OF YOU MY HEART HAS SPOKEN

In preparation for Lent, the question I am asking myself is, "what would Jesus do, what would He have me do?" And St. Paul in Philippians chapter 2 tells us to have the mind of Christ in us, to think like Him and St. Vincent Pallotti tells to act as Jesus would in each moment, in every situation. So, this is the basic goal. February 18th is Ash Wednesday. Fifth anniversary of the death of my friend Father John O’Brien. Birthday of my friend Father John Fitzpatrick who died last August. A significant day for a new chapter in my life. The sabbatical has come to an end. I will be based in Pallotti House, Dundrum and helping out in Shankill for the time being, until a more permanent path opens up. And I am happy with the transience of this period, not in a hurry for permanence. This offers me some kind of balance between my desire for a solitary, contemplative life, and my desire to be engaged in parish life at some level. An engagement without the burden of responsibility, an en...

  "Give me a blade of grass" he said, "and I'm in heaven." And gesturing towards the abundance of grass in Ballyloughan, the variety of nature surrounding us, he continued in admiration, "we have all of this!" What a holy and good attitude to life. We had never met before, though I knew his parents and we are from Mervue. He recognised me from facebook and just wanted to say hello. It was one of those blessed and uplifting encounters and, like me, I suspect he is drawn to solitude. It is easier to be alone than to be with people, the obligations that arise from simply being with another. It is easier and yet it is harder. Harder, because we in solitude we can become our own burden and so, it is essential to get out of ourselves, out into nature, out into encounters with other people who save us from ourselves. And also, because we have something to offer to the other, whether we realize it or not. How to marry the two. The solitude that is deeply...