Today’s Thoughts: I have to say this morning that our scriptures today are not my favorite. What I struggle with are the images that they present to us. St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians uses the image of a soldier dressed for battle. The soldier has his or her shield, sword, armor, and is ready to do battle which for St. Paul is against the forces of evil. This kind of imagery comes to us throughout the scriptures, Old and New Testaments. But I must confess it is the imagery that I have the hardest struggle with. I don’t see my life as a battle. I don’t see faith as a shield. I don’t see myself wearing armor.
 
I have never desired to be in the military. I am not a physical fighter, never been in a physical fight and I have always struggled with the militaristic imagery in the Sacred Scriptures. I know I am in the minority and perhaps would be considered unamerican by many, but that is how I feel about life and live my life.
 
I cannot provide for you any better images of life than what St. Paul does. I certainly understand how he has come to use these images after all the culture of his time was a constant physical struggle to survive, war abound. Perhaps our present days are no different. We do face “rulers of this present darkness.” The image of a soldier doing battle with life, with evil, with the devil is probably an image that works for most people, and it is certainly imagery that many in our Church depend upon even today. But not me!
 
I look upon life as a journey. Perhaps because I am a runner, I look upon life as a marathon. Life presents us with the challenges of work, of home, of family, of neighbors, of relationships and other things that surround us externally, we are also confronted with many interior thoughts and feelings that enter our hearts making life difficult and a struggle. As we sort through them, we come to know that some are not of God, and they do not lead us to God.
 
Yes, St. Paul in the Letter to the Ephesians gives us practical advice. We are to rely on faith. St. Paul says it is a shield, but I prefer the image that faith is an energy, a spirit, a grace that helps me to continue the journey, that helps me to run the race, that helps me power through the struggles, that helps me overcome the obstacles, that helps me stand true when threatened by the presence of evil. Jesus never put on armor, held a sword, and entered into battle.
 
It is my friendship with God, with Jesus, with the Spirit that helps me confront the feelings of fear and thoughts of I am in over my head, my feelings of aloneness and thoughts of no one understands. I am sorry for my reflection today if you find doing battle, being a soldier for Christ, putting on your armor of good and carrying the shield of faith inspiring images for your life. As I have said above I do not. I will continue to run the race of life and trust that the water and nourishment stations will be there when I most need them and that more importantly, I do not run alone.
 
God’s word challenges us today: “In all circumstances, hold faith as a [grace, a spirit, an energy for the journey of life].”
 
Have a holy and blessed Thursday everyone!

​Today’s Thoughts: “Let the hearts that seek the Lord rejoice; turn to the Lord and his strength; constantly seek his face.” This is the entrance antiphon for today’s mass, and I must admit I do not often pay attention to the entrance antiphon. Some parishes where I have celebrated daily mass will always stand and read the entrance antiphon as I enter others do not. I have to say I rarely even read it. Yet as I was praying with today’s readings earlier this morning my eyes stopped at this entrance antiphon because I think in a few phrases it captures the essence of our readings today.
 
In our first reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul reminds the community at Ephesus where their faith begins and ends, in Christ. St. Paul tells children, parents and slaves how to go about living their life. They need to be grounded in Christ.  St. Paul challenges children, parents and slaves to seek the face of God, of Christ in all that they do.
 
In the Gospel Jesus is confronted with questions about who will be saved, and his answer is that to be saved is a hard journey which is not always predictable. Entering the Kingdom is fraught with many challenges and what is necessary is strength. The best way to find and enter through the narrow gate is to trust in the presence of God in life and to draw upon the strength we are graced with through our friendship with God.  For Jesus it is all about the lens we look through in life. Do we see things as the world invites us to see things or do, we see things as God asks us to see things?
 
If we choose the world’s way of looking at things the road is wide and easy, but the end leaves us outside in the cold. If we choose God’s way of seeing things the road is narrow, difficult and challenging but in the end, we will find ourselves safe and warm in the Kingdom. 
 
We do not make this journey alone we make our journey through life with the gift of Christ presence with us. St. Paul tells his community to let go and let God as they journey through life. With God as our Father, our Master there is no partiality, no favoritism.
 
So let us be a community, a Church of joy because our hearts seek the Lord; let us rely on God for strength for the journey; let us constantly be focus seeking, seeing the face of God in all we do today!
 
Have a blessed and holy Wednesday everyone!

Today’s Thoughts: “What is the Kingdom of God like? To what can [we] compare it?” We might say that these questions have been asked over and over again down through history. We are always trying to figure out what the Kingdom of God is like. What does Heaven look like?
 
We are always trying to compare it to what we know. Even Jesus does it today in the Gospel (Luke 13: 18-21). Jesus uses two images out of nature to teach us about the Kingdom of God. He compares the Kingdom to a mustard seed and yeast not exactly what I would compare the Kingdom to but Jesus has a reason for picking these two examples. He compares the Kingdom to a mustard seed and yeast because they are things in nature that are alive. They are growing, ever changing. The Kingdom of God is ever alive growing and changing.
 
St. Paul at one point in his Letter to the Romans, images God’s Kingdom as “hope”. It is something that we cannot see, and we wait for it with patient endurance.
 
Our challenge is to look around at the people, places and things of God’s creation that are a part of our lives and be thankful for them. When we ask the question what is the Kingdom of God like, to what can we compare it? All we need to do is look around because the Kingdom of God in alive in our life.
 
Perhaps Fr. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ said it well when he wrote: “By means of all created things, without exception, the divine assails us, penetrates us, and molds us. We imagined it as distant and inaccessible, when in fact we live steeped in its burning layers”
 
Or maybe Thomas Merton said it a little differently when he wrote: “When we are alone on a starlit night, when by chance we see the migrating birds in autumn descending on a grove of junipers to rest and eat; when we see children in a moment when they are really children, when we know love in our own hearts; or when, like the Japanese poet, Basho, we hear an old frog land in a quiet pond with a solitary splash - at such times the awakening, the turning inside out of all values, the "newness," the emptiness and the purity of vision that make themselves evident, all these provide a glimpse of the cosmic dance [a glimpse of the Kingdom].”
 
Have a blessed and holy Tuesday everyone!

​Today’s Thoughts: As we celebrate the Feast of St. Simon and St. Jude today, two apostles, two friends of Jesus, the thoughts I would like to offer you today come from one of my favorite authors, Barbara Brown Taylor. Barbara writes about what it means to be a priest. Her thoughts have given me food for thought recently and so I offer them to you today.
 
“...a priest is someone willing to stand between a God and a people who are longing for one another's love, turning back and forth between them with no hope of tending either as well as each deserves. To be a priest is to serve a God who never stops calling people to do more justice and love more mercy, and simultaneously to serve people who nine times out of ten are just looking for a safe place to rest. To be a priest is to know that things are not as they should be and yet to care for them the way they are.”
 
We might say that St. Simon and St. Jude were members of a group of people who stood between God and his people. They certainly were people who knew that things were not the way they should be and yet cared for them the way they were. Thanks to their journey with Jesus.
 
I hope I live up to what it means to be a priest most of the time. I know at times I do fail and I pray that my failures do not hurt others or keep them from God. I do know that things are not as they should be and I hope and pray that I do care for all the way they are!
 
Have a holy and blessed Monday everyone!

​Today’s Thoughts: As I reflected on and prayed with today’s gospel I was once again inspired by the enduring faith of Bartimaeus as he asks Jesus for mercy.  Through his perseverance and faith Jesus extended the invitation for Bartimaeus to come and present his case.  What an expression of faith in Jesus from Bartimaeus, and because of his faith he is given the opportunity to see. 
 
Our challenge today might well be to ask ourselves a few questions – When do we enthusiastically and joyfully ask for Jesus’ help?  How often are we blind to the graces that God constantly offers us? 
 
In the first reading from the Book of the Prophet Jeremiah there is a wonderful image for our journey of faith with Jesus – “They departed in tears, but I will console them and guide them; I will lead them to brooks of water, on a level road, so that none shall stumble.” (Jeremiah 31: 9) God is always compassionate and merciful. In the midst of our struggles God is always trying to refresh us by putting us on level ground and helping us not to stumble. However, as Pope Francis tells us over and over again if we seek God’s compassion and mercy, we are then asked to bring it to all we meet. If we open ourselves to God’s guidance we are challenged to better use our gifts in service with and for others.
 
Prayer is the place where we like Bartimaeus open ourselves to the presence of God passing by each moment of our life. Prayer is the place that enables us to call out to God and ask to see. Prayer is the place where we strengthen our faith and prepare to follow Jesus. When we fail to take time each day to pray we become blind.  We stumble along in darkness not open to the loving presence of Jesus. Why not pause for a moment of prayer sometime today and let Jesus open your eyes to the presence of God in your life!
 
Have a blessed, holy and joyful Sunday everyone!

​Today’s Thoughts: Seeing Jesus to be a wise person, people ask him to help them understand the meaning of some recent catastrophes—Pilate’s slaughtering of some Galileans in the temple precincts and the death of eighteen people crushed under the collapse of the Siloam tower.  Were these people singled out for catastrophe as punishment for being extraordinary sinners? 
 
No way, says Jesus, opposing the popular view that bad things only happened to bad people.  Then Jesus takes the occasion of their questions to make the paradoxical point that they themselves will suffer catastrophe if they do not repent.  To understand what he means, we only have to read further in this chapter to the place where he speaks of the disaster of being locked out of the banquet of the kingdom of God (Luke 13:24- 30).
 
The parable of the barren fig tree (Luke 13:6- 9) speaks about a fresh chance.  When the owner of the orchard wants to cut down the unproductive fig tree, the gardener urges him to allow a little more time: fertilize it a little more, and maybe it will produce fruit.  If we look at this story from our perspective at this moment in time we might say that Jesus is telling us that we still have the opportunity to act as people of faith and realize that the command to love our neighbor (even our enemies) requires that we voice our convictions regarding what our country, does in our name. 
 
In responding to the Gospel means that we always need to examine our conscience on the matter of justice, respect, fairness and compassion and that we communicate our values and conscience to those who lead us.  Our faith calls us to always find Christ even in the most difficult of moments and situations. The tragedies of life are often difficult to explain that is why faith is so important.
 
Have a holy and blessed Saturday everyone!

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 greater, something more important, something more valuable 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!

​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 tells 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. There is no reason to believe that it will stop anytime soon unless God has other plans. If there are two people on this earth there will be disagreements, struggles and challenges.
 
Unfortunately, in today’s world, with all the social media and 24-hour news stations and with our political climate this divisiveness gets exaggerated and intensified. The daily negativity that our culture, society and country has become is extremely hard to tune out. We can begin to feel like everything is falling apart. Who can we trust? Who if anyone speaks the truth? Even our faith gets shaken. There are disagreements within the highest levels of the Church. Cardinals, bishops, priests challenging the Pope because of the Synods or because of things he has said. People picking sides. Fear of change. Even a disciplined priest calling the Pope the devil!
 
When I hear these kinds of things, I think back many football seasons ago when the Green Bay Packers got off to a bad start at the beginning of the season and sports talk and the fans were on them. The Packers quarterback at the time, Aaron Rodgers simply told the media and the fans – “Relax!” It is a long season.
 
Life is a work in progress, yes, it can be messy, yes, there will be fights, disagreements and divisions but let’s all have faith in God’s Holy Spirit. Let’s all have 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: Throughout the scriptures Jesus often uses the image of master and servant to make a point and describe our relationship with God. In most cases God is the master, and we are the servants, and the relationship is as any master and servant relationship would be in Jesus’ world.
 
However, in today’s Gospel (Luke 12: 35-38) the relationship between master and servant between God and us is turned upside down. God does the waiting on us today and this profound reversal of roles is the very spirit of the Gospel message. It is the very spirit of what Pope Francis has challenged his cardinals, bishops and priest to be as ministers, the very essence of what he has challenged us to be as Christians.
 
If we look at our relationship with God, we come to know that God not only loves us and cares for us but in the person of Jesus God has taken on our human nature in order to redeem us. Many of those who listened to Jesus’ preaching probably found his image of God as one who serves difficult if not impossible to accept. Most masters of that time or anytime for that matter just are not seen or experienced as people who are willing to serve. Yet, for Jesus that is exactly what God has done in sending his own Son into the world.
 
To continue this gift, we are asked to be servers of God’s grace to the world. A question for today might be how do we make God presence known through service to others?
 
Have a holy and blessed Tuesday everyone.