Daily Thoughts - 08/16/2014

Daily Thoughts: A number of times during my recent pilgrimage to France I was struck by the gift of children in life. Whether it was encounter children during my journey or thinking of the children that are important in my life like my three grand nieces. In many ways both St. Bernadette and St. Thérèse of Lisieux where both children when they were profoundly touched by God.

In Aramaic, the word for child, servant, and slave is the same, which reflects the cultural attitude of first-century Palestine. But Jesus says “for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” What a switch! Jesus is turning the social structure upside down! What does Jesus see that the learned and clever cannot see?

Children are vulnerable and totally dependent. Because they lack power and control, they live in trust. Relying totally on their parents, they learn and grow. This is the stance that Jesus took when he taught his disciples to pray. We need to do the same.

We need to value the gift of children in our lives. They should not be silenced, or abused, or hidden away, or seen but not heard. They should be in our midst always reminding us to be vulnerable, dependent, trusting and loving. They need to remind us to have joy always in our hearts!

Have a blessed and joyful Saturday everyone and be aware of the gift of children around you today because they know the Kingdom!

Daily Prayer: Loving God, help us today and always, as Jesus said, to become a child once again. Help us to know that we are loved by you. Help us to let go of pride and pretense. Help us to trust so that we can let go of all our futile and unnecessary attempts to prove that we are worthy of your love. Let us know the humble prayer of being your much loved child. Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: “Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you're not demanding more from yourself - expanding and learning as you go - you're choosing a numb existence. You're denying yourself an extraordinary trip.” (Dean Karnazes)

Daily Blessing: Happy Saturday everyone! It is another beautiful day here in Pelham. It is nice having a few days to rest and get reconnected with my usual life after my 10 days in France. It gives me a little time to process just what happened during my journey before getting busy about life again. There was a richness to my journey that I cannot put into words at this time but hopefully as times goes on I will be able to mind that richness and make it a part of my preaching and my life!

My pray of blessing for all of you today is that your weekend will be a restful and relaxing far from the busyness that life often heaps upon us. I pray you have had a good week whether you were working, vacationing or traveling. I also pray that your day will be blessed with people that will gift your life with laughter, smiles and fun. Don’t forget to give a little time to God this weekend. Remember one hour is not a lot of time and God will appreciate hearing from you!

Blessings to all today and throughout the weekend, be safe if you are traveling and don’t forget to smile. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 08/15/2014

Daily Thoughts: Having just return from a journey to Lourdes I have a lot of thoughts about Mary. She was very present during my travels the last ten day especially during my time in Lourdes. While some might wonder why we pray through Mary to Jesus or the Father, or the Holy Spirit, it became very evident to me while in Lourdes that Mary has played and continues to play a very important role in our relationship with God. The richness of her life, her presence and her place in the Body of Christ, in the Church and in the living of everyday life is very important. She is a touch stone to the presence of God in our life. I am glad to celebrate the gift of her love to us today on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary.

As we celebrate today I turn to some words by Benedict our Pope Emeritus in offering you some faith food for the journey of life today…

“Mary is a woman who loves. How could it be otherwise? As a believer who in faith thinks with God's thoughts and wills with God's will, she cannot fail to be a woman who loves. We sense this in her quiet gestures, as recounted by the infancy narratives in the Gospel. We see it in the delicacy with which she recognizes the need of the spouses at Cana and makes it known to Jesus. We see it in the humility with which she recedes into the background during Jesus' public life, knowing that the Son must establish a new family and that the Mother's hour will come only with the Cross, which will be Jesus' true hour (cf. Jn 2:4; 13:1). When the disciples flee, Mary will remain beneath the Cross (cf. Jn 19:25-27); later, at the hour of Pentecost, it will be they who gather around her as they wait for the Holy Spirit (cf. Acts 1:14).”  (Pope Benedict XVI)

Happy Feast of the Assumption of Mary everyone and may the spirit of Mary enliven your journey of faith!

Daily Prayer:

Friends as we pause for prayer today let us turn to Mary and ask for the gift of her spirit to guide our journey through life…

Dearest Mary who carried Christ in her womb and accompanied the first steps of the Church, may you help us to place Christ and his community called church always at the center of our life and our ministry.  O Mary, who was the first and the most perfect disciple of your Son, may your spirit help us to let ourselves be loved by Christ and to follow and serve Him in every situation. Loving Mary who responded to the announcement of the Angel with the most profound humility, may your spirit help us to recognize our own inadequateness within the treasure that has been entrusted to us and to always live humbly in the presence of God. Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: Remember – “Last is just the slowest winner.” (C. Hunter Boyd)

“Runners just do it – they run for the finish line even if someone else has reached it first.” (Anonymous)

“The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy… It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed.” (Jacqueline Gareau)

And so too in the spiritual life…

Daily Blessing: Happy Friday everyone! It is nice to be back home and enjoying a beautiful morning here in Pelham, the sun is out, the humidity is low and there is a lot of energy in the air. It is the kind of day that calls to you, “Get up there is much to do and see and learn today!” We had many days like this in France and I am glad to be home and continuing the journey of life. I hope that same is true where you are today and that you will get a little chance to go out and that a little walk and smell the flowers. Just don’t stay inside all day because there is much to see and do and learn wherever you are today!

It was a bit sad to return to all the violence, anger and unrest around the world and here in the states. I was aware of the things going on especially in Iraq, Gaza and Missouri while on pilgrimage but I did not plug into it. I truly pray for peace in all these places!

Well again it is nice to be back home and sharing with you from the desk of my little office here in Pelham. I did keep all of in my prayers over the last ten days, lighting candles in each church, basilica or cathedral I visited. It was truly a blessed journey and one very much touch by Mary’s presence. So in the spirit of the Feast of the Assumption I pray that God will bless you with the humble and loving spirit of Mary’s presence in your life today. That you will be touched by the compassion, nurturing, loving and joyful spirit of Mary as you journey through this day and always. May Mary the Mother of Jesus, always bring your struggles, your needs to her loving Son turning the ordinary water of life into the extraordinary wine of God’s love!

My prayer for all of you today is that you too will find the gift of peace through the intercession of Mary as you journey through life each day. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Prayer - 08/14/2014

Daily Prayer: O God, make us instruments of your peace today. Where there is hate let us sow your love. Let us be sowers of hope and joy also! Amen!

Daily Thoughts and a Blessing - 08/14/2014

Daily Thoughts and a Blessing: Good morning all! It was an early rise for us, 3:30 am. Now we sit in the airport waiting to board our flight to Madrid where we will catch our flight to New York. It was be a long day!

We had a very nice day yesterday as we had a bus tour of Paris hitting all the high points. It ended at Notre Dame Cathedral and then we were all free for the afternoon and evening. I walked back from Notre Dame to the hotel about 4 miles. I got to see a lot of the neighborhoods of Paris as I wandered through the city.

I had a wonderful dinner with my classmate and fellow Passionist, Fr. Melvin who is stationed in Paris at St. Joseph's Parish the only english speaking parish in Paris. He showed me around the church and the Passionist residence and then we went to his favorite French restaurant. I was a great meal!

I finished the evening on the 34 floor of our hotel having a beer and looking out over Paris at night. Hourly the Eiffel Tower's light twinkle for about 5 minutes, it truly a glorious sight!

Well, out journey is almost over and it has been a wonderful one, with many graces, blessings, emotions and joys! I truly feel blessed to have made the journey!

Daily Blessing: I hope all of you will rise in about seven hours to a new wonderful day. I hope your day will be blessed with the richness of God's blessings. May you have a day blessed with a strong faith, a life giving hope, rich love and energizing joy. Please offer a prayer that our journey will be safe and uneventful. Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul 

PS The nest time you hear from me I will be back home and ready to share the blessings of my journey with you!  

Daily Prayer - 08/13/2014

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 you 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)

Daily Thoughts and a Blessing - 08/13/2014

Daily Thoughts and a Blessing - 08/13/2014

Good Morning all and Hump Day blessings! In just a few hours we will be beginning our last full day in France. We arrived in Paris yesterday evening after a wonderful morning in Lisieux. We visited the home of St. Therese of Lisieux, the Carmelite Convent she lived in and the beautiful pilgrimage Basilica which bares her name. It was in the crypt of the Basilica of St. Therese of Lisieux that we celebrated mass. During our mass the married couples in the group renewed their vows. It was a very nice celebration. Finally before we left Lisieux we had a chance to get lunch and visit the Cathedral of St. Peter in Lisieux.

It was very interesting to hear about St. Therese's life which was so very short as she died at age 24. We learn that her parents were beatified just a few years ago which I think is a first. Listening to St. Therese's life one could not but notice the contrast between her and St. Bernadette. St. Therese came from a rather wealthy family as St. Bernadette was from a profoundly poor family, yet both were called by God in profound ways.

As I wandered around Lisieux yesterday morning and early afternoon I could not help but think about my mother. Throughout our journey I have thought of her often and I remembered the french songs she use to sing when I was a child. The few little french phrase she would at times use. She has studied french in high school and I think college and she had a few little phrases she would us. I would have liked to travel through France will her.

At the Basilica of St. Therese I spent a little time in prayer and I lit 5 candles. The first was for all children in the world and I especially remembered my three grand nieces, Emilia, Kristina, and Natalie. The second candle was for all of you. The third was for all married couples and parents. The four was for all in religious life and the fifth was for everyone in my family.

Our afternoon was spent on the bus as we drove from Lisieux to Paris. Our evening was free to wander around Paris and enjoy dinner at a place of our own choice. I found a nice little restaurant just off of the  Champs Elysees near the Arc De Triomphe.

Today we will have a city tour in the morning and the afternoon and evening free. I will take the opportunity to have dinner with my fellow Passionist and classmate Fr. Melvin. Then it will be an early wake up on Thursday (3:30 am) as we begin our journey back to New York,

Daily Blessing: As all of you sleep and get ready for a new day I pray in the early morning here in Paris that your day will be blessed with the gift of God's presence and love throughout your Wednesday. May you have a day rich in energy that enables you to do the things you need to do and get to the places you need to get to. May God bless you with a strong faith, a sure and certain hope, a passionate love and a joy that enlivens your day. May God also bless you today with mucg peace! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Daily Prayer - 08/12/2014

Daily Prayer: Be with us today O God, be with us as we wake, be with us as we watch and live this day, be with us if we weep and morn, give your angels and saints charge over us when we sleep. Tend us, O Lord, if we are sick today, help us if we are weary to find rest today, jounrey with us through the last steps of life today if you are calling us. Comfort us if we are suffering today, give compassion to us if we are afflicted today and celebrate with us as we life today in your joy, We ask all of this and live this day for the sake of your love for us! Amen (Adapted from a prayer by St. Augustine of Hippo)

Daily Thoughts and a Blessing - 08/12/2014

Daily Thoughts and a Blessing - 08/12/2014

Morning greetings on this Tuesday everyone! I awoke to sadness this morning hearing the news of Robin William's death. RIP Robin and thanks for your humor, your talent and your gift of joy!

We had a long but great and moving day yesterday. We began our day by traveling to Mount St. Michel where we climb some 200 steps to the monastery on top. The views of the English Channel and the surrounding countryside where awesome. It is certainly a beautiful place. Our journey took the whole morning and while tiring well worth it.

From there we made our way to Bayeux where we saw the Bayeux Tapestry. It is a tapestry that dates back to the Middle Ages and tells the story of the Battle of Hastings in 1066. But before going to see the tapestry we had a little time for lunch and a visit to the Bayeux Cathedral. Now a little background about Bayeux. It was the first French city liberated after D-Day and it was one of the few that was not damaged by a battle as the Germans decided not to make a stand there like in other cities across French, thus the cathedral was not damaged. It is a rather impressive cathedral but what caught my attention was a little side altar dedicated to peace. I lit three candles there yesterday. One for our world, especially the Middle East that peace might be found. The second was for all of you, that you might find peace in your life. (We were not able to have a mass today because of the tight schedule so the candle was my prayer for you today). The third candle was for PK, it was my prayer of peace for you PK.

Our final stop was at the American Military Cemetery at Omaha Beach in Normandy. It was very moving and impressive. Fields of green lined with white crosses and stars of David. We were able to walk down to the beach where I found little personal memorials of remembrance. It was not hard to picture what took place there some 70 years ago. So many lives lost. A place now so peaceful that once was so violent. I could not help but think of my father and what he must have gone through in those years of war.

We made our way from the cemetery to the town of Caen where we rested for the night.  We have just two more days of journey before we head home. Today we head to Lisieux to touch the spirit of St. Therese of Lisieux. I am looking forward to this stop as St. Therese has such a wonderful spirit. So for all of you out there with the name Therese a special prayer will be said today. At mass this morning we will also celebrate the gift of marriage as the married couples in the group will renew their vows. It should be a nice and spirit filled morning!

This afternoon we will make our way to Paris!

Daily Blessing: My prayer for all of you today will continue yesterday's theme of peace. In the spirit of St. Therese I will ask God to bless all of you with much peace. May you be graced as you rise to meet a new day with the peaceful presence of God in your life. May that presence be with you throughout the day and bring to a safe rest tonight. May your day be rich in the gentleness and love of St. Therese and may you find the gifts of faith, hope, love and joy alive in your heart. Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Daily Prayer - 08/11/2014

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 you 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)

Daily Thoughts and a Blessing - 08/11/2014

Daily Thoughts and a Blessing: 08/11/2014

Good morning everyone and Monday blessings to all! I hope you had a wonderful Sunday wherever you are at home or on the road like me. Most of you are fast asleep at this time but my little group and I are getting ready to begin another new day in France.

We had a delightful Sunday which centered around our visit to the Cathedral Notre Dame De Chartres. It is a magnificent church and the stained glass is beautiful. We arrive there around 11 am and had about an hour to wander around the Cathedral before we made our way down stairs to the crypt which is the oldest part of the church to a little chapel down there where we celebrated Sunday mass. It was a wonderful celebration and I felt blessed to celebrate in a Cathedral with such a rich history.

After mass we had about an hour and a half to wander around the town and grab some lunch. I found a nice little place and had some French Onion soup, a salad and a refreshing glass of white wine! I sat and people watched which made it a very nice lunch break.

I have stay that while I was in the Cathedral wandering around I paused and lit a candle for all of you. I offered a prayer that God would continue to bless all of you and I thanked God for your presence in my life even if the only place we have met is on Facebook! So please know you where remember in prayer with a lighted candle yesterday at the great Cathedral in Chartres, France!

After our stop in Chartres we made our way northwest to the town of St. Malo which is right on the coast. It is a beautiful walled city and after dinner last night some of us made our way down to the center of town. We just missed the sunset but the sky and ocean were still magnificent!  We wandered for a little while in the old walled city which was alive with people enjoying the late evening. When we arrive at the beach it was just about 10 pm yet still light.

I pause for a little while as I have been at almost every place wondering if my father had passed through this town. Had he stood along this beach and looked out at the ocean thinking of home. Had he pause and offered a prayer for his safe journey and for his young wife whom he longed to return too. The spirit of my father has been very strong throughout my journey!

Well, today we are off early to Mont Saint Michel, then on to Bayeux to see the famous Bayeux Tapestry and finally to Omaha Beach and the American World Ware II Cemetery there. It will be a full day. To get to the monastery at Mount St. Michel you have to climb about 200 steps so with the group we will need to take it slow. The cemetery should be a very moving experience as it is right on the beach. Again I will wonder whether my father passed by these places too! Our journey will end today in Caen where we will spend the night.

Yes it will be a busy day but I am hoping for a wonderful one as I have each morning of our journey and I have not been disappointed yet!

Daily Blessing: I hope your day will start well in a number of hours. For some of you it will be a Monday after a week or so of vacation, for others it will be the beginning of a new work week and for others it might be just new day of vacation. Whatever this Monday is for you may it be blessed with the richness of God's presence in your life. May God touch with his grace of faith, hope, love and joy today. May your day be blessed with the gift of faith filled people, wonderful experience, safe travel and a productive day! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 08/10/2014

Daily Thoughts: Sunday blessings to all! Many of you are now bedded down for a hopefully a restful night as we here in Tours are getting ready for another day of journey. 

We had a very nice day yesterday visiting the castles of Chateau Dee Chenonceau and Chateau D'Amboise and it end with mass at the Church of Notre Dame La Riche. Evene though our mass was at 5 pm we celebrated the feast day of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. It was a beautiful Church in the midst of a neighborhood of Tours. After mass we walked about five blocks to the Basilica of St, Martin of Tours. St. Martin is buried there in the crypt below the main alter, Then we made the short drive back to our hotel for dinner and a relaxing evening.

Today we will head out in about an hour or so for Chartres where we will have mass in the Cathedral of Chartres - Notre Dame De Chartres which should be a special experience. Then we will get a tour of the Cathedral and its famous stained glass windows. Then we will grab a little lunch before driving to Mont Saint Michel which will be the sight of our Monday adventure.

So as you can see we continue our pilgrimage through France  that we are getting a real feel for the history, the people and the faith of France.

Daily Blessing: I hope you all will have a holy and blessed Sunday. One rich in the faith, hope, love and joy of God. May it be a relaxing and restful day. May it be rich in the presence of God in the people you meet, in the places you go and in the things you do and encounter. I will remember all of you in a special way at mass today as I celebrate it with our group in the Cathedral of Chartres. Please remember to give God a time today in your life. Many blessings and much peace today. Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul