Daily Thoughts - 05/29/2015

Daily Thoughts: Today’s readings give us much food for thought unlike the opposite of the fig tree that had no fruit in our Gospel today.

In the first reading from Sirach, the writer asks us to call to memory faithful people from Israel’s past.  All of us at times in our lives remember important people who were faithful to a cause, to a journey and in some way impacted our lives. Sometimes our memories come from stories shared at family gatherings.  Sometimes our remembrances come from historical moments or the formal studies of significant people in history and our faith. At times these stories may contain embellishments, but the faith, courage, and good deeds they embrace help to focus our hearts toward goodness and faith that we might try and bring to the living of life. These good and faithful people become models that we can turn to for inspiration and courage. 

However as we live life we encounter people each day who through the living of their lives touch us in direct and concrete ways.  Epic stories help us to remember but everyday life has an impact too. Sometimes these everyday stories even become epic stories because we keep them in our memories and call upon them at important moments of our lives.

Sirach is reminding us that at times the faith of the past can be a bridge that helps us walk into the future. Faithfulness to God and to God’s friendship with us will carry us over the deepest chasm and most difficult struggles in our lives.

Today’s Gospel begins with Jesus entering the Temple area but it was late, so Jesus went to Bethany for the night only to return day to drive out the buyers and sellers in the Temple area.   Before Jesus took it upon himself to clear the Temple of business he first paused to look around.  What did he see?  Did he see beauty, as well as distortion?     

Often we are act before thinking; we jump in with both feet before we really know what we are landing on. We act as though we know what the real circumstances are. Our actions at time are based on our memory or worse yet, based on how we might prefer to perceive reality.  Pausing and looking again can be difficult.  It might cause us to change our understanding.  Pausing might even cause us to ask for help even from God so that we can see things correctly!

In the Gospel today Jesus asks us to pause but also to persevere in prayer and forgiveness. In fact it is our willingness to forgive that helps our prayers find their way to God. Jesus pause today in the Gospel put into perspective just what the Temple was all about. As Jesus says, “my house shall be called a house of prayer for all people!”

Have a blessed Friday everyone!

Daily Prayer: O God, give us insight into our friendships. Help us to see your gift of love, your presence in them. Help us to be faithful friends to others, loyal, generous and kind. Grant us the gift through our friendships to love and be loved. Bless our friends this day and always with the richness of life and the faithfulness of our love. Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: If we run as a spiritual runner let us remember that it is being a runner that matters, it is not how fast or how far we go. The joy, the gift is in running, in the journey and not always in the destination. We have the best chance of encountering our friend God, in the midst of our run when we remain focused in the present and don’t think too far ahead! (I adapted this from a quote by John Bingham, the author of No Need for Speed: A Beginner's Guide to the Joy of Running.)

Daily Blessing: TGIF greetings and blessing to everyone! I hope your Friday has started off well and it will be a short one that will take you into a relaxing and fun weekend. The sun is out here in Pelham and it looks to be another warm day.  I hope the skies are bright, the sun is out and the air is warm wherever you are today. I would also like to prayer for the people of Texas and Oklahoma who have too much water and the people of California who don’t have enough. Hopefully somewhere along the line soon things will even out and no more lives will be lost!

My prayer today is that all will encounter the wonderful tiny whispering sound of God’s presence in your life today. That all of you will be renewed in your journey, your mission in life and that in being honest with yourself you will overcome fear, hurt, anger, loneliness, jealousy and fatigue to be the person of joy, hope and love that God has created you to be! Enjoy your Friday and know you will all be in my prayers today and always. May your day be safe and may your evening be blessed with rest and peace! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 05/28/2015

Daily Thoughts: In our Gospel today we are treated to the story of Bartimaeus, the blind man whom Jesus encountered as he was passing through Jericho one day. Bartimaeus not influenced by the people around him who said be quite called out to Jesus asking for sight. Jesus once again pointed a person’s faith as the source of their healing.

A couple of years ago I ran across the following reflection by an unknown author that seems to be a good reflection for our Gospel today so I share it with you…

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves: Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are we NOT to be? We are children of God. Our playing small doesn’t save the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around us. We were born to make visible the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it is all of us!

And as we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our fears, our presence automatically liberates others.

So let us not allow our salt, our flavor, to become insipid. Today let us live as the person that God has created us to be rich in the gifts of faith, hope and love, rich is all that matters to God. (Adapted from an Unknown Writer)

Bartimaeus let his light shine. He did not worry about what others thought. He called out to Jesus and because of his faith he was healed. He believed in the fact that he was a child of God and he made visible the glory of God that was within him. Should we not do the same with our life today?

Have a great Thursday everyone!

Daily Prayer: Loving God, in you is found the fullness of life and unconditional forgiveness and love. We place ourselves in your hands each day, asking that you make holy all that we are, all that we have, and all that we offer you. Keep us firm in our faith and strong in your service. Create in us a new heart, that we might find a peace that always welcomes us home. Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: Not every run need to be a search for life’s deeper meanings. Sometimes when we run we need to just “cruise!” Approach your next run with openness to the moment. Try to run unencumbered by the stress and strains of life. Look for the unexpected, look for the expected in a different way. Just cruise with God at your side!

Daily Blessing: Thursday greetings and blessings to everyone! Life is always interesting. I know I have missed a few days of reflections my only excuse is that my brain hasn’t want to work the last few days. I guess taking a break is a good thing every once in a while. I truly enjoy sitting down and sharing a few thoughts when I can and when my brain wants to work!

It is a rainy morning here in Pelham, the rain began last night and while it is not raining at the moment dark clouds abound outside my window. I think the sun might make an appearance today but they also say some storms might be on the way. I think we need the rain so I will run through the rain drops if they come!

My prayer of blessing today is that your Thursday has started off well and will continue to be a good day. May God bless your work, your relationships and most importantly you today! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 05/25/2015 - Memorial Day

Daily Thoughts: What do we learn from the story of the rich young man in today’s Gospel, (Mark 10: 17-27)? Well I guess you could say we learn many things. We learn that it is hard to let go of things we think are important. We learn that possessions no matter what they are; money, power, possessions, fame, wealth, can hold us back from a relationship with God. We learn that while at times things seem impossible nothing is impossible for God!

Perhaps we also learn that God wants to dwell in us and to fill us with grace, with love, with wholeness and with fullness of life. However, God does not push his way into our life. God loves us enough to wait until, out of our own free will, we invite God to come to us!

Jesus looks at us with love today what is our response? Have a blessed Memorial Day everyone!

Daily Prayer: Loving God, we thank you for wanting to enter our lives. Help us to let go of the things we think are so important yet they always seem to stand in the way of your presence in our lives. Grace us with the strength to open the door of our hearts today, so that as we ask you to come in nothing will stand in the way of our love for you. We want you to make our hearts your home, today and always. Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: As you run today try to make you run a God-centered run. In other words make your run a run in which you honor God through the voices of nature. Let yourself experience all the sounds of nature around you as you run; the wind, the trees, the leaves. Listen to the sounds of water if you run near a creek, river or the ocean.  Smell the scents of nature around you. Remember in the Psalms, the rivers clapped and the ocean roar in praise of God, so join in the chorus with your run. Look, purposefully, for signs of God’s creation, offering praise. Become one among the many voices of creation to give praise as you run today! (Adapted from Roger Joslin)

Daily Blessings: Memorial Day greetings and blessings to all! I hope you are enjoying your day. Today is certainly a day to remember all who serve our country in the military and all who have given their lives over the years is service protecting our freedom. We pray that someday we will find a way to live in peace so that people will never have to train for and fight in war again!

I hope the sun is out where you are. It is here in Pelham and the air is warming up quickly! I pray that your day will take you outdoors in some way to enjoy the gifts of God’s creation!

May your Memorial Day wherever you are and whatever you are doing be blessed with the richness of family and friends. May it be a day of fun, laughter, joy and relaxation. May it be a safe day and may you be truly blessed by God’s love today and always! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 05/24/2015

Daily Thoughts: “Different gifts but the same Spirit!” It is hard sometimes to trust in the gifts that we have. We always seem to look across the fence at the other side and think it looks better. We tend to see what other people do and think, “If only I could be like Mike!”

The key to overcoming our struggle with the Spirit is to remember, that every gift comes from the same Spirit. In other words we all have a common origin, we all are gifted. The challenge is not, are we the best, the brightest, the most powerful, the most important, the most well-known, the strongest, the most gifted. The challenge is how do we give life to the gifts we have? How do we speak and act so that when others hear and encounter us they come to know the mighty acts of God?

St. Paul was very creative when he used the image of the body to represent our relationship with God, our relationship with Jesus. It is one body with all of us as members, as parts. All of us are necessary for the body to work, to function, to have life, with each member, each part valuable and important. Some members, some parts may stand out more than others, but it is the sum of the parts working together take makes the body visible, strong and life giving.

Yes, today we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We celebrate being one of the many gifts of the Spirit. We celebrate being a part of Christ’s body. We celebrate being a member and hopefully like the disciples on the first Pentecost we give life to the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we have received so that all will hear through us in a language they understand that proclaims the mighty acts of God in the world today.

Have a great Pentecost Sunday everyone! And may the Spirit of God’s peace be with you today and always. Let the Holy Spirit fill your hearts with the Passion of Jesus Christ and bring to life the fire of God’s love within you!

Daily Prayer: Breathe in us, O Holy Spirit, that our thoughts, our ideas, our words, may all be holy. Act in us, O Holy Spirit, that our works, our labors, our actions, our living of life too, may be holy. Embrace our hearts, O Holy Spirit, that we may love and be love in a holy way. Strengthen us, O Holy Spirit, that our lives may represent all that is life giving and holy. Protect us, O Holy Spirit, that we always may be your gifts of hope and life in this world. Amen! (Adapted for a Prayer to the Holy Spirit by Saint Augustine)

A Runner’s Thoughts: Running is about the physical, the mental and the emotional sides of our lives. It challenges us in physical, mental and emotional ways. Will our bodies respond, will they hold up, will they get us back home or to the finish line? Will our minds let us move beyond the pain and the struggle? Can we overcome the fear? Will we give in to what seems easier? Yes, running is about the physical, the mental and the emotional sides of our lives, however running is also about the spiritual. It is about breathing in the breath of God, the Holy Spirit. Running is about giving life to the gift of who God has created us to be!

Daily Blessing: Pentecost greetings and blessings to all! It is a beautiful morning here in Pelham and all the forecasts say that it will be a beautiful throughout the day. No rain in sight with a warm sun upon us. What a great way to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost in the midst of our Memorial Day weekend!

I hope your Pentecost Sunday has started out well and that you will have a good if not great day. Just a reminder to give God a little time today too!

A shout out today to Fr. Lucian Clark, C.P. who will be celebrating his 50^th Anniversary of Ordination later today and to David Lorden who is celebrating his birthday today. May the Holy Spirit of celebration be with both of you today!

May God bless you with an enjoyable day especially among family and/or friends. Through God’s Spirit may this day offer you some rest and relaxation so that you might enjoy the gifts of the Holy Spirit within and around you!

I will leave you today with this thought from Thomas Merton, “Love is the guarantee that the life of the Spirit is growing in us. Love is the sign of the Holy Spirit at work in the Church and in the world.” So may God bless you with much love today and may you love much today my friends! Peace in Christ’s Passion and Joy in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit…Fr. Paul