Dogs cannot give birth to cats.Mango trees cannot bear orange fruits.Snow cannot fall in tropical climates.Rivers cannot flow against gravity.Humans cannot fly.Fish cannot walk.Monkeys cannot speak human languages.Birds cannot drive a car.Dysfunctional communities cannot form healthy members.Emotional unintelligent leaders cannot grow an organisation.Ignorant politicians cannot build a healthy nation.Narcissistic religious leaders cannot self-sacrifice.Waste not yourContinue reading “Dysfunctionalism and Transformation”
Author Archives: donalddeanchambers
Relationships
We enter relationshipseither as a destination or a journey.If we enter relationships as a destination, we desireperfection, performance, and precision.We expectimmediate self-satisfaction, self-service, and sensual pleasure.We becomeself-driven, self-focused, and self-absorbed.We envision life as ahighway, high-speed, and highly competitive.We abandon the journey when there areFight, flight, freeze, or fawn.We race and compete for a prize.If weContinue reading “Relationships”
EL CAMINO
THE PREPARATION We prepare to walk the Camino withrigorous physical exercise, expenditures on material goods, and elevated egos, organised planning, precise packing, and weather predictions,spiritual readings, reflections that revitalise,communal masses, meetings and motivational talks.And let’s not forget the mandatory and buzzing WhatsApp chat group. THE PROCESSION In procession along the Camino, we ENCOUNTER Christ, inContinue reading “EL CAMINO”
I reverence this space
I reverence this space of prayer becausemy Lover is present,my Lover invites me,my Lover welcomes me.I reverence this space of prayer not becauseI am worthy, perfect or worthy of it, but because I am the beloved.I reverence this space of prayer becausemy Lover receives my worries, my fears, my doubts, my restlessnessmy Lover desires toContinue reading “I reverence this space”
Complexity of Relationship
Relationships are not fixed like lifeless statues. Rather, they are organic, fluid, and moveable, able to change, existing like a conveyor belt on a continuum, constantly shifting and evolving. We are either hated or loved, accepted or rejected, or we experience relationships at some point between these extremes. Some people love us, and othersContinue reading “Complexity of Relationship”
Communion as friendship
“Friendship flourishes when we dare to share our doubts and seek the truth together” —Fr Timothy Radcliffe OP, Friendship, Synod Assembly 2023. Sharing doubts and seeking the truth together is possible only by swimming through the turbulent waters of vulnerability. Brené Brown states vulnerability is an uncomfortable feeling of “uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure”. VulnerabilityContinue reading “Communion as friendship”
Smal up yourself’ on the synodal bus ride
I have travelled on public transportation in different countries, and my experiences have ranged from dangerous to hilarious. In Jamaica, for example, passengers have their seats when a bus departs the terminus. The bus stops periodically along the route, not for passengers to disembark but for more passengers to embark, accompanied by the conductor’s words,Continue reading “Smal up yourself’ on the synodal bus ride”
Steps along the journey for Jubilee Year
In this article, I offer a step-by-step guide to various groups for celebrating Jubilee 2025 Year as a rest stop on the Synodal journey. Step One: Each member reads and silently reflects on the following excerpts from the previous article entitled ‘Jubilee Year 2025: A Spiritual Rest Stop on the Synodal Journey’, published in The Catholic News AugustContinue reading “Steps along the journey for Jubilee Year”
Jubilee Year 2025: A Spiritual Rest Stop on the Synodal Journey
Jubilee Year 2025: A Spiritual Rest Stop on the Synodal Journey As we eagerly anticipate the Jubilee Year 2025, it’s crucial to grasp its profound significance within the context of the Church’s synodal journey. This is more than just another addition to our busy pastoral calendar. Instead, it’s a pivotal moment that aligns with ourContinue reading “Jubilee Year 2025: A Spiritual Rest Stop on the Synodal Journey”
Opportunities and Choices
So much of life is on the dreaded periphery of our control.Our mothers and fathers,siblings,relatives.Ourpersonality types,temperament,mannerism.Ourethnicity,physical features,predisposed physiology,DNA.Oursocial status,cultural world,communities,Our world ofpolitical decisions,religious practices,social fabric.At birth, we are vulnerable, weak, and helpless, placed in a boat on a river and left to the mercy of life’s fast-flowing downstream current. We have recourse to the oarsContinue reading “Opportunities and Choices”
Beloved Reflections 