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Listing February - 2021

Sunday

Feb-28

The following is a very old and beautiful prayer. It is a lovely prayer at any time of the year but especially during Lent

Lord: I give you my hands to do your work.
I give you my feet to go your way.
I give you my eyes to see as you do.
I give you my tongue to speak your words.
I give you my mind that you may think in me.
I give you my spirit that you may pray in me.
Above all I give you my heart that you may love me,
I give you my whole self that you you may grow in me,
so that it is you Lord Jesus, who live and work and pray in me. Amen

Saturday

Feb-27

Friday

Feb-26

Wednesday

Feb-24

Tuesday

Feb-23

Monday

Feb-22

Sunday

Feb-21

A Prayer For Lent by Pope Francis is a lovely gentle prayer as we begin our Lenten Journey

A Prayer For Lent by Pope Francis:

Fast from hurting words and say kind words
Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude
Fast from anger and be filled with patience
Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope
Fast from worries and have trust in God
Fast from complaints - contemplate simplicity
Fast from pressures and be prayerful
Fast from bitterness, fill your hearts with joy
Fast from selfishness and be compassionate
Fast from grudges and be reconciled
Fast from endless words, be silent and listen
Amen

Saturday

Feb-20

Thursday

Feb-18

Wednesday

Feb-17

'Ash Wednesday is a kind of a spiritual New Year, a time to make resolutions, to wipe the old slate clean and begin again. Still others seek a more intimate connection with God. Some could not tell you why they search out a church on Ash Wednesday, it just seems the place to be.' ~Virginia Smith

Today Ash Wednesday is hugely popular. But because of all the restrictions the distribution of ashes is very different this year. Some churches are making the ashes available in small envelopes so that people can collect them throughout the day. But this is optional and may not suit everyone. So if you can't get the ashes today it's ok. Please God we will be in a position to give them out normally again next year.

So why ashes today? It is not a good luck gesture or magical. But like many Christian symbols it's intended to remind us of something. At one time, ashes were used to make soap. Ashes contain alkali, a soluble chemical that is a powerful cleaning agent. Symbolically and spiritually Lent can also be a time of cleaning and a washing away of negativity, hatred, selfishness, anger, hurts and other stuff that needs to be cleaned away. Ashes have also been traditionally used as a fertiliser. Farmers used to burn the stubble of last year's crops and the ashes were then ploughed into the soil. New crops could then grow with vigour and energy.

Lent can also be a time to put some vigour and energy into our spiritual lives, to allow room for growth particularly light, hope, courage and many other blessings. Whether you get ashes or not today, what would you like cleaned or washed away in your life? What growth, new beginning would you like to see happen in your life? There is much to look forward to this Lent despite the pandemic and all the current restrictions.

Tuesday

Feb-16

So what is Pancake Tuesday? (Shrove Tuesday) It is always the day before Ash Wednesday. It has a long history going back many years. Lent starts on Ash Wednesday which is a time of renewal, a time to make an effort spiritually and a time of fasting or a time to give something up. So the day before Ash Wednesday became more important as the years went on. It was a time to use up all the excess sweet stuff, the extra stores and the rich sweet food. People made pancakes to use up the extra flour and milk. And so the tradition of Pancake Tuesday began.

A prayer to mark the day:

Loving God,
The simple ingredients of a pancake remind me also of the simple things in life.
Milk, flour and eggs will not make the headlines on their own but put them together and you get a beautiful pancake.
Help me to do things in my life in the spirit of simplicity.
Help me to mix in enough love, kindness and goodness to make a difference each day.
May today focus me on my Lenten journey which starts tomorrow.
Where ever that journey may take me, help me to keep it simple and to take it one step at a time.
Amen

Monday

Feb-15

'Love isn't something you find. Love is something that finds you.' Loretta Young

Yesterday (Feb 14th) was St. Valentine's Day. Some may say it's a whole load of hype but if you take away all the trimmings, you are left with that precious gift called love. Valentine's Day is not just limited to romantic love. It is a day that celebrates every moment of love. If we say God is love then every moment of love brings with it an energy and uniqueness that can't be found anywhere else. It is we ourselves who do our best to limit the effects of love.

Life knocks us and hurts us from time to time and we retreat into our hiding places. But love invites us back out of our darkness and uncertainties. Like many gifts that are given to us each day we tend to take love for granted. But tomorrow at least is one day when we realize just how lucky we are to have love in our lives.

We thank God for that someone special in our lives. We all fall well short in living up to be the perfect husband, wife, partner, friend, carer or whatever word best sums up our situation. But we make an honest effort in bringing the best out of the person who means the world to us.

On Valentine's Day we say thank you for the great blessings that genuine love can bring. For some it is a sad day because that someone special may have died or may just not be there. We remember them too today. We also remember how true love always has its roots in God. We celebrate on St Valentine's Day God's unique love for us.

We are valuable and special because God loves us and nothing or no person can ever take that from any of us. Last Friday we marked the date 12 02 2021. When you read it backwards it is the very same date. This is so rare and unique. Another reminder just how unique, rare and special you are. Happy Valentine's Day!

Saturday

Feb-13

'Be you. You are sacred' ~Lailah Gifty Akita

Last week we celebrated Candlemas Day. As a secondary school chaplain I have found myself in recent weeks trying to reach out in new ways to both students and staff. I have been making short videos and sharing them. I wanted to include a picture of a candle with a lovely tall yellow flame. So to get the right picture I was testing different candles to get the right shots for the video. So once I had picked my candle I noticed that the flame in one candle was small and seemed almost insignificant. It looked especially small when it was placed next to the candle with the tall flame.

That moment created my little insight. Aren't we so often like the candle with the small flame? We begin to compare our flame and light with other people. Theirs seems so much brighter and taller than ours. Their life and story seems more interesting, better and more exciting. We begin to dismiss our story, our candle and our light. We begin to doubt ourselves and we begin to doubt that our light is making any difference.

But our light is just as important. Our light continues to make a real and lasting difference, not just occasionally but every single day. The constant message of the Gospels is that your light is precious, special and unique. Be proud of your light. Let it shine. Like all lights it can grow dim and may look small. But place it in a dark room and it is everything. Its light fills the room.

I genuinely feel we do too much comparing. The world we live in today almost asks you to compare. There is not enough focus on our good news and minding ourselves and treasuring our light. Can you begin to treasure your amazing light? As we journey through these difficult and uncertain times, it is so important that we nurture light and hope - especially yours.

Thursday

Feb-11

'It's your unlimited power to care and to love that can make the biggest difference in the quality of your life.' ~Anthony Robbins Today is the feast of Our Lady Of Lourdes. Lourdes normally thousands of pilgrims each week from all over the world particularly from Easter to September. But of course since the Covid pandemic started the shrine has been mainly closed due to the restrictions.

Lourdes is a special place that has something special. It is hard to put it into words but anyone who has visited Lourdes will know that the miracle of love works in so many different ways. Love bubbles everywhere in Lourdes. It is contagious, life giving, refreshing and so alive. Today is World Day for sick people and it is a day to make sure that God's greatest medicine called love gets shared. All of us are instruments of God's healing love. We pray today for all who are sick and we include doctors, nurses, carers and anyone who needs our prayers on this special day.

Wednesday

Feb-10

Tuesday

Feb-09

Monday

Feb-08

Sunday

Feb-07

We all need building up in terms of encouragement, affirmation, support, kindness and positive feedback in the good things we do. These are the basic tools in building up any persons self esteem and confidence. During this Covid pandemic there is an even bigger need to affirm and encourage.

In our Gospels Jesus did this effortlessly and at ease. Every time he met someone he offered them encouragement, affirmation, support and kindness. He always put the spotlight on their good news. He always brought out the best in them. In so many stories we are told they went away in great joy. Their lives were changed forever.
Who can I affirm, support, share a kind word or encourage today?

Saturday

Feb-06

Wednesday

Feb-03

'We're building up and tearing down in everything we do. Are you on the construction crew or the wrecking crew?' ~Stephen Walsh

We all need building up in terms of encouragement, affirmation, support, kindness and positive feedback in the good things we do. These are the basic tools in building up any persons self esteem and confidence. During this Covid pandemic there is an even bigger need to affirm and encourage.

Today we celebrate the feast of St Blaise. Normally throats are blesssed in churches and is part of our tradition the day after Candlemas Day. But because of the restrictions it can't happen today. But we can still ask his blessings on all of us.

PRAYER OF ST BLAISE Through the intercession of St Blaise, Bishop and Martyr,
May God protect me from all ailments of the throat,
and from every other illness:
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Tuesday

Feb-02

Today (Feb 2nd) we celebrate Candlemass day. Candles will be blessed in churches on this day and these candles will be used at lots of different liturgical celebrations during the coming year. It is a day that is rich in meaning and symbolism. We currently live in a world that is dominated by the darkness of Covid 19.

We believe that the light of Christ is powerful and strong enough to wipe out darkness. This light knows no limits or boundaries. It's a light that is never forced but when we choose to be open to this light, great things begin to happen. On Candlemass day we invite this light into our lives, into our darker corners and wherever such light is most needed at the moment.

Monday

Feb-01

'When we begin to believe something new, we will see something new.' ~Martina Lehane Sheehan

Today Feb 1st and we celebrate St Brigid's Day. In the Celtic tradition it is the official start of spring and meteorologically we are told it starts on March 1st. On St Brigid's day we begin to celebrate the season of newness. Already we are aware of increasing light each day. On December 21st - the shortest day of the year - we had 7 hours and 44 minutes of daylight. On February 1st we have 9 hours and 6 minutes of daylight in the south of Ireland. That is a significant increase. Yes we can still get very cold weather at this time of year, but winter has lost its firm determined hold. We can now look forward in hope and particularly during this Covid pandemic.

St Brigid is famous for her 'St Brigid's Cross'. Using rushes she wove them all into a cross, to remind us that all the different strands of our lives are connected. They are connected not by chance but by the gentle presence of God in our lives. Brigid gathers our rushes of sorrow and blessings, of happiness and pain, tears and laughter, kindness and caring, of voluntary groups and organisations, of families, relations and friends, of schools and hospitals, of work, sport and recreation and all the little things we do with faith, hope and love. Brigid weaves them all with loving hands into something richer and more beautiful. For her God is always at the centre of everything we do, not just the good parts but simply everything.

In her book called 'Surprised By Fire', Martina Lehane Sheehan talks beautifully about the divine spark that is within each person. It connects in so well with the feast day of St. Brigid. This divine spark can fuel our own happiness and can brighten the lives of those around us. Martina says that once we embark on the journey of finding our flame, life can no longer be seen as a mere haphazard or random string of lucky or unlucky events. Because of the divine spark, within each person great things can begin to happen or unfold. The divine spark can lie dormant or it can be really active. St Brigid's Day invites us to let it become alive, to let it energise and give us hope.

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