There are
no perfect people out there in the world, no one can claim perfection, thus if
we wish mercy and forgiveness we need to be willing to offer it too. Now I am
not saying it is easy, if it were Jesus would never have included it in his
teaching and I would not be writing about it this morning. Living a life of
faith is often difficult and always challenging.
Perhaps
the key to making it work is prayer. If our first response to the challenge, to
the difficulty, to the struggle is prayer rather than anger, resentment, and
judgment then we have the chance to imperfectly live the Gospel message.
Today’s
Gospel is not about excusing offensive acts or being lenient with people who
hurt us. It is not about looking the other way and letting people just do what
they want. Today’s Gospel is about how we trust in the presence of God as we
live in the midst of an imperfect world. It is about how we react to people and
situation that hurt us. Do we seek vengeance, do we expect to extract our pound
of flesh or do we pause and through prayer place the person, the situation in
God’s hands?
Prayer
can be a way of offering another Christian love. It can be a way of seeking
mercy and forgiveness and also offering mercy and forgiveness. Prayer is not
going to make our world perfect but it can be a starting point for us becoming
the people of faith that Jesus asks us to be today!
Have a
great Tuesday everyone!
Daily
Prayer:
God of all hope, renew in us today the courage to live life to its fullest.
Help us to especially stand for and live out the values that Jesus taught us,
humility, courage, compassion, mercy, forgiveness and love. Grace us with your
wisdom to know how to best live our life in you. When opposition comes our way
help us to not give in to fear and cowardice, help us not to strike back with
violence and anger, help us not to react out of pride and judgment. Help us to
be humble, prayerful people of faith, humble people alive with hope and ready
to offer your love. Amen!
A
Runner’s Thoughts: “Now bid me run, and I will strive with things impossible.”
(William Shakespeare) “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where
there is no path and leave a trail.” (Ralph Waldo Emerson) Can’t these
thoughts be found in how Jesus is asking us to live? – Have a great day!
Daily
Blessing:
Tuesday greetings and blessings to all! I hope your morning has started off
well and that this will be a good day for you in every way. We look to be
moving toward another beautiful day here in eastern Ohio though I think clouds
are to be with us most of the day. It is hard to tell right now as the sun has
not arrived quite yet.
I
continue to keep the Orlando shooting victims, their families and friends in my
prayers. I continue to pray for decisive leadership when it comes to assault
weapons. I also continue to pray that the loud mouths and bullies take a break from
their hollow rhetoric and senseless bluster. Let us be a nation that seeks
peace not one that live in anger!
As you
take time to pause in prayer today I would ask you to remember the sisters that
are on retreat here in Chardon and their preacher. I will be greatly appreciated.
I hope
you are finding these middle days of June which are leading us towards summer
enlivening and life giving. My prayer of blessing today is that your day will
be rich with God’s blessings upon your work, your travel, your encounters with
others, upon those whom you love and upon you! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr.
Paul
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