Daily Thoughts: “You do not
need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going.
What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the
present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope.” (Thomas Merton)
Perhaps Merton’s words reflect the
message of our scriptures today on this Feast of the Transfiguration. We might
not know how or why but by God’s grace our lives can be transformed into
something wonderful if we are willing to embrace this moment with courage,
faith and hope.
We also need to remember that on this
day 70 years ago an atomic bomb was dropped and three days later another one
was dropped. We live today in the hope that Jesus’ transfiguration will always
remind us that, despite our human tendency toward acts of violence and death,
our lives, the world, can be changed by God’s power to give new life!
Blessings on this Feast of the
Transfiguration to everyone and please pray for an end to all war and violence
in our world. Have a great day everyone.
Daily Prayer:
Great God, who has told us
"Vengeance is mine," save us from ourselves, save us from the
vengeance in our hearts and the acid in our souls.
Save us from our desire to hurt as we
have been hurt, to punish as we have been punished, and to terrorize as we have
been terrorized.
Give us the strength it takes to listen
rather than to judge, to trust rather than to fear, to try again and again to
make peace even when peace eludes us.
We ask, O God, for the grace to be our
best selves. We ask for the vision to be builders of the human community rather
than its destroyers. We ask for the humility as a people to understand the
fears and hopes of other peoples.
We ask for the love it takes to bequeath
to the children of the world to come more than the failures of our own making.
We ask for the heart it takes to care for all the peoples of the world as well
as for ourselves.
Give us the depth of soul, O God, to
constrain our might, to resist the temptations of power to refuse to attack the
attackable, to understand that vengeance begets violence, and to bring
peace--not war--wherever we go.
For You, O God, have been merciful to
us. For You, O God, have been patient with us. For You, O God, have been
gracious to us.
And so may we be merciful and patient
and gracious and trusting with these others whom you also love.
This we ask through Jesus, the one
without vengeance in his heart. This we ask forever and ever. Amen! (Prayer by Sister Joan Chittister, OSB)
A Runner’s Thoughts: “Experienced
runners learn to respect the changing needs of their bodies. That's the wisdom
that comes with time, and–for good or bad–with age.” (Fred Lebow) So to in the spiritual life – experienced pilgrims on
this journey of faith learn to respect the changing needs of their spirits and
souls. This is the wisdom that comes with time.
Daily Blessing: Thursday
greetings and blessings to all! I hope your day has started off well and if not
take a deep breath, and continue your journey with the hope that this too will
pass! It is a beautiful day here in Sag Harbor I hope the same is true for you.
Shout out today to Fr. Michael Greene, C.P. on his birthday - Happy Birthday Michael! Also I would ask you to continue to keep the retreatants
and their directors in your prayers. The retreat seems to be going well and the
weather has certainly been beautiful so far.
I leave you with this thought for the
day think of it in terms of life if you are not a runner - "If you never
have a 'bad' day, you're probably doing something wrong; if you never have a
'good' day, you're definitely doing something wrong.” (Mark Remy) May this day be blessed with the richness of
God’s presence and may God touch you with the grace of joy, hope and peace. May
this grace transfigure you into a wonderful gift to the world you encounter
today. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
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