14/08/2023

For me the "great sadness"of the disciples is nearly joy. 

The disciples couldn't understand that their beloved rabbi had to die. "What would happen to them in the world without their teacher to guide them?" St. Maximilian responded to a similar cry of great sadness uttered by one of his fellow inmates who cried out in fear not of his own death but for his own family who would be left to suffer alone in the horror that was Europe of 1941.

The joy in the "great sadness"is the heroic faith of the Saint who was allowed to take his place.

Many others throughout history have made the split second decision to save another, truly their "neighbour," and to accept unjustified suffering themselves. Jesus, our Lord, praises them for their "love"but he is the only one, true man who has chosen to live knowing that the end of his life will be the brutality of Calvary.

This feast praises Father Son and Holy Spirit for the example of faithful fortitude he has given us in St Maximilian. Our Lady in Heaven was his great support in faith but even she is unable to offer her protection unless we respond to the loving grace of  mercy won for us by "the Greatest Sadness of all time."

Dear Lord, we know only a few sentences about your life and the lives of your saints but you who know everything and forget no-one, know the truth of what was in the heart of Father Maximilian, in the heart of the one saved and in the hearts of the guards and thousands of prisoners that day in that Hell on Earth, Auschwitz. We can only implore your Mercy for all sinners who contribute to such a denial of your Love as is all war and violence. May Our Lady and all the Saints pray with St Maximilian that the Church show us that she really does know the Love which you demonstrated in Jerusalem so long ago and founded the Church that will be your presence with us to the end of time.

 13/08/2023

Of course God is in the storm and raging thunder. He is in floods and earthquake. We ignore him at our peril for his providence does not pick and chose; his sun shines on the wicked as well as on the righteous.

St Paul is very much a Jew. He knows the sound of the gentle breeze and he has also been called by the intense light of the Resurrection. He knows that the body which reveals the new life of the resurrected Jesus is his own flesh and blood descended from Abraham. When he offers to repeat Jesus' sacrifice in his own flesh, he is not denigrating the Supreme Love of Father, Son and Holy Spirit which accepted the sacrifice of the Son incarnated to be Jewish from before the beginning of time, he is horrified that any of God's chosen ones would keep themselves from heaven.

There has been no prayer that can approach the Glory of Calvary. St Paul knows this but he is human and he too has fought as we do to find words and ideas that can interpret the longings of our own souls. 

St Peter is total human sincerity, but he does let his actions speak much louder than a gentle breeze. As far as we know he is the only Apostle even to attempt to get out of the boat. In Gethsemane he drew the sword. He wanted to stay on Mount Tabor. He would have avoided Jesus' sign of loving humility at the Last Supper, but most of all he took on the role of Satan by putting the things of this world before God, and. as such, was duly reprimanded.

We who are alive on Earth in 2023 cannot avoid seeing the volatile foundation stone in the present all too human institution. Human technology, however, enables us to search for the still quiet voice throughout the world and communicate our belief in Father Son and Holy Spirit to the Universe.

Dear Lord help me to pray and to avoid being self-centered. You will be with us to the end of time and are in the heart of the Church which is not only an institution on earth but also the loving community of all faithful souls on earth, You, your mother, all the saints in Heaven and the Holy Souls happy in the knowledge that they are able to atone for the sins of which they now know the true horror and stupidity.

 12/08/2023

Today Moses encourages the Israelites by promises of the goods of this Earth which they will obtain thanks to the Love and Covenant God has with the descendants of Abraham.

Jesus is "true man and true God". Moses knows only One God. IAMIAM is total "being". He is and we have to love him to the extent of writing his name on our foreheads so that we are always aware that  we are because HE IS. His providence for Israel deprives other nations of their birthright. This is a recorded fact. It happened three thousand years ago and is happening again in my lifetime. 

Jesus knows the writings that we now call "The Old Testament". They are the scrolls he read from in the Synagogue. He does not ever refer to the history of the displaced peoples or hint at the injustice done to other tribes. He does, however, express dissatisfaction with his own nation. He also continues and concludes the revelations made throughout the Old Testament.

"My kingdom is not of this world" "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar and to God the things that are God's". In these words Jesus is telling us to not be overcome by the quest for a position in this world. Many Popes and Bishops have either not understood or ignored the straight forward meaning of Our Lord's words. The worldly behaviour of the institution founded on St Peter by the Son of God even in the days of Christendom has lead many of us into the "temptation" Our Lord's directive on prayer pleads not to happen.

When Jesus walked on earth he was "true man" so his faith was perfect. Anything he asked the Father on earth was done. Jesus tells us that if our faith were perfect we too would be able to achieve what seems impossible.

Dear Lord you know how I "wobble" when I challenge myself with your "hard  sayings" or "hard deeds". Modern "ethnic cleansing" is a hateful act. I can convince myself that Moses is "wise after the event" but I would rather be able read the Old Testament with the confidence that I do the New. Help me to understand the workings of your Providence in the Holy Land. May the prayers of Mary the perfect woman whose every prayer must be heard and granted as were the prayers of her Son continue to pray for your loving Mercy to be poured over all the weak and sinful souls, such as I am, who need to atone for our sins and to avoid new ones.

 11/08/2023

There are many people in the world that are far cleverer than I am. There are some who are too clever for their own good. I am sure that the words attributed to Jesus in today's Gospel made a lot more sense in the previous translation than they do in today's. How is it possible to save one's life by losing it? As I come to death's door it is my soul that will be present for judgement. My body is lifelessly still present on earth where my bios came to an end.

When Jesus spoke to the disciples about "rising from the dead" they did not understand until it happened and even then reports of the Resurrection were disbelieved. We can be sure that Thomas was not the only doubter among the disciples.

The priest's homily has to interpret the "Word" contained in the Scriptures. In the Gospel readings of long ago I remember "life" being contrasted with "soul".  "What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, but suffer the loss of his own soul" ?

The pride of the "clever ones" tells us that the concept of "Soul" was not in the Jewish mind of Jesus and his disciples. "Soul" only comes into the Church as a result of contact with Hellenic Civilisation. This  would require hours for the priest to explain to the congregation the reasons for  changing "soul" to "life" and would be a complete waste of time as our minds still accept the  "life" that has to be saved as "soul".

Dear Lord help me to have a mind that can try to understand but does so in complete humility. Let me boast only of the greatness of the Living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and let my Soul overcome all desire to sin by only longing to do your will on earth and come into your heavenly presence after the punishment I have made necessary for myself. May Mary and all the saints who are glorified with you continue to plead for the Mercy that all on Earth and in Purgatory need to save their souls from Hell.

 10/08/2023

There are hundreds of organisations in this country that are called "Charities". All of them are started with enthusiastic zeal to do good. Many of them become "professional" and provide a career pathway for their employees. They thus all resemble the Church founded on Peter by Jesus. 

We are not told much about how Jesus dealt with the economic problems of his daily life, which we all face, except that his trusted "Treasurer" became first a pilferer of petty cash and then a traitor. The Apostles soon had to back away from the domestic problems of communal life and handed over the distribution of food and money to deacons, from whose number came the first martyr and also the Saint whose heroic example and death we commemorate today. A hierarchy of mission and service was thus soon accepted by the nucleus of the Church.

Those who had heard directly from Jesus,"Go out to the whole world and spread the Good News" and "do this in memory of me" became the authorities and charismatic leaders. Of these, we only hear of St Paul supporting himself and it is he who delivers funds collected for the relief of the Early Church in Jerusalem.

Today the twelve have become thousands and  they control property and other forms of wealth worth Trillions of Dollars. In the face of this worldly wealth coupled with a visible moral corruption many of the faithful are loth to give money in "support of their pastors". 

 The most visible sign of our Church is the Hierarchy and the buildings that they use. The Vicar of Christ may be personally austere but he and his Bishops inhabit and use huge palaces and cathedrals. Even humble parish priests and monks in the West have a life style that mocks the poverty of some of their own congregations.

I believe that there is also a Church of Faith that is hearts and souls consciously living in the love of God. I cannot be more visible than these humble thoughts and words inspired by the Mass readings of the day. I can only join Mary, John and the other Marys at the foot of the Cross waiting for the bloodied corpse to be taken down and returned to his sinless yet sorrowful Mother. 

Dear Lord you know me better than I can ever know my self. Let me avoid all sin and let my heart and soul be open to the Love that is all I need to know on earth. May Mary and all the angels and saints continue to plead for your forgiveness to be given to me and all sinners still breathing on earth and to the holy souls in Purgatory. We are all in your hands; help us Lord.

 09/08/2023

In the first of today's readings Hosea makes his revelation in nuptial imagery. God will treat a renewed Israel as if she were a bride. Tenderness, love and faithfulness are the words  that should epitomise our relationships with our spouses and here confirm the integrity and justice that is God's participation in the Covenant.

In the Psalm Israel is a young girl who sings with joy for she is to be taken to the King to bear children. It is a beautiful song but in 2023 we have to step back in time and place to understand the situation. It is imagery that would have touched the hearts of the worshippers as they sang it in synagogue and temple. Our Human Society has grown much beyond the tribal stage prevalent at the time of Hosea.

Jesus too uses bridal imagery in today's Gospel. Wisdom and foolishness are to be found in all of us. We are wise when we listen to the word of the Lord. "Listen" is what we all have to do. The really "wise" amongst us, however, can find themselves listening to the wisdom of their own intelligence and fall into a dream world of ideas that began by focusing on God but lost him in the pride of their own intelligence.

The bodies of today's Saint of the Holocaust and her sister were obliterated by the arrogance of mankind which had come about through not only carelessly "sleeping" and thus forgetting our purpose but also by defying the "bridegroom"who is still to come. 

Her intellectual "wisdom"was a thing to be marvelled at but she chose the path of Carmel searching for the still calm voice of Elijah and was killed by the monstrosity of human hatred which had taken a much more than "foolish" step and  welcomed not the Bridegroom but the Prince of Darkness into this world. 

In the lands that I know our souls still sleep on and, what is worse, many of the guardians of the oil to feed our lamps are also far from awake. The Grace of Father Son and Holy Spirit, however, never ceases to flow and the whole of humanity is still invited to join the wedding feast where all the martyrs especially those of the "chosen people", the ones who first received the Word, descendants of Mary's forefathers are all honoured guests.

Dear Lord I hope that my sentimentality is not offensive to you. I am touched by the stories of Edith and Maximilian. I know that I can never truly know you as they did, but that I can love and serve for these are how I can in freedom do your will. May Mary, Edith and all our forefathers in faith whose being touches You continue to channel to us the oil of grace that joins all our souls in the Spirit, The mystical body that is the Being but not necessarily the worldly structure of  your Church.

 08//08/2023

The Israelites of the desert wanderings were not only Jews. They became a unified people in the course of their Exodus. They were unified by the predominance of Hebrew, in which language Moses preached the Covenant that God had made known to him in his mystical trance on Mount Sinai. 

Aaron and Miriam were siblings of Moses who had been brought up by their mother and father, they were his family. Amongst the people who had fled with Moses there must have been several African families and it is from one of these that Moses married the "Cushite" woman. The Bible doesn't tell us the reason for the displeasure of Aaron and Miriam. 

God, IAMIAM, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Jesus is totally aware of everything, time place, a tuppenny sparrow, all human beings. He speaks through the Prophets and through his providence. His providence we can interpret through historical events of the past. 

We all live in His providence in a personal "now". God has made known his being to the prophets but they have all been human so the "anger, jealousy" of God in the Old Testament is very much a human interpretation of the total Being that is totally omniscient. This is why we are saved only by Jesus for it is only he who knows the Father. God from God, begotten not made. One with the Father through whom all things were made".

Our forefathers had not learned to accept and return the Love that God pours out into his creation. So the Word that is God takes on the flesh that is the human being of his own creation and foregoes his Divinity to bring us all into perfection that is his image and likeness. 

I know too well the wish to conform to the Will of God and the failure that is sin. There is no sin in failing to walk on the Lake. I wonder if the miracles of Jesus come about because they are the prayer of the perfect human to the Father that never fails or because of his Jesus' own divinity.

Dear Lord, I pray that I may be always open to the grace of mercy and that my remembered sins can be forgiven. I thank you for your protection against greater sins. May the loving worship of the Perfect Human Beings, your mother and Son and your Saints in heaven be heard that the hearts of sinners here on earth and in purgatory be open to the forgiveness that is your gift to us.