Pilgrim progress- a disciple on a journey!

                                             «Be strong, be faithful, wake up the world!» With these words Monsignor José Carballio, OFM, Archbishop Secretary of the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life opened the World Meeting for Young Consecrated Men and Women last week in St Peter's Square in Rome. Over 5,000 young religious gathered over five days to testify to the beauty of their vocation and that they were ready indeed to ‘wake up the world.’ What do we dare to hope for during this Year of Consecrated Life which began last November and concludes in February 2016? Pope Francis gave us a task to wake up the world. But from what must the world awaken? And to what must the world awaken ? And just maybe, we too, as re...

Sr. Muriel (left) and Sr. Kathryn celebrating the Day for Consecrated Life 2015 This weekend, we celebrate the beginning of spring! Today we also celebrate the feast of St Brigid, a beautiful Irish woman who dedicated her life to God. Tomorrow we also celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple – and in 1997, Pope John Paul 2nd dedicated this day, 2nd February to be a time of thanksgiving for, and Celebration of the Consecrated Life. So springtime, St Brigid and Consecrated life are a good beginning for my sharing with you today. In recent years, we have heard a lot of damaging and painful stories about religious and priests. I know that the failures on the part of these persons have caused many of you great sadness and anger. But today, if you will permit me, I would like to share with you another side to the story. And I hope that maybe, you will also have a glimpse of the beauty of the calling that we religious seek to respond to. What is the consec...

Many of you who know me kind of know I am not really a morning person. Much to my frustration I have a particular gift for turning off my alarm or setting it for ‘five more minutes’ which becomes then fifteen minutes and then a frantic dash ensues to make sure I get to the chapel on time. The liturgy of this first Sunday of Advent contains lots of invitations not just to ‘wake up’ but to ‘stay awake’. With the first Vespers of Advent, the Church throughout the world began the Year of Consecrated Life. Pope Francis has urged religious men and women to ‘wake up the world’. It is not easy to wake up a world that doesn’t realise that it is sleepwalking its way through life because it has blotted out God. It can be easy to grow apathetic about religious life. We hear the voices which say ‘religious life is dead’, ‘there is no hope for the Church’. There is always hope but as the letter to St. Peter tells us, we must be ready to ‘give an account of the hope which is in us’. Certain philo...