‘I want to see, really see’ (John 9:1-41)

The man in the Gospel story for the Fourth Sunday of Lent has had his sight restored. Notice how his sight grows more clearly throughout the account until he finally worships Jesus. We can be blind in many ways through our refusal to believe that we can contribute to positive change in the world. Too often we dismiss these realities by thinking we can do nothing about situations such as the global water crisis. This is blindness. We sometimes hide from the evidence before us and take refuge in prayer. Prayer is important but we must also be open to action. What we do, what we buy, how we use the plentiful resources at our disposal; these all affect the wider global community.

Words attributed to Oscar Romero read: ‘We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that. This enables us to do something, and to do it very well.’ How can we as parish communities work for justice for our brothers and sisters who are in need? We need to see them, to see their struggle, to see the systems which contribute to this crisis. This week can you gather a small group in your parish and tell the stories used in this year’s Trócaire resource? This is one small way in which we can open our eyes and open the eyes of others. It is not simply about giving money. Today we pray that we can have our sight restored so that, like the man in the Gospel, we can truly worship Jesus.

‘Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.’ - Margaret Mead.

You can read Enestina's story and learn more about this year's Trocaire campaign through this link: http://www.trocaire.com/lent

Give me this water......

The Woman at the Well (John 4:5-42)
This Gospel passage is a beautiful story of Jesus’ encounter with the woman at the well. It is full of metaphor and you can approach it from many positions: the woman having an encounter, a spiritual experience, direction from God. Or Jesus, a spiritual guide, a teacher, a comforter, challenging. Jesus meets her where she is at. He shouldn’t even have acknowledged her as she is clearly an outcast, a Samaritan woman with a reputation. This woman experiences conversion and growth at this well, not just physical quenching of thirst, but a spiritual one.

We can think of the millions of women and girls who make the hazardous journey to wells every day in search of water.

According to the UN 1.1 billion people are ‘water insecure’. Trócaire is working in Malawi with their local partners to provide water security for many communities. By 2020 it is estimated that water available for agriculture in the region will drop by 50%. We all have a part to play in this with climate change one of the biggest contributors to water shortage. This is a problem that requires more than charity giving to solve. We need to radically change how we use the resources given to us; we need to be more conscious of how much we use; how we recycle; how we can walk or cycle more instead of driving. The woman in today’s Gospel experiences conversion at the well; we too are in need of conversion so that we live more in solidarity with those who are suffering and thirsting for justice.

'Give me this water so that I may not be thirsty’ (John 4:15.

Lent ~ Transform Your World

Our first stop on this Lenten journey is the ‘wilderness’. Why? We need to remove ourselves from our hectic lives in order to BE STILL, to STOP, to BREATHE. It’s a bit like a stock take. What’s here? What’s here that shouldn’t be? What’s missing? And so we journey today with Jesus into the ‘wilderness’. We should not be afraid of this. It is a ‘Spirit led’ wilderness; God is in control here. Lent calls each of us to transform our lives and our relationships with those we love and cherish; our relationship with the planet; with the global community; our relationship with God.

This Lent we are asked to think especially about water. How we use water; what we waste; how we can live in solidarity with those who have no access to clean water. This is an urgent call. The wars of the future will be fought over water and it is hard for us to imagine. This coming week, as we journey more deeply into the wilderness, focus on how you use water. How many times a day? How much? What is wasted? What is shared? What do you use water for? Where water is concerned how can you serve God more fully? You can calculate your water usage here: www.taptips.ie/water-usage-calculator.htm There are also helpful tips for conserving water in the home and garden.
Lent has begun! We won’t automatically wake up on Easter morning transformed. But we are building, transforming; working in solidarity with our sisters and brothers who thirst for justice in so many parts of the world.

No worries...

“Seek ye first the Kingdom of God”. It is one of those iconic verses we know so well that it whispers to us again and again. The only danger is it can lose its power and its meaning. We no longer let it shock or surprise us. Seek first the Kingdom of God is Jesus’ ongoing whisper to us. This invitation has an enticing incentive: to be free from all worry; to be free from worldly things; to have complete trust in God. The stunning imagery in this passage of the lilies in the field and how adorned and beautiful they are, are meant to entice us away from worrying about the ‘stuff’ of the world: money, clothes, gadgets, cars. We need the basics of course, but there is a great freedom in putting the ‘stuff’ second and focusing on God’s Kingdom in everything we do: families, friends; looking after our planet; being in solidarity with those who are struggling; standing up for those who experience injustice; loving neighbour and loving God. Today, allow this particular iconic verse to whisper to you again and again; God’s alternative reality.

“The greatest challenge of the day is: how to bring about a revolution of the heart, a revolution which has to start with each one of us?” ― Dorothy Day