THE CRIB OF OUR CLAY (An Advent Meditation)

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Bring my thoughts home O Lord
Like the herd of an African twilight

Draw us in from the places
Of the day where we have strayed

Our

Scattered minds
Spun-out hearts
Spent souls

Settle us down

That we may abide
Within

That I may abide
With myself in You
And remain here

Attentive

Eyes attuned to see and perceive
Ears attuned to listen and hear

What stirs in the unfathomable
Depths

Interior mystery

Wisdom of Christ cradled
In the crib of our clay


Comments

  1. MargueriteDecember 6, 2023 at 1:12 AM

    Thankyou for this profound meditation. May the joy of Our Lord be our strength!

    ReplyDelete

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30 Days

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THAT SACRED WRITING OF GOD (An Experience of Lent)

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Carmel: Most Beautiful of Women

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It was a warm blustery  Sunday evening o n Hastings pier... Waiting for news of Carmel Waiting for Carmel to leave Not that I wanted her to go I would like her to stay on and on We all would But she had to go It was her time Her time was coming And God was calling And I was five hundred miles Away She is my aunt -in-law But really my aunt In affection Sixty odd years  of it When I was a boy of eight or so She came to Raford from Birmingham Young wife and mother Josie's wife Marian's mother Josie was my uncle Raford is the Carty homestead It became Carmel's home Over the past 36 years It has been hers Since Josie died She came to embody Raford She became Raford For me For my family To the eight-year-old boy She was bright, beautiful and warm Very caring We were down by the big metal gate Closing it And my heel got caught in it I cried more loudly than was necessary And Carmel brought me in, took off my white ankle socks, bathed and bandag
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SIMPLICITY: Kissing The Hand of Jesus 2017 - Eamonn Monson sac

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I came across a painting by Fray Juan Bautista Maino called The Adoration of the Shepherds and a detail shows one of the shepherds (though it might be St. Joseph) lifting the right hand of the baby Jesus and kissing it. It strikes me that this is the purpose of our Advent and Christmas - to arrive at a point where Jesus is born for us again, born within us and we are called to come to Jesus and express our love for him in such a gesture. John the Baptist goes into the desert for clarity and focus. The desert is a place of simplicity where we have nothing but the essentials to deal with and focus on. With this focus on the essentials John is able to recognise Jesus when he appears. Last Christmas I celebrated Mass with a group of special needs adults from St. John Of God Carmona services, an experience which brought me face to face with the essential meaning of life in all its simplicity. When I arrived in the hall I went to greet each person - 30 or 40 in all -  an
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