Mission Report

by Director of Mission, Mr Geoff Brodie

Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times. (Mt 8:21-2)

After a long term, after a long lockdown, after a long year, we would do well to remember the mercy and kindness of God. Let us proclaim with the Psalmist”
The Lord is kind and merciful;
slow to anger and rich in compassion. (Ps. 102)

And let us actively follow in the footsteps of God. Let us be forgiving, kind, patient, merciful, compassionate, and loving with each other. But let us not pretend. To answer Jesus’ call to live in the image of God is often a real challenge, and when we consider the drama of 2020, it might seem beyond us to live up to such lofty ideals. Let us remember then that God will never test us beyond our strength, and that He has given us all we need to flourish through difficulties. Sometimes what we need is to be still in our hearts. Pope Francis in a recent catechesis on COVID 19 offered the following insight:

“In order to regain a proper sense of our place within God’s creation, and of our call to respect and care for the earth and one another we need to learn anew the art of contemplation. For when we enter into silence and contemplate our interconnected world, we come to appreciate the true meaning and value of all creatures, for each in its own way reflects something of God’s infinite wisdom, goodness and beauty.”

At the end of this term, let us take up Francis’ call to learn anew the art of contemplative prayer: the simple gaze upon God in silence and love. One invitation for this Term Break is to start and end each day with God, in silence and love, guided by a Prayer of St Ignatius:

Take Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. You have given all to me. To You, O Lord, I return it. All is Yours, dispose of it wholly according to Your will. Give me Your love and Your grace, for this is sufficient for me.