I usually start my day with morning prayers and I also have the readings for the day’s Mass if I am unable to go. Following this, I will pray for my sons: a variety of prayers to ‘cover all bases’. You never know what they may need that day.

No matter how I feel waking up, this always help with my state of mind. Focusing on God seems to bring a kind of healing relief no matter what your worries are.

I take my dog Millie for a walk and during that walk, if I don’t chat to people, I say some decades of the rosary according to the day of the week it is. I also pray for our world; for healing for the damage that has been done to it, for forgiveness for not looking after it as we should and for renewal to be soon. Looking at the state of the world I think that covid slowed down the awful things we are doing to it, but as things go back to normal, I can’t see how we are going to improve on our treatment of our world. I very much hope we will, but there is so much avarice out there and little concern for the beauty of the world God has given us. How do we contain it? I then pray for those who have died and those who are sick especially with Covid, for the gifts of the Holy Spirit to heal and comfort them and also gift them with courage, faith, hope and trust in God.

On my second walk with Millie, I pray for all of my relatives and friends and those who have impacted on my life. I also pray the Divine Mercy for all of us and thank God that we do have this gift of mercy, underserving though we are.

I tell you all this just as an example of my trying to do my best. I don’t work now and it is very difficult to fill that void and to feel useful. I’m hoping that my prayers make a difference and I think that is what God wants from us – to try. There are so many negatives out there, let’s try and counterbalance that with contributing positives through prayer!

God bless you and may your day be fulfilling,

I was reading about a Saint today in my copy of the Magnificat. His name is St Walter of Pontoise. He wanted to become a monk and joined a monastery. However, he was asked to become the Abbot of the monastery. There must have been something about him that made the people around him feel that he was right for this vocation. However he didn’t want to be the abbot and ran away. The monks went off and looked for him, found him and brought him back. He ran away a second time and set up home in a hermitage on an island in the middle of a river. Again, the monks found him and brought him back. He asked the Pope to release him from this post, but was told he must use the talents God had given him. He decided to accept his elevation to Abbot and was untiring, hard working and everything that was predicted about him being the best person for the job was right. He decided to accept his vocation and did the very best that he could.

His story reminded me of others such as Jonah and the Whale and Balaam and his donkey (The Book of Jonah and Numbers 22 – do have a look at the stories). Both occasions where people who are asked to do something by God run away and what happens to them as a result! In their cases, God was determined they would do as he asked.

I think sometimes we are given tasks to do and we let our insecurities overwhelm us and want to run away. I’ve certainly done that a few times in my life and I do look back and wonder if I had just got on with it, then all would have been well. We have to put these insecurities before God and tell him that we need his help to build up our confidence to tackle those things that he wants us to do. What is in the past should rest in the past. If you have said no to a task you were asked to perform in fear and insecurity, then you should move on. It is done. God always finds someone to do his work and will ask the next person and he doesn’t hold grudges.

It is difficult to know sometimes what is a God given request and what is simply human and it is only with listening to God’s answer to our questions about this that we will find peace and comfort in accepting or refusing demands on our time and talents.

God bless you and may he assist you in divining his will,

Unfortunately, it is all too easy to listen to others telling you that the best way to relax and have peace is to meditate using various methods including mindfulness which seems very popular at the moment and a lot will recommend Yoga. The problem is that most of these meditation practices are derived from eastern religions and are not christian. They get us to adopt prayer positions relevant to eastern deities and we aren’t even aware of this as we do it. Mindfulness asks us to concentrate on breathing and empty our minds, but has its roots in Hinduism and Buddhism. If you want to follow these religions, then of course that is your choice but when you follow the God of Jesus Christ, you can’t pick and mix.

As a christian, I want to know that I am not doing anything that harms my relationship with God. He wants us to worship him only and rely on him for all that we may need. By using these eastern techniques, we are going outside of this and relying on other religions to help us.

We can call on God for whatever we need and he will answer, but if we turn to other sources, we are opening ourselves up to harm. These sources pretend to offer us peace, but it won’t bring us the peace and freedom we are ultimately seeking.

Think about this next time you see an invitation to a mindfulness course/session or yoga and do tell others who are christians and might not be aware of this.

God bless,

Colossians 3:15

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.

Today is ‘Good Shepherd Sunday’ and we had a lovely sermon about how our priest feels like our shepherd and worries about us. It is so good to have guidance and support in our journey in faith and know that our priest is praying for our wellbeing and cares deeply for us.

We are all on a journey and we face many challenges in our lives, especially when we become christians. We face all sorts of temptations and can so easily give in and say: ‘why not, everyone else is doing it, nobody cares…’ Attending church can also be difficult at the moment with covid restrictions and there is a danger of falling away for many. Sadly for some it is a habit rather than something they do out of love and thankfulness. Once out of that habit, they question why they go at all and if they do, then they haven’t been viewing their attendance in the right way or the glorious gift that is given to us every time we attend Mass/a service.

Our priest/minister is our shepherd, looking after us and making sure that we stay safe spiritually. In St John’s Gospel (10:11-15, as below), we hear how a good shepherd would not abandon his sheep but would keep them safe from the wolf. Also we know that sheep will follow the shepherd they know, they won’t follow strangers. Similarly, we become used to the priests we have listened to, we trust them to lead us well and we need to stay with them no matter what. There are many wolves out there in many guises. We have to be wary of following a shepherd that hasn’t got our best interests at heart and we can only discern this when we stay close to God by praying about whatever steps we are taking and listen to his guiding voice.

God bless you and may you find the right shepherd that will lead you on your spiritual journey,

John 10:11-15

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it.  The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.  I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—  just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 

Over this past year during various lockdowns and to be safe in-between, we have been having our prayer group online and there is also a WhatsApp group to post messages. It is good to be able to continue and I do appreciate that without this facility, we could only email each other and wait until a better time to be able to meet up.

The internet does fulfil a need in this respect, but strangely enough, I haven’t felt as connected to the group as when we meet in person. Somehow being online and messaging seems to distort how we come across to each other. People speak over you, they reply to messages and sometimes ignore yours and I think there is less sensitivity to how other members of the group feel. It’s rather like being back at school again. You are trapped in a room with a diverse group of people, albeit online, and you can feel sidelined. I also felt that we spent far too much time on small talk rather than the purpose for which we were meeting. I have had to leave this group for a while and have managed to set up a small group with a friend which feels much more ‘connected’ and we make sure that each of us spends the time we need for the prayers and in making sure we are ok.

My youngest son prefers to contact me via messaging. I feel a lot of meaning is lost in those messages and you can’t say everything you would like to as you like to keep them short. If I text and say I’d like a chat, I get a text back asking if there is a problem. I just want to talk for a while, but I don’t feel offended he has asked this because this is how it all seems to work for some of our younger age group.

I feel we should try to not let the internet take over our relationships. It is good for a quick message and for many other things but in order to connect properly with each other, we need to be physically together or if that isn’t possible, then a phone call is so much better. This way there won’t be the misunderstandings and unsaid feelings and taking time to be with someone expresses love more than a distant message. Emailing and texting keeps people at a distance and can lead to a much colder friendship.

God bless you and help you to connect fully with your family and friends in this very difficult time x

As you get older things seem to fall apart. One minute you are fine, the next you have issues such as tinnitus, arthritis, varicose veins, sight deterioration. I think Betty Davis summed it up when she said ‘old age ain’t for cissies’. It does take a kind of bravery to face up to these things happening to you and then to carry on regardless. I do think you have to listen to what your body is telling you and slow down as needed if you can.

I always vowed that I wouldn’t talk about my health all of the time when I got old. When you do reach an older age, however, I can see how it can obsess you as it starts to curtail your life. You compare notes with others about how they are feeling and it is a good way to empathise and show concern. It can also be very reassuring when you tell someone about something that has happened and they can help you feel less frightened about it and tell you it is normal ‘for your age group!’

It is best, however, not to make these problems the whole focus of your thoughts and try to maintain a healthy interest in other areas of life. If I catch myself in thinking too much about something that ails me, I give my thoughts a better direction and I also do try not to bring up any health issues, particularly with the young because although they may be fond of you, who wants to hear a rundown of health problems?

We should use opportunities when we feel a bit depressed about our health to think about others and pray for them. There will always be people who are in a worse situation as well as those in a better one.

God bless you and if today you feel a little low, pray for those who may be feeling the same,

Happy St George’s Day!

People have many ideas of what marriage means. It’s the ceremony, the pretty church or venue, the dress, the celebrations before and after, the honeymoon following but for many it is God’s blessing on their union that is the most important aspect. Maybe I am reading the wrong articles, but I never hear any one mention that it is a sacrament. Sacrament means ‘mystery’.

In the catholic faith we have many sacraments or mysteries (there are seven altogether: baptism, the eucharist, confirmation, reconciliation, anointing of the sick, marriage and holy orders). They are mysteries because God is involved in the process and grants his special grace so that we can partake in his divine life.

When two people marry, we ask God to join them together as ‘man and wife’. He is involved in the ceremony and without God’s presence and gift of grace, everything is only words. God loves everyone, there are no exceptions, and we can only ask for his help and sanctification of what we do when we follow what we know from the Bible.

We can’t break away from the rules we have been given even if we want to in love for our friends and empathy with them. We can cite the words but whether God is willing to go outside of what has been said can’t be tangible. Will he give his grace to a union that hasn’t been expressly allowed from what we know in the Bible? He will certainly love both partners in a loving relationship.

I feel in our present world, we are trying to achieve changes that are very difficult to make and there is a lot of anger and hurt. We need to keep talking to each other but most of all listen, because when you talk about something like marriage, you need to really be aware of what you are talking about and not just look at the superficial aspects.

I hope in writing the above that I have helped with the arguments in some way. It is written with love and not hate or phobia.

God bless,

I have just listened to a talk about waiting to see what God wants us to do for his Kingdom here on earth. Unless it is obvious, e.g you are a Priest, Pastor, or hold some other position in a christian organisation, it isn’t easy to know, and waiting until we feel he has pointed us in some direction can lead to impatience and trying to do things he hasn’t asked us to do.

I loved studying theology at a catholic institute. For me, it is the most interesting subject you can ever study – many areas are covered: history, geography, culture, art, literature, poetry – I could list so many more. You could never be bored.

I wanted to impart my enthusiasm when I finished my course and not knowing what else to do, I decided to train to be a secondary school teacher specialising in religious studies. By this stage I was approaching my fifties and did worry that I might be too old, but there were others on my course who were also training to teach at an older age and so that encouraged me.

Going back to a secondary school after so many years (30+), I was horrified at the changes in schools. Behaviour was one of the biggest issues and I couldn’t understand how it was that children had become so out of control in the classroom. The other problem was that I couldn’t adapt to how subjects are taught – constantly flitting from one topic to another and not covering anything in any depth.

Looking back on my experience I realise that I hadn’t involved God at all in my decision. Here I was with my new qualification and knowledge and I wanted to much to pass this on and particularly help children to have a deeper understanding of what we believe (including different religions as well). I just launched myself at it and quickly found myself out of my depth and overwhelmed. Should I have kept going? I don’t know – perhaps it all would have got better – but I do think if God wants you to something, he provides all you need to help you with the work he wants you to do. Deep down, I knew it wasn’t my calling and sadly had to leave the course.

I think the lesson for me is that I should have waited to understand what God wanted me to do, if anything. Perhaps he just wanted me to understand more about the God I believe in and the church I belong to. It has certainly helped me when I have led prayer groups and I enjoy the new courses I do because of this background knowledge.

Don’t push yourself to do something if it doesn’t feel right for you. God will let you know what he has in store for your life.

God bless you and may you find your calling,

My late husband used to pray in tongues for hours. He would do it while waiting for the bus, while travelling and any moment that he was free. He was not a great reader and even complained when I used to read, but his life changed completely and he developed a hunger for any book that taught him about God. He devoured hundreds.

The other gift he received was prophecy and I will occasionally share these so that you can see how our God wants to talk to us and tell us how much he loves us; how we can be closer to him and how not to lose our connection with him.

He also used to be able to smell flowers around him and beautiful scents that he had never smelt before. God has many wonderful gifts he wants to give us, we just need to open ourselves up to being closer to him, spending as much time as we can with him and focusing on him alone.

He wasn’t at all afraid of death and that comforts me as I wasn’t there with him at the end. It happened so suddenly and unexpectedly that I was driving to the hospital when it happened. Many people are afraid and it can rule your life. He had to confront the possibility of death at a very early age for the first time and that seemed to take all the fear about it away from him.

Here is one of the prophecies he received about having full trust in God:

My children, deep within you is the basis of salvation, the very essence of the Creator, the Father of all.  You have been endowed with inner desire to create and perfect a will as pure and blessed as that of the Father.

Aided by My compassion and tender guidance it is expected of you as children of God to work out your salvation, to bring what is hidden deep inside to the surface, to expose the Will of God from within.  A will firm in righteousness, a will resolute in faith, a will proclaiming the complete and perfect redemption of Christ Jesus.

So expose the Father’s Will in your lives, let your will be perfectly aligned with His, a will free from all human defilement, free from all pride and obstinacy, free from sin.  A life radiant, united with Christ, hidden in the Glory of the Creator of all, the Father Almighty.  A life focused and centred on Christ, for he who abides with Christ in the glory of the Father is the Will of God.  Your unity with us will be complete, your communion with us perfected.  You will have no opportunity for cares, worries or hesitation.  For in times of trial we shall move to the fore to guard your beloved soul.  You will remain constantly enwrapped by the blessing, the gift of our love, and every onslaught by the enemy will not generate even the slightest doubt.  For you will be certain in the knowledge that we are ever with you, to comfort you, your refuge and your strength, blissfully aware that nothing will ever pierce or tarnish the eternal love we hold for you.  Amen 

God bless you and keep you safe within his arms,

Sometimes this feels so impossible to know. I read often about how someone has received guidance from God to do this or that. I have to confess that I do make decisions after lots of prayer about an issue, not having felt that I have been given that advice I sought but just going ahead because it seemed right. It hasn’t always worked out the best course for me and I have to come to the conclusion I am just not patient enough or that God wanted me to decide for myself and learn from my mistakes.

It can be off-putting when you judge yourself against others who tell you that God is constantly speaking to them and guiding them. Firstly, if he does it won’t be for their whole lives or he would be micromanaging and I don’t think we worship that kind of God. Secondly, it could just be that the person concerned has been given a specific ministry and so needs more help than most. God is a parent God; he is our Father and as such wants us to be happy and will help if we make bad decisions just as a parent would, but he wants us to lead our own lives.

Sometimes God ‘whispers’. I have looked back on some occasions and when I have gone to do something a very small voice inside me suggests another course of action and I ignore it thinking it can’t be God; unfortunately that still small voice was right.

It isn’t easy, but the best way to live our lives is to ask God for guidance and be patient to see if he is willing to do that for the situation we are in. Keep a watch out for that whisper that sometimes comes to you. He doesn’t shout or demand we follow his advice and we ignore it to our cost.

God bless you and help you to discern his will for your lives,

1 Kings 19:11-13

Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord for the Lord is about to pass by. And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.