Fr Éamonn O’Brien always began Mass
in the same way –
by greeting the congregation
with a smile
and then joyfully proclaiming,
“This day was made by the Lord.
We rejoice and we are glad!”

In his daily greeting I sense
that Fr Éamonn was sharing with us
his own prayer,
his own personal rule of life.

The week following Fr Éamonn’s death
was a challenge to me
for one simple reason –
fatigue.
After a long summer break
my return to work
left me feeling unbelievably tired.

But each morning
as I sat down to morning prayer,
feeling absolutely drained,
Fr Éamonn’s words would spring to mind,
“This day was made by the Lord.
We rejoice and we are glad!”

My heart would lift
and I would find myself smiling,
reassured that
even in my exhausted state
I was exactly where My God wanted me to be
at this moment.

I sense that if I can adopt
Fr Éamonn’s prayer
as my own
I will be better able to face up
to all of the challenges
that my own life may present.

I find that I now echo
Fr Éamonn’s prayer
as I go about my daily life –
“This day was made by the Lord.
We rejoice and we are glad!”

© Claire Murray, 29th August 2016