Weekly Reflection – Rediscovering the Important Things

I enjoyed reading Fr Chris’ Weekly Reflection last Friday; thinking about God’s presence in the ordinary everyday moments of life. It can feel that life is a bit hum drum and doesn’t always match up to the big stories of discipleship in the Bible, but Fr Chris reminded me that God works through those ordinary moments in our lives. I suppose you could see the Eucharist along those lines, so full of meaning, but expressed in the simplicity of sharing a meal, bread and wine. Fr Chris’ thoughts also reminded me of what C.S Lewis wrote about ‘the good life’ that the state is there to provide;

“… the ordinary happiness of human beings in this life. A husband and wife chatting over a fire, a couple of friends having a game of darts in a pub, a man reading a book in his own room or digging in his own garden—that is what the state is there for. And unless they are helping to increase and prolong and protect such moments, all the laws, parliaments, armies, courts, police, economics etc. are simply a waste of time.”

Although, I think that we can see the evidence that the state and the market cannot fully provide the ‘good life’ for us. Watching the news this week, it was startling to hear a testimony of a woman in Ukraine describing sitting in her apartment after dinner, talking to a relative on the phone and suddenly a rocket hit her apartment block. Or those whose family homes that have burned down in places like Greece, due to fires that have started due to higher-than-usual temperatures. These stories help reinforce to me that it is the ordinary everyday things that are precious and need to be protected. Although we often look to the state and the market to sort out these issues, we know from the evidence before our eyes, that we need more than that. We need to discover (or rediscover) the value of our lives, our neighbours and our planet. We do that by remembering that God is with us and has a plan to reconcile all things. This rediscovery, that all things are important to God, helps us value the everyday things that we take for granted; that we have a generous God who provides enough for us to flourish. Making the choice to trust in God helps us to rediscover the good gifts that surround us.

Father Tim