An Allelulia of Joy.🙏🏻

‘May you begin each day’s work with the sign of the Cross, under the patronage of Mary and Joseph, and your own patron Saint and Guardian Angel. Offer your work, with its problems, difficulties, joys and pains to the Lord. He has many uses for your offerings in order to restore the world of souls to Himself and let your heart sing an Allelulia of joy’. (Catherine Doherty)

Last night I began packing my case for my trip to see Killian in Vancouver. Daunting task, so many consuming questions. What do I bring? How many pairs? Having a lavish wardrobe is not the issue, certainly not, just that the whole packing thing brings me no joy whatsoever. I even began to ruminate over it when I awoke in the middle of the night. 

Then, this morning on my way to Holy Mass I encountered two Ukrainian ladies dragging their suitcases behind them. At a glance they looked like two young ladies on their way to some far flung sun-soaked destination but the bitter truth told a whole different tale. They were catching the 11.30 bus out of our town to begin their new life in Dublin. 

Spying their compact suitcases I got to thinking! All their belongings lay in those two suitcases. Packing was not a problem for the two Ukrainian ladies, they knew exactly what they were placing in their cases. Grand luxury of picking and choosing denied them in these tumultuous times. 

Needless to mention my packing dilemma disappeared in a puff of smoke. Nothing like a dose of reality to place things in perspective.

Later, Breda’s beautiful words regarding her time in Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament touched my deepest heart. ‘I was rushing today and so I knelt down for a minute and told Jesus that I would be leaving my cares and burdens in His Hands. I know He will work it all out in His own perfect schedule in His own perfect timing’.

Tanye forwarded me a photo of her son Mischa playing football which was featured in ‘Kerry’s Eye’ today. She is so proud of him and so am I. Not easy at all for a young 16 year old lad from Ukraine to join a football team in deepest Kerry. Totally out of his comfort zone but he did it. Wonderful and amazing.

Lastly I met Olga. She looked happy and really rested. When she arrived in our town a few weeks ago she was tired and crying continuously. Today, in her poor command of the English language (she is now getting lessons) she told me that ‘her husband in a plane ✈️ Ukraine’. Pointing to the sky she signalled that the plane fell to the ground. I was horrified but she was smiling intensely. Eventually, after many attempts, I realised she was telling me that her husband had arrived in Kerry on a plane from Ukraine. I was so relieved and over the moon for Olga. We both laughed and danced on the spot like we had not a care in the world.

Ukraine and Cahersiveen together in one place, in this our day and time. Fact is stranger than fiction, who would have thought in a million years........

‘From the rubble of our hearts - and each one of us knows the rubble of our hearts - God can create a work of art; from the ruined remnants of our humanity, God can prepare a new history. For the Lord always goes ahead of us, He walks before us and with Him life always begins anew’. (Pope Francis)

Olga took some of my prayers and she will distribute them among her friends in Skellig Star Hotel where they reside. She will come back for more and will continue to hand them out until everyone has a prayer. Cahersiveen and Ukraine 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🇺🇦🇮🇪