Daily Readings & Reflections

May we who are merely inconvenienced, remember those whose lives are at stake. May we who have no risk factors, remember those most vulnerable. May we who have the luxury of working from home, remember those who must choose between preserving their health or making their rent. May we who have the flexibility to care for our children when their schools close, remember those who have no options. May we who have to cancel our trips, remember those that have no place to go. May we who are losing our margin money in the tumult of the economic market, remember those who have no margin at all. May we who settle in for a quarantine at home, remember those who have no home. During this time, when we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other, let us find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbors.

WHAT’S SO GREAT ABOUT DISCIPLINE?
Freedom is one of our most cherished channels for happiness. Our preoccupation with freedom often leads us to believe that everything we have a taste for should be ours by right, and that everything we want should come to us easily. "Effort" and its companion "discipline" are falling out of use in our culture's vocabulary. However, life can be "a bowl of cherries," but, for the most part, only for those willing to pick them. To be physically fit, for instance, we have to work at it. To have a satisfying marriage or friendship will demand commitment, tact, flexibility, and endurance. Spiritual growth, also, requires discipline. Would you, or anyone you know, like to hear more about how to achieve spiritual growth through the "discipline" of the Catholic faith? We invite you to an RCIA Inquiry Session. For more info, call our RCIA contact at 732-764- 0264.

How many games from childhood do you still play? Two of my favorites were Hide and Seek and Follow the Leader, and yes, in many ways I am still playing them! The only difference is that today I play them with God, rather than with my childhood friends. We all have an innate desire to seek God and hopefully find God and the missing pieces that will make us whole and complete. We seek a God who is in plain view and yet we fail to see God. Our hearts and souls yearn for fulfillment, purpose, and love, and yet when our desires can be attained, we often run and hide, surrendering our longings out of fear. We fear that God is too much for us and we also fear that we are not enough for God. The game continues to be played until we truly understand and accept the truth that God is inviting us into a love relationship and that all that is required of us is to say yes and follow. The childhood game of Follow the Leader is a very simple game to play. If you have ever watched children playing this game, you most likely saw the leader at some point, looking over his shoulder to see who is following him. The important thing to remember is that we have the freedom to choose the leader we wish to follow. We may search for a person with similar goals and ambitions, or we may search for one who is challenging and invites us to change. Another possibility is that we may want to be the leader so we can influence the people around us to think and act as we do, hoping that conformity will lead to a peaceful way of being in the world. Personally, I choose to follow Jesus. Jesus leads us out of our hiding places to seek the goodness in ourselves and in others. Everyone is invited to participate, to discard complacency and fear, to embrace change and growth with love. “Come follow me” is the invitation Jesus offered to his original followers, to saints and sinners throughout history, to us today. It is an invitation that resounds in our hearts if we take time to listen. It is a call to stop playing games and to walk with Jesus through life. There is no time for hiding… ready or not, here He comes!

Have you ever wandered back in time to a place where you were young and idealistic? I once thought that when I became an adult, my life would be similar to Dorothy’s in the Wizard of Oz. I believed that after I located my “yellow brick road”, I would achieve all my dreams and live happily ever after. Well to tell the truth, that is not exactly how my life story has unfolded. I often pray the Road Signs while I am in the car and I have discovered that often the street signs, such as “Yield” or “Stop” do more than just create good drivers. I have found that for me personally, the signs can also direct me on my spiritual life journey when I pray them. The one sign that has grasped my attention and still has it, is the one that reads “rough road”. Rough because my life road is not one I can skip happily along on as there are many curves, ruts, and intersections to contend with. Also “rough” because I am a human with a desire to follow Jesus’ way of life on the “information superhighway”, and this can sometimes create road blocks and detours of which I am not always aware. The crossroads where daily life and faith intersect can sometimes be confusing, busy, and decisive. It is at these crossroads where we have an opportunity to change direction or continue along toward our chosen destination. I often wonder are we in control of our destination or do we get caught up on the road to success and just follow the person in front of us? What are the situations in your life where you are called to “Yield” to others? Are there activities you would like to “Stop”? How does your faith in Jesus intersect with your daily life? Do you seek Jesus in the moments when you encounter another? What makes your life road “rough” or joyful? I invite you to ponder and pray with the road signs as you travel about this week. - Pat Dorsi

What if you thought of it
as the Jews consider the Sabbath -
the most sacred of times?
Cease from travel.
Cease from buying and selling.
Give up, just for now,
on trying to make the world different than it is.
Sing. Pray. Touch only those to whom you commit your life.
Center down

And when your body has become still,
reach out with your heart.
Know that we are connected in ways that are terrifying and beautiful.
(You could hardly deny it now.)
Know that our lives are in one another’s hands.
(Surely, that has come clear.)
Do not reach out your hands.
Reach out your heart.
Reach out your words.
Reach out all the tendrils of compassion that move,
invisibly, where we cannot touch.
Promise this world your love -
for better or for worse,
in sickness and in health,
so long as we all shall live.

(credit: Pat Dorsi)

Have you ever had the experience of recalling an interesting fact that you were taught as a child? There are just some things in life we learned that we will never forget. For example, when I was in the 5th grade, the teacher called me up to her desk to tell me that I have perseverance. I began to cry and asked her if I should go to the nurse! I required several years of living before I came to appreciate the fact that yes, I do persevere. Sr. Marie Celeste OSB who was my US History teacher at Sacred Heart in Elizabeth, taught us the definition of frontier as “the area beyond the last line of settlement”. What brings that particular definition to mind today is the reality that the Coronavirus Pandemic has pushed us to a point beyond what we recognize as normal. The process of re-opening is telling us that we are advancing into a societal space that can easily be described as “the area beyond the last line of settlement.” Over the past three months, we have had many “quarantine” opportunities to reflect on our lives and where we are headed, to persevere and strengthen our personal prayer life, and to live and celebrate our faith virtually. This new spiritual frontier is confusing yet challenging in many ways. We need to be patient with ourselves and also patient with the process. Think of the Apostles gathered in the Upper Room after the crucifixion. They were grieving, and frightened, and leaned on each other for support. Jesus appeared to them so they would know that He is with them. Jesus is doing the same for us today and always. He is here with us in our confusion and losses, in our yearnings for community and normalcy. Persevere in your prayer and devotions, share what you are feeling with another person, and together, we, the parishioners of St. Mary’s, under the guidance of Msgr. Benwell, will cross into our “spiritual frontier” together. Can’t wait to see you all soon! - Pat Dorsi