In the Gospel reading (John 11:19-27) we
see a different side of Martha than the one in Luke (10:38-42). It is as if
Martha has grown in her faith, her relationship with God and in her
understanding of her friendship with Christ. In John, Martha is a faith filled
woman, who does not fully understand but recognizes the possibilities and
challenges and embraces them with courage, faith and hope. She seeks God in the
present moment and in the end is greatly blessed.
We all need to pause and allow the gift
of St. Martha’s spirit to enliven our own spirits today. May the spirit of St.
Martha gifted us with the courage, faith and hope to live this day ready to
recognize the possibilities and challenges and embrace them with the grace of
God’s love.
Happy Feast of St. Martha everyone!
Daily Prayer: Loving God, you
have promised to remain forever with those who do what is just and right. Help us to live in your presence this day and
always. Help us to live Jesus’ commandment of love and bring your peace and joy
to others. Keep us ever mindful of the
wisdom and love you have made known in Christ. Grace us with the courage, faith
and hope to make your presence known though our words and actions. Amen!
Runner’s Thought: “...there was
some kind of connection between the capacity to love and the capacity to love
*running*. The engineering was certainly the same: both depended on loosening
your grip on your own desires, putting aside what you wanted and appreciating
what you've got, being patient and forgiving and... undemanding...maybe we
shouldn't be surprised that getting better at one could make you better at the
other.” (Christopher McDougall, Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes,
and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen)
Monday greetings to everyone! I hope
everyone had a great weekend and that it was filled with laughter, fun, good
friends and family. I also hope it provide a little rest and relaxation perhaps
even a little quiet time in your life.
I returned from Scranton on Saturday and
unfortunately did not get to do my long training run in Central Park on
Saturday morning. Friday was a long day and I would not have been able to leave
Scranton until around 10 pm thus I would not have gotten home until 12:30 or 1
am. Getting up at 5:00 am to get into the city by 6:30 am just didn’t seem
doable so I decided to get a good night’s rest and return home Saturday
morning. I hope to make up the long run on my own sometime this week.
I have to share with you that yesterday,
Sunday, I was able to cross off an item on my “bucket list.” I made the front
page of a newspaper and there was a story about me in the sports section and it
wasn’t for something I did wrong, how great is that! Now it was not the New
York Times or the Boston Globe or the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. My picture was
on the front page and a short story about me appeared in the sports section of “The
Republic,” the newspaper in Columbus, Indiana. (No I was not arrested or caught
using PEDs.) I will be running the inaugural Mill Race Marathon in Columbus on
September 28th and the paper did a little story on a few of the
people who will be running who live outside of Indiana. I guess I was one of
the people chosen and my picture appeared on the front page and a picture and
story could be found in the sports pages. So now I have one less item on my “bucket
list” wonders never cease!
The next couple of weeks will be quiet
in my life as we wander into the lazy days of August. I will be heading to
Shelby, NC towards the end of August but these first weeks will be filled with
paperwork, doctor’s appointments, running and some spiritual renewal.
Have a great Monday everyone and know
that my prayers go with you today in all your endeavors, in all of your
challenges, in all of your struggles. Please trust in the presence of God that
you carry within you and don’t be afraid to share your gift. Peace in Christ’s
Passion…Fr. Paul
No comments:
Post a Comment