Daily Thoughts - 10/07/2013

Daily Thoughts: “Run away from God,” that is Jonah’s response to what God asks of him and I have to say that there have been many times in my own life when I would have liked to have done the same thing. Sometimes what God seems to be asking of us just doesn’t feel right. Sometimes what God asks of us seems beyond our ability. Sometimes what God asks of us isn’t fun. Sometimes what God asks of us puts us at odds with the world around us. So why not run?

Well as we find out in the story of Jonah today (Jonah 1:1-2; 2, 11) you can run but you can’t hide from God! Somehow, someway God is going to find you and put you right back in the middle of things or God will find someone else to do the job. The priest and the Levite ran away but God persisted and the Samaritan did not (Luke 10: 25-37).  You can hear the voice of Pope Francis in the Gospel today. He echoes Jesus’ voice on who is our neighbor. Our neighbors are the people in most need and our challenge is to always show mercy.

When faced with this challenge we can always run, we can always try to hide, we can always make excuses. But God is always going to find us, perhaps not in this life but when it most counts the life to come and if we haven’t responded, if we haven’t been merciful we will find ourselves in a terrible and unending storm!

I would have to say that I have never been a big fan of the rosary mainly because of the communal experiences that I have had with it. People try to out yell others, some praying fast others slow, adding prayer after prayer rather than holding to the simplicity of the rosary. Yet, there have been many moments in my life when I felt like running away from God and it was the simple prayers of the rosary, the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory be… that held me in place. The rosary is often the formal prayer that I pray when running because of its simplicity and power.

Today we are challenged to be merciful to the people around us. We are challenged not to run from God when things get difficult or don’t go our way and we celebrate the gift of the rosary as a prayer that can keep our feet grounded in God and our eyes open to the needs of others.

Have a great day everyone!

Daily Prayer:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name; Your kingdom come; Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you. Blessed are you amongst women,  and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Take some time to say one Our Father, ten Hail Marys and one Glory be and pray this sequence of prayers five times. A simple rosary to enliven your journey through life today!

Runner’s Thoughts: “Running is a mental [and spiritual] sport, more than anything else. You're only as good as your training, and your training is only as good as your thinking [and your praying].” (Lauren Oliver) So take some time to think and pray today!

Daily Blessing: Happy Monday everyone! I hope you had a great weekend and that your team or teams all won. If they didn’t just remember there is always, tomorrow, next week or next year!

I would like to send a special shout out and prayer to my grandniece, Kristina, who is home under the weather today with her father and to her mother, Alice, who is three thousand miles away working and feeling like a mother. We pray for a fast recovery, we pray for feeling better, we pray for a father’s good care and we pray for mom’s safe return!

The Good Ship Pittsburgh Pirates is currently docked on the Allegheny River near the confluence of the Allegheny and the Monongahela Rivers which for your information forms the Ohio River. Chaplain Padre Bucco is currently in deep prayer for a safe and positive outcome to today playoff game. It is a Blackout Day – Go Pirates!

And whether you are home sick, traveling, preparing for a baseball playoff game or just having a usual Monday, Padre Bucco is on the job praying for you. He is asking God’s blessing upon you today. May God bless all of you today so that you live your truth; that you express your love; that you share your enthusiasm; that you walk by faith; that you dance and sing to your music; that you embrace your blessings; that you make today worth remembering; and that offer the world and those around you the gift that God has created you to be!

Blessings to all and have a great day everyone! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul