General Chat

Good morning :-)

There are always some folk who need cheering up, so how about a few days of laughter? I apologise in advance for any repetitions from the past


Q: Who was the shortest man in the Bible?



A: Peter – he slept on his watch.

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Q: Who was the first motorcyclist in the Bible?



A: David – the sound of his triumph was heard throughout the land.

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Q: What was the first ice-cream maker mentioned in the Bible?



A: Walls of Jericho.



:-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


"Lift up your hearts........................"



Q: Who was the best comedian in the Bible?



A: Samson – he brought the house down.


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Q: Who was the best financier in the Bible?



A: Noah – he kept his company afloat while the rest of the world was in liquidation.


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Q: Where is cricket mentioned in the Bible?



A: Peter stood up with the eleven and was bold.





:-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D



Cx :-)

Hello all

A good topic Cynthia, thank you.

Having a laugh is the best medicine there is.

We have warm sunshine too, another way to get the feel-good factor for free.

"The best way to cheer yourself up, is to try and cheer someone else up." (Mark Twain).

Cardinal Marx submits resignation to Pope Francis. (Vatican News). (08.06.21).

German Cardinal Reinhard Marx asks Pope Francis to accept his resignation as head of the Archdiocese of Munich-Freising, saying he “is willing to personally bear responsibility” not only for his own mistakes in dealing with the clerical abuse scandal, but also for the institutional errors of the Church.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx speaks of “personal failures” and “administrative mistakes” in a letter to Pope Francis in which he submitted his resignation as archbishop of Munich and Freising.
but also of “an institutional or ‘systematic’ failure” in the handling of the crisis of clerical sexual abuse in Germany,

A “personal declaration” from the Cardinal, posted on the Archdiocesan website, says the Pope has authorized the publication of the letter: Pope Francis, the statement reads, “has now informed me that this letter may be published and that I should keep performing my service as a bishop until his decision is made.”

A ‘dead end’ that could become a turning point
In his letter of resignation, Cardinal Marx reflects on the crisis facing the Catholic Church in Germany: a crisis, he says, that arose not only from external causes, but “also caused by our personal failure, by our own guilt.” “My impression,” he says, “is that we are at a ‘dead end’ which – and this is my paschal hope – also has the potential of becoming a ‘turning point’.”

Co-responsibility in the crisis of abuse
The cardinal explains that he has been considering resignation for the past year. In his personal declaration, he goes into more detail: “In the past months, I have repeatedly thought about my resignation, introspected and tried to make the right decision in prayer and in the spiritual dialogue by ‘discerning the spirits.”

He explains to the Pope that, “in essence, it is important to me to share the responsibility for the catastrophe of the sexual abuse by Church officials over the past decades.”

In the past few months, Cardinal Marx had approached the Westpfahl Spilker Wastl firm - the same firm that had been commissioned for the first investigation of paedophilia cases in the Archdiocese of Cologne - to draw up a report on abuse in the Church of Munich and Freising, pledging to not intervene to influence the final results. Last year, the Cardinal established a foundation in his diocese called “Spes et Salus” to offer “healing and reconciliation” to all victims of sexual violence. He also donated most of his private assets to the foundation.

Personal failures and administrative mistakes:

In his letter to the Pope, published today in several languages ,Cardinal Marx refers to “investigations” and “reports” over the past ten years, which, he stresses, “have consistently shown that there have been many personal failures and administrative mistakes but also institutional or ‘systemic’ failure.” The Cardinal also looks critically at the most recent controversies and discussions which, in his opinion, show that “some members of the Church refuse to believe that there is a shared responsibility in this respect and that the Church as an institution is hence also to be blamed for what has happened". Consequently, he said, they “disapprove of discussing reforms and renewal in the context of the sexual abuse crisis”.

A reform of the Church
According to the cardinal, there are two aspects that have to be considered: "mistakes for which you are personally responsible and the institutional failure which requires changes and a reform of the Church."  Cardinal Marx, instead, is convinced that a “turning point out of the crisis … is only possible if we take a ‘synodal path’, a path which actually enables a ‘discernment of spirits’.”

The damaged reputation of the Bishops
Looking back over his 42 years as a priest and 25 years as a bishop – 20 of them as ordinary of a large diocese – and in the light of this long experience in the Church, Cardinal Marx says “it is painful… to witness the severe damage to the bishops’ reputation in the ecclesiastical and secular perception, which may even be at its lowest” point.

In his view, “to assume responsibility, it is therefore not enough, in my opinion, to react only and exclusively if the files provide proof of the mistakes and failures of individuals.” Instead, he said, “We as bishops have to make clear that we also represent the institution of the Church as a whole.”


The greatest fault of the past: Overlooking the victims
Nor should one, the cardinal says, “simply link these problems largely to past times and former Church officials, thereby ‘burying’ what happened".
Cardinal Marx says he feels “personally guilty and responsible” for keeping silent, for omissions, and for focusing too much on the reputation of the Church. “Only after 2002 and even more since 2010, those affected by sexual abuse have been brought to the fore more consequently and this change of perspective has not yet been completed,” he says, adding that, “Overlooking and disregarding the victims was certainly our greatest fault of the past.”

A signal for a new beginning.
“We have failed,” Cardinal Marx reiterates, frankly acknowledging that “we” includes himself personally. That, he says, is why he is submitting his resignation: as an opportunity to express his willingness to take responsibility, and also as a “personal signal for a new beginning, for a new awakening of the Church, not only in Germany.”

“I would like to show that it is not the office that is in the forefront but the mission of the Gospel. This too is part of pastoral care,” he says in conclusion. Insisting that he continues “to enjoy being a priest and a bishop, he commits himself to pastoral activity, wherever the Pope deems it “reasonable and useful,” and to increasingly dedicate himself to “pastoral care” and to support the work of spiritual renewal of the Church.

Roles in the Church
Cardinal Marx has served as a member of the Council of Cardinals since it was established by Pope Francis in 2013 to assist him in the governance of the universal Church and to study and implement the project for the reform of the Roman Curia. In 2014, Pope Francis also appointed him coordinator of the Council for the Economy. Earlier, in 2012, he was elected chairman of the German Bishops’ Conference, a post he held until February 2020, when he announced that he would not stand for another term during the general assembly in March.

Good morning :-)

That is certainly some letter Dermot! One wonders how it will all pan out.




Be the reason someone smiles today!


Q. Where is the first tennis match mentioned in the Bible?


A. When Joseph served in Pharaoh’s court.


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Q. What did Adam say on the day before Christmas?


A. It’s Christmas, Eve!

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Q. Why didn’t they play cards on the Ark?


A. Because Noah was standing on the deck.




Cx :-)

“Don’t put laws before people” is the message from dozens of readers who have written to us in response to the wedding of twice-divorced Boris Johnson in Westminster Cathedral.

(The Tablet Weekly Magazine). :-S

Good morning :-D


Yes Dermot, I had heard of a lot of unrest caused by that particular event - understandably so.



Life is like a mirror.....smile at it and it smiles back at you.

Q. Who was the smartest man in the Bible?

A. Abraham. He knew a Lot.


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Q. Who was the fastest runner in the race?

A. Adam, because he was first in the human race.


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Q. Why did the unemployed man get excited while looking through his Bible?

A. He thought he saw a Job.


Lord, help us to smile at everyone we meet today.



Cx :-)

Good morning :-D



Laughter brings sunshine to a home



Q. What animal could Noah not trust?


A. Cheetah

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Q. On the Ark, Noah probably got milk from the cows. What did he get from the ducks?


A. Quackers

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Q. Which Bible Character is a locksmith?


A. Zaccheus. (Za-KEY-us)

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Q. Which Bible character had no parents?


A. Joshua, son of Nun (Joshua 1:1).



For the gift of laughter, we thank you O Lord. <3


Cx :-)

Good morning

Thank you for the laughs this week Cynthia.

Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face (Victor Hugo)

I wish everyone who looks in a happy Sunday and a good week ahead (with plenty of laughs :-D)

Good morning :-)


Thanks Vera - laughter is a great medicine... :-D


The Collect (special prayer) for today:

Faithful Creator,
whose mercy never fails:
deepen our faithfulness to you
and to your living Word,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


He (Jesus) also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


The gospel reading for yesterday was about planting seeds - I have found some short stories which I think you will enjoy reading.

‘What you sow is what you reap’

Once there was a poor Scottish farmer named Fleming. One day, whilst working outside, he heard a cry from a nearby wet muddy ground. He dropped his tools and ran to the spot. There, he saw a terrified boy stuck to his waist in the mud. He was screaming and struggling to free himself but Farmer Fleming managed to save him.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the farmer’s poor home. A nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy, Fleming has saved. ‘I want to repay you,’ said the nobleman. ‘You saved my son’s life.’ ‘No, I cannot accept payment for what I did,’ the Scottish farmer replied, waving off the offer.
At that moment, the farmer’s own son came to the door of the home. ‘Is that your son?’ the nobleman asked. ‘Yes,’ the farmer replied proudly. ‘I’ll make you a deal' said the nobleman. 'Let me take him and give him a good education. If the boy is like his father, he’ll grow into a man you can be proud of.’

And that he did. In time, Fleming’s son graduated from St Mary’s Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin. Years afterward, the nobleman’s son was stricken with pneumonia. And what saved him? Penicillin. The name of the nobleman was Lord Randolph Churchill, and his son’s name was Sir Winston Churchill.

Lord, we thank you for your faithfulness to your word! You give seed to the sower and I thank you for all seed that you have placed in my hand. By your faith in me, may I show faith in you. Amen.

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)

What are you sowing? What you sow, so shall you reap

THE EMPEROR AND THE SEEDS
In the Far East, the emperor was growing old and it was time to choose his successor. Instead of choosing one of his children, he decided to do something different. He called young people in the kingdom together one day. He said, “It is time for me to step down and choose the next emperor. I have decided to choose one of you. I am going to give each one of you a seed today – one very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from this one seed. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next emperor.”

One boy, named Ling, was there and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his mother the story and she helped him to plant the seed and care for it. Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown.
Ling kept checking his seed. Five weeks went by, still nothing. By now, others were talking about their plants, but Ling didn’t have a plant and he felt like a failure. Six months went by — still nothing in Ling’s pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing.

A year finally went by and all the youths of the kingdom brought their plants to the emperor for inspection. Ling didn’t want to take an empty pot, but his mother asked him to be honest about what happened. He knew his mother was right so he took his empty pot to the palace. When he arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other youths. They were beautiful — in all shapes and sizes. Ling put his empty pot on the floor and the other children laughed at him.

When the emperor arrived, he surveyed the room. Ling just tried to hide in the back. “My, what great plants, trees, and flowers you have grown,” said the emperor. “Today one of you will be appointed the next emperor!”

All of a sudden, the emperor spotted Ling at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered his guards to bring him to the front. Ling was terrified. When Ling got to the front, the Emperor asked his name. “My name is Ling,” he replied. All the kids were laughing and making fun of him. The emperor asked everyone to quiet down. He looked at Ling, and then announced to the crowd, “Behold your new emperor! His name is Ling!” Ling couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t even grow his seed. How could he be the new emperor?

Then the emperor said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone here a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds that would not grow. All of you, except Ling, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Ling was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he Is the one who will be the new emperor!”

Be careful what you plant, now; it will determine what you will reap tomorrow. The seeds you now scatter will make life worse or better for you and for the ones who will come after you.

Lord thank you, for you are Lord over seasons. Give me wisdom to know when and what to sow. May I never be swayed by emotions, worldly wisdom or ungodly counsel. Amen,

Cx :-)

Hello all

I'm loving this week's posting about seeds. Thanks.

I became interested in gardening before my teens. My Dad was a poorly man and sad when he couldn't tend our garden and so I offered to do the work instead and Dad supervised me. We shared happy times together and I have lovely memories.

Enjoy the God-given sunshine and take care all.

Good morning :-)

Glad you're enjoying the stories kandj - I try and think of something different for each week. <3

A cup full of dirt

For her fourth birthday, Rachel’s grandfather brought her a little paper cup full of dirt. She was disappointed with the gift and let him know that. In response, he simply smiled and then turned to pick up a small teapot from her doll’s tea set. He took her to the kitchen and filled it up with water and put it on the windowsill. He gave Rachel the teapot and said, “If you promise to put some water in the cup every day, something may happen.”

Rachel did as she was told, but as the days passed, she found it harder and harder to keep up the task. At one point, she tried to give the cup back to her grandfather, but he simply told her she had to keep it up every day.

With much effort, she did just that, and eventually she woke up one morning and there she saw two small green leaves sprouting out of the soil. She was amazed, and each day she watched the plant grow bigger and bigger.

When she saw her grandfather again, she told him all about it, thinking that he would be just as surprised. He wasn’t and he explained to her how life was everywhere and how it was hidden in the most ordinary and unlikely places.
Rachel was excited by this, and asked, “And all it needs is water, Grandpa?” Her grandfather touched her gently on top of her head, and said, “No. All it needs is your faithfulness.”

Prayers are the seeds we sow today to produce tomorrow’s harvest. Lord, help us to be faithful with our prayers. Amen.

Cx :-)

Lovely, meaningful stories this week. I don't know how you come up with so many good ideas Cynthia but I am very glad you do. Thank you.

I wonder how Tabitha is getting on.

Good morning :-)


We haven't heard from Tabitha for a while have we? Hope she's okay. <3



Two seeds lay side by side in the fertile spring soil. The first seed said, “I want to grow! I want to send my roots deep into the soil beneath me, and thrust my sprouts through the earth’s crust above me . . . I want to unfurl my tender buds like banners to announce the arrival of spring. I want to feel the warmth of the sun on my face and the blessing of the morning dew on my petals!” And so it grew.

The second seed said, “I am afraid. If I send my roots into the ground below, I don’t know what I will encounter in the dark. If I push my way through the hard soil above me, I may damage my delicate sprouts . . . what if I let my buds open and a snail tries to eat them? And if I were to open my blossoms, a small child may pull me from the ground. No, it is much better for me to wait until it is safe.” And so, it waited.

A yard hen scratching around in the early spring ground for food found the waiting seed and promptly ate it.


Lord, help us to be prepared to take risks for you, knowing that you love and care for us. Amen.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


GOD’S FRUIT STAND
A woman went into a marketplace, looked around, and saw a sign that read “God’s Fruit Stand.” “Thank goodness. It’s about time,” the woman said to herself.
She went inside and she said, “I would like a perfect banana, a perfect cantaloupe, a perfect strawberry, and a perfect peach.” God, who was behind the counter, said, “I’m sorry. I sell only seeds.”

Plant honesty and you will reap trust
Plant goodness and you will forge authentic friendships
Plant humility and you will reap depth
Plant perseverance and you will reap contentment and deep joy
Plant consideration and you will reap right vision and perspective
Plant hard work and you will reap real success
Plant forgiveness and you will reap reconciliation and possible new beginnings

Lord, help us to scatter these seeds as we meet with others day by day. Amen.


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


To bring our week of thinking about seeds to an end, here is an old hymn which ties things up rather nicely. It is based on Psalm 126:6 and reminds us that it can be quite hard work sowing seeds, but that is well worth it when we know that we have helped to spread the gospel and we see people coming to know Jesus.


Sowing in the morning, sowing seeds of kindness,
Sowing in the noontide and the dewy eve;
Waiting for the harvest, and the time of reaping,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.

Refrain:
Bringing in the sheaves,
Bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves;
Bringing in the sheaves,
Bringing in the sheaves,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves.


https://youtu.be/ad54bH-nQTM


Cx :-)

Good morning :-)


The Collect (special prayer) for today:

O God, the protector of all who trust in you,
without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy:
increase and multiply upon us your mercy;
that with you as our ruler and guide
we may so pass through things temporal
that we lose not our hold on things eternal;
grant this, heavenly Father,
for our Lord Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.


The Gospel reading for today : JESUS CALMS THE STORM

That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, "Let us go over to the other side." Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him.

A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

He said to his disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" They were terrified and asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"

Cx :-)

Good morning :-)



Yesterday, at church, we heard about teamwork. I would like to think that the majority of churches have people who work together for the benefit of all. There are the teams of those who lead us in worship, the teams of talented people who arrange flowers, or ring the bells or count the money. Of course, we mustn't forget the wonderful people who makes the drinks and refreshments we need!!
This made me look at what helps to build up teams of people working together:

TRUST
Trust is pretty essential if people are going to work together. People will trust us if they see us responding in a consistent and reasonable manner. They need to know where we are coming from in our decisions and responses. We need to be loyal to each other, assuming the best until there is concrete evidence to the contrary. We need to delegate. When we delegate, we are essentially telling them “I trust you”. People trust leaders who trust them.

Lord, You are the God of peace and love in Whom I place my trust. Give me a peaceful heart that rests in You and a loving spirit that pours fourth Your love to others. Amen.

Cx :-)