Fr. Ron posted: “Dear Parishioners, This Friday, May 1, we celebrate the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. This is the second feast of St. Joseph in our liturgical calendar. The first being March 19, the feast of St. Joseph, husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus.
This Friday, May 1, we celebrate the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. This is the second feast of St. Joseph in our liturgical calendar. The first being March 19, the feast of St. Joseph, husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus. This feast day which was instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955 was made to promote the dignity of labor and to encourage a spiritual dimension to labor unions. Pope Pius XII emphasized the importance of work to the Christian life in building up the kingdom of God. The worker is not to be degraded or be used for material gain but to be respected for his gifts and labor. For a practical application to this feast day, perhaps we can reflect on ways that we can add a spiritual dimension to our work day. How can we be like Jesus who worked as a carpenter? How can we live a virtuous life in our places of employment?
I share with you a letter that I received this past week from Cardinal Seán;
Congratulations on reaching your 2015 Catholic Appeal goal at St. Joseph Parish.
The Catholic Appeal is the primary means through which we sustain essential ministries that build up our community and encourage all of our people to live together in faith. Thank you for your support of this important effort.
The generosity of your parishioners is a sign of their recognition and appreciation of our pastoral leadership. I am truly grateful for their commitment and support of the work of the Church. Please share with them my heartfelt thanks for continuing to be joyful signs of God’s boundless love and compassion to all.
Thank you for your generous response to the Catholic Appeal. I also thank you for your continued generous support to this parish. Again, I encourage you to consider the spiritual activity of tithing, giving your first 10% of your income to the Lord. I ask that you support this parish with part of your tithe and to give the rest in support of other worthy organizations to help those in need. Also as you can see with our financial monthly reports, most of our parish support comes from our offertory and less from our electronic giving. It would be nice if we could reverse that in order to help us prepare for our yearly budget.
I will be available to hear confessions on Tuesday, April 28, from 7:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
May Jesus continue to shepherd you in all of your needs.
The phone rang on Tuesday evening at around 9:15 pm and it was my brother S and he said that our friend Donna S. Passed away on April 8, We did not know. Donna was our family friend for the last 20 or so years. We met her through St.Basils and she was so perfect in her love for everyone. God radiated through her life and she served everyone.
Donna, worked very hard in her life despite having had a whole lot of physical limitations. She kept going and never stopped. She was young but had a terrible lung desease that required her to have oxygen at all times. she carried that tank around with her daily as she served everyone in need.
She loved God and believed in every word that he spoke that is written in his good book. . She lived those words and did not complain about her restrictions. She just reached out.
Donna and I talked often and she visited us here a few months back for dinner. It was very special as always. She would say Dan, God is useing you in a powerful way and I would say Donna you are the amazing one.
She cared, she was smart and she was humble and caring like Mother Teresa was.
She was also current and fun and would laugh at my danny jokes.
Donna was our friend, Donna was on a mission and Donna was an angel on Earth.
Rest in peace, we love you and will see you again . Amen.
Donna’s life was one of beauty.
Donna went to God rejoycing, oh the beauty she must have seen. We will miss you honey.
As my daughter often says as she laughs. Dad, the struggle is real when talking about this crazy thing called life. She has my sense of humor for sure.
ad·o·les·cence
ˌadəˈlesəns/
noun
the period following the onset of puberty during which a young person develops from a child into an adult.
Each day can be a struggle for us from thing or another.
What we don’t want is for each day of our life to be one of standing in place. On so many levels that is bad for us.
Thats why we need to grow ever closer in our love and relationship with God. We do not want to be adolesent in our relaionship with him.
I was inspired by God with this message on Saturday afternoon as I prepared for church.
I wrote about my desire to deepen my relationship with God during this past Lenten Season. I am not sure how I did on that front. It was a beautiful Season but I was not 100 percent into the effort. I was distracted by life and stuff. My license has given me more options so I am tempted to go out when I have the energy or the mind to.
Friday for instance, I was up early and went to physical therapy. After therapy I went to chapel for a short while and I went to my dads house and spent a number of hours with him , it was awesome.
Last evening my wife and I got together with another couple of good friends for dinner. We were talking at dinner about life stuff, kids, parents , jobs etc. When we were discussing our parents etc, I was thinking that I still wish that I could have spent more face time with my mom while she was ill. It is something that I could not help but will always regret. Today like I said was great with my dad once again and I also this week went to my God parents home for lunch so life is good 🙂
My blog posts will no longer be daily because, it needs to be inspired from God and I feel that because of my new mobility that I need to be out serving more and not stting at a computer or on my kindle. 🙂
When I woke up this beautiful morning I had a song on my mind from 40 or 50 years ago and looked it up. The words in general are very true precious and few…..
Climax Blues band Precious and Few.
The moments we share here are few but Gods promise that we will be united through Jesus Christ eternally makes life beautiful. Amen.
As I walked the track again on Monday and took my sweet time doing it I remembered my daughter’s words slow and steady dad, you”ll get there.
I was thinking as I was walking that we are responsible for many of own mindsets. If I have a bad moment I sometimes go negative with a phrase. What I have come to understand now is that the thoughts and words that we think and say can truely effect your life in a negative way.
Three terms that I think and say at times from my inner voice are…
1. I’m not.
2. I can’t
3. I won’t
These are not healthy words. We all have them and they are not positive or good for our psyche. That attitude got me into trouble Sunday as I pushed myself around the track.
There is a power that resides in us all that is truth, It is the Spirit of God. Thats what corrected my sour demeanor Sunday and made me push myself to stive for better things.
The three terms that we need to hold, embrace and live are…
1.) I will
2.) I can
3.) I am going to.
See victory
Realize a victory that only God can give you. Jesus is the ultimate healer.
It’s a reality of this life. God ordained that after the creation of Adam that he would also create Eve so that they would have oneanother and not be alone. They then we’re blessed with children and we are those children generations removed.
Part of the reason why I am still here personally is because I am very very stubborn. I do not give myself an inch. I can be foolish at times I know but I choose life and I choose to get myself back into the game where I can contribute to society in a meaningful way.
Yesterday I was home and my wife was down the Cape with a number of her girl friends for the day so I decided to walk the track for the first time since last Fall. I called my brother and he dropped what he was doing to join me. So, I walked a quarter mile lap with him and we headed home.
This Morning , I woke up hopped in the shower and decided I would walk the track. My wife was now at church and I went Saturday so I said I will go now and be done when my wife gets back from mass.
Off I went to the track as I left the garage I saw my eldest daughter and just said I am going to walk the track 🙂 and, away I went.
I got to the track and there were a lot of young kids playing soccer so cute. The parents were all there watching and talking together. I remember those days well with 4 kids my wife and I were always at one field or another.:) Those days were so important for my kids and for us I thank God for every one of the moments there.
Well this morning God protected me from myself once again. I am one hundred percent sure of this fact here’s why,
I began to walk the track and the kids were playing on the field. I was walking and greeting other walkers as they passed by me. It was gorgeous out and it was the day that I have been waiting for. As I walked and looked at the sky I began to pray and talk softly to God so I could hear myself. I wanted my ears to hear what my heart was expressing to God. I began to say I can’t believe that one year ago that I told my physical therapists that I wanted to run the Boston marathon. I was thinking how stupid of me !I became embarassed. WITH that, I thought to myself I can do it! and It’s not because I say that I can , it’s because God can do anything that he chooses to for me. I felt a sense of defiance and got mad at myself for being negative and picked up my pace as I walked I felt empowered. I was finishing the 1/2 mile mark (2 laps) as I rounded the final corner I suddenly felt my left leg begin to falter and I thought oh no ! I am going down. I stopped and used my right hand and pushed on the top of my cane to help support me. I tried to step forward but my knee cap was going up and down fromthe stress and the nerves. all of my wiring from the brain is newon the left side of my body and is being rebuilt over time. I began to take little steps fighting myself not to fall. I looked up and down the track about 150 feet away all of a sudden a figure emerged walking down the track I thought I recognized her but was not sure as she got closer I realized that it was my daughter. She walked up to me and I said what are you doing here? I said I am going to fall. she raised her sunglasses and looked at me and smiled and said dad don’t worry, I got you,I am here. I was on the verge of tears she said lets go and I said I was trying to walk 3/4 of a mile today but my body is rebelling. She was holding my left side steady as we walked and she said how long have you walked ? I said 1/2 mile so she said c’mon lets go you can do it:)
So, we took the final lap her helping me as my leg once again faltered. My daughter became my left side as we walked.
I asked her again how did you end up down here? You were a Miracle to me today!
She said after she saw me in the garage she went to the gym to work out. She said she walked into the gym and said to the person at the desk, I don’t know why I am in here today my dad is walking the track. I should go with him and the girl replied yes you should plus it is beautiful out.
So God sent one of my angels to help me today. I was wrong to have pushed myself to a point of potentially harming myself but lesson learned. Like my daughter said dad, slow and steady your going to get there.
For my beautiful daughter, Dad says thank you and God Bless You Honey.
xoxo me
I saw God today… In my daughter once again 🙂
Thank You God for your mercy and my lifes many blessings. Amen.
When I think of this song I think of the older folks by its beat and orchestration. Being in business for as long as I was gave me a wonderful clientele many of them older and I thoroughly enjoyed them and I feel deeply honored to carry them in my heart and remember their beauty , kindness, and simple life values. May they rest in peace Amen.
First off Happy Birthday to my angel in heaven Brad Michaels birthday is today. He was born 26 years ago today. 🙂 He is with my mom and grandparents celebrating and watching over us. A few of His friends are in heaven with him Benjamin B., Scotty Mac and Alex H. Until we meet again.
I was sitting here today in the silence of my home thinking after my post was completed and my mind drifted off to a deep recess of my mind and pulled out a memory of a conversation that I had when I was a teenager with my mom and dad. It reminded me of a writing on this blog recently about the fears and stressors that kids have in their lives at that time.
I remembered in detail this morning that discussion with my parents some 40 years later. I look back now at that conversation and see clearly that my young uncomplicated 17 year old youth could not get what my parents were saying.
I did what people who cannot defend their position do , I yelled, banged my fist and fled the house. When we are young we sometimes cannot accept the truth and wisdom and the reality check that we receive from those that we love when we ask an opinion of them and do not like the answer that we get.
Fortunately for me, my parents let me come back in good time to them when I was ready to sort things out. Again, the dignity of my own decision.
We as parents deal with this from time to times ourselves. Now that we are in the parenting role we can clearly see what our parents wanted for us. The best. 🙂
I had a good friend Mark when I was a growing boy and he was going through a lot of personal stuff with his parents. His father in particular. I remember telling him Mark your father loves you and thats why he is strict with you.I could see it clearly in Marks family but not in mine because sometimes the perspective is too close.
So in life some lessons are not easy forgotten for a good reason. We may need them In our own families to lead the next generation forward. Amen.
Just Danny Speaks 