Daily Thoughts - 04/20/2013

Daily Thoughts: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Another great moment in the life of Peter, things are falling apart, there seem to be chaos, confusion and disarray. Yet, Peter knows right where to go. Peter knows the value of his relationship, his friendship with Jesus.

Perhaps, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,” should be a prayer we pray each and every morning before we do anything. Perhaps it should be our prayer each night as we ready for bed. In each moment we would stop and center ourselves in the presence of God. We would center ourselves in our friendship with Jesus. We would remind ourselves of the source by which we should live our life.

This week has been a crazy, chaotic and confusing. It has been a week of great loss and sadness. It has been a week when we have questioned things that we value and hold near and dear. It has been a week when we have wondered about the future. It has been a week of anger, frustration and profound struggle. It has been a week of prayer, a week of searching for hope. It has been a week to remember the innocent and honor the brave.

Perhaps it has also been a week that reminds us to whom we should always go. Who it is that has, the Words, the gift and the hope of eternal life!

Daily Prayer: O God, we come to you today because you do have the words, the gift and the hope of eternal life. We remember all who have fallen this week especially in Boston and Texas. We thank you for the gift of their lives and we ask you to now hold them dearly. We thank you for the many brave people we ran into the valley of death and offered comfort and hope to the many others we were hurt and struggling. We thank you that the terror of these last days is over for the moment yet we know that evil still walks among us! Help us to hear your words of eternal life today as they are spoken in our world and in our hearts. Grace us with the gift of your loving presence today and always. Loving God, we know we must always some to you in good time and bad because you do have the words of hope that will help us continue our journeys to eternal life. Amen!

Runner’s Thought: Run strong today! Run for those lost and hurt in Boston. Run for those lost and hurt in Texas. Run for those who bravely helped in both places. Run strong against terror, run strong for peace. Run strong with God!

Blessing on this Saturday to all! I hope you have begun a weekend that will give you a chance to rest and relax at least a little. It has been a long week full of much stress and sadness. Hopefully we have turned the corner toward sunny, warm and hope filled days.

The mission at Sacred Heart Parish, in Mount Holly, NJ fished up wonderfully on Wednesday. There was a great spirit there. Friday I celebrated a Confirmation Retreat with some students of St. Barnabas Parish in the Bronx. It was a very spirit filled day also. I will keep these young people in my prayers as they continue to prepare for their Confirmation next month. Today I head out to Long Island and the town of Wantagh where I will begin a mission tonight at St. Frances de Chantal Parish. I am looking forward to my time there. If you are in the area why not come and join us on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. There is a morning mission talk after the 9:00 am parish mass and an evening mission service at 7:30 pm.

Again, blessing to all today and throughout the weekend, may you truly find time to enjoy the gift of life especially with family and friends. Peace in Christ’s Passion and Hope in the Risen Lord…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 04/17/2013

Daily Thoughts: When I read the accounts in today first reading from the Acts of the Apostles about the things that happened after St. Stephen’s death. I am always caught by the fact that even though Saul was hell bent on destroying the Church God was able to change his heart and lead him to become the great Apostle Paul. It gives me hope that someone so focused on the negative, so much wanting to destroy, so much against the presence of some people in the world was able to become a person of joy, of peace, of love and of hope.

God did not fight Saul’s attack on his Church with vengeance, with force, with power, with war. God did not seek to destroy Saul. God did not seek to judge Saul. No God dealt with Saul’s attack through truth, compassion, love and with an invitation to be part of the community. Somehow with words of kindness, with words of compassion, with words and gestures of love God turned Saul’s heart and created someone new Paul.

Often as we encounter our world and all its problems we think we must fight, we think that we must eliminate our enemies. We think that making fun of them, that degrading them with our words, that attacking them with half-truths, cartoons and witty jokes we will overcome them. We think that pointing to their faults and failings, that being hurtful we are doing God’s will and that we will win the battle and the war.

Yet, God has always showed us that power, vengeance and war never works. These are not the solutions to our problems or the avenues to peace. In Saul’s case God invited him to become part of the community. God invited Saul to see God in his life in a different way. God invited Saul to choose life not death. God invited Saul to a change of heart. God invited Saul to be a man of hope and love. God turn Saul’s energy of violence and hate into an energy of love, compassion, hope and peace.

If we truly want our world, our culture, our society to change then perhaps rather than waging war, rather than fearing those we see as enemies, rather than attacking, rather than dismissing or making fun of those we don’t like, we should invite them into the conversation. We should extend the hand of friendship. We should invite them to be part of the community. We should show them the value of faith, hope and love. We should help them to see the light of life!

Daily Prayer: O God, the Eternal Runner, bless us this day with a faith that can move mole hills and mountains, that has an unseen healing touch, that lives everyday stories, celebrates simple suppers and helps us carry the crosses of life so that they turn into hope filled resurrections. Help us to see the goodness in ourselves and others. Grace us with your loving presence and enliven us with hope so that we can share your presence with everyone we meet. Keep us ever mindful today of those who lost their lives in Boston, those who mourn the loss of loved ones and friends and those who were hurt, physically, emotionally and spiritually. Help us to live this day alive in faith, hope and love for them and for all who struggle, for all who carry crosses, for all who seek peace! Amen!

Runner’s Thought: Once again let us dedicate our run today to all in Boston. Let us run today Boston Strong! Let us run with God, the Eternal Runner, beside us and within us. If we can’t run, let us walk Boston Strong, with God the Eternal Walker, beside us and within us.  If we can’t walk let us remember Boston Strong . Whatever we can do today let us do it as a prayer so that one day we will all live in a world at peace!

Greetings on this Wednesday, this “Hump Day” everyone! I hope and pray you are having a good day. My prayers and thoughts remain with the people of Boston. Here is Mount Holly, NJ we are bringing the mission here at Sacred Heart Parish to an end this evening. Each day has been spirit filled and the prayers of this faith community here are rich in faith and hope filled.

I pray for blessings upon all of you today were ever you are, upon whatever you are doing and upon whomever you meet. May all of you be gifted with a blessed, holy and faith filled day rich in the presence and grace of God! Peace in Christ’s Passion and Hope in the Risen Christ…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 04/16/2013

Daily Thoughts: It is hard to begin this daily reflection without mentioning Boston and tragic events that happened there yesterday. I am a runner and I have run the Boston Marathon twice in my life. It is a great city and the marathon is a great experience and I certainly feel for the city and the people today. I like many struggle today with the unanswerable question “why?”

It was interesting early this morning as I reflected on the scripture preparing for this new day that the story of St. Stephen’s death made me think of Boston. Here was Stephen just being a good and faith filled person and a crazy mob comes along and stones him to death. A mob of people not thinking about life, about goodness, about being positive but a mob of people only thinking about themselves. A mob of people focused on selfishness, on fear, on evil.  Stephen remain the “bigger person” Stephen remained the faith filled person, Stephen remained the person of life not death.

In Boston yesterday many people were about life, were about hope, were about joy, were about all that is good in our culture and our society and like Stephen they paid the price. Some with their lives, some with their injuries and all with what a brief moment took away from their, bodies, their spirits and their souls. It perhaps was not a mob, it might have been one person or a small group of people but they were people about death, about negativity, about fear, about evil. If any of the ones who carried out this selfish, evil act claim that God is happy with them they are sick and more evil than I thought.  Perhaps they are misguided, perhaps they are just evil and unfortunately as good people we are often reminded by the misguided of how much evil is still present in our world.

But like Stephen I think the people of Boston, the runners, the spectators, all good people need to remain the “bigger person,” we need to remain faith filled people, we need to remain the people of life and not death. We need to remain the people of light not darkness. We need to remain people of trust and freedom not fear. We need to remain people of hope not despair.

My thoughts and prayer continue for all in Boston, those who lost their lives and their families, those who were injured physically, those who were injured emotionally, those who were injured spiritually. I pray in thanksgiving for all who responded and helped, for all who cared, for all who cried, for all who comforted. I pray for the people of Boston. I pray for peace!

Daily Prayer: Once again I would like to adapt Thomas Merton’s prayer and make it my prayer, our prayer for all today! - My Lord God, we have no idea where we are going. We do not see the road ahead of us. We cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do we really know ourselves, and the fact that we think we am following your will does not mean that we are actually doing so. But we believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And we hope we have that desire in all that we are doing. We hope that we will never do anything apart for that desire. And we know that if we do this you will lead us by the right road though we may know nothing about it. Therefore we will trust you always though we may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. We will not fear, for you are ever with us, and you will never leave us to face our perils alone. Amen! (Adapted from a prayer by Thomas Merton) - I pray, we pray this for all in Boston, for all of the good people in the world, and like Stephen we pray for all people today!

Runner’s Thought: Let us dedicate our run today to the people of Boston. Let us dedicate our run today to those who lost their lives and their families and friends who grieve their loss. Let us dedicate our run today to all those injured in body, mind and spirit. Let us dedicate our run today to all who responded with courage, compassion and care. Let us dedicate our run today to all who did not get a chance to finish their run yesterday. Let us dedicate our run today to the city and people of Boston. Let us dedicate our run today to peace in our world that we may one day run free in faith, hope and love! Let us dedicate our run today and every day!

Greetings everyone on the Tuesday! I hope you are all well and finding a way to cope with the events of yesterday. As I mentioned at the beginning of my daily thoughts I am a runner and I have run the Boston Marathon twice in my life. It was truly a great experience and the events of yesterday touched me deeply. I am giving a Parish Mission here in Mount Holly, NJ at Sacred Heart Parish and I want the people of Boston to know that we are holding you in our prayers.

I also want to thank the many people who have contacted me in some way over these last 24 hours with concern and care. Some thinking I might be in Boston running the marathon other knowing that I wasn’t but thought of me because I run. Thank you so much for your care and concern! It really touched me. One of my nieces sent me a beautiful texted this morning it truly made my day but then I have always known that is what nieces, nephews, family and friends do that is why I am so blessed!

I am praying that we all have a better day than yesterday. May you all truly be safe. May you all find peace today. May you all be held closely by God today and may you all truly know that you are loved today! Peace in Christ’s Passion and Hope in the Risen Lord…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 04/15/2013

Daily Thoughts: Today’s readings are preludes to tomorrow stories, the martyrdom of Stephen and Jesus’ discourse on the “Bread of Life.” In some ways we can say that today’s readings are about seeing and hearing and we learn that some people only see and hear what they want to see and hear. When we live life this way we open ourselves to the possibility of missing the gift, the presence of God in our life.

The religious leaders surrounding Stephen today only see and hear what they want to see and hear. They miss the very gift from God that Stephen brings to them, the very gift of God that Stephen is. They miss a chance to grow, to see and hear thing differently. They have already decided who and what Stephen is thus God has no chance.

The people following after Jesus in today’s Gospel are caught up in the miracles that Jesus has performed. They are not listening to his words, they are not open to the presence of God, they want more miraculous things. Jesus reminds them that in order for good things to happen they have to be open to the gift and presence of God in their lives. That they have to believe not in what they see and hear but in the presence of Jesus in their lives!

Often we only see and hear what we want. God can be speaking to us, calling us down a new path but we miss it. Today let us open our eyes, our ears and our hearts to the many different ways that God can be present in our lives especially those ways beyond what we want to see and hear!

Daily Prayer: Loving God open our minds and hearts to the gift of your presence. Helps us to see you and hear you in every person we encounter, every experience we have, every moment we live today. Grace us with eyes and ears that don’t just see and hear the obvious but that are open to every way you come into our lives. Enable us to be your Easter people of faith, hope and love today and always. Amen!

Runner’s Thought: As we run today let us look are our run this way that everywhere we put our foot today we will feel the presence of God. God is our friend and our closeness to our friend God is in the placement of our foot with each stride we take during our run. We run today knowing that God is underneath us, beside us, within us!

Happy Patriots Day and Happy Tax Day everyone! Especially all the runner’s currently running the Boston Marathon. A special shout out to a friend, Mark who is running today…my prayers are with him and all the runners, may their run be a good run and safe run!

I hope everyone is having a good start to this new week. I find myself in Mount Holly, New Jersey where I began a mission this weekend. Sacred Heart is a prayerful parish with a lot of spirit and enthusiasm. We had a great weekend together and this morning’s opening mission service was well attended and spirit filled. Please keep the faith community here at Sacred Heart and their preacher in your prayers these days.

Blessings upon everyone this week have a great Monday and a great week. You can be assured of my prayers and those of the faith community here at Sacred Hearts as you journey through this week. I hope your weather is warming up and that you will have a rich and faith filled week! Peace in Christ’s Passion and Joy in the Risen Christ…Fr. Paul

Easter Thoughts - 03/31/2013

Daily Thoughts: "The Lord is risen, Alleluia! Happy Easter everyone! I heard an interesting thought on today's Gospel last night. The question was posed why when Peter and the other disciple (John) get to the tomb, Peter goes in and John goes in but it is only John who believes? The person's answer was that after three years of traveling with Jesus, seeing him day in and day out when John saw how the cloths where left he knew that Jesus had risen because he rolled up, he folded his bed lines in just the same way every day.

It is an interesting theory, one that is only speculation; however it does lead to an important aspect of our faith journey. Believing, having faith is much easier if we have a relationship with Jesus, with God. If we spend time with God, if we share ourselves, if we allow God to share himself with us, it is much easier to have faith, to believe.

The mystery of Easter is about relationship, it is about friendship with God so that when we encounter the empty tomb we too will believe!

Easter Sunday Prayer: Loving God, you gift us today with Easter hope. We thank you for the journey that you made from Bethlehem to Calvary. We thank you for all that you have shared with us, taught us and lived for us. Grace us now with an Easter faith that looks into an empty tomb and believes. Enliven our heart to be on fire with the hope that your love is everlasting. May the Easter mystery make us proclaimers of your Word and carriers of your Light. May we truly be joy filled Easter people today and always! Amen!

Runner's Thought: Runners in faith today is Easter, rest, relax and enjoy family and friends and believe!

Happy Easter everyone! I hope this finds you enjoy a beautiful Easter Sunday morning. In a few moments I am off to celebrate the 11:30 am mass at St. Barnabas Parish in the Bronx. It will bring an end to my Lenten and Holy Week journey this year. It has been a busy one but also a faith filled one. I thank all of you for your prayers and good thoughts they certainly helped to keep me focused and spirit filled. Enjoy your day and I hope you will get to celebrate today with family and/or friends! Peace in Christ's Passion - Joy in the Risen Lord...Fr. Paul

Holy Saturday Daily Thoughts - 03/30/2013

Daily Thoughts: The word that I always use for Holy Saturday is hope. After a long Lent, after the gift of Love which we call Good Friday we wait in Hope on Holy Saturday. The elements of the Easter Vigil which we will celebrate later today all point toward the virtue of Hope.

We retell the story of creation, our creation, of how God so loved us, of how we are created in the image and likeness of God. We retell the story of our release from slavery; How God with a mighty arm brought us from slavery to freedom. We hear how God provides for all those who are thirsty, who are hunger. The rich table, the rich food God provides for us.

On Holy Saturday night we light a new fire. We bless new water. We welcome people, through baptism, confirmation, Holy Eucharist into the community of faith. It is a night of hope for us, for our church, for the world.

Yes, it is a day and night of waiting, but we wait in hope because we are people of faith who are loved by God. We wait to wake and walk to the empty tomb with the women. We wait to see the stone rolled back. We wait to stand with Mary Magdalene and hear the Lord call our name. We wait to run with Peter and John to the empty tomb and see for ourselves. We wait for Jesus to walk through our lock doors and say, "Peace be with you!" We wait for our hearts to burn within us.

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings a tune without the words and never stops at all! (Emily Dickinson) We wait in faith today, we wait in love, and we wait to hear the tune of hope that perches in our soul singing a tune of love that never stops. Yes, today we wait...in hope!

Holy Saturday Daily Prayer: Loving God as we wait today make ready our hearts that they may be inflamed with your presence. Enkindle in them the fire of your love. Grace our souls with the song of your hope, a song, and a tune that will never stop. Strengthen us with patience, enliven us with energy, and gift us with wisdom. We make this prayer as your faith filled people embraced by your love and dancing to the rhythm of the song of hope! Amen!

Runner's Thought: As runners in faith we always need to persevere. Perseverance requires faith that the path you have chosen is the right path. Where ever it takes us we will grow in the presence of God if we are willing to persevere.

Holy Saturday blessings to all! I hope you had a blessed and holy Good Friday. I hope you got to spend a little time in prayer. The liturgy of Good Friday is so simple it is one of my favorite days to just sit and a church and be. Now it is a time of waiting. May your Holy Saturday be rich in the warmth of the sun. May it be a day when you can hope for all the goodness that Easter is. Enjoy your Holy Saturday everyone and please know you are in my prayers throughout this day and always! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Good Friday Daily Thoughts - 03/29/2013

Good Friday Daily Thoughts: I can remember as a teenager several Good Friday's I sat in my bedroom and played the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar from 12 noon to 3 pm. It was my way as a teenager to think of the events of Good Friday before going with my family in the evening to church to celebrate the liturgy of the Lord's Passion. I listen to the words of the songs and pictured the story of Jesus' passion and death. I thought about all the characters involved in the story. I listened to them explain their actions and express their struggles and sorrow. It was liturgy; it was prayer for me at that time of my life.

I am sure some people might cringe at my teenage Good Friday service, perhaps thinking Jesus Christ Superstar was just a musical fad of the 1970's, something that was disrespectful or irreverent to this great story, something that was another sign that this generation was not faithful to the tradition, we not faithful to what was holy, true and good. There was a lot of controversy around Jesus Christ Superstar especially when it came out as a play and movie. (A note of trivia the first authorized performance of the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar took place on July 11, 1971, in front of an audience of 13,000 people at the Civic Area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.) Yet as a high school and college student it was a way for me to understand my faith, to experience my faith and to put my faith into the context of my own life, it was my liturgy of the Lord's Passion for me.

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, 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.

As a teenager Jesus Christ Superstar helped me to feel the story, to make the connection. I knew it was just someone's interpretation of the Gospels. I knew that the songs were not the real story. I knew that this is not how the events happened but for me at that moment of my life it was the best way to make the journey with Jesus. It was the way to feel connected. It was a way to pray. It was a way to honor and keep holy Good Friday.

At this point in life I keep holy Good Friday much differently. I am 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. Yet even today my thoughts often go back to my days as a teenager sitting in my room or lying on my bed following the story, being touched by the music, being overwhelmed by God's love for me. Perhaps those Good Friday's long ago are the very reason why I am a Passionist, a priest, a man of faith today!

My friends 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 Daily Prayer: 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." (Thanks for this pray goes to Fr. Philip Paxton, C.P. at St. Paul of the Cross Retreat Center in Detroit, MI)

Runner's Thought: 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.

Greetings everyone! 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 a few moments of quiet to make holy this Good Friday.

I celebrated with the faith community at St. Barnabas Parish in the Bronx last night and had the honor of preaching the Good Word. It was a full church and a very prayerful celebration. Today I will return to St. Barnabas for their two Good Friday Services at 3 pm and 7:30 pm. Once again I will be preaching.

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