I shared this with a good friend in response to her comment to me after she watched the 10am cathedral mass, being livestreamed last Sunday. This expressed my ‘from the heart’ summary of my message that I wanted to share.  Where did this one-off exchange arise from?  

Well, at the beginning of a Church year, of the Advent Season, I reflected on how fragile we all are as a basis for reflecting on how strong we are.  As fragile beings, where is our strength?  Standing alone we are fragile.  Standing together in God, we are much more.  

Fortuitously, before mass, I had a simple experience of my fragility when the zip on my religious habit got stuck.  What to do?  I could not tackle the challenge on my own.  I needed help and, thankfully, there was a nearby member of the community who happily came to my aid.  We sure do need each other.  That is the other side of our fragility.  

We fail, we suffer, we make mistakes, we hurt others and we get hurt.  That is all part of life, life that is fragile.  It is part of who we are.  It is a necessary part of the human glue that binds us together with God and each other.  

Truth is, if we only know power and strength, we may never appreciate God and the others who are with us on the journey.  We may never appreciate where we fit in life, that we are in this together.  The key messages of this pandemic are clear.  They speak of the glue of life.  

We show respect for each other in how we behave and treat others.  We stand together in human solidarity, leaving no one behind.  We are responsible for each other, looking out for the other, especially the weakest and most vulnerable.  Fragility is a constant reminder of what really matters in life and that none of us is a solo act in life.  

In our coming together, we will find a way to live a better life, to make our contribution to the world and to enjoy a good and fulfilling year ahead. So we can make the year ahead the best of years, a good year for one and all.   

Happy Advent!  Happy New Year!