Tuesday of the 2nd week of Lent

Hear the word of the Lord.
Listen to the command of our God.
Hear the spiritual musical chord.
So may we be awed.
The eleventh prayer of Francis is now reached.
Fast from words and be silent so you can listen.
Thus we are beseeched.
Now with new faith we can christen.
But we love speaking so much.
Anyway listening tests our patience.
We say how else to keep in touch.
How else to make clear our presence.
So even if we make a vow to be silent.
Our thoughts seldom remain silent.
…….
Fast  from many words
be silent so to listen
But we keep talking
……..

See Isaiah 1 : 10, 16-20

Monday of the 2 nd week of Lent

Be compassionate as your father is compassionate.
Do not judge and you will not be judged.
We can be angry just  because they are late.
Or perhaps because they have not budged.
I am trying to do Francis’ tenth prayer.
Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
If only we could do this we would be relieved from care.
If only all these irritations could be filed.
Of course we will not succeed.
We can only try.
Even if we don’t do the deed.
But we will not lie.
We nurture  all these grudges.
But we should know we are not the judges.
……..
Fast  then from grudges
Be reconciled to others
That must be the way
…….
See Luke 6: 36-38

2nd Sunday in Lent

The Lord said to Abram, leave your country.
I will make you a great nation.
Have we the courage to seek another spiritual  country.
Or we wedded to our own mind’s nation.The ninth prayer of Pope Francis.
Fast from selfishness, be compassionate to others.
For what really enhances.
Is it our interest or that of others

We are tied with a great anchor to our ego.
But what we ask are we.
What in truth is our credo.
We do not know, however often we make this plea.

What if we are less in the world , less selfish.
And more other worldly more elvish.

…….

Fast from selfishness
And be compassionate
To all the others

……

See Genesis 12: 1-4

Saturday of the 1st week of Lent

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He causes his sun to rise on bad men as well as good.
And his rain to fall on honest and dishonest men alike.
I should have known this from my boyhood.
Perhaps we should be more trusting, childlike.
I am praying Francis’ eighth piece of advice.
Fast from bitterness and fill your heart with joy.
Value, we feel is rated less than price.
Our efforts unrewarded by lesser alloy.
But why worry about what others do.
Or what they are given.
To appreciate that we have enough is the clue.
That we may not succeed,  but we have striven.
Bitterness is so corrosive.
Let’s just live.
…….
Fast from bitterness.
Try to fill your heart with joy
Perhaps that may help
……
See Matthew 5 : 43-48

Friday of Week 1 in Lent

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If the upright man renounces his integrity.
Copies the wicked man, is he to live.
Is this going to be our destiny.
How are we to thrive and forgive.
I am on the seventh prayer of Francis for Lent.
Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
All these seem a new advent rather than a lament.
Teaching us to reach out , not just be careful.
We can try our best all our lives.
And fall at the last.
The bad man is forgiven and thrives.
Whereas we feel the full righteous blast.
We just always have to try our best.
And leave all the pressures to the rest.
……
Fast from our pressures
And always be prayerful
Then enjoy some rest
…..
See Ezekiel 18 : 21-28

Thursday of the 1st week of Lent

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Come to my help for I am alone.
And have no helper but you.
How may I atone.
What is the clue.
I am now trying Francis’ sixth prayer.
Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity.
But still I am struggling with care.
Of course always looking for felicity.
We are always complaining in our mind.
Why this has happened to me, why that.
Maybe instead we should concentrate on being kind.
And pick ourselves off the mat.
I wonder if the key to felicity.
Really is simplicity.
……..
Fast from all complaints
Contemplate simplicity
That must be the key
…….
See Esther 4 : 17

St David

All I can say is that I forget the past.
And I strain ahead for what is to come..
Nothing bad need necessarily last.
And what seems large may turn out no than a crumb.I am thinking about Francis’ fifth prayer.
Fast from worries and trust in God.
Look at everything as just part of another layer.
For which we must assume we are well shod.

But worries just keep coming.
However hard we try to meditate.
They are beyond all reasoning.
Not just part of inevitable fate.

So keep trusting
Not fathoming.

……

Fasting from worries.
And trusting also in God
That’s all we can do

……..

See Philippians 3 : 8-14

Tuesday of the 1st week of Lent

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The Lord rescues the just in all their distress.
Look towards him and be radiant.
We have to be content with less.
We are after all not finished, we are extant.
I am looking at the the fourth prayer of the Pope.
Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
And indeed the prayer itself gives me new hope.
It seems to lead me up from a descending slope.
I suppose it’s a glass half full, half empty thing.
Most events can be looked at either way.
Or it’s the length of a piece of string.
Nobody else can help , only we can say.
A door that  abruptly closes.
Always opens, sometimes with roses.
…….
To be filled with hope
We must fast from pessimism
That’s not so easy
…….
See Psalm 33

Monday of the 1st week of Lent

You must not be guilty of unjust verdicts.
You must pass judgment on your neighbour according to justice.
We cannot just rely on our own edicts.
Or to tolerate injustice.
Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
Is the third prayer of Francis for Lent.
But how often are we filled with impatience.
Giving anger full vent .
We try to do better .
But it surges up in an instant.
For that moment patience is a dead letter.
Disappearing into the distance.
Pray let be me be patient .
Even if I just achieve it during Lent .
…….
Fasting from anger
And being filled with patience
That’s not so easy
…..
See Leviticus 19: 1-2 , 11-18

First Sunday in Lent

 

 

 

It is even more certain that divine grace.
Coming through Christ came to so many as an abundant free gift.
I try to put the second of Francis’ prayers in place.
To stop into depression, any drift.

 

 

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He says, fast  from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
That’s the key, be happy with what we have.
All we need to lift our mood.
It’s a soothing salve.

So away with any sadness.
But we can never just wish it away.
It often seems to trump gladness.
It’s difficult to keep at bay.

Perhaps we can’t do it on our own.
We have to ask him for it as a loan.

……

Fast now from sadness
And be filled with gratitude
That must be the way

…….

See Romans 5 : 12-19

Saturday after Ash Wednesday

If you do away with the clenched fist, the wicked word
Your light will arise in the darkness.
Fast from hurting words and say a kind word.
This is the first exhortation of Francis in this wilderness.
But how easy it is to criticise.
Rather than than advise
Or commend as we politicise.
Or encourage to the skies.
How often do we turn away.
Or ignore.
Embarrassed to mean what we say.
And make for the door.
We don’t need to be nasty
We can just be eager to get away , hasty.
……
Saying a kind word
We may not want to do it
But it is worthwhile
… ….
See Isaiah 58 : 9-14

Friday after Ash Wednesday

Fasting like yours today.
Will never make your voice heard on high.
But we can at least pray.
And look ourselves in the eye.
I like Pope Francis’ exhortations.
They somehow seem possible to do.
And they are true foundations.
A sort of inspiring glue.
Less sadness.
Less pessimism.
Less selfishness.
Certainly that’s not sophism.
Perhaps more compassion.
And less fashion.
……
What to do in Lent
Give up something physical
Or doing some good
……
See Isaiah 58 : 1-9

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

If anyone wants to be a follower of mine.
Take up his cross .
Lord , take me over the line.
And be a little happier and less cross.
I am reminded of Pope Francis’ prayer.
Fast from hurting words and say kind words.
Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude’s prayer.
Fast from anger and be filled with patient words.
Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
Fast from worries and have trust in God.
Fast from complaints and contemplate simplicity in hope
Fast from pressures and be prayerful to God.
Fast from bitterness and fill your heart with joy.
Fast from selfishness and be compassionate to others in joy.…….

Fast then from grudges
And be reconciled always
Fast from many words.

….

And pray be silent
So that you can then listen
Now and for ever

…….

See Luke 9  : 22-25

Ash Wednesday

Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn.
Turn to the Lord your God again.
We needn’t look careworn.
As we celebrate his everlasting reign.
Who knows if he will not turn again, will not relent.
Will not leave a blessing as he passes.
Leaving us to lament.
However many are our masses.
Proclaim a solemn assembly.
Call the people together.
But will we be granted entry.
And will we be altogether.
Sound the trumpet .
We will be well met .
……
Our hearts are broken
But our garments remain whole
And we will still fast
…….
See Joel 2 : 12-18

Tuesday of Week 7 in Ordinary Time

If anyone wants to be first.
He must make himself last of all and servant of all.
Is this what for we thirst.
Or do we resist the call .
Be sincere of heart and be steadfast.
And do not be alarmed when disaster comes.
What is our answer, we have been asked.
The question is not shouted out but comes in hums.
Whatever happens to you, accept it.
And in the uncertainties of your humble self be patient.
Start by following holy writ.
But of course in the end, we are impatient.
We may be tested in the furnace of humiliation.
But we are all equally just part of creation.
……..
Are we patient
And are we also humble
Of course we are not
…….
See Mark9 : 30-37 and Ecclesiasticus 2 : 1-11

Monday of Week 7 in Ordinary Time

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The sand of the sea and the raindrops.
And the days of eternity , who can assess them.
And  often there are  falling teardrops.
But here is a true everlasting  gem.

The height of the sky and the breadth of the earth.
Who can probe them.
But with all this comes new birth.
We can only sound the welcome drum.

Before all other things wisdom was created.
Shrewd understanding is everlasting.
Ultimately all things are weighted.
Before we even begin fasting.

For whom has the root of wisdom ever been uncovered.
If from God we are severed.

…….

Who can probe the sea
Or measure he breath of earth
All things are weighted

…….

See Ecclesiasticus 1 : 1-10

7 th Sunday of Ordinary Time

The Lord knows wise men’s thoughts.
He knows how useless they are.
But we can untie all their knots.
Leaving we hope less of a scar.
So this week when I think of something negative.
I remember Nam myoho  renge kyo.
And somehow I feel less restive.
I can the more easily go with the flow.
We must learn to be a fool.
Before we can be considered wise.
It’s not easy to follow this difficult school.
But this is where we meet fewer lows, more highs.
Meanwhile put these revolving thoughts to rest.
And then we might be less stressed.
…….
What then of our thoughts
Are they really useless
That is up to us
……
See 1 Corinthians 3 : 16-23

Saturday of Week 6 in Ordinary Time

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Only faith can guarantee the blessings we hope for.
Or prove the realities that remain unseen.
Only we can open this unlocked door.
Only we can work out what this does mean.
It is by faith that we understand how the world was created.
So that no cause  can account for the things we see.
All this of course is hotly debated.
But it will set us free.
Everything else can be proven by reason.
Only God can be understood by faith.
For he is beyond all known season.
But reason is not the enemy of faith.
We sense God by feeling.
And thereby see him revealing.
…….
Faith brings great blessings
But it also follows doubt
So we must just hope
…….
See Hebrews 11 : 1-7

Friday of Week 6 in Ordinary Time

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Anyone who wants to save his life.

Will lose it .
We cannot avoid strife.
We are always in grit.
But anyone who loses his life for my sake.
And for the sake of the Gospel will save it.
Much is at stake .
But all is in holy writ.
What gain is it then for a man to gain the whole world.
And ruin his life.
Salvation away hurled.
And hope of afterlife.
What can a man offer in exchange for his life.
To truly understand this might take our entire life.
…….
Anyone who wants
To save his life will lose it
Think on the next life
……..
See  Mark 8 : 34-9: 1

Thursday of Week 6 in Ordinary Time

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But you he asked.
Who do you say I am.
So often this truth is masked.
We do not have the trust of a lamb.

Is he just a teacher.
A rabbi we might just meet.
A wandering preacher
An inspiring prophet.

What did Peter answer.
You are the Christ.
And what is our own answer.
To what are we really in truth enticed.

We ponder , we question , we hesitate.
And one day we might find it’s all too late.

……

What did Peter say
He answered , You are the Christ
And what do we say

…….

See Mark 8: 27-33

Wednesday of Week 6 in Ordinary Time

The dove finding nowhere to perch.
Returned to him in the ark.
Noah was a hero , we remain in our church.
Quite often in the metaphorical dark.
We are surrounded by the flood waters.
Of silent indifference.
Even from sons and daughters.
But we take heart in endurance.
Noah lifted  back the hatch of the ark.
The surface of the ground was dry.
Perhaps for us the future is not too stark.
Disbelief and disinterest have met their high.
And so unsighted we look for the shore .
Whether we will find it, we are not sure.
……
The floods around us
Of indifference rising
Will one day soon fall
……
See Genesis 8 : 6-13, 20-22

Tuesday of Week 6 in Ordinary Time

I have made you a light for the nations.
So that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.
These are our true foundations.
For new everlasting birth.I am at the  Paul Cezanne exhibition.
Every brush stroke joy’s creation
This can also be a spiritual rendition.
And a noble oblation.

A friend chants the Buddhist Nam myoho renge kyo .
This also is a different path .
A way to know and grow
And a knowing cause and effect footpath.

And at mass today I immersed myself in the Credo.
Others may justly use nam myoho renge kyo

…..

Find solace in art
Or just in Buddhist chanting
Or in our father

……

See Acts 13 : 46- 49

Monday of Week 6 in Ordinary Time

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Why does this generation demand a sign.
I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.
We ask ourselves , how should we worship at this shrine.
As we search for the cause of creation.
I search restlessly for the truth with reason.
But today alone in church I felt this heavy presence.
As if I was not alone , leaving behind unreason.
Here was true reason and real spiritual essence.
And all I was doing was staring at a window.
There was no new vision or insight.
The feeling came , neither fast nor slow.
It was just an instinct of having new sight.
If we let the mind wander free .
From doubt we may be free.
…….
We live restlessly
Doubts come and go ceaselessly
We should just relax
…..
See Mark 8 : 11-13

6 th Sunday of Ordinary Time

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Till heaven and earth disappear not one dot.
Will disappear from the law until its purpose is achieved.
But we will be reduced to naught.
Unless perhaps we have believed.

Whether we are mere electrical currents in the brain.
Or the home of an immortal soul.
This body is just shifting sands of  grain.
What we call me is neither the part nor the whole.

But we are obsessed.
With our transient being.
Not realising how we are blessed.
Not truly hearing or seeing.

This life is drawing to an end.
And then we will or will not transcend.

…….

Who we ask are we
Immortal soul or just brain
But we do not know

……..

See Matthew  5 : 17-37

Saturday of Week 5 in Ordinary Time

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For dust you are.
And to dust you will return.
We follow our star.
And we wait our turn.
I was thinking about some disappointment.
But I may not be here for very much longer.
It might only be a temporary development.
So best be stronger.
And why worry about oneself.
You’re happier thinking of others.
Themselves and Yourself.
Freeing us from our mind’s cloying tethers.
We walk through the cemetery.
And realise all this is just temporary.
……
If we are just dust
Then that is where we come from
And we return to
……
See Genesis 3: 9-24