Category Archives: General

13 th Sunday in Ordinary. Time

If anyone gives so much as a cup of cold water.
To these little ones he will not lose his reward.
View all as a son or daughter.
Or think of them all as a ward.Just a little kindness.
A small act of mercy.
Can cure our moral blindness
Or perhaps we need only a little curtesy.

And what a pleasure to receive one.
We should treasure it if it comes our way.
A new dawn however small is won.
Now with hope we can start a new day.

So give a cup.
And look up.

…….
A cup of water
That’s is given is a great thing
It takes so little
……..
See Matthew 10 : 37-42

Saturday of Week 12 in Ordinary Rime

Abram looked up .
And there he saw three men standing before him.
Was he ready to drink of this cup.
To sing his ordained hymn.
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Was this a metaphor for the Trinity.
Perhaps it’s the first manifestation.
An early look into infinity.
Just as Abram was the first of his nation.

I am at Douai Abbey In Berkshire.
At a mass for St Oliver Plunket.
Here all is peaceful shire.
But we recall how the saint sounded truth’s trumpet.

We will never have his courage.
We are so easily discouraged.

…….

Abram saw three men
Was this Trinity’s first sight
He accepted all

………

See Genesis 18 : 1-15

Friday of Week 12 in Ordinary Time

Is a child to be born to a man one hundred years old.
And will Sarah have a child at the age of ninety.
The tales we are told.
Do they really come to us divinely.
Should we believe these fairy tales.
If there is a God , would he act in such a way.
Are these mere instructive fables.
Legends not meant to stay.
But Abram himself laughed when told of his fate.
So he saw the funny side.
And the truth is , it is never too late.

To everyone did he ,his amazement ,confide.

So here is a gem of truthfulness
Perseverance and hopefulness

…..,,

Abram at one hundred
Told he was to have a child
Still had faith in God
……..

See Genesis 17

Sts Peter and Paul

Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood there.
And the cell was filled with light.
Occasionally everything becomes clear.
We seemed to have clearer sight.I was reading about a man dying of bone cancer.

His suffering and courage so moving.
His love for his child daughter so tender.
All our little problems are nothing.
The angel woke Peter, get up, hurry.
And the chains fell from his hands.
If we discard our worry chains we need not tarry.
We can set off for more spiritual lands.
Look to others and their suffering.
It may result in less worrying.
……..
His cell filled with light
For the Lord’s angel stood there
And we are there too
…….
See Acts 12 : 1-11

Wednesday of Week 12 in Ordinary Time

Have no fear Abram.
I am your shield
We are like a lamb.
Safely  enclosed  in our field.We will not wander.
Nor will we complain.
But we will not cease to wonder .
In sunshine or rain.

Will we go as we are told.
As Abram did so long ago.
Will we allow the eternal plan to unfold.
In times high and low.

Or will we question.
And remain in tension

……….

Abram had no fear
Do we have his intense faith
Or do we question

………

See Genesis 15, 1-12, 17-18

Monday of the 12 th Week in Ordinary Time

Abram was seventy five years old.
When he left Haran.
Or so we are told.
To a land of fruitfulness from a land that was barren.I am struck by how old he was.
Yet ready to obey a call to adventure.
He did not question or pause.
The command was the lure.

So Abram went.
As the Lord told him.
He did not go on his own accord, he was sent.
This was no self centred whim.

If we announced we were up sticks and going.
Would people believe our calling or think us raving

……..

At seventy five
Abram left his own homeland
For the true unknown

……..

See Genesis 12 : 1-9

Tuesday of Week 12 in Ordinary Time

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So always treat others.
As you would like them to treat you.
Viewing all as brothers.
This is the true breakthrough.

Enter by the narrow gate.
Since the road that leads to perdition is wide.
About this there can be no debate.
We know who is our guide.

It is a narrow gate.
And a hard road that leads to life.
There can be no more hate.
And an end to all strife.

Only a few find it.
But it is certainly it.

……….

It’s a narrow gate
Only a few will find it
But we must enter

……..

See Matthew 7: 6, 12-14

12 th Sunday in Ordinary Time

I hear so many disparaging me .
Terror from every side.
But I go on making my plea.
Looking out for my guide.
Life is so very brief.
We might aswell  enjoy it.
View everything as a relief.
See all not as darkened but lit.
Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny.
And yet not one falls to the ground without your father knowing.
Even with little we have plenty.
Someone is looking out for us somewhere.
And always anywhere.
…….
As life is so brief
We might aswell enjoy it
Because we are known
…….
See Jeremiah 20 : 10 -13 and John 15, 26,27

Saturday of Week 11 in Ordinary Time

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I was thinking, I have toiled in vain.
I have exhausted myself for nothing.
Faith seems to diminish rather than gain.
Am I good for nothing.

And then as in my dream I thought of religion rather than being low.
I began to look up.
I seemed to see a small triangle of light as in an attic window.
This was like a nourishing spiritual  cup.

Again in my dream I was running away at work.
I came across an old room and mass being said.
Again peace seemed to seep from the very brickwork.
Hope was alive and no longer dead.

Elizabeth despaired of having a child .
But a future blessing can never just be for ever filed.

……..

Do we toil in vain
Exhaust ourselves for nothing
There is always hope

……..

See Isaiah 49 : 1-6

Friday of Week 11 in Ordinary Time

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So many others have been boasting.
Of their worldly achievements.
We are never content with just resting.
With us it’s all restless movements.But what is the point of being the richest man .
In the cemetery.
Or being the most powerful man.
In the cemetery.

Our time comes.
It soon passes.
Whatever its outcomes.
Whether or not we are part of the masses.

If I am to boast.
Let my own feebleness be my boast.

…….

What then is the point
Of being the richest man
In cemetery

……

See 2 Corinthians 11

Ss Thomas More and John Fisher

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Such pretence does not square with our time of life.
Many would suppose that Eleazar had conformed.
We will not have to go under the knife.
But our faith has constantly to be reaffirmed.

I was looking at some clouds passing by.
Suddenly I seemed to know that all this was myth.
We are alone , there is no God , it’s all a lie.
There is no working heavenly smith.

But then I thought again.
The clouds had a sunset glow.
All this beauty , passing summer rain.
Did it come of itself, just a chance stain.

There has to purpose in this rain.
Eleazar did not die in vain.

………

What is the purpose
Who maintains the universe
Is it more than love

……..

See 2 Maccabees 6

Wednesday Week 12 Ordinary Time

Thin sowing means thin reaping.
The more you sow, the more you reap.
Less witnessing  means less advancing.
The more you give the more you will keep.Each one should give what he has decided  in his own mind.
Not grudgingly or because he is made to.
We could start by just being kind.
Or if we are given one penny handing back two.God loves a cheerful giver.
And there is no limit to the blessings that God can send you.
Love can flow like an ever widening river.
We need not fear whether we are at the front or back of the queue.

We just have to give.
And we shall live.

……..
The more that you sow
The more that you reap later
That means more sowing
…….
See 2 Corinthians 9 : 6-11

Tuesday of Week 11 in Ordinary Time

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Their constant cheerfulness and their intense poverty.
Have overflowed .
In a wealth of generosity.
With hope bestowed.
I could not sleep.
I started to think not of myself but of others.
I had a vision of the Eucharist out of the deep.
For a moment I felt such joy rising to the rafters.
With the host before me I felt enlightened.
It was filling all of my vision.
The night was thoroughly lightened.
Relieving all of the mind’s restless tension.
But soon  these moments  have passed.
But they are treasured and remembered.
……..
A night’s vision
Joyful of the Eucharist
To be remembered
……..
See 2 Corinthians 8: 1-9

Monday of Week 11 in Ordinary Time

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Now is the favourable time .

This is the day of salvation.
We search throughout a lifetime
Looking for a sure foundation.
I was just listening to the tv mass readings.
Suddenly such joy and certainty came.
There were no more questionings.
Faith was quietly aflame.
There was no end or beginning
No noun or verb, subject or object.
No need for questioning.
Neither promise nor neglect .
I seemed to see everything in the round.
Stillness, there was no movement and no sound.
……..
Favourable time?
We wait for salvation
And when will it come
……..
See 2 Corinthians 6 : 1-10

11 th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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He felt sorry for them  because they were harassed and dejected.

Like sheep without a shepherd.
Sometimes we too feel neglected.
We feel soon we will just be disappeared.
The harvest is rich.
But the labourers are few.
We ourselves sometimes don’t know our niche.
And we wait our turn in the spiritual queue.
So ask the Lord of the harvest.
To send labourers to his harvest.
And we ourselves try to reach the farthest.
However small is our own harvest.
Thus we till the soil.
All is toil.
……..
The harvest is rich
But the labourers are few
Are we one of them
.. …..
See Matthew 9, 36 – 10 :8

The Immaculate Heart of Mary

 

 

 

 

 

D293E34F-12D9-4715-98E7-F1D59FBC8E39There is a new creation.
The old creation has gone.
Freeing us from all damnation.
Ensuring we are never alone.

Now the new creation is here.
It is all God’s work.
We need not fear.
For all around is his handiwork.

God was reconciling the world to himself.
Not holding men’s faults against them.
Or against ourself.
And even now we do not know the outcome.

So we are ambassadors for Christ.
And we make our appeal in the name of Christ.

……

A new creation
The old creation is gone
Now and for ever

……

See 2 Corinthians 5

The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus

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No one knows the son except the father.
Just as no one knows the father except the son.
Reading these words I seemed to see further and further.
I was not blinded by earth, it’s cares and the sun.

Come to me all ye who Labour and are overburdened.
And I will give you rest.
In these moments my faith was strengthened.
It seemed to find at least for now, new zest.

Shoulder my yoke and learn from me.
For I am gentle and humble in heart.
Now just for an instant in church I could see.
I could understand if only in that moment, it was a start.

This the sacred heart is here.
Helping to remove all care.

……….

Jesus’ sacred heart
We know it’s always with us
If we choose to see.

……. ..

See Matthew 11 : 25-30

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Thursday of Week 10 in Ordinary Time

Where the spirit of the Lord is.
There is freedom.
We are his
Te Deum.We with our unveiled faces
Reflect like mirrors the brightness of the Lord.
Thus we receive untold graces.
And take up our spiritual sword.

We all grow brighter and brighter.
As we are turned into the image we reflect.
Our souls’ burdens become lighter and lighter.
This is truth and comes from no mere sect.

But if our gospel does not penetrate the veil.
Then all this is to no avail.

………

Yes there is freedom
Where’s the spirit of the Lord
But we have to seek

…..

See 2 Corinthians 3

Wednesday of Week 10 in Ordinary Time

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The Israelites could not bear looking at the face of Moses
Although it was a brightness that faded.
We who live now cannot ask for less.
Even if our faith is so jaded.

How much greater will be the brightness.
That surrounds the administering of the spirit.
This is the test of our fitness.
Even if we have no merit.

Our faith is spirit embedded.
Not some dry thing just from a book.
A radiance is encountered.
We don’t even need to look.

Compared with this greater splendour.
What used to have much now seems to have no splendour.

……….

The spirit’s brightness
Is then so overwhelming
And encompassing

……..

See 2 Corinthians 3, 4-11

St Antony of Padua

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Your will is wonderful indeed.
The unfolding of your word gives light.
You are the all encompassing seed
As long as we keep you always in sight.

I open my mouth and I sigh.
As I yearn for your commands
I cannot and will not lie
I must hold out to you my hands,

Let my steps be guided by your promise.
Let no evil rule me.
I wish I could follow you like St Thomas.
I can only make my plea.

Let your face shine upon your servant.
Let me be more fervent.

………..

Your wonder will
Your unfolding word gives light
Guided by promise

….

See Psalm 118

Monday of Week 10 in Ordinary Time

Happy the gentle.
They shall have the earth for their heritage.
We must take on a new mantle.
For a new age.

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Happy those who mourn.
They shall be comforted.
Beckoning for us , a new morn
All is spiritually related.

Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right.
They shall be satisfied.
Against all might.
To earth we are not tied.

The beatitudes are right.
We must keep them in sight.

………

Happy those who mourn
They shall then be comforted
We also will be

…….

See Matthew 5 : 1-12

Corpus Christi

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Man does not live on bread alone.
Man lives on everything that comes from the Lord.
We only have to atone.
And live again bound by new life’s cord.

Half asleep , waking today.
I dreamt I loved the whole world.
And all its people all religious and lay.
All dislikes , resentments away hurled.

What a delightful feeling.
Of course it didn’t last.
These feelings come with dreaming not living.
I’m not yet at all ready for the holy cast.

But as long as there are dreams .
Everything is not as it drearily seems.

………

Live on bread alone
Man does not need to do that
For he has God’s word

…. ..

See Deuteronomy 8 : 2-3 ,  14-16

Saturday of Week 9 in Ordinary Time

I was sent to test your faith.
And at the same God sent me to heal you.
In troubles our own faith is a mere wraith.
And we always are given our due.I was walking in the summer night garden.
The tees lit gently from the cottage windows.
There was no wind, stillness , very little, seen.
Here was a return to nature with no highs or lows.

Earlier I just looked I looked at the light through the trees
The sun setting , a summer twilight.
With this sense of the present , no need to get on knees.
No attempt at knowledge or insight.

No past or future troubles thought
No need to have sought.

…….

A summer twilight
Just lit by some cottage lights
A peaceful present

…….

See Tobit 12 : 1, 5-15, 20

Friday of Week 9 in Ordinary Time

Tobit described how God had taken pity on him, so pious.
And had opened his eyes.
Then Tobit met Sarah, the bride of his son Tobias.
And blessed her in these words, with sighs.Welcome daughter to your own house in joyfulness.
And blessedness. Come in my daughter .
Tobit welcomed his daughter in law with happiness.
New blood is thicker than water.

Thus our prayers are answered.
Despite our afflictions.
And we are remembered.
Answering our convictions.

Nineveh saw him walking as briskly as old.
Or so we are told.

……..

Come in my daughter.
In joyfulness, blessedness
A daughter in law

………

See Tobit 11 : 5-17

Thursday of Week 9 in Ordinary Time

You must love the Lord your God with all your heart.
With all your soul, with all your mind and your strength.
All this is of course just a startIn a a country church, my walk paused.
My mind paused.
Just now this device wrote itself” my mobile paused.”
Mere chance had this caused?

You must love your neighbour as yourself.
There is no greater commandment than these.
It’s so difficult not to ponder on the self.
But these are the keys .

Two simple commandments.
No truer or harder sentiments.

……..

Love your God with heart
Love your neighbour as yourself
But so difficult

……..

See Mark 12 : 38-24