Lord,
someone spent fifteen years
studying the Shroud of Turin
and building a model
of You.

Shoulder-length hair
and a thick beard.
A nose that looks Roman …
or broken.
Gashes and slashes
in their hundreds
all over Your chest, back
legs and arms.
Gaping holes in Your feet,
knees bruised.

A body that was absolutely
tortured.

Fascinating
to see Your face,
horrifying
to see Your ravaged body,
humbling
because You did this for me.

And so I find myself
staring at this image of You
and I find myself to be
dumbfounded.

I did not deserve this.

© Claire Murray, July 2024

(https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/252551/the-first-hyper-realistic-body-of-christ-based-on-the-holy-shroud-is-on-exhibit-in-spain)

In my mid-forties
I remember drinking coffee with friends
at Belfast City Hall.
“In years to come”,
one friend commented,
“we’ll sit and drink coffee
while we discuss our ailments.”

“Not me!” I thought to myself.
(Growing old was definitely
for other people!)

Roll-on fifteen years
and those thoughts come back
to haunt me.

You see,
now that I’ve turned sixty,
aches and pains
have begun to appear.

Words of my mother-in-law, Dolores,
come to mind –
“Nobody ever thinks
that they’re going to get old!”
And Aunt Winnie, too –
“Growing old isn’t fun!”

Feeling somewhat humbled
by my aches and pains,
I settle down to pray
before going to bed.
“If this discomfort
is what You has planned for me, Lord,
then so be it.
In the meantime, Lord,
thank You for cod liver oil.”

The final part of my prayer
shocks me.
It can only mean one thing –
I’m definitely old!

Yikes!!!
(How did that happen?)

© Claire Murray, 2nd October 2025

We’re driving to the dump
and it’s not a pleasant drive –
supermarket warehouses,
demolished buildings,
huge building sites,
galvanised spiked railings,
graffiti.

All strictly functional.

Then we turn a corner
and to our surprise we see
a huge mound of earth
absolutely covered
in red poppies,
all swaying gently
in a light summer breeze.

I stare in amazement.
Poppies?
In this desolate place?

And yet there they are,
blowing and glowing
in the sunshine!

“Who on earth planted these?”
I wonder.

A few weeks later
I discover that flower seeds
can lie dormant
for decades
and then flower unexpectedly
when the ground is disturbed.

This all makes sense –
the poppies are a throw-back
to the days when this was all part
of the Bog Meadows
and some of the recent building work
has woken the seeds!

This gives me hope.
You see,
sometimes I worry
about seeds of a different kind
that I have sown –
seeds of faith
that were sown and nurtured
through the years,
only to disappear.

Maybe, like the poppy seeds,
they’re lying dormant,
waiting for the right conditions
to burst into bloom?

And so, as I remember
that beautiful mound
of swaying poppies
down by the dump,
I take heart
and I place my trust in God.

Time to be patient, I think!

© Claire Murray, 30th June 2025

Sometimes
life is a mess.
Maybe a mess
of our own making,
maybe a mess
of somebody else’s making.
But there’s no denying one thing –
it’s a mess!

I look at it
and think to myself,
“Where do I even begin
to start?”

Words of Imelda
spring to mind –
“Ask God to sort it out
and then leave Him
to get on with it!”

So that’s what I intend to do.
No fretting, no worrying,
no dwelling-on it,
no “what-if’s”.

I place this mess
in the hands of God
in faith and in love.

I have confidence in God
and I’ll do the few wee
bits and pieces
that I can

Then I’ll let God get on
with sorting this mess out.

© Claire Murray, 30th October 2024

Andrew’s got an important exam
today.
He’s been studying away,
night and day,
in preparation for it.
I’ve been praying for Andrew,
offering up Rosaries
and praying to Saint Joseph of Cupertino.

Now, it’s exam time.

I find myself in the chapel
where Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
is taking place.

I kneel, bow my head
and tell Jesus
all about Andrew.
About Andrew as a small boy
in primary school uniform
at school morning Mass.
and about how hard Andrew works
and studies.
(I think Jesus knows all this anyway,
but sure there’s no harm
in reminding Him!)

I explain to Jesus
that right now,
at this very minute,
Andrew is in the middle
of a very difficult exam
and that he needs Jesus’s help.

All the while,
Jesus is up there
on the altar,
so, so close –
almost within touching-distance.

A sense that Jesus already knows
all about Andrew.
A sense that Jesus loves Andrew
from the top of his head
to the bottom of his toes.

And, as I genuflect
to leave the chapel,
a sense that I am leaving Andrew
in very good hands!

© Claire Murray, August 2025

We haven’t done
the shoreline walk at Omeath
for ages –
so off we go!
Sunshine, blue sky,
and a light breeze – perfect!

But as we walk along
we find that our eyes aren’t drawn
to the shimmering blue sea
of Carlingford Lough;
instead, our eyes are drawn
to all the butterflies
along the path!

This path is lined
with buddleias
(also known as the butterfly bush)
and cerise knap weed
(which is sort-of like a friendly thistle –
no jaggy spikes!)
Butterflies love both of these plants
and so instead, of being a sea-walk,
our walk becomes a butterfly-walk!

Butterflies galore!

Red ones and orange ones,
brown ones and white ones
big ones and wee ones.
Some that are speckled white,
some that are freckled brown,
and some with huge, eye-like spots!
Dozens at a time,
basking on the buddleias
and stepping daintily
on the knapweed.

A floatilla of six white butterflies
dances by on the breeze
while a gust of wind
blows a swirl of thistledown
lightly into the air.

We dander along,
gazing in wonder at all the flowers,
so beautifully-adorned
by butterflies.

A hint of sadness
because such a display of butterflies
can only mean one thing –
that summer is drawing
to a close.

Thank You, Lord,
for today’s walk
which was made so colourful, beautiful
and graceful
by all the butterflies.
Thank You for blessing us
with the health to enjoy it.
And thank You for the gift
of family time together
as summer draws
to such an amazing and colourful close.

© Claire Murray, 11th August 2025

One day
I was walking along a nearby street
on my way to the bakery
when a splash of colour
in a street grating
caught my eye.

Curious,
I went back to take a wee look.
And can you guess what it was?
A begonia!
Green, fresh, shiny leaves,
tiny white petals
and a heart of gold.
All blooming and beautiful
down below the bars
of the grating.

“Beauty in the gutter!”
I thought to myself.

It was almost like a wee miracle
the way it was growing there!

Well, miraculous or not,
it filled me with a deep sense of hope.
And as I continued my walk
to the bakery
I gave thanks to God
who sends us
these snatches of hope,
wee glimpses of survival
against the odds.

I reckon that each of these
is like a love letter from God,
reminding us
that He is powerful,
that He is everywhere,
that He knows absolutely everything about us
and that He loves us deeply
anyway.

Each of these wee messages from heaven
urges us
to place our trust in Him
and to never, ever despair.

Beauty in the gutter –
isn’t it amazing?
(Isn’t God amazing?)

© Claire Murray, 22nd August 2025

The Curé of Ars was fascinated
by an old farmer
who used to sit for ages in the church,
looking at the tabernacle.
Eventually
the Curé of Ars asked the farmer
what he did
as he sat so still
before the tabernacle.
“Nothing”, answered the farmer.
“I look at Him
and He looks at me.”

Today I’m praying
for four very special intentions.
In my mind’s eye
I have placed each one of these
before Our Blessed Lord
on the altar.
And as I kneel in adoration,
gazing up at Our Lord,
the words of that old farmer
from long, long ago,
spring to mind –
“I look at Him
and He looks at me.”

I know that my four intentions
are in very safe hands.
I look at Jesus
and Jesus looks at me.
No words are necessary.

Peace fills my soul.

© Claire Murray, 19th June 2025

In a television programme
called Undercover Boss,
the head of a company
poses as a lowly member
of the organisation
and spends a week, incognito,
working with staff at all levels.
Only at the end of the week,
does he reveal his true identity.
Members of staff are invariably
astounded.
Some are rewarded
for outstanding work
and others … are not!

Today I’m praying
the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary.
At the Ascension,
I find myself thinking that
at His Ascension
Jesus revealed to His disciples
His true identity.
He was, indeed,
the Son of God –
not just a carpenter.
He was, indeed,
almighty and all-powerful.
And He did, indeed,
ascend into heaven
before their very eyes.

What a spectacle that must have been –
absolutely breath-taking!

And as I continue to contemplate
the mystery of the Ascension,
I’m aware that one day I, too,
will get to see Jesus
the ultimate Undercover Boss
in all His glory
and it’ll be my turn
to wait and hear
whether I’ll be rewarded …
or not.

(I hope and pray
that I will be rewarded!)

© Claire Murray, 24th July 2025