‘Put aside your hatred and animosity’.(St. Francis of Paolo)

3PM live-streamed Holy Rosary in Church today, faithful folk praying along with us online. Here in Church though, unlikely trio: Nigerian lady, Ukrainian lady and myself.

Three of us in unison singing Ave Maria between each decade almost moved me to tears. Something so beautiful for God in the midst of so much trouble and strife. Beauty from ashes. 

Does it ever dawn on the minds of warmongers, I wonder, how much real beauty in all it’s glory will forever flourish, in spite of and sometimes (like today) because of, their dastardly deeds! Our God has the final word always and in all things.

Beauty is a great reflection of God Himself. There is no other explanation.

‘Don’t spend your energies on things that generate worry, anxiety and anguish. Only one thing is 

necessary; Lift up your spirit and love God’. (St. Padre Pio)

God’s Love in the ordinary☀️🙏🏻

 

She gladly accepted my Medugorje rosary beads from Mother Mary and then she began to cry. I told her that Mother Mary put in my heart that each time someone receives one of my Medugorje rosary beads, Mother Mary herself is present in a special way. Mother Mary is a living person.

Lady, visibly moved, uttered through her diamond tears how ridiculous she must appear sobbing uncontrollably. So I told her what my dear friend Rosie had to say one time as I berated myself for thoughtlessly discarding stuff and then wasting myriad minutes searching for it: ‘Oh no dear. Never talk to yourself in that way. Others will be more than happy to do it for you’.

‘And another thing’, I added, as we parted company. ‘Mother Mary has lifted my heart too in our beautiful surprise encounter this morning’. 

Precious moments like these, there’s a fine line between who is giving and who is receiving. Every action is a transaction!

Wonderful Holy Spirit prompt to place a rosary beads in my pocket as I prepared for Holy Mass this morning. Mother Mary looking out for her dear child in need. I merely the humble conduit of God’s redemptive grace and light.

What a precious privilege for me.

Dearest Mother Mary, Queen of peace. Keep our troubled minds at ease’. Amen.

‘I am terribly afraid of intruding on people’s personal inner lives. But when I write personally about myself and my own religious feelings, it is because my heart yearns towards others, that they may know the happiness I do.

Well, my great comfort is that God loves them more than I do, and God our Father wills that all men be saved, and when I pray, ‘Thy will be done’, I’m praying for their salvation’. 

(Dorothy Day/The reckless way of Love)

I love Dorothy Day❤️

Sunday morning coming down☀️🙏🏻

              ‘We swim like little fish in the ocean of God’s mercy’. (St. Teresa Margaret/1770)

I got to sing at 10AM Holy Mass in Foilmore Church this morning. How can I possibly articulate how beautifully that precious privilege resonates in my deepest heart. Sitting too on that same side of the Church we used to sit, dear Dad, my siblings and I.

Each time I step back inside the front door of that sacred sacrosanct space I am gloriously catapulted back in time. Back then in the sunny long ago, Sunday mornings, weather permitting, Nellie, our dear pony, would ferry all of us to Holy Mass in that little country Church. (Ten miles round trip). Clear as crystal, I now can see in my mind’s eye, Dear Dad holding the reins, Nellie trotting along and us children on top of the world. 

To this day, folk oftentimes remind me how thoroughly they enjoyed hearing all of us sing our hearts out in unison, as we returned home once again to our dear Mom and Sunday lunch. Endlessly we sang and still do!! One time a neighbour remarked that we were ‘born singing’.

I love how my visiting cats come to dine at the back of my compact cottage while my birds dine in front garden. Never the t’wain shall meet!! Directive on peaceful living and minding one’s own business, delightfully on display right there in these tumultuous times in which we live.

‘O Jesus, we implore You, and we shall always implore You, be pleased to grant us peace in our time’. (St John XX111)

‘Since love completes all, makes all hard things soft, and the difficult easy, let us strive to make all our acts proceed from love’. (St. Arnold Jansen)

Just do it!!☀️

 ‘If you become Christ’s you will stumble upon wonder upon wonder, and every one of them true’.                    (St. Brendan)

Used to be that some prayer-sharing encounters were amazing, nowadays all of them are! and so many!!

One such encounter - after 3PM Live-streamed Holy Rosary in Church yesterday I gifted a really lovely couple my prayer. Their son, they told me, was doing a piece for television on Monsignor Hugh o’Flaherty. Colm (their son) and his work crew all happily accepted my prayer. Thing is, Colm works too for EWTN and that’s where my powerful prayer was born.

St. Anne’s Holy Rosary today, Jay dashed to his bedroom for his rosary beads. Not long ago he was far too shy to attend, let alone pray a whole decade. So wonderful to behold!! Non-verbal dear lady who makes the sign of the Cross with all of her heart every time we meet, like she is drawing a cozy comforting snug blanket around us both (which of course she is!). What a heavenly greeting! In St. Anne’s, there’s a fierce fine line between who is giving and who is receiving!

I got to pray Chaplet of Divine Mercy at dear Mossy’s bedside. Dear friend of my parents. Soon he will be safely home in Heaven above.

On my way home, young builder guy produced my prayer from his high-vis jacket pocket in the pouring rain. Accepting it freely a few days ago but not at all sure he would be praying it every morning. Today I’m not so sure! God’s amazing Grace.

I sent Mary a riddle through WhatsApp this evening only because she danced into my heart out of the blue. Turns out Mary was feeling quite tearful at that moment and my riddle made her smile.

(Five frogs sitting on a log. Three decided to jump off. How many were left? Answer: Five. 

Three decided to jump but did not. Indecision!).

I love what Monsignor Eugene Morris said this evening on EWTN/Women of Grace:

‘Do we want to change the world? Yes!!

and the beauty is if you attend in prudence to what you’re supposed to do, you are actually going to change the world’. 

Just do it!!

‘O my God, teach me to be generous, to serve You as You deserve to be served, to give without counting the cost, to fight without fear of being wounded, to work without seeking rest, and to spend myself without expecting any reward, but the knowledge that I am doing Your Holy will. Amen’. 

(St. Ignatius of Loyola)

‘Thus, after coming each evening to the foot of Your alter, I will finally reach the last evening of my life. Then will begin for me the unending day of eternity when I will place in Your divine heart the struggles of exile. Amen’. (St. Therese of Lisieux)

Right now, ruminating on how I love the sound of gale-force wind swirling around my little cottage, I open ‘He and I’, (Jesus to Gabrielle Bossis) and to my sheer delight, read the following: ‘If only to have the joy of your thanks, I would create weather like this’. 

Wonder upon wonder😀🙏🏻

What a mighty God we serve!!🙏🏻☀️

Paidi Ruairi Nolan touched down this morning at 9.40AM. Fresh from God, newest member of our fast-growing family. We are beyond grateful. No words! Little brother for Daithi.

‘You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb’.         (Psalm 139:13)

Rain bucketing down as I made my way to St. Anne’s for Holy Rosary in the afternoon but I hardly felt one drop!! My grateful, light as a feather heart dancing for joy in the knowledge that I am now Nan to no less than six little ones!! I love every minute of being Mom and now I’m loving every minute of being Nan too. I am truly blessed!

In St. Anne’s, young guy visiting his Godmother sat in our midst throughout the whole Rosary and trimmings. What joy for my precious folk. Clearly young guy enjoying every minute too as he unashamedly prayed and sang along.

One can live many years with no thought of God and even live well. Only problem is though that one fine day it will all come to an abrupt end. What then???

We find out that God is all we need when God is all we’ve got!!

I sang at Holy Mass tonight, All Saints vigil. My sister Mai joined in. Precious. Ours was not always an easy alliance. 

The longer I live the more I know and believe without a shadow of a doubt, that every single thing is gift. Holy Trinity, one God will never be outdone in generosity.

Co-operate with Grace is all we are asked to do. 

‘Don’t spend your energies on things that generate worry, anxiety and anguish. Only one thing is necessary: Lift up your spirit and love God’. (St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina)

‘Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet’. (Bob Marley)

This morning (1/11) two wonderful encounters copper fastening what I wrote yesterday:

Young lady from Albania gifted me beautiful flowers uttering: ‘Thank you. You are like my mother’.

Young lady from Switzerland uttered when I told her that I am a grandmother who loves sharing my powerful prayer: ‘I love talking with elderly folk. You always care about us young people’.

Mom and Nan😀❤️

Pilot Pete✈️

Wonderfully uplifting faith-sharing encounter with Pilot Pete all the way from Chicago in Church this afternoon. As we parted company I told him: ‘Every time I fly I wish with all my heart I possessed enough courage to gift our pilot my prayer. So many times I plan on doing it but lose my nerve every time’.

‘Oh but you must’, Pilot Pete exclaimed. ‘A prayer and a cookie and say Pilot Pete told you’.

‘A Pilot who prays’, I beamed with delight. ‘How consoling for crew and passengers on board’.

‘There are many of us’, he gently replied. 

Next time 🙏🏻 ✈️ please God. My powerful prayer is about to fly!! 

‘Holiness consists simply in doing God’s will, and being just what God wants us to be’. 

(The Little Flower)

So glad I said ‘yes’ early this morning  (28th), when my friend called wondering if she might drop by for tea and chat even though every fibre of my being yearned to refuse! Saturday morning my only morning to stay home and far away from the madding crowd!!

Turns out my dear friend had lots on her mind, not least her beautiful granddaughter emerging finally after many months of self-enforced hibernation in her own home. Bullied in school God love her.

I sent that young lady my powerful prayer. She will pray it every morning and all of Heaven will be minding her now. 

Thank you Holy Spirit for Your awesome guidance in my life always!!

‘I love these little people; and it is not a slight thing when they, who are so fresh from God, love us’. 

(Charles Dickens)

Anchored in The Lord☀️

May we ever be aware in everything we do, Lord. That knowledge comes from learning and wisdom comes from You. Amen

The clear thought ‘You mind mine. I’ll mind yours’, awakened me from my deep slumber. Glorious consoling confirmation from on High!! Every time I reach out in love to my brothers and sisters in Christ, when I joyfully willingly share, then my own dear family are safe in Father God’s wonderful care. I love it!!

Two main purposes of life: To grow and to serve.

Today, witnessing our visitors from foreign lands overjoyed and extremely grateful for much needed assistance from our little Church community and one charitable organisation who went that extra mile, moved me to tears. What a privilege to be part of something so incredibly beautiful.

To be a combatant and not merely a spectator in these troubled times.

This evening I enjoyed amazing African food gifted to me by one young man. ‘It is all I can give’, he told me. I could honestly reply from my deepest heart that he and his country folk are gifting us far more than they realise - if we but have the eyes to see! Our visitors do not come empty-handed. (First time in my life to eat African meal. Beyond delicious!!)

Lady in Church, enduring Alzheimer’s, happily accepted my prayer. ‘She will say it every morning’, her daughter told me. Young boy working in shop will pray my prayer every morning too because ‘he does not like his job one bit’. Many other amazing prayer-sharing encounters too. No refusal in the longest time!!

Lady ahead of me in shop queue, her basket bearing mostly alcohol, walking with the aid of a stick. How she came to my aid when I realised my loose change was less than the cost of my goods!! (Wallet at home). Dear kind lady. Generous shop assistant insisted on paying my debt though. (Money and me!!)

I love gifting our visitors notepads and pens so they can begin offloading their thoughts and terrors. I know only too well the benefits gleaned. All of us are uniquely crafted with a story that indicates that fact. 

Let us write our own story. No one knows it better than ourselves! 

Live hopefully! No matter what.

‘Many live like angels in the midst of the world. Why not you?’. (St. Jose Maria Escriva)