You have heard that it was said.
You shall love your neighbour.
And hate any enemies made.
Whoever is your neighbour.

Love your enemies.
And pray for those who persecute you.
Yes all you enemies.
And all those who persecute you.

Pray for those that persecute you.
So that you may be sons of your father.
Who’s working in heaven for you.
As your living father.

For he makes his sun rise on the very evil.
And the good and the not so evil.

…..
Love your enemies
Pray for persecuters
Treat them all the same

……

See Matthew 5: 43-48

Everyone who is angry with his brother.
Will be liable to judgement.
But we ask who is my brother.
For whom do I lament.

My brother is everyone.
All peoples.
Not just our near one.
Not just familiar peoples.

We say this .
But do we believe it.
It always was thus.
We accept what we know does fit.

But all peoples fit.
This is holy writ.

…..

Who is my brother
My brother is everyone
And all the peoples

…..

See Mathew 5: 20-26

Ask and it will be given up to you.
Seek and you will find.
Knock and it will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks receives whatever their kind.

The one who seeks finds.
And to one who knocks it will be opened.
We find , he finds.
The door again and again reopened.

For this is the point.
This door through millennia remains open.
But first we must push on the door’s joint.
Otherwise it will never open.

We just have to knock.
And through prayer unpick the lock.

…..

Ask and it’s given
Knock and  you will find it there
We ask. We receive

…..

See Matthew 7: 7-12

They repented at the teaching.
Of Jonah.
And behold, started listening.
Something here was greater than Jonah.
They were doing more than just hearing.

Are we like the citizens of Nineveh.
Have we heeded the warning.
Do we discern God’s ray.
And find a new awakening.

We may not find a sign.
We just have to keep looking.
Not give up or resign.
But keep hoping.

Jonah is here .
Have no fear.

…….

Where is Jonah’s sign
It is here all about us
If only we look

…..

See Luke 11: 29-32

When you pray
Do not lay up empty phrases as the Gentiles do.
What can we say .
What do we actually do .

We can say Our Father who art in heaven.
Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come on earth as in heaven.
Your will be done in your name.

To pray is so simple.
We do it once or twice a day.
Should we pray much more of the time, just something simple.
We can always find something to say.

To live we must surely pray.
Of that who can gainsay.

…….

Surely we should pray
Not just once or twice a day
But much more often

……

See Mathew 6: 7-13

I was hungry and you gave me no food.
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink.
We worry, did we give them food.
Did we give them drink.

I always think this applies to us.
We think ourselves virtuous.
But we fall so short,  not thinking of others but of us.
It’s as if our spirit is almost mendacious.

I was a stranger.
And you did not welcome me.
How kind are we to the stranger.
Or is it all about me , me.

I fear we have a long time in purgatory.
But heaven comes after purgatory.

…..

We fed the hungry
Or we ask ourselves did we
We have to answer

……

See Matthew 25: 31-46

Jesus was led up into the wilderness To be tempted by the devil.
And after forty days and nights of blackness.
He was hungry on every level.

And the tempter came to him.
Change these stones into loaves of bread.
What would we say to him.
Of us what will it be said.

Man shall not live by bread alone.
But by every word that comes from God.
And us, how are we going to atone.
What do we say to God.

When we are tempted by persuasion.
Do we fall easily into temptation.

…..

When we are tempted
Do we fall to temptation
Do we have answers

…..

See Matthew 4: 1-11

At that time Jesus saw a tax collector called Levi.
And he said to him, follow me, and he followed him.
Are we too prepared to leave everything, break every tie.
And follow him.

Well, we say we follow him.
But we do not break every tie.
We of course pray to him.
But we are no Levi.

It’s no great shame.
Our possessions are precious.
True, our faith is a bit lame.
But we cannot help feeling anxious.

In spirit we follow.
But in actuality we do not follow.

…..

He said , follow me
And Levi left everything
Do we do the same

…..

See Luke 5 : 27-52

For whoever would save his life.
Would lose it.
But whoever loses for my sake his life.
Will save it.

What is this life.
Nothing really , fleeting.
What matters is the next life.
Inspired, everlasting

Like the top C note in Allegri’s Miserere.
Here for a moment we enter heaven.
Just as the ashes are laid , we shed a tear.
We take the bread , the ultimate leaven.

Lent is arriving.
We are praying, hoping.

….

What then is this life
It is just fleeting moments
What counts is the next

….

See Luke 9 : 22-25

Thus says the Lord , return to me with all your heart.
With fasting.
We try today to make a start
But our very heart is resisting.

Perhaps the way is not to give up something.
But to take up something positive.
A little bit of acceptance would be no bad thing.
Perhaps being a little less restive.

Not getting angry.
At people being difficult or different.
A little less morose and more merry.
Catching simple things like a flower’s scent.

To wear fasting lightly.
Gently and pleasantly.

…..

Don’t give up something
Take up something positive
Surely that’s the way

….

See Hoel 2: 12-18

Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread.
Do you not perceive or understand.
Can’t we also perceive what is here said.
We have been told , we should understand.

Jesus is saying.
With a few scraps he fed five thousand.
Now it’s to us he’s speaking.
And to countless generations by the thousand.

We may not have enough bread in this life.
But we will have enough
In the next life.
In the spirit you always have enough.

Bread will come .
Life will come.

……

We have enough bread
But not necessarily.
In this life but next

….

See Mark 8 : 14-21

So also will the rich man fade away.
In the midst of his pursuits.
We think we hold sway.
But our achievements turn out to be passing fruits.

Why does this generation seek a sign.
Truly, Jesus said, I say to you.
This generation will be given no sign.
And this applies to us to.

The only sign.
Is that this life counts for so little.
It soon will be over , our breath consigned.
Our hold on life so brittle.

Look to the next life.
The only lasting life.

……

We all fade away
Whatever our riches are now
They are all fleeting

……

See James 1: 1-11 and Mark 8: 11-13

Do not think that I have come to abolish the prophets.
I have not come to abolish them.
Or the law of the prophets.
But to fulfil them.

Until heaven and earth pass away .
Not an iota, not a dot.
Will pass away.
Until all is accomplished to the last dot

Whoever relaxes the least of these commandments,
And who teaches others to do the same.
Will be called least in the heavenly firmaments.
And we will renounce their name.

So we try to fulfil the law.
And to understand the law

……

Understand the law
And try to fulfil the law
It is our duty

…

See Matthew 5: 17-37

At that time the Lord appointed  seventy two.
And sent them on ahead.
We are called too.
Our fate is read.

He said , the harvest is plentiful.
But the labourers are few.
Still the Lord is merciful
To all and us to.

Do we go out.
Do we proclaim
Do we shout
And exclaim .

Or do we keep quiet
Because it is easier to keep quiet

…..

Do we go proclaim
Are we the seventy two
Perhaps we’re just not

…..

See Luke 10:  1-9

Lord, even the dogs under the table.
Eat, she said, the children’s crumbs.
This is no mere fable.
The story frees us from eternal tombs.

The Syrophoenician was a stranger.
Yet Jesus was prepared to help.
For him there is no stranger.
No one beyond help.

We only have to ask.
To bury our pride.
That is our only task.
However much people may us deride.

There is no foreign land.
In Jesus every land is our land.

…..

Even the dogs eat
The crumbs under the table
We all can eat too

……

See Mark 7: 24-30

Whatever goes into a person from outside.
Cannot defile him.
Since it enters not his heart from outside.
But is expelled from him.

We don’t need to worry.
About what happens outside.
Only that our mind should not worry.
For what is harmful comes from inside.

Let outside events.
Just pass by.
They are only events.
They will eventually pass by.

What matters is in the mind.
To it and to others be kind.

……

Enters from outside
If so it cannot harm us
Inside what matters

…..

See Mark 7: 14-23

How lovely is your dwelling place.
O Lord of hosts.
We long to look the Lord in the face.
We seek our spiritual signposts.

St Scolastica was dying
She implored her brother Benedict to stay.
She prayed that it might start raining.
And he did after all stay.

She died two days later.
But she had her last wish.
She had had time with her brother.
A loving last supper, a spiritual dish.

If we pray
Who knows , we might have our way.

…….

This your dwelling place
Is truly lovely for us
Let us pray for it

……

See Psalm 119

They implored that they might touch.
Even the hem of his garment.
And when does our touch.
Reach his firmament.

It’s in our daily communion.
He is literally in our hands.
What an extraordinary reunion
That he should be in our hands.

This is flesh and blood given.
It is real.
The bread is leaven.
And we can break heaven’s seal.

They touched his hem.
Two thousand years later we are like them.

…..

They touched his garment
We now take communion
And it is just good

….

See Mark 6: 53-56

You are the salt of the earth.
But if the salt has lost its taste.
How shall its saltiness be restored from dearth.
So is our faith laid waste.

Is it no longer good for anything.
Except to be trampled under peoples’ feet.
We ask ourselves are we good for anything.
However much we bleat.

So let us not light our lamp.
And put it under a basket.
Our faith’s candle need not be put out by spiritual damp.
We need not fear our Casket.

There is always hope.
As long as we nurture hope

……

The salt of the earth
But has our salt lost its taste
That we must decide

……

See Matthew 5: 13-16

Give your servant an understanding mind.
That I may discern between good and evil.
May we above all be kind.
And know in our hearts what is really real.

Solomon didn’t ask for riches, honour.
Or long life.
But only for God’s honour.
And eternal not this life.
And God gave him high everlasting honour.

For this God gave him everything.
Long life and his temple.
Will we give away all for the everlasting.
Or will we pause and before truth tremble.

May we just ask to do what is right.
Because in our hearts we know what is right.

….

Soloman just asked
Nothing then for just himself
He lives for ever

….

See 1Judges 3 : 4-13

In all that he did, he gave thanks.
To the holy one.
Do we give thanks.
To the holy one.

Blessed be the God of my salvation.
As for God, his way is blameless.
Will we find our resurrection.
Will our pain in death be endless.

The word of the Lord is pure.
He indeed is the shield.
Of this we are sure.
We need not yield.

May we exalt him.
And praise him.

……

In all that we do
Do we give thanks like David
Or do we assume

……

See Sirach 47: 2-11 and Psalm 18

Jesus called the twelve.
And sent them out two by two.
We ask our spirit to delve.
We are sent out too.

He charged them to take nothing for their journey.
Except a staff.
We too are on a spiritual journey.
Our faith our sturdy staff.

So the disciples went out.
And proclaimed that people should repent.
We may not have the courage to ourselves to go out.
But we may at least repent.

We too are sent on a journey.
A questing spiritual journey.

……

We’re on a journey
A spiritual journey
Where will it all end

…..

See Mark 6: 7-13

A prophet is not without honour.
Except in his home town.
Are we held in dishonour.
Do people criticise, frown.

Oh well, we keep trying .
Doing our best.
Though few are listening.
But why worry about the rest.

If Jesus was ignored.
Can we not take it too.
We will take up his gentle sword.
And wield it lovingly too.

We proclaim the message.
Though we know we ourselves are not the message.

…..

Are we a prophet
Ignored in our own country
What does it matter

..   ..

See Mark 6: 1-6