Daily Thoughts - 11/21/2015

Daily Thoughts: And Jesus said, "They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God...God is not the God of the dead, but of the living for in God all are alive." Two important gifts we need to remember that we are children of God and God is about life not death. How do we live these gifts? Do we recognize that we are children of God? Are we always about life?

Daily Prayer: Loving Mary, our mother, please give us a heart like yours, firm in its attachments and of unshakable loyalty; an affectionate heart that radiates a discreet tenderness; a pure heart that lives in the flesh without being burdened by it; a generous heart, quick in letting go of its hurts and always ready to forgive; a magnanimous heart that rejoices in other’s triumphs and shares in their sorrows; a heart that condemns no one and does not tire of being confided to; a heart taken up by Christ, totally given to his infinite love. Amen. (Adapted from a Traditional Prayer)

A Runner's Thoughts: “I run because if I didn’t, I’d be sluggish and glum and spend too much time on the couch. I run to breathe the fresh air. I run to explore. I run to escape the ordinary. I run… to savor the trip along the way. Life becomes a little more vibrant, a little more intense. I like that.” (Dean Karnazes) So to in the spiritual life – I have faith because…

Daily Blessing: Saturday greetings and blessings to all. I hope your Saturday is starting off well. Here in Pelham it looks to be another beautiful, sunny, fall day though it is to be a little cooler than the other days this week.

Today is the feast of The Presentation of Mary a day when many religious, especially women religious take their vows and/or renew their vows. So a special shout out to all taking or renewing their vows today may the spirit of Mary guide, strengthen and grace you on your journey through this life you have accepted and are trying to live out.

My prayer of blessing today is that your day will be blessed with the warmth of the sun lighting up a beauty of God’s creation and the warmth of many smiles greeting you and guiding you through the gift of all the experiences that this day will bring. May your day be rich in the blessings of God’s grace, mercy, hope, joy and love wherever you go and in and through whomever you meet. And may you always be blessed in finding God’s presence within yourself! Have a wonderful Saturday with many blessings! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 11/20/2015

Daily Thoughts: The Jesus we find in the Gospel today (Luke 19: 45-48) was an observant Jew. He valued his community of faith. Sometimes it is the Jesus who ate with sinners and crossed the boundaries of his faith that we are drawn to, but we also need to remember the Jesus was profoundly respectful and observant of his faith.

Jesus was also zealous as we see today, his anger at the commercialism of the temple area had its roots in a deep respect for the purpose and place of the temple in the life of the people. It was to be a place of prayer. It was to be a place to go to get away for the everyday busyness and business of life.

What we learn from today’s Gospel is that no matter what approach to life that Jesus took it was not going to be good enough or right for the religious leadership. If we was eating with sinner or healing on the Sabbath or talking to women, he was wrong. If he was driving out merchants for the temple area he was wrong. The religious leadership did not seem to like the zealousness of Jesus for life and his faith.

Our challenge today is to learn from Jesus - when, why and how to be zealous. When, why and how to bring energy, enthusiasm and spirit to our life. We need to be observant Christian, we need to value and respect the places and structure of our faith community. We also need to be about life and finding ways to include everyone in the journey no matter what the cost!

Have a great day everyone!

Daily Prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, make us all witnesses of truth, justice and neighborly love. Banish for our hearts whatever might endanger peace. Enlighten our leaders that they may guarantee and defend the great gift of peace. May all peoples of the earth become sisters and brothers. May longed-for-peace blossom forth and reign always over us. Amen (Adapted from a prayer by St. John XXIII)

A Runner’s Thoughts: As prayerful runner we always seem to find it inadequate to sit and wait for the Spirit to appear. As prayerful runners, we always want to run towards God but if we are prayerful runner’s what we always find is that God is running toward us at twice the speed! (Adapted from Roger Joslin – Running the Spiritual Path)

Daily Blessing: Friday greetings and blessings to all! I hope your day has started off well. It looks like the rain has passed and we are in for a beautiful sunny day here in Germantown. I think this will be the last mild day for a while and the cold will be moving in over the weekend. I hope you will be enjoying a beautiful day wherever you are.

The retreat will close this morning with mass at 9:00 am. The sisters will renew their vows during mass. I will be headed home short after mass ends. It has been a very enjoyable week here at Avila. It is such a peaceful place and it has been a joy spending some time along the Great River once again. Please remember the sisters in your prayers today that their journey of retreat was a good one and that they now will return to their ministries and local community life refreshed and renewed.

My prayer of blessing for all of us today is – Loving God keep us alert today and always to your unpredictable answers, to your unexplainable surprises and to your unrelenting presence. By your grace and love, make us ever grateful that we are one of your surprises each day of our lives. Bless us today and always with a faith, that moves mole hills and mountains, has often an unseen healing touch, lives everyday stories, celebrates simple suppers, and carries Crosses of Life which turn into Resurrections of hope. Help us to be people of faith, hope and love who are positive, respectful and open to all that is good and life giving. Amen. Blessing to all today! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 11/19/2015

Daily Thoughts: “They will not leave a stone upon another within you because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” (Luke 19:44) Jesus looking over the city of Jerusalem looking ahead to its time of destruction at the hands of the Romans. A city that did not recognize the presence of God at the most crucial time of its history. Yet, it is not the city, the stone, wood and mortar that fails to recognize the presence of God it is its’ people!

Jesus has walked Jerusalem’s streets. He has prayed at its’ temple. Jesus has healed, forgiven and celebrated the gift of God’s love within Jerusalem’s walls, yet the people of Jerusalem failed to recognize his visit, his presence. It is a sad moment for Jesus, it is a sad moment for us.

The last three days we have encountered stories of great faith from the Books of Maccabees. People responding to the presence of God in their lives against logic, conventional wisdom and self-preservation. They have made their choices based on a faith and trust in the presence of God in their lives. They have thought of others more than themselves.

I wonder if we could look upon Jesus today as he sits not just looking at Jerusalem but at all the cities of the world might he be thinking and feeling the same thing. Might he be crying as he looks upon us and saying one day one stone will not lay upon another in our world because we are missing our time of visitation.

We honor as heroic many who go charging into battle but rarely if ever do we honor as heroic those who go charging into peace. I truly believe God is in our midst however we seem to spent a great deal of time thinking only of ourselves and because of our self-centeredness, our selfishness we just might be missing our time of visitation.

Let us look around today not out of fear and self-centeredness but let us look around for the saving power of God in our midst.

Have a great Thursday everyone!

Daily Prayer:

Take, Lord, and receive all my liberty,

my memory, my understanding,

and my entire will,

All I have and call my own.

You have given all to me.

To you, Lord, I return it.

Everything is yours; do with it what you will.

Give me only your love and your grace,

that is enough for me.

(Suscipe - St. Ignatius of Loyola)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “When I run, I'm just a person among people. A runner among runners. And we all experience the same challenge of get up and go - regardless of ability.” (Sally Bergesen) So to in the spiritual life… We are people among people. People of faith among people of faith. And we all experience the same challenge to be faith filled each day!

Daily Blessing: Thursday greetings and blessings to all. I hour Thursday has started off well. It is a rainy gray day here in Germantown, New York yet the Great River still looks majestic as always. I hope that if you are running through the raindrops that it is a gentle rain not a soaking one.

We are beginning our last full day of retreat and there will be a few more sisters involved today as the Avila community is using this retreat day as a day of recollection so all the sisters in the house not making the retreat will be attending mass and my talk this afternoon. Please continue to keep the sisters in your prayers and if you can afford an extra prayer for the preacher it would be greatly appreciated!

For my blessing prayer today I draw upon my Irish roots… May the blessing of God's soft rain be on you, falling gently on your head, refreshing your soul with the sweetness of little flowers newly blooming. May the strength of the winds of Heaven bless you, carrying the rain to wash your spirit clean sparkling after in the sunlight. May the blessing of God's earth be on you, and as you walk the roads, may you always have a kind word for those you meet. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul