4th, 5th and 6th Day of Christmas- December 29,30 and 31

Ok. Gang. Obviously I'm playing a little catch up these last days of 2009.

Actually have to confess that I did'nt make it on the 4th Day!!!! Just ran out of time. Don't worry........I'll make it up......maybe I'll even throw in another day at the end..........make it a "bakers dozen" Days of Christmas.

I did have a good Nordic Track work out on the 5th Day. I laugh because you could get the impression that I'm on contract with Nordic Track!!!!! Actually it is a pretty old machine and I'm not even sure they make them anymore. It is really a simple contraption that simulates cross country skiing. Skiing cross country is a real workout and the machine does a decent job of simulating it!!! I went and donated blood after my workout on Day 5. The city has made a special push for blood donors during the holidays and the staff at the Blood Bank said they have been unusually busy. Thanks to all who responded with a blood donation.......there really is no substitute.

Today is Day 6, December 31, the last day of 2009 and I had a good run to close out the year. It was chilly, wet and foggy but one of those nice quiet days for a run. I don't know if it is my imagination but foggy and misty days like today seem to be quieter. It seems as if all the traffic noise etc. is muffled as if it were blanketed in cotton!!!!

We had a nice mass this morning for the last day of the year. Today is the 7th Day in the Octave of Christmas so I guess officially my 12 days are off by one day. Oh well!!!!!!

Let us pray together for our families, our communities, our nation and for all of God's people throughout the world. Hopefully 2010 will prove to be a year when we finally begin to welcome the Prince of Peace in a more profound way.

In the mean time...........KEEP ON RUNNIN'

Third Day of Christmas- December 28

Another good workout. I was laughing with a fellow runner because both of us have encountered people that thought we were crazy for running. We've had people get really upset saying it was to hot to run or too cold to run. I even had one lady say she was going to call the police! Oh well......we just keep on running.

Today, December 28 is the feast of the holy innocents, it commemorates the boys two and younger that Herod had killed after his visit with the Magi. I guess it teaches us something to be reminded that there was violent resistance to Christ even as a baby. It seems the very idea that God could be so close to us is threatening to some. We shouldn't be surprised that even to this day the strong resistance continues. Maybe we like the idea that we can pretend we are God. Let's use these Days of Christmas to rejoice that God has loved us so much and rid ourselves of the ways we resist His coming.

Second Day of Christmas- December 27

Another beautiful day, still pretty chilly but nice and sunny. I confess I ran out of daylight and ended up on the Nordic Track after dark. It is always a good workout but I miss the fresh air.

Today was Sunday and the Catholic calendar celebrated the Feast of the Holy Family. This is celebrated on the Sunday immediately after Christmas. It always seems appropriate to me that we celebrate the family in the midst of the holidays when so many of us are gathering with our families. It is a good time to reflect on the blessing of our families.

I'm also aware of the difficult time that many have because of the loss of loved ones. The holidays can be especially difficult if we have recently lost loved ones or if we are far away from home and unable to be with family. I have been blessed as a priest to always have family within a reasonable driving distance. I try to especially pray for the priests who are half a world away from their families during the holidays. We are blessed with many priests in our diocese in Tyler who have left home and family far behind in order to serve the people of God. We need to be especially thankful to them during the holidays.

As we approach the New Year why not go ahead and get started on that "new years resolution" to get some exercise!!!!!!!!

First Day of Christmas- December 26

Well I made the first run of my "Twelve Runs of Christmas". It was a nice day for a run, a little cool but nice and sunny. I guess you could count December 25 as the first day of Christmas nut I doubted I'd get a run in on Christmas day and I was right.

I hope that my 12 runs of Christmas will remind us all to keep celebrating the birth of our Lord for the whole Christmas season. The Catholic liturgical calendar offers us a whole season to celebrate the Feast of Christmas. It is still easy to slip back into regular routines leaving "the season" as something that only happens in Church.

One suggestion I make is to continue gift giving during the Christmas season. Gifts given during the season really aren't late.........it's still Christmas!!!!!!!

I hope you can get back out there and get some exercise. All of us have some "turkey and pumpkin pie" to get rid of!!!!!!!

December 7

Howdy........it's been a while but I am still here. Getting in some good runs as we zip through Advent.

I do have my next set of runs on the calendar........the 12 runs of Christmas beginning on December 26.

Have a blessed Advent.

Thanksgiving

Hello out there. I'm sorry I've gotten behind on posting to the blog, just busy with the usual stuff. I intended to take a bit of a break after my October runs but the time kind of got away from me.

The picture of St. Peter's reminds me of the Thanksgiving I spent there a couple of years ago. It was interesting to be out of the country for the Thanksgiving holiday. It made me that much more thankful for the blessing we have here in the good ole USA. We certainly have our problems but this is a great country because of the goodness of the people here and the freedoms we enjoy. Let us pray that we can live these freedoms more responsibly.

It has been great running weather lately and I got in a nice run at Faulkner Park yesterday. I hope to get in another out there this afternoon. I actually saw another runner out there yesterday. I believe that is the first time I've seen another runnner on the trail. There were lots of bikers too and I frequently see people walking but it was good to see a running comrade. I guess the park was busier than usual with people anticipating that they were going to eat too much turkey.

As we celebrate Thanksgiving we all reflect on the blessings of family and friends in our lives. Let's remember to be thankful all year........not just on one day. A good thought for our exercise also.......good thing to do all year not just one day!!!!

I hope to organize myself for another set of runs during Advent and leading up to Christmas. In the mean time have a blessed Thanksgiving.

The 8th of November

I had a good run today after a couple of days off after completing my 31 runs in 31 days trek. I'm planning to put something together around the Thanksgiving holiday............turkey trots seem to be popular and I can definitely supply the turkey!!!!!!

The picture reminds me of the theme that the Catholic liturgy sets for November. We celebrate All Souls Day on November 2. This is a traditional time to pray for all who have died. As Catholics we offer masses for the repose of the soul of loved ones and remember them especially in our prayers. Many people both Catholic and non-catholic have expressed to me how comforting it is to be able to pray for loved ones who have died. Some Christian traditions see this as simply a Catholic thing but it has always seemed to me that it is a logical aspect of our belief in Jesus Christ. The Catholic doctrine of Purgatory reminds us that the absolute separation between this life and the next is not reality. Our faith reminds us that life is a journey that continues through all the phases of this life and into the next. My personal experience of the loss of loved ones serves to deepen my faith that this is the reality.......those who have passed from this life continue to be alive in God and so we pray for them as we hope they pray for us.

Pretty heavy stuff on a November Sunday!!!! I pray that whatever your experience of death and loss may be you may find the ancient tradition of praying for the dead to be a source of great consolation and deeper faith.