30/11/2021

The meeting by the shores of Sea of Galilee. The called are just minding their own business, mending their nets. It is as if we were working on our cars and a complete stranger, a passerby, said those words to us "Come follow me and I will make you mechanics of souls". How quickly did Andrew and his brother and the other soon to be Apostles understand what they had done in their response. God is perfect freedom without any constraints and in his freedoom he only does what is good. Our human freedom was created by God to enable us to willingly chose what is good and right to do.

The first Apostles were chosen by Jesus and were thus given grace to choose the right path. They were not forced into their choice and in the same way as Mary had been given the freedom to respond "Let it be", they to could have refused. We too centuries later are also give the freedom to respond in the same freedom to the same call from eternity.

St Paul, writing thirty or forty years after the event that unfolded out of that "Let it be" and the meeting on the shore has no doubts that the belief in our hearts and the Word on our lips will bring us to salvation. God's Mercy is for all mankind but we have to opt for that in the freedom that God has given to us. 

Dear Lord let all your people, clergy and sheep, acknowledge the greatness of your Glory and the Witness of your Son so that the Holy Spirit will support us in the choice we make in our created freedom to know, love and serve you in this world.

 29/11/2021

The Church prepares for the nativity of Jesus the true man and Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the true God by recalling from the Old Testament scripture that points to a change in the revealed relationship between God and Man. Today that change is celebrated by Isaiah and confirmed by Jesus in Galilee. We are told nothing about the truly pagan centurian except that he had a blind faith in the authority of this Jew, one of the subject people to be controlled by his cohort.

Jesus tells us that the centurian's is true faith. That must be hard for his Jewish disciples to stomach for, even though a subject people the Jewish Galileans, knew that they were God's Chosen People, so the gentiles who filled Galilee were held in contempt for their eating of pigs and all the other ways they did not follow the Law.

Even today we can ask how the Centurian was given the grace to believe in the way Jesus knew that he did. We all know so much more than he did and struggle to follow and believe the teaching of Jesus and his Church. What happened subsequently in the life of that centurian and his daughter who was saved by Jesus? Were they among those who continued to follow Our Lord but were devastated by Golgotha?

Dear Lord let my faith be as sharp as the centurian's sword to cut through all the clouds of doubt and sin and come to the holiness that is a result of your grace and sacrifice. 

 28/11/2021

As we begin the count-down to Christmas the season of Advent prepares us for the Nativity. But Jesus had been with us for 8 months growing as all humans, and mammals for that matter, in his mother's womb for he is begotten not made. He is now nearly ready for birth and becomes progressively heavier for his mother to carry and support with her body and she has to accompany Joseph and his family to Bethlehem to complete the censs ordered by the Roman civil power. Jesus comes into a place in the world as a result of rendering unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and departs with the same humility.

To feed us with his Love and redeem us from the darkness of our sins God who is all powerful and evergreater accepts the basic things that all humanity has to face. Birth into a State. This is unimaginable humilty on the part of our God and its purpose is shown in the Resurrection after the torture of his death on the Cross.

Jesus warns us that human life can easily be corrupted. We have countless examples that we know in our own lives and to these are added examples on a daily basis from those even who have dedicated their lives to God. priests and Bishops continue to scandalise us by their failings and many of us, I am one, never go into into a church for we are afraid to support the cynical ungodliness of our pastors.

Jesus (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) promised to be with us until the end of time and we have confidence as always in his words.Would that our Church displyed the confidence to openly confess the sins of the clergy and to inspire us to believe that she  is striving after the holiness that comes from our God. 

Dear Lord; I try each day to raise my thoughts and heart to you but I am still held back by my attachemnt to self. May your Mother who carried and supported your life within her for nine months and then fed you throughout your infancy help us  to bear witness to your purpose for our lives.

 27/11/2021

Today Daniel makes it clear that the visions he sees are within his mind. This makes it more difficult for me to follow him. All our perceptions take place within our brains and I know that I think in words and I cannot imagine what it was to see such a vivid image and to interact with it as if it were part of reality.

Thank God for the words of Jesus. He knew this prophecy of Daniel and had discussed it with scribes and pharisees when he went missing in the Temple but, although enigmatic at times, his Word is straight forward without mystical cloudings.

"Stay awake" means what it says; that we should always be aware that what we are experiencing now is surely going to come to an end. "Praying at all times" means what it says; that we should always raise our beings to conscioness of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. "Watch yourselves" means what it says;don't let the earthly life, bodily  pleasures and innocent wordly cares and woes, overshadow our purpose to know, love and serve God.

If we follow his word and life; if we accept his Grace, his Faith Hope and Charity then we have nothing to fear, not even the beasts of Daniel's vision.

Dear Lord let me stay true to your teaching this and every other day. Let me know your peace and let all the tumult within your Church pass away as do all things of this world.When I stand before you either on my last day or Judgement Day hold not my sins against me and let your Mercy preserve my soul in your Eternity.

 26/11/2021

The people who first heard and saw Jesus must have been familiar with what we call the Old Testament they were people who kept the Law of Moses who gave suuport to the Temple in Jerusalem. They met on the Sabbath in their local synagogue. Even the sinners were aware that their neighbours followed this way of life. Some of those who listened must have been"Greeks" or at least Hellenized. All of them were interested in the "gods" and of tapping into a supernatural form of life which would favour them during their lives and protect them from the unexpected dangers such as plague and invasion by foreigners.

The Jews who listened would have been as familiar with the sayings of the Book of Daniel as they would have been with the other Wisdom Books. This vision which is so alien to me that I think of invasions from Outer Space and other Holywood creations was not at all that to the readers of 2000 years ago. Did they accept it literally as many contemporaries accepted the stories about the Olympian gods?

It is an accepted part of our Scripture now and is presented to us as we come to the season of Advent when our Church asks to prepare for the Nativity by contemplating the Last Things. Jesus did promise us that he would return and that until he did the Holy Spirit would fill the hearts of the faithful. We have to accept God's word for what it is, not a vision of the night, but the Eternal Love of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Maranatha

Dear Lord may my being always be aware of you and let my prayers be added to the thousands of supplications being made to you. Protect my family from all harm and let your grace turn them to You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

 25/11/2021

Daniel today demonstrates that God will not desert his people who in sincerity of heart of heart and with humility ask for his aid aganst the rulers of this world. Jesus words are a prophecy of the sacking of Jerusalem and less than 50 years after his resurrection this happened and Titus destroyed the Temple.

It is no wonder that the early Christians accepted the preaching of the Apostles and disciples. What about the Jewish priests and teachers of the scriptures? They were asked to reject all that they were and believe that what had happened on Calvary was an event planned by God. An event that had to replace Temple worship.

Jesus truly did bring division and not peace. This certainly is true of those first years long ago when there were witnesses to the resurrection still living on this earth. Each convert was faced with the imminent expectation of the return of Jesus. The Apostles knew their task and did wander from city to city in the known world first to bring the "Good News" and then to support the groups who had first believed. 

The political structures of their times were based on first Greek and then Roman power. Philosphers knew the teachings of their Greek predecessors. There was thought but wealth and power were the objects of all the states. Jesus too had recognised the power of the kings of this earth. He had divided the things of Caesar from the things of God and his first Disciples had been forced to recognise that his Kindom was not of this World by the events on Calvary. God was not Caesar but the Resurrection proved that God was ever greater. Darius learnt this but we are still learning.

Dear Lord let me remember throughout the length of this day and every day that may be left to me that you are ever greater than any human structure and that your Church on earth is your crucified but resurrected body not some human thing as it has become.

 24/11/2021

Daniel continues;  the hand writes; the king reads and Daniel interprets. We must not put our faith in kingdoms and empires. In Jesus' days on earth the Old Testamen recorded the rise and fall of Israel and Judah. There were other records of Chaldea and the Greeks and mysterios Empires in the east.Alexander is still remembered in central Asia.

Two thousand years later many other powers and kingdoms have risen and fallen. Our Church too has been through a long  period where our Bishops were part of the political structure of Europe and never willingly gave up sovereignty even as the Papal States dwindled. 

There is no doubt that Jesus told his disciples not to seek political office. Our Church today in its hierarchical structure owes more to the Roman Empire than it does to the carpenter of Nazareth. The Structure is the enemy of many who humbly try to understand the Word. Jesus never said anything about Artistic Heritage; beautiful buildings or spectacular liturgies in Foreign languages.

He gave his body as bread; his blood as drink;and his Word with the express commandment to remember him in the Mass. We only need the Sacraments all else is human frippery.

Dear Lord help me to put away all sinful acts and thoughts and let my words offered up in prayer be heard and corrected as needs be. Let my inner "pharisee" be silenced and let all my being strive to do the will of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.