Daily Thoughts: The Gospel I
will use for today’s mass is the beginning of the fifth chapter of Matthew. It
is the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes. It seems fitting
to use this Gospel as we celebrate the 4th of July.The Beatitudes remind us of the qualities that make up a great nation qualities we at times seem to be far from these day!
The Beatitudes are one of my favorite
Gospels but also one of the most challenging Gospels for me. Often times after
hearing it proclaimed I am energized yet also humbled. I am ready to encounter
the world yet I am also ready to head to the confessional. I want to be a true
disciple yet I know I am far from it!
Fr. James Martin, S.J. once tweeted about this Gospel,
“What does it mean to be poor in spirit?” I must admit I have always
struggle with an understanding of this first beatitude. Fr. Martin’s answer,
“Poor in Spirit” is to know one’s reliance on God, to understand one’s
dependence on God and to grasp one’s humanity. I guess we might say that to be
“poor in spirit” is to let go and let God.
The other challenge of the beatitudes is
that to live fully any one of the beatitudes, you will almost automatically
begin to live them all. Perhaps to put it another way, “You can’t live just
one!” In order to be a peacemaker we need to also be meek, merciful, clean of
heart, righteous and poor in spirit. In order to be merciful we need to be
clean of heart, meek, poor in spirit, righteous and a peacemaker. They go hand
in hand.
However living the beatitudes is not
easy because they will all make us vulnerable to insult, persecution and the
evils of our world. They all open us up to insecurities of the world which can
be troubling, harsh, insensitive and hurtful. In other words living the
beatitudes can open us up to be stepped on, hurt and not valued as a person.
Living the beatitudes almost always put us in tension with the ways of culture,
society and the world.
Yet, in the midst of all that Jesus
tells us to rejoice and be glad. The challenge of the beatitudes has been going
on since the beginning of time. Women and men before us have faced the
challenge and their prize, the Kingdom, await us. Perhaps all the beatitudes
can really be proclaim and lived in the phrase, “Let go and let God!”
Have a blessed Fourth of July everyone,
please be safe and don’t forget to make a joyful noise with your life today!
Daily Prayer: Loving God,
bless our beautiful land with its wonderful variety of people, races, cultures,
and languages. May we be a nation, a people, of laughter and joy, of justice
and reconciliation, of peace and unity, of compassion, caring and sharing. We
pray this prayer for a true patriotism in the powerful name of Jesus our Lord.
Amen (Adapted from a prayer by Archbishop
Desmond Tutu)
A Runner’s Thoughts: As we run today
let us listen to ourselves, let us run with hope and joy, let us make each step
an offering of our heart in which the imprint of God in our life is made
present.
Daily Blessing: Saturday
greetings and blessings and Happy 4th of July everyone! Have a wonderful day
with family and/or friends, with good food, good drink, good fun and a little
time to be thankful for all the gifts you have around you.
This is our last morning of retreat here
in Manitowoc. In about an hour I will celebrate the closing mass of the retreat
and then head out on my long journey back to New York. Please keep the sisters
on retreat in your prayers this morning and if you have a chance say a little
prayer for the traveling preacher it would be greatly appreciated!
My prayer of bless for you today is that
God may bless you today with a day that will help you to look at the positive
in life not the negative. May God bless you with a vision of hope and not
despair, with the grace to believe that the impossible can become of the
possible. May God bless you with the time today to look around you with wonder
and amazement and not cynicism and negativity!
Party, celebrate and drive safe today.
Enjoy the fireworks if they are near you. And know that were ever you are,
whatever you are doing and whomever you are with – you are in my prayers today
and always! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
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