May Messenger: Deep listening
Donal Neary SJ’s opening article in this month’s May Messenger reflects on the meaning of life and its mysteries. He says “Much of the best of life is shrouded in mystery and no matter how you put it, life of the father, son and Holy Spirit together is a mystery. The birth of a child is a mystery and the greatest mystery of all is death”. He adds that mystery is not a problem to be solved but a question to ruminate on.
Patrick Carberry SJ reminds us of the late Pope Francis’ intention for the month “That through work, each person might find fulfilment, families might be sustained in dignity and that society might be humanised.” Commenting on the intention for the month the author writes, “Pope Francis’ intention flows from the liturgical feast that May begins with, ‘Saint Joseph the worker’. The Church rejoices for the example of Saint Joseph, requesting that under his patronage we may complete the work that God sets us to do. Finally to pray that the right of workers maybe respected in economies everywhere.”
David Breen continues his series on New Testament people. This month he focuses on the story of the finding of the boy Jesus in the temple. This is the only story we have from Jesus’ boyhood in the Gospels. Jesus had stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents’ knowledge, this was his own decision. Joseph and Mary returned to Jerusalem where they discovered him in the temple after three days, listening and asking the leaders questions. When his mother Mary asked why he left his parents he responded “Why were you searching for me, did you not know I must be in my father’s house”. David writes that this event signals that a milestone had been reached, Jesus’ response indicates a change in his relationship with Mary and Joseph.
Fr John Cullen is a priest of the Elphin diocese who works among the homeless in London. His article ‘Saints in disguise’ Fr Cullen tells a story of a homeless man he met in a soup kitchen recently who showed him a crumpled bit of paper with a prayer written on it. The man recites this prayer every night, it reads as follows “Keep watch dear Lord, with those who watch or work or weep this night and give your angels charge over those who sleep.” He says this prayer is offered for all of the homeless. Fr Cullen reflects that “Meeting diverse people who are homeless can often be an encounter of grace.
Other interesting stories in this edition of the Messenger include ‘Remembering Italia ’90 by Kevin Hargaden of the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice. He notes how the Church recognises the significant role that sport plays in our culture. John Scally writes about the new young saint Carlo Acutis, saying that a saint inspires us to become the best versions of ourselves and one of Carlo’s enduring messages to us today is that caring comes from God’s care for us. Andrea Hayes discusses the theme of listening deeply in her piece ‘Deep Listening’.
The Messenger has all its regular features as well, – reflections, scripture, cookery, crosswords, children’s pages, nature focus, and RE:LINK.
