A Runner's Thought: “Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” (Meister Eckhart)
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A Runner’s Thoughts: “Our job is to love others without stopping to inquire whether or not they are worthy. That is not our business and, in fact, it is nobody's business. What we are asked to do is to love, and this love itself will render both ourselves and our neighbors worthy” (Thomas Merton).
A Runner's Thoughts: One of my favorite lines from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah is, “They will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint ….” (Isaiah 40: 25-31) In reflecting one these words from Isaiah, I could not help but think about my own running. I believe that every runner when starting out on a training run or a race utters Isaiah’s words to him or herself in some way. May be not exactly as Isaiah has written them, but in some fashion every runner begins with the hope that they will run and not grow weary. It is the vision of every runner to run strong and to finish.
It is the hope of every person of faith to live life to the fullest, to remain strong and faithful and to finish. St. Paul tells us to run life focused on the finish line. We need to always look ahead not behind. Pope Francis during the Holy Year of Mercy invited us to always look ahead and challenged us not to grow weary in our service as a Church to the poor, the homeless and the hungry. I know that not everyone likes to run or can run. But for me, running is a wonderful metaphor for life. When I run, I am reminded of the challenges of life but also the gifts of life. As Isaiah says, “They that hope in the Lord, will renew their strength, they will soar as with eagles’ wings; they will run and not grow weary, walk and not grow faint.” Living life is about having hope, and, hope leads us at times to making the impossible – possible! A Runner's Thoughts: "Mary does not lose herself in logical arguments, she does not place obstacles in the Lord's way, but she promptly entrusts herself and leaves room for the action of the Holy Spirit." (Pope Francis)
A Runner's Thoughts: “Whatever God does, the first outburst is always compassion.”
(Meister Eckhart) and “They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again.” (Isaiah 2:4) A Runner's Thoughts: “Believe that you can run farther or faster. Believe that you're young enough, old enough, strong enough, and so on to accomplish everything you want to do. Don't let worn-out beliefs stop you from moving beyond yourself.” (John Bingham) As a friend of mine says, "So to in the spiritual life!" Faith, belief is the starting point, having faith in your relationship with God. The world will tell you many different things; it will say at time, "You are crazy for believing!" But we don't let the world tells us what is important, what to believe or not believe. We don't dwell in the past. We move beyond the world, we move beyond the past to the present moment, and we believe in ourselves and our God!
A Runner's Thoughts: “Loving God, send your light and your fidelity, that they may be our guide.” (Adapted from Psalm 43)
A Runner’s Thoughts: “Shift from thinking to feeling–feel yourself accomplishing your goal. Take that feeling out of your head and put it into your heart. Embrace it as the reality.” (Erin Taylor) So to in the spiritual life…Take your faith out of your head and put it in your heart!
A Runner’s Thoughts: The human body can only do so much. Then the heart and spirit must take over. (Sohn Kee-chung) May our heart and spirit lead us to the healing presence of God this day.
A Runner's Thoughts: “Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.” (St. John XXIII)
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Fr. Paul R. Fagan, C.P. "Preacher on the Run!"A thought from time to time about Running and Life! Archives
April 2024
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