21/04/2024

The contrast between Peter the weakling disciple who denied all knowledge of Jesus at his trial before Pilate, "Are you not one of his disciples?" "I am not"and the formidable and brave spokesman  of believers, who can stand before the rulers and leaders of Israel and proclaim the Resurrection, the total power of "Jesus" has to be an assurance for all times and sinners such as me that the only thing we need in our lives is trust in Jesus.

That God trusts all of us is revealed by our inner being, our souls that are not "code" but completely free spirit which is the image and likeness of our unseen creator. Our souls are confined to our bodies which will die as they are the same material as the rest of the Earth but it is to benefit our souls that St John records the themes of Jesus' discourse that he recalls in Gospel and Letters.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit is "Love". The Father Creator is Love. The Son Redeemer is Love. The Holy Spirit is Love. I realise that throughout my life I have been saved numerous times from my foolish sinfulness by Love that does not want to lose any one of us. The Good Shepherd does not herd us by brutality or any form of physical control but leads the way that passes through the pains of living up to the gate that is death and then reveals the Eternal Glory that is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Dear Lord, you know that I am still faced with the weakness of will that has sinned so often. At death my life is all present and cannot be changed. I pray now that I can find your merciful Love together with your loving Justice when I come to that moment. St John became with Mary a new Holy Family and it is to this Spiritual Church of Saints that I hope I have joined my prayers today. We have Jesus' word that he is not exclusively present in the remains of his foundation on St Peter and that there are many different folds wherein he guards his sheep who keep his commandments and live by his counsels. We have to seek out Your Love for ourselves. Your will be done but please save us from ourselves. Amen. Maranatha Lord! Jesus come!

 20/04/2024

Today's readings connect the Jesus, Incarnate God in Created time and the Jesus, Eternal Mystical Body, the Church, as she began to be in the years before the destruction of the Temple. The Apostles are  filled with the Holy Spirit and continuing, as instructed, to preach the Good News.

During the three years of his public life Jesus did many miracles. Since then we have all wondered about the historical reality of those "signs". I have often made an act of will to believe what is written about them in the New Testament.

Jesus complained to his Apostles about their similar to mine, incomplete faith. Today Peter does "move mountains" and Tabitha does begin to live again as Peter's prayer becomes a reality and  "sign" for the onlookers. 

Peter is the same man who denied that he knew Jesus not once but thrice at the time of Jesus' trial. The Resurrection and the Holy Spirit have completed the mystery of  IAMIAM's revelation of Himself to all of us. It is this "Tri-Unity" who reveals himself in the Gospels and in the lives of the Saints. 

In the first reading, St Peter's complete Faith in Father, Son, and Holy Spirit returns to him as the miracle of the revivification of St Dorcas in this world. In the Gospel Jesus corrects the opinions of his disciples who faced with how to understand "I tell you most solemnly that if you do not eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you will not have life in you" find it an unbearable concept to hear and believe.

Dear Lord, today you emphasise that "the flesh has nothing to offer" that the perfection in life that we live is the unseen spiritual life known to God. The Sacraments are "flesh" in that they are material substances but the reality of their being is the unseen body of our Incarnate God. With this belief in the core of my being I am not afraid for "you are with me always" even though I turn away in my sinfulness . Strengthen our faith so that it can trust You to end the horrors that many in this world are perpetrating and suffering even as I pray this morning. Marantha and save us once again dear Lord. 

 19/04/2024

The crowd that was listening to Jesus preach at the Synagogue in Capernaum were all Jews and had been brought up within the Laws of ritual purity. They all, thus, had an inbuilt abhorrence of anything that was "unclean". I, personally, have tried but have failed to overcome my disgust at the mere thought of eating  horsemeat.

Jesus, a Jew, tells the congregation of Jews that he will give them his own flesh to eat as meat, which also means drinking his blood. Of course, they are immediately shocked and start arguing, discussing what on earth he could mean. The concept "transubstantiation" did not enter into their minds.

As we get closer to Father, Son and Holy Spirit we come to realise that he is always ever greater than our understanding. Today's congregation are in the living presence of the only Begotten Son. He has told them that he and the Father are one. Jesus has cured the blind and lame, he has provided food for huge gatherings, water became wine at his command. 

However, even the Apostles present with their Rabbi in that Synagogue must have become bewildered and clung on to Jesus by the skin of their teeth. They managed to do this and were rewarded for their faith by greeting and being greeted by the Resurrection.

Each day of my life has to be lived in the presence of my Saviour. I have to read the words of Scripture and as did Mary, ponder them in my heart. The only sinless ones of our humanity are the created Immaculate Mary and her Son of the Father, God from God, Begotten not made of one substance with the Father, through him all things were made, Jesus of Nazareth, man as I am but sinless and totally God.

Dear Lord, let me be encouraged by the faith of your Apostles who, although they scattered in  fear at your Crucifixion, came to together again to commit themselves to you, the Resurrection. I have often sinned but never been able to live peacefully in that sin. You know that each day I pray for forgiveness and try to bolster my faith by thinking about you and your life on Earth. I believe in the Spiritual living body of Christ which is the New Holy Family instituted by you on your cross and which can be found wherever individual souls reach out in communion with your saints in heaven and penitents in Purgatory to you Our Saviour to plead for the conversion of the whole of our World.

 18/04/2024

The source I use for the daily mass readings has repeated part of yesterday's reading from St John. It is part of Jesus' discourse on the "Bread of Life". The "only begotten" of IAMIAM tells us that IAMIAM is identical with  "IAM the Bread of Life". 

The Son of God tells us today that he and the Father are One and that he is "The Living Bread" come down from the Father, Son and Holy Spirit that is the Saving Spiritual Grace of the Eucharist.

The reading is the wonderful promise of Our God to care for us in this world so that we can all enter into the New Creation that will replace this world at the end of time. Material wealth and well-being is as impermanent as the house built on sand. Our lives are secure only in the house built on the secure foundation that is the Word of God.

Jesus renamed Simon, the Galilean fisherman, Peter and founded the Institution that we still know today, on him. Over the centuries that institution has lost its focus on the Wounds of Christ, on the Being of Father, Son and Holy  Spirit and its only other reason for being here,   sincere care for the souls of sinners and lead them to being with God and all his Saints.

Dear Lord, Help me by your Grace to come closer to you in my daily life. May your grace drive out sin from your Church and let all Catholic Clergy also drive out all worldly ambition from their being and begin to live as you did, "pro nobis". I am afraid that the Institution has followed your chosen people into a desert of hypocritical "half-belief" and has failed to bring about the revival that was made possible only by the Infinite Sacrifice you made on Calvary. My hope is still in the spiritual family of John and Mary and in this your one mystical body that unites Heaven and Earth I try to find my security of belief that preserves me from sin in the Grace you poured out in "Blood from Heaven" on Calvary.

 17/04/2024

It is no wonder that St Paul was treated with suspicion by the other Apostles when he returned to Jerusalem two or three years after the events recorded in this morning's first reading. He had led a "bitter" persecution of the first Church. He too had "gnashed his teeth" at the preaching and proclamation of the Resurrection and had assisted in the stoning of Stephen.

St John's memoir of Jesus' life had not been written when Paul returned to Jerusalem. The Liturgy had, however, begun to take shape as witnessed by Paul himself in his first letter to the Corinthians. St John's resume of Jesus' discourse on the "Bread of Life" had not been written but its theme must have formed part of the teaching of the Apostles in the Portico of Solomon which had so enraged the Sanhedrin and its supporters.

Jesus himself during his historical, public ministry had never set out to challenge either the Temple or the Scriptures. He taught us the True Way of Life that comes from God. His only "agenda" was to complete on earth the will of the Father. Everything he did in this world is to be an example of how each individual of us can live out our lives with the gracious support of Our Father.

We in our modern world can be sure that we are living as God intends us to live only if we always choose to act as did Jesus 2000 years ago. God still speaks to us through the Scriptures, the Church and directly into the open hearts of Believers. 

Each one of us has an awareness that life is not of our choice, and we soon learn that we are living in an ever-changing world.  My memories tell me that I am still the same person who remembers  good and bad moments from 80 years ago. Scriptures remind me that God has taught us how to deal with the transitory nature of his Creation and that by following in the footsteps of His Incarnate Son is the only way to bring our lives to the conclusion that is our New Beginning in the adventure that is to be the peaceful glory of Eternity.

Dear Lord, help me to truly atone for my sins and help me to become unwavering in Faith. May I truly become part of the family of John & Mary. Let me not "kid myself" but let my will support my belief in Scripture and in the Church that forms your body on earth. Give grace to the many pastors who struggle to maintain their commitment to you and help us all to live as the institution teaches but has failed to honour in its deeds. I sincerely need forgiveness  for myself please let me share it with the Holy Souls who are awaiting pardon to join join Mary and All the Saints. You know that I am John, still a sinner. Maranatha! Lord Jesus come!

 16/04/2024

St Stephen is always remembered as the first Christian Martyr. He was killed 2000 years ago but he still lives in the presence of God. His time on earth was completed by the violence of the Temple. The same authorities who had handed over Jesus to Pilate acted, this time, directly in their fury and the stoning was also approved by many others, most infamously by Saul.

Stephen's death must have caused great sorrow amongst those who had also been there at the time of the Crucifixion. The followers of "The Way" were still Jews in their hearts. They were still trying to live righteously by following the Law of Moses but knew that Jesus' mission had been to complete the Law not to abolish it.

We do not know what went through the minds of his friends on the day of Stephens' death. With hindsight we can attribute to that first Church the support of the Holy Spirit and the strength that actually seeing the resurrected body of Jesus had given to them. 

I cannot imagine how Peter and James, Matthew and Mark, Mary and John felt as they lost the first of their friends to an unjust death. In agony, on his cross, Jesus had still preached the way of love. "Father forgive them, they know not what they do". He had accepted the humiliation heaped on him by both Jew and Gentile.

As they watched the brutality that was the pounding to death of Stephen they heard the echo of Jesus' words from the cross and still wondered what it was that they were supposed to do in the face of this totally unique experience they had been living through ever since they had chosen to live with and learn from Jesus Son of God, the Incarnation and the Resurrection.

Dear Lord, I have to make an act of will to listen to the history recorded in the Scriptures. There were people present when you cured the sick, preached and taught us how to pray. It is their words about that we are "blessed to believe". May the prayers of the Apostles, your mother, Mary, Martha and Lazarus continue to protect us their spiritual descendants and may the fortitude of Stephen and all the Martyrs inspire us all to not flinch in the face of Godlessness. Help us to never forget that you can forgive any sin if  there is a genuine conversion in the heart of the sinner. We cannot forget that Saul becomes Paul. We all must not forget that we are not alone but known not only to you but also to your saints who are with you also waiting for that act which will be the end of time. Maranatha!

 15/04/2024

We are the first generation of humans who have all been able to be aware of the actual events that become the "History" of the future. All of us prior to this "Computer Age" relied on eye-witness accounts to know what was happening outside of our immediate location in the present and what had happened centuries ago.

Jesus assured us that we who believe in him without actually seeing/hearing him are blessed and will always be supported in this world by the Holy Spirit, the Advocate he will send to defend us in times of trial.

The story of St Stephen who was able to defend himself during this first trial before the Sanhedrin is the proof of Jesus' promise to inspire those who are persecuted for believing and preaching in his Name with the words to defend themselves.

Over the centuries since the events recalled in today's Mass Readings the tables have been turned for the Church founded on St Peter and that institution has often become the prosecutor and persecutor of those who challenged the validity of the beliefs and conduct of its Clergy.

 There have been very many injustices perpetrated by what should have become the Mystical Body of Christ in defence of it worldliness. Many holy people have been slaughtered by the defenders of a Faith that is  focused on the things of this world. In my lifetime I have become aware that many innocents have become the victims of the sexual deviancy of shepherds who are supposed to care for our souls.

Our bishops who appeared before the UK inquiry into the sexual abuse of children by Catholic Priests know much better than I do how far away from the Holy Spirit they were in the guilt that was totally visible in their sheepish looks and inarticulation. The Sanhedrin saw Stephen as an angel we saw our Bishops as the guilty men that they still are.

Dear Lord, save me from the anger which I still feel about ordained clergy who do not in themselves reveal their belief in "the one who sent Jesus" to create for all times the Sacraments by which we can access the way, the truth and the life and which only they have the authority to confect in this world. May Mary continue to pray for all sinners that we become your adopted children and that we avoid sin. Turn all belligerents away from violence and may we all soon be witnesses to the Final Act that will bring New Life to the whole of Creation.