Daily Thoughts: “For where two
or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matt. 18:20) Perhaps said a little
differently by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Where a people prays, there is the church;
and where the church is; there is never loneliness.”
The focus of the Gospel today (Matt. 18: 15-20) is church. It is a
community gathered in God’s presence. In that presence we can seek help, we can
deal with struggles, we can get to the truth. In that presence we are never
along.
While some might hear the word church
and think building or institution, church is really people, Church is
community. Church is the presence of God made visible by the gathering of two
or three in God’s name!
Have a great day everyone.
Daily Prayer:
Loving God, for this reason we come
before you, from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its name. We
pray that out of your glorious riches you will strengthen us with power through
your Spirit in our inner most being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts
through faith. And we pray that we, being rooted and established in love, may
have power, together with all the Lord’s people, to grasp how wide and long and
high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses
knowledge.
Now to you, our God, who is able to do
immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to your power that is
at work within us, to you, our God, be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus
throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Adapted from the words of St. Paul Letter to the Ephesians)
A Runner’s Thoughts: “Poetry, music,
forests, oceans, solitude, [prayer]--they were what developed enormous
spiritual strength. I came to realize that spirit, as much or more than
physical conditioning, had to be stored up before a race.” (Herb Elliott) And
we might add after “race” and “the living of life!”
Daily Blessing: Wednesday
blessings and greetings to all! I hope your Wednesday has started out well. It
is a beautiful day here in Pelham. Much better than yesterday in many respects!
I returned home yesterday around 1 pm
thinking I would do my laundry, get caught up on the mail, repack for my
journey to Long Beach this afternoon and get a nice dinner. As I opened the
door from the garage to the house I heard the sound of water running. When I
looked down the steps to the basement I saw water running. By the time I got to
the shut off valve for the water I was shin deep in water. I pipe on the hot
water heater had broken and there was water spraying out everywhere. I go the
water stopped. Started a portable sump pump and call the plumber. Luckily he
got here within the hour and by 5 pm I had a new hot water heater installed.
The drain in the basement was open and the water has receded. I spent me evening
and this morning cleaning up and throwing out all the things that got destroyed
by the water.
The spraying water hit all the
electrical panels and the boiler so Verizon is coming tomorrow because we have
no TV, phone or internet. The boiler people will come in a week or so to see
what damage has been done there and I am not headed to Long Beach today I will
go on Friday. So you might say life the last 24 hours has been very
interesting. I hope you yesterday and today is much different from mine!
Enjoy your day wherever you are and in
whatever you are doing. And if things aren’t going so well today remember this,
“every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person
and a beautiful thing” (Mother Teresa). So just smile and share the gift you
are. May God bless you with a day filled with much joy, grace and God’s unconditional
love. And if you get a chance please day a prayer for the drying of wet
basements and the fixing of TV’s! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
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