One’s life does not consist.
In the abundance of one’s possessions.
All that matters is the spiritual list.
Not the list of possessions.

The rich man said to himself you have ample goods.
Relax , drink and be merry.
But they were not for him these goods
Others would enjoy them and be merry.

This night God said .
Your soul is required of you.
His fate was laid.
And this is our fate, me and you.

We might die this very night.
Yet still encounter new light.

..  ….

Yes this very night
Our own  soul may be required
So assume nothing

……

See Luke 12: 13-21

The harvest is plentiful.
But the labourers are few.
Our life is full.
And life is new.

Pray to the lord of the harvest.
To send out Labourers.
To his harvest.
At all hours.

I am sending you out.
As lambs in the midst of wolves.
Let us shout.
Now to spiritual peaceful arms.

Carry no money bag, no knapsack on the road.
And greet no one on the road.

……

Harvest’s plentiful
But the labourers are few
But we too are they

……

See Luke 10:1-9

Are not five sparrows sold.
For two pennies.
Our faith should never be cold.
As we walk our life journeys.

And not one of these sparrows.
Is forgotten before God.
He is there for us in our highs and lows.
Given mercy even if flawed.

Why even the hairs of your head.
Are numbered.
When all is said.
We are never forgotten , always remembered.

We need not fear, despite our sorrows.
We are of more value than many sparrows.

…

The hairs of our head
Are numbered by our true God
We’re not forgotten

…..

See Luke 12 : 1-7

We hold that one is justified by faith.
Apart from the works of the law.
But what is faith.
Is it separate from the law.

Is God the God of Jews only.
Is he not the God of gentiles also,
With him at our side we are never lonely.
He is for us also.

Yes, of Gentiles also.
Since God is one.
A wonderful including word , also.
Yes the only truth, God is one.

Are we defined by law or just faith.
No we are defined by law and faith.

……

Justified by faith
Or are we held by the law
In truth it is both

…..

See Romans 3 : 21-31

But woe to you Pharisee.
For you tithe the mint and rue every herb and neglected justice.
Cannot you not see .
Cannot You understand that compassion is the root of justice.

Why did Jesus question the Pharisees.
It was because of their lack of compassion.
Nothing to do with personalities.
Or even his coming passion.

Woe to you, he said, you are like unmarked graves.
And people walk over them without knowing.
To convention they were slaves.
Not seeking or questioning.

Compassion is everything.
That is what matters, the thing.

..   ..

It is compassion
That is what matters to all
We just must show it

…..

See Luke 11 : 42-46

This generation seeks for s sign.
But no sign will be given save that of Jonah.
We  need not worry overmuch about a sign,
But we need to open our eyes, look far.

As Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh.
So will the Son of man be a sign to this generation.
Our doubts we can lay.
In spiritual expectation.

The people of Nineveh repented at Jonah’s preaching.
And behold something greater than Jonah is here.
We just have to keep searching.
We need not fear.

Jonah managed to survive.
We too will survive.

…..

A sign is given
It is the sign of Jonah
And it is for us

..   …

See Luke 11 : 29-32

Was no one found to return.
And give praise except this foreigner.
Now it’s our own turn.
Do we turn back like the Samaritan foreigner.

Yet how often do we say thank you.
Or show any real gratitude.
We never criticise ourselves only him , her and you.
Is our own faith really pursued.

Who made the universe.
Who was the first mover.
Do we praise him in prose and verse.
Do we thank this necessary eternal mover.

Without him there would be nothing.
We would be nothing.

….

Who’s the first mover
Is it no one just nothing
But how would that work

…. ..

See Luke 17 : 11-19

A woman said, Blessed is the womb that bore you.
And the breasts at which you nursed.
Every day we learn anew.
For faith we must thirst.

But he said, Blessed rather are those who hear the word.
Of God and keep it.
Have we listened and heard.
Is our heart’s fire lit.

We may hear.
We may listen,
But do we keep the word that we hear.
Do we follow the word as we listen.

The word is clear.
We have no need to fear.

……

We may hear the word
But do we then act on it
Or just carry on

…..

See Luke 11 : 27-28

Every kingdom divided against itself.
Is laid waste.
We must not fight our own self.
We need not feel ourselves abased.

A divided household.
Falls.
But on nature we can take hold.
The countryside calls.

The crops are safely harvested.
And celebrated.
The land now bared.
The wheat grinded and sifted.

The autumn sun still shining.
The gentle breeze warming.

……

Kingdoms divided
And all households divided
Will at some point fall

…. …

See Luke 11 : 15-26

I chose you.
That you should go and bear fruit.
And I appointed you.
That you should abide in your fruit.

What did Newman think was vital.
It was the power of the daily Eucharist.
This, the supreme gift offered to us is vital.
In the 400000 thousand masses said every day for the Eucharist.

I felt this so strongly today at Mass.
The heart moves at this point.
This is the divine presence in the mass.
This, not music or sermons or reading is the point.

A very great gift.
And more and more young are seizing this gift.

……

The point of the mass
Is the just the divine presence
And it’s nothing else

… …

See John 25 : 9-17

When you pray.
Say Father hallowed be your name.
What else do we need say.
Who need worry about power , money or fame.

Your kingdom come.
Give us each day your daily bread.
We worship the one , not any some.
That’s all that need to be said.

Forgive us our sins.
For we forgive all those indebted to us.
We don’t need to worry about wins.
Only to worry about everyone else not us.

And lead us not, let’s mention.
Into temptation.

…..

Forgive us our sins
And those indebted to us
As we forgive them

….

See Luke 11: 1-4

Martha , you are anxious and troubled,
But one thing is necessary.
This truth is not fabled.
We need not be wary.

Which is the true way.
Is it Martha’s work.
Or Mary’s prayer way.
Calm spiritual work.

Mary has chosen the good portion.
That shall not be taken from her.
True conversion.
The holy fleur.

As we keep working.
We need not to stop praying.

…..

Is it Mary’s way
Or is Martha’s the true way
I think that we know

…….

See Luke 10: 38-42

Who proved to be a neighbour.
To the man who fell among the robbers.
Are we a Samaritan, what do we fear.
Are we one of the doubters.

The mass was in Italian.
I could not understand the sermon.
But Latin  resonates like Italian.
I did not need to understand the sermon

Again as the host was raised.
I felt such communion and joy.
Why do we always  feel amazed.
That here we find true joy.

We just have to listen .
And love and joy’s hasten.

…..

Not understanding
Is just not the real problem
It is just ourselves

……

See Luke 10 : 25-37

I thank you Lord that you have hidden.
These things from the wise and understanding.
But we are still bidden.
Hoping and praying.

What was St Francis’ secret.
It was embracing poverty.
Freed from life’s thicket.
Realising all this is empty.

To give everything away.
To live for God only.
Seeking his shadowy ray
Hopefully and fairly.

We ourselves may not be able to follow his way.
But we can certainly understand his way.

…….

To give all away
And just live for God only
For that we can pray

…….

See Luke 10 : 17-24

Unless you turn and become like children.
You will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
How we wonder can we gladden.
Can we be striven.

Children do not question.
They just accept.
Accepting every suggestion.
Faith in their hearts has leapt.

But are  they naive.
Too easily influenced.
Not needing to strive.
Their fate not yet announced.

Should we follow them.
We just must follow them.

…..

To be like children
It’s not difficult
But do we do it

….

See Matthew 18 : 1-5, 10

No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back.
Is fit for the Kingdom of God.
We are dispirited , we pause , we slack.
But we are looked on kindly by God.

When Therese had completed her six exercise books.
The prioress put them in a drawer unread.
So much that lies unread in so many books.
The vast majority of writers unread.

But these exercise books.
Took the world by storm.
Hundreds of thousands published of these books.
For here was a heart loving and warm.

Glory is found in love.
Humility is the profoundest love.

…

Glory found in love
Humility comes in love
Saint Therese’s gift

….

See Luke 9: 57-62

If they do not hear the prophets and Moses.
Neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.
We always seem satisfied with less.
Our faith too often is like lead.

But today in the Cathedral.
My heart leapt at the raising of the host.
Where this comes from who can tell.
But with this we never be lost.

And then at the end with the Salve Regina.
My heart warmed.
Here was my one and only true Regina.
Belief , gratitude swarmed.

And thus we are encouraged.
And enlightened.

……

The host is rising
The heart leaps with faithfulness
And this is belief

….

See Luke 16: 19-31

They were all marvelling.
At everything he was doing.
We too are wondering.
What really was happening.

It was this, the son of man.
Was about to be delivered into the hands of men.
We are not distant spectators who remember that man.
We are those men.

It is we who have delivered him.
We who have denounced him.
We who have tortured him.
We who have crucified him.

Yet he died for us.
And has redeemed us.

…….

Thus the son of man
Was delivered to mens’ hands
And we are those men

…….

See Luke 9 : 43-45

It happened as Jesus was praying.
The disciples were with him.
Are we praying.
Are we with him.

St Cosmas and Damian.
So renowned.
Yet virtually nothing known to our scan.
Famed but not framed.

Everything is known about us.
Everything spelt out on social media.
But everyone will forget us.
Drowned out by vast quantities of media.

All we know of these saints is their sacrifice.
And this quite rightly must suffice.

….

We know so little
About Saints Cosmas Damian
But that must suffice

……

See Mark 10 : 45