Daily Thoughts - 10/23/2015

Daily Thoughts: A I read today’s Gospel (Luke 12:54-59) as I prepared to celebrate mass this morning I could not help but think of one of my favorite says by Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J – “Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.”

Jesus seems to be saying the same thing. As human beings we seem to get caught up, become fascinated, with the things around us and in doing so we often miss the most important. We know what will happen when the wind blows out of certain direction. For example the last few days here in the east we had a northeast wind meaning it was blowing in off the ocean, so we had three days of rain and there is nothing wrong with knowing and understanding how nature works. However, Jesus’ and Fr. Teilhard de Chardin’s points are that there is something great, something more important, something more value to life and because we are busy about other things we miss it.

If as a Church, a nation, a culture, a society, a world we could put our efforts into harnessing the energies of God’s love we would discover fire for a second time in history and how important was it the first time! The energies of God’s love are all around us but we are so busy with other seemingly important things that we most often miss the chance to encounter God’s love. We miss the opportunity to make God’s love part of our lives.

My suggestion the Friday morning to all is that we take sometime today to pause and look around ourselves. Look past the obvious, the usual, the everyday. Look for the gift of God in our lives as it comes to us in so many different and life-giving ways. Discover it. Acknowledge it. Breathe it in. Embrace it. Celebrate it. Be thankful for it. And share it!

Have a great Friday everyone!

Daily Prayer: Come Lord! Come with us: see with our eyes, hear with our ears, think with our mind, love with our heart - in all the situations of our life. Work with our hands, our strength. Take, cleanse, posses, inhabit our will, our understanding, our love. Take us where you will, to do what you will, in your way. For where you are, there will your servants be. Amen (Adapted from a prayer by Evelyn Underhill)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “At first an ordeal and then an accomplishment, the daily run becomes a staple, like bread, or wine, a fine marriage, or air. It is also a free pass to friendship. (Benjamin Cheever) So to in the spiritual when talking about prayer!

Daily Blessing: Friday greetings and blessings to all. I hope your day has started off well. It is a beautiful sunny day here in Pelham but a little on the chilly side compared to the last few days.  It is nice seeing the sun it adds some much to the beauty of fall and yes the leaves are beginning to change colors around here.

Well my week of playing “Home Alone” is now over as the others in the community return home last night. It is nice having some life in the house besides myself again though I have to say that I did enjoy my solitude also.

I hope your week has been a good one and that you feel ready to enjoy a fall weekend. I don’t have much on my plate these days except preparations for missions and retreats in the future. It is the life of an itinerant preacher sometimes you are very busy and other times not so much but there are always things to prepare for and always new things to discover and create.

Once again I will take my daily blessing from the words of St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. – And so my friends I pray that God will bless all of you today with the strength to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with everyone you meet through love, always striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace; remembering that we are one Body, one Spirit, and that we are called to one Hope; that we believe in one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of us all, who is over all and through all and in all. May our one God bless us all today and always! Amen! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 10/22/2015

Daily Thoughts: After praying with today’s Gospel last evening before heading to bed it was on my mind as I opened my eyes this morning. I can’t help but hear Jesus’ words in all the articles, headlines and reflections that I have read over the last four years about the Synod of the Family and now the Synod on Youth. Just by reading the headlines over the last two years you might surmise that the Church is in trouble. That we seem to be in the midst of confusion and unthinkable divisions – bishop against bishop, cardinal against cardinal, cardinal against pope, conservative against liberal (well this one is quiet thinkable), but hopefully you get my point. In all the chatter especially from within the Church about the good and bad of the synod you would think the “End Time” is just around the corner.

Yet, my response to all of this chatter, media and hysteria is – in the immortal words of Aaron Charles Rodgers, quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, as the Packers got off to a slow start last season – “Relax!”

Jesus tells us in the Gospel today (Luke 12:49-53) that there will be divisions, conflicts and struggles because of his presence, message, ministry and call. He tells us that he has come to set the earth on fire and through the centuries that is exactly what has happened from time to time. There is no reason to believe that it will stop anytime soon unless God has other plans. As long as there are two people there will be disagreements, struggles and challenges.

The Synod on the Family which was called for by Pope Francis in October 2013 and began in October of 2014 while almost over was never going to be something, at least in my opinion, that would shake the world or come to a definitive conclusion . Those gathered for the synod the last two years were told by Pope Francis to speak frankly, honestly and truthfully and it seems that is what they have been doing. Hopefully they are listening to one another as well. Hopefully they are expressing their opinions, listening to each other and trying to formulate a document that will reflect their thoughts, feelings but most importantly their work so that the Church will be able to move forward with better focus on the needs, issues and life of the family in today’s world.

Unfortunately for the Church, like a football team that plays a bad game, everyone stands ready pounced on them, the international and national media, cardinals, bishops, priests and laity alike. What are they saying? What aren’t they saying? What do they really mean? Was the translation right? Is the process right? It all too confusing! It’s a mess? This confusion is of the devil! They have challenged doctrine! And so on and so on and so on!

Let me send this memo to the team, fans, media, to all cardinals, bishops, priests, deacons, whomever – “Relax!” The synod is a work in progress, yes it is messy, yes there will be fights, disagreements and divisions but let’s all have some faith in the Holy Spirit. Let’s all have some faith in the process. Let’s all believe in the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ love!

Have a great Thursday everyone!

Daily Prayer: Grant us God, to know what is worth knowing, to love what is worth loving, to praise what delights you most, to value what is precious in your sight. Do not let us judge by what we see, nor pass sentence according to what we hear, but judge rightly between things that differ and above all to search out and to do what pleases you. Amen (Adapted from a prayer by Thomas A Kempis)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “The most important day in any running program is rest. Rest days give your muscles time to recover so you can run again. Your muscles build in strength as you rest.” (Hal Higdon) So too in the spiritual life – rest is necessary for the mind, soul and spirit!

Daily Blessing: Thursday greetings and blessings to all! I hope your Thursday has started off well. From all indications we will encounter another warm day today before things turn a bit chilly on Friday. I hope the weather wherever you are will be kind to you today.

Around 10:30 am I will be heading out to the Wartburg Home in Mount Vernon, NY to celebrate mass with the people there at 11 am. I have been celebrating with them on Thursday the last few weeks.

My prayer of blessing today comes from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians – Friends, I kneel before God this morning, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that God may grant all of you in the accord with the riches of his glory to be strengthened with power through the Holy Spirit in the inner self, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the holy ones what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God! – And I also ask God to bless you with a joyful and grace filled day! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 10/21/2015

Daily Thoughts: “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” This is a demanding and challenging reflection by Jesus in today’s Gospel (Luke 12: 39-48). Each time I hear this Gospel especially these words from Jesus I always pause in thought. Am I using the gifts and talents that I have been entrusted with to the best of my ability? Perhaps more importantly, am I using the gifts and talents that I have been entrusted with to further the Kingdom of God? Am I using them not only for myself but for others?

If I am honest with myself then at times my answers to these questions is no! I have been graced, honored and entrusted with many gifts and I have to say at times I do not use them to the best of my ability. Sometimes I am selfish in my approach to life and in sharing what I have been given. At times the challenge of the Gospel especially the challenge in today’s Gospel weighs heavy on me.

I want to be the best person of faith I can be and I want that to be reflected in how I live my life and how I use my gifts. I was reading a reflection the other day that said, “If we have been given a keen mind, we must think. If we are filled with compassion, we must serve. If we receive a voice, we must sing. God will not ask the impossible, but will expect our talents to be used.” Perhaps the question for all of us today is what are my gifts and talents? Are they being used to make present the Kingdom of God?

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Daily Prayer: Loving God, give us the strength and courage today and always to be your good and faithful servants. Grace us with the wisdom and spirit to use the gifts and talents you have entrusted us with to bring about your presence in everything we do and to everyone we meet. Help us to be faithful servants of your joy, mercy and love this day and always. Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: It's important to know that at the end of the day it's not medals or where we finished that we should remember. What we need to remember is the process, the journey – what we learn about ourselves, about our relationship with God by challenging ourselves, the experiences we share with other people, the honesty that training, that prayer demands – these are things to remember because nobody can take them away from us whether we finish last or first.

Daily Blessing: Wednesday greetings and blessings to all. I hope this finds you well and enjoying your day and life! The weather has certainly changed here in Pelham, you can feel the chill beginning to be a permanent fixture in the air, however today is one of those day when it will probably feel colder inside. They say we will get near 70 which means that by midmorning the chill will be gone and it should be another beautiful sunny fall day.

I pray today that wherever you are today, whomever you are with and whatever you are doing 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