Monday, April 25, 2016

Daily Thoughts - 04/25/2016

Daily Thoughts: We celebrate the feast day of St. Mark, the evangelist, writer of the earliest and shortest Gospel. We meet Mark also known as John Mark, in the Acts of the Apostles and in the First Letter of Peter which is the first reading for today’s mass. Mark was a companion of St. Paul for a time and Peter refers to him as his son, most probably meaning his spiritual son.

Mark took the account of Jesus’ Passion and Death and formed his Gospel around this main event in the life of the faith community. Mark gives us nothing of Jesus’ birth or early life. He gives us the years of Jesus’ ministry and public life. As stated the center of Mark’s Gospel account is Jesus Passion and Death.

The tradition of Mark’s Gospel has helped to spread the Good News. His Gospel has helped to sustain our faith throughout the centuries. It has helped the Church keep alive the story, the life, the ministry, the love of Jesus for the world. As we celebrate Mark today let us be reminded of the Good News. Let us take a moment out of our day to read a few word, a story, a passage from his Gospel. Let us remember the story of Jesus and let us proclaim that story in the way we live our life!

Have a great Monday everyone!

Daily Prayer: O God, let us draw upon the inspiration of St. Mark today, who proclaimed the Good News through his preaching and writing. May we be people of faith who remind the world of the Good News today by our own words and actions. May we keep Jesus’ story alive through the living of our own lives. Give us the strength to proclaim your mercy, your love, your hope and your presence to the world we encounter today. Help us to find your presence, your image and likeness within ourselves.  Help us to be your grace to a struggling world today and always. Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: Remember as you run today that the difference between the possible and the impossible is our determination, is our faith and our friendship with God, because with God all things are possible.

Daily Blessings: Monday greetings and blessings to all! I hope your day has started off well, with a little sunshine and warmer temperatures! If not, I pray the morning setbacks are only temporary and things will be humming along by the afternoon.

We begin our retreat here at Holy Family Convent this morning. I will be celebrating the retreat with the St. Rita’s Community about 70 sisters who range from independent living to full nursing care. There is also a floor dedicated to dementia. My retreat will consist of morning prayer, mass, a talk in the afternoon and personal visits to each floor throughout the day. It is a different kind of retreat from what I usually give but it should be an interesting week. Please keep the sisters in your prayers and if you could add a short prayer for the preacher and visitor it would be greatly appreciated!

My prayer of blessing for all of you today is that you may have a great Monday filled with many blessings and graced with many moments that put a smile on your face. May you have the energy and enthusiasm to embrace whatever this day will be and bring you way. May you find throughout this day throughout the richness of God’s love and mercy in everyone you meet, in everything you do and in everyplace you go. Please know that you are in my prayers today as I celebrate this first day of retreat with the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity today! Peace in Christ’s Passion and Hope in the Risen Lord…Fr. Paul

No comments:

Post a Comment