Daily Thoughts - 07/10/2013

Daily Thoughts: “A [person] knows when he [she] has found his [her] vocation when he [she] stops thinking about how to live and begins to live.” (Thomas Merton)  I think this is a good quote for our readings today. Joseph (Gen. 41:55, 42:5-7a, 17-24a) and the 12 apostles (Matt. 10:1-7) begin to live today and in doing so they find out what God has in store for them.

Isn’t this true for all of us? In living we uncover, we find, we experience, we become who God calls us to be. At mass this morning I told the people that a verse from John’s Gospel came to mind as I read these two readings, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last” (John 15:16). Joseph and the twelve are chosen by God and in the stories today they live out that call, they bring the gift of God to the people that they encounter.

The challenge today for us is – Are we living out our call? And what gift are we offering the world today?

Daily Prayer: O God, you have called us to serve you today. You have asked some work of us today that you have not asked of others. We have a mission, a call, a meaning to our life today and we may never know its fruit fully. We are a link in your chain of life, a bond of connection between your people. Help us today to do good, to do your work, to be an angel of peace, a preacher of the Good News in our own way. Grace us with the gift of hope that we can share with whomever we meet. Amen!

Runner’s Thought: Let’s run in a spirit of gratefulness today. Before we begin our run let’s declare our intention to look upon all we encounter with the freshness of the unexpected. Let us run with a sense of miraculous expectation and allow a feeling of gratitude for the extraordinary and the ordinary to flow through our being. As we run today let us be thankful to God for life! (Adapted from Roger Joslin – Running the Spiritual Path)

Guess what day it is? Guess what – day it is? Alright enough! I know I said I would stop. Yes, I think it is Wednesday so Happy Wednesday!

Things remain busy here in Mount Holly, so I have not gotten into any trouble that I know of and this is a good thing. I did penance on Monday evening, first I went to a Phillies game and then I rooted for the Phillies and they won! When someone else buys the tickets and they are very good seats, you have to make the sacrifice. My Pirates seem to be struggling these days but I am hopeful that this is only a bump in the road.

I hope your week is going well, if not and you are having a few bumps in the road please know of my prayers for you. I have had a lot of practice praying for bumps in the road! Have a great Wednesday everyone – enjoy the day as best you can and remember you are a gift and you make everyone’s day that you meet better! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul