Monthly Archives: September 2024

Thursday of Week 24 in Ordinary Time

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Her tears fell on his feet.
And she wiped them away with her hair.
One day we too will sit at his seat.
And every day we hope, will be fine and fair.She covered his feet with kisses.
And anointed them with the ointment.
Where  are our innermost wishes.
Are we ready for our final appointment.

If this man, the Pharisee said, were a prophet.
He would know who this woman is.
Do we always act for our own profit.
Or are we really his.

This man will forgive us .
As he will all of us.

…….

Tears fall on his feet
And she wipes them with her hair
And he forgives her

……

See Luke 7 : 37-50

Wednesday of Week 24 in Ordinary Time

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John the Baptist comes not drinking.
And you say he is possessed.
He is passing by.
And truly he is blessed.

The son of man comes , eating and drinking.
And you say, glutton and a drunkard.
Although he is forgiving.
And our faults are unnumbered.

A friend of tax collectors.
And sinners.
Probably also debtors.
And dreamers.

By others we cannot do right.
That doesn’t mean we aren’t right.

.. …..

John is not drinking
Jesus the friend of drunkards
Neither can do right

…..

See Luke 7 : 31-35

Tuesday of Week 24 in Ordinary Time

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Everyone praised God saying.
A great prophet has appeared.
Seeking is not necessarily believing.
But of course he lived, he cared.

They have found a new galaxy.
Its light takes 11 billion years to reach us.
Could Jesus really have created this galaxy.
Was he not a man once , one of us.

He called himself the son of God
He talked of his Heavenly Father.
But did he ever call himself God.
Perhaps he was a sliver of the divine essence of the father.

But where I ask is God to be found.
Is he up there , I do not know, or is he all around.

……..

Where can I find God
Is he in heaven or here
And what is heaven

.. ……

See Luke 7 : 11-17

Monday of Week 24 in Ordinary Time

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Sir I am not worthy to have you under my roof.
But give the word and let my servant be cured.
Too often in history people remained aloof.
Not so much loved as feared.

We admire the Centurion for his modesty.
And of course for his faith being transparent.
Can we say we have such faith in all honesty.
Or is our zeal all spent.

So the servant was cured.
Jesus did not have to go there.
We may not see him either but we can be assured.
We will not see him here now but maybe later there.

The humility of the Centurion.
Has down the ages given him mention.

…..

I am not worthy
To have you under my roof
Can we too say that

…….

See Luke 7 : 1-10

24 th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 

I will walk in the Lord’s presence.
In the land of the living.
This is surely the essence.
Amidst all our striving.
I was dreaming that I was entirely open.
Only wanting to think of and help others.
Thus care and love can happen.
Releasing us from life’s cloying tethers.
Here was joy and serenity.
You just have to stop thinking of number one.
All thought on the divine entity.
The one.

we just have to dream.

All is not what it might seem

…….

Walk in his presence
In the land of the living
Then you will not stray

…….

See Psalm 114

The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

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He gave his only son.
So that everyone who believes in him may not be lost.
Our search is never done.
Whatever the cost.

But do we truly believe.
So can we count on not being lost.
We give but will we receive.
Our faith reduced to frost.

God sent his son , not to condemn.
So that through him the world might be saved.
We really all are a gem.
Our path to glory is well paved.

We just have to to really try to listen
And we will into heaven be christen.

…….

He gave us his son
So if we believe in him
We might then be saved

…….

See John 3 : 13-17

Friday of Week 23 in Ordinary Time

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Love your enemies
Do good to those who hate you.
Search for remedies.
Act for him, her, and you.

Why do you observe the splinter in your brother’s eye.
And never notice the plank in your own.
Are we living a lie.
Do we worry too much about we own.

Suddenly last night all was clear.
I woke to a great love of mankind.
At once I knew no fear .
It was enough to just be kind.

But these sublime moments pass.
As we move out of sleep’s pass.

……

Love your enemies
Do good to those who hate you
But do we do this

……

See Luke 6 : 39-42

Thursday of Week 23 in Ordinary Time

Be compassionate.
As your father is compassionate.
An end to hate.
For that, it’s all too late.
Do not judge.
And you will not be judged.
Or begrudge
For our actions may be ill judged .Do not condemn.
And you will not be condemned.
Search in everyone for the gem.
In every friend.

Grant pardon.
And you will receive pardon.

…….

Be compassionate
Your father is compassionate
And just be patient

…….

See Luke 6 : 27–38

Wednesday of Week 23 in Ordinary Time

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How happy those who are poor.
Theirs is the kingdom of God
What do we really want to ask for.
What do we think is really right or odd.

I am looking at Van Gogh’s Olive Trees
The sun is a natural halo.
The disc hovers above the trees.
Art can take us anywhere , high or low.

Art can be spiritually expressive.
Without quoting from the bible.
It can send a strong missive.
In itself a religious fable.

I stood in the room alone with these pictures.
Here there seemed to be only light and no physical fixtures.

……..

Art spiritually
Expressive without bibles
As strong as the word

……..

See Luke 6 : 20-26

Tuesday of Week 23 in Ordinary Time

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Everyone in the crowd.
Was trying to touch him.
Because the  power that cured the whole crowd.
Came out of him.

I suddenly felt the strength of these words.
As I listened to them in mass.
There is nothing more powerful than his words .
In any mass.

Now in Luke Jesus relies less on miracles.
And more on the power of teaching.
There is as much power in words as in  miracles.
And even greater and more powerful teaching.

The power of words hits you.
And you realise suddenly this is for you.

……..

Everyone touching
His power cured the whole crowd
And it will cure us

…….

See Luke 6 : 12-19

Monday of Week 23 in Ordinary Time

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How can you be so proud of yourselves.
You should be in mourning.
Look first at ourselves.
Before we start condemning.

St Paul says a man who does a thing like that.
Ought to have been expelled from the community.
But was he, are we sure that he had done that.
Is this or that something that marks our unsuitability.

Better to be understanding.
Ready to forgive.
Not condemning.
Love and let live.

Are we sure what happened.
If indeed anything happened.

…….

Look first at ourselves
Before we start condemning
For are we honest

…….,

See 1 Corinthians 5 : 1-8

23 rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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The eyes of the blind shall be  opened.
The ears of the deaf unsealed.
Faith like harvest wheat will be ripened.
And truth revealed.

The lame shall leap like a deer.
And the tongues of the dumb sing for joy.
We will know no fear.
And become the purest alloy.

For water gushes in the desert.
Streams in the wasteland.
We will be alert.
As we search for a new land.

All this Isaiah tells us will happen.
And our hearts will open.

……..

Eyes of blind opened
The ears of the deaf unsealed
Faith will be ripened

……..

See Isaiah 35 : 4-7

Saturday of Week 23 in Ordinary Time

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Remember the maxim.
Keep to what is written.
We can’t just obey every whim.
Have hope, our faith will quicken:

It is not for you so full of your importance.
To take sides.
Have some true sense.
Follow the scriptural guides.

In any case brother.
Has anybody given you some special right.
We need to hold on to our spiritual tether.
The better to approach the light.

You are influential , you are celebrities.
We are, St Paul tells us, nobodies.

…….

Remember maxim
And keep to what is written
Then you can’t go wrong

………

See 1 Corinthians 4: 6-15

Friday of Week 22 in Ordinary Time

John’s disciples are always fasting.
Yours go on eating and drinking.
And we , are we just waiting.
Asking ourselves, is he coming.There is no one way.
All are equally just.
We all are entitled to our say.
Just as we are to our crust.

But everything in moderation.
Nothing excessive.
Will lead we hope to ascension.
But we need to send a missive.

Asking in the next life for eternity.
And in this for love and fraternity.

….

We’re always fasting
And we’re eating and drinkng
But what is the way

….

See Luke 5 : 33-39

Thursday of Week 22 in Ordinary Time

Who will climb the mountain.
Who will claim this holy place.
To set us on the right lane.
And win our life race.I dreamt that every time I was angry.
I conjured up an illuminated cross.
The anger then fled my memory.
And frankly I felt no loss.

Then I dreamt that I had lost money.
But thought of the rich man and the the eye of the needle.
And the loss just seemed quite funny.
And really in life’s great scheme, quite feeble.

And so we adjust.
As we always must.

……..

We climb the mountain
Or we may finally fall
It is just our fate

…….

See Psalm 23

Wednesday of Week 22 in Ordinary Time

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Leaning over he rebuked the fever.
And it left her.
Love he could gather.
Because he was true and fair.

When daylight came he left.
And made his way to a lonely place.
Never with prayer  bereft.
Full of abiding grace.

At sunset all those who had friends.
Suffering from diseases.
Were given a loving care that mends.
A love that never freezes.

He will cure us.
Because he knows us.

……..

He rebuked fever
And it will leave us we hope
If we do believe

…….

See Luke 4: 38-44

Tuesday of Week 22 in Ordinary Time

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Then Peter spoke up.
You are the Christ.
Who will pass the cup.
And be sacrificed.
It was not flesh and blood.
That revealed this.
Overcoming doubts’ flood
We cannot miss this.You are Peter and on this rock.
I will build my church.
Unlocking finally mortality’s lock
Completing our search.

This we know .
We cannot say no.

…….

Then Peter spoke up
You are the Christ son of God
But do we believe

……..

See Matthew 16 : 13-19

Monday of Week 22 in Ordinary Time

I tell you solemnly.
No prophet is ever accepted in his own country.
All that advice is very timely.
As we think of heaven’s entry.
They sprang to their feet.
And hustled him out of town.
And we too maybe as we search for his seat.
He was just telling the truth not seeking renown.But he slipped through the crowd.
And walked away.
So don’t speak it too loud.
But you may be here to stay.

Can we speak our mind.
Will others mind.

…….

Are prophets accepted
Speaking in their own country
Well of course they’re not

…….

See Luke 4 : 16-30

22 nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

This people honours me only with lip service.
While their hearts are far from me.
We too do him a disservice.
We do not know what will make us truly free.The worship they offer me is worthless.
The doctrines they teach are only human regulations.
We are given so much , we give back a lot less.
Just adding to our tensions.

I question all these rules still today.
Can we not rely on pure spirituality.
Perhaps we should just concentrate on his ray.
Not on doctrinal  conformity.

Rules will not free us.
They will bind us.

…….

We give lip service
But where are our hearts truly
Do we really know

……..

See Mark 7