Daily Thoughts – Feast of All Souls –
11/02/2014
I have always liked our first reading
today from the Book of Wisdom (Wisdom 3:1-9) especially this particular line,
“But they are at peace.” This reading is often used at funerals, moments when
people are remembering a loved one, a friend, someone who has been important in
their life, who has passed on. In the midst of grief it can often be helpful to
think of the person finally being at peace even if because of their passing we
are not.
The Feast of All Souls is a day of
remembrance. It gives us an opportunity to pause and remember the important
people in our lives who have passed on. People who have left us physically,
people whom we now hope are at peace now with God. It is a day when we remember
them in a formal way at Eucharist and informally through stories and moments of
prayer thankful for their presence in our lives.
I have always felt that the Feast of All
Souls is really just the second half of the Feast of All Saints. Yesterday we
celebrated the people formally named saints by the Church because of their
faith filled lives, people who during their lives stepped out of the ordinary
into the extraordinary and became examples, inspirations and role models within
the Universal Church.
Today we remember, we celebrate, all
those ordinary people who perhaps did not step into the extraordinary except in
our lives, people who gave us life, who taught us, nurtured us, protected us,
and guided us. We remember, we celebrate, today people who were with us from
the beginning or who stepped into our lives for a brief moment that made a
difference. These are people who are not honored by the Church as saints in a
formal way but whom we perhaps honor in our own special way, as saints with a
little “s” because we are thankful for their presence, inspiration and love.
We remember and we pray today for all
who journeyed through this life with the sure and certain hope that God has
found them worthy because he is the Good Shepherd with an overflowing cup that
has brought them to peace!
Have a great Sunday everyone!
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 that 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 from 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 will I 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. (Prayer by Thomas Merton)
A Runner’s Thoughts: My thoughts and
prayers go out to all running the NYC Marathon today. May they have a safe,
healthy and joy filled run!
And to all running anywhere today - “Run
when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.” (Dean Karnazes)
Daily
Blessing:
Happy Sunday and Feast of All Souls everyone! Did you enjoy your extra hour of
sleep last night? Did you remember to turn your clock back? Or are you late for
everything today? In about an hour or so I will be off to Manhattan to spend
the day cheering on all the runners in the NYC Marathon, especially those
running for Fred’s Team (Memorial Sloan- Kettering Cancer Center). As I look
out my window the wind is hollowing and it looks a bit chilly so my thoughts
are with all the runners sitting on the Staten Island side of the Verrazano Bridge
waiting for their chance to run. It is probably rather cold and the wind will
be in their face for a good portion of the run. But that is what running is
about so runners hang in there and when your time comes go with God!
I would like to send a shout out to my
nephew-in-law, Dominick, who shares the same birthday with me. Dominick, may
you, Sarah and little Natalie have a great day with many blessing today and
always!
Now standing on a First Avenue sidewalk
for six and a half hours in the cold and wind does not sound like an ideal way
for someone to spend a birthday but five times I ran the NYC Marathon and in
rain, wind and cold people came out and cheered me on so I am just trying to
give a little back. Perhaps it will keep my mind off of being 61!
Once again, I offer a simple and
peaceful blessing to all today – May our good God, bless us all as we celebrate
this Feast of All Souls. May God bless us with gratitude for the gift of life,
for those Holy Souls who touched our lives especially those who gave us life.
May God bless us with thankfulness for the opportunity to celebrate and live
life with people we love. May God bless us with gratitude for the many people
who touch our lives each day and bring us in touch with the presence and grace
of God. May God, continue to bless us with people, places, experiences that
give us strength to believe, to be faithful, to have hope and to love. And may
God bless us with the grace to keep living the gift that we are! I ask this
blessing for all of us through Christ our Savior and Friend. Amen!
Have a great Sunday everyone! And don’t
forget to give God a little time today too! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
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