Daily Thoughts: In today’s
gospel we are made aware once again of the struggles between Jesus and the
religious leaders of his time. This time
rather than taking them on Jesus withdraws to a friendlier place. Many people follow Jesus and in a quiet way
he heals and teaches. We find out that
Isaiah words from long ago are now being fulfilled by the presence and ministry
of Jesus -
Behold, my servant whom I have
chosen,
my beloved in whom I delight;
I shall place my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the
Gentiles.
He will not contend or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the
streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope.
In this passage Isaiah talks about the tenderness
of God and Jesus lives out that tenderness.
A bruised reed will not be broken, but strengthened. A smoldering wick not quenched, but ignited
into a strong flame. Jesus brings to
life the love and tenderness of God by uplifting the meek, strengthening the
weak. Jesus provides comfort to those
who are mourning and encourages those who are struggling to “be strong, and
fear not.”
As Pope Francis might say Jesus reminds
us in our Gospel today of the endless mercy of God. In the midst of all that the
world throws at us God is tenderly holding us, protecting us and giving us hope
to continue our journey through life. Yes, God’s mercy truly endures forever!
Have a great Saturday everyone!
Daily Prayer: Loving Jesus,
you were rich and yet for our sake, you became poor. You promise in your Gospel
that whatever is done for the least of your sisters and brothers is done for
you. Give us grace to be always willing and ready to provide for the needs of
those who are struggling physically, emotionally or spiritually so that your
Kingdom of service, hope, joy and love may extend throughout the world, to your
unending glory. Amen. (Adapted from a
prayer by St. Augustine of Hippo)
A Runner’s Thoughts: “Except for .001
percent of the running population, everyone's in the exact same position: There
will always be people slower than you, and people faster.” (Ask Miles) – So to
in the spiritual life…
Daily Blessing: Saturday
blessings and greetings to everyone! It is another beautiful day here is
Scranton as we enter this second day of novena. Hope you the day has started of
beautiful wherever you are.
I would like to send a shout out to my
beautiful little grandniece Natalie Ann who celebrates her first birthday
today. It was just a week ago that I had the privilege of spending the weekend
with her and my two other grandnieces. We all survived our time together and I
was truly blessed to have been given the opportunity to be with them. The thing
I remember most about Natalie’s birth a year ago is something her father as he
announce her birth to the family - “She’s got five fingers and five toes and
she’s beautiful!” Well she still has five fingers and five toes even after a
weekend with her great uncle and she certainly is still beautiful. Happy
Birthday Natalie Ann!
Here in Scranton our first day of novena
was inspiring and the spirit is alive here as we make this ten day journey of
faith. And we have gotten off to a good start on this our second day. As I
mentioned yesterday if you have any intention, petitions or prayers send them
along to me and please know that I will include them each day in my novena
prayers.
My prayers today continue to go out to
all the families of the people Marines who were killed the other day in Tennessee.
My heart and prayers goes out to all who lost someone and I pray for those
wounded. What a tragedy! What a world! It is at times hard for me to believe we
can be so cruel to one another, however each day we seem to be confronted by
violence, bigotry, racism, terror, hate and uncaringness. Let us continue to pray for peace.
My prayer of blessing today for all of
us is that God will grace us with the strength to somehow help the world take a
step closer to peace by living our life with compassion, love and joy today!
Please my friends don’t begin this day with hate in your hearts. Don’t see the
world through the eyes of the 24 hour news stations. Don’t point your figures
and blame. Don’t disrespect others not like you. Allow God’s blessing to touch
your life and be a person of peace, of compassion, of hope, of joy and of love
today. Be this person today for your family, for your friends, for your faith
community, for those you work with, for those you meet, for the world, and for
yourself.
Have a great Saturday everyone, put a
smile on your face and trust that you are loved by God even in those moments of
struggle. May God bless you today and always and thanks for being the person
that you are because you certainly make this world a better place and life
worth living! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
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