Daily
Thoughts:
“To be grateful is to recognize the Love of God in everything He has given us -
and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love,
every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from
Him.
Gratitude
therefore takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly
awakening to new wonder and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful
person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is
what makes all the difference.” (Thomas Merton)
This
quote from Thomas Merton is one of my favorites because it always brings me
back to what my life should be about, gratitude. Gratitude for the very gift of
life itself and gratitude for God’s love that created this life.
We live
in a world, a culture, a society, a nation, a city, a church that is too often
fragmented, too often divided and too often filled with ingratitude all of
which leads to violence, hate and injustice. We seem to be more willing to turn
our backs on those we don’t like; those whom we think have done us wrong, those
who are different than us rather than finding – the common ground, the common
gift, the common presence which is God’s love for all of us.
St. John
reminds his community, in the first reading, of just what they have, the
presence of God. They are to remember that and not forget it. They are to be
grateful for God’s presence and not give in to the things, the ways, and the
enticements of the world. They are not to put their trust in what will pass
away but in what will not!
Anna is a
person of gratitude. She never lost faith, she never lost trust in God and we
find her today giving thanks, being grateful. Anna was a person of hope who did
not give in to the enticements of the world but waited patiently for God’s
love.
As Merton
tells us everything is gift, everything is grace. It is our choice – do we turn
our backs on God and others or do we enter into the experience of God with
gratitude and hope? For if we do it will make all the difference!
Have a
great Wednesday everyone!
Daily
Prayer:
O God, grant us the grace and a portion of your Holy Spirit of Trust that we
may so live as to give others cause to be thankful today and always. Thankful
because we have not forgotten how to hope, how to laugh, how to say, “I am
sorry,” how to forgive, how to bind wounds, how to dream, how to cry, how to
pray, how to love when it is hard, and how to love when it is dangerous.
Open us
with freedom’s songs, O God, that from us – praise may flow more easily than
wants, thanks more readily than complaints, trust more abundantly than anxiety.
Praise be
to you, God of life, praise be to you for another chance to live with gratitude
this day and always! Amen.
A
Runner’s Thoughts: “The more I run, the more I want to run, and the more I
live a life conditioned and influenced and fashioned by my running. And the
more I run, the more certain I am that I am heading for my real goal: to become
the person I am.” (George Sheehan) –
So to in the spiritual life…the more we pray the more we will want to pray and
the more we will live a life conditioned and influenced by our relationship
with God. And the more we live in God’s presence, the more certain we will be
that we are heading for our real goal in life: to be the people God has created
us to be!
Daily Blessing:
Wednesday
greetings and blessings to all. I hope your day is starting off well. The gray
clouds are still in the sky but we are not to have any rain today here in
Pelham. I think it is going to be a chilly damp day after all it is winter! I
hope your weather is not stopping you from have a good day.
As we
come closer to the end of 2015 my prayer of blessing is a simple one…May God
bless all of us today with the peace and consolation of his grace and love as
we journey through this day and life. May we all find the mercy, comfort,
support, joy, hope and love we need to be the gift that God has created us to
be this day and always! God’s blessings to all! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr.
Paul
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