| 4/7/04
Prayer of blessing for Families
We bless your name, O Lord,
for sending your own incarnate Son
to become part of a family,
so that, as he lived its life,
he would experience its worries and its joys.
We ask you, Lord,
to protect and watch over our families,
so that in the strength of your grace
their members may enjoy your prosperity,
possess the priceless gift of your peace,
and, as the Church alive in the home,
bear witness in this world to your glory.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
11/7/04
Beatitudes for Carers.
Blessed are those who care: they will let people know they are loved.
Blessed are those who are gentle: they will help people to grow.
Blessed are those who listen: they will lighten many a burden.
Blessed are those who know how to let go:
they will have the joy of seeing people find themselves.
Blessed are those who provide a comforting and supporting presence: they will help the sufferer to bear the unbearable.
Blessed are those who recognise their own need to receive:
they will be able to give all the better.
Blessed are those who give without hope of return:
they will give people an experience of God.
18/7/04
In God’s Presence.
Lord, I place myself in your presence.
After the strain and turmoil of the day
I rest quietly here, as a little boat,
Which has been tossed by the waves
And buffeted by the wind,
Rests secure in a sheltered harbour.
Here my projects lose their power over me.
A healing process begins.
My fragmented self is reassembled,
And I am made whole again.
In your presence, I experience my true worth,
Which consists not in doing but in being.
I surrender myself into your hands
I am at peace.
25/7/04
Ask, Seek, Knock
Jesus urges us to ask, seek and knock.
This means that our faith has to be active.
Sometimes we are too proud to ask, so we don’t receive;
we are too lazy to seek, so we don’t find;
we are too timid to knock, so the door doesn’t open to us.
We mustn’t wait for things to happen, or to fall into our hands.
We must be humble and trustful, yet bold and energetic,
if we are to receive good things from our Father in heaven.
1/8/04
I asked for health so that I might do great things;
I was given infirmity that I might do better things.
I asked for riches that I might be happy;
I was given poverty that I might be wise.
I asked for power that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God.
I asked for all things that I might enjoy life;
I was given life that I might enjoy all things.
I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for.
Almost despite myself my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am, among all people, most richly blessed.
(Anon.)
8/8/04
Beatitudes of Life
Blessed are the faithful:
they are like safe anchors in a world of broken moorings.
Blessed are the just:
they are to society what leaven is to bread.
Blessed are the generous:
they keep alive our faith in the essential goodness of people.
Blessed are the caring:
they shine like beacons in a world darkened by indifference.
Blessed are the genuine:
they glow like gems in a world of falseness.
Blessed are those who are not afraid of sacrifice:
on the day of the harvest they will sing for joy.
And blessed are those who refuse to look back:
they will be found worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven.
15/8/04
Life’s Journey
For each of us life is a journey.
Birth is the beginning of this journey,
And death is not the end but the destination.
It is a journey that takes us from youth to age,
From innocence to awareness,
from foolishness to wisdom,
From weakness to strength and often back again,
From loneliness to friendship,
From pain to compassion,
From fear to faith,
From defeat to victory and from victory to defeat,
Until, looking backward or ahead,
We see that the victory does not lie at some high point along the way,
But in having made the journey, stage by stage.
22/8/04
True and false peace
A swamp may look nice on the surface,
but its depths are full of rotten things.
Peace that is based on injustice is like that.
It is a false peace, and Jesus came to disrupt it.
But then there is a true peace –
a peace in which all of God’s children
have their basic rights respected,
and are able to live in freedom and dignity.
This is the peace Jesus came to bring.
But peace like this doesn’t happen; it has to be made.
Sometimes the peacemakers will be branded troublemakers.
But Jesus had another name for them:
He called them "children of God".
29/8/04
Guests at his table
Lord, we thank you for having us as guests
at the banquet of the Eucharist.
Here we have listened to your word
and eaten the food of eternal life.
May we go forth from here nourished,
honoured, blessed, humbled yet exalted.
May we be so sure of our worth before you
that the honours of this world will never ensnare us.
And in your goodness grant us a place at the heavenly banquet.
Amen
5/9/04
Reflection
We all need anchors in our lives
By way of true values and enduring truths
But we need anchors as well as principles.
We need relationships with other people
People who have never known a close relationship
With another human being are anchorless.
They are at the mercy of the cold winds
Of anguish and loneliness.
But the best anchor of all is the anchor of faith
It means we have truths to believe in
And a Person to relate to, namely, God.
12/9/04
Reflection Racial Justice Sunday
We all belong to ONE race, the HUMAN race.
We are all people created in God’s own image and likeness.
Let us celebrate that which unites us rather than dwell on our differences.
Recognise and love Jesus Christ in each person you meet. Serve Him by committing yourself to work for true justice wherever your life takes you. Follow always the way that leads to respect, honesty and truth.
19/9/04
Home Mission Sunday Prayer for Evangelisation
As the seed grows silently in the earth,
As the yeast rises in the dough,
May your power, Spirit of God be at work in us.
Like a city set on a hill,
Like a lamp shining in the darkness,
May we witness together,
Calling our brothers and sisters
To the glory of your light
And the peace and justice of your Kingdom. Amen
Being with Christ
Jesus said: "Whoever is not with me is against me;
and whoever does not gather with me, scatters."
I sometimes feel that my life is like scrubland,
halfway between garden and desert.
I sometimes feel that I live in a world of twilight,
halfway between day and night.
I sometimes feel like lukewarm water,
half way between hot and cold.
I sometimes feel that I am in a state of indifference,
halfway between love and hate.
I sometimes feel that I am trudging along a safe path,
halfway between good and evil.
Lord, save me from the illusion
that because I am not against you, I am therefore for you.
Above all, save me from being neutral.
3/10/04
Prisoners of Conscience
Prayer
Lord, in your mercy, look with compassion
on all prisoners of conscience.
Strengthen them, protect them and supply their needs.
May your love enfold them and your peace
sustain them.
Soften the hearts of their captors and hasten the time of their release.
We ask this through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.
10/10/04
Gratitude
Once there was a young man
who had never thought of donating blood.
But then his father got very ill and was hospitalised.
One day the sin was sitting by his father’s bedside
as he was getting a blood transfusion.
As he watched the blood flowing into his father’s veins,
he suddenly realised that someone had donated
the blood that was now keeping his father alive.
Straightaway he made up his mind to become a donor,
and he was as good as his word.
Many are willing to avail of the generosity of others,
but few are willing to give something back.
This is why gratitude is so important.
It makes us want to give something back.
17/10/04
Prayer
I am neither a man of letters nor of science,
But I humbly claim to be a man of prayer.
It is prayer that has saved my like.
Without it I would have lost my reason long ago.
If I did not lose my peace of soul,
In the midst of my many trails,
It is because of the peace
That came to me through prayer.
One can live several days without food,
But not without prayer.
Prayer is the key to each morning
And the lock to each evening.
It is a sacred alliance between God and us
Let everyone try this experience, and they will find
That daily prayer will add something new to their lives
Something which cannot be found elsewhere.
Mahatma Gandhi.
24/10/04
SINNERS IN CHURCH
If the Pharisee had his way the Tax Collector
would not have been allowed into the Temple at all.
Some people believe that sinners should never go to church.
They cry "hypocrites" at those who do.
According to them only saints should be admitted to church.
But that would result in a very small church,
and would make a little sense as a repair shop
that accepted only sound things,
or a hospital that accepted only healthy people.
We go to church not because we are worthy,
but because we need to.
We are brave enough to admit our sinfulness,
but we are willing to strive for something better.
We need the healing mercy of God,
as well as the support of the community,
if our efforts at self-improvement are to bear fruit.
31/10/04
"The Church and the world have a great need of Eucharistic worship.
Jesus waits for us in this sacrament of love. Let us be generous with our time in going to meet him in adoration and in contemplation that is full of faith and ready to make reparation for the great faults and crimes of the world.
May our adoration never cease".
Pope John Paul II, Dominicae Cenae.
7/11/04
Returning to God
We are born in exile and die there too.
As soon as we all set sail on the great voyage of life,
we begin to return.
When we die,
we do not so much go to God as return to Him.
Like homesick cranes that fly night and day
back to their mountain nests,
so let all our lives take their voyage to you, O Lord.
For you have made us for yourself,
and our hearts will never rest, until they rest in you.
14/11/04
YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST
The Pope has declared the period from October 2004 to September 2005 to be the Year of The Eucharist. We are blessed with many opportunities to celebrate this wonderful sacrament other than our attendance at Mass once a week. We can receive Holy Communion at Mass each day of the week – at 8.30am every weekday except Tuesday, at 7.30pm on Tuesdays and at 10.00am on Saturdays; there is Benediction every 3rd Sunday as part of the Monthly Devotions at 4.00pm and we have Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament every first Friday from 9.00am, concluding with Holy Communion at 6.30pm for those unable to get to Mass that day.
Please try to mark this Year by taking advantage of one or more of these opportunities to thank God for the great gift of the Eucharist, to deepen your love of the Blessed Sacrament and so increase the spirituality of the parish. And remember, the church is open throughout the day, every day, for quiet reflection in God’s house.
21/11/04
On the cross Jesus endured insults and mockery.
Yet his heart remained open, even to his enemies.
He absorbed all the violence, transformed it,
And returned it as love and forgiveness.
Our pain can so easily turn into rage,
So that we want only to lash out blindly
at whoever happens to be within range.
From the depths of his own pain,
Jesus reached out to comfort the thief.
Some people are like sugar cane:
even when crushed in the mill, they yield sweetness.
Jesus stretches our capacity for compassion.
He challenges our idea of love.
Each of us has a great capacity for love.
The pity is that it often goes unused.
By our love people will know that we
Are followers of Christ the King.
28/11/04
Encircling Prayer
Circle me, Lord,
Keep protection near; keep danger afar.
Circle me, Lord,
Keep hope within; keep doubt without.
Circle me, Lord,
Keep light near; keep darkness afar.
Circle me, Lord.
Keep peace within; keep strife without.
Circle me, Lord,
Keep love within; keep hate without.
Amen
5/12/04
The Role of a Mother
A mother is a constant source of blessing and protection.
She is our strength in weakness,
Our consolation in sorrow, and our hope in misery.
Everything in nature speaks of a mother.
The sun is the mother of the earth,
Nourishing it with light and heat.
It never leaves at night until it has put everything to sleep,
To the songs of the birds and the brooks.
The earth, in its turn, is mother to the trees and flowers.
And the trees in their turn become mothers
Of their fruits and seeds.
And Mary is our spiritual mother.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us now
And at the hour of our passing from this world to the Father.
12/12/04
Advent Prayer (by Henri Nouwen)
Lord Jesus,
Master of both the light and the darkness,
send your Holy Spirit
upon our preparations for Christmas.
We who have so much to do
seek quiet spaces to hear your voice each day.
We who are anxious over many things
look forward to your coming among us.
We who are blessed in so many ways
long for the complete joy of your kingdom.
We whose hearts are heavy
seek the joy of your presence.
We are your people,
walking in darkness, yet seeking the light.
To you we say, "Come Lord Jesus!"
19/12/04
Christmas
Expectations
As Christmas approaches, people’s hopes soar.
However, the
substance of these hopes
is often dictated by commercial
interests.
Little wonder, then, that when
the sun goes down on Christmas
Day,
many feel disappointed.
Those who pin their hopes on what the
merchants promise
will always be disappointed,
not because they promise
too little,
but too much – of the wrong thing.
What our hearts long for
is a taste of what
the angels announced to the shepherds:
"Behold, I
bring you news of great joy;
today a saviour has been born to you."
This
joy is the real hope of Christmas.
Let us open our hearts to receive
it.
26/12/04
If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.
If they live with hostility, they learn to fight.
If they live with ridicule, they learn to be shy.
If they live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.
If they live with tolerance, they learn to be patient.
If they live with encouragement, they learn to have confidence.
If they live with praise, they learn to appreciate.
If they live with fairness, they learn what justice is.
If they live with security, they learn to trust.
If they live with approval, they learn to like themselves.
If they live with acceptance and friendship,
they learn to find love and God in the world.
2/1/05
Prayer at the start of the year
Lord, I sometimes wonder where I’m going
and what is the meaning of my life.
I wonder especially
what the new year holds for me.
Will it bring joy or sorrow,
success or failure, life or death?
But then I remember that you came on earth;
and that you still travel the road of life with me.
And so I say to my soul:
"Go out into the darkness,
and put your hand in the hand of Christ, your Brother;
that will be better than a light,
and safer than a known path."
9/1/05
Baptism
Baptism was not over and done with
the day we were taken to the font.
We are baptised by all that happens to us in life.
We are baptised by hardship; in its turbulent waters.
We are purified of all that is false and useless.
We are baptised by suffering; in its murky waters
We grow in humility and compassion.
We are baptised by joy; in its gurgling waters
We experience the goodness of life.
We are baptised by love; in its singing waters
We blossom like flowers in the sun.
Baptism is like the planting of a seed
It will take a lifetime for this seed to grow and ripen.
16/1/05
Healing the wounds of the heart
All of us are wounded by sin.
The part of us which is most deeply
Damaged by sin is the heart.
The heart is beautiful, so innocent,
But it can be betrayed, scorned and broken.
Darkness of heart is the blackest night of all.
Emptiness of heart is the greatest poverty of all.
A heavy heart is the most wearisome burden of all.
A broken heart is the most painful wound of all.
Only love can heal the wounds of the heart.
Lord; send your Holy Spirit to us,
To heal the wounds of our hearts
So that we may produce the fruits of love.
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