Jim Cogley: Reflections Tues 4 Feb – Mon 10 Feb 2025

Tue Feb 4^th – Reflections on Postings

It is now five years since the word Covid first found its way into our vocabulary and then in the blink of an eye turned our world upside down and virtually brought it to a standstill. Sensing that we were going to be sailing through very stormy waters, and entering uncharted territory, I felt drawn to write a series of daily reflections first called Lights in the Darkness that could help to keep our ship steady and provide hope while going through such challenging times. Originally these were sent out weekly to a relatively small number, but very quickly the list began to expand as others asked to be included. I then discovered that many more were reading them having had them forwarded by friends. And so a little miracle began to happen as these tiny seeds found their way to all sorts of faraway countries and began to take root in the most unusual places.

Wed Feb 5^th – The work continues

When the postings began in the February 2020, I envisaged writing them for a few months until the crisis was over. It certainly lasted far longer than anyone could have imagined. Meanwhile the postings took on a life of their own and continued to expand. Now five years later they continue to be written and when asked where the inspiration and fresh material comes from, I must admit to being baffled and the only explanation I can give is that it has to be a work of the Holy Spirit. Over that time, I have never experienced writing them as being a burden or felt under pressure in having them ready. Had someone said at the beginning that over the next few years you will need to provide 2000 paragraphs of inspirational writing it would have seemed an impossible task! Yet by the grace of God that is what has happened and so far, continues to happen.

Thurs Feb 6^th – Companions on the journey

Looking at the volume of pieces written over the past five years they seem to contain much of the core essence of who I am, what I believe, and almost everything of importance that I have learned about the inner journey over nearly fifty years. As such I have offered them as companions on a journey as so much of what I wrote was from my own journey. From feedback received they seem to have resonated with so many at crucial moments and even given hope when hope seemed hopeless. One remark I heard recently was ‘The reflections kept me sane when I was going through hell’. They also contain teaching and insights that I would have given and received at retreats and seminars over the years plus the experience gained from working with countless people in counselling who were brave enough to trust me with their stories. Overall, they embody a comprehensive amount of adult education and faith development.

Fri Feb 7^th – An invitation to seed sowing

At this point I have no way of knowing how many receive the postings except that it is in the region of many thousands. Somewhere in the region of 30-50,000 as a conservative estimate. Each week I send out to around 800 on my list. Many recipients also have a list that can extend to 80 or 100 and so they become like seeds that are scattered to the four winds and there is a sense of leaving them to providence as to where they might end up. This was not in any manner a pre-planned strategy but seemed to develop organically as a work of Spirit. For this reason, I invite you to prayerfully consider anyone who might like to be included on your list as it is a bigger work than any of us, and yet one in which we can all do our bit. To be able to give a word in season at a crucial time in someone’s life can be a marvellous gift and in some cases can even save a life. I will continue to do my part and the more who play their part the better the work can progress. If you are not already involved in missionary work of spreading the Word this is an ideal opportunity.

Sat Feb 8^th – The simply profound is profoundly simple

The postings are written in a manner that is crucial for all writing and one that I carefully apply to books in the Wood You Believe series, it is ‘to always write in a manner that never leaves the reader feeling inadequate.’ Whether the reader has never completed Primary School or has a doctorate, the truth should be equally accessible. So many books are written in a manner to impress peers and after ploughing through so many such tomes I have often been left wondering what was it all about, and am I any the wiser? It is clear from Christ, the master teacher, that he never used big words and he always drew on homely images that were very familiar to his listeners. It also seems to be true that the further removed we are from an experience the more words we need and so we have the saying from Eastern wisdom that can be paraphrased as ‘those who know don’t say (too much), while those who say (perhaps a lot) don’t know’.

Sun Feb 9^th– Call of Disciples

The first reading today begins with the words, ‘In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord.’ Uzziah was one of the great kings of Israel. His reign lasted for forty years and had brought prosperity, peace and stability to the country. His death would have been considered a national disaster that heralded in a period of change and insecurity. Yet it was in precisely this time that the Prophet Isaiah received his call to be a prophet. When the Lord asked whom shall I send, he was ready to answer send me. That’s the historical bit, but where does it relate to our lives? A time of change is also a time of crisis and a time of crisis is also a time of opportunity. In our church and in terms of parish restructuring we are right in the middle of a time of change. The big issue is what the Lord may be saying to us at such a time of crisis.

There is a conservative element, most of whom are opposed to Pope Francis, want things to be the way they were 50/100 years ago and are not prepared to critically evaluate all that was rotten at the core beneath the veneer of packed churches, regular devotions and unquestioned loyalty to Rome. The abuses we have heard so much about in recent times relate much more to that time than to the present.

Then when it comes closer to home and to our own time of transition, what excites me greatly from listening to people here is that the vast majority are so forward thinking and not remotely interested in going backwards. Even though we are traditional I meet with very little traditionalism and in comparison with many other parishes that would be quite rare. This is where we can, all in our own way, play our part and discover our vocation to bring to birth a new and wonderful vision of church that truly meets the needs of people and in a language that is suitable for today.

That Gospel I have just read sheds a lot of light on where we might be at this present time. The apostles were experienced and seasoned fishermen. They knew how it should be done and they had been doing it for years. Yet they came to a stage where it was no longer working. They had fished all night and caught nothing but weed in their nets. Along comes Jesus the carpenter from Nazareth who supposedly knew nothing about fishing and he says to them to throw out the nets on the other side. To do so was not just to forsake their experience but to put the pride in their pockets. It was daylight and in those days they didn’t have monofilament nets. The fish could only be caught in the dark when they wouldn’t see the coarse nets. Yet when they obeyed, they hauled in so many that they believed it to be miraculous.

How could we apply this timeless story to our time and to our experience of Church today? We have probably known more churchianity than Christianity and more religious practice than genuine experience of our faith. Without wishing to be irreverent, the faith that you and I grew up with had a rocking horse element. There was the practice element but while there was lots of action there was little or no forward movement. By that I mean that people were not being changed by what they were hearing, lives were not being transformed, people were coming out from church no different than when they went in. Commitment and sincerity were there in abundance but by and large it was a spectator sport where, by virtue of attendance, you clocked up brownie points and the more you gained the further up the ladder of salvation you went. This gave rise to the mentality of getting Mass rather than taking your place in the local community that is the Body of Christ. In a way it was a religious practice that could be too easily divorced from life. You might genuflect before Christ in the Tabernacle on Sunday and wipe the floor with someone on Monday and not make any connection between the two, even though Christ was in both.

Something else that saddens me greatly was that the religious practice that we grew up with didn’t go far enough to help people deal with the painful realities of their lives. There was a serious lack of compassion where if you made a mistake the prevailing attitude was, ‘You made your bed and now you can lie on it.’ In contrast, Christ’s compassionate approach was, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’ As long as you were in the state of grace and your soul was going to Heaven then it didn’t matter if you were going through hell in your personal life. The result was that so many unfortunate souls carried huge burdens of hurt and unresolved grief for so much of their lives and even to their graves.

Contrary to what so many think, genuine Christianity is not an other worldly religion. Unfortunately, it has for so long been presented in that manner as many of the missal prayers would still suggest. Real Christianity is concerned with the whole person. It’s more concerned with making us whole than holy. Being whole and wholesome is really the Christian definition of holiness. Unfortunately, it hasn’t always been presented in that manner.

So, to conclude. Like the apostles we have been part of how it has been done and most would admit today that it is no longer working. Perhaps the Lord is calling for a bit of courage and fresh thinking. Could he be saying throw out your nets on the other side. Our Diocese has been responding to that call but for me as an individual and for us as a community what might that mean? To find the answer to that is to open the door to the miraculous.

Mon Feb 10^th – Miracle of Multiplication

Concluding my reflections on Postings I am drawn to the Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes. A multitude of 5,000 were hungry, having followed Christ into a lonely place. The apostles question how they are going to feed so many? The experience of ‘the many’ today is of intense spiritual hunger that is not being met through traditional religious practice that many have tried but found wanting. The anonymous boy in the story who was prepared to offer his lunch of five loaves and two fish is the one I identify with in offering the daily reflections. From something very small, a miracle of multiplication is happening with the aid of modern technology. No one is more surprised at this than I am, but insofar as my daily offering can be taken and blessed to feed the multitude, I am delighted and have no need to know how many receive them. The famine of our time, especially in Ireland, is not for food, but for the bread of wisdom, and in so far as we can all work together to meet this huge need, it is a great privilege.