Word in the Hand

Sunday Gospel; Mark 5:21-43  When Jesus had crossed in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered round him and he stayed by the lakeside. Then one of the synagogue officials came up, Jairus by name, and seeing him, fell at his feet and pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter is desperately sick. Do come and lay your hands on her to make her better and save her life.’ Jesus went with him and a large crowd followed him; they were pressing all round him.   Now there was a woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years; after long and painful treatment under various doctors, she spent all she had without being any the better for it, in fact, she was getting worse. She had heard about Jesus, and she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his cloak. ‘If I can touch even his clothes,’ she had told herself ‘I shall be well again.’ And the source of the bleeding dried up instantly, and she felt in herself that she was cur...

Peter and Paul - we picture them as the brains and the brawn of the church, and they may even say that themselves.  Two people who were sure of who they were; with good standing in the own society - confident and self-assured until Jesus came along, threw one out of his boat and another into a ditch.  Only then did they find out who they really were. They may have been as opposite in culture, status and religious attitude as it was possible to be; as dogmatic within their own beliefs as many are even today but once Jesus caught their eye, they were changed forever. And the catalyst was love.  It is astonishing how Jesus works with people. Peter and Paul are just two examples but the Gospels are full of people who experience forgivenness and conversion  and no two are the same. Every one of them made by God - therefore unique.So the gift that is the Holy Spirit; that is God's Grace does not move in and create clones. We do not become a master race through our f...

The blessing of Peter and Paul May your ego be upended by the hand of the Lord  May your certainties be silenced by his Word May ambition become desire to be Servant of all May your life become aflame with his Love In Jesus' name wordinthehand2012

Gospel Matthew 7:6,12-14  Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls in front of pigs, or they may trample them and then turn on you and tear you to pieces.   ‘So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.   ‘Enter by the narrow gate, since the road that leads to perdition is wide and spacious, and many take it; but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it. The interesting thing about pearls - as most people would know - is that  they are formed from the oysters desire to protect itself. Pearls are the only precious stones formed by a living creature - formed out of pain - formed out of patience - formed out of fortitude.    It is so hard for us to do the same - to take our hurts; regrets; injuries that we receive and to turn them into precious stones. It takes time and willing...

Sunday Gospel Reflection Gospel Luke 1:57-66,80 The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son; and when her neighbours and relations heard that the Lord had shown her so great a kindness, they shared her joy.   Now on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother spoke up. ‘No,’ she said ‘he is to be called John.’ They said to her, ‘But no one in your family has that name’, and made signs to his father to find out what he wanted him called. The father asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And they were all astonished. At that instant his power of speech returned and he spoke and praised God. All their neighbours were filled with awe and the whole affair was talked about throughout the hill country of Judaea. All those who heard of it treasured it in their hearts. ‘What will this child turn out to be?’ they wondered. And indeed the hand of the ...

This Night My Lord, the world's favour cannot tempt me This night I seek only your Sanctuary  My heart like a dove held in your hands My spirit an infant against its mother's breast  My soul's breath a lullaby of solace  This night, my Love, there is only You Amen wordinthehand2012

Gospel Mark 4:26-34  Jesus said to the crowds, ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know. Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the crop is ready, he loses no time: he starts to reap because the harvest has come.’   He also said, ‘What can we say the kingdom of God is like? What parable can we find for it? It is like a mustard seed which at the time of its sowing in the soil is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade.’   Using many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, so far as they were capable of understanding it. He would not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything...

We certainly have a macabre sense of what is Sacred in the Catholic Church. For many years I avoided the Sacred Heart statues with the excuse that I didn't need to have God's love  to be made quite so obvious. After all what is it trying to say? That Jesus loves us with all His heart? If it was simply this then it is definitely ostentatious. But Jesus is God made man and this is a ‘God made human’ heart.  The love of God the Father to give us His Son as a man. The heart that is a symbol of mortality. The love of Jesus to accept all that being human meant. I’m fairly certain in my own mind that God does not have to eat, sleep, go the toilet, get blisters from walking or cook the tea for his friends; but that’s what this God did – a heart as big as... The heart that is the symbol of morality – a new morality for the time – where sinners and the unclean were loved because of who they were, not who they might have been. The love of Jesus that tea...

Just for interest; on my other blog -  Brigid's Mantle  - I have been writing a sequence of blessings for the week involving the seven archangels that stand before the throne of God.  The Catholic Church names only three by tradition but the Eastern Orthodox Church both names them and gives them days of the week to take care of, St Michael (Sunday), St Gabriel (Monday), St Raphael(Tuesday), St Uriel (Wednesday), St Sealtiel (Thursday), St Jegudiel, (Friday), and St Barachiel (Saturday). I am now just over halfway through, with the lesser known archangels making themselves know as the week draws to a close. Thank you to everyone who has visited already and a blessing that I wrote a year or so ago. Circle of Protection I call on the mercy of the Sacred Three To send circles of angels To protect me. And the mighty Archangels To stand over me To shield me with thei...

Reflection on the Sunday Feast of Corpus Christi Gospel of Mark; 14:12-16, 22-26 On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was sacrificed, his disciples said to Jesus, ‘Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the passover?’ So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the city and you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him, and say to the owner of the house which he enters, “The Master says: Where is my dining room in which I can eat the passover with my disciples?” He will show you a large upper room furnished with couches, all prepared. Make the preparations for us there,’ The disciples set out and went to the city and found everything as he had told them, and prepared the Passover.   And as they were eating he took some bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to them. ‘Take it,’ he said ‘this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had returned thanks he g...

Corpus Christi Given, helpless Sticky with blood Slippery with sweat Enfolded into his mother. First words; first steps: Giggles and tickles; Sneezes and coughs; Tears, hiccups. Body of Christ Falls from trees Scraped knees, bloody noses; Splinters, ‘too hot!’ burns; Nettlerash, pimples; Dirt ingrained in fingerprint whorls Calluses, bitten nails Blistered shoulders Slipped chisel scars Body of Christ Face of a wanderer Laughter lines etched deep Leathered skin Speaking of Love Giving peace with a kiss Courage with a word Sharing of Body and Blood Food for the journey Body of Christ Surrendered Agonised flesh Tortured, tormented, Defiled, pierced Given, helpless Sticky with blood Slippery with sweat Enfolded into his Father Body of Christ wordinthehand2012

Gospel Matthew 28:16-20 The eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated. Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.’ When we understand the outside of things, we think we have them. Yet the Lord puts his things in subdefined, suggestive shapes, yielding no satisfactory meaning to the mere intellect, but unfolding themselves to the conscience and heart. -- George MacDonald It is worth remembering that each of the Gospels represents a different point of view; just like witnesses of any event there is often a personal slant and for Matthew the accent is on ...