Worse than death!

This will be the final reflection from our retreat of year deux! Yeah deux (two)! We had a plethora of reflections from the deacon candidates and they were all very wonderful, as each and everyone of them offered something personal about their lives and their relationship with the Lord.

There were a few phrases that really caught my attention and I just had to take note of.

"Community gets built within a conversation!"

In a world that is filled with instant communication, we all seem to lack that personal touch. We talk on cell phones, we skype, we instant message, we text, .... but do we really communicate well enough to build a community of believers. As social beings, remember "it is not good for man to be alone", we need to be more personal with each other and that really means our faith.

"Worse than death, better than life!"

We discussed the parable of the prodigal son, or a man had two sons, either way we discussed various thoughts on this parable and reflected upon who actually was the most prodigal individual. Our teacher taught us that to be lost is actually worse than to be dead. We have all heard of incidents where families wished they had closure over someone who had been lost for years. I also remembered of an incident that happened in our town where a young boy wandered off into the woods and was lost. The whole community gathered to find the boy, and there was joy upon finding him. Yes he did something very foolish, and yet to be found is better than life. I now understand this parable in a completely different dimension, and it is very inspiring. In today's reading (Saturday) we read about Jesus lost in the Temple. We can only imagine the pain and the agony that Mary and Joseph experienced, and also the joy in finding him. Our Lord looks upon all his lost souls, he leaves all behind to retrieve the lost ones, and rejoices unceasingly when they are within his arms.

We continued to try to improve our way of reading the word, and the tools that are available to us to continue to see the word, really get the word, and then when the opportunity comes before us to give the word. The giving part by way of our ministry isn't reserved for the ambo, it is a challenge to bring it out there to everyone.

We ended by saying our goodbyes to everyone, our wishes for a warm and enjoyable summer break, and we then bid each other a fond Adieu!

Bonsoir et Adieu mes Amis,

Mitch