Daily Thoughts - 03/25/2016

Daily Thoughts: “To be evangelizers of souls, we need to develop a spiritual taste for being close to people’s lives and to discover that this is itself a source of greater joy. Mission is at once a passion for Jesus and a passion for his people. When we stand before Jesus crucified, we see the depth of his love which exalts and sustains us, but at the same time, unless we are blind, we begin to realize that Jesus’ gaze, burning with love, expands to embrace all his people. We realize once more that he wants to make use of us to draw closer to his beloved people. He takes us from the midst of his people and he sends us to his people; without this sense of belonging we cannot understand our deepest identity.” (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium: The Joy of the Gospel)

Pope Francis’ words remind us today of what the Cross is all about. He asks us to stand before the Cross of Christ today. He asks us to see and feel the depth of God’s love, of Jesus’ love for us. We are reminded that Christ’s love cannot remain just within us but that it is to be shared!

As I reflected on John’s Passion (John 18: 1-19:42) and the other readings (Isaiah 52: 13- 53:12; Hebrews 4:14-16; 5: 7-9;) that we encounter in today’s liturgy I began to think about the image of gesture that Pope Francis used in his Holy Thursday homily yesterday. He said the Last Supper reading provide us with two gestures. Jesus’ gesture of love and service and Judas’ gesture hate. Perhaps as we take time in prayer with St. John’s Passion today there is one gesture that can be seen two ways.

The gesture of love or the gesture of hate. The gesture of mercy or the gesture of violence. The gesture of compassion or the gesture of indifference. What gesture do we see and live when we gaze into the eyes of Jesus on Good Friday?

The words of Pope Francis that I began with remind me of why I am a Passionist. Each day as I arise I try to stand before the Cross of Christ and I look through the lens of his Passion to see his burning love. Each time I put on my habit and attach the simple sign that only Passionists wear I am reminded that Christ great love must be in my heart. Each time I wander into a new day I am reminded because of that sign over my heart that I am to bring Christ unrelenting love to every person that I meet. Because I am a Passionist and a mean of faith I am connected to Christ’s Passion story.

I think we all need to find our own way of connecting to the Passion story. We have to find our own way to understand, to feel, the mystery of Jesus' Passion. We have to make the connection with the characters of the story and with Jesus. We might not understand but we need to make the connection, we need to feel the story. We need to find our own liturgy sometimes.

At this point in life as I pause to keep Good Friday holy I am truly blessed and honored to be a Passionist and a priest so often I am privileged to lead a community in the liturgy of the Lord's Passion or like this year I have the honor of preaching, of sharing the Good News on this day. I get to help others look through the lens of the Passion of Jesus Christ.

My friends in faith, however you remember the Lord's Passion of this Good Friday my prayer for you is that the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ will always be in your heart!

Good Friday peace and blessings to all! I hope you will at least make a visit to Church today, take a little time to sit before the Cross of Christ, and remember God’s great love for you!

Daily Prayers: Today I offer you two simple little prayers to guide you through this day. The first comes from our Passionist tradition it is a simple prayer we utter each day - "May the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ be always in our hearts!"

The second prayer was write by the great Jesuit theologian Fr. Karl Rahner, S.J. - "The Cross of My Lord, Be my Standard, Be my Comfort, Be the Answer to all dark questions, The Light of all nights, The Sign that You have chosen us, The mysterious and sure Sign that we are Yours for eternity. Amen."

A Runner's Thoughts: If we truly want to be a spiritual runner then we must remember that with every time we run we embark on a path were we can expect surprises, missteps, little jumps and sometimes great leaps toward a personal understanding of God.

Daily Blessing: Good Friday greetings and blessings to all! I trust you had a blessed Holy Thursday and were able to find a little time to connect with God. I know many of you probably have to work today but hopefully you will be able to take at least find a few moments of quiet to make holy this Good Friday. If you can at least try to make a visit to a church and sit for a little while before the Cross of Christ and remember that God so loved the world that he gave us his only Son that would be great. If you can attend the Lord’s Passion Service that would be excellent, it is one of the simplest and most beautiful liturgies that we have as a Church.

Yesterday afternoon I was privileged to celebrate the Eucharist of the Lord’s Supper for the residents of the Wartburg Home. We did not do the washing of the feet but at least we were able to bring the gift of Holy Thursday to people who otherwise could not have celebrated it.

Then last night I celebrated with the faith community at Our Lady of Perpetual help in the Pelham Manor and had the honor of preaching the Good Word. The parish had a special dinner before the Eucharist of the Lord’s Supper. It was very well done. The dinner was in silence with music and readings throughout the meal. The Eucharist of the Lord’s Supper was a very prayerful celebration and I was able to stay for a while after the mass was over to just pray before the Reposition Altar.

Today I will return to OLPH for their Good Friday Service at 3 pm. Once again I will be preaching. There is no other place I would want to be than proclaiming the Good News on Good Friday. I am truly a blessed Passionist today!

My prayer of blessing today is simply that somehow today you are touch by the magnanimous love of God. That you are blessed with the grace to believe in God’s love. A love that is ground in our friendship with Jesus because there is no greater love than to lay down your life for your friends, Jesus laid down his life today for us, his friends. I send my prayers and I ask God's blessings upon all of you and your loved ones. May the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ be always in our hearts! Peace in Christ's Passion today and always...Fr. Paul

Note: At 7 pm this evening I will pray the Stations of the Cross on line. Perhaps you might take some time to pray with me? Go to www.preacherman.org and make the journey to Calvary with me.

Daily Thoughts - 03/24/2016

Daily Thoughts: In his Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, Pope Francis writes, “If we are to share our lives with others and generously give of ourselves, we also have to realize that every person is worthy of our giving. Not for their physical appearance, their abilities, their language, their way of thinking, or for any satisfaction that we might receive, but rather because they are God’s handiwork, his creation. God created that person in his image, and he or she reflects something of God’s glory. Every human being is the object of God’s infinite tenderness, and he himself is present in their lives. Jesus offered his precious blood on the cross for that person. Appearances notwithstanding, every person is immensely holy and deserves our love. Consequently, if I can help at least one person to have a better life, that already justifies the offering of my life. It is a wonderful thing to be God’s faithful people. We achieve fulfilment when we break down walls and our heart is filled with faces and names!”

These words of Pope Francis reflect the spirit of this most holy day that we celebrate. Yes, Holy Thursday is about the institution of the Eucharist. Yes, Holy Thursday is a special day for priests as we look to this day as a starting point for our life and ministry as priests. Yes, Holy Thursday is a day when we remember the beginning of Christ Passion which will lead to his Death and Resurrection. Yes, Holy Thursday is about a meal, Christ’s last meal and a meal that calls us to remember the history of our faith as God’s people released from slavery and beginning a journey to freedom.

Today, from my perspective is also about service, about looking beyond ourselves to the gift of God within us and sharing that gift. Pope Francis reminds us that all of us are God’s handiwork. All of us reflect the glory of God.

It was on this day that Jesus showed his infinite tenderness by washing the feet of his friends and by sharing himself in the Eucharist. It was intimacy, tenderness and a gift that defined Jesus life and ministry. As Pope Francis reminds us, it is this very way of life that Jesus calls us to as people of the Gospel.

May this Holy Thursday truly help us to break down the walls and open our hearts that they may be filled with face and names! Have a blessed Holy Thursday everyone and please give a little time to God before the day is over!

Daily Prayer: O God, in the fullness of time you revealed your love in Jesus. On this remembrance of the eve of his death, we recall how as a sign of your covenant, Jesus washed the feet of his friends and gave himself as Eucharist.

We pray today that you will give us life through the Eucharist and the gift of your joy to follow Christ in humble service. So that one day we may pass over from this world to your kingdom and enjoy the blessing of eternal joy. Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: Run in the presence of God. In order to do this, as you run, simply imagine God is with you constantly on the run. It does not matter how you image God. Just take whatever image of God you have and allow that image to accompany you on your run.

Daily Blessing: Holy Thursday greetings and blessings to everyone! My morning has started rather early I guess my mind started to work before the rest of me was ready. My eye opened this morning before 5 am and my mind has been going ever since. I hope your Holy Thursday has started well and this it will truly be a blessed day. The sun is not up yet and I am not sure what is in store for us weather wise today. I believe it is to be a cloudy day with temperatures a little cooler than yesterday. Whatever the day brings may it help us to feel the richness of Holy Thursday.

We continue to remember all the victims of violence and terror especially those in Brussels and Yemen. On this first feast day of Blessed Archbishop Oscar Romero, we call upon his holy spirit to help us find peace in this often violent world.

I will have a somewhat busy day as I will celebrate mass this afternoon at 4 pm at the Wartburg Home in Mount Vernon and then head to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish here in Pelham Manor as they have a special evening supper before the Eucharist of the Lord’s Supper. I am looking forward to joining the parish community to celebrate this most holy of evenings and sharing the Good News with them. Please keep all who gather this holy night to remember in your prayers.

I hope you will be able to get to at least some of the services over the next three days if not for the whole service perhaps just for a short visit so that you might stay in touch with the holiness, blessing and grace of these days. Please make a visit or spend some time in prayer. Take a little break for the busyness of life to be touched by God’s grace!

My prayer of blessing for all of you today is that the infinite tenderness of God might touch your life and that you will be blessed over these most holy days with the mercy and joy of the Cross, which springs from the knowledge that we possess an imperishable treasure in perishable earthen vessels. Holy Thursday blessings to all! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 03/23/2016

Daily Thoughts: Spy Wednesday, (Isaiah 50: 4-9a and Matthew 26: 14-25), the day when we pause to remember Judas’ actions many years ago. A companion, a friend of Jesus yet he allows the forces of darkness, the forces of evil to become more a friend than Jesus.

We do not truly know what motivated Judas. Was it his desire for money? Was it that he truly thought he would scare Jesus into changing his approach to life? Was it that he saw Jesus as a threat?  Was it that he was angry with Jesus? Had he been caught stealing money? Was he upset that Jesus challenged him at Lazarus’ house? We just don’t know the motive.

What we do know is the Judas sold Jesus out to the religious leadership. What we do know is that Judas could not admit to Jesus what he was about to do. He could not tell the truth and that until the end he continued to see himself as Jesus’ friend.

We pause to reflect on the events of the Gospel in light of the attacks in Brussels yesterday. Terror is a betrayal of one human against another. Hate is a betrayal of one human against another. Terror and hate are all too common in our world, our country and our own hearts these days. Before we point our finger at others, before we vent our anger on social media, before we betray another by our words or actions let us pause to remember who has given us life and what we did to him many years ago. Let us not make the same mistake once again!

The Prophet Isaiah today reminds himself of who his friend truly is, God. That no matter what happens God is there to protect Isaiah in his ministry as prophet. It is not easy but Isaiah is faithful to his ministry and God is faithful to Isaiah, helping him through the struggle.

We encounter Isaiah’s words and in them we see Jesus. We listen to Isaiah’s words and hear Jesus speaking. Jesus is the servant who suffers, the servant who trusts in God, the servant who is abandoned by everyone except by God.

The questions for today – Are we with God or against God? Can we remain friends of Jesus or will the trappings of the world, will anger and hate cause us to betray him once again? Can we trust in God even in the midst of our struggles? It is often said that every person has her or his price, what is our price?

Blessings and peace to all on this Wednesday of Holy Week!

Daily Prayer: At the name of Jesus every knee must bend in heaven, on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father! Loving God, help us to always be faithful and may the gods of the world not temp us into betraying our friendship with you. Grace us with the strength to always trust in your presence especially when we struggle. Help us to keep hope and joy alive through your word and sacrament! Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: If, in running we desire is to connect with God, to pray, then that is what we are doing. Keeping that desire at the forefront of our thoughts and remaining conscious of our intent is very important. Remember seek God and you will find God in every good thing!

Daily Blessing: Greetings and blessings to all on this Spy Wednesday. I hope your day has started well. The sun is not up yet here in Pelham, but it is to be a partly cloudy day with the temperature rising into the 60’s. Spring continues to touch each day at least here in the northeast.

I would like to send a shout out to my niece Bridget, who celebrates her birthday today. Happy Birthday, Bridget even though you are far from family hopefully you have good friends around you who will help you celebrate the gift of this day! Many blessings today and always. Love your Uncle Paul!

I would also like to pause to remember the victims of the attacks in Brussels yesterday. I remember in prayer those who died and their families and friends who now live in grief because of their lose. I remember those who were injured physically and emotionally. I remember in prayer the people of Brussels and all of Belgium as they struggle to understand and live with the events of yesterday. I remember in prayer those who planned and carried out the attacks that the hate and evil will leave their hearts.

I would also like to remember in my prayers today the Missionaries of Charity (also known as the Sisters of Mother Theresa) who were brutally killed in Yemen and Fr. Tom, a Salesian priest who was kidnapped by ISIS from the Missionaries of Charity Home during the same attack. According to some reports Fr. Tom is being tortured and is going to be crucified on Good Friday. Again humankind is betrayed by itself. Please Lord may this violence stop in your mercy helps us to find peace!

On a lighter note, I am making my final preparations today for the next three days ahead of me. As I have already mentioned I will be preaching the Triduum, Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Pelham Manor. Tomorrow I will be preaching the 7:30 pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper, then on Good Friday I will preach the 3:00 pm Service of the Lord’s Passion and on Holy Saturday I will preach the Easter Vigil beginning at 7:30 pm. So if you happen to be in the area come and celebrate with us.

Hopefully your day, will be filled with God’s many blessings and I pray that you will take some time to enter into the holiness of these next few days. If not, if you are too busy, please know that as I journey through them you will be held in my prayers. My prayer of blessing today is that God will bless you with the trust, the faith, the hope, the love, the mercy and the joy to never give up on your relationship with God. That you will always know even in the midst of your struggles and the struggles of the world that God is with you and that God will never leave you to face life alone! Have a blessed day. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul