“I keep the Lord always before me ” (psalm 16)
This coming week will see the conclusion of the 33 Days to Morning Glory personal and parish retreat which many of us are following at St Philip’s and St Clare’s (and Lift Jesus Higher). The retreat will conclude with a special Mass on Saturday November 21st at 10 am, during which we will make our Marian consecration. I am looking forward very much to seeing the impact on our parish communities of this communal pledge of ourselves to seeking holiness in every aspect of our lives.
That search does not end with the making of our pledge, of course. It is something which we much be pursuing every day of our lives. To help us take the next step, we will be holding small “connect” groups in our homes to meet and discuss Matthew Kelly’s book “Rediscovering Catholicism” which was given out in the parishes over the Pentecost weekend. (If you did not manage to get a copy of this book, we have more copies in the parish office).
Kelly’s book begins with the universal yearning within the human heart for happiness, and proceeds to show how that yearning is itself a quest for an authentic way of life, in which we seek to become “the best version of ourselves” that we can. In other words, it is all about the quest for holiness.
After all the masses this weekend, the opportunity will be given for a family or an individual to sign up to offer their home to be a place where people can gather to discuss Kelly’s book. We will then engage in several months training so that those who sign up are led in the steps of how to host a small discussion group. In the spring, those groups will start up and continue through till summer, when there will be a break, and we will resume in the fall once more.
The small group will be an ideal place to bring along any one you know who is curious to know more about the Catholic faith, or those who have lapsed from their faith and are seeking a way back. For all it is a wonderful opportunity to realize the truth of the words in our responsorial psalm this weekend:
You show me the path of life
In your presence there is fullness of joy
In your right hand are pleasures for evermore. (Psalm 16)