Thought for the Day

27 May 2009

Father Robert King, the Catholic Chaplain at the University of Bristol, is one of the regular contributors to BBC Radio Bristol’s Thought for the Day.  When our contributors are on air we'll bring you the text of their thoughts. 

Thought for the Day is part of BBC Radio Bristol’s breakfast programme with Richard Wyatt.  The reflection is given at around twenty to eight every morning. 

Father Robert is back giving his thought in September.  He'll be on every Wednesday during that month.  Father Robert's thought from last week is still online.  Keep an eye on cliftondiocese.com as Father Robert will be starting a new weekly podcast series exploring faith and culture.  'Father King's Conversations' begin on Wednesday 10 June only on cliftondiocese.com.  He'll in conversation with leading thinkers and local people who enrich our lives through their cultural work.

This is what Father Robert said this morning:

"Last week I met the Pope’s press officer.  I say that not to name drop but because he really made my day with a positive comment about the internet.  Like many people I can spend a lot of time checking email, reading the news and researching all kinds of ideas and theories online.  And then I start to worry if it’s a good use of my time.  Well the Pope’s man declared the internet to be a blessed thing.  Blessed not just because of the shear quantity of information the internet grants instant access to.  Blessed because it offers a means of communication that not only transcends vast distances but also age, culture and just about every obstacle to communication.  One can’t say it’s perfect because cyberspace can be as dangerous as it is informative.  But with sufficient prudence it provides an incredible potential.

"That potential is best realised when we engage and communicate with each other.  We’ve had a rough ride of late: fear about the future is common and it’s hard to shake off the sense of betrayal created by the ever unfolding expense scandal.  Communication brings bad news but also offers hope in the good news of discovering other people’s basic goodness.  I’m struck this week by seeing a student I know selling the contents of her wardrobe on Facebook.  Not for personal gain but so she can pay her own passage to lead a team of volunteers working with a charity helping children on the streets of Calcutta."