Photo was taken in Belfast (Irl)

The Giro D’Italia started in Ireland last Friday. It’s the second biggest cycle race in the world so it is an honour that it is here for three days. However the weather has been disappointing – wet and cold. In our photo today the Garmin Sharp team crash spectacularly on wet streets.



This website has made a normal return during the week! I was out sick for a number of weeks and thankfully I’m doing great now. You can’t beat a bit of rest and time out! Going forward I am going to have cut back on some of my workload and this will also impact on www.2u.ie. The picture will continue to be updated daily but the daily thought will now become Thought For The Week. It is hard to sustain a daily thought, so it makes sense now to make it weekly. As always thanks for your interest, your recent good wishes and looking forward to journeying with you again through this simple website, with its key message: Today is the most precious gift we have

Thought on Sunday – May – 11/05/2014

The following reflection is by Francis Cousins

‘The Smell of the Sheep’

Perhaps you have seen the photo of Pope Francis with a lamb draped around his shoulders. It certainly brings to life his call to priests and bishops that they should know their flock, which he brought to life with the phrase: priests need to be ‘shepherds living with the smell of sheep’ – a truly evocative way of describing the relationship between shepherd and flock.

While in the Old Testament the image of God as shepherd is prevalent, shepherds were in fact often looked down upon, perhaps because they did in fact have the smell of sheep. They were outsiders, who lived with the sheep in the hills and for this reason were seen as unclean, not people who followed the laws of Moses.

Yet, the bond between shepherd and sheep was strong, so close in fact that sheep were able to recognise their master’s voice. Moreover, the shepherd did not drive the sheep from behind, but led from the front, with the sheep following. And at night, while the sheep slept in the pen, the shepherd lay across the opening or gate to protect them from what was outside. For this reason the image of God as shepherd is apt and something to aspire to for those who follow a vocation today.

The following has been our Thought For The Week just gone

“Two of the disciples of Jesus were on their way to village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem and they were talking together about all that had happened. Now as they talked this over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side but something prevented them from recognising him.” ~Luke 24:1-2


We have started this month of May and it may seem as if Easter is all over but there are still three weeks left in the season of Easter. There are lots of Easter stories in our Gospels and throughout the weeks of Easter we get a chance to hear them all. The story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus is one of the best known. Maybe because we know it so well, it does not impact on us anymore. But it is a story that contains so much.


Fr. Liam Lawton has written many albums and has sung to audiences all over the world. His most famous song is called ‘Clouds Veil’ and has been used for various 9/11 memorial services. The words of the song have healed and comforted many people. It goes as follows:

Even though the rain hides the stars,

Even though the mist swirls the hills,

Even when the dark clouds veil the sky,

You are by my side.

Even when the sun shall fall in sleep,

Even when at dawn the sky shall weep,

Even in the night when storms shall rise,

You are by my side. You are by my side.


The words of this song also resonate with the Emmaus story. The two disciples were feeling very sad and upset as they walked that road. But despite lots of mist, rain and darkness in their own lives, God was at their side. The two disciples who walked that road, represent you and me today. They touch into moments in our own lives when we have felt downcast, fed up, unsure, sad, upset and not knowing what to do next. It is often at these difficult times in our lives that we sometimes ask where God is. The story of Emmaus gently reminds us that God walks with us through the good days but significantly that God is with us through the tough days too. When life is difficult and when we really need strength and help, God is by our side.

This is at the heart of what we believe in. It is our reason why. It is why we get up in the morning and why we try to do our best each day. Like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, we discover that we are not on our own. Our God who loves us deeply is with us through everything and especially with us in the mist, rain and darkness. God is by our side, always.

(Weekly update is each Monday)