Good morning from London East. With temperatures forecast to hit 32 it’s London’s hottest day this year and I must admit being happy to be out of the heat of Bosnia and Croatia where 32 would be considered sort of cool!!

This morning as I was praying what kept coming to me was the culture of silence when it comes to abuse or issues in the Church!

Coming from a background in finance where potential problems were anticipated and mitigated it’s hard to swallow the culture of silence no matter what the holy wrapping they put on it!

Even on the London underground the lady on the voice recording encourages all suspicious behaviour to be reported!

“see it, say it, sort it” she says over and over and it must be working as it’s stuck in my head!

So why in so many church circles is it

“see it, shut it, hide it”

and then to make it look holy offer up the suffering for souls in purgatory!

Now just like on the train you wouldn’t go reporting everything and not everything that is reported is serious, but things must be looked at all the same an action taken to avoid accidents and problems!

Sadly my experience in my home church (catholic) is one of being constantly silenced and criticised for speaking the truth and actually trying to help!

It seems to be a case of wait for a big crisis rather than try to prevent one!

I guess Our Lady experiences the same! No matter how much she begs people to pray, only a few take it seriously and yet if a big crisis was to happen all would fall to their knees!

It’s sad that at times people and even church leaders including bishops, cardinals and popes can be so stubborn and resist so much the Holy Spirit who desires to purify the church by sorting out the problems rather than hiding them!

Now some will say that speaking out is a sign that you haven’t forgiven. Forgive and forget they say but this isn’t what christianity teaches! Jesus says ‘forgive and convert’ and not ‘forgive and forget’!

Of course we shouldn’t go speaking out if it’s merely for personal revenge (that actually is unforgiveness) but we should speak out after having forgiven in a spirit of charity!

Any teacher doesn’t put red marks on a students exam paper to shame the student but rather that the student learns from the mistakes and any student really wishing to learn will know this!

So my prayer today is for our church leaders to be humble and to be willing to listen and learn from the people and bring the church back to her glory!

And to those of you with a story, the church needs you, share it!

So no more ‘offer it up and shut up’ but ‘see it, say it, sort it’

Good afternoon!

As I sit here in the church on this Friday afternoon I meditate on the word failure!

How often I feel that my own life is just one long succession of failures! From a failed son to failed man, from a failed man to a failed actuary, from a failed actuary to a failed seminarian and from a failed seminarian to a failed ‘healer’ or missionary!

Yes, at times I feel like failure with a body!

And yet as I think like this I look up to a statue of the sacred heart of Jesus on this its feast day I think of the ‘failure’ of Jesus!

Jesus the ‘God man’ dying on the cross. From a human view point what a total an utter failure!

Yet the victory of Jesus was on the cross because He accepted this human failure for a higher spiritual success!

Saint Therese of the child Jesus is beside me (her statue I mean) and she too was a miserable failure while she was alive!

And drawing from the lives of the saints we can name many more failures!

So what makes failure success is what we do with it!

Henry Ford once said

And so it is on our christian journey!

Our failures are not just the external things such as failed marriages and failed careers, they are also our inner failures where we keep falling and failing into the same old habits of drugs or sex or cigarettes or porn or anger or jealousy…..

However every failure is an opportunity! An opportunity to grow in humility and in trust in God’s mercy, an opportunity to grow in wisdom and understanding, an opportunity to grow in perseverance and prayer!

And so I say to you what I’m saying to myself today! Your life is not a failure but it is rather a hidden success, hidden in the heart of Jesus who understands perfectly your mess and calls you to continue trusting and growing nonetheless!

So let’s look to Jesus because the only real success story is His mercy, nothing else really matters and is just our own vanity and pride!

‘Jesus, today I give you my failures, trusting in your mercy I believe that you can turn them into your success

Take it all, I Trust in you’

Morning all!

In charismatic healing circles one of the most common bible verses is this one:

Jeremiah 29:11 “‘For I Know The Plans I Have For You‘ Declares the Lord, ‘Plans to Prosper You and Not to Harm You,Plans to Give You Hope and a Future.'”

And thousands of people can testify of how God changed their lives. I once spent 2 months in a charismatic healing ministry in India and there were thousands of testimonies of healing.

Marriages were restored, cancers disappeared, drug addicts were freed….by the power of prayer!

And yet there was no testimony regarding LGBT people.

And so recently I said to a priest”

“imagine 3 young boys of 15 in front of you and quote Jeremiah to them and that He “Plans to Give You Hope and a Future.”

Suppose the first boy desires to get married when he grows up…..No problem! Pray and trust that God will help him find the right woman and that they live happily ever after with God’s blessing! Jeremiah was right!

Suppose boy 2 desires to become a priest! Wonderful, a calling to prayer and ministry and again another happy ending! Way to go Jeremiah!

And now boy 3, he’s 15 and tells you that he’s gay!

Well he can’t get married or if he did he’d be living a lie! He could probably become a priest if he suppressed it and covered over it with religion but there is no happiness there as many a religious could tell you.

So we have a dilemma! Was Jeremiah wrong? And if not what are God’s “Plans to Give You Hope and a Future.”

It’s certainly not to be excluded and bullied by society and even church nor is it to ‘repent’ and become straight which is just nonsense!

So is it any wonder why a lot of young people dump God once they come to terms with being gay?

But let’s not stop there and ignore the question or issue.

How can one be gay and catholic?

What can a catholic mother say to her 15 year old gay son so that he can have a happy life on earth AND get to heaven afterwards!

Perhaps the answer is very obvious! That God made him that way, that God accepts him that way, that he doesn’t need conversion or healing or an exorcism but that he needs a lot of love and support and that with God’s help he will find someone special to love and grow in holiness!

However he should also be taught to pray and like any young boy (gay or straight) to avoid the snare of lust which leads to nothing.

Some might argue that every boy should be attracted to girls because that’s how our reproductive organs are designed but it’s also true that God isn’t as black and white as all that!

For one God calls many men and women to a consecrated life where they will never use these parts of their bodies for reproductive purposes and furthermore at the end of the world when we are all reunited in heaven with our bodies we will live there sex free!!

And so a final thought!

Are same sex relationships lived in love and prayer perhaps a foretaste of heaven and something to celebrate rather than condemn?!

Yes 15 year old boy 3! God has “Plans to Give You Hope and a Future.” and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!

You are a special jewel in his eyes called to be a light of love to the world and to shine in glory in heaven and your sexuality is a blessing from God and not a curse!

Hi folks,

A simple little sharing and testimony today!

I went for a tea and got talking to the owner of the café. She asked me a little about what I am doing with my life!

I shared a bit and I was very surprised at her reaction!

She told me that she suffered with depression 40 years ago but that now she’s fine and that her son too needed psychiatric help and still does from time to time but is still running a business!

Her honesty, openness and simplicity were refreshing. She showed no shame either of herself or of her son. In fact the opposite, she was proud of herself and her son for getting through it and was full of encouragement and just simplicity!

She might not even be aware of it but her attitude is healing and an antidote to the culture of shame and secrecy surrounding mental and emotional problems!

So once again a reminder to boast of our weaknesses by giving testimony of what God has done for us and kiss goodbye to shame and fear of what others may think!

Have an honest day and don’t be afraid to give others hope and strength through the power of your life story! You might save a life!

Bless

Mike

Good afternoon!

Yesterday we travelled to the Westminister area to attend a catholic mass and support group for lgbt catholics!

I was not sure what to expect as my previous experience of support groups consisted of a group of over 60’s sitting around a room confessing how many times they watched porn or got lucky!

Even then I thought that surely God isn’t as sex obsessed as that and that there others sins out there besides sex!

So I arrived yesterday with my expectations rather low and I was very pleasantly surprised!

The group were warm, welcoming, inclusive and human! There was a mix of people there and all were accepted, a sharp contrast to my previous experience in Australia where the emphasis was on gay conversion!

In this little group I saw love, everybody was treated as an individual, one could have a partner or boyfriend and not hide or lie about it under the catholic death penalty of ‘mortal sin’!

This group also enjoys support from a cardinal and is certainly a light of love to the Church and world!

So thank you God for this wonderful little group and may more such groups spring up all over the world to show that one can be LGBT and catholic and not end up in hell!!

Have a great week

Mike

When I was in Medjugorje a man gave a moving testimony of how his life was before meeting Jesus!

He said He lived in ‘habitual mortal sin’ meaning that a sinful, godless, prayerless life was so normal to him that he didn’t see it as an issue!

Now I don’t agree with the word ‘mortal’ in this description as mortal implies that the person has full knowledge and consent and in truth most people have no real idea of what’s what because of growing up in a culture of atheism’

‘Habitual serious sin’ might be a better way of describing it when people are living away from God and in ignorance!

Back to the testimony, Jesus zapped this guy and he’s now a full-time missionary and singer!

Once again we see that Jesus’ mercy looks beyond sinful lifestyles and into the heart of each person!

Jesus understands the terrible confusion in today’s world, He knows that the world preaches sex, power and money and that today’s Church is so broken that often she preaches only a very weak and half-hearted alternative!

Jesus understands the battle to become free and often the lack of support! He understands that one can fall backwards into what they left behind in spite of their best!

So today on the feast of Corpus Christi, Jesus isn’t asking us all to be perfect and to be fully freed of all sinful behaviours overnight because He knows that this is impossible!

Nor is He asking us to lie down and to indulge in a life of sin without making any efforts to improve!

No! Jesus is asking each one of us to look up to Him and to take up our crosses (our vices, bad habits) and to go to battle with ourselves!

He knows that we’ll fall 1000 times and it’ll seem like it’s an utter waste! He knows that at times we’ll feel that we haven’t progressed an inch even after years of prayer and yet He calls us to persevering!

He knows that at times we’ll feel like hypocrites, like fake christians and yet He calls us to trusting!

And so wherever you are today in life; whether a million miles from God and feeling that there is no way back or perhaps very close to God and feeling that there is no way forward or maybe you think there is no God and so there is just NO WAY at all, Know one thing!

God loves you, God sees you, God has mercy on you and that there is a way and it’s the way of prayer and trust and conversion of heart and lifestyle!

The only question that remains is are you willing to take it and allow God to use your life for something meaningful and true?

It’s never too late! Where to start? A simple prayer and look for a good prayer meeting in your area!

It’s always nice to give credit where credit is due and today it’s to Seamus!

Since meeting me in Medjugorje and setting off on a journey of healing, evangelization and discovery he has been crucified!

His ‘holy’ friends in Northern Ireland disowned him, he was told that he was in danger because of me and yet He followed His heart in prayer!

Seamus gave up a big job offer, a good reputation, living in his home country, his family, friends and reputation to follow Jesus!

He worked like a horse in a restaurant last summer in Croatia, he suffered mockery, ridicule and abuse from many which led him to an illness of the pancreas and 3 weeks in hospital and yet he continued!

He supported me ever step of the way when many times spiritual suffering meant that I couldn’t get out of bed for up to 2 days and at times 3.

When Toni came along he didn’t blink when I invited him to stay with us. He loved him, helped him and was Jesus in every way!

And now here in London he has just started work in McDonalds. You’ll never hear him complaining or saying that he’s better than that!

He cries tears nobody knows of as all his life he has been bullied and put down for being gay!

So today I ask you all to pray for Seamus who is a walking example of love, perseverance, obedience to God no matter the cost!

Thank you Our Lady for the amazing friend and brother you gave me in Seamus. Please bless his life and fill him with the love, joy and peace that 20 years of bullying and a drug addiction robbed him of!

May we all be lights to the world like Seamus and make Jesus’ heart smile!

God bless you bro and thanks for not giving up despite all the trouble I’ve got you in with Jesus!

Mike

Yesterday I passed through central London and as I was changing trains had to get off at “Canary Wharf” (the financial area).

As I looked up at all the towers I saw the big names in finance; KPMG, JP Morgan, Barclays etc.

The mega towers of financial headquaters contrasted so sharply with Our Lady’s spiritual headquarters in Medjugorje where Gospa appears amidst a pile of rocks in a remote town in Bosnia & Herzegovina!

Waiting for a train I overheard a conversation between two men in suits discussing the German economy!

Listening to it was giving me a headache and such a far cry from plainly dressed people in Medjugorje speaking of Our Lady’s messages and the spiritual state of the world!

This morning as I reflect on it a phrase that I heard as a child came to mind!

“Mind your books and you’ll get on”

And I did mind my books! In truth I minded them so much that I ate them and I did get on!!

I got on so well that I believed in no God, practised no religion and was extremely depressed!

Yes, “getting on” almost got me killed!

Perhaps if I was told as a child

“Mind your prayers and you’ll get on”

I may have actually got on well!!

And so as I looked at this concrete jungle yesterday I felt sad!

How many people are trapped in this prison of success and do not even know there is a God who loves them and desires their true happiness?

How many people are burning out or using drugs like cocaine to handle the pressure?!

How many have given their lives to career success and have forgotten that God has given them an eternal soul that they ignore or ridicule the very thought of!

Has modern society equated “getting on” with simply money and suits?.

And so it’s sad, the most intelligent people (academically speaking) have allowed themselves to become blinded by the world and risk having nothing stored up for eternity besides their sins!

So yes dear intelligent friends…

Mark 8:36

³⁶ For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?

Morning folks!

Just a little testimony of God’s providential love in action!

The other day at mass a lady tapped Seamus on the shoulder! Immediately he recognised her. We met at the divine mercy centre in Medjugorje a few months ago!

It was awesome to see a familiar face as we arrived here in London with absolutely no leads or connections and blind trust!

Anyway yesterday we were praying for God to help us financiallly and then Seamus’ phone rang!

Lizzie had told all her friends about us and raised over £300 to help us and travelled half way accross London to give it to us with her 2 sisters!

We were baffled and we all went for a coffee and the conversation centred around Jesus and saving people who are suicidal!

They also gave us details of some prayer meetings etc. that are not far!

Anyway how wonderful to experience the blessings from Medjugorje and a great reminder that while we were greatly persecuted there we were even more greatly loved!

Not everyone understands the ways of the Holy Spirit but these ladies got it!

So thank you ladies, thank you Our Lady and a reminder to us all that no matter where in the world you are and even if you know nobody God can and will send people to help you totally out of the blue just at the right time!

So let’s all be encouraged and may we God’s instruments of love and hope today!

Come Holy Spirit!

Hi friends,

Here I am catching my breath and finally beginning to feel somewhat settled here in London.

Yesterday the wheels were put in motion for the 3 of us to visit Nigeria in September after a charismatic sister full of the zeal of the Holy Spirit spotted us on Pentecost Sunday!

God is funny! With barely a roof over our heads here He’s already sending us to Africa and while we could have said no, in prayer Jesus said yes!

Anyway, that aside today’s blog is about selfcare!

The first commandment says to ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ and also the popular phrase ‘charity begins at home’ could be taken in the literal sense with ‘home’ being your heart!

Let’s look at the life of Jesus to see what this ‘selfcare’ looks like!!

1. Did Jesus live in luxury without a care in the world?

No. So we can eliminate materialism from the list!

2. Did Jesus live on the streets with no food or clothing?

No. Joseph was a carpenter and from what we gather, the Holy Family was poor without being destitute.

3. Can we imagine Jesus and Mary rocking up at expensive health spas spending thousands on hairstyles, sunbeds, beauty creams and plastic surgery?

No, nor can we see them walking around smelling with rags with holes!

So already we are beginning to see that ‘selfcare’ and loving oneself is not about material luxury and that the solution lies somewhere in the middle where one looks after oneself without falling into the trap of idolatry!!

But while selfcare is about the body, it is also about mind and soul!

Looking after the soul requires prayer. Prayer is food for the soul and people who don’t pray will be left hungry in their souls for love and direction in life!

Many times in the bible Jesus disappeared off up the mountain to pray. He’d have to escape from the crowds who wanted healing so to have time alone with God!

If He didn’t He’d have lost the connection with the Father and the direction with the Holy Spirit and basically He’d have committed the sin of putting godly works before prayer!

At times His disciples gave out about him!

“Where is this so called Holy man that has disappeared without telling us!’ we could imagine them muttering.

The pharisees gave out about Jesus for letting Lazarus die

‘some friend or example of holiness is this Jesus fellow when He couldn’t be bothered coming to heal lazarus’ they may have said.

Even Martha said ‘Lord if you had been here my brother would not have died’

which was probably the polite way of saying ‘where the hell were you?’

So from these examples we see also that looking after ones soul and spirit and putting prayer before people can not only outwardly unholy, it can look downright arrogant and selfish and as if you don’t care for others at all!!

At this stage a word of caution is required! This little blog is not a Christian license to be rude but rather a christian requirement to be faithful to prayer and to God’s will!

So to summarise we can go back to Scripture from Matthew

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

Let’s not expect to be popular but rather rest in the peace of heart that comes from knowing and doing God’s will!

Bless your day!

Mike