Plenary, 14 Jan 2009
Meeting date: Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Official Report
388KB pdf
Time for Reflection
Good afternoon. As always on a Wednesday afternoon, the first item of business is time for reflection. Our time for reflection leader is Sister Patricia McKenna of St John's in Barrhead.
Sister Patricia McKenna (St John's, Barrhead):
A blessing. Let us close our eyes for a few moments to calm our mind and listen to our heart.
It is not only ordained clergy who have the power or ability to bless; we, too, can offer blessings. When we bless, it is God's deep and vast goodness, or Godness, in us that blesses another. When we bless, we touch another with the touch of Godness. In the scriptures, Jesus does not bestow or offer many blessings; rather, he becomes a blessing and a presence. His goodness gives life, strength, healing, courage and vitality.
Many people have blessed my life. Most of them are probably unaware of that, unless I have deliberately thanked them for doing so. Usually, they have blessed me by their smile, their loving looks, their stories and affirmation, their concern and their care. Once in a while, they also bless me with a formal blessing that includes special words and action.
One such person who blessed my life in that way was a religious sister in my community. I had been going through a rough patch in my life and was being transferred in haste from one situation to another. She called me to sit with her. Suddenly, I felt an urgent need to be blessed, as I needed strength and encouragement. I had a feeling that I ought to have my hands blessed. Sister was very gracious. She took my hands in hers and held them with great tenderness. I do not remember the words that she said; I recall only the profound sense of gratitude and peace that came over me at that time. I felt strengthened and affirmed. I knew then that her presence, or Godness, believed in me, and that her goodness was blessing me. I left her with renewed stamina and deepened hope, believing that the work I was about to do would be fruitful. I think of her often when I am using my hands to care for others.
You may be at a place in your life where you can resonate with blessings. You may be in a tough place where you wonder if you have ever blessed or been blessed. Wherever you are, I hope that you can pause today to see that your giftedness is a blessing for others.
To bless is to put a bit of yourself into something. It is to make holy, or to change something or someone because of your presence. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.