Risen Christ

No one expected your return.

You astonished your disciples

When you slipped from the tomb.

You came extending peace,

Offering forgiveness for denial,

Extending faith to the doubtful.

You met them at the seashore

And on the road toward home.

Each one’s grieving heart overjoyed.

Each one’s closed mind opened wide.

Today: I let myself be astonished

Bridget, you were a woman of peace.

You brought harmony where there was conflict.

You brought light to the darkness.

You brought hope to the downcast.

May the mantle of your peace

cover those who are troubled and anxious.

And may peace be firmly rooted in

our hearts and in our world.

Inspire us to act justly and to

reverence all God has made.

Bridget, you were a voice for the

wounded and the weary.

Strengthen what is weak within us.

Calm us into a quietness that heals and listens.

May we grow each day into greater

wholeness in mind, body and spirit.

Amen.

Lord, protect and bless all those who are on holidays .

Re-create them in body, mind and spirit.

Help them to let go, to step of the treadmill of stress and predictable routine.

Help us all to create a “Sabbath space” in our hearts, our lives and our relationships.

‘Overcoming poverty is not a taskof charity,
it is an act of justice.
Like  slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural.
It is man-made and it can be overcome and
eradicated by theactions of human beings.
Sometimes it falls on a generation to be great.
You can be that great generation.
Let your greatness blossom.’       (Nelson Mandela)

We can help create a more just world by supporting the Trócaire Lenten Campaign.

On the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord in 1973, the Irish Bishops wrote to the Christian people of Ireland establishing Trócaire. As we mark 50 years of Trócaire, we mark 50 years of perseverance, courage, participation, accountability and solidarity. From supporting human rights defenders in Central America, to leading the relief effort in
Vietnam following the war, to providing essential emergency
assistance in the midst of crisis, Trócaire has been proud to work on behalf of the people of the island of Ireland in fighting injustice across the world. We thank God for our supporters and partners who
empower us to do this vital work. We pray that the next fifty years will see all the people of the world working together for a more just world, and that the fruits of this work will be clear to see.