The book of Exodus describes
how God accompanied
the Israelites
every single day
in the wilderness.
God appeared to the Israelites
as a cloud that was clearly visible
by day and by night
over the tabernacle.

God’s presence to the Israelites
was very real,
very visible …
and very reassuring.

Lord,
you accompany us
every single day
during life’s journey,
no longer in the form
of a cloud
but more in a
footprints-in-the-sand
sort of a way.

Bless us today, Lord,
in the many challenges
and difficulties
that we face.

Help us to sense that
every time we go to Mass
your presence is
very real,
very visible
and very reassuring,
just as it was
for the Isrealites
during their time
in the wilderness
so long ago.

© Claire Murray, 1st August 2021

Once upon a time
a very grand stately home
in England
slowly fell into
a state of disrepair –
paint peeling off,
tiles missing from the roof,
shutters and doors closed
and as for the gardens

• abandoned.

More than a century later
a new owner decides
to renovate
and work begins on the house
and gardens.
Briars and weeds
are all cut back
and grass is mown.
Soon the stately home is surrounded
by gardens once more
instead of fields of hay.

Spring arrives
and with it
tiny green shoots
spear through the grass
and, to everyone’s amazement,
daffodils appear
golden and swaying
in the breeze.

But these aren’t just
ordinary, every-day daffodils –
these are daffodils of a sort
that haven’t been seen
for over century!
Deprived of light
the daffodil bulbs
had simply gone to sleep
for a hundred years
until the gentle heat
of spring sunshine
penetrated and warmed the soil
once more.
Then the daffodils bloomed
in all their glory!

And, no,
this isn’t something
out of a fairy tale –
it’s true.

I’m reminded of this
when I read today’s parable
about the sower
who seems to waste many seeds
when they fall on stony ground
or get choked-up by weeds.

As Christians
we are called
to sow seeds of faith
through the way we live our lives.
We do this in simple ways –
by passing our faith
onto our children,
by having the courage to mention
that we go to Mass on Sundays
or simply by saying
that we will pray for someone.

Sometimes we may feel
that our efforts
are a waste of time.
But who knows –
maybe the tiny seeds of faith
that we sow
may simply lie dormant
like the daffodil bulbs
and will bear fruit
some time in the future
when we least expect it?

© Claire Murray, 14th July 2020

In today’s reading
Elijah goes up the mountain
in search of God.

Once there
he finds himself immersed
in the awesome and terrifying
power of nature –
storms, earthquakes
and fire.

Yet in his heart he knows
that these are signs
of nature at work –
not God.

And it is the calm
after the storm,
after the earthquake
and after the fire
that Elijah senses
the gentle presence
of God.

Lord,
sometimes I get caught-up
in this fast-paced life
and find myself
in a whirlwind of activity.
Remind me, Lord,
on those occasions
to step back
from the busy-ness of life
and take time
to simply be still
so that, like Elijah,
I may find you
in the gentle breeze.

© Claire Murray, 12th June 2020
(1 Kings 19:10-18)

This morning
I read about David –
a teenage boy
who went to battle Goliath
an armoured, experienced
Philistine war hero
while he, himself,
was armed only
with a slingshot
and five smooth pebbles.

It must have been
like seeing the Karate Kid
preparing to face-up
to the Incredible Hulk!

To everyone’s amazement
David defeated Goliath.

As I picture the scene
in my mind’s eye
I immediately think
of two friends of mine
who do battle every day
with pain –
in one case physical
and in the other case, mental.
Some days
it’s just a dull ache.
Other days
they suffer excruciating pain
or mental anguish.

Pain –
every …
single …
day.

It can feel unbearable,
insurmountable,
hopeless.

It can look as impossible
as David the shepherd boy
facing up to Goliath the Champion.

But what Goliath couldn’t see
was David’s invisible weapon –
his steadfast faith in God.

Lord,
please bless my two friends
this morning
who rise today
to face up to some degree
of pain.

Give them a sense
that you, Almighty God,
are by their side
just as you were
by David’s side.

Give to them
the strength that they need
today.
Renew their faith
and give them hope that,
with you by their side,
they may conquer
their pain.

© Claire Murray

Today
my desktop calendar
offers these words of wisdom –
“There is nothing about a caterpillar
to say that it’s going to turn
into a butterfly”.

And I wonder
if this was the kind of thought
that Jesus formed in his mind
when he met Levi,
the tax collector.

Jesus didn’t approach Levi
with disgust
or treat him with disdain
like other Jews
who viewed Levi
as a traitor –
a Jew who collaborated
with Roman occupying forces.

Instead,
Jesus approached Levi
with words of welcome,
and invitation –
“Follow me!”
And to everyone’s amazement
Levi did just that –
he followed Jesus.

Lord,
help me, like Jesus,
to treat those I meet
with respect.
Help me
not to judge by appearances
because, who knows –
maybe that person, inside,
is a beautiful butterfly
and not a caterpillar
after all!

© Claire Murray, 1st March 2020
(Luke 5: 27-32)

Lord,
you came to this earth
as the Messiah,
the son of God.

You came to proclaim
the kingdom of God
but you ignored
the rabbis
and the Jewish leaders
choosing instead
to make a bee-line for …
FISHERMEN!

These men were not
eloquent and educated.
They were very ordinary,
hard-working men –
rough and ready,
uneducated
and probably uncouth.

But these were all men
of deep faith
with a thirst for God
and who would work tirelessly
to pursue their goal.

I have read that
“Man judges by appearances
but God judges by the heart.” *

Isn’t that so true?

You showed such strange taste
when you chose your followers –
is that why
you chose me?

© Claire Murray
Samuel (1st) 16:7

It’s a sunny summer’s morning
and I’m meeting friends for coffee
at Starbucks.
We sit outside in the sunshine
sipping lattes, chatting
and laughing – bliss!

Through the window of Starbucks
I see a busy young father –
pushing a pram with one hand
and carrying his precious coffee
in the other.
He finds a seat and unstraps his baby son
lifting him joyfully up
into the air
and jiggling his delighted son
from side to side
before strapping him safely
into the high chair.

The young father then starts to unpack –
baby food, baby wipes,
a drinking cup, a bib
and a spoon.

Then the fun begins.
The young father laughs
as he feeds and cleans his son,
wide-eyed all the time
and scarcely taking his eyes off his son …
and his coffee must be getting so cold!

And as I watch this interplay
between playful baby
and besotted father
I’m reminded of the Book of Proverbs
where Wisdom is by God’s side,
“delighting Him day after day,
ever at play in His presence.”
I’m reminded
of just how besotted God is
with every single one of us,
delighting in each of us
and brimming over with love for us,

And just like that young father
looking after each one of us
isn’t work for God –
it’s love.

© Claire Murray, 19th June 2019

(Proverbs – 8:30)

It’s dark now in the mornings
when I leave home
to drive to work.

This morning,
we turn a corner
as the car climbs uphill,
out of Dundrod
and to our delight,
we see a huge expanse
of shimmering, pink clouds
in a deep blue morning sky.
The clouds are radiant,
glimmering and glowing
and an early morning plane
scores a pink vapour trail
across the sky.

I grin.
This is God at work
in spectacular fashion
at this early hour,
painting a “Good morning!” greeting
across the sky!

Next day,
at morning prayer,
I read in Psalm 18,
“The heavens proclaim
the glory of God”.
Such a perfect description
of the early morning handiwork of My God …
written thousands of years ago!

Wow!

God amazed people
thousands of years ago in Israel
and continues to amaze people
today in Ireland.

Long may it continue!

© Claire Murray, 17th November 2017