Clearly, Jesus wishes us to be people of the Spirit

Earlier this year there were some serious riots in different parts of England. These seemed to come from nowhere, but the images of violence and looting were frightening. According to a recent editorial in the English Catholic periodical, The Tablet, entitled “Damaged Society Needs Repair”, the riots did not, in fact, spring from nowhere, but arose from the broader context of individualism and selfishness within all of society, not just amongst disaffected youth. it.

Read more: Directed by the Spirit

So what do we really mean?

In relatively recent times we Christian Brothers, and others taking their inspiration from Edmund Rice, have been encouraged to explore ‘heart spirituality’. In that context I would like to invite you into a reflection on the Congregation aspiration (inherited from the De La Salle Brothers) – “Live, Jesus, in our hearts...Forever!” – with which we brothers became familiar from our earliest days in formation. 

Read more: Live, Jesus, in our hearts...forever!

Spreading the Word of God

What is a brother? How does a brother differ from a priest? Is brotherhood a stage on the way to becoming a priest? These are questions always asked at vocation promotion workshops I have attended. A vocation brochure of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers of North America says that a brother is an answer to God’s call, and asks prospective candidates: Are you ready to be called Brother to the world? Can you be compassionate and prophetic? Are you seeking community and justice? Are you willing to risk challenge? Are you open to future possibilities? 

Read more: Teaching to liberate

A God who yearns to be close to us

We are told that God works in mysterious ways, and that’s certainly true of my life. Back in my young days, in the radical 70s, I thought I had my life mapped out: I would be a modern, liberated woman with a brilliant career, and if I had a family, that’d be secondary. What’s more, I had cut my ties with the Catholic Church, and I was never ever going back!

Read more: A domestic God