Daily Thoughts: The stage is
set today for Holy Week. All the characters are taking their places for the
drama that will unfold throughout the coming week. The religious leadership has
made its choice. They are afraid of Jesus; their comfortable life has been
disturbed. Caiaphas has given the justification for the rest of their actions.
He has put their social problems squarely on the shoulders of Jesus. He has put
their leadership problems squarely on the shoulders of Jesus. He has put their
fear and faithlessness squarely on the shoulders of Jesus.
With today’s Gospel (John 11: 45-56) we
have a clear understanding of why all that we are about to reflect upon as we
go through Holy Week has taken place. In many ways the ideal kingdom that
Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37: 21-28) images in the first reading for today has not come
about. There still is not just one God, one land, one people and one
everlasting covenant of peace. We humans get in the way. We often fail to
recognize God in our midst. We struggle to trust God’s presence in our life. We
find it difficult to believe, to stake our lives on the promises of God. We are
always looking for someone to blame, someone to sacrifice in the hope that
things will get better.
As we prepare to begin this most holy of
weeks let us take the time, not to plot against God, but to hear God’s word.
Let us take the time to have faith in our relationship with God, to be people
of faith on the journey, to be hopeful in the promises of God and to allow the
love of God to embrace us and live within us as we journey through life!
Saturday blessing to everyone!
Daily Prayer: Loving God, open
our hearts to the hope of your promises. Give us faith filled hearts that
recognize your presence in our life today and always. Grace our hearts so that
they may be filled with your love and that we will share your love with all we
meet. Deepen our faith, hope and love this day and always so that we will never
reject you, so that we will always have faith, see with hope filled eyes, live
your love and proclaim the joy of the Gospel with our lives! Amen!
A Runner’s Thoughts: Breath is
usually expressed in Greek as pneuma, which can also mean air, wind, or spirit.
In Hebrew ruah is translated as breath, but it can also mean creative energy or
life-giving force. As we run let us have an awareness of our breath as spirit,
as our capacity to bring God into our being as we take in oxygen into our
lungs. If we see each breath this way we will begin to allow our runs to become
prayer! (Adapted from Running the
Spiritual Path by Roger Joslin)
Daily Blessing: Saturday greetings
and blessings to all! We enter the most sacred of all weeks in the Christian
tradition tomorrow. We call it Holy Week and it brings to a close this long
journey of Lent. We begin with Palm Sunday and we make the journey through the
week celebrating Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and we end with
Easter Sunday.
I hope you will give some time to God
during these high holy days. This is a great week. It is a time to slow down a
bit and allow the church to help us focus on our relationship with God. Please
don’t let this week pass by as if it is just an ordinary week in life. Make it
is special week. Get to church for at least one of the Triduum celebrations,
Good Friday is the simplest and I think the most powerful of the three
services. At the very least make some special time for prayer this coming week!
My prayer of blessing today is that God will
be with all of you in a special way throughout this most Holy of Weeks. May God
grace you with a special blessing that will enliven your faith, strength your
hope, embrace you with love and fill your heart with the joy of the Gospel that
you will proclaim by the living of your life each day. I pray that God will
bless you with a restful and peaceful Saturday surrounded by friends and
family, if not I pray your day will not be too busy. I also ask your prayers
for this humble preacher of God’s Joyful Word!
It will be a somewhat of a busy week for
me, a good busy and I can use your prayers so that the Good Word which I will
proclaim as a friend of God during these most Holy Days will always be a Joyful
Word. Be well and safe this weekend and always. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr.
Paul
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