48. The Soul

Creeping towards a half-century of editions, The Soul continues to provide a place for prayer, music, reflection, advice, opportunities and resources for the staff of Lismore Diocese schools and a growing list of external subscribers. Don’t forget that everything in The Soul is available for use in any school communications, staff meetings, classrooms and newsletters. Feel free to forward The Soul to your families and parish community either in part or in its entirety. It’s great to see snippets used in newsletters across the Diocese.

This week we take a look at Journey and introduce a new feature to promote health through creativity. We hope you have a great week. The school holidays are not far away!

Shortly after his installation, Pope Francis addressed students of Jesuit schools in Italy and Albania. In the general audience hall, looking out at 9,000 students, alumni, parents and teachers, Francis held up his prepared speech and said: “I've prepared a text but it's five pages and that's a little long. Let's do this: I'll give it to the Provincial Father and Fr Federico Lombardi so that you all can have it written and then some of you will ask me questions and I'll answer them. That way we can talk.”

Accounts of the encounter report that the event's presenters seemed hesitant about the pope's request, saying that no questions had been prepared in advance. Francis waved them away and took 10 unscripted questions from students in the hall.

A teenage boy told the pope that he was trying hard to believe in God and be faithful, but that he often struggled with doubt. "What can you say to help me and others like me?" he asked the pope.

The life of faith is a journey, Francis answered, “Journeying is an art because if we're always in a hurry, we get tired and don't arrive at our journey's goal,” he said. “If we stop, we don't go forward and we also miss the goal. Journeying is precisely the art of looking toward the horizon, thinking where I want to go but also enduring the fatigue of the journey, which is sometimes difficult … There are dark days, even days when we fail, even days when we fall … but always think of this: Don't be afraid of failures. Don't be afraid of falling. What matters in the art of journeying isn't not falling but not staying down. Get up right away and continue going forward. This is what's beautiful: This is working every day, this is journeying as humans. But also, it's bad walking alone: It's bad and boring. Walking in community, with friends, with those who love us, that helps us. It helps us to arrive precisely at that goal, that 'there where’ we're supposed to arrive.”

Think of a time when you “fell” on your life’s journey.

• What happened?
• What/who helped you up and kept you going?
• Did you reach your “goal” or are you still on your journey?

Source

Source

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B

Mark 4:26-34

• Evronia Allan shares her story behind the writing of Deus. Listen to Deus on Spotify or Youtube today.

• We especially pray for times when nothing is going our way. May God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to know the difference - Take This Slowly (The Gray Havens)

• As we journey with you God, help us to break away things that block us from knowing you more - Something Has to Break (Red Rocks & Kierra Sheird Kelly)

• Veni, Sancte Spiritus, reple tuorum corda fidelium, et tui amoris in eis ignem accende. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Thy faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Thy love. Veni Sancte Spiritus (Traditional Gregorian Chant)

• The closing date for Catholic Schools Week art submissions is 11 June. Once schools have collected submissions and selected the four items that will represent the school in the Diocesan-wide Virtual Gallery send a link to recordings and/or images to Jan Seymour via email jan.seymour@lism.catholic.edu.au

“Over the past decade, health psychologists have cautiously begun looking at how the arts might be used in a variety of ways to heal emotional injuries, increase understanding of oneself and others, develop a capacity for self-reflection, reduce symptoms, and alter behaviors and thinking patterns.”

Camic PM. Playing in the mud: health psychology, the arts and creative approaches to health care. J Health Psychol 2008;13(2):287–298

The Soul is looking for contributions from readers to feature in this new section. Submit a piece of art, a photo, a musical recording or some other form of creative expression with an explanatory caption and The Soul will curate and share a selection each edition. Use this form to share your piece. 

This week’s sample comes from one of the editors...

A morning walk on Sawtell beach is a great way to start any day. Clearing the head and being reminded of the beauty of God’s creation in nature always elicits a strong sense of gratitude.

• The June edition of The Bridge continues to share stories and reflections on communities, resources and the people of God seeking to evangelise Australia.

• The new Australian Catholics Education Hub brings together all the previous AC+ features, plus a discussion forum for teachers and staff to network and exchange ideas, a retreat and formation providers directory and a speakers directory. If you haven't signed up already, make sure you register today: 

• Growing Good Men is an experiential-based program which encourages and enables fathers and sons to strengthen their relationships and explore important issues of growing into manhood. Check out the details here and use this promotion for your school newsletter.