I will confess honestly that I watch too much television. “What is too much?”, you might ask. “Too much” for me is when at the end of it I get up and say to myself, “Why was I watching that rubbish? I wasn’t even in the slightest bit interested in it.” And usually the reason is that I simply got too comfortable and too lazy. Most of my viewing tends to be sport or news, although I like a good film, comedy show, quizzes, and even cookery programs! No harm dreaming!!

Being a channel-hopper, I often see the final bits of programs, and pick up the most unlikely bits of information, usually out of context. Which is a challenge that appeals to me! One item I picked up this week was – “Which country’s coins feature a recipe for salad”? No, not the French! Nor the Irish, - we don’t actually eat shamrock! The answer, to my surprise at least, was the United States. Apparently the phrase “E pluribus unum” (out of many, one) originated in a poem, attributed to Virgil, in which he describes the bringing together of the different ingredients and colours in a salad bowl, to form the one dish.

I’ve never given a lot of thought to the question of having a Parish motto, but certainly “E pluribus unum” could be a very apt one for St. Joseph’s. I’ve long ago lost track of how many different nationalities are represented here in forming the one family of Christian worshippers. And despite the differences in culture, even in ‘first language’ sometimes, one can only but admire how together they can present such a complicated program as the CCD, or organise an event such as our forthcoming Summer Fair.

But this isn’t really all that surprising, as very much at the heart of Christ’s call to us is that we should use our various talents to work together in spreading His Kingdom. And in talking of differences Jesus is not really referring to countries of origin, but to the various gifts and talents that people have, whatever their nationality. We are all called to serve God’s people in our various ways, a theme which St. Paul developed in a humorous manner when he reminded us – “If your whole body was just one eye, how would you hear anything? If it was just one ear, how would you smell anything?” (1 Cor. 12:17).