Daily Thoughts: We might say
our Gospel today is about missed opportunities. In the Gospel (Matt. 11:20-24)
the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum have missed their opportunity
to encounter the presence of God, they have missed their opportunity to be
people of faith.
I think if we all stop and think about
our lives we can look at moments when we to missed opportunities. Perhaps we
missed an opportunity to help another person, we missed an opportunity to be a
compassionate friend, we missed an opportunity to help someone with their
struggles or we missed a moment when God was truly present in our life. In
looking back at our life we probably recognize many opportunities that we
missed.
Now in looking back at our life we have
two choices; we can choice to learn from our missed opportunities or not. In
the Gospel today the towns of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum chose not to
learn from their missed opportunities. These three towns no longer exist; there
are just piles of rock, archeological digs sitting in the hot sun wait for
people to come and walk through them. There is no life in any of these towns
today.
Today is the feast of St. Kateri
Tekakwitha, the first Native American saint. She was canonized in 2012. She is
known as the “Lily of the Mohawks” and is patroness of ecology and the
environment. St. Kateri had a strong devotion to the Eucharist which helped to
strengthen her faith in the midst of struggles and challenges. May we be
touched this day by her spirit of faith in our own journey through life! We
also might say that St. Kateri was a young woman who didn’t miss her
opportunity to encounter God and that is why he is a saint today!
Perhaps in the spirit of St. Kateri
Tekakwitha we might take of the challenge of the Gospel today by learning from
our encounters God rather than not learning from them and finding ourselves
like Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum today.
Thus, our challenge today is to ask
ourselves if we as individuals, as families, as communities, as Church, as
cities, as nations, as a culture and society are willing to learn from our
mistakes, our missed opportunities? If we chose not to our fate will be like
the fate of the three towns in the Gospel. What choice will we make?
Have a great Tuesday everyone!
Daily Prayer: Loving God,
strengthen us with the power to love through your Spirit in our inner most
being. Fill our hearts with your presence and please do not leave us even when
we seem to choose to go our own way. Help us to learn from our mistakes and
missed opportunities so that we might grasp fully how wide and long and high
and deep your love is for us. Above all, enable us to know this love that
surpasses all knowledge so that we may share it with others. Amen!
A Runner’s Thoughts: Shakespeare
once wrote, “Now bid me run, and I will strive with things impossible.” Jesus
said, “…with God all things are possible.” Thus if we run with God then as we
strive with things impossible they will become possible! Have a great run today
and stay cool.
Daily Blessing: Tuesday blessings
and greetings to everyone! I am back in Pelham and they are saying it will be a
rather humid day with storms in the afternoon and evening. Well I guess summer
is truly here!
Today I am waiting to hear from the
insurance company about me car. Do we fix it or is it totaled? As I mentioned
yesterday I leave for Scranton, PA on Thursday so I would like to get things
moving one way or another before I leave for Scranton.
My prayer of blessing today for everyone
today is that your day will be rich in the grace, joy and presence of God. That
you will encounter the grace you need to navigate through this day successfully
and peacefully. That you will be blessed with a joyful heart that you will
share with everyone you meet and that you will encounter the presence of God
throughout your day helping you to have the confidence that your presence in
the world today is a gift to everyone you meet and to us all! Blessings upon
all today and stay cool and dry! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
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