A prayer of tenderness during lockdown in Offaly

As we go further into the lockdown because of this dreadful Coronavirus, we continue to try and keep our resolutions to stay home and keep our loved one's safe. I do not think there is a time in our history where we have not acknowledged the power of touch more than today in the middle of this Coronavirus crisis. Who among us now does not miss the touch of our loved ones, relatives and our friends? Indeed almost the only time we are now allowed to touch patients with tenderness at a hospital is when in fact they are dying. And they need that touch of love and tenderness if only one last time. Jesus, in the gospel story Mark 1:40-45 which was one of the readings at mass recently about curing the man with leprosy, knew the power of touch. And it wasn’t just a symbol. It was the power of healing. I do not think we could ever identify with the gospel's more than we do with that passage of the leper. Even though we do not have leprosy everyone is terrified of getting the coronavirus. We are not touching one another. What do we do when we cannot touch and we know we need it? We are so desperate for the ordinary touch, shaking a hand, pat on the shoulder, a hug from a loved one. Oh God, do we not miss those moments of love and tenderness now more than ever! What are we to do? We can be creative. First of all, the power of eye contact for me has become very much accentuated; even though we are wearing face masks that when eyes meet, there is somewhat of a touch. It may not be a physical touch but when our eyes meet, they seem to say something more like I wish I could touch you. I call it my look of tenderness. I know that normally, we bump elbows, which is one thing people have done. It is a brief touch but helpful. Recently I started to bump forearms. I know that when you bump a forearm, you can spend a little extra time there albeit an extra second or two but if you look at each other eye-to-eye with  tenderness and hold that forearm just for two seconds, it feels almost like a hug. When we do that with the face mask on and we do not talk so you don’t want to spread any aerosol, it is powerful and can be a meaningful touch of tenderness and love.

Pray for each other

Also if we cannot touch one another with tenderness we can pray for one another everyday with tenderness. A prayer of tenderness and love takes just a matter of seconds to utter, but its influence on our lives can be permanent. ‘A moment on our lips is a lifetime on our souls.’ A simple prayer can change us; can lead us on the path to healing ourselves and our world. So pray. Pray for peace, pray for healing, pray for a cure to the virus, pray for love, pray for mercy, pray for forgiveness, pray for tenderness, pray for advances in science, pray for the strength to eradicate poverty and disease, pray to overcome injustice, pray for resolve, pray for others, pray for acceptance, pray for our poor, abandoned and homeless, pray for yourself. Pray to God with all your heart and soul, and then gather up your might to meet the challenges that lie ahead and we all know at this present time in our wonderful county and country that we need that help and strength to make the lives of our children, our elderly and our loved ones brighter, so let's get doing it for our beautiful children and elderly parents and grandparents. Prayer is asking. Prayer is pleading. Prayer is praising. Prayer is loving. Prayer is healing. Prayer is tenderness. Prayer is merciful. Prayer is hoping. Prayer is forgiving. Prayer is thanksgiving. But the ultimate goal of prayer is personal intimacy with God. Millions of people pray every day for a variety of different reasons.  Whether you’ve found yourself in need of a listening ear or you want to praise a recent triumph, prayer has the ability to help people feel more grounded as they communicate with a higher power.  How and when you pray depends upon your religion.  In some religions, prayer is spoken aloud in a chant, sometimes as a group and others as an individual.  Group prayer is believed to have more power because there are a greater number of people communicating at the same time for the same things.

The Experience of Prayer

All people of faith struggle at times to maintain a meaningful prayer life, a struggle felt all the more keenly in times like ours of coronavirus, confusion, political turbulence, injustices of all sorts and global calamity. Prayer is not a passive activity. Prayer awakens us. Our eyes begin to notice beauty where we never noticed it before. Our hearts begin to feel compassion, forgiveness, tenderness and mercy we never knew we had. Our priorities shift. As we talk to God, we receive the encouragement to live up to the potential inside us. Soon we start to see beyond ourselves into the world that is waiting for our help and is suffering from the fears and loss of life by the coronavirus. I believe God is listening. And I believe God answers us. God’s answer to our prayers may be very different from the answer we were or are searching for. God’s reply might come as the strength to fight on. It may come as the courage to face what we have feared. God’s answer may be the ability to accept what we have been denying. Or it may appear as hope in the face of despair. We are not alone. God is present in our lives. When we stop bargaining with God and start opening up our souls to God, our prayers suddenly start working. We can pray for strength and receive strength. Prayer is ultimately an experience, not a request. It is a sense of being connected, of being part of something larger than ourselves. It is an attempt to be in the presence of God.  As my Nana Scully used to say a beautiful prayer and a beautiful world starts with you!

A Beautiful New World Starts with You.

Be the one who comforts, consoles and listens especially during this worrying time of the Coronavirus, and you will be comforted, consoled and heard. Be the one who loves and cares, and you will be loved and cared for️. Be the one who supports, helps and gives, and you will be supported and blessed. Be the one who encourages, and you will receive encouragement. Be the one who is kind and caring, and you will have kindness and care shown to you. Be the one who is considerate, and you will receive consideration. Be the one who nurtures and is good to nature and animals, and nature and animals in turn will be good to you. Be the one who shows admiration and you will be admired. Be the one who values truth and respect, and you will be respected. Be the one who takes action for the good of others, and you will move life forward. Be the one that does good things for Our World, and our world will help you to achieve good things. Be the one who shows mercy and compassion, and you will have mercy and compassion shown to you. Be the one who prays and lights candles for others, and you will be heard and have your prayers answered. Be the one who shows courage, and you will overcome your fears. Be the one who is honest in all your dealings in life, and your life will be one of truth. Be the one who lends a helping hand, and many hands will help you when in need. Be the one who lifts others up and higher, and your life will be rich. Be the one who brings and makes peace, and your world will have as its core peacefulness. Be the one who shows real forgiveness, and you will also be forgiven. Be the one filled with gratitude, tenderness and thanksgiving, and there will be no end to the things for which you'll be thankful. Be the one who lives with joy, with hope, with courage, with love, with purpose, as your own light brightly shines. Be, in every moment the special and precious someone you are truly meant To Be.

Thought for the week

As your thought for the week, hold in tenderness and prayer the collective suffering of our world at this time. We grieve for those precious lives lost and vulnerable lives threatened because of the Coronavirus and many more types of illness. We ache for the touch of our loved ones, friends, neighbours and ourselves, facing an uncertain future. May we all be faithful to the behavioral and medical advice provided and may God inspire us to be generous in our proactive care and solidarity and may I offer up this comforting blessing for you, the reader on your life's journey that you may see the light in the darkness during these challenging times of this lockdown because of the Coronavirus! May you feel the loving presence of those who hold you in their thoughts and prayers! May your spirit find what it needs to sustain you on this journey of life! May you discover your inner strength and face all difficulties with dignity and grace. May you be filled with comfort, love, strength, grace and a lasting sense of peace! May the light of your soul guide you. May the light of your soul bless the work that you do with the secret love and warmth of your heart. May you see in what you do the beauty of your own soul. May the sacredness of your work bring healing, light and renewal to those who work with you and to those who see and receive your work. May your work never weary you. May it release within you wellsprings of refreshment, inspiration and excitement. May you be present in what you do. May you never become lost in bland absences. May the day never burden. May dawn find you awake and alert, approaching your new day with dreams, possibilities and promises. May evening find you gracious and fulfilled. May you go into the night blessed, sheltered and protected. May your soul calm, console and renew you. May there always be work for your hands to do. May your purse always hold a coin or two; May the sun always shine on your windowpane; May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain; May the hand of a friend always be near you; May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you. May the blessing of God's soft rain be on you, Falling gently on your head, refreshing your soul. With the sweetness of little flowers newly blooming. May the strength of the winds of Heaven bless you, Carrying the rain to wash your spirit clean. Sparkling after in the sunlight. May the blessing of God's earth be on you, And as you walk the roads, May you always have a kind word for those you meet. May joy and peace surround you, contentment latch your door, and happiness be with you now and bless you evermore! May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow. May the soft winds freshen your spirit. May the sunshine brighten your heart. May the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you, and may God enfold you in the mantle of His love now and always. I also pray for us all to have the power to be gentle, loving, kind and caring to one another and to ourselves; the strength to be forgiving and be forgiven; the patience to be understanding and compassionate and merciful; and the endurance to accept the consequences of holding to what we believe to be right and good and peaceful. May we put our trust in the power of good to overcome evil and the power of love to overcome hatred. Pray for the vision to see and the faith to believe in a world emancipated from viruses, illnesses, violence, hatred and war, a new world where fear shall no longer lead men and women to commit injustice, nor selfishness and unkindness to make them bring suffering to others. Help us to devote our whole life and thought and energy to the task of making peace and a better life for people and children in need in our world and country, praying always for the inspiration and the power to fulfill the destiny for which we and all people were created and that we will always look after the needy in our county, our country and in our world especially so many vulnerable and needy people in our country and world who are in serious need at this time of viruses and illnesses. Remember change starts within yourself and that you can't change others you can only change yourself so be a change for goodness and genuineness in your own life and always remember for evil to exist it takes good people to remain quiet. Much peace, love, protection and healing to everyone. Also some friends and family asked me to light a candle for them and some friends and family are in need of a prayer and candle lit especially any of you that are unwell or ill or in hospital or suffered an accident or a loss or some who are having worrying times with family and financial problems and for some who are lacking peace and mercy in their lives....for them and for all of us and especially for our amazing front line workers, whether they are nurses, doctors, ambulance staff, medical staff, emergency first responders, gardai, police persons, army/defence force personnel, porters, kitchen staff, cleaners, undertakers, chaplains, priests and nuns, front line medical office personnel, teachers, shop workers, journalists, media persons, radio and TV people, volunteers, helpful neighbours, politicians, counsellors or anyone who helped out in anyway during this Coronavirus Pandemic I am going to thank God for the great gifts of their talents as they have helped and continue to help and save so many people and families in need. Legends all. I offer up my prayers and candles and especially for peace, healing, a cure for the virus and real love in all our lives and in our families and in our world. Amen.