Service joyfully☀️🙏🏻

‘Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God’. (Leon Bloy)

Optician’s scan reveals that at the back of my left eye a nerve is thinning. Not ideal but all other tests normal so no intervention needed for now. Wait and see!! (No pun intended).

Taken aback for sure! Hearing unexpected news like that sharpens my focus. I think of my dear younger sister Katy who died suddenly over one year ago. Taken out of her shoes, no warning. Definitely her passing makes me even more passionate about life than before, despite the fact that I miss her oh so much. Paradox!

I truly believe that only when we pop our clogs and leave this world behind will we fully realise how wonderful and beautiful being alive in this world really is. Unutterable gift from our Father God. Hence my intention to make every moment matter whatever the circumstance or trial. Life is short. Eternity is forever.

Walking home in the rain, grumpy lady calls to me: ‘What a horrible day’. ‘We are alive thank God’. I reply smiling, she smiles too. The ordinary is extraordinary!

3PM live-streamed Holy Rosary in Church, sharing my prayer afterwards with young folk, two young ladies from Switzerland. Local guy who ‘mislaid my prayer’ and would like another to pray every morning going forward. Young folk delight my heart,

To be Your Hands and Feet, beautiful Jesus is deepest desire of my heart. You know how the story ends, I don’t need to. In the meantime, my eyes and all of me is Yours to use as You will.

‘I am confident of this: that the one who began a good work in you will bring it to completion on the day of Christ Jesus’. (Philippians 1:6)

 

God is beautiful ☀️🙏🏻

                 ‘The Grace to live a vocation is there only if a Call is there’. (Fr. Malachi Napier)

‘God is beautiful. Every word is a big heart’. Ukrainian lady’s words first thing this morning as she accepted my prayer. What a start to my day!

Legion of Mary meeting, Holy Mass before Derm dropped me at Daniel’s Nursing home on his journey back home to his beloved family, rested and renewed after our smashing weekend together.

Every week there is a noticeable difference in Daniel, more alert and his voice gets stronger. Singing along, today he even managed a smile. Human touch! While there, I get to visit and pray with other dear folk too. Our esteemed elderly need so little but they need that ‘little’ so much. Never a chore, spending time in their company is time well spent and beyond enjoyable.

Young girls on work-experience in nursing-home happily received my prayer. I share with them that without Jesus they will get by, but with Jesus they will fly. No way of articulating how joyful, young folk become on hearing that eternal truth. Every time!

Wonderful prayer-sharing week, to mention but a few. Friday last, after 3pm live-streamed Holy Rosary kindly gentleman approached me, shook my hand and looking directly into my soul uttered: ‘Thank you for all you do. Be Holy, be happy’. Speechless, tears filled my eyes. Definitely divine visitation!

Young German girl, surprised, accepting my prayer with the words: ‘I really appreciate this’, walking away, glancing back smiling, all at the same time. Older lady (perhaps her Mom) graciously refused. (Role reversal).

One of my African ladies could not stop crying and next day she told me that having prayed long into the night, suddenly her sadness faded away and today she is feeling much better. I instantly knew what she meant. One time, in deep turmoil I prayed Holy Rosary many times and my hurting heart literally became joyful, like I had something to celebrate! Prayer is powerful, it gives life to the soul.

Poor guy who loves his wine far too much and much too often, told me honestly how much he would love to quit drinking. ‘Let’s pray’, I suggested, right there in the park. He did not laugh or think me weird. God grant poor man the freedom he so earnestly desires. I read one time that freedom is the opposite to alcoholism and not sobriety!

Elderly couple (Afghan asylum seekers) sitting on a bench. I sign to them that I will take their photo if they wish. Handing me their phone, they stand together smiling like a thousand suns. My joy could not be contained either, seeing both of them so happy. Delightful joy-filled impromptu performance!

After Sunday Holy Mass, elderly elegant lady in the midst of her loving family, called me to say: ‘You know the prayer you gave me a long time ago? I say it every morning’. Wow! Thumbs-up from Heaven above.

I love my prayer-sharing vocation from God. Exciting, no two days ever the same. Only Jesus could make things happen the way they do. Everything is better with You in it, my dearest Jesus.

‘All work with me is wonder-work. God working in and through man. This should be the normal work of every Christian’s day. For this I came to earth, to show man this could be’. (Jesus/God calling)

                                                                        Valentia slate quarry.

                                                                    The broad Atlantic.

‘I will attempt day by day to break my will into pieces. I want to do God’s Holy Will, not my own’. 

(St. Gabriel Possenti)

All of us together.☀️🙏🏻

‘Sing to God with joyful devotion, and don’t stop’. (Hildegard of Bingen)

‘Skellig Trio’ sang at 11AM Holy Mass this morning. Deepest Africa and deepest Kerry, adoring and praising Holy Trinity One God, in this sacred sacrosanct space that is our Church.

Whatta Mighty God we serve!

‘Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart?’. 

(St. Gerard)

Just this minute hearing brilliant Bishop Barron speak (YouTube): ‘Do I love the benefits of God or do I love God’ . Instantly a marvellous memory dances into my heart.

Killian, probably eight years old at the time (twenty two years ago), giddily ecstatic, telling me that somebody had given him five pounds. ‘Who do you love the most’, I ask him - ‘God or money?’.

‘God, of course’ , he replies, without batting an eyelid. ‘because doesn’t God give me money’. 😀

‘

God’s joyous arranging.☀️🙏🏻

On this date, every year for the past ten years, I have read the above and yet this morning is like reading it with fresh eyes for the very first time. ‘My will for you is my joyous arranging for you. The frustration of the Divine Plan is man’s tragedy’. I most certainly know this to be totally true. No comparison whatsoever between God’s Divine Plan for my life and my own puny paltry one.

Wonderful day strolling around Killarney on Sunday while my friend Mary tripped the light fantastic with her fellow dancers. Amazing encounters courtesy of my powerful prayer. Young couple in Friary lighting candles, shop assistant who was ‘religious’ one time but not any more, sad young girl and many many more.

In cafe, couldn’t help overhearing elderly guy, table next to mine, whine on about ‘all them refugees in every one our towns’. Somehow I managed to pray silently for him instead of letting him know how disgusted that selfish self-obsessed attitude makes me feel. Oh how much these bitter impoverished ‘herd mentality’ folk miss out on. I know that only too well because through God’s glorious Grace I get to spend many happy hours with struggling gracious folk (asylum seekers) in our town. All of us sharing our God-given talents and belongings.

(St.Mother Teresa would make the sign of the Holy Cross on her mouth every time she was in danger of saying something she knew she would later regret).

Visiting dear Mary in her Care-home, chatting with her friends. Peaceful Holy place where Jesus resides, but most folk will never know it because they do not come and see. Oh if only they would!

Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament in the Friary. Heaven on earth. Distressed guy took my prayer and then we prayed together. Both of us cried.

Bus journey on Monday and again countless amazing prayer-sharing encounters, uplifting and joyful. Visited with Daniel in his Care-home. I got him a travel-pillow for his poor neck and wow! that pillow changes everything. We sang our song and this time Daniel could be clearly heard. Something so powerfully beautiful could only have been arranged by God Himself. Daniel’s pillow once belonged to my friend’s husband who endured Motor Neurone disease to the bitter end. Gift extraordinaire!

Daniel is in St. Brigid’s ward!!

Of late I had mulled over the notion of travelling to another town, meet folk and share my prayer but had no idea what that might look like. Then, out of the blue, wonderful Holy Spirit invites me to visit with Daniel, and slowly, in God’s own time, a whole new wonderful world is opening up before my eyes. Unutterably amazing!

‘As a collaborator of Love, I do everything to Jesus, my beloved Lord. Here is an easy formula to remember: “Others = Jesus”. Applying this equation in my own life would make me a collaborator of Love forever’.  (Venerable Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan).

‘What does Love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what Love looks like’. (St. Augustine)

City break☀️

‘Man has been created by God for a blissful purpose beyond the reach of earthly misery’.

 (Vatican 11)

‘Enjoy your prayers’, semi-grumpy bus driver told little lady. ‘I’ll light a candle for you’, she told him, as we got down from the bus. I turned back and offered him my prayer, nervous. He accepted. Looks like he needed it!

Strolling down Patrick’s Street on my way to St. Peter and Paul’s Church, Rumanian lady, sitting on cardboard in the pouring rain, gladly took my prayer and coins. Too sad for words.

Further on, George, Rumanian also, sat on a duvet, two refuse sacks holding his belongings. His little corner of the universe neat and tidy. I asked if he ever prayed, he took a Holy Bible from his knapsack. I gave him my prayer and the only note in my purse. He prayed quietly for me in his own dialect.

On my way back from beautiful St. Peter and Paul’s Church, George sitting in the same place and I got him a large coffee and two buttered scones. ‘Please pray for me’, I asked him. ‘Every day, every day, every day’, he replied his hand on his heart. Jesus gazed on me through George’s beautiful sad eyes, I know that for sure. I saw Jesus!

Imagine this for a moment: If all of us on witnessing a homeless person, would greet them with a smile and pop just one euro in their paper cup. Just one euro! How life-changing that tiny gesture would be, for them and us. Heaven on earth!

Many folk walked on by without as much as a sideward glance. I find that so difficult to get my head around!

12.30 Bus back home to Kilarney and after some time it dawned on me that I was in fact on the wrong bus. I was heading for Limerick. Bus from Buttevant back to Cork Station once again and eventually on to Killarney. Thank God for free travel!

In all that mayhem many unbelievable prayer-sharing encounters came to pass. Beautiful peace of Christ covering me with calm knowing all would be well as always Thank God.

Tea in Killarney and wonderful chat with young man who received my prayer last Summer. We both remembered one another. On that day, he gifted me a flower he had picked and today I showed it to him all dried and pressed in my prayer book. That was really special. 

I dashed to the Friary for quick word with beautiful Jesus in Holy Tabernacle and noticed young man sitting alone. ‘Would you like a beautiful morning prayer. I love sharing what I know to be true’, I said. His exceedingly serious reply surprised me: ‘What do you know?’. Another amazing encounter . Lonely hurt guy finding forgiveness tough. (To extend and to receive).

God uses every single thing for good. Catching the wrong bus definitely the right thing to do after all!! I return home bone-weary, buzzing and with just one prayer left in my bag. 

Thankyou Father God for the life you give to me. Beyond my wildest dreams!

Something I read in Magnificat magazine while praying in magnificent St. Peter and Paul’s Church this morning comes to mind:

‘How greatly we add to our crosses by being cross with them. More than half our life goes in weeping for things other than those sent us. Yet it is these things as sent and when willed and at last loved as sent, train us for Home. Constantly resisting, kicking at everything is going to make life more complicated, difficult, hard. Accepting patiently the reality of the situation will take the worst out of it’. (Von Hugel)

This elaborate pulpit reminds me of the tale about the priest who apologised for ‘The drip in the pulpit’. (He was referring to the leaking roof!)

Just about to dash from Church and get coffee for George when Holy Spirit whispered into my deepest heart: ‘Sit awhile. If you won’t do this (prayer time), you will not be able to do that (serve). Thank you wonderful Holy Spirit. Your beautiful wisdom puts all things in right order!

Blessed told me today (12/2) that one time in South Africa he witnessed homeless guy with a placard asking for just one rand, hoping one million people would comply thus rendering him a millionaire! 

‘Be merciful just as your Father is merciful’.(Luke 6:36)

‘I live now, not with my own life but with the life of Christ who lives in me’. (Galatians:2:20)

Waiting for earliest bus out of town this morning, young guy at bus-stop told me how thrilled he is to be back in school again and studying for his Leaving-Cert exam. ‘You came along with your prayer and things began to change for me’, he shared, smiling like a thousand suns. What joy! I remember distinctly the day I offered him my prayer some years ago, as he strutted along with his blaring ghetto blaster. He, shocked to be asked, me shocked that he took it!

Tea in only cafe open, before 10AM Holy Mass in Friary. Lady owner telling guy: ‘We have too many people in Kilarney’ and she was not referring to tourists. ‘Some good will come of it’, replied guy. (kind non-commital response). I paid for my tea and offered lady my prayer. ‘I really appreciate this’, she replied earnestly.

Thing is, I did not want to offer lady my prayer, having listened to her disparaging remarks. (Poor refugees). However, as I went to pay my bill, Holy Spirit prompt changed my mind and heart. Jesus shows me mercy even when I least deserve it and so I must act likewise in all situations. Simple as that! and totally liberating into the bargain.

Ambling about Cork city, one of my favourite pass-times, chatting with street-folk, sharing our stories, my prayer and widow’s mite. Not another person I know shares my passion, therefore I go alone. Don’t just live. Live with passion!

In beautiful Cork Church, extremely sad lady told me she has no energy left to continue on. I gave her my prayer and asked if she would like to meet up at 10 AM Holy Mass tomorrow morning. Dear lady smiled and agreed. Fiona waiting outside to take me back to theirs, otherwise I would have stayed a while.

Cozy this night in the charming company of  Eric, Fiona and my smashing grandchildren. Peace and tranquility. Rest and renewal. What a mighty God we serve. Allelulia.

‘How can there be too many children? That is like saying there are too many flowers’.                        (Saint Mother Teresa)

                                                                                      ❤️

That’s life🌟

Our teacher was expounding on The Most Holy Trinity and then, without warning pointed to me: ‘Do you understand’, she asked. ‘No’, I replied, full of fear. ‘Correct answer’, she exclaimed to my utter relief. Mystery can only be entered into, never understood.

Tonight, the above memory from sixty years ago, danced into my heart, as I listened to brilliant Bishop Barron’s wise words on the Most Holy Trinity: (YouTube)

‘We pray to the Father as though the Son has His arm around our shoulder because the Father sent the Son into our own humanity, into our sin and death. The Son now helps us to pray to the Father. The Holy Spirit is the love that connects the Father and the Son. In this prayer, the Son’s arm around my shoulder directed to the Father is a prayer in the Holy Spirit. I’ve been drawn into the dynamics of the love between the Father and the Son. God has opened up the Trinitarian life and includes us in it’.

What an insightful image. Totally glorious. Definitely worth waiting sixty years plus for!

On my way home from Holy Mass this morning, I visited with an endearing elderly couple. We sat chatting and after a while elderly gentleman just looked at me smiling and uttered: ‘You will have no trouble getting into Heaven, Bridget’. Wow! Never before has anyone ever in this world told me something so beautiful.

Later, young guy (asylum seeker) from Algeria and myself chatting about all things ‘Life’. ‘I love simplicity’, I told him. ‘Do you?’. ‘Why not’, he replied, laughing merrily as if to say ‘Is there any other kind of life worth living?’. 

This evening my supreme privilege taking Holy Eucharist to a dear lady. Walking with Jesus coz He knows the way.

‘Just as one candle lights another and can light thousands of other candles, so one heart illuminates another heart and can illuminate thousands of other hearts’. (Leo Tolstoy)

Bus times having radically changed, (local-link on the scene now), I rang the bus company re my trip to Cork. Pleasant lady asked who I would be visiting. ‘How strange’, I thought to myself but went on to tell her the bus I planned to catch. Again she asked politely: ‘Who will you be visiting’. Turns out I had rang a ‘Care Home’  far away from my home county. Good to laugh.

Never alone.☀️🙏🏻

                ‘Teach us to number our days, that we may get a heart of wisdom’. (Psalm 90:12)

Glorious action-packed weekend with Ruairi and Daithi. Every minute pure cream!

Last night, darling Daithi tucked up fast asleep, Ruairi and I talked about many things. We ended our valuable mother-son sharing with my urging to please pray my powerful prayer every morning. (Not my first time to offer that sage wisdom!). All of Heaven minding him and his family. What’s not to love!! He promised he would.

Then, this morning’s beautiful Holy Mass and Fr. Larry’s homily all about ‘Prayer’. Ruairi heard every word. God’s amazing Grace for sure. God-incidence.

‘We all need time to pray. Constant rushing about, constant pressures, all seem to suggest that something seems to be missing from our lives. How did Jesus cope with the pressures and the business of His day? He went off to a lonely place. He prayed.

We need to learn from the example of Jesus, how to combine our action-packed lives with prayer’.

Walking with Jesus coz He knows the way. Jesus has to be in it. If He is not in it, it is too hard.

‘Unless we are rooted in Prayer all our practical activities are going to amount to nothing’.               (Bishop Robert Barron)

‘We shall steer safely through every storm, so long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast, and our trust fixed on God’. (St. Frances de Sales)

Random act of kindness ☀️

Killian, on his way to his place of work, stopped to greet the old man sitting alone on the cold sidewalk. He gifted him five dollar coins (all the change he had in his pocket), my powerful prayer and Medugorje Rosary bracelet. After walking on a few yards, Killian stood and looked back. What he witnessed was beautiful!

Old man firstly counted his coins before placing them in a pocket. Next he prayed the prayer before placing it in another pocket. Lastly he put Medugorje bracelet on his wrist twirling it about for a moment in pure admiration.

Then, getting up from the cold ground, old man stood tall for a moment before setting off on his merry way.

‘It was class’, shared Killian.

Killian and homeless old man both changed each others day for the better in one fell swoop. Random act of kindness more powerful than the atomic bomb. Real happiness comes from only that!!

As for me! Just to know that my powerful prayer laminated in deepest Kerry is now in that old man’s pocket in Downtown Vancouver!! Well, how cool is that!!

‘Kindness is like snow - it beautifies everything it covers’. (Khalil Gibran)

This pretty stone sits on my friend Tanye’s desk in Kyiv. I gifted it to her when she was a refugee in our town for a while. How cool is that?

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

Beauty from ashes☀️🙏🏻

 ‘Do you fancy tea’, I asked Ann after Holy Mass. ‘Yes if you have time’, she replied. Off we went to cozy cafe and before we ordered anything I made it clear that it would be my treat. When she protested I calmly told Ann; ‘my idea, my treat’.

Wonderful sharing as always and so we got up from our table. Making my way to the till someone spoke to me. By the time I got to the till poor Ann had paid the bill. Even though we laughed I did not feel good!

One thing renews another!! Many years ago when I first purchased our compact cottage and funds were at an all time low, dear friends and I met up in a favourite pub. ‘I will get my own’, I declared to all. ‘Money scarce right now’. Everyone understood totally, they all knew well my situation.. However, when I looked in my bag, to my horror no wallet! ‘Sorry I forgot my wallet. Can anyone buy me a drink’, I sheepishly uttered. Would I ever live that down!

To this day Carmel and I laugh about it. My ‘no’ wallet after declaring my stance to all and sundry, never gets old.

This morning I rang Ann and told her how poor I feel about it all. Most gracious as always, dear Ann uttered: ‘If this is all we worry about today, then we are rich indeed’.

I forwarded her two beautiful pieces from ‘God calling’ - beautiful wisdom from Jesus hugely relevant to our conversation right now.

Beauty from ashes!!

‘We know that in everything God works for good with those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose’. (Romans 8:28)

Another tale comes to mind:

Eminent Cardinal striding up the Church aisle to address the waiting congregation, his gown swishing as he went. Auspicious occasion, complete silence. However, when he began to speak, words did not flow as they always did. In fact he could think of nothing whatsoever worthwhile to expound upon.

Deeply embarrassed poor man walked back down the aisle, this time his head lowered.

In the sacristy sat an elderly priest in prayer. ‘What happened to me Father’, asked eminent Cardinal. ‘I feel so humiliated’.

Elderly Father, smiling kindly, replied: ‘Perhaps had you walked up the way you came down…….