Daily Thoughts - 09/23/2016

Daily Thoughts: Two summers ago in New York it was hard not getting caught up in Derek Jeter’s farewell tour. Now I am not a Yankee fan, I have always been a Pittsburgh Pirate fan, a National League fan, but I have to admit that during my 19 years of living in the Bronx and now Pelham I have come to respect and at times root for the Yankees because of Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera. During my time living in the Bronx they became two of the faces of baseball and all that is good about it for me.

The greatest player in baseball, for me, will always be Roberto Clemente and I will always be a diehard Pirate fan but at a time when it is hard to find good in sports. When the day to day news about sports is often negative, I truly believe Derek Jeter was a man, a player of class, integrity and dignity. I know that I don’t know him and he could be a real jerk outside of baseball but something tells me he isn’t.

Perhaps in much the same way last year around this time it was hard not getting caught up in the preparations for Pope Francis’ visit. Let Derek Jeter many last summer were asking the question who is Pope Francis? Certainly over the last few years I have come to respect and be in awe of Pope Francis because of the kind of man he is and the spirit of God he seems to bring to every encounter with others. I truly believe Pope Francis is a man of faith, a man of truth, a man of love and a man blessed by God in a world that is often violent, negative and life taking rather than life giving.

In the Gospel today (Luke 9:18-22), Jesus asks two questions of his disciples, “Who do the crowds say that I am? and Who do you say that I am?” I might be stretching things but in a way throughout Jeter’s last baseball season many baseball fans were asking the same questions about Derek Jeter. I am not comparing Derek Jeter to Jesus! I am just saying that a small part of the baseball season two years ago was, at least for me, defining who Derek Jeter was. Celebrating what he had been for baseball over the last twenty years. Perhaps looking at his twenty-year career in the major leagues and realizing he has been a great player, not the best, depending on how one defines the best, but a great player who touched the lives of many by the way he played the game.

In the Gospel, the disciples try to define who Jesus is for them and Peter is able to get it right, Jesus is “The Christ of God.” It is important for the disciples to come to know Jesus in this way because of where their journey with him is headed, the Cross and Calvary. They need to begin to see Jesus as he truly is in order to make the journey with him. With Jesus there is truly a time for everything under the heavens, an appointed time.

The same is true for us. In our journey of faith, we need to come to know who Jesus is in our life. We like Peter need to know him as “The Christ of God” because of where our journey is going and the things we will face with Jesus. There have been and will continue to be many crosses and many journeys up Calvary.

So today I would just like to say thank you to Pope Francis and Derek Jeter for sharing their appointed time in this life with us but most importantly I want to thank Jesus for being “The Christ of God” and for your continuing your appointed time in our lives!

Have a great Friday everyone!

Daily Prayer:

Loving God,

We have no idea where we are going.

We do not see the road ahead of us.

We cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do we really know ourselves,

and the fact that we think we are following your will

does not mean that we are actually doing so.

But we believe that the desire to please you

does in fact please you.

And we hope we have that desire in all that we are doing.

We hope that we will never do anything apart for that desire.

And we know that if we do this

you will lead us by the right road

though we may know nothing about it.

Therefore we will trust you always

though we may seem to be lost

and in the shadow of death.

We will not fear, for you are ever with us,

and you will never leave us

to face my perils alone. Amen!

(Adapted from a prayer by Thomas Merton)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “How can one learn to know oneself? Never by introspection, rather by action.” (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) So to in the spiritual life…introspection can help us see things about ourselves but it is our actions, through prayer and service of others that will really help us to know ourselves!

Daily Blessing: Friday greetings and blessings to all! I hope your day has started off well. We had more rain here in Kanab last night but I think it is to be a beautiful sunny day today. I will not know for about an hour though when the sun comes up. I hope wherever you are it will be a beautiful day too.

I would like to send a special shout-out to my great niece Emilia who celebrates her birthday today. Have a Happy Birthday Emilia with many blessings today and always. Have a great day and I hope you get to celebrate at least a little!

This will be my last regular post until Monday October 3^rd. Later today on my web site I will post a Daily Thoughts, a Runner’s Thoughts, a Daily Prayer and a Daily Blessing for each of the next nine days. It will be up to you to go to my web site each day to read my posts and musings. Also as of tomorrow morning I will go dark technology wise until Sunday October 2^nd, that means no email, no Facebook, no Twitter, no internet, no phone. Let’s hope that by Sunday October 2^nd I am still alive just a little sore nothing more.

As I have said I will be using my ultra-marathon as a kind of retreat which hopefully means a lot of prayer time. Now I know some of my prayer will be selfish, “O God, please get me through this!” However, hopefully a majority of my prayer will be for those who are in need of a prayer. I certain will hold all of you in my prayers as I make this journey.

For my prayer of blessing for all of you today is this – As you journey through this day may you be blessed with Christ within you, with Christ behind you, with Christ before you, with Christ beside you, with Christ to comfort and restore you, with Christ beneath you, with Christ above you, with Christ in your quiet moments, with Christ in your moments of struggle, with Christ in the hearts of all who love you, with Christ within of all your friends and every person you meet. May the presence of Christ’s be within you and bless your day, Amen!

I hope you will have a great Friday and that you encounter many blessings today and much peace. May you be graced by God in whatever you do and may you bring God’s grace to whomever you meet! Work, pray, travel, study, laugh, cry, talk, be silent, be intense or relax today rich in the blessing and presence of God. Until I sign on again sometime on Sunday October 2^nd be well and have a great week! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 09/22/2016

Daily Thoughts: As the saying goes curiosity killed the cat. But does it? Sometimes we think of curiosity only as something negative, something that will ultimately get us in trouble. However, curiosity can be a good thing. It can help us to encounter and experience many wonderful things that if we had not been curious about them we might have missed the experience. Think of all the wonderful things that have been discovered or invented because people were curious. Think of all the diseases that have been cured because people were curious. Curiosity can be a very positive experience.

Today in the Gospel Herod is curious about Jesus, just as he was curious about John the Baptist. I often get the feeling that Herod was not far from the Kingdom of God. He was not far from being a really good person. He was not far from following Jesus. However, Herod never really let his curiosity lead him to the Kingdom instead he worried about what others might think or say or do. He never let himself truly experience the presence of God in his midst. Herod curiosity led to fear rather than new life. Herod curiosity led to worldly things rather than to God.

We are all curious people but the question is – what do we do with our curiosity? Perhaps a few questions we might ask ourselves as we journey through this day are. Do we let our curiosity lead us to God or the world? Is our curiosity healthy and purposeful or unhealthy and destructive? Are we willing to let our curiosity led us to a deeper relationship with God or to a fear of God?

Have a great Thursday everyone!

Daily Prayer:  Grant, O God, that we may never fall away in success or in failure; that we may not be prideful in prosperity nor dejected in adversity. Let us rejoice only in what unites us and sorrow only in what separates us. May we strive to please no one or fear to displease anyone except you, our God. May we see always the things that are eternal and never those that are only temporal. May we shun any joy that is without you and never seek any that is beside you. Loving God, may we delight in any work we do for you and tire of any rest that is apart from you. Gracious God, let us direct our hearts towards you, and in our failings, let us always seek forgiveness with the firm purpose of being better people. Amen! (Adapted from a prayer by St. Thomas Aquinas)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “Running is a thing worth doing not because of the future rewards it bestows, but because of how it feeds our bodies and minds and souls in the present.” (Kevin Nelson)

Daily Blessing: Thursday blessings and greetings to all. I hope your day has started well? It looks like another rainy day here in Kanab. It rained all day yesterday and all through the night. There is flash flood watch until Friday and I am wondering what all this rain means for the race. Will I be running through the mud all next week? Well no sense worrying until then. I hope the weather is better where you are.

This is the last full day of rest until the pre-race activities start on Friday. In some ways I will be glad when Friday comes and things get started but it is also nice to have this reflective time.

Because come Saturday I will go dark technology wise on Friday I will post all my reflections, prayers, runner’s thoughts and blessings for next week on my web site – www.preacherman.org. Thus you will be able to go to my web site each day and get a little faith food for your journey. There will not be any Facebook reminders or tweets. If you want my thoughts, prayers and musings you will have to remember to go to the web site yourself each day. This is the best that I can do. I will be back up and running, so to speak, with my usually postings each day either on Sunday October 2^nd or Monday October 3^rd.

As I sit watching the rain this morning my prayer of blessing today is adapted from the Irish tradition - May God bless all of you today so that the road rises up to meet you and makes your journeys swift and easy. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face. And if the rain has to fall may it be soft upon the land and upon you. And may you be truly blessed by God holding you in the palm of his hand throughout this day and always!

Have a great day everyone! May it truly be blessed with many wonderful experiences, many gifted and loving people and the energy that a new day can bring! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 09/21/2016

Daily Thoughts: I pass along this reflection that I once read for my reflection on this Feast of St. Matthew –

“The call of Matthew, the tax collector, is told in one single verse. The brevity raises many questions and invites speculation. Had Matthew met Jesus, or at least had he heard of him before the encounter? When he got up from his customs post, what did people think? How did the other disciples receive Matthew into the group? We marvel that Matthew could walk away from his familiar way of life so readily and completely. But we must remember: Matthew was not merely walking away from something, he was walking toward someone – Jesus! What have [we] left behind by following Jesus? Jesus many called Matthew a traitor, but you called him a disciple. Help [us] to see the good in someone [we are] struggling with right now.” (Sr. Melannie Svoboda, SND – Living with Christ – September 21, 2015)

Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Daily Prayer: Grant us, O God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen.”  (Adapted from a prayer by St. Thomas Aquinas)

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: Wednesday greetings and blessings to everyone! I hope your day has started off well. It is a rainy early morning here in Kanab and it is to rain most of the day and into tomorrow. However, after Thursday is looks to be beautiful in this part of the world with sun, nice temperatures and no rain. I hope that makes for a good journey for me!

Yesterday day I pick-up my goody bag which also had all my instructions for the end of the week and the race. I also had my American flag and G2G patch sown on my shirt. I repacked my backpack trying to make it more balanced. I have two more days to get things in order before I get inspected on Friday for the race. The inspection will be to see if I have all the required items and the required amount of food. In my packet I got my tent assignment for the race. I will be sharing a tent with eight other people for the seven days of the race. Our tent name is Hualapai. It is the name of a Native American Tribe in the mountains of northwestern Arizona.

As I said above, I hope your day has started off well. My prayer of blessing today is that your Wednesday will be blessed with the richness of God's presence. 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 experiences, safe travel and a productive day! Peace in Christ's Passion...Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 09/20/2016

Daily Thoughts: “My mother and my brothers [and my sisters] are those who hear the word of God and act on it [live it].” (Luke 8:21) I added the word live to Jesus’ words today because I truly believe that is what he means.

The picture that the Gospel (Luke 8:19-21) paints today often creates concern and questions. Why would Jesus treat his family this way? Why would Jesus treat his mother this way? Isn’t family first? However, if we think about today’s Gospel in these terms we are missing the point. Jesus loved his mother greatly. Jesus was a good member of the family. But in the Gospel today Jesus shows all the boundless amounts of God’s love. We are all mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers in Christ. There are no exclusive places, no special privileges.

Today’s Gospel is a Gospel of hope. We are reminded of God’s great, unconditional love. Today’s Gospel gives us great comfort in knowing that God awaits all of us, accepts all of us. We can all be part of the family; we are called to be part of the body of Christ. All it takes is hearing the word of God and living it!

That is what Jesus is calling those gathered around him today to, that is what Jesus is calling us to. Do you hear the voice of Pope Francis in the Gospel today?

Have a great Tuesday everyone.

Daily Prayer:

Loving God, we pause for a moment and ask you hear and accept our prayers of praise for you today…

Be praised, loving God, through all your creatures, especially through my Brother Sun, who brings the day; and you give light through him. And Brother Sun is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor! Of you, Most High, he bears the likeness.

Be praised, loving God, through Sister Moon and the stars; in the heavens you have made them, precious and beautiful.

Be praised, loving God, through Brothers Wind and Air, and clouds and storms, and all the weather, through which you give your creatures sustenance.

Be praised, loving God, through Sister Water; she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.

Be praised, loving God, through Brother Fire, through whom you brighten the night. He is beautiful and cheerful, and powerful and strong.

Be praised, loving God, through our sister Mother Earth, who feeds us and rules us, and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Be praised, loving God, through those who forgive for love of you; through those who endure sickness and trial. Happy those who endure in peace, for they will be crowned; happy are we today for in hearing your word you call us all to be sisters and brothers in you. Amen! (Adapted from a prayer by St. Francis of Assisi)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “To me, there is no greater way to achieve clarity than to run alone, or share miles with a trusted friend. Epiphany comes as we sweat it out, or if epiphany is out of reach — then peace.” (Kristin Armstrong, "Bless Your Heart," Mile Markers column, RunnersWorld.com)

What a wonderful reflection about running and the spiritual life. We need solitude and community as people of faith. We need that time alone with God and we need that time with God in the midst of community, family and friends.

The definition for epiphany is: 1. a revelatory manifestation of a divine being; 2. a sudden manifestation of the essence or meaning of something; 3. a comprehension or perception of reality by means of a sudden intuitive realization.

In the spiritual life, like in running, our epiphanies come when we sweat it out, when we struggle and discover who we are and what we are made of. Even when the light doesn’t seem to go on when God seems out of reach, yet we believe that God is with us so there is peace.

Daily Blessing: Happy Tuesday everyone! I am sorry that my reflections are late today! There are three reasons why. First of all, I am now on Mountain Day Light Time, which means if you are in the east I am two hours behind you. Secondly it was a very long day yesterday so I am not moving too fast this morning and thirdly I have technical difficulties with my computer which has made for a frustrating morning so far. I trust your day has started better than mine!

As I mentioned it was a rather long day yesterday. It started at 3 am Eastern Time and I finally turned the light off last night at 10 pm Mountain Time. However, I did make it to Kanab, Utah. I arrived about four hour later than I had planned, due to weather and a mistake on my part at the rental car counter. But I made it. I am hoping to do a little exploring today but also to rest and just relax.

It looks to be a cloudy day here and they are talking about rain so I hope your weather is a little better than mine. I have to say the drive from Las Vegas to Kanab was just beautiful especially when I began to climb into the foot hills. There is read rock everywhere and stunning natural monuments carved out by water and wind over the centuries everywhere you look. Kanab is a western town, John Wayne, The Lone Ranger, Clint Eastwood everywhere you turn! It should be an interesting week before the race.

My prayer of blessing (all but a little late today) is that God’s blessings will be upon all of you today. May today be rich in the gift of family, friendship and peace. May you find the road today flat, smooth and easy to travel. May you find the gift and grace of God in everyone you meet and in everything you do. Most importantly may you find the gift of God within you as you live your life today! More adventures from Kanab and beyond tomorrow. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 09/19/2016

Daily Thoughts: In today’s Gospel we hear the familiar story of Jesus telling us not to hide our “light” under a vessel, a box or the bed but rather to place the our light where it will allow others safe passage as they enter the room. Doing this seems like a no brainer. Don’t we always light a light so that it gives light to the whole room? Why is telling us this so important to Jesus? 

There is another parable in Luke’s Gospel, in chapter 19 to be exact, the Parable of the Ten Coins that seems to focus on the same message.  A nobleman is going on a journey so he calls in ten servants and makes each one responsible for one coin. When he returns each servant comes forward to give an accounting of what he has done with the coin. One servant does nothing with his coin, in fact, he hides the coin in a handkerchief because he is afraid of the master. Both parables, the candle and the coins, speak to the same teaching, that we are to share our gifts so that we can help make the Kingdom of God present in the here and now. 

Both parables also end with an ominous warning: “To everyone who has, more will be given; from those who have not, even what they seem to have will be taken away.”  The servant who buried his coin rather than investing it like the others is sternly dealt with, he loses everything or to put it in terms of today’s parable, his light goes out and he is left with darkness. This is not about gaining or losing wealth, it is about gaining or losing the Kingdom of God. It is about living in the eternal light or being in the darkness outside where there is wailing and grinding of teeth.

Jesus is using an analogy to talk about discipleship, he is not discussing candles and coins. The candle light and the coins are the gifts and talents we have been given to be used for building the Kingdom of God in the here and now. They can be our skills, our talents, our relationships, our experiences of life, the blessings that we have received. The challenge is what do we do with them? Do we hide them away? Do we live in fear of God? Or do we invest them? Do we light our lamp, or candle and place it on a stand in the middle of the room so that it gives light to all? Do we share the person God has created us to be?

If we trust in our relationship with God. If we trust in ourselves then we will not hide our gifts but share them so that we and others will encounter the presence of God. By lighting our light for all, by sharing our gifts we welcome God into our hearts and share his Kingdom!

Have a blessed Monday everyone.

Daily Prayer: O Lord our God, grant us grace to desire you with a whole heart, so that desiring you we may seek you with a whole heart and find you; and so finding you, may love you, and loving you may hate those sins which separate us from you, for the sake of Jesus Christ. Amen (St. Anselm of Canterbury)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “It’s hilly and you have to watch your step, but the leaves inspire you.” (Carolyn Koleszar) So to in the spiritual life…

Daily Blessing: Monday greetings and blessings to all! It is just after midnight and in four hours a car will be here to take me to the airport. Today I begin what I hope to be an incredible journey though some might say a rather crazy journey. This morning I will catch a 5:55 am flight to Philadelphia and then change planes for an 8:00 am flight to Las Vegas. In Las Vegas I will rent a car and drive about four hours to a town in southern Utah named Kanab. Six days from tomorrow on Sunday Sept. 25^th I will begin the Grand2Grand Ultra Marathon (From the Grand Canyon to the Grand Staircase) that will cover seven days, six stages and 170 miles. I will be carrying as I run, walk and perhaps crawl all my provisions for the seven days, i.e. food, sleeping bag and mat, clothing and assorted other things. I will average about 26 miles a day, hopefully!

Come next Saturday, Sept. 24^th, I will go dark technology wise for the week, meaning no phone, no computer, no daily thoughts, no real communication with the world other than nature and the other people running the race. You might say it will be just me, the Utah wilderness and God.

I hope to use the time as a retreat. I hope to do a little soul searching, reflecting and praying. I know it will be perhaps one of the most challenging times in my life and maybe even one of the most difficult times in my life.

As this week continues I will give you more details about my journey and what this all might mean in my life. I hope to keep a journal as I run that eventually in the coming months I will share with you. As I said I hope to have a lot of prayer time and I will remember all of you in my prayers. I ask your prayers for me and all the runners that it will be a safe and life-giving journey for all of us.

As I said my day is starting early I hope by the time you read this your day has started well, full of life, energy and God’s grace. My prayer of blessing for all of you today is that as you journey through your day may it be a good journey. May you live by faith and trust in the gift that you are. May you place your gift, your light, on a stand in the middle of the room so that it will give light to the whole house, to everywhere you go and to everyone you meet. Blessings today upon all you do, upon everyone you meet and most importantly upon all of you! Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul

Daily Thoughts - 09/18/2016

Daily Thoughts: There is a story I often use about a young man who is searching for God so he goes to the cave of a holy man to seek wisdom in his search. The young man tells the holy man that he wishes to find God, to serve God.

The holy man says nothing but stands up and walks towards a lake that is near his cave. When the two men arrive at the lake the holy man invites the young man into the lake and they wade into the water until it is up to their necks. Then without saying anything the holy man pushes the young man’s head under the water and holds it there. The young man begins to struggle the longer his head is under the water. Then just when he is about to drowned the holy man lets go of his head. The two men walk back to the shore as the young man gasps for air.

Once back on shore the holy man turns to the young man and asks, “What did you want most when your head was under the water?” “Air!” the young man responds. “When you want God just as much as you wanted air then you will be able to find and serve God!” Replied the holy man.

This simple little story reflects, perhaps in a different way, the wisdom that Jesus is trying impart on his disciples. The only way to serve God is to go all in. We cannot have other masters in life and expect everything to go smoothly. Our focus and our desire must be centered in our relationship with God. The things in life, like money, power, influence and others can be and at times are important but not at the expense of our faith, our relationship with God. When we desire and serve God with all our heart, with all our soul, and all our being we will have found the right Master!

Have a blessed and holy Sunday everyone!

Daily Prayer: O God, help us to bring our worldly concerns under control, so that they never turn our minds from the higher things. Help us have earthly things for our use but not as objects of our desires. May there be nothing to hold back the desire of our minds; and do not let the delights of this world ensnare us. Amen (Prayer by St. Gregory the Great)

A Runner’s Thoughts: “I think running is important for my health and fitness. It’s important in terms of my well-being. In terms of managing the everyday stresses, I just think it’s a matter of balance.” (Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger)

Daily Blessing: Sunday greetings and blessings to all. In a couple of hours I will be heading out to Germantown, New York to help the Carmelite Sisters of the Aged and Infirm celebrate the third of their Sunday’s of Mercy. I will be hearing confession from 1:00 until 3:00 pm and then celebrating mass at 3:15 pm. After mass I will be returning home to make final preparations for my special journey which will begin very early Monday morning. (more about this interesting if not crazy journey later today.)

I hope your Sunday has started off well and I hope you will be giving God a little of your time today. The weather here in Pelham today will be a bit so-so. There is a good chance it will rain at least a part of the day. I hope the weather is a bit better by you.

Well until later today when I let you in on my upcoming adventure, I pray for all of you that your journey through Sunday may it be a good one. May you live by faith today and trust in the gift that you are. May God recognize your faith and bless you with the trust and willingness to let go and let God. If you are struggling with your faith may you find the strength to trust in the presence of God in your life. Blessings today upon all you do, upon everyone you meet and most importantly upon all of you. Peace in Christ’s Passion…Fr. Paul