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Praying Together 4th May 2025

Praying Together 4th May 2025

by | May 4, 2025 | Pray Together, St Patrick's Church Kenmare News

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Meditation for Easter 3

Collect

Almighty Father, who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples with the sight of the risen Lord: Give us such knowledge of his presence with us, that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life and serve you continually in righteousness and truth; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Acts 9: 1-9 Saul’s Conversion

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

“Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

John 21: 15-19

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep.

Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.’ (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’

Forgiving and being Forgiven

Degrees of hurt: Ignorance, Carelessness, Insult, Treachery, Psychological harm, Physical Harm.

It is a well-known fact that forgiving those who have caused you damage – to whatever degree – is a major contribution to recovery. I read that Neville Lawrence, whose son Stephen was killed by a mindless group of racist thugs, had eventually decided to forgive his son’s killers because ‘it was a heavy load to carry around.’ Even though it is hard enough to forgive those who have hurt you, it must be especially difficult to forgive those who have hurt someone you love.

Even more moving, with amazing dignity and grace, Esther Ghey, whose daughter Brianna Ghey was murdered by Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe in a premeditated attack in a Warrington park in 2023, has revealed that she now considers Emma Jenkinson, the mother of her daughter’s killer “a friend”. “We have both lost a child”, she said.

But difficult as it is to forgive, it is even harder to be forgiven – even though words of forgiveness have been offered, there will be times during early sleepless hours of wondering whether it will ever be possible to forgive oneself. Some people try to punish themselves, but the punishment can never be enough. Some people throw themselves into Caring roles or Charity work – but at the back of the mind, there is always a niggling reminder that things done can never be undone, and that no amount of punishment will change the past.

We look to Peter’s betrayal, Paul’s persecution of the early Christians, John Newton’s slave trading; examples of deep hurt against the Kingdom. And yet they were able to put their past behind and fulfil their calling. They realised that the only complete and satisfactory penance can never be restitution of the act itself, but the expiation of the sin that caused that act. That can only happen at the foot of the Cross, and it alone is effective and sufficient.

In the meanwhile, we forgive others, and thank the Lord that our own forgiveness comes through Him. Whatever we’ve done. Whoever we are. We are forgiven.

How many times?

I held the hammer. I hit the nails squarely.
The hands that made me, I slammed iron through.
I am sorry, Lord. Lord, what of me? I forgive you.

I condemned Him. I lied so they would convict Him
I perjured myself in His Presence.
I am sorry, Lord. Lord, what of me? I forgive you.

I broke His law. I ate, and watched other starve.
I drank while I saw them die of thirst.
I am sorry, Lord. Lord, what of me? I forgive you.

I was atheist. I searched; I weighed the evidence.
I could not (perhaps would not?) believe. I denied you.
I am sorry, Lord, Lord, what of me? I forgive you.

I stole. I saw what the rich had, and I envied them.
What was theirs, I took.
I am sorry, Lord. Lord, what of me? I forgive you.

I killed. In cold blood, I slew a man.
I thought my prosperity more important than his life.
I am sorry, Lord. Lord, what of me? I forgive you.

I was the prostitute.
There was nothing I would not do…
… did not do, for money.
I am sorry, Lord. Don’t worry about me,
but Lord, what of my child? I forgive you.

I heard what you said, but of course, I don’t actually need you.
I never hurt anyone. I’m much better than all those other people.
I didn’t do anything nearly as bad.
I don’t really know much about you, but you can’t blame me for that.
I never had time to think about you, you see. Perhaps when I’m older.
Religion’s really only for children and old people, isn’t it?
And if you’re true, you’ll make sure I’m alright anyway.
So what about me?
I said, what about me?

What about me???

ANSWER ME!

HOW DARE YOU IGNORE ME!

JESUS CHRIST, MAN, WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?

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Praying Together April 27th 2025

Praying Together April 27th 2025

by | Apr 27, 2025 | Pray Together, St Patrick's Church Kenmare News

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Meditation for Easter 2

Collect

Almighty Father, you have given your only Son to die for our sins and to rise again for our justification: Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

Matthew 23:11-39

The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are.

“Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gold of the temple is bound by that oath.’ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred? You also say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but anyone who swears by the gift on the altar is bound by that oath.’ You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it. And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God’s throne and by the one who sits on it.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ So you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Go ahead, then, and complete what your ancestors started!

“You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come on this generation.

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’

The passage from Matthew’s Gospel gives a warning and example against which every Christian teacher and leader must be tested. As fallen humans, everyone will fall short of perfection– but we can measure lives against it.

As Christians irrespective of doctrine – and people of all faiths and none, for that matter – it would be wrong not to consider the life of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the very first Jesuit Pope, and respond to his leadership. His choice and adoption of the name Francis was highly significant, signalling the foundation and vision of his papacy.

esuit Catholicism emphasises social justice and an engagement with the world, particularly the poor and the dispossessed, recognising the face of Christ in each and every human being. Jesuits are committed to education, particularly in marginalised communities, and there is a fundamental belief in the need to preserve and nurture the beauty of creation. Additionally, Jesuits seek to find common ground with other faith traditions, exploring interfaith dialogue and collaboration. All of these attributes were clearly demonstrated in Francis’ life and ministry.
It is no wonder, then, that within the Roman Catholic Church, Francis met considerable opposition from those who wish to preserve the traditionalist hierarchy and formality – certainly not a majority, but a significant enough number, especially in senior roles, to generate concern that the next Pontiff would be chosen with a view to reversing some of the recent reforms in the practice of Catholicism – and it has become increasingly clear that in fact, there is still much reform needed. Going back to a strict old-style magisterium is unlikely to bring healing to those who have left a Church that has been party to covering up abuse and which refuses to accept the reality of modern society.

It is not for me as an Anglican to comment or criticise the selection process that will choose the one who will follow Francis– that is a matter for Roman Catholics alone. But it doesn’t stop me praying that whoever is chosen will have the same heart as his predecessor and continue to preach the Gospel of love and service and to live as Christ’s body in his ministry. Francis will be a hard act to follow. We give thanks for his life and pray for his successor.

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Praying Together 20th April 2025

Praying Together 20th April 2025

by | Apr 19, 2025 | Pray Together, St Patrick's Church Kenmare News

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Meditation for Easter

Collects

Almighty God, through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ you have overcome death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that, as by your grace going before us you put into our minds good desires, so by your continual help we may bring them to good effect; through Jesus Christ our risen Lord who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Good Friday – the Passion. Matthew 27:45-51

From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, ‘This man is calling for Elijah.’ At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. But the others said, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.’ Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split.

John Donne’s poem ‘Good Friday 1613. Riding Westward’ describes his emotions as he turns his back on the crucified Christ – not because he doesn’t believe – but because he does, and he can’t bear the pain of watching Christ’s agony. He rides away, hoping that in concentrating on worldly things, he will be able to dismiss the thoughts of Jesus’ death – but he can’t. He feels that his sins must first be punished – and this can happen through grace alone as his Redeemer takes those sins to the Cross. And he realises that through Christ, and only through Christ, will he be able to see his Saviour’s face as the curtain of separation is torn in two.

Donne’s life changed that day as he understood that his spiritual life was more important than anything the secular life could offer.

So many others have experienced a life-changing moment as they encounter Christ face-to-face in the strangest places. Donne was riding from Warwickshire to Wales. Paul’s life changed on the road to Damascus as he left behind the restricting fog of rules and regulation and chose the fresh air of freedom. John Wesley felt the warmth of the Spirit as he encountered Christ in a profound new understanding at a meeting in Aldersgate he really didn’t want to attend. C.S.Lewis’ reluctant acceptance of Christ took place on a bus ride in Oxford.

On the most dramatic and significant Friday in the history of the World, the curtain of the Temple was torn in two. We have a choice. Do we turn our back, frightened to see the face of Christ, or do we walk past the curtain to greet Him and welcome Him into the centre of our being?

This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live

Deuteronomy 30:19

Easter Day – Resurrection. Luke 24:1-12

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Lord God, early in the morning, when the world was young, you made life in all its beauty and terror; you gave birth to all that we know: sky and seas; plants and trees; bodies of light in the sky; creatures of the land, water, and air; man and woman.

Early in the morning, when the world least expected it, a newborn child crying in a cradle announced that you had come among us, that you were one of us. The angels proclaimed it, the shepherds heard it, and in obedience . . . worshipped.

Years later, early in the morning, surrounded by respectable liars, religious leaders, anxious statesmen, and silent friends, you accepted the penalty for doing good, for being God: You shouldered and suffered the cross, and with the words, “It is finished!” you put an end to our hopeless state of death, giving instead the promise of salvation and life.

Early in the morning, a voice in a guarded graveyard, empty cloths and footsteps in the dew proved that you had risen, that you had come back to those and for those who had forgotten, denied, and destroyed you. God raised Jesus from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Early in the morning, the body of believers gather together, one in faith and hope, one in purpose: To believe in and worship you, the one Lord, Jesus Christ, To live forgiven and thankful lives, and to celebrate the victory over death and the promise of eternal life.

So together, morning, noon and night, we shout Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Go, in awe of the creation, incarnation, death, and resurrection of our God and give thanks that God has raised Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses to the fact. Amen. He is risen!

Author unknown

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Praying Together 13th April 2025

Praying Together 13th April 2025

by | Apr 12, 2025 | Pray Together, St Patrick's Church Kenmare News

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Meditation for Palm Sunday

Collects

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing that you have made and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may receive from you, the God of all  mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Luke 19: 28-40

Jesus went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.

When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, “Why are you untying it?” just say this: “The Lord needs it.” ’ So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ They said, ‘The Lord needs it.’ Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, saying,

‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!

Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!’

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, ‘Teacher, order your disciples to stop.’ He answered, ‘I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.’

There are numerous stories of self-sacrifice in history – Captain Oakes, the Chernobyl Three, the people of the Derbyshire village of Eyam to name but a few out of many. Out of gratitude and thanksgiving, we should never forget their action of putting the life of others before their own.

And in literature, for me, the most moving description of loving self-sacrifice comes at the end of Charles Dickens ‘A Tale of two Cities’, describing the thoughts of Sydney Carton on his journey to the Guillotine to take the place of his rival Charles Darnay, out of love for Lucie, Darnay’s wife.

‘They said of him, about the city that night, that it was the peacefullest man’s face ever beheld there. Many added that he looked sublime and prophetic’.

There is no doubt in my mind that Dickens was inspired by his knowledge of the story of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem in Luke’s Gospel.

We close our eyes, and it is Jesus’ face we now see, just as in turn He sees the faces in the cheering crowd who will soon be demanding His Crucifixion. He knows that this journey will end in humiliation, pain and death – but He rides on in love, not just for a few, but for the whole of humankind, including those who do not love Him.

He climbs His cross in our stead. He is sinless, we were not – but He takes our sin unto Himself, allowing us the freedom to choose to serve His purpose rather than our own – no amount of self-sacrifice on our individual part can ever equal His, but as we work together as one with His people worldwide, we can make the difference needed to bring in His Kingdom of peace and love.

We can do far, far better things… …with His help.

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Praying Together 6th April 2025

Praying Together 6th April 2025

by | Apr 6, 2025 | Pray Together, St Patrick's Church Kenmare News

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Meditation for the Fifth Sunday in Lent

Passion Sunday

Collects

Most merciful God, who by the death and resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ delivered and saved the world: Grant that by faith in him who suffered on the cross, we may triumph in the power of his victory;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Almighty and everlasting God, you hate nothing that you have made and forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts that we, worthily lamenting our sins and acknowledging our wretchedness, may receive from you, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Phillippians 3: 4b-14

I have reason for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

In the film ‘Chariots of fire, there is a scene where Harold Abrahams is distraught at having lost a race he felt he should have won because he looked over his shoulder at his opponent. “I had to look for him. It’s absolutely
fundamental. You never look.”

It doesn’t matter what we are trying to do – we allow ourselves to be distracted and in that instant, we lose sight of the finish line.

It’s so tempting. I glance over my shoulder to see how the next man is doing –is he working as hard as me? And is he getting the same reward, even though he’s not putting in half as much effort?

Or when I’m trying to get something urgent finished – the smell of fresh coffee destroys my concentration.

There is one unfailing way of making sure you hit the boundary – ‘Watch the ball’, said every coach since the dawn of time. But we don’t, and we hear that horrible sound of tumbling wickets.

St Paul doesn’t mention sport, but I think it was in his mind when he wrote to the Philippians about focussing on the highest priority of them all, the objective, the finish line: knowing Jesus, and as His body, bringing in the Kingdom. That’s the objective, the finish tape. The task that Jesus calls me to do.

“Me?” I say. “I’m nowhere near good enough. There are too many other important things that get in the way.”

“Yes, You” says the Lord. “You might not be good enough in your own strength. But if you let me, I’ll be with you all the way. You’ll have to train hard. You’ll make many mistakes, and you’ll fall down often – especially if you lose sight of the prize above all prizes and let the world take hold of your determination. But if every time, you get up and start again, letting everything else go, you’ll make it to the tape. Just trust me.“

In the same film, in the pouring rain, Eric Liddell speaks to the crowd that have seen him win a race.

“Who am I to say, “Believe, have faith,” in the face of life’s realities? I would like to give you something more permanent, but I can only point the way. I have no formula for winning the race. Everyone runs in her own way, or his own way. And where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within. Jesus said, ‘Behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. If with all your hearts, you truly seek me, you shall ever surely find me.’ If you commit yourself to the love of Christ, then that is how you run a straight race.”

And a final quote from another gold medallist, the sprinter Carl Lewis – ‘If you don’t have confidence, you’ll always find a way not to win’

 

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