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
Make a fiery serpent.
And set it on a pole.
Will we repent.
Are we looking deep into our soul.
Moses made a bronze serpent.
And set it on a pole.
The people did see and repent.
They understood its role.
When we look upon the cross.
What do we see.
Is it salvation , is it personal loss.
Is it God we see.
We need to look up.
And the cross, take up.
…….
Set on a high pole.
Moses sets fiery serpent
For us it’s the cross
……
See Numbers 21: 4-21
Remember the end of your life.
And cease from enmity
Where after death will be your strife.
Indeed what will be your very entity.
When we die.
In an instant all forgotten.
Every truth , every lie.
Now there will be no mention.
Look to that day.
Stay peaceful.
When will it come, who can say.
So be restful.
But come it will.
And then truly, we will be still.
……
The day that we die
All then will be forgotten
So why worry now
… ..
See Sirach 27
No good tree bears bad fruit.
Nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit.
Where lies our true root.
To what end our life’s pursuit.
Figs are not gathered from thorn bushes.
Nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.
Do we help to build bridges.
For what do we really push.
The good person out of the treasure of his heart.
Produces good.
And the evil person produces evil from his heart.
His mouth speaks to no good.
On rock, do we build our house
Or on shifting sands, do we scurry like a mouse.
…..
Good trees bear good fruit
Bad trees of course bear bad fruit
And what do we bear
….
See Luke 6; 43-49
Can a blind man lead a blind man.
They both fall into the pit.
Where is our spiritual scan.
How in the spirit do we fit.
A disciple is not above his teacher.
But everyone, when fully trained.
Will be like his teacher.
And in some small way acclaimed.
Why do you see the log that is on your brothers eye.
But do not notice the log.
That is in your own eye.
We wander in a spiritual fog.
Are we the blind man.
Or the sighted man.
……
Are we blind and led
Or are really leading
We just do not know
.. ..
See Luke 6: 39-42
I say to those who hear.
Do good to those who hate you.
Have no fear.
Bless those who curse you.
The man tried to free the trapped scorpion.
The scorpion tried to sting the helping man.
To sting is nature to the scorpion.
Saving is nature to man.
We may not be appreciated.
We may be rejected
Not wanted.
Even expelled.
But we must turn our cheek.
As we continue to seek
……
To those who hate you
Say we just have to love you
That’s the only way
……
See 1 John 4:12
Let those who mourn.
Look as if they were not mourning.
Why do we often look so forlorn.
We should in life or despite it, be accepting.
And those who rejoice.
Look as though they were not rejoicing.
So with fear and hope you have a choice.
Just keeping going.
St Paul asks us to treat all the same.
Just carrying on.
All the same.
On and on.
Trusting.
Believing.
…..
If you are mourning
You just carry on the same
It’s what we all do
…..
See 1 Corinthians 7
As for me , I trust in your merciful love.
Let my heart rejoice on your salvation.
All that really matters is love .
It is enough, yet still it brings salvation.
I will sing to the Lord.
Who has been bountiful with me.
He is the Lord.
Who nurtures me.
I will greatly rejoice.
In the Lord.
That is my choice.
As I cross this life’s ford.
In Psalm 13 we find belief.
And from this world some relief.
….. ..
We trust in his love
We know he brings salvation
And that is enough
…..
See Psalm 13
Your boasting is not good.
Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump.
We try in a small way to do good.
We are St Paul’s leavened lump.
But we cannot boast.
We err constantly.
We’re so much spiritual toast.
Making progress so very slowly.
We are held to account.
If we found to be wanting,
We must not lose count.
We just have to keep trying.
Of course we know we are feeble .
But we swear to try and be reliable.
…..
We fall so often
We rise up and keep trying.
That’s all we can do
……
See 1 Corinthians 5
The one who loves one another.
Has fulfilled the law.
What greater task than loving each other.
Doesn’t this sum up what we are for.
Love does no wrong to a neighbour.
Therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Who is my neighbour.
He is everyone , that is core.
Love is the fulfilling.
Of the law.
Achieving.
The only really worthwhile law.
…..
Love one another
That is fulfilling the law
All that is worthwhile
.. …
See Romans 13: 8-10
You should learn not to go beyond what is written.
That none of you may be puffed up one against another.
Well surely then Mother Teresa is worth a mention.
More than any other.
For the sick caring.
For the lonely comforting.
For the dying consoling.
For the poor providing.
We may not be able to do great things.
We may not have the energy.
But we can do little things.
Which may not take too much energy.
We are what we are.
But still we can care.
….
We can do little
We can do just a little
For it is enough
.. ….
See 1Corimthians 4
Trust in the Lord.
And do good.
Hold on to the spiritual cord.
And eat of his holy food.
Then you will dwell in the land.
And find safe pasture.
We, as so many grains of sand.
Will be held to account according to our measure.
Find your heart in the Lord.
Who grants your heart’s desire.
Who else to follow but the Lord.
From this we cannot retire.
Thus, our attention held by psalm thirty seven,
We are living in hope, striven.
……
We trust in the Lord.
And we just try to do good
That’s all we can do
….
See Psalm 37
By the mercy of God.
We do not lose heart.
But we ask , where is God.
How do we feel him, where do we start.
I dreamt , why was I not praying.
Surely we can only find him in prayer.
Asking for grace, not demanding.
Slowly, layer by layer.
Sometimes being answered.
More often encountering silence.
But knowing we are loved.
In the still of quiet silence.
I continued happily in the dream to pray.
And in the day, of course , I forgot to pray.
…..
By God’s true mercy
We’re sure we will not lose heart
But then we must pray
…..
See 2 Corinthians 4
What then is Apollis.
What is Paul.
Would we follow Apollis.
Or Paul.
Paul planted.
Apollis watered.
God delivered.
He ensured the community growed.
We do not need this leader
That leader
Another leader
No leader.
We just need God.
Only God.
……
Apollis watered
And Paul it was who planted
But God ensured growth
…..
See 1 Corinthians 3:1-9
The spirit searches everything.
Even the depths of God.
What, we ask, do we bring
Is our soul strong, well shod.
The Lord is kind and full of compassion.
Slow to anger , abounding in mercy.
Where is our true passion
Do we just avoid controversy.
The psalm follows the first reading.
We are less judged, more loved.
With God there is understanding.
More than love , beloved.
He knows .
It shows.
……
He searches everything
And he knows our very depths
He is God, our God
…..
See 1 Corinthians 2: 10-16 and Psalm 145
O Lord, how I love your law.
My meditation all the day.
How do we return to our true core.
Searching that elusive spiritual ray.
It is in meditation.
In quietness.
Resisting the mind’s churning temptation.
Asking not for more but less.
What is the law.
It is the love of life.
Not looking for a flaw.
Or fearing the afterlife.
We are just here.
Have no fear, we will be there.
…..
Lord I love your law
I love meditation more
Just to be here quiet.
……
See Psalm 119
If anyone would come after me.
Let him deny himself and take up his cross.
Is this the key.
Or are we at a loss.
Surely we cannot walk through life.
Carrying a cross every day.
Aren’t we beset by every other sort of strife.
Is all that’s left is just to pray.
Is there a middle way.
To ponder the cross.
Not necessarily under its sway.
Never being at a loss.
Not bearing alone the cross.
But sharing the cross.
…..
We come after him
We share the cross’ burden
But we’re not alone
……
See Mathew 16: 21-27
God chose what is foolish.
To shame the wise.
And we who doubt , are we mulish.
Ignoring the truth, accepting lies.
God chose what is weak.
To shame the strong.
So do we join the meek.
For what really do we long.
God chose what is low.
Do we think we are high.
Perhaps we just go with the flow.
Or endlessly just asking why.
We must learn to accept.
We will be well kept.
……
God chose the foolish
To shame what we know as wise
But then who are we
……
See 1 Corinthians 1: 26- 31
Watch therefore.
For you know neither the day nor the hour.
Do we believe in our very core.
Where truly do we acknowledge power.
We need to delight in the present.
A breath of wind , a tree waving.
So simple , nature , what a present.
No questions, not even understanding.
Death may come tonight.
But to whom , who are we.
Enjoying only for a moment earthly light.
We do not really know, we cannot see.
Only in this moment fleeting.
Yet in the memory of, everlasting.
……
We must watch therefore
We don’t know the hour or day
But yes , it will come
…..
See Mathew 25: 1-13
Stay awake, because you do not know.
On what day your Lord is coming.
We may be ever so high or just low.
Young or old, but he is coming.
Perhaps this very night.
What then all our dreams.
Will we be open to his light.
Nothing may be the same as it seems.
And who are we.
Are we just a bit of flotsam in the stream.
Are we unique, destined for the heavenly see.
Is all this no more real than a dream.
Am I I
What is I
…..
We must stay awake
We do not know his coming
But it may be soon
……
See Mathew 24: 42-51
You outwardly appear righteous.
Within you are full of hypocrisy.
Perhaps we are just self-righteous.
Despite all our trying anxiety.
We claim these moral standards.
Do we actually have them.
Mere totems, not true personal standards.
Something not for us but them.
We say one thing.
We do another.
No truth ring.
Or care for the other.
But then we try.
And not to lie.
…..
Are we hypocrites
Say one thing doing other
But maybe we try
…….
See Mathew 23: 27-32
You clean the outside of the plate.
But on the inside they are full of greed.
What do we really rate.
Where do find the true seed.
Be loving.
Not judging.
Accepting.
Forgiving.
What matters is inside.
How we love.
No need to deride.
Accept all as in a well fit glove.
They are just they , we are just we.
And they will remain they and we will remain we.
…..
Judge not the outside
But look to the true inside
That is what matters
…….
See Mathew 23: 23-26