Good Night Blessing - Psalm 30 reflection

In times of need

Abraham - Liverpool Christ the King

In your great heart I place my own, O Lord

Let the rhythm of my life follow your desire.

In your knowing of me 

Let me know myself

Feel the flutterings of fear, O Lord

As a fledging shivers for its mother

Let your wings be a shield around me

Holding me close

You are all and everything to me, O Lord 

Gatekeeper and shepherd you lead me home

I fear neither the howling of wolves 

nor shrieks of carrion birds

Your arm defends me

Into your great heart I place my own, O Lord

In your knowing of me 

Let me know myself

Blessed be

wordinthehand2012

Feast of Brendan the Navigator

St. Brendan of Ardfert and Clonfert, known also as Brendan the Voyager, was born  near the present city of Tralee, County Kerry, in 484; he died at Enachduin, now Annaghdown, in 577. 


For five years he was educated under St. Ita, "the Brigid of Munster", and he completed his studies under St. Erc, who ordained him in 512. Between the years 512 and 530 St. Brendan built monastic cells at Ardfert, and at Shanakeel or Baalynevinoorach, at the foot of Brandon Hill. It was from here that he set out on his famous seven year voyage for the Land of Delight together with anything from eighteen to one hundred and fifty brother monks.


The old Irish Calendars assigned a special feast for the "Egressio familiae S. Brendani", on 22 March; and St Aengus the Culdee, in his Litany, at the close of the eighth century, invokes "the sixty who accompanied St. Brendan in his quest of the Land of Promise". As part of the journey, it is said that he and his monks came to ground on a small island that was actually the back of a great whale. Whether the journey was factual, geographical, spiritual or legend is continually under debate. Many historians and archaeologists offer their theories whilst navigators, shipwrights and sailors test their own skills to prove or disprove the tales. Perhaps their first question should not be 'is it true?' but rather 'what does this tell us?'. 


The inspiration of the voyage, brought pilgrims and students flocking to Ardfert. In a few years, many religious houses were formed at Gallerus, Kilmalchedor, Brandon Hill, and the Blasquet Islands, in order to care for those who came for spiritual guidance to St. Brendan.


Having established the See of Ardfert, St. Brendan proceeded to Thomond, and founded a monasteryat Inis-da-druim. He then journeyed to Wales, and to Iona. After a three years' mission in Britain he returned to Ireland, and followed his missionary path to Leinster, especially at Dysart,Killiney, and Brandon Hill. He founded the Sees of Ardfert, and of Annaghdown, and established churches at Inchiquin, County Galway, and at Inishglora, County Mayo. 


After his death,  St. Brendan was buried in Clonfert, and his feast is kept on 16th May.

A Brendan Blessing

May your life be held in the coracle of the Father's hand

May His vision be your sextant and compass 

May His Creation be a wonder to your eyes

May your life be held in the nets of His gentle Son

May his friendship be your crew and your navigator

May his peace be your food and your drink

May your life be held in the sails of the Spirit's breath

May her light be your stars and your charts

May she guide you through doldrums and storms 

May your journey be blessed by the Sacred Three

May you set forth each day for the Kingdom

May your heart be restless 'til you reach the Western shore

Blessed be

wordinthehand2012

Sanctuary of the Lord

Drawn from Psalm 46

I rest in the Sanctuary of the Lord

Knowing that God alone is my refuge.

I am deafened by the worlds demands

Overwhelmed by its rages and torments

The seas swell and the mountains quake

The uproar of mans greed echoes through the night

Angry voices call out for revenge

Broken hearts for rescue.

But not here

Here is a Holy Place

This, my refuge

Deep as a mountain pool

Hopeful as the dawn sun

The home of the Most High

Heart’s ease is here

Soul’s friend is here

Spirit’s food is here

My Lord and my God

The Lord speaks and the world melts away

Be still and know that I am God

Be still and know

Be still

wordinthehand2012

Blessing of the Willow

Blessing of the Willow 

I have gathered my prayers

Rich sans script text on cotton rag

Bound in tooled Italian calfskin

Attributed, acknowledged, abridged

But not what I wanted to pray.

I have gathered my prayers

Iconic imagery in detailed stone,

Paint on canvas, hand carved wood.

Visualised, tactile, idealised

Yet not what I wanted to pray.

I have gathered my prayers

Exotic incenses, fragrant candles,

Oriental oils and balms

Perfumed, aromatic, miasmic

Still not what I wanted to pray.

I stood at the window

Dumbstruck, tongue-tied

Full of unspeakable words

And I saw her in the garden

Praying.

Complete in herself

Firmly planted in the earth that

Gave her life.

Arms raised to the light of Heaven.

Bare faced against the elements.

I watched as her heart called out

To the God who made her

In joyful thanks

For her place in the Pattern

For her chord in the Song.

I felt the Spirit bless her

Loving fingers through her hair

Along the length of her body

Whispering Creation’s secrets

Sharing in the Word of Life.

Then I went into the garden

Words pouring from heart and mind

A true call from self, from longing

I spread my arms beside the willow tree

And joined her in her prayer.

wordinthehand2012

Shield of the Morning

Be my Shield

I call on the Sacred Three

To be with me this day

To be Life so that I may live

To be Love so that I may love

To be Hope so that I may hope

I call upon the Father

To be my shield and my breastplate

To give me the strength to do my duty

As the defender of what is true

And to know my duty is to Life

To protect the weak and the helpless

To seek the better Way.

I call upon the Son

To be my Path and my Pathfinder

To find the roads of the Kingdom

To give me a heart that sees the truth

In a world where truth is led astray

To see beneath the grime of distrust

To the shining light of goodness.

I call upon the Spirit

To be my eyes and my sentinel

To give me wisdom and courage

So that I may act with integrity

To be a hand of mercy

To bring hope in darkness

To do what is right

The Sacred Three to be with me

To be my shield

This day and forever.

Amen

wordinthehand2012

To the Holy Spirit

O Thou, far off and here, whole and broken

Who in necessity and in bounty wait,

Whose truth is light and dark, mute though spoken

By Thy wide grace show me Thy narrow gate.

Wendell Berry

Feast of St Laserian

                                                      

                

St. Laserian  was born around the year 566, the son of Cairel and Blitha,

of the Ulaid, Irish Celts. Laserian was sent to Scotland to be educated by the Abbot St Murin. 

As a young man he lived as a hermit on the Holy Island off  the Isle of Arran. This island became known as Molaise's island - Molaise is a 'pet name' for Lasieran. He worked many miracles there including bringing water to flow for the mill and there is a Holy Well still attributed with healing qualities. The water was also used to seal an oath and would cause an illness on anyone who broke it. 

This island is now owned by a Buddhist Community and used as a retreat centre and religious community - not to be confused with the Holy Island of Lindisfarne.
  

From Holy Island,  Laserian travelled to Rome. He was ordained by  Pope Gregory the Great. He then returned to Ireland.

God led him to found a monastic community at Old Leighlin in South Leinster. It's said that the local landowner promised him the amount of ground that his cloak would cover - when Laserian took off his cloak it spread to cover enough land for the building of his monastery.  St. Patrick too, is associated with Leighlin. There is a St. Patrick's Well at Ballyknockan near Leighlin. The monastery at Leighlin continued to grow and attracted the company of other holy men such as  St. Finbar of Cork and also St. Molua, who had a monastic settlement at Clonfertmulloe in County Laois.

A Synod was assembled in March 630, in the White Fields. St Laserian supported the Roman working of when to celebrate Easter against St Munnu.  St Laserian made another journey to Rome where Pope Honorius ordained him Bishop and legate in Ireland. After he returned, the time of observing Easter was reformed in the south of Ireland.

According to tradition, he is the Laisrén who is depicted in the Old Irish prose narrative The Vision of Laisrén, one of the earliest vernacular pieces of vision literature in Christian tradition. The legend tells of him leaving the monastery of Clúain to 'purify' the church of Clúain Cháin in Connaught. After a three nights' fast, his soul is taken up by two angels, who escort him to Hell to show him the horrors that await sinners. The angels explain to one devil that their guest is granted the vision in order that "he will give warning before us to his friends."

St. Laserian is said to have died between the years 638 and 641. A story concerning his death refers to his meeting with St. Sillán. The tradition tells that a person who would see Sillán's eyebrow would die immediately. St. Laserian on meeting with St. Sillán tried to pluck out the hair but he was struck down. This could be a variant of the "Evil Eye" tale in folklore. There is a variety of opinion as to where the Saint's resting place lies - some say he was buried under his church at Leighlin or under the High cross in Leighlin and others say that it may have been at Lorum. 

wordinthehand2012