Work, encourage, share…

One of the most awe-inspiring sights of autumn
is that of geese flying in formation, as they play
follow-the-leader and spread out behind that
lone first bird in a V-shape.
It is interesting to learn why they     
do this. As each bird flaps its
wings, the uplift assists the bird
following immediately behind. It is reckoned that
the flock can fly over seventy per cent farther by
helping each other along in this way.
Should one bird fall away from the rest, it quickly
discovers how much harder it is to fly alone and
re-joins the others. When it gets tired the leading
bird will drop back and another will take its place.
The following geese will honk to encourage those
up front to keep up speed. The moral of the story
is to work together more, encourage one another
and share a common purpose like the geese, just
think how much more we could achieve.
    

Back to School...!

 

 The words of St. Augustine, “If you aspire to great things, begin with little ones” reminded me the summer holidays are coming to a close thus signalling a return to school and the halls of academia for many. The return to school can be both a stressful and an enjoyable experience for many families. For the younger children and their parents it can be a very exciting time as they begin school for the first time. The older ones will negotiate the transition from primary to secondary school and begin a new phase on their journey. Much will be learned during the coming year but always in small steps. That is true of all of us in life. We are learning more about ourselves each day, about our faith, and those around us. Personally, it is good to be back to a routine again. Routine allows us to be comfortable with what we have to do and what we like to do. As we welcome the month of September we pray that all of us, no matter our age, will be open to learning new possibilities in our lives. “Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference”.

Use Your Fingers...

The following 'Five Finger Prayer' is attributed to Pope Francis while he was Archbishop of Argentina.       

1)    The Thumb is the closest finger to you. Pray for those who are closest to you. To pray for our dear ones is a “sweet obligation”.

2)    The next finger is the index finger. Pray for those who teach you, instruct you and heal you.

3)    The following finger is the tallest. It reminds us of our leaders. They need God’s guidance.

4)    The fourth finger is the ring finger. It may surprise you to know it is our weakest finger. Pray for those who are ill, in pain or in trouble.

5)    Finally, we have the smallest of all our fingers. Pray for yourself, that God’s will may be done in your life.

 If you are considering a vocation to Priesthood or Religious Life, it is important to develop a culture of prayer. If you are interested in life as a Presentation Brother feel free to drop me an email to; vocation@presentationbrothers.org.

"Laudato Si" - Pope Francis

Pope Francis some time ago released his much anticipated encyclical "Laudato Si" on Care of the Earth our Common Home.

He make the point in the encyclical that everything is connected. Everything is interrelated, and our concern for our planet, "Our Common Home", must move us to action because we have a moral obligation to care for creation. Pope Francis makes it clear that he is speaking to each one of us when he says, "I wish to address every person living on this planet."

Pope Francis acknowledges statements from Bishop's Conferences and various scientific bodies from around the world in assembling his argument that we need to take better care of our planet. He shows a superb sense of timing in the release of this document. The nations of the world are coming to the close of negotiations at the United Nations on a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Member states and civil society partners hope that goals agreed to for the next 15 years, will move us closer to ending poverty worldwide and putting all on the path to a sustainable future where economic development links to care for creation.

The UN General Assembly will vote on this program in September at the time the Pope is visiting the USA. He is expected to address the General Assembly at that time. The UN is overseeing negotiations on a new Climate Treaty that will be decided upon in Paris this December. The Pope will certainly be encouraging leaders of nations to come to a substantive agreement to reduce the use of fossil fuels in order to stave off the worst effects on climate change already overtaking the world, especially in regions where many poor people live.

If you are interested in life as a Presentation Brother, please send an e-mail to vocation@PresentationBrothers.org     

 

 

Blessed be the Wind!

(I read an article on the environment by Lyall Watson recently. The following is an extract from it. I thought I should share it with you)

 Without wind, most of Earth would be uninhabitable. The tropics would grow so unbearably hot that nothing could live there, and the rest of the planet would freeze. Moisture, if any existed, would be confined to the oceans; and all but the fringes of the great continents … would be desert. There would be no erosion, no soil, and for any community that managed to evolve despite these rigours, no relief from suffocation by their own waste products.

 But with the wind, Earth comes truly alive. Winds provide the circulatory and nervous systems of the planet, sharing out energy and information, distributing both warmth and awareness, making something out of nothing.

 All wind’s properties are borrowed. Our knowledge of it comes at second-hand, but it comes strongly. And this combination of a force that cannot be apprehended, but nonetheless has an undeniable existence, was our first experience of the spiritual. A crack in the cosmos that widened to let the tide of consciousness flow through.

 We are the fruits of the wind—and have been seeded, irrigated, and cultivated by its craft.

 

 

Holy Communion

God of the Ordinary 

(I share with you a reflection on Holy Communion taken from Donal Neary SJ) 

 

 

The Eucharist has a central place in Christian life. It is unique to our faith that God becomes present in a real way in ordinary bread and wine—food for the journey of life in the bread, energy and joy for the journey of life in the wine. Bread and wine were very much part of the ordinary food of the people of Jesus’ time.

 

 

Each time we celebrate we recall in a real way the death and resurrection of the Lord. We take part in it, within our place and time. The sacrifice of Christ on the cross and his resurrection is ‘redone’ among us. It is a place and time of grace. The body of Christ is still in our churches and streets because we are there.

 

 

The Eucharist is not to commemorate something that happened many years ago. It is our faith and commitment to Christ in his people. All of us are tabernacles of the Lord, and our call is to allow God into our lives and share his message of love. It is sometimes easier to believe in the presence of the Lord in the tabernacle than among each other.

 

 

Jesus asks us to share the bread and cup to proclaim this ‘mystery of faith’ for all time. We proclaim that the Jesus of the tabernacle is the Jesus within all of us. Just as there is a light at the tabernacle, maybe we should carry a little red light in front of us to highlight that Jesus Christ dwells in each of us.