The first
was a quote that I have always liked from Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ. –
“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, [humankind] will have discovered fire.”
And the
second is a prayer written by St. Ignatius of Loyola, SJ. – “Take Lord, receive
all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I
have and possess. You have given all to me. To you, O Lord, I return it. All is
yours, dispose of it wholly according to your will. Give me only your love and
your grace, for this is enough for me.”
In the
Gospel Jesus tells us to love one another and in doing so he uses the example
of his own love for us. He tells us that there is no greater love than to lay
down one’s life for one’s friends and we are his friends. Yes, Jesus is talking
to his disciples some 2,000 plus years ago but if we believe the scriptures are
alive then Jesus is also talking to us.
As we are
told in John’s Gospel – God so loved the world that he gave us his only Son and
all we have to do is believe. Well Jesus with his words today puts an
exclamation point on God’s love for us. Our job, our task, our command is
simply to follow the example of Christ and to discover fire, to discover the
energies of love in each other!
Love is
only realized, only understood in terms of action. Jesus so loved us that he
gave his life for us. How we love determines the power and presence of God in
our life. If we love God then we are called to live that love, we are called
share it with one another.
Jesus
reminds us today to discover the fire of love in our lives and in the world and
to turn over everything to God because God’s love for us is always enough.
Have a
great Friday everyone!
Daily
Prayer:
Most high
and glorious God,Enlighten the darkness of our hearts,
Give us correct faith, certain hope and perfect charity.
Give us insight and wisdom
So we may always discern your holy and true command.
(Adapted from the Prayer Before the Crucifix, by St. Francis of Assisi)
A
Runner’s Thoughts: “Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don’t
have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and
never, ever, ever giving up.” (Amby Burfoot)
Daily
Blessing:
Friday greetings and blessings to everyone! Yes, we have made it through
another week and we can take a deep breath and say, “Thank God it is Friday!” I
hope you have had a good week and that your weekend will be a reward for all
your hard work this week. If not, if this week has not gone so good or the
weekend means no rest and more work just hang in there, better days are ahead!
As for
me, we are in the home stretch of retreat here at Holy Family Convent in
Manitowoc, WI. The retreat has gone very well at least from my perspective. We
have one more full day and then we will end tomorrow morning with mass. I had
another spirit filled day yesterday visiting the sisters, offering the Sacrament
of Reconciliation and sharing a few thoughts. Today some more visit and I will
offer the Sacrament of the Sick during the afternoon conference. Please
continue to pray for the sisters on retreat and if you can add an extra prayer
for their preacher it will be greatly appreciated!
It continues on the cold side here in Manitowoc but they say we will move away from the cloudiness today and get a little sunshine. It will be a welcome change and perhaps it will make things at least feel a little warmer!
I pray
your day has started off well and that you are enjoy a little more color, sun
and warmth than I am. My prayer of blessing today is that you will encounter
God’s grace and blessing wherever you are and in whatever you are doing. May
you be blessed with the thought and reality that rest and relaxation is the
order of your weekend and that you will get through today with a sense of
accomplishment that your week has been a good one. May it be graced with the
presence of good people today and may God gift you always with his joy and
love! Peace in the Christ’s Passion and Joy in the Risen Lord…Fr. Paul
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