How to be important and special.
I recently read QF 32 by Richard de Crespigny. It is his account of the flight from Singapore, in which one engine exploded, severely crippling the plane. It is a wonderful narrative and doubtless many Dads received a copy last Sunday. The author tells not only his personal story, beginning with the development of his piloting skills, but also recounts the work of so many other people who helped avert a terrible disaster: pilots who taught him the tricks of the trade, engineers and computer nerds who designed the safety features of the plane, his fellow pilots in the cockpit, the cabin crew, especially Michael von Klaus, the manager, who kept calm in the cabin over those terrifying hours. Richard de Crespigny was a very gifted man working in the midst of a very large gifted community – and well he knows it. As he writes the story, it is not ‘all about him.’ Yes, he had the responsibility which he took seriously, but he knew he flourished because he worked within a vast web that ensured the safety of those people that day. He was special, he was important but as he well realises so were many others who will never be named.
The need for this marvellous balance between the individual and the group holds true for our families, our communities, the Church and the wider society. We are all gifted but they will only come to their best expression when they are used in relationship with others, and most especially in service of them.
Loving God, you have given each of us with special gifts and talents. May your Spirit guide us to share them with others, knowing that in this way you bring out the best in us. We ask this in Jesus name.
Sr Kym Harris osb