Photo was taken yesterday at St Gobnait’s well in Ballyvourney, Co.Cork (Irl)

The power of ritual speaks way beyond words. One of our 6th year students from Col√°iste Choilm in Ballincollig, gently rubs the sign of the cross on the grave of St.Gobnait. Thousands of other people have done this before and will continue to do so. The imprint on the rock is deep. Faith is alive and well. Tracing the sign of the cross like this is such a quiet gentle prayer, so personal and yet so powerful.

Thought on Tuesday – October – 04/10/2011

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is that little voice at the end of the day that says: “I’ll try again tomorrow.” ~Anne Hunningshake

The focus is very much on the World Cup Rugby in New Zealand at the moment. As the tournament moves to the quarter finals next weekend there is a great sense of expectation, with some great games ahead. Ireland’s performance so far has been superb considering that the warm up games coming into the World Cup did not go well. What makes sporting teams great is how they respond to their bad days. Ireland have dug deep, re focussed and have found a new momentum that is refreshing and exciting. The countdown to the game next Saturday against Wales is well and truly on! There are spiritual connections too because we can also turn things around too when they are not going well for us. God always calls each of us to look at the bigger picture in life. This means that no matter how bad things may seem at the moment, they will change. We pray for courage to keep going in the midst of our hardest and most difficult days. This is something we don’t do on our own. We have the support of family and friends. We have the gentle presence of God in our lives to give us the courage to say, “Yes, I can try again tomorrow.”