Remember Christ for whom I am suffering.
Bound with chains as a criminal.
Still for us suffering.
And all this is absolutely real.

We already in this joyous Easter season.
Start to forget the passion.
We start to question and reason.
Forgetting the fundamental lesson.

He suffered.
He died .
He resurrected.
He appeared.

Whatever doubts there are, he is here now .
And this in our hearts we know.

…..

We remember God
He suffered, died
He did this for us

……

See Timothy 2: 8-13

Let our joy then be in him
He rules forever by his might.
We just have to accept him,
And we shall see the light.

Cry out with joy all the earth,
O sing to the glory of his name.
With him there is no dearth.
Always living , always the same.

O render him glorious praise.
Say to God how wondrous your deeds.
To God , our hands we will raise.
No longer are we  broken reeds.

We start to worship .
We will observe our worship

…….

Our joy is in him
He rules forever by by might
We shall see the light

……

See Psalm 66

Jesus said, I am the bread of life.
Whoever comes to me shall not hunger.
And we keep searching throughout our life.
Our faith seems so slender.

And he said, whoever believes in me.
Shall not thirst.
We wish we could see.
Not worry about being last or first.

Why worry about bread.
Or indeed what we possess.
It’s all temporary when all is said.
Whether we have more or less.

We will survive.
We will thrive.

……

He’s the bread of life
With him we shall not hunger
That is what we hope

……

See John 6: 30-35

Then they said to him.
What must we do to be doing the work of God.
This is the same question we put to him.
How do we do the work of God.

This, Jesus answered, is the work of God.
That you believe in him who was sent.
A simple command from God.
Do we believe in him who was sent.

This is the eternal question.
The command is so simple.
But again and again we keep asking the question.
As if it was not so simple

We just sincerely have to believe.
And then bounteously we will receive.

……

How to do God’s work
It’s to believe in God’s sent
Not so difficult

…..

See John 6: 22-29

He took the bread and blessed and broke it.
And their eyes were opened.
And when we receive it.
Our eyes too are opened.

But before we do not recognise him.
We may walk and listen but that is all.
So the key is taking communion.
The Eucharist really is all.

First we have to listen to scripture.
As the disciples did on the road to Emmaus.
These words of scripture.
Are now written for us.

Will we allow him to walk on.
No we must not let him
walk on.

…..

When he blessed the bread
They both  then recognised him
And we do the same

…..

See Luke 24: 13-35

They saw Jesus walking on the lake.
And coming near the boat.
He did this for our sake.
That we too on life’s ocean stay afloat.

They were frightened.
But he said to them do not be afraid.
Are we enlightened.
Or just afraid.

Was this just a trick of the light.
What did they really see.
Will these miracles put us right.
What do we really see.

We will never see him walking.
But we just keep hoping.

……

He was on the lake
Walking towards them afloat
And we believe this

…..

See John 6: 16-21

If this undertaking is of man it will fail.
But if it is of God you will not be able to overthrow them.
And that is what counts about this tale.
It never did fail.

Does that mean it comes from God.
Who knows.
But these disciples had an honest faith in God.
They suffered death and blows.

Only they knew if they saw Christ resurrected.
Would they have died for a lie.
I believe they saw him resurrected.
That this was no lie.

We have a difficult task too , guided by faith.
We cannot see with our eyes , we only have faith.

……

This plan did not fail
Men prepared to die for it
And then what of us

……

See Acts 5: 34 – 42

He who is of the earth.
Speaks in an earthly way.
He belongs to the earth.
That is his way.

Why do we not believe.
Because we cannot imagine what we do not know.
To see is to believe.
If not the answer is maybe or I don’t know.

Imagine we could not see the sun.
And nobody could explain it to us.
Would we doubt as with God’s son.
Thus the questions churn round and round for us.

So it’s down to faith.
With reason must come faith.

…..

We are bound to earth
Can we believe the unseen
It is just by faith

..  …..

See John 3: 31-36

For God so loved the world that he gave his only son.
That whoever believes in him should have eternal life.
He treats us like his only son.
That we might have forever life.

The light has come into the world.
And the people loved the darkness.
Rather than the light of the world.
Because their deeds were evil, wrapped in darkness.

For everyone who does wicked things.
Hates the light.
And lest his works be exposed by these things.
Does not come to the light.

Whoever does what is true comes into the light.
And is the light.

…….

God so loved the world
That he gave his only son.
So that we might live

…..

See John 3: 16-21

We speak of what we know.
And bear witness to what we have seen.
We do not need to feel low.
As long as we remember the unseen.

Today at Mass, mind wandering.
My eye caught the pascal candle, alight.
On its high pedestal , flickering.
I think I knew then what was true and right.

Here was faith ignited.
Belief sustained.
Doubt suspended.
Hope uplifted.

These moments come and go.
All in a thought’s momentary flow.

…..

So what do we know
Is it just what we have seen
It’s also unseen

……

See John 3: 7-17

The wind blows where it wishes.
And you do not know where it comes from.
I know this all too well from sailing, the wind does as it wishes.
And we don’t know really where faith comes from.

As usually I tried to question faith.
At mass today I just accepted.
I didn’t confront reason with faith.
And I believed.

Like Nicodemus today we ask.
We agonise, we question.
But what is our task.
Like Thomas to accept the clear lesson.

Faith like a feather flutters in the wind.
But we can guess who drives the wind.

……

Where does faith come from
It flutters on divine wind
But where does it go

……

See John 3 : 1-8

Unless I see on his hands the mark of the nails.
And place my hands in his side.
And place my finger into the mark of the nails.
I will not believe, Thomas cried.

And I am like Thomas.
I struggle to believe.
But we should praise doubting Thomas.
He helps us believe.

Because we must question.
Add faith to reason.
What is wrong with asking a question.
Or wrong with balancing faith and reason.

We have not been able to put my hands in his side.
But we have sought faith , we have cried.

…..

So do we believe
We must question and reason
That’s the only way

……

See John 20: 19-31

When they heard he was alive.
They would not believe it.
We are told he is alive.
But do we really believe it.

It’s Good News.
And good news is hard to believe.
We like to hear the worst in the news.
Disasters we are ready to believe.

But how wonderful, amazing.
If it really is true.
God stood among us and is living.
We just need to accept it’s true.

Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed, truly risen.

… ..

Yes, Christ is risen
Yes, he is risen indeed
Now we need not fear

……

See Mark 16: 9-15

Peter hauled the net ashore, full of large fish.
One hundred and fifty three of them.
The then  known worldwide species of fish.
And we, all the world’s nations, are them.

Is Jesus waiting for us.
On the lake shore.
Is this an allegory for all of us.
In this present day, to our very  core.

We work all night.
We fail to catch anything.
He gives the word, we see the light.
And we hear the spiritual bell ring.

He is waiting.
But are we searching.

…..

He waits on the shore.
He is calling out for us
Are we listening

…..

See John 21: 1-14

Forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations.
Beginning in Jerusalem , you are witnesses off these things.
We two thousand years later are those nations.
We still marvel at all those things.

It’s strange, when I heard those words.
I too at mass , believed.
Belief comes and goes inspired by words.
If sincerely received.

How I wish faith was a constant.
Divinely inspired.
No mere emotional sentiment.
But in reason and fact created.

But it is enough that in that moment.
I believed if only in that moment.

……

We are witnesses
To all of this gospel truth
That’s c what we proclaim

……

See Luke 24: 35-48

He took the bread and gave it to them.
And their eyes were opened and they recognised him.
It was as if he was giving communion to them.
And when we receive it, do we recognise him.

Every mass we walk the road from Emmaus.
We listen to his preaching.
Giving eternal truths to us.
To the altar rail approaching.

We do this so often.
We take it so much for granted.
Our faith fails to ripen.
And his sacrifice too little lamented.

But he walks with us.
He is there for us.

……

Walk to Emmaus
To the communion rail
And recognise him

……

See Luke 24: 13-35

Tell us Mary what thou didst
see upon the way.
The tomb the living did enclose I saw Christ’s glory as he rose.
As a sunlit ray.
More beautiful than any rose.

The angels there attesting.
Shroud with grave clothes resting.
New life Glorying.
For us all Resurrecting.

One day we too will see him
Will we welcome him.
Will we recognise him.
For have we believed in him.

It is our choice.
Have we raised our voice.

……

We recognise him
If only we have known him
That is just our choice

. ….

See The Raster Sequence . Victimae Paschali Laudes

The guards were told, say his disciples came by night.
And stole him away while we were asleep.
But slowly we come to the light.
We know the faith we must keep.

Did he really rise.
Was his body stolen.
We can assume the truth or take the lies.
We can but hope and truth mention.

We know he walked away.
That he was seen.
Doubts he could allay.
We only have to reason.

On this question the world asks.
To answer Is our never ending  tasks.

…..

See Matthew 28: 8-15

God raised him.
On the third day.
We worship him.
He is our new day.

John saw and he believed.
We now have to accept.
And be received.
Faith must have leapt.

It’s when I heard that he appeared to five hundred people.
That I believed.
So many people.
Too many to have been deceived.

We have the word in view.
We must assume it is true.

…..

John saw and believed
We now just the scriptures
But we too believe

……

See Acts 10

His appearance was like lightning.
His clothing white as snow.
The Gloria sings out , with the church lightening.
Easter is here , farewell to being Lent low.

How I love the Easter vigil.
The early Old Testament readings.
Lit just by candlelight, all is expectant, still.
Then the glorious New Testament readings.

We walk with the women to the tomb.
The stone is rolled back , angels appearing.
Here at last resurrection, there is nothing to lack.
Truth, hope, redemption appearing.

Now at last after two hours communion, we receive.
And with joyful heart we truly believe .

….

The Easter Vigil
Bonfire , darkness and candles
Then Gloria light

….

See Matthew 28 : 1-10

Behold my servant shall act wisely.
And he shall be exalted.
Will we always act spiritually.
Or will we be tempted.

I dreamt that I would not speak ill of anyone.
Easy enough to agree, more difficult to do.
We feel these good intentions are done.
But they are not for the many but the few.

But my dream was continuing.
And how good I felt.
I woke up and started complaining.
This is how my dreams are dealt.

I try to do the right thing.
Then reason and events ring.

……

Speak ill of no one
This is what we’re told to do
It’s so difficult

…..

See Isaiah 52: 14-53

If I then your lord can wash your feet.
You also ought.
To wash one another’s feet.
But have we ourselves this task sought.

We are so proud.
So self centred.
In our praise loud.
But still self centred.

Do we metaphorically.
Kneel down in front of others.
Humbly.
To abase ourselves before others.

No of course we do not.
But perhaps we should ask, why not.

…..

Do we kneel down
To wash the feet of others
Well perhaps we should

…..

See John 13: 1-15

In your great mercy , O God.
Answer me at an acceptable time.
It is for you that I suffer taunts, O God.
That shame has covered my face in our time.

I dreamt that all that mattered.
Was love.
Nothing else really mattered.
But consuming love.

Love for all people.
Love for one’s life partner.
That really is for all the very different people.
And whatever fate befalls one or one’s partner.

All that really counts is love.
And we know what is love.

……

Love is really kind.
Love is just not resentful
It counts not the cost

……..

See Psalm 69

Truly, truly, I say to you, the cock will not crow.
Till you have denied me three times.
O , when I hear this I feel so low.
I think how cowardly, we turn from dreadful crimes.

Yes we are so weak.
Like Peter we hide and run.
We prefer not to seek.
To turn our back on the radiant sun.

But worse we run from belief.
We doubt, we question.
In being non committal we find relief.
Courage we would rather not mention.

But like Peter we will come back.
So really, courage, we do not lack.

….

Like Peter we run
For now we lack some courage
But we will gain it

…..

See John 13 : 33-38

Behold my servant, whom I uphold.
My chosen in whom my  soul delights.
We now in wonder behold.
Walking towards new spiritual lights.

As we watch Mel Gibson’s film.
The passion of Christ.
We see extraordinary power in this film.
Every scene brings home the suffering of Christ.

How could he endure such torture.
When had a choice.
He could have saved himself and lost our future.
But sweating blood in the garden he made that choice.

It is unbearable to watch the humiliation and scourging.
But worse to watch the cruel crucifying.

…..

The Christ had a choice
For he could have saved himself
And he would have lost

….

See Isaiah 42: 1-7