Father John Michael Hanvey, who works at the THOMAS Organisation (Those on the Margins of A Society) in Blackburn, says there is loneliness in the human condition.
'Think with the heart, feel with the mind'. This was one of the themes of an artist at the last Venice Arts Festival.
Works of art have often touched me, as has music, even though I know nothing really about them.
Because the world is charged through by the sacred if only we could see, there are never-ending opportunities for us to think with the heart and feel with the mind.
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For me spirituality and growing towards God and towards every person in my life will always be flesh bound.
The days when the Church thought the body to be a hindrance to becoming real and holy are thankfully long gone. And yet something is quite wrong in our society.
Most of us, quite rightly look for happiness here, limited though that will always be.
Most people find this happiness in someone else's arms.
But there is I feel a deep-down loneliness in the human condition.
There is also I believe the fear of the terrible possibility, that not only this is all there is, but also the fear in our psyche of eternal annihilation.
I think some of the work I'm involved with among young people whose minds have been fractured by the lives they are leading, drugs, prostitution, crime etc make me feel that the chasm between them and say some of the young cathedral bloggers from the Young People's Choir is too wide to cross.
I feel often that I wander in and out of different worlds that never meet and maybe never can!
Of course here I am not referring to the young people at THOMAS on our residential re-hab.
In fact this group, once they move into Stage 2 of our programme take the drug awareness drama workshop into schools and colleges; they in fact make the first move to other young people.
But it's the others that some of us are engaged with on a daily basis. Death is always on the menu for this other group - young death, death where death ought not to be.
In my worst moments I feel that the spirituality I'm involved with for my own life is as unavailable for them as are the chances of my climbing Everest.
The illness of meaning is painfully present in our society and I just wonder if there is really anything we can do that we are not yet doing, as church, or society is generally.
I wonder if there could be an inter-faith religious community living in the middle of our town, as part of its regeneration; a community that is specifically for God's glory in the spiritual care of so many of these lost boys and girls.
We regenerate our town for commerce and build bigger Malls and modern towers of expensive flats, car parks, Cathedral developments etc.
Could there really be a possibility of building in the middle of all this, a place to where these young people especially, would make their way because they know they are welcome and could dare to be who they are right now?
I'm not thinking of a 'social service' type enterprise but one that's speaking from the initiative of the town's youth.
After all, as one of the psalms says, 'if the hand of God does not build the home, in vain do the builders build'.
Dear Father John,
Whatever a persons belief system (or lack thereof!) organisations such as yours deserve credit for bringing people back into society - showing them that despite the suffering and rejection and frequent pilloring they may have recieved or caused - that they can contribute to the good of society.
Seeing the good your organisation does reaffirms confidence in human nature, so I hope you don't get to affected by the "loneliness of human nature" and remember that your efforts help to combat this loneliness.
I won't say say prayers for you (pointless, really), but having just read "edges magazine" I might just send you a tenner. You'll find that much more useful
Dear Father John,
Whatever a persons belief system (or lack thereof!) organisations such as yours deserve credit for bringing people back into society - showing them that despite the suffering and rejection and frequent pilloring they may have recieved or caused - that they can contribute to the good of society.
Seeing the good your organisation does reaffirms confidence in human nature, so I hope you don't get to affected by the "loneliness of human nature" and remember that your efforts help to combat this loneliness.
I won't say say prayers for you (pointless, really), but having just read "edges magazine" I might just send you a tenner. You'll find that much more useful
Posted by: simplysimon, burnley on 2:25pm Wed 12 Mar 08
Dear Father John,
You are right, I think it is a nice idea to make the impoverished lead a rich and fulfilled Life. But that is all it is. A nice idea.
You have made some very Honest comments and I commend you for that. Of course nobody wants to see people suffering and helping people is a noble cause. I Applaud and Admire that. I support that.
Understanding is a Challenge. There cannot be rich and fulfilled lives without impoverished ones. There cannot be summer without winter. There cannot be night without day.
We all have our Unique Journey, whether we are are a prostitute or a drug addict or an alcoholic or a successful entrepeneur.
What is common to all is this emptiness. Hell is an empty Heart. It doesn't matter if we are rich and successful and respected. We can still suffer from an empty Heart. It doesn't matter if we are a prostitute or a drug addict we can still feel contentment.
Even the most impoverished of People have good days. Even Bill and Melinda Gates can have bad ones.
The Issue is to keep the Heart Fulfilled. No matter what our circumstances. This is the Primary Issue that needs to be addressed. Regardless of sad or happy circumstance.
It can be good to be alone. Being Lonely is never good. There is a difference. No matter what the circumstance of your current situation. [bold]It doesn't matter what happens[/bold] You should never ever, ever, feel lonely.
Because there is something more Powerful than this entire Universe with you, and as long as you are alive your existence is with you. It will not let go of you. We can ignore it if we want to. We can forget about it. We can exclude our own existence. But your existence will never, ever, ever exclude you. No matter what we do, it is always there to welcome us Home. It never abandons us.
Man was not created just to be annhialated. That would just be cruel. It makes no sense to create simply for the sole purpose of annhialation.
Our purpose is to attain Immortality. To grow from Mortal to Immortal. Perhaps it will help you in your work to focus on the Immortality of your clients rather than their mortality.
Even the greatest of us are only here for a very tiny, even miniscule amount of time.
Dear Father John,
You are right, I think it is a nice idea to make the impoverished lead a rich and fulfilled Life. But that is all it is. A nice idea.
You have made some very Honest comments and I commend you for that. Of course nobody wants to see people suffering and helping people is a noble cause. I Applaud and Admire that. I support that.
Understanding is a Challenge. There cannot be rich and fulfilled lives without impoverished ones. There cannot be summer without winter. There cannot be night without day.
We all have our Unique Journey, whether we are are a prostitute or a drug addict or an alcoholic or a successful entrepeneur.
What is common to all is this emptiness. Hell is an empty Heart. It doesn't matter if we are rich and successful and respected. We can still suffer from an empty Heart. It doesn't matter if we are a prostitute or a drug addict we can still feel contentment.
Even the most impoverished of People have good days. Even Bill and Melinda Gates can have bad ones.
The Issue is to keep the Heart Fulfilled. No matter what our circumstances. This is the Primary Issue that needs to be addressed. Regardless of sad or happy circumstance.
It can be good to be alone. Being Lonely is never good. There is a difference. No matter what the circumstance of your current situation. It doesn't matter what happens You should never ever, ever, feel lonely.
Because there is something more Powerful than this entire Universe with you, and as long as you are alive your existence is with you. It will not let go of you. We can ignore it if we want to. We can forget about it. We can exclude our own existence. But your existence will never, ever, ever exclude you. No matter what we do, it is always there to welcome us Home. It never abandons us.
Man was not created just to be annhialated. That would just be cruel. It makes no sense to create simply for the sole purpose of annhialation.
Our purpose is to attain Immortality. To grow from Mortal to Immortal. Perhaps it will help you in your work to focus on the Immortality of your clients rather than their mortality.
Even the greatest of us are only here for a very tiny, even miniscule amount of time.
Posted by: simplysimon, burnley on 2:37pm Wed 12 Mar 08
Perfection is the Fulfillment of the Heart. Not the Physical Body. We cannot create Perfection. We don't have to. We only have to Accept the longing for it. The Supreme Perfection has already been created. It is within each and every one of us.
The longing is within us and the Fulfillment of that Longing is within us.
Perfection is the Fulfillment of the Heart. Not the Physical Body. We cannot create Perfection. We don't have to. We only have to Accept the longing for it. The Supreme Perfection has already been created. It is within each and every one of us.
The longing is within us and the Fulfillment of that Longing is within us.
Posted by: simplysimon, burnley on 2:57pm Wed 12 Mar 08
Man must Accept the Longing for Perfection. That Longing will lead him to Perfection.
As the thirst and the hunger lead a man to food and water.
That is why the Longing is there.
Man must Accept the Longing for Perfection. That Longing will lead him to Perfection.
As the thirst and the hunger lead a man to food and water.
Posted by: simplysimon, Burnley on 4:05pm Wed 12 Mar 08
Our Society is put the ten cents in get the ten cents worth out. Got a problem? No Problem, buy this. Want something. get the something. Want to go somewhere, go somewhere. want to fix something fix something. Want to do something, do the something.
This is a pattern, this is a routine that we have become conditioned with. YOU WANT IT YOU SHOULD GET IT.
But there is a very big flaw in this brainwashing. And it is brainwashing, it isn't Freedom, it's conditioning our behaviours, our thinking, our feeling. That's not Freedom.
[bold]The Big Flaw is this.[/bold] What you are really looking for you already have within you.
Not Accepting that will only produce a pointless and futile errand. Man has the Freedom to go on a pointless and futile errand if he chooses to.
But at the end of it. When he is weak and weary from it. He will Accept he always had within himself the Perfection he was searching for.
Our Society is put the ten cents in get the ten cents worth out. Got a problem? No Problem, buy this. Want something. get the something. Want to go somewhere, go somewhere. want to fix something fix something. Want to do something, do the something.
This is a pattern, this is a routine that we have become conditioned with. YOU WANT IT YOU SHOULD GET IT.
But there is a very big flaw in this brainwashing. And it is brainwashing, it isn't Freedom, it's conditioning our behaviours, our thinking, our feeling. That's not Freedom.
The Big Flaw is this. What you are really looking for you already have within you.
Not Accepting that will only produce a pointless and futile errand. Man has the Freedom to go on a pointless and futile errand if he chooses to.
But at the end of it. When he is weak and weary from it. He will Accept he always had within himself the Perfection he was searching for.
Posted by: simplysimon, burnley on 4:19pm Wed 12 Mar 08
Eternal Joy! is very contagious. Enthusiasm is infectious. A Passion for Existence can Awaken the Heart of ANY Divinity. If it can awaken DIVINITY it can easily Awaken the Hearts of Children.
Who is longing for fresh, cash-in-hand Perfection? Today! Who has the thirst for that?
Eternal Joy! is very contagious. Enthusiasm is infectious. A Passion for Existence can Awaken the Heart of ANY Divinity. If it can awaken DIVINITY it can easily Awaken the Hearts of Children.
Who is longing for fresh, cash-in-hand Perfection? Today! Who has the thirst for that?
Posted by: Theist, Blackburn on 11:31pm Wed 12 Mar 08
Fr John Michael,
You have hit upon the very real difference (sadly) between society's needs (particularly in our area of work, though I wouldn't try and compare mine to yours in terms of its importance) and the priorities of many people; not only businesses chasing profits, but also individuals following their own isolated agendas. It makes you very depressed to hear that a recent government advisor has recommended school-leavers doing voluntary work in return for reductions on tuition fees. Hardly voluntary, then, is it? Where is our basic humanity in this? In people like you, and that's where God is, for my twopenn'orth.
Marcus, your comment is refreshingly positive, and I would hope, likewise, that you don't feel too affected by man's inherent loneliness. I too have felt it, particularly when listening to others, and it is difficult sometimes to know who is there for us.
Blessings on your work.
Fr John Michael,
You have hit upon the very real difference (sadly) between society's needs (particularly in our area of work, though I wouldn't try and compare mine to yours in terms of its importance) and the priorities of many people; not only businesses chasing profits, but also individuals following their own isolated agendas. It makes you very depressed to hear that a recent government advisor has recommended school-leavers doing voluntary work in return for reductions on tuition fees. Hardly voluntary, then, is it? Where is our basic humanity in this? In people like you, and that's where God is, for my twopenn'orth.
Marcus, your comment is refreshingly positive, and I would hope, likewise, that you don't feel too affected by man's inherent loneliness. I too have felt it, particularly when listening to others, and it is difficult sometimes to know who is there for us.
Posted by: john michael, blackburn on 9:38am Thu 13 Mar 08
DEAR MARCUS THANKS FOR YOUR ENCOURAGING BLOG,AND FOR ALL YOUR BLOGS DURING LENT.kEEP ON CHALLENGING US.IF YOU BELIEVED IN IT I WOULD DARE TO SAY YOU ARE NOT FAR FROM THE KINGDOM OF GOD.ONCE AGAIN THANKS AND HAVE A GOOD EASTER BREAK.
DEAR MARCUS THANKS FOR YOUR ENCOURAGING BLOG,AND FOR ALL YOUR BLOGS DURING LENT.kEEP ON CHALLENGING US.IF YOU BELIEVED IN IT I WOULD DARE TO SAY YOU ARE NOT FAR FROM THE KINGDOM OF GOD.ONCE AGAIN THANKS AND HAVE A GOOD EASTER BREAK.
Posted by: simplysimon, burnley on 12:28pm Thu 13 Mar 08
If there is a loneliness within us, it is a sign that there is a Companionship too! Nothing is missing. All Man will ever need has been placed within Man
The Know-how that we need to embrace the Companionship is all Man really needs. There is nothing on this Earth that can remove the loneliness within.
There is an Eternal Knowledge that will enable Mankind to embrace the Eternal Companion. A way to embrace the Companion within and a way to be embraced by that Companion.
Jesus came to show people [italic]the way[/italic] to go within.
If there is a loneliness within us, it is a sign that there is a Companionship too! Nothing is missing. All Man will ever need has been placed within Man
The Know-how that we need to embrace the Companionship is all Man really needs. There is nothing on this Earth that can remove the loneliness within.
There is an Eternal Knowledge that will enable Mankind to embrace the Eternal Companion. A way to embrace the Companion within and a way to be embraced by that Companion.
Posted by: simplysimon, burnley on 1:30pm Thu 13 Mar 08
One of the things I see in the Human condition is a reluctance to Accept the Gift that has already been given. And if this Gift cannot be Accepted. It can never be opened. It's Joy will remain concealed.
This Joy is no ordinary joy. This is the Joy that is Yours to keep Forever. Other joys will come and go. Other joys are not Eternal, they are temporary, they come and they go. They come from this world, they are part of this world.
There is a Joy that is DIVINE! It's nature is Eternal. Not fleeting like other joys. You don't have to give up all the other transient joys to Delight in this Eternal Joy.
Both the Mortal Joy and the Immortal Joy are there. Both are within you. One comes with the package of being in this world of Time.
And one comes with the Gift of your Timeless Existence.
One of the things I see in the Human condition is a reluctance to Accept the Gift that has already been given. And if this Gift cannot be Accepted. It can never be opened. It's Joy will remain concealed.
This Joy is no ordinary joy. This is the Joy that is Yours to keep Forever. Other joys will come and go. Other joys are not Eternal, they are temporary, they come and they go. They come from this world, they are part of this world.
There is a Joy that is DIVINE! It's nature is Eternal. Not fleeting like other joys. You don't have to give up all the other transient joys to Delight in this Eternal Joy.
Both the Mortal Joy and the Immortal Joy are there. Both are within you. One comes with the package of being in this world of Time.
And one comes with the Gift of your Timeless Existence.
Posted by: Grace, blackburn on 8:01pm Thu 3 Apr 08
Dear father john
An inter faith religious community living in the centre - if only! What a GREAT IDEA!! -
Turning that idea from theory into practice would be a real challenge!
Dear father john
An inter faith religious community living in the centre - if only! What a GREAT IDEA!! -
Turning that idea from theory into practice would be a real challenge!
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