Daily Thoughts - 10/30/2013

Daily Thoughts: “To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything [God] has given us - and [God] has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of [God’s] love, every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from [God].

Gratitude therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, 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)

Gratitude is my word, is my thought for the day. I am grateful to my parents for the gift of life, for the wisdom, guidance, disciplined and love that formed me into the man that I am today. I am profoundly grateful for the gift of faith that they shared with me it has made all the difference. All of their gifts to me came from God who was intimately part of their lives from beginning to end.

Today I am grateful to St. Paul for his words in his Letter to the Romans, “The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit intercedes with inexpressible groanings.” (Roman 8:26) On this second anniversary of my mother’s passing I am not sure how to pray and so I trust in the Spirit to say what needs to be said. I trust in the spirit of my Mother and Father to keep me always grateful, to keep me always faithful, to keep me always on the right path because I know that all things work for the good for those who love God and Mom and Dad truly loved God!

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Daily Prayer: Good Saint Rita, during your entire life on earth you found your happiness by following the will of God. Help us to be as trusting of God in all of what God asks of us this day and always. Help us this day to give ourselves to God as you did, without limit, without fear, without counting the cost. Help us to be generous in serving the needs of others, patient in all difficulties, forgiving toward all who hurt us. Help us to learn more deeply the great mystery of the cross of Jesus, so that by embracing it as you did, we may come to experience its power to heal and to save. Amen (Adapted from a Prayer to St. Rita of Cascia)

Runner’s Thoughts: Four days to the NYC Marathon and so my words of inspiration and faith for today are – “Running isn't a sport for pretty boys...It's about the sweat in your hair and the blisters on your feet. It’s the frozen spit on your chin and the nausea in your gut. It's about throbbing calves and cramps at midnight that are strong enough to wake the dead. It's about getting out the door and running when the rest of the world is only dreaming about having the passion that you need to live each and every day with. It's about being on a lonely road and running like a champion even when there's not a single soul in sight to cheer you on. Running is all about having the desire to train and persevere until every fiber in your legs, mind, and heart is turned to steel. And when you've finally forged hard enough, you will have become the best runner you can be. And that's all that you can ask for.” (Paul Maurer, The Gift - A Runner's Story) And if you add the word faith alongside the word running you have a picture of a runner and a person of faith!

Daily Blessing: I pray that everyone’s has begun well, if not please know you have been in my prayers since very early this morning. I celebrated mass in memory of my mother very early this morning and I asked her to bless us with her heavenly spirit today, so if things are going well trust that they will get better!

My prayer of blessing for everyone today is adapted from a prayer known as Saint Patrick's Breastplate – I ask God’s blessing be upon all of us today so that Christ will be with us; Christ will be before us; Christ will be behind us; Christ will be in us; Christ will be beneath us; Christ will be above us; Christ will be on our right; Christ will be on our left; Christ will be where we lie; Christ will be where we sit; Christ will be where we arise; Christ will be in the hearts of every person who thinks of us; Christ will be in the mouth of every person who speaks of us; Christ will be in every eye that sees us; Christ will be in every ear that hears us; God’s blessings through Christ be upon all of us this day! Have a great day everyone. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 10/29/2013

Daily Thoughts: “What is the Kingdom of God like? To what can [we] compare it?” We might stay that these questions have been asked over and over again down through history. We are always trying to figure out what the Kingdom of God is like. What does Heaven look like?

We are always trying to compare it to what we know. Even Jesus does it today in the Gospel (Luke 13: 18-21). Jesus compares it to a mustard seed and yeast not exactly what I would do by Jesus has a reason for picking these two examples. He compares the Kingdom to a mustard seed and yeast because it is something alive. It is growing, it is ever changing and as Paul tells us in the first reading (Romans 8:18-25) it is not just for ever one it is for everything. All creation glories in the Kingdom! That is why respect the gift of God’s creation because on the last day all creation will be transformed into the Kingdom of God.

Our challenge today is to look around at the people, place and things of God’s creation that are a part of our lives and be thankful for them. When we ask the question what is the Kingdom of God like, to what can we compare it? All we need to do is look around because the Kingdom of God in alive in our life.

Perhaps Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ said it well when he wrote: “By means of all created things, without exception, the divine assails us, penetrates us, and molds us. We imagined it as distant and inaccessible, when in fact we live steeped in its burning layers”

Or maybe Thomas Merton said it a little differently when he wrote: “When we are alone on a starlit night, when by chance we see the migrating birds in autumn descending on a grove of junipers to rest and eat; when we see children in a moment when they are really children, when we know love in our own hearts; or when, like the Japanese poet, Basho, we hear an old frog land in a quiet pond with a solitary splash - at such times the awakening, the turning inside out of all values, the "newness," the emptiness and the purity of vision that make themselves evident, all these provide a glimpse of the cosmic dance [a glimpse of the Kingdom].”

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Daily Prayer: God, loving Creator, grace us with the wisdom to embrace your Kingdom that is all around us so that someday, after trying to master the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for you the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, we will have discovered fire – your unconditional love. Amen! (Adapted from the words of Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ)

Runner’s Thoughts: Five days to the NYC Marathon and so my words of inspiration and faith today are – “People sometimes sneer at those who run every day, claiming they'll go to any length to live longer. But I don't think that's the reason most people run. Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you're going to while away the years, it's far better to live them with clear goals and fully alive then in a fog, and I believe running helps you to do that. Exerting yourself to the fullest within your individual limits: that's the essence of running, and a metaphor for life [and a metaphor for faith]” (Haruki Murakami and [me])

Daily Blessing: I hope this finds everyone having a good day if not hang in there it will get better! So that your good day continue and that your not so good day gets better I pray – Loving God bless us with a steadfast heart, which no unworthy affection may drag downwards; bless us with an unconquered heart, which no tribulation can wear out; bless us with an upright heart, which no unworthy purpose may tempt aside. Bless us with the understanding to know you, bless us with diligence to seek you, bless us with the wisdom to find you, and bless us with a faithfulness will help us to embrace your love in our life. I pray this blessing for all my family and friends and anyone in need this day through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen! Have a great day. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 10/28/2013

Daily Thoughts: As we celebrate the Feast of Sts. Simon and Jude today, two apostles, two friends of Jesus, the thoughts I would like to offer you come from one of my favorite authors, Barbara Brown Taylor. Barbara writes about what it means to be a priest. Her thoughts have given me food for thought recently and so I offer them to you today.

“...a priest is someone willing to stand between a God and a people who are longing for one another's love, turning back and forth between them with no hope of tending either as well as each deserves. To be a priest is to serve a God who never stops calling people to do more justice and love more mercy, and simultaneously to serve people who nine times out of ten are just looking for a safe place to rest. To be a priest is to know that things are not as they should be and yet to care for them the way they are.”

I hope I live up to what it means to be a priest most of the time. I know at time I do fail and I pray that my failures do not hurt others or keep them from God. I do know that things are not as they should be and I hope and pray that I do care for all the way they are!

I have a great day everyone!

Daily Prayer:

Loving God, Often we hold on to the things we own and we are afraid to open our clenched hands. Who will we be when we have nothing left to hold on to? Who will we be when we stand before you with empty hands? Please help us to gradually open our hands and to discover that we are not what we own, but what you want to give us. Amen! (Adapted from a prayer by Henri J.M. Nouwen)

Runner’s Thoughts: Six days until the NYC Marathon and so my words of inspiration, my words of faith today come from Dean Karnazes, “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, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner)

Daily Blessing: As this new work week begins we find ourselves getting ready to say “good bye” to October and its menagerie of colors, crisp morning air and sun drenched afternoons and we prepare to welcome November with its fading colors, ever darkening days and hustle and bustle of the soon approaching holiday season. So in the midst of this in between week I offer this prayer of blessing to begin your week and send you on your way to November…

Loving God, Creator of this new day, bless my friends and all so that we may live your truth in everything we do. That we may express your love to everyone we meet. Touch us with your grace so that we may share our enthusiasm and make each moment better; so that we may give life to our hopes; so that we may walk by faith; so that we may dance and sing to your music of life; so that we will always embrace your blessings and your love and make today and everyday worth remembering. Amen! Have a great Monday everyone! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Sunday Thoughts - 10/27/2013

Sunday Thoughts: “Wisdom is not gained by knowing what is right. Wisdom is gained by practicing what is right, and noticing what happens when that practice succeeds and when it fails.” (Barbara Brown Taylor)

“Every human interaction offers you the chance to make things better or to make things worse.” (Barbara Brown Taylor)

“With so much effort being poured into church growth, so much press being given to the benefits of faith, and so much flexing of religious muscle in the public square, the poor in spirit have no one but Jesus to call them blessed anymore.” (Barbara Brown Taylor)

Enjoy your Sunday everyone and remember to give a little time to God!

Sunday Prayer:

This is your day, O Lord and so we pray for grace and help this day and always.
If we are to stand up, help us to always stand bravely.
If we are to sit still, help us to sit still quietly.
If we are to lie low, help us to do so patiently.
And if we are to do nothing, let us do it gallantly. Amen!
(Adapted from a prayer by Kathleen Norris)

Sunday Runner’s Thoughts: It is now less than one week to the NYC Marathon. It will be my third marathon in five weeks. It will be my first marathon in the decade of my sixties. I will think back a lot to my first marathon ten years ago. I will think a lot about turn 60 years old and I will think a lot about my faith and how running has played a role in my life as a person of faith these last ten years.

I will keep before me this week the words of Paul Maurer from his book, The Gift – A Runner’s Story.  “Running isn't a sport for pretty boys...It's about the sweat in your hair and the blisters on your feet. It’s the frozen spit on your chin and the nausea in your gut. It's about throbbing calves and cramps at midnight that are strong enough to wake the dead. It's about getting out the door and running when the rest of the world is only dreaming about having the passion that you need to live each and every day with. It's about being on a lonely road and running like a champion even when there's not a single soul in sight to cheer you on. Running is all about having the desire to train and persevere until every fiber in your legs, mind, and heart is turned to steel. And when you've finally forged hard enough, you will have become the best runner you can be. And that's all that you can ask for.”  And I will remember this this is what faith is about too!

Sunday Blessing: Wherever you are, whatever this day has brought into your life,  if you are watching your favorite team, celebrating your team’s victory, or mourning and debating its defeat or just anticipating the work week and the busyness of that lies ahead. It you are resting and relaxing or busy about many different things, if you are taking time to enjoy the beauty of this day or struggling through a problem, no matter where you are or what you are doing I offer this prayer and blessing for you...

This is the Day that God has made let us rejoice and be glad. May there always be work for us to do.  May our pockets and purses always hold a coin or two. May the sun always shine warm on our windowpanes. May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain. May the hand of family, a loved one and a friend always be near and may God fill our hearts with gladness and love that we in turn can share! May God’s blessing be upon you today and always. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 10/23/2013

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: 39-47). 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 question are 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 on the Gospel today in my copy of Living With Christ and the reflection stated that, “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 the day is what are my gifts and talents? What are your 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 and love this day and always. Amen!

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: Happy Wednesday “Hump Day” everyone! I hope this finds you well and enjoying your day and life! The weather have begun to change here in Pelham, you can feel the chill beginning to be a permanent fixture in the air. It is a cloudy almost gloomy day which is probably a preview the winter days ahead.

So that we are not dragged down by thoughts of the approaching winter and its absence of warm that color, I pray today that God will bless us all with eyes to see God’s goodness in ourselves and others. That went things get cold, gloomy and colorless in life may we always find warmth in the people of our lives, energy in sharing our gifts and talents and color in the smiles, joy and love that we encounter in the life we are living. May this blessing of God’s presence be with you today and always! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 10/22/2013

Daily Thoughts: Throughout the scriptures Jesus often uses the image of master and servant to make a point and describe our relationship with God. In most cases God is the master and we are the servants and the relationship is as any master and servant relationship would be in Jesus’ world.

However in today’s Gospel (Luke 12: 35-38) the relationship between master and servant between God and us is turned upside down. God does the waiting on us today and this profound reversal of roles is the very spirit of the Gospel message. It is the very spirit of what Pope Francis has challenged his cardinals, bishops and priest to be as ministers, the very essence of what he has challenged us to be as Christians.

If we look at our relationship with God we come to know that God not only loves us and cares for us but in the person of Jesus God has taken on our human nature in order to redeem us. Many of those who listened to Jesus’ preaching probably found his image of God as one who serves difficult if not impossible to accept. Masters of that time or anytime for that matter just are not seen or experienced as people who are willing to serve. Yet, for Jesus that is exactly what God has done in sending in own Son into the world.

To continue this gift we are asked to be servers of God’s grace to the world. A question for today might be how do we make God present known through service to others?

Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Daily Prayer:

Loving God, Creator of all that is good; we live in the sure and certain hope that your mercy knows no bounds and so today with every creature we pause to give you praise. You have given us an inner law by which we are to live and to do your will is our commission.  To follow your ways is to know peace of heart and so to you once again we offer our service. Guide us on all the paths we travel this day and always. Free us from all the evil tendencies which lead our hearts away from you. Never let us to stray from you. Grace us with the strength to live our life making present your love so that we will be among your chosen ones on the last day.  O God, Author of peace and justice, give us true joy and authentic love, and a lasting peace.  Bless us your everlasting gifts. Amen.
(Adapted from a prayer by Blessed John Paul II)

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) And you are not having the fullest experience of God that you can have, so don’t run away from struggles or suffering in running or in life, embrace them with the help and grace of God!

Daily Blessing: Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope everyone is well and if you are in the east you know that we are beginning to transition from Indian Summer to true Autumn weather. The leaves probably will be turning soon here in Pelham. I know they have begun to elsewhere, so make sure you take a little time and look at God’s beauty!

Wherever you are today, whomever you are with and whatever you are doing I prayer 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

Daily Thoughts - 10/21/2013

Daily Thoughts: We often think when we hear stories like the one about the “Rich Fool” in today’s Gospel (Luke 12: 13-21) that Jesus doesn’t like those who are rich and that is not true. When Jesus talks about wealth, possessions, status and power it is not to condemn them but merely to challenge all who find themselves in possessions of them. Jesus wants to know what we are going to do with what we possess. Do we use wealth, possessions, status and power to make ourselves comfortable or do we use them to help others? What we do with what we have is always the question.

As Jesus points out today, we cannot take it with us. As a friend of mine always says, “You never see a U-Haul behind a hearse!" In other words you cannot take it with you so what are you going to do with it?

Pope Francis continues to challenge us to care about the poor, the needy, the less fortunate, the immigrants and the struggling. This challenge is nothing new it has been part of our faith from the beginning. It flows out of the Gospel. It is the same message that Jesus presents today. In the early Church the question of those in need was always part of the Church's focus. Pope Francis is just reminding us of what Jesus has said all along.

Wealth, power, possessions and status are not evil. They are not counter to the Gospel; unless we fail to share, unless we only think of ourselves, unless we let injustice and poverty go unchallenged. Do we use the gifts, talents, possessions, wealth and power to make the world for all people a better place? In other words by living our life are we rich in what matters to God?

Have a great day everyone!

Daily Prayer: God of all blessings, source of all life, giver of all good gifts, we thank you for the gift of life - for the breath that sustains us, for the food that nurtures us and for the love of family and friends without which there would be no life.

We thank you for the mystery of creation - for the beauty that the eye can see, for the joy that the ear may hear, for the unknown that we cannot behold because it fills the universe with wonder, for the expanse of space that draws us beyond the definitions of our selves.

We thank you for setting us in communities - for families who nurture our becoming, for friends who love us by choice, for companions at work, who share our burdens and daily tasks, for strangers who welcome us into their midst, for people from other lands who call us to grow in understanding, for children who lighten our moments with delight, for the unborn, who offer us hope for the future.

We thank you for this day - for life, for one more day to love, for the opportunity to work one more day for justice and peace, for neighbors, for one more person to love and by whom be loved, for your grace and one more experience of your presence, for your promise to be with us, to be our God, and to give salvation.

Help us to always use, offer, invest and give our gifts freely for the good of all and so that you Kingdom will continue to grow. For the grace to give and all our blessings, we give you thanks, loving God. Amen.

(Adapted from Prayer of Thanksgiving on beliefnet.com)

Runner’s Thoughts: We need to always remember that there are different forms of prayer, of communication with God and that they are possible in everything we do, even when we run. So as I have often said, let us allow our runs to be a prayer – a prayer of thanksgiving, a prayer of petition or intercession, a prayer of praise, a prayer of struggle, or a prayer seeking help or perhaps just a prayer that says hello God how are you today?

Daily Blessing: Happy Monday everyone! It was nice to see some of you at our Passionist Celebration yesterday in Jamaica, New York. It was a wonderful mass and celebration. It was really nice to see a full church, almost 1,000 people. The music was great. Fr. Joachim’s homily and presence was inspiring. It was just a great day to be a Passionist! Thanks to those who came and celebrated with us, thanks to those who always pray for us!

I hope your weekend was as good as mine! I know that some of you were traveling and I hope your travels near and far when well and that you returned home safely. I hope those who were not traveling had a restful, relaxing and pleasant weekend.

I want to send a special blessing out to Dan, whose birthday is today. Dan is in the Air Force and I had the privilege of celebrating his baptism many years ago in St. Louis so I want to send a special birthday blessing to Dan! Have a great day and Go Cards!

As for all, I am feeling pretty good and positive today I guess because of just a great Feast of St. Paul of the Cross yesterday so I will ask God’s blessings for all of you today through the intersession of St. Paul of the Cross. May God bless you and protect you today and always. May God’s face smile upon you. May God’s grace enter into all you do. May you live today rich in a harvest of faith, hope and love which God has planted within you and may you always know that nothing can separate you from the love of God! Blessings to all and have a great day everyone. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul