WHERE THE HELL IS GOD?

Some time ago I attended a presentation by Fr Richard Leonard, a Jesuit Priest. I was recently reminded of his book 'Where the hell is God?’ This book looks at the question of where God is in our lives in the really tough times and indeed, why he has let them happen in the first place. Famines, droughts, infant death, war and the pain and suffering for our elderly are things that people often question as to - why does God allow these things to happen? The book was written as a response to Fr Richards’s reflections on how he, and his family, has responded to the crisis of his then 28-year-old sister becoming a quadriplegic. His sister, who as a trained nurse, and who spent more than three years as a volunteer working in Calcutta with Mother Theresa in the Hospital of the Dying and then later in the Northern Territory in a remote aboriginal settlement. He asked where was God in this situation? How could God let this happen to such aperson? Why her?
In our lives we have experiences that challenge our thinking and shift our balance of thought, they leave an entrenched feeling that our previous 'way' was not quite enough or was out of sync. In essence these experiences change us and challenge our core beliefs.
It might be good to read Harry Potter or Twilight or other books for entertainment but I recommend that we also search for some literature that challenges our thinking. This book leads us through an examination of our own beliefs and expectations for God. Why does God allow innocent infants to die in their cots? It leads us to reflect on our own expectations of our God and through this to an examination of our relationship with our God.
So, how could God let this happen to Fr Richard’s sister? In the end Fr Richard realised that when he sat in the hospital crying, with his mother, at his sisters bed, God was there weeping beside them. God is beside all of us in the terrible and tough times. Are we too busy and self absorbed to notice the ‘God’ moments, the times of grace and encounter? We certainly will miss them if we are not open to recognize them.
I see God moments regularly at school. The way the students treat each other, the
care for those less able, the interactions with Staff. I wish all good luck on their
search.

A big thank you to those students and families that attended the youth mass at 5.00pm on Sunday.
The church was three quarters full and had a lovely feel and atmosphere. Fr Pat
presided and spoke beautifully to the Gospel reading. The youth Mass occurs on the
third Sunday of the month – all are welcome.

Have you ever travelled to a big city, and stopped, and noticed how much concrete,
glass and metal surrounds us there? Soon the sense of the lack of nature enters
your thinking. Modern cities have many more green spaces than some of the older
ones to counter this.
In his message for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on 1 September
2023, Pope Francis calls us to a change of heart and “the renewal of our relationship
with creation so that we no longer see it as an object to be exploited but cherish it
instead as a sacred gift from our Creator.” Pope Francis encourages us to avoid
waste and to promote practices that promote care for our environment and the
earth’s resources for future generations.
At St John’s we have a proud tradition of environmental action. Currently our
environmental group are working on the staff garden beds, reducing plastic in the
canteen, composting, the sustainability garden and a movie night to promote the
protection of environmental species.

YEAR 11 LEADERSHIP