(In Parenthesis

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Was today, whichever way you cut it.

Coursework to assess: what extended bank holiday weekends were made for, it would seem.

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It may not be Westminster Abbey, but Our Lady of Mount Carmel & St Mary Magdalene is looking rather lovely this Easter.

I snapped these after mass this morning.

From an ancient Easter homily:

The Easter festival brings the grace of holiness from heaven to men. Through the repeated celebration of the sacred mysteries they receive the spiritual nourishment of the sacraments. Fostered at the very heart of Holy Church, the fellowship of one community worships the one God, adoring the triple name of his essential holiness, and together with the prophet sings the psalm which belongs to this yearly festival: ‘This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.’

From the Easter Vigil.

(photo by bobosh_t on flickr)

The grave, death’s black heart, 
has ruptured.
From its torn aorta
alive blood fountains, channelling eternity
into chalices for us.

He is risen indeed ! Alleluia!

The tomb is full
and for this time
the world is empty
of the force that that gave it rhyme.

The potter’s hands
have now become the clay
Just for today
Just for today.

Descending into hell
He disappears
The world has trembled, now is still
amidst its fears.

As son of Eve, he fell asleep
as father of Adam, he stirs.
In the belly of time, in soil so deep
the eternal dayspring coils…

Ecce lignum crucis

“Even what they seem to have will be taken away” For too long, what I seemed to have was faith, but the more it was mere ‘seeming’, the more it was indeed taken away. The modest move I have taken towards truly ‘having’, born out of paying more attention to how to listen, and in doing so allowing the light of God’s word to be on a lampstand rather than under my bed, has seen me given more already than I could ever have hoped or imagined, or indeed even been willing to accept, until beginning to treasure these words, and ponder them in my heart.