Posts

Showing posts from June, 2019

Can we be Saints?

I  asked a question about this feast day that we celebrate today. I started to list all those things that we do in order not to be a saint. Thats right NOT to be a saint. So I looked at St Peter and Paul and composed this list. Finding prayers difficult  doubt Jesus deny him, persecute those who follow Jesus, have a lack of faith, struggle with knowing that God loves us, Do wrong things, eat too much, argue with those who you love.  Walk away when things get difficult.  As I wrote the list a patten started to emerge. I began to realise that this list was not talking about the great saints Peter and Paul but talking about myself. Here I am riddled with Doubt find prayer difficult have a lack of faith sometimes. Certainly do wrong things, walk away when relationships and things are difficult.  So what is being a saint. It is a gentle approach to Jesus its seeing our humanity and getting closer to Jesus by holiness and wholeness.  Paul describes this process in the second

The Body of Christ

For a moment I want you to think about what we are doing here at Mass today. We are in the presence of God himself. And this God is not an impersonal God he is a God who has walked among us breathed the same air as us.  The feast today shows us how personal this God of ours is how he comes to us and we take and eat. So what then I asked myself becomes of us? I read this week a wonderful phrase that I think sums up what happens to us. We become Tabernacles of the living Christ we become a place where Jesus resides. God then lives in us this work of art this beautiful person created in his image and likeness. When I read this and thought about it. I thought to myself no wonder we sat Lord I am not worthy because we are not and that makes it all the more special because none of us are worthy and yet Jesus comes to us and resides in us. When we come up to communion or a blessing we are coming as we are we come with our brokenness our life and ask Jesus to fill us again with is love. And

You are loved and I will be with you always: Pentecost 2019

Image
The promise of the Holy Spirit that we hear about today highlights two ideas first of all that Jesus is always with us and that we are loved. On Friday I had an unexpected moment in front of the Blessed sacrament so here is my meditation on two of the Pentecost themes that I will be with you and you are loved: I will be with you through darkness and light through pain and joy through the trials of life when you go to work when you eat when you sleep when you go for a run when there are difficulties in relationship. When you are looking after those who are sick and old. Because you are loved.  I will be with you always when you drink your first cup of coffee when you are out with your friends when there is laughter and joy with being with them Because you are loved.  I will be there when you have no way to turn when life seems to implode in on you when your stressed about exams or your children I will be with you because you are loved.  I will be there on the bus as