Lots of pictures were shared during the week about the floods in Cork. The following picture of an older woman wading through the flood waters tells it’s own story and really captures the stress and worry such events can bring.

Thought on Sunday – February – 09/02/2014

The Thought For Today is by Triona Doherty called ‘Fractured Presence’

Where would we be without technology? But there are downsides – I have been known to catch myself, for example, carrying out a task on my laptop, with the TV on the background, and of course my phone beside me alerting me to various things. Talk about zoned out.

It brings to mind a documentary I saw recently about teenagers’ use of social media. In it, a mother described her son’s interaction with her while he was also using his phone or laptop as ‘fractured presence’, though she admitted to being guilty of the same thing when on her own computer. Try talking to anyone who is texting or scrolling through Facebook as you’re speaking to them. At best you are getting about half of their full attention.

Our world is full of new ways of communicating. But what about allowing our own light to really shine for others? Jesus warns against hiding our light under a tub. We can have a tendency to hide behind our computer or smartphone screen. How real are our interactions with others online? And when we are spending time with family or friends, are we really present?

Patrick Kavanagh once wrote: ‘We have tested and tasted too much, lover – through a chink too wide there comes in no wonder’. Are we allowing ourselves the time and space to let the light of the world in, and to allow our own light to shine out? A new way to think about Jesus’ instruction about not hiding our light!