When you gain a friend gain him through testing.
And do not trust him hastily.
Knowing , advising, supporting.
Wearily yet still merrily.

For there is a friend who will stand by you at his own convenience.
And never stand by you in your day of trouble.
Not one for steady maintenance.
Friendship can be mere rubble, a struggle.

Brought low this friend will be against you.
And will hide himself from your presence.
Thus true friends are all too few.
Not made of true essence.

But a faithful friend is a sturdy shelter.
He that has found one has found a treasure.
In our life’s helter skelter.
And we know his true measure.

……

What’s a faithful friend
He is a sturdy shelter
And a true treasure

…….

See Sirach  6 : 5-17

When the chief shepherd appears.
You will receive the unfading crown of glory.
Relieving so many of our fears.
As we live out our story.

Pope Francis is ill .
And I am praying.
That he will go on remaining with us still.
Praying is hoping, is believing.

This unbroken apostolic succession.
For two thousand years.
Is not in question.
Wiping away unbelieving tears.

Onwards from St Peter.
We will not falter.

…….
Love the Chief Shepherd
Win the unfailing glory
That is our belief

……

See 1 Peter 5: 1-4

For whoever will save his life will lose it.
That  we know.
But whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
Yes, in our heart of hearts this we know.

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world.
And forfeit his soul.
In the next world.
For what can a man give in return for his soul.

How these words from Mark pierce our soul.
They seem to be the whole truth.
We know that all that matters is really just our soul.
There is no other truth.

But too often we forget.
And our path is earthbound set.

……

If we lose this life
For his sake we will save it
Better to lose

……

See Mark 8 34-9:1

I will never again curse the ground because of man.
For the intention of man’s heart is evil.
Can we not comprehend our true scan
Do we not understand still.

I am in Hebron.
At the Tomb of the Patriarchs.
Here peace waits for a new dawn.
A place for all religions’ divine sparks.

But I see only the army.
Shouldn’t this be a place for all.
A place for a new spiritual journey.
Where we all can walk tall.

Surely all faiths are one.
Where we worship the one.

…….

Should we curse the ground
Because man’s will is evil
Or should we include

……..

See Genesis 8

Do you not perceive.
Or understand.
Receive.
Or comprehend.

I am at mass.
At the Holy Sepulchre.
Reading now this gospel at mass.
Standing not 20 feet from Christ’s sepulchre.

It is dawn.
A gentle light hits the tower.
As on another long ago morn.
When a great light caused the soldiers to cower.

Here we feel at the centre.
At the start of a new spiritual adventure.

…….

Do you not perceive
Do we really understand
We just can but try

…..

See Mark 8: 14-21

By the sweat of your face.
You shall eat bread.
He ran his  race.
It has all been said.

Till you return to the ground.
For out of it you were taken.
Even though we thought ourselves sound.
And not forsaken.

For dust you are.
And to dust you shall return.
Our final goal seems far.
Thwarted at every turn.

Like Adam we will keep trying.
And no doubt failing.

……

For dust that you are
And to dust you shall return
That is just our fate

……..

See Genesis 3 : 9-24

The harvest is plentiful.
But the labourers are few.
We just have to be merciful.
And not mind where we are in the queue.

Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest.
To send out labourers.
To his harvest.
We are those labourers.

We each have a role ourselves.
To write or preach.
Or to be ourselves.
To search  and to reach.

We may not be able.
But we all bring something to the table.

……

Plentiful harvest
But just too few labourers
So we must do more

…….

See Luke 10: 1-9

They laid the sick in the market place.
And implored him that they might touch his garment.
But of course we will never see his face.
We will never touch his garment.

As many as touched.
Were made well.
Will our spiritual goal be reached.
Who can tell.

Worried, we can only look at the statue of the Virgin.
But it is strangely reassuring.
Somehow we are no longer out but in.
Not failing but somehow surviving.

We may not see Jesus’ face.
But we have the Holy Spirit in his place.

…….

Laying down the sick
They tried to touch his garment
We have just spirit

……

See Mark 6 : 53-56

Come away by yourselves to a desolate place.
And rest for a while.
We need to slow down in our race.
We don’t need to run the extra mile.

For many were coming and going.
And they had no leisure even to eat.
We need more resting and praying.
No need always to talk and to meet.

And then in church praying.
All seemed so true and believable.
It was the quiet meditating.
That made the scripture seem so true, reasonable.

But you have to sit quietly.
And reverently.

…….

Come desolate place
And rest here awhile alone
And then you can pray

…….

See Mark 6 : 30-34

A prophet is not without honour.
Except in his home town.
We wonder how we can open our own home’s door.
Will we be met with a knowing frown.

If Jesus had difficulty
Why should we worry.
If people view us cynically.
There is no hurry.

And the same was with his relatives.
And amongst his own household.
Facing all these negatives.
Everything on hold.

He could do no mighty work there.
Except of course heal some sick there.

……

Honour for prophets
Seldom arises at home
It’s the same for us

…….

See Mark 6 : 1-6