Sunny encounter☀️

‘Preach the Gospel with your life - without compromise’. (Catherine Doherty/Madonna House)

‘We are looking to visit your Church’, gentlemen enquired as I returned home this morning. He and his wife holidaying in our town from the Netherlands.

‘We live a secular lifestyle but actually I am a lapsed Catholic’, he told me after a while. Such honesty totally refreshing, perfect segue to my all-encompassing morning prayer. 

Lady read it aloud before happily placing it in her backpack. I offered two but they would take just one because after all - ‘We are a couple!’.

Avid reader, English teacher, gentleman highly recommended a book I will certainly purchase: ‘Irish Journal’, by Heinrich Boll. I suggested he might read a book that has had a profound impact on every aspect of my life: ‘He leadeth me’, by Fr. Walter Ciszek. (‘He leadeth me’ - Audiobook YouTube)

Another unforgettable prayer-sharing encounter, I told my Netherlands friendly folk, as we parted company. I walked on home pondering in my heart how very much poorer my life would be without my beautiful morning prayer and all it entails.

‘Know that the greatest service that man can offer to God is to help convert souls’. (St. Rose of Lima)

                                                            Diarmuid’s  Birthday today 🌺⭐️❤️

God’s Blessings..🙏🏻☀️

I begin this day and all things: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Kitty and I chatting in the sunshine as motorbikes sped past. Like I always do, I made the sign of the Cross, I blessed myself. (That is exactly what happens when we make the sign of the cross  - we give ourselves a Blessing !!)

‘Why did you do that’, Kitty asked and I told her that always I make the sign of the Cross for motorcyclists asking God to please watch over them and keep them safe. Sometimes a biker will make the sign of the Cross too in recognition of my action. 

I love Kitty’s reply: ‘I do that for aeroplanes’. Every time she hears an aeroplane in the sky, Kitty Blesses herself, invoking God’s Blessings on everyone on board..

Ambulance and fire brigade too. We make the sign of the Cross every time sirens scream. 

I love to say: ‘God Bless you’, when someone sneezes. Oftentimes folk are shocked but always grateful for a Blessing.

I learned today that oftentimes Mother Teresa would make the sign of the Cross on her lips, particularly when not sure how to respond in times of trial. Definitely something I intend to take up from now on. 

Yesterday, group of us about to have tea and scones before the meeting began, I asked: ‘Do you mind if we say Grace’. Nobody refused, in fact all were delighted with the idea. Had they refused, I would have accepted gracefully and moved on. Ask anyway!!

Almost forgot!! At the close of all telephone chats with friends and family the following prayer is always prayed:

‘O Angel of God my guardian dear. To whom God’s love commits me here. Ever this day/night be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

Myriad ways to lift one another up in these trying and testing times we find ourselves in. To quote John O’Donoghue: ‘Our times are desperate for meaning and belonging. May we realise our power to bless, heal and renew each other’.🙏🏻

‘No one prays for himself, not even a hermit. He exists for others….. He belongs to everyone, and so he must share not only his food but his thoughts, the graces that God may give him and above all, himself’.     (Catherine Doherty/Madonna House)

‘We shall be happy only when we know fully with both our minds and hearts - The Father who gives truth, the Son who lives this truth, and the Holy Spirit through whom we are joined to the truth’, 

(St. Agustine)

Joyful reminders🎆☀️

‘The Lord did not say: “Convert everybody”, because conversion is His gift. But He did say: “Go to everybody”. (Frank Duff)

On my way to Holy Mass this morning Mary told me that her friend Jack refers to me as: ‘The lady with wonderful colours’. Her words resonated joyfully as I recalled glorious time spent with dear Rosie. Enduring Alzheimer’s, Rosie loved when I wore bright colours, her spirits soared. Because of Rosie I continue my colourful trend, hail, rain or snow. 

Lady, new to our town told me how thrilled she is with her decision to move here permanently. ‘You are all so kind and friendly’, she uttered. Her words resonated joyfully too as I recalled how my Mom would say: ‘You are nice yourself’, every time I told her of someone’s kindness to me. I had no hesitation whatsoever passing on my Mom’s compliment to lady, we too are delighted with her decision.

Eileen brought me back beautiful Rosary beads from her trip to Lourdes. ‘They were made in the Poor Clare Convent’, she told me. Another joyful reminder for me! Seven years ago in Lourdes, I spent almost all my time in that sacred place. Holy Mass every morning. Adoration of the most Blessed Sacrament every evening. Elderly priest reposing Blessed Sacrament on a white cloth delighted me as I pictured Jesus Holy Head resting on a cozy cushion. Sublime image remaining forever in my deepest heart.

My friend John dropped by, elated, having enjoyed fruitful counselling session with a good man. ‘I might write a blog’, he told me. I could honestly share with John that his blog need not be ‘word perfect’, a work of art. Offloading his story will not only hugely help him, others might benefit too.

Interesting amazing prayer-sharing today. One extremely funny encounter that can never be shared.😂.

In the economy of salvation, nothing is wasted. Every little life-event will have meaning some day, even the ones we are least proud of. All of them make up the edifice of our life here on earth, a place for everything and everything in it’s place.

Dear Lord, please bring to my mind that wise nugget, next time I cringe at yet another ridiculous thing I said or did! 

‘You can find everything you need in your relationship with me. I provide the foundation on which to build your life, and I myself am LIFE. So the closer you live to me, the more alive you will feel’.                 (Jesus Always/Sarah Young)

Road trip 🚙 🚘

When Sheila called wondering if we might take a road trip this afternoon, a memory from over forty years ago danced into my heart. I love when that happens!

Jen and I worked in the office of a Catering Company in Dublin. One day in the midst of yet another interesting discussion on life and faith, she quipped wryly: ‘I can just see you telling God: “Please don’t give me cars and all that ‘stuff’ but make sure I have friends with cars coz I’ll need to go places sometimes”. 

I never forgot Jen’s words, they rang true forty years ago and even moreso today. I still don’t wish for cars and all that ‘stuff’  but I love road trips and Father God has certainly kept His word up and down the long years. I have wonderful friends with cars!!

Today’s road-trip superb as always.☀️

‘Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart’. (Proverbs3:5)

Ballinskelligs beach beyond beautiful 🎆

                                                            Dear Joan happy and content ☀️

                                                                    From a distance….

   ‘Beauty and creativity liberate the spirit and bring peace’. (Catherine Doherty/Madonna House)

                                                                     Road trip 🚗 12/9/2023

God knows!☀️

‘Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart’. (Psalm 37:4)

Immediately after 3PM live-streamed Holy Rosary today, my friend Jay rang telling me that he was on his way to the Charity shop with perfectly good bed sheets but decided to let me have a look at them first. Perhaps I knew some folk who may need them! Too right! As it turned out I knew exactly and personally one who would put them to good use right away!,

Thing is, last evening as I dressed bunk beds for my grandchildren’s soon arrival, I realised how utterly I needed new single bed sheets!! Our bunk beds rarely get used these days. Time flies, things change! Seems like only yesterday we were all here together in our cozy compact cottage.

Jay called around later and as we stood chatting in glorious afternoon sunshine, randomly I took a blue plastic Medjurjie Rosary beads from my coat pocket: ‘Gift from Mother Mary for you Jay’, I uttered. Jay’s turn to be pleasantly surprised. Turns out he was badly in need of rosary beads and had even asked a lady in Church this morning. 

Both of us speechless for a change!! Every action a transaction😀

I love Matthew 6:33 - ‘Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well’.

Keep on doing the next right thing! Leave all else in the Hands of our loving Father God. He knows our every need.

Beautiful prayer sharing encounter in Church this morning with pleasant folk from St. Edward Island, Canada. Exquisite magical setting which inspired Lucy Maud Montgomery to create the ‘Anne of Green Gables’ novels in 1908.

              ‘Spring bursts today, for Christ is risen and all earth’s at play’. (Christina G. Rossetti)

Divine Mercy Sunday❤️🙏🏻🙏🏻

Wonderful Divine Mercy Sunday today. At Holy Mass this morning our Ukrainian visitors Orthodox Church celebrating Easter Sunday. Ukrainian lady sang magnificently from Holy Alter, 🇺🇦 flag draped about her shoulders. Deeply moving. Proving yet again that evil will never have the upper hand. Truth, Beauty and Goodness reign supreme every time!!

Frail lady approached me after Holy Mass: ‘I know you. I pray Holy Rosary on line with you every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I can’t believe I’m seeing you for real. I love how you say after each decade: ‘Save the pre-born’. 

Her son got killed some years back and today is his birthday, she told me sadly. Taking my blue plastic Medugorje rosary beads in her cold hands she uttered: ’I will treasure these’. My heart sang as I shared how precious it is that her boy’s birthday is falling on Divine Mercy Sunday. Day of atonement for all our sins. Glad tidings for this dear frail lady and every single one of us too.

Powerful Prayerful afternoon as we prayed Holy Rosary, Chaplet of Divine Mercy, sang hymns. Adoration of the most Blessed Sacrament. Sacrament of Confession.

I got to take Holy Eucharist to my home-bound friend this morning. Last night my precious privilege to pray Divine Mercy Chaplet at bedside of my dear friend as he breathed his last. Tom prayed my prayer every morning and not a scintilla of a doubt that all of Heaven held him close right up to his final moment on earth. 

Divine Mercy Sunday extraordinaire!!

‘Mercy is having pains in your heart for the pains of another and taking pains to do something about their pain’. (Fr. George Kosicki).

‘The more we pray - in the sense of living a prayerful life - the more we desire to pray’. 

(Prayer and Ministry/Henri Nouwen)

‘Do not forget prayer. Every time you pray, if your prayer is sincere, there will be new feeling and new meaning in it, which will give you fresh courage. (Fyodor Dostoyevskyi)

Luna Belle Nolan❤️🙏🏻

Three.❤️

Baby Luna Belle Nolan, newest member of our clan, made her grand entrance into our world today, we are beyond thrilled. Our hearts bursting with gratitude to God, explosion of joy.🎆

Thirty two years ago this very month, I gave birth to Luna’s Daddy Diarmuid. Explosion of joy too.🎆

Extremely different times!! His Dad Eric deposited me in the Rotunda Hospital before taking himself off with his mates to enjoy a football match of paramount importance in Croke Park.

Many hours later, he appeared in the Labour ward, gazed into the cot and uttered: ‘We will name him Diarmuid’. 

What a mighty God we serve☀️🙏🏻

‘The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The sun shall not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and for evermore’. (Psalm 121:5-8)

Diarmuid.☀️

                                                                         

Three of us.❤️

‘They made signs to his father, inquiring what he would have him called. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote: ‘His name is John’. ((Luke: 62-63)

Impromptu ☀️☕️

‘The fullness of joy is to behold God in EVERYTHING’. (Julian of Norwich)

Elderly gentleman visibly amazed as he watched Nora and I pray aloud ‘Grace’ before partaking of tea and scones in Cafe this morning. ‘Well now, that is lovely’, he remarked. I told him we would never begin without first thanking God for our food and he just sat there smiling continuously. Accepting happily my ‘morning prayer’, he read it aloud before placing it in his inside coat pocket, smiling still, like he was remembering something beautiful. Nora and I deeply moved. 

Olga joined us for a moment. ‘Irish people are so kind’, she uttered yet again. ‘But we are sharing God’s stuff’, I told her (yet again too). Waving her hand gently, her reply made us laugh: ‘ 50/50’. (We Irish are sharing God’s stuff!)

‘The whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed for his own use anything that he had, as everything they owned was held in common’. (Acts of the Apostles: 4:32)

When Olga arrived in our town from war-torn Ukraine one year ago she cried continuously. Today her bright and cheerful countenance lifts my heart and mind to God’s gigantic goodness, all the days of our lives.

Mary (Chicago) dropped by, as did Maura and Eileen. Impromptu, spying us chatting cosily as they shopped. Got me thinking if maybe we could have an impromptu morning every week…….All welcome!!

Simplicity at its loftiest🌠

‘Remember that you have one soul, that you have one death to die, that you have one life which is short and can be lived by you and you alone. There is one Glory which is eternal. If you do this, there will be many things about which you care nothing’. (St. Teresa of Avila)

                                   Impromptu evening ☕️☕️☕️ with fun-loving feline friend 🐈 

“He is risen!”. “He is risen, indeed”. ☀️🙏🏻

 ‘Lo, Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb. Lovingly He greets us, scattering fear and gloom’.                           (Thine be the glory/hymn)

Two Sacristans already in Church this sublime sacred morning, so I dashed home to cook breakfast for Ruairi before he headed back to Maynooth. I miss him already but both of us thanking God from our deepest heart for precious delightful time together.

As I rounded the corner, two ladies came walking towards me. Taking two prayers from my coat pocket (Holy Spirit prompt earlier!), I uttered; ‘Easter Sunday. May I share this beautiful ‘morning prayer’ with you both’. Glorious encounter ensued on this holiest of days.

‘We were meant to meet’, they both said, surprised and delighted.

Had I know I wasn’t needed in Church this morning, I would have happily stayed home. What a shame that would have been!!

God of glory, You have broken the chains of death and hell. Fill us all with Hope and Faith for the way of life stands open in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

Delicious Easter egg from my good friend John.🎆
 

This evening my precious privilege to lead Holy Rosary (Glorious mysteries) at the wake of my dear friend Michael RIP. Always deeply moving but today, Easter Sunday, unutterably so.📿🌠

                                            

Jesus is risen☀️ Allelulia

Easter Vigil Holy Mass tonight, Ruairi and I. Afterwards I got to take Holy Eucharist to M. ☀️🙏🏻

   Viva Cristo Rey. (Miguel Pro)

“Keep in God’s way; keep pace with every hour;

                                                Hurt none; do all the good that’s in your power.

                                                Hours can’t look back at all; they’ll stay for none; 

                                                Tread sure, keep up with them, and all’s your own.”

                                                                     (Francis Pastorius/17th century writer)

Good Friday🌠

‘Jesus Christ, His face bruised, the gaping grimace of death on his lips, bearing the bloody unction of the nails imprinted on His Hands and Feet. His divine wounds, like fountains ever gushing remain eternally open to all straying and fallen souls who are eager to escape from their coarse, sensual aspirations, wanting to immerse themselves anew in the joys of sacrifice and the honour of purity’

(Fr. Charles Arminjon)

Beautiful Good Friday. I sang unaccompanied at 3PM Church Service: 1) God of mercy and compassion.2) Were you there when they crucified my Lord. 3) Nearer my God to Thee. 

Sacred assignment on this Holiest of days. 

                   Mary who knows suffering herself uttered: ‘Poor Jesus. All He suffered for us all’.

                                     The word ‘Excruciating’ means: ‘From the Cross’. 

‘Lord, help me make time today to serve You in those who are most in need of encouragement or assistance’. (St. Vincent de Paul)

                                                                        Ruairi is home☀️

‘Jesus spoke to them again, saying: ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’. (John 8:12)

One Good Friday, many years ago in a Church in deepest West Cork. We stood in queue waiting to kiss Holy Cross when the young man holding it was called away suddenly. Handing Holy Cross to next person on line he frantically declared: ‘Kiss away there. I’ll be back in a minute’. 🙏🏻😂😂

Holy Thursday☀️🙏🏻

‘It is time that we Christians began to take notice of each person we meet. Each person is a brother or sister in Christ. Each person must be recognised. Each person must be given a token of friendship and love, be it only a smile, a nod of the head’. (Catherine Doherty/Madonna House)

Sublime sunshine as I stroll back home, this Holy day, reflecting in my heart scarcely believable prayer-sharing encounters in Church just now. 

Had someone told me in my time of deep sorrow that one day I would bring a smile to a deeply sorrowful soul in the telling of my tale, I would have balked in disbelief. However, one encounter in Church was exactly that. As we parted company, lady exclaimed, holding my prayer and blue plastic Rosary beads (from Mother Mary in Medugorje) to her heart: ‘Perhaps this could happen for me too’, beautiful smile delightfully shining through.

St. John the Baptist words come to mind: ‘He must increase. I must decrease’. (John 3:30)

Thinking only yesterday how St. Mother Teresa perceived Jesus in every single person she encountered. She just went about doing what she knew God was asking of her, all the time immersed in the Gladsome Light of Christ.

The love that God calls us to is total surrender to Himself in imitation of Jesus Christ. Unconditional. Mother Teresa told her Sisters that they did not come to give themselves to the poor or to the work. They came to give themselves to Christ and He will give them to the poor.

I love that!!

Lord, take me where You want me to go. Let me meet who You want me to meet. Tell me what You want me to say and keep me out of Your way. Amen

Yesterday, during 3PM live-streamed Holy Rosary, Betty and her family came into Church. Concert pianist, she offered to play Church organ at Holy Mass this evening. Magnificent.🌠

                                                          It is no secret what God can do.🙏🏻

                                   Tonight we sat with gentle Jesus at Alter of repose.☀️🙏🏻