Daily Thoughts - 04/18/2015

In about an hour I am off to Enola, PA and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish where I will begin a mission this evening. Please pray for the faith community at Our Lad of Lourdes and their preacher this week. I will be preaching all the masses this weekend and then celebrating the mission from Sunday evening thru Tuesday evening at 7 pm. If you are in the Enola/Harrisburg area come and join us!

I pray that your life and day will be enliven with the blessings of God’s presence in the people you meet, the place you go and in the things you do. May you come to know God today through the living of life and may your living of life today grace with much joy!

Have a blessed Saturday everyone - enjoy the warmth and the sun! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 04/17/2015

Daily Thoughts: Our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles offers us a nice reflection for our journey through Easter and life. The Pharisee Gamaliel seems to be a man of wisdom as he reflects on the challenge that the Sanhedrin seem to be confronted with – are the Apostle for real? His solution is one that should be applied every time we encounter this type of challenge. Only time give us the answer whether something is of God or not.

It is not easy to sit and wait. It is not easy to consider that someone or something might truly be of God especially when it challenges what we believe or how we are living.  Put yourself in the shoes of the Scribe and Pharisees, in the shoes of the religious leadership of Jesus’ time. They had studied, believe and learned to live by certain rules, regulations and beliefs and now the Apostles and disciples of Jesus were challenging their vary way of life. Change is not easy!

But Gamaliel says wait and see if it of God it will last, if it is not it will fail. This is wise advice for living our life of faith. It is not always easy or possible to follow but it is wisdom to be considered as we navigate through the struggles and challenges of life.

In our Gospel today we hear the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. Jesus takes the five barley loaves and two fish and provides as much bread and fish as people need to nourish themselves. This reading reminds me of the wonderful gifts that God gives us as we journey through life. Perhaps the lesson to learn from our Gospel today is that we should never under estimate the value of the gifts that God provides to us. No matter how simple or insignificant we think they might be anything is possible with God. Are will willing to let go and let God work through what we have?

As we journey through this Easter season, let us reflect on the people and experience we encounter and not judge too quickly. Let’s give them time because we never know when someone or something might just be about God.  And let’s not sell short the gifts that we have because if we are willing to place them in Jesus’ hands great things can happen and many can be fed!

Have a blessed and holy Friday everyone!

Daily Prayer: Compassionate God; take away from our hearts all suspiciousness, indignation, anger and contention and whatever is determined to hurt kindness and lesson love. O God, have mercy, on all who seek your mercy. Give grace to all in need of your grace today. Help us to live this day in your love so that we may be found worthy to enjoy the fulfillment of your grace and attain your gift of eternal life. Amen. (Adapted from a prayer by Thomas À Kempis)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “Fear of trying causes paralysis. Trying causes only trembling and sweating.” (Mason Cooley) and “Let him [or her] that would move the world first move himself [or herself}.” (Socrates)

Daily Blessing: Friday greetings and blessings to all! I hope this finds you enjoying your Friday or at least making your way through it is a life giving way. I am in the midst of getting things done so that I can head back out on the road tomorrow as I will head to Enola, PA and Our Lady of Lourdes Parish where I will celebrate a mission beginning tomorrow. I would ask your prayers for the faith community at Our Lady of Lourdes and for their preacher.

It seems to be a gray and cloudy day here in Pelham with the possibility of rain but the temperature is mild and the flowers are beginning to bloom so all in all it is not a bad day. I hope the same is true wherever you are.

I pray for all of you today that you will once again be touch by the joy of this Easter Season. May you be gifted today with many life giving experiences, with many encounters of God through the people you meet, with safe travels if you are traveling and with much joy and peace as you journey through this day! God's blessings to all today! Peace in Christ's Passion and the Joy of the Risen Lord...Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 04/15/2015

Daily Thoughts: In the readings today we find the simple message - God saves us!  However it is only those who believe will be saved.  Perhaps more importantly if we want to be saved we need to acknowledge the need for God’s presence in our life in order to gain the gift of deliverance. 

In the first reading from Acts, the Apostles are imprisoned, and the angel of God comes and releases them and sends them to the temple area to continue preaching. They are released from their imprisonment because God is with them.

In the Responsorial Psalm we hear the echoes of God’s response to those in need - Lord hears the cry of the poor.  All who believe in God and call out to God will be aided in their time of struggle.  God does not abandon his people.  But there needs to be a request – God needs to hear the cry of the poor.  God’s responds may not always comes as quickly or as directly as it did for the Apostles in jail but down through our faith story God has always responded to the cry of those in need.

In the Gospel we encounter Jesus as the ultimate delivery of God’s response to those in need.  God so loved us that he gave us his only begotten son. Out of this profound love God made the ultimate sacrifice for all of us.  Only through Jesus can we truly understand God’s love and be welcomed into the Kingdom.  Whether God instantly saves us, as he did the apostles from the prison, or whether it is through the Cross of Christ, God love for us ultimately will save us.  It is through belief in Jesus that we have salvation but we must be open to God’s love and not be afraid to ask for God’s help!

Have a blessed Hump Day everyone!

Daily Prayer: Loving God, be with us today and give us strength because often we are weak. You are our life and without you we are without passion. You are our light and without you we cannot see what is before us. Be with us this day, Loving God, for we desire your love and always want to be in your company. Stand by us, Lord Jesus, so that as we face the dangers and struggles of this day we will not be alone because we know that you are always with us and will never leave us to face the struggles of life alone! Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: “To go the distance and keep going after that, the only sustainable place to start is from a place of gratitude and love.” (Kristin Armstrong)

Daily Blessing: Wednesday greetings and blessing to all! Also Happy Hump Day and Tax Day! (If Tax Day can be happy!) I hope your day has started off well and that you are not overwhelmed by trying to finish your taxes by midnight tonight!

We had another great day and evening of mission yesterday here at St. Anthony’s Parish in Oceanside, New York. I am looking forward to our closing sessions this afternoon and evening. Please keep the faith community here at St. Anthony’s in your prayers and if you get a chance to say an extra prayer for their preacher it will be greatly appreciated!

My prayer of blessing today is that God’s blessings will be upon you today were ever you are, upon whatever you are doing and upon whomever you meet. May all of you be gifted with a blessed, holy and faith filled day rich in the presence and grace of God! If you haven’t finished your taxes yet may you speedily move through them today and feel the relief at the end of the day of being finished. May you also enjoy the sun and warmth of a beautiful spring day! Peace in Christ’s Passion and Hope in the Risen Christ…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 04/14/2015

Daily Thoughts: “There was no needy person among them…” What a wonderful thought to begin the day with from our first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles. The reading paints a hope filled picture of life in the early Church. “The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one would claim any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common.”

However, I fear that if someone would speak this way today or paint a picture of a faith community like that today the political pundits and the 24 hour news program would immediately label that person and community socialist as they have tried to do with Pope Francis as he talks about our responsibility as Christian to care for all in need. We somehow have it in our mind that everyone has to make it themselves. Sure if there is a disaster people can be helped but we first have to learn to stand on our own two feet. It is not socialist to care for all it is Christian!

I truly believe that the spirit and presence of Pope Francis is a wonderful model of the early Christian community that we encounter today in the Acts of the Apostles.  He connects us to the spirit of the early Church when the desire was to care for all.  Pope Francis’ genuineness is that he doesn’t care what others think he is only concerned with those in need. He doesn’t care what it cost; he has hope in the presence of God and the community to make it work. He is not looking for riches and power, his reward is the community and each person in it. Pope Francis is a wonderful witness of unselfishness.

Perhaps in the spirit of today first reading our challenge is to make our present day Christian communities places where we are open to the grace of God and its transforming power so that we become communities who care and take care about all amongst us!

Have a blessed Tuesday everyone!

Daily Prayer:

Spirit of Christ, bless me.

Body of Christ, save me.

Blood of Christ, enliven me.

Water from the side of Christ, wash me.

Passion of Christ, strengthen me.

O good Jesus, hear me.

Within your wounds, hide me.

Never let me be separated from you.

From the evil foe, defend me.

At the hour of death, call me; and welcome into your Kingdom.

That with your saints I may praise you forever and ever. Amen.

(Adapted from the prayer Anima Christi)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “When we run, we are already so exposed, often nearly naked in our shorts and T-shirts, huffing and puffing, purified by the effort. Briefly removed from the defenses and secrets we maintain in so much of our lives, we feel less need to hide our private thoughts, loves, fears, and stresses. We share.” (Amby Burfoot) – What a beautiful thought for a way to live life!

Daily Blessing: Tuesday greetings and blessings to all! I hope your Tuesday has started off well. Our mission here at St. Anthony’s in Oceanside, NY started off very well yesterday we had a nice crowd at noon and again in the evening. There is a wonderful spirit here and I am looking forward to day two. There always seems to be a nice spirit during Easter missions perhaps it is the fact that spring has arrive, the sun is our, the temperature are warmer and people are more hope filled!

As I did yesterday, I would once again ask your prayers for a young man who is a junior in college and who is struggling with the pressures of life right now. He is an intelligent, faith filled young man but he is struggling. So please hold him in your prayers that he might be able with God’s grace to work through this struggling time in his life!

My prayer of blessing today is that God will bless us all with the energy, the spirit and the enthusiasm to continue with hope this journey of Easter and life. That God will bless us with a joy for life, for other people and for ourselves. And that whatever we do, wherever we go, whomever we meet will be touched by the joy that we bring! Have a great Tuesday everyone and may your day be blessed with the warmth of the sun but if you find a few drops of rain coming down when you walk out the door may it be soft gentle rain that lovingly softens the earth and you! Peace in Christ’s Passion and the Risen Lord...Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 04/13/2015

Daily Thoughts: "Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do." (St. John XXIII)

I thought of this quote from St. John the XXII as I encountered our readings today. As our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles begins today Peter and John have just been released with the warning not to preach in the name of Jesus. However the power of the Spirit in their lives is so great they cannot stop. And as our reading ends we are told that the Spirit is so powerful in them that even the ground shakes as they pray and preach.

If we take a moment to look back at the journey of these two disciples along with the other disciples we might note that it has been a long journey for them. They have endured many struggles. They didn’t always get Jesus’ preaching and teaching. They were not the brightest of students. At times they often pushed for their way rather than Jesus’. They made some poor decisions and even denied and ran away from Jesus at his greatest time of need. Even their encounters of the Risen Lord did not seal the deal.

All along from the first moment Jesus called them, he knew he had to begin emptying them. He continually invited them to let go of the world and to let God. Why? Because Jesus wanted to fill them with the Holy Spirit and it becomes the power of the Spirit that makes their prayer, their preaching so powerful and life giving.

In the Gospel Jesus is trying to do the same for Nicodemus. He is asking Nicodemus to empty himself of the trappings of the world so that he can be filled with the Spirit. In a way Jesus is telling Nicodemus that he is weighted down by the world but if he can let go and be filled with the Spirit he can be taken far beyond his wildest dreams!

St. John XXIII using different words is offering the same message as our readings today. He reminds us not to be afraid, not to be weighed down by our fears, our frustrations, and our failures but to be open to the Holy Spirit. He wants us to let go and let the Holy Spirit empower us into our hopes, dreams and unfulfilled potential helping us to always remember that nothing is ever impossible with God.  We just have to believe and never give up.

So let us empty ourselves today and let God fill us with the gift of the Holy Spirit so that we will stand ready for wherever the wind blows us today! Have a great day everyone and may the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in your heart!

Daily Prayer: Loving God, give us grace to walk humbly today, and save us from self-importance and every condescending folly. You have made us, and not we ourselves. Help us to remember the limits of our power and our wisdom, but help us, also, to live our lives to the fullest within the limits of our power and wisdom. Amen! (Adapted from a prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “For me, as for so many runners, there really are no finish lines. Runs end; running doesn't.” (Dean Karnazes) So too in the spiritual life…days end but life in the presence of God doesn’t!

Daily Blessing: Monday greetings and blessings to all! I survived my long journey through Sunday. My voice held up and now I am ready to begin the mission here at St. Anthony’s in Oceanside, NY today. The opening will be after the 11:30 am mass and at 7:30 pm this evening. The parish has a nice spirit and I am looking forward to the next few days. If you are in the area why not stop in and join us as we go on and Easter journey to discover the presence of God in our lives!

I hope your Monday has started off well. The weather is certainly helping. Saturday and Sunday were beautiful days here in Oceanside and from my bedroom window today looks like more of the same. I hope the sun is out where you are and that warm temperatures are the order of your day!

I would ask your prayers for a young man who is a junior in college and who is struggling with the pressures of life right now. He is an intelligent, faith filled young man but he is struggling. So I would ask you to hold him in your prayers that he might be able with God’s grace to work through this struggling time in his life!

As I said above I hope your Monday, your new week, has started well. I pray that your day, your week, will be blessed with many wonderful and life giving experiences. I pray that you will take sometime today to smell the flowers, to enjoy the colors of creation and to let yourself be loved! May the blessing of God’s love be with you today and always. Peace in Christ’s Passion and Joy in the Risen Lord…Fr. Paul