Photo was taken at St Finbarr’s Church, Bantry, West Cork (Irl)

I took this photo at about 9.30pm with a low setting sun. It brought the beautiful stained glass windows to life and created some lovely beams of light too.

Thought on Sunday – June – 26/06/2022

‘John was a preacher, a prophet, a signpost pointing people in the right direction. We can pray today for all those people who acted as signposts in our lives and brought us closer to God’ ~Jane Mellett

Yesterday (June 24th) we celebrated the feast of John the Baptist. He was a celebrity in his own way. Thousands flocked to hear him and be baptised by him. But John was not interested in fame. He never wanted to draw attention to himself. John’s mission was to prepare the way for Jesus.

He was a bit like a grounds man before an important game. He lined the pitch, mowed the grass just right and got everything ready as it should be. Then when the game started he stepped back knowing his job was done. There are many people who quietly work away in a similar way. The work they do is vitally important and often they do not get the praise or attention they deserve.

John wanted to draw attention only to Jesus. Sometimes we hang our heads and often we’re not proud of what we believe in. It’s almost as if it is unfashionable and a bit embarrassing to say we believe. John was the exact opposite. He had no reservations and no inhibitions in proclaiming that he was proud to be a follower of Jesus. We too are called to hold our heads up. We are called to be proud of what we believe and to be grateful that we have indeed something to build our lives on.

Another feast day that was celebrated yesterday was the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. There is great devotion in Cork to the Sacred Heart and this goes back many generations. There was a lovely old tradition of putting a small red lamp in front of the Sacred Heart to protect the home from evil. A heart shape is always associated with love and spiritually we believe wholeheartedly that God is love. Despite the presence of evil, hatred, bigotry, jealousy and negativity in the world we live in today, love is always the answer and always will be.