Tuesday of Week 33 in Ordinary Time

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He ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree.
To catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way.
We have sight but do we use it to see.
Do we seek the celestial  ray.When Jesus reached the spot he looked up.
And spoke to Zacchaeus , come down.
Will we with him tonight sup.
And witness transcendent light being shown.

They all complained when they saw what was happening.
He has gone to stay at a sinner.
Is our own faith ripening.
Even though in faith we are only a beginner.

One day we will climb the celestial tree.
Then that day we might see.

…….

So he climbs the tree
Jesus looks up and calls him
But does he call us

……..

See Luke 19 : 1-10

Monday of Week 33 in Ordinary Time

There was a blind man .
Sitting at the side of the road.
I too feel blind with little scan.
Laden with heavy doubting load.Physically I can see.
But with true faith I cannot.
I remain in sterility of the soul’s lea.
Waiting for the final crossing to pay my fee or not.

Let me see again.
Jesus said , Receive your sight.
We only have to ask to remove all stain.
And see again the light.

But do we give enough praise.
And our sight to heaven raise.

…….

There was a blind man
Asking just to see
We are much the same

…. ..

See Luke 18 :: 35-43

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

There is going to be a time of great distress.
Unparalleled since nations first came into existence.
We will have to make do with less.
As in our lives we encounter resistance.Of those who lie sleeping in the dust.
Many will awake .
Our affairs will not be as rust.
If we do all for his sake.

The learned will shine as brightly.
As the vault of heaven.
We will rest quietly.
Doubts will be riven.

As the stars in eternity.
We can live in fraternity.

…….

Times of great distress
Unparalleled in our time
But we will survive

….

See Daniel 12 : 1-3

Saturday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time

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Pray continuously.
And never lose heart.
Never earnestly.
Just make a start.

The unjust judge said since she keeps pestering.
I must give this widow her rights .
And what does this say for our own avoiding.
And how we dodge spiritual lights.

If we keep praying.
We may be listened to.
Despite not really  trying.
And being one of many not the few.

Keep praying.
And keep asking.

……

Pray continuously
And try to never lose heart
We are listened to

….

See Luke 18: 1-8

Friday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time

To love is to live.
According to his commandments.
And rather than take, give.
These are happiness’ elements.Drifting in and out of sleep.
Two words kept coming,  beloved and loving.
Something emerged out of the deep.
Calling, positive and soothing.

If you want to sleep well.
I find , do not think of yourself.
Or of life’s pell mell.
Or at least think positively of oneself.

Sleep returned.
And of course , the World turned.

…..

To love is to live
According to to his teaching
Now and for ever

……

See 2 John 4-9

Thursday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time

I am appealing to you for a child of mine.
I mean Onesimus, whose father I became.
We all look for a sign.
We are all the same.Philemon is the Bible’s shortest book.
But it says something for hereafter.
That a slave matters even if forsook.
That he should always be looked after.

Paul says I am in the chains.
That the good news has bought me.

He would pass through many difficult lanes.
But he found the key.
Loyalty.
Given joyously.
…….
Paul had found the key
Rich friendship and loyalty
Given to a slave
…….
See  Philemon 7-20

Wednesday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time

Finding himself cured.
One of them turned back.
With gratitude was he lured.
What thanks giving and  gratitude do we lack.
Only one of the ten turned back.
I wonder would we be one of the ten.
We think little of what we have , a lot on what we lack.
I suppose this is common with all women and men.
But what harm does it do.
To pause a while.
And say Thank You.
And go the extra mile.We may not achieve anything.
But a thank you is never nothing.……..

Finding himself cured
One of the lepers turned back
Do we do the same

……..

See Luke 17 : 11-19

Tuesday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time

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If you trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live in the land and be secure.
We just need to take our spiritual food.
And resist the world’s lure.

If you find delight in the Lord.
He will grant your heart’s desire.
We will always remain on board.
Our faith on fire.

He protects the lives of the upright.
Their heritage will last for ever.
As long as they keep truth in sight.
Can we keep faith for ever.

You shall have a home for ever.
You will live for ever

……

Just trust in the Lord
You will live secure always
Try to keep the faith

…..

See Psalm 37

Monday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time

God has chosen them to give the eternal life.
That was promised .
Surely their sacrifice will suffice.
Given that their old age was missed.

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I was looking at a village war memorial.
Seven names in this tiny settlement.
Who knows them now  or will tell their tale.
But are they not worthy of testament.

They would all any way be dead now.
But Reuben, Isaac, Fred and friends died so young.
I suppose with no children or grandchildren to follow.
They never made an ascent past a youthful rung.

But their name is inscribed.
And remembered.

……

God has chosen them
To give them eternal life
As also to us

…..

See Titus 1 : 1-9

32 nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Jar of meal shall not be spent.
Jug of oil shall not be emptied.
Just as Elijah had foretold the jar of meal was not spent.
The jug of oil was not emptied.

I was listening to Faure’s Sanctus in his Requiem.
In the other room Celebrity Come Dancing was on.
I know I greatly prefer the first item.
But all too soon this music was drifting away, gone.

I felt even more greatly drawn to all things spiritual.
Calming , not demanding.
Other worldly not material.
Joyous, soothing, inspiring

When all that is spiritual  is attempted.
The jug of hope is never emptied.

….   ..

When is our meal spent
Is our jug of oil emptied
Yes, if we lose hope

…….

See 1 Kings 17 : 10-16

Saturday of Week 31 in Ordinary Time

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Making a whip out of some cord.
He drove them all out of the Temple.
And how often in the market do we forget the Lord.
Do we always make him welcome.

He said, take all this out of here.
And stop turning my father’s house into a market .
In our own church is concentration all too rare.
Thinking about what to buy next  in the supermarket.

We were at mass in the Holy Souls chapel.
Here everyone will surely eventually end up in heaven.
It’s just a question of seeing it as a temple.
Good , lazy  , indifferent, an ante room to heaven.

There are countless holy souls.
And as many worthwhile roles.

…….

Worship in temple
Is sometimes very easy
More often it’s hard

…..

See John 2 : 13-22

Friday of Week 31 in Ordinary Time

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There was a rich man and he had a steward denounced.
For being wasteful with his property.
Our fate is long ago announced.
But we are not necessarily called to spiritual poverty.

Draw up for me an account of your stewardship.
Because you are not to be my steward any longer.
We cannot rely on any friendship.
We may get weaker or stronger.

I know what I shall do when I am dismissed.
There will be someone to welcome me.
No opportunity missed.
Maybe not now but redemption, we shall see.

The master praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness.
He will us too, but we must acknowledge our unfitness.

……..

Are we too denounced
For being wasteful in our gifts
But we’re forgiven

……..

See Luke 16  1-8

Thursday of Week 31 in Ordinary Time

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I have come to consider all these advantages.
And successes.
As disadvantages.
And reverses.

I was at a requiem mass
We remembered old school friends.
They pass like late summer’s grass.
And now it’s too late to make any amends.

We thought of the autumn leaves.
Once green young and growing.
Death is inevitable , it never deceives.
Now yellow, beautiful and dying.

They have fallen gently.
And we remember reverently.

……..

They have now passed on
New dawn, they will never age
Now no more regrets

………

See Philippians 3 : 3-8

Wednesday of Week 31 in Ordinary Time

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There is one thing I ask.
To live in the house of the Lord.
So what is our task.
And what will I be asked by the Lord.

At death we will be judged by our love.
Not by who we were or what we achieved.
That’s all that really matters above.
So why waste time on being aggrieved.

We will have run our race.
We pray we will not have exhausted ourselves for nothing.
Our eyes closing here we shall look the Lord in the face.
And his glance will be all discerning and loving.

By our love for him we will be judged.
But also for our love for all will we be judged.

……

At our own passing
We will be judged by our love
For him and for all

…..

See Psalm 26 and Philippians 2 : 12-18

Tuesday of Week 31 in Ordinary Time

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Come along to the banquet, everything is ready.
But all alike started to make excuses.
And own will is unsteady.
We get up to all sorts of ruses.

One said, I have bought a piece of land.
And must go and see it.
Our material wants are well planned.
Our egoism well honed and  lit.

Another said, I have bought five pair of oxen.
And I’m on my way to try them out.
God can wait, we want some fun.
And then surprised, we arrive at burnout.

They all said, please accept my apologies.
And we of course give our own apologies.

…….

He gave a banquet
They all gave apologies
And we do the same

…….

See Luke 14 : 15-24

Monday of Week 31 in Ordinary Time

That they cannot pay you back.
Means that you are fortunate.
We are blessed in what we lack.
We are what we are , not what we rate.Everybody is to be self effacing.
Always consider the other person to be better .
It’s good enough to walk rather than be racing.
Nicer rather than fitter.

If we worried less about number one.
And thought more of others .
If we were happy to be no one rather than someone.
We might break these selfish tethers.

Of course we say that.
But do we do that.

…….

Cannot pay you back
Perhaps you are fortunate
Being left behind

…….

See John 8 : 31-32 and Philippians 2: 1-4

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

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I love you Lord.
My strength.
We can do nothing if we lose touch with this spiritual cord.
To search for his love we must go to any length.

I was in a Quaker friends meeting.
Immersed in the silence.
We use too many words in our churching.
We should let the silent Holy Spirit be the essence.

On our own we can do nothing.
Self help is not an option.
Otherwise we find everything too demanding.
We act then just in permanent reaction.

We just need to repeat.
The Lord my strength  and we shall sit at his seat.

….

I love you my Lord
Because you are my only strength
But do we believe

……

See Psalm 17

All Souls. Saturday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

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O let your ears be attentive.
To the voice of my pleading.
May my soul be retentive.
To your summoning.

I was in the silent church listening.
I felt the atmosphere grow heavy.
Was this my imagination surging.
Or perhaps a soul’s fitful eddy.

But in that place there was something joyous.
Sublime and welcoming.
I was curious.
And left wondering.

Out of the depths do souls  call .
Seeking us even in our busy maul.

……..

Ears are attentive
But they’re mainly to this world
Is there another

…..

See Psalm 129 . Out of the depths I cry to you O Lord

All Saints

Happy the gentle.
They shall have  the earth for their heritage.
We can never aspire to their mantle.
For they are there from age to age.I was disappointed I couldn’t get to mass today.
But I was sitting alone in church reading this gospel.
Looking for some hopeful ray.
Suddenly I just believed this tale.That’s how faith emerges.
Out of nowhere.
Belief surges.
And removes all doubt and fear.The saints have found this path joyously.
And we follow them wearily, hopefully.

…….

Happy the gentle
They shall inherit the earth
We ask what are we

……

See Matthew 5: 1-12

Thursday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

Grow strong in the Lord.
With the strength of his power .
Take up the divine sword.
Aim all the higher.Put on God’s armour.
So as to resist the devil’s tactics.
Be a spiritual farmer.
And avoid  all his antics.

But if we pray to a saint.
And worry less.
We can fill our vision with beautiful oil paint.
And ourselves  positively express.

If I spend the night in praying.
I feel so much better than just worrying.

…….

Grow strong in the Lord
Put on the armour of God
And resist evil

.. ….

See Ephesians 6 : 10-20

Wednesday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

Try your best to enter by the narrow door.
Because, I tell you, many will try to enter and will not succeed.
Be on your guard to your very core.

We do not always need to follow , we can lead.

You say you will die.
And go to heaven’s paradise
But you may have been given a lie.
Not doing wrong may not suffice.

At death .
You will look God in the eye.
You will only have spiritual breath.
There will no longer be a physical I

You will say you have done nothing wrong.
That may not be sufficient a song.

…….

Enter by the gate
It may be very narrow
You may not make it

…….

See Luke 13 : 22-30

Tuesday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time . The martyrs of Douai College

The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed.
Which a man took and threw into his garden.
It grew and became a mighty tree from this tiny seed.
And birds sheltered in its branches in his garden.Why is my faith so fragile.
I could not risk death for it.
These martyrs went the extra mile.
My light will die , theirs remains lit.

But ours is a different time.
More questioning.
Difference in religion no longer a crime.
We are rightly more forgiving.

So we live in our own age.
Which perhaps is more sage.

……

From this mustard seed
A mighty tree does flourish
And so will our faith

…..

See Luke 13: 18-21

Monday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

Jesus went into the hills to pray.
And he spent the whole night  in prayer.
Can we our own troubles lay.
Layer by layer.I spent a waking part of the night.
In silent prayer.
Seeking some light.
Layer by layer.

I thought of something, someone irritating.
With prayer it dissolved.
Dissipating.
Resolved.

Keep praying.
And hoping.

….

He went to the hills
Alone in the night to pray
Will we follow him

..  …

See Luke 6 : 12-19

30 th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Son of David , Jesus have pity on me.
And many of them scolded him and told him to keep quiet.
But he only shouted all the louder , have pity on me.
And in generations past some refused to keep quiet.

The church of St Ignatius at Chideock is lonely .
It celebrates seven brave martyrs.
Put to death with barbarity , slowly.
Some laymen , some in holy orders.

In this quiet atmosphere.
Not a mile from the busy seaside you  will probably be alone.
But there is nothing to fear .
Or now after all these years to atone.

We celebrate now that we get along.
All entitled to our own praise song.

……..

Have pity on me
He shouted all the louder
And we do the same

……..

See Mark 10 : 46-52

Saturday of Week 29 in Ordinary Time

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To some his gift to them was that they should become apostles.
To some prophets.
To some evangelists writing  gospels.
To some  teachers laying spiritual  deposits.

All I can do is to attempt to  write.
Maybe inadequately.
And maybe to recite.
Somewhat nervously.

But we cannot be apostles.
Or prophets.
Or write gospels.
We can only lay puny deposits.

But we all have a role.
Just as we all have a soul

……

We’re not apostles
And we’re not evangelists
But we have a role

……

See Ephesians 4 : 7-13