Photo was taken in the grounds of University College Cork (Irl)

Last Tuesday we showed you a picture of a blackbird sitting in a nest that was located in the middle of a Christmas tree in U.C.C Our photo today was taken some time later when the eggs had hatched and captures a blackbird ready to feed its offspring below.

‘Jesus taught us to love people and to use things. But in our society we use people and love things.’ ~Richard Rohr

What a wise reflection and so true. We have placed great importance on things such as cars, clothes, gadgets and houses. It’s easy to try and be ‘one up’ on others. We’ve got so used to it that we do it automatically. That’s why we love things and sadly we have projected our sense of worth on what we have and what we own. Happiness comes from within, so it’s going to be much harder to find it if we expect it outside of ourselves. Jesus in our Gospels encourages us to use things and not love them. There is a world of a difference between the two. Most importantly we are encouraged to love each other, to respect difference and to nurture every bit of good news. The only time ‘one up’ is allowed on someone is if it’s a word of praise, encouragement or thanks.