THROUGH A CHILD'S BEWILDERMENT

The bridal party had just arrived at the church. So I spent the time chatting to a group of small children, beautiful in their wedding attire. Such youngsters are delightful in the way they pass remarks and ask questions without inhibitions. In this they reveal the world they inhabit -one of false impressions and weird misunderstandings.

As I was leaving home for the wedding I had brushed my hand against a rough wall. While the flow of blood had been staunched, my hand looked something of a mess. As all the youngsters expressed their concern one of them surprised me by asking,

"Do priests have blood?"

I mused whether they thought that I, as a priest, was some kind of alien from outer space -such as the beings they see in the sci-fi films on television -non-humans with all sorts of gadgetry sprouting from their heads? Even bloodless.

I was reminded of the time my mother came to stay to stay with me in Barbados, long ago in the 1960s. Curious children came to the presbytery to find out what a priest's mother looked like. It never occurred to them that a priest should have a family background. For them the priest came from beyond and stepped out of a plane, just like an alien descending from a space-craft. These days West Indian children see priests coming from their own families. Now, no problem for them to see priests as ordinary folk, just like them!

And I had breezily assumed that everyone, including children, accepted me as a normal human being! I could understand that my priesthood set me apart from other people and that my sacramental ministry gave me powers not enjoyed by others. But for me it was bizarre that some would assume that I did not belong to the human race.

Of course I'm reading into these episodes more than was ever intended. But this does lead me to reflect on the much bigger issue that people have always had great difficulty in identifying Jesus as being truly, fully God and truly, fully human. No problem in recognising His humanity in the light of His Nazareth family background of Joseph and Mary, His eating meals, wearily sleeping in a fishing boat and finally dying on the cross.

But what to make of his deeds of power -healing the sick, raising the dead, calming storms, feeding multitudes with just a few loaves and fishes? There were those who believed that Jesus must have worked these wonders under the influence of Beelzebub, the Prince of Devils. Such critics could not accept that Jesus might be an exceptionally godly person, even God Himself.

My musing have taken me a long way from the child who wondered if priests have blood, and from those who had to find out if priests had a strange kind of mother. This has forced me to examine how people understand my priesthood. I ask myself what the promotion of local vocations to the priesthood means to young people.

My Way, GOD'S WAY lay through an inquisitive child who wondered if priests have blood, and those who speculated whether he had a strange mother. More importantly, I realise more clearly now how much is being asked of us when we confess that Jesus, Mary's child, is Lord and God.

Peter O.P.

Next week Fr. Isidore will reflect on Meeting God through Confession

BADGER WATCHING

A badger is a beautiful animal, rather like a tiny black and white bear. It's very shy and spends most of the day underground in a set in which several families may live. But in the evening the badger comes above ground to eat.

A friend and I were very keen to see a badger, and fortunately we lived near some woodland in which there were several sets. So, we decided to go badger watching. And realizing how shy they were we were very careful. While the badger has very poor sight it has very sharp hearing and a keen sense of smell. So, in the evening we approached the set from down wind and moved very quietly. On arrival we sat opposite the set and sat very still, not making a sound. We watched. We waited; we became stiff and cold. And after spending several hours of keeping all the accepted rules for badger-watching, we didn't see a single one!

But on another occasion, when it was bright daylight, my friend and I were walking through the woods. We chatted noisily. Twigs snapped under our feet. We broke all the rules for sighting badgers. Wrong time of the day; wrong environment. And we were too noisy. But then, suddenly, a badger broke out from the undergrowth, right under our eyes. Clearly no one had told the badger the human rules about badger watching. It was under no constraint to follow them.

This got me thinking about what badger watching had to tell me about meeting God. Certainly there are useful guidelines, which dispose us to become more aware of His presence. It helps if we make time to be still and quiet. Remember how one of the psalms says, "Be still and know that I am God." Jesus encourages us to seek the solitude of our rooms when we pray. He himself chose to pray in the peace and quiet of the mountain top, of the wilderness, of Gethsemane. If Jesus and His disciples needed this time and space to relax, unwind and pray, so do we.

Although these guidelines are important in helping us to become sensitive to God's presence, He Himself is not bound to follow them. Like the badger, darting out of the undergrowth in broad daylight, God can and does reveal Himself in most unexpected ways -and at the most unexpected times. He frequently takes us by surprise.

Jesus tells us that we meet Him in the needy, who are appealing to us for help, as well as in the love and care that people show us. The risen Lord is with us as we journey through life. This was part of the message of His appearing to His disciples on the road to Emmaus. He speaks to us in the Scripture. We meet Him in each of the sacraments. He is with us in the market-place and in our homes: He is with us when we are at work and when we relax. If only we had the sensitivity to recognize and welcome Him!

Badger watching has taught me that while guidelines are useful, neither the badger nor God is confined to our rules. It's not for us to determine how they should reveal themselves to us. The Badger has taught me to be open to God's surprises...Surely a new approach to reaching God...by badger watching

Isidore O.P.

Next week Fr. Peter will reflect on A Child's Bewilderment

COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

I've been called upon to bless motorbikes and rocking horses, homes and kennels; competitors in swimming races, application letters for employment, family meals...also amusement arcades and swimming pools. You name it, I've blessed it.

Imagine my excitement when asked to bless the newly constructed pier that would receive cruise ships visiting Grenada. The idea was that I should be carried aloft in a 'cherry-picker.' From on high my amplified voice would come, as it were, from the clouds. And then I would sprinkle water on the docks and the people below.

What a challenge to compose a blessing that fitted the occasion; and what a temptation for me to get above myself, as I fantasized about myself being pictured on the front page of the local newspapers with such headlines as, "Cherry-picker priest pours down blessings from the clouds." I would have been proud to have shown this to my beloved mother and to have waved this in front of my studious brethren, applying themselves diligently to the latest liturgical instructions from Rome.

But for reasons best known to himself our Almighty Father did not allow any of this to happen. The government minister responsible for building the likes of piers and docks had a change of schedule that required the event to be deferred. By that time I had winged my way over to England for my vacation. The substitute for this high-flying priest was the much-revered bishop. Out of deference to his years and to his office he was invited to pronounce his blessing at ground level. I have absolutely no doubt that his prayers were just as effective as mine would have been from above and beyond.

As I reminisce about blessings that have caught my imagination I recall the custom on the Feast of the Holy Innocents. Whatever had been given for Christmas was brought to the church to be blessed, as well as the one who received the gift. In a country parish proud youngsters have not only come with the traditional toys, games and dolls, but also with puppies, piglets, newly-born lambs, kittens and recently hatched chicks...I almost forgot to mention the goats.

And then there were the blessings on the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. All were invited to bring to the church whatever they used when they were doing their work. Some came along with their pens and exercise books, others with frying pans and saucepans, yet others with scissors. crochet needles or sewing machines. There were those with their lap-tops, machetes, fishing hooks, taxis or buses.

No things were excluded; no persons were excluded. In such a setting how could we omit refreshments, laughter and sacred song? Quite honestly I love this kind of 'popular religiosity' just as much as the solemn celebration of the liturgy. It touches lives and brings people together in the Lord.

I found such practices in Grenada when I arrived here over 50 years ago. Deep in my heart I see this is mywaygodsway for me to enter into a wonderful relationship with God, the giver of all good things...and to relate to God's people in the islands that have long been my home and life.

Peter O.P.

Next week we will combine to meet God through a Crab in the Choir

RESTORING SETTINGS

My brother Peter and I have taken to computing late in our lives. In fact so late that a student was amazed that someone of my antiquity could teach himself this modern technology. He must have thought I belonged to the pre-industrial age and hadn't got beyond writing with a goose quill. But you would be amazed what we 'silver surfers' can do!

Peter and I are always delighted when one of us has learnt a new computer technique and we can share it with each other. One of the most useful ones he taught me is entitled, 'Restoring Settings.' As you probably know, this is a form of crisis management, when for some mysterious reason, the computer refuses to function properly. We've all experienced that, and it's both frustrating and infuriating. But Peter showed me a way of putting the clock back to a time when all the settings functioned properly.

Reflecting on the relief and joy that gave led me to musing on how wonderful it would be if we could put the clock back, and so undo, the mistakes we've made in our lives. We've all said and done things we regret -hurtful words to someone we love, and wish we'd never spoken. We've made rash decisions, which we wish we could undo. Sadly, desperately, we fear that what's done is done. Wistfully, we may sing, "Yesterday all my troubles seemed so far away..." Or we may echo the song in "Jesus Christ, Superstar," with the plea, "Can't we start again?"

Then I recalled the hope given me by the technique of restoring the settings when my computer refused to function properly. I wondered whether the settings could be restored when serious sin had caused our lives to descend into chaos. Or does that damage our relationship with God irrevocably?

Certainly it would be dishonest for us to pretend that we hadn't behaved badly, when we had. Not even God can make the past not to have happened. But he can "restore the settings" in our lives, by forgiving us when we have sinned. His mercy restores our innocence. When we've fallen he lifts us up, so that we can make a fresh start. He bridges the gulf between him and us, caused by serious sin. Then we can function properly as true followers of Christ.

There's no pretence here. God doesn't deny that we've sinned, nor should we. Nor does he say sin doesn't matter. It does. It damages our relationship with God, often harms other people and brings out the worst in us. But God takes the initiative in extending the healing hand of peace. Without denying our sins he puts them behind him and us. It's as though he said, "That's over and done with, let's make a fresh start together."

And the technique of restoring settings taught me what I must do if my relationship with God has gone wrong. Just as I must turn to the "Help" facility and follow the instructions, which will enable my computer to function correctly again, so, too, I must seek the help of God's loving mercy when my life has gone wrong. I have the wonderful reassurance that in his infinite power he can "restore the settings," however badly my life may have crashed.

Sadly, this isn't always true when things go wrong in human relationships. To "restore the settings" all who are involved must want to bury the past and make a fresh start together. But however willing one of us may be to do that, he or she will be stymied in these efforts at reconciliation unless they're met half way.

But thank heavens God always wants us to be at peace with him and is prepared to reach out to us, even though he's the innocent one who has been offended. He waits for us to grasp the hand of love and mercy. As we embrace, he "restores the settings" so that we can respond to each other with love.

So, to the question, "Can't we start again?" The answer is a definite "YES!" -through God's loving mercy restoring our settings when our lives have crashed through sin.

I thank Peter for showing me how to deal with my recalcitrant computer. The technique for "restoring settings" has given me a fresh insight into the healing power of God's mercy. For me this is yet another way of meeting God.

Isidore O.P.

Next week Fr. Peter will meet God through Counting Your Blessings

A COOL BEAR

Cool Bear dreaming of Cool Beer.

Many of you reading this blog would give anything for a hot drink. Just the opposite for me in the Caribbean. What wouldn't I give for a cool beer or a cool anything -at any time of the year, night or day! I believe I could work out a blog about reaching God -myway..perhaps..godsway..through a COOL BEER.

Instead, I shall attempt to reach God..through a COOL BEAR

This is thanks to my brother, Isidore, who sent me a picture by email. It filled me with envy. Here was a polar bear relaxing with all feet in the air. You might think this was his way of conveying to me how he thought I spent my time. No such luck!

This much-blessed bear is lying on the Arctic ice, looking cool, cool, cool! The caption he sent to me read, "Keep cool, brother!" My riposte was, "Give him a beer...you can do it." No sooner said than done. Bear dreaming of a glass of beer hovering over its head. A perfect image of a well-appointed heaven -cool beer in a cool bed. I'm dreaming impossible (?) dreams.

The sad thing is that, little though the bear knows it, global warming is causing its Arctic Ice Bed to melt beneath it at an alarming rate. Its natural habitat is being dissolved even while it takes a cool sleep. Surely this is a metaphor of what is happening to the world in which we live -the world that we are to hand down to succeeding generations.

I can think of rivers in which I used to enjoy bathing. Not again! Now, on coming out of the water, my skin would be itching because of all the insecticides, fertilizers and detergents that have found their way into the clear, pure water. You will have your own tales to tell. This is a crying shame. I really mean it. God, the Creator, must feel like weeping at what we are doing to the world He made for us and found to be so good.

When God put man in the Garden of Eden it wasn't so that he should demolish it. It was so that he should cherish it, develop it and protect it. There's no denying man's marvelous achievements through ever-evolving skills and technology...from Cave Man to High-Rise Man. But at what a price! How far has man fallen short of the expectations God had when "He took man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it," (Gen. 2. 15).

Remember how Jesus was able to find explanations and excuses for the men who were nailing him to the cross? "Father forgive them: for they do not know what they are doing," (Lk. 23. 34). Well, there was a time when we had no awareness of environmental issues. Now we know all too well what is happening to our world and why. We know, but we don't care sufficiently to do anything about it. We can't plead ignorance.

My friend the bear, is telling me from his cool repose that our Christianity, our humanity, should make us more responsible, more protective of our environment...for God's sake, for our sake and for bear's sake. If I take this to heart then I can claim I know how to

Reach God...My Way...Through a COOL BEER.

Sorry! I mean a COOL BEAR!

Peter O.P.

Next week Isidore will meet God through "Restoring Settings."

EX MINER DIGS DEEP

"Hallo, my friend!"

That was how Brother Joe used to greet everyone who came to the door of our priory. To him all were welcome, everyone was a friend. No matter that they were strangers or looked rather unkempt. If they wanted a cup of tea or a sandwich he gave it to them.

What was much more important, Brother Joe's warm greeting gave respect to these outsiders, living on the fringe of society -people who were ignored or despised. As far as he was concerned these social outcasts were not rejects. They were people with dignity, who had fallen on hard times. The respect he showed them helped them to respect themselves. As they were welcomed as friends they ceased to be strangers and outsiders. In this there was a great healing.

This incredibly strong ex coal miner had a wonderful gentleness with vulnerable people. It's not surprising that Joe was much loved, not only by every community in which he lived, but also by those who met him at our priories. I know this, since I lived with him in four of our houses.

Thinking about Brother Joe and the welcome he gave strangers led me to reflect on the way God welcomes the outsider.

Paul tells us that sin had alienated the whole human race from the friendship God had wanted us to have with him -a friendship beautifully expressed at the very beginning of the Bible, where we are told that He walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening. Once that friendship had been disrupted God set about repairing the damage sin had caused. That's the central theme of the whole of salvation history. That's why the Son of God became man, lived among us and died for us. In everything he did he reached out to us sinners and offered us the hand of God's loving friendship.

To do so, Jesus himself became an outsider. He was despised and rejected, unjustly executed as a criminal, who died between two thieves. On his shoulders he carried the burden of all our sins. He certainly knew what it was like to be an outcast!

Now he continues to identify so closely with all who are in any kind of need that he has told us that whatever we do for them we do for Jesus himself, (cf. Matt. 25). So when Brother Joe said to the stranger at the door, "Hallo, my friend " he was meeting and greeting Jesus himself!

And the stranger at the door met Jesus in the person of Joe, as Christ identifies with all, including Joe, who continue to express his loving compassion for the needy. At different times we have all met Christ in those who have helped us in any way. And we've also met him in the needy we have assisted. As we come to their aid we identify with the compassionate Christ and the needy meet him in us. For many people that will be the only way they will get to know what being a Christian really means, the only way they will meet the compassionate Christ.

The Gospels are full of examples of Jesus reaching out to those who have in different ways become marginalised as social or religious outcasts. He made friends with those whom respectable religious people shunned. Above all he reached out to us sinners, and through the healing balm of God's love and mercy draws us into the intimate life of the Blessed Trinity. As God abides in us and we in him we cease to be marginalized outsiders and become God's children, sharing his divine life and happiness. Now we have a wonderful sense of belonging to God and his family.

I like to think that at the moment of Joe's death Our Lord greeted his good, faithful and loving servant with the words, "Hallo, my friend!" That's not too fanciful, since in the Mass we pray for "all those who have left this world in your (God's) friendship." Knowing Joe, I wouldn't have been surprised if he had responded with the same words he had used when he had met Christ in the stranger at the door -"Hallo, my friend!"

And I hope and pray that when we meet Our saviour at the moment of our deaths he will say to each of, "Hallo, my friend." That, Jesus tells us, will depend on whether or not we have extended the hand of loving friendship and compassion to the outsider, with whom Jesus identifies. Brother Joe certainly did!

Isidore O.P.

Next week Peter will meet God in a Cool Bear.

LOST FOR WORDS

A picture, they say, is worth a thousand words.

You have the picture, drawn by my brother, Isidore. But what about the words?

You might think that here am I being attacked by a wildcat. And that would be far from the truth. Between me and this cat there was a beautiful relationship. I was the provider of food; this cat the provider of so much companionship and consolation for me personally.

Don't be deceived by the name, "Tiger" describing my cat's appearance, not its disposition. A truly beautiful cat. And, for the most part, so affectionate and appreciative. A cat to be proud of.

And then, for no discernible reason, the surprise assault -physically painful, emotionally devastating ...a falling out of love with a vengeance. What had I done to deserve this? What had I left undone? In this you see the howling agony of me betrayed, rejected by my trusted friend, my beloved cat.

The cartoon does nothing to boost my self-image, even though it may be a true representation of myself at that traumatic moment in my life. The picture also captures the soul of Tiger, then and there, ferocious, ugly, hostile...not the Tiger I loved and thought I knew.

In my bewilderment I am forced to ask, "What was Tiger saying to me, a benign and caring friend?" In allowing this to happen, what was God, my loving Father, saying to me? Surely not the cynicism of, "Put no trust in princes!" Nor in cats! Could it be that I must be brought to realise that I am not so lovable to people as I would like to imagine -nor to cats.

Until I find satisfactory answers to these questions I am unable to decide how I am to Reach God....mywaygodsway. There is so much I don't understand...perhaps I'm not meant to understand. Could it be that I am meant to learn constancy in friendship, even when.....

And having learned, I must teach this to Tiger.

Peter O.P.

We have marked this, our 50th posting,

with a combined effort.

Isidore has drawn the cartoon and Peter has written his comment.

Next week Isidore will meet God in a Miner Digging Deep