Thursday ofWeek 33 in Ordinary Time

As Jesus drew near Jerusalem.

And came in sight of the city, he shed tears over it.

But this was to be no mere requiem.

And hope was to be in the future lit.

Jerusalem meant two realities.

A present city and future salvation.

A spiritual and physical jewel among all cities.

For now and all creation.

They will leave not one stone standing.

Because you did not recognise your opportunity.

But a new future was arising.

And hope fulfilled till eternity.

Thus Jerusalem is for ever .

Never will they say of it it is never.

….

Thus Jerusalem

Is the eternal city

It is so ordained

…

See Luke 19: 41-44

Wednesday of Week 33 in Ordinary Time

You are worthy of honour and glory and power.

Because you made all the universe.
A mysterious and beautiful flower.
For better or for worseI was at Farm Street.
Staring at Pugin’s reredos.
A vision of heaven to greet.
And to remove all loss.In my vision I saw a door open.
And heard a voice like a trumpet.
A path to glory wide open.
All was now set .

We can see the sublime in art.
But it is merely a start.

…….

When we look at art
We are lifted to heaven
We start a journey

……

See Apocalypse. 4: 1-11

Tuesday of Week 33 in Ordinary Time

He was too short.
And could not see him for the crowd.
Like Zacchaeus we may hope to court.
But we feel cowed.

How often do we feel short of stature.
And in so many ways.
It may just be part of our nature.
We so often miss out on the sun’s rays.

But he climbed the tree.
And Jesus looked up.
If we try, there’s always a way to see.
And to look at reality close up.

And come down, will he say.
I must stay at your house today.

…..

The crowd is too dense
And no one notices us
So just clean me the tree.

….

See Luke 19: 1-10

Monday of Week 33 in Ordinary Time

Let me see again.

Receive your sight.

Nothing does he disdain.

Or ignore any plight .

I was reading this on my mobile phone .

Then , out of juice it went dead.

But the prayer remained., I was not alone.

No more needed to be said .

There is one prayer always answered.

Lord have mercy on me a sinner.

Then we have a clear conscience redeemed.

And hope comes out the winner.

Sometimes our prayers go unanswered.

But one is always answered.

……

So many prayers

And nothing seems to happen

But one is answered.

…….

See Luke 18: 35-43

33 rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

I am the Resurrection and the life.
Whoever believes in me even if he dies will live.
Here at last was an end to mental strife.
Now I could truly live.

I heard these word on Remembrance Sunday.
And in that moment I truly believed.
A new life, a new day.

An eternal truth revealed.

When you go home , tell of us and say.
For your tomorrow we gave this day.

But when we go home can we all doubts lay.

And celebrate their resurrection every day.

But for that moment I believed.

and hope was received .

…….

We die but will live

That’s the eternal promise

What joy to believe

……

See John 11 : 25-27

Saturday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time

Since she keeps pestering me.
I must give this widow her just rights.
Do we also hear peoples plea.
During all those long nights.

Are we like the unjust judge.
With neither fear of God or respect for man.
Always having to respond to a pestering nudge.
Only looking after our own clan.

Will not God give justice to his chosen.
Who cry to him day and night.
Even when he delays to help them there and then.
For they are ever in his sight.

We may not to others listen .
But to us does he hasten.

……

Are we listening
Or respond to pestering
And is God the same

……

See Luke 18:1-8

Friday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time

People were marrying wives and husbands.

Right up to the day Noah went into the ark.

They can only be stretched so far the elastic bands.

The end the same however we have made our mark.

I was at the memorial mass of an old friend.

I had been at his wedding fifty years ago .

Someone on whom you could depend.

To cheer you up when low.

Some of the congregation believed in resurrection.

Others no doubt did not.

Both enjoyed Faure’s celebration.

Accepting our lot.

But this is much more than a tribute.

It is a Bon voyage and cheery salute.

……

Memorial mass

Is much more than a tribute

A sign on the way

…..

See Luke 17: 26-37

Thursday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time

The Lord established for him
A covenant of peace.
And made him the Prince.
We can pray without cease.
But we still fail to convince.I was at the mass for deceased Oratorians.
Most of them who died this year were my age.
Of every type , not all like me , historians.
For death they have now earned their wage.

And so the rope draws ever tighter.
Pulling us towards the cliff.
You can be a great and noble fighter.
But the result is the same , you’re a stiff.

But the hymns were calming .
If not entirely reassuring.

….

The final is here
We approach the end at last
Is there more to say

…..

See Today’s entrance Antiphon

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica 9 November

O God who from living and eternal stones.
Prepare a eternal dwelling for your majesty.
We will not just be dead bones.
We will be spared any agony.

I was at the mass for deceased priests.
A time to remember selfless ministry.
To recall their names’ feasts.
And to remember their industry.

I recall one thought , at the threshold.
They will find many they have helped and known.
As a great light they behold.
And a new path is shown.

Lives , we can only hope, not wasted. A new glory , we pray , tasted.

……

Stand on the threshold
Will we meet there some old friends
But can we be sure

… …

See The Collect of the Day

Tuesday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time

We are merely servants .
We have done no more than our duty.
Nor are we savants.
We are merely seeking beauty.

Think on this moment.
On the eternal being.
Seeking empowerment.
And a greater seeing.

The past is gone.
The future not yet here.
The line is drawn.
We need not fear .

We should be aware of the mind.
Not dwell always inside the mind.

…..

The past is now gone
And the future may not come
There is just present

……

See Luke 17: 7-10

Monday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time

Give them the hope of eternal life.
That was promised so long ago.
Free us from consuming strife.
So that in new life we may grow.

I was asking the Blessed Richard for a sign.
We pray but do we ever get a response.
However much we appeal to a shrine.
And hope for renaissance.

I suddenly felt a presence in the room.
I was so sure I was not alone.
Of course it might be illusion in the gloom.
But it was something real and unknown.

I prayed so hard for an answer to receive.
And when it came I could hardly believe.

……

We pray, no echo
But of course if it does come
We do not believe

……

See Titus1:1-9

32 nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Graciously keep us from all adversity.

So that we may pursue the things that are yours.

In a greater and more open fraternity.

And to open more celestial doors.

That toothache of yesterday went away.

Maybe the prayers helped in some way.

Or maybe it was going to go away anyway.

Who can honestly say .

We never know.

I’m not sure prayers make things happen or not

But they help keep us out of feeling low.

And they cut free the mind’s negative knot.

And as we take communion.

We feel part of a greater union

……

Why then do we pray

Is it to make things happen

Or just to accept

…..

See The Collect of the day

Saturday of Week 31 in Ordinary Time

I am ready for anything anywhere.
Full stomach or empty stomach.
Bad weather or fair.
Whatever I may lack.

I was tossing with toothache.
How I dread a visit to the dentist
One can’t let go of the ache.
Will this pain persist

Should I pray to a saint that is constantly bothered.
No I prayed to poor blessed Richard.
He never in his short life really mattered.
To play and to win he had no ace card.

The toothache didn’t get any better.
But off to heaven I had sent a letter.

…….

At night we feel pain
We stay awake but we pray
And we feel better

…..

See Philippians 4: 10-19

Saturday of Week 31 in Ordinary Time

I miss you very much.

You are my joy and my crown.

We try and keep in touch.

And not be cast down.

I was dreaming again around my mother .

I was praying with no answer.

The details of her life now seem so slender.

An enveloping mist seemed master.

But if we pray for the dead.

We should not worry if there is no echo.

We are doing our duty , much remains unsaid.

We are walking in a very different meadow.

We so often resort to prayer

And make do with no answer.

……

Our prayers go out

An into an immense void

We wait for answers

……

See Philippians 3 17-4:1

Thursday of Week 31 in Ordinary Time

Consider the Lord and his strength.

Constantly seek his face.

Go to any length.

And find , eventually , grace.

I was lying awake again.

On my own problems, thinking.

Wondering how I could break this chain.

And then I fell to praying.

Not of my self but what my parents had gifted.

And then my grandmas and grandpas.

And inexplicably my mood lifted.

I felt I was entering another land through a pass.

And I felt sure they were listening.

They were there and I was hearing.

…..

If we pray for them

You will feel them listening

If you start talking

…..

See Psalm 104

All Souls

Their going looked like a disaster.
But they are in peace.
One day we will hear the celestial choir master.
Then we will have on life, a freehold.

I was standing in the Holy Souls Chapel.
Admiring Bentley’s design.
Quietly away from life’s terming babble.
Looking for a sign.

But I am soothed by the deep iconography.
My eye rising upwards.
Thinking of parents, grandparents’ biography.
There is no need for words.

Just prayer for their memory.
And a passing century.

……

We are holy souls
And we are not risen yet
But soon we will be

……

See The Book of Wisdom 3: 1-9

Tuesday of Week 31 in Ordinary Time. All Saints

I saw a huge number , impossible to count.

Of people from every race, nation , tribe and language.

We are all taken to account.

We must never fall into any kind of rage.

We are certainly not saints.

Just struggling souls.

Always subject to restraints.

They come and go our souls.

Will we stand around the throne.

Along with the angels.

Or will we be left alone.

To life mere strangers in remote fells.

And so in hope and trepidation we walk on

And then we are gone.

….

We are only souls

And never to be the saints

But we keep trying

…….

see Apocalypse 7

Monday of Week 41 in Ordinary Time

Truly I have set my soul.
In silence and peace.
Try to make me whole.
If I pray without cease.

When I can’t sleep.
I think on maybe the Bhagavad Gita or the rosary.
Rather better than counting sheep.
Or thinking not of others but me.

I try to root out the negative.
Dwell on the good things .
And be positive.
Rather than go round on rings.

But I still stay awake.
Whatever I seem to do for his sake.

……

Often I’m awake
The night passes to slowly
Good to meditate

……

See Today’s psalm 130

31st Sunday in Ordinary Tme

Lord, you love all that exists.
You hold nothing in abhorrence.
Through all our turns and twists.
Till our ultimate disappearance.

Are there really two types.
There certainly is two paths.
Good and bad, we come in many stripes.
On life’s stormy sea on our fragile rafts.

Contented , resentful, taking.
Angry and calm, lazy and full of zest.
Greedy and giving.
hypocritical and honest.

Understand, do not grudge.
And do not judge.

…….

We are two persons
We are all the good and bad
Our choice where to go

….

See The Book of Wisdom 11: 22-12:2

Saturday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

I shall continue being happy.
Because I know this will help save me.
To be content we do not need to be at the abbey.
Or pay any high spiritual fee.

I was dreaming I was Arjuna or any man.

Being advised by Krishna the charioteer at his seat.

What qualifies make us inhuman.

Hypocrisy, arrogance , anger conceit.

The divine qualities lead to freedom.

The demonic to bondage.

Hypocritical, proud and living in delusion, no Te Deum.

Bound by scheming and anxiety , in a rage

Be fearless and pure, give freely .

Truthful , loving , full of desire to serve sincerely.

……

They say there’s no God

And no spiritual law

No moral order

……

See Philippians 1: 18-26 and The Bhagavad Gita , chapter 16 , Two Paths

Friday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

You are no longer aliens or foreign visitors.

You are citizens like all this the saints.

Yet of fear and doubt we are prisoners.

We are never free of time’s remorseless restraints.

I wondered how Jesus could create the universe as God.

But I doubt if he did this as man.

But he was the essence , the Son of God

That’s the point he is God and man.

God is not some remote entity .

He came down to earth.

Not otherworldly, he shared our identity.

Giving us all eternal worth.

He is , all encompassing, infinite.

Yet like us , he once was finite.

……

Long have I doubted

Could Jesus create the stars

But he’s God and man

……

See Ephesians 2: 19-22

Thursday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

You must rely on God’s armour.
Or you will not be able to put up any resistance.
Today I was a distant mourner.
What do we really believe in, new life or non existence

I listened to those words at Lazarus’ resurrection.
Whoever believes in me will have eternal life.
But did I believe , however hard my concentration.
Why are doubts , day dreams , murmurings so rife.

In a universe of billions of stars.
Where stands this rabbi.
Did he really create all these super stars.
Or is it all mere speculation or a lie.

But sitting there I felt reassured.

Still sailing, but soon to be safely moored.

……

Put on God’s armour

And you put on resistance

Now and for ever

Does life carry on

Does anything else matter

Do we think on it

I was filled with doubt

Then seeing the Pieta

Some faith was restored

……

See Ephesians 6 : 10-20

Wednesday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

Parents never drive your children to resentment.

But guide them as the Lord does.

If we want to head for contentment.

We don’t always need to catechise.

Work hard and willingly.

But do it not for the sake of men.

All with humility.

Over and over again.

You can be sure all will be properly rewarded.

For whatever work he has done well.

And it will be recorded.

As far as we can tell.

You have the same master.

The universal pastor.

…….

Work hard, willingly

And do it not for men’s sake

But heaven’s master

……

See Ephesians 6: 1-9

Tuesday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

Husbands should love their wives.

Just as Christ loved the church.

We do this through all our lives .

As we continue our never ending search.

Husbands love their wives as they love their own bodies.

For a man to love his wife is for him to love himself.

This is what we need to do for the ladies.

And truly for ourself.

A wonderful wife is the greatest good fortune.

Comparing only to the best of health.

And how we keep in tune.

Greater than any monetary wealth.

This has been my great privilege.

This is what gives any life the edge.

…….

Husbands love their wives

As they love their own bodies

This is the best way

…..

See Ephesians 5: 21-33

Monday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

Be friends with one another and kind.
Forgiving each other as God forgave you.

It’s a question of being fully resigned.

At the unforgiving rock of life we can only hue.

Try then to imitate God as children of his.

And follow Christ loving as he loved you.

But can we be sure we are really his.

Do we expect more than is our due.

Do not let anyone deceive you with empty arguments.

You were darkness once but now you are light.

Let us be just the innocents.

Remove us from all blight.

Like the children of the light.

Walking towards the light.

…..

Befriend one another

And forgiving each other

As God forgave you

……

See Ephesians 4: 32- 5:8

Another Country

Thoughts from a Christian perspective — by Edward Leigh

Thursday ofWeek 33 in Ordinary Time

Wednesday of Week 33 in Ordinary Time

Tuesday of Week 33 in Ordinary Time

Monday of Week 33 in Ordinary Time

33 rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Saturday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time

Friday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time

Thursday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica 9 November

Tuesday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time

Monday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time

32 nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Saturday of Week 31 in Ordinary Time

Saturday of Week 31 in Ordinary Time

Thursday of Week 31 in Ordinary Time

All Souls

Tuesday of Week 31 in Ordinary Time. All Saints

Monday of Week 41 in Ordinary Time

31st Sunday in Ordinary Tme

Saturday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

Friday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

Thursday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

Wednesday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

Tuesday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time

Monday of Week 30 in Ordinary Time