Daily Thoughts - 09/14/2013

Daily Thoughts: Today is a very special feast in the Church and the Passionist Community. It is the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. So I offer you two simple prayers to guide you through this day and life...

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 written 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."

These two simple prayers reflect the meaning of the Cross that we as Church and as the Passionist Community celebrate this day.

May the Passion and the Cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ be not a sign of violence, oppression, war and failure. May The Passion and Cross of Christ be a sign of God's great and unconditional love for us. May the Passion and Cross of Jesus be a walking stick that we can lean on to rest; be a protector in times of struggle and danger; and always be a reminder of just how much God love's us, no matter how imperfect we are as we journey through life!

Daily Prayer: "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." (By Fr. Karl Rahner, S.J.)

Runner's Thought: At first an ordeal and then an accomplishment, the daily run becomes a staple, like bread, or wine... or air. (Benjamin Cheever, author and Runner's World contributor) We might also say that the daily run also becomes our prayer, our conversation with God each day!

Happy Saturday everyone and Happy Feast of the Triumph of the Cross! I hope your weekend has stared off well and that you are enjoying some beautiful weather like we are here in Pelham, NY. Though I do know that in some parts of the country the weather is making life difficult! I am resting today as I have an 18 mile race tomorrow in Central Park. It begins at 7 am and hopefully I will be done before 10 am which makes for an early and eventful Sunday! I hope your Sunday and weekend will remain a little more relaxing. As you know when I run I pray and while my prayer is often, "Please God help me to breathe so that I can finish," I will make sure to include all of you in my prayer through Central Park tomorrow! Have a great Saturday, enjoy, be safe and know that God's loves you! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 09/11/2013

Daily Thoughts: “There is nothing that can replace the absence of someone dear to us, and one should not even attempt to do so. One must simply hold out and endure it. At first that sounds very hard, but at the same time it is also a great comfort. For to the extent the emptiness truly remains unfilled one remains connected to the other person through it. It is wrong to say that God fills the emptiness. God in no way fills it but much more leaves it precisely unfilled and thus helps us preserve -- even in pain -- the authentic relationship. Furthermore, the more beautiful and full the remembrances, the more difficult the separation. But gratitude transforms the torment of memory into silent joy. One bears what was lovely in the past not as a thorn but as a precious gift deep within, a hidden treasure of which one can always be certain.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

As Dietrich Bonhoeffer says above there is nothing that can be said or done that replaces the loss of someone dear to us. But hopefully Bonhoeffer’s words can help to give comfort to all who lost loved ones twelve years ago in Lower Manhattan, Washington, DC and Pennsylvania.

Perhaps, Bonhoeffer’s words can help all of us deal with what we as a city, a country and a world lost twelve years ago. May his words give us pause to be grateful for the silent joy that all who gave their life continue to give us. May those who lost their live continue to be a hidden treasure for all of us, a treasure that we can always count on.

“In normal life we hardly realize how much more we receive than we give, and life cannot be rich without such gratitude. It is so easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements compared with what we owe to the help of others.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

To the people who gave their lives, to the families who gave their loved one we say thank you!

Daily Prayer:

God of all peace and conciliation,
For those who went into danger, we give thanks.
For those who remained behind with the infirm and injured, we give thanks.
For those who thought of others first, we give thanks.
For those who offered comfort to others, we give thanks.

For moments of unknown, grant us courage.

In times of fear, grant us courage.
When called upon to stand for the rights of others, grant us courage.
When others call for our destruction, grant us courage.

When the enemies of freedom lash out, bless us with your peace

When the darkness of hatred descends, bless us with your peace
When we feel the urge to trample and destroy, bless us with your peace
When we look to the future of your universe, bless us with your peace
Amen!
(Adapted from a prayer by Rabbi Matt Friedman)

Runner’s Thought: “I run because if I didn’t, I’d be sluggish and glum and spend too much time on the couch. I run to breathe the fresh air. I run to explore. I run to escape the ordinary. I run…to savor the trip along the way. Life becomes a little more vibrant, a little more intense. I like that.” (Dean Karnazes)

On this day when so many lost their lives some of whom were runners let us run to breathe fresh air. Let us run to explore. Let’s us run to experience more than the ordinary. Let us run to savor the trip along the way. Let us run to remember and in remembering make our run a prayer for peace. Let us run to bring God’s presence to the world!

Wednesday blessings to all! I would that you like me have spent the morning remembering that Tuesday twelve years ago and how it changed our lives. Perhaps you thought of where you were and what you felt as the tragic events of that day unfolded. Yet, here we are twelve years later still searching for peace!

My thoughts and prayers today go out to all affected by the events of that day especially to the children who lost mothers and fathers that day. Nothing can fill the void of their loss. May what remains unfilled always keep them connected to the gift of the person, the treasure they lost!

To all on the solemn blessings and peace and may you bring to those you love and the world the gift, the treasure that you are! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 09/10/2013

Daily Thoughts: “Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition, and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.” (Mother Teresa)

Jesus spends the night in prayer. Jesus places himself in the Father’s hands, at the Father’s disposition and listens to the Father’s voice in the depth of his own heart and look at what happens. Twelve close friends are gathered and people from everywhere are healed!

In the Gospel today (Luke 6:12-19) Jesus shows us the power of prayer. It is not just a prayer of asking for help, though I am sure Jesus asked the Father for help from time to time. For Jesus and for us prayer is the placing of oneself in the hands of God. Yes, prayer is a conversation with God but prayer is often more listening the speaking.

Jesus prayed often and not only when he faced major events in life. Jesus throughout the Gospel takes time for prayer. He takes time to hear the Father’s voice in his heart so that graced things could happen on his journey through life.

So today let’s not forget that prayer needs to be a part of our lives. Let’s take at least a little time to put ourselves in God’s loving hands and hear God’s voice in our hearts. Let’s put ourselves at the disposal of God. The outcome for us just might be more good friends and healing for life’s struggles! Remember nothing is impossible with God.

“Prayer is not asking for what you think you want, but asking to be changed in ways you can't imagine.” (Kathleen Norris)

Daily Prayer:

Circle us, O God.
Keep protection near and danger afar.

Circle us, O God.

Keep hope within and keep doubt without.

Circle us, O God.

Keep light near and darkness afar.

Circle us, O God.

Keep peace within and keep evil out.

Please, circle us, O God.

Keep our hearts in your loving hands and let us hear your voice!
Amen.
(Adapted from a prayer by David Adam)

Runner’s Thought: “Running, much like life, [faith and the spiritual life], has its hills and valleys. On any given run, and particularly in most marathons, we come across easy stretches and seemingly impossible challenges. I have learned to just keep going. The tough moments never last, and the easy stretches are always a joy. The same is clearly true in life [in faith and the spiritual life], if we just keep going we'll get to that finish line with water, massages, and bananas! [And friendship with God!] (Main part of quote by Will Starr, Runner's World Challenger of the Week – I add what is in the brackets)

Tuesday greetings to all! I hope your day has started off well. It is a bit cloudy and humid here in Pelham and they say we are in store for some hot and humid weather over the next few days. However the great thing about this time of the year is that we know it will not last very long. By the weekend we will be back in comfortable weather, which will be good as I have an 18 mile race on Sunday!

Speaking of running please make sure to check out my Runner’s Thought for today I think it has a lot to say about the living of life.

Well the first week of the NFL is finished. How did your team do? Mine not so good. However, I joined a sports fantasy pick’em league and out of eight teams in the league my team (The Preacher) is in first place after the first week. Either I am very good or the others not so much! There is another reason “fluke.” I am going with “fluke!”

If you missed it my Pirates won their 82^nd game last night and their string of 20 losing season has come to an end! Alleluia! Now we have got to make it to the playoffs. I am also hoping for first place in the division which will mean more than one playoff game. I can always hope can’t I?

So this ends the sports update for the week. I hope you will have a great Tuesday and encounter many blessings today and much peace. May you be graced by God in whatever you do and may you bring God’s grace to whomever you meet! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts: 09/09/2013

Daily Thoughts: “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than destroy it?” (Luke 6:9) This is perhaps an important question for us to consider today as a nation and as a world. What are we about doing good, saving life or doing evil and destroying life? Some might say it is that it is all in how you look at it. That is certainly true when it come to the Middle East and the struggles in Syria.

Yet in the Gospel today that is exactly what Jesus is getting at. How do you look at life? Do you look at with an open mind or a closed mind? Do you look at life through the lens of possibilities or through the lens of only one possibility? The scribes and Pharisees had only one lens through which they looked at life, the law. They could see no other possibilities.

I have always admired people who walk into a situation open to seeing whatever the possibilities are. The might have their opinion but they are also open to what others say and do. They have their own lenses yet they can see other perspectives. Would that we all could see and live life this way!

The scribes and Pharisees only looked through one lens. Jesus was open to all possibilities especially when the possibilities meant life. We pray today that we too with the grace of God will always be open to the possibilities that produce life.

Daily Prayer:

For the expanding grandeur of Creation, worlds known and unknown, galaxies beyond galaxies, filling us with awe and challenging our imaginations: We give thanks this day.

For this fragile planet earth, its times and tides, its sunsets and seasons: We give thanks this day.

For the joy of human life, its wonders and surprises, its hopes and achievements: We give thanks this day.

For our human community, our common past and future hope, our oneness transcending all separation, our capacity to work for peace and justice in the midst of hostility and oppression: We give thanks this day.

For high hopes and noble causes, for faith without fanaticism, for understanding of views not shared, for the gift of many possibilities: We give thanks this day.

For all who have labored and suffered for a fairer world, who have lived so that others might live in dignity and freedom:  We give thanks this day.

For human liberty and sacred rites; for opportunities to change and grow, to affirm and choose: We give thanks this day.

For doing good and saving life: We give you thanks this day.

We pray that we may live not by our fears but by our hopes, not by our words but by our deeds. Loving God, We give thanks this day!

(Adapted from a prayer by O. Eugene Picket)

Runner’s Thought: “Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you're not demanding more from yourself - expanding and learning as you go - you're choosing a numb existence. You're denying yourself an extraordinary trip.” (Dean Karnazes)

Isn’t this true also of life and what Jesus challenges us with in the Gospels? Jesus always moved beyond his comfort zone. He always demanded more of himself and those around him. He always asked those who would listen, those who believed, to learn so they could expand their thinking and their life.

Jesus always wants to take us on an extraordinary trip so when we run let’s make sure we take him with us!

Happy Monday everyone! I trust you had a good weekend. I hope your favorite teams won throughout the weekend and if they didn’t, well there is always next time!

I hope you were able to find a little time for God and prayer over the weekend. I had a wonderful Saturday evening from 7pm till midnight. No internet, no cellphone, no TV, just some quite prayer time in our little chapel before the Blessed Sacrament. I prayed for all of you as I also prayed for peace in our world. Please do not stop praying for peace as we I have a long journey and many hearts to change in order to get there! Let’s us pray that our leaders choose the path of good and life as Jesus suggests in the Gospel today!(Luke 6:6-11)

Have a great Monday everyone and may you be blessed throughout this day with the gift of God’s grace to help you be the good person I know that you are! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul