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Weekly
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Hello Everyone,
Today, Tuesday 17th June we have 864 people from all over the world and from many Christian and some non-Christian denominations joining together in prayer. This week's reflections are short and sweet and very profound when you look at them from every angle. They come from G. K. Chesterton and a very holy Priest called the Curé of Ars. I've been travelling all weekend, visiting 12 of Ireland's Cathedrals throughout the southern part of Ireland. The focus being on 'Christ at the Centre'. Sadly, many of our churches have removed the tabernacle from the main altar, removing Him from the centre. Icouldn't visit every church on this island so decided to go to the Cathedrals instead. Church architecture is one of the areas covered in our research. What a weekend it turned out to be. The magnificent and most beautiful Cathedral in Cobh, County Cork, would stand proud next to some of the great Gothic Cathedrals of France and other parts of Europe. Here God can be worshipped in glory and one can understand why the Divine Architect laid down such explicit plans for the Ark of the Covenant in both the Book of Exodus and the Book of Leviticus. Many of our modern churches have lost much beauty and the aura of holiness in their plain and dreary design. They often don't lend themselves to an atmosphere of worship. I had a business meeting in Kilkenny on Saturday and as I was travelling alone decided to take in all of the Cathedrals south of the Galway to Wexford line. I stayed in Eniscorthy on Saturday night and drove on to Dungarvan where I joined the community for the Mass of Trinity Sunday. Isn't it marvellous that no matter where in the world we go we can all share in the same worship, the same Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the same communion with Christ! This lovely parish has no choir so Father uses piped music instead. After Holy Communion we heard Panis Angelicus and it sprung me right back to the choir loft in my Birmingham parish where I used to sing in the choir over 35 years ago. Memory is lovely at times! I was delayed in Cork city, only to find the Cathedral closed, when I arrived there at lunchtime on Sunday - a sign of the times perhaps where even Church property is no longer safe from break-ins? It meant a stay in Skibereen on Sunday night and an early morning start from there to Killarney and Limerick. But what providence that turned out to be. Mass was said by a lovely young American Priest and for the first time in over 30 years I heard the Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel, Guardian Angel of the Church, prayed after Holy Communion. So there I had two wonderful memories of years ago. As Sunday was the Feast of The Holy Trinity I came across a lovely explanation of the mystery of the Three Persons in One God told to us by Father McGinity in his prayer book Pray, Pray, Pray. In it he tells of a school teacher who uses water as the example. He speaks about chemistry and the three forms of water - liquid when as pure water, solid when frozen as ice and gas when boiled as steam. All the same substance of water yet in three different forms. June is traditionally the month dedicated to the Sacred Heart. When we think about the heart it brings to mind all sorts of emotions - love, compassion, fear, despair, joy, anger. It is the most vital organ in the body and yet is only the size of a clenched fist. On the cross the heart of Jesus was pierced by the sword of Longinus rather than the breaking of the lower limbs as was the Roman tradition. This fulfilled the prophesies spoken about in Saint John's Gospel: "These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken,"[ 19:36 Exodus 12:46; Num. 9:12; Psalm 34:20] John 19:36 What was extraordinary was the gush of blood and water. It was to be the cause of the centurion Longinus' conversion. It signalled salvation through the water of baptism and redemption through the Blood of Christ. So, the Sacred Heart deserves adoration, because it gave of its last drop for us all. For those interested, there is a nine-day novena to the Sacred Heart starting on Thursday June 19th and available on the website with a collection of other novenas: http://www.circleofprayer.com/novenas.html All of the Reflections to date are available to read on the website for anyone who's interested and can be found at: http://www.circleofprayer.com/archives.html The Weekly Intentions are available on a plain page to be able to print off and kept to hand for your own prayer time. The list has become too long now to include each week but please say the two wee prayers below. The Loving Father knows the heart of each person requesting prayer. http://www.circleofprayer.com/weekly-intentions.html "Father, bless all those who have requested prayers in whatever it is that You know they may be needing this day! Father, we ask You to heal the broken bodies, broken minds, broken spirits, broken hearts and broken relationships and may all their lives be full of Your peace, prosperity, and power as they seek to have a close relationship with You. Amen." "Thank You Jesus for answering our prayers because we know You hear every prayer and never refuse to answer. You are providing answers and healings from the prayers of all these wonderful people. Praise God!" "Breathe in me O Holy Spirit that my thoughts may all be holy; Act in me O Holy Spirit that my work, too, may be holy; Strengthen me O Holy Spirit to defend all that is holy; Guard me then O Holy Spirit that I always may be holy." "O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me, tell me what I should do. Give me Your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me and to accept all that You permit to happen to me. Let me only know Your will. Amen" God Bless you all for praying for and with each other and may the Holy Spirit ever be your guide, Mary in Galway ************************************************** G. K. Chesterton "When a society stops believing in God it will believe in anything." The Curé of Ars "Instead of raising your voice in the newspapers, raise it before the door of the tabernacle." God Bless you all. Mary in Galway |
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