Mornings with Radio Maria – Lenten Reflections

Mornings with Radio Maria – Lenten Reflections

On Monday, March 13th, Lavinia Burn and Jane McBride spoke to listeners about a Lenten reflections book that they have written,  A Place for Us.  Written by two friends, former Catholic nun Lavinia Byrne and Northern Irish Protestant Jane McBride. The latest in Darton Longman and Todd’s Lent courses/books based on popular films, A Place for Us draws on the recent film version of West Side Story as a basis for reflecting on the Lenten experience of the Gospels alongside some of the key themes of this much-loved musical tale of immigration, segregation, love found and lost, betrayal, repentance, and tragedy leading to new resolve.

The course is based on five weekly sessions exploring the following themes:

• Belonging
• Otherness and Difference
• The Gift of Love
• The Promise of a Place for Us
• The Tragedy of Betrayal

For each session, preparatory material including a Gospel reading is provided for the reader to reflect on the themes before meeting with a study group. Resources are then offered for the group, including a suggested film clip, discussion points and questions, exercises, a Psalm, and a poem by Phil Lane.

Lavinia Byrne is the author of many books including Woman at the Altar and The Journey is My Home. She worked at the Institute of Spirituality at Heythrop College and taught ordinands as a tutor at Westcott House, Cambridge. She broadcast regularly as a Catholic contributor to Radio 4’s Thought for the Day and the Daily Service. Lavinia now lives in retirement in Wells, Somerset.
Jane McBride was born in Northern Ireland. She lives in Belgium where she works as a conference interpreter for the European Commission and Parliament. She is also studying at Leuven University for a doctorate in feminist practical theology, telling the stories of missionary women. Brought up in the Church of Ireland, Jane is now a member of the Episcopal Church.

Please listen to the podcast below: