Today’s Thoughts: As I read today’s Gospel (Luke 12:54-59) as I prepared to live life this day I could not help but think of one of my favorite sayings by Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, S.J – “Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.”
Jesus seems to be saying the same thing. As human beings we seem to get caught up, become fascinated, with the things around us and in doing so we often miss the most important. We know what will happen when the wind blows out of certain direction. For example, sometimes here in the east we will have wind out of the northeast meaning it will blow in off the ocean, so we will most likely have a nor’easter rainstorm or snowstorm. Now there is nothing wrong with knowing and understanding how nature works however, Jesus’ and Fr. Teilhard de Chardin’s points are that there is something great, something more important, something more value to life and because we are busy about other things we miss it. If as a Church, a nation, a culture, a society, a world we would put our efforts into harnessing the energies of God’s love we would discover fire for a second time in history and how important was it the first time! The energies of God’s love are all around us, but we are so busy with other seemingly important things that we most often miss the chance to encounter God’s love. We miss the opportunity to make God’s love part of our lives. My suggestion this Friday to all is that we take some time today to pause and look around ourselves. Look past the obvious, the usual, the everyday. Look for the gift of God in our lives as it comes to us in so many different and life-giving ways. Discover it. Acknowledge it. Breathe it in. Embrace it. Celebrate it. Be thankful for it. And share it! Have a blessed and holy Friday everyone!
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Today’s Thoughts: Jesus tells us in the Gospel today (Luke 12:49-53) that there will be divisions, conflicts and struggles because of his presence, message, ministry and call. He tells us that he has come to set the earth on fire. He is telling us of his deep feelings, emotions, and mission.
Down through the centuries the divisions and divisiveness Jesus speaks of is exactly what has happened from time to time in our world and in our Church. There is no reason to believe that it will stop anytime soon unless God has other plans. As long as there are two people on this earth there will be disagreements, struggles and challenges. Today we live in a very divisive time, both in our society and our Church. There is conflict, disagreement, sides and divisions. Every issue seems to be taken through the ringer. From Pope Francis on down in our Church every statement, every reflection is analyzed and dissected until something wrong is found. There are always people who disagree, who have a better way or at least another way. Judgments abound in our world, our country and our Church and with the way technology and the media are today it is hard to get away from the divisiveness! A few years ago, one Sunday and the week that followed there was a lot of talk, media, hysteria and apocalyptic chatter around the play of the Green Bay Packers. Amid it all came the immortal words of Aaron Charles Rodgers, quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, in responding to the slow start that the Packers got off to he simply responded – “Relax!” In Jesus’ words today I would just like to send a memo to everyone today – “Relax!” Life is a work in progress, yes, it can be messy, yes, there will be fights, disagreements and divisions but let’s all have some faith in the Holy Spirit. Let’s all have some faith in the living of life. Let’s all believe in the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ love! Have a holy and blessed Thursday everyone! Today’s Thoughts: “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” This is a demanding and challenging reflection by Jesus in today’s Gospel (Luke 12: 39-48). Each time I hear this Gospel especially these words from Jesus I always pause in thought. Am I using the gifts and talents that I have been entrusted with to the best of my ability? Perhaps more importantly, am I using the gifts and talents that I have been entrusted with to further the Kingdom of God? Am I using them not only for myself but for others?
If I am honest with myself then at times my answer to these questions is no! I have been graced, honored and entrusted with many gifts and I have to say at times I do not use them to the best of my ability. Sometimes I am selfish in my approach to life and in sharing what I have been given. At times the challenge of the Gospel especially the challenge in today’s Gospel weighs heavy on me. I want to be the best person of faith I can be, and I want that to be reflected in how I live my life and how I use my gifts. I was reading a reflection a while ago that said, “If we have been given a keen mind, we must think. If we are filled with compassion, we must serve. If we receive a voice, we must sing. God will not ask the impossible but will expect our talents to be used.” Perhaps the question for all of us today is what are our gifts and talents? Are they being used to make present the Kingdom of God? Have a blessed and holy Wednesday everyone! Today’s Thoughts: We celebrate the feast of St. Luke, the Evangelist and companion of St. Paul today. In the first reading, (2 Timothy 4:10-17b), we are reminded that St. Paul was not always successful in his relationships. Two of his companions leave him but one, Luke, remains. When St. Paul was challenged in his ministry and he was challenged often, I am sure that he wished that there were more friends there to help him. But the Lord always stood by St. Paul and provided him with the strength necessary to push on.
From this story in St. Paul’s Letter to Timothy and others like it we can be graced with the hope that in our journey of faith our support, like St. Paul’s, comes from God in many different ways. God is always with us and will never leave us to face our perils alone. And like Luke for Paul, friends and family who stand by us, even when others forget us, are special gifts. Perhaps today on this Feast of St. Luke, Evangelist a faithful friend we might give thanks for the faithful friends in our own lives. Thanking God for them and the gifts that they are to us! Have a blessed and holy Tuesday everyone! Today’s Thoughts: We often think when we hear stories like the one about the “Rich Fool” in today’s Gospel (Luke 12: 13-21) that Jesus doesn’t like those who are rich and that is not true. When Jesus talks about wealth, possessions, status and power it is not to condemn them but merely to challenge all who find themselves in possession of them. Jesus wants to know what we are going to do with what we possess. Do we use wealth, possessions, status and power to make ourselves comfortable or do we use them to help others? What we do with what we have is always the question.
As Jesus points out today, we cannot take it with us. As a friend of mine always says, “You never see a U-Haul behind a hearse!" In other words, you cannot take it with you so what are you going to do with it? Pope Francis is constantly challenging us to care about the poor, the needy, the less fortunate, the immigrants and the struggling. This challenge is nothing new it has been part of our faith from the beginning. Care and concern for the poor flows out of the Gospel. It is the same message that Jesus presents today. In the early Church the question of those in need was always part of the Church's focus. Pope Francis is just reminding us of what Jesus has said all along. As Passionists, St. Paul of the Cross wanted us to be called “The Poor of Jesus.” He wanted us to seek out all those struggling in the Passion of Jesus. Our Rule, our Constitutions of Life, talk about our option for the poor. They should be our first concern, especially those who encounter the Passion of Jesus in their life today. Wealth, power, possessions and status are not evil. They are not counter to the Gospel; unless we fail to share, unless we only think of ourselves, unless we let injustice and poverty go unchallenged. Do we use the gifts, talents, possessions, wealth and power to make the world for all people a better place? In other words, by living our life are we rich in what matters to God? Have a blessed and holy Monday everyone! Today’s Thoughts: A number of years ago I saw a TV interview where the person being interviewed talked about a catch phrase he often used, “Get after it!” or “Let’s get after it.” The interviewee talked about it as his way of living life. In this profession he needs to be aggressive, assertive, persistent, but also responsible, decent and respectful. It is not easy to balance all these things, but he tries.
This catch phrase stayed with me and when I encountered today’s readings it seemed to fit. For me the readings seem to be asking us, in different ways, to “Get after it.” The widow in our Gospel is getting after it! Moses, along with Aaron and Hur are getting after it! And St. Paul is telling his friend Timothy that as leader he needs to get after it! Jesus is reminding us that prayer is important in our journey of faith and if we get after it with persistence, assertiveness, responsibility and respect good things will happen. Sometimes it is good to have help as Moses finds out in our first reading and as St. Paul tells Timothy the Sacred Scriptures are a good place for help, inspiration and wisdom. Yes, our challenge today as people of faith, as a community of faith called Church is to get after it with persistence and respect. Have a blessed and holy Sunday everyone! Today’s Thoughts: Today’s Gospel passage just might leave one stumped. What does Jesus mean by the unforgivable sin, the sin against the Holy Spirit? What specifically would it be?
Here the Scriptures and Church teaching seem to be on a collision course. The Catechism assures us God’s mercy overcomes even the gravest evil, when there is sincere contrition. The power of God is a mighty force, that can go many places and accomplish amazing things. However, the one thing that can stop God’s power dead in its tracks, time and time again, is the hardness of the human heart. Because God will not force himself on us. But we have a wily God who knows how to find a way. Just look at our first reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. St. Paul is thankful at how God has found a way into the Ephesians hearts through faith and love for one another. Yes, we can cut ourselves off from God. We can harden our hearts. We can speak against the Holy Spirit. But we also have the hope that God will find a way to turn that hard heart into a human heart and turn our blasphemes into faith! Have a holy and blessed Saturday everyone! Today’s Thoughts: “Do not be afraid.” Jesus’ words toward the end of today’s Gospel. At first glance, this passage from Luke’s Gospel (Luke 12: 1-7) today it is a bit confusing. Jesus first talks about who to fear. We are to fear the one who can take eternal life from us. But then Jesus tells us not to fear because God is with us, God cares, God has our back!
I could not help but think about St. Paul’s words from the eighth chapter of Roman when he says, “If God is for us who can be against us!” I have often said we should write this down and keep it next to our bed and read it when we wake up each morning and before we close our eyes each night. “If God is for us who can be against us!” What a wonderful thought. Perhaps Jesus is saying the same thing when he tells us we are worth far more than many sparrows. God knows us intimately; he knows every hair on our head. God has our back so even though life presents us with many reasons to be afraid Jesus reminds us not to be because, to paraphrase the words of Thomas Merton, God will never leave us to face our perils and fears alone! Have a blessed and holy Friday everyone! Today’s Thoughts: “Woe to you, scholars of the law! You have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter.” Strong and challenging words of Jesus in today’s Gospel. I wonder how many religious leaders, scholars of the law or leaders in general will paused when they hear these words proclaimed or when they proclaim them themselves during mass today? At the very least these words from Jesus should be food for thought.
The readings today urge us to consider our faith, our relationship with God as the lens through which we view life and make decisions. We certainly need to respect the law but our readings today challenge the laws that do not promote love, acceptance of and advancement of people even people we disagree with. We are asked as people of faith to promote love, forgiveness and respect of all God’s people. Perhaps a few questions we might ask are – Over the course of history what has God done for us? And today what does God want me to do, what does God want us to do when opting for a direction or making a decision in life? Have a holy and blessed Thursday everyone! Today’s Thoughts: Our readings today (Galatians 5:18-25 and Luke 11:42-46) focus on two things – living in the Spirit and judging others. We are challenged by our scriptures today to not be judges but to be people of compassion, to be people of the Spirit.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer speaks to Paul and Jesus’ message today with his own reflection. “Judging others makes us blind, whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.” Love and grace of gifts of the Spirit and they help us not to be blind judges but to be people of generosity, kindness, joy, peace and faithfulness. As does Henri Nouwen with his words; “As long as we continue to live as if we are what we do, what we have, and what other people think about us, we will remain filled with judgments, opinions, evaluations, and condemnations. We will remain addicted to putting people and things in their "right" place.” In other words, we will place burdens on others and certainly not be people of the Spirit. The question that we might ask ourselves today is do we want to be blind and addicted? Hopefully not – which means we need to remember let God be the judge and every time we are tempted to point out another’s fault, we should think of our own shortcomings. If we approach life this way we will be graced by God’s mercy and patience, we will be living in the Spirit! Have a blessed and holy Wednesday everyone! |
Fr. Paul R. Fagan, C.P. "Preacher on the Run"Just a few thoughts to help you on your journey through life...let me know from time to time what you think... Archives
May 2023
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