Love one another as I have loved you

 

Article by Father Francis Maple - LINK HERE

 LOVE ONE ANOTHER AS I HAVE LOVED YOU

In today’s Gospel from Gospel of John, we find ourselves at a very tender and solemn moment.  It is the Last Supper.  Judas has just gone out into the night to betray Jesus. And what does Jesus do?  He speaks… not of fear, not of anger, not even of betrayal.  He speaks of love.  “I give you a new commandment: love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also must love one another.”

Now we might say, “But Lord, love is not new.  The Old Testament already told us to love our neighbour.” Yes, that is true.  But what is new is this: “As I have loved you.”  That is the difference. That is the challenge.

 What kind of love is this?  Jesus is not speaking about a comfortable love, or a polite kindness.  He is speaking about a love that: washes feet, forgives enemies, bears suffering and gives even life itself.  Within hours, He will go to the Cross.

So when He says, “Love as I have loved.”  He means: love when it costs you something, love when you are not appreciated and love when it hurts.  This is not easy love.  This is Christ-like love.

A woman once cared for her elderly husband who no longer recognised her.  Day after day, she fed him, washed him, and sat beside him.  Someone asked her, “Why do you keep doing this when he doesn’t even know who you are?”  She replied quietly, “Because I know who he is.”  That is love “as Christ loves.”

It is not based on what we receive.  It is based on who we are called to be.

Jesus says something very striking: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Notice—He does not say: “They will know you by your knowledge,” or “by your success,” or even “by your prayers.”  No.  They will know you by your love.  This is the mark of a Christian.  Not the cross we wear… but the love we live. 

Let us be honest.  It is easy to love those who are kind to us.  But what about: the difficult neighbour?  The family member who has hurt us?  The person who misunderstands us?  This is where the Gospel becomes real.  This is where holiness begins.

Perhaps today, the Lord is asking each of us: is there someone I need to forgive?  Is there someone I have neglected?  Is there someone I find hard to love?  That is where this Gospel must be lived.

The beautiful thing is this: Jesus never asks us to do something without giving us the grace to do it.  We are not loving alone.  We are loving with His love in us.

As St. Augustine once said: “Love, and do what you will.”  Because when we truly love as Christ loves, everything else falls into place.

The world today is hungry, not just for words, not just for ideas, but for real love.  Let us be that love.  In our homes.  In our parish and in our daily encounters.  So that others, seeing us, may say: “They belong to Christ.”

Lord Jesus, You have loved us with a perfect and self-giving love.
Teach us to love one another as You have loved us.  Give us patience in trials, forgiveness in hurt, and generosity in service. May our lives reflect Your love, so that the world may come to know You.  Amen.

Followers of the Way

 

 

 

Article by Father Francis Maple - LINK HERE 

FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER

 

FOLLOWERS OF THE WAY

 

I once had a priest friend who spoke very bluntly.  If a person wasn’t talking sense he would say, “You’re on the wrong bus, Mate!”

 

Buses, of course, usually display a destination board at the front.  What should be written on the destination board of your and my life?  I hope our destination board reads “Jesus” - if not, then we are definitely “on the wrong bus”!

 

St. Luke tells us in his Acts of the Apostles: “It was at Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians” (11:26).  Interestingly, he doesn't say “The disciples called themselves Christians”; no, it was what other people called them.  In the Church’s very early years, followers of Jesus Christ did not call themselves “Christian”, they defined themselves as “Followers of the Way”. 

 

In our Gospel today, Jesus says “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life”.  In this statement, Jesus takes three of the great principles of the Old Testament, and declares that He is the fulfilment of all three.  Today I would like to concentrate on just two words: “THE WAY”. 

 

We are all on a journey through life.  Every single human person at this moment is somewhere along that short passage between birth and death.  The big question is: “Where are we going?”  It's something every one of us should be asking ourselves every single day - just where does the road we are travelling lead?

 

Jesus left His disciples in no doubt at all where He was going: “I go to Him who sent Me.” (John 7:33). Again and again He told them “I am going to the Father”, but they found this hard to understand.  It became even harder for them when Jesus started telling them that His path home to the Father involved dying on a cross.  This left them bewildered.  Peter could not accept this.  He was not going to let this happen.  But Jesus swiftly rebuked him, “Get behind Me Satan.”  (Mt. 16:23)  That must have left the others rather afraid to question Him any further.

 

There was, however, one of them who had both the honesty and the courage to own up to his own doubts.  That, of course, was our dear friend Thomas.  He spoke of his doubts and inability to understand.  This question brought from Jesus the beautiful words, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”  That should encourage us never to be ashamed of our doubts before God.  To feel doubts does not betray a lack of faith, but rather a faith which wants to grow deeper.

 

To a Jew at the time of Jesus, the words, ‘I am the Way’ were both powerful and awesome.

 

We see in the Old Testament countless references to the way people needed to live if they were to walk in the ways of the Lord. 

In Deuteronomy (5:32) we read: "You shall not turn aside to the right or to the left, but shall walk in ways which the Lord God has commanded you."  The Prophet Isaiah told the people: "Your ears shall hear a word behind you saying “This is the way, walk in it" (30:21). He also spoke of “The Way of Holiness" in which no person, even the simplest, would be lost (35:8).

 

Psalm 27 prays "Lord, teach me Your Way, so that I may walk in the Truth (v.11)

 

So the image of a Way that led to God was very familiar to them.  Imagine, then, the impact of Jesus saying: "I am that Way".

 

So the Road to God is not a "concept", but a person. Follow Jesus, and you too will find your way leads, not to death and non-existence, but to eternal life with God.

 

All the saints followed Jesus.  Let us take one saint, Teresa of Avila.  She wrote a wonderful book of spirituality entitled "The Way of Perfection".  For her Jesus the Lord is most definitely THE Way, and she admits no other spiritual path than a close and faithful adherence to Him.  She speaks of this beautifully when writing about the Eucharist.  She says, "If, while Jesus lived in the world, the mere touch of His garments healed the sick, who can doubt that when He is dwelling in the very centre of our being He will work miracles on us if we have a living faith in Him?" (208).

 

She also encourages us to have a firm and faithful perseverance in following The Way, that everything depends on people having a great and resolute determination never to halt until they reach their journey's end." She is strongly encouraging us to persevere on our journey to the bitter end.

 

What all of us must all ask ourselves every day when we examine our conscience is Where am I going?  If we are not following Jesus, the Way, then we are definitely travelling the wrong road.  Reach out for Jesus.  Let Him take hold of you and show you the way. 

 

Yes, at the end of each day, we would do well to ask ourselves: “Which bus am I on today? On the destination board is the word Jesus displayed?”

Hearing the Shepherd's Voice

 

Article by Father Jonathan E Moore - LINK HERE 

4th Sunday of Easter          Hearing the Shepherd’s Voice. 

Jesus describes Himself as the Good Shepherd. It is a familiar and appealing image, even though few of us ever see a shepherd with his sheep any longer. Our Lord’s image is not drawn from modern sheep farming, with scores of animals herded by a man on a quad bike. The shepherd Jesus had in mind belongs to an earlier age, an individual minding a fairly small flock, knowing each one of them, and every sheep knowing, trusting and heeding his voice. The Gospel we heard today speaks of a shepherd who is “the gate of the sheepfold”, who sleeps across the opening in the doorway to guard his flock from danger. 

We also heard of the intimacy of the relationship between shepherd and sheep:

“The sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out”

When Our Lord looks at today’s world, with its billions of people, He does not see a vast, faceless, anonymous crowd, but individual people - every  one of them known by name, and every one of them loved as though they were the only person in all creation. A very good way to begin a time of prayer is to be mindful of that. Jesus is looking at you. He is not looking at you as a judge or critic, neither is He looking out for any slips or falls: no, He looks at you all the time because He loves you so much that He simply can't take His eyes off you! The essence of prayer is to make that a mutual feeling, ourselves loving the Lord in and above all things.

I would like to spend these few minutes with you today thinking about our own response to the Lord’s loving gaze. The sheep, Jesus says, are attentive to the shepherd’s voice, and follow him when he calls.

It is necessary to listen in order to hear. It is also necessary to listen if we truly wish to communicate with another person. It is surprising how many people, when asked how they pray, begin by saying: “Well, I just talk to God.” Prayer which involves no more than that never gets one very far - it will always remain shallow and dissatisfying. The great Benedictine spiritual writer, Dom Hubert Van Zeller, described the sound of a human voice echoing around in the vast emptiness of the self-absorbed soul. A person who talks incessantly about himself is very boring - even to himself!

Let's just cast our minds back to last Sunday’s Gospel, the story of the Disciples on the Emmaus Road. What happened? Well, of course, they recognised Jesus in the Breaking of Bread, but their encounter up to that point is important too. Jesus joined Clophas and his companion and walked with them, even though they did not know it. He asked what was on their minds, and they told Him in no uncertain terms, pouring out their disappointment, shattered hopes and failing faith. There is no doubt that they had a lot to say, but the encounter didn't end there, did it? Jesus then began to speak to them, and lead them to an understanding of the true meaning of that first Easter. They stopped talking and started listening, and their hearts burned within them. This is true prayer - not talking to Jesus, but conversing with Jesus. All conversation demands both speaking and listening. Listening is how we hear.

We live in such a noisy, busy world that is is very hard indeed to “tune in” to the voice of Jesus alone. All around us is a turbulent ocean of voices, all saying different things. We can choose to take refuge in noise, it stops one thinking too deeply. Your radio or TV can be on from morning till night, when out in the car there is the radio or CD player, on the bike or walking, there's always the IPod or a phone glued to your ear! If we are not careful, even our prayer time can be about speech and music. True prayer flourishes in silence, and begins to grow when we learn how to “turn on the silence” around us - which generally involves finding the “off switch” for the tumult of noise that mostly surrounds us. Listening to His voice begins with listening for His voice and learning how to block out the interference. Shakespeare, no less, makes it clear that the “sound and fury” of life “signify nothing”; just like the Prophet Elijah, we must learn that God is not encountered in the crashing earthquake or howling wind, but in the still small voice of calm (1 Kings 19:12). 

Finding that “still small voice” is no easy task though, and as soon as we try to we find out how very hard it is, because the unrest and clamour outside are nothing compared with we encounter within our own selves. Don't be discouraged, and remember that with God quality always wins out over quantity. If you can only find two minutes in a day to be alone and silently mindful of God, make them very quiet and very attentive minutes. Make the best of what you have. Learning to listen to God in silence may very well take all your life, but what matters is not learning quickly, just learning it.

Let the last word go to the author Nicholas Sparks:

”We sit silently and watch the world around us. This has taken a lifetime to learn. It seems only the old are able to sit next to one another and not say anything and still feel content. The young, brash and impatient, must always break the silence. It is a waste, for silence is pure. Silence is holy. It draws people together because only those who are comfortable with each other can sit without speaking.” (“The Notebook”)

NOTE: Please pray for Father Jonathan Moore, a regular contributor to The Christian Lounge, who is not well currently. May God protect and heal him. Thank you. 

Why can't I hear God?

 

Article by Victor S E Moubarak - LINK HERE 

Why can't we hear God speaking clearly to us so we know what He wants?

It's a fair question. But imagine for a moment this happened to you. Imagine that one day whilst you're alone you hear clearly a voice announcing that God, your Creator, is addressing you personally. How would you react? Be honest, would you not be totally frightened out of your mind? Would you not wonder whether it is all real? Whether you just imagined it? Or perhaps that someone had hidden a loudspeaker somewhere and was playing a trick on you? Would you really believe it was God really speaking?  

God is real. He is a living Spirit inhabiting a spiritual world around us. We imagine Him to be human-like because this is what our mind can understand. 

Christ, the Son of God, appeared on earth as a vulnerable human baby so that we can relate to Him. So that we can listen and learn from Him, and witness His love and compassion for us.

God, the omnipotent loving Creator, descended to our level by visiting our world in human form; sharing with us our humanity.   

Had He appeared as a Spirit, as a bright light, or some hazy form like a "ghost"; our relationship with Him would have been totally different. It would have been based on our fear and bewilderment of Him; and not on His love and compassion for us.  

The Old Testament records that God did speak to the prophets and to people like Abraham, Moses and others like Noah and Jonah. We presume that they heard a voice out of nowhere and knew it was God. 

He spoke clearly to Moses many times when He told him to get the Jews out of Egypt, and throughout their 40 years travels in the desert when He gave him the Ten Commandments. 

So why does He not speak to us clearly today? 

Perhaps our answer is found in the Book of Deuteronomy. This book is a series of addresses given by Moses to the people of Israel in the land of Moab, before they entered the promised land of Canaan.

"The LORD spoke these commandments in a loud voice to your whole assembly out of the fire, the cloud, and the deep darkness on the mountain; He added nothing more. And He wrote them on two tablets of stone and gave them to me. And when you heard the voice out of the darkness while the mountain was blazing with fire, all the heads of your tribes and your elders approached me, and you said, “Behold, the LORD our God has shown us His glory and greatness, and we have heard His voice out of the fire. Today we have seen that a man can live even if God speaks with him. But now, why should we die? For this great fire will consume us, and we will die, if we hear the voice of the LORD our God any longer. For who of all flesh has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the fire, as we have, and survived? Go near and listen to all that the LORD our God says. Then you can tell us everything the LORD our God tells you; we will listen and obey.”

And the LORD heard the words you spoke to me, and He said to me, “I have heard the words that these people have spoken to you. They have done well in all that they have spoken. If only they had such a heart to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it might be well with them and with their children forever. Go and tell them: ‘Return to your tents.’ But you stand here with Me, that I may speak to you all the commandments and statutes and ordinances you are to teach them to follow in the land that I am giving them to possess.” (Deuteronomy 5:23 onwards ...)

In summary; the Israelites heard the voice of God clearly and were frightened that they would die, so they asked Moses to go and listen to God and relay His messages to the people. They asked God to stop talking; and God agreed.

Maybe this is why God does not speak to humanity in a loud voice as reported in the Bible. 

However, since then and up to now, God continues to speak to people softly in their souls. It may not be a loud voice as in the times of Moses, but He does speak to us - you and me - if only we are willing to listen.

And before you ask ... when God is speaking to you He makes sure you know it is Him speaking to you.

Stay with us Lord

 

Article by Father Jonathan E Moore - LINK HERE

3rd Sunday of Easter 2026.             Stay with us, Lord!

 

You won’t find the village of Emmaus on any present day map of the Holy Land. Some rather fancifully show where the compiler thinks it might have been, but no one really knows. The village has long since ceased to exist. The name probably derived from the Semitic word “Hammat” meaning “Warm Spring”, and the place name crops up all over the ancient Middle East. Of the Emmaus near to Jerusalem, however, only the name remains, preserved down the centuries in the Gospel story of the Risen Jesus and the disciples who recognised Him at the breaking of bread.

 

Saint Luke gives us a picture of Clophas and his companion trying to distance themselves from Jerusalem. The Master is dead and buried, Peter and the Apostles are in hiding, Jerusalem is not a safe place for anyone who was associated with Jesus. Yet, for all that they are frightened and demoralised men, they still discuss recent events, they still talk about Jesus. As they speak of Him, Jesus Himself draws near, and yet they do not recognise Him. He is with them, even though they don't know it. Jesus said “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I shall be with them” (Mt. 18:20), He promised to be present, but did not promise that we would always be aware of His nearness. I wonder how aware we are of that constant companionship? Perhaps we do not speak about Jesus as often as we should, even with fellow believers. When you come to think of it, a friend of Jesus should not be shy of speaking about Him to anyone. I don't mean, of course, that we all need to turn ourselves into “doorstep evangelists”, ramming our beliefs down other people’s throats - far from it! What I do mean, however, is that I have very seldom met anyone who responded badly to an assurance of prayer or a word of blessing. Maybe the word “bless” has become rather devalued by thoughtless use these days, and we should seek to express it in a different way. The origin of our English word “Goodbye” was the old English “God bye”, meaning “God be with you”. As a boy, I was quite accustomed to hearing older, mostly Methodist folk who would always say on parting: “God be with you till we meet again”. We might think of doing the same.

 

Jesus encourages Clophas and his companion to tell Him what things they have been discussing. They are amazed! Where has this guy been? At once, they begin to tell Him everything. It is as though a cork has been taken from a bottle, everything pours out - their fearful desolation, disappointed and shattered hope, their unwillingness to believe the women who have already said that Jesus is risen. They speak their minds to the Lord. In response, He then guides them to the true meaning of the Old Testament, the Law and all the Prophets. This should encourage us to be very honest when talking to Jesus in prayer; it is a mistake to think that God only responds to special words, or that we must be careful to say only the things we think He wants to hear. We too have much to learn from the Old Testament Prophets and the way they prayed: they spoke their mind to God, at times they grumbled at God, sometimes even raged at Him - they told God what was truly in their hearts and minds. When the disciples on the Emmaus Road told Jesus the unvarnished truth, they not only opened their hearts, but also their minds to receive what Jesus wanted to teach them. A wise person once said that when God breaks our hearts, it is only so that He can pour His love into them. Psalm 51 tells us that God never rejects a contrite (i.e. broken, crushed) heart. So their desolate hearts, once opened, were soon burning once again within them, but they still hadn't recognised Jesus.

 

One of the most important lessons in the spiritual life is not to allow our past failures, disappointments or broken dreams to blind us the the presence of God in the present moment. When we think of “mortification”, we shouldn’t assume that it goes no further than turning down a second slice of cake - of far greater importance is the “Mortification of Memory” - giving the past a dignified burial and turning our attention to the here and now. Grievances, they say, are like babies - the longer you nurse them, the bigger they grow!

 

As they neared their night’s lodging, Jesus “made as if to go on”. They begged Him to stay, saying it was late in the day and would soon be dark, He would be welcome to join them at table. Their real fear, of course, was not that the daylight was fading, but that without their new friend faith might fade again, and their renewed hope be overwhelmed by the darkness. At table, in the Breaking of Bread, their eyes were opened and they recognised the Risen Lord Jesus. In that instant He vanished from their sight. He had given them that faith which recognises the unfailing presence of Jesus everywhere and at all times, a faith which does not depend on what we see or don't. There's an old Latin inscription you often see over the door of a monastery or convent: “Hospes venit, Christus venit” - “When a guest comes, Christ comes.” Imagine how different our world would be if all could see the face of Jesus Christ in every stranger, every refugee, every asylum-seeker. Well, maybe we can't do much about the big picture, but we can ask for the grace to open our own hearts more fully and welcome Christ in others. That would at least be a start.

 

One last important thought about welcoming Jesus - the disciples had first spoken about Jesus, then conversed with Jesus, before they welcomed and recognised Him. We arrive at true Christian Love only through spending time with Jesus in prayer.

 

Can we perhaps let the Emmaus Road story help us this week to speak of Jesus more readily, to converse with Jesus more honestly, and to welcome Jesus in others more willingly? Let's try to do that this Easter Season. 

Prove your Faith

 

Article by Victor S E Moubarak - LINK HERE 

And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and though she had spent all her living on physicians, she could not be healed by anyone. She came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment, and immediately her discharge of blood ceased. And Jesus said, “Who was it that touched me?” When all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the crowds surround you and are pressing in on you!” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me, for I perceive that power has gone out from me.” And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” Luke 8:43-48

When things go wrong in our lives and we pray to God to help us, or help someone we love, what exactly is our motivation? Do we truly believe that there is "Someone" there listening to us and able, and willing, to help us? Or do we pray as a last resource action, or a "just in case" activity to tick another thing on our list?

The woman in the passage we've just read had tried many things to get healed. She had been to this doctor, and the next, this expert physician and the other; she had spent all her money on consultations and medicines, but was still not healed. She had been in this condition for twelve years and it seemed she was getting worse.

So she decided to turn to Jesus for help.

Let us look at her motivation. Did she go to Jesus as yet another thing to do? Just as if she was seeing another doctor? Just to tick another item on her "to do" list?

Or did she really believe that Jesus could heal her?

Note that in fact she did not go and ask Jesus for help. She was so sure of His powers as the Son of God that she decided that by just touching the fringe of His garment will be enough to heal her. This time her motivation was different. She did not go and see yet another "doctor"; she was sure she will be healed. And Jesus rewarded her by saying "your faith has made you well".

Is our faith just as strong when we pray to God?

What if our faith is weak and faltering?

Then one of the crowd answered and said, “Teacher, I brought You my son, who has a mute spirit. And wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I spoke to Your disciples, that they should cast it out, but they could not.”

He answered him and said, “O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him to Me.” Then they brought him to Him. And when he saw Him, immediately the spirit convulsed him, and he fell on the ground and wallowed, foaming at the mouth.

So He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?”

And he said, “From childhood. And often he has thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

Jesus had pity on the father and healed his son.

Notice that in this case, perhaps like us sometimes, the father had a little faith but was not so sure that Jesus would help him. He probably believed in Christ's power; maybe he had witnessed His other miracles, but he was not certain that Jesus would help.

But at least he was honest in his request and his reply: "If You can ..." and "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!" Mark 9:14-29

Let that be our prayer when we too are doubtful.

"Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"

Joy in the Lord

 

FATHER FRANCIS MAPLE

LINK TO HIS WEBSITE HERE 

 

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If there’s joy in the Lord let it show my friends

Don’t keep it all to yourself

Don’t ever worry what the crowd might say

Don’t put the Lord on a shelf

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

It’s a sad old world and we’ve got a lot of cares

In debt out of work and we’re scared

But we should be brave for He comes to save

So let’s all spread the happy Word

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

Now the roof sprung a leak and the rains come through

The outlook is as bad as you have known

Well it could be worse and remember this

You don’t bear the burden all alone

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

You’re getting older now and the wrinkles show

Does it matter if you’re beautiful within?

Learn to smile and pray

As you grow old and grey

And lean a little more on Him

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

Bring Him down take Him round let the joy shine through

How can you fail when the Lord’s with you?

Prayer

 Article by Father Jonathan E Moore - LINK HERE

Second Sunday of Easter 2026

 The second Sunday of Easter 2026. Through Him, with Him and in Him. Dear friends, our gospel readings throughout the whole of this Easter octave have presented us with one appearance of the risen Christ after another. 

 The three Mary's at the tomb that first Easter Sunday. Peter, John and Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb shortly afterwards. The upper room with the apostles that first Easter evening.

 The women coming away from the tomb on Monday. On Tuesday, Mary Magdalene at the tomb. Clopas and his companion on the Emmaus road on Wednesday.

 Then with the disciples back in Jerusalem on Thursday. Then by the sea of Tiberias on Friday. St Mark's summary of all of the above is the gospel on Saturday.

 This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday. And we're back in the upper room again for two appearances. The first to the apostles in the absence of St Thomas and then another with Thomas there as well.

 Looking at each and every one of these appearances we can discern that each has two essential elements. An individual encounter with Jesus and an encounter shared with others. We might say that Jesus meets us alone but also wishes to meet us with others.

 It's very important to understand that our prayer and worship need to reflect both dimensions. Personal and communal. Can we define prayer? There are to be sure many rich veins of Christian spirituality to explore.

 St Augustine said true prayer is nothing but love. St John Vianney the Curie of Ars taught prayer is the union of love into which the soul plunges itself. St Therese of Lisieux wrote "for me prayer is a surge of the heart".

 It is a simple look turned toward heaven. It is a cry of recognition and of love embracing both trial and joy. Quite clearly love is essential to prayer.

 An expression of love to God whose love for us is infinite. Love however is not so much a matter of emotion as an exercise of the will. Love is a choice, a decision, we make and one for which we must make time.

 St Francis the Sales said we ought to pray for half an hour every day except when we are too busy which is when we need to pray for a whole hour. More than a thousand years ago St John Damascene gave the church a definition of prayer which has been used ever since. "Prayer is the raising of one's mind and heart to God" or "the requesting of good things from God".

 Our present catechism of the Catholic Church describes prayer as a vital and personal relationship with the living and true God. Going on to say that it is Christian insofar as it is communion with Christ and a covenant relationship between God and humanity in Christ. So prayer involves love which is a choice to draw close to God through our Lord in a covenant relationship between God and humanity.

 Not just between one man and one woman and God; and here is the second dimension of prayer. For Jesus did not teach us to address God as "my father" but as "our father". Prayer, that most intimate expression of our relationship with God is never simply a solitary affair for it is always lived in communion with the whole Christ.

 That wonderful reality which is sometimes called the mystical body of Christ. A unity between Christ the head and the community of believers who form a part of His body in all places and all times. 

At first sight the life of an enclosed contemplative poor Claire, or Carmelite sister, might seem a very insular affair indeed.

 Not so. Saint Edith Stein wrote of her relationship with humanity in these terms. "Whoever enters Carmel and we should say whoever enters the path of prayer is not lost to their own but is theirs fully for the first time".

 It is our vocation to stand before God for all. If you look back quietly through the gospel readings of the past week you will see how our risen Lord and Saviour gently draws his friends back from their locked room of desolation and grief step by step. He goes to them in their lonely and fearful isolation, their panicked flight along the Emmaus road, the black bereavement of Mary Magdalene at the tomb, Thomas's hard-headed demand for more proof.

 Being with them once more He shares with them His merciful love, calling for their own response then drawing them with Him on God's terms, not theirs, to realise their personal vocation as sons and daughters in relationship with the eternal Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At the last supper Jesus prayed "and this is eternal life that they may know You the only true God and Jesus Christ whom You have sent". Eternal life for each and every one of them began the moment they freely chose to enter that loving relationship.

 Eternal life for each and every one of us begins in just the same way. We are not looking forward to eternal life, a prayer in the risen Christ. It is already ours.

 What then is our Easter prayer all about? It is the moment when by God's grace we pray as part of our Lord's mystical body, united with and in the Father's plan for humanity. Prayer is not just something that happens when I'm in church or saying the rosary at home. Prayer is not something I do at certain times.

 As the hymn says, the voice of prayer is never silent. Prayer is something you are part of. Prayer places us at the very heart of the church, living in communion with all the members of Christ's body.

 Do you remember the Christmas carol which says the hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight? Well when we stand in the presence of the Father with Jesus in the name of all, presenting to the Father the hopes, fears, joys and sorrows of all people and begging us to bless and keep us, we are at prayer. Amen. 

God bless you my dear friends and please remember to pray for me.