Divine Master.🌟

‘What is my £75,Ooo salary compared with One Holy Communion’. (St. John Henry Newman)

‘Don’t worry. I will consecrate hosts’. Father Larry’s reply when we both realised keys of Sacred Tabernacle were in my coat pocket at home.

If we would ever grasp the gravity of that sublime amazing truth! At every Holy Mass, our Priests, in Persona Christi, changes a piece of bread into the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. If we would ever lay hold of the wonderment of it all, we might just die with joy, delight, and Holy awe, not to mention gratitude to God so overwhelming that our whinging and grumbling might well be a thing of the past.

‘Without the constant presence of our Divine Master upon the alter in my poor chapels, I never could have persevered casting my lot with the lepers of Molokai’. (St. Damien of Molokai)

This morning, at Adoration of The Blessed Sacrament, a Grandad and his little child stood in front of Jesus in the Monstrance. The gentle Grandad pointed to Jesus, as he looked lovingly on the little boy. I felt so privileged to be in that Sacred Sacrosanct Space.🕯🙏🏻

A rainbow in the sky. 🌈

‘My heart leaps when I behold

A rainbow in the sky;

So it was when my life began;

So it is now I am a man;

So be it when I shall grow old,

Oh let me die!

The Child is the father of the Man;

And I could wish my days to be

Bound each to each by natural piety’.

(William Wordsworth)

‘And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth’. (Genesis 9:16)

Holy reminders.☀️

 

Like St. Faustina - ‘My happiest moments are when I am alone with my Lord’. Today is my day to be Sacristan and as always, I am engulfed in gratitude for such a sublime assignment from God’s Holy Hands. Peace and quiet in our silent Church at this early hour, staggering, easy to imagine that no other place on earth exists. Setting up Holy Alter for Holy Mass in this sacrosanct haven, loftiest of privileges, all else pale into insignificance. 

As I kneel in prayer, beautiful memory from days long gone is sparked, fanning the flames of my joyful childhood. Holy reminder from Gracious Holy Spirit, one thing renews another.

Oftentimes, as a young child, hearing Dad and Mom downstairs chatting very early in the morning. I would creep out of my cozy bed, feet barely touching the lino for fear of waking my sleeping siblings, and have tea with my Dad. Soon, he would be heading out to sea, fishing for lobster in ‘Star of the sea’, his black and blue boat named after Mother Mary. Long gruelling day ahead.

That morsel of time with my Dad at cockcrow more precious than gold. Novel feeling of being the only one awake while my siblings slept soundly. New day untouched, pristine. Mom’s homemade bread.

Safe and secure way back then with my loving parents like I was the only child in our home. Safe and secure this morning in our Church like I was the only child of God. The great transcendentals, truth, beauty and goodness, they alone satisfy our thirst, Anything less leaves us empty, parched.

‘The terrible thing about all Divine truth is it’s simplicity and yet how curious it is that this very simplicity makes it so unacceptable to the wise and proud and the sophisticated’.                                                (Father Ciszek 1984)  

This morning, 8/11/2021, Jim is over the moon and feeling extra special. He got here before all other cats. Jim gets to dine alone, just like he’s the only cat in our terrace.🐈😀

Gone again....🤨

 

Tonight, ruminating once more on how quickly our time together flies by, an ancient memory emerged, ushering me back to a time of innocence and simplicity, putting my thoughts perfectly in words.

 I was probably eighteen years old, working in a launderette in our town. Extremely entertaining elderly gentleman visited with me almost every day. Narrator of tall tales, one of his many stories stuck with me all down the years. 

It goes like this; Pat Flanagan worked with Iarnrod Eireann and his most important task was to write a report at every station. Pat went into fierce detail, his accounts long and tiresome, so much so that his supervisor asked if he would abbreviate them, make them more concise. 

Pat did as he was asked to do, his next report sharp and succinct; ‘Off again, on again. Gone again. Flanagan’. 

Could have been written for us.

‘Just before a friend arrives, I like to sit and watch and wait - and listen in anticipation for the footstep at the gate - for once the visitor has come, time hurries on, the moments fly - there’s hardly time to give a welcome and it’s time to say goodbye’. (Patience Strong)

Heedless harried ungrateful us.😌

Posts swirling around right now really infuriate me, what a sense of entitlement is ours. Father forgive us, we know not what we do. Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is first and foremost a supreme gift from God. He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, who died a horrendous death on the Cross in Calvary so we might have life and have it to the full. A terrible price was paid for thankless heedless us. ‘There, they do not think of how much blood it cost’ (Dante’s Paradise). 

Jesus came into the world to pick up the pieces of our broken lives. Up and down the centuries Holy Mass has been available to us, freely and often, Holy Eucharist at our fingertips. Did we utter a simple ‘Thankyou God’, even once? Shame on us. 

I see not a shred of reverence in the above post. Small ‘m’ for Mass, never mind that ‘Holy’ does not come into it. Mass means ‘the masses’ to many. Let’s congregate and sing. What hubris.😌 

Holy Mass is not a social occasion, Holy Mass is sacrosanct, a spiritual means to overcome the pandemic, not a social problem which has to be resolved. We are ultra privileged to be bequeathed such a stupendous gift from God, too bad we do not stop and think for a moment. Will we grasp it now even......

‘No soldier in service gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to satisfy the one who enlisted him’. (2Timothy: 2:4)

If our Church was open for Holy Mass tomorrow morning the usual suspects would attend as always, the disgruntled masses nowhere to be seen. Ranting on Twitter and Instagram seem to be far more thrilling than sitting at the Feet of Jesus. 

‘Where ignorance is bliss, it is folly to be wise’. (Thomas Gray)

“And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return; The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the Name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21)

‘Whether it be little or whether it be great, it cannot be done without Him’. (St. Agustine)

Be Kind.🌠

Life upon this little globe is just an episode. A journey: and we pass but once along this bit of road. So, do to others as you would, that they should do to you. You will not come this way again. You are only passing through. (Patience Strong)

Divine Love.🌹

When the communists load me into the hull of the ship with 1500 prisoners to be transported north, I share their suffering, panic and desperation. I say to myself; “In truth Lord, here is my Cathedral’.     (Archbishop Nguyen Van Thuan - Five Loaves and Two Fish)

                              Holy Spirit fill me and use me for the Greater Glory of God. Amen

Divine Love is creative, wholesome, healing, selfless, self-giving, fruitful, eternal and awesome. Whenever people in the world experience this kind of love through someone, they come to life. They come from death to life, from unbelief to faith, they come into the stream of redemption and that is what God always wants. Jesus made us family so that the Life and the Love of God comes into us and through the world. Love is the great issue in the Christian life. (Frances Hogan)

Divine Mercy Sunday.☀️

I was certain I had parked it forever, accepting the way things were, even though deep down in my deepest spirit a terrible unrest simmered over the whole sorry saga. We were bosom buddies once, now we barely speak. This morning the whole thing resurfaced, ambushing my peace of mind catapulting me right back to the very beginning. As I laid there in anguish, out of the blue (or should I say black!), dazzling realisation dawned on me,: ‘Today is Divine Mercy’. 

I sat upright and like I was on the outside looking in, found myself texting my friend: ‘Divine Mercy Sunday, I am sorry for any hurt I caused you. I leave it all at the Foot of the Holy Cross of Jesus. I hope you can forgive me’.  ‘Send it when you are in Church’, I heard in my deepest spirit. Jesus knows my favourite place in the whole world is facing Holy Tabernacle, sitting at the Feet of Christ

Wisdom from on High, glorious freedom that can only come from God. Ruminating over, closure with a capital C, out of my hands.

I will not hoard it in my heart, this powerful Grace I undeservedly received from God, I pass it on and on and if only one other person finds rest for their soul, as I did this morning, then my living will not be in vain.

Walking to Church I meet Con. He finds the Rosary too long - ‘It would drive me mad’, he says. An inspiration was sparked; ‘Today is Divine Mercy Sunday, repeat many times.  “Jesus I trust in You”. Walking away from me smiling, he uttered ‘Yea, I can do that’. 

Let us not miss one moment of today, Divine Mercy Sunday. Magnificent Gift from Jesus to Saint Faustina for all of us. We are being showered with torrents of Graces and Blessings, our big chance to wipe the slate clean and begin again. 

When tomorrow comes and today is past, let us always remember and never forget that God’s Mercy and Love are never past.

‘My daughter, let your heart be filled with joy. I, the Lord, am with you. Fear nothing. You are in my heart’. (Jesus to St. Faustina: 1133:Notebook 111).

Before the clock struck 12 o’clock midnight, my friend called me up and told me: ‘I am sorry for any hurt I caused you too’. 

‘Our nothingness and our misery are drowned in Your greatness. O infinite goodness, who can ever praise you sufficiently?’. (St. Faustina:361)

Time to go....🚕

No matter how hard we tried to live every moment to the max, how tight we hung on to every second with our clenched fists, no matter our heightened anxious awareness that this precious moment in time would pass in the twinkling of an eye, Father Time slithered away from us, slipping through our fingers like grains of sand. Time and Tide wait for no man, what we wouldn’t give for just one more day.........

Whatta Mighty God we serve. Nowadays we get to spend valuable time together, my grown up sons and I, one at a time. New journey has begun, all of us adults learning from each other in pastures new. 

Joyfully making the most of every moment in humble gratitude to our ever loving generous Father God for countless Blessings all the days of our lives. 

‘No man/woman can live without delight’. St. Thomas Aquinas)

‘Away from the news: strikes and strife and unrest - to the quiet of a place where the soul can be blessed. To somewhere unspoilt where the tired eyes can see - this beautiful world as God meant it to be.   (Patience Strong)

Spread Light.🎆

‘Start being brave about everything. Drive out darkness and spread light. Don’t look at your weaknesses. Realise instead that in Christ crucified you can do everything’. (St.Catherine of Sienna)

‘The Lord is my Light and my Salvation; whom shall I fear. The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid’. (Psalm 27:1)

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying; ‘I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life’. (John 8:12)

Come Home....🌹

Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, our Lord and Saviour on the Holy Alter has the complete tool-kit. Everything we could ever need or want is in Jesus, He yearns to lighten our burden. We, on the other hand, go our own solitary way, weighed down, distracted, trying to figure it out, all by ourselves.

We pour out our dilemmas to one other, whining on and on, trying to make sense of it all. Sadly, oftentimes we take leave of one another, limping, worse by far than how we were before we opened our mouths. We are hanging on to folk who are falling too, akin to walking along an icy patch of ground, no support, no security, no resolution. All the time ignoring Jesus, the real problem solver.

‘Will people ever understand that God is their life-giving sun, the Great Enchanter of all their days, the unique goal of their existence?’ (Jesus to Gabrielle Bossis-He and I)

How is it so difficult to sit at The Lamb’s feet, there to find rest and peace for our souls....We can not plead ‘ignorance’, we know only too well the goodness of God. One year ago, at the beginning of Lockdown, it seemed like many would turn to God for solace, many would come home. Alack and alas this does not seem to be the case. What will it take for the scales to fall from our eyes.....I shudder to think....

‘The most powerful thing we can do on this earth with our time is to spend it in Eucharistic Adoration. We cannot spend time in the rays of His Eucharistic Presence without receiving His Grace, His Love, His Mercy, His Peace. As we gaze upon Jesus, face to face, we are transformed little by little into a closer reflection of His Divine Image’. (Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration)

‘Il est la’ - ‘He is here’ - the Cure D’ars would say as he pointed to the Holy Tabernacle. For his last homily, he no longer had the strength to speak. He turned towards the Holy Tabernacle and wept tears of love. The last message he left his parishioners in Ars - ‘Il est la’ - ‘Jesus is here’.

Primroses.🌼

‘There is, indeed, a virginal quality about ‘the pale primroses, that die unmarried’. There is a green tinge in the yellowness that gives them an ethereal look. The crinkled leaves are cool to the touch, and the clumps, like shy maids, are to be found, not in the glare of the sun, but huddled together in quiet and secluded places. (The Glory of the Garden)

‘A primrose by a river’s brim. A yellow primrose was to him, and it was nothing more’. (Wordsworth)

Good Friday.

‘This Pure Victim, this Holy Victim, this Spotless Victim’.

‘Christ nailed to the Cross hold’s the key to all the world’s prisons, for He brings to the prisoners a freedom which no tyrant can take from them, the freedom they gain when they take on the will of God’. (Sister Aemiliana)

‘Each of us has an immortal soul for which the Heart of our Saviour gave all it’s Blood’. (Father Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange)

‘I saw the profuse bleeding of our Lord’s Head. Great drops of blood fell from beneath the thorny crown like pellets’. (St. Julian of Norwich)

‘May I never boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world’. (Galatians 6:14)

‘It is a thing most wonderful, almost too wonderful to be. That God’s own Son should come from Heaven, and die to save a child like me’. (W.W. Howe)

The Church had been bombed. On the wall, untouched, the Holy Cross with Jesus shattered body spoke loudly to my deepest spirit. Saint Faustina is pointing to her/our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. On our way to this Church, outside Medugorje, our Pilgrimage bus far too large for the extremely narrow dirt track on which we travelled, we really believed we would all perish, I was never more scared in my whole life. Not only did we arrive safely, I was privileged and Blessed to photograph this sublime scene. Unforgettable journey on many levels. How Great is our God. How Great is our King.

Holy Thursday.🙏🏻

‘Jesus, knowing that The Father had given all things into His Hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper, laid aside his garments and girded Himself with a towel. Then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded’. (John 13; 3-4)

Micheal fell and broke his arm, he was incapacitated and in urgent need of care and attention. My privilege to be the chosen one, Micheal is slow to trust. One time as I crouched on the floor at his feet putting his socks and shoes on, Micheal got visibly upset, agitated. ‘Don’t do that’, he uttered simply, my subservience clearly disturbing him. 

Beautiful Holy Spirit never ceases to inspire me in my most cryptic of happenings, as I replied without pause;  ‘Today I put your socks and shoes on, around the bend someone is waiting to put mine on, only that time is not here yet’. Micheal smiled, his facial expression relaxing, happiness resting on his brow once more.

‘Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example that you also should do as I have done to you’. (John 13:13-14)

Jesus never teaches anything that He does not radically practice Himself. How will we ‘wash’ someone’s feet today..............

‘Do not be afraid. Open wide the doors of Christ’. (Pope Saint John Paul)

(Eric bought me this beautiful statue when he was a very small boy).