Daily Thoughts: Calming the
storm. We have all been there; things are going along just fine. Sure there are
a few bumps in the road but that is to be expected in the living of life but we
have got things under control. Then it happens, all hell breaks loose and we
are hanging on for dear life. All our planning, all our preparations, all our
good intentions seem to go right out the window. We are now hanging on by our
finger tips any moment life will come crashing down on us. We followed our
plan. We did the right things. Why is this happening to us? Our life is simply
out of control and we are doomed!
“Why are you terrified, O you of little
faith?” Why are we terrified? Have we lost faith? Have we lost faith in God,
faith in others, faith in ourselves? Have we forgotten all the hard work we
have put into life? Are we unwilling to trust ourselves any more just because a
storm has entered our life? Are we really that fragile? Have we forgotten to
trust who has brought us to this moment?
Storms in life are fearful moments. They
seem to take control, if we really ever had it, away from us. They bring to the
surface all kinds of doubt from the dark reaches of our hearts. They scare us
and sometimes make us think the worst. They take us out of our comfort zone. Yet,
we are reminded today that no matter what, we never face the storms of life
alone. Paraphrasing the words of Thomas Merton’s famous prayer, “We should not
fear because God is always with us and will never leave us to face our storms
alone.”
On this lazy summer day whether we find
ourselves in the midst of a calm day, looking at a horizon full of storm clouds
or right in the middle of an all-out storm, let us have faith in God, faith in
those important in our life and faith in ourselves so that no matter what this
day brings our faith will see us through.
Have a great Tuesday everyone and don’t
forget to make a joyful noise today with your life!
Daily Prayer: My Lord God, I have no
idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for
certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I
think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope
I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything
apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the
right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you
always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear,
for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.
(Thomas Merton, Thoughts in Solitude)
A Runner’s Thoughts: I have two
thoughts for you today… Remember that if we are meditative runners, if we are
runners at prayer then with each run we are fortunate to have found a way to
refreshes not only our bodies but also our spirits. You might say with each run
we give ourselves the change to be born again in friendship with God! (Adapted from Roger Joslin – Running the
Spiritual Path)
“You only ever grow as a human being if
you're outside your comfort zone.” (Percy Cerutty)
Daily Blessing: Happy Tuesday and
Happy first day of July everyone and may you be rich in God’s blessings today!
Things are well here in Manitowoc today,
storms rolled through last night but it is a beautiful sunny morning. I hope
the weather is good by you today. While there were storms last night I was out
for a walk around 8:45 pm and I saw one of the most beautiful sunsets ever. I
did not have my phone with me so I could not take a picture but with the storm
clouds and the setting sun it was just spectacular! Also off to the east there
was a rainbow, not so much a bow but a pillar of color running up into the sky.
It was a profound evening perhaps an evening like the one pictured in today’s
Gospel Matthew 8:23-27). There was the storm and then the calm the beautiful
sunset and rainbow, Jesus calming things down, reminding us of our faith!
Please continue to keep the sisters on
retreat in your prayers and if you get a chance to offer an extra prayer for
their preacher it will be greatly appreciated.
Have a great day everyone wherever you
are. Blessing upon your work, your ministry, your experiences, those whom you
encounter, those whom you love and especially upon you! Peace in Christ’s
Passion…Fr. Paul
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