Sad news about Fr Shannahan.

I just found out that he passed away this morning at 8am at Mercy Hospital. What an amazing priest. Last time I spoke to him he was 80 years old and he conducted dad’s first year memorial service.

I couldn’t help myself from crying. I don’t know this priest well. He’s conducted many masses that I’ve attended throughout my life. He baptised my kids and my nephew. But other than that there was not much contact.

And yet, I found myself in tears over his passing. And I say passing because now I understand that “it is in dying that we are born to eternal life” but it brought up so much hidden sadness that I haven’t cared to address before.

Sadness at my dad passing away three years ago. Sadness at the loss of a wonderful priest for the Catholic Church. Sadness because of a personal belief that there is a shortage of priests in Auckland, a shortage of newly ordained kiwis wanting to join the priesthood. Sadness that someone who so loved the church and those who were in it and not in it, had left us. And I guess a kind of sadness of being left to fend on my own… wierd as it sounds. He’s one of the few priests I remember now from my childhood. I don’t know many priests now because I haven’t been to many masses to actually know other priests.

I feel a bit guilty today, being the first Sunday of Advent. I should’ve taken my kids to mass, I was awake. And I had the time. And I remembered. And yet I’ve been falling short of so many of my commitments recently. What’s happening to me I wonder. I feel like I’m falling into a different space – not a bad one – but a different one.

I trust in God in my journey through this. I know I will come out well. I know this is just whatever meaning I put to it.

God I thank-you for this wonderful day. I thank-you for this wonderful man you gave to us, Fr Shannahan, who inspired me to be a better Christian and left loving feelings in my heart about the Church. Thank-you God for Advent, for Christmas, and most of all for Jesus Your Son, giving Him to us so that He could die on a cross for our sins.

Thank-you God for giving me all that I ask and empowering me to live a good life.

I love you and I trust in you completely.

Today I was posed the question:

What do you think about praying to people that have died, that have passed on? Some people say that I would be disturbing them if I do that.

In my mind’s eye, I see time as an illusion of the mind. So when someone dies, for example, it is my physical form and my mind that consider’s him dead. But I believe that my soul which is so vast and timeless, still connects with dad’s soul, even though physically he is gone. I believe his soul is timeless and is connected with mine.

I have heard of earth-bound spirits – those that have not crossed into the light and have chosen to remain in the physical time-bound world. For these spirits, if I were to pray to them, they would not be able to hear me unless they were physically in the room.

If a soul had to be re-born again then, only if that human was in touch with their spiritual side, would they feel a prayer being said to them.

If a soul was in Heaven then they could hear your prayer and intercede for you.

But I do not believe that praying to a departed person could disturb them.

In short, I have asked dad to intercede for me but mainly I trust in God and usually ask Mother Mary to intercede or one of the Saints.

I believe Faith and Trust is so important when asking anyone of anything.

I quite extensively use EFT to remove negative energies that are blocking flow in my life or creating obstacles for me in my thinking. It has helped me tremendously to move closer to God and become more self-aware and more socially aware. I wish every single person on the planet would use EFT to help clear an emotional issues, traumas or physical pain they have. However, given that not everyone knows about it, I feel so obliged to tap for others.

Initially I tried to get my friends to start tapping for themselves but they are not interested. And I find myself at a lack of time to do it for them when I know I could so easily help them out. But I have my life to lead and my immediately family to tap on, whether it’s for troubles at school/kindy/work or physical health I keep tapping for my family.

Sometimes I feel burdened by the tapping I feel I Need to do for others. I tapped on this and I don’t feel so burdened by it anymore. But I do still feel responsible for their health. So I may spend hours in a day just tapping on people.

The other little annoyance I know I need to tap on is the acknowledgement for the tapping I do for people. But then, why? I need to give without expecting anything in return. And give in secret so that only God knows what I do for them =)

Thank-you God for this amazing, phenominal, mind-blowing tool!!

I love you God. Jesus, I trust in You. Thank-you Mother Mary for being my intecessor, mother and guide. I love you always.