Daily Thoughts: There is a
quote from St. Bede the Venerable that goes like this, “Let us speak the truth
in our hearts and not practice treachery with our tongues, so that by pouring
forth charity more and more in our hearts, the Spirit of truth may teach us
recognition of all truth.” In this day and age I might add a little something
to what St. Bede said, “…and not practice treachery with our tongues and our
fingers!” It is not only the treachery of the spoken word today; it is also the
treachery of the written word today. You find it on Twitter, Facebook and any
other social media site.
It amazes me how negative, hurtful,
bigoted and sinful we can be with the words we write about others. We call
ourselves Christian yet the pictures we post, the cartoons we send around, the
ideas we put forth sometimes are anything but Christian. I guess it is easy to
site in our homes or offices or be walking down the street and attack a person,
an organization, a political party, a public servant, someone in leadership, or
a president. They get no chance to defend themselves; our words don’t have to
be true. From the comfort of our own electronic device we can post whatever we
want and there are no consequences to our actions whether we are right or
wrong. Remember it is a free country and certainly free social media!
In the readings from mass today we are
reminded about the importance of truth. Jesus (John 15:26 – 16:4a) reminds us
that he is sending us the truth through the Holy Spirit from the Father, not
Fox News or MSNBC or any other news organization that we agree with. Truth is
most often not found in the media sources of today’s world it is found in the
hearts of people who journey through life as friends of God.
Lydia, whom we meet in the Acts of the
Apostles (Acts 16:11-15) today, went to the river to pray and her life was
changed through the preaching and the presence of Paul. Paul spoke the truth
and Lydia allowed it to enter her heart. She came to believe. She invited the
truth into her home and into her heart.
We need to trust the Spirit in our life
not 24 hour news. We need to speak truth about ourselves and others. We need to
be friends of God who build up not tear down. There are always going to be
those who bring deceitfulness to the living of life may we always be people who
bring truth!
As I was wondering through Twitter this
afternoon I saw two tweets from Fr. James Martin, SJ that I think speak to our
scriptures today, he was talking about Pope Francis’ visit to the Holy Land. “To
those who doubted that Pope Francis could do anything valuable in the Holy
Land, or could find grace among warring factions, I say...that you've forgotten
about the Holy Spirit again. Nothing is
impossible with God.”
Happy Memorial Day everyone!
Daily Prayer: O God of all
Truth, your Son told us that the truth will set us free. May we live this day
in the freedom of your truth. May your truth truly set us free to bring you to
each person we meet and to each moment we live. Help us to let go of the
negativity that surrounds us and often enters our hearts. Help us to be proclaimers
of hope because we trust in your loving presence. Grace us with hearts like
Lydia, hearts of welcoming and kindness so that we may never be people who tear
down but people of service and hospitality who continue to build up your
kingdom. Amen!
A Runner’s Thoughts: We need to
always remember that there are different forms of prayer, of communication with
God and that they are possible in everything we do, even when we run. So as I
have often said let us allow our run today to be a prayer of thanksgiving, or a
prayer of petition or intercession, or a prayer of praise, or a prayer of
struggle, or a prayer seeking help or perhaps just a prayer that says hello God
how are you today?
Daily Blessing: Blessed
Memorial Day everyone! I hope your Memorial Day is a good one filled with sun,
warmth and rest. I returned today from a wonderful weekend in Fairfax, VA.
Saturday I have the privilege of con-celebrating the mass at which my
grandniece Emilia received her First Holy Communion. It was a wonderful
celebration and for me Emilia was the star. I was thinking as I was driving
today that Emilia was much like Lydia in today’s first reading. She might not
have gone to the river but on Saturday she was invited to the table where Jesus
entered her heart!
It was so nice to relax and be with
family over the weekend. The hospitality of the Grabowski clan was first class
as always! It was a little sad leaving this morning but I have to say I had a
very nice drive from Fairfax today. I left at 4:30 am and was in New York by
8:30 am. It was such an enjoyable drive. I should drive at that time of the day
all the time! I left so early because I had spiritual direction at 10:30 am and
I made it in plenty of time.
Now I am home for a few days before
heading to Texas next Saturday. I you’re your travels and activities over this
weekend have been safe and enjoyable. e pause today to remember all those who
have served our country over the years, those who were lost in battle, those
who were injured and those who returned but must live with the memories. We
also remember those who touched our lives with their love!
My prayer of blessing for all of you on
this Memorial Day afternoon is that you like Lydia, in the first reading for today,
may hear the word of God, take it into your heart and allow it to bless you
with peace, hope and joy throughout this day and always! God’s blessings on the
rest of your day and always. Peace in Christ’s Passion and Hope in the Risen
Lord…Fr. Paul
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