Photo was taken yesterday at Knock, Co.Mayo (Irl)
I availed of an opportunity to visit Knock yesterday, my first time since pre Covid. It is always such a lovely place to visit and everyone finds their own peace and healing in this sacred place. The gardens and floral displays are so colourful and beautiful. The gardeners who look after them deserve full credit and praise.
On This Day
On Sep 23rd 1846 the planet Neptune was observed for the first time.
On Sep 23rd 1980 Jamaican musician Bob Marley, who is famous for making reggae famous, performed his last concert, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; he died of cancer the following year.
Birthdays Today
Bruce Springsteen (Musician and Singer) is 73
Julio Iglesias (Spanish Singer) is 79
Saint For Today
Saint Padre Pio. He is a hugely popular saint in our world today and in known universally.
He was an Italian Capuchin priest who was known for his piety and charity, as well as the gift of the stigmata, which has never been explained.
Significance of Today
Today is International Day of Sign Languages: Did you know that there are roughly 72 million deaf people around the world? This is a statistic from the World Federation of the Deaf. Collectively, these people use over 300 different sign languages. A lot of people do not realize that sign languages are natural fully-fledged languages. Today is a celebration of these languages and the difference they make to so many people.
Thought on Friday – September – 23/09/2022
Thought For The Week
‘The only thing that stands between us and extinction is six inches of soil and the fact that it rains.’ ~Anna Krzywoszynska
During the month of September we celebrate the Season Of Creation and it finishes on October 4th, the feast day of Saint Francis. It is a time to reflect on bigger issues, particularly on climate change and what we can do to play our part to limit its effects. But the Season Of Creation is much wider than just climate change. It is also about noticing the little moments, in the beauty of creation all around us.
We believe that the presence of God can be found in many places but can also be found in the beauty of nature all around us. It is the little moments of beauty that catch our eye, that remind us there must be something more, a creator who makes all of this possible.
The season of creation reminds us that our world resources are finite. For example every minute we lost the equivalent of thirty football pitches of fertile soil across the world. Climate change, the spread of intensive agriculture, deforestation and industrial activity have accelerated the loss of soil in almost every country.
We are encouraged to appreciate the gift of soil and not to take it for granted. This summer there has been a huge swing towards growing vegetables in our gardens. There has been a bumper harvest thanks to the lovely warm weather. The savings are significant too particularly with the price of food going up so much. It is also well known that your own vegetables taste so much better. So instead of using chemical fertilisers, we are encouraged to use natural mulch and organic matter in our garden soil. The soil needs to be nurtured and minded too.
This season of creation is a lovely time of year. I encourage you if you can this week to go for a walk, a stroll, sit in your garden and notice the beauty of creation all around you. It is God’s most precious gift to us. We are encouraged to enjoy it and allow it to touch our soul.
