2u.ie – making your day extra special
Today is the Feast of Saint Francis. He had a great love of animals, birds and was very close to nature and sensing God’s presence in the beauty of nature all around us. Today is a day to give your pet a lovely treat in honour of Saint Francis
(If you are living in Carrigaline, Co.Cork there will be a blessing of pets in the local church between 6-7pm. Your pet will get an individual blessing any time that suits you in that hour.)
On This Day
On October 4th 1957 the Soviet Union launches Sputnik I, the first artificial Earth satellite into elliptical low Earth orbit
On October 4th 2021, an amazing 3 years worth of rain (14 inches or 300 mm) fell in 12 hours in city of Al Khaburah, Oman, in the wake of tropical cyclone Shaheen. It was yet another reminder on the effects of Climate Change.
Birthdays Today
Mary Kennedy (Former RTE Presenter) is 70
Chris Lowe (Singer with Pet Shop Boys) is 65
Leigh Anne Pinnock (Singer with Little Mix) is 33
Saint For Today
Today October 4th is the Feast of Saint Francis. (More in the Thought For Today below)
Significance Of Today
Today October 4th is World Animal Day to mark the feast day of St Francis. This annual celebration of all animals, is now a popular day in which we remember the important role that animals have to play in our world, as well as the people who devote their lives working to protect and care for them.
Interesting Quote for Today
“Until one has loved an animal a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.” ~Anatole France
Did you know that a dogs sense of smell is 40 times better than ours!
My Latest Video 🎥
This is my latest video and it is a prayer to Our Guardian Angel – to mark yesterdays feast day of ‘Our Guardian Angel’ (Oct 2nd)
This was the video I had up last week and it is called – ‘Saying Goodbye To Our Swallows’. If you would like to see a selection of my other videos on Youtube you can click this link here. https://www.youtube.com/@JamesMcSweeneyFr/videos
Thought For The Week
The start of October began on Tuesday and it has a blend of some beautiful feast days, each one as special as the next. October 1st was the feast of St Therese and she is one of the most popular saints of our time. Her huge appeal is not that she did extraordinary things but that she did the little things extraordinary well. She found that she was closest to God when she was doing the simplest and most mundane tasks. The spectacular and sensational always attract interest and sometimes hype. Celebrities are always in the spotlight. But this was never a part of her life.
We may have many things planned for today. The chances are that much of it is nothing extraordinary. It will not make headlines and most of it we have done so many times before. But the feast of St Therese reminds us that this is where life is meant to be. This is where life really matters. It is comforting to know that in the simple and ordinary events of our lives, we can be quite close to God. This is something we so often take for granted. Getting close to God is not reserved for the elite or the chosen few. It is always within our reach.
On Wednesday (Oct 2nd) we have the feast day of our guardian angel. From an early age we have been taught that we have a guardian angel. But before we were even taught we just knew. We sensed that there was someone special watching over us. This is not just a childhood fantasy, it is something real and something that gives us great comfort as we journey through life. Like many things we take our Guardian Angel for granted. A fitting prayer might be: “O Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God’s love commits me here. Ever this day, be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen”
Today Friday (Oct 4th) we have the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. He is one of those rare saints who has managed to capture the attention and admiration of the entire world. His life has inspired people of all ages and the appeal of this saint cuts across national boundaries and religious differences. He is most famous for his respect towards God, his simple life and his tender love and attention to all creation. Francis had little time for excess, waste and greed. The life of Francis still challenges all of us today. The invitation is to sort through our lives and discard the unnecessary and useless. There is great freedom in doing with less and using it to our advantage. St Francis did it so well and has inspired so many more to do the same.
Thought For The Week is updated each Monday
