Daily Thoughts: “Characters
welcome,” it is the calling card of the USA network. As I listen to the stories
of the early Church as they come to us through the Acts of the Apostles I am
reminded that our Church, our community of faith is made up of characters,
faith characters. Some very familiar to us like Peter and Paul others not so
familiar just names or people who appear for a moment yet they played a role in
the development of the early Church.
What is it that makes a “character of
faith?” Well, I think our answer is in today’s Gospel. Jesus has just washed
the feet of the disciples and he reminds them that “no slave is greater than
his master and no messenger is greater than the one who sent him.” Thus, a
“character of faith” is someone who follows the words and actions of Jesus. A
“character of faith” has faith in God and faith in Jesus. A “character of
faith” follows Jesus and believes that in following Jesus they will make their
way to the gift of eternal life.
One thing is for sure because we are
“characters of faith” we will not live life the same way and every once in a
while we will need to stop and listen for the voice of God in our life. We will
need to receive those whom God sends into our life. But as a faith character we
take comfort and have hope that Jesus will always take the time to point us in
the right direction.
The sad thing is that like in the early
Church, like during the time of Jesus, characters are not always welcome. We
have all been gifted by being created in the image and likeness of God. Each of
us are different, each of us are unique and special. And as we will learn a
little later in John’s Gospel Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. There
are many dwelling place in the eternal home thus there is room for every
character!
Have a blessed Thursday everyone!
Daily Prayer: O God, author
of life and freedom, hear us as we call upon you to help guide us through life
today. Help us to trust in your loving presence so that we will be true to the
“character” that you have created us to be. May we never be afraid to ask for
your help especially when we are not sure which way to go. Give us the strength
to not be troubled by the anger and negativity of the world, but to have faith
and hope in you. Grace us with the energy to live life with truth and
authenticity. Amen!
A Runner’s Thoughts: Oprah Winfrey
once said, “Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of
it what you put into it.” So as we run
today let us put God into our run.
Daily Blessing: Thursday greetings
and blessings to everyone! I hope your day has started off well, with a little
sunshine and warmer temperatures! If not I pray the morning setbacks are only
temporary and things will be humming along by the afternoon.
My retreat with the priests of the
Dioceses of Jefferson City, MO is going along well. They had a free afternoon
and evening yesterday which enable me to work on somethings that are due next
week. We are back at it today with three talks and a homily. Once again I would
ask that you keep the priests that are on retreat in your prayers today and if
you could remember their preacher also it would be greatly appreciated!
I had something happen to me on Tuesday
afternoon that made a frequent nightmare real. As an itinerant preacher I
always free not writing down all my assignments on my calendar. People call and
email asking if I would celebrate parish mission and retreats of all kinds.
Often these requests are far in advance. Often I am on the road or responding
to them as I am traveling somewhere. I just have always had this fear that I
missed something that I forgot to write an agreement down. Well on Tuesday
afternoon I received a call from a priest about a retreat that I will be giving
to his community in June. I looked on my calendar that there was a retreat for
priests during the dates he mentioned but not to his community. All afternoon I
searched through my emails and final found ones where I had agreed to give the
retreat but I never marked it on my calendar. I apologized for my mistake but I
does not make me feel good these days and now I wonder what other commitments I
have failed to write down!
Well enough about my failures and
struggles. May all of you have a great Thursday filled with many blessings and
graced with many moments that will put a smile on your face. Please know that
you are in my prayers today and always. Peace in Christ’s Passion and Hope in
the Risen Lord…Fr. Paul
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