Who is the Greatest?

 

WHO IS THE GREATEST?

Easter Traditions

Here are two Catholic traditions which I'd like to share with you.

Every year, on the Saturday before Easter Sunday, all Catholic churches celebrate the Midnight Mass. It actually usually starts at about 11:00pm because there are some preliminaries beforehand which serve as a good reminder of the real meaning of Easter.

The congregation meets outside in the grounds of the church and a small bonfire is lit and prayers said. This "new fire", symbolizing our eternal life in Christ.

A single Paschal Candle is lit from that fire. It is usually a large candle that symbolizes the risen Christ. It is often decorated with a cross, symbols of the resurrection, the Greek letters Alpha and Omega, (the beginning and the end), and the year in which Easter is celebrated. The term "Paschal" concerns Easter or Passover. Here is a selection:

The Paschal candle represents Christ, the Light of the World.

The pure beeswax of which the candle is made represents the sinless Christ who was formed in the womb of His Mother. The wick signifies His humanity, the flame, His Divine Nature, both soul and body. Five grains of incense inserted into the candle in the form of a cross recall the aromatic spices with which His Sacred Body was prepared for the tomb, and of the five wounds in His hands, feet, and side.

After the candle is lit, outside the church, the congregation enters the church. When they are at their pews the lights in the church are switched off and they are in total darkness.

During the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday night the priest or deacon carries the candle, which has been lit from the new fire outside, in procession into the dark church.

The priest pauses three times and sings or says, "The light of Christ," and the people respond, "Thanks be to God."

As the candle is carried into the church, the priest stops temporarily and its flame is used to light candles held by members of the congregation. This symbolizes the spreading of the light of Christ into the congregation and the world. Slowly, one candle lights another and the whole church is lit by many candle lights alone as the priest and congregation sing.

The Exsultet is sung or said after the Paschal candle is placed in its stand. Once the lit Paschal Candle is placed near the Altar the Easter Midnight Mass commences.

It is customary for the Paschal candle to burn at all Masses from Easter through Pentecost. In some churches it is lit until Ascension Thursday.

After the Easter season, the Paschal candle is typically placed near the baptismal font. It should burn at baptisms, representing the new life in Christ that we share in baptism. The newly baptised person may be given a small baptismal candle that is lit from the Paschal candle. It may also be carried in procession at burials and placed near the coffin as a symbol of resurrection life.

Now let me tell you of a personal experience.

Remember, this is a very solemn occasion. The church is in total darkness with the congregation awaiting the entrance of the priest with the lit Paschal candle in hand.

One year I was one of the helpers at the Easter Vigil.

The candle had been lit from the fire outside the church. The priest carried the candle into the dark church. He chanted in Latin "Lumen Christi" (The light of Christ), and everyone responded, "Deo Gratias" (Thanks be to God).

He then stopped in the centre aisle and two altar servers lit small candles from the Paschal candle he was carrying and proceeded to light the many candles each member of the congregation held in their hands.

At this point, one member of the congregation got out his cigarette lighter and lit his candle and that of others near him.

The priest turned his head towards me and whispered silently, "There's always one ... isn't there?", then he moved a few more paces, stopped, and sang a second time "Lumen Christi".

 I could not control my giggles at the way he reacted to the situation.

Obviously, the significance of the whole event had escaped one Brain of Britain!

Another tradition in our church, and no doubt in many others is the washing of feet on Holy Thursday.

This is when the priest re-enacts the Bible passage during the Last Supper when Jesus washes the disciples' feet. (John 13:1-15).

In our church twelve people are chosen from the congregation and the priest washes their feet in memory of what Jesus did all those years ago.

At the time of Jesus, however, things were different. Streets were not as modern and clean as they are now in our towns and cities. They were dusty, muddy if it rained, and no doubt full of deposits from horses, camels and cattle. People wore sandals or even walked in bare feet.

So when they entered a house as guests washing their feet must have been an essential task rather than the symbolism it is in today’s churches. A task left to the servants to undertake.

When Jesus offered, insisted even, in washing His disciples’ feet He was teaching them, and us, a very important lesson.

Here is God Himself, born in poverty, raised in poverty, living in poverty, submitting Himself to perform a task reserved for servants.

Perhaps the disciples didn’t understand the significance of what Jesus had just done. Maybe we don’t understand it ourselves right now.

Yet, He was preparing for an even greater submission and humiliation for us.

Dying a most horrible and painful death on the Cross. Just for us.

Imagine for a moment if Jesus was in person in your home right now. Imagine He asked to wash your feet before sitting down for a meal.

How would you react? Would you agree that your Master and Lord got down on His knees to wash your feet? Or would you protest like Peter?

This is for real. Not something that happened to the disciples years ago. Right now, Jesus is asking to wash your feet. Your reaction is vital to your present ... and to your future ... for eternity.

Now does the significance of that event make sense?

FATHER FRANCIS MAPLE

carrying the Paschal Candle

Who is this man?

 

His last days

 

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SUBTITLES/CLOSED CAPTIONS AVAILABLE

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Do you want to see God?

 

“The Heavenly and Earthly Trinities” by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo.

"Murillo, The Heavenly and Earthly Trinities, about 1675-1682 Photo © The National Gallery, London”.

The painting above is called the Heavenly and Earthly Trinities; and it has been painted in the sign of the Cross.

Looking vertically from the top downwards we see God, the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove and Jesus looking up to His Father in Heaven. That is the Heavenly Trinity.

Looking horizontally from left to right we see the Virgin Mary, Jesus and His earthly father Joseph. The Earthly Trinity.

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John 14:1-14

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him.”

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? 

The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing His work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.  

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."

*******

There's a lot to read in the Gospel of John as quoted above. We may have to read it again slowly a couple of times to really understand what Jesus is saying here. Let's take it one bit at a time.

First, Jesus comforts His disciples by saying do not be troubled. He asks them to trust (believe) in God and to trust in Him. This is something we must always remember and believe whole-heartedly at times of troubles and difficulty. If we do not trust in God, as Jesus asks, then all is lost.

Jesus then promises to prepare a place for us in Heaven.

Thomas is confused and asks for the way to God. Jesus explains that He is the way to God. No one goes to the Father God except through Jesus. To see Him (Jesus) is to see God.  

Philip still does not get the point and asks to see the Father, (God).

Jesus re-iterates that to see Jesus is to see the Father. He, (Jesus) is in the Father and the Father is in Him.

Let's analyse this. God is a Spirit. An invisible Spirit inhabiting and invisible world around us. Let's call Him a Power, a living Being; all powerful. omnipotent, always existing. A loving Creator God full of mercy, compassion and forgiveness for His creations - us. We can all imagine Him as our minds can fathom and comprehend such a mystery.

The Bible, (which was inspired by the Holy Spirit), teaches that God created us "in His image".  

Many people over the years have miss-interpreted "God made us in His image". Because we are humans, people have assumed that God is human-looking. Because He has always existed, they have assumed He is old. So painters, like Michelangelo, Murillo and others have always painted an old man with a beard sitting on a cloud. 

But God is NOT human. He is a Spirit inhabiting an invisible world. So is Jesus. God, (and Jesus), always existed. When Jesus was born on earth this is when He took human shape; but He always existed as a Spirit. So is of course the Holy Spirit. And so are we - spirits/souls.

God created us in His image. Meaning we are also invisible spirits with the same qualities of love, compassion, mercy and forgiveness as God has; (if we want to use such qualities). God gave us these qualities to use through our own free will - or not to use them. We are invisible spirits, (souls), inhabiting a visible body. Our souls will live for ever after the body has perished. 

In this Bible passage Jesus explains to Philip that to see Jesus is to see God. Jesus is God personified. He is God, (the Spirit), in the form of a human Whom we can see, listen and speak to, and learn from Him as well as witness His many miracles. He is God Who offered Himself on the Cross for us.

Our Christian faith does not teach that we should climb up to God for our redemption. God has come down to us, and offered Himself as sacrifice on the Cross and we are unwilling to acknowledge or accept His priceless gift.

Jesus explains that what He has done on earth was not done through His own authority, (power), but it was the Father God, living in Him, (Jesus), Who does all these wonderful works. God is in Jesus and Jesus is in God. The two are one. Jesus is commanding us to believe this - even if we do not understand it.

He goes on to promise that if we truly believe this, then we too can perform such works. This is how the disciples performed miracles after they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It was through the power of Jesus and God; not through their own power.

Finally, Jesus promises that whatever we ask God in His, (Jesus'), name will be done in order to glorify God through Jesus.

Unique

 

There's a saying that goes, "God broke the mould when He made you!" It means that a particular person or thing is special or unique, and that there is nobody else or nothing else quite like them. He is a most remarkable man. They broke the mould when they made him. It could also be derogatory and mean that the person is so awful, stupid, or lazy.

Consider this. There are just over 8 billion people in the world today. Not millions, but billions. That's 8 and nine zeros behind it - 8,000,000,000.

And here's the miracle. No two people are alike. Even twins. Everyone of us is different. We may look the same physically, but inside us, what really makes us tick, our soul, is different from anyone else's.

Now some people do not believe in there being a soul. They don't understand it. They believe we are living creatures and when we die, we die. There's nothing else left. No thereafter. No Heaven or hell or anything like that.

C S Lewis said: You don't have a soul. You are a soul; you have a body.

What he meant is that we are all living souls inhabiting a body. God created us as souls - "In His own image" as a soul - a Spirit. God is a Spirit, so is Jesus and the Holy Spirit of course. 

We are all souls living within a body. And when the body dies the soul lives on for eternity.

And every one of those 8 billion souls is different. God created us this way. Isn't He wonderful?

Let us not waste time and try to be someone else. To copy someone else's style and behaviour. We are all unique. Different. Perfect in our own way. There are no rejects from God's production line.

When I was young in my early twenties working as a manager in a large company; I had people working for me old enough to be my parents. It was a daunting task. Some did not accept me as their boss. Some were better qualified than me in their particular expertise and subject. Why should they work for a young man in charge of a whole section?

I was in charge of a whole unit, and it is understandable that I could not be an expert on each individual aspect of the project. Like computing or electronics. I had to rely on experts in that field. No manager is an expert in everything. But some of them resented this; especially in view of my age.

I tried to be someone else. I copied the style of other older managers and tried to be them. I spoke more slowly, in a softer voice, walked slowly and tried to look learned and pensive. I guess I tried to change my voice too, because someone said to me, "What's the matter with you? Have you got indigestion or trapped wind?"

So I relaxed and became myself once again. I relied on my sense of humour where appropriate. I may have told you this story before, if so, please read the next few lines with your eyes closed to avoid repetition.

We were at a Team Building Conference. I hated those Conferences, and felt they were a waste of time taking me away from my work. 

The guy managing the event had us in small groups and said, "Imagine your SUV broke down in the desert. Do you move away on foot, and if so what three items do you take with you?"

My group decided that they should move away from the vehicle to a safer place, and started suggesting we take water with us, others suggested a torch, salt tablets, various tools, blankets and so on. 

I remained silent wishing I was back in my office finishing an important time-sensitive report. The instructor noticed me and asked, "How about you? What would you take with you from the vehicle if stranded in the desert?"

I just blurted out, "The car door!" He was confused, as well as the rest of the group, and he asked, "Why?"

I said, "Because I can open the window if it gets too hot!"

I survived. That Conference and a career thereafter. The point I'm making is we should be ourselves. Not copy others. We are all different. We all have unique different gifts given us by God when He created us. Let us use them for His glory.

Someone said to me once that I have a unique sense of humour; (whatever that means).

I hope God has a sense of humour. Because if He hasn't I am in very serious trouble!

Follow The Way

 

 

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one goes to the Father except by me.” John 14:6

But do we really know the way to Heaven and to the Father? Everyone wants to get to Heaven it seems; but not just yet. Maybe they are not ready to meet God. Or perhaps they don’t know where Heaven is; what it looks like; and what they will do when they get there … for eternity.

We all have different visions of Heaven. Is it a mansion as Jesus described, or a spiritual state of being? Will we really have our bodies back all perfect and without any illness or disabilities? Why, what would we need our bodies at all? And will this body be at the age we died or a younger more youthful one?

What will we do in Heaven for eternity; apart from praising God and thanking Him for what He has done for us?

Are there animals in Heaven? Will we see our pets again? Personally, I would hate to come face to face with the Sunday roast admonishing me for what I had done to it. Or that wasp I killed the other day.

So many questions cross our minds about Heaven and how to get there.

This book does not claim to have all the answers. Nobody can, because no one has returned from Heaven and told us what it’s like. No one has returned from hell either; but Jesus was very descriptive about the eternal fire that burns there.

This thoughtful book contains a series of questions and topics which may well have crossed our minds at one time or other but we never felt confident enough to ask for an answer or an explanation. Questions like who will ultimately enter Heaven? Will we? Will all our loved ones and people we care for be there? What if someone we love is missing? What would we do then?

Is God merciful and just? How does He balance both qualities and how does this affect us? Would He really send someone to hell for ever?

Consider and meditate on what Jesus said about loving one’s neighbours and enemies, about anger and revenge, about judging others, working on Sundays, fasting, about our faith and prayers and many others topics He taught about in the Bible.

These and many other issues are discussed and answered in easy to read style for you to ponder about, and to encourage you to explore your conscience and what you truly believe.

We hope you’ll enjoy this selection of devotionals to help you meditate on your Christian faith.

NOTE FOR READERS OF THIS BLOG: This book also contains the whole series of articles entitled "What Jesus said ... about" which featured here earlier this year.

Paperback and KINDLE versions available from AMAZON 

AMAZON LINK HERE

Also available in Audible format and ALEXA

TRY IT HERE 

Hope

 

Perhaps one of the most tragic and damaging thing that can befall anyone is the loss of hope. Whatever our situation may be, if we lose hope, if we cannot see the prospect of our situation changing for the better, we are in danger of shutting down completely and accepting the inevitable outcome.

We live in difficult times. Financial crises are affecting many people. Millions are losing their jobs, their homes and their livelihood.

Those aged fifty or more would find it very difficult to find a comparable job again, if indeed they can find any job at all. More tragically, the thousands of youngsters leaving colleges and universities with good qualifications, and little prospects of employment. They feel cheated. They did what they were advised to do. They stayed in education, they worked hard, they probably amassed large debts and loans to help sustain them whilst they studied – and now there are no jobs to go to.

There are of course other circumstances which can lead us to lose hope, besides lack of work. Illness for instance, broken relationships with no prospect of reconciliation, addictions, failures etc … all can lead us to the temptation to just give up.

Where’s all this leading to? – I hear you ask.

I’d like you for a moment to consider some facts.

Whatever happens in life one thing is for certain: God is still in control. He is not hiding away behind the settee crying: “Woe woe … look at what is happening out there!”

He is in total control of the situation which He has allowed to happen, and which, in most circumstances, we have created for ourselves.

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews knew what he was saying when he wrote: To have Faith is to be sure of the things we hope for … (Hebrews 11).

And the important thing, whatever our circumstances, is to hold on to that Faith and to believe, in all certainty, that God is in control. And to thank Him and praise Him for being in control. To re-affirm and acknowledge our belief that He is in control.

By doing so, somehow, we open a channel for God to turn our situation to the good. I’ve seen this happen several times.

Think of the alternative. By turning our back on God, by ignoring Him, blaming Him even for our situation – He will hardly feel inclined to help us. Will He? Of course, He’ll remain in control, waiting for us, with Fatherly patience, love and understanding, for the moment we return to Him like the prodigal son and be welcomed in His arms.

But what do you do if someone else has lost hope – even though you may not have yourself?

Preaching will not help. It may drive them further away.

Love, sympathy, compassion, whatever practical help you can offer may well help a little.

But most important is prayer. Silent prayer even. Without them knowing about it.

Let your Faith and your hope work for them. Even though they may have little or no Faith at all, your Faith is enough.

The best listened to and answered prayers are those we pray for other people. They show God our generosity of spirit, our love, our compassion, and most of all, our Faith in Him.

Don’t suggest solutions to God; like: “Please help him find a job”, "let him get better soon", and so on - but earnestly and in all Faith hand the situation over to Him. He knows what to do, in His time and in His own way.

Just say: “Thy will be done” and mean it.

And watch His miracles at work.

How to be stylish on a budget

 

With the ever rising cost of living and peoples' tastes in clothing changing all the time it is becoming increasingly difficult to be stylish and in fashion these days.

To help with this, I have partnered with a leading "Haute Couture" fashion house in London and just released my first collection of fashionable clothes-wear on a budget.

 

It's a funny world in my neighbourhood

 

Some very odd things have been happening around here lately.

We have had a spate of doormat swapping. No one knows how it started. Most houses have a doormat or rug by their front doors for visitors to wipe their feet on before entering the house. Some have personalised doormats with the words "Smith Residence" or such like. Others have plain rubber doormats, or multi-coloured ones or whatever. Every one, or almost every one, has a doormat by their front door.

In the last few days these doormats have swapped places. We get up in the morning and find that instead of our doormat we have the one from a few houses up the road, and they have another doormat which does not belong to them either; and every house has a doormat which belongs to their neighbours from further up the road, rather than the one living just next door.

The first morning this happened it was pandemonium out there. Everyone was out in the street, in various stages of undress, doormat in hand trying to find who has their doormat and giving away the doormat left on their doorstep.

It baffled me why people should get out in the street with their night clothes on, just to get back their own doormat. You'd be surprised what some people wear in bed these days. It was quite a revelation I tell you. 

And I wondered why Mr Harrison from Number 14 came out of house Number 17 in his pyjamas with the young lady from Number 17 following him in her nightdress.

Yesterday it all happened again. Someone at night swapped all the doormats once more. And it happened this morning too.

Now we keep our doormat indoors. Whenever people visit we let them right in and ask them to wipe their feet as they leave so as not to dirty the outdoors.

Our neighbour on the left of us is an old man who lives alone. I saw him with a dog lately. He must have named him "Help" because all day yesterday he kept shouting from his back garden, "Help ... Help ... Help ..." He eventually must have found his dog because he stopped calling it.

A few houses up the road a new couple have moved in about a month or so ago. They are elderly too. I have not seen the old man but his wife is frequently seen coming up the hill from town carrying a large shopping bag. Her head stooped down by the many years on her shoulders, she walks slowly past our house and on to hers a few yards further on. I noticed once that she was followed by a cat.

A few days later I saw her again walking towards her home with her shopping bag. This time she was followed by two cats, neither of which was the cat I saw her with before.

Yesterday I saw her again. This time she was followed by at least six cats. They were all following her and miawooing like cats do.

I stopped her to have a word. I noticed that she smelled of fish. So I ventured to ask whether she kept cats as pets. She looked around her and said, "Oh no ... they follow me everyday from the fishmonger all the way home!"

"You like fish?" I asked rather stupidly.

"No ... I hate fish, and the smell of fish," she replied, "this is for Hector!"

"Your husband?" I asked.

"No ..." she said, "the man who lives with me is not my husband. We are not married. He is my lover and we live in sin, so to speak!"

I was embarrassed and mumbled something incoherent which even I could not understand.

"Anyway, his name is not Hector. It is Ivor ... Ivor Heavybottom!"

"Oh ..." I said wishing to end this conversation.

"Hector is our penguin. We keep him in the bath. He is staying with us for a while," she informed me.

"Is he on holiday?" I asked stupidly.

"Oh no ..." she said, "he is from the zoo. His mother rejected him and the zoo keepers tried to get him adopted; but apparently penguins do not like to adopt other birds' chicks. So the people at the zoo tried a walrus. But the walrus rejected him too. So they asked us to look after him until they find another animal who might adopt him until he grows up. A crocodile perhaps!"

"I see ..." I said unconvincingly.

She continued, "The people at the zoo are trying to find out whether fish are depressed. You can't tell if a fish is depressed because they don't smile. It is easy with a dog, when he is happy he wags his tail. But with a fish it's different. He wags his tail to keep afloat in the water. The animal psychiatrist says one way of finding out if fish are depressed is to check their mortality rate. But when you have a tankful of dead fish it is too late to cheer them up if they're dead."

 A few days later I learnt from another neighbour that this old lady's first and only husband wanted to be a lion whisperer. He achieved his ambition just before he died trying to tame a deaf lion.

Why is the fish a symbol of Christianity?

 

You may have seen this symbol on the back of some cars. My car has one.

Why is the FISH a symbol of Christianity?

The symbol of a fish was found on ancient Christian monuments and buildings. It represents Christ.

The Greek word for "fish" is ICHTHUS.

If we take the letters of that word they provide the first letters of other Greek words.

Iesous Christos Theou Uios Soter

Jesus Christ, Son of God, Saviour

So the symbol of the fish suggests all this to a Christian. It may well have been a secret sign used by early Christians to identify each other.

Sitting by the pool

 

JOHN 5:2 ONWARDS

 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralysed. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. 

One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.”

There is so much for us to learn from this short passage in John's Gospel.

I guess it was traditional for people to gather round that pool and await for the water to stir before jumping in. We are not told whether people actually got healed or not; but presumably so since people kept going there. 

Jesus too went there. He obviously did not want healing. But He went there for a purpose.

He saw a lame man and learnt that he had been an invalid for years. He asked him an obvious question: Do you want to get well?

Duh ... of course, otherwise I would not be here!

But the sick man does not answer the question. He says that he cannot get to the pool on time because others more able than him jump in first; and it is only the first one in who gets healed.

So Jesus simply says: Get up! Pick up your mat and walk! 

Note that this happened on the Sabbath. The day when the Jews were not allowed to work. And apparently, according to the Jewish leaders, they decided that carrying one's mat was in fact work.

Jesus could have said: Get up and walk. 

He did not have to mention the mat. But had He done so, the man would have walked away unnoticed and that would have been the end of the story. 

Jesus went to the pool deliberately on the Sabbath. He certainly planned to make a point of healing someone on that day to test the reactions of the people. 

Rather than rejoicing and praising God for another miracle amongst their mist; and celebrating with the man who had been healed after so many years; the Jewish leaders were nit-picking and fussing about the minutiae of the law.

Aren't we like that sometimes? Each interpreting our Christian beliefs our own way and certain that we are right and therefore everyone else is wrong.

Rather than rejoicing in what unites us in faith, we argue about what divides us and sets us apart.

Would we not much rather hear Jesus say: Get up and walk. Your prejudices have been healed.