Unless I see on his hands the mark of the nails.
And place my hands in his side.
And place my finger into the mark of the nails.
I will not believe, Thomas cried.

And I am like Thomas.
I struggle to believe.
But we should praise doubting Thomas.
He helps us believe.

Because we must question.
Add faith to reason.
What is wrong with asking a question.
Or wrong with balancing faith and reason.

We have not been able to put my hands in his side.
But we have sought faith , we have cried.

…..

So do we believe
We must question and reason
That’s the only way

……

See John 20: 19-31

When they heard he was alive.
They would not believe it.
We are told he is alive.
But do we really believe it.

It’s Good News.
And good news is hard to believe.
We like to hear the worst in the news.
Disasters we are ready to believe.

But how wonderful, amazing.
If it really is true.
God stood among us and is living.
We just need to accept it’s true.

Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed, truly risen.

… ..

Yes, Christ is risen
Yes, he is risen indeed
Now we need not fear

……

See Mark 16: 9-15

Peter hauled the net ashore, full of large fish.
One hundred and fifty three of them.
The then  known worldwide species of fish.
And we, all the world’s nations, are them.

Is Jesus waiting for us.
On the lake shore.
Is this an allegory for all of us.
In this present day, to our very  core.

We work all night.
We fail to catch anything.
He gives the word, we see the light.
And we hear the spiritual bell ring.

He is waiting.
But are we searching.

…..

He waits on the shore.
He is calling out for us
Are we listening

…..

See John 21: 1-14

Forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations.
Beginning in Jerusalem , you are witnesses off these things.
We two thousand years later are those nations.
We still marvel at all those things.

It’s strange, when I heard those words.
I too at mass , believed.
Belief comes and goes inspired by words.
If sincerely received.

How I wish faith was a constant.
Divinely inspired.
No mere emotional sentiment.
But in reason and fact created.

But it is enough that in that moment.
I believed if only in that moment.

……

We are witnesses
To all of this gospel truth
That’s c what we proclaim

……

See Luke 24: 35-48

He took the bread and gave it to them.
And their eyes were opened and they recognised him.
It was as if he was giving communion to them.
And when we receive it, do we recognise him.

Every mass we walk the road from Emmaus.
We listen to his preaching.
Giving eternal truths to us.
To the altar rail approaching.

We do this so often.
We take it so much for granted.
Our faith fails to ripen.
And his sacrifice too little lamented.

But he walks with us.
He is there for us.

……

Walk to Emmaus
To the communion rail
And recognise him

……

See Luke 24: 13-35

Tell us Mary what thou didst
see upon the way.
The tomb the living did enclose I saw Christ’s glory as he rose.
As a sunlit ray.
More beautiful than any rose.

The angels there attesting.
Shroud with grave clothes resting.
New life Glorying.
For us all Resurrecting.

One day we too will see him
Will we welcome him.
Will we recognise him.
For have we believed in him.

It is our choice.
Have we raised our voice.

……

We recognise him
If only we have known him
That is just our choice

. ….

See The Raster Sequence . Victimae Paschali Laudes

The guards were told, say his disciples came by night.
And stole him away while we were asleep.
But slowly we come to the light.
We know the faith we must keep.

Did he really rise.
Was his body stolen.
We can assume the truth or take the lies.
We can but hope and truth mention.

We know he walked away.
That he was seen.
Doubts he could allay.
We only have to reason.

On this question the world asks.
To answer Is our never ending  tasks.

…..

See Matthew 28: 8-15

God raised him.
On the third day.
We worship him.
He is our new day.

John saw and he believed.
We now have to accept.
And be received.
Faith must have leapt.

It’s when I heard that he appeared to five hundred people.
That I believed.
So many people.
Too many to have been deceived.

We have the word in view.
We must assume it is true.

…..

John saw and believed
We now just the scriptures
But we too believe

……

See Acts 10

His appearance was like lightning.
His clothing white as snow.
The Gloria sings out , with the church lightening.
Easter is here , farewell to being Lent low.

How I love the Easter vigil.
The early Old Testament readings.
Lit just by candlelight, all is expectant, still.
Then the glorious New Testament readings.

We walk with the women to the tomb.
The stone is rolled back , angels appearing.
Here at last resurrection, there is nothing to lack.
Truth, hope, redemption appearing.

Now at last after two hours communion, we receive.
And with joyful heart we truly believe .

….

The Easter Vigil
Bonfire , darkness and candles
Then Gloria light

….

See Matthew 28 : 1-10

Behold my servant shall act wisely.
And he shall be exalted.
Will we always act spiritually.
Or will we be tempted.

I dreamt that I would not speak ill of anyone.
Easy enough to agree, more difficult to do.
We feel these good intentions are done.
But they are not for the many but the few.

But my dream was continuing.
And how good I felt.
I woke up and started complaining.
This is how my dreams are dealt.

I try to do the right thing.
Then reason and events ring.

……

Speak ill of no one
This is what we’re told to do
It’s so difficult

…..

See Isaiah 52: 14-53

If I then your lord can wash your feet.
You also ought.
To wash one another’s feet.
But have we ourselves this task sought.

We are so proud.
So self centred.
In our praise loud.
But still self centred.

Do we metaphorically.
Kneel down in front of others.
Humbly.
To abase ourselves before others.

No of course we do not.
But perhaps we should ask, why not.

…..

Do we kneel down
To wash the feet of others
Well perhaps we should

…..

See John 13: 1-15

In your great mercy , O God.
Answer me at an acceptable time.
It is for you that I suffer taunts, O God.
That shame has covered my face in our time.

I dreamt that all that mattered.
Was love.
Nothing else really mattered.
But consuming love.

Love for all people.
Love for one’s life partner.
That really is for all the very different people.
And whatever fate befalls one or one’s partner.

All that really counts is love.
And we know what is love.

……

Love is really kind.
Love is just not resentful
It counts not the cost

……..

See Psalm 69

Truly, truly, I say to you, the cock will not crow.
Till you have denied me three times.
O , when I hear this I feel so low.
I think how cowardly, we turn from dreadful crimes.

Yes we are so weak.
Like Peter we hide and run.
We prefer not to seek.
To turn our back on the radiant sun.

But worse we run from belief.
We doubt, we question.
In being non committal we find relief.
Courage we would rather not mention.

But like Peter we will come back.
So really, courage, we do not lack.

….

Like Peter we run
For now we lack some courage
But we will gain it

…..

See John 13 : 33-38

Behold my servant, whom I uphold.
My chosen in whom my  soul delights.
We now in wonder behold.
Walking towards new spiritual lights.

As we watch Mel Gibson’s film.
The passion of Christ.
We see extraordinary power in this film.
Every scene brings home the suffering of Christ.

How could he endure such torture.
When had a choice.
He could have saved himself and lost our future.
But sweating blood in the garden he made that choice.

It is unbearable to watch the humiliation and scourging.
But worse to watch the cruel crucifying.

…..

The Christ had a choice
For he could have saved himself
And he would have lost

….

See Isaiah 42: 1-7

Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road.
And others cut branches from the trees.
And spread them on the road.
In praise, they paid their spiritual fees.

How often do we hail a saviour.
We are so deeply moved.
We seem done with spiritual labour.
All doubt seems removed.

Then all too soon we forget.
Those we praised we now curse.
We will not forgive and let.
We only look to the worse.

We vilify.
And some chose long ago to crucify.

…..

We praise the saviour
We spread all  our cloaks before him.
And then we forget

……

See Matthew 21: 1-11

It is better that one man should die for the people.
Not that the whole nation should perish.
We are that people.
And we know now we will not perish.

Jesus no longer walked openly
But went from there to the wilderness.
But after him we can walk openly.
Forever now,  we have left the wilderness.

They were looking for Jesus.
What do you think, that he will not come to the feast
And he looks for us.
Even if we are the least.

So now in hope we now can walk openly.
Calmly and serenely.

…..

He died for people.
So that we might start living
We owe everything

… ..

See John 11: 45-56

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