NOVEMBER Introduction.  Family Losses and Endings.  Losses big and small are inevitable experiences of daily life. Birth, growth, decline and death are the natural cycle of every element of creation.  For inanimate creatures it may be a painless letting go, or a cataclysmic event. Death and decay are in some instances also a source of renewal of the land.  Extinction is a serious concern for the animal and plant kingdoms. For us as humans, created with special capabilities and gifts to love and hurt and forgive, this time of the year is a special gift to remember life and death and their Creator as well as ultimate resurrection and reunion with our loved ones. Pope Francis: If we accept death we can prepare ourselves for it.  The better we live on this earth, the greater the happiness we will be able to share with our loved ones in heaven. AL 258. Although the certainty of death saddens us we are consoled by the promise of future immortality, for the life of those who believe in you Lord is not ended but changed. Our loved ones are not lost in the shades of nothingness; hope assures us that they are in the good strong hands of God. AL 256.   For human beings to destroy the biological diversity of God’s creation, these are sins against the natural world, ourselves and against God.  LS8.

Setting the Scene for the THOUGHTS. Faith sharing groups and families are encouraged to use the Conversations in the Spirit method of synodal dialogue, i.e. to reflect, share deeply from the heart and listen attentively as they deal with subjects of loss, life and death.

ALL SAINTS DAY IS TRANSFERRED TO THE 1ST SUNDAY OF NOVEMBER IN SOUTH AFRICA.

November 1.  The Narrow Door.  The matrics discussed.  “I don’t think that Luke is very “merciful” in this gospel. If you don’t buy into the values of this Kingdom of God, you’re out in the cold.” “Plus the only way in is through a narrow door. Is that because only a few would wish to enter or to make it difficult for people?”  Their teacher shared an insight. “There is a very small door into the church in Bethlehem’s Manger Square, that reminds one about the “narrow door.”  I was told it was like that because the big main entrance was bricked up to prevent soldiers on horseback from riding in. Makes one think.”   Mr Bozzoli said, “Jesus taught that the wedding feast of Life or of the Kingdom, presided over by the Master of the House, is open to all peoples of all nations. We must seek diligently however to enter by the narrow door. 

Reflect, share, act. Scripture:  Strive to enter by the narrow door, for many I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. Luke 13:22-30. Pope Francis: Whether believers or not we agree that the earth is essentially a shared inheritance, whose fruits are meant to benefit everyone.   For believers this becomes a question of fidelity to the Creator, since God created the world for everyone.  Every ecological approach needs to incorporate rights to the poor and the underprivileged.   LS93.  Eco-tip and prayer:  What are the difficulties and obstacles facing you on your journey?   Creator God in this month of commemoration of loss and death comfort us in our pain and strengthen us in our understanding that you never abandon us and care for each of your creatures day by day.