Category Archives: General

Thursday of Week 4 of Ordinary Time

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Take nothing for the journey except a staff.

No  bread, no haversack, no copper for the purses.
It’s difficult not to do things in half.
That’s the point of these verses.
They were to wear sandals.
But , he added, do not take a spare tunic.
We’re happy  just to hold candles.
But when when it comes to extremes we meet our Munich.
Do everything in moderation
Don’t give up everything .
We can still avoid damnation.
And let our faith take wing.
So we carry on with the card in our purse.
And indeed we could do a lot worse.
……
Just be moderate
In the exercise of faith
It is good enough
……..
See Mark 6 : 7-13

Wednesday of Week 4 in Ordinary Time . The Presentation of the Lord

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Now , Master you can let your servant go in peace.

For mine eyes have seen the salvation you have prepared.
We too ask this question without cease .
For  this new life, will we be spared.
It seems to be the most beautiful story.
An answer to an old man waiting patiently.
His final wish granted before his final glory.
And a saviour revealed resoundingly.
I wish I could see this new light.
And pass peacefully on my way .
But all may stay out of sight.
Until I  finally pass away.
All may not be revealed.
Until all is sealed.
……..
We may have to wait
Before all things are revealed
Have we the patience
…….
See Luke 2 : 22-40

Tuesday of Week 4 in Ordinary Time

 

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Would that I had died in your place

Absalom,  my son , my son.

We soon will have run our race.
Our children our rising sun.
My little daughter is desperately sick.
Do come to lay your hands on her and save her life.
We are the dead and not so quick.
Frailty and death are rife.
Jaurus was influential , powerful.
The sick woman was weak .
Whoever we are we answered if prayerful.
We will find an answer if we seek .
We may only touch his unseen cloak.
But our faith needs be solid as oak .
…….
We reach for his cloak
He feels his power leaving
He knows we are here
……..,
See  2 Samuel 18,19 and  Mark 5: 21-43
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Monday of Week 4 of Ordinary Time

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Come out of the man you unclean spirit.

What is your name , my name is legion.

None of us are without merit.

Although we come from many a region.
As the night passes we dwell on the negative.
But last night I thought on what I had.
On what in my life was positive.
Rather than on what was sad .
They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac.
Clothed and in his full senses.
If we call there is nothing we will lack.
We can build our own defences.
There is a power of posited thinking.
Let’s be prepared to use it without shrinking .
…….
Thinking positive
Is what we can always do
If we want to do
……
See Mark 5: 1-20
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4 th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Love takes no pleasure in other peoples sins.

But delights in the truth.
Sometimes we score losses, at other times wins.
We should not dwell on what we did in our youth.
Let he who has broken no rules .
Be the first to throw stones.
We can be as stubborn as mules .
But surely we have broken no bones.
Live in justice.
Show mercy.
Fight injustice.
Whatever the controversy.
To all show compassion.
Whether or not it’s in fashion.
……
If we do what’s right
But we do not show true love
We are just worthless
……
See 1 Corinthians 12

Saturday of Week 3 in Ordinary Time

 

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He rebuked the wind and said to the sea be calm.

They were filled with awe and said who can this be.
His words are like soothing  caressing balm.
He asks only that we be willing to hear and  see.
He must make four fold restoration for the lamb.
For doing such a thing and showing no compassion.
Often criticism is so much  dreary sham.
But David had to pay the price for his passion.
When our life’s raft is surrounded by angry seas.
When our faults surface and we lose all hope.
There is one who will put our fears at ease .
He throws it out and gratefully we grasp the rope.
We may think him fast asleep.
But he is here , we need not weep.
…….
Outside the storm stirs
The trees bend in the strong wind
But here all is safe
….
See Mark 4 : 35-41 and 2 Samuel 12 1-7, 10-17
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Friday of Week 3 in Ordinary Time

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This what the Kingdom of God is like.

While he sleeps and is awake the seed is growing .
In many ways we are all alike.
Whatever we do, life keeps flowing .
We plant the seed .
Nature does the rest.
We just need to follow the creed.
And keep our zest .
And when the harvest is ready.
We can reap it happily .
But the kingdom of God keeps this steady.
Not just our works happily.
And we are the tiny mustard seed.
So small yet so ready to grow in need .
……..
The seed sprouts at will
When we sleep or are awake
That is God’s kingdom
……..
See Mark 4 : 26-34

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Thursday of Week 3 in Ordinary Time

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There is nothing hidden but it must be disclosed.

Nothing kept secret except to be brought to light.
All our fears will be disposed.
All our doubts put to flight.
Would you bring in a lamp to put it under the bed.
Surely you would put it on the lamp stand.
All that is thought must be said.
Our life watched from a grandstand.
The amount you measure out.
Is the amount you will be given.
One day we will lose all doubt.
For we know we  will have striven.
So we put up our light for all to see.
Knowing that it is not all about just me.
……..
Our light will be out
And then what have we achieved
It is up to us
…..
See Mark 4: 21-25
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Wednesday of Week 3 in Ordinary Time

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Some fell on rocky ground where it found little soil.

And sprang up straightaway, with no depth of earth.

Where does it lead us ,  all our toil.
We grow up, work and fall back into death.
But what if we fell into rich soil.
And sprang up one hundred fold.
It would be worth it, all that toil.
We would not at the end fall into the cold.
And what if we fell into the thorns.
And the thorns grew up and choked us.
We ignore the fate that warns.
And we miss eternity’s  passing bus .
I should look where I walk off the path.
If I’m not to encounter wrath.
……..
So when we are sown
Where do we fall on the soil.
It is up to us
…….
See Mark 4 : 1-20
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Tuesday of Week 3 in Ordinary Time

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He who believes and is baptised will be saved.

He who does not believe will be condemned.
Have I behaved .
As I approach my end.
But I struggle to know who I am.
Where I’m from and where I’m going.
Or who gives a damn.
The rest of life will keep flowing.
We ask where is our true being.
Do you know, I have no idea.
Do we only exist if we are seeing and hearing.
Or is there a deeper gift of God, thea.
I still don’t know what is this conscience.
Or where lies the deeper true sense.
……..
Really who are we
We really have no idea
So we keep going
……..
See Mark 16:  15-18
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Monday of Week 3 in Ordinary Time . St Francis de Sales

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If a kingdom is divided against itself.

That kingdom cannot last.
Wisdom you can find on any bookshelf.
Attach this flag to the  mast .
Be aware of everything you do every day .
Shine a light on all your thoughts and actions
All your feelings and all you say .
As Thich Nhat  Hanh said root  out all your aggressions.
Seek perfection every day .
The words of St Francis .
One Buddhist , one Catholic but they take the same way.
Their path is what  truly enhances .
Death and birth are the same doorway .
We pass through them on our way .
……..
Birth and death are doors
Not the beginning and end
But the path we take
……..
See Mark 3 :22-30
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3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

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He has sent me to bring good news.

To set the downtrodden free.
We all have the right to choose.
We can ask,  if we really want,to see.
We come to the altar of the word. .
And we come to the altar of the Eucharist.
This is what we have  been told and heard.
This is how we penetrate the unbelieving mist.
He brings liberty to the captive
And to the blind new sight .
To doubt,  I am still held captive .
I still barely discern the light.
But if we study the word.
Our plea may be heard.
………
We study the word
So that we may find true faith
But it is so hard
………
See Luke 1 : 1-4, 4: 14-21
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Saturday of Week 2 in Ordinary Time

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When his relatives heard of this.
They were convinced he was out of his mind.
Where was the consuming  bliss.
What were they trying to find.

Jesus was saying something so different.
Few were prepared to listen at all.
He said it and it was meant.
For it is saving from our fall.

His teaching was difficult.
And now many won’t accept it.
This  , we now know was no cult.
Only our conscience will reject or accept it .

Are we out of our mind
It’s for us to search and find .

…….

Many think us wrong.
We will continue to search
It is just our fate

…..

See Mark 3: 20-21

 

Friday of Week 2 in Ordinary Time

 

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Have mercy on me God , have mercy.
For in you my soul has taken refuge.
Free us from  final controversy.
And from all consuming deluge.

I was at a small funeral .
Outside we heard the children.
In the playground playful.
They were someone’s grandchildren.

Here was the end of life
Outside joyful playing .
The very beginning of young life .
Perhaps this was not a time of mourning.

We who are near the end of our journey.
Can rejoice in those starting their journey.

………

At the end of life
We can rejoice in new life
It is there always

………

See Psalm 56

Thursday of Week 2 in Ordinary Time

 

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He asked his disciples to have a boat ready .

To keep him from being crushed .
No doubt they kept it steady .
To stop him being rushed.
Perhaps that day the lake was calm .
And the sound carried.
His voice like  soothing balm.
Their doubts and fears steadied .
Do we choose to listen.
For his voice far away .
Are we enough of a Christian.
At the end of the long  tiring day.
The secret is in the listening.
Then comes the hearing.
……..
The boat far away
Engine heard over water
In calm all peaceful
……….
See  Mark 3 : 7-12
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Wednesday of Week 2 in Ordinary Time

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They were watching him.

To see if he would cure someone on the sabbath day .
There is no need to trim.
Our principles we need not lay.
The Pharisees are always watching.
Waiting for you to break a rule.
Judging, condemning .
As unyielding as any mule .
But let he who is without sin.
Cast the first stone .
We can put their criticisms in the bin.
Knowing that in sin we are not alone.
We need only stretch out our hand.
And our doubts will soak into the sand.
……….
we stretch out our hand
Then an unseen force takes it
Then we need not fear
…….
See Mark 3 : 1-6

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Tuesday of Week 1 in Ordinary Time

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Why are they doing something on the Sabbath day.

That is is forbidden.

So many rules to obey
The right path often hidden.
David ate the loaves of offering.
And he gave some to the men with him.
With so much suffering.
So much  is forbidden on a whim.
The Sabbath was made for man.
Not man for the Sabbath .
Rules were made for man .
Not man made for rules given in wrath.
Do everything with a light touch.
Otherwise it’s just all too much.
……..
Are rules made for us
Or are we made for the rules
Keep them in context
……
See  Mark 2 : 23-28

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Monday of Week 2 in Ordinary Time

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As long as they have the bridegroom with them.
They could not think of fasting.
But the bridegroom will be taken away from them.
And then they will start fasting.

The Pharisees were judgemental .
A good moral for life .
Don’t be too judgemental .
Hypocrisy is rife.

No one sows unshrunken cloth on an old cloak .
If he does the patch pulls away from it .
Wise words folk.
Keep thinking on it.

Let’s concentrate on ourselves.
Rather than all the otherselves.

………

All the Pharisees
Were all just too judgemental
But are we also

.. .. ….

See Mark 2:18-22

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

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There are a variety of gifts .

But always the same spirit .
We look at the high cliffs.
And think of our lack of merit.
There are all sorts of service to be done.
But always the same Lord.
Races to be run .
But the same spiritual cord.
Working in all sorts of different ways.
In different people .
For all our days.
A distant steeple.
The same God working .
As long as we keep hoping.
……….
The ways of working
Maybe very different
But the same result
……….
See 1 Corinthians 4-11
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Saturday of Week 1 in Ordinary Time

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Jesus took them to the shore of the lake.

And all the people came up to him and he taught them.
During the long night , restless , I lay awake.
Worry a softly sounding  persistent drum.
I walked down the hill to the Tay.
And pondered the grey swirling current.
Soothing the mind , looking at the curving bay .
I stayed in this one good moment.
It is not the healthy who need the doctor but the sick.
I did not come to call the virtuous but sinners.
We are sinners because we are the quick.
In this race we are still the runners.
So go and stand still by a quiet lake.
For yours and his sake.
…….
Stand still by the lake
Just look at  all the currents
They moving you still
……
See Mark 2 :13-17
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Friday of Week1 in Ordinary Time

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The people said No, we want a king.

So that we can be like other nations .

But what dos a leader bring .
Without strong  moral foundations .
When we read The Return of the King.
We read of beauty , art and love .
This is Tolkien’s message with the ring.
Power  on its own is no treasure trove .
Setting an example .
Straight talking .
Going to the Temple.
Are all more important than winning.
So when we choose a King.
Let us remember the ring.
……..
Our moral compass
Is how we set an example
By our behaviour
……..
See 1 Samuel 8 4-7, 10-22
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Thursday of Week 1 in Ordinary Time

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If you want to you can cure me.
Of course I want to ; be cured .
How often do we make our plea.
So much can be granted rather than endured .
I was lying long hours awake .
All I could say is  like Samuel is Here I am .
All was impenetrable as a black lake.
Slept held back by the mind’s restless dam.
But today in glorious sunshine.
I looked out twenty miles from the high wolds.
All encased in mist benign.
About me the hill’s gentle folds.
If we keep him in sight.
We can see the light.
……..
Raise your eyes to light
If you then ask to be cured
You certainly will
……..
See Mark 1: 40-45
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Wednesday of Week 1 in Ordinary Time

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Calling as he had done before , Samuel.
Who does the lord look in the eye.
Whom does he choose to tell .

Whether David or Mary often the weakest .
And they respond the best .
They are put to the test .
And listen more than the rest .

What do we do when we hear .
Do we say , here I am.
Or perhaps we don’t care.
We are more tired sheep than lamb.

We are free.
But we have to see.

……..

During the long night
We often receive the call
And what do we do

…….

See 1 Samuel 3: 1-10, 19-20

Tuesday of Week 1 in Ordinary Time

 

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I was pouring out my soul before the Lord.
I have been speaking from the depth of my grief and resentment.
Hannah’s entreaty was stored.
Leading to ultimate contentment .

I cannot get the film ,A hidden life, out of my mind .
One man , Franz Jagerstatter’s fight against tyranny.
Greater honesty and courage you will not find .
He only offered a peaceful no to infamy.

A simple farmer .
Tilling in solitude under the sky
Husband and father.
Condemned horribly to die .

At the end was his silent prayer answered.
We do not know but his future is assured.

…….

Pause pray silently
Forget your endless troubles
They have even more

……..

See 1 Samuel 1: 9-20

Monday of Week 1 in Ordinary Time

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Why are you not eating , why so sad.
Am I not more to you than ten sons.
About the things we have. let’s be glad.
And not worry too much about the lost runs.

Hannah was taunted and miserable.
Because her rival called her barren .
We too ignore what’s on the table .
For our own love is not barren .

Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.
And at once they left their nets and followed him.
Are we too slow to respond our own zen.
Too slow to respond to a whim.

Give me the courage to get up and go .
And about it , not be too slow.

…….

When the call is made
Do we hasten to answer
Or stand on the shore

……..

See 1 Samuel 1: 1-8 and Mark 1: 14-20 Us