Perspective

In the book I am reading there is a beautiful description of an experience many of us have had. When I read it I could easily envisage it myself.

Its that moment when you are on a train, maybe your head is leaning against the window. You are gazing out at the countryside watching the whole big wide world rush by, then, without even moving your eyes, you shift perspective and suddenly all you can see is your reflection.

This idea resonated me with this week during these times of anxiety and uncertainty. We have an amazing ability to shift our perspective. We can go from seeing the bigger picture to simply focusing on ourselves. One minute it can seem like the big wide world is rushing by, then with a shift we can be still and focus on where we are in that moment.

No perspective is better than the other, rather it is our ability to continually shift back and forth which is important. Let us pray…

Holy Spirit during these unprecedented times we ask for your blessing on all of us.

Give us peace, wisdom, strength and serenity. We ask you to encourage us to keep changing our perspectives this week. Encourage us to look at the bigger picture, what is happening around us, in our streets, our neighbourhoods, communities, our world.

When we are frightened or angry, let us call to mind those who are in constant fear, danger or peril. When we worry we may not have enough, let us call to mind those who never have enough.

For most of us this strange year will be just one year out of many decades of good fortune and blessing. May we remember and pray for those who have experienced such turmoil all their lives.

We pray for all those who are making a difference during these troubling times, doctors, nurses, shop staff, pharmacists, bus drivers, care workers, bakers, farmers, teachers, politicians. In these troubling times, Heavenly Mother, you ask us to find ways to make a difference and support those around us, not just our loved ones but those whose attitudes and behaviours we do not understand or even deplore.

Give us the strength to see how we are being reflected in these unsettling times, give us courage to think about how we are acting, what are we saying, how are we responding to the crisis? What is this pandemic teaching us about ourselves? What is the pandemic teaching us about our relationship with you, Jesus? In this troubling time how can each of us be a little more like Jesus?

As many of us look to social distance ourselves and self-isolate, we will find ourselves with much more time to think than we are used to. Holy Spirit be with each of us as we move in to this period of isolation and introspection. Some of us will enjoy the solitude and and the quiet. Many of us will struggle with it, struggle with being away from the distractions in life. Again Lord, we ask you to help us use this time of solitude to experiment with perspectives, look in to the different aspects of our lives and this world. May we each take this time as a time of learning so we can come out of this experiene with a fresh perspective on life and our palce in it.

Some of us have a lot, some of us have little; may each of us truly value everything, every blessing that we have been given. Lord you ensure that we have in abundance mercy, grace and love.

Amen