Good Friday

The Lord on the night when he was betrayed.
Took bread.
Our fears, because of him, are now allayed.
For all is now done he said.

When he had given thanks.
He broke the bread and said , this is my body.
Now we join the disciples ranks.
Even while we await in death’s darkened lobby.

Do this in remembrance.

Of me.
This is our true essence.
And to understand is our plea.

In the same way he also took the cup.
The new covenant in my blood is this cup.……..

When he was betrayed
He took the bread his body
And he took the cup

….

See 1 Corinthians 11

Maundy Thursday

The cup of blessing.
Is a communion in the blood of Christ.
Today is a time of processing.

Towards a meeting with Christ.

Then he poured water in a basin.
And begun to wash his disciples feet .
And to his memory we too hasten.
As we approach his glorious seat.When he had put on his outer garments.
He resumed his place.
We will never be left with mere bodily remnants.
And one day, we pray we will see his face.

I will call on the name of the Lord.

I will fulfil my vows to the Lord.

…….

The cup of blessing

Is a communion with Christ

Or that is our hope

…….

See Psalm 116 and 1 Corinthians 11

Wednesday in Holy Week . St Bernadette Soubirous

I gave my back to those who strike.
And my cheeks to those who pull out my beard.
How hard it is to love those we do not like.
To be loved rather than admired or feared.I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.
Therefore I have not been disgraced.
Accepting glory or ignominy, whatever is fitting.
Trusting acceptance firmly placed.

St Bernadette is our example of humility.
As she herself said, like a broom used and put back in a corner
But used by what an extraordinary Marian spiritual entity.

Weak in life but clad forever in eternal armour.

Who will contend with me.
Let him come near me.

……

To those who strike me
I just gave my back humbly
But do we do it

…..

See Isaiah 50 : 4-9a

Tuesday in Holy Week

Listen to me O coastlands.
And give attention to you peoples from afar.
Return to me from the mind’s distant lands.
Like a fixed star.

The Lord called me from the womb.
From the body of my mother he named my name.
And now he will lift me from my tomb.
We will be renewed in death , better than the same.

I said I have laboured in vain.
I have spent my strength for nothing in vanity.
But now we head from death into a new lane.
In death there will be no suffering but plenty.Surely my fate is with the Lord.
My recompense with my Lord.

…..

Listen then coastlands
Give attention peoples
You called from the womb

……

See Isaiah 49: 1-6

Monday of Holy Week

A bruised reed he will not break.
And a faintly burning wick he will not quench.
And thus even though forlorn we continue to seek.
From fear and doubt we will wrench.

He will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be discouraged.
Fighting all injustice.
And to be encouraged.

Till he has established justice in the earth.
And the coastlands wait for his law.
Till there is no dearth.
And as if everything was good that we saw.

God who spread out the earth and what comes from it.
Who gives breath to the people on it.

…….

Not break the bruised reed
Nor quench the faint burning wick
We will bring justice

….

See Isaiah 42 : 1-7

Palm Sunday

This is my body which is given to you.
Do this in remembrance of of me,
And he suffered for you.
And even me.

This cup that is poured out for you.
Is the new covenant.
Given for me and you.
An everlasting covenant.

I have prayed for you.
That your faith might not fail.
He still prays for me and you.
That our faith might not fail.

Today we embark on his passion.
Knowing that one day we will enter on our own passion.

……

This is my body
Do this in my remembrance
And accept this cup

…..

See Luke 22

Saturday of the 5 th week in Lent

The young men.
And old together.
All of the men.
All together.I will change their mourning.
Into joy.
Reviving with praying.
Creating a golden alloy.

I will console.
Giving gladness for sorrow
This surely is our role.
For today and tomorrow.

Hear the word of the Lord , O nations.
And all far flung regions.

…..

The young and the old
Their mourning changed into joy
This the Lord can do

……

See Psalm of the day . Jeremiah 31

Friday of the 5 th Week in Lent

Is it not written in your law.
I said, You are Gods.
Who are we , what are we for.
Are we all with and are Gods.

Jesus says he is the Son of God.
He says we are all Gods.
So are we with him in God.
We all have the attributes of Gods.

We all have this spark of divinity.
It is and always was there.
And we are with the Trinity.
That surely is clear.

We come from and return to God.
We walk with and are with God.

……

Written in the law
I said that you are all Gods
But do we believe

……

See John 10 : 31-42

Thursday of the 5 th week in Lent

Truly , truly, I say to you.
Before Abraham was I am.
And this applies to us too.
Always for evermore we can say, I am.

These words affect me profoundly.
They seem absolutely right.
God stands outside time eternally.
And to him we are in plain sight.Jesus could have said I’m immortal.
But how much poetic is this phrase.
Because there is no beginning, nothing is final.
There is just one endless joyous phase.

Can we now say before Jesus was.
We was.

…….

Jesus says to us
Before Abraham was I am
Before him we are

……

See John 8 : 51-59

Wednesday of the 5 th Week in Lent

You will know the truth.
And the truth will set you free.
We can return to the certainty of youth.
Somewhere we can find the key.

We can if we try, keep truth in mind.
At mass today , I thought I had it found.
It’s belief , more than just being kind.
It is , if we look, all around.

So clear .
So simple.
Nothing to fear.
Just an effort is ample.

But we have sincerely to try.
And reject the non believing lie.

…..

You will know the truth
And the truth will set you free
If you just let it

….

See John 8 : 31-42

Tuesday of the 5 th Week in Lent

So make a fiery serpent and put in on a pole.
And everyone who is bitten , when he sees it, will live.
Yet how do we save our soul.
And will we spiritually thrive.The poll is the cross.
If we look on it we will live.
Even if bitten by life, there need be no loss.
After death we will survive.

We complain.
We rail against our position.
In God’s love we cannot remain.
We worry and question.

We need to look up.
And then we will be raised up.

…….

Make fiery serpent
If bitten then you look up
By the cross are cured

….

See Numbers 29 : 4-9

Monday of the 5 th Week in Lent

I am the light of the World.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness.
We are all of us, the world.
Walking in hopefulness.

Happiness Is not being subject to the ego.
I dreamt that I never thought of the I.
Difficult but if you do it you cannot be low.
You are held in God’s eye.

I fell deep down.
Into the presence.
Here in Sorrows you cannot drown.
We feel our true essence.

We are one.
With the one.

…….

The light of the world
We do not walk in darkness
For we are with him

…….

See John 8 : 12-20

5 th Sunday in Lent

Let he who is without sin among you.
Be the first to throw a stone at her.
This probably applies to us too.
Slander and condemnation based on fear.

We love it when others get caught out.
Wrapping ourselves in virtue.
We could keep quiet but gleefully shout out.
And do this we rue.

Jesus was left alone.
With the woman standing before him.
We fail to atone.
Will we ever now stand before him.

They went away one by one.
And we probably would walk away one by one.

…….

Let he without sin
Be the first to cast a stone
Would we be the one

…….

See John 8 : 1-11

Saturday of the 4 th Week in Lent

O Lord, O God.
I take refuge in you.
You are my living God.
I can only live in you.Death comes to our family.
We grieve.
But new life also comes to our family.
We lose and we receive.

It is you who test mind and heart.
O righteous God.
We lose then make a new start.
And cross a new ford.

God is a shield before me.
Who saves me.

…….

O Lord and O God
I take refuge in you now
You , my living God

…….

See Psalm 7

Friday of the 4 th Week in Lent

The Lord is close.
To the broken hearted.
Our life is poetry not prose.
Not despairing but enchanted.We need to follow the breath.
Go into the inner self.
Where there is lasting life not death.
Oneness of all humanity not just self.

Here deep down.
Is eternity.
Where hope rises and sorrows drown.
An ever lasting entity.

Follow the breath.
Embrace life not death.

……

The Lord is quite close
We have to follow the breath
And then be mindful

…….

See Psalm 34

Thursday of the 4 th Week in Lent

There is another who bears witness.
And I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.
We acknowledge his truth and fitness.
Although we can only read not view.

John was a burning.
And shining lamp.
Truth illuminating.
Leading us up the spiritual ramp.

You were willing to rejoice in his light.
But the testimony that I have is greater.
We must keep him in our sight.
Now and not later.

Sadly John is long gone.
But still his light shone.

…….

John bore true witness
His testimony was true
This we acknowledge

……

See John 5 : 31-47

Wednesday of the 4 th Week in Lent

My father is working.
Even now as I am working.
Praying.
Curing.

For as the Father raises the dead.
And gives them life, so also the son gives life.
At mass this Gospel of John was read.
The words themselves seemed to give life.

Whoever hears my word and believes.
Has eternal life.
He who listens and not just hears receives.
This is indeed joyful life.

The words read out were so life full.
And joyful.

……

Father is working
Just as I am now working
These are saviour words

……

See John 5 : 17 – 30

Tuesday of the 4 th Week in Lent

Behold the water from the temple.
Was trickling out from the south side.
We need not tremble.
The surf takes us for a ride.

And wherever the river goes.
Every living creature that swarms will live.
Surviving life’s throws.
And born to survive.

It was a river that I could not pass.
For the water had risen.
As we wade through grass.
Releasing us from spiritual prison.

This water goes down into the sea.
The water will become fresh when it flies into the sea.

…….

Water from the temple
Flows deeper into the sea
And we follow it

…….

See Ezekiel 47 : 1-9, 12

Monday of the 4 th Week in Lent

There was an official.
Whose son was ill.
Everything in Jesus’ own country was prejudicial.
He sought new grounds to till.

Perhaps the official worked for Herod.
It took courage to approach Jesus.
Indeed a hope that he might have thought was arid.
A moral for us.

If a life is at stake.
We can humble ourselves.
If it’s make or break.
A son’s life not just ourselves.

The official tried everything.
For faith’s sake can we not try anything.

……

Do we fight for life
And prepared to be humble
Like the official

…..

See John 4 : 43-54

4 th Sunday in Lent . Laetare Sunday

Laetare.
Jerusalem.
Be joyful, no need to be weary.
Celebrate , Jerusalem.

We cannot always do penance.
We need a break.
Return to our joyful essence.
And rely on a bit of give and take.

Human nature is weak.
We cannot fast continually.
Our worries are not unique.
Either physically or mentally.

It’s made for us , Lent.
We are not made for Lent.

…….

Laetare Sunday
A chance to pause and relax
So why not do it

…….

See The description of today

Saturday of the 3rd Week in Lent

Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled.
But the one who humbles himself will be exalted.
Our real ambition is rumbled.
Our true nature can be faulted.

What does it matter.
Who or what we are.
No need to flatter.
Accept us as we are.

We wish we could divorce ourself from ourself.
Have no interest.
In ourself.
And only care about everyone else’s interest.

But being humbled.
Is we doubt being exalted.

…….

We exalt ourselves
We will be truly humbled
So better not try

…….

See Luke 18 : 9-14

Friday of the 3rd Week of Lent

Which commandment.
Is the most important.
What will be our testament.
And have we given rather than just lent.

You shall love your God with all your heart.
And you shall love your neighbour as yourself.
Not a bad start.
Rejecting the selfish self.I have heard these words ten thousand times.
But now at mass they seemed to have new force.
Do I really follow those loving rhymes.
No I don’t, Of course.

But again and again we fail.
And try not just to flail.

……

You should love your God
And you should love your neighbour
As you love yourself

……

See Mark 12 : 28b-34

Thursday of the 3rd week in Lent

Every kingdom divided against itself.
Is laid waste.
A message perhaps for oneself.
We must unite if we are to remain graced.

We just have to keep going.
However exhausted.
We must start our reawakening.
We can always start anew, it is not finished.

When a man guards his palace.
He feels safe.
We search for solace.
Hopefully somehow to be safe.

But if we are divided.
We will end up derided.

…….
kingdom divided
Against itself is laid waste
We ask, are we so

Luke 11 :: 1 4 – 23

Wednesday of the 3 rd week in Lent

He said to his disciples.
Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
Nor did he create new principles.
Or have to create new prophets.I have not come to abolish them.
The laws.
But to fulfil them.
All the laws.

Heaven and earth pass away.
Not a jot will pass from the law until is accomplished.
We look for one hopeful ray.
Life is never finished.

The old and the New Testament are one.
Just as all of us are one.

……

Not abolish them
But he came to fulfil them
And that is our task

……..

See Matthew 5 : 17-19

The Annunciation

And Mary said, behold
I am the servant of the Lord.
This we are told.
And this we know from the Lord.

Let it be to me.
According to thy word.
Let us like her see.
And accept the word.

And what if she had said No.
After all she had free will.
We would now be so low.
Waiting for fate to finally fulfil.

But in humility she said yes.
And we if we forget doubt we can too say yes.

…….

Mary said Behold
I’m the servant of the Lord
But we ask are we

……

See Luke 1 : 26-38

Another Country

Thoughts from a Christian perspective — by Edward Leigh