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

Strange sights were seen in the skies last night over Tooreenbawn. Happy Halloween!!
Thanks to Ailish Murphy for the digital effects with this photo

Thought on Sunday – November – 31/10/2010

The following reflection is by Fr.Tom Cahill

Home Alone
If there are little green men out there, why haven’t we seen any sign of them? They could be big instead of small and blue instead of green, like the Navi on Pandora in the sci-fi film Avatar. Size and colour don’t matter. What does matter is that to date we seem to be the only intelligent life form in this or any neck of the universe. According to recent scientific investigations complex life is rare even in our own galaxy and probably even rarer in other parts of the universe. Like it or not, it seems we’re home alone.

That’s a scary scenario for some and would be for all did God not exist. His word in today’s First Reading (Wis 11:22-12:2) expands our mind. It asks us to think big, to embrace the universe and allow the inevitable feeling of wonder to work its magic in our spirit. It tells us that God hates nothing that he has made. What exists is here because he wants it here. As we’re still relatively new to the universe we’re still finding these things out. Therefore, an open mind is essential both towards little green men and God alike.
The crowd in today’s Gospel (Luke 19:1-10) don’t have an open mind towards Jesus eating with Zacchaeus, a tax collector and, in their eyes, a sinner. Because of that, they miss out on an important truth: Jesus comes to seek out and save the lost.
What truths do we need to open our minds to so as not to lose out?