Daily Thoughts - 01/24/2015

Daily Thoughts: The Gospel today is an interesting one. It is short and to the point. The crowds are pressing in on Jesus, he does not have a moment to breath, pray or eat and his family and friends are not too sure about all that he is doing, they go so far as to say, "He is out of his mind." I have always found that an interesting line in the Gospel. I don't think we often, if ever, use the phrase, "He us out of his mind." to describe Jesus. It almost seems irreverent! Yet that is what his family and friends thought and in a way it is comforting. I don't know how often people have thought that "I am out of my mind," because of the things I have done or the busyness of my life or the thoughts that I express or the stands that I take. It is comforting to know that at least for a moment Jesus and I share the same struggle concerning how people see us.

Perhaps many of the things Jesus did, experienced and lived out seemed crazy. How often today does someone point out that Jesus would have done it this way and because it doesn't fit with how we live life we think or say the person is crazy. Jesus asks us to do a lot of crazy things, love our enemies, pray for our persecutor, forgive, be in the company of sinners, accept people for who they are, step across boundaries in order to bring about healing and life. It may seem crazy, in doing these things it might seem like we are out of our minds, but remember we are in good company!

Happy Saturday everyone!

Daily Prayer: O God, we are out of our mind in love with you today. Help us to stir into a flame the fire of this love so that may never be ashamed of our friendship with you. Entrust us with the power and hope of peace and your love in this life and the gift of eternal life with you. Amen!

A Runner's Thoughts: Try to transform your run today from just a run to a sacred experience by letting God run with you!

Daily Blessing: Happy Saturday everyone! I wakened to the sound of snow blowers this morning. Yes in the overnight hours we had snow here is Pelhma. It looks to be about 3 or 4 inches but it is hard to tell as it is now raining. As I sit here at my desk the snow from the roof is cascading down as the temperatures continue to rise.

I first must send a special shout out to my Great Niece Kristina Marie who celebrates her fifth birthday today! Happy Birthday Little One – Special K! May you have a great day and may it be a day of many blessings! Much Love…Great Uncle Paul or Uncle GUP

I also learned this morning that a man I ministered with many years ago at the Bishop Molloy Retreat House died this week, Mr. John Moreno. John was a very fine, faith filled man, a retired NYPD police officer and a longtime member of the retreat house team. I didn’t always agree with John but I respected his faithfulness, his hard work and his commitment to his faith. I did not know that he was ill and unfortunately I only learned of his death this morning which is the morning of his funeral. I wish I could have gone to pay my respects to him and his family. May you now rest in peace with Our Lord, John!

I pray your Saturday will go well and that you are navigating through whatever Mother Nature and life are throwing your way. My prayer of blessing for you today is this wherever you are today, whomever you are with or will encounter and whatever you are doing or will do - I prayer that you will be blessed with the grace, love and presence of God. Enjoy your day, think positive thoughts, wear a smile and trust that God journeys with you! Blessings to all on your journey through this Saturday see you on Sunday! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 01/23/2015

Daily Thoughts: Jesus names his twelve closes friends in the Gospel today (Mark 3:13-19). They are learning about the Good News, the Kingdom of God and in due time they will be continuing Jesus’ work and ministry themselves. They will soon be proclaiming the Good News to all the world. Part of the Good News that they will proclaim is mercy, the mercy of God and the mercy we need to have in living life. It not always easy to live by mercy, yet that is what we are called to as the children of God.

In the responsorial psalm (Ps. 85: 8, 10, 11-12, 13-14) today we learn that “Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss.” We also learn that this is made possible through the presence and mercy of God that were God is there life flourishes.

So what is our challenge today? Perhaps it is to trust in the ongoing care and concern of God for us but also to know that through that love and care we are sent forth into the world to proclaim the Good News, a Good News grounded in the mercy a God.

Have a great day everyone!

Daily Prayer: O God, as we live this new day, please send the gift of your hope into our hearts so that we can turn our moments of anger into healing, life and your loving presence. May we always be people who celebrate life in the midst of a world that often seem focused on taking life. May we never let anything stand in the way of an opportunity to heal and celebrate life. 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: Happy Friday everyone! I hope this finds you beginning you Friday with energy and enthusiasm that will take you through the day and bring you to the gift of another weekend!

It has been a long yet not so busy week here in Pelham, but a good one. The weather may be changing drastically tomorrow. They are calling it a major storm however they are not too sure how major. Will it be snow? Will it be rain? Will it be a dud? Only the Lord knows for sure and God is probably worried about many other more important things! Right now it is a sunny but cold morning here. So as always we wait to see what tomorrow will bring.

I pray your day is going well and that you are navigating through whatever Mother Nature and life are throwing your way. My prayer of blessing for you today is this wherever you are today, whomever you are with or will encounter and whatever you are doing or will do - I prayer that you will be blessed with the grace, love and presence of God. Enjoy your day, think positive thoughts, wear a smile and trust that God walks, runs, works, plays and journeys with you! Blessings to all. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 01/22/2015

Daily Thoughts: As I reflected on today’s Gospel (Mark 3:7-12) this morning the thought that came to mind was "A Day in the Life." This is the title of a 1967 Beatles song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. While the Gospel and the song have nothing in common I thought of the title in terms of what picture the Gospel paints for us today, A Day in the Life of Jesus.

It is interesting, I did a little research about the song, Lennon and McCartney wrote their sections of the song at different times, Lennon using accounts from the newspaper and McCartney using memories from his youth. The two sets of lyrics were then put together with orchestral glissandos. What does this have to do with the Gospel, well think about how the Gospels were put together? The days of Jesus' life, not a daily rendering but events tied together by the overarching story of his life.

Today, we have a day in the life of Jesus, crowds coming from every corner of the world it seems, healing with every touch, demons proclaiming his "the Son of God," people everywhere!  No room, no time for himself, no space to breath. When you think about it Jesus had a very difficult life long before he got to Calvary. He was always in demand. How did he do it? How did he balance his ministry and his need to just be, to pray, to connect with friends? How did he stay focused? Stay refreshed? Stay motivated?

Sometimes seeing a picture of a day in the life of Jesus can be inspiring, sometimes it can be troubling, sometimes it can be tiring, sometimes it can be overwhelming. What does today's picture of a day in the life of Jesus say to you? To me it says he loved us very much!

Have a great Thursday everyone!

Daily Prayer: Loving God, help us in the midst of our busy day to see what is truly holy, life giving, and of you. May we always find the time to be grateful for your gifts and your presence in our life. May this day in our life truly reflect your love. Amen!

A Runner's Thoughts: Remember the little miracles of God that we encounter during a run are not because we finish but are because we find the courage to begin!

Daily Blessing: I hope everyone is having a good day! It is a cloudy and cold day here in Pelham, however they say the sun will make an appearance at some point today. We will be having a community meeting later today to talk about health care so I am spending a little time this morning reviewing my own personal health care plan. When you are feeling pretty good it is hard to think health care but at some point in my life it will become an issue. When it comes to health care I think it is better to be prepared than to try and make it up as you go along.

May prayer of blessing today will be a simple one. I would like to first remember all those who are in Washington, DC today for the annual right to life march. I just would like to pray for all who attended that their journey will be safe and that the gift of life will be celebrated and honored in a life giving and respectful way.

I would also like to remember two families who struggle with the tragedy of an traffic accident during which a young life was lost and another young life was changed forever. I am sure there is a sense of lost, sadness, anger, disbelief, guilt, second guessing, pain and hurt running though both families as they cope with the grief of this day. Let us pray for their peace and comfort.

So I pray for God’s blessings upon all of us today that our day will be successful, life giving, safe and be gifted with peace and love; may those amongst us who are struggling, suffering or hurting find the peace and solace of Christ who bore the struggles, suffering and hurt of all of us in his Cross; may those amongst us who face the sadness of tragedy find comfort in the loving presence of God. May all of us come to realize the fragileness and value of life from the first moment of conception to its last breath through the grace of living this day and return home tonight to those we most love. Many blessings to all this day!

Have a blessed and grace filled day everyone! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 01/21/2015

Daily Thoughts: My thoughts today center around a single phrase in the Gospel, "Jesus looked around at them with anger...." It is comforting to know that Jesus was angry from time to time. That he got frustrated with others, particularly others who should have known better. Today it is the religious leaders once again they still don't seem to get it. Life, the quality of life, is much more important than rules and regulations.

Today, for that matter every day, we as people of faith are focused on life. It is profoundly important to us. It is a gift from God that we do not want to see life abused, neglected, devalued, taken, lost or discarded. We pray for it, we walk in support of it. We cherish it in our own lives and families. Life is primary to what we believe. Yet, at times we get so focused on one aspect of life we miss many others. We miss many opportunities to honor it, acknowledge it, celebrate it and heal it because of rules and regulations!

Jesus was always about life, honoring it, acknowledging it, celebrating it and certainly healing it. May we find a way like Jesus to turn anger into healing, to turn anger into life!

Think life today and every day! Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Daily Prayer: O God, as we live this new day, please send the gift of your hope into our hearts so that we can turn our moments of anger into healing, life and your loving presence. May we always be people who celebrate life in the midst of a world that often seem focused on taking life. May we never let anything stand in the way of an opportunity to heal and celebrate life. Amen!

A Runner's Thoughts: As you run today, "Seek God, and you will find God and everything good as well. Yes, with such an attitude you could tread upon a stone, and that would be a more godly thing for you to do than to receive the Body of our Lord." (Meister Eckhart)

Daily Blessing: Wednesday greetings everyone and Happy Hump Day! I hope your day has started off well. A special shout out to my good friend Randy Wieck on his birthday! Many blessings today and always Randy and have a great day. I hope you get to celebrate at least a little and have one on me!

May prayer of blessing today will be a simple one. I pray today for God’s blessing on all of us that we will come to know and honor the gift of life from the first moment to conception to the last breathe and for all and every moment in between. May we all truly see life as a gift from God. Bless all of us today, Loving God, with the reverence and respect for our own life and all life around us. 

Have a great Wednesday everyone! Be safe, stay warm if you are in the midst of the cold weather and smile. May God bless all your endeavors today, all your meetings, all your travels and all your moments with others. Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 01/20/2015

Daily Thoughts: In reflecting on the readings today two themes struck me about our faith. The first is continuity, the consistency of God. In the Letter to the Hebrews we are reminded that God has made an oath with us, that he will be with us forever. This is a consistent theme throughout scripture. It is a ray of hope, God will not forget us, and God will not leave us. God will be with us always. We can count on it. We can take it to the bank. We might not understand why God continues to hang around with everything humankind seems to do to chase God away, but God will always be with us!

The second theme is that of change. If something is alive that also means change. Jesus in the Gospel to the horror of the Pharisees indicates that things are not always going to remain the same. Change is in the air. The Sabbath was made for humankind, not humankind for the Sabbath. Jesus is asking people to look at their faith differently. The Sabbath came into being to help humankind take time to focus on God. But the Sabbath is not greater than the needs of people. In other words, the actions, the rituals, the customs, the reality of the Sabbath is not what is most important, it is people and their relationship with God. On a side note I wish we might understand that about our own rituals and practices!

Life means changes and as we go through life the things that connect us with God are going to change, take on different forms and different importance but God's commitment to us, God covenant with us will never change! Two of God's great gifts to us Life and Hope are always guiding us, always nourishing us.

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Daily Prayer: O God of eternal hope, help us always to remember your faithful promise to be with us always. Guide us through this ever changing life with your gifts of courage, strength and grace so that we might help to build a world of justice and peace for all. Amen!

A Runner's Thoughts: As you run remember with each plant of your foot you feel firmness under you that is the presence of God running with you!

Daily Blessing: Tuesday greetings and blessings to all! I hope your day has started off well. The sun is trying to peek through here in Pelham but like yesterday it seems like the clouds will come and go throughout the day.

My prayer of blessing for us today is a simple litany asking God help us along the way – Loving God, we pray for your blessing today in the midst of our busy life. If we find ourselves under the weather touch us with your healing presence. If we are busy guide us to a moment of peace. If we are frustrated grace us with an acknowledgement of the gift that you are. If we find ourselves angry today help us to let it go. If we find ourselves alone embrace us so that we know that are not. O God, bless us with what we need to live our life this day!

Have a great Tuesday everyone! If you were off yesterday I hope you had a relaxing day or a day that helped you to catch up in this busy life. Be well today and may you encounter many blessings as you live this day! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul