Daily Thoughts: "Love your
enemies, and pray for those who persecute you..." Probably some of the
hardest words of the Gospel to put into practice. Perhaps on an intellectual
level some of us might understand them. Maybe when we hear them proclaimed at
mass we might give them some thought. However when it comes to living, the vast
majority of the time, these words do not find their way into how we look at
life.
Enemies are not people to invest love
in. People who persecute us do not find their way into our prayers. Most of the
time these days we trash them on Facebook or Twitter, we gossip about them and
find any way we can to discredit them, to demonize them. The 24 hour news
stations like FOX, MSNBC and the like will give you all the ammunition that you
need! Living Jesus' words is leaving one's self open to all kinds of bad
things. It reflects weakness in a world built on strength, power and being
number one. We can point to many examples were others tried to be nice, tried
to follow Jesus' advice and were persecuted, hurt, overrun, sent into slavery,
exiled, lost all they had and end up worse than they started off. We can point
to wars and conflicts that escalated into world problems because people didn't
act with strength, force and might.
Living by Jesus' words seems to make us
vulnerable and weak in the eyes of the people around us and the eyes of the
world and to be honest with you I cannot dispute it. However, if we read a
little further in the Gospel we might say in some ways Jesus is not talking
about world problems and issues between nations or complex situations. Jesus is
talking about our daily lives, greeting people, caring about people around us,
treating people with honor and respect as we encounter them in the living of
life.
Perhaps the point that Jesus is getting
at is if we do the little things well, if we respect, honor and care about
people in our one on one encounters. If we see a person who has hurt us or who
does not value our point of view, our beliefs with love and respect and hold
them in prayer, then perhaps our world problems would not be such a challenge.
In other words if we live the words of Jesus in our everyday lives then our
world might have the chance of being a better place. If we do the little things
with faith the big things might be easier to overcome!
Have a blessed Saturday everyone!
Daily Prayer: Loving God,
help us to live by your words. Guide us in the way of compassion, respect,
caring, forgiving and love. Keep us focused on Jesus' way of disarming the evil
in our life. Do not let us give in to a world view of power, might and right.
Grace us so we can forgive when forgiveness is needed. Grace us with the
humility to seek forgiveness when we have hurt others. Renew in us the Spirit
of your love so that we might see today as the acceptable time to live by your
words! Amen!
A Runner's Thoughts: Let us today
run in the present moment, not from something and not to something. Let's
strive for a grace-filled and well and as a graceful run. Do not run for time
but run for form, run for grace, run for God!
Daily Blessing: Saturday
greetings and blessings to all! I hope you had a restful night, one that has
allowed you to rise refreshed and ready to begin a new day.
I find myself greeting ready this
morning to head up to Mahopac, NY later today to begin a mission at St. John
the Evangelist Parish. Once again I ask for your prayers, prayers for the
community of faith at St. John the Evangelist Parish and for the preacher who
will be leading them in this time of mission. For those in the area the mission
will be Monday thru Wednesday at 12:00 noon and 7:00 pm. The noon mission talk and
the evening mission talk will be with mass. If you are in the area come and
join us!
My prayer of blessing on this Saturday
is that your love may more and more abound both in understanding and wealth of
experience and that through the blessings of God love you will always value the
things that really matter. May God blessing us all with the joy of the Gospel
this day and always! Remember to make a joyful noise with your life today.
Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
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