On Mothers’ Day
I felt frustrated
by my youngsters’ fighting
and I felt
that a real present for me
would have been a truce.

Yesterday at Mass in Hannahstown,
as we all prayed the Our Father,
I had a sense of God as a parent,
surrounded by squabbling youngsters
and I felt that God was saying to me,
“If you want to show me
how much you love me,
love one another.”

It struck me
that the many teachings
of the Gospels
can be distilled
into six words,
“Love God
and love one another” .

Only six small words
but one huge challenge
for all of us!

© Claire Murray