Epiphany Prayer

January 6th. The Feast of the Epiphany, or for all our friends in the Eastern part of Europe, the Real Christmas. Here in Ireland, where most of us have no conception about the fact that there are in fact two halves to the great divide between Rome and Constantinople, meaning two popes still recognised by their respective flocks, today goes by the name of "Nollag na mBan", literally the Christmas of the Women. Sometimes also known as Little Christmas.

Well here for all of you is a wee monk hard at prayer, perhaps for himself, maybe for you, or most likely of all, for me, the hopeless cause. There is a great story about the arrival of this wee chap a few weeks ago.

One night we heard in the distance a smoke alarm chiming away in the house next door. The interior lights were still on but no amount of knocking and hollering could raise a response from the occupant, a lady who lives on her own. I tried the doors but couldn't get in so I called the fire brigade as I could see the house was filling up with smoke. The brigade broke in the front door and discovered the lady lying on the floor having keeled over. Oxygen brought her to and the firemen quickly solved the smoke problem.... a frying pan which was heating on the stove when the lady fell or lay down. She was lucky that the heating oil didn't reach its flash point and suddenly burst into flames.

Well, a couple of days later, she called by with a thank you card for us and this prayerful fellow, hand painted on a large stone, by herself. We thought the world of the gife and although we haven't yet agreed on a name for him, he has pride of place in the living room.

So here he is saying some kind of prayer, or reciting his favourite mantra or whatever, for all of us and doubtless, in his tiny heart of stone, wishing all of us a Happy New Year.

And don't forget your neighbours throughout the year.