Daily Thoughts - 09/20/2013

Daily Thoughts: “If you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I am living for, in detail, ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully for the thing I want to live for.” (Thomas Merton)

You can hear Pope Francis’ voice in the first reading for today’s mass (1Timothy 6: 2c-12). If fact we have been hearing his voice through our reading of Paul’s First Letter to Timothy. Paul and Pope Francis are telling us what it takes to be a good leader, a good minister, a good person of faith. Today, Paul remains Timothy to be a person that lives for something important and life giving. Paul also reminds Timothy to always reflect on what is holding him back from living to the fullest.

In perhaps a similar way we hear Pope Francis’ voice in the Gospel for today (Luke 8:1-3) also. We are reminded of the importance of women in Jesus’ ministry. They were their supporting, taking care of, helping Jesus with their resources, their gifts, their talents, their faithfulness and their faith.

I don’t think hearing Pope Francis voice in the scriptures is going to be all the unusual in the days, weeks, months and years ahead. He speaks from the scriptures more than any other Pope I have encountered and so each time we go to the Gospels, each time we hear the scriptures read or read them for ourselves, we will hear God’s voice, Jesus’ voice, the Spirit’s voice and Pope Francis’ voice! Because of that I will continue to look forward to the Word of God each day.

Make sure you know what you are living for and what at time hold you back from living fully. Friday blessing everyone!

Daily Prayer: Loving God help us to be grateful today. Help us to recognize your love in everything you have given us, because we know, we believe that you have has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of your love, every moment of existence is a grace, because it brings with it immense graces from you.

Gracious God, in gratitude we must never take anything for granted. We must never be unresponsive to your love.  We must constantly be awakening to new wonder and giving praise for your awesome goodness. We want to be grateful people because we know that a grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And this is what makes all the difference. Amen!

(Adapted from words by Thomas Merton)

Runner’s Thought: “Finally, I could see with startling clarity that the time I had spent experiencing pain on a run was outweighed by the amount of time that I felt good about it. I was aglow. I was invincible. I was thinking I might be able to do it again.” (Alexandra Heminsley – Running Like a Girl)

Might we also say this about our faith, our relationship with God? Yes, we do experience pain, struggle, doubt and difficulty but they call can be outweighed by the grace, the blessings and the joy we encounter with God. In the glow of God we become aglow, we become invincible, we want to continue the journey. So if you are a runner think of your runs as those times when we have a chance to get some clarity in our relationship with God. When we have some time to pray, when we have a chance even in the exhaustion of the end of a run to feel aglow in the presence of God, to feel invincible and to continue our journey of faith!

Run strong…run with God!

Daily Blessing: TGIF everyone! I hope your Friday has started off well and that today will be a somewhat easy day for you. If not and you have many challenges and/or struggles ahead before the day is done hang in there and know of my prayers for you. Remember it is only a day there is a lifetime ahead!

For all of you I offer a prayer of blessing as your journey through this day. May whatever kind of roads you take today be smooth and not crowded for your journeys, may the wind be gentle and always helping you along, may the sun shine warm upon your face helping you to smile, and if it rains may it fall gentle as you journey and, until the sun rises again tomorrow, may God hold you and all you whom you love in the palm of His hand so nothing will harm you. Amen! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 09/19/2013

Daily Thought: “If I wait to be perfect before I love myself I will always be unsatisfied and ungrateful. If I wait until all the flaws, chips, and cracks disappear
I will be the cup that stands on the shelf and is never used” (Joyce Rupp)

A little wisdom for your afternoon and evening!

Daily Prayer: Loving God, sometimes we look in the mirror we are not too happy with what I see. We see imperfection, self-centeredness and ego. Please help us to see the person you created in your own image and likeness, a person of beauty, compassion and love. Help us to hold this image in our mind and heart as we live the journey of life in our own unique way. Allow others to see your image within us as we live with confidence, grace and a smile on our face. Amen.

Runner’s Thought: “The task ahead of you is never greater than the strength within you.” (Unknown)  Our journey of faith through life is never without the presence of God.

Daily Blessing: Happy Thursday everyone! Blessings upon your afternoon and evening, upon your work, upon the people you love and upon you, please know as you live life you are in my prayers! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 09/18/2013

Daily Thoughts: I think we have all had the experience of not liking a person. I certainly have and if I don’t find a way to see some good in the person at some point I struggle. When there is something about a person that I don’t like it begins to color everything they do. Because of this I then find it easy to criticize, make fun of or dismiss them. No matter what they do it is wrong. If I or someone else does the same thing it is just fine, but because this person does it, then it is wrong.

When I catch myself in this mood or judgmentalness I feel embarrassed and ashamed.  I know it is a human behavior, a human feeling and sometimes the person involved has done things that validate these feeling, yet I know that my behavior, my judgmentalness is wrong and because of it I push God away.

Jesus seems to be remaining us of this in today’s the Gospel (Luke 7: 31-35). No matter what he does the religious leaders and some of the people of his time do not believe in him or his message. John the Baptist and Jesus approach life from two distinct directions. John does not eat or drink, he fasts and is austere in his lifestyle, while Jesus does eat and drink, he is always going to someone’s home for a meal. His lifestyle is more socially oriented. Yet for the religious leadership and some of the people they both, John and Jesus, are wrong. John is crazy, possessed and Jesus is a glutton, a drunkard, a friend of sinners.  No matter what John and Jesus do to help people encounter the presence of God they are wrong.

The religious leadership and some of the people in the crowd are closed to the gift and presence of God that John and Jesus bring. Their eyes are blinded by attitude and judgment. When I find myself like the religious leadership of Jesus’ time my eyes too are blinded by attitude and judgment and I miss the presence of God in that moment, in that person.

We are remind to be open to all the possibilities of God today even in the people, situations and experience that often seem to make our life hard and difficult. We are reminded that God can come to us in many ways through many people. Let us not be judge, jury and executioner. Let us be children of wisdom and hope open to the gift of God in others and ourselves!

Have a great day everyone!

Daily Prayer:

Loving God help us to remember that you are with us today.
Help us to bring to mind your loving presence within us and around us.
Never let us be closed to your loving presence in the world, in others and in ourselves.
Never let us be closed through judgmentalness, negativity and anger.
Open our minds to remember your presence.
Open our mouths to speak your wisdom.
Open our hearts to extend your love.
Open our hands to serve you generously.
Open our whole being to you this day and always.
Amen!
(Adapted from a prayer by Joyce Rupp)

Runner’s Thoughts: “There are as many reasons for running as there are days in the year, years in my life. But mostly I run because I am an animal and a child, an artist and a saint. So, too, are you. Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you are meant to be.” (George Sheehan – Runner’s World Daily Kick in the Butt)

Yes, there are many reasons to run. I run because I am a man of faith, created in the image and likeness of God, a Passionist, a priest, a human being who wants to be the best person I can be. I run because God is present in nature, it people, in the gift of a new day and if I am running I encounter all these things. I run because with each breathe there is hope, there is beauty and there is life. So as George Sheehan says above, “Find your own play, your own rewarding compulsion, and become the person you are meant to be.” Become the person God has created you to be.

Daily Blessing: Uh-oh! Guess what day it is?? Guess what day it is! Whoot Whoot! It is Hump Day! So happy Hump Day everyone! Yes, I am as happy as a camel on Wednesday! And you thought I had forgotten it!

Well I hope everyone’s day has started out well. It is another beautiful day here in Pelham. The air is crisp and energizing. It will be a good day for a run. I hope where you are life is full of energy today too.

My thoughts and prayer remain with those who lost loved ones in Washington, DC on Monday and those who were touched and are still affected by those events. I would like to hope something like this will never happen again but that is a hard thing to hope for given our world and the violence we encounter throughout it each day. Let us pray that one day we will encounter an all-inclusive peace!

My prayer of blessing for all of you today is that today will be rich in the gifts of love, hope and peace in your life and that if you encounter anger, violence and negativity it will be short lived because you are blessed with loving, caring people in your life. I pray that you will be open to the many ways that God will touch your life today and that you will trust in the gift of God that you are and bring that gift to every person, to every place and to every experience you have. May God bless you and be with you today and always. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 09/17/2013

Daily Thoughts: “You are not a human being in search of a spiritual experience. You are a spiritual being immersed in a human experience.” (Pierre Teilhard de Chardin)

This simple expression of life touches our readings today (1 Timothy 3:1-13 and Luke 7: 11-17). In the Gospel Jesus reminds all gathered at the city gate that they are spiritual beings in the presence of God as he brings the widow’s son back to life. The value of our life rests in our relationship with God and when we trust that relationship wonderful things can happen.

Yes, the world around us is human, imperfect but we are created in the image and likeness of God. We are spiritual beings living this human experience. God is always present. If we invest in God’s presence, if we stay connected to God’s presence the richness of our relationship with God can be experienced. God is always waiting. God is always ready to help.

Our first reading from Paul’s First Letter to Timothy talks about the attributes of bishops and deacons. Once again if we listen to Paul’s words those called to these positions of leadership need to be spiritual people. God needs to be first. Care and concern for others is the primary task. Compassion is the attribute that enable all to experience the presence of God.

Today let us pray for Church leaders that they will always serve with compassion and love. Let us pray for ourselves that we will always embrace the spirit of God as we journey through this human experience.

Daily Prayer:

Loving God,
Thank you for your presence during the hard and mean days.
For then we have you to lean upon.

Thank you for your presence during the bright and sunny days.

For then we can share that which we have with those who have less.

Thank you for your presence during the Holy Days and Holidays.

For then we are able to celebrate you and our families and our friends.

For those who have no voice, we ask you to speak.

For those who feel unworthy, we ask you to pour your love out in waterfalls of tenderness.
For those who live in pain, we ask you to bathe them in the river of your healing.
For those who are lonely, we ask you to keep them company.
For those who are depressed, we ask you to shower upon them the light of hope.

Loving God, You, the borderless sea of substance, we ask you to give to all the world that which we need most—Peace.

(Adapted from a Prayer by Maya Angelou)

Runner’s Thought: “My philosophy on running is, I don't dwell on it, I do it.” (Joan Benoit Samuelson) My theology is running is to not to just think about God as I run but to bring God with me one my runs!

Daily Blessing: Happy Tuesday everyone! While it is a beautiful day here in Pelham the heaviness of yesterday’s tragedy in Washington, DC still hangs in the air. My prayers and thoughts are with all who lost loved ones and to all who had to encounter such violence in their life. Will we ever as a nation come to the realization of how senseless guns are? Perhaps not but that will not stop me from praying and hoping for a world without guns, without violence – a world at peace!

As we begin this day hopefully it will be a day without tragedy and one rich in the blessings of God. I pray all of you will have a good day one rich in the grace of God. May you encounter many smiles, many good people and much love.  Have a good day everyone and know of my prayers for you today and always. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 09/16/2013

Daily Thoughts: “Faith is about doing. You are how you act, not just how you believe.” (Mitch Albom, Have a Little Faith: a True Story)

Perhaps Mitch Albom gives us some insight into the Gospel story today (Luke 7:1-10). The centurion’s faith was recognizable in his actions. He cared for the community he served, he even built them a place for prayer. He cared his own household. No treating them as property but valuing and caring for them. He recognized the presence of God in his life even though he did not belong to the faith community and perhaps most importantly he recognized his own unworthiness to be in the presence of God but trusted in God’s compassion and love.

These actions enable Jesus to see his true faith and looked what happened. How we act reflects what kind of faith we have. I pray today that all of us may learn to live and act as the centurion in the Gospel so that God finds great faith in us.

Daily Prayer:

Loving God, grant that we may never fall away in success or in failure; that we may not be prideful in prosperity nor dejected in adversity. Let us rejoice only in what unites us and sorrow only in what separates us. May we strive to please no one or fear to displease anyone except you. May we see always the things that are eternal and never those that are only mundane. May we shun any joy that is without you and never seek any that is beside you. May we delight in any work we do for you and tire of any rest that is apart from you. Let us direct our hearts towards you, and in our failings, always repent with a purpose of improvement. Loving God may we always live by faith! Amen. (Adapted from a prayer by St. Thomas Aquinas)

Runner’s Thought: I often hear someone say I'm not a real runner. We are all runners, some just run faster than others. I never met a fake runner.  (Bart Yasso) Might we also say this about people of faith? It is easy to judge, but we never know what is in a person’s heart. With that said I have never met a fake person of faith!

Today's Blessing: Happy Monday everyone! I hope your weekend when well and that your favorite team or teams won if you are in to sports. If not I hope you had a weekend unbothered by sports and full of what gives you life.

As for me, my Pirates took three out of four games from the Cubs, (sorry Chicago fans) and remain tied for first place with the St. Louis Cardinals. My Steelers play tonight and I ran 18 miles on Sunday and continue to live to write about it though I am walking a bit slower this morning! So all in all I can say it was a good weekend! This week I will reduce my running mileage to prepare for a marathon next week in Columbus, IN. It will be the first of three marathons in a six week period. Now don’t I know how to have fun! Prayers requested!

Well enough of my crazy tales, the focus as always is today and I pray for all of you as you journey through today may it be a good journey. May you live by faith today and trust in the gift that you are. May God recognize your faith and bless you as he blessed the centurion in the Gospel today. If you are struggling with your faith may you decide to return home so that God can run to meet you and hold you in his arms as the father did in Sunday’s Gospel. Blessings today upon all you do, upon everyone you meet and most importantly upon all of you! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul