I know those of you in the northeast are getting ready for a storm. Gee, I might not get out of here on Saturday that would be a real shame. I would be stuck in warm Orlando for another day or two. With my luck though my plane will be the only one to get out and the only one to get into New York! Many blessings on your Thursday, may it be a good one. Please continue to keep the Faith Community here at Holy Family in your prayers along with the preacher as we bring a close to the mission tonight. It has been a great week, there is a wonderful spirit here! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Daily Thoughts - 02/06/2013
Daily Thoughts: There seems to be quite a contrast between the Gospel and the Feast of St. Paul Miki and his companions martyrs that we celebrate today. On the one hand we have St. Paul and his 25 companions back in the Sixteenth Century who held on to their faith at a time in Japan when it was under attack. Rather than giving in to the pressures of their culture and society at that time they held on to what they believed and it brought them to their own crosses and death.
On the other hand the people in Nazareth, Jesus' home town are so closed minded, so sure they know Jesus that they have very little faith. Their faith is so weak that the wonderful things Jesus does everywhere else could not happen in their town. They have put Jesus into a box and they are not open to the unpredictable answers, the unexplainable surprises and the unrelenting love that Jesus brings!
The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews tells us that faith is profoundly important but is not easy, that it is work and at times has grave consequences. Yet, we need to hang on. We need to keep working at it. We need not to give up hope because we never know when the grace of God will be in our midst and we do not want to miss it!
So today let us live out our faith, let us not fear, because God's kindness is everlasting and God's grace in always right around the corner!
Daily Prayer: O God of all strength, help us to hold on to the courage of faith as we live our life. Keep us from forming opinions about ourselves and others that cause us to miss your grace, your presence and your love. Keep our hearts open to the many ways you enter our lives so that in faith you might bring healing and love to our life and to all those we encounter this day. Amen!
Runner's Thought: Remember it is possible to begin a meditation run simply by stepping on to the side walk, the street, the track, the path and putting one foot in front of the other. In fact, the simplicity of this is one of the great joys of running!
Happy Wednesday everyone! Once again we are at hump day; this week is all downhill from here! Well perhaps not but we can hope! Where ever you are, whatever this day brings I hope you will find many blessings in it! Enjoy your day, the people you meet, the things you do and the time you spend being the gift you are! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul.
On the other hand the people in Nazareth, Jesus' home town are so closed minded, so sure they know Jesus that they have very little faith. Their faith is so weak that the wonderful things Jesus does everywhere else could not happen in their town. They have put Jesus into a box and they are not open to the unpredictable answers, the unexplainable surprises and the unrelenting love that Jesus brings!
The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews tells us that faith is profoundly important but is not easy, that it is work and at times has grave consequences. Yet, we need to hang on. We need to keep working at it. We need not to give up hope because we never know when the grace of God will be in our midst and we do not want to miss it!
So today let us live out our faith, let us not fear, because God's kindness is everlasting and God's grace in always right around the corner!
Daily Prayer: O God of all strength, help us to hold on to the courage of faith as we live our life. Keep us from forming opinions about ourselves and others that cause us to miss your grace, your presence and your love. Keep our hearts open to the many ways you enter our lives so that in faith you might bring healing and love to our life and to all those we encounter this day. Amen!
Runner's Thought: Remember it is possible to begin a meditation run simply by stepping on to the side walk, the street, the track, the path and putting one foot in front of the other. In fact, the simplicity of this is one of the great joys of running!
Happy Wednesday everyone! Once again we are at hump day; this week is all downhill from here! Well perhaps not but we can hope! Where ever you are, whatever this day brings I hope you will find many blessings in it! Enjoy your day, the people you meet, the things you do and the time you spend being the gift you are! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Daily Thoughts - 02/05/2013
Daily Thoughts: We come this morning to the Feast of St. Agatha, one of the early martyrs of the Church. What we know about her is mostly legend. I find it interesting that as we celebrate her spirit today we hear in the Gospel about two women, one who is cured and the other who is brought back to life. We also hear in the first reading about the "cloud of witnesses" that surrounds us on our journey of faith. I guess in a unique way our celebrate of St. Agatha and our readings together give us much food for thought.
I have always liked that phrase "cloud of witnesses." The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews is talking about all who have died in faith, the Communion of Saints as we often say today. He is telling the community that as they journey, this cloud of witnesses is with them through all their struggles and challenges. It must have been a source of great comfort to those facing challenges to their faith. We might say that St. Agatha is one of those witnesses that we can draw comfort today. She never let go of her faith even under profound challenges.
The two women in our Gospel story are different, one is just a child who faces death, the other has lived many years and has faced a great physical struggle for a number of those years. For one women it is the faith of her family that makes all the difference, for the other it is her own faith that makes the difference. This is what brings these women together, faith. Faith if lived out can give us the opportunity to be cured; faith can also give us life!
The thread that runs through our readings and the feast we celebrate today is the thread of faith. St. Agatha relied on faith to see her through her struggles and challenges. The two women in our Gospel relied on faith to bring about comfort, relief and life. We, the community of faith, rely on the faith of those who have gone before us, "the cloud of witnesses" to keep us going, to support us on the journey of faith.
Faith can be a comfort, faith is always a challenge but remember it can bring healing, it can bring support and it can bring life. Let us be faith filled people today so that we to can be a source of healing, comfort, support and life to all we meet!
Daily Prayer: O God, give strength to our faith, so that we can be a source of support, comfort, healing and life as we make our journey through this day. Help us to draw upon the faith of all who have gone before us, trusting that they are always with us. Give us the courage to reach out and touch you when we most need it today. Make us aware of those in need of life today so that we may bring you to them. May we not grow weary or lose heart today. Amen!
Runner's Thought: Let us accept our run today for what it is, remembering that this is a spiritual practice that, like any exercise, requires persistence through experiences of success and what seems like failure.
Have a great Tuesday everyone! We had a wonderful opening to the mission yesterday here at Holy Family in Orlando. There was a nice crowd in the morning and evening, with a great spirit. I am looking forward to today and I ask your continued prayers for the faith community and the preacher!
I pray your day will go well and be all that you need and want it to be, Many blessings on your journey today may it be a source of life for you and all you meet! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul
I have always liked that phrase "cloud of witnesses." The writer of the Letter to the Hebrews is talking about all who have died in faith, the Communion of Saints as we often say today. He is telling the community that as they journey, this cloud of witnesses is with them through all their struggles and challenges. It must have been a source of great comfort to those facing challenges to their faith. We might say that St. Agatha is one of those witnesses that we can draw comfort today. She never let go of her faith even under profound challenges.
The two women in our Gospel story are different, one is just a child who faces death, the other has lived many years and has faced a great physical struggle for a number of those years. For one women it is the faith of her family that makes all the difference, for the other it is her own faith that makes the difference. This is what brings these women together, faith. Faith if lived out can give us the opportunity to be cured; faith can also give us life!
The thread that runs through our readings and the feast we celebrate today is the thread of faith. St. Agatha relied on faith to see her through her struggles and challenges. The two women in our Gospel relied on faith to bring about comfort, relief and life. We, the community of faith, rely on the faith of those who have gone before us, "the cloud of witnesses" to keep us going, to support us on the journey of faith.
Faith can be a comfort, faith is always a challenge but remember it can bring healing, it can bring support and it can bring life. Let us be faith filled people today so that we to can be a source of healing, comfort, support and life to all we meet!
Daily Prayer: O God, give strength to our faith, so that we can be a source of support, comfort, healing and life as we make our journey through this day. Help us to draw upon the faith of all who have gone before us, trusting that they are always with us. Give us the courage to reach out and touch you when we most need it today. Make us aware of those in need of life today so that we may bring you to them. May we not grow weary or lose heart today. Amen!
Runner's Thought: Let us accept our run today for what it is, remembering that this is a spiritual practice that, like any exercise, requires persistence through experiences of success and what seems like failure.
Have a great Tuesday everyone! We had a wonderful opening to the mission yesterday here at Holy Family in Orlando. There was a nice crowd in the morning and evening, with a great spirit. I am looking forward to today and I ask your continued prayers for the faith community and the preacher!
I pray your day will go well and be all that you need and want it to be, Many blessings on your journey today may it be a source of life for you and all you meet! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul
Monday, February 4, 2013
Daily Thoughts - 02/04/2013
Daily Thoughts: "Let your hearts take comfort, all who hope in the Lord!" The response for the Responsorial Psalm from today's scripture. It seems to reflect the feeling found in the Gospel today. I have often found this Gospel story a strange story. There are many layers to it: Jesus in foreign territory; the man who lives among the tombs; the unclean spirits named legion that are sent into the swine; the swine that throw themselves into the sea; the fear for the people so much so that they ask Jesus to leave and finally the man once possessed becoming a preacher of the Good News.
It seems that the possessed man in the story is the only one who can take comfort in Jesus. He has struggled all his life. He has been chained and broken out of the chains only to find little peace. It is only Jesus who can finally free him totally. I think we all have parts of ourselves that get possessed by the demons of life. Things that we cannot let go of that hurt us in a personal way and sometimes even hurt the people around us. We sometimes free ourselves only to be caught by them again. Perhaps like the man in the story it is only through Jesus that we can find comfort and hope.
Often as we live life we tell Jesus to move on, to leave, we do not want our life disrupted even if it not going so well. We likes things the way they are even if our life a awash with struggles, chains, tombs and a lack of peace. Yet all of us have the opportunity to recognize Jesus in our life and become free of the things that possess us but first we need to over come our fears and trust in God's presence. Trust that change can be good.
May this day be one when we recognize Jesus passing by and allow our hearts to find comfort and hope in his presence!
Daily Prayer: O God creator of all good things, you are our light and our salvation, whom should we fear. Loving God, you are the stronghold, the rock of our life, of whom should we be afraid? Help us as we live this day to discern what is right, to take comfort and to always hope in you. Guide us along your right path knowing that you are always with us and you will never leave us to face life alone. Amen!
Runner's Thought: Let us try to make our run a spiritual one today, remembering as we run God is our strength, God is the breath we take, God is our footpath, and God is our finish line!
Welcome to Monday everyone! I am told this is the day when the most people take a sick day or a personal day because of a Super Bowl. In fact there are some that want to make it a National Holiday. Not sure I agree with that, couldn't we just play the Super Bowl on Saturday evening. I think just as many people would watch it!
I have to say I didn't party last night and I didn't watch the game so I am up and ready to go! If you are home or at work I hope you will have a good day! If you are hung but happy may the pain in your head leave soon so you can enjoy being happy. If you are still crying in your beer may today ultimately end in you finding some peace remember there is always next year. I also hope that today will be the beginning of a great week for everyone! As you journey through this week take comfort and hope in God and let God cast out the demons that might try to possess you!
If you have a chance please offer a prayer for the faith community here at Holy Family in Orlando as they enter into a time of Mission/Retreat and also say a prayer for me that I will do my best! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul
It seems that the possessed man in the story is the only one who can take comfort in Jesus. He has struggled all his life. He has been chained and broken out of the chains only to find little peace. It is only Jesus who can finally free him totally. I think we all have parts of ourselves that get possessed by the demons of life. Things that we cannot let go of that hurt us in a personal way and sometimes even hurt the people around us. We sometimes free ourselves only to be caught by them again. Perhaps like the man in the story it is only through Jesus that we can find comfort and hope.
Often as we live life we tell Jesus to move on, to leave, we do not want our life disrupted even if it not going so well. We likes things the way they are even if our life a awash with struggles, chains, tombs and a lack of peace. Yet all of us have the opportunity to recognize Jesus in our life and become free of the things that possess us but first we need to over come our fears and trust in God's presence. Trust that change can be good.
May this day be one when we recognize Jesus passing by and allow our hearts to find comfort and hope in his presence!
Daily Prayer: O God creator of all good things, you are our light and our salvation, whom should we fear. Loving God, you are the stronghold, the rock of our life, of whom should we be afraid? Help us as we live this day to discern what is right, to take comfort and to always hope in you. Guide us along your right path knowing that you are always with us and you will never leave us to face life alone. Amen!
Runner's Thought: Let us try to make our run a spiritual one today, remembering as we run God is our strength, God is the breath we take, God is our footpath, and God is our finish line!
Welcome to Monday everyone! I am told this is the day when the most people take a sick day or a personal day because of a Super Bowl. In fact there are some that want to make it a National Holiday. Not sure I agree with that, couldn't we just play the Super Bowl on Saturday evening. I think just as many people would watch it!
I have to say I didn't party last night and I didn't watch the game so I am up and ready to go! If you are home or at work I hope you will have a good day! If you are hung but happy may the pain in your head leave soon so you can enjoy being happy. If you are still crying in your beer may today ultimately end in you finding some peace remember there is always next year. I also hope that today will be the beginning of a great week for everyone! As you journey through this week take comfort and hope in God and let God cast out the demons that might try to possess you!
If you have a chance please offer a prayer for the faith community here at Holy Family in Orlando as they enter into a time of Mission/Retreat and also say a prayer for me that I will do my best! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Evening Thoughts - 02/03/2013
Evening Thoughts: Well I can hardly call these daily thoughts as it is now 7:30 pm and this is the first time today I have had the chance to sit down and collect my thoughts. Six masses with the last one being 6:00 pm this evening will do that to you. The opening of the Parish Mission at Holy Family has gone well. I am hoping for a nice crowd tomorrow morning and evening. There is a very nice spirit in the parish!
My homily reflections today focused on seeing things differently through the eyes of God, the eyes of faith. The first reading from Jeremiah paints a picture of a man, a prophet who is asked by God to see things differently, to see his life differently.
St. Paul asks the Corinthians to see love differently, not the way the world see it but as God sees it. It is a beautiful reflection about love that we have probably heard a hundred times at weddings and anniversaries. Yet, if we listen to St. Paul closely, love is very hard, it is not easy. It is a perfect love, a love perhaps only that God can offer. It is a love that we are always reminded of each time we look at the Cross. It is a love that asks us to look at our love for God, for others, for ourselves differently.
In the Gospel Jesus asks the community at Nazareth to look at life differently. He asks them to look at a life bigger than themselves and unfortunately they cannot. They are stuck in their own little world!
The challenge of the scriptures today is can we look at life differently? Can we look at life with God's eyes, with the eyes of faith?
Evening Prayer: Loving God, bless us this evening with the gift of your peace. May we have a restful night and rise refreshed to begin a new work week. May we always look at life with the eyes of faith so that we never miss and opportunity to encounter your love! Amen!
Runner's Thought: As you rest this night envision a run tomorrow that will bring the gift of God's presence alive in your run. Run with purpose, run with energy, run with faith tomorrow!
Hope your evening is going well. If you are watching the game I hope you team is winning, If you are not watching I hope you are having a restful evening. Regardless of what you are doing tonight may you go to bed tonight and be blessed with a restful and peaceful night so that you can rise refreshed, ready for a new day! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul
My homily reflections today focused on seeing things differently through the eyes of God, the eyes of faith. The first reading from Jeremiah paints a picture of a man, a prophet who is asked by God to see things differently, to see his life differently.
St. Paul asks the Corinthians to see love differently, not the way the world see it but as God sees it. It is a beautiful reflection about love that we have probably heard a hundred times at weddings and anniversaries. Yet, if we listen to St. Paul closely, love is very hard, it is not easy. It is a perfect love, a love perhaps only that God can offer. It is a love that we are always reminded of each time we look at the Cross. It is a love that asks us to look at our love for God, for others, for ourselves differently.
In the Gospel Jesus asks the community at Nazareth to look at life differently. He asks them to look at a life bigger than themselves and unfortunately they cannot. They are stuck in their own little world!
The challenge of the scriptures today is can we look at life differently? Can we look at life with God's eyes, with the eyes of faith?
Evening Prayer: Loving God, bless us this evening with the gift of your peace. May we have a restful night and rise refreshed to begin a new work week. May we always look at life with the eyes of faith so that we never miss and opportunity to encounter your love! Amen!
Runner's Thought: As you rest this night envision a run tomorrow that will bring the gift of God's presence alive in your run. Run with purpose, run with energy, run with faith tomorrow!
Hope your evening is going well. If you are watching the game I hope you team is winning, If you are not watching I hope you are having a restful evening. Regardless of what you are doing tonight may you go to bed tonight and be blessed with a restful and peaceful night so that you can rise refreshed, ready for a new day! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul
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