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BEAUTY (A Meditation)

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Jesus invites us  To consider the birds of the air To look at the flowers of the field To learn from them Gaze Consider Contemplate Listen to the beautiful song Of the blackbird and the robin Observe the flight of the swallow The soaring of the seagull In the blue blue sky I am inspired I am lifted up I am filled with their freedom Look at the variety of flowers in the garden The wild flowers of the field The majesty of the trees The beauty of a simple bush I am filled with their beauty  And their majesty And the wonder of the sun rising As it dissolves the darkness of the night And warms the cold of the morning And the sheer sheer beauty The majesty of the setting sun And I look at your face And there I see a beauty like no other It is the beauty of love In all its shapes and forms and sizes Only you Can love like you do  And that is your beauty Consider the love that you feel In your heart and in your body And your soul Consider that this is a reflection Of what G...

PRAYERS FOR HEALING

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  Prayers for Healing offered at Mass in St. Patrick's Church, Corduff, Dublin on May 1, 2026 "Heal me Lord and I shall be healed, save me and I shall be saved, for You are my praise "  Jeremiah 17:14

THE SOUNDING SILENCE, SILENT MUSIC

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Silence of Pallotti House Chapel A state of acute unworthiness! This is how I felt as I entered the chapel for morning prayer. Alone. Alone with the One, such is the definition of what a monk is. A man who is alone with the One. I am a monk then in that sense. It has been a lifelong fantasy of mine, to be a Cistercian monk in a monastery with all the Trappist trappings. I even asked Chatgpt to paint me a picture of me as a monk and that is what you have above. A fantasy. Not meant to be in the physical sense but it is there spiritually within me and I am living it now in that way. Thank God. In the chapel on the morning in question, there came to me again that silence, that incredible, absolute silence that is physical as well as everything; physical in that it inhabits the place, enfolding and filling me, so that I can only think that it is the Divine Silence, the Silence of Mercy. The little Chapel is filled with it. The very air itself is not only soundlessly silent, but it is silen...

SUFFICIENT UNTO THE DAY

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Yesterday's Manna Is gone Its joy consumed A hunger Somewhat sated Enough Something similar Is given for today Not for tomorrow What seems the same Is new Enough Sufficient Unto the day I seek Nothing other Nothing more

HEART OF THE SHEPHERD

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  Homily for Good Shepherd Sunday 

YOUR NAME

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Carve it In my bone Inscribe it In my heart Imprint it In my mind Shape it In my soul Breathe it In my every breath Your Name Lord Jesus Christ Son of God

MELIFONT ABBEY 2000

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Melifont Abbey: February 18-20, 2000 In 1999 I became spiritual director to “Ruah”, a small group of lay evangelizers, and in December of last year I suggested to them that it would be good for us to go to a monastery in order to experience a silence in which we could listen more attentively to God. It’s my constant belief that there is too much talking and not enough silence. So it was arranged that we would go to Melifont Abbey for this weekend. Six of the group travelled and as Brendan was here I decided to ask him to come along to keep me company. The two of us set off on a dirty Friday evening after what was a very hassled day for me. We arrived at the Abbey after dark, at 7.00 p.m., and were well received, though the reception was manic and extremely draining in many ways. Fr. William showed us to our rooms, gave us tea and talked to us for a long time. The guesthouse is lovely and old with all sorts of nooks and crannies. Dan, Pat and Louise were the first to arrive and after a...