Daily Thoughts - 12/12/2014

Daily Thoughts: Today’s Gospel (Luke 1:39-47) reminds us that Mary was truly a believer. Even though she did not know the full extent of her “yes” she proclaimed it anyway. She trusted in God. It was a trust that could be seen. Elizabeth saw it as Mary entered her home. For Elizabeth, Mary was blessed among women and her voice proclaimed the presence of God even to the baby in Elizabeth’s womb. Our God is not only of God of sight but also of sound.

Not having a clear vision of the road ahead is not always an easy way to life. It demands trust, it demands faith, and it demands a sense of hope in all that one does. Mary certain defines this way of living. She did not know the implications of her “yes” but she has trust, faith and lived by an unrelenting hope.

As Calvin Miller puts it in his book The Christ of Christmas: Readings for Advent – “We must look to Mary's example to know how to deal with the glorious impossibilities of God. Look how she turned the world upside down by making one simple statement.” 

Today we remember that Mary turned the New World upside down when she appeared to Juan Diego, an Aztec Indian convert, as a beautiful young woman on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City on December 9, 1531. Just another reminder that if we trust, if we believe, if we live by hope we will encounter God most often when we least expect it but always when we are most in need!

Have a great day everyone!

Daily Prayer: Come loving God, come – come and make your dwelling in our hearts. Come and be present to the struggling, difficult and challenging moments of our day. Come in your unexpected ways and fill us with a hope that will always help us to trust and have faith that you are always with us and you will never leave us to face the struggles and challenges of life alone. Come loving God, come and be with us today and like Mary may we always say “yes” - Amen!

Runner’s Thought: As we prepare to run today or any day, as we stretch our muscles getting them ready for the journey ahead. Let us imagine that we are also stretching our spirits and giving our spirits the flexibility needed to encounter God. Each time we take the time to stretch we are also taking the time to pray!

Daily Blessing: Happy Friday everyone! I hope today has gotten off to a good start for you. It is a cloudy and cold day here in Pelham. Actually, I am not in Pelham at this moment I am in White Plains having my car serviced but it is still cloudy and cold! I am once again hoping that at some point today the sun makes an appearance because the day seem a little less cold and a little more enjoyable when the sun comes out!

We celebrate the feast today of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It remembers an appearance of Mary to Juan Diego, a poor Aztec Indian convert, as a beautiful young mestiza woman on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City on December 9, 1531. It is a special day of celebration for all our sisters and brothers of Central and South America.

With this feast in mind I ask God’s blessings upon all of us today through the intersession of Mary. God bless us all today with the wonderful grace of trust, faith and hope that was so present in the life of Mary. May this day be one in which we focus our life, strive to be the best we can, persevere through the struggles and challenges and always take a little time to connect with you through prayer. Loving God bless us with the richness of your love wherever we go and through whomever we meet. And may we always say “yes” when you ask us to bring your presence to the world. We ask this blessing through your gift of Mary. Amen! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 12/11/2014

Daily Thoughts: Isaiah's and Jesus' words seem to have a sting to them today. Isaiah seems to remind us that God is in control. Not matter how bad it gets in this life God is always going to be there. God is always going to keep his promise even if we do not. Jacob can turn into a worm and Israel can become a maggot but God will still be faithful.

On the other hand Jesus reminds us today that no matter how great we become in this life it still pales in comparison to what awaits us in eternal life. John the Baptist was the greatest of all prophets; perhaps the greatest of all people yet the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven at that moment was greater than John.

These are hard words to hear yet Jesus asks us to hear! We like to think of ourselves as in control. We like to think of ourselves as important. Yet the scriptures remind us today that we are not, in control or important. You might say the Word for today is "remember it is not about us, it is about God." God who always is faithful! And isn't that a hopeful message to take with us and proclaim today!

Have a great day everyone – one filled with Advent hope!

Daily Prayer: O Mighty and Faithful God, give us the joy and hope of your love today as we live our life in this imperfect world. Keep us ever mindful that life is not about us, it is about you and the gift of eternal life that awaits us. Bless us with the spirit of John, Isaiah and St. Lucy today as we prepare the way for Christ by our care and service to one another! Amen!

A Runner's Thoughts: When you run, run mindfully – when you run, make your run a prayer. Remember that each run is a quest for a connection with God!

Daily Blessing: Happy Thursday everyone! I hope today has gotten off to a good start for you. The sun is trying to come but it is a cold day here in Pelham. I always think that with the sun out the day seems a little less cold and a little more enjoyable, so I am rooting for the sun to make an appearance today. I hope the sun will shine on your day too!

My prayer of blessing for all us today is – Faithful God, giver of all good gifts, bless us today with hearts that love you, so that by deepening our sense of respect and reverence for you we may nurture within ourselves and others only what is good. Bless us with your watchful care throughout this day so that wherever we go and whatever we do it will be for you. Bring us home safe to those we love that we might celebrate the gift of family, of friendship, of community, of your love so that our sleep will be restful and we will be energized to welcome you once again tomorrow! Have a great day everyone and peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 12/10/2014

Daily Thoughts: I think sometimes we struggle because God doesn’t seem present in ways we would like. We cannot take God fishing like Peter and the other disciples did. We cannot invite God is for a meal like Zacchaeus did. We cannot stop in the midst of our daily work and have a conversation about life like the woman at the well did. We cannot argue a frustration like Martha did. We cannot ask a question and get an immediate answer like the disciples often did. We cannot feel that loving embrace like Mary and others surely did.

We have to live by faith and hope not personal contact. Our time is a time of trusting in God’s presence and having faith that God is at work in us helping us make the right choices, helping us live a good life.

We might say that Pope Francis has challenged us to take up the “yoke” that Jesus mentions in the Gospel today (Matthew 11:28-30). It is the “yoke” and “burden” of the people around us who do not have the necessities of life, who are hungry, cold, homeless and suffering.

Yes, seeing these people, encountering them, perhaps even being one them is a burden and a yoke that is heavy, difficult to carry and a problem which often seems impossible to solve. Yet, Jesus says pick it up, carry it, but not alone. Like Jesus, Pope Francis knows that if we do this we will learn from Jesus and we will come to know that the impossible can become of the possible.

Perhaps our challenge today is to be “humble of heart” and trust in God’s strength to help us help the world. Have a great day everyone!

Have a blessed day everyone!

Daily Prayer: Loving God, we are grateful for this wonderful enterprise you have invited us to, this journey called life. Grace us with your gift of hope so that we might never lose faith in your loving presence which is always ready to lead us down the right road. Help us to trust that you will never leave us alone or let us grow weary but give us the strength of eagles’ wings so that we can live our life to its fullest. Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: In the first reading (Isaiah 40: 25-31) from today’s mass Isaiah writes, “They will run and not grow weary….” As I read these words this morning I could not help but think about running. I don’t know any runner, except maybe the elite runners who when starting out on a training run or a race does hope that they will run and not grow weary. It is the vision of every runner to run strong and to finish.

It is the hope of every person of faith to live life to the fullest, to remain strong and faithful and to finish. St. Paul tells us to run life focused on the finish line. We need to always look ahead not behind. Pope Francis, Time Magazine’s Person of the Year, has us looking ahead and has challenged us not to grow weary in our service as a Church to the poor, the homeless and the hungry.

Running is a wonderful metaphor for life. When we run we are reminded of the challenges of life but also the gifts of life. As Isaiah says, “They that hope in the Lord, will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles’ wings; they will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.” Running is about having hope, faith is about having hope and in each case hope leads us at time to making the impossible – possible!

Daily Blessing: Happy Wednesday everyone! No I didn’t use “Happy Hump Day” because at this time of the year the weeks seem much longer than seven days. It often feels like one big week from Thanksgiving to Christmas. We always just busy, busy, busy – never stopping! So just Happy Wednesday in the midst of our journey to Christmas!

I didn’t post yesterday because we were in Manhattan to tape for the Sunday Mass all day. As always it was a long day of taping, six masses in all. It was also our last taping at St. Malachy’s. In the New Year we will be moving to St. Francis de Sale’s Parish in Manhattan. St. Francis de Sales is on the Upper East Side on 96^th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues. I have not seen the church yet but I will get my chance later this month when I celebrate a Sunday evening mass with the faith community there.

Change is not always pleasant and I will miss St. Malachy’s but there are a lot of advantages to moving the Sunday Mass to St. Francis de Sales and I look forward to our new site! I will get a chance to return to St. Malachy’s this month as I will be celebrating a coupe Saturday evening masses and one Sunday evening mass. It is a wonderful place to celebrate and I look forward to my opportunities.

I hope you day has started off well. I hope those being affected by the weather these last few days are getting back to normal, whatever normal is! It is raining again here is Pelham and the air is a damp cold. Oh, how I long for spring and warmer weather. However that is a long way off and winter is our life at the moment.

I pray that you are not too busy these days and there are moments to relax and just enjoy the gift of Advent, the gift of family, the gift of friends or even the gift of solitude! May God bless you today and always – in the words of Isaiah – with the strength to run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint and that you may soar through this day on eagles’ wings as people of faith who hope in God with strength renewed! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 12/08/2014

Daily Thoughts: As we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception today our focus is on two things, God’s gift to Mary and us by bringing her into the world untouched by sin and Mary's gift to God and us in her response of "Yes" to the angel Gabriel.  

We celebrate the vision, the plan of God from the first moment of creation to touch us with the beauty, joy and faithfulness of Mary. We celebrate a simple response of “yes” by Mary. “Yes” is a response, word, we make and use many times in life. Sometimes our “yeses” are simple responses to easy questions but at other times our “yeses” become responses that change our lives forever. Mary’s “yes” changed her life and our lives profoundly because it paved the way for Christ, the gifts of perfect love, to come into the world.

Mary’s “yes” was not an easy "yes" because before she could utter it she had to deal with fear. What was God asking? What did all this mean? How could this happen? Why me? But Gabriel asked Mary to not fear. So Mary with faith and trust in God moved beyond her fear to God’s perfect love. Remember as St. John tells us, "Love casts out fear!" Enlivened with God’s love Mary stepped beyond fear and said "Yes!" And this made all the difference for her and us!

As I pause to celebrate God’s gift of Mary to us today I am thinking back to my trip this past summer to Lourdes, France. It was there one hundred and fifty-six years ago that Mary appeared to a frightened teenager, Bernadette Soubirous and told her not to fear because "I am the Immaculate Conception.”  St. Bernadette like Mary chose not to fear and thus brought healing waters to a world in most need of healing.

If nothing else our feast today challenges us to not live fear. It challenges us to welcome God’s gift of Mary into our lives. Our feast challenges us to be like Mary and say “yes” to God because when we do impossible things happen for as Gabriel reminds us “nothing is impossible for God.”

Happy Feast of the Immaculate Conception! Have a great day everyone and may you find peace, hope and joy throughout your day!

Daily Prayer: Mary we prayer your prayer today with the hope that we to will always say yes to God - My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him    from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever. - Amen!

A Runner's Thoughts: “I run because it's so symbolic of life. You have to drive yourself to overcome the obstacles. You might feel that you can't. But then you find your inner strength, and realize you're capable of so much more than you thought.” (Arthur Blank) So to in the spiritual life…

Daily Blessing: Happy Monday and Blessings on this Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary! I hope you all had a nice weekend and have begun this new work week with a lot of energy and spirit.

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is the Patronal Feast Day of the United States so we pray through Mary today asking for a sense of calm and peace at this difficult time in our history. Through the gentleness and strength of Mary may we come to see each other as the good people God has created us to be and work together for justice and peace for all.

My prayer of blessing for all us today is – Loving Mary, one who said yes to the giver of all good gifts, intercede for us today so that God will bless us with hearts that love, so that by deepening our sense of respect and reverence for you, for God we may nurture within ourselves and others only what is good. May God bless us with a watchful care throughout this day so that wherever we go and whatever we do it will be for, in and through God. May God’s blessing bring us home safe to those we love that we might celebrate the gift of family, of friendship, of community, of joy and love so that our sleep will be restful and we will be energized to welcome you tomorrow! Blessings upon everyone as you journey through this day! Let us live this day in the spirit of Mary’s “yes!” Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 12/07/2014

Daily Thoughts: “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’” Words of hope offered to those gathered as Church over two thousand years ago and those gathered as Church today. They are Isaiah’s words, John the Baptist’s words, Mark the Evangelist’s words and our words of hope.

Hope can often seem like an endless wait or a fleeting moment, just ask any Cub fan, Pirate fan or small market baseball fan who religiously tries to capture the spirit of hope every spring only to give in to the utterance, “wait until next year” in the fall. Hope often seems to be that elusive thing with feathers to borrow a phrase from Emily Dickinson. She wrote a poem about hope –

“Hope” is the thing with feathers –

That perches in the soul –

And sings the tune without the words –

And never stops - at all

(The first stanza from the poem “Hope” is the thing with feathers - By Emily Dickinson)

Isaiah and John the Baptist know all about the elusiveness of that “thing with feathers” called hope however that did not stop them from proclaiming it and challenging people to embrace it.

Isaiah reminded the Israelites about God’s compassion and forgiveness. He proclaimed the hopefulness of a loving God who in the end will make all things right. Isaiah sang the song of hope and never stopped – at all.

John the Baptist challenged those who followed him into the desert to look for hope in their lives by trusting in the compassion and forgiveness of God. John’s challenge was one of urgency, of being ready, of realizing the God was in their midst.

As we continue our journey through Advent we have the simple hope that Christmas will come but we are also challenged like many before us to hang on to the elusive hope of Isaiah, John the Baptist in a world that often tries to take it from us. Today Isaiah and John remind us to look for and hold on to that thing with feathers within us the sings a tune and never stops at all!

Have a great day everyone and may you sing the tune of hope throughout the day!

Sunday Prayer: O God of all searchers let no earthly undertaking hinder us as we journey in haste to meet you. May we learn the wisdom of heaven and always have the hope of your love! Amen!

A Runner's Thoughts: May your run today take you into the heart of God and may it be a run of hope!

Daily Blessing: Happy Second Sunday of Advent everyone! I find myself at home once again after a long drive through the rain yesterday from Fairfax, VA. The last two weeks on the road was a very blessed and hope filled time with family and ministry. I am grateful to my niece and nephew-in-law for sharing their home and family with me and I am very grateful to St. Paul’s Parish in Tampa for inviting me to celebrate mission with them during this holy season. It is nice to be home but I was greatly blessed during my time a way!

In a few moments I will head to the Parish of St. John and St. Mary in Chappaqua, NY to celebrate the 10 am mass and so my prayer of blessing today will be a short one. Blessings on your journeys, your family time, your projects, your TV watching, and your encounters with others today and may you all find hope and have peace in your living of life today and always! We remember the events of 1941 today. We remember all who lost their lives in the bombing of Pearl Harbor. May events like that one never happen anywhere again.

Have a Great Second Sunday of Advent and don’t forget to give God a little time today. Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul