“As I see it” has long been a favourite heading for columnists and bloggers. The value of
conversation is in the sharing of different personal viewpoints, sharing that enlarges our vision and deepens our insight. We do well during these weeks to touch the experience of the early christian community and enjoy it.

Reading through the Doings of the Apostles again I am struck by how light it is. An atmosphere of excitement runs through the narrative as leaders speak, crowds join, apostles are sent to distant places, new communities are formed, envoys visit and confirm, always the spirit dancing about like the will-o-the-wisp that Jesus promised to send. Not a fire, but a flame that now as then flickers above the miasma of wars, tsunamis, tornadoes – enlightening, lightening, levening as yeast lightens the dough.

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The second reading is spot on for us today too.

"Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear..."

“reason for our hope” - that's a bit unexpected: not for our faith, or our dogmas, or our curious practices, but for our HOPE. It seems that our hope is what is distinctive of us. What is our hope?

I wonder how our hope is noticeable to other people? It is a pity if we can’t talk sense when a question arises. Whatever we say needs to be real and personal, not just some formula of words (a catechism answer). For this, we work through our ideas in conversation with friends, or in a DB on the internet. It’s not that “Catholics believe this” or “The Church teaches that”. What counts is that I believe it, that this belief embodies my hope, and this is what I understand it to mean. Concrete stuff - and it is hard to be concrete about spiritual life and matters of principle.

...keeping your conscience clear... Mmmm. Don’t get carried away; keep the language moderate and clean; avoid attacking on the person; steer clear of fanaticism, and so on.
“Rules” for bloggers!

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The ancient celts decorated their cultic objects with interwoven twinings in which there is no end and no beginning. It is good to read John’s gospel in that way – in and out and round about, and then to discover that so is the Spirit in us and we in Jesus and Christ in God and the Father in us.  As I see it, we are dealing with a very thin veil keeping the mystery just hidden from our sight, but within reach of some perceiving. Always the spirit dancing, the will-o-the-wisp that Jesus promised. Not a fire, but a flame that now, as then, flickers above the miasma of wars, tsunamis, tornadoes – enlightening, lightening, levening as yeast lightens the dough. "In god we live and move and have our being."