Daily Thoughts: "Consult
not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your
frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with
what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to
do." (St. John XXIII)
I thought of this quote from St. John
the XXII as I encountered our readings today. As our first reading from the
Acts of the Apostles begins today Peter and John have just been released with
the warning not to preach in the name of Jesus. However the power of the Spirit
in their lives is so great they cannot stop. And as our reading ends we are
told that the Spirit is so powerful in them that even the ground shakes as they
pray and preach.
If we take a moment to look back at the
journey of these two disciples along with the other disciples we might note
that it has been a long journey for them. They have endured many struggles.
They didn’t always get Jesus’ preaching and teaching. They were not the
brightest of students. At times they often pushed for their way rather than
Jesus’. They made some poor decisions and even denied and ran away from Jesus
at his greatest time of need. Even their encounters of the Risen Lord did not
seal the deal.
All along from the first moment Jesus
called them, he knew he had to begin emptying them. He continually invited them
to let go of the world and to let God. Why? Because Jesus wanted to fill them
with the Holy Spirit and it becomes the power of the Spirit that makes their
prayer, their preaching so powerful and life giving.
In the Gospel Jesus is trying to do the
same for Nicodemus. He is asking Nicodemus to empty himself of the trappings of
the world so that he can be filled with the Spirit. In a way Jesus is telling
Nicodemus that he is weighted down by the world but if he can let go and be
filled with the Spirit he can be taken far beyond his wildest dreams!
St. John XXIII using different words is
offering the same message as our readings today. He reminds us not to be
afraid, not to be weighed down by our fears, our frustrations, and our failures
but to be open to the Holy Spirit. He wants us to let go and let the Holy
Spirit empower us into our hopes, dreams and unfulfilled potential helping us
to always remember that nothing is ever impossible with God. We just have to believe and never give up.
So let us empty ourselves today and let
God fill us with the gift of the Holy Spirit so that we will stand ready for
wherever the wind blows us today! Have a great day everyone and may the Passion
of Jesus Christ be always in your heart!
Daily Prayer: Loving God,
give us grace to walk humbly today, and save us from self-importance and every condescending
folly. You have made us, and not we ourselves. Help us to remember the limits
of our power and our wisdom, but help us, also, to live our lives to the
fullest within the limits of our power and wisdom. Amen! (Adapted from a prayer
by Reinhold Niebuhr)
A Runner’s Thoughts: “For me, as for
so many runners, there really are no finish lines. Runs end; running doesn't.”
(Dean Karnazes) So too in the spiritual life…days end but life in the presence
of God doesn’t!
Daily Blessing: Monday
greetings and blessings to all! I survived my long journey through Sunday. My
voice held up and now I am ready to begin the mission here at St. Anthony’s in
Oceanside, NY today. The opening will be after the 11:30 am mass and at 7:30 pm
this evening. The parish has a nice spirit and I am looking forward to the next
few days. If you are in the area why not stop in and join us as we go on and
Easter journey to discover the presence of God in our lives!
I hope your Monday has started off well.
The weather is certainly helping. Saturday and Sunday were beautiful days here
in Oceanside and from my bedroom window today looks like more of the same. I
hope the sun is out where you are and that warm temperatures are the order of
your day!
I would ask your prayers for a young man
who is a junior in college and who is struggling with the pressures of life
right now. He is an intelligent, faith filled young man but he is struggling.
So I would ask you to hold him in your prayers that he might be able with God’s
grace to work through this struggling time in his life!
As I said above I hope your Monday, your
new week, has started well. I pray that your day, your week, will be blessed
with many wonderful and life giving experiences. I pray that you will take
sometime today to smell the flowers, to enjoy the colors of creation and to let
yourself be loved! May the blessing of God’s love be with you today and always.
Peace in Christ’s Passion and Joy in the Risen Lord…Fr. Paul
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