I love you Lord my strength.
O Lord , my rock, my saviour, my fortress.
I will go to any length.
Here with you , there is no distress.

So I mulled over my confession again.
Had I been truly honest.
Had I opened up  about my selfish stain.
Will I ever find rest.

I cannot do it alone.
I am bereft.
How to atone.
What is left.

To have faith and hope.
And then perhaps we can cope.

…….

Do we have the strength
No , we can’t do it alone
Only with his help

……

See Psalm 18

Jesus said , before Abraham was,
I am.
We are for a short time, Jesus is, the prophet was.
We can only say for this one short moment , I am.

I was in confession.
Admitting my struggle with belief.
Unwilling to heed the obvious lesson.
To be certain, what a relief.

These words , before all, I am.
Always tingles my spine.
As if I really knew who I am.
But it takes me over the spiritual line.

Into a new country.
Another more spiritual country.

……

Be kind to others
The most important command
We have to keep it

…..

See John 8: 5-59

And Mary said, behold I am the servant of the Lord.
Let it be to me according to your word.
What do we say to the Lord.
Do we obey his word.

What if Mary had said No.
She had free will.
We have a right to say No.
We have free will

The incarceration would never have happened.
The world not saved.
We perhaps not happened.
And certainly not saved.

But she did say yes.
And we can say yes.

……

So Mary said yes
She could have said of course No
And what do we say

…..

See Luke 1: 26-38

As he was saying these things.
Many believed in him.
I grapple with all these things.
Have I truly believed in him.

I deamt that at last I understood and believed.
I have wondered how Christ could create such a vast universe.
But I saw him as three in one, the Trinity, its manifestation unlimited.
In my dream all fell into place, in compelling verse.

I felt such joy.
There could be no doubt.
Purest alloy.
Uneasiness put to rout.

If I keep praying.
I know I will go on living.

……

Many believed him
Do we believe in him too
The first question

….

See John 8: 21-30

Jesus said, neither do I condemn you.
Go, and from now on, sin no more.
This is meant for us too.
But we do sin , more and more.

We scoff at the accused.
When confronted.
We beg to be excused.
I doubt if we will be much lamented.

We slink away.
And the accused is left alone.
Touched by mercy’s ray.
And ready to atone.

But we too will be forgiven.
And shriven.

…..

We are not condemned
Whatever you, we have done
Ask to sin no more

……

See John 8:1-11

He cried in aloud voice, Lazarus.
Come out .
This call is for us.
We will die, we will be called out.

We fear death.
We know it’s coming.
The end of any breath.
No more hope , only the ending.

But we have Lazarus.
Can we doubt.
He will come for us.
Putting death to rout.

We will be called.
And redeemed.

……

Lazarus was called
And we also will be called
All in our own time

… …

See John 11: 1-45

Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing.
And learning what he does.
Perhaps we could do with a bit more understanding.
Before we judge what anyone does.

I dreamt I was failing.
We all think we are a failure.
Just stalling and stagnating.
Wondering what is our allure.

But Jesus on the cross was failing.
But he lived again
Dying was rising.
And he will come again.

Do not cast too many a tear.
It‘s alright, have no fear.

……

Do we judge a man
For should we not first listen
And do we do so

……

See John 7: 40-52

The Lord is close to the broken hearted.
Those whose spirit is crushed he will save.
No matter if we are just half hearted.
Our belief in him is our salve.

We can turn again and again to psalm thirty four.
It tells us we are not alone.
It warms us to our very core.
We only need to atone.

So many are the trials of the just one.
But from all the Lord will rescue him.
We just need to have faith in the one.
And realise our fate depends on him.

We will ,with luck, thrive.
But our soul, certainly will survive.

……

We’re broken hearted
But if our spirit is crushed
Truly he’ll save us

……

See Psalm 34

Jesus answered , my father is working.
And I am working.
At mass I was listening.
Pondering.

Strange how suddenly at mass.
Everything seems true.
What is it , is it the mass.
Why do you know in an instant that it’s all true.

I think it is because we are at mass
We hear the liturgy in context.
There is power in the mass.
It is not just some dry text.

Listening.
Is believing.

……

At mass we listen
We ponder and we believe
Because we are there

….

See John 5: 17-30

The harvest is plentiful.
But the labourers are few.
Our hearts must be full.
Taking our place in the spiritual queue.

The mass today was in Latin.
The priest facing away.
How beautiful it is see the raised paten.
All troubles seemed far away.

The priest seems to lead one.
As you see him whole raising the host.
The immortal prize is about to be won.
Here one can never be lost.

Two thousand years of history.
And of carefully constructed liturgy.

…….

Priest faces away
He intones the Latin mass
Here is the spirit

…….

See Luke 12: 1-12 and 17-20

Jesus said, unless you see signs and wonders.
You will not believe.
I realise we too wait for wonders.
And still we do not believe.

We are never satisfied.
Always questioning.
Thinking someone has lied.
Always inquiring.

But we ‘ve been given so many signs.
So much is written down.
Just accept the given signs
No need to question and frown.

Truth is already here.
Have no fear.

……

We look for wonders
We wait always for some signs
They’re here already

……

See John 4: 43-54

We know that this was our son.
And he was born blind.
If we look towards the Lord’s son.
We need never be blind.

I dreamt I met my mother.
In our old home.
It was as if she was here, loosed from death’s tether.
She had come home.

She was so real.
Was this a trick of the brain.
Or had she returned to cement love’s seal.
Only in dreams can we meet in our mind’s lane.

Do the dead return.
One day will it be our turn.

…..

Do the dead return
Yes,  in our own dreams they can
That is what we see

….

See John 9: 1-41

For everyone who exalts  himself.
Will be humbled.
But the one who humbles himself.
Will be exalted.

Are we like the Pharisee.
Or the tax collector.
Can we truly see.
Are we actually the sinner.

Do we say,  I am not like other men.
Or do we say God be merciful to me the sinner.
The truth is, we are like other men.
Just as much a sinner.

Do we look around and see the worst.
Or try to see the best.

……

As we look around
We see the best in others
That’s what we should do

….

See Luke 18: 9-14

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.
And all your soul.
With all your mind for a start.
And with all the strength of your soul.

You shall love your neighbour.
As yourself.
Who we ask is my neighbour.
I think we know the answer, it’s not myself.

Two so simple commandments.
You think so easy.
But we are full of resentments.
So really sometimes uneasy.

But if the commandments stay there.
They come with love, have no fear.

……

Two good commandments
So simple and yet so clear
Do we follow them

……

See Mark 12: 28-34

They did not obey or bend  their ear.
But walked in their own counsel.
Perhaps  they had so little fear.
But who can really tell.

We are the same.
We rise and fall.
But our soul is not the same.
It will never die , fail or fall.

We worship this life.
This mortal body.
There is eternal life.
But not in this body.

So nothing here matters.
As our ashes scatters.

……

Do we bend our ear
Or walk in our own counsels
Or obey our soul

……

See Jeremiah 7: 23-28

Whoever relaxes the least of these commandments.
Will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.
But whoever does them and teaches these commandments.
Will be called great in the kingdom of of heaven.

How often have we done the least.
Too relaxed.
Instead of the most.
And then be unfazed.

We are certainly not a saint.
Too lazy.
Our faith too faint.
Our vision hazy.

Well, we keep failing.
But we keep trying.

……

Are we too relaxed
Do we follow commandments
We can only try

…..

See Matthew 5: 17-19

So also my Heavenly Father will do to you.
If you do not forgive your brother from your heart.
Of course this applies even more to me than you.
But we can all make a start.

We are forgiven.
Our debts.
Striven.
Of debts.

But do we forgive.
Do we resent.
Do take and give.
In our firmament.

This we need ask.
This is our task.

……

We are forgiven
But do we ourselves forgive
We need to ask that

……

See Matthew 18: 21-35

My soul is thirsting for the living God.
When can I appear before the face of God.
My soul is yearning  for you my God. One day I will come before the altar of God.

I woke to see the face of my wife.
Such love overflowing.
She is my life.
But what of when we are dying.

We will be together.
In the face of God.
There is no other.
We will see God.

There need be no parting.
Only eternal loving

……

We are one always
We will see God together
Or that’s what I hope

……

See Psalm 42

God is spirit.
And those who worship him.
Must worship in truth and spirit.
As we must worship him.

We struggle so much with belief.
But when in mass I heard this word spirit.
I seemed in that instant to have total belief.
It was as if my soul had been entered in by the spirit.

But I fear.
That as we die.
We must have absolute belief conquering every fear.
If not then we really do die.

So we must keep trying.
If not always believing.

… …

If we’re not to die
At dying we must believe
Do we have belief

…..

See John 4: 5-42

Your brother was dead and is alive.
He was lost and is found.
With forgiveness we will thrive.
Taking  love all in the round.

How often do we resent.
Others have not deserved praise.
We lock ourselves in our unforgiving tent.
But it should only be a phase.

We have, we say, done all the work.
What has our brother done.
Has he raised a finger for the kirk.
Away to a far country he has run.

We have stayed.
He has strayed.

……

What’s our brother done
We have stayed but he had strayed
We’ve worked he’s had fun

…..

See Luke 15: 1-3 and 11-32

There was a master who planted a vineyard.
Leased it to tenants and went to another country.
We wonder if we have paid our dues in life’s vineyard.
For we are not freeholders only tenants in our body’s yard.

But I dreamt agin I saw my soul.
Not as a chipped brick but a bar  of gold.
Something beautiful, royal.
As Gospel told.

We all have a glorious soul.
Irrespective of what we are.
For all our weary toil.
The soul knows all, sees so far.

The soul is certainly not visible.
But neither in dreams is it invisible.

…..

Dreamt I saw my soul
It was a nugget of gold
Like all the world’s souls

……

See Matthew 21: 33-43

If they do not hear Moses and the prophets.
Neither if someone rises from the dead, will they be convinced.
Yes , we too have all the prophets.
Yet still we are not convinced.

The rich man seeing Abraham.
By Lazarus’ side.
Begged him to warn his brothers through him.
But it would not have turned the tide.

Jesus rose from the dead to warn us .
And still we doubt.
He gave every chance to us.
Yet still we doubt.

If we do not care.
We end up like the rich man, have  a care.

……

Are we listening
If one man rose from the dead
He had a message

.. ….

See Luke 16: 19-31

Jesus asked, are you able to drink the cup.
That I am to drink.
From what spiritual glass will we sup.
Where is our true sustaining light.

I dreamt I saw my soul.
So small a part of me, barely extant.
Insignificant in size despite all our toil.
Like a small brick but so much more important.

From this small brick a spiritual life will be built.
As we lose all those other things we hold dear.
But on this the future is built.
Of all else we will be laid utterly bare.

We should contemplate our soul every day of our life.
If we want one day to enter new life.

…..

Do we see our soul
It seems so small and hidden
It’s all that matters

…..

See Matthew 20: 17-28

They preach.
But do not practice.
Do we search.
Or do we miss.

What are rules.
A mere guide.
We are not fools.
We know the right side.

What is important.
Is faith.
Especially in Lent.
Prayer , charity and faith.

Do we believe.
Are we ready to receive.

…..

Do we merely preach
Or do we seek to practise
That’s the question

….

See Matthew 23: 1-12