Wisdom 1:1-7. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way – Psalm 138(139):1-10. Luke 17:1-6.

Be aware of our words, attitudes and actions

In today’s Gospel, Jesus says ‘Occasions for stumbling are bound to come…’ he understands this and it makes his gift of reconciliation even more powerful. We are reminded to be aware of our words, attitudes, and actions. Having worked as a teacher and in Youth Ministry there has been no more a formative time for me than in my experiences with the Marists. Walking with young people and with those on the margins I have repeatedly stumbled. But it is within these experiences that I continue to be shaped and formed in my faith and life journey, a journey that sits well within the Marian Church. With the brothers as models and now as an association member I have come to know what a Marian Church can really be: ‘… (it) has the heart of a mother: no one is abandoned. A mother believes in the goodness at the core of a person, and forgives readily. We are respectful of each one’s personal journey. There is a place for those with doubts and spiritual uncertainty, a place for all. There is listening and dialogue. Challenge and confrontation are done with honesty and openness’.