Daily Thoughts - 05/10/2014

Daily Thoughts: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Another great moment in the life of Peter, things are falling apart, there seem to be chaos, confusion and disarray. Yet, Peter knows right where to go. Peter knows the value of his relationship, his friendship with Jesus.

Perhaps, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,” could be a prayer we pray each and every morning before we do anything. Perhaps it could be our prayer each night as we ready for bed. Imagine stopping for a moment of prayer that would center us in the presence of God, a prayer that would center us in our friendship with Jesus, a prayer that would remind us of the source by which we can live our life.

In the midst of all the craziness that life can through our way; in the midst of all the loss, sadness and confusion the life can offer us; in the midst of those times when we question things that we value and hold near and dear; in the midst of those times when we wonder about the future; in the midst of those times when we struggle with anger and frustration and in the midst of those times when in our prayer we seem to be searching for hope. Isn’t it nice to have a simple prayer that can once again focus us on the center of our life?

Perhaps it the gift of today’s Gospel is that it reminds us where we need to go in the midst of the struggles of life. It reminds us who it is that has, the Words, the gift, the joy and the hope of eternal life!

Have a great Saturday everyone and don’t forget to make a joyful noise with your life today!

Daily Prayer: O God, we come to you today because you do have the words, the gift and the hope of eternal life. Help us to hear your words of eternal life today as they are spoken in our world and in our hearts. Grace us with the gift of your loving presence today and always. Loving God, we know we must always come to you in good time and bad because you do have the words of hope that will help us continue our journeys to eternal life. Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: “But I also realize that winning doesn't always mean getting first place; it means getting the best out of yourself.” (Meb Keflezighi) “The reason we race isn't so much to beat each other... but to be with each other.” (Christopher McDougall)

Daily Blessing: Saturday blessings to all! I hope you have begun a weekend that will give you a chance to rest and relax at least a little. Hopefully we have turned the corner toward sunny, warm and hope filled days.

The Sunday Mass taping yesterday went well it was our last taping until September so we are now on summer break. This weekend will be a quite one for me. Nothing going on, no place I have to be. It will be a time to prepare for our Provincial Chapter which begins on Monday and noon at Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center in West Hartford. If I told you I was looking forward to it I would be lying. It will be four and a half days of shear hell for me. However it is a necessary evil. Please keep the Passionists of the Eastern Province in your prayers over this next week and we try to discern the future and elect people to leadership!

If I can get through this coming week there will be life the following week as I will head to Harrisburg, PA to preach a Eucharistic Devotion at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Harrisburg from Saturday May 17^th until Tuesday May 20^th. I will be preaching all the masses over the weekend and then giving two evening talks, one on Monday May 19^th and the other on Tuesday 20^th. From Harrisburg I will head to St. Ann’s Parish in Garden City, Long Island where I will be giving a talk at 7:30 pm on Thursday evening May 22^nd. I will finish up my week in Fairfax, VA on Saturday where I will con-celebrate the mass at which my grandniece Emelia will receive her First Holy Communion. So you see if I can get through hell next there is a week of heaven beyond!

I offer a prayer of blessing for all of you today no matter what this week has been for you or what lies ahead. May God bless all of you today and throughout the weekend, may you truly find time to enjoy the gift of life especially with family and friends. Peace in Christ’s Passion and Hope in the Risen Lord…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 05/07/2014

Daily Thoughts: When I read the accounts in today first reading from the Acts of the Apostles about the things that happened after St. Stephen’s death. I am always caught by the fact that even though Saul was hell bent on destroying the Church God was able to change his heart and lead him to become the great Apostle Paul. It gives me hope that someone so focused on the negative, so wanting to destroy, so against the presence of some people in the world was able to become a person of joy, of peace, of love and of hope.

God did not fight Saul’s attack on his Church with vengeance, with force, with power, with war. God did not seek to destroy Saul. God did not seek to judge Saul. No God dealt with Saul’s attack through truth, compassion, love and with an invitation to be part of the community. Somehow with words of kindness, with words of compassion, with words and gestures of love God turned Saul’s heart and created someone new Paul.

Often as we encounter our world and all its problems we think we must fight, we think that we must eliminate our enemies. We think that making fun of them, that degrading them with our words, that attacking them with half-truths, cartoons and witty jokes we will overcome them. We think that pointing to their faults and failings, that being hurtful we are doing God’s will and that we will win the battle and the war.

Yet, God has always showed us that power, vengeance and war never works. These are not the solutions to our problems or the avenues to peace. In Saul’s case God invited him to become part of the community. God invited Saul to see God in his life in a different way. God invited Saul to choose life not death. God invited Saul to a change of heart. God invited Saul to be a man of hope and love. God turn Saul’s energy of violence and hate into an energy of love, compassion, hope, joy and peace.

If we truly want our world, our culture, our society to change then perhaps rather than waging war, rather than fearing those we see as enemies, rather than attacking, rather than dismissing or making fun of those we don’t like, we should invite them into the conversation. We should extend the hand of friendship. We should invite them to be part of the community. We should show them the value of faith, hope and love. We should help them to see the light of life!

Have a great day everyone and don’t forget to make a joyful noise with your life today!

Daily Prayer: O God, the Eternal Runner, bless us this day with a faith that can move mole hills and mountains, that has an unseen healing touch, that lives everyday stories, celebrates simple suppers and helps us carry the crosses of life so that they turn into hope filled resurrections. Help us to see the goodness in ourselves and others. Grace us with your loving presence and enliven us with hope so that we can share your presence with everyone we meet. Keep us ever mindful today of those who are in need of prayer because they are struggle with life in some way. Help us to live this day alive in joy, faith, hope and love for all who struggle, for all who carry crosses, for all who seek peace! Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: Let us run with God, the Eternal Runner, beside us and within us. If we can’t run, let us walk with God the Eternal Walker, beside us and within us.  Whatever we can do today let us do it as a prayer so that the joy of God may be encounter in the world today through us!

Daily Blessing: Greetings on this Wednesday, this “Hump Day” everyone! I hope and pray you are having a good day. I just returned from the doctor’s office where I had my annual physical today. As far as the doctor could determine of am ok, now remember this was only dealing with my physical side. I will await the results from my tests in the hope that I have the all clear for another year. I will be adding the dietary supplement Coenzyme Q10 to my daily routine because my Lipitor seems to be making my muscles a bit sore.

I pray for blessings upon all of you today were ever you are, upon whatever you are doing and upon whomever you meet. May all of you be gifted with a blessed, holy and faith filled day rich in the presence and grace of God and with this richness may you all make a joyful noise today! Peace in Christ’s Passion and Hope in the Risen Christ…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 05/05/2014

Daily Thoughts: Today’s readings are preludes to tomorrow stories, the martyrdom of Stephen and Jesus’ discourse on the “Bread of Life.” In some ways we can say that today’s readings are about seeing and hearing and we learn that some people only see and hear what they want to see and hear. When we live life this way we open ourselves to the possibility of missing the gift, the presence of God in our life.

The religious leaders surrounding Stephen today only see and hear what they want to see and hear. They miss the very gift from God that Stephen brings to them, the very gift of God that Stephen is. They miss a chance to grow, to see and hear thing differently. They have already decided who and what Stephen is thus God has no chance.

The people following after Jesus in today’s Gospel are caught up in the miracles that Jesus has performed. They are not listening to his words, they are not open to the presence of God, they want more miraculous things. Jesus reminds them that in order for good things to happen they have to be open to the gift and presence of God in their lives. That they have to believe not in what they see and hear but in the presence of Jesus in their lives!

Often we only see and hear what we want. God can be speaking to us, calling us down a new path but we miss it. Today let us open our eyes, our ears and our hearts to the many different ways that God can be present in our lives especially those ways beyond what we want to see and hear!

Have a great Monday everyone and don’t forget to make a joyful noise with your life today!

Daily Prayer: Loving God open our minds and hearts to the gift of your presence. Helps us to see you and hear you in every person we encounter, every experience we have and every moment we live today. Grace us with eyes and ears that don’t just see and hear the obvious but that are open to every way you come into our lives. Enable us to be your Easter people of faith, hope and love today and always. Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: As we run today let us look at our run this way that everywhere we put our foot today we will feel the presence of God. God is our friend and our closeness to our friend God is in the placement of our foot with each stride we take during our run. We run today knowing that God is underneath us, beside us, within us!

Daily Blessing: Happy Cinco De Mayo everyone and Monday blessings to all! I hope everyone is having a good start to this new week. I find myself getting ready to head out today to give a Confirmation Retreat Day to the students of St. Barnabas School in the Bronx. The day will be held at St. Joseph Seminary in Yonkers. This is the first half of the Confirmation class I will do the second half tomorrow. Please keep these young people in your prayers and if you have the time remember their preacher, presenter also!

This will be a busy week with two Confirmation Days and my annual physical. It is also the week before our provincial chapter and so some preparation needs to be done in anticipation of next week’s chapter meetings. We will be electing leadership and trying to vision our future for the next four years. Please keep the Passionists of the Eastern Province of the United States in your prayers.

My prayer of blessing this morning is that God will bless your day with the faith of St. Stephen, the hope of a new day and week and the love of many people in your life. Many you be blessed with God’s presence in your travels, your work and your encounters with others. May you be graced with much love from the people who mean the most in your life! Blessings upon everyone this week have a great Monday and a great week. You can be assured of my prayers as you journey through this week. I hope your weather is warming up and that you will have a rich and faith filled week! Peace in Christ’s Passion and Joy in the Risen Christ…Fr. Paul

Sunday Thoughts - 05/04/2014

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 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!”

These words spoken by Pope Francis in a homily back in March of 2013 seem to speak to our Gospel (Luke 24:13-35) today. The disciples on the road to Emmaus find out that they cannot be sad. They find it out by having an encounter with Jesus. They find it out in the breaking of the bread and sharing of the cup. They find out that amid all the struggles of the last few days, in the midst of the many insurmountable moments of the last few days that the enemy has not won, Jesus has risen!

Each time we come together as a community of faith, each time we have an encounter with a Person, Jesus, each time we break the bread and share the cup, each time we proclaim that Jesus is risen we are reminded that the enemy has not won. We are reminded that God is with us, at home, on the road throughout the journey of life!

Have a great Sunday everyone and don’t forget to make a joyful noise with your life today!

Daily Prayer: Loving God, our hearts are before us. We try but by ourselves we can do nothing. Grace us with your presence and help us to do what we cannot. Admit us to the inner room of your love. We ask, we seek, we knock. You have given us the command to ask, help us to receive. You have challenged us to seek, enable us to find. You have taught us how to knock, please open the door. Amen. (Adapted from a prayer by St. Anselm of Canterbury)

A Runner’s Thoughts: Simply imagine that God is with you constantly on a run. It matters little how you conceive God. Take whatever conception of God you have, and allow that image of God to accompany you on the trial. (Adapted from - Running The Spiritual Path by Roger Joslin)

Daily Blessing: Sunday blessing to all! I hope your Sunday has started off well and that you are enjoying the gifts of sun, warmth and colors. It is once again a beautiful day here in Pelham.

Our Gospel today was one of my favorites. I seem to identify with the two disciples walking along. I know that I don’t always recognize Jesus and at time I let the struggles and problems of life become too big.

So today I will pray that God blesses you with the sight to see Jesus when he joins your journey of life today and that you will all be blessed with a joyfulness of the moment and not be burdened by the struggles of life. May you encounter God in the breaking of the bread, the sharing of the cup, the gathering of family and friends and within the gift of your own life today! Have a blessed and holy Sunday everyone! Peace in Christ’s Passion and Joy in the Risen Lord….Fr. Paul