Category Archives: General

St Bridget of Sweden

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I am the true vine.

And my father is the vine dresser.
I search again and again for a sign.
A greater one or even a lessor.
I was in a chapel at the Seminary of Oscott.
Standing at the altar reflectively.
Did I truly believe or not.
And yes I did in that moment meditatively.
Thus these moments come in a second.
Without any prompting.
And they are gone in a second.
A lovely insight which is all too fleeting.
I think at these moments you leave yourself.
An become for an instant at one with himself.
…….
We part of the vine
Cannot then live by ourself
And we need pruning
…….
See John 15: 1-8

St Mary Magdalene

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On my bed at night I sought him.
Whom my heart loves .
But who is this elusive him.
Does his spirit fly away like the doves.

I gaze on you in the sanctuary.
To see your strength and your glory.

My burdens you will carry.
Freeing me from all vain glory.
Go and find the brothers.
And tell them I am ascending to my father.
And this  too is for  his sisters.
And his beloved mother.
And thus we meet but do not recognise.
But less we do, all hope dies
………
The sanctuary
Where we can gaze upon him
Is a place of rest
……..
See The Song of Songs 3:1-4 , Psalm 62 and John 20: 1-2, 11-18

Thursday of Week 16 in Ordinary Time

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You followed me through the wilderness.
Through a land unsown.
Free us from all bitterness.
Realising that everything is only on loan.

They look without seeing.
And listen without hearing.
We, no different are always fleeing.
Worried about the future and fearing.

You will listen and not understand.
See and see again but not perceive.
And so our life runs into the sand.
And for this there is no reprieve.

Many holy men longed to see what you see.
Happy are your eyes because you see.

……..

Can we look and see
Can we listen too and hear
Or are senses closed

…….

See Jeremiah 2 and Matthew 13: 10-17

Wednesday of Week 16 in Ordinary Time

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Some seeds fell on the edge of the path.

And the birds came and ate them up.
Save us from all  coming wrath.
Let us not lay aside this  life cup.
Others fell on rock, where they found little soil.
And sprang up straight away because of no earth .
And so to little effect we live and toil.
Perhaps never finding our true worth.
Others fell among thorns.
And the thorns grew up and chocked them.
We are shaped not by reality but its forms.
Left only with some  worthless material  crumb.
Others fell on rich soil.
Maybe it’s not in vain our life’s toil.
……..
Where does the seed fall
Amongst thorns or on the path
It is up to us
……..
See Matthew 13:1-9

Tuesday of Week 16 in Ordinary Time

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Who is my mother.
Who are my brothers.
How a larger sense will we recover.
And think of all the unknown others.

Here he is proclaiming love for all.
Unbound by immediate family.
We will never wear his universal shawl.
But we can proceed in his shadow thankfully.

They were standing outside.
And we’re anxious to have a word with him.
Like them he is our guide.
Anxious to have a word with him.

We may not yet be ready and want  to wait.
But it is never too late.

…….

We are all outside
Waiting to have words with him
And one day we will

……

See Matthew 12: 46-50

Monday of Week 16 in Ordinary Time

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Listen you mountains to the Lord’s accusation.
Give ear you foundations of the earth.
Let every nation exalt.
Save us from all dearth.
The only sign it will be given.
Is the sign of the prophet Jonah.
May we be forgiven.
As was Jonah.
When Jonah preached they repented.
And there is something greater than Jonah here.
Eventually we will be contented.
We will overcome all  fear.
Nineveh repented we see.
And so shall we.
……
Three days in a fish
Three before resurrection
There’s the sign of hope
……
See Micah 6 and Matthew12: 38-42

I6 th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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You worry and fret about so many things.

And yet few are needed , indeed only one.
How can we really warm our heartstrings.
Can we know when our race is truly run.
Perhaps we should be content sweeping the floor.
Prayerfully and calmly.
And not view it as a chore .
Just slowly and  reverently.
We worry too much like Martha.
Can we not be more like Mary .
We try too hard with not enough inertia.
We are too  fearful and wary .
Perhaps we should spend more time listening.
And less time seeking.
…….
See Luke 10 : 38-42
……..
Mary chose her part
It is time for a new start
And less like Martha

Saturday of Week 15 in Ordinary Time

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He will not break the crushed reed.
Nor put out the smouldering wick.
This is a gentle non demanding creed.
We try and build our faith brick by brick .

I am reading Chuang  Tzu’s poetry .
And the subtle art of Tao.
We shouldn’t be about notice me.
Can we not just be and not to wonder how .

To realise the futility of striving.
The danger of trying to save everything.
It is enough to contemplate our breathing.
And realise all comes round and round in a ring.

He warned them not to make him known.
The way to happiness is to explore the unknown.

……..
The dog sniffed his nose
He did it without purpose
But he was content
……..
See Matthew 12: 14-21

Friday of Week 15 in Ordinary Time

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You have held back my life from the pit of doom.

I must go away my life half spent.
Our path is but a moment to grave from womb.
We pass from ascent too soon into descent.
No more shall  I see the Lord in the land of the living.
No more shall I look upon men within the world.
But for all this I owe my thanksgiving.
For I know in my heart there is an afterworld.
My home is pulled up and removed like a tent.
Like a weaver you have rolled up my life.
I feel now soon I will be utterly spent.
In time this material cord will be cut with a knife.
But for you Lord my heart will live.
You cured me , kept me alive.
….
My life is rolled up
Soon all this be over
But we just don’t know
……
See Isaiah 38: 10-12,16

Thursday of Week 15 in Ordinary Time

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Exult all you who lie in the dust.
For your dew is a radiant dew.
We only have to choose where to put our trust.
And surely life is our due.

We Labour and are overburdened.
We simply seek rest .
We pray we may be pardoned.
And recover some of our zest.

We seek a yoke that is easy.
And a burden which is light.
Perhaps we should be a little less fussy.
And find a way we can keep in sight.

We search for a different country.
And hope thereby to find our entry.

…….

A yoke that eases
A burden that remains light
That is what we seek

……

See Isaiah 26 and Matthew 11: 28-30

Wednesday of Week 15 in Ordinary Time

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I bless you from hiding these these things from the clever.
And revealing them to mere children.
All this helps in our forever.
As we watch our grandchildren.

In their playing, what guileless fun.
What enjoyment in the moment.
As they dodge and run.
They are our greatest endowment.

How we agonise.
Why do we question.
Do we have to rationalise.
And slide into depression.

The children surely have it right.
They just keep the present in sight.

……..

The best is hidden
We just question too much
Best just to accept

……

See Matthew 11: 25-27

Tuesday of Week 15 in Ordinary Time

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Pay attention , keep calm,  have no fear.
Do not let your heart sink.
Listen , turn your ear.
Remember who is the link.
The Lord is great and worthy to be praised.
His holy mountain rises in beauty.
If we only look up we will be amazed.
This is love not some legal duty.
Grant that when consumed by those who believe.
They may bring ever greater holiness.
There is no need to grieve.
For this is our  sainted business.
i promise not to let my heart falter
i am held in the most gentle halter.
……..
Pay attention
Just keep calm and have no fear
Nor let your heart sink
……..
See Isaiah 7:1-9,  Psalm 47 and The Prayer over the Offerings today

Monday of Week 15 in Ordinary Time . St Benedict

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If your plea is for clear perception.

If you cry out for discernment.
Perhaps we will become the exception.
We will find the truth before our internment.
If you look for it as if it were silver.
And search for it as for buried treasure.
We will find this pebble in a flowing river.
And achieve our full measure.
You will then understand what the fear of the lord is.
And discover the knowledge of God.
We only have to say that we are his.
And we will forever be awed.
He will be our shield .
If only we yield.
…….
Seek Perception
And for lasting  discernment
And then be content
……
See Proverbs 2: 1-9

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Seek the Lord, you who are poor.
And your hearts will revive.
Sometimes I feel afflicted by a mental sore.
When I read this , I know I will survive.

A great tiredness falls over me.
There seems little excitement in life.
But I read these words and more clearly I see.
Depression dims , living hope is rife.

There is only one way to happiness.
Day by day to seek the Lord .
Away with numbing listless restlessness.
Don’t despair, take up the sword.

I am only a poor man .
But my eyes can scan.

…….

If we seek the  Lord
We may indeed be just poor
But our hopes revive

……

See Psalm 68

Saturday of Week 14 in Ordinary Time

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Everything that is covered will be uncovered.
Everything now hidden will be made clear.
Our old life and ways are severed.
All that was ugly will be made clear.

What I say to you in the dark, tell in daylight.
What you hear in whispers, proclaim from the housetops.
We now know what was wrong and what is right.
We have done the rounds of all the spiritual shops.

Do not be afraid of those who can kill the body.
But cannot kill the soul.
We now know what is good and what is shoddy.
We have done the work and can cease the toil.

There is no need to be afraid.
Our fate is well and truly laid.

……

Do not be afraid
Every hair on your head counted
All will be revealed

…….

See Matthew 10:24-33

Friday of Week 14 in Ordinary Time

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I will heal their disloyalty.
I will love them with all my heart.
What price loyalty.
The loyal heart is pierced with a dart

I will fall like dew on Israel.
He shall bloom like the lily.
We will live to tell the tale .
And we will try to go tranquilly.

I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.
So be cunning as serpents yet harmless like doves.
Doubt laid aside on high shelves.
And us following in droves.

We will be renewed.
With an end to all feud.

….

We sheep among wolves
Must be cunning as serpents
And harmless like doves

……

See Hosea 14:2-10  and Matthew 10:16-23

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Thursday of Week 14 in Ordinary Time

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You received without charge .
Give without charge.
Let our viewpoint be large.
As we wait for our discharge.

All of Christianity is in those seven words .
Everything came to us free .
Containing all known worlds
We can give without a fee.

We never asked to be here
But here we are .
Completely free to be fair.
So we should not care .

So as we were asked for no charge
We need not ask anyone for any charge.

…….

Just these seven words
You received without charge
Give without charge

…….

See Matthew 10: 7-15

Wednesday of Week 14 in Ordinary Time

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Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.
As you go proclaim that the Kingdom is at hand.
We now all of us are his people.
Wherever we come from and whatever land.
The Gospel today is about numbers , names and orders.
The number 12,  the Apostle’s names and instructions.
Sending them out within Israel’s borders.
And from this we can make our own deductions.
So we have to proclaim.
Whoever we are .
For ourselves no claim.
The travel, however far.
We are not the first.
But we still have the thirst .
……
Jesus sent out twelve
We are now many of us
But the same message
…..
See  Matthew 10: 1-7

Tuesday of Week 14 in Ordinary Time

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They sow the wind, they shall reap the whirlwind.
Their wheat will yield no ear, it will yield no flour.
Always we find ourselves battling a headwind.
In our garden we end up with weeds and no flower.
Were I to write out the thousand precepts of my law.
Paid no more attention than those of a stranger.
We claimed we knew but we neither heard nor saw.
And so we pass into ever greater danger.
The harvest is rich.
But the labourers are few.
We have missed our rightful niche.
We are at the end of the spiritual queue.
We set out again and again on the road.
Bearing oh what a heavy load.
……
We look at harvests
Did we contribute at all
Or did we stand by
…….
See Hosea 8 and Matthew 9: 32-37

Monday of Week 14 in Ordinary Time

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I am going to give her back her vineyards.
And make the valley of Achor a gateway of hope.
Keep everything on the cards.
Keep hold on the eternal rope.

If only I can touch his cloak.
I will be well again.
If we can touch him it never will be broke.
He will ensure we  in another place remain.

My daughter has just died.
But lay your hand on her and she will be saved.
As long as he is our guide.
Our final death will be waived.

He will know if we seek him to touch.
And as long as we keep in touch.

….
If we touch his cloak
He will feel power leaving
And he will respond
……
See Hosea 2 and Matthew 9: 18-16

14 th Sunday in Ordinary Time

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Towards her I send flowing peace like a river.
And like a stream in spate.
I pray I may be less of a taker, more of a giver.
And resigned cheerfully to my fate.

I am sitting here looking across twenty miles .
Nearby meadow and trees , distant blue.
Ready to walk over nearby styles.
Slowly taking in the  verdant view.

I do not feel like the 72 labourers.
Sent out to pray , travel light and preach.
But in peace pass the  shortening years.
A greater perspective given to each.

We do not yet know our way .
Or how it best to lay.

……..

The harvest is rich
We baulk being labourers .
We are the many

…….

See Isaiah 66: 10-14

Saturday of Week 13 in Ordinary Time

 

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The harvest will follow directly after harvesting.
The treading of grapes soon after sowing.
Mountains with new wine running.
The hills with it flowing.

I am at Adrian Alyward’s memorial.
A great charismatic headmaster.
Master of every tutorial.
Not just a teacher but pastor.

He gave up a brilliant career in the city.
To devote himself to helping others.
Charming , a one off and witty.
His whole teaching enlightens not smothers.

What a life to portray.
His memory will stay.

……

Will they remember
We live by the good we do
Not by position

…….

See Amos9:11-15

Friday of Week 13 in Ordinary Time . St Oliver Plunket

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All peoples clap your hands.
Cry to God with shouts of joy.
His name rings out over many lands.
A man of purest alloy.

This alloy of faith and bravery .
Of friendliness and innocence.
Rejecting a conscience held in slavery.
Excelling in calm diligence.

Falsely accused
Put on trial
Pardon refused.
He entered death’s defile.

But the defile opened into glory.
A truly inspiring story.

……

He just ministered
Not involved in politics
He paid with his life

…..

See Entrance Antiphon of today’s Mass.

Thursday of week 13 in Ordinary Time

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What is easier to say , your sins are forgiven.
Or get up and walk.
And where is our own vision.
Do we act or are we just talk.

We dislike going to confession.
We wonder whether are sins are worth it.
What will we say in all this confusion.
We don’t want to commit.

But you feel better .
If you open up .
We have cut a fetter.
After a spiritual check up.

And if we have striven.
We are always forgiven.

……

We may not be cured
We are always forgiven
Is that not enough

…….

See Matthew 9: 1-8

Sts Peter and Paul

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Behold the lamb of God.
Behold him who takes away the sins of the world.
It was if I was a lightning rod.
Through which  the wings of doubts  were furled.
It was at this moment in the mass.
That at these words I believed.
Into something else we seem to pass.
All doubts momentarily seem ill conceived.

And then the moment passes.
But the memories remain.
As we wait for other masses.
And this second again and again.

As the host is held high.
Our heart says a heartfelt aye.

…….

The host is raised high
We see, we hear and believe
Then belief passes

…..

See Eucharistic prayer of the mass.