According to a respected senior priest ministering in Fermanagh, more and more people are recognising that a world that trues to shut out God is a world heading for more greed, violence and suffering. He believes that more and more bright young people are starting to ask questions about society, religion and about meaning.
As if on cue, Fr Des O'Donnell, an Oblate Father who now lives in Enniskillen, has released a prayer book (not a book of prayers) which has been described by Fr Brian D'Arcy as, 'by far his best and most user-friendly book': "It is small, it will fit into your glove compartment and in not more than five minutes of silence you will feel refreshed and will have found a God of love you can trust."
The reference to its use by drivers is interesting in that it takes away the notion that praying can only be done in church. But, this book, 'The Lifegiving Word: A Prayer Book' has plenty of other surprises.
It is, in effect, a book for all days, weeks and seasons. There is a shopping list at the back of selected prayers (themes) for each week of the month and for each day of the week and, at month's end, the cycle starts off again. Take Wednesday in Week Three, for instance, the theme is suffering. The reader simply turns to page 122 and, on the opposing (right-hand page) there are direct quotes from the Old and New Testaments and, on the opposite page, the author's commentary.
In this case, he holds up Paul as a model for all those who have to suffer in living out their faith, whose greatest suffering, we are told, came from his unsatisfied desire to see Christ fully alive in all whom he met.
At the end of his commentary, Fr O'Donnell has a little mental exercise for the reader and, in that, he is reinforcing the message that while it is important to pray, it is also important we listen. The array of themes are as many as the days of the month, with daily options.
There are seasonal prayers, Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week, Easter and Pentecost, and 'special times', all prefaced with, 'Listening to God', for example, 'Listening to God in times of anxiety or fear'. Again, there is a generous menu to pick from.
Fr O'Donnell is a native of Ballyshannon and is related to the O'Hares of Enniskillen. He graduated from UCD with an honours BA degree, majoring in psychology and then entered the Oblate Seminary in Kilkenny. Following his ordination in 1953, he was assigned to Australia where he was to spend 28 years lecturing, taking retreats and counselling (he is a qualified counsellor).
