Plenary, 13 Dec 2006
Meeting date: Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Official Report
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Time for Reflection
Good afternoon. Our first item of business today is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader is Father Daniel Fitzpatrick of St Charles, Paisley.
Father Daniel Fitzpatrick (St Charles, Paisley):
Recently, I was in the garden with my mum, admiring her magnolia bush, which is about as old as I am and just about better looking. Every year it provides a beautiful display, but it is now a bit of a monster. My mum is hesitant to cut off some of its more wayward branches, because she is afraid that the whole tree will stop flowering. That reluctance, although strange to some, is because when my mum first bought the tree it would not flower. Advice was duly sought, but several moves to different parts of the garden, new feeds and fertilisers, and a variety of other green-fingered advice failed. After all that effort, it was decided that the magnolia had to go, for something faster flowering. Other distractions intervened, however, and the bush was forgotten about. Two summers later, left to its own devices, it finally flowered, and it is now her pride and joy in the garden.
The story of my mum's magnolia finds many echoes in the teachings of Jesus. Jesus encourages a patient, measured approach to situations. Although he is often advised to intervene immediately, Christ responds with the need to wait and see. If what you have done is right, then be prepared for a long wait before you see the fruits of your labours, is the attitude of the gospel. St Paul took that attitude when he realised that others would often reap the reward for the work that he had done.
We live in a world that is results driven, but which is often blinkered by a short-term approach. We live and die by performance indicators, star ratings, league tables and popularity contests. Life, however, is a long-term business. Building new attitudes, new behaviours and even a new Scotland cannot be achieved overnight. Constant tinkering, as many a football manager has found out, is rarely an effective solution to our problems. When many clamour for something to be done, doing nothing requires a strength of mind that can come only from inner strength and a deep conviction that what you have begun is the right thing.
May Christ give you, our leaders, the strength to do the right thing and the courage to stay the course, even if it is others after you who will reap the reward. Amen.