Daily Thoughts - 07/30/2016

Daily Thoughts: Something to think about from Thomas Merton as you journey through the day. It is certainly something that Herod did not think about in our Gospel (Matt. 14:1-12) today!

“To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us - and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him.

Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, and is constantly awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.” (Thomas Merton)

Have a great Saturday everyone!

Daily Prayer:

Lord, teach us to be generous;
Teach us to serve you as you deserve;
To give and not to count the cost;
To fight and not to heed the wounds;
To toil, and not to seek for rest;
To labor, and not to ask for reward –
 except to know that we are doing your will.
(Adapted from a prayer by St. Ignatius of Loyola)

A Runner’s Thoughts: You might say that John Bingham is also talking about the spiritual life when he talks about running – “It was being a runner that mattered, not how fast or how far I could run. The joy was in the act of running and in the journey, not in the destination. We have a better chance of seeing where we are when we stop trying to get somewhere else. We can enjoy every moment of movement, as long as where we are is as good as where we'd like to be. That's not to say that you need to be satisfied forever with where you are today. But you need to honor what you've accomplished, rather than thinking of what's left to be done.” (John Bingham)

Daily Blessing: Saturday greetings and blessings to everyone. It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of July. In some ways I feel the summer moving too fast but I think that happens when you are busy. I hope your summer has been a good one so far.

It looks like the beginning of a beautiful day but it will be a busy day for me. I have the 8:30 am mass at St. John and St. Mary’s Parish in Chappaqua, NY and then at 10:00 am I have a funeral. After that I get a little break but then it is back to Chappaqua for the 5:15 pm mass. I also have all three of the Sunday masses there too.

I hope your Saturday is getting off to a good start. As I said we have a beautiful morning here in Pelham may your day be what you need it to be!

May God bless your day with peace. May God’s blessings be upon your day and your weekend, may it be filled with family, friends, laughter, fun, rest and relaxation! If you need a little quiet time may that be there too! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 07/29/2016

Daily Thoughts: “You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope.” (Thomas Merton) I thought of these words by Thomas Merton today as I reflected on the readings for the Feast of St. Martha. I think Martha fits these words well.

In the Gospel reading (John 11:19-27) we see a different side of Martha than the one in Luke (10:38-42). It is as if Martha has grown in her faith, her relationship with God and in her understanding of her friendship with Christ. In John, Martha is a faith filled woman, who does not fully understand but recognizes the possibilities and challenges and embraces them with courage, faith and hope. She seeks God in the present moment and in the end is greatly blessed.

We all need to pause and allow the gift of St. Martha’s spirit to enliven our own spirits today. May the spirit of St. Martha gift us with the courage, faith and hope to live this day ready to recognize the possibilities and challenges and embrace them with the grace of God’s love.

Have a great Friday and many blessings to all on this Feast of St. Martha!

Daily Prayer: Give us, O Lord, steadfast hearts which no unworthy affections may drag downward. Give us unconquered hearts, which no tribulations can wear out. Give us upright hearts, which no unworthy purpose mat tempt aside. Bestow upon us also, O Lord our God, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you. Amen (Prayer by St. Thomas Aquinas)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “...there was some kind of connection between the capacity to love and the capacity to love *running*. The engineering was certainly the same: both depended on loosening your grip on your own desires, putting aside what you wanted and appreciating what you've got, being patient and forgiving and... undemanding...maybe we shouldn't be surprised that getting better at one could make you better at the other.”  (Christopher McDougall, Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen)

Daily Blessing: Friday greetings and blessings to everyone! I hope this find you well and enjoying your morning and looking forward to the rest of your day!

It is a rainy day here in Pelham. It rained most of the night as I awakened a number of times to hear it banging on the house. I think we are to have rain throughout the day which in a way is good because we need it. You know the old saying, “Into everyone’s life a little rain must fall.” At least we will not be in the 90’s today the high is only to be 80. If this is a rainy day by you may you see it as a day that produces life and coolness!

Enjoy your Friday everyone and may God bless your day with many good experiences and people! I hope all of you will have a great Friday no matter where you are or what today will bring! I pray for God’s blessings upon all of you as you go through your day. May God bless all your endeavors, may God be with you in all of your challenges and in all of your struggles. Please trust in the presence of God that you carry within you and don’t be afraid to share your gift. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 07/28/2016

Daily Thoughts: I have always liked the image that we find in today’s reading from the Prophet Jeremiah, “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand….”

What a wonderful image of God creating us. We can trace this image back to Genesis and the story of creation, God creating humankind out of the clay of the earth and then breathing life into us. In this section from Jeremiah the focus is on God’s relationship with Israel yet we can also connect it to ourselves.

The act of God creating us, forming us, making us the individuals that we are, giving us our own gifts and talents. When a potter sits down at the wheel what is created is unique, one of a kind. Yes, other works can look similar but each work, each creation of the potter is distinctive and so are we!

The challenge is to believe in our uniqueness, in our specialness and to live the journey, the life that God has created us to life with faith, hope, joy and love! Let us celebrate our uniqueness today and share it with all we meet!

Have a great Thursday everyone!

Daily Prayer: Christ Jesus, we ask not that you will spare us affliction, but that you will not abandon us in it. When we encounter affliction, teach us to see you in it as our sole comforter. Let affliction strengthen our faith, fortify our hope, and purify our love. Grant us the grace to see how we can use our affliction to your glory, and to desire no other comforter but you, our Savior, Strengthener, and Friend. Amen (Prayer by St. Bernadette Soubirous)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you're not demanding more from yourself - expanding and learning as you go - you're choosing a numb existence. You're denying yourself an extraordinary trip.” (Dean Karnazes)

Daily Blessing: Happy Thursday everyone! I hope this find you well and enjoying your morning and looking forward to the rest of your day! In a little over an hour I head out to the doctor’s office for my yearly physical. I am hoping I will check out fine once again. Then it will be on to the Wartburg Home for mass at 11 am and then I will head into the office. So it is somewhat of a busy day today. I pray your day is not as busy and perhaps by chance you will get the chance to just enjoy a lazy summer day.

My prayer of blessing today is – May God, the Eternal Potter, who formed you in your mother’s womb, who breathed life into you, who gifted the world with your present, hold you once again in his loving potter’s hands as you journey through this day. May God bless you with the gift of a joy filled day. May God bless you with the gift of his presence that you will share with everyone you meet and may God keep you safe and return you home to those you love for a peaceful night! Blessings on your Thursday journey everyone. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 07/27/2016

Daily Thoughts: The Gospel for today (Matt. 13:44-46) talks about the Kingdom of God and Jesus uses two images for the Kingdom, a buried treasure and a fine pearl. In the case of the treasure the person sells everything and buys the field where the treasure is buried and in the case of the pearl the merchant too sells everything in order to buy the pearl. In other words, when it comes to the Kingdom of God we must be all in because it is worth more than anything else.

I thought the following quote from St. Ignatius of Loyola seems to say the same thing about the Kingdom of God as Jesus in today’s Gospel but St. Ignatius says it a little differently!

“God freely created us so that we might know, love, and serve him in this life and be happy with him forever. God's purpose in creating us is to draw forth from us a response of love and service here on earth, so that we may attain our goal of everlasting happiness with him in heaven.

All the things in this world are gifts of God, created for us, to be the means by which we can come to know him better, love him more surely, and serve him more faithfully.

As a result, we ought to appreciate and use these gifts of God insofar as they help us toward our goal of loving service and union with God. But insofar as any created things hinder our progress toward our goal, we ought to let them go.”

Have a great Wednesday everyone! May God bless your journey through this day!

Daily Prayer:

O loving God, teach us to be generous

to serve you as you deserve to be served

to give without counting the cost

to fight without fear of being wounded

to work without seeking rest

and to spend ourselves without expecting any reward

but the knowledge that we are doing your holy will.

Amen (Adapted from a prayer by St. Ignatius of Loyola)

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)

I run to pray. I run to give glory to God. I run to have a little one on one time with God. I run to encounter the gift of God’s creation. I run to make God a little more real in my life. And I like that!

Daily Blessing: Wednesday greetings and blessing to all! We had a wonderful closing to the 92^nd St. Ann’s Solemn Novena last night. Our provincial Fr. Robert gave a great homily, the weather cooperated and it was just a great celebration. In a couple of hours, I will head east and be back in Pelham by noon time.

I hope your day has started well and will become even better as you journey through it. If not hang in there because there is always tomorrow and the chance for a better day!

Enjoy your Wednesday everyone and may God bless your day with many good experiences and people! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 07/26/2016

Daily Thoughts: Today’s reading from the Book of Jeremiah I think was written for us today. It is so easy to really like this prophet; his writing so often reveals his heart. Jeremiah is said to be a type and model of Jesus Christ. The reading guide section of the Catholic Study Bible points out the many ways his life runs parallel to the life of Jesus.

While it appears Jeremiah is lamenting to the Lord for relief from a long draught, he also mentions their pitiful conditions from war. Jeremiah speaks of “her incurable wound” (Jer. 14:17) and later he writes, “We wait for peace, to no avail; for a time of healing, but terror comes instead. (Jer. 14:19) Our incurable wound is our human condition. We all move to levels of autonomy and independence from our God; eventually to find ourselves lost, running back in need of a Savior. The stories throughout the history of humankind depict this forward and backward movement towards and away from God. Where are we at today? Our world isn’t any different today. We suffer from the long lasting effects of natural disasters; many people suffering because of droughts, fires, floods as well as the man-made disasters of war, terrorism and mass shootings. O Lord, we are suffering. So, Jeremiah, our prophet is interceding for us today.

We often listen to false prophets and think we won’t suffer from following false gods. We keep discovering that we need God as much today, as the people did 600 years before the birth of Christ. Today, Jeremiah is doing the work of trying to bring us back to the Lord. He like Pope Francis, calls us to feed the hungry, care for the sick, hold up the downtrodden…we have many opportunities to reach out to people today.

In the Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus uses the planting story to tell the crowd that the Son of Man plants good seeds. His field is the world, the good seed represents the children of the Kingdom and the weeds are the children of the Evil One, which are sown by our enemy the devil. Some people don’t want to believe that the fires of hell exist, but Jesus says “the Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his Kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth…Whoever has ears ought to hear.” (Matthew 13: 41-43)

Let us always remember the seed is the Word of God and Jesus is the sower; all who come to him will live forever! Have a great Tuesday everyone.

Daily Prayer: Give us, O Lord, a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downwards; give us an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; give us an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bestow upon us also, O Lord our God, understanding to know you, diligence to seek you, wisdom to find you, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace you; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen! (Prayer by St. Thomas Aquinas)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “It was being a runner that mattered, not how fast or how far I could run. The joy was in the act of running and in the journey, not in the destination. We have a better chance of seeing where we are when we stop trying to get somewhere else. We can enjoy every moment of movement, as long as where we are is as good as where we'd like to be. That's not to say that you need to be satisfied forever with where you are today. But you need to honor what you've accomplished, rather than thinking of what's left to be done.” (John Bingham)

Daily Blessing: Tuesday greetings and blessing to everyone and Happy Feast of St. Ann and St. Joachim! It is a busy day here at St. Ann’s. Thinks started at 4:00 am here with confessions followed by the first mass of the day at 4:30 am and the masses and services are many throughout the day with the closing mass at 7:30 pm.

I have the 8:00 am televised mass and then I will be busy throughout the day hearing confessions and help with communion and blessings. I will once again bring all the prayers, petitions and intercessions that you have sent me throughout my days here to my prayers of the feast day and I will keep all of you in my prayers as we each live this day trying to celebrate and live what this day offers each us. May God’s blessing be upon all on this Tuesday especially on the gift of family as we celebrate this Feast of St. Ann and St. Joachim.

A special blessing upon all grandparents and parents today as St. Ann and St. Joachim were the grandparents of Jesus and the parents of Mary! Have a great day and may God bless your journey throughout this day and always! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 07/25/2016

Daily Thoughts: I have to say that today’s first reading on this Feast of St. James from St. Paul (2Cor. 4:7-15) is one of my all-time favorites. Paul uses the image of “earthen vessels” to talk about himself and us in terms of our relationship with God. Paul says we hold the treasure of our faith, the presence of God, in earthen vessels, in other words in us. Now some say Paul is talking about large water jugs, others say he was referring to terracotta lamps, either way it is a striking image. Within the fragility of this human condition we carry the gift of God.

What a wonderful way to think about ourselves. I have often thought about reading this little passage from St. Paul each morning upon getting up, what a way to enter a new day knowing that I carry within me the presence of God. Knowing that I am not perfect, that I am cracked, chipped, scratched, in other words, I am human yet I have this wonderful gift within me.

Paul goes on to say life is tough however because of the gift we have within us things will be ok. We will get through the trials and tribulations of life because of the power of God, the friendship of God.

So as we journey through this day let us be reminded that we are earthen vessels, fragile, imperfect, at times struggling but we are also blessed with a great gift within us, the presence, the grace, the love of God. And when we face the struggles, difficulties and challenges that life throws at us the power of this gift within us will see us through.

Happy Feast of St. James everyone and have a great day!

Daily Prayer:

Loving God, we pray:

that through the glorious Apostle, Saint James,

who by reason of his fervent and generous heart was chosen by Jesus

to be witness of Christ’s glory on Mount Tabor, and agony in Gethsemane.

May James, whose very name means one who steps into the shoes of another and one who follows, help us to obtain this day the strength and compassion we need to be followers of Jesus. May St. James be our inspiration today and may we step into the shoes of Jesus and bring the gift, the treasure of God to all we meet. Amen.

  

A Runner’s Thoughts: As prayerful runners let us not run with a sense of expectation that something significant will happen spiritually. Let us run only asking that our run be in the presence of God and that we will run with a heightened awareness of God’s presence. If we run this way occasionally insights will come our way and we might feel a special closeness to God, but usually we will simply know that we are not running alone and we will carry with us the sense of a shared journey long after we have finished our run! (Adapted from Running the Spiritual Path by Roger Joslin)

Daily Blessing: Monday greetings and blessings to everyone and Happy Feast of St. James especially to all those with the name James! (A special shout out to my brother James and my nephew, James!) I hope your day has started off well and that it will be blessed in a special way as you journey through it. If you are finding life a struggle today, please know as always you are in my prayers and I will say a special prayer that it gets at least a little better as the day goes on.

The weather once again is hot but also beautiful here in northeastern Pennsylvania. It looks to be a beautiful day on this the ninth day of the novena here at St. Ann’s. We will be finishing up tomorrow with the feast day and I will be heading back to New York on Wednesday. It has been a wonderful novena, very spirit filled at least during the days that I have been here. I hope you are enjoying good weather wherever you are and that today will be a day to enjoy!

Have a great day and once again may God bless you with a strong and joy filled faith so that you will always believe in the treasure that you carry within you and that you are! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 07/24/2016

Daily Thoughts: “Lord teach us to pray. – Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.”  How often have we said this prayer? It probably was one of the first prayers we ever learned. It is a prayer that all to often we say without thinking. I would bet sometimes we don’t even hear the words when we say it because it is automatic.

In today’s Gospel from Luke we are reminded where this prayer comes from. And in a bit of irony, the only formal prayer that Jesus taught us, one that almost everyone knows, is taught to the disciples with the instruction to not to rely on formal prayers, but to pray simply, familiarly, and from the heart. I wonder how many of us pray in this way?

When Jesus is asked about prayer, he says to call God our father, to speak to him like family, because God is our father in heaven, and like our father on earth, wants to help and protect us. We should call God Father, Abba.

I have always been struck in my journeys to the Holy Land how often I hear a little child call out, Abba. For us, here in the States, the word would be “dad” or “daddy.” Would you ever think during prayer to say, “Daddy or Dad, how are things in heaven?” I know it sounds funny. But Jesus teaches us to pray with simplicity, with familiarity and from our hearts.

Yes, we are to respect God, like we respect our parents. Yes, God name is holy, and we honor God as our father. We call on God for what we need. We ask for our daily bread, for what we need each.  What father would give a snake to a child asking for food? None that I know. God, as our father is no different.

If an earthly father cares for and supports his family, how much more will God, our heavenly father care and support us? When we ask for what we need to live, Abba will provide. God is and will always be good father to us.

Our earthly parents don’t abandon us if we do something wrong, nor will our heavenly Father. God wants to teach us right from wrong and protect us from danger, like any good parent. We’re not perfect. We sin, even when we try not to, and at times we probably don’t try hard enough not to. And if we imperfect beings are still good parents to our children, how much better is our perfect heavenly Father. God is our most important role model. Our Father loves and forgives us, and we are asked to love and forgive in the same way. We are asked to help our friends in need just like our Father provides for us. We asked to forgive one another like our Father forgives us.

The Our Father as a prayer has become standardized and formal. Often we say it many times each, at mass, as we pray the rosary, at meetings. When we say the Our Father, as often as we can we should give pause to think about what are saying, to think about what the words mean. Often when I give the Our Father as a penance during the Sacrament of Reconciliation I say, “Pray the prayer slowly. Listen to the words. What is God offering you? What is God asking of you?” Remember when we say the Our Father we are talking to our Dad, our Abba. We are taking the time to offer our love and respect. We are trusting in Our Father love through our willingness to ask for our basic needs, to ask for forgiveness when necessary, and we are also promising to love and care for each other just like Our Abba loves and cares for us.

Have a great Sunday everyone!

Daily Prayer: Our Father, who art in heaven hallowed be Thy Name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. (Say it slowly. Listen to the words. What does God offer you? What does God ask of you?)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “I’m not saying running could solve all of the world’s problems, but I think it would be a good start.” (John Bingham)

Daily Blessing: Sunday greetings and blessings to all. We have begun the eighth day of the novena here at St. Ann’s in Scranton and it was a big crowd this morning at the 8 am mass. I began the day at 7:30 am hearing confessions and now I have a little break until 11:45 am mass. It should be a busy day and unfortunately it is going to be a hot one. I hope your Sunday has started off well and just a reminder, don’t forget to give God a little time today!

As always if you have some prayer intentions that you would like me to remember during the novena please send them along to me via email, Facebook, Twitter or text. I will make sure I include them in my novena prayers and mass each day! I continue to remember the people of Germany and Munich as they deal with the tragedy that happened during last week. I pray for peace, eternal peace for those who lost their life and comforting peace for those who grieve the loss of loved ones and friends.

I pray your Sunday will be blessed with good weather and a little rest and relaxation. That today will be a day when you take a little time off and get away from the busyness of life. If you cannot I pray that you will have a chance to do so soon! I also pray that you will give a little time to God on this summer Sunday.

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. May the God of Peace, who shared with us Jesus, his Son, furnish all of us with all that is good, so that we may always do what God has created us to do. And may we always take some time to rest and enjoy life. May we remember to pause and listen for and to the presence of God if our life.

Enjoy your day, think positive thoughts, stay cool, wear a smile and trust that God journeys with you! Blessings to all on your journey through this Sunday and every day! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul