Daily Thoughts - 12/05/2015

Daily Thoughts: “Be prepared at all times for the gifts of God, and be ready always for new ones. For God is a thousand times more ready to give than we are to receive.” (Meister Eckhart)

These thoughts from one of the great Dominican mystic of the Middle Ages, Meister Eckhart, sum up the focus of Advent. It is a time to prepare, to be ready for the coming of God in our life. It is a time to prepare and be ready for the grace of God in our life.

As Eckhart says God is always willing and ready to give it is us who have to be willing and ready to receive. Here in lies the problem we are often not ready or willing to receive. Perhaps we are looking in other place. Perhaps we are distracted by the things of the world. Yet God is patient, compassionate and merciful. God is will to wait until we are ready.

As we journey through this first Saturday of Advent it might be a good time to stop for a moment and look around at our life. Are we prepared, are will ready for the gifts, the grace that God sends into our life? Are we ready the new gifts from God that we might encounter today? Let us be ready for any way, any gift, of the mystery that will touch our lives today.

Have a great Saturday everyone!

Daily Prayer: Look on us, loving Jesus, and let all the darkness of our hearts disappear before the beams of your brightness. Fill us with your holy joy and love, open to us the treasures of your timeless wisdom. You know our desires, so bring to perfection what you have started and what the Holy Spirit has awakened us to ask in prayer. Amen. (Adapted from a prayer by St. Augustine of Hippo)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “Shift from thinking to feeling–feel yourself accomplishing your goal. Take that feeling out of your head and put it into your heart. Embrace it as the reality.” (Erin Taylor) So to in the spiritual life…Take your faith out of your head and put it in your heart!

Daily Blessing: Saturday greetings and blessing to all. I hope your Saturday has gotten off to a good start. It looks to be another sunny day here in Pelham and they are saying the temperature will get up into the high 50’s today which should make for a very pleasant day. I hope the same is true where you are today!

Later today I will be off to a birthday gathering and then I will prepare to journey to Naples, FL for Fr. Edward’s father’s funeral on Monday. I will be flying down on Sunday and returning Monday evening as I have a mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on Tuesday at Wartburg Home. Please keep Fr. Edward and his family in your prayers as they journey through this time of loss and grief.

I pray that you are not too busy on this first Saturday of December and Advent and that you will have moments today to relax and just enjoy the gift of Advent, the gift of family, the gift of friends or even the gift of solitude! May God bless you today and always – in the words of Isaiah that we will hear a little later in Advent – with the strength to run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint and that you may soar through this day on eagles’ wings as people of faith who hope in God with strength renewed! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 12/04/2015

Daily Thoughts: "Let it be done for you according to your faith. And their eyes were opened." The healing words of Jesus that we find in today’s Gospel. Two men wish to see and as we are told it is their faith that heals and enables them to see. The words Jesus speak to them seem to echo Mary’s words to the angel Gabriel which we will hear in a few day, “May it be done to me according to your word.” Two acts of faith, one that heals and one that brings the Eternal Healer into our midst.

Faith always seems to be the center point of our journey through life. Time and time again in our faith story we are reminded just how important faith is. It can move tree and mountains. It can make crooked ways start and turn destructive things into life giving things. Faith can heal and raise the dead. Faith can enliven hope so that we can see the possibilities when things too often seem impossible.

Many of our readings throughout Advent remind us that faith is the touchstone to encountering the presence of God in our lives. A question our scriptures ask of us today is – “What kind of faith do we have?” Is it a faith that heals and proclaims the Good News? In having faith in Jesus the two blind men in our Gospel receive the gift of sight that sends them on a journey proclaiming the Good News. What healing can our faith bring us that will send us on a journey of proclaiming the Good News?

Have a great Friday everyone!

                            

Daily Prayer: O God, we believe help our moments of unbelief. Strengthen our hearts with a faith and can heal, hope, be joyful, love and proclaim the Good News! Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: The human body can only do so much. Then the heart and spirit must take over. (Sohn Kee-chung) As you run never underestimate the power of dreams, the influence of the human spirit and the presence of God!

Daily Blessing: Good morning and TGIF everyone! I hope your day has started well? It looks to be a nice sunny day here in Pelham though I am guessing it will be a rather cool day. I would like to send a shout out to my nephew, James on his birthday. Happy Birthday, James! Many blessings today and I hope your finals this semester go well!

Our tapings for the Sunday Mass went very well yesterday. It was a long day but all the celebrations went well and I believe all who tune in throughout the Christmas Season will not be disappointed.

My prayer of blessing for all of us today is - Loving God, bless us this day with your eternal love, Jesus. Make us vigilant in hope to hear the voice which announces his glory and open our hearts to receive the Spirit who prepares us for his coming once again. May Christ be born in our hearts this day and may we always bring your gift of eternal love to all we meet. Bless us on this journey of Advent that we might be ready to celebrate the gift of Christmas once again. Blessings always...Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 12/03/2015

Daily Thought: In today's Gospel Jesus speaks about the Wise and the Foolish Person. The question is on what foundation is our faith, our relationship with God built.

Three years ago, here in New York and along the New Jersey coast we had a very profound example of the power of the wind and the sea. Homes that were built near the shore took a big hit; many were ripped from their foundations. We found out firsthand the power of nature.

Jesus uses the image of the power of nature to remind us that there are many things in this life that can pose a threat to our faith, our relationship with God and if we don't have it anchored well, if we have not build our relationship with God on a strong foundation the challenges, the struggles, the difficulties of life are going to ripe our faith from its foundation.

As we learned from yesterday's Gospel God will take care of us but we have got to trust and we have got to be willing to share. So today let us not be foolish, let us be wise so that our faith does not collapse but that it stands firm in the midst of the storms of life!

An extra thought to keep our faith rooted on rock...St. John Chrysostom says: "Prayer is the place of refuge for every worry, a foundation for cheerfulness, a source of constant happiness, a protection against sadness."

Have a great day everyone!

Daily Prayer: O God, stir up your power and come. Help us with your mighty strength, your mercy and your grace to stand firm amid the storms of life. Bless us today with a strong foundation so that when the floods come, the winds blow and the rain falls we will have shelter and strength in your love! Amen!

A Runner's Thoughts: A runner who embarks on the journey of prayer and running can expect surprises, missteps, and perhaps great leaps toward a relationship with God!

Daily Blessing: Thursday greetings and blessings to all! I hope your Thursday has gotten off to a good start. In a couple of hours I will be headed to Manhattan for the day as we tape the Christmas Season for the Sunday Mass. We will be taping Christmas Mass, Holy Family Sunday, Epiphany Sunday and the Baptism of the Lord. It will be a long day and hopefully a good day of taping. I would ask that you keep all involved with the production of the Sunday Mass in your prayers today.

Unfortunately this is becoming all too common but I bring to prayer today all who lost their lives yesterday in San Bernardino. I pray for those who lost their live, those who were wounded and the families of all who now mourn. I pray that we as a nation come to our senses about guns, they and the people who use them in such horrendous ways are destroying our nation, our culture, our way of life. Please pray for peace today, we cannot give up hope!

Today is the feast of St. Francis Xavier, a Jesuit priest and missionary, but for me it brings to mind a very good friend, Fr. Xavier Vitacolonna, C.P. who died a little over three years ago. Fr. Xavier's given name was Francis, his religious name was Xavier. He was a brother, priest and missionary. I include him in my prayers today and I pray to him as a member of the communion of saints! Help us to bring peace Fr. Xav!

I would also ask you to remember Fr. Edward Beck, C.P. and his family as they lost their father yesterday very suddenly. Fr. Edward is the executive producer of the Sunday Mass and it will be a very long and difficult day for him as we tape the Christmas Season.

My prayer of blessing today is once again a simple one drawn from a prayer by St. Teresa of Avila – Loving God bless us today with the grace to always allow ourselves to be guided by you and to always follow your plans for us. May we accomplish those plans with your grace. Grant that in all things great and small, today and every day we will do whatever you ask of us with joy and love. Loving  God bless us with the strength and grace that your will, will be done by us, in us and through us. Amen! Blessings to all and have a great Thursday everyone! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul