God will work it out.☀️🙏🏻

My God, here is another day, given me to love and serve you. Amen

She sat alone in a pew near the door as I prayed live-streamed Holy Rosary before Holy Mass this morning. Afterwards, placing a prayer in my pocket, I made my way towards her but soon realised she had got up and left. About to return back to Holy Alter, when there she was, tucked in the corner lighting a candle. 

‘Would you like a beautiful morning prayer’, I asked. Poor lady! Frail and devastated she replied: ‘my son is having surgery today. I don’t know how serious it is’. We prayed my prayer together and then I suggested that perhaps Holy Spirit sent me to her because of her son’s surgery. ‘Yes, it is very strange’, she replied gratefully. Strange and wonderful to me too.

Loved meeting two joyful guys from Saudi Arabia in Church today. One of them took a video on his phone of all three of us asking if I would speak. ‘Let us pray, all of us in Saudi Arabia, Ireland and every place, for peace in our world’. I simply said. Who knows where that little clip will be seen and heard!! It can not be a bad thing and that is for sure.

I don’t recall meeting folk from Saudi Arabia in our Church before today. Delightful memorable encounter. Both guys gratefully accepted my prayer too.

African lady residing in our town asked if I would be God-Mother to her baby son. Christening in Church on Saturday. Thrilled and surprised I asked her: ‘Why me?’. She replied: ‘Because you were very happy to see me first time we met’. Wow!! First impressions last!! 

Young heartbroken lady came to Church to inform me that she must return home to her own country. She had hoped to begin a new life here. However, I could tell her truthfully that God’s plan for her life will greatly exceed her own dreams and schemes if she would accept what she cannot change. Once upon a time I too had a lavish plan for my own life …

Scrubbing the Psychiatric Unit floor where I worked for a time, crying uncontrollably. My tears could have washed clean that floor that day. ‘Why can I not have what I want so badly’, I begged my God. No, I did not hear His reply audibly but from somewhere deep within, there issued forth: ‘You will live longer and you will do good’. ‘That’s just my imagination’, I spoke aloud. To which He replied: ‘I am in your imagination too, you know’. 

That was eighteen years ago and I have been listening to His gentle wisdom ever since.

Holy Trinity One God. Walking with beautiful Jesus, in the Gladsome Light of Holy Spirit, home to our wonderful Father God. Amen

Freely freely we have received…..freely freely give!!

‘Give your all. Seek no reward. God will work it out’. (Jean Usher)

Without Jesus life would be unbearable!!

The old drink🙏🏻☀️

‘As long as there is a drop of blood in our body, there will be a struggle between right and wrong’. (St. Pio)

He gets on my bus and takes the seat right next to me. ‘I see you are praying’, he says and with that he begins to talk. Prayer relaxes folk. It knocks down walls.

His two fine sons died, God rest their gentle souls. First one passed away ten years ago, the other a few years later. Of course he deeply mourned his first son but then he still had his second son alive in this world so he could cope well enough. Now they are both gone. He accepts my prayer with the words: ‘I don’t know if I believe in God at all now’.

His wife isn’t talking to him, he is heartbroken. He loves her very much. They got married very young. ‘Women can be very stubborn’, he says and before I can utter a word he adds: ‘The old drink’.

Bring her flowers I suggest. ‘Oh no’, he replies laughing; ‘If I arrive with flowers she would think I did something really wrong. We never bothered with flowers’.

‘What about my prayer’, I say. Taking it, he places it safely in his jacket inside pocket. ‘How about a bar of chocolate too’, I say. ‘No need’, he replies; ‘I think this here in my pocket (prayer) will be enough’. He still prays every night before he goes to bed. In the morning too. He don’t really know if God exists but he prays anyway.

‘I hope we meet again’, he tells me earnestly. ‘Me too’, I reply, ‘but most likely it will be in Heaven’. What power there is in using our natural gifts according to God’s plan!

We both laugh and shake hands warmly. ‘Don’t forget to give Molly my prayer’, I remind him as he departs. ‘I won’t forget’, he says. ‘But first I will have a few more beers in there’, pointing to yet another pub.

The old drink!! 

Who was it that said;  ‘Our addiction is like an eight hundred pound gorilla waiting outside the door doing push-ups’. 

One who knew what he was talking about and that’s for sure!! Tale as old as time!

Our random enjoyable thought-provoking encounter remains forever in my heart and prayer.

                                             Freedom is the opposite to addiction. Not sobriety!!

 

Symphony of beauty☀️🙏🏻

‘If you have hope; this will make you cheerful. Do not give up if trials come and keep praying’. (Romans 12:12)

She is beautiful beyond words. The kind of beauty that never fades. She made me some cookies and if I like them she will make me some more. She says that, every time she gifts me something delicious. 

‘You have a poor mother in your own country and you have a poor mother here’, I say laughingly. ‘Too bad you do not have just one rich mother’.

‘I love my poor mothers. I thank God for you both all the time’, she replies sweetly, sincerely. 

As we go our separate ways, we look back and wave until we are out of sight to one another. Same every time. Just like my dear Mom and I used to do way back then.

First time our paths crossed was in the Charity shop, she cried continuously. Somehow something made us laugh, we do not remember what. At that moment her tears dried, she often tells me. She chose a brown coat. Oh how badly she needed a warm coat. 

Today as Storm Ashley rages, she is wearing that same brown coat.

Hard to take in how much she has suffered in her own country and in her gruelling journey to this place of rest and renewal. Her smile is like a thousand suns. Her heart is bigger than Ireland.

As Pope Benedict XV1 reminds us so powerfully;

‘We were not made for comfort. We were made for greatness’.

Something new☀️🙏🏻

‘Take rest; a field that has rested gives a beautiful crop’. (Ovid)

                                                                      Central Park 🇺🇸 

My blog and I travelled along happily together for five full years and then almost abruptly we parted ways, no more to say. Not that I stopped doing what I love, oh no. I have made and shared many prayers (thousands) since last I put pen to paper and without a doubt there was a certain relief in just enjoying the moment, letting it pass on without reflection. It had all become something of a chore! 

However, this morning something changed! I began to feel the stirrings of something new. Lots of wonderful prayer-sharing encounters in the past two weeks and before. Shame not to document some of them at least. All of them touching my heart in the deepest way.

Like the Vietnam war Veteran in Time Square who held my hand as we both prayed my powerful prayer together. Elderly smart lady who is not religious but will use my prayer for a bookmark. Chatting with homeless folk whenever, wherever, never gets old. They delight my soul.

Guy in St.Patrick’s Cathedral. ‘We will meet in Heaven’, I told him as he held my prayer to his heart. ‘I am not very confident of that’, he replied sadly. ‘Perhaps Holy Spirit is telling you otherwise now’, I told him. Unforgettable!

Killian reminded me to leave my prayer in Ground Zero. What a privilege. 

Polish Guy, Cork city, power hosing the pavement. ‘Would you like a lovely prayer I share with young people’, I asked.  ‘But I am not a junky’, he replied laughingly, accepting my prayer. Funny mistake! I laughed too repeating what I had actually said: ‘young people’. 

On a serious note though, how terrible it would have been had young pleasant guy said nothing believing I had said ‘junkies’. I would have continued along my merry prayer-sharing way oblivious to the distress I had unwittingly brought about. Thank you God for everything. It does not bear thinking about!

Young guy bounding along the steep staircase, looks back and asks: ‘Do you need help’. ‘Please’, I reply, ‘my back is really sore’. Off he goes with my suitcase at the speed of notts. Accepting my prayer, young smashing guy reads it through, aloud, before telling me in all seriousness; ‘You have done me a far greater favour than I have done for you. You just reminded me of Him’, pointing to the sky. Divine appointment!

American lady in Church today so joyfully taken aback with my prayer offering, could only utter: ‘Do you like hugs…….’.

Medugorje Nursing Home. Precious elderly folk, all of them knowing intense suffering in their long lives. Communism, war, to mention but a few. I sat in their midst unable to speak their language. Neither could they speak mine. Despite all of that, and maybe even because of it! we enjoyed amazingly beautiful ❤️encounter. Smiling, crying , laughing and praying. I shall never forget it, ever.

The ❤️ has an inner ear! H-EAR-T.

All summer long (and even today) groups from far-flung lands visiting our Church. Almost every time, I get to chat with one person who takes enough prayers to share with fellow-passengers. I ask that they not share until everyone is back on their bus and on the go again. That way they will know wonderful Holy Spirit is doing a new thing. I merely and gratefully His messenger!

Exquisite German couple in Church who proudly told me that soon their daughter will be ordained a priest just like me! Anglican. I did not tell them that I am not a priest and never hope to be one. To be who I am is more than enough, thank God.

Lady, on warmly accepting my prayer, asked if she could please have seventeen. One for each of her grandchildren.

Moments in time that mean the world to me. Lately as I read back over older blogs I am so glad I wrote them. Yes, I am happy to be back. The yield of doing what we are meant to be doing is sheer joy.

What if we look at one another like a sunset!!

                ‘Non nobis solum nati sumus’ (Not for ourselves alone are we born). (Cicero)

My powerful prayer🙏🏻

O my God! How can I love You as You deserve. If people but knew You, they would never offend You. They would love you too much to do so. Amen. (St. Ignatius of Loyola)