Daily
Thoughts:
As we have often heard, “You cannot judge a book by its cover!” We might say
that this saying reflects what Jesus is talking about in the Gospel (Luke 11:
37-41) today. Jesus talks about the
outside of the Pharisees verses the inside. What they appear to be, what people
see verses what they really do and think.
Jesus
is talking about is finding balance in life. Our life is not just about
appearance it is about what we believe and how we live that belief out each and
every day. Living a life of faith begins in our hearts and our actions need to
reflect what is in our hearts.
The
Pharisees were not bad people however at times they let their power, their
position, their influence and their authority get the best of them. They forgot
who and what was at the center of their life. They forgot the purpose and
meaning of their life. They put themselves first. They got out of balance.
It
can happen to anyone, it can happen to us. Being in balance is important. We
need to always remember that everything, outside and inside comes from God. As
Pope Emeritus Benedict put it, “Every form of gift is, in a word, a sign of the
presence of God, because it leads to the fundamental discovery that, at the
origin, everything is given.”
Have
a great Tuesday everyone!
Daily
Prayer:
God
of all blessings, source of all life, giver of all good gifts, we thank you for
the gift of life - for the breath that sustains us, for the food that nurtures
us and for the love of family and friends without which there would be no life.
We
thank you for the mystery of creation - for the beauty that the eye can see,
for the joy that the ear may hear, for the unknown that we cannot behold
because it fills the universe with wonder, for the expanse of space that draws
us beyond the definitions of our selves.
We
thank you for setting us in communities - for families who nurture our
becoming, for friends who love us by choice, for companions at work, who share
our burdens and daily tasks, for strangers who welcome us into their midst, for
people from other lands who call us to grow in understanding, for children who
lighten our moments with delight, for the unborn, who offer us hope for the
future.
We
thank you for this day - for life, for one more day to love, for the
opportunity to work one more day for justice and peace, for neighbors, for one
more person to love and by whom be loved, for your grace and one more
experience of your presence, for your promise to be with us, to be our God, and
to give salvation.
For
these, and all blessings, we give you thanks, loving God. Amen.
(Adapted from Prayer of Thanksgiving on
beliefnet.com)
A
Runner’s Thoughts: Running can clear cobwebs from our minds and focus
our thinking. Running can give us time and space to sort out the things that
are bothering us, or challenging us. At times running allows us to detach and
think of nothing at all. But perhaps most importantly running offers us an
opportunity to connect with God through our senses. Running graces us with an
opportunity to taste, touch, smell, hear and see God in our life!
Daily
Blessing:
Tuesday
greetings everyone! I hope your day has started off well if not hang in there
it will get better and if it doesn’t there is always tomorrow! Things are quiet
and peaceful here in Pelham. In about an hour I will be headed to Long Island
for a funeral of a friend’s father this morning. I hope your day will be a life
giving one!
Let
us continue to pray for the Synod on the family taking place in Rome these
days. May the grace of God’s Holy Spirit be with all who are participating so
that they will be a bridge for the Church into the future not a road block. I
would also ask your prayers for the Passionist Synod of Provincials which began
yesterday at our Generalate in Rome. May God’s Holy Spirit be with all who are
participating to help our congregation move into the future.
My
thoughts and prayers are with all of you as you wander through this day and I
pray that God will bless you with all that you need to make it through this
day. And so I pray – May you be blessed with the grace and presence of God
today. May the grace and presence of God be with you, in front of you, behind
you, on your right and on your left, above your head, under your feet and in
your heart. May everything you do today be for and with God! Peace in Christ’s
Passion…Fr. Paul
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