10 August 2009
Creating space to reflect upon the true value and wonder of our own being:
Oliver McTernan speaks on 'Wogan' BBC Radio 2:

One of the things I like most about having a break from my normal work routine is the fact that it gives me time to read articles that I would normally skip over. I was fascinated to learn recently that after all these years of regarding spleen as a superfluous organ within our bodies because we could survive without it, scientists now have discovered that it can play a vital role in prolonging our lives especially in the event of a serious trauma to the body like a heart attack or a gashing wound. The spleen apparently acts a kind of reservoir for huge numbers of immune cells that are released into the bloodstream to tackle the crisis. One of the doctors who made this discovery is quoted as saying: “the more you learn, the more you realise that we’re just scratching on the surface of life. We don’t know the whole story about anything”.

Those words capture for me at least the whole sense of the mystery of our human lives, a mystery the psalmist spoke about thousands of years ago when he described us as being “wonderfully and fearfully made”. Realising this fact isn’t of course always easy and especially these days when we tend to get caught up in a way of existing that just takes life for granted. I regard myself as lucky in the sense that I do get time off from work which allows me a chance to take stock as it were and to try at least to rediscover a sense of life’s preciousness. I appreciate that not everyone finds themselves in a position where they can afford a few days off let alone a proper holiday. This is all the more reason I believe we should try to create a little space each day in which we try to reflect upon and to capture a sense of the true value and wonder of our own being.

Catch the programme online