Daily Thoughts: Where is your
heart? This might be the question that we can ponder from our Gospel story today
(Mark 7:24-30). In the Gospel even though the woman is a Greek, a Syrophoenican,
by birth her heart is with God. In placing her heart with God her daughter is
healed.
The focus of today’s Gospel reminds me
of a verse in Matthew’s Gospel (Matthew 6: 21) “for where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.” In other words what we find important, what we
place value in, what our focus is in life – there is where we will find your
heart.
Perhaps another way to consider our
Gospel today is in the words of Thomas Merton - “Ask me not where I live or
what I like to eat . . . Ask me what I am living for and what I think is keeping
me from living fully that.”
The Syrophoenican woman is living for
God. She puts God at the center of her life thus that is where her heart is and
she is blessed with the healing of her daughter. Perhaps our questions for today are – What
are we living for? What is keeping us from living fully? What is important to
us? Where is our heart? Is it with God?
Have a great Thursday everyone!
Daily Prayer: O God of Life,
as we stand before the roads that this day presents to us. Enliven us with the
wisdom to choose the road of life. As we walk this road less travel keep us
ever mindful that we are not alone that you walk with us. Strengthen us for the
crosses, the challenges of this road. Grace us with the hope that we will
always find your presence, your forgiveness, your mercy, your truth and your
love as we make this journey. May we place our hearts with you so that we will
always choose the road of life and let it make all the difference in our lives
and in the lives of all we meet today and always! Amen!
A Runner’s Thoughts: Perhaps as we
run today we too should choose the road less traveled: the road of awareness as
we run, the road of revelation as we run, the road of intention as we run, the
road of mindfulness as we run, the road of imagination as we run, the road of
prayer as we run. Today let's pick a road we have not traveled lately and let
it make a difference in our life today!
Daily Blessing: Happy Thursday
everyone! It looks to be another beautiful day here in Southern California. It
is my last lazy day before I have to get to work as I will be giving a married
couples retreat this weekend. So I am going to try and soak up all the sun,
surf and sand that I can!
As I pause in these early hours of a new
day in prayer I first want to offer a special prayer for my nephew-in-law Jurek
who lost his grandmother last night. While I hope he and his family knows that
his grandmother is now at peace it is still an un-peaceful time for all who
loved her and will miss her presence. So I pray for Jurek, his mother, his uncle
and all in the family that they might find God’s comfort and peace during this
time of loss and mourning.
I pray that all of us feel the support
of God’s presence with us today no matter where we find ourselves or what this
day holds for us. May God bless us with many encounters of his presence as we
journey through this day. As always I pray for God’s blessings upon all of us
today may we find the gift of God’s touch in our lives; the touch of healing if
we need it, but most importantly the touch of love to carry us through the day.
Have a great day everyone. Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul
No comments:
Post a Comment