Cogges Parish newsletter October 2004

From the newsletter ...

Change...

The first assembly of any new term is always a difficult one to prepare -- how can I create impact, be memorable and, at the same time, deliver something that is meaningful? This Autumn Term I was given the theme of 'change' and, in a nutshell, I tried to illustrate the point by bringing into assembly two Irish Terriers, one seven years old and the other six months. Not one of my better ideas -- sometimes one must sacrifice creativity to get the message across!

Autumn is an appropriate season to focus on the theme of change -- I love putting away summer clothes and preparing myself for frosty mornings and re-establishing some pattern to life after summer rest.

Although it's been said, "the only person who likes change is a wet baby", maybe Autumn is a good time to reflect on what we might most like to change about ourselves - you know, the behaviours that we can't seem to shake off and which continue to let us down in public.

I don't know about you, but for me one of the oldest sins in 'The Book' is pride. Although pride might be difficult to recognize in ourselves, here are a few examples to help you:

When we get photographs developed we always look at ourselves first.
When someone points out an error or flaw in us we always want to defend ourselves.

At its deepest level, pride is a choice that we make to exclude both God and others and it can destroy our capacity to love. We find ourselves always making comparisons with others which in turn leads to judgmentalism.

The antidote to pride is to develop a healthy self-forgetfulness and maybe to take ourselves a little less seriously. But above all, the best approach is to follow the example of Jesus when He said of Himself, "...I did not come to be served but to serve and give my life as a ransom for many". That's an astounding statement to make -- that in spite of the fact that he was the Son of God his life of service would demonstrate God's character and his way for his world.

In a society where the cult of personality is part of everyday life, maybe the biggest change we could make is to follow the example of Jesus and pursue a life of helpfulness and service to those around us.

Andrew Sweeney

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