Extra-Terrestrial Aliens from Outer-Space

 

The thing is: have we been visited by aliens from outer-space? Do they exist and are they living here amongst us hiding in plain sight?

Do they work from home? Is that why we don't see many of them in the streets? And if we saw them would we recognise them as aliens from outer space? Do they look different from us?

And do they have navels? That is important as it could be a distinguishing feature between them and us. That is if they look like us. Anyone without a navel is from another planet because they reproduce differently.

What if they look like an animal? A dog, cat, bird, pigeon, fish or whatever. What if your pet is in fact an alien from outer-space spying on you and sending messages to its home planet about you? Were you there at your pet's birth? No? So how can you be so sure it is not a space creature in pet form?

I say this because a friend of ours is convinced that aliens from outer-space have turned her husband into a carrot. She woke up one morning and her husband had gone. He hasn't been seen since. Instead, there beside her in bed was a giant carrot. She said it's not the same as cuddling in bed with her husband. 

The police suggested that maybe her husband just left her. Or he went on holiday without her. Which begs another question: where do aliens from outer-space go on holidays? Do they go somewhere sunny and hot? Or somewhere freezing cold? Or underwater perhaps? Do they like to eat foreign foods? But then, what foods do they eat? Pizza? 

Do they have tattoos? Why are they here? Do they like chocolates?

A scientist friend of mine who specialises in baking pizzas believes that we are all descendants from aliens from outer space. They visited us years ago when their own planet disintegrated like in the Superman story. They came here in their millions and we are their offspring.

Personally, I think he is wrong. I believe we have evolved from cauliflowers. You can tell by the similarities between us humans and cauliflowers. For example, many people are unable to think. Just like a cauliflower. It just sits there and does nothing. Just like humans do in front of the TV. 

So there you have it. We are either descendants from aliens from outer-space or we have evolved from cauliflowers. 

Science is undecided and awaiting a decision from AI.

Hot Hot Hot

It's been very hot here lately. No doubt it's the same where you are, unless you happen to be in the North or South Pole sitting on a block of ice taking photos of the environment around you. In which case you'll develop polaroids.   

Anyway, it's been about 33*C in the shade over here. I stayed out of the shade. 

The weather announcer in a bikini said it'll get warmer. I don't think weathermen should wear bikinis, do you? In fact no men should wear a bikini in public. Nor shorts. Over here men wear shorts and sandals and socks. Can you imagine? Sandals with socks.

When it gets this hot people find it difficult to breeze and can get dizzy. This is because the oxygen molecules in the air are further apart when it's hot. So your nose is out there hunting the molecules before someone else gets them first. 

The population of the earth is over 8 billion people. That is not counting animals and birds and insects also searching and breathing the oxygen molecules in the air. If the world gets any more crowded, and it gets even hotter, only the tall people will survive because they'll catch the few molecules first as they fall down from the sky. Short people will be in trouble because they can't keep their noses out of peoples' private business.

Scientists predict that the human body will evolve and we'll grow bigger noses to the point we'll all look like elephants. We'll point our trunks up to the sky and compete for the few oxygen molecules floating about. This will make it difficult for those wearing glasses because they won't fit over the bridge of your trunk.

People with turned up noses, like Miss Piggy or that woman in church who looks down at me in disdain, are in further risk, because if it rains they'll probably drown.     

Experts say this is a sign of the end of time. The planet is getting warmer, this will melt the ice cap, the sea levels will go up ... and so on ... and on. Personally, I think that if the sea levels go up then more of us will live near the beach and house prices will rocket up.

Here in the UK it got so hot there was a shortage of ice cream. 

The birds were using a jack-hammer to dig worms from the ground and the chickens in our back yard were laying fried eggs this morning. In our pond the fish were parboiled and ready to eat. The trees were so parched they were fighting over our dog.

I went to the beach to cool off. Have you noticed that when wearing a bikini, women reveal 94% of their body? I was too polite and only looked at the covered parts.

Which raises another point: Is it OK for Christian women to wear bikinis? Or any swimsuits? What does the Bible say about dressing modestly?

How about men in tiny shorts and swimming trunks? What is the acceptable attire on the beach for a Christian? (I wear a three-piece pin-striped suit and a bowler hat.)

How about nudist beaches? Can a Christian be a naturist? (I shower at home fully clothed.)

I think all this heat is melting my brain.

Why did Jesus heal people?

 

Why did Jesus heal people? Was it because He had pity on them and He cared and loved them; or was there another reason? Let us read this (abridged) story from the Gospel of John Chapter 9 onwards:

As He went along, He saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him ... While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

After saying this, He spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” He told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam”. So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

His neighbours and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” ... .... ... But he himself insisted, “I am the man.” ... ... ...

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind ... ... .... He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become His disciples too?”

Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, (Jesus), we don’t even know where He comes from.”

The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where He comes from, yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does His will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”

To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

“Who is He, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in Him.”

Jesus said, “You have now seen Him; in fact, He is the one speaking with you.”

Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshipped Him.

Jesus said, “For judgement I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

Some Pharisees who were with Him heard Him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

The important lesson from this reading is that Jesus asked the blind man, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" That is: Do you believe in Me as being the Son of God?      

Then He adds, "I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind." Meaning, there are many who know and accept that I am the Son of God yet they deny it publicly.  

The Pharisees get His message and ask, "Are we blind too?" To which Jesus replies, "If you were (spiritually) blind - i.e. you did not know any better, you would not be guilty of sin. But since you claim you can see, (i.e. you know and understand who I am), then you are guilty."

Time and again when performing miracles, Jesus asks people if they believe in Him as the Son of God.

When He was told of Lazarus' death He said, "This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it." (John 11:3 onwards). Later He says to Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" She said to Him, "Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world." 

When the tomb of Lazarus was opened Jesus said for all to hear, "Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me."

And again in Mark 9:16 when  He meets the man with a son possessed with an evil spirit. Jesus checks the man's faith by asking "If I can?". "All things are possible to him who believes!"

To which the man responds the immortal words, "I do believe; help my unbelief!" Confirming that he believes in who Jesus is.

Every time Jesus performed a miracle it was to glorify God and to prove His credentials as the Son of God. Turning water into wine, feeding the thousands, calming the sea, walking on water.  

Of course, He cared for the suffering and the plight of the people. He loved and cared for them; but underlining His miracles was the desire to show us that He was/is the Son of God. Time and again He said, "Your Faith has saved you!" Meaning, your Faith in me that I am the Son of God has saved you.

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 

The truth is the truth. Whether you believe it or not, it does not change it from being the truth. 

Jesus said no one comes to the Father except through Him.

We have to decide whether we believe Him ... or not.

Visit to the zoo

 

You know how it's like. If you have young ones in the family there will also be a visit to the zoo. 

I don't like zoos. I know they do a lot of good work with preservation of rare species, education, breeding and so on. I find them boring because of the sheer number of exhibits one has to visit and admire. 

For example snakes - they sit there motionless in a glass tank in what looks like their natural habitat and you stop and gawp for a few minutes before moving on to the next snake of different size or colour. Then the next one, and the next, and so on. 

Same with insects; you look at the stick insect, then the centipede, the cockroach, the earwig and the next insect and so on. 

Another motionless creature is the penguin. They all stand there beside their pool looking at you looking at them. A friend of mine used to work in the penguin enclosure. Apparently, when an air-plane flies by very high in the sky, usually very slowly because of its height, all the penguins look up with their beaks in the air and they follow the trajectory of the plane as it flies slowly overhead. As they lean back ever more they fall over on their back. My friend used to come out and pick them up again.

Then there's the giraffe. What a silly looking animal with such long legs and a head up in the cloud with a superiority complex. I'm not sure what it's so proud about. A word of advice my friends. If you're ever in the zoo do not stand too close to the giraffe's barrier separating you from the animal. Should it relieve itself you won't smell so good afterwards as well as being wet.

I think zoos should only have five animals. The rest are a total unnecessary waste. Children go to zoos to see the lion, the tiger, the elephant, the giraffe and of course the monkeys. The rest are not important. 

Who really cares about going to the zoo and seeing a tortoise? Or a frog? Or snakes?

In one enclosure there was a solitary pig and the notice on the metal barrier "Gloucestershire Old Spots". It explained that it was a rare breed and the zoo were trying to get them to breed and save them from extinction through artificial insemination. I noticed that this lone pig had only three legs, so I asked his keeper who was there cleaning the cage whether the pig had been injured. "No," he replied, "when you have such a rare pig you don't eat him all at once!"

No trip to the zoo is complete without the obligatory visit to the gift shop. They had all kinds of toys. Cuddly bears and lions and tigers, as well as masks of various creatures, and model animals and this and that. 

I asked the assistant if she had a stuffed toy fly. She looked at me with the same air of puzzlement you'd get from a penguin. I explained that I had seen a fly on an apple earlier on in the birds' enclosure and I would like as a souvenir of my visit to the zoo to purchase a stuffed toy fly. She asked the manageress who assured me that there is not much demand for such toys and would a toy hippopotamus do instead? How stupid can they get? Have you ever seen a hippopotamus buzzing around a half-eaten apple?

The Real Presence

 

What does

The Real Presence

mean?

CLICK HERE 

Sermons for Children

 

 

Children's Homilies for Every Sunday

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 979-8288219498

Helping Children Discover the Joy of the Gospel

Many parents, teachers, and catechists long for a way to help children prepare meaningfully for Sunday Mass. This book of simple homilies—one for each Sunday of the liturgical year—answers that need. Written with warmth, clarity, and a deep love for the Word of God, these reflections invite children to listen, understand, and live the Gospel in their daily lives.

Each homily includes a story to capture young hearts, a simple lesson to ponder, and often even a song or prayer to remember. Yet, as several readers have said, "We adults have learned something too!"

Whether you're sharing these homilies in the classroom, at home, or in church, you’ll find here a faithful companion for the journey through the Church year—one that draws children closer to Jesus, and gently teaches the treasures of our Catholic faith.

fatherfrancismaple.co.uk

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Talking to pets

 

Do you ever engage in a conversation with your pet?

Let's imagine this conversation between an old lady living alone and her pet dog.

Old Lady: You know Fido, it's been very cold today. That's why I didn't take you for a walk.

Fido: (Getting up from his bed) She called my name. I think it's time for a walk. (Waggles his tail).

OL: No Fido ... we're not going out. I said it's too cold outside.

Fido: (Barks and runs round in circles in anticipation). Hooray ... we're going out ... we're going out. She said so!

OL: Sit down you silly dog. You're lovely really, but sometimes you act silly.

Fido: (Sits and waggles his tail happily). Perhaps she's going to feed me. Is it dinner time yet? What time is it? I wish I could tell the time. I know I'm hungry.

OL: What a good boy you are, Fido. Who's a good boy? You are. Yes, you are! You're my lovely little darling, aren't you? Yes you are ... you are!

Fido: Come on hurry up you daft bat. Give me something to eat!

OL: Perhaps we'll go out for a walk tomorrow. We'll go to the park and you'll meet that pretty lady dog! You like her don't you? Yes you do ... you do!

Fido: I'm getting fed up with this. Are you going to feed me or not?

OL: You're such a good companion Fido I could just kiss you right now. Yes I could ...

Fido: After I've licked my privates perhaps ... since you can't be bothered to feed me.

OL: Oh don't do that Fido. It's so uncouth. Here ... have a biscuit.

Fido: It seems to work every time. Whenever I start cleaning myself she gives me a biscuit. She's a glutton for cleanliness.

OL: OK ... that's enough biscuits for now. Go to bed and I'll make myself a cup of tea.

Fido: I want to go out now ... I'm dying for a pee.

OL: Oh stop jumping again ... I told you we can't go walkies today. It's too cold. Maybe tomorrow.

Fido: Open the door you old fool. I'm bursting here.

OL: I said stop jumping, Fido. Go to bed!

Fido: Open the back door and let me out in the garden you demented dumb ass. Or I'll do it all over your leg!

OL: Since you're being such a bad boy I'd better throw you out for a minute or so to cool off!

Fido: At last ... I could hold it no longer. Pity humans are too stupid and dim-witted to be trained to understand us pets.

Of mice and divorce

God called a meeting with Jesus to discuss the state of the world today. Also in attendance was Abraham, Moses and Peter the disciple and first leader of the Church on earth.

"I am very concerned about the behaviour of my children these days," God said opening the meeting, "there are many things they are doing wrong which displease Me; but today I would like us to focus on one issue - the way they handle marital matters and its faithfulness to one another.

"I have invited you here Abraham to gain an insight on relationships, especially in view of your marital arrangement with your wife Sarah and her maidservant Hagar!"

Abraham shuffled uncomfortably in his chair and said nothing.

God continued without looking up from His notes, "And I have invited you here Moses because you permitted people to divorce despite knowing My views that marriage is for life and should not be easily dissolved!"

"But they were a stubborn lot," said Moses trying to defend his actions, "they rebelled at every corner for forty years. They moaned and complained about everything. You saw how they built a golden calf and how their hearts had hardened. If I didn't allow divorce they would have continued to jump in bed with one another like rabid rabbits anyway. It was ..."

"... the line of least resistance!" God interrupted softly.

In the few moments' silence that followed Peter thought back to his days on earth and wondered what he would be reprimanded for. He remembered the great denial, but surely that's not what he was here for? Apart from that, the only other thing he could remember was once selling stale fish to someone.

"What do you think of the state of the world, Peter?" God asked, "in particular the state of the Church on earth?"

Peter jumped out of his chair and tried to think quickly. Not his strong point in life. He always talked first and thought later.

"Ehmmm ... well eh ..." he mumbled, "they're a rotten lot," he said. "All the people, those who do not believe and those in the Church, who do believe. At least the unbelievers are honest. They don't believe in You and say so upfront. The believers have doubts, they believe some bits but not others, they misinterpret what you said and taught Jesus, and they want to choose what is right and what is wrong ... a rotten lot. The lot of them."

"I meant in relation to divorce," asked God calmly as Jesus smiled remembering Peter's impetuous character.

"Oh that ..." said Peter, "well it is wrong. Because You said so. Marriage should be for life I say. And the longer the better. If I may say so, Moses, divorce has its problems you know. If a man divorces and marries again he'd have two mothers-in-law. Personally, I found one is enough ... not that mine was a problem of course. You remember ... ... you met her Jesus!"

Jesus nodded and said nothing.

"What do you think has gone wrong with the modern world?" asked God.

Peter was first to answer once more. 

"Well, they've all become selfish, self-centered, wanting to put self first. Self-gratification, entertainment, amusement, fun. Everything is measured in terms of fun. 

"I've even noticed some of their chocolate bars are smaller and called 'Fun Size'. Since when has fun become a unit of measurement? 

"All they want is happiness as if they are entitled to it. When I was alive on earth there was little happiness around, especially with all those Romans, not to mention the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, Jewish elders and what have you ..."

"What is wrong with being happy?" asked Jesus, "I went to earth so that they may have life, and have it to the full. Including happiness and joy." 

"Oh well ..." hesitated Peter, "that's different. Life was different then. In those days, to me happiness was getting home of an evening and finding a piece of cheese in the mousetrap!"

"I meant in relation to divorce," God repeated calmly and lovingly not wishing to appear reprimanding, "what do you think is wrong with the world in relation to divorce and what do we do about it?".

"Ah well ..." said Peter, "it should be stopped. People should be stopped from divorcing. Period. The Church should forbid it and make it clearly so. Anyone who divorces from now on should be sent to hell for eternity and suffer his backside being roasted for ever. That'll teach them!"

"Don't you think this is a little unforgiving?" asked God looking sideways at Jesus, "surely we should forgive time and again, not just seven times? Especially in view of the fact that in some divorces one of the partners is the victim and not really to blame at all. How do we deal with the situation where one partner in the marriage acts totally unreasonably, is violent, unfaithful or worse? Do we send both of them to hell?"

"Ehm ... well," Peter replied remembering Christ having forgiven him, "perhaps a lifetime in hell is a bit over the top ... for both of them that is. How about this for a solution? All people who divorce should spend an eternity with each other in a room until they learn to get on with each other? That will be their private hell, or Purgatory ... the couple would remain there together for ever and they'd only get out when they learn the meaning of true love ... caring ... commitment ... that sort of thing!

"We could even extend the scheme to all kinds of disagreements, not just divorce. Disagreements between parents and their children, or siblings, or other relatives. Disagreements in business matters. Disagreements between neighbours ... real ones living next to each other, not in the wider sense of the word as you implied, Jesus. Also disagreements between countries, like in politics. Put the politicians in a room and they don't get out until they resolve their differences. Whole countries even. That will ensure world peace I tell you! That's how I'd resolve divorce and all kinds of disagreements. Put both parties in a room and don't let them out until they learn to love one another!" 

"Thank you, Peter. We'll consider this at our next meeting," said God softly looking at Jesus sitting beside Him. 

Jesus smiled again whilst packing up His papers and closing His laptop.

What is it about the Trinity that you don't understand?

 

Understanding the Holy Trinity is not that difficult really. Let's see if we can do so together.

God, Our Father in Heaven, is a living Creator God. He is a Spirit. He has always existed and He created humanity as well as the whole Universe and what is in it.. 

As a loving Creator He wished to communicate with His creations - us; and to make sure we know that He loves us and cares for us. 

He did so by contacting receptive people, with clear minds and leadership skills, who could "receive" His messages when in prayer and relay them to us. People like Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, and all the prophets who have taught us about God, about His commandments, and how we are to live our lives in order to please Him and to spend eternity with Him in Heaven.

But humanity is stubborn and would not listen to the prophets and the Word of God. Time and again they failed, got it wrong, and in sinning they further distanced themselves from their loving Father.      

So, when the time was right, God decided to visit us Himself, in person, so that we get to see Him, know Him, and experience His love personally.

To do so God had three options.

He could have appeared in human form as a man descending from Heaven on a cloud perhaps. Or just appear in person out of nowhere. Various apparitions here and there. He could have shown us His power by turning water to wine, walking on water, calming the sea, healing people and raising them from the dead. He could have shown His powers and omnipotence like a Superman figure perhaps. 

We would have been amazed, astounded, and we would have obeyed His commandments through sheer fear and terror of this omnipotent Being. Hardly the act of a loving Creator God, is it?

God could have appeared on earth as a vulnerable little baby. Born of a man and a woman and slowly grow up amongst us; teaching us through His guidance and examples. Sharing His love with us as we witnessed His power and greatness. But then, He would have been no different to the many prophets before Him; and we would have treated Him just the same as we did the prophets. At best by ignoring Him, or at worst by putting Him to death.

So God decided to come amongst us as a baby conceived of Deity and humanity through the Holy Spirit. 

This is the mystery that many have difficulty in believing. A human baby born of a human virgin through the Holy Spirit. But once we get over our difficulty and accept it as fact as taught in Scripture we can then move on to understanding the Holy Trinity. 

We can either stubbornly decide not to believe, and in doing so we get stuck and cannot move further forward. 

Or we can decide to accept that we do not understand yet we believe without understanding. In pure faith, step in the dark, no proof or evidence; we accept the concept of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one Deity. They have always existed as Spirits. One God in three persons.

Now we move forward to the next step. 

Through the Holy Spirit and a human woman, a baby is born and is named Jesus. 

It is obvious from an early age that He is different. He is knowledgeable. He lives life differently from His contemporaries. He is caring, loving and merciful. He teaches love and forgiveness to everyone. He portrays that love through His healing miracles and by raising the dead. 

He calls Himself the Son of God and refers to God in Heaven as His Father - Our Father. 

Many are scandalised by this claim, and they feel threatened by Him to the point where they put Him to death.

Three days later He is raised from the dead. 

Now this bit is very important. He was not raised from the dead by Peter, or any of His disciples, or by any other human being. No human has ever claimed to have raised Jesus from the dead. 

He was raised by God His Father so that He may be honoured by God; and so that God, and Jesus, are glorified in the eyes of humanity. 

Jesus was raised from the dead by God. 

What is also important is that once raised, in human form, and witnessed by many; Jesus, the One who called Himself the Son of God, remained raised. He did not die ever again. 

When Jesus raised Lazarus, Jarius' daughter and others, they eventually died again. But He never died a human death again. He conquered death and conquered evil once and for all.

When the time came for Him to ascend to Heaven, His disciples were distraught, confused and heart-broken. Is that it? God sent His Son, He lived amongst us and is now gone up to Heaven. Is this the final chapter?

But Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to His disciples and live "within them" - within their souls. 

To be one with them. The unity of the Spiritual Deity and the human soul as happened at Pentecost.  

Over the years, this particular miracle of Pentecost has been side-lined and perhaps deliberately obfuscated to destroy any credence in its reality.

But the fact remains, the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity, can and does descend on certain people and change their lives. This was not a once-off event that happened to the disciples of Christ a long time ago. It does happen today, and I have witnessed people who possess the Holy Spirit. 

However, today's society has grown hard of heart. People are more ready to believe that the devil can possess an individual against his will; than to believe that we can invite the Holy Spirit into our soul through earnest prayer and faith ... if we want to.

And that's the mystery of the Holy Trinity. God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three persons in one.

As for you; you have a choice to make. You can either believe ... or not!

Forgiveness YES - Reconciliation NO

“Father … I have a problem with forgiving” said Sonia as she folded the last of the vestments and put them away in their cupboard in the Sacristy.

Father Ignatius was checking some paper work at a small desk in the corner of the large room. There was a tray there and parishioners were invited to place their messages, notices and sundry bits and pieces of information intended for the weekly Church Newsletter. The priest was reading through them in preparation for printing the Newsletter that evening. He stopped what he was doing and asked:

“What do you mean? A problem with forgiving …”

Sonia hesitated.

“I know you’ve always said we should forgive with all our heart … unreservedly … if we want God to forgive us our sins. I understand that … and I try as best I can to forgive wholeheartedly …”

“I can foretell a ‘but’ coming up …” smiled the priest, “but in this case …”

She smiled back.

“But in this case it is different …” she continued.

“There’s this woman at work who has hurt me really bad. She lied about me Father. And as a result I was severely reprimanded by our manager and I was made to lose a day’s pay … which I cannot afford.

“We used to be friends and all … but she lied to cover up her mistake and I got unfairly punished. This happened about two weeks ago.”

“This is terrible,” said Father Ignatius frowning at the unfairness of what he’d just heard. “Is there not some sort of appeal procedure at your workplace? Someone to talk to about it perhaps."

“No … that’s not the problem Father,” Sonia said.

“The thing is, this woman came to see me yesterday and apologized profusely for what she had done. She cried her heart out and said she could not have been found out to have made yet another mistake. She was on her last warning and another mistake would mean losing her job. That’s why she lied and put the blame on me. She begged me to forgive her … which I did straight-away Father. I told her to think no more about it and that all was now OK.”

“That’s very generous and loving of you … so what is the problem?” asked the priest.

“She wants us to be friends again, as before. We used to visit each other at our homes … and we’d shop together, or pick up each others’ children from school and so on … she wants everything to be as before.

“I find that very difficult … I just can’t trust her any-more and I want us to keep our distance. I forgive her as I said; but I can’t go back as before. My husband agrees and says I should no longer speak to her. I think I can speak and be nice to her at work but that’s as far as it goes; I can’t be friends again. Is my forgiveness worthless?”

“No … it is not worthless,” replied Father Ignatius gently, “when we forgive someone else, we touch their very soul with the merciful love of Jesus Christ our Lord.

“You’ve been hurt Sonia … hurt and punished unfairly and undeservedly.

“When we forgive people it means that we no longer hold their wrongdoings to account. We no longer bear them any malice or ill-feelings or ill-will.

“We acknowledge that we forgive them and we let them go their own way free from any fear of punishment or retribution on our part.

“This doesn’t mean however that we forget the pain caused to us. How can we? The hurt is imprinted in our memory and try as we might the chances are that we’ll remember it time and again. It’s only natural … it’s human nature. You forgave her and told her so …”

Sonia nodded; holding back her tears.

“And that’s all that is expected of you …” continued the priest gently, noticing that she was very upset at the mere thought of the event.

“We all have a right … a duty even … to protect ourselves and to protect our loved ones …

“If we feel uncomfortable about a particular situation or relationship, we have every right to distance ourselves from it.

“For very understandable reasons you feel uncomfortable at being friendly with this person as you were before; visiting each other and picking each others’ children from school and so on.

“There’s nothing wrong with that … tell her politely that you’ve forgiven her and that you feel both of you should leave it at that. An amicable relationship from a distance …”

“But …” Sonia interrupted, “how can that be forgiveness? By keeping my distance implies that I’m still holding something against her. She knows that … you and I know that … and God knows that …”

Father Ignatius smiled.

“Oh yes … God knows that all right … and He knows the reason behind it too …” he said.

“Let me tell you a story …

“Jesus once taught His disciples and His followers about Himself.

“He said, ‘whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood lives in me, and I live in him’

“A number of His followers found this difficult to understand. What does He mean … eat His flesh and drink His blood? Many today, find this very concept difficult to understand; so you can imagine how it was in those times.

“So a number of Christ’s followers decided to leave and no longer follow Him.

“What did Jesus do?

“He didn’t call them back. He didn’t say, ‘Wait, let me explain … this is what I meant to say …’ He didn’t compromise His position in any way …

“He just let them go … and He even asked His twelve disciples, ‘How about you … do you want to go as well?’

“You see Sonia … Jesus forgave them and let them go … He didn’t curse them and send plagues and pestilence on them and their families for generations …”

She smiled again feeling a little calmer.

“He just forgave them and let them go …

“Which is what you should also do …” said Father Ignatius serenely.

ADDITIONAL REFLECTIONS

Often we tend to confuse the real meaning of forgiveness.

Let us remember that we are humans. We can't help it ... that's the way we are, the way God made us, with a multitude of various emotions, fears, hopes and ways of interpreting many situations in our lives. We're complex creatures. He had His reasons to create us this way.

Being human, one of our first instincts is to protect ourselves and the ones we love. Another feature of our humanity is the ability to remember ... the good times, but more specifically the bad times.

The worse the bad times, the more terrible they've been, the more they are imprinted in our memories.

Anything can and will trigger these memories again ... visiting a place, seeing a photo, hearing a particular song ... anything ... and the bad memories come flooding back again. That's the price we pay for being human.

Christ said: "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who hurt us."

Thank God that He does not hold us to the strict letter of this particular contract; otherwise we'd all be taking the fastest elevator going down!

Yet ... He does hold us to the intent of that particular contract we recite in the Lord's Prayer.

He asks us to forgive ... that's the important thing. Not just seven times but seventy times seven … and many times more than that as well.

Forgiving someone means that we no longer hold a grudge, or any ill-will or ill-feelings towards them or the hurt they have caused us. We let them go in peace free of fear of any revenge or retribution on our part.

This applies whether we tell them that they are forgiven, or whether they have moved away, or perhaps never asked or sought our forgiveness, and perhaps they don’t even care about our feelings.

What matters is that in our hearts we have truly forgiven them; and, here’s the difficult bit, … we can prove it to God should He ask us to.

Of course the memories will come back … we can’t help that. But let’s use them positively by forgiving once again. Let us use them as a reminder to pray for the ones who hurt us. Let us say to God : “Please look after that person. Enlighten them and lead them to find your love as I have found it too.”

Would it not be wonderful if as a result of our hurt … and our prayers … someone finds God, perhaps for the first time.

Christ has His memories too when He sees the scars in His hands, feet and side. I believe He uses these memories to forgive us yet again.

I doubt very much that the Virgin Mary has forgotten the Crucifixion. But she forgives again and again.

Having truly forgiven, it is our right and duty to keep our distance from that person if we feel they create a threat to us or our loved ones. Keeping our distance is NOT a sin, and it does not mean that we haven’t forgiven or that our forgiveness is worthless.

The world has seen many evil people over the years who have caused great hurt and pain to many. Whilst in our moments of prayers perhaps we can attempt to forgive them; this does not mean that we should leave them to freely continue with their actions. It is our duty as individuals, and as nations, to protect ourselves and our loved ones from those intent on doing us harm. Forgiveness does not mean accepting evil and allowing it to succeed.

In the story above, Jesus would have forgiven the woman and continued the friendship with her. But we are not Jesus. We are humans, and most of us would not be able to do that.

Being human we can only forgive as humans. We cannot possibly forgive as He has forgiven, no matter how hard we try.

He was human, but He was/is God too … and that’s a level of forgiveness we can never achieve.

We can only hope to live by the intent of that particular contract in the Lord’s Prayer.

God bless.

Going up

 

We went to mom-in-law to celebrate her birthday. I did not know what to get her as a present. I thought, seeing we'd all be outside in the garden enjoying a barbecue and no doubt jumping and swimming in her swimming pool in the garden; why not get her something we could all enjoy.

.

A TRAMPOLINE

 

I bought her a trampoline. My wife did not think it was appropriate for someone her mom's age; but hey ... why not? You are as young as you feel your age; or whatever the saying is.

She had a nice barbecue ready with sausages, burgers and steaks. By the way, as an aside, I once had elephant steak. Have you ever had elephant steak? You'll never forget!

I set up the trampoline in the garden and the children quickly had a go at bouncing up and down. To her credit, so did mom-in-law. She got out of the swimming pool and decided to try out her new toy which I got her. She is such a short lady. So short that her feet don't reach the ground.

I had to pick her up and lift her onto the trampoline. Once there she started bouncing higher and higher and somersaulting as she did so. She got up so high that her bikini bra got caught up in the branches of the nearby tree. She just hung there like an ornament on a Christmas tree. We did not know what to do. I was concerned in case the bra strap broke and she'd come tumbling down and break the trampoline. 

It reminded of the occasion years ago when I learnt magic and had practised levitation. I got her to lie down on her back on the dinner table and magically levitated her. She floated up slowly until she reached the ceiling. Unfortunately, once she reached there I could not get her down again. She remained up there in a lying down position with her nose touching the ceiling. It was embarrassing with gravity doing its bit with her dress hanging down revealing her undergarments.

 

In my panic I forgot the magic word to bring her down again and I was afraid she might suddenly drop with a bump and break the table.

 

I asked her to float slowly down but nothing happened. She remained up there, nose to ceiling. The trick had gone wrong.

She began to panic. I stood on the table and tried to get hold of her legs to get her down. I could not reach her. I suggested that I carried her friend, Matilda, on my shoulders and I got on the table so Matilda could pull her down. Matilda, who is in her late sixties, agreed readily and tucked her dress into her underpants, ready to be lifted by me.

I tried lifting Matilda as she put her legs round my neck. She was far too heavy for me. We gave up the attempt as a bad job.

Someone suggested we call the fire-brigade. They have long ladders. Mom-in-law refused. She was too embarrassed to float up there in the presence of strangers.

After thirty minutes or more of various discussions and suggestions, we noticed that she had floated down a few inches from the ceiling. Ten minutes later she floated down some more. And a bit more again. It was like a party balloon slowly losing the air within and floating down. Ever so slowly until, all by herself she came down to lie on the table as before.
 

This time it was no different. Mom-in-law was stuck up a tree. If she fell down she'd break the trampoline for sure. I did the only obvious thing and moved the trampoline away.

 

My wife got angry shouting at me to get her down. I explained that bra straps these days are made of very strong material and are unlikely to break - polyester I believe! This did not appease my wife.

We got a long step ladder from the garage and I was volunteered against my will and better nature to get up there and get mom-in-law down. It was not a pleasant experience. Going up there and holding on to her legs whilst I tried to untangle her bra from the tree branch. What if I fell? There was no trampoline down there to soften my fall. 

 

Anyway, I got the bra strap off the tree branch. She sat on my shoulders, and I slowly step by step got her down to terra-firma.

This is me and father-in-law enjoying bouncing on the trampoline. He did not want to go up the ladder to get his wife down because he was minding the barbecue at the time. No one likes burnt food!

Where have you bin?

 

I believe you can judge the affluence of a country by the number of wheelie bins they have. In our area we have three. A green one, an orange one and a black one. 

The bin above is green and it is for garden waste only. Tree  branches, leaves. grass cuttings, that sort of thing. Do not put any potato or carrot peelings in there, or cabbage or cauliflower leaves or other green things from your house like dead old flowers. If you do so it will unleash the four horsemen of the Apocalypse. Some authorities have fined repeat offenders for putting cabbage leaves in these bins. Cabbage leaves and other household waste should go in the black bins. 

But not newspapers, magazines, cardboard, plastic bottles like shampoo, soft drinks, yoghurt containers and such like. They go in the orange recyclables bin.

Got it? Green for garden waste. Black for household waste. And orange for recyclable waste. And all three for a waste of time.

These bins are emptied on a rotation period. One week green, then black, and then orange.  

An opportunity for me to play tricks. You need to be a genius to remember which week is which colour. Our bins are emptied on Tuesdays. So on Monday I get out the wrong colour bin, for example green. The neighbours follow suit and get their green bins out. Late on Monday night I go out, bring my green bin in, and put out the appropriate one for that week. The next morning the trash lorry empties my bin because it is the right coloured one and leaves all the other bins untouched. What hilarity!!!

People get very possessive about their bins. They put their house number on them. After all, you would not want someone else to put their trash in your bin whilst it's out in the street awaiting emptying? Would you? So you put the house number on your bin to fend off other peoples' trash. And you would not want someone else's bin on your premises would you? Noooo ... your bin, your trash, your premises.

Another opportunity for me to play tricks. The trash lorry people normally empty your bin and then leave it in front of your house. They don't bother with house numbers. So late on Monday night I go out and very silently move all the bins around. No.1 now has bin number 7 and No.7 has bin number 3 and so on. The next morning the bin men empty the bins and leave them where they found them. And the neighbours get out and find it is not their bin awaiting them; but an impostor from down the road. The hilarity is tremendous, I tell you. I have even done the same trick with doormats. They all have individual doormats and I changed them all round late at night. 

A further individuality about bins is that some people have them cleaned weekly. After the bin men have been, another van comes round and if you have a contract they wash your bin and dry it and put some perfume inside so it smells nice. Now that's affluence for you.

When it comes to trash.  I've bin there and done that!