Holy Saturday Daily Thoughts - 03/30/2013

Daily Thoughts: The word that I always use for Holy Saturday is hope. After a long Lent, after the gift of Love which we call Good Friday we wait in Hope on Holy Saturday. The elements of the Easter Vigil which we will celebrate later today all point toward the virtue of Hope.

We retell the story of creation, our creation, of how God so loved us, of how we are created in the image and likeness of God. We retell the story of our release from slavery; How God with a mighty arm brought us from slavery to freedom. We hear how God provides for all those who are thirsty, who are hunger. The rich table, the rich food God provides for us.

On Holy Saturday night we light a new fire. We bless new water. We welcome people, through baptism, confirmation, Holy Eucharist into the community of faith. It is a night of hope for us, for our church, for the world.

Yes, it is a day and night of waiting, but we wait in hope because we are people of faith who are loved by God. We wait to wake and walk to the empty tomb with the women. We wait to see the stone rolled back. We wait to stand with Mary Magdalene and hear the Lord call our name. We wait to run with Peter and John to the empty tomb and see for ourselves. We wait for Jesus to walk through our lock doors and say, "Peace be with you!" We wait for our hearts to burn within us.

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings a tune without the words and never stops at all! (Emily Dickinson) We wait in faith today, we wait in love, and we wait to hear the tune of hope that perches in our soul singing a tune of love that never stops. Yes, today we wait...in hope!

Holy Saturday Daily Prayer: Loving God as we wait today make ready our hearts that they may be inflamed with your presence. Enkindle in them the fire of your love. Grace our souls with the song of your hope, a song, and a tune that will never stop. Strengthen us with patience, enliven us with energy, and gift us with wisdom. We make this prayer as your faith filled people embraced by your love and dancing to the rhythm of the song of hope! Amen!

Runner's Thought: As runners in faith we always need to persevere. Perseverance requires faith that the path you have chosen is the right path. Where ever it takes us we will grow in the presence of God if we are willing to persevere.

Holy Saturday blessings to all! I hope you had a blessed and holy Good Friday. I hope you got to spend a little time in prayer. The liturgy of Good Friday is so simple it is one of my favorite days to just sit and a church and be. Now it is a time of waiting. May your Holy Saturday be rich in the warmth of the sun. May it be a day when you can hope for all the goodness that Easter is. Enjoy your Holy Saturday everyone and please know you are in my prayers throughout this day and always! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Good Friday Daily Thoughts - 03/29/2013

Good Friday Daily Thoughts: I can remember as a teenager several Good Friday's I sat in my bedroom and played the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar from 12 noon to 3 pm. It was my way as a teenager to think of the events of Good Friday before going with my family in the evening to church to celebrate the liturgy of the Lord's Passion. I listen to the words of the songs and pictured the story of Jesus' passion and death. I thought about all the characters involved in the story. I listened to them explain their actions and express their struggles and sorrow. It was liturgy; it was prayer for me at that time of my life.

I am sure some people might cringe at my teenage Good Friday service, perhaps thinking Jesus Christ Superstar was just a musical fad of the 1970's, something that was disrespectful or irreverent to this great story, something that was another sign that this generation was not faithful to the tradition, we not faithful to what was holy, true and good. There was a lot of controversy around Jesus Christ Superstar especially when it came out as a play and movie. (A note of trivia the first authorized performance of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar took place on July 11, 1971, in front of an audience of 13,000 people at the Civic Area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.) Yet as a high school and college student it was a way for me to understand my faith, to experience my faith and to put my faith into the context of my own life, it was my liturgy of the Lord's Passion for me.

I think we all need to find our own way of connecting to the Passion story. We have to find our own way to understand, to feel, the mystery of Jesus' Passion. We have to make the connection with the characters, with Jesus. We might not understand but we need to make the connection, we need to feel the story. We need to find our own liturgy sometimes.

As a teenager Jesus Christ Superstar helped me to feel the story, to make the connection. I knew it was just someone's interpretation of the Gospels. I knew that the songs were not the real story. I knew that this is not how the events happened but for me at that moment of my life it was the best way to make the journey with Jesus. It was the way to feel connected. It was a way to pray. It was a way to honor and keep holy Good Friday.

At this point in life I keep holy Good Friday much differently. I am blessed and honored to be a Passionist and a priest so often I am privileged to lead a community in the liturgy of the Lord's Passion or like this year I have the honor of preaching, of sharing the Good News on this day. Yet even today my thoughts often go back to my days as a teenager sitting in my room or lying on my bed following the story, being touched by the music, being overwhelmed by God's love for me. Perhaps those Good Friday's long ago are the very reason why I am a Passionist, a priest, a man of faith today!

My friends however you remember the Lord's Passion of this Good Friday my prayer for you is that the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ will always be in your heart!

Good Friday Daily Prayer: Today I offer you two simple little prayers to guide you through this day. The first comes from our Passionist tradition it is a simple prayer we utter each day - "May the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ be always in our hearts!"

The second prayer was write by the great Jesuit theologian Fr. Karl Rahner, S.J. - "The Cross of My Lord, Be my Standard, Be my Comfort, Be the Answer to all dark questions, The Light of all nights, The Sign that You have chosen us, The mysterious and sure Sign that we are Yours for eternity. Amen." (Thanks for this pray goes to Fr. Philip Paxton, C.P. at St. Paul of the Cross Retreat Center in Detroit, MI)

Runner's Thought: If we truly want to be a spiritual runner then we must remember that with every time we run we embark  on a path were we can expect surprises, missteps, little jumps and sometimes great leaps toward a personal understanding of God.

Greetings everyone! I trust you had a blessed Holy Thursday and were able to find a little time to connect with God. I know many of you probably have to work today but hopefully you will be able to take at least a few moments of quiet to make holy this Good Friday.

I celebrated with the faith community at St. Barnabas Parish in the Bronx last night and had the honor of preaching the Good Word. It was a full church and a very prayerful celebration. Today I will return to St. Barnabas for their two Good Friday Services at 3 pm and 7:30 pm. Once again I will be preaching.

I send my prayers and I ask God's blessings upon all of you and your loved ones. May the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ be always in our hearts! Peace in Christ's Passion today and always...Fr. Paul

Daily Holy Week Thoughts - 03/27/2013

Daily Thoughts: Spy Wednesday, the day in which we remember Judas’ actions many years ago. A companion, a friend of Jesus yet he allows the forces of darkness, the forces of evil to become more a friend than Jesus.

We do not truly know what motivated Judas. Was it his desire for money? Was it that he truly thought he would scare Jesus into changing his approach to life? Was it that he saw Jesus as a threat?  Was it that he was angry with Jesus? Had he been caught stealing money? Was he upset that Jesus challenged him at Lazarus’ house? We just don’t know the motive.

What we do know is the Judas sold Jesus out to the religious leadership. What we do know is that Judas could not admit to Jesus what he was about to do. He could not tell the truth and that until the end he continued to see himself as Jesus’ friend.

The Prophet Isaiah today once again reminds himself of who his friend truly is, God. That no matter what happens God is there to protect Isaiah in his ministry as prophet. It is not easy but Isaiah is faithful to his ministry and God is faithful to Isaiah, helping him through the struggle.

We encounter Isaiah’s words and in them we see Jesus. We listen to Isaiah’s words and hear Jesus speaking. Jesus is the servant who suffers, the servant who trusts in God, the servant who is abandoned by everyone except by God.

The questions for today – Are we with God or against God? Can we remain friends of Jesus or will the trappings of the world cause us to betray him? Can we trust in God even in the midst of our own struggles? It is often said that every person has her or his price, what is our price?

Daily Holy Week Prayer: At the name of Jesus every knee must bend in heaven, on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father! Loving God, help us to always be faithful and may the gods of the world not temp us into betraying our friendship with you. Grace us with the strength to always trust in your presence especially when we struggle. Help us to keep hope alive through your word and sacrament! Amen!

Runner’s Thought: If, in running we desire is to connect with God, to pray, then that is what we are doing. Keeping that desire at the forefront of our thoughts and remaining conscious of our intent is very important. Remember seek God and you will find God in every good thing!

Greetings to everyone on this Spy Wednesday! I hope you are having a good day. I would like to send a shout out to my friend Newell in the Denver area. I learn today that he just got home from another stay in the hospital. I am hoping they found the problem and that he is home for a while. Hang in there Big Fella!

This morning’s closing session of mission went well and I look forward to the formal closing tonight. It has been a good beginning to the week here at St. Gabriel’s however once I finish here tonight my week is only half over as I move on the St. Barnabas Parish tomorrow. I will be preaching the Triduum there Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. I have two masses tomorrow one in the morning for the school and at 7:30 pm The Mass of the Lord’s Supper, then two Good Friday Services, the Easter Vigil and an Easter Sunday Morning Mass. So if you are in the area come and celebrate with us.

Hopefully your day has been filled with many blessings and that you will have some time to enter into the holiness of these next few days. If not, if you are busy, please know that as I journey through them you will be held in my prayers. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Holy Week Thoughts - 03/26/2013

Daily Thoughts: A little meditation book that I have been using this Lent begins its reflection today by says that troublemakers and troubleshooters are two very different types of people. Troublemakers are those people who create anxiety, frustration, agitation and cause calamity. Troubleshooters are those people who have the ability to identify, locate and eliminate the source of the disturbance. In today’s Gospel Judas is a troublemaker and Jesus is a troubleshooter.

In the Gospel today we are told that Jesus is deeply troubled and as we read on and picture the scene we quickly understand why. The scene today in the Last Supper and Jesus is aware of the events ahead of him. He knows that Judas will betray him and in the midst of the supper Jesus sends him on his way. We all know what it feels like to lose a friend. We invest time, effort, our emotions and feelings only to have the person move on, decide that we are not worth the time, effort and trouble. Jesus has given three years to Judas and Judas needs to move on.

Jesus has given three years to all of his disciples yet he knows they will all run away before the night is over. One of his closest friends, Peter, will deny that he knows Jesus even though we listen to his bold statement of loyalty in the Gospel. Yes, it is a troubling time for Jesus.

However, unlike the troublemaker Judas, Jesus does not run away. He identifies the problem, the struggle, the difficulty. Jesus realizes that humankind has “fallen from love.” That is our original sin; we have fallen from God’s love. Jesus the troubleshooter is going to restore the gift of that love by his journey to the cross the empty tomb. Jesus set us free to embrace the mystery of God’s love. It is up to us to turn away from sin but through the action of Jesus, the troubleshooter, we are given the chance to once again “fall in love with God!”

As we journey through this day may we remember what Jesus has done for us. May will look at the cross and “fall in love once again!”

Daily Holy Week Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank you for your great love. We are sorry for having troubled you by not embracing, by rejecting, by denying, by betraying your love. Help us to be people of hope. Help us to be people of faith. Help us to be people who fall in love with you again! You know the weakness of our human hearts. Grace us with hearts alive with your love. Gift us with faith filled spirits that will help us to make good choices as we journey through this life to the mystery of your everlasting love! Amen!

Runner’s Thought: Let us run today with a spirit of gratefulness. Before we begin our run let us declare our intentions to look upon all we encounter with the freshness of the unexpected. The let us run with a sense of miraculous expectation and allow our feelings of gratitude for the extraordinary and the ordinary to flow through our beings. (Adapted from Running the Spiritual Path by Roger Joslin)

Happy Holy Tuesday everyone! I hope your day is starting well. A least in this neck of the woods the sun is out and today looks to be a nice day weather wise. The say the temps will get better as the week goes along. I am really hoping for some warmer weather, how about you?

Our mission here at St. Gabriel’s started very nicely yesterday. Even with the nasty weather we had a nice crowd both in the morning and evening. I am looking forward to the beginning of the second day in just a little over an hour. Your prayers for the community of faith here and their preacher would be greatly appreciated!

Have a great day everyone. May you day be filled with many blessings. If you are encountering a bad day take a moment to remember that you are in my prayers and that God does love you. Perhaps that pause will help to turn the tide from a bad day to a good one. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Lenten Thoughts - 03/25/2013

Daily Thoughts: We find ourselves beginning this most Holy of Weeks. Our readings today remind us the good of this week and the bad. We are reminded of the compassion and love of Jesus. We are reminded of the caring and friendship of Martha, Mary and Lazarus. We are reminded of the impact that Jesus had on peoples' lives. We are reminded how Judas lost his focus and turned away from Jesus.

These early days of Holy Week set the scene, the characters and the focus for the Triduum. They give us the background of the story that will lead us to Calvary and the empty tomb. They remind us of how easy it is to get lost in the trappings of the world. They remind us how easy it is be distracted by the things of the world and to not recognize the presence of God. They remind us of how hard it is to be faithful people.

The scene today also reminds of the fact the Jesus is willing to accept extravagance when it is done in love. Jesus appreciates the extravagance of Mary's true love because Jesus and the Father are always about offering true love, the true love of the Cross which we will celebrate later this week.

What extravagant gesture of love can we offer someone this week? How can we make God's presence known and felt in our world this week? Remember God never turns away from a humble and contrite heart. Let us not be like Judas, someone who cannot grasp the love and support of God, rather let us be like Martha, Mary and Lazarus people who are friends of God!

Daily Holy Week Prayer: Loving God, help us to enter more deeply into this journey of Holy Week. May we always have the faith of true friendship with you. May our actions express this friendship and thus make your presence known to all that we meet. Touch us with your extravagant love so in our moments of doubt and struggle we will not turn way, but turn towards you trusting in your compassionate love. Give us hearts which are humble and open to forgiveness. Give us spirits alive with your love. Amen!

Runner's Thought: As we run during this Holy Week let us remember that each run can help us embark on a pilgrimage of the ordinary which often leads us to the extraordinary and sacred!

Happy Monday of Holy Week everyone! I hope your week is starting of well. We are in the midst of a snow storm here in Marlboro, NJ hopefully it will not be too bad and our mission service tonight will not be too affected! The morning service went well and there is a good spirit here as we enter this most Holy of Weeks!

Sorry friends that I did not post yesterday but I have limited access to the internet so it is going to be hit or miss the first three days this week. I hope you will all have a Blessed Holy Week, one filled with many graces. For those who will begin Passover tomorrow may your week also be rich with blessings. My prayers are with all of you today and throughout this week. Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul