In 2007 we had the wonderful experience of visiting the ancient burial site at Newgrange, Ireland. Situated on a rise near the River Boyne this large passage tomb was constructed around 3200BC. This makes it more than 600 years older than the Giza Pyramids in Egypt, and 1,000 years more ancient than Stonehenge.
We weren’t there for the Winter Solstice, but every year on December 21, just after 9am, the sun begins to rise across the Boyne Valley and the sunlight strikes the front of the Newgrange mound which is faced with white quartzite rock. Above the entrance is an opening called ‘the roofbox’, which was specially designed to capture the rays of the sun.
The beam of light stretches into the 18m passage of Newgrange right into the central chamber of the 12m high mound, where, in Neolithic times stone basins held cremated human remains. With simple stone technology, these wonderful people captured a very significant astronomical moment in a most spectacular way.
It has been suggested the human ashes were placed there so that the path of the sunlight beam would allow the dead to communicate or connect with the sun god or that their spirits could travel up to the god along the path of sunlight.
So at the darkest time of the year the people found a way of using the sun to connect their spirits with their god.
I was thinking that Christmas is about a similar concept. Christ is the Light of the World sent by God to personally communicate with humanity – our guiding light.
We were taught that burning a candle would sent our prayers "up" to God. We still light candles, not to attract God’s attention, but as a tool and a reminder for ourselves that we are praying and communicating with our God.
And just as important, it is also a reminder that Christ is our light always ready to hear what we have to say even though God knows what is in our hearts without us having to speak it.
Prayer helps us to change for the better! Newgrange
It's 40 years ago when the Apollo 8 astronauts took this famous photo of Planet Earth as they orbited the Moon. It made us think of our place in the universe in a whole new light!Astronaut Frank Borman’s Prayer:
Give us, O God, the vision which can see thy love in the world in spite of human failure. Give us the faith to trust the goodness in spite of our ignorance and weakness. Give us the knowledge that we may continue to pray with understanding hearts, and show us what each one of us can do to set forth the coming of the day of universal peace. Amen.
18 years ago Voyager 1 took this photo of Planet Earth seen from 6.4 billion km away! It is known as the Pale Blue Dot almost obscured in a beam of scattered sunlight.
Scientist and astronomer Carl Sagan :-“Look again at that dot. That's here. That's home. That's us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every "superstar," every "supreme leader", every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there – on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds.
Our posturings, our imagined self-importance, the delusion that we have some privileged position in the Universe, are challenged by this point of pale light. Our planet is a lonely speck in the great enveloping cosmic dark. In our obscurity, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves.
The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life. There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Visit, yes. Settle, not yet. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand.
It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.”Isn't it totally awesome!!
Link
Henry Ossawa Tanner (June 21, 1859–May 25, 1937) was an African American artist who studied with Thomas Eakins and was the first African American painter to gain international acclaim.I was intrigued by his painting of The Annunciation.....
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In his message this week Mgr John refers to the “New Evangelisation.”“You know, in a way we need a John the Baptist today, or someone like him to bring about a new awakening to the purpose of Christ’s coming among us. It is what is being called the 'New Evangelisation' – bringing the true joy of the light of Christ to a world in which there is so much darkness and pain.”
I came across an article by Sydney Catholic, Harvey Smith, and it prompted the following reflection.Much is said and written about the relevance of Christianity, of the Church, in the modern world. Many ideas and theories are tossed around trying to address that issue.
One of the great challenges for Christians today is the cynical, sceptical portrayal of ‘church’ in secular society. It has been suggested that a most effective way to respond to that portrayal is to do what the early Christians were praised for: “See how they care for one another".
Caring for one another requires energy, awareness and commitment. Our personal example, our committed involvement, is a powerful form of evangelisation.
Harvey Smith is active in the Lay Apostolate in Sydney. He is engaged in Gospel Study Groups and has been an active evangelist in the Archdiocese of Sydney for many years.We welcome your thoughts.....Australian Catholic website about Evangelisation_ Link
Do you remember Eve van Grafhorst?
Her name was in the headlines of Australian media in July 1985 when she was 3 years old.
Eve died 15 years ago, aged 11, in New Zealand, a country that welcomed her and allowed her to lead a relatively normal life.
LINK: Wikipedia
Journalist Brian Haill working for the ABC at that time was very much involved with Eve’s predicament.
It was described as one of the darkest pages in Australia's HIV history. The family was chased right out of Australia by a hysterical and terrified Gosford (NSW) community that couldn't — and wouldn't — cope with HIV...into the arms of generous New Zealanders on the other side of the Tasman.
Brian has been a very active person in the fight against AIDS in many places. He set up The Australian AIDS Fund and it has been doing fantastic work. The website is very much worth a visit.
LINK: aids.net.au
In 2007 we had the wonderful experience of visiting the ancient burial site at Newgrange, Ireland. Situated on a rise near the River Boyne this large passage tomb was constructed around 3200BC. This makes it more than 600 years older than the Giza Pyramids in Egypt, and 1,000 years more ancient than Stonehenge.
The beam of light stretches into the 18m passage of Newgrange right into the central chamber of the 12m high mound, where, in Neolithic times stone basins held cremated human remains. With simple stone technology, these wonderful people captured a very significant astronomical moment in a most spectacular way.
