04/03/2025

Tuesday Week 8 Ordinary Time

Tomorrow the Institutional Church begins the "fasting" that is her preparation for the great mystery of salvation that is Easter. 

Everything that we can know has its beginning in the Eternal Word, begotten of the Father before time began, Incarnate of the Virgin Mary 2000 years ago and still present to those who consciously choose to live guided by the Holy Spirit as part of the Mystical Body of Christ.

Each one of us has to know that  iam, no matter how tiny, has to become an offering pleasing to  IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT.

Today the first reading proclaims that it is by righteous obedience that we can become the sacrifice that is pleasing to Our Father.

In the Gospel Jesus confirms that life in this world is not straightforward for us the ensouled highest of creation, the image and likeness. 

Material creation cannot veer from the paths that are the laws of science known and always discoverable by human intellect but we are completely free to choose how we will respond to the "life" we all know that we have. Peter begins to appeal for more enlightenment but Jesus' answer surprisingly confirms only that a life dedicated entirely to him can have benefits in this world, in human time and that this does not preclude the Eternal Life of the World to Come.

This "Good News" helps us to accept the material and social benefits that some of us are born into in the time of this world but the words of Jesus that we read this morning are concluded with an enigmatical warning which we ignore at our peril.

"But many who are first will be last, and the last first."

 03/02/2025

It is pointless to use weedkiller in greater amounts than the amount required to kill the intruder.

The grace that forgives us our sins, however also maintains us in the "blessedness" that is the support that is made available for all of us who pray.

Our relationship with Our Father begins when we kneel in his presence and continues when we show by our deeds that we have been converted by His words and deeds.

In this morning's Gospel the disciples were appalled by the stark "How difficult it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!". 

Jesus is and always reveals the truth that comes from God. His Resurrection confirms that living in the the physical universe is not the purpose for which we have our being. 

Prior to his final visit to Jerusalem Jesus prepared those who would become the first witnesses of the Resurrection by his words and miracles. Today, as usual, Jesus never fudges truth and hammers in his basic message that the kingdom, "IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRT" is everything and material wealth is always a hindrance to our progress towards Life Eternal with the familiar image of camel and eye of the needle. 

There are many of us who today are trying to excuse ourselves by denying our possession of the worldly goods of which we are enjoying the use. " We are devoting our life to "prayer" and taken a vow of poverty". Others, such as myself, enjoy a life that is "normal" and "wealth" is something that others have to overcome.

Our sins have been eradicated by the Cross. The garden that is my soul, however, is ever more in need of the grace that can wipe out sin and promote growth but, as Our Father already knows, I am sore afraid and have never been able to walk away from my possessions.

 2/03/2025

Sunday Week  8 Ordinary Time.

It is hard for me, a sinful man, to believe  the words of this morning's Entry Antiphon and yet I do for "he saved me because he delighted in me" produced an instant reaction that was my human joy to be known by "Our Father".

It is my filth that is revealed by the sieving of my conscience. I have to follow the paths revealed by the grace of God in my own thoughts and reasonings.

It is I who have to sing praise in the morning and strive for holiness throughout today.

I am the one who can confidently respond to "be steadfast, immovable" and ultimately "know that my labour is not in vain".

It is Jesus, IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT, who warns me to respond to him with my whole being, body, mind and soul to become the perfect vessel thrown by his hands on his potter's wheel, the whole fruit that will become eternal delight in his kingdom that is not of this world.

Dear Lord, you know that I am sincerely afraid of hypocrisy. You know that I can always smell it out in others. I always am aware of the potential plank in my own eye. You also know how I am afraid of turning my conscience into a sieve so fine that it becomes filter paper that results in despair at the evil I have been party to at many times in my life. I keep on saying "you know" because I know that you are complete knowledge, total perfection, total love and that iam  because you are our creator God and also our loving Father who enables us to rejoice with Mary, Angels Saints secure in the love that can forgive even my sins and the sins of the whole world. Help all sinners to accept your grace and discard the sin that blocks the meshes of our Consciences and let your grace pour into our hearts to become the delight that it is to know, love and serve. Amen

 1/03/2025

Today the Catholic Church celebrates the Patron Saint of Wales, St David.

St Paul in the first reading tells us that he has come to the understanding that the only thing that matters in our lives is knowing and following Jesus Christ. It is by our aiming to become an embodiment of faith in Jesus that we can be brought closer to the human perfection that is our goal in life.

In the psalm another David, King of Israel, sings of the joy and the peace that complete faith in God can bring to us even in this world. Our Father supports those who faithfully devote themselves to him. Each one of us is able to accept the grace that is the eternal being of IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT. He loves each one of us in our complete human identity, "warts and all".

In the gospel Jesus commends his followers as the "Salt of the earth". We are to reveal in our worldly lives the Light of the Eternal IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT to those who lose themselves in the sham of this world.

Yesterday the "sham" of this world was completely revealed by the President of the USA who acted out in front of the whole world, every bit as successfully as any professional wrestler the "kayfabe" (the false narrative that gives fake emotive authenticity to the characters who fight in the ring) the lie of "face" (Putin) and "heel" (Kelensky) himself becoming the alternating heel/face "Mr McMahon".

There we all witnessed an event that was lies, all lies and nothing but lies deliberately fabricated for the cynical./Satanic purpose of deceiving the whole world.

Dear Lord, It seems that our world is still beyond redemption. Jesus paid the supreme price for our sins but we have continued to serve idols of our own making rather than devote ourselves, know, love and serve, to returning your love. I cannot forget my own sinfulness and hope that I can do only your will throughout the rest of my life. Have mercy on all the little ones, children and adults whose lives are defined by suffering and death and may those whose self-belief is their doom come to the understanding that their freedom is your gift to enable us to avoid creating any more of the evil with which we drive out the "Good" you see in your creation. May Jesus soon return and begin the end of time that is  God All in All. Help me to remember to pray always for all sinners on earth and in Purgatory and to never forget that we can all choose to be bound by the Love you created for all on the Cross outside Jerusalem. Amen.

 

 28/02/2025

As with all human written recorded history so it is with the Scriptures. No matter what is written the reader is always interpreting as he reads. 

During the reading from Sirach/Ecclesiasticus I was applying his words to my experience and acknowledged that my only friend is my wife. I have at various times been part of friendship groups when to alleviate the loneliness of separation from our families I have shared in common activities with other temporary "bachelors".

The "friends" from those years are either dead or dispersed throughout the world.

In these latter years of my life I have been striving to become a "friend of God". I have tried to live each day in accordance with his will and with my mind and will focused on my understanding of the guidance that is recorded in the Old and New Testaments. 

I like to think that "my understanding" is more than some human thinking just as the Bible is more than a book and that I can make the psalmist's words "Grant me the insight that I may keep your law and observe it wholeheartedly, guide me in the path of your commands, for in them is my delight." truly mine.

Dear Lord, let me thank you for the steadfast care my wife has had for me and my family. Help me to atone for my sins and inspire her with grace to once more know the "loving kindness" that we all can know as we turn back our hearts to thee. Amen

 

 27/02/2025

I have read the Mass readings for today and hope to be able to respond in the way that Jesus teaches us to know him in this life. 

During the whole of my life I know that I am not alone in wondering  how it is that God allows the world to so obviously exist in a way so contrary to his revealed will.

The horror being perpetrated on the Jewish People is an event that seemingly has had no retribution on its instigators, was a reality for millions of souls during my first 4 years of life.

Since then millions of people have lived and died in Palestine as a reactions to  the evil created at that time but the families and descendants of the perpetrators have gone from strength to strength in their prosperity.

Each one of the human beings who were and still are involved in trying to resolve this particular evil that we have created in this world by our disobedience to God could have followed the way, the truth and the life revealed by Jesus, IAMSONFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT and in so doing would be now living in a very different reality.

The moral teaching contained in Ecclesiasticus is not so different from that of Jesus. God, however, was still aware that his "image and likeness" was not following His way of truth. He knew that His chosen ones were diverting themselves into self-centred being that another Jesus son of Sirach, amongst others had warned them about. The very Being of Our Father demanded a complete atonement and renewal of His created ones.

The incarnate Son not only continues the direct teaching of the inspired prophets he also "crosses" the existential chasm between human time and eternity and by his Resurrection he enables every human soul to become what our Father seeks from us.

Jewish pious theology could produce the aesthetic wonders of the psalms and the philosophy of Sirach but there was something missing from the Faith of the Temple that could only be corrected by the grace of the Incarnate Son.

In this age, as our Pope comes to the end of his long life I hope that he can clear his conscience and meet his maker without fear. 

Here on Earth, however, I continue to wonder how the long line of heirs to St Peter could have worn their triple crowns without ever even attempting to divest "the Church" of its roles in this world and its accumulated wealth. 

Our only reason for living is to do the will of Our Father. It is has never been possible to do this following the guidance of the Church that has never been able to live up to "My kingdom is not of this world" and actually, was, for centuries a temporal ruler of thousands of "little ones".

 25/02/2025

Tuesday Week 7 Ordinary Time

At the moment I am sitting down to write my response to the Word of God that is part of today's liturgical celebration and as I do so I am aware that the Supreme Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church is hovering between life and death. In my prayer for him, I pray that I too may in the moment of my death be aware of how my life has been sinful and how I still require the grace of IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT to bring my soul into the previously unseen Glory that God has prepared for us.

All the disciples were men such as we are. Even more so than we are for they were all Jews who had been immersed in the revelations made only to the descendants of Abraham. Jews' acceptance of their exclusive relationship with IAMIAM had been way beyond their self awareness and they had become incapable of accepting the reality of God but had created and lost themselves in a "Law" that filled them with a human pride that they mistook for true worship of God.

Today, Jesus is walking with Apostles and disciples. They still do not fully comprehend the Jesus who teaches them not from the  commentaries of  Scribes and Pharisees but directly from the scriptures and  from his own being. They cannot understand what "rise from the dead" can possibly mean but the miracles that they have witnessed confirm in their minds that they are following the Messiah who will bring earthly power and glory to their nation.

They are human; "what's in it for me?" is a normal reaction to any new event. Jesus knows that none of his followers have yet been prepared for the ultimate truth he will reveal during the most important three days that have ever taken place in human time.

He tells them then and all who have lived since then that leadership in the church  he is to found on St Peter is a matter of service to other people not as it is in all other human institutions of the power wielded over them.

"My kingdom is not of this world".

May God have mercy on the soul of the Pope and inspire those in conclave to seek out ways in which they can demonstrate to our world that Church is not just another human institution but can become the Spiritual Body of Christ who shows by his life, death and Resurrection that he is Son of IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT. He is our only "way, truth and life".