I took this photo recently at Carrigafooka, Co.Cork. The low winter sun created lovely light through the bare trees creating a beautiful winter landscape
Mindful Quotation😇: ““You can learn new things at any time in your life if you’re willing to be a beginner. If you actually learn to like being a beginner, the whole world opens up for you.” ~Barbara Sher
Mindful Prayer🙏: Loving God, beginnings are good and to be a beginner is also good. Help me to find a new beginning in my life no matter how small. Amen
(All of the above is updated daily)
Video 🎥
This one is called ‘Ballyfeard Ploughing’
If you would like to see a selection of my other videos on Youtube you can click this link here. https://www.youtube.com/@JamesMcSweeneyFr/videos
Thought For The Week
There was only one King in the news all week long and that was Troy Parrott. The 3 goals he scored for Ireland last Sunday against Hungary have been shown many times especially the goal that was scored in the 96th minute and the wild celebrations after. It was such a good news story for November and I think everybody soaked up the good news story with great joy. Right now we can look forward to next March and as they say anything is possible!
Last Sunday we had the feast day of Christ the King which marks the end of the Church’s calendar year and Advent begins next Sunday. In Cork, you have Turner’s Cross Parish and their church is called Christ the King and the local girls secondary school is also called Christ the King.
But other than that it’s a title we hear very little about and if we do it’s a title that doesn’t really connect with peoples lives. When we think of a King we think of pomp and ceremony. This is not what we think of when we talk about Jesus. The only word that mattered to Jesus was love. He never forced but always invited people to live their lives built on kindness and love.
If a King is special, then Jesus is special because his kingdom is built on the beautiful values of compassion, kindness, love, words of thanks and encouragement, walking with someone in their darkness, holding the light in their darkness when there are no words and just being there for someone in their moment of need.
Today’s feast of Christ the King is put before us this weekend as a sign of hope. Nothing can ever extinguish light, love and the hope that these can bring. But so often they can get lost in the waves of negative news that keep sweeping in.
Finally the Irish word for a King is Rí. Irish words get across their meaning so much better. Rí in old Irish culture is a leader who protects his people, someone who guides the community and someone who led the way with a vision of love, care and kindness.
This to me sums up what today’s feast is all about. Jesus as our Rí is the one who protects us, guides us and is the one who leads us through all of life’s darkness and complexities.
Thought For The Week is updated each Monday
