Jim Cogley’s Daily Reflections: Tues 5 Aug – Mon 11 Aug 2025
Note: A Wood You Believe retreat on Healing & Awareness will be given by Jim Cogley and Luba Rodzhuk in Mt St Annes Retreat Centre Portarlington from Monday evening 15th Sept to Thurs 18th. Early booking is recommended.
Bookings and enquiries to Mount St Annes only on 057-8626153.
My email is: frjimcogley@gmail.com
Books in Wood You Believe series can be ordered online at jimcogley.com
Tues 5th Aug – What our dogs teach us
It’s a wise practice to try and see what the Lord is saying in the most ordinary events of life. Recently while celebrating Eucharist one morning, I noticed a young woman enter the church just after Mass had begun. She had with her a large friendly dog that happened to be a Rottweiler. While these animals have a fierce reputation, they are usually delightful creatures. During the service she remained at the back, and I sensed her wondering if her canine friend would be welcome. A whisper of Spirit said, ‘This is what we do with our shadow side because while we fear its fierceness we fail to see its friendly face’. So, we scarcely give it room and keep it as far out of sight as possible. I invited her to bring the animal forward and let it be a symbol of giving space to that wonderful instinctual side of our nature that for far too long has been left chained out in the cold.
Wed 6th Aug – Our Faithful Companions
When Pope Francis was dying, media reported his final request to be that the stray dog he had befriended earlier should be brought to him. As his canine friend lay across his body it was obvious that they were locked in a final embrace with both aware of what was happening. Having witnessed similar scenes, especially at removals and funerals, I have no doubt that dogs grieve deeply and pine for their owners. If some reports are correct, but they may be AI generated, our current Pope Leo has adopted that same animal and given him pride of place in the Papal Apartments. If not true it would be nice think that it was. Then during the early stages of getting to know each other they seemingly spent time in the Papal Gardens and to the delight of the gardeners Leo was seen to be playfully having fun with the animal. Later, when seated, with the animal nuzzling close he was heard to say, ‘For six weeks since I was made Pope I haven’t smiled but you, Tiberius my friend, have put the smile back on my face.’
Thurs 7th August – The Complex Encounters
We all know what it’s like to find ourselves in situations or with people, perhaps family gatherings, where we feel small, inadequate, uncomfortable, out of place, inferior and a shadow of our usual selves. A complex has been triggered and it’s entirely our own so there’s no point blaming the in-laws or the out-laws! In dog training courses owners are taught to never allow a dog to get to the door ahead of you because to do so is to give the message that he or she is the top dog. Imagine the scene: the doorbell rings from someone arriving with a parcel. The dog is at the door immediately, barking and making a fuss. The person on the other side is uncomfortable as you struggle to open the door while trying to keep the dog in check and prevent it from jumping up on the visitor. The dog still steals the show and the encounter is sabotaged. The lesson is powerful; always consciously hold close that inferior, wounded or child part of yourself before such encounters so that it doesn’t get there before you and undermine your adult self.
Fri 8th August – Learning the Lesson
When a vet was called to a family home that he knew well it was to put to sleep their beloved dog of fifteen years. Several of the children had never known life without the animal with the youngest being particularly close to the animal. It was the kind of day when he hated his job. He arrived and they all gathered round for one final goodbye. Each thanked the dog for the gift he had been in their lives and all the fun and enjoyment he had brought. A few minutes later the injection was given and Rufus went to sleep for the last time. The vet remained for a bit longer knowing how much this was about them saying farewell to a fully-fledged family member. What caught his attention was the way the youngest was responding to the situation, not nearly as upset as expected. So, asking him how he felt he was taken aback at the answer. ‘I feel sad but am okay, humans have to live a long time because they take ages to learn how to love. Dogs learn that lesson very quickly and so they don’t need to have as long a lifespan as ours.’
Sat 9th Aug – Befriending our Shadow
A new family from the UK moved into a house in the neighborhood. He was a retired policeman and a dog handler. His dog was also retired and had come with them. While visiting, and oblivious of warning signs, I was half-way across their courtyard to find a monster Alsatian with bared teeth bounding towards me, obviously meaning business. To face up to him I could have lost my children’s allowance while to run I would have had teeth marks in my backside for life! Instinctively I bent down to his level and holding out my arm said, ‘Here boy.’ He skidded to a halt and ever so gently put his lips over my skin and then licked my hand. I got up and together we walked to the door where the lady was utterly surprised that I was still intact. As a shadow illustration I have used that incident many times. To fight our shadow, or to run from it, is not the way. However, once we have the courage to face up to it and make peace it becomes the closest friend of our destiny.
Sunday 10th Aug – Kingdom Glimpses
I tend to think of today’s Gospel as offering glimpses of the Kingdom and how to live a Kingdom life. The first glimpse is related to not allowing fear to rule one’s life; to trust that no matter what is happening, to have faith in the goodness of God. Many Catholics would regard themselves as faithful on the basis that they go to Mass and the sacraments but if you scratch the surface their lives may be more based on fear than faith. They never take risks, worry is their middle name, and their faith shows no signs of maturity beyond the childhood stage of unquestioning acceptance.
A second glimpse of Kingdom living is preparedness, always being prepared for the unexpected so that when the unexpected does happen it doesn’t take us completely by surprise. If the Lord were to call us home tomorrow, how ready would I be? Would I feel that I have lived trying to fulfil my life’s purpose or have I always procrastinated with all sorts of excuses pickled with shoulds, musts and oughts. In the end the Kingdom doesn’t permit excuses because all they amount to is having achieved nothing. Similarly in relation to hurts and disagreements, they keep us living in the past with bitterness and smouldering resentments. These keep us alienated from our better selves in life and it would be foolish to think that it could be any different if we were to pass on to the other side. Many today choose to live in denial as if there is no tomorrow but there is always a tomorrow for each of us that we can’t avoid.
Yet another kingdom glimpse is being trustworthy. Someone may say to us that we don’t trust them while the reality may be that they are not trustworthy. To reveal something in confidence and have it thrown back at you in the course of a row is to show that such a person is not worthy of trust. Similarly in relation to the gifts talents and abilities that we are gifted with, to what extent do we use them for the benefit of others? No gift or talent is for ourselves. So, if a person has time and ability and there are opportunities for doing good for others without necessarily getting paid, should we not play our part? From different parts of the country, I meet people who would love to live here and avail of all the opportunities on offer to be of service. Unfortunately, so many communities are dead in that regard and I feel sorry for such willing souls who find it difficult to find a way to channel their time and energy.
Closely related to trust is honesty. I come from a background where if you owed someone something you made sure to pay it back a.s.a.p. and if you couldn’t pay it just then you went to the person and told them of your situation. You didn’t try to avoid meeting them and you certainly didn’t try to cast them in a bad light to justify your position. Similarly, if you employed someone you never kept them waiting for payment or made a song and dance about it.
The Bible today speaks of being trustworthy in small things so you can be entrusted with things much greater. That seems to hold both for this life and the next and we can forget the idea that Heaven will be eternal rest; think again in the light of what the Bible teaches. RIP in scriptural terms doesn’t mean rest in peace, that would make Heaven an eternal bore but rise in power would be more the truth. To have been faithful in the small things of life is just a prelude to being entrusted with greater.
Let me share a story, from perhaps forty years ago. It’s a true one that I heard directly from the man involved. This fellow was selling insurance. It was a tough job, with a lot of travelling and at that time not well paid. One house he called to every month belonged to an elderly brother and sister. He never left without the tea, and they got on quite well. After the sister died, he continued to call, but more often, just to keep the man company. One day the man asked him to go up on a loft and bring down a pair of winter boots. While there he noticed a tin box and curiosity got the better of him, he opened it to find it was full of fifty and twenty euro notes. He shouted downstairs to say he had found a box of money and should he bring it down. ‘No’ said the man, ‘I never knew what my sister did with her pension. I don’t need the money so leave it where it is.’ The man didn’t need it, but my friend did, and he was sorely tempted to take a bundle of what wasn’t needed and wasn’t even known to exist. Still his sense of honesty won out and he reluctantly closed the box. A year later the man himself died and much to his surprise my friend was named as the sole benefactor of the house and contents.
As soon as he got the key, he was up on the loft to find the box where he had left it and with the contents was able to renovate the house as his future home. During renovation work he found a loose floorboard and lifting it he found another similar box, again packed with notes. This made it possible to take their first family holiday with a few grand left over. The story didn’t stop there because while renewing the parlour floor another rusty tin box came to light, this time full of older currency notes. Obviously, they never had used a bank in their lives. Next day up he went to the Central Bank and got his money exchanged.
It was after giving a sermon on honesty that he called to tell me his story. When I met him, he had just retired, was living in that same house, and from all the proceeds was financially quite comfortable. What he said I found really interesting; ‘If I had been so stupid as to have taken a single note from the first box when I was sorely tempted to do so, I would have been so eaten up with guilt for the rest of my life to the extent that I would never have been able to enjoy what I now have.’
What he had discovered was that honesty is not just the best policy but it can also be the key to prosperity and having peace.
Mon 11th Aug – The Importance of Discipline
During my late teens I had a dog that I loved called Oscar. He was a rescue dog, a delightful golden Labrador but with a mind of his own; one word from me and he just did whatever he wanted! He was to say the least, hard work, highly spirited with boundless energy that was often destructive, and never responsive to any form of discipline. After six months he was still unmanageable and with a heavy heart I had no option but to give him back. It was obvious that as a young dog a previous owner had given him free reign with absolutely no boundaries and by the time I had him it was too late, the damage was done. What Oscar taught me was the importance of discipline in early life and the need for parents to sometimes be cruel in the short term in order to be kind long-term. Teenagers will get angry and kick the boundaries, but they also provide safety, and they need to know they are there. One day they will say thanks but today it can be something different that many parents can’t bear to hear. So, they can end up with an entire family of Oscars!