Dream it! Believe it! Achieve it!
As Paris emerges from last week’s deluge, the streets and parks of the Capital are buzzing with Parisians full of excitement and anticipation. The summer holidays are almost upon us and the much longed-for summer sunshine seems to have finally broken through the clouds. That jovial mood felt all over the city today is a reminder of the need for the ordinary everyday humdrum of “métro, boulot, dodo” to be interrupted for a while, and replaced with a period of rest and recreation. Fortunately, summer allows that to happen. Because summer helps us to value our time in a different way. Summer time is a valuable time for rest and recreation, a time for a change of environment away from the workplace, a time for family and friends, a time to re-learn all the things that are truly important to us as human beings, a time to let go of the preoccupations and strains of everyday life. Summer is also a time to remember that time itself is God’s gift to each one of us. We are called to grow to fullness of life in God and to live our lives in his loving embrace. This divine calling becomes a reality in God’s time. Summer then is a sacred time, a time apart from all other time, when God allows us a glimpse of his heavenly rest. Adding to the summer joy here in Paris is the presence of thousands of Euro 2016 fans everywhere in the city, not least the familiar sight of the Irish jersey creating a sea of green along the streets and boulevards of the city. People often say that the Irish are a nation of dreamers. Yes we are indeed a nation of dreamers! It’s good to dream! Because in dreaming as a nation we believe in ourselves as a nation and in our dreaming and believing we are achievers as a nation too! Irish fans have flocked to France this week because we all have a dream for the Irish squad, we believe that they are capable of achieving great things. And our belief will be the driving force for our team in the days and weeks ahead.Likewise, God has a dream for each one of us. God believes that his dream for us can become a reality and that we can achieve all the goals he has set for us in life. Summer is a time to open the eyes and ears of the heart and to catch a glimpse of what it is that God dreams for us, and to trust that even when we lose faith in ourselves, God never stops believing in us. That God has a dream for us and believes in us makes all the difference. With that assurance, there is absolutely no limit to what we can achieve!