WelCom December 2016:
Review
A New Book Offers A New Look!
Compiled and edited by Fr James Lyons, parish priest Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish
A new book is with us that brings prayer into the life of families.
Born from the 2015 Synod on Family Life, There is a time for… contains prayers, reflections and images from New Zealanders of all ages, together with words of Pope Francis from his Amoris Laetitia, The Joy of Love.
The publication takes its theme from Ecclesiasticus, chapter three, There is a time for everything under heaven. It draws on real life family experiences from Beginning to Ending, and the things that happen in between, such as Hurting, Celebrating, Forgiving, Loving and Blessing.
Over 40 contributors have shared their creative writing and equally creative photography, to capture the moods, hopes and delights of family life in Aotearoa-New Zealand.
Starting school, grieving the loss of a pet, sibling rivalry, enjoying success and companionship, feeling your age, giving thanks for Mum and Dad, celebrating goodness as well as disappointment… These situations and much more are covered in this 148 page book.
The idea for this publication came from Cardinal John Dew when he returned from the Family Synod in Rome, November last year. He remarked that it would be great to have a book that encouraged family prayer, especially one that also demonstrated the ‘ordinariness’ of prayer.
If prayer is always formal, it can become distant from reality. Just as we speak with ease and familiarity in our homes, we can be the same in our conversations with God who is primarily a loving parent.
Cardinal John prefaces the book, writing, ‘I welcome There is a time for… as an endorsement of Pope Francis’ call to bring prayer into every aspect of life, and to celebrate in prayer our ties to all creation. Our people and our land come together in this publication in praise, joy, hope and gratefulness.’
There is a time for… is being launched by Cardinal John at the Wellington’s Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, on Saturday 10 December, following the 5.30pm Vigil Mass. All are welcome.