Then, “The Day of Pentecost came”.
My heart and my soul belong to this event. So I consistently return to the lighting of the first candle of each new year in Christ …… the candle of Hope. This is so well focused in the prayer “Come down, O Love Divine, seek thou this soul of mine, and visit it with thine own ardour glowing”.
As I become more aware of the reality that the church is now facing, so I acknowledge a deep sadness in me. I quickly return to that first candle, the candle that will never go out “the candle of Hope”. With so much focus upon the great lack of priests and the consequences to the decisions that are made i.e. the effects upon the borders of the diocese in Ireland. Its effects upon all the parishes of our diocese are now very real and are in place.
We had the first meeting in the new order of things, and it highlights the challenge of life that is to come. For more courage I go back to the home that I grew up in, and the words that come to my mind from there “isn’t that providence Maura”, so underpinning it with more hope. Among my many weaknesses is cowardice; always aware that I am very bad at dealing with conflict. Now we will have to get on with it, and with the help of God, it will come to fruition. I am truly grateful for all the work that is being done. It is great credit to our parish; hidden irony. So the weeks and months to come are so important that we bear fruit and please God much fruit. So let us send out with as much confidence as we can and a big, big thank you for all the work that is going into “my” I hoped “our” Jubilee Event.