Tenison Woods and MacKillop Centre News: Words of eternal life

No one said life was a breeze. There are plenty of challenges that await us. Things happen over which we have no control, or things happen that make other choices tough. Most of our hardest decisions have to do with our relationships. Leaving a failed relationship, staying in a failed relationship, even starting a new relationship, moving to the mainland or overseas to find work or promotion, having a partner who is a FIFO worker. Unemployment, bankruptcy, serious illness or injury, poverty, even just moving house, neighbourhood, job or school can be traumatic.

I come from a large family: five brothers, five sisters – between us we almost have 75 children and grandchildren. Like every family we have had our share of great joy and great sadness – the loss of a most loved niece and our mother, two brothers; but we also had more family weddings than you can throw a stick at and the birth of our grandchildren. Sometimes it can be plainly overwhelming when things get tough. But we learn to pick ourselves up, accept the comfort and companionship of our friends and family, allow ourselves time to heal and in our own good time, move forward.

While we talk about faith being a gift, it also has to be maintained – the same as any relationship. You have to put in time, reflection and practice. The difficulties that assail us in our everyday lives can easily become barriers to growing our faith. Sometimes it can be so hard it is easier to walk away, though sometimes it can be laziness, or just being overwhelmed by the busyness of 21^st century life.

John tells the story about Jesus who was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum. He was imparting his bread of life discourse to a number of his disciples, some of whom were struggling to believe. They murmured: This saying is hard; who can accept it? (John 6:60). Consequently many of them left Jesus and returned to their former lives. Jesus then addressed the Twelve (6:67 – 69): "Do you also want to leave?" Simon Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God."

Peter finds that there is no option. He believes, he is convinced. He and his fellow eleven have already put in the hard work, he cannot walk away. But he also knows that faith, his faith, is a two-way relationship. The psalmist writes (9:10), Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you. In our darkest hours the Lord walks with us. In our greatest joys he is celebrates.

Peter Douglas

HEAD OF SCHOOL SERVICES, NORTH

Meditation - Profit and Loss

by Anthony De Mello

“For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?” (Mt. 16:26)

Recall the kind of feeling you have when someone praises you, when you are approved, accepted, applauded. And Contrast that with the kind of feeling that arises within you when you look at the sunset or the sunrise, or Nature in general or when you read a book or watch a movie that you thoroughly enjoy. Get the taste of this feeling.

And contrast it with the first, namely, the one that was generated within you when you were praised. Understand that the first type of feeling comes from self-glorification, self-promotion. It is a worldly feeling. The second comes from self-fulfillment, a soul feeling.

Here is another contrast: Recall the kind of feeling you have when you succeed, when you have made it, when you get to the top, when you win a game or a bet or an argument.

And contrast it with the kind of feeling you get when you really enjoy the job you are doing, you are absorbed in, the action that you are currently engaged in. And once again notice the qualitative difference between the worldly feeling and the soul feeling.

Yet another contrast: Remember what you felt like when you had power, you were the boss, people looked up to you, took orders from you; or when you were popular. And contrast that worldly feeling with the feeling of intimacy, companionship - the times you throughly enjoyed yourself in the company of a friend or with a group in which there was fun and laughter.

Having done this, attempt to understand the true nature of worldly feelings, namely, the feelings of self-promotion, self-glorification. They are not natural.

They were invented by your society and your culture to make you productive and to make you controllable. These feelings do not produce the nourishment and happiness that is produced when one contemplates Nature of enjoys the company of one's friends or one's work. They were meant to produce thrills, excitement and emptiness.

Then observe yourself in the course of a day or a week and think how many actions of yours are performed, how many activities engaged in that are uncontaminated by the desire for these thrills, these excitements that only produce emptiness, the desire for attention, approval, fame, popularity, success or power.

And take a look a the people around you. Is there a single one of them who has not become addicted to these worldly feelings?

A single one who is not controlled by them, hungers for them, spends every minute of his/her waking life consciously or unconsciously seeking them?

When you see this you will understand how people attempt to gain the world and, in the process, lose their soul. For they live empty, soul-less lives.

And there is a parable of life for you to ponder on: A group of tourists sits in a bus that is passing through gorgeously beautiful country; lakes and mountains and greenfields and rivers. But the shades of the bus are pulled down. They do not have the slightest idea of what lies beyond the windows of the bus. And all the time of their journey is spent in squabbling over who will have the seat of honour in the bus, who will be applauded, who will be well considered. And so they remain till the journey's end.