Photo was taken last evening at Bantry, West Cork (Irl)

There was a lovely colourful skyline at around 5pm last evening in West Cork

Thought on Wednesday – December – 09/12/2020

Mary is not alive in statues and pictures but in the real and powerful change that can be brought in the world when God’s preferences and God’s choices are taken seriously.’ ~Denis McBride

Someone once said that whenever you point the finger of blame or the finger finding fault, that there are always three fingers pointing back at you. We are quicker at finding fault with others and often slower in accepting our own. Yesterday’s feast day of the Immaculate Conception (Dec 8th) is a recognition of Mary’s lack of flaws and weaknesses. In fact she had none.

It marks Mary out as someone special as the mother of Jesus but it doesn’t mark her out as removed or distant from us. Like us she experienced the fragility of life and experienced many unexpected and difficult moments in her life. But at all times she put her trust in God.

This is the challenge for us. It is often easy to throw the towel in, to accept our lot grudgingly and to feel we are hard done. Mary could have felt this and more but she got on with her journey as best she could. She trusted in God to guide her along each day. Yesterday’s feast day traditionally marks the countdown to Christmas but it’s also a day to ask Mary’s many blessings on each of us.