Long awaited, In an instant Jupiter and Saturn align Low on the horizon, December 2020. Two cosmic giants merge Into a Christmas star. Remember the Christ child, Born into the human state, Bridging time and space. Arriving at the murky middle, Growing into the mystery, Revealing the way. Still bringing hope To a world at the edge. Awakening hearts to be free, Revealing places of connection, Opening wellsprings of love, Gateway to beyond.
Patient Trust
Above all, trust in the slow work of God.
We are quite naturally impatient in everything to reach the end without delay.
We should like to skip the intermediate stages.
We are impatient of being on the way to something unknown, something new.
And yet it is the law of all progress
that it is made by passing through some stages of instability—
and that it may take a very long time.
And so I think it is with you;
your ideas mature gradually—let them grow,
let them shape themselves, without undue haste.
Don’t try to force them on,
as though you could be today what time
(that is to say, grace and circumstances acting on your own good will)
will make of you tomorrow.
Only God could say what this new spirit
gradually forming within you will be.
Give Our Lord the benefit of believing
that his hand is leading you,
and accept the anxiety of feeling yourself
in suspense and incomplete.
—Prayer of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ
excerpted from Hearts on Fire
Moving into Autumn
Darkness arrives early As we tumble into Autumn Into a landscape of change. Things mount like falling leaves Beneath the trees. Time to sweep clean. Held by a soft chair The comfort of a warm fire Sparks thoughts. Longer nights allow time To examine and reflect. Dig deep as the need Listen - A pressing invite to stay a while Perhaps a fleeting visit Or a time to say goodbye. As we gently move what has gathered
Tara Flynn
I am privileged to know Tara Flynn. She is a young woman, a native of my own parish – Cratloe, who has come through many difficulties because of a serious accident. I came to know Tara through meeting her on my walks in the local forest park. At first, a few years back, I would see her as she was practicing her running which was part of her physical therapy. Over time I got to know Tara well – her dedication , commitment and tenacity doing was she was doing, in the forestry, day after day certainly impressed me but even better still was her attitude – so positive, full of hope and ambitious in spite of her great difficulties. She frequently spoke to me about her passion for riding and so, you can imagine my delight when, for the first time I encountered Tara in the forestry riding a beautiful horse. I often encouraged her to start her own blog to relay her inspirational story to others. Then I came across this fantastic account of Tara’s life in “The Irish Field” , the following is a link to an inspiring account of her road to recovery.
WildFlowers
In the deep darkness You began to wake, Silently stirring. You journeyed long Through Spring, Moving towards the light. From weaver to young shoot, Then tall as meadow grass you grew, Graced with pastel flowers, Wild and wonderful, A blaze of colour In the Summer sun. Well beyond your sell-by-date, Planted in hope. Against the odds you survived, Encoded to become, To blossom and surprise. The seeds from which you came Will soon again be scattered On the ground. The beauty that is life Forever charged with change.
Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honourably
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
-Rumi
An Invitation to Joy
Doing is brought to a halt With an unexpected glimpse of blue - A Kingfisher on the wing Passing swift along the riverbank. The first Cuckoo announcing her arrival Invites me to go from my work And follow her call to a distant hill. Watching kits play in the warm sun Takes worry away and brings a smile As the air is flooded white with seeds of adventure. A Grey Wagtail under a bridge gathers food And makes me slow as I drive, For the first time I notice her yellow feathers And see how she risks her life attending to her brood. Feeders hanging in the garden Invite a stream of feathered friends to be named And dread descends seeing a fledgling wage his first flight. As I sit, sweet Summer scents drift into my mind And I know in this moment all is well.
Gifts
"The things we really need come to us
only as gifts, and in order to receive them as gifts
we have to be open”.
-Thomas Merton
Relaxing in God’s Love
God, help me to relax into your love.
I do not have to manage it, control it,
or make sure it is flowing in my life.
I do not need to prove myself worthy of it
or somehow reassure you (or me) that all is going
according to plan. I do not need to waste time
trying to figure out who is your “elect” or not,
who is saved or not, who is in your grace or not.
I can just accept that you love everyone, and so I can
relate to everyone I meet as if I’m relating to someone
truly special and precious in your eyes.
Help me to relax into this place of radical trust,
radical acceptance of your love, and radical compassion.
I know it is nothing to fuss over, and the more grounded
I become in the ordinariness of your love,
the more I am equipped to live a life of radical mercy,
forgiveness, compassion, justice and love.
Help me to live in your peace, so that I might be your peace
— and your joy, and your love. Amen.
Carl Colman
Covid -19
When deadly virus Invades humanity, Ripples of fear Enter all beings. Invisible foe, Moving without bounds To where people dwell. Must battle the unseen As it breaches our cells. Needs on the frontline Helping those who fall. Now is the time, No cost too high. No time for murmurings. Follow the rules, Allow space; to slow, To stop the spread, To save lives. Chance to explore and dissect, Knowledge when shared, Will win. What lessons for change to be learnt? What matters most, to consider? Finding unity of spirit, Blessing planetary life, Shaping the future, together.