Herod said, ‘John I beheaded; but who is this about whom I hear such things?’ And he kept trying to see Jesus. (Luke 9:9)

One of the themes of Luke’s gospel is about the overturning of power. Herod killed John since people were paying him too much attention. Then along comes Jesus who is attracting even more people. The reader is prompted to ask: who is really in control? Luke’s answer: God. Maybe Herod couldn’t see Jesus because he was more focussed on power than faith.

In our lives and those of the young people in our care, we can ‘try to see Jesus’ – thinking this is another thing we can control. When we let go of power and control and live our lives with an open-handed faith, we will see Jesus every day – and realise that it is only our perception that has shifted

Have a great week!

Patrick

Dormant

For so long

Tended with love

If not always

With knowledge

Eagerly expected

As the signs increased

And grew more hopeful.

It’s only a flower

Yet it’s a symbol

Of connection

With my past;

Also of persistence;

But most powerfully

It is a symbol

Of God’s grace

Of the delicate beauty

All around us

So long as

We have the eyes

To see

The LORD has done great things for us (Ps 126:3)

Things can change in our lives without notice. Thus fostering a sense of gratitude for things as they are now is very important. Closely allied to gratitude is a sense of ‘enough’ – putting down what seems like a dominant societal ethic of a relentless search for ‘more’. We can be grateful and feel like we have or are enough if we also have a sense of how God has gifted me – in terms of talents, relationships and material goods.

Our year can begin with an attitude of ‘here we go again’. Or we can cultivate a sense of gratitude and of having and being enough based in our giftedness through God. Then, we and the young people in our care are much more likely to feel happy and whole, build our communities…and do great things.

Have a great week…and year!

Patrick

Crashing down

In silent waves

Setting buildings aglow

Making the haze visible

Helping plants

Continue their timeless march

Thus ensuring animals

Can breathe

Giving warmth

Wanted or not

Lighting our way

Brother Sun at work

Brilliant blue sky

Radiating warmth

Soaked up

By the trees

And humans

Aware

Or not

Of this tableau

In its power

Simplicity

Aglow with God’s love

Of creation

Busy?

Bored?

Time is perception

Filled with work or duties

Days whizz past

Summer holidays

Time stretches

Days pass

Yet seem slower

Until they end.

…and we turn around

And mourn their loss

A year comes to a close

A new one beckons

Nothing changes

It’s another day

And yet it is a liminal space

This is not ‘groundhog day’

This is an opportunity

To choose

Be intentional

About my relationships

About my actions

About focusing on love

As that which binds

Everything

Choose gospel values

And make heaven real

Each day

Hope doesn’t want

To die

But it can seem

Fragile

When fear of a return

To a place of pain

Grips

What seemed clear

Is now clouded.

Be still

Breathe

Trust

In your resources

And the love

From family and friends

That buoys.

Hope is not dead

As much as we like to ponder matters, as humans, at times we need the concrete to learn or really grasp a point. The Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament speak of God’s love for us. At Christmas, we celebrate the Incarnation: God-with-us/Emmanuel – love made flesh. This is the concrete example that we humans need. This is what love looks like. Jesus and Mary live out what love looks like. They live out the unique and precious ways that Love can guide and shape us.

Gathering at Christmas with our family and friends, let us give thanks for the love that we share which binds us. This same love that can help us to lift the veil from our eyes and see that we are all one. This precious Christmas gift needs to be savoured each and every day.

Wishing you and yours a blessed Christmas!
Patrick

Beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come. (Mark 13:33)

We arrive again at Advent. We anticipate Christmas. This might cause excitement, anxiety…or a little of both. This passage shows an awareness of human nature. We can be so busy making plans that we forget to live in this moment. We fail to ask: what’s going on? In so doing we can miss the joy and pain of our fellow human beings – the stuff of life. If we pay even closer attention, this is where God is at work – the Love weaving the tapestry of the universe.

So our task, for ourselves and the young people in our care, is to learn to be awake and aware. Aware of God at work in our lives: through prayer, through life’s events, through the love of family and friends. Jesus Christ is the fullness of the Incarnation but like a spiritual Big Bang, the Love continues to saturate us with its radiance. In the words of Michael Leunig: ‘love is always born’.

Have a great week!
Patrick