Photo was taken at Newmarket, Co.Cork (Irl)

This was the thistle flower. A few weeks ago it was a vibrant purple colour. Now it is has transformed into a seed head packed wit hundreds of seeds. Each one is attached to a tiny fibrous parachute, waiting for the wind to take them to new pastures.

Thought on Sunday – September – 15/09/2019

Our Thought For Today is by Jane Mellett and it is called ‘Come to our senses’ from the Intercom Magazine

The three parables of things lost and found emphasise the unending forgiveness of God, and God’s rejoicing for those who return. In each of the situations there is a frantic search for that which is lost and a huge celebration when the lost is found. In the parable of the Lost Son there is much to reflect on. We hear that the younger brother eventually ‘came to his senses.’ We might pray today that God show us the aspects of our lives in which we also need to come to our senses.

In this Season of Creation, we lament the destruction of God’s creation, we reflect on the loss of bio-diversity and the loss of human life caused by climate change. We pray that as a global community we might, like the lost son, ‘come to our senses’ and take the actions that are necessary to change course. It all seems so huge and perhaps we feel there is nothing significant we can do. That is not the case. As parishes, we can lead by example and show our commitment to care for the earth. The future of our environment depends on the action we take now as a society. As with all significant change, it begins with the grassroots.

‘I wish to address every person living on this planet to enter into dialogue with all people about our common home. The climate is a common good, belonging to all and meant for all.’ (Laudato Si’ 3,23) ~Pope Francis

Suggestion for the week: Can you encourage your family to make small changes in the home, such as ensuring all waste is correctly recycled, composting, encouraging one another to use public transport or walk/cycle when possible? We start with ourselves.