You did not choose me.
But I chose you.
That you should bear fruit for me.
I appointed you.

God has created me to him some definite service.
He has committed some work to me.
To no other has he committed this service.
Only to me.

This is Newman’s meditation.
It gives me hope.
To continue this sonnet recitation.
For all of us there is some worthwhile scope.

For a time I will keep writing.
And persevering.

….

We have some service
God has created to do
It is our duty

…..

See John 15: 9-17

For everyone who asks receives.
And the one who seeks finds,
We are but wind blown leaves.
Prisoners for a short time of our minds.

I was swimming slowly on my back, in the water.
Looking at the sky , floating.
I seemed out of my body , in some different matter.
Not really even thinking.

Rarely we seem not connected to the body.
More conscious of our soul.
At last set free from this mortal body.
More in tune with one’s immortal soul.

Separated from time and space.
Perhaps nearer to God, face to face.

…..

Are we this body
Or are we a living soul
And we just don’t know

….

See Luke 11: 5-13

Jesus said, when you pray.
Say Father hallowed be thy name.
So we know what to say.
Everything in his name.

Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
We know from where everything does come.
And we know we should be satisfied with our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins.
For we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
Yes, we know all too well about all our sins.
And of course who owes us.

And lead us from temptation.
And perhaps give us some inspiration.

……

It’s our Lord’s Prayer
And it inspires all of us
Do we act on it

……

See Luke 11: 1-4

Mary listened to his teaching.
Martha was distracted with much serving.
What is the better way, reading, praying.
Or in good efforts, working.

Surely we can do both.
Working , listening.
Not being just a sloth.
Understanding.

But unless we are quiet and listen.
We cannot make progress.
In spirituality we will not hasten.
We must not be more here but less.

Mary’s way.
Needs Martha’s way.

……

We follow Mary
And we work with Martha too
We can do both things

……

See Luke 19: 38- 42

He said to Jesus.
Who is my neighbour.
This parable is also for us.
Who do we rate as a neighbour.

We were talking to a group of migrants.
Intelligent , hoping.
But scarred by place and events.
Now volunteering.

We are all human beings.
We want peace security,  just to make a life.
We have the same hopes and feelings.
To escape from strife.

Because others are different .
We cannot be indifferent.

…..

Others are different
We can’t be indifferent
We are all the same

…

See Luke 10: 25-37

The peace of God which passeth all understanding.
Will guard your hearts and mind.
We just must keep praying.
And to ourselves be kind.

The greatest ambition is to be a saint
It’s something everybody can attempt.
And that’s to be a true saint.
No one from this grace need be exempt.

St Paul tells us do whatever is just.
Whatever is honourable.
Whatever is pure is a must.
Whatever is commendable.

It surely is worth trying.
Reading, meditating , praying

.. …..

Can we all be saints
Yes surely we can all try
We may not make it

……

See Philippians 4: 6-9

Job says, I despise myself.
And I repent in dust and ashes.
Who is ourself.
Where will we be when all this finishes.

I stare at the water in the lake.
Light not absorbed but glinting.
Of this what are we to make.
Is life just redirecting or resurrecting.

There is this moment of just resting.
Not worrying
Or hoping
Just in this moment entering.

We can if we want ,be still
And in nothing have our fill.

…..

Let’s just rest awhile
Be content in this moment
And look at water

……

See Job 42

Where is the way to the dwelling of light.
Where is the place of darkness..
How can we find true light.
When will we curb our restlessness.

What a strange paradox.
That it is God who can create a galaxy., But only we can release to us his spiritual locks.
This is free will, not perplexity.

He won’t invade our heart
We must make the choice.
He finishes , we start.
He wants to hear our authentic voice.

Our guardian angel will help.
But first we must ask for his help.

……

God won’t invade hearts
For he respects our free will
We just have to ask

…..

See Job 38:1

Whatever house.
You enter.
First say , Peace to this house.
For peace needs to be there.

St Therese, no greatness.
No miracles.
Only littleness.
Overcoming life’s shackles.

Why do we strive to achieve.
To be successful.
When we should be happy to receive.
And be peaceful and grateful.

Finding joy in little things.
Ignoring great things.

……

Be like St Therese
Find joy in God’s little things
And then be happy

……

See Luke 10: 1-12

.

No one who puts his hand to the plough.
And Looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.
Are we prepared to make our vow.
Even though we are flawed.

One said, Lord let me bury my father.
Jesus said, let the dead bury their own dead.
Are we prepared spiritually to go much further.
Do we drag our feet like lead.

We go making excuses.
Rather than true commitment.
But we have our uses.
Can we encourage others to recommitment.

We are called.
Despite ourselves , to fate hauled.

…..

We make our  excuses
We will not commit Togo’s
But we must do so

……

See Luke 9: 57-62

I say, you will see heaven opened.
And the angels of God ascending.
Will our own eyes be opened.
And our own soul start ascending.

Like Nathaniel.
Will he see us under the fig tree.
Who knows, who can tell.
We will have to wait and see.

Will we one day see Gabriel.
Will he appear to us.
Again, who can tell.
We can only hope that this is the fate for us.

We keep praying.
And we keep hoping.

…..

Heaven is opened
Will it be our fate to go
We just do not know

…..

See John 1: 47-51

Job said, naked I came from my mother’s womb.
And naked shall I return.
Yes we will one day enter our own tomb.
Just how much more do we really have to learn.

The Lord gave.
And the Lord had taken away.
From this life what really can we save .
What treasuries can we lay.

Where are we going.
What are we doing .
And we just slowly dying.
No, from all this we will go on living.

There is hope.
We just have to climb the spiritual slope.

….

Naked from the womb
And naked unto our death
But there is then hope

O Lord let me know your way.
Teach me your path.
Can you, our fears allay.
Will you protect us from the devils wrath.

Sometimes we have these dark dreams.
Is it really the devil at work.
Is it as it seems.
Does he lurk.

The best shield is Our Lady.
Pray to her for her intercession.
She is there listening, ready.
Determined on our protection.

We just have to pray the Hail Mary.
And finish with the Holy Mary.

…..

When some bad dreams come
We must pray the Hail Mary
For our protection

……

See Psalm 25

Vanity of vanity , says the preacher.
All is vanity.
We are the seeker.
Can we turn humbly to the Almighty.

Remove vexation from your heart.
And put away evil from your body.
We can only play our part.
For that is what we embody.

For youth and the dawn of life.
Are vanity.
It is so short here this life.
Yes all really is vanity.

But there is new life
Eternal life.

……

All is vanity
Our youth slips away so fast
We’re left with old age

……

See Ecclesiastes 11:9-12

For everything there is a season.
And a time for every matter under heaven.
We only have  to reason.
There is a heaven.

There is a time to be born.
And a time to die.
Surely after this life we will be reborn.
Even though first we have to die.

There is a time to plant.
And a time to pluck up what is planted.
We must say we can rather than we can’t,
We will be resurerected.

We can cope
We just have to hope.

….

We all have our time
We will be resurrected
We just have to hope

…

See Ecclesiastes 3: 1-11

Mary said, Behold I am the servant of the Lord.
Let it be to me according to your word.
How much really are we a servant of the Lord.
Do we live every day according to to his word.

I sat alone in the empty Cathedral after dawn .
Sitting alone in the Lady Chapel meditating.
To this I could have sworn.
I felt this presence appearing.

You feel you are not alone.
Is she or somebody else here .
Something on the air, a gentle tone.
Dismissing all doubt and fear.

We can fly hopefully to her presence.
Who knows , is this her true essence.

……

If we sit alone
And just try meditating
Then something just comes

……

See Luke 1: 26-38

Remove far from me falsehood and lying.
Give me neither poverty nor riches.
away with despair and crying.
We make progress if only in inches.

Feed me with the food that is needful for me.
Lest I be full and deny you.
You know what is right for me.
Even if I have little understanding of you.

We keep struggling.
Trying to to find a median way.
Failing and sometimes succeeding.
Searching for your elusive ray.

We are happy with what we’ve got.
We know that really that is our lot.

….

Falsehood and lying.
Nor poverty or riches
Something to aim for

…….

See Proverbs 30: 5-9

The Lord weighs the heard .
To do righteousness.
Here then is our start.
We need not be less.

This is more acceptable.
Than sacrifice.
We are never pitiable.
All we do will , in his eyes , suffice.

Haughty eyes and a proud heart.
The lamp of the wicked are sin.
We must return to our childish start.
Where we were without sin.

Where do we search with our eyes.
Are we really wise.

….

The Lord weighs our heart
To do mere righteousness
Are we up to it

…..

See Proverbs 21

Those who are well have no need of a physician.
But those who are sick.
Is religion a matter for a mathematician.
A rational argument needing a positive tick.

I sat in the church alone .
And an overwhelming presence filled me.
No need to rationalise , question or atone.
Here I was immersed in a metaphysical sea.

He said, I came not to call the righteous.
But sinners.
Religion is not just for the religious.
But just as much for the searchers.

The feeling passed.
I had, the test, passed.

…..

We feel a presence
This is not caused by reason
It is deep inside

…..

See Mathew 9: 9-13

Take, the Master said, what belongs to you.
I choose to give to this last worker.
As I give to you.
There is here then no shirker.

Am I, he said, not allowed to do what I choose.
Or do you begrudge me my generosity.
We really have nothing to loose.
If we accept our fate and every opportunity.

The key is not to be jealous.
If others get more than they deserve.
They may be lucky, lazy and we zealous.
But we should be happy being a mere reserve.

So the last really will be first.
And the first last.

….

The last will be first
And yes the first will be last
That is just our fate

…

See Mathew 20: 1-16

What you sow does not come to life.
Unless it dies.
This then is our new life.
The rest is just all confusion , even lies.

If there is a natural body.
There is also.
A spiritual body.
In which there is no death, no low.

This natural body.
Is not our true self.
It is a temporary decaying body.
Our eternal spirit is our true self.

Something to look forward to.
And travel in this life to.

…..

This nature body
Will start to decay and die
The spirit survives

….

See 1 Corinthians 15

When I awake, I shall be filled.
With the vision of your presence , O Lord.
Our soul and its meaning is tilled.
As we cross this life’s uneasy ford.

What will we see after death.
Worse than blackness, nothing .
Or a welcoming blazing hearth.
Extraordinary , amazing.

As I read the psalm.
I felt I knew.
Filled with a greater calm.
A wider vision , a new view.

Faith received.
In this moment , I believed.

……

Vision of presence
At death , the vision
Of the Lord

…..

See Psalm 17

Her sins, which are many, are forgiven
For she loved much.
But who is little forgiven.
Loves little , perhaps not much.

Do we have many sins.
Does it matter that much.
Do we love, despite our many sins.
Yes have we have loved much.

What is the point of judging.
Are we not judged.
Is not only God capable of judging.
For he alone is not judged.

Our sins are forgiven.
That is all that is given.

……

Sins are forgiven
However many they are
As long as we love

… …

See Luke 7: 36-50

Love never ends.
As for prophesies, they will pass away.
Hatred  rends.
Love a golden ray.

We know love bears all things.
Believes all things.
Hopes all things.
Endures all things.

We know yet we forget.
Or we cynically doubt.
I n our ways we are too set.
Love put to rout.

But all that matters is love.
So do we embrace love

…..

If love bears all things
But then often we forget
We ask why I’d that

…..,

See 1 Corinthians 1

He said to his mother, woman behold your son.
Then he said to the disciple, Behold your mother.
We too , all of us, are his son.
And we can , all of us be his disciple.

Will we take him into our home.
Is he in our mind now.
And where does our mind roam.
High, farseeing or just low.

Like Our Lady , we have sorrows.
But with faith they will pass.
There will be tomorrows.
And another saving sacrifice in mass.

Mary stood at the foot of the cross.
We are now redeemed by that cross.

……

We stand by that cross
Just as Mary too stood there
And we are redeemed

….

See John 19: 25-27