Daily Thoughts - 08/13/2016

Daily Thoughts: The last couple of days I have been reflecting on my trip two years ago to France and one of the aspects of that trip that I have reflected on was the gift of children in life. Whether it was my encounters with families especially children at Lourdes and at other points during the journey or thinking of the children that are important in my life these days, like my three grandnieces and grandnephew. St. Bernadette and St. Thérèse of Lisieux where both children when they were profoundly touched by God.

In Aramaic, the word for child, servant, and slave is the same, which reflects the cultural attitude of first-century Palestine. But Jesus says “for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” What a switch! Jesus is turning the social structure upside down! What does Jesus see that the learned and clever cannot see?

Children are vulnerable and totally dependent. Because they lack power and control, they live in trust. Relying totally on their parents, they learn and grow. This is the stance that Jesus took when he taught his disciples to pray. We need to do the same.

We need to value the gift of children in our lives. They should not be silenced, or abused, or hidden away, or seen but not heard. They should be in our midst always reminding us to be vulnerable, dependent, trusting and loving. They need to remind us to have joy always in our hearts!

Have a great Saturday everyone and be aware of the gift of children around you today because they know the Kingdom!

Daily Prayer: Loving God, help us today and always, as Jesus said, to become a child once again. Help us to know that we are loved by you. Help us to let go of pride and pretense. Help us to trust so that we can let go of all our futile and unnecessary attempts to prove that we are worthy of your love. Let us know the humble prayer of being your much loved child. Amen!

A Runner’s Thoughts: “Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If you're not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you're not demanding more from yourself - expanding and learning as you go - you're choosing a numb existence. You're denying yourself an extraordinary trip.” (Dean Karnazes)

Daily Blessing: Saturday greetings and blessings to all. It is another hot and humid day here in Pelham. Once again storm pasted through last night but the humidity did not break. It feels like an open oven when you walk outside. Very difficult weather to sun in. I hope the summer weather is a little more life giving and energizing by you.

Today will be a preparation day as I look toward Sunday Mass in Chappaqua and then head to Long Beach and St. Ignatius Martyr Parish for the next two weeks. I have a few things I need to get done before I head out to Long Beach on Monday morning.

My prayer of blessing for all of you today is that your weekend will be a restful and relaxing far from the busyness that life often heaps upon us. I pray you have had a good weekend whether you were working, vacationing or traveling. I also pray that your day will be blessed with people that will gift your life with laughter, smiles and fun. Don’t forget to give a little time to God this weekend. Remember one hour is not a lot of time and God will appreciate hearing from you!

Blessings to all today and throughout the weekend, be safe if you are traveling and don’t forget to smile. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 08/12/2016

Daily Thoughts: “The Church must be a place of mercy freely given, where everyone can feel welcomed, loved, forgiven, and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel.” (Pope Francis)

I thought of these words by Pope Francis as I read today’s Gospel (Matt. 19: 3-12). Over the past two and a half years there has been a lot of discussion within the Church about family life, marriage and the divorced and separated and I would guess that many who lean toward a more traditional or legalistic view of the Church might point toward today’s Gospel as a reference point in saying that we should not change our stance on marriage especially in terms of the divorced and separated. Yet, I often wonder if that is what Jesus had in mind when he spoke these words.

Now to be sure there is no way to know what Jesus meant or was thinking when he challenged the Pharisees and his disciples with the words found in today’s Gospel however, if we consider the whole of his life and ministry we might point to the words of Pope Francis as a way to look at Jesus’ words today. I am certain that Jesus’ words highlight the sacredness and importance of marriage. Making a lifelong commitment speaks volumes about two people’s love. Jesus’ life was a lifelong commitment of love for us.

However, Jesus’ life was also about mercy, forgiveness and encouragement. Think about his conversation with the woman at the well. Did he tell her to go, get her life in order then come back and see him about the “living water?” No he looked past her struggles, her relationships and welcomed her into the mercy of God and as the story goes it made all the difference.

We all make mistakes, some small and some big. At times we think we are in love when we really aren’t. We believe we have found the right person and yet we haven’t. We try to do our best and sometimes no matter how hard we try it just isn’t our best. We say forever and sometimes it isn’t. We work hard at relationships but sometimes they are beyond our control because the other person walks away. Don’t you think God, who knows all these things, is still willing to sit and talk with us at the wells of our life? You better believe he is! So why aren’t we as a Church just as willing?

The Eucharist is an altar of sacrifice and a table of forgiveness. The Eucharist is a place of welcome for everyone who believes. The Church is Eucharist thus we need to be a community where God’s mercy is freely given where all are welcome, forgiven, loved and encouraged to live the good life of the Gospel!

Have a great Friday everyone.

Daily Prayer: O God, here is our heart, here it is with all its secrets. Look into our thoughts, O God our hope, and take away all our wrong thinking and feelings. Let our eyes be ever on you, and release our feet from whatever holds them from walking towards you. We ask you to live with us, to lead us, to make our hearts your holy temple, a fit dwelling for you our loving and merciful God. Amen (Adapted from a prayer by St. Augustine of Hippo)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “As athletes, we have ups and downs. Unfortunately, you can't pick the days they come on.” (Deena Kastor) And so to in the spiritual life…As people of faith we have our ups and downs and unfortunately you cannot pick the days they come on. All you can do is be faithful and keep on the journey!

Daily Blessing: Friday greetings and blessings to all! The storms of last night have passed, though they were all around us we didn’t get much rain here. It will be another 90 plus day with high humidity so finding a cool place inside is the order of the day I guess. If you are outside the New York area I hope things are a little cooler and less humid for you!

My day once again will be office work along with the 11:00 am mass at the Wartburg Home. On Monday I will be headed to St. Ignatius Martyr Parish in Long Beach, New York to help out while the pastor is on vacation for two weeks so I need to get a number of things done.

My prayer of blessing today is that God will bless your Friday with the richness of his presence, mercy, joy and peace. That God’s blessings will help your work day to go quickly, your vacation day to go slower, your travel day to go safely, and that whatever your day entails you may be blessed with good people, many smiles, much laughter and God’s love. Have a great Friday everyone. Stay cool. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 08/11/2016

Daily Thoughts: “God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy.” (Pope Francis) These words from Pope Francis come to mind as I consider the Gospel for today (Matt. 18:21 – 19:1). Peter wants to how many times he must forgive a brother who has sin against him and Jesus’ answer is always. God never tires of forgiving us so why should we tire of forgiving our sisters and brothers.

This is not easy our human nature seems to always push us in the direction of not forgiving. We think we will feel better if we can extract our pound of flesh, if we can get back at the person, if we can inflict an equal amount of pain and suffering. Yet time and time again it doesn’t work, it doesn’t satisfy and often we feel even worse.

Even though we don’t understand it God’s way is better. Mercy, forgiveness, joy and love are the essentials elements of a satisfying life. They help us to not get stuck but to move on so that we can enjoy all the moments of our life.

Remember God never tires of forgiving us. Have a great Thursday everyone!

Daily Prayer: O most gentle Jesus, deliver us from all evils, past, present and future. Give us a lively faith, a strong hope and endless love today, so that we may love you with all our heart, and all our soul, and all our strength. Make us steadfast in good works and grant us perseverance in your service, so that we may please you always. Amen. (Adapted from the prayer by St. Clare of Assisi)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “Crossing the starting line may be an act of courage, but crossing the finish line is an act of faith.” (John Bingham) So remember running and prayer makes you feel powerful, and if you keep trying, you can reach any goal and be a true friend of God!

Daily Blessing: Thursday greetings and blessings to all! I hope your day is starting off well. It is a beautiful sunny morning here in Pelham but very humid. It is going to be an oppressive day I think if you have to be outside all the time. Thankful I don’t have to be out all day but it will make running tough this afternoon.

Today is the feast of St. Clare of Assisi so to all named Clare happy feast day. I have mass at the Wartburg Home at 11:00 am and it will be on to the office for the rest of the day. I hope these hot, humid August days are good one for you and that you are getting a little rest and relaxation this summer. I hope you are being good to yourself at least a little,

I pray and hope your day will be blessed with the richness of God's blessings. May you have a day blessed with a strong faith, a life giving hope, rich love and energizing joy. Stay cool everyone! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 08/10/2016

Daily Thoughts: “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Matt. 18:20) Perhaps said a little differently by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Where a people prays, there is the church; and where the church is; there is never loneliness.”

The focus of the Gospel today is church. It is a community gathered in God’s presence. In that presence we can seek help, we can deal with struggles, we can get to the truth. In that presence we can morn and celebrate. In that presence we are never alone.

While some might hear the word church and think building or institution, church is really people, Church is community. Church is the presence of God made visible by the gathering of two or three in God’s name!

Have a great Wednesday everyone.

Daily Prayer:

Living God, for this reason we come before you, from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its name. We pray that out of your glorious riches you will strengthen us with power through your Spirit in our inner most being, so that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith. And we pray that we, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.

Now to you, our God, who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to your power that is at work within us, to you, our God, be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Adapted from the words of St. Paul Letter to the Ephesians)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “Poetry, music, forests, oceans, solitude, [prayer]--they were what developed enormous spiritual strength. I came to realize that spirit, as much or more than physical conditioning, had to be stored up before a race.” (Herb Elliott) And we might add after “a race” and “in the living of life!”

Daily Blessing: Wednesday blessings and greetings to all! I hope your Wednesday is starting off well. It is a partly cloudy day at it start here in Pelham and I think there is a chance for rain in the forecast but the sun is trying peek through right now. It is also rather humid which will make running a little more of a chore later today.

I will be spending most of this day at my office in Rye Brook as I have a lot of paperwork to get out of the way before I head to Long Beach next week to fill in at St. Ignatius Martyr Parish. So I am hoping to put in a good long day behind the desk not what I enjoy doing but necessary.

I hope you will enjoy your day wherever you are and in whatever you are doing. And if things aren’t going so well today remember this, “every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person and a beautiful thing” (Mother Teresa). So just smile and share the gift you are. May God bless you with a day filled with much joy, grace and God’s unconditional love. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 08/09/2016

Daily Thoughts: I don’t often wander into the scandals of the Church but today’s Gospel (Matt. 18:1-5, 10, 12-14) gave me pause to ponder. In Jesus’ words today we are reminded why the sexual scandals of the Church were and are so wrong. Hurting children in any way goes against all that Jesus taught. The sin that we the hierarchy of the Church continues to carry, the sin of actions and in-actions, the sin of indifference, the sin of hurt and pain, the sin of stealing innocence, the sin of not protecting, of not responding should remain with us and never leave us.

When we hear the words of today’s Gospel they should always give us pause to ponder what has been done to children in our name. These words should give us pause to ponder how our actions and in-actions as priests, deacons, bishops, cardinals and popes have led to so much hurt, pain and the loss of God’s little ones!

These words of Jesus should never be far from our thoughts and our hearts so that we will be humble people and always receive God’s children as if we are receiving God. If this is not our attitude, if this is not what drives our ministry then we should not be priests, deacons, bishops, cardinals or popes. Humility will make us people who respect not who are arrogance. May God and the children we have hurt forgive us and may we never let this happen again.

On a more positive note perhaps we need to remember the words of Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ – “The future belongs to those who give the next generation reason for hope.” Let us give hope not take it away!

Have a great Tuesday everyone.

Daily Prayer:

O God, be merciful to us, because of your constant love. Because of your great mercy forgive us of our sins! We recognize our faults; we need to always conscious of our sins so that none of your little ones are ever lost again.

O God, create a new and pure heart in us and put a new and loyal spirit in us. Do not expel us from your presence; do not take your Holy Spirit away from us. Give us the joy that comes from your love and help us to always make the right choices in life. Loving God, be kind to us and help us to rebuild your Church. Amen! (Adapted from Psalm 51)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “There's one rule of thumb that suggests that you need one day of recovery for every mile run in a race. Another rule of thumb...suggests one day...for every kilometer run in anger.”  (Hal Higdon)

Daily Blessing: Tuesday greetings and blessings to everyone! I hope your day has gotten off to a good start! It looks like another beautiful day here in Pelham. I hope the same is true by you.

Things are moving along is the renovation of the lower church at our Immaculate Conception Parish in Jamaica, New York. We still have much left to do before it will be really for taping the Sunday Mass but we are getting there. Today I visit the dentist, then on to the Wartburg Home for mass at 11 am and finally on to my office in Rye Brook.

I pray that all of you will have a great day wherever you are and through whatever kind of day you will face. If you are in the midst of a rainy day – stay dry, if the sun is out soak it in. In other words, be grateful for whatever kind of day you face keep – smiling and remember you are a gift and if you share your gift you will make it possible for others to have a wonderful day too! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 08/08/2016

Daily Thought: “I discovered later, and I'm still discovering right up to this moment, that it is only by living completely in this world that one learns to have faith. By this-worldliness I mean living unreservedly in life's duties, problems, successes and failures. In so doing we throw ourselves completely into the arms of God, taking seriously, not our own sufferings, but those of God in the world. That, I think, is faith.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

The Gospel (Matt. 17:22-27) today for the most part is a confusing one, yet I think Bonhoeffer’s reflection on a life of faith touches the spirit of today’s Gospel. We are not exempt from life; it is part of who we are. Life asks us to participate and it is by faith in God that we find the way to participate, to live in this world.

Have a great Monday everyone!

Daily Prayer: May God the Holy Spirit move within us and give us eyes to see with, ears to hear with, and hands that God’s work might be done. Amen! (Prayer by St. Dominic)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “As every runner knows, running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it is about our lifestyle and who we are.” (Joan Benoit Samuelson) And everybody knows, praying is about more than just saying words; it is about our relationship with God, it is about our friendship with God. So let put our friendship with God into who we are today. Let’s pray as we run!

Daily Blessing: Monday greetings and blessings to everyone and happy feast of St. Dominic to all my Dominican friends! I hope you had an enjoyable weekend and that you got a little rest and relaxation.

It looks to be another beautiful day here in Pelham. Later this morning I will be headed to our monastery, parish and retreat house in Jamaica, New York to check on the work being done on the Lower Church where we will begin to tape the Sunday Mass in just a little over a month. A lot still needs to be done so today will be dedicated to moving the project along.

I hope your day has started off well. For some of you it is a Monday after a week or so of vacation, for others it is the beginning of a new work week and for others it might be just new day of vacation. Whatever this Monday is for you may it be blessed with the richness of God's presence in your life. May God touch you with his grace of faith, hope, love and joy today. May your day be blessed with the gift of faith filled people, wonderful experience, safe travel and a productive day! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 08/07/2016

Daily Thoughts: Our Gospel today from Luke follows a section where Jesus speaks about how much more importance each person is than the lilies of the field and birds of the air who are beautiful and known by God. Today’s section opens with the affirming embrace that we already belong to God’s flock and the treasure has already been given to us, so we need not fear about our eternal futures. What we encounter in the Gospel today has to do with the implications of our being so precious and cared for by God. The kingdom is being given to those of us who have faith in the Creator. If we trust, then our treasure does not rely on or support the things of this world.

Jesus puts forth the challenges of belonging to this other kingdom. Our preciousness in God’s eyes is contrasted with the preciousness of material things. We get our value from God and not the accumulation of things, of wealth. The desires of our hearts will identify to which kingdom we belong. The challenge is how patient and watchful in terms of God’s Kingdom are we?

Jesus is God’s love in us. We are invited to make a similar investment in the holiness of humankind and the love of God. As usual the parable today makes the tension between God and the things of the world quite clear.

There is a master who has gone away, promising to return, but the when is indefinite. The servants who remain in the house are to act justly, live soberly, aware, and above all are to expect the master’s return at any moment. This is a direct challenge to the listening-disciples. The opening of this chapter in Luke reminds the friends of Jesus to avoid “the yeast of the Pharisees”. The disciples are the servants in whom Jesus has invested the treasures of his teachings. Unlike the Pharisees they are to be faithful in tending to the household and the people of the household. The emphasis of our Gospel is on living the teachings of Jesus until he returns.

God has created us, made us part of the human family. God has invested totally in our human recovery through Jesus Christ. We are asked to believe in this and to live reverently and gratefully for this infinite support of the human family.

The other option is to live unjustly, drunkenly, and unaware of our dignity. To live in a way that, we deflate our value and the value of all humankind. Yes, we are more important than the “lilies of the field.” Jesus calls us his flock and stewards of creation. When we hear who we are through the stories, pictures and deeds of how God has invested in us, we are reminded to trust in God’s investment. Our real problem or challenge is having the faith that there is a kingdom to come in which we are to invest “now” and that the payoff is in the “then” to come. In other words, there is the “here” and the “here-after” – where is our focus, where is our heart!

Have a great Sunday everyone.

Daily Prayer: Lord, you know what is best; let all be done as you please. Place me where you will and deal with me freely in all things. I am in your hand; turn me about whichever way you will. Behold, I am your servant, ready to obey in all things. Not for myself do I desire to live, but for you. Amen. (Thomas À Kempis)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “For every runner who tours the world running marathons, there are thousands who run to hear the leaves and listen to the rain, and look to the day when it is suddenly as easy as a bird in flight.” (George Sheehan) So to in the spiritual life…

Daily Blessing: Sunday blessings and greetings to all. I hope your Sunday has started off well. It is the beginning of another beautiful day here in Pelham though I believe it is going to be on the hot and humid sit. Make sure you make a little time for God today as you enjoy the gift of a summer Sunday!

I just returned from dropping off my guests from Minnesota off at the airport and now I have to put some final touches on my homily for the noon mass at St. John and St. Mary Parish in Chappaqua. Hopefully I can get in a long run this afternoon though I tried yesterday and it was just too hot and humid so my long run became a short run. Perhaps today will be a little better.

My prayer today is that God will blessed all of you with a beautiful day, one in which you will celebrate the gift of life with family, friends and people who enjoy life. May you be blessed with a day that is fun and filled with moments and people of joy and hope. May you be blessed with a day 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