24/04/2025

We have to look to the first preaching of the Apostles to conform our faith to what they had learned during the time that they had accompanied Jesus on his mission to redirect the steps of the first "Friends of God" back onto the way, the truth and life.

Jesus message is in its core  simple "The kingdom of God is near to us". His own people, however, did not accept that he was speaking about himself. Neither did his followers, however, until the Resurrection became the clear light of Truth and the purpose of the Temple and the Covenants could be at last understood.

In those days the Apostles were first interpreting their own experience. They were of Abraham's nation, they were the "Chosen People". Their religious feelings had not only been nurtured by Jesus but their Faith was entirely the same as that of "The men of Israel" whom Peter addressed in the Acts read at mass this morning.

Many, many generations have followed on from "those days" in the lives of the Apostles. In our lifetimes they are always "These days" as they were for  Peter, everything he had learned from the Lord was fresh in his mind and he continued to be shocked as he learnt the full extent of the Jesus' reformation of the "Law of Moses".

Each new generation of mankind has to face the new situation into which each of us is born. We must not, however, trust the norms we receive as birthright. "Everybody does it " does not excuse any form of sin. While we are alive we have to live within the moral framework that is recorded in the  Bible. We have to accept Jesus and the Apostles as our contemporaries and live as they did lives of thankful freedom directed always towards Our Father for whom there is no other time than "Now".

 23/04/2025

The New Testament is a small book that is the only record  we have of the completion of God's revelation of himself.

Today's narrative from St Luke's Gospel tells of how Jesus joined two disciples as they trudged home to Emmaus in confusion about what the death on the cross and report of the "Resurrection" could possibly mean.

Jesus taught them how to interpret the texts in the Old Testament that prefigured the events in the worldly reality of "those times". Their hearts began to burn within them as they became aware of the " truth that comes from God" revealed by their companion. Their backs straightened up and with confidence in God restored they no longer trudged along the dusty road but with joyful hearts they welcomed their fellow traveller to take his rest with them.

All the appearances made by the Risen Lord to his original disciples include a period of unknowing followed by a recognition. It seems that their personal direct knowledge of Jesus of Nazareth has been a preparation for their encounter with the Resurrection which is the supreme moment of IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT's direct action in this world.

Saul the enthusiastic persecutor of the first believers, however, was overpowered by the Love which is concentrated into the Resurrection and was blinded into becoming  the St Paul who remained steadfast until his own martyrdom.

For two thousand years we have been waiting for the return that Jesus has promised. Many of us have grown away from what is dismissed as superstition revealed by the questions posed and answered in their  unsophisticated ignorance by the first believers. It is  truly believed by many that the material of this world is the only complete reality that we can know even though most of it requires vast resources to become aware of even before we try to understand it.

Our Church founded on St Peter has often been blessed with holy men and women but we have to search the scriptures and accept the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the history of those first days of Resurrection Faith in the Portico of Solomon is the only foundation on which we can build our lives to become the Friends of God that we were created to be.

 22/04/2025

All that we know about God in this world comes from the revelation of himself recorded by the first believers. 

To be able to read the ancient texts requires years of study and an insight able to understand not only words but also the inspiration of the Holy Spirit which filled the souls of those long dead but still living "Friends of God" who wrote the original texts. Most of us throughout history and still today rely on the translations that are the explanations of the Word of God.

Jesus revealed to us that to do the Father's will on earth we absolutely need to humbly kneel before the Lord and ask pardon for our sins, accept his forgiveness and then "cling" onto the grace that he pours out over the whole world.

All through my life I have known that outside the tomb Jesus told Mary not to "touch" him but the "touch" of all the previous English language translations and inspiration for innumerable paintings  has today become "cling".

I am sure that Jesus, "suffer little children to come unto me" has never and cannot possibly ever rebuff the total faith that "clings" onto IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT.

Our Pope is now one of the millions of souls for whom the reality/illusions of this material world has been exchanged for God's Truth and he, therefore, now knows what was meant by "In my Father's house there are many mansions." 

I ask IAMFATHERHOLYSPIRIT to forgive Francis his sins and to ensure that our new Pope will try to bring the Institution founded on St Peter out of the legacy of entanglements in this world that is the great scandal made and perpetuated by previous Vicars of Christ. Dear Lord, forgive my presumption but I never forget that it is never you who leads us into temptation but that it was the Chief Priests, Scribes and Pharisees who condemned and crucified Jesus even as they claimed to be the epitome of holiness. Help me to truly join Mary and John in the New Holy Family, the Church of Love that is maintained by the Holy Spirit on you the Word to do the will of the Father by "clinging" to our Faith in every word that comes from God. Amen.

 21/04/2025

I have only just finished reading the mass readings for today but the world has already intruded, a couple of News Headlines caught my attentions and now I can only recall one item from the Gospel. 

The story, the account of subterfuge in the garden, the  "fake-news" concocted by the Temple "spin doctors" is still current not only among the Jews but also amongst Moslems.

We can only pray for those who should be our brothers for entering into polemics no matter how much we disguise such discussions as dialogue achieves nothing. I know by experience that this a fact.

We must love our enemies. That does not include listening to lies that have been current for two thousand years and pretending that Rabbinical Judaism and Islam preached by Mohamed are anything other than our totally human nature, Adam and Eve in disobedience to the Will of God.

This morning I turned eagerly to the Acts and responded joyfully to St Peter's first preaching with the Joy of the Resurrection still fresh in both our minds but have already forgotten what he said.. The "Anti-Christ" that is the Torah and Koran forced themselves into my mind which wants to focus only on the Love that IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT offers to all of us who are of the " Good Will" that leads us to become "God's Friends".

There is no other "I", There is no other God. There is no other revelation than the Old and New Testaments. A memory from St Peter's sermon has just sprung up. The being of God is One but he is FATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT to deny this would be a sin against the Truth that is the Resurrection our promise of Eternity.

I can only pray for the forgiveness of my own sins knowing that the bitter pain of the cross was necessary for  the  redemption of all mankind. The disobedience of man must have a much greater significance than we can imagine for it to need so great a Saviour.

Each day I  pray that I am not bolstering my own ego by recording these prayerful meditations. I am still Alone but always aware that I am Known with divine Love, as are we all, to Our Father who art in heaven. Maranatha, come Lord Jesus come!

 20/04/2025

Christ has risen, he has truly arisen!

Throughout yesterday, Holy Saturday, the thought of what would happen today, Easter Sunday was not far from my mind. And yet I had nothing to say for although I went about my daily tasks, in my mind I shared in the emptiness  that had overcome the disciples who were at a total loss after the death on the cross.

God knows that I truly partake/believe in the revelation that has never been an instant welcoming of Jesus, True Man and True God, but was and still is an event evolving over the lifetime of Jesus of Nazareth into his death and today's confirmation of the Glory of God.

John waited for Peter to enter the tomb. Mary ran, Peter and John also ran. We are not told of "running" anywhere in the New Testament except on this morning when the news of an empty tomb compounded the misery felt by all the disciples.

No one but the participant True Man is present at the Resurrection, it is an event that can happen only within the triune being that is IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT. The nativity of our Lord was an event that took place in the human time lived by the True Man and witnessed by Mary, Angels, Joseph and Shepherds.

All the recorded meetings with the risen Lord are initiated by him. 

He still chooses us, but still allows us to respond of our own free will.

He is still True Man and has not abandoned the corpse that was enclosed in the tomb.

He asks for food.

He is beyond the material restrictions of creation yet his body bears the wounds of the crucifixion endured as the reality of true man in this world.

He "vanishes" from the sight of witnesses as he is recognised.

The Resurrection is IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT'S confirmation that he loves us and helps us to choose the Glory of Eternal Life that is his purpose in calling us "friends" and preparing a home for us within the "many mansions" that are His the "True God" of the "True Man" who today reveals what we will become when we bow our heads and from the depths off our beings co-respond with Thomas, "My Lord and my God". 

 18/04/2025

Good Friday

The disciples did sleep in the garden, but for Jesus there was no rest. He had to face the reality of sin personified by the hatred of his accusers and the "Crucify him" of the chosen people, sons of Abraham. My sin and also all the sins of mankind were present to "True man and True God" and he knew that the Loving creative purpose of IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPPIRIT could only be restored by the shedding of his blood and the agony of the true death of the true man.

Our all powerful God always chooses that we should live holy lives of worship, thanks giving and praise. Love can only be generated by the free-willed response of the "other" but human sin always refuses to accept and return love. 

The death of Jesus is God's revelation to us of the power of our sin and of the depths of the Love that we deface by not knowing, loving and serving.

The Cross of Jesus tells that there is an infinity of Grace for us to call on in the avoidance of sin and that when we fail we have no need of self-crippling remorse, viz St Peter, for as we truly seek pardon we return to Jesus the only gift that is in our power to give. We all are free and can choose to accept forgiveness and thus become part of the unseen IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT'S universe of the eternal spirit.

For this we were created and for this we have come into the world. We too have to choose to bear witness to the greatness of our creator and know that the help of our so great a saviour has to be sought if we are to fulfill the will of God during our lifetimes.

 17/04/2025

Maundy Thursday 

We are now at the beginning of the events which are the conclusion of God's participation in human life exactly as it is experienced by each one of us.

The farewell meal and institution of the  Blessed Sacrament, Jesus' (IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT) forever presence in his Church, took place in the Upper Room. Jesus was the only one who knew the unique significance of his words. 

With "This is my body" a new way of being is created. He creates his Sacramental Presence, "I will be with you until the end of time", even before the events that seal the revelation that has happened over the 33 years he has spent as true man.

It must have taken some time for the Divine Reality of their Resurrected, "I call you friends", Rabbi to be absorbed into the disciples' consciousness and for the cosmic significance of the last meal they had shared together to become a liturgical event.

In today's letter to the Corinthians, written less that 30 years after Jesus had "returned to his Father" St Paul is quite clear in his instructions for how the nascent communities of "Christians" should worship together and share with each other the love that they had all received as they came to understand the great Love that Our Father had lavished on all his people.

The Great Love that is IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT still maintains the whole cosmic order that we experience in human life. We were to have the support of the Sacraments to help us to be part of this order of holiness. I do not doubt any of the teaching of Jesus "True Man and True God" but just as, "The Jews" of Jesus time on earth had failed to maintain holiness that was their side of the covenant and had thus required the Incarnation's Atoning Passion to set it right for us to be able to live according to God's Word, so it is that the Institutional Church has never acted as if it believed Jesus' publicly uttered "My kingdom is not of this World".

Three crowns are three too many for the successors of St Peter. Peter denied Christ 3 times as  Jesus warned at today's meal. His Patrimony is rather his tears of remorse than the territorial claims of so many of the Popes, his use of violence against the enemies of Christ was instantly condemned by Jesus' healing the wounded soldier rather than accepted as an act justified as self defence or resistance to evil.

Where are we able to find the Church founded on St Peter? I hope that it is the New Holy Family, "the Church of Love", "Woman behold your son, son behold your mother" that will be the Real Presence until the end of time. The History of the Petrine Institution affords too many examples of direct disobedience of the Word of God for it to be able to purify the Temple which responded to the Incarnation by the crucifying of Jesus Son of God and Son of Mary.