The Lord God has given me
the tongue of a teacher,
that I may know how to sustain
the weary with a word. (Is 50:4)

Whether I am a parent or a teacher, we are likely to resonate with this passage. It might be buoying up a student who is disappointed with an assessment result. It might be comforting a son or daughter after a relational upset. It could be empathising with a friend who is enduring some difficulties. Whatever the situation, we act in this way because we are in relationship, because we care.

When the time comes we must encourage the young people in our care to continue and not to give up. We also owe it to our young people to help them reflect upon the power of what we each say has to do good or harm. This includes the remark that is intended as humorous that ends up being wounding. Because we are all in relationship, we need to do what we can to strengthen those ties – not weaken them. And so the Holy Spirit is at work through us.

Have a great week!
Patrick

She’s already on
When I board
The city-bound train.
He gets on
Just before the city.
Their eyes light up
When they see each other,
Beaming smiles,
Happily animated conversation,
Before alighting together
At Richmond.
Seeing the joy and bond
Of these two,
Other passengers
Will change seats
Allowing them to be together.
This daily ritual
Of delight
Shines
Amid the morning gloom.
Love’s unintended gift

Choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him (Deut 30:19-20)

So what gives us life today? It’s about ignoring what advertisers might say, tuning out the background noise and paring it all back. We complicate life. It’s simple…but hard to do. Acknowledge that all we have and all we are is a gift from God. Following the example of Jesus, love without reserve and thus treat myself and others with dignity and respect.
How might young people be guided on this path? Ideally, they will be guided by their family but educators have a role to play. There are a few parts to this journey and the order may vary. Our stories are so varied. There is no one way. We may want a simple life but we learn it doesn’t work that way. The pain and suffering that one person endures can be a story to inspire others. Young people need to learn about giving and receiving love, which some learn early, others later. Another part is building a relationship with God through prayer and reflection. A third factor is being part of a Christian community who give us a place to give of our gifts and benefit from others’ gifts.

Have a great week!

Patrick

Woe to you when all speak well of you, for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets. (Luke 6:26)

I want to be liked! I want to get on with others. It is easy to fall into ‘people pleasing’ – when it’s about making someone else happy and not standing up for my beliefs. The point? Life is not a popularity contest – it’s about doing what is right. Thus each of us needs to ask ourselves questions such as: ‘Do I stand up for what I believe even if it makes me unpopular?’

With the young people in our care we have a twofold task. Firstly, we must provide them opportunities to help them to establish what they believe – times of reflection. This is a process that has its ebb and flow. The more lasting and more difficult task comes in holding firm when the prevailing winds of life would knock them around. While some well-timed sharing by us can be of help, in the end learning to stand up for one’s beliefs is an individual task. As the saying goes, ‘If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything’.

Have a great week!
Patrick

God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. (Gen 1:31)

It is easy to get bogged down in the negatives of life – real or imagined. There’s more than enough to go around. This passage, and the rich theology embedded in it, remind us of the goodness and beauty in everything around us. If I can’t see that goodness, what am I doing about that? It is vital that I see the goodness – the constant reminder of our loving God. It is also vital that I see the goodness in me and those around em. When I glimpse my goodness, I am more likely to add my part to life’s rich symphony. When I glimpse the goodness in others and empower them, I help them to make their contribution.

To help those around us, young or not so, glimpse their goodness requires us to be paying attention. It requires us to honour God’s presence in each person. We all have stories of people who provided us with ’the right word at the right time’ or perhaps a loving presence that helped us be our best. Consciously or not, may we each be that loving presence in the lives of others, which reflects and radiates God’s goodness.

Have a great week!
Patrick

Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ (John 20:19)
The first gift of the resurrected Jesus to the disciples is peace. Why would they need peace? There is the obvious reason that the disciples were confused and upset at the loss of their friend. The disciples were ‘afraid of the Jews’ (remember that ’the Jews’ in John’s Gospel refers to the Jews who did not believe in Jesus – since the disciples & Jesus were themselves Jewish). When we are afraid, we need peace. If we are not at peace, we can’t be our true selves which also affects our relationships. Peace is and always will be an enormous gift.

The current popularity of meditation and mindfulness techniques shows how much people (young and old) crave peace. Our task is to guide the young people in our care towards opportunities to experience and savour peace. Whether it is through meditation, appreciating the wonder of God’s creation, Taize prayer, mindfulness techniques or a myriad of other forms, such opportunities can provide a space for young people to experience stillness and grasp their wholeness – bringing them closer to peace.

Have a great week…and term!
Patrick

Dear friends,

As we celebrate the Easter period, I was reminded of a wonderful reflection upon John 10 by the French genius and patron saint of Christian educators, John Baptist de la Salle:

In today’s Gospel Jesus Christ compares those who have charge of souls to a good shepherd who has great care for the sheep. One quality he must possess, according to our Saviour, is to know each one of them individually. This ought also to be one of the main concerns of those who instruct others: to be able to understand their students and to discern the right way to guide them.
They must show more mildness toward some, more firmness toward others. There are those who call for much patience, those who need to be stimulated and spurred on, some who need to be reproved and punished to correct them of their faults, others who must be constantly watched over to prevent them from being lost or going astray.

This guidance requires understanding and discernment of spirits, qualities you must frequently and earnestly ask of God, because they are most necessary for you in guiding those placed in your care.

May you recognise peace, hope and joy in your life

Patrick

Easter 2016

During Holy Week and Easter we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Our hope is that our loved ones after their deaths will experience resurrection in what we call ‘heaven’. It is a belief that brings great solace. The passion and death of Jesus were the culmination of a radical self-emptying (kenosis) such that all that was left was love – the perfect gift of humanity back to God.

Recently, we were fortunate to celebrate my mother Rona’s 90th birthday. As I reflect upon her life along with the life of my equally long-lived (but now deceased) mother-in-law, Lorrie, I can see a painful process of self-emptying at work. Their families and friends have been richly blessed by their gift of love.

During our lives, we die to many things, experience the death of loved ones, as well as the grief and pain of loss in varied and subtle ways. In hindsight we may be able to appreciate a new birth or resurrection that comes after a loss.

This Easter, may we be open to the way our lives strip away that which is not essential, despite the pain. In that way, may we have more ‘space’ to savour the growth – and more able to give and receive love.

Wishing you and your families have a blessed Easter!
Patrick

But woe to you who are rich,
for you have received your consolation. (Luke 6:24)

Rich can be an elusive term to define. Living in a developed country, most people would declare: ‘I’m not rich’. To then ignore this passage since ‘it doesn’t apply to me’ is missing the point. Compared to others in our society or those in other countries, we may well be rich. Visiting a developing country brings this home starkly. It comes back to my focus. Is my focus on the accumulation of material wealth? Or is my focus on developing the good in others and myself?

Lent can seem like a negative time but it is vital that each of us take stock of our lives in a really honest way. We can guide the young people in our care to do so. It’s so easy to be seduced by the ‘bright and shiny’ but we need to remember our lives are about relationships: ‘just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me’ (Matt 25:40)

Have a great week!
Patrick

Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets.
(Luke 6:22-23)

While some of us are indifferent to others’ concerns, many of us want to get on with those around us. So whether it is by verbal and/or body language, we gauge others’ response to us. We know the importance of community and we may make adjustments to our behaviour. Being hated, excluded, reviled and defamed don’t ’sit well’ with us. But this passage is about being true to our faith. Being true to our faith can, painfully, set us apart. Such is the price of integrity.

God’s covenant with humanity, from both the Christian and Hebrew scriptures, could be summarised as to honour God (not money nor things) and care for those in need. To this day humanity continues to struggle with the profound simplicity of this covenant. Our task is to guide the young people in our care to focus on caring for those around them – harnassing the drive for justice placed in each of us by our loving God – without caring ‘what others might think’.

Have a great week!
Patrick