Today’s Thought: There are perhaps many ways to interpret today's Gospel; one way that I have often used is to ask the questions, "What is your image of God? And are you afraid of God?" In the story the man gives his servants gold coins and says go out and trade with them. Some of the servants go and trade and make more coins. One servant hides the coin in a handkerchief, so he has it ready when the master wants it back. The servants who traded are rewarded and servant who stored the coin in the handkerchief has the coin taken away. The servants who trade took a risk, they could have lost. The third servant took no risk, why? As the story tells us because he was afraid of the master!
We are given many gifts from God and all we are asked to do is use them as we live out our life. I have come to the conclusion that our image of God makes all the difference in how we use our gifts. If we are afraid of God, afraid of making a mistake then we probably will not take any risks with God's gifts. We will hang on to them, hide them away. If we see God as a friend, a companion, someone who takes risks, who wants us to take risks then we will probably invest God’s gifts. For example, if we see Jesus as someone who took one risk after another; if we see him as someone who invested his life every day then we hopefully will do the same. So, I believe that it comes down to how we envision, understand and live out our relationship with God. Another question I often ask is, "What if the first two servants had traded with the coins and lost them?" I cannot answer the question for sure, but my guess is the master says the exact same thing, "Well done, good servant!" Why because no investment is ever lost it is always out there working in some way. Thus, the challenge for today is to ask ourselves the question, "Are we willing to take a risk and bring God to the world today or are we going to hide God safely away?" Have a holy and blessed Wednesday everyone.
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Today’s Thoughts: We encounter the famous story of Zacchaeus in today's Gospel (Luke 19:1-10). Zacchaeus had to liabilities, one he was short, and the other was that he was a tax collector.
Now he could not do anything about his shortness that was with him to stay. Being a tax collector seemed to be his choice. We do not know how he got the job or why he wanted it but it put him in a bad light with many people and the religious leadership. He was seen as a sinner, someone who sold out to the Romans and someone who was cheating his own people just to get ahead in life. However, there was something honest and interesting about Zacchaeus. When he heard that Jesus was in town, he wanted to see him, catch a glimpse. So as the story goes he climbed a tree and we might say the rest was history. Jesus saw him and invited him down for a closer look. We find out through the conversation between Jesus and Zacchaeus that Zacchaeus is trying to be an honest man and he is willing to go the extra mile if he has hurt or harmed anyone by his position and he is rewarded for his honesty and good heart as Jesus comes to his house. Zacchaeus was able to take his shortcomings, his liabilities and turn them into strengths. He was able to make a positive situation out of what seemed to be a negative. All he needed to do was seek out God in his life. With this story Jesus once again reminds us that good things, faithful things can come from unexpected situations and people. Like Zacchaeus we need to be on the lookout for the presence of God in our life and be bold when our chance comes to encounter that presence! Have a holy and blessed Tuesday everyone! More Today’s Thoughts – 11/16/2020 – Monday 33rd Week Year I
I know that sometimes in my “Today’s Throughs” I focus primarily on the Gospel and thus often miss important or helpful reflections in the other reading or readings. Today is one of those times. I wrote my thoughts for today last night before going to bed. I had read the readings for today and as often happens I did not put much thought into the first reading from the Book of Revelations. Revelations is not my favorite book in the Sacred Scriptures probably because I do not give it much time in my prayer. However, today’s first reading was from the beginning of the Book of Revelation and as I let it sit overnight, reflected on it early this morning and then hear a brother Passionist reflect on it at mass I realized how valuable a passage it was. The author of Revelation often thought to be St. John the Evangelist offers us the opportunity to reflect on our own journey of faith today, as part of the Church and in my case also a part of a religious community. God’s words through St. John spoken to the faith community of the Church of Ephesus could easily be spoken to us today. God through St. John tells the community at Ephesus that they have done a lot of good word, they have been faithful and God is proud of their hard work, but he is disappointed in one thing – “you have lost the love you had at first.” I must admit I misread this simple statement last night, but it hit me the first thing this morning. “You have lost the love you had first!” Are not we all guilty of that in one way or another in terms of the people in our lives and most importantly God? We Passionists are always talking about vocations and the lack there of as I presume most religious communities are doing. Everyone has a different reason why and there are many different reasons. Yet perhaps the key reason we and others struggle with the lack of vocations is “We have lost the love we had at first.” In a week or so we Passionists will begin a year long celebration of the 300th Anniversary of our founding by St. Paul of the Cross. St. Paul’s great love for Christ and him crucified began the journey, began our presence in the Church. Perhaps during this Jubilee Year, we need to get back to that first love of St. Paul of the Cross. Perhaps, we as individual Passionists need to get back to our own first love that brought us to this community, this congregation. As a Church, perhaps we need to get back to the first love that God speaks about to the Church of Ephesus. Not the love of power, wealth, importance, prestige, control, ritual, laws, structure, and institutionalism but the first love of God and others – all others. As individuals living in a 21st century world and church perhaps Revelation’s words challenge us in our own lives to get back to the first love – not of self only, not wealthy, power, control, and not hate, but the love of God, others and self, grounded in mercy, compassion, hope, faith, selflessness and the first love of God that brought us into the world. As Passionists we often say, “May the Passion of Jesus Christ be always in our hearts” – that my friends in faith should remind us of God’s First Love! – Peace in Christ’s Passion, Fr. Paul Today’s Thoughts: I have a couple of thoughts about our Gospel today...
Perhaps my first thought is not directly related to today Gospel, but it is a good starting point for my thoughts today. I was wandering around the internet a year or so ago and came across a video of Denzel Washington giving a commencement address at a college a couple of years ago. In his talk he gave the students 5 or 6 suggestions or principles for living their life. His first principle or suggestion was – “Put God first, make God a part of everything that you do!” He told them a story about his college days and how he was not doing well, his grade point was 1.7 and he had an experience in his mother beauty shop that changed his focus. Since that time, he has tried to “put God first” in everything that he has done. I think Mr. Washington’s principle reminded me of one of my own principles of life that God asks of me each day, "stay in love with me and live out of that love!" At a community mass a couple of years ago one of my brother Passionist reflected on today's Gospel and he challenged us with the point that sometimes we would prefer not to see. The blind man in the Gospel wants to see but sometimes we find it easier not to see, it means less responsibility, less hurt or pain, less expectations on us. If I look at my own life, I would have to say his observation is true. I think there have been times when I really didn't want to see, it was easier not to! If we can “put God first,” if we can find and enliven our first love for God, others and ourselves then we will always want to see! Or perhaps if we ask God in faith to see then our first love will once again come to life! May this day be one of seeing, of putting God first and rich in energy grounded in love! Have a blessed and holy Monday everyone. Today’s Thoughts: “You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope.” (Thomas Merton)
Perhaps this is the spirit of today Gospel (Matt. 25:14-30) that we take the chance and invest our life. There are always risks involved but in the end, wouldn't it be great to hear God say to us, "Well done good and faithful servant, come share my joy!" The word talent or talents that we find in our Gospel today at one time had the meaning in English of a “large sum of money,” which is its meaning in Greek. However, through the years influence by this parable the meaning came to be a “natural capacity for success in some mental or physical activity.” Thus, we think of a talent as a special gift that we have for sports, art, music and in other things. Our scripture today, however, is not talking about special gifts, but talent as the challenge to use our God given ability to be compassionate, understanding, wise, forgiving, merciful, loving. We are challenged to be the person created in the image and likeness of God by using our God given talents to make this world a better place not just for ourselves but for all. We are challenged today to take a risk with our lives not keep them safe. I have always said when we heard or read one of Jesus’ parables and at the end of the parable someone is outside, “You don’t want to be that person!” Today, the third servant in the end because he fails to take a rise, because he safely buries his talent ends up “outside where there is wailing and grinding of teeth.” We are asked today to trust in the gifts, talents, presence of God in our lives and take the risk so that when we meet God face to face we will hear “Well done good and faithful servant…Come share my joy!” Have a blessed and holy Sunday everyone and don’t forget to give God a little time today! Today’s Thoughts: Early this morning as I spent some time in prayer I was struck by Jesus’ closing words in the Gospel today, "But when the Son of Man comes will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:1-8) My guess is that Jesus’ question in today’s Gospel is always the underlying question when it come to our human condition. There are so many experiences that seem to make faith difficult. So many experiences that direct our attention away from our relationship with God.
In the Gospel today, Jesus reminds us to pay attention and be persistent especially in prayer. In many ways it is these two qualities that will help keep our faith alive so that when Jesus does return he will find faith! ... Key thought for our journey of life today..."Being attentive to God especially through persistence in prayer!" Have a holy and blessed Saturday everyone! Today’s Thoughts: In our Gospel today, we are presented with difficult lesson. Jesus emphasizes over and over to his disciples and to those listening to him that they will not know the day or the hour that the Son of Man will be revealed. Jesus stresses that they will be going about their normal routines when they will need to stop what they are doing, leave their belongings, there stuff, leave loved ones and friends to take note of his coming.
Jesus implies that they will otherwise be lost as the people in Noah and Lot’s time. “One will be taken, the other left.” The people, it seems, were confused by Jesus’ words, and respond, “[taken] where, Lord?” Jesus says, with a bit of frustration, “Where the body is, there also the vultures will gather.” This passage, I think, might just be saying to us that our true future, eternal life, is not about the body, but more about the spirit. If we do not take note of the coming of the Lord and ignore Jesus’ warning that we must put matters of everyday life aside to follow him, we will be subject to death. The “vultures” will gather around us. We do have a choice, to “Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.” Today, let us choose to lose our life and follow Jesus. Have a blessed and holy Friday everyone! Today’s Thoughts: “The Kingdom of God is among you.” These are Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel (Luke 17:20-25). What do they mean?
On the one hand Jesus could be talking about himself. He is the Kingdom of God at that moment. The religious leaders are looking around for God and signs of God, yet God is in their midst. The Kingdom of God is among them and they are missing it! Another way of looking at Jesus’ words is that Jesus does not say that the Kingdom of God is in us or above us or around us; Jesus says the Kingdom is among us. Perhaps Jesus is saying that none of us alone possesses the Kingdom of God. Each of us shares in the Kingdom, thus we need each other for the Kingdom to be fully appreciated. With this in these two ways of understanding Jesus’ words today our challenge is to be on the lookout for marks of the Kingdom. We need to be on the lookout for the presence of Jesus in our life. And what will help us not miss the marks of the Kingdom and the presence of Jesus? Well, one way to approach this challenge each day is by “refreshing our hearts in Christ,” as St. Paul tells us in our first reading today. (Phlm 7-20) Have a blessed, holy, wise, and wonderful Thursday everyone. Today’s Thoughts: In our Gospel (Luke 17:11-19) Jesus responds with mercy to the ten lepers who asked for mercy. Yet it is the Samaritan in the group who returns to offer thanks. How often do we get caught up in the attitude that “Life is about me!” How often do we forget that all we are and all we have comes from God? When those good moments happen; when life falls into place for us; when things work out just as we had planned, how often do we remember to pause and say thank you?
If we look at the history of the world, the history of life, the history of the Church, great decisions have been made but so to have great mistakes and poor choices. Things have constantly changed sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse yet what has endured is the presence of God. As Jesus tells us in the Gospel today, faith and thankfulness are key ingredients in the journey of life. We need to have faith, to trust in God’s mercy. We also need to be thankful for that mercy each and every day of our life. Blessings and peace to all today! Enjoy your Wednesday everyone! Today’s Thoughts: The reading from St. Paul’s Letter to Titus seems to be answering the following questions: What does a Christian look like? How does a Christian act? How does one recognize a follower of Christ?
Whether we are young or old, female or male, we hear from St. Paul a description of the “ideal Christian.” We need to look past the cultural disconnect that it seems to present to us and see it as a challenge to all of us, female or male, old or young. The best news is the last sentence, which begins, “For the grace of God has appeared….” We might tend to get absorbed in the earlier descriptions of conduct, examining our own behavior, wondering if we fulfill requirements. “I’m pretty good at this; that’s one of my faults; I always struggle with that.” However, if this is what we focus on then we are missing the good news here. Behavior and attitudes, external changes, are all results of the transformation we have experience when we open our hearts and welcome God’s grace. They are the outcome of the internal changes we make because of our relationship with God. We seem to have gotten the message turned around. We focus on our behavior and berate ourselves for wrong actions, mis-steps and faults. We always seem to be trying to “fix” the outside, to re-shape ourselves to fit the ideal image, to make sure we “measure up”, rather than allowing God’s grace to continually permeate us, transforming us from the inside. The Gospel reading further develops the value of this grace. The good that we do, the ways we help and serve each other, all the ways we give of ourselves and our gifts – we do this not in expectation of some reward, but because this is now our nature. This is who we are, transformed in Christ! Again, somewhere along the way we turned this around to thinking we will like ourselves better, and feel better about ourselves, if we act in the ways that get us the rewards of recognition, praise, status, a raise, or whatever else we think motivates us. Our transformed life is the reward! It is not external to us, not a fleeting feeling or transient title or trophy. Today. let us love the Lord with our whole heart and God will do the rest. Have a holy and blessed Tuesday 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
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