Photo was taken at Col√°iste Choilm, Ballincollig, Co.Cork (Irl)

After all the rain and floods of recent days it’s nice to show some colour and sunshine today. These flowers were looking their best in the front garden of Col√°iste Choilm.

Thought on Saturday – June – 09/06/2012

‘We cannot separate our lives from the Eucharist; the moment we do, something breaks.’ ~Blessed Mother Teresa

The 50th Eucharistic Congress begins tomorrow and will run all next week in Dublin with the final liturgy taking place in Croke Park on Sunday June 17th. This gathering of people from all over the world takes place every four years. It’s main purpose is a deeper understanding of the Eucharist in our world and in our lives. It was last held in Ireland back in 1932. That Congress was all about massive numbers, deep piety and an outpouring of religious and political goodwill. How it has changed today. The Congress of 2012 will have to compete with football and Euro 2012! It will have smaller numbers attending and will have limited impact in the lives of many people. To be fair to the organisers, they have tried to reach out to every community in planning this Congress with success. The Eucharistic bell that travelled across Ireland, reminding people of what was going to happen worked. Every parish across Ireland will have representatives at this Congress. Given the collapse and free fall of the Irish Church in recent years, this Congress is coming at a very good time. From the pile of ashes, some green shoots will emerge from this gathering of people. Words like renewal, healing, listening, forgiveness and hope will feature in many of the talks next week. The hope is that the events of the 50th Eucharistic Congress will inspire people with a renewed energy and enthusiasm. There is no going back to the days of big numbers, lots of Masses, many priests and everything in a neat package. Today it’s all about smaller communities, sharing resources, life giving liturgies and allowing as much creativity as possible.