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Most people who are not at church on Sunday are not at home
brooding about the church・s faults and short comings. They are sleeping,
shopping, jogging, watching football, playing computer games, working in
their gardens, visiting family or friends or simply mopping around doing
nothing in particular. As regards church, they have opted out. They are on
a sabbatical. They want God but not church.
All of this points to many things, individualism, religious indifferences,
secularism or apathy about values other than material success, fame and
fortune.
On the basis that the unconfronted life is not worth living and, in the
hope that I might get the attention of some who have opted out of church,
I offer a thought for the day.
In no way was Jesus a lone ranger who would, by himself, take on the
powers -that -
be
and the powers - of - darkness and establish a new way of life. Rugged
individualism, the go - it - alone mentality, was not the mindset out of
which he operated. He made no secret of the fact that he needed a
community of people around him at the cutting edge of life.
I don・t buy the notion that we can go to heaven on our own. We are
essentially social by nature. To be human is to be with others. We go to
church so as not to be alone in our joys, sorrows and ordinariness, on our
birthdays and anniversaries, on Christmas Day, New Years Day, Easter
Day, Mother・s Day, Father・s Day, Sunday. We go to church to tell people
we love them and, hopefully, to hear them tell us the same thing. We go
to church because we are on the side of forgiveness, human dignity,
making life more human, more civilised and more Christian and to help each
other to live and die well.
To suggest that its all right to walk with God alone, outside a
community, and turn religion into a private affair is to reject our very
nature. Pure individualism and christianity don・t mix. Edmund
Schillerbeeckx the great Dominican theologian once said: What we dream
about remains a dream, but what we dream with others can become a
reality.
I go to church on Sunday because God calls me there. I go because it is
not good to be alone. I go because I see the impotence of my own
individuality and realise the limits of my own prayer. I go, not because I
am worthy but unworthy. I go, not because I am good, but because I
want to be good.
When I watch the news on television and see the desperation of so many
good and decent people, I feel helpless. I am painfully aware of my
powerlessness to change anything. Alone, I can do little. I can make a
splash but not much of a difference. But when
I remember that the church is people spread all over the world with a
heart and conscience for justice, peace and the poor I am encouraged to
make my contribution. Now I can dream with others within a world wide
community - of - communities of bringing some sanity and good will to this
planet of ours.
If I hope to play my part in making the world a better place for others to
live in I should go to church. And I should see the church as, only
demanding the best of me. when insisting that Sunday mass is a non -
negotiable.
THOUGHT PROVOKING
Christ has no body but yours,
no hands but yours,
no feet but yours.
Yours are the eyes through which
Christ's compassion must look out on the world.
Yours are the feet with which
He is to go about doing good.
Yours are the hands with which
He is to bless us now.
~ St. Teresa of Avila.
If Jesus Christ were to come today, people would not even crucify him.
They would ask him to dinner, hear what he had to say and make fun of it.
Finding one・s soul is always leaving one・s comfort zone, letting go, and
going to a bigger place.
A happy marriage is a union of two good forgivers.
If all the difficulties were known at the outset of a long journey most of us
would never start at all.
~ Dan Rather.
NOTICE BOARD
Due to the continuing manpower crisis we have little option but to reduce
the weekday mass schedules. After widespread consultation we have
decided to discontunue the 7.30pm, Monday to Friday beginning on
February 12th .
The 8am mass on Saturdays will also be discontinued as of now.
We regret the pain this causes to the people for whom these masses
meant so much. We ask for understanding and sympathetic support.
Fr. Maurice Fearon, O.P. , a scripture scholar has accepted an invitation to
give a three day workshop, March 5,6,& 7th on the Bible. Please make a
note of these dates. More information at a later date.
Lourdes Novena
3rd to 11th February 2001.
The opening session will be at 7.30pm on Saturday 3rd and there will
be two sessions each subsequent day at 10.30am and 7.30pm. On Sunday
4th February there will be Mass and anointing of the sick. The Preacher :
Fr. Terence McLoughlin, O.P.
February 2nd (Friday) is the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Candles
will be blessed before the 10.30am and 7.30pm Masses.
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