I'm back!
I haven't posted to my blog since my time in the US in March. That says a lot about my life since then. No wonder I am tired!
This post is one of a series of reflections based on the reflection questions attached to the online personal and professional development programme called "Going Deeper", which has been developed by Jonathan Doyle.
What do you find are the biggest barriers in your life to experiencing the full richness of Advent? Is it busyness, or maybe lack of awareness about the meaning, history or tradition of the Advent season?
Certainly, it’s the busyness of my life that hinders my spiritual and religious development. It has taken me until now - it’s the Second Sunday of Advent today - to get to the reflection on the First Sunday of Advent.
As for the meaning of Advent, there is always more that can be learned, especially when it comes to the history of - well, anything that exists. For instance, the quote from G.K. Chesterton about Christmas being a well-organised raid on enemy territory means more to me now after having read Crossan's explanation of the writing of the Gospels. He shows how Mark's Gospel is a challenge to the Roman theology of the divinity of the Emperor.
I haven't posted to my blog since my time in the US in March. That says a lot about my life since then. No wonder I am tired!
This post is one of a series of reflections based on the reflection questions attached to the online personal and professional development programme called "Going Deeper", which has been developed by Jonathan Doyle.
What do you find are the biggest barriers in your life to experiencing the full richness of Advent? Is it busyness, or maybe lack of awareness about the meaning, history or tradition of the Advent season?
Certainly, it’s the busyness of my life that hinders my spiritual and religious development. It has taken me until now - it’s the Second Sunday of Advent today - to get to the reflection on the First Sunday of Advent.
As for the meaning of Advent, there is always more that can be learned, especially when it comes to the history of - well, anything that exists. For instance, the quote from G.K. Chesterton about Christmas being a well-organised raid on enemy territory means more to me now after having read Crossan's explanation of the writing of the Gospels. He shows how Mark's Gospel is a challenge to the Roman theology of the divinity of the Emperor.
What has been one of the most important days of your life so far? How did you
prepare? What emotions do you remember in the leadup to that day?
Of all the "most important" days in my life, I often like to return to the birth of our daughter Melissa and the hours leading up to that momentous occasion when her head appeared - her first moment in the outside world. It was a day filled with concern. Maryanne had high blood pressure and there was a fear for her safety and Melissa's too. I remember the joy of tracking her movement in Maryanne's womb. The blue gel used in ultra-sound examinations was cold and Melissa kept trying to hide behind Maryanne's bones to lessen the effects of the cold gel. Once we had worked out why her heartbeat kept disappearing, we became less concerned and enjoyed the little "game" we played with her before she was born.
Hope is a crucial human experience. Without hope we descend into cynicism
and eventual despair?What is the great ‘hope’ of Christmas for you? What
hope does the coming of the Infant of Nazareth offer?
My great hope is for peace and happiness - for a world in which there is no want, a world in which all people's needs are met, a world in which God's rights are acknowledged with love and gratitude, a world in which Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists join with Christians to celebrate the coming of Christ because Christians join with them to celebrate their world-shaping moments. This would be a world worth singing about - just as the angels sang when Jesus was born.
Of all the "most important" days in my life, I often like to return to the birth of our daughter Melissa and the hours leading up to that momentous occasion when her head appeared - her first moment in the outside world. It was a day filled with concern. Maryanne had high blood pressure and there was a fear for her safety and Melissa's too. I remember the joy of tracking her movement in Maryanne's womb. The blue gel used in ultra-sound examinations was cold and Melissa kept trying to hide behind Maryanne's bones to lessen the effects of the cold gel. Once we had worked out why her heartbeat kept disappearing, we became less concerned and enjoyed the little "game" we played with her before she was born.
What is your most treasured memory of Christmas as a child?
Christmas has always been a "family" time, except for those times when I was away from home - and they haven't been many. I don't have many memories of childhood Christmases. The one I do remember involved my first Meccano set, given to me by my Mum and Dad. As I recall it, my Dad seemed to have more fun with it on Christmas morning than I did - he and one of my uncles used it to make "something" - I cannot recall what it was. And I remember one Christmas when I awoke to find my Dad sneaking into the bedroom to fill up the Christmas stockings we (my two brothers and I) had hanging at the foot of our beds.
Christmas has always been a "family" time, except for those times when I was away from home - and they haven't been many. I don't have many memories of childhood Christmases. The one I do remember involved my first Meccano set, given to me by my Mum and Dad. As I recall it, my Dad seemed to have more fun with it on Christmas morning than I did - he and one of my uncles used it to make "something" - I cannot recall what it was. And I remember one Christmas when I awoke to find my Dad sneaking into the bedroom to fill up the Christmas stockings we (my two brothers and I) had hanging at the foot of our beds.
My great hope is for peace and happiness - for a world in which there is no want, a world in which all people's needs are met, a world in which God's rights are acknowledged with love and gratitude, a world in which Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists join with Christians to celebrate the coming of Christ because Christians join with them to celebrate their world-shaping moments. This would be a world worth singing about - just as the angels sang when Jesus was born.
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