Daily Thoughts - 08/01/2015

Daily Thoughts: Something to think about from Thomas Merton as you journey through the day. It is certainly something that Herod did not think about in our Gospel (Matt. 14:1-12) today!

“To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us - and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him.

Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, and is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.” (Thomas Merton)

Have a great Saturday everyone!

Daily Prayer:

Lord, teach us to be generous;

Teach us to serve you as you deserve;

To give and not to count the cost;

To fight and not to heed the wounds;

To toil, and not to seek for rest;

To labor, and not to ask for reward - except to know that we are doing your will.

(Adapted from a prayer by St. Ignatius of Loyola)

A Runner’s Thoughts: You might say that John Bingham is also talking about the spiritual life when he talks about running – “It was being a runner that mattered, not how fast or how far I could run. The joy was in the act of running and in the journey, not in the destination. We have a better chance of seeing where we are when we stop trying to get somewhere else. We can enjoy every moment of movement, as long as where we are is as good as where we'd like to be. That's not to say that you need to be satisfied forever with where you are today. But you need to honor what you've accomplished, rather than thinking of what's left to be done.” (John Bingham)

Daily Blessing: Saturday greetings and blessings to everyone and happy first day of August. In some ways I feel the summer moving too fast but I think that happens when you are busy. I hope your summer has been a good one so far.

I also hope your Saturday has gotten off to a good start. We have a beautiful morning here in Pelham and I think it is going to be a good day throughout and I am going to pause for a moment today with nothing on my calendar and just enjoy the day. May your day be what you need it to be!

May God bless you day with peace. May God’s blessings be upon your day and your weekend, may it be filled with family, friends, laughter, fun, rest and relaxation! If you need a little quiet time may that be there too! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul