I sent the below message to my teaching colleagues in school this evening, braced as we are for the arrival of “those-who-shall-not-be-named” (i.e. OFSTED, national school inspectors) sometime between now and Easter. For those of you who live outside of Britain their job is to monitor and ensure high standards in all schools… the problem is that they keep moving the goalposts. Anyway, enough of that. Here’s what I said: I think that the attached video teaching is for us right now, to help us not lose sight of who we are and why we are here in a Catholic school. It's too late for the weekend just gone, but try to take on board its message of "wasting time for God" over the coming weeks, despite the pressures that we are all under. Even if you are not a believer yourself, give yourself some time alone with your thoughts, if you can… even just a few minutes. The video teaching is by one of my favourite bands, Tenth Avenue North, and it accompanies a song of ...
Over the past few months I have become much more aware of the beauty of the Grail translation of the Psalms that we use in Morning and Evening Prayer (Divine Office) - I will write more about this in the near future - and I am also finding that this has rubbed off on my attitude to the other prayers in the Office. For example, the following hymn that we prayed just over a week ago. The words struck me as if I was discovering them anew, and this after having prayed (or simply recited?) them at least once a month for about 25 years. The optimism of the imagery struck me most forcefully and I love the idea of God hearing our prayer "before we call", i.e. as the paslmist says elsewhere "before ever a word was on my lips... you knew me through and through" (I paraphrase). See what you think yourselves... Morning Prayer of Sunday, week 3 Transcendent God in whom we live, The Resurrection and the Light, We sing for you a morning hymn To end the si...
Correction: Yes, it is a sweatshirt, not a t-shirt!! :-) This worship song was written by the American Catholic worship leader, Tom Booth, based on a prayer by Cardinal Saint John Henry Newman which was popularised by Mother Teresa (St. Teresa of Calcutta). Booth used to be music director for the Life Teen youth movement which began in the US and is now in 31 countries. Our LifeTeen group in Liverpool, which Fr. Justin Price osb began in St. Austin's Parish, Liverpool back in 1999, was one of the first outside the US. Lyrics: Dear Jesus, Help me to spread your fragrance everywhere that I go. Dear Jesus, Flood my soul with your spirit and your love. Penetrate and possess my being So utterly that all my life may Only be a radiance of you. Dear Jesus, Help me to spread your fragrance everywhere that I go. Help me to spread your fragrance everywhere that I go. Dear Jesus, Flood my soul with your spirit and your love. Shine through me and be so in me That every soul I come in con...
Comments