Monthly Archives: April 2013

Grinning Motorcyclist

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You know that joke that goes,
“How do you know
the grinning motorcyclist?
He’s the one with all the flies
stuck to his teeth!”?
I was reminded
of that grinning motorcyclist today
as I cycled to work
along the Tow Path.

An injury and a long winter
had prevented me from cycling
for a long time.

This morning,
as I swung my leg over the saddle
I silently asked Eddie,
whose tenth anniversary it is today,
to saw a wee prayer for me
that I might arrive at my work
safe and sound.

As I cycled to work
I was filled with such delight,
joy and excitement
that I couldn’t stop grinning,
even at total strangers!

This morning’s cycle to work
felt like a precious gift
from My God.

Later today
as I wheeled my bike into the garage
I thanked Eddie,
whom I have never met,
for his part in a journey
that had not only been safe and sound
but also exhilarating
and that had left me smiling incessantly,
just like that grinning motorcyclist!

© Claire Murray

Welcome!

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On a cold, windy,
dark spring evening,
Paul and I enter the Church of Saint Joseph
in Glenavy.

As I look up
at the Body of Christ on the altar,
I feel a wave of welcome
wash over me.

I kneel in prayer
and I sense Jesus speaking gently
to everyone present, saying,

“In your weakness,
in your brokenness,
in your incompleteness,
you are welcome.

“In your hopelessness,
in your darkness,
in your depression,
you are welcome.

“In your suffering,
in your agony,
in your forsakenness,
you are welcome.

“In your anxiety,
in your frustration,
in your weariness,
you are welcome.

“In your grief,
in your loneliness,
in your emptiness,
you are welcome.

“In your remorse,
in your regret,
in your turmoil,
you are welcome.”

As I rest, in prayer,
in this haven of welcome and peace
I sense Jesus say to me,
“Claire,
I’m glad you came!”

© Claire Murray

It is Good for Us to be Here

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After walking through wind and rain
with heads tucked down
and coats zipped closed,
we open the door of Crumlin Chapel
and step into a porch
that feels quiet and still
and warm.

Exposition is on.

Paul and I genuflect,
enter one of the seats
and kneel together in prayer
in the presence of Our God
and I think to myself,
“Lord, it is good for us
to be here!”

Outside, it is noisy.
The wind howls,
rain beats against the windows
and children call out to each other
in play.

Inside, there is a strong sense of peace
and prayer
and I think to myself,
“Lord, it is good for us
to be here!”

As we kneel in prayer
I have a sense
of Jesus calling Paul and me
as a couple
and not simply
as two individuals.

I feel privileged
and well and truly spoiled
as I kneel
in the presence of My God
and beside the one I love
and I think to myself,
“Lord, it is good for us
to be here!”

© Claire Murray

Where Two or Three are Gathered

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Early this morning
an errand for work
brought me near St Anne’s Cathedral.
I had never been there before.
Although early,
the doors were open
and I went in.

I followed a light that shone
in the darkness of the cathedral,
and discovered a tiny side chapel
where a Communion Service
was about to begin.

I was welcomed
by Campbell, the minister,
and by a man named Paul.
Together they guided me gently
through the Communion Service.

Three of us
came together this morning
seeking Our God.

Three of us
gathered in prayer
and united in faith,
in the blessed presence
of Our God.

Three of us
respected differences
of theology and politics
and were blessed
by Our God.

Three of us
gathered in the name of Jesus
and, as he had promised,
he was most definitely there
among us!

As I left Saint Ann’s Cathedral,
I felt that I had been blessed
in a most unexpected, gentle
and intimate way
and I set off for work
with a spring in my step!

© Claire Murray

Done and Dusted

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There’s a lot of housework
for us all to do
in our house –
washing and drying dishes,
brushing floors,
tidying rooms
and dusting.

The housework gets done
eventually
and sometimes
reluctantly!

But as soon as we turn our backs,
dirty dishes stack by the sink,
washing accumulates in the bathroom,
dirt appears on the floor
and we have to start
all over again.

Our household chores
never seem to stay
done and dusted!

My spiritual life
feels the same.
The trials and challenges
that I work so hard
to overcome one day
await me the following day as well
and I find that each day
I need to start afresh.

Each day
my cross undoubtedly awaits me
but so too does the opportunity
to wipe the slate clean
of all of my failures
and to live this day in faith
with My God
right by my side.

When I look at my spiritual life,
and at my shortcomings there,
I give thanks for the fact
that nothing inmy spiritual life stays
done and dusted!

(c) Claire Murray