Isn’t
that often the case, wonderful things can be happening yet people only focus on
the negative. Whether we are talking about faith, church, religion, culture or
society there can be many signs of hope, many actions that are good yet for
some reason what is wrong, the negative, becomes the focus. We tend to look for
what is wrong with a person, an experience or situation rather than what is
right and good. At times it seems like we can make every positive story,
situation, experience or person negative just give us time.
How
can we overcome this? How can we be a positive life giving person today? How
can we find the good and the hope in life? Well I think Jeremiah and Jesus give
us the answer.
Jeremiah
in the midst of his struggle says, “But the Lord is with me….” Yes, life isn’t
exactly the best at this moment, things are not going so well, but God is with
me! Jeremiah turns a negative into a positive. Jeremiah finds hope in a
struggling moment.
Jesus
reminds the crowd to look for and believe in good works. In other words find
the goodness in the actions and works of yourself and others. Find what is
right with the world, not what is wrong!
This
is certainly a different way to live life and living this way will be
challenged every day. The media and I realize that it is not just the media or
all the media’s fault, but with its twenty four hour a day focus, its need to
create news, it has helped us to constantly look for the negative. Let’s face
it we like negative, we like seeing people’s faults and failings, negative
stories that sell. The stories that most often seem to capture the attention of
the viewers are those that focus of the negatives of life. We search and hunt
for all that is wrong. We seem to take delight in pointing the finger, in
bringing a person down rather than finding the good and building up.
Perhaps
our challenge today is to look for the good work in ourselves and others and to
believe that God is always with us!
Daily
Lenten Prayer:
Loving God, we thank you for this holy season of grace. Help us through your
grace to see the goodness in ourselves and in others. Give us the strength to
believe that you are always with us even when we struggle. Enliven our hearts
with the gift of hope, a gift that we through the living of life can bring to
the world. May your spirit of life, love and hope always be within our hearts
and help us to celebrate each and every day of our lives! Amen!
Runner’s
Thought: If
we become meditative runners, prayerful runners, then we will be fortunate
enough to find ways that refresh our bodies, our minds and renew our spirits,
thus we might say we will be born again with every new run!
TGIF
everyone! I hope you have had a good week. I am sorry I didn’t post anything yesterday
but I was busy with other things and did not get to my computer. I did pray for
you as I began my day yesterday and held you in my prayer throughout the day.
The mission at Good Shepherd Parish closed with a very prayerful celebration
Wednesday evening and I made it through my busy day on Wednesday in one piece.
As
I said above I hope your week has been a good one but I am sure you are ready
for the weekend. We enter the most sacred of all weeks in the Christian
tradition this coming week. We call it Holy Week and it brings to a close this
long journey of Lent. We begin with Palm Sunday and we make the journey through
the week celebrating Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday and we end with
Easter Sunday. I hope you will give some time to prayer and the high holy days.
This is a great week times to slow down a bit and allow the church to help you
focus on your relationship with God. As the very least make some special time
for prayer this week!
I
will keep you in my prayer this week, which will be a busy one for me. I head
to St. Gabriel’s Parish, in Marlboro, NJ tomorrow to begin a Holy Week Mission.
I will be there from Saturday to Wednesday. The mission will be after the 9:00
am Masses, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and at 7:00 pm each day. Then then it
will be on the St Barnabas Parish in the Bronx for the Triduum, Holy Thursday,
Good Friday, Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday. I will preach the three Triduum
Liturgies and celebrate and preach one of the Easter Sunday Masses. Yes, it
will be a busy week but I love this week and I am so looking forward to it!
Be
well everyone, have a great Friday and a restful and peaceful weekend. If you
are in the area of St. Gabriel’s or St. Barnabas, come and join me in prayer.
If not join me in prayer anyway as we journey through this most Holy of Weeks. If
you are beginning Passover on Tuesday my prayers are with you also! Peace in
Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
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