The Lord by wisdom founded the earth (Prov 3:19)

This deeply held Judaeo-Christian belief has ongoing truth, as attested by Pope Francis’ recent encyclical. The more scientists fathom biology, ecology, astronomy, physics and related disciplines, the more intricacy is discovered in this planet on which we depend and live. How extraordinary is life in its myriad forms! The more we learn about the Earth, the more wonderful it seems. And what will we do with this knowledge? Surely, such knowledge brings responsibility and accountability. How will we ensure we honour God’s creation?

So, we also have the responsibility to ensure young people learn about the Earth, its complexity, the profound interrelationships which reveal God’s wisdom and care for all creation. We also need to model care for the Earth – through our use of resources and lifestyle – so that young people might glimpse the love and wisdom that permeates every fibre of God’s creation on our beautiful and fragile planet.

Have a great week!
Patrick

And do not bring us to the time of trial (Luke 11:4)

While we may want a trouble-free existence, life brings its own difficulties – small and large. Gradually, we come to understand that these periods can bring growth – as much as they feel like a 4 x 2 to the head! And thus the wisdom in the expression ‘What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger’. Another way of looking at this text is that we don’t need to go looking for trouble – it’ll find us. Such a ‘time of trial’ can take many forms – whether it is the loss of a loved one, unemployment, breakdown of a relationship, emotional and/or psychological difficulties.

Some young people have few difficulties with which to deal while others have many issues. Young people need to learn the benefits of grit and resilience to overcome times of trial. We can each offer a service to young people by speaking of the benefits of our faith that helped us deal with our trials.

Have a great week!
Patrick

Life has taught me that despite my promises and best efforts, I will continue to make mistakes. Thus I am constantly in need of forgiveness. If this is my starting point, whether it is due to compassion, empathy or fairness, I will forgive others their failings. So, forgiveness is a two-way street, which acknowledges our human weakness. This insight makes life simpler and more peaceful as I am not wasting energy by nursing grudges.

Because they are finding their place in the world, young people can ‘rub up’ against others, creating friction. By sharing the simple and powerful insight of the innate failings of each of us, that can help young people glimpse a more compassionate life – for themselves and others.

Have a great week!
Patrick

Give us each day our daily bread (Luke 11:3)

When you don’t have regular food, being assured a regular supply would be an improvement! However, there is more than survival at work here. This text acknowledges that God is the source of all the good things that we need to live. It is also a eucharistic reference – our need to be in right relationships and communion with God and our community.

I can easily fool myself that I am in control of my world. In the developed world, my every want is satisfied. But there is never an end to the wanting until I realise the treadmill for what it is. As fellow children of God, I have a responsibility to those in need around me. By acknowledging God as the source of all good I set people and things in their proper perspective.

Our society teaches young people the lessons of wanting. What will they learn from my example?

Have a great week…and term!
Patrick

Your kingdom come (Luke 11:2)

What might God’s reign look like? The scriptures give us clues: something plentiful (Matt 13:31), something precious (Matt 13:44), you need to be child-like to enter (Matt 18:3). Paul uses a word that can be translated as justice and right relationships. Having acknowledged that everyone is our sister and brother (Our Father), it is logical that when God reigns, greed, envy and all pettiness will be put aside. Using the gifts of the body of Christ only affirms what we already know – great things happen when we work together. As much as I live justly in right relationships with others, I bring God’s reign closer.

As much as young people can focus on the differences between themselves and others, our task is to help them to see that we are all members of God’s family. One way of doing this is to call upon their strong sense of justice and help extend that justice to a growing circle of people. I’m sure we have each have examples of the great things that happen when young people’s sense of justice is harnessed – which brings God’s reign closer.

Have a great week…and break!
Patrick

Jesus said to them, ‘When you pray, say:
Father, hallowed be your name. (Luke 11:2)

This text calls us to relationship with God – a warm, loving, intimate relationship. When we pray ‘Our Father’ it also implies relationship to others who are our brothers and sisters. While we all know that siblings can fight we also know that siblings look out for and take care of each other. Since we are praying that God’s name is holy, precious, special, it implies belief in something bigger than ourselves who guides our steps.

Not everyone’s relationship with their father is easy, loving, happy. My father was an alcoholic, so I get that. Encouraging young people in their connectedness to others and that there is an ultimate reality who can help guide our steps is the path to wholeness and holiness.

Have a great week!
Patrick

Yet even now, says the Lord,
return to me with all your heart (Joel 2:12)

It can be a common notion to think, “It’s too late”. That can depend upon whether we’ve ‘burned our bridges’, but frequently there is still time. The essence of this scriptural quote is that we’ve never burned our bridges with God – there is always time for us to live a full faith in God. Also, that God cannot be an acquaintance but someone to whom we are called to give a full and firm commitment. A wholehearted faith is lived in our daily dealings with others, as well as through prayer and the sacraments.

Young people make commitments but may not always keep them. Our role is to guide them towards God. I can do that by sharing what my faith means to me, what I gain, how it enhances my life. I can do it by inviting, never forcing. I can guide them towards God by always being open to their questions.

Have a great week!
Patrick

when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased’. (Luke 3:21-22)

The early church struggled for four centuries to adequately describe and explain their trinitarian faith. The Trinity was at the heart of that faith from the beginning. The baptism of Jesus marks the start of his public ministry. At this seminal moment of the Gospel, we are presented with an image of the Trinity. Since God is in relationship within Godself and we are created in God’s image – that explains our need for relationship. In another sense, the Trinity calls each of us to community, calls us home.

It is vital for young people to feel at home – that they belong. There are at forces in the lives of young people that can make belonging difficult. Whether it’s for a short or a long time, we can help young people to feel that they belong – by our acceptance of and care for them. In that way, we play our part. Sometimes we even get to see them flourish!

Have a great week!
Patrick

I couldn’t go past these words from Oscar Romero which still ring true…

It will always be Pentecost in the church,
provided the church lets the beauty of the Holy Spirit
shine forth from her countenance.
When the church ceases to let her strength
rest on the power from above –
which Christ promised her
and which he gave her on that day –
and when the church leans rather on the weak forces
of the power or wealth of this earth,
then the church ceases to be newsworthy.
The church will be fair to see,
perennially young,
attractive in every age,
as long as she is faithful to the Spirit that floods her
and she reflects that Spirit
through her communities,
through her pastors,
through her very life.
MAY 14, 1978

Violence of Love pp61-62

Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. (John 6:68)

This begs the question: ‘To whom do I go to be fed?’ Human hearts can be restless. I can fill my life with achievements, with prizes, with money, with ‘stuff’. If they do not satisfy, I can numb myself with substances – legal or illegal. While that strategy may work in the short term, it is a path to oblivion. A life lived for others, building community, promoting love, compassion and the God-given goodness of each person – these are the ‘words of eternal life’.

Our world is filled with many distractions for young people. It may be the latest music, the latest fashion, the latest gossip, the latest app. Their need to be in relationship is yet another marketable quantity. Our delicate task is not to decry everything new but to help them to see the wisdom in the words of our tradition: ‘our hearts are restless until they rest in you’ and ‘it is in giving that we receive’.

Have a great week!
Patrick