The Swallow          Word on the Week          2^nd September 2023.

In my daily pre breakfast excursions with Tess the Pugaleer we have been accompanied by the melodic twitter of the swallows who are massing on the other side of the hawthorn hedge.  The latter has been allowed to grow an extra two feet as part of the farm wilding so we can pass close to the roost un-noticed.

Using the binoculars, you can distinguish the metallic blue body and white front.   The tail has two streamers which extend its vee shape and distinguish it from the Martin as they seem to feed together on the abundance of insects that are blown out of the trees in the spinney.   The dark red throat is another feature although it is hard to see.

In fact, the swallow is best viewed in the evening sun light as it roosts on the electricity wires illuminated by the low sun revealing its beauty.  Perhaps their favourite resting place is the reed bed.   There both insects and water are available.    There is also mud with which they make their cup shaped nests on the stable rafters.   They use the same nest annually.

In the migration to South Africa the birds cover approximately 200 miles daily.   The chicks are required to grow up fast to stick the pace and those from a second brood have an extra hard task to get into shape for the flight.   Its vital piece of equipment is its beak.   This has a wide gape which when wide open, it uses to scoop up insects in flight or quench its thirst by skimming the surface of a pond.  

When God created the swallow he gave it a great GPS system!   To have such a small bird (7.5 inches in length) span the globe and find its way back to the exact location, in the stable it left, is truly astounding.   The Psalmist has the swallow nest in the temple where he teams up with the sparrow where they join in the singing and both appear to be welcome (Psalm 84 verses 3/4).

Jesus speaks of a broken world where the death of his followers through persecution is a present reality.   Then he says not to be afraid of those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul.   He teaches that we are to fear God not man.   To illustrate this Jesus cites the sparrow which is almost worthless yet not one of them fall to the ground without the will of God.

The lesson is brought home by the fact we are known so intimately that the hairs of our head are numbered!   So we are not to fear in the world but realise we are worth more than many sparrows! (St Matthew 10 verses 26 to 31).   This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.   So we know and rely on the love God has for us. (1 John 4 verses 10 to 16).

Triathlon Tragedy                 Word on the Week            26^th August 2023.

The recent drowning of two participants who were competing in the triathlon in the sea off Youghal brought a sombre note to the event.  The Ironman competition, as the name suggests, requires extremes of physical fitness in those who compete.   It is a mixture of three sports, Swimming, Cycling and Running over set distances in one race.  

The idea of a superman lies dear to the heart of most boys.   We had a number of weekly Boys Magazines where no challenge was too hard for the hero.    I cannot remember for sure but I think in one such magazine he has the common name of ‘Wilson’.   This was part of the idea that his achievements were within the grasp of any of us!

This was followed by the era of Superman where again the hero was an ordinary bloke who could transform into the extraordinary at will.   He performed acts of valour but took no credit for them, transforming back into his normal guy image.

At Youghal the sea was rough, especially near the shore.   This is caused by waves of seawater being forced upwards by the beach, forming crests which break making it difficult to get past them into deeper water.

Once into deeper water swimmers, buoyed up by their rubber wetsuits, had the tidal flow of the water to contend with.   The amateurs among the swimmers would have found the surface turbulence interfered with their breathing, some requiring assistance from the safety dinghies. 

It would have been brought home to them that ‘Iron’ does not float unless by miracle (2 Kings 6 Verse 6)!  Ironmen are also human and subject to the usual human constraints.    Our sympathy goes to those who mourn the loss of their loved ones.   They did however realise the dangers of the Triathlon having signed a disclaimer to the race organisers as part of their entry paperwork.

In Scripture the sea usually represents chaos.   The Gospels record Jesus with his disciples, caught in a storm in the sea of Galilee.   Jesus slept while the storm raged sufficiently to put the fear of death into the men, many of whom were experienced fishermen (Luke 8 verses 22 to 25).   The disciples woke Jesus who rebuked the wind and raging waters and the storm subsided.  

Jesus demonstrated his authority over creation and in his resurrection he showed his power over death (John 1 verses 19 to 22).   This the disciples recalled after he arose from the dead and they believed.   May it be so for those who mourn the loss of loved ones today.          

The 100,000 welcomes which Ireland is so famous for has suffered some reductions to its number in recent days!   It was brought to light when an elderly American tourist was randomly beaten up in Dublin city centre, receiving some life changing injuries.

This was followed by three teenage boys being hospitalised after an incident in Dublin’s Temple Bar area.   They had come from the UK to support their football team who were here to play a friendly match.    It seems the match lived up to its name but the ‘afters’ less so!

In both incidents the culprits were youths who were duly charged with the offences.   The difficulties of policing these crimes is exacerbated by the low numbers of Garda on the beat.  In addition, there has been an increase in the availability of drugs such as heroin and cocaine.

The attraction of crime is not limited to youth.   We had a computer clinch in the Bank of Ireland’s cash dispensers which enabled the withdrawal of €1,000 irrespective of how much money was in the account!   Thanks to the smartphone many were alerted as friends told each other where to obtain ‘free’ cash.   The Garda were required to control the crowds!

These were bank customers, wielding their bank cards to withdraw the maximum from the system.  Doubtless they had a background in fiddling their income tax and inflating their insurance claims.   This was just the latest opportunity to come their way! 

Where is moral rectitude to be found?   Many pursue it by way of self-reformation but it seldom lasts long.   It requires the total transformation that coming to faith in Jesus Christ brings.  It is a new relationship, entered into by a prayer of confession of sin and a genuine repentance, into a new life.

St Paul puts it well in Ephesians 4 verses 28 to 32: “Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.   Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.  Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”

The Apostle made it plain to these new converts at Ephesus that life must match lip.   It is the same today.   The 100,000 welcomes will then be a reality.

Ode to Joy             Word on the Week                    12th August 2023.

I have borrowed the title of Schiller’s poem to pay tribute to Joy Cantwell-Moore who went to be with her Lord and was buried this week.   During her life she radiated joy.   She will be sorely missed by all who knew and loved her.

Sometimes when parents name their children the name they choose does not appear to be all that appropriate.   Not so with Joy!   It was an inspired name which she adorned with her Christian profession and shared with others.  In fact, the old acronym JOY – Jesus, Others, Yourself; reflecting the order of priorities in the Christian life, fitted well with her selfless life.

All this comes from the Bible.   In no other religion or literature is joy so conspicuous as in Christianity.   It is the measure of a healthy faith, enriching all our talents and affections and merging them together.  

On a wonderful occasion when the Israelites were restored to their land after years of exile they requested Ezra the priest to bring out the Book of Moses.   There had been a famine of the Word and when the people heard it read they realised their shortcomings and were sorrowful.  Nehemiah, the governor, proclaimed the day sacred to the Lord and there was to be no mourning or weeping.

Instead Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8 verse 10).

In Galatia the church had lapsed into legalism, away from the life of freedom they enjoyed when they first heard the Gospel. When the Apostle discovered this on his second visit, he asked the question, “What has happened to your joy” (Galatians 4 verse 15). 

Wonderfully they regained their joy in Jesus and the Apostle was able to write to them “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love” (Galatians 5 verse 6).

This love comes from the Lord and expresses itself as Joy, the second of the nine fruits of the Spirit – Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-control (verses 22/3).

It was said of Jesus at the time of crucifixion, “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame” (Hebrews 12 verse 2).   May it be that our lovely Joy is experiencing that joy now in heaven.

Fulmar – Wind Junkie                Word on the Week          5^th August 2023.

There is one bird for whom the yellow wind warning of the Met Office spells delight and that is the Fulmar.   A bird of sea and sky and cliff ledge nesting places where the one large white egg is incubated by both adults in turn.

In days long ago when wild bird egg collecting was not banned the Fulmar’s egg was coveted.   It required considerable rock climbing skills and an ability to withstand the evil smelling green fish oil the bird could eject at any would-be assailant.   Mother never could get the smell out of my clothes!

A more enjoyable pastime was to lie on the clifftop on a breezy day where the wind whipped the sea into ‘white horses’ and admire the Fulmars hovering a few feet away.   The bird would then inscribe a couple of circles and arrive back at the same spot without ever flapping a wing!

This performance continued for as long as you were prepared to remain.   It demonstrated effortless travel which enabled the bird to travel 1,500 miles to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge to stock up on the dense planktonic life there.   It is an area the size of France which is currently being considered for conservation.

According to the Fulmars GPS this bird returned to Orkney via Galway a round journey of 3,900 miles in 2 weeks!    The winds were strong and the wing beats were few!   Not all go on such lengthy journeys between their turn at egg sitting but if the wind is right they seem to memorise routes to where food is to be found and distance is no problem!

After approximately six weeks the egg hatches and the birds take turns at gathering food for the chick.  The baby accesses the food by putting his beak into the adult’s mouth so that the parent bird vomits the oily, smelly fish oil to where it was intended, the chicks stomach and not my jersey!

It is part of the wonders of God’s creation that He has produced a bird which almost has the secret of perpetual motion.   The Fulmars mastery in the air, using its feet to steer and the upward thrust of the wind in the valleys created by roller waves enables flight with minimum of effort.

The Lord gives the promise of strength renewed to those who hope in him.  

^“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
 but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.”           (Isaiah 40 verses 29 to 31)

Reader – may you get your wings!

Sinéad O’Connor             Word on the Week                     29^th July 2023.

It was on Wednesday morning that the police found her body in her London flat.   Sinéad O’Connor, the icon of the Irish music scene, was no more.   A huge groundswell of appreciation has poured from the media which shows no signs of stopping.

Songwriter, poet and singer where among her accomplishments but it will be largely for her singing that she will be remembered.    Her voice was unique.   Her singing was from the heart.   She put her whole soul into her songs and the audience entered into the full weight of their meaning.

She had a troubled childhood which resulted in her being treated in St Patrick’s mental health service over a period of six years.   What she experienced in the residential institution, An Grianan, where elderly Magdalene Laundry women went in their old age, was formative.

She was characterised by her honesty.   She did not do nuance!    This resulted in her outspoken-ness sometimes being misunderstood.   One occasion which lives on in the collective memory was her ripping up of the Pope’s photograph on stage.   This was part of her persona as a protest singer.   The protest was before its time as child abuse by the Catholic Church had not yet been revealed.

Her shaved head was in response to a record company’s executive wish to cash in on her beauty.   He wanted her in high heels and a short skirt!    She appeared in a dress and boots!

The death of her vulnerable son, Shane, last year at age 17 had a profound effect on her.    She was strongly protective of him so his suicide was doubly hard.   One of her last postings on social media spoke of her living as an “undead night creature since….he was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul.”

Sinéad had tried out the world’s major religions.   She went wholeheartedly into them, adopting their distinctive dress and attempting to copy their rituals.  It seems that she found comfort in ‘bardo’ latterly.   This is the state between death and rebirth that is practiced in Eastern religions.   

Perhaps she also knew that Jesus has said: – Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.   Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die (St John 11 verses 24 to 26).

May it be so for Sinéad.

The Chosen                     Word on the Week                     22^nd July 2023.

It was Tony from The Shed who drew my attention to “this film on the life of Jesus”.   He added the thought that I would like it.   Sad to say the icon for The Chosen languished on my smartphone untouched till it disappeared from sight with the purchase of a new phone.

It has come to prominence during the current Hollywood strike. It is being produced by one of the smaller independent film companies which have been permitted to continue filming, without considering to be breaking the current strike.   It is presently working on season four out of a total of seven.

Apparently this is the first time there has been an episode-based portrayal of Jesus that could be “binge-watched” like shows on streaming platforms such as Netflix.   Dallas Jenkins producer, director and co-writer intends to produce a unique portrayal of Jesus by crafting a story arc that focuses more on the people who encountered Jesus and viewing him through their eyes.

He appears to be succeeding in reaching a wide audience as the first two seasons have been viewed by more than 400 million people.   It has a global appeal as shown by its subtitles in 62 different languages.

The finance has been raised by crowd-funding.   This has been promoted by a passionate fan base who pay to be “extras” in the various biblical scenes.   The result has been the most successful crowd-funding series ever.   74,346 people raised $10 million for the first season and $45 million for the second!   It is the most successful crowd-funding series to date.

Dallas Jenkins is an evangelical Christian.   His main concern is to make Jesus Christ available to people who obtain their information via image rather than the printed word.   The film title ‘The Chosen’ refers to Christ (Isaiah 42 verse 1).

Even Jesus’ enemies knew He was the ‘Chosen One’ (St Luke 23 verse 35).   The Apostle Peter writing to believers refers to them as ‘a chosen race’ (1 Peter 2 verse 9).  

So we have the Chosen One, Jesus, calling out those of faith ‘a chosen people’.   The hymn writer puts it well: –                                                         Chosen not for good in me,
Wakened up from wrath to flee,
Hidden in the Saviour’s side,
By the Spirit sanctified,
Teach me, Lord, on earth to show,
By my love, how much I owe.

Restoring Nature             Word on the Week                              15^th July 2023.

Everyone agrees it is a good idea to restore nature.  The problems arise over the methods employed to the restoration.   These could have a negative impact on farm incomes.    Some farmers say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush in opposition to the ecologist who would prefer to see the birds in the bush!

Matters came to a head in Europe this week when the debating ended and a vote was taken.   The result was a narrow win for those wishing to see nature restored 336 votes against 300 who opposed any change.   All the Irish MEP’s voted for the law although in its final form it was gutted of its most significant conservation measures to achieve the victory!

These measures were lower targets and more flexibility than originally proposed with increased support from the EU Nature fund.   Urgent action is required if Ireland is to live up to its emerald Isle green image.

We have never been good at dealing with waste.   A concerted effort has reduced the amount formally dumped in country lanes and Council wheelie bins have greatly helped in segregation and waste disposal.

An ongoing problem has been the lack of regular inspection of septic tanks.   These may be installed correctly but through time malfunction polluting the area and its water courses.   We seem blighted by fish kills as none of our rivers are immune from these discharges of waste.

But these are relatively minor incidents.   It is the restoration of the landscape to its former wooded glory that is part of the solution.   The watercourses merely indicate health or otherwise.   The safeguarding of declining flora and fauna requires much attention.

The seas, once teeming with fish, are badly overfished.   Methods of catching fish have increased the catch beyond what sustains the species.   The salmon is an example of a fish which has to be farmed.   Wild salmon, once plentiful, will soon be a thing of the past.

The Bible indicates where the responsibility lies.   It was given to humankind at the beginning (Genesis 2 verse 15).   We are to act as God’s stewards to tend and care for it.    The psalmist writes of this work in Psalm 8 part of which reads: – You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!                                                            May we accept this responsibility.

House Martin                   Word on the Week                     8^th July 2023.

It happened again last Thursday.   The conditions were just right.   Humid, gentle rain and a gusting breeze.   The sky was leaden and the birds were hopping!    It was a Martins food fest like no other.   It lasted for ages!

The wind was ensuring a constant supply of aphids and flies were blown out of the trees and into the path of the cavorting Martins.    The birds had lost all fear of humans and darted past my head at a speed of 36 feet per second.

None flew in straight lines but cavorted about seeking food, their mouths wide open and their small triangular wings beating at just over 5 beats per second.   The mouth has a wide gape which the bird used to scoop up the food in flight.   It even drinks in flight skimming the surface of a pool of water.  

The short legs and feet are feathered white like the other underparts.    The bird cannot easily take off from level ground that is why it perches on houses and gets its name.    Its favourite nesting place is under the eaves.   The nest is built of soft mud which is plastered into a half sphere against the building with a small entrance hole at the top.    It is lined with moss and feathers and they may lay two or three broods each year.

It has a weak but melodic chirruping twitter which during the food fest was reduced to a single ‘tseep’ presumably because their mouth was full!   One thing which distinguishes them from their near relation, the swallow, is more fluttering punctuated by short periods of gliding when they look like the paper aeroplanes we made in school!

Like the swallow they leave us late September having spent 5 months in Ireland.   The head South, following the food, and end up wintering in sub- Saharan Africa.   

William Shakespeare was clearly describing the house martin when Banquo brings the nests and birds to the attention of Duncan at Macbeth’s castle, Inverness.    Martins also appear in a coat of arms being part of the heraldic emblems on the shield.   Their near relation, the swallow, is mentioned in Scripture Psalm 84 verses 1 to 3. 

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!   My soul longs, yes, faints

for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

May we too long for the living God as we encounter Him in creation and in Jesus in redemption.

Tubgate                            Word on the Week                        1^st July 2023.

At first we thought RTE, our public service broadcaster, had got its numbers wrong when publicising the salary paid to its star performer, Ryan Tubridy.    An error perhaps caused out of embarrassment at the enormity of the sums required to retain his services.    How wrong we were!

Ryan stepped back from the conversation.   After all he was not responsible for the way RTE doled out information on the salaries of its top brass.  In addition, he had resigned a week or two before the scandal broke!

As is usual in these matters we were only looking at the tip of the iceberg.   The Director General, perhaps the best equipped to take us to the murky waters below, also resigned!   In addition, she turned down the invitation to account for the discrepancies pleading ill health.

Items have surfaced during the week telling of a Barter Account which made ex gratia payments in the form of loyalty bonuses, trips to matches and new cars.   This account was completely outside RTE’s normal financial controls having outgoings invoiced as ‘consultancy’!

How the Barter Account, or slush fund as it has come to be known, was itself funded remains something of a mystery but the public who fund RTE through licence fees and taxes are fairly clear that it came out of their pockets!

When your salary is being overpaid by a six figure amount over a period of years as Tubridy’s was you would have thought he would have remarked upon it.   It appears that greed is insidious in that it goes largely unnoticed.

Tim Keller, who recently went to glory, illustrated this fact by contrasting the sin of greed with adultery.  He remarked that no one ever says “Oh, you are not my wife” whereas greed invariably has to be brought to the attention of those guilty of it.

In the Bible the sin of greed is listed in a number of places alongside adultery as in 1 Corinthians 6 verses 9 to 11.    Elsewhere, Jesus warned against covetousness in the parable of the rich fool.   In it He pointed out that our life does not consist of the abundance of our possessions but in the richness of our relationship with God (St Luke 12 verses 13 to 21).

It does not come easily to draw attention to something which will penalise you. In fact, doing the ‘right thing’ often requires a lot of backbone.   Usually it is deferred until silence means consent!    In the Bible’s demonstration of sin bearing, carried out on the cross, it cost Jesus his life.   He did the heavy lifting.   We only need to abandon our sin and greed and entrust our life to him (2 Corinthians 5 verse 21).