Parish Bulletin

PARISH NEWS

SEVENTY THE NEW SIXTY?

The first person to live to 150 years of age has probably already been born! Truly amazing! Dramatically fewer people die young and it is a shock to all of us when they do. Seventy is the new sixty and so it goes.

One effect is a breath-taking bravado that we can worry about our Creator God later on, as death approaches. Instead we are urged to "get on with life" to shop 'til we drop, to party as if there are no consequences, to choose basketball practice over church going, to choose new goodies over helping those in need etc. - planning that there will be time to get our spiritual house in order at some later date. What an amazing gamble to take with our eternal souls!

But of course we can't be sure of that. As we start a new church year today, Jesus warns us to, "stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming." (Mt 24:42) We do need to "get on with life!" Life is a God-given gift which is meant to be savoured and enjoyed to the full but for that we need God in our lives each and every moment.

How full our lives are of all these other things which, like our bodies, have fleeting use by dates! God is the constant for us and we need to spend time getting in tune with her. Advent is the Church's call for us to unclutter our lives, eagerly anticipating the coming of Christ into the world and to our lives. Amid all the furore of commercial Christmas, let us prepare by touching base with our Creator - particularly if we haven't done so for a while. Spend a few moments in prayer; get along to Mass; do something generous for those in need - really live life to the full.

Deacon Mark Kelly