Reminding ourselves who we are…and what is important.
This week we celebrate the horse race that ‘stops the nation’, one of the quirky ways we recognise who we are as Australian nation. Yes, it is odd. People, who normally have no interest in horse racing, stop, get together, dress up and have a sweep in which the winners usually get next to nothing as a prize but the one who has the ticket for the horse who came last shares in the ‘winnings’. In a broad sense that is this ritual by which we remind ourselves of who we are. It all sounds a little silly but actually it can be an important ritual. It focuses our minds and hearts of what is important in case we can get too bogged down in necessities, crises and the sheer ordinary details of life. Getting together with other people and having fun is central to the building up of a community, especially when we celebrate with people who are not necessarily our family or friends.
We need ritual in other areas of life but most importantly in our relationship with God. Rarely will God push into our lives making a big splash. Rather, in respect and love, God waits for us to respond in love. We need ritual prayer to remind ourselves of this loving, waiting God. The ritual can be as profound as Sunday Eucharist or as simple as a prayer made as the cake goes into the over. Time honoured rituals are prayer at the beginning and end of each day, and before meals. As believers, it is a good idea to ask ourselves what do we do to remind ourselves that we are people of God.
Loving God, we so often get caught up in the business of life, forgetting that your love upholds our lives. Give us the wisdom of your Spirit that we may regularly remind ourselves that your care surrounds us at all times. We ask this in Jesus’ name, confident that you will hear us.
Sr Kym Harris osb