Daily Thoughts - 01/10/2015

Daily Thoughts: I have always been struck by John the Baptist’s words in the last line in today's Gospel, "He must increase; I must decrease." What a meditation on faith! When you think about it are not John’s words our challenge each day and perhaps our hardest challenge?

The world around us tells us every day to increase. Increase what we have, what we want, what we desire, what we need, who we are! Our economy is built on increasing, increase spending so we can increase building, producing, creating and thus increase profits. When we finally leave home all we want to do is increase because the world tells us we are defined by what we have, what we have achieved, what we own, what we have accumulated. As is often quoted, "The one with the most toys wins!"

Yet, what John is telling us in the Gospel today is that for us to be people of faith, we must decrease so that Jesus, so that God, can increase in our lives. It is not about being the greatest, the best, the biggest, the most powerful, or the most important. It is about God. John had it all. He was liked, he was loved, he was important, he was powerful, and he had all the attention. However, for him, all of this was not as important as his relationship with God. He knew what he was about. He knew his mission and it was time for God to be the most important focus and all John could do was rejoice!

Sometimes we think God is not present, God is always present, at home, at school, at work, in the government, everywhere. The problem is not where is God – but that we have made ourselves too big so we and others cannot see God!

Can we let go of the world, let go of what the world says is important and let God? Can we recognize our mission, our ministry, our relationship and let God be the focus. Can we decrease and let God increase in our life and in the world? Tough questions for tough times, but if we are willing the end result is great joy!

Have a great Saturday everyone!

Daily Prayer: O God, take delight in us this day! Each day you make us a new creation and so we pray that with the grace you freely offer us each day we may always be found in the likeness of Christ, a likeness that increases within us as we let go and let you guide our life. Help us to rejoice in a life that is focused on your presence, your grace, your mercy, your truth and your love! Amen!

A Runner's Thoughts: Run today recognizing the motion of life and flow with it, let go of all your preconceptions of God, be open to the vast, unlimited opportunities to connect with God in new and evolving ways as you run.

Daily Blessing: Saturday greetings and blessings to all! I hope you are braving the cold well. It is a cold but sunny day here in Pelham. The sun makes the cold just a little more bearable. I hope you have at a little sun today wherever you are!

In a few hours I will be heading into Manhattan as I have the 5 pm mass at St. Malachy’s this evening. If you happen to be in the area come and join me as we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

As I offer a prayer of blessing this morning I continue to think of the people of France and all they have been through these last few days. I am thinking of the innocent people who were so tragically killed. I am thinking of all those who now mourn their loss. I am thinking of all the fear, stress and terror that have gripped upon the people of France these last few days. I am thinking of those who inflicted this violence wondering why they hate so much? I am praying for all of them that they might find peace!

And may God bless all of us this day with the gift of his presence, his hope, his joy and his love. May God bless up with the grace to trust in his presence so that like St. John the Baptist that we might come to realize that we to must decease and let God increase today and always.

Enjoy your Saturday everyone, have a great day with many blessings, a little rest and much peace! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 01/09/2015

Daily Thoughts: "Lord if you wish, you can make me clean. Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him and said, I do will it. Be made clean. And the leprosy left him immediately." I think the key elements of this story are the person's faith in Jesus, the willingness of Jesus to heal and Jesus' touch. Maybe the most important element is Jesus' touch, his willingness to be connected with someone who is unclean by the standards of culture, society and religion.

Today whether we are talking about our culture, society or even our church the usual response is to disconnect ourselves from someone defined as unclean. Yet, Jesus sought to be connected. He did not want to push them away from the community but to bring them into the community.

The Feast of the Epiphany which we celebrated last Sunday was about the universal nature of Christ's presence in the world. Jesus confirms that nature today by reaching out to one who has been pushed out of the community. It is a profound moment it is a challenge to all of us who proclaim we believe. Do we wish, do we will that all belong to the community no matter what? Jesus does and he was willing to step across a boundary to make sure that it happens. Are we?

Perhaps like Jesus it is a commitment to prayer that will help us to, wish it and will it. It is through prayer, our conversation with God, that we will find the strength to walk with Jesus across the boundaries imposed and bring others to the community, to friendship with God!

Have a great day everyone!

Daily Prayer: Loving God, we know that you wish your community of faith to include everyone. Help us to break down the barriers, to across the boundaries that our world, our culture, our society, our institutions create to bring healing to all your people. Help us to be committed to prayer, to our conversation with you, so that we will always have the strength share with others the healing power of your love! Amen!

A Runner's Thoughts: Run in a new place today, for new places can stretch our capacity for finding the presence of God as we run!

Daily Blessing: Greetings and TGIF to all on this Friday morning. I had a very nice day yesterday at the Bishop Molloy Passionist Retreat House. There were about 30 people who braved the cold and came to the Day of Recollection and they seemed to enjoy our time of reflection and prayer together. Thanks to Fr. John Michael and Fr. Michael for the invitation and for your hospitality. Thanks to all who came and journeyed in faith with me.

Before I forget I would like to send a shout out to my friend, classmate and fellow Passionist, Fr. Chris Cleary, C.P. on his birthday. Happy Birthday, Chris and many blessings today and always and yes you can use as many puns as you want today!

I hope everyone has had a good week. It certainly has been a cold one and today here in Pelham we are dealing with snow though as I write it seems to be stopping. They say things will be warming a bit and perhaps that means a good weekend for everyone before the cold returns again.

My thoughts and prayers are with the people of France as they mourn those so brutally killed a few days ago and as they wait to two hostage situations that hopefully will be resolved peacefully today. I pray for an end to violence and terrorism.

My prayer of blessing today for all of us is a simple one - may we all have a day filled with many blessings and much grace where ever we find ourselves. If we are on the road or away from home or just have to travel each day may we return home safely this evening to begin a restful weekend with the people most important in our lives! And if our schedule for today and this weekend calls for busyness may we find some quiet, restful and peaceful time during the busyness! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 01/08/2015

Daily Thoughts: Today’s Gospel (Luke) presents us with a moment in Jesus' early ministry when he returns home perhaps for a weekend visit. This story whenever I read it or hear it always paints two pictures for me, one of a moment in the life of Jesus and the other a moment in our own lives.

The moment in Jesus' life is pretty straight forward he returns home and like a good young man honors his faith by going to the synagogue on the Sabbath. He is now a wise young man with a reputation as a preacher so he is honor by being asked to do the reading. So he stands up and is handed the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah and proceeds to read the passage where Isaiah says, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me..." A very familiar passage to us and the community gather for prayer that day. After the reading Jesus just sits down but everyone there is in awe and all eyes turn to Jesus. After what probably were a few moments of awkward silence, Jesus simple says, "Today this Scripture passage if fulfilled in your hearing." Perhaps in other words, "Folks, this is what my life is going to be about, today my ministry starts!" After with those words everyone is even more amazed! A pretty straightforward picture wouldn't you say?

Now as for the second picture of us – every one of us have had a moment like Jesus. We have been in our own parish church perhaps for a sacrament, baptism, confirmation, first communion, marriage and a community has gathered. At some point during that sacrament all eyes are on us, watching us receive baptism, receive communion, take our vows, be anointed with oil. After the mass or the service people have come up to us and congratulated us and speak highly of us because of this special moment in our lives.

The difference between Jesus' picture and ours is that we know the end of Jesus' story. We know he did fulfill the words of Isaiah by the way he lived, died and rose for the death. However, we don't know the end of our story! Will we fulfill the words of our baptism, our confirmation, our marriage, our priesthood, our religious life, our Eucharist?

Today we are asked once again to love and in doing so to live that love as best we can by bringing the gift and presence of God to the world. We are asked to stand up and proclaim the Good News with our life and let that proclamation be fulfilled in the way we live our faith! So my friends, stand tall, love richly and live fully today and always!

Have a great day everyone!

Daily Prayer: O God, help us to live life to its fullest, loving richly, acting justly and walking humbly with you our loving God. Help us to bring life to the Good News that we proclaim by our lives so that all who hear and see will know the gift of your love. Amen!

A Runner's Thoughts: Always run open to discovering the strength that you did not know you had, let that strength be the very Spirit of God's presence in your life!

Daily Blessing: It is cold! The kind of day best spent inside by the fire however that will not be the case for me today. In a few moments I will be headed over to Jamaica Queens, NY to our retreat house there, Bishop Molloy, to give a Day of Recollection. I am looking forward to the day and perhaps for those of you in the New York area, I might be seeing you. I just wish it was a little warmer!

My prayer today is that God will continue to bless all of us with his life giving presence and that God will grace us with the strength and energy to share that presence wherever we go and with whomever we meet! Blessings to all today, have a great day, stay warm and know that God is with you! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 01/07/2015

Daily Thoughts: After hearing praying with today’s readings I might ask the question, "What do I most fear?" In answering this question I might come up with many examples of things that might cause me to fear. I might fear the future because of the state of the world at this time and all the violence that seems to take place. Perhaps I fear the future of our Church because of all the things that have happened over the last 15 or 20 years. Maybe as a priest and a religious I am afraid of the future of religious life and priesthood. There are many things to fear. However, the question is what do I fear most at this moment of my life? As I said this question is based on the readings today, they both deal with fear. In the first reading, (1 John 4:11-18), John talks about perfect love casting out fear and in the Gospel, (Mark 6:45-52), Jesus tells the disciples to have courage and not fear. Yet fear always seems to be a part of life.

I know for myself, fear has always raised its ugly head. I remember my mother talking about the time in her life just before I was born, when she was carrying me. She said that was a time when she struggled with fear. Mom, my father and my sister had just move back to the Pittsburgh area into a new home. It was in a new subdivision about 15 miles outside of Pittsburgh, only a few homes were built and there were very few people in the neighborhood. She had no phone for a while, no car and spent a good portion of the day lone with my sister who was about 5 years old. Mom always said it was a fearful time in her life. I have often wondered if, I the baby in her womb was affected by that time of fear in her life, because once I came into the world it seemed I was afraid of everything including my own shadow!

However, the question I asked at the beginning of this reflection gives me cause to pause and think, "What am I most afraid of?" There are many things I am afraid of but I have come, over the last few years, to realize that I am most afraid of love, not being loved, not finding love. I think it is because I realize that with love fear would not be a problem, yet fear is a problem for me. I think it is because I struggle with love.

Both Jesus and John tell us that today, if we love, if we allow ourselves to be loved, especially by God then fear will never hurt us, because love casts out fear. With love there is no room for fear without love fear takes up all the room!

No matter what life throws at us, no matter what changes take place in religious life, the church, culture, society, no matter what we lose or struggle with in life, if we let love in, if we value the presence of love, if we let ourselves love and be loved fear has no chance, no room!

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Daily Prayer: O God, giver of all good gifts, pour into our hearts the brilliant light of your perfect love so that we may see, feel, embrace and welcome the gift of love into our lives as it comes to us from you and others. Loving God, give us strength and helps us to have hearts that are open so that we will always be ready and willing to love and be loved. Grant us a lasting peace made possible by your love which casts out all fear. Amen!

A Runner's Thoughts: Run without fear today, breathe, run and permit the spirit of God's loving presence to be in each stride you take!

Daily Blessing: Happy Hump Day everyone! It is certainly cold today and the forecast is for things to get even colder! I long for the warmth of spring and summer. I know they are a long way of but I live in the hope of their coming one day!

I simply pray for God’s blessings today on all of us. May we all have a day blessed and graced without fear because it is touch by much love! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 01/06/2015

Daily Thoughts: Our readings today offer us a challenge. In the first reading (1 John 4:7-10) John continues his emphasis on love as the key element for knowing God. Without love we are lost. The way we find love, experience love is through God, because God so loved us that he gave us his only son, God teaches us about love.

The Gospel (Mark 6:34-44) echoes John's reflections but in a different way. Jesus challenges us to focus beyond ourselves, to have love for others. He is moved with pity at the vast crowd, he wants to help them spiritually but also physically. They need to eat, they need to be nourished. The disciples want Jesus to send them home, to get rid of them. Let them take care of themselves! Not Jesus, he cares not just about himself, his disciples, but about everyone. God so loves all of us.

Now for me the interesting part of the Gospel is how Jesus goes about teaching here. Now before I go any further I need to say that I truly believe a miracle took place here. Jesus did take the five loaves and the two fish and feed the five thousand. It was a miracle, but he also taught his disciples and us a valuable lesson, he taught us to sharing. If we look around at what we have we can make it work for ourselves and others. Yes, a miracle fed the five thousand but a teaching about sharing what we have out of love for the other was the main objective. Jesus did not feed the five thousand from nothing, he asked what was available and from what people had he fed the crowd. It was not magic it was a miracle!

Sometimes we get caught up in what we need and we forget the person beside us. All of us have more than we need and sometimes what we have can help others. What we have put together with what others have brings about a miracle. Love needs to be share for its true value to be experienced!

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Daily Prayer: Loving God, teach us today to look beyond ourselves, to see the needs of others and respond to those needs out of the gifts, talents and abilities we have. Help us to bring about a miracle that feeds the many in need of God's love today. Transform us into people alive in your love! Amen!

A Runner's Thoughts: Transform an ordinary run into a sacred run by bringing to the run a sense of God presence in you!

Daily Blessing: Happy Tuesday everyone! To all around the world who celebrate the Epiphany today – Happy Epiphany! To all who find strength and draw upon the spirit of Br. André on this the Feast of St. André Bessette, especially religious brothers – Happy Feast Day!

In recent weeks I have spent a little more time than usual in Manhattan, and even though it has not been extremely cold yet I still find it difficult seeing homeless people sleeping in doorways and other places on the streets.

Last year around this time I spent after an afternoon in Manhattan and I was making my way along 47th Street on my way to the train and I pass a mother and two children. They were begging. At first I just walked by trying to pretend like I didn’t see or hear them, however something, someone inside my heart told me to stop and go back. I reached into my pocket and gave the woman what I had and said please get something to eat. She smiled and said thanks as did her daughter and son.

I walked away feeling good for the moment. However, all the way home on the train I wondered where will they sleep tonight? The image of that mother and children still haunts me today. I continue to wonder where do they sleep each night and there are so many more just like them across our country and around the world. We have so much to offer as a country, as a nation, as a world but people go to bed each night hungry and not in their own home or any home. Why don’t people have food and a warm and safe place to sleep?

There are probably many answers to these questions and some are beyond our control but somewhere along the line we have got to learn to care for people. It is the challenge of our Gospel today and every day!

I pray today for all of us that we will learn to share what we have so that a miracle happens in our life time where no one is hungry and everyone goes to sleep safe and warm. May our loving God bless all of us today with the wisdom, understanding, compassion, and love to be people willing to share the gift of ourselves with everyone we meet. May God’s blessing help us to remember that sharing our gifts can make the impossible – possible!

Pope Francis has told us be people who - “Instead of imposing new obligations, (Christians) should appear as people who wish to share their joy, who point to a horizon of beauty and who invite others to a delicious banquet.” (Pope Francis)

Let’s take up the challenge of the Gospel and give a simple gift to someone today in honor of the magi, in honor of the Holy Family, in honor of God’s presence in your life!

I pray today that you have a blessed and holy day and may you encounter only the Spirit of God in your work, your travels and your living of life! Blessing to all today – Be well, be safe and be warm! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul