Daily Prayers

Prayer is Love, I want to Love

Self-assessment!

Centimeter Ruler

Last week we celebrated with Pax Christi (“The Peace of Christ”) and its work for justice and peace around the world. I hope you felt involved in the prayer and dedication. Today we celebrate our longing for Christian Unity, reaching out to the other churches for forgiveness for our arrogance in past times, accepting their regrets that they separated into various churches from the one Church, and hoping we can find ways to come together in spite of all that divides us.

Next Sunday we celebrate our diversity of race, colour and people in the human family, on Racial Justice Sunday, and admit the shame of prejudices that destroy the oneness of the family.

These three Sundays come together each year at this time. On a scale of 0-5 how would you rate your interest? What have you ever done or said to help bring justice in race relations, international peace, Christian unity? If the answer is zero that’s your rating. If you ask “What could I do?” you could do what other people have done. Examples are many.

Someone said to me “I enjoy watching Leicester City if they are on TV, but I never go to
watch them play. They don’t need my voice with 30,000 other voices shouting and cheering.” I enjoyed that because it is so true: any one voice is negligible and one more or less makes no difference – so why bother?

Don’t bother, say the smart ones. Curl up in your own little world, grumble and grouse about everything and everyone, but don’t get involved because you’ll be criticised for whatever you try and fail to do.

Avoiding criticism is the achievement. Do nothing and you’ll not be noticed. Try to do
something and your inabilities will be noticed.

Around us is a world, a parish, a street, a neighbour who would be pleased, feel blessed, if you bothered. Ask God to help you bother.

God bother us all,

Fr John
(21st January 2018)

Related Links: Popular Reads and Fr John’s Parish Newsletters