Songs of Hope

Good afternoon sisters and brothers in Christ. 

Many moons have waxed and waned since I last sat down to write a reflection. Some of you have reached out to make sure that I am okay and if all is well at Dunblane Farm. Your concern has touched me deeply , and I am both grateful and humbled. Muchas gracias hermanas y hermanos. 

The world in which we live has changed. All one needs to do is turn on the nightly news to realize that common sense and human decency are under assault. It leaves us with a sense of despair. But we must remember that this is not the first time that humanity has faced challenges. We must never give up hope. Never. We must not underestimate the power of the human spirit. We are much stronger than we think. And most importantly, we must cling to our faith with every ounce of our hearts and souls. Our faith will move mountains. 

Imagine the camera view of a rocket being launched into outer space. As the rocket accelerates, you get a view of the landscape that changes almost from second to second. The curvature of the Earth suddenly comes into view, and the blue sky begins to change colours, eventually becoming inky black. As the rocket heads out of the atmosphere, the Earth begins to get smaller and smaller. Passing the moon and heading out into the vastness of an infinite and incomprehensible universe, the rocket suddenly stops. The Earth, our island home, is the size of a marble, like the ones we used to play with as children. It is blue-green in colour. beautiful, suspended in nothingness. God's magnificent creation, small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. 

The rocket turns and heads back to Earth. Like in the movies, the capsule slowly drops to the ground aided by a parachute. I challenge our little reflection group to decide individually where the capsule will finally rest. I am hoping it will be a place of tranquility, far from the madding crowd. Far from the news reports, far from world leaders who have lost their ways. My capsule will land at our bird feeder, a place where the voice of God is heard in the melodic strains of dozens upon dozens of beautiful birds. Their songs fill me with a sense of hope that is indomitable. My lovelies, as I call them, restore my faith every single morning. They wait in silence, clinging to the branches of the winter weathered brambles. As I approach, container of wild bird seed in hand , they begin to chirp softly. As soon as I say good morning my lovelies, a beautiful chaos ensues. It is a heavenly sound, a song of hope. 

Hang in there sisters and brothers. These are indeed difficult times, but this too shall pass. In the meantime, let us continue to pray for each other. Do not surrender to the chaos. Fight it with love, compassion, kindness, tolerance, inclusion, empathy.

Let us pray 

Come, Holy Spirit, creator and renew the face of the earth

Come, Holy Spirit, counsellor , and touch our lips that we may proclaim your word

Come, Holy Spirit, power from on high, make us agents of peace and ministers of wholeness

Come, Holy Spirit, breath of God, give life to the dry bones of this exiled age, and make us a living people, holy and free

Come , Holy Spirit, wisdom and truth, strengthen us in the risk of faith 

Que Diosito me los colme de bendiciones y alegría siempre 

Paz 

I love you 

John 

If you need specific prayers please send me a message. 

Take a deep breath 

It will be okay