大象传媒

From Father Brian D鈥橝rcy, a Catholic Passionist priest:

As I get older, change becomes more of a threat to me. It鈥檚 always sad to move on from the precious and the comfortable. Yet I know that if I don鈥檛 change I won鈥檛 grow; when I鈥檓 not growing I鈥檓 not living.

Even though one friend used to remind me that the only person in favour of change is a baby with a soiled nappy, I realise that when I鈥檓 finished changing, I鈥檓 finished, full stop.

Today I鈥檓 really conscious of change because it鈥檚 my final PFT with you Chris. And I鈥檓 sad about that.

I鈥檓 happy for you though. You thrive on new challenges. Your philosophy is: You cannot say that you鈥檒l definitely be happy when you change direction, but you know deep down that you will not be content unless you change now. And it鈥檚 always better to change before you have to. As our mentor Sir Terry used to say: 鈥淭here鈥檚 never a right time to go but there could be a wrong time to go.鈥� If one DOESN鈥橳 change direction one may actually end up where you鈥檙e going. Life doesn鈥檛 get better by chance; life gets better by change.

This morning I鈥檓 utterly grateful to you for all you did for us 鈥楶ausers.鈥� I believe that Joy is the simplest and best expression of gratitude. As we approach Christmas joy is a good word. A joyous Christmas is more uplifting and more lasting.

Gratitude for what we have and what we had is more useful than moaning about we鈥檙e losing.聽 I find that gratitude unlocks the fullness of life within; it turns what we have into enough, a meal into a feast, denial into acceptance, a house into a home and a stranger into a friend.

An attitude of gratitude is vital. I can grumble that roses have thorns or I can be grateful that thorns have roses. My own prayer-life changed dramatically when I first read what the great spiritual writer Meister Eckhart advised: 鈥淚f the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, that will be enough.鈥�

Feeling grateful and not expressing it would be like wrapping a present and not delivering it.

So Chris, God bless you and your family. Thank you.