Daily Thoughts - 08/02/2014

Daily Thoughts: Something to think about from Thomas Merton as you journey through the day. It is certainly something that Herod did not think about in our Gospel (Matt. 14:1-12) today!

“To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us - and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him.

Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, and is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.” (Thomas Merton)

Daily Prayer:

Lord, teach us to be generous;

Teach us to serve you as you deserve;

To give and not to count the cost;

To fight and not to heed the wounds;

To toil, and not to seek for rest;

To labor, and not to ask for reward - except to know that we are doing your will.

(Adapted from a prayer by St. Ignatius of Loyola)

A Runner’s Thoughts: You might say that John Bingham is also talking about the spiritual life when he talks about running – “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 Saturday everyone! I hope your Saturday has gotten off to a good start. We have a rainy morning here in Pelham, I think it is to get a little better as the day goes on. It will probably be a good day to stay in and continue my preparations for my pilgrimage beginning Monday afternoon. May your day be what you need it to be!

Let us offer a prayer today for both sides in the Israel/Gaza Conflict. Let us pray that amid the hate, vengeance, single-mindedness and violence peace will be found! May God turn shells, bombs, guns and other tools of violence in plowshares, pruning hooks and tools of peace.

May God bless you day with peace. May God’s blessings upon your day and your weekend, may it be filled with family, friends, laughter, fun, rest and relaxation! If you need a little quiet time may that be there too! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 08/01/2014

Daily Thoughts: Both of our readings today focus on the same human struggle, lack of faith. Often times we think we know what is right. We think we know what is best for ourselves and those around us. We think we know what God wants. Then someone comes along, like a Rosa Parks, a St. John XXIII, a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a Thomas Merton, a Blessed Mother Teresa, an Archbishop Oscar Romero, a Pope Francis and they point us in a different direction, sometimes telling us we are headed down the wrong path, but always showing us just where God can be found.

We don’t like to be wrong and we are not always excited to have someone ruin our plans after all what do they know about us, about our life, about our faith. We might not put them to death like the Israelites did to some of their prophets but we almost always reject their way of thinking, their insights, their spirits, the gift of their faith, hope and love. We call to mind tradition, dogma, or doctrine. We point to order, cost and what makes us comfortable. We at times dismiss them as misguided and unimportant or we point to their faults and failings.

When we do this like the people of Nazareth we make it almost impossible to God to work in our lives. We make it impossible for the ordinary things in life to become extraordinary.

O God, in your great love keep us always open to the voices of your Word and strengthen our faith so we will always recognize your presence amongst us!

Have a great day everyone!

Daily Prayer:

God be in our head, God be in our heart,

God be in our mind, God be in our soul,

God be in our eyes, so that we may see your face;

God be on our lips, God be in our life.

God be in our work, God be in our play,

God be in our home, God be in our prayer,

God be in our songs, so that we may sing your praise;

God be in our night, God be in our day. Amen

(Adapted from a song “God Be In My Head” by Grayson Warren Brown)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “Running cleared the day's cobwebs from my mind and focused my thinking, and gave me time and space to sort out anything that was bothering me, or to detach and think of nothing at all.” (Jeff Horowitz) Running also helps us to focus on God, to pray and to recognize the gift of God all around us!

Daily Blessing: TGIF everyone! I hope your Friday has started off well and that it will lead you into a wonderful weekend blessed with rest, relaxation and a little bit of time offered to God!

I am continuing my preparation for my pilgrimage to Lourdes and the shrines of France which begins Monday evening. I have a few things to get done before leaving that will allow me to relax and enjoy the journey. The excitement is building and I am so looking forward to the experience. If there are any intentions you would like me to take along and offer to God through the intercession of Mary and Bernadette while I am in Lourdes please send them to me. Remember Lourdes has been known as a place of healing ever since Mary appeared to Bernadette many years ago! What healing do you need in your life?

For my prayer of blessing today I will work off my daily prayer – As you journey through this day may you be blessed with Christ within you, with Christ behind you, with Christ before you, with Christ beside you, with Christ to comfort and restore you, with Christ beneath you, with Christ above you, with Christ in your quiet moments, with Christ in your moments of struggle, with Christ in the hearts of all who love you, with Christ within of all your friends and every person you meet. May the presence of Christ’s bless your day, Amen! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 07/31/2014

Daily Thoughts: I have always liked the image that we find in today’s reading from the Prophet Jeremiah, “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand….”

What a wonderful image of God creating us. We can trace this image back to Genesis and the story of creation, God creating humankind out of the clay of the earth and then breathing life into us. In this section from Jeremiah the focus is on God’s relationship with Israel yet we can also connect it to ourselves.

The act of God creating us, forming us, making us the individuals that we are, giving us our own gifts and talents. When a potter sits down at the wheel what is created is unique, one of a kind. Yes, other works can look similar but each work, each creation of the potter is distinctive and so are we!

The challenge is to believe in our uniqueness, in our specialness and to live the journey, the life that God has created us to life with faith, hope, joy and love! Let us celebrate our uniqueness today and share it with all we meet!

In the words of St. Ignatius Loyola whose feast we celebrate today let us, “Laugh and grow strong” today!

Thursday blessings to all!

Daily Prayer:

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all I have and call my own. You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace, that is enough for me. (St. Ignatius of Loyola)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “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)

Daily Blessing: Happy Thursday everyone! I hope this find you well and enjoying your morning and looking forward to the rest of your day!

Today is the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola the founder of the Jesuits so I send a shout out to Pope Francis and all Jesuits today – Happy Feast Day – many blessings and much peace to all!

I would especially like to remember Fr. Ron Windmueller, S.J. and Fr. Chet Gator, S.J. both of whom have passed on but through their friendship during my St. Louis days helped to make my vocation possible because they shared the treasure of God’s Kingdom with me. And Fr. Louis Padovano, S.J. who also has passed but who often showed me the light of God’s grace when I founded myself in darkness. Rest in peace with God my good Jesuit friends!

Finally I sent a shout out, on this last day of July, to all of you who follow me and who are part of my life. May God, the Eternal Potter, who formed you in your mother’s womb, who breathed life into you, who gifted the world with your present, hold you once again in his loving potter’s hands as you journey through this day. May God bless you with the gift of a joy filled day. May God bless you with the gift of his presence that you will share with everyone you meet and may God keep you safe and return you home to those you love for a peaceful night! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 07/30/2014

Daily Thoughts: The Gospel for today (Matt. 13:44-46) talks about the Kingdom of God and Jesus uses two images for the Kingdom, a buried treasure and a fine pearl. In the case of the treasure the person sells everything and buys the field where the treasure is buried and in the case of the pearl the merchant too sells everything in order to buy the pearl. In other words when it comes to the Kingdom of God we must be all in because it is worth more than anything else.

While the feast of St. Ignatius is tomorrow I thought the following quote from Ignatius seems to say the same thing about the Kingdom of God as Jesus in today’s Gospel but Ignatius says it a little differently!

“God freely created us so that we might know, love, and serve him in this life and be happy with him forever. God's purpose in creating us is to draw forth from us a response of love and service here on earth, so that we may attain our goal of everlasting happiness with him in heaven.

All the things in this world are gifts of God, created for us, to be the means by which we can come to know him better, love him more surely, and serve him more faithfully.

As a result, we ought to appreciate and use these gifts of God insofar as they help us toward our goal of loving service and union with God. But insofar as any created things hinder our progress toward our goal, we ought to let them go.”

Happy Hump Day everyone! May God bless your journey through this day!

Daily Prayer:

O loving God, teach us to be generous

to serve you as you deserve to be served

to give without counting the cost

to fight without fear of being wounded

to work without seeking rest

and to spend ourselves without expecting any reward

but the knowledge that we are doing your holy will.

Amen (Adapted from a prayer by St. Ignatius of Loyola)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “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)

I run to pray. I run to give glory to God. I run to have a little one on one time with God. I run to encounter the gift of God’s creation. I run to make God a little more real in my life. And I like that!

Daily Blessing: Happy Wednesday everyone! Yes, it is “Hump Day” once again but our “Hump Day” camel is on vacation!

I hope your day has started well and will become even better as you journey through it. If not hang in there because there is always tomorrow and the chance for a better day!

Enjoy your “Hump Day” everyone and may God bless your day with many good experiences and people! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 07/29/2014

Daily Thoughts: “You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope.” (Thomas Merton) I thought of these words by Merton today as I celebrated mass on this Feast of St. Martha. I think Martha fits these words well.

In the Gospel reading (John 11:19-27) we see a different side of Martha than the one in Luke (10:38-42). It is as if Martha has grown in her faith, her relationship with God and in her understanding of her friendship with Christ. In John, Martha is a faith filled woman, who does not fully understand but recognizes the possibilities and challenges and embraces them with courage, faith and hope. She seeks God in the present moment and in the end is greatly blessed.

We all need to pause and allow the gift of St. Martha’s spirit to enliven our own spirits today. May the spirit of St. Martha gifted us with the courage, faith and hope to live this day ready to recognize the possibilities and challenges and embrace them with the grace of God’s love.

Happy Tuesday and blessing to all on this Feast of St. Martha!

Daily Prayer: Loving God, you have promised to remain forever with those who do what is just and right.  Help us to live in your presence this day and always. Help us to live Jesus’ commandment of love and bring your peace and joy to others.  Keep us ever mindful of the wisdom and love you have made known in Christ. Grace us with the courage, faith and hope to make your presence known though our words and actions. Amen!

Runner’s Thought: “...there was some kind of connection between the capacity to love and the capacity to love *running*. The engineering was certainly the same: both depended on loosening your grip on your own desires, putting aside what you wanted and appreciating what you've got, being patient and forgiving and... undemanding...maybe we shouldn't be surprised that getting better at one could make you better at the other.”  (Christopher McDougall, Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen)

Daily Blessing: Tuesday greetings to everyone! I hope everyone had a good Monday and that your week has gotten off to a good start.

My Monday was a rather busy one as I began preparations for my Lourdes Pilgrimage which begins next Monday (August 4^th). I hosted the fourteen people who will be traveling with me last night so that we could get to know each other and talk about our journey together beginning next Monday.

One of the things on my “to do” list this week in preparation for the journey is to work on the masses that I will celebrate over the 10 days with the group. We will be having mass each day and I am excited that among the place I will be celebrating mass are two chapels at Lourdes (Chapel of St. Anne and Chapel of St. Joan of Arc), also in the Chapel of Bernadette in Nevers, the Cathedral in Chartres and the Basilica of Saint Therese of Lisieux in Lisieux. These are some very interesting places and I will be honored to celebrate mass with the group. I think all in all this will be a wonderful trip! My “to do” list is a long one so each day this week will be a busy one!

I hope your week is not too busy in fact I hope some of you are on vacation and enjoying some time of rest and relaxation! I hope all of you will have a great Tuesday no matter where you are or what today will bring! I pray for God’s blessings upon all of you as you go through your day. May God bless all your endeavors, may God be with you in all of your challenges and in all of your struggles. Please trust in the presence of God that you carry within you and don’t be afraid to share your gift. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul