As I settle down in prayer
I spend a few minutes
contemplating a picture
that I love –
“In the Wilderness”
by Ron di Cianni.

It depicts Jesus
on a hillside
in the wilderness
in prayer.

In my mind’s eye
a child version of me
scrambles up the hill
and sits down beside Jesus
who welcomes me
with a smile.

“Do you want to stay with me
for a while
and pray? Jesus asks?
I nod.
“Well then,” Jesus says,
“all you have to do
is to be still.
Rest your body
and your mind.
Then, just lose yourself
in God’s love.”

And so we sit,
side by side,
on the hillside,
in silence,
in peace
and in prayer.

© Claire Murray, 26th September 2015

I see the Balls on the Falls
often.
Sometimes gleaming and white
against clear blue skies,
or greyed-out
against winter sunsets
or maybe even brightly Iit-up
against dark night skies.

Sometimes
they’re away in the distance
as I drive down Black Mountain
while, other times,
they tower high above me
as I cycle right beside them
on my way to work.

They never fail to fill me with delight.

I was witness
to their slow, pain-staking construction.
I watched day by day
as workmen slowly began to close over
the only remaining opening
at the top of the larger ball.
Surely they hadn’t left enough room
to slip the smaller ball
inside the big one?

At the time, it seemed to be
a simply impossible task.

Today
I cycle right underneath
the Balls on the Falls
on my way home from work.
And I sense My God whisper to me
about some intentions
that I am praying specially for,
encouraging me
never to lose faith,
encouraging me
to believe in the Almighty,
encouraging me
to take heart
and encouraging me
to believe in the impossible,
no matter how unlikely
it may seem.

© Claire Murray, 2nd September 2015

Lord,
today at Mass
we hear about a deaf man
with a speech impediment.
Friends or family
presented this man to you,
asking you
to lay your hands on him.

I find myself wondering
about this man –
a man unable to hear your words
because he was deaf –
a man unable to ask for help
because he simply couldn’t speak.

His family and friends
were advocates for him
and through their intercession
his eyes were opened
and he was healed.

Tonight
I find myself wondering
whether there are people
for whom I should be advocate?
People who need your help
but who, for one reason or another,
are unable to ask for help themselves?
People, perhaps,
whom I mightn’t even like?

Lord, this evening,
open my eyes to see,
my ears to hear
and my heart to listen
to what you are calling me to do
for others.

(Mark 7: 31-37)

© Claire Murray, 6th September 2015

Lord,

One night in August
our wee family stands
at the Glenshane Pass
gazing upwards at thousands of stars
and even some meteors
which streak, comet-like,
across the twinkling sky.
I am filled with a sense of awe.

And I wonder
about when you spent
forty days and forty nights
in the wilderness –
when you looked up into the night sky,
what stars did you see?
Did you have a sense
that Your Daddy
had carefully positioned
every single star
in the heavens
and had called each one of them
by name?
Did the night sky inspire in you
a sense of wonder and awe
at the majesty of creation?

I also wonder
about the people who lived here,
in the Sperrins,
and built the stone circles
of Beaghmore,
long before you ever foot on earth –
did the sight of the myriad of stars
in the heavens
inspire in them, too,
a sense of wonder and awe?

Lord,
down through the ages
these stars have fascinated people,
giving us a peek
at infinity,
and at the work of the Almighty.
Tonight I thank My God
for the gift of these stars
which help me to draw closer
to Him.

© Claire Murray, 22nd August 2015

As my summer break
draws to a close
I find myself pondering
the Biblical expression,
“There is a time for everything”
and I think to myself,
“There is a time to rest
and a time to work.”

Summer has been truly magical.

A time for lunch
and relaxing afternoons
with parents
and with friends.

A time for long, leisurely cycles
along quiet country roads
and the shores of Lough Neagh.

A time for a family holiday
exploring streets, rivers and cafés
in historic Bordeaux.

A time to cycle
along the Tow Path
to morning Mass at Derryvolgie.

A time to savour
the amazing display of colour
in the cottage garden flowers
of Botanic Garden.

A time to watch out
for kingfishers and herons,
moorhen chicks and cygnets,
buzzards and bunnies.

And now,
as my summer break
draws to a close,
I have a strong sense
that there is a place for everything –
rest and work
and I give thanks to My God
for both.

© Claire Murray, 19th August 2015