Be Watchful & Vigilant

11-29-2020Gospel Meditation© LPi

You are at the eye doctor and it's time for the peripheral vision test. You know the one. It's where you put your head up to a contraption and have to click a switch

every time you see a squiggly line. If you don't concentrate and maintain optimal focus, you will miss them and skew the outcome of the test. You can easily find yourself with a diagnosis that really isn't accurate!

Concentration and focus are key to succeeding with this evaluation. They are also key to developing a healthy, vibrant spiritual life. If we do not bring our full consciousness to the task, concentrate with all our might, be watchful and vigilant, we are not going to see God's loving presence flashing before our eyes!

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Watch and Pray

11-29-2020Everyday Stewardship - Recognize God in Your Ordinary Moments

"Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time will come." –Mark 13:33

We all take things for granted. In particular, we take time for granted. We make our lives too busy. We plan our time, our days, weeks, months, even years in advance. Remember, our time on earth is a gift. None of us knows how long we will be here. Start today and begin thanking God for each and every day. Take time in silence, every day, and listen to how God is calling you right now to help build His kingdom on earth.

Bring Sin into the Light

11-29-2020The Pastor's PenFr. Matthew R. Paratore, S.T.L., J.C.L.

Dear Friend,

Sin demands to have a person be alone. It withdraws the individual from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him or her, and the more deeply the person becomes involved in it, the more disastrous is the isolation.

Sin wants to remain unknown. It shuns the light. In the darkness of the unexpressed, it poisons the whole being of a person.

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The Long Process of Healing

11-22-2020The Pastor's PenFr. Matthew R. Paratore, S.T.L., J.C.L.

Dear Friend,

Healing takes time, patience and determination to persevere through the long process of healing.

It’s not easy, but it is the reality of the healing process.

A good friend recently told me his own experience with the healing process of his right knee. About two years ago he had a total right knee replacement. When his knee started acting up and hindering his walking he wanted his knee to be better right now - not tomorrow. He wanted a microwave healing. He wanted immediate results from his first surgery. He wanted it fixed now, because he had things to do and he was tired of waiting for it to heal!

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Giving of Oneself is true Generosity

11-22-2020Everyday Stewardship - Recognize God in Your Ordinary Moments

“...whatever you did for one of the least of my brothers, you did for me..” Matthew 25:40

Most of us are generous when it’s convenient for us. We are generous when we have the time or the money. But, generosity is the opposite of that. It means giving of one’s time, money, compassion, forgiveness or mercy when it’s not convenient; when it’s not on our schedule, but on the other person’s schedule.

The Feast of Christ the King

11-22-2020Gospel Meditation© LPi

Many Americans are fascinated with England’s monarchy. For many different reasons, we are drawn to the regal pageantry and all of the protocols associated with royal lifestyles. What’s most amazing is that for all of the media attention focused on the comings and goings of English royalty, they really have very little effect on the day to day dealings of their country. Thoughts and images of kings and queens are often centered on this story book understanding of who and what they are. We associate protocols, etiquette, and proper words and actions to how we approach members of a royal family. These tools serve the necessary purpose of keeping them isolated, enthroned, and at a distance. There is something attractive about being an observer of ritual, pomp, and circumstance. It’s almost theatrical.

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God's Precious Gift

11-15-2020Gospel Meditation© LPi

God gives us the gift of His very self and asks us to invest it. Investing God’s greatest gift of Himself wisely, allows God’s kingdom to grow and flourish. God trusts us with this pearl of great price in hopes that it will produce abundant fruit. While God’s gift of self is realized in the gifts of faith, hope, and love, they are not meant to be solely for personal benefit. They are intended to be shared and are at the heart of Jesus’ blueprint for happiness, the Beatitudes.

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Well done, my good and faithful servant.

11-15-2020Everyday Stewardship - Recognize God in Your Ordinary Moments

“Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you have been faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities.” - Matthew 25:21

God calls us to nurture and develop the gifts He has given us and then generously return a portion with increase. He doesn’t want us to waste or hoard the gifts He has given us. He expects us to grow our gifts, use them wisely and be generous with them. Unfortunately, many of us are not generous in proportion to all that God has given us.

The Holy Spirit brings forth Charisms

11-15-2020The Pastor's PenFr. Matthew R. Paratore, S.T.L., J.C.L.

Dear Friend,

The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church. He gives life, he brings forth different charisms (gifts) which enrich the people of God and, above all, he creates unity among believers: from the many he makes one body, the Body of Christ. The Church’s whole life and mission depend on the Holy Spirit; he fulfills all things.

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Be Awake, Watch for God

11-08-2020Gospel Meditation© LPi

When doing student report cards, there was a comment the teacher could choose that read: inattentive and easily distracted. Could that comment describe your spiritual life? We can become so consumed with myriad distractions and preoccupations and lose our connection to what is really significant and important. We can become dull. This happens in our human relationships, too. We can easily take the love of others for granted, whether it be a parent, spouse, friend, or a child. We assume and presume that their love will always be there and do very little to cultivate, rejuvenate, and deepen it. Presumption can become a great sin.

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Your Choice

11-08-2020The Pastor's PenFr. Matthew R. Paratore, S.T.L., J.C.L.

Dear Friend,

A man named Peter inherited a huge land grant, but the will provided that he could choose land in either Chile or Brazil. He chose Brazil. Unhappily, if he had chosen Chile, he would have received his inheritance in land on which they had recently discovered uranium, gold and silver. But he chose Brazil.

When he arrived in Brazil he had to choose between receiving his inheritance in a coffee plantation or land with Brazil nut trees. He chose the nut trees, and immediately the bottom fell out of the nut market, but coffee futures went up two dollars a pound. The government took control of the nut farm for back taxes, and Peter was left destitute.

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Stay Awake

11-08-2020Everyday Stewardship - Recognize God in Your Ordinary Moments

"Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour." –Matthew 25:13

Many of us have put off doing something because we thing we are too bust. We've all said, "I'll do it later when I have time." Unfortunately, too many of us apply this attitude to our faith. Jesus' call is urgent, in the here and now, in our current circumstances. Don't delay. How is God calling you to use your gifts today? None of us is guaranteed tomorrow.

All Saints Day

11-01-2020Gospel Meditation

I remember as a child the meticulousness my father would bring to a task. Whether it be tending to a chore in the yard, repairing something, or painting a room, the tiniest of every detail demanded his attention. He had great patience. I benefited greatly by his example and remember these lessons well. We all need examples to follow. It is important to identity folks who excel at simple things and show us how to do things well. There are those among us and those who have gone before us who serve as these models and witnesses. They are ordinary people who in their “extraordinary ordinariness” capture our attention and allow us to see things more clearly.

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Taters

11-01-2020The Pastor's PenFr. Matthew R. Paratore, S.T.L., J.C.L.

Here is a little simple meditation. It is about "Taters."

Some people are very bossy and like to tell others what to do, but don't want to soil their own hands. Too many chiefs and not enough Indians. They are called "Dick Taters".

Some people never seem motivated to participate, but are just content to watch while others do the work. They are called "Speck Taters".

Some people never do anything to help, but are gifted at finding fault with the way others do the work. They are called "Comment Taters".

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How do you respond?

11-01-2020Everyday Stewardship - Recognize God in Your Ordinary Moments

"Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you (falsely) because of me." -Matthew 5:11

We are all at different points on the path to holiness, on getting to Heaven and becoming a saint. Part of the journey is being mocked and ridiculed by others. When this happens, how do you respond? Do you become silent? Do you react in anger or do you react with love? Fortunately, as one Body of Christ, we are united with the saints already in Heaven. Ask your favorite saint for guidance in defending the Faith.