COPING WITH TIMES OF TRANSITION:

You may recall that recently I drew attention to the new emphasis in football on those phases of the game which are described as transition: the speed with which a team is able to turn defence into attack. As we approach the end of the school year, I have been reflecting that in our lives we are constantly having to learn to cope with transition. Our children and young people have to learn to move on and it can be very challenging, especially when the transition involves moving to a new school or finishing school altogether. Parents and guardians are called upon to be sensitive in handling all this, at times offering their loving support but at other times having to insist that their children cope with the stresses and strains of having to stand on their own two feet. I suggest the same is true for us all through life. We have been reflecting a lot on the speed with which the technological revolution is affecting our lives and, accordingly, the constant need to adapt and support one another. We do not need to revisit again all the challenges facing society and the Church at this particular time, but it is good to reflect that in the midst of it all we need the sensitive support of one another as we seek to cope, and I think this brings us back to the vision of a synodal way that the teaching Church is calling us to embrace. The coming months are going to provide us with plenty of opportunities to respond in this way as the structural changes in our deanery take effect.

Having said all that, it remains important that in spite of all the grand plans, we also learn to live day by day and keep everything in perspective. And, if I may return to the football world, we see that perfectly illustrated by the outpouring of grief and sadness at the news of the deaths of Diogo Jota and his brother on Thursday. Immediately all the importance and rivalries that surround our love of sport pale into insignificance in the face of such a tragic event.