Pilgrim progress- a disciple on a journey!

When it costs you...follow Him. When it doesn’t’ make sense, ..follow Him. When your way seems the better way, ..follow Him. When you are hurt, confused and disillusioned,...follow Him. When all the others are going a different way, ...follow Him. When your head and your heart ache from seeking, ...follow Him. When people ridicule you for your love, your faith, your belief, ...follow Him. When it would be easier to put your head in the sand and ignore the promptings of the Spirit, ...follow Him. When the rising sun gives you a glimpse into the bright new dawn which lies ahead, ...follow Him.  Follow...and don’t look back! Jesus who calls you will not let you down.

St. Joseph’s Young Priest Society AGM Foxrock Branch 10 th of June 2019 The Congregation to which I belong, the Disciples of the Divine Master was founded in 1924 by Blessed James Alberione, who also founded the Pauline Family, a Family which consists of five religious congregations including ourselves, four secular institutes and an aggregated institute. The Founder intended that as Disciples, our life of contemplative Eucharistic prayer would support the activities of the other Pauline congregations. In daily life, we were the maternal presence to generations of young boys who joined the minor seminary of the Society of St. Paul and diocesan seminaries in the early 20 th century; hence how the vocation to support and care for priests flowered and developed.   Today, this ministry to priests takes on different expressions according to the needs of the local Church throughout the world. During Adoration we hold up to God the needs of humanity and of the Church, praying

Today we celebrate the feast of St Thomas the Apostle. Many remember him more for his doubt rather than his heartfilled expression of faith: ''My Lord and my God'. Thomas comes to faith when he has the chance to voice his doubt. All of us carry doubts, about ourselves, our family and friends, our Church and even doubts about God. But we can't remain in doubt. Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. The greatest seed of doubt which the devil tries to plant in us is that we are not loved nor lovable, not good enough nor worth fighting for. We only have to look to the cross to see the determination and love of God who gives his Son for us and we see that this doubt cannot be true. Don't dig up in doubt what was planted in faith. If we were quicker to doubts our doubts than doubt our faith, our lives would be very different. However we pilgrim along, some days we carry the doubt but then other days we are able to marvel and humbly say: "My Lord and my God

Often it might feel that Jesus is asleep in the back of the boat when the storms of life assail us. But maybe the question is, is Jesus in your boat at all? Or have you thrown Him overboard because He rocked it, rocked you out of your comfort zone with regard to how you live your faith, how you trust Him, trust others? Do you trust Him in the storm? The first reading and the response to the Psalm remind us to keep our gaze fixed on him, especially in the storms, trials and difficulties. In the Book of Genesis we see how Lot's wife looked back to the city they were fleeing and she turned into a pillar of salt. The Lord was guiding them to safety but her gaze, her heart, was elsewhere. It reminds us that there is always the temptation to look back, often with nostalgic emotion, to what we have left behind, to people or places which might have seemed to be good for us but in reality were not. God wants to give us the fullness of life (Jn 10:10). Sometimes choices we have to make ar