Daily Thoughts: Today we
celebrate The Passion of St. John the Baptism and our Gospel (Mark 6:17-29) is
the famous story of Herod and John the Baptist. It is a rather gruesome story,
it is hard sometimes to think of a young girl being presented with some one's
head and then turning and giving it to her mother. Yet, I guess gruesome things
happen in life every day, thankfully not in my life.
I am always struck in this story with
the fact that Herod is moved by John, that he likes to listen to him, yet he
gives in to the worldly pressure around him. I get the feeling Herod knows that
John is right, but his power, his self-importance; his ego will not let him say
yes. Herod has surrounded himself with people who push him in the wrong
direction. We might say that he gives in to the peer pressure of his time!
Perhaps if Herod had heard St. Paul’s
words to the Thessalonians that we find in our first reading today (1 Thessalonians
4:911) he might have acted a bit different. St. Paul reminds the Thessalonians
to care one another, to work hard and to live tranquil lives. In other words
St. Paul reminds them to put the focus on God not on themselves.
There is a great line in the Letter to
the Hebrews that I reflect on often, "Do not neglect hospitality, for
through it some have unknowingly entertained angels." It is great advice!
Perhaps it is advice that Herod should have heard or heeded. He certainly had
one of God's angels, John the Baptist in his presence.
We need to be aware that God can come to
us, be present to us in many ways. We need to trust that God is with us always.
We need to remember that we are a community of faith not just individuals and
we need to always be aware of the struggles and joys of others because they can
often bring God into our midst.
Today we are reminded – “Blessed are
those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the
Kingdom of heaven.” May St. John the Baptist help us to see – God as our light
and our salvation, and thus never fear!
Have a great Saturday everyone!
Daily Prayer: O God, help us
to always love and reverence your presence in ourselves and others. Keep us
always trusting of your presence and love and help us to be hospitable to all
we encounter especially the angels you send into our life! Set out life today
on a firm foundation of your love so we may live with the hope and trust that
you will never forsake or abandon us because you are with us always! Amen!
A Runner's Thoughts: Let's make our
run today a God centered run. Let us honor the voice of God in nature,
experiencing all the sounds and sights of nature as we run. We can let our
breath join in the chorus and we look purposefully for all the signs of God in
nature because if we do this we surely will not be running alone!
Daily Blessing: Saturday
greetings and blessings to everyone! I hope your day has started off well and
that you are able in some way to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation today. It
is a beautiful sunny morning here in Pelham I hope the same is true by you.
My prayer today is that God’s blessings
will rest upon all of you wherever you are, wherever you go and in whatever you
will encounter today. I pray your day will be a safe one full of many wonderful
encounters. May you have a faith filled day graced with joy, peace and love.
May you find the richness of God’s presence in your life today and always. Also
I pray that God’s blessings will help you to have a restful and enjoyable
weekend. Have a great Saturday everyone! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul
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