Daily Thoughts - 06/13/2015

Daily Thoughts: Today we celebrate the second half of the Church’s focus on the heart. Yesterday we celebrated the Sacred Heart of Jesus and today it is Mary’s Immaculate Heart that we honor. There are many things we can say about Mary’s heart but the virtue that stands out most to me about Mary is strength. I think Mary’s heart was truly a heart of strength.

In the Gospel today Luke tells us that Mary kept all the experience of Jesus in her heart. She kept the joys and sorrows, the miracles and the opposition, the quiet moments and the great crowds, the mother and father moments of family and the community moments of discipleship. Mary kept the triumphant moments of shepherds, angels, kings and palms and failing moments of whips, nails, wooden crosses and death on a hill. Yes, Mary kept all things in her heart so she needed a very strong heart to hold all the experiences of life that she encountered from early on. Mary was truly a woman, a mother of great strength, a strength that came from and was nourished, feed and supposed by her heart.

The heart is central to who we are as a human being. Whether we are speaking about our physical, emotion or spiritual life the heart plays a central role in how we live our life. Mary’s heart was a heart of strength carrying the grace of God’s presence in her life. Her strength enabled her to say “yes” to God and then watch as that “yes” unfolded in the life, passion, death and resurrection of her son, Jesus.

Mary, woman of strength, hold us in your heart that we too may be strong in living our journey of life!

Have a great Saturday afternoon and evening everyone!

Daily Prayer:

All Loving God, as we honor the Immaculate Heart of Mary this day, we ask that by the help of her prayers we might strengthen our own hearts and come to share your blessings this day and always.

O holy Mary, mother of all mercy, you are our life, our love and our hope. This day we call out to you, in all our humanness, in all our failings. To you we send our prayers, our thoughts, our tears, our joys. Turn your eyes, O most loving Mother toward us that we might always hold the presence of your Loving Son in our lives.

O Compassionate, O Loving, O Tender Mother Mary. Direct our prayers always though Christ, your Son, our Savior.  Amen! (Adapted from the Prayer - Hail Holy Queen)

A Runner’s Thoughts: One way to look at running is as a tool, a device or practice that aids the user in our quest to pray. If we are intent about moving along the spiritual path, then it only makes sense to use those aspects of our live that already fill our days. So spend some time in prayer today go for a run! (Adapted from Roger Joslin)

Daily Blessing: Saturday afternoon greetings and blessings to all on this Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary! I hope everyone’s Saturday is going well and that you are having a productive day or a restful day or maybe even both!

It is a sunny and hot day here in Indianapolis. I arrived here Friday afternoon after my journey out of New York and across New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Ohio. I will be here until Monday morning and then continue my journey west to St. Louis. It is nice having this little stop over at my sister’s home.

I would like to send a little prayer out to my niece Sarah, nephew-in-law Dominick and grandniece Natalee Ann as they spend this weekend in the Minneapolis area looking for a new home. May they find what they need and want quickly and may their journey of moving from St. Louis to Minneapolis go smoothly in the coming weeks and months!

My prayer this afternoon is that God has blessed all of you today with a beautiful day, one in which you are celebrating the gift of life with family, friends and people who enjoy life. May you be blessed with an afternoon and evening that is fun and filled with moments and people of joy and hope. May you be blessed with an evening of rest and enjoyment. Please know as always, you are in my prayers. Be safe if you are out and about. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 06/11/2015

Daily Thoughts: Late last night as I looked over the readings for this feast of the Apostle, St. Barnabas, which we celebrate today. I could not also help but think of my uncle Joe. June 11th is his anniversary of death. He died 32 years ago today. He was my only uncle and I guess you could say I looked up to him, both literally and figuratively. I was a big man at least by the standards of those days. He has played football in high school. He was a lineman. He has the personality of a salesman, which he was, not in a negative way, but a positive way. He could talk to anyone and just being around him made you feel at ease. He would call me “Pedro.”  I am not sure why as my name is Paul and “Pedro” means Peter, however I didn’t mind and use to look forward to his greeting of “Pedro” whenever the family got together.

Uncle Joe, at least from my perspective, was a positive man always willing to pass along a good word or two. He was fun loving and at times would like to “stir the pot” at family gatherings just to keep things lively. He always seemed to have encouraging words for everyone he met.

I share these things about my uncle Joe today as we celebrate the feast of St. Barnabas. Now Barnabas’ original name was Joseph and Barnabas’ name means “son of encouragement.”  I guess in thinking about my uncle I could not help but connect the two. Two men who because of their personalities and their outlook on life brought encouragement and energy to whomever they met. They brought the presence of God. They were gifts in the lives of the people they met. They each did it in their own way and I am grateful for having known them, one in real life and the other in my story of faith.

I am thankful for both Barnabas and Joseph today and may their spirits of encouragement bless all of us as we wander through this day and always!

Have a great Thursday everyone!

Daily Prayer: Loving God, please send people of encouragement who bring your presence in to our lives. We thank you for the family and friends that we have now who encourage us. Always bless us with the wisdom and favor of family, friends and people who bring the gift of encouragement to our lives always! We pray this through the source of all encouragement Jesus the Lord! Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: One of the things about running is that our greatest runs are rarely measured by great achievements or racing success. They are moments in time when running allows us to see how wonderful our life is. They are moments in time when running enables us to encounter the presence of God. (Adapted from a quote by Kara Goucher)

And a second thought for today – “There are as many reasons for running as there are days in the year, years in my life. But mostly I run because I am an animal and a child, an artist and a saint. So, too, are you. Find your own play, your own self-renewing compulsion, and you will become the person you are meant to be.” (George Sheehan)

Daily Blessing: Thursday greetings and blessings to all! I truly hope that your week has been a good one and that your Thursday has started off in a positive way. We have sun and warmth here in Pelham today. It looks like the start of a beautiful day! I hope the same is true where you are.

Later this morning I will begin my journey west. I am headed once again to St. Louis where I will begin a retreat for priests next Monday. Today I hope to leave around noon and drive for about six or eight hours, then tomorrow I will make a stop in Indianapolis to visit with my sister and brother-in-law before heading to St. Louis. I will be on the road for almost a month with stops in Indianapolis, St. Louis, South Bend, the Chicago area and Manitowoc, WI.

I would also like to send along a special shout out today to my niece and nephew-in-law, Sarah and Dominick on their fourth wedding anniversary! Happy Anniversary Sarah and Dominick and many blessings today – have a great day and please say hello to your precious little Natalee Ann for me!

I pray for God’s blessings upon everyone’s day today that it will be filled with many positives and that the negatives will only be fleeting moments. Please know you are all in my prayers as I ask God’s blessings upon all you do, upon everyone you meet and upon everyone you love! May there be many words, signs and people of encouragement in your life today! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 06/10/2015

Daily Thought: After reading today’s Gospel (Matthew 5:17-19) one might ask the question, “What law is Jesus speaking about?” At first glance we might be tempted to say that Jesus was about abolishing the law rather than fulfilling it. His life and ministry often seemed to challenge Jewish law rather than support it or fulfill it.

However, we might journey back to a conversation Jesus had with a scribe not too long ago (Mark 12:28-34 June 4^th), the scribe asked Jesus, “Which is the first of all the commandments?” Jesus’ responds was to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself, these are the two great commandments. Now if we think of this conversation in light of today’s Gospel then we might begin have a real understanding of what law Jesus is talking about.

All of law flows from these two great commandments, love of God and neighbor. Jesus’ life was about fulfilling these commandments, his life, his actions, his teaching and his ministry all centered on living a life in love of God and others. All that Jesus said and did was to bring fulfillment to the great law of love.

Jesus showed us the way to fulfill the law, to change the world. Thus, the challenge for us in today’s Gospel is about how we live our life. Do we live our life in order to help bring fulfillment to the law of love? Do we live life loving God, others and ourselves?

Have a great day everyone!

Daily Prayer:  Loving God, May the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, be our touchstone, be our comfort, be our answer to all the dark questions. May the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, be the light of all nights, the sign that you have chosen us, the mysterious and sure sign that we are yours for all eternity. Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: As we run today let’s imagine that God is at our side, running along with us. Imagine how God would look with kindness into the faces of all whom the two of us would meet as we run. Imagine how God would find good in everyone we encounter. Thus, as we run today, let us look for good in everyone. Let us look for good within ourselves.  (Adapted from Roger Joslin – Running the Spiritual Path)

Daily Blessing: Wednesday greetings and blessings to al! I am as happy as a camel on Wednesday! Yes, my friends, it’s Hump Day! I hope everyone’s day has started off well. The sun is out here in Pelham, and while they say it will be hot and humid today I have to say all is well at this moment at least in this little part of the world. 

Friends, I pray that you have a great day! Many blessings upon all that you do, upon everyone you meet and upon all whom you love! Most importantly blessing upon you and the gift of love that you are to this world! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 06/09/2015

Daily Thoughts: “Lord, let your face shine on me.” What a wonderful thought and mantra to start the day. As St. Paul says in the first reading today from the Second Letter to the Corinthians our answer to our relationship with God needs to always be “yes!” In other words we need to go all in when it comes to our faith. And how do we do this?

Well I think the answer comes from our Gospel today. In Matthew Jesus uses the wonderful example of salt and light in asking the disciples, in asking us to reflect on our lives. I have often preached on this Gospel using the image not of the Sermon on the Mount but of Jesus talking with his disciples one evening as they rested at an inn. They have traveled with him and Jerusalem in not far away and Jesus isn’t sure that they are ready for what is ahead, he isn’t sure their answer is “yes.” How can he help them trust in their relationship?

Then an idea comes to mind. He calls them together. Before he speaks he looks at each one of them and then says, “You are the salt of the earth! But what if salt loses it flavor? What is then good for?” Then he looks at each of them intently again and says. “You are the light of the world! People don’t put a lamp under a bushel basket, they put it on a stand so that it gives light to the whole room. In the same way your light must shine, your flavor must be tasted!”

Now I know I am being a bit free and easy with Jesus’ words but the point is that in order for us to say “yes” to God we need to trust in the gifts and talents God has given us. We need to realize that we have something to offer no matter how ordinary our gifts, abilities and talents seem. Salt and light were everyday staples of life, yet as Jesus tells us they were also very valuable and so are we. However it is up to us. We can hide our light, we can lose our flavor or we can give light to the whole room and add flavor to life!

Perhaps the first place to start is to begin our day asking God to let his face shine upon us so that our flavor isn’t lost and our light shines! Have a great day everyone!

Daily Prayer: God of life, there are days when the burdens we carry chafe our shoulders and wear us down: when the road seems dreary and endless, the skies gray and threatening: when our lives have no music in them and our hearts are lonely, and our souls have lost their courage. Flood the path with light, we ask you: turn our eyes to where the skies are full of promise and life has flavor once again. Amen! (Adapted from a prayer by St. Augustine of Hippo)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “What is the source of my success? I think it's a combination of consistency and balance.” (Mark Allen) And so to in the spiritual life, growth, success comes from consistency in prayer and balance in life!

Daily Blessing: Tuesday greetings and blessings to all! It is another cloudy, gloomy and probably rainy day here in Pelham. I hope things are a bit lighter and brighter where you are. I continue getting things ready for the beginning of my travels later this week and I continue my 41 day running streak. Today is day 16 of the streak and I am putting in the miles. It feels good to be out on the road again. I can feel what it does to my physical, emotional and spiritual health and for the most part it is all good. Though I think today I will be running through the rain drops!

May your day be blessed with the God’s face shinning upon it. May you truly let your light shine. And may the gift of your flavor enliven the world around you today and always. May God bless you with safe travels, wonderful encounters with people, moments of peace and quiet when you need them and the gift of God’s joyful presence throughout your day! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 06/08/2015

Daily Thoughts: I have a couple of thoughts about the Gospel today (Matthew 5: 1-12). The Beatitudes are one of my favorite Gospels but also one of the most challenging Gospels for me. Often times after hearing it proclaimed I am energized yet also humbled. I am ready to encounter the world yet I am also ready to head to the confessional. I want to be a true disciple yet I know I am far from it!

Fr. James Martin, S.J. writes “What does it mean to be poor in spirit?” I must admit I have always struggle with an understanding of this first beatitude. Fr. Martin’s answer, “Poor in Spirit is to know one’s reliance on God, to understand one’s dependence on God and to grasp one’s humanity.” I guess we might say that to be “poor in spirit” is to let go and let God.

The other challenge of the beatitudes is that to live fully any one of the beatitudes, you will almost automatically begin to live them all. Perhaps to put it another way, “You can’t live just one!” In order to be a peacemaker we need to also be meek, merciful, clean of heart, righteous and poor in spirit. In order to be merciful we need to be clean of heart, meek, poor in spirit, righteous and a peacemaker. They go hand in hand.

However living the beatitudes is not easy because they will make us vulnerable to insult, persecution and the evils of our world. They will open us up to the insecurities of the world which can be troubling, harsh, insensitive and hurtful. In other words living the beatitudes can open us up to be stepped on, hurt and not valued as a person. Living the beatitudes almost always put us in tension with the ways of culture, society and the world.

Yet, in the midst of all this Jesus tells us to rejoice and be glad. The challenge of the beatitudes has been going on since the beginning of time. Women and men before us have faced the challenge and their prize, the Kingdom, await us. Perhaps all the beatitudes can really be proclaim and lived in the phrase, “Let go and let God!”

Have a great day everyone!

Daily Prayer: O God, search us and know our hearts; test us and know our concerns. See if there is any crooked way in us, and lead us in the everlasting way. For we truly do believe so our prayer to you is help our unbelief. Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: Remember if we have the desire to run with God, then the specifics of the techniques used do not matter very much just keep hold of the desire and God will be with you!

Daily Blessing: Monday greetings and blessings to all! I hope your day has started off well though if you are in the east like me it is cloudy and looking very much like rain this morning. My hope is that the day will lighten up a bit as we journey through it! I have a lot to do these next few days before hitting the road on Thursday for about a month so I am trying to energize myself this morning for the tasks at hand as this new week begins.

I hope you will have a great day and that it is truly a good start to your week, but if not please know that I am praying that things will get better for you. May God’s blessings be upon you wherever you are and wherever your life brings you today. May your day be rich in God’s grace, hope, love and joy and may you find the strength and energy to share God’s blessings with whomever you meet! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul