Jim Cogley’s Reflections: Tues Sept 30 – Mon 6 Oct 2025
Note: A Seminar on Healing -Finding Freedom from Personal and Ancestral Trauma will be given by Jim Cogley on Sat 18th Oct from 10am to 4pm in the Edmund Rice Healing Centre in Callan Co Kilkenny. The cost will be 50euro with refreshments and lunch included. Bookings by phone or text to Jim Maher on 086-1276649. This is a beautiful venue that is quickly becoming established as a centre of Healing. Early booking is advised.
Tues Sept 30th
Aspects of Giving
The practice of giving, especially in relation to money is not always what it appears. On one hand there are those who will likely be appalled when they get to the other side as to how little they gave in life and how all the excuses they made for not giving were only a cover up for meanness. Some who prided themselves on owning many properties may never have put a single roof over anyone’s head. On the other hand, are those who give for all the wrong motives; perhaps to appear generous, to appease guilt feelings or even out of resentment. A common reason is to give with the hope of receiving something in return. The Bible says that God loves a cheerful giver. Perhaps that word ‘cheerful’ provides a clue as to the nature of authentic giving. It is in the very nature of love to bring joy and pleasure in all that it gives and not to expect anything in return.
Wed Oct 1st
Giving until it hurts
There are so many good souls, some in religious life, who give and have given their entire life in the service of those in need. Most would claim that love for God was their chief motivation. For this love many were prepared to sacrifice everything. They were prepared to forego personal comforts, happiness and even a home and family. With some their motto was, ‘to give until it hurts.’ Yet herein lies an unhealthy extreme because to give to the extent of making oneself miserable can only serve to breed resentment towards those in need. Some are even compulsive givers, but this is what keeps them afloat and gives them meaning in life. They need to be needed, and it is in the meeting of others needs that they find their identity. Knowing when to give and when to hold back demands wisdom and a useful question to ask is, ‘Whose need am I meeting – theirs or mine?’
Thurs Oct 2nd
Giving without Expectation
A piece towards the end of the Gospel of St John captures the essence of pure giving. As part of the Passover Meal Christ washes the feet of his disciples. This would have appeared quite shocking since it was a task reserved for slaves. Next there is a detail that we can so easily overlook, where he took a towel and dried their feet. This meant that he was leaving no trace of the service he had just rendered or was he leaving behind any sense of obligation to be repaid. The underlying motives for our giving that we thought were so pure comes out in statements like, ‘After all I did for him/her, and this is how they treat me.’ Or ‘you would think that having been there for them in their time of need they would at least acknowledge what has happened to me.’
Fri Oct 3rd
Give and it is Given
Shortly after Ordination 45 years ago I was given a temporary appointment. The weekly income was a meager forty euro out of which all expenses for food and travel had to be paid. Over six months I managed to save four hundred as a deposit on a car. Someone came to my door in dire need of 400euro. Taking a few moments to consider the matter I opened the Bible at random to read, give to the one who asks and don’t ask for anything in return.’ It wasn’t exactly what I wanted to read, but the message could not have been clearer. So, I gave the person what was needed. Amazingly before the week was out a cheque for 800 euro arrived in the post from a source that was completely unexpected. It was a profound lesson that bore out the truth of the Scripture, ‘Give and it will be given onto you, full measure, pressed down and brimming over will be poured into your lap. However, there was even more to come…..
Sat Oct 4th
A Leap of Faith
I mentioned yesterday having saved a modest amount for a deposit on a car and what became of that money. I was not long ordained and still borrowing my mother’s car. One afternoon while giving a retreat one of the participants had a problem with a fallen exhaust. While lying underneath the vehicle, with a vice-grip in hand, I distinctly heard a whisper of Spirit saying, ‘Go and order yourself a new car just like this one you are fixing.’ I really liked the one I was working on and took the leap of faith, doing as I was told, but making no reference as to how payment might be made. A week later a phone call came to say the new car was ready for collection. Taking a few deep breaths, I approached the sales desk and before opening my mouth the salesman said, ‘this has been paid for, and you don’t need to know by whom or how, but it is all legitimate.
Sun Oct 5th
Faith
We sometimes have a sense that there is something missing in our lives; that there is an emptiness deep in our hearts. Could it be that the missing ingredient is what we call Faith. It is faith that makes the difference between just existing and having a life, between seeing life in black and white, or in color. That mysterious ingredient is like the ember of a fire. Out on it’s own, it tends to smolder and eventually go out. Once mixed with similar embers it bursts into flame. The history of the church attests that saints have always grown in clusters. Faith is elusively difficult to cultivate in isolation simply with private prayer and devotion. It is through coming together where we give each other support and encouragement and we enter into communion that our faith begins to blossom.
An atheist was seated next to a little girl on an airplane and he turned
to her and said, “Would you like to talk? Flights go quicker if you strike
up a conversation with your fellow passengers. “The little girl, who had just started to read her book, replied to the total stranger, “What would you like to talk about?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” said the atheist. “How about why there is no God,
or no Heaven or Hell, or no life after death?” as he smiled smugly.
“Okay,” she said. “Those could be interesting topics but let me ask
you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same
stuff – grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns
out a flat patty, but a horse produces clumps.
Why do you suppose that is?”
The atheist was visibly surprised by the little girl’s intelligence.
He thought about it and said, I really have no idea.” To which
the little girl replied, “Then do you really feel qualified to discuss
God, Heaven and Hell, Faith or the afterlife, when you don’t even know about SH1T?” That’s the technical term by the way!
Jesus said, ‘If you had faith as big as a mustard seed you would speak to the mountain and it would be cast into the sea.’ I love those words about the positivity and power of Faith. He is figuratively speaking of course, not about physical mountains but rather about the mountains and obstacles we encounter as we journey through life. These are in the words of Shakespeare, ‘The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune that flesh is heir to’, the obstacles that block the light, leave us overshadowed and impede our progress.
So what is faith? Is it an intellectual signing up to a set of beliefs like the Creed? Think about this; I can say the Creed every time I come to Mass: I believe in God the Father Almighty creator of heaven and earth and in Jesus Christ his only Son Our Lord, and it will make not one whit of difference in my life. When one lady got on to me for not reciting the Creed one Sunday I had to ask her, ‘Have you ever seen anyone converted by a Creed because I haven’t?’ Don’t forget that the Devil also believes in God but it doesn’t mean that he’s saved.
When we get up in the morning before we ever adjust our hair, if we happen to have any, the first thing we need to adjust is our attitude. Whether to approach the day with faith or its opposite that is fear. One is to say ‘Good morning God’ while the other is to say ‘Good God its morning.’
Whether we be an atheist or a believer we are always operating from either of those two principles Faith or Fear and creating our life accordingly. To a very large extent we are not just victims of life’s circumstances and we are responsible for creating our happiness or unhappiness. Yes there are horrible things that happen that are outside our control, but it is still up to us to decide how we choose to handle them. Two boats may sail out of the same harbor with one sailing east and the other sailing west. Its not the direction of the wind that sets the direction but the set of the sails.
It’s not what happens to us in life that defines us but rather what we do with what happens to us. Some have their feathers ruffled and don’t fly for the rest of their lives. Others have their wings broken and yet learn to fly again. That’s faith.
A useful acronym for understanding FAITH is Fantastic Adventure In Trusting Him, while one for FEAR could be – Fantasy Experienced As Real.
What’s the difference between the two?
- Faith expands our world, fear constricts it.
- Faith sees a positive outcome, fear sees the worst scenario.
- Faith places us above our circumstances, fear puts us below them.
- Faith risks the game of life, fear plays it safe.
- Faith extends the comfort zone, fear reduces it.
- Faith makes mistakes, fear makes excuses.
- Faith allows us to walk on water, fear makes us sink.
- Faith sees divine order, fear sees chaos.
- Faith conquers, fear falters.
- Faith sees with new vision, fear sees with stale eyes.
- Faith creates that which is believed, fear does likewise.
We create our world either by fear or faith so believing in God is one thing while exercising Faith is quite another.
Mon Oct 6th
Good measure , pressed down , overflowing
Saturday I mentioned having received a beautiful new car 45 years ago following a whisper of Spirit. Not only did the salesman reassure me that it was all paid for but there was an extra 2000euro collected in whatever event that had been held that I knew nothing about and don’t know even to this day. At that time, I was concerned for a young boy with very poor mobility who badly needed an electric wheelchair. The cost for a new model was two thousand euro. With such manna from heaven what else was appropriate but to order one as soon as possible. A little party was later arranged to present it to him. Seeing the absolute delight on the child’s face as the chair was unveiled was worth more than any money could buy, and thankfully, while he died before his twenties, he got as many years of enjoyment out of using it as I did from my new car.