Gathering the Fragments
Two aspects
- Experiences today for us and most people of fragmentation of our lives -
Pulled in 1000 different directions.
Unrealistic expectations from Diocese and parishioners?
Stress?
- The unaccepted part of our personality and life
Habits, failures sin bad experiences All stuffed away in an "internal dustbin" trying to keep the lid on! Toxic effect in our life. True story of a person's experience of this.
Sacrament of Reconciliation First though it was to God and other people but more recently most important is reconciliation to OURSELVES
God great ecologist - nothing wasted.
Everything belongs
Cf. Julian of Norwich
Cf. St Augustine Fragmentation of Body in Adam's sin and bringing all back together in Christ.
"What is not embraced is not redeemed"
Humpty Dumpy So what can put HD together again if not by human effort?.
See description of Eucharist in Didache. All scattered on hill gathered together as one.
Feeding of 5000 - gathering up fragments
From a classic novel by Anais Nin - good description in human terms of what should be our experience of God in the Sacraments of Eucharist and Reconciliation as well as personal prayer.
"He always greeted her with a tenderness which seemed to assume she had always been in great trouble. He automatically rushed to comfort and to shelter. The way he opened his arms and the tone in which he greeted her implied: 'First of all I will comfort and console you, first of all I will gather you together again, you're always so battered by the world outside.'"
