Light in Troubled Times
From the desk of Fr. Ignatius Waters, cp
Sunday, 1st October 2017
Read this statement and see whether you agree with it or not:
“The world is passing through troubled times. The young people of today think of nothing but themselves. They have no reverence for parents or old age. They are impatient of all restraint. They talk as if they knew everything, and what passes as wisdom with us is foolishness with them. As for the girls, they are foolish and immoderate in speech, behaviour and dress.”
Maybe you’re inclined to agree with some of these sentiments? I know we often wonder what’s the world coming to when we look at the T.V. news or read even the headlines in the newspaper. It seems there’s nothing but disasters all over the world. But the above was written, not in yesterday’s Independent or the day before either. It was written by someone called Peter the Monk giving his views of contemporary society way back in 1274!
There’s nothing new under the sun! Even the great Aristotle, who said many wise things, said something similar: “When I look at the younger generation, I despair of the future of civilisation.” It looks like it has always been like this and probably always will. In our young days, punk rockers and ‘teddy boys’ were the latest horror until someone discovered there were similar boys in St. Augustine’s time! It’s said that Pope John XX111 had a great sense of history and because of that he was convinced that that our world is no worse and probably an awful lot better than in previous times.
But without faith and hope in God and without the light that Jesus brings, it is very difficult to make sense of life on earth in any generation. We are privileged to have that treasure and that light. So, we mustn’t be shy or afraid to share it with others and spread that light in every way we can. Instead of moaning about the wrongs and the seeming chaos of our times, why not together take seriously Jesus’ invitation to let our light shine. Let people see that hope and confidence in God shining in us and our lives. You probably wonder how you can do that. It can be difficult on your own but why not consider joining a group like the Legion of Mary or the St. Vincent de Paul that are already doing this? We all need support and encouragement to keep doing anything and you will find that support in these groups. The local group of the Legion meets here in Mount Argus every Monday evening at 7 and there’s a standing invitation to come and see! Come and see how the Legion works and whether you could see yourself being part of such a group and learning to share your faith with others. I had this little prayer on my ordination card:
Give me O Lord, a heart of grace, a voice of joy, a smiling face,
That all may know, where’re I turn, your love within my heart doth burn.