Daily
Thoughts:
Over the last week or so we have been reading a section of Matthew’s Gospel
that seems to be a directive for discipleship. Jesus tells the disciples to
trust in God by taking nothing with them on the journey, to depend of the
hospitality of others, and to offer peace and to proclaim the Kingdom wherever
they go. Jesus also tells them that the journey of discipleship will not be
easy, that they will be rejected and at times the peace they offer will not be
accepted. And in today’s Gospel Jesus also tells the disciples that the
struggles of discipleship may even start within the family and friends that
they love.
In a
number of ways, the picture Jesus paints of discipleship in Matthews Gospel
today (Matt. 10:34-11:1) is one that seems impossible to embrace let alone
live. The thought of being at odds with mother, father, sister and brother
would make me wonder why I would want to journey down that road.
I think
Jesus’ purpose for this instruction is simply to make it clear that if we get
on broad it is not an easy ride. The journey of a disciple is not the journey
of a fairy tale; it is not the journey of “happily ever after.” The journey of
a disciple is a difficult road with many challenges, many struggles, many
difficulties and often a great deal of change. It is a journey of choices and
decisions that are not always easy. Discipleship is the journey of the Cross
and Jesus wants those who take it up to understand the consequences along with
the joys and hopes.
Have a
great Monday everyone!
Daily
Prayer:
Compassionate God; bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, exploitation
of people and the earth, so that we may strive for justice, equality and peace.
Bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer, so that we will reach out our
hands to comfort them and to change their pain into joy. Bless us with a
foolishness to think that we can make a difference in the world, so that we
will begin to do the things that others say cannot be done. Amen!
A
Runner’s Thoughts: Remember we can make our runs holy by bringing to our runs
a sense of God’s presence in us.
Daily
Blessing:
Monday blessings and greetings to all. I hope your Monday is starting well. It
seems to be a beautiful sunny day here in Pelham. I hope the same is true by
you. I hope your weekend was a fruitful one and that you had some time to enjoy
life. I pray that this new work week will be one gifted with many blessings.
This
morning I will celebrate mass at the Wartburg Home at 11:00 am then it will be
on to the office in Rye Brook. This first part of the week will be focused on
getting paperwork and other things done so that I can hit the road towards the
end of the week.
May all
of you be blessed with God’s peace today and as Jesus tells us in the Gospel
today it is a peace that we must look for at times in the midst of
struggle. May you be blessed with God’s
energizing grace so that you can find the gift of God’s peace and joy in your
life today wherever you go, in whomever you meet and especially within
yourself. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul
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