15th January is the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King who will always be remembered for his famous 6-minute-long, “I have a dream”, speech. The speech was a connection for the ordinary person to a world without hate, injustice or inequality. It is still a dream today as we continue to witness to violence and horror in our world.
Pope Francis also asks us to dream big, to rethink our priorities – what we value, what we want, what we seek – and to commit to act in our daily life on what we have dreamed of. In his book, Let Us Dream, he writes, ‘Come, let us talk this over. Let us dare to dream. God asks us to dare to create something new.’ (P6)
As I listen to today’s Gospel reading, Jesus’ presence seems to inspire people to dream. They seem to be involved in something that is essential to their ordinary everyday life – catching fish. It is through this ordinary experience that they are inspired. It is often in the ordinary that God surprises us.
Going on a walk can inspire, saying ‘hi’ to the person on the bus can interrupt their loneliness, saying ‘thank you’ can offer a person appreciation. We are all called to be more than ordinary; we just need to see the ordinary with an extraordinary heart.
We reflect on our dreams today. God has been interjecting in our lives: Speak Lord, your servant is listening.
Take time to watch Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream.” speech.
Image by Eugenio Albrecht from Pixabay
Ronan Barry
