Daily Thoughts: As I was
reflecting on the Gospel for today these two thoughts came to mind.
The first was a quote that I have always
liked from Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ. – “Someday, after mastering the
winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies
of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, [humankind]
will have discovered fire.”
And the second is a prayer written by
St. Ignatius of Loyola, SJ. – “Take Lord, receive all my liberty, my memory, my
understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. You have given
all to me. To you, O Lord, I return it. All is yours, dispose of it wholly
according to your will. Give me only your love and your grace, for this is
enough for me.”
Perhaps this is my Jesuit day with these
two quotes but in reading the Gospel this morning these words of two great
Jesuits came to mind. In the Gospel Jesus tells us to love one another and in
doing so he uses the example of his own love for us. He tells us that there is
no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends and we are his
friends. Yes, Jesus is talking to his disciples some 2,000 plus years ago but
if we believe the scriptures are alive then Jesus is also talking to us.
As we are told in John’s Gospel – God so
loved the world that he gave us his only Son and all we have to do is believe.
Well Jesus with his words today puts an exclamation point on God’s love for us.
Our job, our task, our command is simply to follow the example of Christ and to
discover fire, to discover the energies of love in each other!
Love is only realized, only understood
in terms of action. Jesus so loved us that he gave his life for us. How we love
determines the power and presence of God in our life. If we love God then we
are called to live that love, we are called share it with one another.
Jesus reminds us today to discover the
fire of love in our lives and in the world and to turn over everything to God
because God’s love for us is always enough.
Have a great day everyone!
Daily Prayer: O God, author
of life and freedom, hear us as we call upon you to help guide us through life
today. Help us to trust in your loving presence so that we will be true to the
“character” that you have created us to be. May we never be afraid to ask for
your help especially when we are not sure which way to go. Give us the strength
to not be troubled by the anger and negativity of the world, but to have faith
and hope in you. Grace us with the energy to live life with truth and
authenticity. Amen!
A Runner’s Thoughts: Oprah Winfrey
once said, “Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of
it what you put into it.” So as we run
today let us put God into our run.
Daily Blessing: Friday greetings
and blessings to everyone! Yes, we have made it through another week and we can
take a deep breath and say, “Thank God it is Friday!” I hope you have had a
good week and that your weekend will be a reward for all your hard work this
week. If not, if this week has not gone so good or the weekend means no rest
and more work just hang in there, better days are ahead!
It is another beautiful day here in
Pelham. It is so nice to see all the flowers out. It is the kind of day that is
hard not to enjoy! I pray your day will be one filled with color, sun and
warmth and that you will be blessed by God wherever you are and in whatever you
are doing. May you be blessed with the thought and reality that rest and
relaxation is the order of your weekend and that you will get through today
with a sense of accomplishment that your week has been a good one. May it be
graced with the presence of good people today and may God gift you always with
his joy and love! Peace in the Christ’s Passion and Hope in the Risen Lord…Fr.
Paul
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