Daily Thoughts: “A Christian
can never be sad! Never give way to discouragement! Ours is not a joy born of
having many possessions, but from having encountered a Person: Jesus, in our
midst; it is born from knowing that with him we are never alone, even at
difficult moments, even when our life’s journey comes up against problems and
obstacles that seem insurmountable, and there are so many of them! And in this
moment, the enemy, the devil, comes, often disguised as an angel, and slyly
speaks his word to us. Do not listen to him! Let us follow Jesus!” (Pope
Francis)
Today in the Passionist Community we
celebrate the feast of St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows. St. Gabriel is a well-known
saint especially in Italy where that is a great shrine church in his honor in Teramo.
At the canonization of Saint Gabriel, in 1920, Pope Benedict XV declared him a
patron saint of Catholic youth, of students, and of those studying for the
priesthood. In 1959, Pope John XXIII named him the patron of the Abruzzi
region, where he spent the last two years of his life. St. Gabriel’s life as a
Passionist was short, he died at the age of 24 but his impact on the
Passionists and the Church has lasted to the present moment.
We might say that St. Gabriel in the 24
years of his life lived as Pope Francis asks us to live today, he lived as a
person of joy because he had encountered a Person: Jesus. St. Gabriel knew that
living with Jesus meant that he was never alone and that even in the difficult
moments of life, even those that seemed insurmountable Jesus was always with
him. Even when tuberculosis claimed his life it did not claim his spirit that
was claimed by God!
We celebrate St. Gabriel of Our Lady of
Sorrows today but we also celebrate our own journey of faith and we pray and
hope that St. Gabriel’s spirit will enliven our own spirits so that we even in
the midst of the struggles of life will know that we are never alone because we
walk with the Person: Jesus!
Have a great day everyone and happy
feast day to all Passionists!
Daily Prayer: My Lord God, I
have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know
for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I
think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I
believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I
have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything
apart for that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the
shadow of death. I will not fear, for
you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. (From
Thomas Merton --- Thoughts in Solitude)
Runner’s Thoughts: “It was being a
runner that mattered, not how fast or how far I could run. The joy was in the
act of running and in the journey, not in the destination. We have a better
chance of seeing where we are when we stop trying to get somewhere else. We can
enjoy every moment of movement, as long as where we are is as good as where
we'd like to be. That's not to say that you need to be satisfied forever with
where you are today. But you need to honor what you've accomplished, rather
than thinking of what's left to be done.” ― John Bingham
Daily Blessing: Happy Thursday
everyone! It looks like a new winter storm is brewing and we will be hit
sometime early next week. Just when you hoped the worst was over and we might
move towards spring. Well I guess there is nothing that we can do but stay warm
and hope the weather people are wrong!
I hope your day is going well and moving
quickly. I hope it is filled with many good experiences and a people. If it is
not then trust in who you are and that even though life and people might seem
like a struggle you are making the day a good day for anyone who encounters
you!
My friends may God’s blessing be with
you today and always. May the richness of who you are as a person created in
the image and likeness of God touch the lives of all you meet. May you bring
God’s presence to every experience and each moment of this day. May the world
you journey through be a better place because of you today. And at the end of
the day may you smile with the tired satisfaction that because of you today was
a good day! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
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