Dear Parishioner,
An open Fire and to just get lost in thought, in emotion. The sea; but especially “Lettergesh beach” in Connemara in the West of Ireland; full of memories, childhood, my parents and the Locals who lived all their lives in the area. Mountains, but especially 12 Ben Mountains in Connemara West of Ireland. Silence; time to reflect; space; the core relationships in my life. God is near, is alive and ever mysterious and omnipresent!
“Take off your shoes”; ”Bow your head”; ”Don’t say a word”; ”” ”You are standing on Holy Ground”. What is that, Holy Ground? Indeed, what is sacred and revered in the world of 21st Century? Is it a place or a state of being? Or both? Where do we place silence; time to reflect; time to think about life and its direction in the frenetic, instant reaction, constantly changing, world we live in? Do we make (enough) time for the divine to be revealed to us?
Our first reading from the Book of Exodus is about the call of Moses. Moses is confronted by the apparent contradiction of a bush being on fire but having no effect on the actual bush. This call and revelation of the divine name on Mount Sinai is one of the most theologically significant passages in the entire Old Testament. God calling Moses to lead the people Israel out of Egypt from under Pharoah’s power and slavery.
Our Lenten journey ends with a fire at the bottom of the Abbey Church steps on Holy Saturday night, the most sacred of all nights. From that fire, we light the Paschal Candle, Christ Risen from the dead! Death, pain and suffering are defeated.
Make time for the sacred, for the divine. Go to that place, that space where you can be alone, open to God making himself known and present to you. God has a mission for you, find out what it is!
Fr Ambrose McCambridge OSB – PP
