Daily Thoughts - 01/15/2016

Daily Thoughts: I have always liked the story in today's Gospel and the reason is because it is not just one person's faith at work. The story says, "When Jesus saw their faith...." It was the faith of the group of friends, of the community, that makes all the difference. It was the hard work and faith of the friends of the paralytic. It was the faith of the man, himself, that probably motivated his friends. All of them worked together so that this healing moment was possible.

I often refer to the parishes I go to or the people who make one of my retreats as a community of faith and I truly believe that they are. I am always happy to be in their presence because I believe there is a great power in a community gathered together for a Sunday mass, a daily mass, a prayer service, a parish mission or a retreat. I believe that it takes a community of faith to get us through life.

Sure we need our personal faith. Sure we need a personal relationship with God, but we also need a community because as good as we might be there are times when we cannot do it alone. We need people to pick us up, to carry us. We need people to help us find a way in, to find a way to God. We need people who believe in us and in the journey we are on. We need people who know God just as we do.

Jesus affirms the small community of faithful friends in the Gospel today. They make it possible for their friend to be healed and to be forgiven. What great friends the paralytic man had, do we have friends like him? Are we faith filled friends willing to pick a friend up and make sure they can get to God?

Have a joyful and faith filled Friday everyone.

Daily Prayer: O God, grants us to the gift of being true friends in faith today and always. Helps us to bring to you, no matter what the obstacles, all in need so that they and we might encounter your mercy, healing, forgiveness and your loving presence. Bless us with a community of faith who will help your grace to remain alive in our hearts! Amen!

A Runner's Thoughts: “We must all suffer one of two things: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret or disappointment.” (Jim Rohn) So remember a run can be a tremendous help to quieting the mind so God can be present!

Daily Blessing: Friday greetings and blessings to all. As I mentioned yesterday today is our January taping session for The Sunday Mass at St. Francis de Sales Church in Manhattan. So shortly, I will be heading into Manhattan to begin a long day of taping. We will be taping the 6 weeks of Lent today so you might say I am getting into the Lent mode a little early. If you could offer a prayer or two that things go smoothly it would be greatly appreciated.

May your Friday be a good one and I hope that you are not too busy today and if you are that things go smoothly for you so that your Friday will lead you into a relaxing weekend. May God bless you today with peace and a generous helping of God’s mercy and love throughout your journey through this day. May God bless you with safe travels, successful endeavors, grace filled encounters, joyful people and hope filled experiences.  And may your day lead you into a restful evening and a peaceful night so that you can rise refreshed to live a new day tomorrow. Friday blessings to all. Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 01/14/2016

Daily Thoughts: My thoughts today are similar to those I shared with you last Friday when we had the same Gospel story about Jesus’ encounter with a person with leprosy. Last week we had Luke’s version of the story and today we have Mark’s (Mark 1: 40-45). In each version Jesus encounters a person with leprosy and the following exchange takes place. "If you wish, you can make me clean. Jesus was moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched the leper and said to him, I do will it. Be made clean. And the leprosy left him immediately."

I think the key elements of this story are Jesus’ intense feelings, the person's faith in Jesus and the willingness of Jesus to heal and to touch. Maybe the most important elements are Jesus’ feelings and his touch, his willingness to be connected with someone who is unclean by the standards of culture, society and religion.

As the story unfolds Jesus is moved with pity. Now sometimes we think of pity in a negative way but in our story today this translation “moved with pity” does not really do Jesus’ feelings justice. Jesus feels compassion for this person down deep in his gut and it moves him to action. It moves him to do something beyond what most people would do. It moves Jesus to touch the person even though his is unclean in order to share God’s mercy.

Today whether we are talking about our culture, society or even our church the usual response is to disconnect ourselves from someone defined as unclean. Yet, Jesus sought to be connected. He did not want to push them away from the community but to bring them into the community.

Jesus reaches out to one who has been pushed out of the community. It is a profound moment; it is a challenge to all of us who proclaim we believe. Do we wish – do we will – that all belong to the community no matter what? Jesus does and he was willing to step across a boundary to make sure that it happens. Are we?

Perhaps it is a commitment to prayer that will help us to, wish it and will it. It is through prayer, our conversation with God, that we will find the strength to walk with Jesus across the boundaries imposed and bring others to the community, to friendship with God!

Give a little time to God today – say a prayer – talk with God. Have a great Thursday everyone!

Daily Prayer: Loving God, help us today so that we will not be people with hardened hearts but people with compassionate hearts. Help us to be people willing to reach out across the boundaries of life with mercy that all might have the opportunity to be part of your community of faith. Enliven us that we will always hear your word with an open mind and an open heart! Amen!

A Runner's Thoughts: “There is something magical about running; after a certain distance, it transcends the body. Then a bit further, it transcends the mind. A bit further yet, and what you have before you, laid bare, is the soul.” (Kristin Armstrong) Think of every run as an opportunity to be born again. Let each run refresh your body and renew your spirit and bring you into God's Presence once again!

Daily Blessing: Thursday greetings and blessings to all. It is still dark out as I write this so I am not sure what the new day will bring. They say it will be less windy and a little warmer today so that sound good to me. Yesterday was a long day of driving to and from Scranton, PA and today will be a day of preparation for tomorrow’s Sunday Mass Taping session. I will also take a little break to celebrate mass for the people at the Wartburg Home at 11:00 am this morning.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day as we will have our monthly taping session for The Sunday Mass at St. Francis de Sales Parish in Manhattan. These taping days are always long because for me they start early in the morning and end in the late afternoon which means a journey home through rush hour traffic. However, they are always good days because of what we accomplish.

I hope your week is going well. I pray that you feel supported by God and have encountered the presence of God throughout your journey of life this week. As always I pray for God’s blessings upon all of us today that whether busy or not we may find the gift of God’s touch in our lives; the touch of healing if we need it, but most importantly the touch of joy, hope, mercy and love to carry us through the day. Have a great day everyone. Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 01/13/2016

Daily Thoughts: My thought for today is drawn from today’s readings, (Gospel Mark 1: 29-29), our constant need for healing. Healing and casting out demons seem to be the work of the day for Jesus. I was thinking of another line in the Gospel as I read today’s passage during my prayer time this morning. The line I thought of was, "The poor you will always have with you" (Matthew 26:11 and Mark 14:7). I thought Jesus could have easily said, "The sick and demons you will always have with you!"

There is always healing that needs to be done, people struggling physically, emotionally and spiritually. Sometimes when I am day dreaming I wish Jesus would walk into our midst and begin to heal or that he would give me the temporary power to heal because there are so many people who could use it!

And demons, they seem to be everywhere these days, if only Jesus were here to cast them out what a different place the world could be. It amazes me that the demons always seem to know Jesus and yet often the people in his presence don't.

Yet, there is another Gospel passage that also comes to mind, "Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his [or her] heart, but believes that what he [or she] says is going to happen, it will be granted him [or her]." (Mark 11:23) In other words the power to heal and cast out demons is within our grasp we just need to believe and not doubt.

So remember as you go through this day, God just might be calling so be listening and “the force," the power, the presence of Jesus is always with us to heal and to cast out demons we just need to believe!

I have a great Wednesday everyone!

Daily Prayer: O God, we are a struggling people, we want to believe, we want to hear and respond to your call. Help us to be your servant who listens and grace us with faith so that in our moments of unbelief we might truly bring your healing presence to all who need it in this world. Amen!

A Runner's Thoughts: As you run today remember that running is something that only you can do, no one can do it for you.  So make it part of your faith take God with you!

Daily Blessing: Wednesday greetings and blessings to all. I hope you have settled into the journey of this week and that things are going well. In an hour or so I will be headed to Scranton, PA for the day. I am taking a friend there who has been transfer to our community there. He doesn’t have a car as of yet so he needs to get himself and his things there so I volunteered. It looks like is going to be a sunny but cold day so I think it will be a good ride to and from The Valley!

I hope your day has started off well and that whatever tasks, work, travels and interactions you face today will be positive ones for you and those you encountered. May the sun shine bright on your face today.

My simple prayer of blessing today is that God will bless all our endeavors, all our interactions, all of our challenges, all of our travels, all of our meetings, all of our ordinary tasks, all of our relationships, all whom we love and us. May we bring the gift of God to our world today! Have a great day everyone! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul