Thought for the Week: The greatest of poverties

Mother Teresa said that loneliness was the greatest of poverties.
What then is the ideal, the flip-side to loneliness, that would inspire us act?

One answer for us would be the power of Ethos. Ethos is the character or spirit of culture that underlies the beliefs and behavours of groups of people. Ethos can be crafted. Its takes time, but once it begins, it starts to  fill the spaces between the spoken and unspoken. Ethos comes into existence when community is formed, and true community cannot exist if individuals are isolated.

So then, the flip-side to loneliness? -  Its the feeling of belonging to something greater than yourself that swells the chest; it gives you the audaciousness to engage in the unknown, knowing that when you step out, you never do it alone. When the sense of belonging is bonded with shared-belief, groups of people become something much greater then the sum of it individual parts. The third entity of community is created.When the desire for people to feel included begins to shape your ethos extraordinary things can start to happen.

But are these feelings just fluff or is this a truism? I think the latter and I don’t think its just me.

One giant leap of faith is easy
When everyone you ask is so sure

  Grazed Knees - Snow Patrol

Thought for the Week: Wonder

It seems to us that life has a sense of meaning and purpose. So what does this notion mean to us in a relationship with God and world we live in?

What if God created us to be present in this specific time?

What if where we live right now,  our current occupation, and our social setting had some level of intention or design behind them? Just as the exact mixture of gases combine to create an atmosphere that can sustain life, is it possible that just the right combination of elements already exist that would allows us to see our ambitions and dreams realised?

If we were to adopt the point of view that where we are right now and what we do is not an accident or chance circumstance, but rather our best shot at living life the way it was meant to be lived, would this change the way we engaged in?

Would we still take that O.E. we planned since college?

Would we still put an offer on that house?

Would we still be hanging out with that set of friends?

Sometimes being connected with God seems to pose more questions than provide answers. But these are questions worth seeking answers for. Treating life as mundane or ordinary seems such waste of opportunity when the potential of a great life, one that God wants us to experience, lies right round the corner.

Makes you wonder aye.