大象传媒

A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Fr Dermot Preston

Good Morning.

鈥淚nnocents Abroad鈥︹��

It was a favourite phrase of my Dad. Normally delivered as a world-weary, what-do-you-expect Lancastrian observation on the naivety of the younger members of the Preston family.

For example, on the occasion when my youngest brother went to the Caribbean as a teenager and managed to get himself a job in a shoreline Cocktail Bar. Not being a drinker, but wanting to be diligently prepared, he decided that he would buy and systematically read an A-to-Z of Cocktails.

After a few weeks, knowing about the alcoholic recipe studies being undertaken, one of his friends slyly asked my brother whether he could mix him a Molotov Cocktail? My brother vigorously shook his head: 鈥淣ope鈥� I鈥檝e only got up to G.鈥�

Perhaps 鈥業nnocents Abroad鈥� is not a bad phrase to inject into our perception of Mary & Joseph on the road to Bethlehem.

Christmas cards emphasise a beauty and simplicity of their starlit excursion. We think of them as confidently and serenely moving by foot and donkey towards destiny. We see the journey with the benefit of hindsight 鈥� Jesus is born, angels arrive, Kings bring gifts and ultimately all is well.

But the reality was that they were very young and moving deeply outside their comfort zones. The Roman census forced them to join the shifting masses of the internally displaced and the fragility of a pregnancy would add an uncertain tempo to their plans.

Such chaos marks the spot where the ungodly exploit the defenceless, and vultures circle the weak and the vulnerable.

Lord, keep my eyes open today: give me the awareness and courage to reach out a helping hand to a stranger in need.

Amen.

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