Latest Space #24
The Newsletter of SacredSpace.ie

From the celebration of Saint Nicholas on 6 December to 'Little Chistmas' on 6 January, a wealth of customs helps us to train ourselves in these virtues, but some of the practices that have developed - and our habits - can distract us. Advent is a time to be present to ourselves, the better to notice God's presence among us.

Part of our prayer this Advent might be asking for the grace to live with the things that don't balance out as we would like, an acceptance of the blessings that have come our way. The graces of wisdom and insight are evident in the stories of Advent and Christmas. Isaiah, John the Baptist, Joseph, Mary and the Magi all bring their words to us, that we may learn who we are, both here and now, and as people who are called to journey on in hope.

This Advent, be present.

Piaras Jackson SJ
Editor, Sacred Space

• Advent on Sacred Space
• Other6
• A Year of Matthew
• Sacred Space Mobile
• Book your Sacred Space
• Remembering Pedro Arrupe SJ
• Book Review: Tokens of Trust
• Book Review: Doing December Differently

Advent on Sacred Space

Letting the lights gradually increase heightens our sense of expectation and waiting

The Advent Retreat is currently online and can be found at our Advent page. This year's retreat is written by Charlie Davy, an Irish Jesuit who has recently taken up an assignment in Galway. There Charlie joins other Jesuits in providing support and services for people interested in spirituality. We are very glad that Charlie has put his long experience of retreat-giving and of spiritual direction at the service of the Sacred Space community. The retreat is currently available in English, Catalan, Hungarian and Croatian and is available to other translators to offer.

We are always glad to hear of how people find the retreat. Many people take time with others to mark the season of preparation and tell us that they have been helped by printing off and taking our resources along. If you would like to get in touch with us, we encourage you to help us to give the good news to others.

Other6

Paul Campbell, a native of Belfast and a Jesuit working in Chicago's Loyola Press, believes that Other6.com takes the essence of Saint Ignatius' Examen and brings it to the web. '"When you visit the site, you respond to one of two questions, 'Where have I found God today?' or 'Where do I need to find God today?' He believes that the practice of answering these questions on a regular basis will help people to become more mindful of God’s presence in their lives and will increase their self-awareness.

Visitors can follow the sequences of comments that have been attached to various topics, leave their own remarks or avail of the reminders that the site offers.

The site has a graphic format, the page presents an image of bubbles that cluster on the screen, some dark and some in lighter blue. Each bubble represents a visitors' idea, recording their insights and comments. Holding the cursor over a bubble shows that they are grouped in two categories, listing either where people have found God or where they would like to find God.

Asked, "What does the name Other6 mean?" Paul says, "I chose this name principally because it is short, not 'churchy' and - hopefully - somewhat intriguing. What did 'Google' mean or 'Yahoo' when they were chosen? It does also imply that some people 'find' God on Sundays in church, but that site is helpful the Other6 days of the week."

Paul expects that many people who use Other6 will appreciate the Sacred Space too. A link to Sacred Space is found on the site's 'Nourish me' link. Similarly he believes that many who use Sacred Space regularly will enjoy the savouring of spiritual life that Other6 promotes.

A Year of Matthew

A human figure represents Matthew's gospel in the door of Melbourne's Cathedral (Janusz Kuzbicki)

The images of the four creatures were applied to the four gospel writers from an early time in Christian history. Saints Irenaeus, Jerome and Augustine were familiar with them and speculated about their significance.

Through 2008 we will follow gospel readings from Saint Matthew's gospel on Sacred Space. Matthew begins his Gospel with the genealogy - the 'family-tree' -of Jesus. He makes it clear that the Jesus he tells about is truly human. Thus the figure of a man represents this evangelist. (Because he also asserts the royal dignity of Christ, the lion has occasionally been associated with him.)

Philip Fogarty is an Irish Jesuit who works in Ireland and in the US. A writer and retreat-giver, he is a regular contributor to The Sacred Heart Messenger. Philip has recently published According to Matthew, a 72-page pocket size book that offers a helpful summary of key themes from the gospel with reflection questions at the end of each chapter.

According to Matthew
Philip Fogarty SJ. Messenger Publications. ISBN 1872245781

Sacred Space on your mobile

Sacred Space - wherever you are

Setting up a phone's browser to get to www.sacredspace.ie/mobile may deter the fainthearted, but the reward is that you can access the daily prayer wherever you are. It may help you to pray when you are in a place that is suitable to you.

Some people find that the small screen of the digital organiser or phone is more suitable for their prayer, as they are without the ready distractions that surround the usual computer's environment.

Even if you wonder how to deal with those 'No phones in church' signs, you could send someone a message, 'Take some Space this Advent - Go to www.sacredspace.ie/mobile and you're there.'

Book your Sacred Space

Caption

This is first year to see an Advent edition of the Sacred Space book. It has proven popular again, like the Lent book which needed reprints to meet the demand earlier this year. There may still be time to find out more from Ave Maria Press in the United States or from your bookshop.

The Jesuit Communication Centre is not a book store, but has had many enquiries from around the world,especially from people who find that local stocks are sold out. If you think that Sacred Space for 2008 book will make a welcome Christmas present, you may need to buy yours just as soon as you can.

Copies can also be ordered from the publishers Michelle Anderson Publishers, Ave Maria Press or Veritas or from your bookshop. Messenger Publications can supply in Ireland and Europe:  www.messenger.ie. Orders for delivery within Europe will be made via secure online ordering on the website or by calling Vera at +353 1 6767491.

Remembering Pedro Arrupe SJ

A number of publications marked the anniversary of Pedro Arrupe during recent weeks

The Jesuit Communication Centre in Dublin published a special Arrupe edition of its AMDG newsletter, recalling the life and contribution of the charismatic Basque. You can browse the issue at www.amdg.ie. Among the contributors is Gerry Bourke SJ, former editor of Sacred Space, who reflects on his experience of Pedro Arrupe when they were in Japan together. He quotes a famous prayer that encapsulates Pedro Arrupe's final surrender to God.

You may find that Pedro Arrupe remains a rewarding figure, worth spending some time with. His life of dedication and prayer abides in his writings and have been helpfully augmented by his centenary.

Book Review: Tokens of Trust

The Welsh art is not accidental, because Rowan Williams himself is Welsh. He emphasises roots and community in living the Creed, which was formulated by Christians who experienced the Risen Lord and the Holy Spirit in their lives. We trust the Maker of Heaven and Earth precisely because God is that Maker, but we have no control over Him. We trust God and it is Jesus who makes God trustworthy and credible.

Trust is the basis of all relationships. In Christian life, it is expressed by worship and by prayer. Rowan Williams gives examples across the whole Christian tradition, citing Martin Luther and Saint John of the Cross, amongst many others. He is obviously at home in the Carmelite Tradition, but uses the story of an Anglican religious order (the Melanesian Brotherhood - seven of whom were taken hostage and killed in 2003 in Guadalcanal [story]) to demonstrate the consequences of living Christianity at its fullest in a contemporary setting.

This book will be of immense help to all Christians.

Reviewed by Fergus O'Donoghue SJ,
Editor of Studies, a quarterly review
published by the Irish Jesuits

Tokens of Trust: An introduction to Christian belief
Rowan Williams, Canterbury Press. ISBN 978 1 85311 8036

Book Review: Doing December differently

An example of the uncommon perspective that will strike a resonance for many is Kevin Ellis reflection on being childless at Christmas

Joseph is the person with whom I feel a particular affinity at Christmas. I feel an affinity with this man because he does not really have a role to play in the Christmas narrative: Jesus is not his child and yet he is expected to enter into the celebrations as if he was the birth father. If Christmas is all about children — and this is something I have heard on many occasions — I, like Joseph, find myself strangely outside it. I have yearned for children, but they have never arrived. This does not mean that I am reluctant to celebrate the coming of Christ, but simply that an emphasis on the birth of a baby leaves me with whispers of what might have been rather than with something that I can truly participate in.

The original Christmas story had the tale of the unwelcome visitor. This book draws attention to the many who are 'outside' the popular Christmas festivities of today and draws the reader to consider - and sometimes to wrestle - with untraditional perspectives.

Any Christian who feels anxious about missing some of the meaning of Advent or Christmas, or who feels jaded by the usual observations will find this to be a thought-provoking and insightful collection.

Doing December differently: an alternative Christmas handbook
Nicola Slee and Rosie Miles, Wild Goose Publications, ISBN 1905010230