SEEING GOD CLEARLY

Greetings from Fr. Bob ...

The more unusual an event happens to be, the easier it is to believe that God was involved. That is our tendency. We see God in the unusual. In the month of February we celebrate the Feast of the "Presentation of the Lord". The gospel for this feast introduces us to a man who somehow had overcome this tendency. His name was Simeon.

He was in the temple when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to present Him to God. The scene that struck his eye that day was an ordinary couple with an ordinary looking baby. What they were doing was an ordinary event in that culture. For hundreds of years Jewish parents had been practicing this ritual.

But, Simeon looked at this ordinary scene with this ordinary couple and their ordinary baby and saw the Divine, saw the Messiah. He knew that in this child Heaven touched earth and life would never be the same again. The problem we have today is that if we see God only in the unusual, we rarely see Him. But, if we train our eyes to see Him in the common things, we will meet Him every day.

Most of our lives are ordinary. We usually do the same thing day in and day out. We get up at the same time, get the children off to school and go to work. We do not have the time to get all spiritual when we are having difficulty putting one foot in front of the other. We are just doing our everyday chores. Do we ever think of God when we eat? Without Him nothing would grow. Do we ever thank God for putting those we love in our lives?

No one ever saw God more clearly or more often than Jesus. It is worth noting where those sightings took place. He saw God at work in wild flowers and birds. He saw the saving work of God in a shepherd searching for lost sheep. He saw the grace of God in a father embracing a prodigal son. He saw the Kingdom of God in the trusting faces of little children. For Jesus ordinary events and ordinary people were open windows to Heaven He could look through and see God.

You and I can do the same. Our failure to see God does not mean that He is absent. More than likely, it means that we are looking for Him only in the unusual and the unusual rarely happens. God is with us all the time in the ordinary people and those ordinary events of our ordinary lives. How do I know this? Why else would He take simple bread and wine and say – This is My Body, this is My Blood given for you. Do this in memory of me.

                     Yours in Christ,
                     
                     Fr. Bob Warren, SA

HIGHLIGHTS OF 2014 WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY SERVICES AND CELEBRATIONS

Congregations around the world came together again this January to celebrate The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The Friars of the Atonement work year round for reconciliation and healing through "at-one-ment" — the unity of men and women with God and with one another — so that the prayer of Jesus "that they all may be one" might be fulfilled.

The Friars of the Atonement organized and participated in events near its home at Graymoor and in surrounding communities, Raleigh, NC, Washington, DC, Canada, and as far away as Rome, Italy and Yokohama, Japan.

BECOME A FRIAR — COME AND SEE WEEKEND
MARCH 7, 8, AND 9TH

The Franciscan Friars of the Atonement are hosting a weekend retreat for men from Friday, March 15 through Sunday, March 17 at Graymoor, Garrison, New York. The Come & See Weekend is for men between the ages of 18 and 40 years old, who are exploring a call to Franciscan religious life and service to others.

XXXIV PAUL WATTSON LECTURE TO BE HELD FEBRUARY 24TH

The 34th Paul Wattson Christian Unity Lecture will be held at the University of San Francisco on Monday, February 24th, 2014.

Dr. William R. Burrows, Research Professor of Missiology in the World Christianity Program at the New York Theological Seminary and Managing Editor Emeritus, Orbis Books, will deliver a public lecture, "Rethinking the Ecumenical and Interfaith Path: Should We Accentuate What Unites or What Distinguishes?", at 7:30pm in the McLaren Conference Center, Room 252. To register visit, AtonementFriars.org/Register.

ECUMENICAL TRENDS NOW AVAILABLE ONLINE

We are proud to announce that the digital version of the award-winning Ecumenical Trends is now available to read online. The journal, published monthly (except August) by the Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute, features articles on the ecumenical and interreligious movements, reporting on current trends and progress in these movements around the world.

Become an active participant in the ecumenical movement by becoming a subscriber. Better yet, consider subscribing to Ecumenical Trends for your pastor, or the pastor of a neighboring church. By doing so, 11 times a year you will be reminded of the prayer of Jesus at the Last Supper, "that all may be one … that the world may believe."

Visit the GEII website, view a sample issue, and become a subscriber today!

2014 SPECIAL EVENTS CALENDAR - SAVE THE DATES

Each year the Friars hold several special events including Benefactor Appreciation Days - held around the country and several times each year here at Graymoor, as well as other special fund raising events. (See the calender on the right hand side of this page for details.)

Upcoming Florida Benefactor Appreciation Days:

• February 17 – Our Lady of Florida Spiritual Center, 1300 US Highway 1, N. Palm Beach, FL
• February 18 – The Embassy Suites, 1100 SE 17th Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL
• February 19 – Morning Star Renewal Center, 7275 SW 124th Street, Miami, FL
• February 24 – Hilton Naples, 5111 Tamiami Trail North, Naples, FL
• February 26 – Bethany Center, 18150 Bethany Center Drive, Lutz, FL
• February 27 – St. Michael the Archangel Parish 5394 Midnight Pass Road, Sarasota, FL

  More info: Florida Benefactor Appreciation Days >>.

For more information, contact Lisa Koesling at (845) 424-2137, LKoesling@AtonementFriars.org.

We look forward to sharing these times with you — as it is you ... that make them special for us!

DOCUMENTARY TO EXPLORE THE ISSUES OF HUNGER IN AMERICA

Father John Keane, SA, a member of the group PAPA (Peekskill Area Pastors Association), invites the local community to a screening of the documentary A Place At the Table. This acclaimed film explores the issues of hunger in America today, showing hunger's serious economic, social and cultural impacts. The film explains with devastating simplicity why so many go hungry in a country with more than enough food for all.

The screening takes place on Thursday, February 13, 6:30pm at the United Methodist Church, 1040 E. Main Street, Peekskill, NY. The screening will be followed dessert & post-film discussion, with representatives from the Peekskill Area Pastors Association, Fred's Pantry and County Harvest.
View Flyer >>

Not in the Hudson Valley? Learn how you can have your local church or community group host a screening.

SHARE IN OUR MINISTRY OF PRAYER

St. Francis Chapel, Graymoor