Today is Daffodil Day across Ireland to raise money for the Irish Cancer Society.
I took this photo during the week at Monkstown, Co.Cork. During the past few weeks our daffodils have reminded us that spring has arrived. Their colour and beauty is always so striking and most importantly they are a lovely sign of hope, in a world that sometimes struggles to find hope.
Quote For Today
“The first blooms of spring always make my heart sing” ~ S Brown
Did you know
A cloud weighs around a million tonnes. A cloud typically has a volume of around 1km3 and a density that’s around 0.4 per cent lower than the air surrounding it. This is how they are able to float.
My latest videos🎥
In Ireland and the UK next Sunday is Mother’s Day. It has a different date depending what part of the world you are in. But for us it falls on the 4th Sunday of Lent each year which is next Sunday
A Daily Prayer – short but sweet!
This is a recent video below and it is called ‘A Spring Prayer in Lent’.
With Lent having begun – this video underneath that I put together last year still has a very relevant message
If you would like to see a selection of my other videos on YouTube you are welcome to have a look at some of them here: https://www.youtube.com/@JamesMcSweeneyFr/videos
Spiritual Thought For The Week
Last week we had Martina Lehane Sheehan talking to us in Carrigaline, about the importance of slowing down, of finding quiet time in a world that spins with busyness. The words ‘I’m busy’ are almost seen as normal, almost with a status. Martina reminded us how our bodies are not made for constant busyness. They just can’t keep up no matter what our age. She talked about the monks and for centuries and centuries they have lived what they call ‘The Statio’. The Statio is where they pause between activities. It can be a moment of thanks, a moment of silence, a moment of prayer but the statio means the monks never get sucked into busyness.
Our scripture readings touches in on it too. When we put our trust in God, we are like the tree growing beside a stream. Even when the summer drought comes its roots have access to water and the tree flourishes. But you can’t flourish when you are busy, in fact the opposite happens you become stagnant, because your energy levels cannot match your busyness. Your body needs rest too. We need to find the balance.
The beautiful line from Psalm 23 becomes our inspiration: ‘Near restful waters God leads me to revive my dropping spirit’
