A Thought On Sunday
 

Smell The Flowers

From the desk of
Fr. Ignatius Waters c.p.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

A little lady sits in the front seat at mass in Mount Argus. It’s not because she’s hard of hearing or to be near to Jesus or to have a shorter walk to communion. No, it’s because she likes to smell the flowers! She told me herself.

And recently I learned that Rocco comes for the same reason. I used to think it was because he was a religious cat (a priest in a former life, someone said!) or because he likes the company or the music. But no! According to his devoted owners, it’s because he too loves to smell the flowers – and sometimes to eat them!This explains, too, why he prefers funerals to all other ceremonies. With all the floral wreathes, a funeral is all Rocco’s birthdays coming together!

 Recently at the funeral of Commissioner Eamon Doherty, a photographer from the Daily Mirror captured Rocco up on his hind legs gazing intently into the hearse. Again the flowers were the attraction.
Even though I’m disappointed somewhat that Rocco’s attraction to the church is not explicitly religious, he has a lot to teach us, I feel, about living fully and creatively. And the glory of God is that we be fully alive! 

On retreats, I used list some of the skills needed for celibate living and loving and indeed for all living and loving! One of these was the ability to enjoy what I called the simple pleasures of life. We are made for joy and there are so many joys available to us like the magnificence of creation, the beauty of the countryside at this time of year, reading, music, art, gardening and communing with friends to mention but a few.

We are embodied spirits and all these things help us to commune with the living God. I was surprised when I was told in a community in South Africa that some of the old sisters were very upset by what I had said. When I enquired what had disturbed them, I was told they couldn’t understand why Father had encouraged them to enjoy the sinful pleasures of life! Either I wasn’t speaking very clearly that morning or the hearing aids weren’t working very well!

 There follows part of a piece written by Nadine Stair (aged 85):

If I had my life to live over, I’d dare to make more mistakes next time.
I’d relax. I would limber up, I would be sillier than I have been this trip.
I would take fewer things seriously. I would take more chances.
I would take trips. I would climb more mountains and swim more rivers.
 I would eat more ice cream and fewer beans.
I would, perhaps, have more actual troubles but fewer imaginary ones.
If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall.
I would go to more dances.
I would ride more merry-go-rounds.
I would pick more daisies. (And smell them!)