Plenary, 13 Nov 2002

Meeting date: Wednesday, November 13, 2002

Official Report 643KB pdf

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Time for Reflection

The first item of business is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader today is Sister Roseann Reddy, of the Sisters of the Gospel of Life.

This month sees Scotland celebrate the feast of St Andrew, patron of Scotland and St Margaret, Queen of Scots. Those feasts are not merely some vague remembrance of past glory; rather they are a powerful reminder of our responsibilities in these present times and of our hopes and dreams for the future. The question is, what can we learn from them?

We know that, at Christ's invitation to follow him, St Andrew left everything and followed the Lord at great cost. He was crucified, the image of which endures on the saltire. He brought his brother to Christ and watched as Peter overtook him in the power stakes to become leader. How did St Andrew react? With sheer love and renewed commitment to the cause. There was no room here for petty jealousies, envy or ambition; simply the will to serve.

St Margaret, on the other hand, of noble birth, became Queen of Scotland on her marriage to King Malcolm. She was strong and devout, a wise wife and a devoted mother, and was renowned for her kindness and generosity to those in need.

As we strive to serve people, we must be like those great patrons. We should be recognised for our tolerance and respect, our kindness and compassion.

Pope John Paul II's prayer at the end of his encyclical letter, "The Gospel of Life", is one of great hope and wisdom, a prayer to guide great saints:

O Mary, bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living,
To you do we entrust the cause of life
Look down, O Mother,
Upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born,
Of the poor whose lives are made difficult,
Of men and women who are victims of brutal violence,
Of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy.
Grant that all who believe in your Son may proclaim the Gospel of Life with honesty and love to the people of our time.
Obtain for them the grace to accept that Gospel as a
gift ever new, the joy of celebrating it with gratitude throughout their lives and the courage to bear witness to it resolutely, in order to build, together with all people of good will, the civilisation of truth and love, to the praise and glory of God, the Creator and lover of life.