Photo was taken at Ballinlough last Sunday
Wherever you walk these days, the colours of autumn are particularly striking and beautiful. It is so good to stop and admire the beauty and colour of autumn. If ever one needed a reminder about the presence of God, then the colours of autumn are such a beautiful reminder.
On This Day
On October 26th 1970 following an absence of more than three years, American boxer Muhammad Ali returned to the ring with a victory. He had been barred from fighting after he refused to be inducted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War.
On October 26th 1984 the film, The Terminator was released and was hugely successful, featuring actor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Birthdays Today
Hillary Clinton (US Politican) is 75
Charlie Landsborough (Folk Singer) is 81
Saint For Today
Today is the feast day of Saint Bean (Not Mr. Bean!). In some Roman writings and in certain Irish calendars a Saint Bean is mentioned and that he lived Ireland.
Significance of Today
Throughout October we also celebrate National Fair Trade Month. It aims to raise awareness of the reasons why fair trade is important, and to promote buying and using socially and commercially sustainable, fair trade products in place of commodities which may harm the environment, the economy, communities and disadvantaged individuals.
Quote For Today
“If you want light to come into your life, you need to stand where it is shining.” ~Guy Finley
Did You Know
Did you know the world’s longest pizza is a mile long? At 1.15 miles exactly, this whopping pizza was made in, you guessed it, Italy. But how? By the sweat of 250 chefs and about 4,409 pounds of flour!
Thought For Today – October – 26/10/2022
Thought For The Week
‘The Celtic approach to God opens up a world in which nothing is too common to be exalted and nothing is so exalted that it cannot be made common. So God meets us where we are, at home, at work, in the daily, in the ordinary.’ ~Esther de Waal.
The generations who have gone before us built their lives around Celtic Spirituality. For them God was not some separate duty or event that happened occasionally. God was simply a part of their everyday lives, who they felt was with them through every experience of life. Every moment and opportunity was somehow connected to God.
It was for example at this time of year that prayers of thanksgiving for the harvest would take place. The crops were harvested, stored and put away and the next most natural thing to do was to give thanks to God. Sadly as time went on religion became more formalised and structured. It didn’t happen overnight, but our sense of God in everyday events and moments just got pulled away. Today there is an acknowledgment and an awareness of just how important it is to get back to the basics of our faith. Why complicate something that doesn’t need to be. Watch Jesus in the Gospels. He had no time for those who choked and killed the message by making it complicated and out of reach. It is time to begin reclaiming the beautiful simple message that it is.
Yesterday was Mission Sunday and it also a celebration of the simple and beautiful presence of God’s love in our world today. So many people have dedicated their lives to sharing this beautiful love all across the world. Sometimes it has been done in very difficult situations and sometimes in places where there is extreme poverty.
Mission Sunday is not about trying to calculate results or evidence of success. We know that wherever the seeds of God’s love are sown and shared there will be a bumper harvest. This is what our ancestors did through Celtic spirituality. For them God meets us where we are. Mission Sunday is a celebration of God’s love everywhere. Without it we have nothing and with it we have everything.
