​Today’s Thoughts: The dangers of living out an arrogant self-importance life are captured in the readings from Job and today's Gospel from Luke. At first, I struggled to find a connection between these two readings, but after careful reflection it finally dawned on me.  Satan’s challenge for God to test Job’s faith and the desire of the disciples to be ranked on personal greatness are two powerful examples of how the abuse of “ego” can easily divert one’s focus from God and his love.
 
The story of Job has been repeated thousands of times in the past but taking a different approach and interpreting the message from Satan’s perspective provides a new opportunity to shed light on another aspect of human nature.  Job’s faith and devotion to God speak for themselves, but Satan’s obvious abuse of ego deserves attention.  Satan accompanied the angels of the Lord with specific intent to place a challenge before God.  His own ego could not bear witness to Job’s relentless faith to the Lord so he eagerly accepted God’s offer and exerted his devious will to bring Job harm, especially to his family and personal possessions. The result was treacherous but in the end Job ultimately wins God’s favor and thus defeats the misguided ego of Satan.
   
In the Gospel we find the disciples of Jesus, out of sheer stubbornness exerting their own egos of self-gratification, putting Jesus to test by questioning who is the greatest among them. As the story unfolds, we quickly learn that in the eyes of God personal humility is held to a much greater value than actively seeking public self-recognition and acclaim.  In today’s world, humility of this nature seems highly impossible given the perpetual attention by TV and news media to endlessly advertise mundane gimmicks which promise to enhance personal appearances, wealth, and self-gratification.  But where should our loyalties lie? In the eyes of humans, or in the message of faith and devotion as experienced by Job, and expressed by Jesus in his reaction to the disciples?
 
We might say that our readings today challenge us to always live in the present because the future does not yet exist, and the past is gone forever. All we have is the present moment and the many ways this present moment will help us to encounter the presence of God within ourselves and others.
 
Have a blessed and holy Monday everyone!

Today’s Thoughts: Our readings today have a hint of “fire and brimstone” in them! James in his letter certainly does not mince words especially as he goes after those with wealth within his community. Notice it is not that their wealth is bad, but James’ words are about how they have attained their wealth and how they have used it.
 
Jesus too, brings on a little “fire and brimstone,” himself, as he challenges his disciples to be aware of the things that cause them to sin. He is speaking metaphorically as he talks about cutting off hands, feet and gouging out eyes, but his words stand for something absolute and essential. The misuse of our gifts in service of others, the misuse of any kind of leadership, authority or power we have over others needs to be address or we risk the fires of hell.
 
Our readings today are directed mainly at those in leadership, whether it be leadership within the faith community, civil leadership, parents, teachers. Yet, the readings today can also be good reminders for our own journey of life. How do we use our power, our authority, our gifts in our journey of life and faith?
 
One last thought about our readings today, at least the first reading and the Gospel, they remind us once again that God works in mysterious ways. God’s grace, God’s Spirit can be a gift to anyone, they are not reserved just for the holy, the righteous, those we see as chosen. We need never dismiss someone because we don’t think they are worthy enough to proclaim the Word, the Spirit of God. As Moses says in the first reading, “Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets! Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all!" (Numbers 11:29)
 
Have a blessed and holy Sunday everyone!

​Today’s Thoughts: Our readings today might cause us to close the book and say, “What’s the use!” Both Ecclesiastes and Jesus paint a bleak picture of the reality of the journey of life. Yet, at times we need to hear these bleak words. We need to be reminded of the struggles, the imperfection, and the sinfulness that life can place in our way.
 
Our journey through life is never “happily ever after.” It is fraught with struggles, challenges, unfairness, sinfulness, and in the end death. The challenge is always what do we do when faced with these realities. Do we give up? Do we run away? Do we say, “Oh what’s the use?” Do we go our own way? Or do we trust in the presence of God? Do we enter into the journey as Jesus did with our eyes focused on the Father? Trusting in God’s presence to bring us through.
 
Perhaps our challenge is to take life as it is and yet always see God’s presence in the journey, in the sunrise, the sunset, in the breath of life. Like Jesus we are called to sense our Father in every breath that we take. In the midst of the struggles and the unfairness of life we are challenged to never forget that we are the work of the Creator’s hands and so we must honor every passing hour, minute and second of our life so that at the end of this life we can move into a gift of eternal life!
 
Have a holy and blessed Saturday everyone!

Today’s Thoughts: Ten 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 30 years of living in the Bronx and now Pelham I came 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 was 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 was hard to find good in sports. When the day-to-day news about sports was often negative, I believe Derek Jeter was a man, a player of class, integrity, and dignity. I know that I did not know him, and he might have been a real jerk outside of baseball, but something told me he wasn’t.
 
Perhaps in much the same way ten years ago around this time it was hard not getting caught up in the preparations for Pope Francis’ visit. Like Derek Jeter many were asking the question who is Pope Francis? Certainly, over the last ten 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 ten 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 had 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 and Peter gets 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 blessed and holy Friday everyone!

​Today’s 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 holy and blessed Thursday everyone!

​Today’s Thoughts: Dependency is not a word we often see as positive. In our world and certainly in our country there is a pride taken in being independent. We are rugged individualist; we can do it on our own. We don’t need anyone else. Being dependent on others means weakness. We pride ourselves on being able to do things on our own. Yet as the Gospel unfolds today Jesus instructs his friends to be dependent.
 
They are to be dependent on the people they visit. They are to take nothing for their journey and rely on the hospitality of the places they visit and people they meet, and most importantly they are to depend on God. They are to depend on God for the authority and power to heal, cast out demons and proclaim the Kingdom of God. They are to depend on God to see them through their journey.
 
Often dependency doesn’t feel good to us. Relying on others seems risky. There are too many things that can go wrong if we depend on others however that is what Jesus asks of us, we are to depend on God and each other. If we do we have to opportunity to cure, heal, to have power over evil and proclaim the Kingdom. If we do, we can secure our place in the Body of Christ!
 
Let us trust in God’s presence today and continue to live this journey of life proclaiming the Good News.
 
Have a blessed and holy Wednesday everyone!

​Today’s 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 blessed and holy Tuesday everyone.

​Today’s 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 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 and holy Monday everyone.

​Today’s Thoughts: I would like to start off my thoughts today with a little story…
 
Father Murphy walks into a pub in Donegal, and asks the first man he meets, 'Do you want to go to heaven?'
The man said, 'I do, Father.'
The priest said, 'Then stand over there against the wall.'
Then the priest asked the second man, 'Do you want to go to heaven?'
'Certainly, Father,' the man replied.
'Then stand over there against the wall,' said the priest.
Then Father Murphy walked up to O'Toole and asked, 'Do you want to go to heaven?'
O'Toole said, 'No, I don't Father.'
The priest said, 'I don't believe this. You mean to tell me that when you die you don't want to go to heaven?'
O'Toole said, 'Oh, when I die, yes. I thought you were getting a group together to go right now.'
 
Now this might seem like a strange way to begin my thoughts, but I think my little story reflects the focus of our scriptures today.
 
At one point in our Gospel today Jesus asks his disciples, “What were you arguing about on the way?  But they remained silent.”
 
In the silence that follows Jesus’ simple question, like O’Toole in the bar we might hear something different from what Jesus is asking. The disciples had been discussing among themselves who was the greatest. Even after Jesus had shared with them his Passion and Death to come, they were more worried about themselves. Or perhaps they just didn’t want to face the journey of discipleship that Jesus had laid out for them.
  
In our second reading today, from James’ letter we get a sense of what Jesus is talking about in the Gospel. “Selfish ambition,” breeds, according to James, “disorder and every foul practice.”  This selfishness is no small thing, this worrying about who is the greatest! James’ diagnosis of the human struggle presented by the disciples, points to a disease that afflicts all human hearts, but one that has a particular effect on Jesus’ closest friends. 
 
Focusing on self remains in direct opposition to focus on God.  No one can move toward God who remains focused on the self.  The spiritual tradition of eastern Christianity names this self-focus – philautia, the love of self, as the “queen of all vices.”  This remains true for all, but what of those “closest to Jesus”?
 
In a passage from Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on evangelization, he speaks to all those who work “in and for the Church,” cautioning us about the temptation to “spiritual worldliness.”  Pope Francis warns about attitudes and behaviors that seek “not the Lord’s glory but human glory and personal well-being.”    This way of living life can take on many forms, depending on the kinds of people and groups into which it seeps. How can we avoid this?  Pope Francis says, “. . .  by making the Church constantly go out from herself, keeping her mission focused on Jesus Christ, and her commitment to the poor.”
 
Jesus also reminds us of a way to let go of “self-focus” when he brings a child into their midst. Who has not been in the presence of children, especially young children and not stopped thing about self. Children focus us on others, on God!
 
The Gospel today asks all of us to pay attention to the focus of our love:  Love of self?  Or love of Jesus, love of the Father and those whom Jesus and the Father love?
 
Have a great Sunday everyone and don’t forget to give God a little time today!

​Today’s Thoughts: My Saturday reflections for this Feast of St. Matthew –
 
The call of Matthew, the tax collector, comes to us in single verse. “As Jesus passed by, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post. He said to him, “Follow me.” And Matthew got up and followed Jesus.” (Matthew 9:9) The simplicity of this call perhaps raises a few questions and even gives pause to some speculation. Was this the first time to the two men had met? Had Matthew heard Jesus speak before? Was this the culmination of a few events that finally cause Matthew to make a choice. When Matthew walked away from his post, what did everyone think? How did the other disciples receive Matthew into the group?
 
I have often marvel that this scene of Matthew walking away from his familiar way of life so readily and completely. I am not sure I could have done it. Yet, in many ways some forty years ago I did the same thing. Perhaps not as dramatically, just the same I left one life behind to follow Jesus in a new way. Let us remember, Matthew was not merely walking away from something, he was walking toward someone – Jesus!
 
Many called Matthew a traitor, a sinner, an outcast, an undesirable but Jesus called him a friend, a disciple someone worth knowing, someone worth investing time energy and mercy in. Perhaps today we need to ask Jesus to help us to see the good in others so that our journey each day is not just sacrifice but more so mercy!
 
Have a holy and blessed Saturday everyone!