Good morning!

This morning I’m going to write a little blog on asking questions!

It was inspired by an incident yesterday where I met a priest who all but put me on trial!!

No sooner had I answered one question but 3 more came with about as little sensitivity as a bull in a China shop!

I suppose after years of it I’m somewhat used to it and so keeping my calm I said it to him!

“I feel like I’m on trial here, no sooner do I answer one question but you bolt in with 3 more with no sensitivity. Some of these questions are painful and stir up old wounds and while I don’t mind answering, give me a break”!

He defended his behaviour saying that he was trying to get to know me and so I repeated again to him “you can get to know me by asking gently”!

Anyway the rest of our meeting went ok and to be honest I could see that he wasn’t aware that his questions were insensitive!

Nonetheless it made me think how careful we must be when we ask others questions about their lives and especially about the sensitive areas of their lives!

I grew up in the Irish countryside where many people were renouned for their ability to ask questions and I often remember my mother coming off the phone astounded at what some people had asked her!

Of course we can all get it wrong at times and I’m sure I’ve annoyed people at times too by asking questions I shouldn’t or asking without sensitivity.

So what is the secret? Body language!

When we ask questions we shouldn’t look at people like they were a goldfish void of emotions but we should look at them with sensitivity knowing that our questions may stir up old wounds or may be inappropriate!

There are a number of ways to tell! A few for example!!

Tears!!! If a person starts crying you don’t need to be Sherlock Holmes to figure that they are upset!

Voice! You can often hear pain or anger or hurt in a person’s voice! Don’t make things worse!

Facial expressions!

And even if you are not so sensitive to read body language you can ask yourself these questions!

Is it any of my business?

Do I know this person well enough?

Would I like to be asked this?!

And so today is Friday and often on Friday’s we think of the sacred heart of Jesus.

May our hearts today be united with His heart and may we talk and interact with other people with the love, dignity and respect that Jesus would!

May we especially pray for priests who are on the front line so to speak that they may not put people on trial but rather that they may smile!

Bless your day!

Michael

. ..without you!

Yes, the kingdom of heaven is incomplete without you!

Good morning!

Yesterday I spoke with a priest at London’s Westminster Cathedral and this is what he said!

He said it with love, simplicity and complete faith!

As I left I thought about how we all need to know and believe this!

We can spend so much time putting ourselves down and focused on our problems that we can forget that we are precious to God!

We may have lots of character faults and be a far cry from the perfection of the saints and our lives may be a right mess and yet God’s Kingdom is not complete without us!!

We are loved and we are cared for by a loving and patient God who understands our every need and who is for us and not against us!

Today, take a moment and remind yourself

“the Kingdom of God is incomplete without me”

And then take a look around and remind yourself that the Kingdom of God is equally incomplete without everybody around you! Yes, even the ones you don’t like!!

Many people have no idea how special they are to God and this void can make them grumpy and irritable and sometimes plain horrible!

Yet, with a grace of love this could all change and so today let’s say a special prayer for those we find the most difficult to love!

It’s probably best not to go up to them and shout

“Hey, the Kingdom of heaven is incomplete without you”

But a silent prayer from your heart will be equally audible to God and far more effective!!

Here is one I suggest! (Tap on the picture to see the text more clearly)

God bless you all today with love, blessings and supernatural joy!

Michael

Hello all and may God bless your week!

One of yesterday’s mass readings was on division in the church! Saint Paul puts it perfectly:

I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
          that all of you agree in what you say,
          and that there be no divisions among you,
          but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.
For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters,
          by Chloe’s people, that there are rivalries among you.
I mean that each of you is saying,
          “I belong to Paul, ” or “I belong to Apollos,”
          or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.”
Is Christ divided?
Was Paul crucified for you?

Two thousand years later and we are still dealing with the same thing, division!!


This one is a traditionalist, that one is a charismatic, the next one is gay, another a contemplative and so on and so forth!

The contemplative fight with the charismatics, the charismatics fight with the traditionalists and all of them fight with the gays!!

All of this of course breeds division and rivalries as Paul puts it and tears the church apart!


Clearly many spiritualities exist within the church just as many of us speak different languages but this doesn’t mean that we have to be divided!

On the contrary we can all help each other to find the right spirituality which will help us all to grow! We don’t all need to eat the same foods but we all need to eat and similarly we don’t all need to pray the same way, we  simply all need to pray!

So maybe this week can be a week of unity for us where we focus on what we have in common rather than on what divides us!

Let us have open hearts and minds showing love, patience and understanding for each other just as we would like people to show to us and by doing so may we be lights of love and unity to the church and to the world wherever we go!


Saint Nino (child Jesus of Prague) whom the Philipono community celebrated yesterday, pray for us!

Michael

Good morning!

It’s a beautiful peaceful morning here in London where I’ve had a late breakfast after mass!

Last night I was out in town and the words of a song hit me!!

It’s called ‘Roar’ by Katy Perry and for any of us who have been victims of injustice the words are very powerful!

ROAR

So have a roaring day trusting in the justice of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Michael

Good morning and happy new year to any chinese readers!

I said hello in chinese to a girl this morning

你好吗

Nǐ hǎo ma

Pronounced “knee how ma”

And when she replied “I’m Korean” I took it as a sign from God!!

“Great expectations” is of course a well known book, for many of us it is also a well known reality!

Society can put great expectations on us and if we take them on board we can then put great expectations on ourselves!

Only the other day I learnt that many young Japanese students commit suicide when their school grades drop.

What a sad reality!

In our western society great expectations are put on people too. Expectations to succeed, to excel, to be perfect!

Jesus understands the world of expectations only too well!

You see He suffered the consequences of not meeting people’s expectations more than anybody.

The Messiah was expected to be a powerful king, not a humble carpenter’s son!

He wasn’t expected to go about doing miracles and befriending lepers and prostitutes and so ultimately they killed him!

Other people’s expectations can become a prison for us if we let it. We can become prisoners of religiosity rather than prisoners of christ!

It wouldn’t take a genius to figure that if Jesus was alive today that He’d be friends too with sinners and lepers and those on the margins!

If He was in London I’m sure He’d be friends with all the gays and trans and that He’d love them and help them!

The good news is that Jesus is alive today! He is alive in me and you and He is as alive in us as we allow Him to be!

The more we allow Jesus to be alive in our lives the more we will unsettle other people and their expectations!

They will judge us and condemn us and accuse us of all sorts of things from heresy to sin!

So what should we do?!

Easy, follow Jesus and do it anyway!

And so today, no matter what your position, priest or bishop or just a simple nobody like me; let’s not be ensnared prisoners of other people’s expectations but rather let us be free children of God’s love and of His expectations for our lives!

Romans 12:3

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.“

Have a free day!

Michael

Good morning!

Back in London and all is great! I’m on cooking duty tonight which stretches my abilities beyond frying eggs and toast!

After my trip to Ireland which was a roaring success an angry person scorned my mum!

“What sort of mother are you to rear a son like that?!”

Of course this sort of accusation comes from Satan who can’t stand to see families reconciling!

It got me thinking! What did local people say about Our Lady and how she reared Jesus?!

What sort of a mother didn’t teach her son to behave himself properly and to obey all the Jewish customs etc.

And as Jesus was dying on the cross, how many maybe scorned at her, mother of a criminal/ madman!

So it isn’t really surprising that if we choose to follow Jesus that we too will be insulted and so will our families as Satan does his best to divide!

My mum wasn’t perfect but she reared 6 kids and gave us all the opportunity to get educated and go to college. She was a very prayerful person and taught us from an early age to think for ourselves and to put God before our careers!

Certainly at the time we didn’t necessarily listen but the foundations were set for later when life got hard!

And so this morning as I ponder on this question with a confident and proud smile I answer it!

“My mum!!”

Yes she reared me, she thought me to think for myself and though we both went through very tough times both emotionally and spirituality we never gave up and came out the other end!

And so today I thank God for the gift of my mum and dad, I smile about the misunderstandings when my life changed and I pray that God will bless them abundantly today!

May the lord keep us humble and may we serve Him in truth, in word and in deed! May He protect us from all evil, jealousy and bitterness and may He fill our souls with love, joy and peace!

Bless you all and bless your mothers!

Michael

Last day here in Ennis where the temperatures have gone up that little bit more!

Toni made a new friend last night in the form of my cousin’s dog!

While I’ve been busy catching up with old friends and family!

Yesterday I met Josephine and Gerry! They were my teachers when I was a young boy in primary school and I couldn’t but smile at the circle of life and how things evolve!

In some ways education was what drove me away from my faith and down the road of careers, but on the other hand education is also what brought me right back to my faith too and so I thought it to be an amazing blessing to be there with Josephine and Gerry talking about my life and the full circle it’s put me through!

I was no angel in school which won’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows me now but I was a curious sort and it was my quest for truth and meaning that brought me to God!

These people were there when I made my first holy communion and confirmation and all of that meant very little to me and yet seeds were obviously sown that somehow made the foundation for my conversion.

You see I never questioned God existing or God being good and I think that was due to all these very honest reliable people that surrounded my childhood!

Never in a million years would I have thought that I’d be back in this area talking about God…the joke is certainly on me but so is the blessing!

On one hand my life went very wrong very early but on the other it means that I’ve been given a headstart and that’s very humbling! I could still be in Dublin now working as an actuary with no real understanding of what it’s all about popping into church at Christmas and Easter!

And so this morning I reflect on the full circle of life and how God really does bring good out of what seem like the worst things.

I thank God for all the teachers I had and the protected and safe childhood he gave me and I pray that more and more people of my age and younger will find their way back to the truth of faith and spirituality and the merciful heart of Jesus’ who is thirsting to bless and guide each and every one of them!

Thank you Co. Clare!!

Michael

Happy Monday morning from Ireland which could be renamed Iceland at the moment!

Yesterday I went out to visit my parents and 3 of my siblings were there. I guess it’s been about 3 years since I saw 2 of them and they are all doing well!

My mum is a great cook and on Sunday’s we have lamb! That said as I child that didn’t impress me much!!

Toni who already visited before went straight for the cats! He loves animals, I don’t have that charism…I find angels far less hard work, more intelligent and less expensive!!

It was nice to spend a few hours with them all and catch up!

This morning I was thinking. When I was an actuary my parents didn’t know much about it other than it was a specialised job in insurance, in some ways it’s the same now! They know I do something that helps others and that it’s connected to the church and prayer but they don’t understand the details!

How much time I have wasted over the years trying to explain to them what ultimately they’ll never understand and what they don’t even need to understand!

How often do we put understanding in front of love and charity and our pride in front of Jesus’ humility!

And so today is Monday and I’ve just got today and tomorrow left!

I’m very grateful to God for the few days and to life for growing me so much!

I will meet a few more friends over the day and of course spend time in prayer where ‘the Boss’ will instruct me!!

Thank you all for your prayers and let’s remember today that only God understands us fully and that’s why He invites us to prayer every day where He can fill our hearts with His love and guidance and friendship!

Jesus, help us to pray and to expect less from others and more from you!

Bless you all

Michael

Good morning from Antarctica where it’s freezing cold!

Yesterday we visited the very famous cliffs of moher!

Stunning beauty…and the cliffs aren’t bad either!

Sadly The cliffs are very famous for 2 reasons! One being their beauty and two being for committing suicide!

Every year many people jump off while accidental deaths are not uncommon too with people going too close to the edge to take pictures and then falling in!

(farewell Toni!!)

But on a serious note it does call us to praying and reaching out to those on the edge sort of speak.

As you visit the cliffs and ponder this you can’t be but shocked by the desperation that could take over a person to do such a thing.

Falling from such a height to be crushed more than likely with the rocks before drowning if you weren’t dead already.

My friend Padraig told me about a lady who did it not so long ago and she was afraid of heights!

I can only imagine her agony as she crawled over and I’m 100 % sure God’s mercy surrounded her.

And so as Harry and Megan have now to get a job..

So too do a lot of people today find themselves in very difficult situations and need help.

Some are recovering addicts still struggling with their demons, others have lost someone and can’t get over it, others are burnt out from working…..the list goes on.

And so today please spare a prayer for all those people struggling with suicide. Reach out, share hope and love and remind them that they are loved by God!

Jesus saved these 2 guys from suicide..let’s help Him save more!

Bless!

Michael

Good morning from Ennis where the craic is mighty (craic being the irish word for fun and not drugs!!)

Ever noticed when you go back to your home town that if feels smaller?!

Ennis which felt like a big city to me as a child feels so small and yet is a refreshing contrast to living in London where I’m lost!

As I sat having a tea yesterday in the familiar Dunnes shopping centre, a familiar woman walked by! I’d seen her before, recognized her instantaneously, she’s my mum!

Another minute or two passed by and my dad spotted me!

My mum had been too busy shopping to spot me but my dad who rather like myself at this stage has no interest in shopping (as he has to pay for it!!) spotted me immediately!

So over he came and it was really good to see him and even more amusing as it was all unplanned! Of course God can plan things better than we ever could!

So my dad calls my mum and mum’s being more practical gave Toni and I €50 for food!!

It hit me the complementarity between the two of them and how they both love me in their own way!

I suppose it’s all the healing I’ve got myself over the years but it was like old times and I guess those deep parts of my soul have accepted that they don’t need to understand me to love me nor do I even need to understand myself fully for that matter!

And so after a big feed of lasagne (on a Friday!!) I was ready to meet my other friends!

Of course I visited my best friend before all that. He lives in a small chapel beside the cathedral and we had a good chat after I ate His body in mass beforehand!

What a friend we have in Jesus and how real He is!

So I skipped about town visiting all my old haunts! The poor Claire’s, the Franciscan’s, the coffee shop, the cathedral, the pub!

It’s always fun to have such a mix of friends and I’ve never been one to be contained in church circles where eternity can seem short when the rosaries start!

Quality over quantity I say and God seems to agree as He leads me on!

And so here I am this morning thanking Jesus from the bottom of my heart for the gift of life, for the gift of family and for the gift of friends and strangers!

Life is beautiful, life is a gift and life is to be lived to the full to give glory to Jesus our saviour who crushed death and calls us to newness of life and love every day!

Bless you all and never ever give up on your dreams or limit God’s power to transform your life!

Michael