Author Archives: livedgospel2013

Educating for the Lived Gospel #100

On reaching this ‘ton’, I thank each of you for your support and encouragement that has made these reflections possible.

And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40)

This is one of a number of Scripture passages that, to me, are at the heart of the Gospel message. Talk is cheap – what am I doing? How am I treating the people I encounter? Am I paying each person the respect that they are due from their God-given dignity? This fundamental respect of each person flows from our belief in the Incarnation – which is truly Lasallian, truly Franciscan, truly Christian. Another thing that strikes me is that we are all members of the one family.

Most, if not all, schools provide opportunities to ‘open the eyes’ of the young people in their care. Such opportunities include Caritas, Franciscans International, the Lasallian Foundation and other worthwhile charities where both money and awareness can be raised. There are also the many service projects such as soup vans, refugee tutoring and aged care where the young may glimpse the face of Jesus. And there are the remarkable service and immersion programs that involve travel to other countries. Whatever form it takes, young people are thirsting for justice – thirsting to live their faith through living justly – walking the talk.
Have a great week!
Patrick

Joy

Untimely darkness

Leaden skies

Pouring rain

 

Adults and teenagers

Umbrellas up

Duck and weave

Through the downpour

 

Along comes a grim-faced mother

Holding the hand

Of a drenched six year old

Who yells with joy

and delight

At being in the rain

 

Such unbridled joy

Embracing life

Makes me grin

And emphasises

Chardhin’s point

“Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God”

Educating for the Lived Gospel #99

G’day! After much prayer and reflection, I’ve decided to strike out in a new direction with the reflections, by reflecting upon pieces of scripture – though always with a Lasallian and Franciscan ‘flavour’. I hope that you find something in them for you!

Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10)

Such a passage makes me wonder: What does it mean to live life abundantly? What do I need to do to live up to this passage? “Living life to the full” can be an excuse for hedonism. However, this full life is connected to Jesus who is the one speaking in this passage. Think about how Jesus lived his life…selflessly, literally poured out for others. So, I think living life to the full has more to do with making the most of my talents, my opportunities and my relationships. It is my firm belief that a full life is one that is lived for others – one that embraces the Franciscan wisdom of “it is giving that we receive”. A full life is also lived by the Lasallian wisdom of touching hearts – focussing on our relationships. I also believe that a full life entails celebrating the small things that are easily ignored – a flower, a smile, any baby.

It is easy for young people to be seduced into thinking that a full life is centred on “me”. Rather, it is our task to guide them into seeing that the full life is truly centred on “we” – develop and use my talents, so that I can build my community. When we all act in that manner, we might glimpse a Pentecost moment!

Have a great week…and term!

Patrick

 

Whales at Warrnambool

I am awestruck by

This majestic scene

Giant sets of waves

Creating and crashing into the beach

 

The fierce off-shore wind

Makes them perfect for surfing

So my mate tells me

 

But the same wind ensures that

Their tops are blown off

Making mini rainbows

In the brilliant sun

Framed by the bright blue winter sky

 

Somewhat hidden

In the lull between waves

Are some whales

Which can be seen by their occasional spout

 

These large, warm-blooded creatures

Have crossed the vast cold ocean

To this ‘nursery’

To loll and sway in the surf

Off the coast of Warrnambool

Protected by their mother

 

A hardy crew

Of well-rugged-up individuals

Watch this extraordinary tableau

With varying degrees of attention

 

Days later

I am still struck

At this confluence of natural

And ancient energies

 

How appropriate at a place

Named by our ancient people

Berlin

 

Extraordinary city

That has embraced its past

Warts and all

 

Kaisers: Brandenburg Gate, Tiergarten and Sans Souci palace

 

Nazis: Gay memorial, Jewish sculptures, memorial and museum

Buildings with bullet holes, 66 years after World War II!!

 

Cold War: remnants and reminders of the Berlin Wall, Church of the Reconciliation and Ampelmann

 

The grandeur of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Cathedral

Magnificent museums like the Pergamon

The gentle beauty of the Spree

Ethereal moonlight

Couples, young and old, ballroom dancing in a day lit park

While all around a vibrant city swirls and does its 21st century thing

Along with dear friends Gui and Daniel

Make Berlin extraordinary

 

So much history, so much pain

‘Failure is not in the falling down but in the staying down’

Thus Berlin is a remarkable success

Of life

Of hope

Caught in life’s web

 

One problem

With being tall

Is that you often

Walk into stray spider webs.

 

We’re all caught in life’s web

Of connections

Happily raucous birds

Greet the sunshine

As it streams through a stormy morning

The veteran sells

Remembrance Day reminders

The neighbour whose smile

Isn’t so big today

The colleague whose wife

Has just lost her battle with cancer

 

We’re each caught

In the tendrils of life’s web

We can blunder about

“Forging our own path”

Or we can savour

Each of the tendrils of connections

As a moment of grace.

 

Shall we blunder on?

Fallen, caught and taught

 

I visited the Jewish Museum in Berlin

Exploring Holocaust, Exile and Continuity

But what really stopped me in my tracks was “Fallen Leaves”

 

10,000 plus metal discs in the shape of faces

Littered on the ground

 

The thought of walking on them

Made me sob

Such brutality

Such a waste of human lives

I was crying so hard I couldn’t move

 

But I was caught by my darling

As she said words I needed to hear

“We need to live and love for them”

We need to walk on because of their humanity

 

Upon reflection my tears should have been

Not just for the lost humanity of the victims,

But also the lost humanity of the perpetrators.

 

Are we learning the lesson of our shared humanity?

Fallen

Glimpse of the glory

 

The world is a big place

Its sheer size

Is testament to God’s grandeur

But it’s more than that.

 

Our tiny brains

Occasionally glimpse God’s work

Where we live

But travel opens our eyes

To the size, complexity and subtlety

Of God’s canvas.

We catch a glimpse

Of the Artist at work

What Merton refers to

As the ‘cosmic dance’.

 

As humans

We describe, ascribe and define

What we see

As if we can control it.

 

Out of our comfort zones

As we travel

We can delight

In the glory

Of the Artist’s creation.

 

Would that we keep that

In our hearts and souls

Always.

Paris

 

Our first purchase in Paris

Was an umbrella.

While the weather shaped our visit

There was so much to see and absorb.

Labyrinthine Metro tunnels

A whole world underground!

So much history:

Arc de Triomphe

La Tour Eiffel

So much culture:

Louvre

Aesthetic overload

Left me wanting it

On ‘drip feed’ to absorb it better

 

More history & faith:

Notre Dame

With the souvenir shop inside the cathedral

The archaeological crypt

With its Roman ruins

Sacre Coeur

And its magnificent presence

St Sulpice

Had its personal spiritual connection

Shopping:

Along the Champs Elysees

And in Galleries Lafayette

No haute cuisine

But enjoyed

Baguettes, almond croissants and maccarons

From McCafe!

 

Precious couple time

And equally precious together time

That included the thought and love

To take a precious photo