Photo was taken at Tooreenbawn, Millstreet, Co.Cork (Irl)

The first new born calf of the year is always an exciting time on any farm. It usually marks many weeks of hard work ahead, with lots more calves to follow. But the first to arrive usually gets special treatment! The calf in our photo was born last weekend and coming so close to St.Brigid’s Day was aptly named Brigid!

Thought on Thursday – February – 04/02/2010

‘God heals sickness and grief by making the sickness and the grief, God’s own suffering and grief.’ ~Jurgen Moltmann

A question that has recently surfaced is how a loving God could allow the Haiti earthquake to happen. Why should over 250,000 people die, with thousands injured and hundreds of thousands homeless. It all doesn’t make sense. One thing we can say with certainty, God didn’t cause the earthquake to happen. What a horrible and cruel God that would be. In the midst of the suffering, grief, shock and devastation God was also there with and among the people, sharing their pain and devastation. God wasn’t watching comfortably from the sidelines. Instead God was in the middle of the darkness and devastation, picking up the pieces and bringing some healing and comfort to where it was most needed. It is always difficult to explain suffering and pain in the context of a loving God. Any explanation has to begin with the knowledge that God isn’t the direct cause and that God is always sharing and holding our pain and darkness. From there light, hope and other blessings begin to take a foothold.