Collect
LORD, we beseech thee, grant thy people grace to withstand the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil, and with pure hearts and minds to follow thee the only God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
James 5:13 – 20
Mark 9: 42 – 48
‘if anyone among you wanders from the truth’…
‘And what is truth?’, said Pilate, before walking away from it, quoted in John 18:38
‘To say of what is that it is, or of what is not that it is not, is true.’ That’s Aristotle.
‘Truth is what I say it is’ according to politicians and dictators through the ages
‘Er, search me’ said quite a lot of wise philosophers.
Do we have to define something to understand what it means in our daily lives? I would suggest that while a definition certainly often helps – but a definition isn’t always necessary. As an example, to survive. we have to breath something called ‘air’ – but we don’t have to know its chemical formula in order to do so. There is much more to life than hard facts, and in them, truth will exist in spirit.
What is important is that we perceive, accept and believe ‘truths’ in order to frame our decisions and actions. We base our lives on what we believe to be truth, and for us as Christians, Jesus’ word is all the truth we need to live in Him and act as His body on Earth. His truth is simple – it is Love. Love of God and Love of neighbour.
‘My word is truth’, said Jesus in John 17: 17. Pilate was afraid of the consequences of belief. Thankfully, we need not be.
Previous Posts
Praying Together 6th November 2022
Human structures, societies and cultures will always eventually crumble. God’s Kingdom is everlasting. And it’s free for the asking.
Praying together 30th October 2022
Luke 18: 9-14Ephesians 1:11-23 ‘Saint’ Defn. #1: a person acknowledged as holy or virtuous and regarded in Christian faith as being in heaven after death. Well, I’m not dead yet (or at least I wasn’t at the time of writing.) So that’s not me. ‘Saint’ Defn. #2: a very...
Praying Together 23rd October 2022
We don’t stop doing right because of the fear of becoming proud – and we don’t let past failure stop us from living in His house.
Praying Together 16th October 2022
2 Timothy 3:14 - 4:5 Are we there yet? (Title courtesy of Marjorie)Just stop for a moment. Take a look around. How did you get to where you are at this instant in time? Now have a look into yourself, your heart and mind, and reflect on your journey in faith –...
Praying Together 9th October 2022
Collect for Trinity 17 Almighty God, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in you: Teach us to offer ourselves to your service, that here we may have your peace, and in the world to come may see you face to face;through...
An Ordination at St Michael and All Angels, Waterville
On Thursday last, 29th September - the feast of Michaelmas - members of all four churches of our Union joined together to witness The Reverend Barbara Irrgang-Buckley being ordained Priest by the Bishop of Tuam Limerick and Killaloe, the Right Reverend Michael...
Praying Together 25th September 2022
Luke 16: 19-31 What will it take to convince you? With thanks to Anselm of Canterbury, and his inspiration Augustine of Hippo, there are two approaches to faith. (Excuse the Latin, but I had five years of it at school and I can’t help showing off sometimes as a...
Praying Together 18th September 2022
Luke 16: 1-13 To whom do we owe our allegiance? You cannot serve God and ‘wealth’ Bah. If ever there was a misleading Biblical translation, that’s it. It’s bad enough when the translated phrase reads ‘You cannot serve God and money’. Neither of those words...
Praying Together – 11 September 2022
Collect for Trinity 13 Almighty God, who called your Church to bear witness that you were in Christ reconciling the world to yourself: Help us to proclaim the good news of your love, that all who hear it may be drawn to you; through him who was lifted up on the...
Arthur and Martha: Christ the King
This is the day we remember that Jesus is the king of all the world and that He is the greatest king of all. Just imagine. Jesus is our very best friend, but He’s a king!
The Road to Emmaus | Luke 24: 13-35
The Road to Emmaus : Luke 24:13-35
Mary’s Story
Hello little one. Pleased to meet you. It’s been an eventful few months while I’ve been waiting for you to arrive. Let me tell you all about it.
It started on an ordinary day. I was going about as normal, feeding the chickens, tidying up and that sort of thing. I wasn’t really concentrating, I was thinking about my wedding to Joseph in a few weeks time.