Who Do You Say I Am?

Weekly Reflection: 24th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year B

2006-09-16T18:32:00.000+09:30

Reading References:

1st Reading: Isaiah 50:5-9
Psalm: Ps 114:1-6.8-9. R v 9
2nd Reading: James 2:14-18
Gospel: Mark 8:27-35

The most fundamental question any person who claims to be a Christian and a person of faith can ask themselves is the question Jesus asks each of us today: “Who do you say I am?”

Do we consider Jesus to be our way, our truth and our life? Do our decisions, our choices and our actions give evidence to this belief?

Perhaps the Christian journey when it is truly lived is the most difficult journey we can possibly undertake. It requires faith that no matter what or how bad things may seem that ultimately somewhere beyond our own knowledge things will be OK. What this journey requires of us to do though is to love. Our human condition and tendencies get in the way of this loving almost daily. But the key is faith – faith in Jesus.

How many of us retaliate when we are hurt or when we are betrayed or when we wrongly judged either as individuals or as a collective? We can lash out with revenge and other responses that have nothing to do with love. But we can have a sense of justification about what we are doing because it shows that I/we won’t be stepped or wronged by anyone. Sound familiar? Often then the boundaries can become so blurred that all sorts of atrocities can result, leaving people asking the question: How could that have happened?

Faith in Jesus calls us to persevere through the hurts and suffering and to keep loving, and to keep doing the truth in love. For those who have been in a situation where deep hurt has occurred they will know the great difficulty in trying to love through these times. But those who have been able to remain loving will know the rewards of doing so. Not a reward that is felt or even really known. But the reward is knowing that you have done your best to remain faithful to love – this may not feel wonderful but it will feel right.

But how will this “remaining faithful to love” make any sense to someone who doesn’t believe in Jesus – who doesn’t believe in a God who is love – who doesn’t believe in something beyond ourselves?

When we can hear Jesus asking us the question who do you say I am and we have the courage to explore an answer and be open to the mystery beyond ourselves we will discover the road less traveled but it will be a road of remarkable discoveries and awakened awareness.

Faith is often confused with religious practice. So often in our faith journey we seek happiness and comfort which is right and good. But we have happiness and comfort confused. We seek it for ourselves – we don’t want to be burdened by anything, we don’t want to be challenged by the world around us, we don’t want to be reminded of the suffering of others – we want to be consoled by our observance to our religious practice and rituals and we want our lives to run as smoothly as possible. All we want is a happy and comfortable life regardless of how it might impact on others. This happiness and comfort comes at a cost to others and to ourselves and it is not right and it is not good.

If we are looking at Jesus and we are beginning to know who Jesus is for us then we will know that this happiness and comfort are related to our faithfulness to loving. Jesus would have hardly felt happy and comfortable on the cross but within his soul he would have experienced comfort and happiness (or in other words peace) and this would have come through his faithfulness to love.

As human beings we constantly fail in our mission to love. The great tragedy though is when we just walk away and abandon our journey to get to know Jesus because it feels just too difficult. This is why faith and perseverance go hand in hand. Any person of faith will also be a person of perseverance over and over and over again. Too often our faith is too shallow because it hasn’t been nurtured with the knowledge of who Jesus is for us.

We see this perseverance present in our psalmist today I love the Lord for he has heard the cry of my appeal………I was helpless so he saved me………He has kept my soul from death my eyes from tears and my feet from stumbling. I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.

The problem for us is that we do not like feeling helpless or dependent – we fight against it – we fight against the very essence of what will give us life. But the person of faith who knows who Jesus is for them will grow in happiness and comfort as they discover more deeply their dependence and helplessness. How strange this can sound for us but our faith calls us to believe its profound truth.

Today’s readings are a great source of hope for us. We all long for this communion with God. But along the way we can feel like failures, we can feel pathetic, we can feel like everything is beyond our reach, we can feel totally helpless and lost. It is at these times when our perseverance is critical. It is at these times when our faith is truly tested. It is at these times when we need to open our hearts to hear Jesus say to us: If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take us his cross and follow me…

WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?

Weekly Reflection: Twenty First Sunday Ordinary Time, Year B

2006-08-28T20:37:00.000+09:30

Reading References:

1st Reading: Deut 4:1-2.6-8
Psalm: Ps 14:2-5 R v 1
2nd Reading: James 1:17-18.21-22.27
Gospel: Mark7:1-8.14-15.21-23

Our readings today present us with a great challenge both as individuals and as church.

Jesus tells us that the two greatest commandments are to love God with our whole heart, our whole mind and our whole soul and to love our neighbour as ourselves. These two great commandments of our God are a concise summary of the Ten Commandments.

But how many of us honours God with lip-service by partaking in all the various rituals expected of us and yet at the same time our hearts are far from God? Our God tells us today that this worship being offered is worthless.

We must be very careful in our understanding of this text. Many of the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ time were hypocritical and Jesus’ mission in this life was to open their eyes and hearts. The leaders had created a system that gave them great power – they dictated who was “in” and who was “out” – their human regulations were oppressive and alienating for so many of their community. They followed with rigid fervor the personal and communal purity laws that they believed kept them ritually clean but at the same time the two greatest commandments of our God had been largely lost.

Our liturgical worship and some of the empowering rituals we embrace are very important for our faith journey. They speak to our hearts and nourish us on the journey. But a problem occurs when we do not see beyond the rituals – when we think the rituals are all that is required of us. Jesus is speaking very loudly to those of us that hold this attitude today.

Our sacramental practices over the past decades have fostered this false attitude in many ways and now we are seeing a church that bewilderingly ponders why young people and young families are visibly absent from our communities. Parents ring parishes up to get their children “done” with regard to baptism and then are never to be seen again in the community until they ring up again requesting to get their children “done” with regard to first Eucharist and Confirmation. Or children have received the sacraments of initiation through the school communities with little and sometimes no connection to the parish community and little or no connection to the family. What is it that we are initiating these children into? Aren’t we just acting out the ritual and removing its heart and soul when we do this? Isn’t this the hypocrisy Jesus is naming today? What message is church leadership giving when it fosters such attitudes?

We make a mockery of our sacraments of initiation when we allow such practices to continue. But these practices are imbedded into our psyche in lots of ways and it will take people who are courageous and faithful to create a change of heart and attitude and this journey will not be without its difficulties. Church Leadership and people who maintain this attitude of getting “done” need to be gently encouraged to see that getting “done” is “worthless” unless we have an understanding that we are being initiated into something extraordinarily wonderful.

How many of us believe that we are initiated into something extraordinarily wonderful? Until we can embrace this belief in our own hearts how can we inspire others? How can priests, teachers, parents, friends etc inspire those around them if they do not believe it themselves and are not passionate about their belief – it is almost impossible? How can a music teacher teach and inspire a child (or anyone) to learn an instrument and be inspired by music if they have no understanding of it and cannot play a note themselves and ultimately just don’t really care? It is the music of faith that is so deeply attractive and the challenge for the church is to bring this passion within us to life and the only real way we can do this is to live and breathe our belief and let it come to life within us so that it can come to life in others.

Why is it that so many in our congregations don’t understand this? We just don’t seem to get it. We follow the rituals while we exclude love of God and love of neighbour. What has happened in our church to create generations that just do not understand who we are and who we are called to be? But church leadership must be gentle with people, we cannot bully people - it simply doesn’t work. Our lived example will be the greatest way people will come to understand and this is the responsibility of every baptized person.

If we are honest we will recognize the “hypocrite” in our own hearts. But just as the person learning a musical instrument keeps coming back to the teacher and the instrument so as to grow and develop in their understanding and passion, so must we keep coming back to our hearts and to Jesus. If we do not do this then we will remain hypocrites and there will be little that is attractive about us.

Our baptism calls us to consciously love God and love our neighbour. As we ponder our own faith journey over the coming days and our responsibility in the journey, we might take some time to ponder the following three questions that I came across recently. They may challenge us to recognize the hypocrite within but they may also challenge us to keep coming back to the source of our very life so that we can continue to grow in faith, love and understanding. Just as an accomplished musician can inspire others through years of practice and teaching, so too our lives may inspire those around us after years of engaging our hearts and constantly coming to Jesus knowing and believing we are loved and part of something extraordinarily wonderful.

1. What have I done for Jesus?
2. What am I doing for Jesus?
3. What am I being called to do for Jesus?

Weekly Reflection: 20th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year B

2006-08-20T20:17:00.000+09:30

Reading References:

1st Reading: Proverbs 9:1-6
Psalm: Ps 33:33:2-3.10-15. R. 9
2nd Reading: Ephesians 5:15-20
Gospel: John 6:51-58

Today’s readings are very beautiful and if we allow ourselves to read deeply enough into them then we will know that they challenge us to be alert.

Our First Reading calls the ignorant and tells us to leave our folly and walk in the ways of perception. For us to do this we need to be alert – we need to respond to the call. Wisdom is always perceptive. Wisdom looks at the overall picture and wisdom always has the wellbeing of everyone at its heart. Wisdom perceives evil with daring acuteness.

Selfishness and greed on the other hand kills perception. Our consumerist mentality looks out for the well being of ones self regardless of how that might impact upon others. So for us to embrace the consumerist mentality we allow our gift of perceptiveness to be deadened. Then our lives do become folly because we are burying the very thing that can give us life and also give others life.

In our Psalm we are invited to taste and see the goodness of the Lord. How do we do this if all we are concerned about is what I want and what I need? In a TV documentary recently it was saying that young people today become bored very quickly. They want everything yesterday. They hunger for the latest technologies. They are enormous consumers. It is built on an attitude of me, myself and I.

What sense does the world make to our young when the very role models put before them have little perception of what is happening themselves? What sense can be made of a country whose residents largely support government polices that are so abusive of human rights – so forgetting of the well being of others who have been brutalized in other countries and we say to them go elsewhere – so obsessed with the economy above the well being of its citizens – so seized by fear that we allow the creation of laws that go against our democratic principles – so consumed with our own selves that we allow racism and suspicion to breed all sorts of contempt in our hearts. When we stand behind any government that behaves in such a way then we have lost our perception and our ability to taste and see the goodness around us. It is life destroying for us to bury our heads and focus on ourselves. Until we can pull our heads out of the sand we will not taste and see the goodness of the Lord. What are we really doing to our young and future generations?

Our Second Reading says: This may be a wicked age, but your lives should redeem it. What an extraordinary reminder this is of our responsibility. We have the power to redeem this age. Can we believe such a statement? But how do we do it?

Our Gospel gives us the answer. It is the Body and Blood of Jesus that will do this within us. But one wonders if there is some sense of “magic” that we can wrongly associate with the Eucharist thinking all we need do is take in the Body and Blood and all will be well. But to receive the Eucharist is to clothe ourselves in the Body of Christ – it is to become the Body of Christ – it is to be the Body of Christ. We need to ask ourselves if we simply TAKE the Eucharist or do we RECEIVE the Eucharist into the depths of our hearts. For the Body and Blood to be real for us we must RECEIVE it and PERCEIVE it in an active and knowing way. We must put on Christ. When we can do this the world will be redeemed.

This extraordinary gift we have in the Eucharist must be perceived for what it is. There is not greater gift in our world. Do we believe this?

I was exposed to a strange phenomenon recently. The statue of Fatima “toured” our Diocese last week. People from all walks of life flocked to this “statue”. People came in wheel chairs, the old and frail, the young. Many wept as the statue left their parish. Hundreds of people flocked to see this “statue”. They cued to venerate the “statue” for long periods of time. The experience was bewildering and I found it difficult to understand how a “statue” could generate such passion. I found myself thinking if only we could become as passionate about the extraordinary gift of the Eucharist. What is it in us that can become so fired up over a “statue”? I don’t understand it. Was it really an expression of faith that was being witnessed?

Until we understand the extraordinary gift of the Eucharist then we will continue to fill our lives with all sorts of diversions and distractions that go counter to what Jesus longs for us to receive.

Let us pray in the coming week that our hearts will be open to Jesus’ great gift to us and that we will come to see that the world in which we live is longing for redemption and all of us together have the power to do it if we have the courage to allow ourselves to become clothed in Christ.

Weekly Reflection: 19th Sunday Ordinary Time, Year B

2006-08-12T19:12:00.000+09:30

Reading References:

1st Reading: 1Kings 19:4-8
Psalm: Ps 33:2-9 R v. 9
2nd Reading: Ephesians 4:30-5:2
Gospel: John 6:41-51

Who is Jesus? We can come up with all the “correct” answers such as: Jesus is the God of Love, Jesus is the Son of God, Jesus is our Way, Jesus is our Truth and Jesus is our Life etc. This is all very well but Who is Jesus for you and for me - Who is Jesus for our world?

Our first reading tells us to: Get up and eat
Our second reading tells us: Follow Christ by loving as he loved you
The response to our psalm tells us to: Taste and see the goodness of the Lord
Our gospel today has Jesus saying: I am the bread of life

Surely we cannot answer the question of who is Jesus until we know Jesus. We need to get up from our sleep, from our lethargy and get to know Jesus through the Word through prayer and through all that we see happening around us and within us. For any relationship to grow we need to spend time with the person to get to know them. How many times in our lives have we met someone for the first time and we have made a negative judgment about that person only to discover that once we allow ourselves to really get to know them our opinion changes. This is a common experience.

Many people make a judgment about Jesus by their negative experiences of people who claim to know Jesus - the opinions, actions and behaviours of these people can present something very unattractive and very off putting for the onlookers and rightly so. And of course many of these onlookers think if that is what it is to believe in Jesus then, no thanks.

But the challenge for us today is to come and encounter Jesus personally. Come to know Jesus through the Word, through Prayer and through the Eucharist – taste and see the goodness of Jesus through the experience of your own heart. When we can do this then we will be able to begin to answer this profound question of Who is Jesus – we will begin to see Jesus’ presence in those around us and we will begin to recognize what is and isn’t of Jesus. If our eyes and hearts are opened there is much goodness to see and taste.

This personal relationship with Jesus is filled with mystery. We cannot attempt to predict where it may lead us. We will need to let go of our control on our lives and be open to the inspiration of the Spirit in our hearts. This relationship will take us on a journey of discovery that sometimes will be fearful and confronting, sometimes overwhelming, sometimes exhausting and exasperating, but it will always be filled with Love.

There is something profoundly mysterious present when watching people discover this relationship with Jesus. We see it with children preparing for the sacraments, their excitement, their innocence, their openness, their freedom of expression – if only we could harness this for the entire journey of life!

But we are deeply influenced by those around us. A number of parents could relate to their children coming to the awareness that it is not “cool” to be seen holding your mother or fathers hand in public or showing any other sign of affection publicly. Often as parents we laugh it off but in reality it is a tragic moment for us. It is the beginning of allowing others to dictate how we will behave. The children may still want to hold their parents hand but they give into peer pressure so as to avoid being humiliated. And as parents more often than not we also just accept this sad transition with very little resistance – we say: Oh well, that’s life while within our hearts there is a deep sadness.

I suspect our faith has become somewhat similar to the above in that we are influenced by those around us. Our individualistic culture sees little point in religious practice. Besides youth it is young families that are largely absent from the Sunday Eucharist. The excuse given is the busyness of our lives but is this really the reason? Individualism is in total contrast to Christianity. To believe in Jesus is to be in communion with those around you and to be in communion with Jesus/God. Christianity calls us to community – it calls us to love our neighbour – it calls us to love our God.

We have a world whose heart is aching. There is an epidemic of loneliness. There is an epidemic of fear. There is an epidemic of despair. We hunger for what Jesus is offering us today but we do not know what to do. So we just keep going with the flow and now everything seems to be spiraling out of control. We feel powerless to stop it. But we are not powerless to stop it. If we could only discover the power within us, if we could only discover what Jesus if offering us. But we keep turning our backs on what we hunger for most, just as the child stops holding the parents hand but deep down doesn’t want to.

Our belief in Jesus is critically important for our world. If people can see Christianity authentically being lived then there is nothing more contagious or powerful in our world. People will then find the courage to break the cycle that shatters their hearts and they will turn their backs on what disengages their hearts.

Jesus says to us today that he is the bread of life – he is the food we need for this journey. If we take the time to discover who Jesus is then we will have discovered this truth and our belief in Jesus will give us the courage to listen to our hearts and reject all that separates us from our deepest hunger and desire.

Let’s pray in the coming week for the DESIRE to know Jesus and what the Spirit is offering us.

Weekly Reflection: Transfiguration of the Lord, Year B

2006-08-01T19:23:00.000+09:30

Reading References:

1st Reading: Daniel 7:9-10.13-14
Psalm: Ps 96:1-2.5-6.9.R. vv.1.9.
2nd Reading: Peter 1:16-19
Gospel: Mark 9:2-10

Peter, James and John respond to Jesus’ invitation to take off to that place of prayer (the high mountain) so that they could be alone. But something remarkable happened on this mountain – they saw Jesus in a way they had never seen him before, in a way that was mysterious and covered in cloud and shadow. What they saw frightened them and left them not knowing what to say. This experience at this time was something they didn’t understand but they knew it was something beyond human experience.

They saw the person of Jesus intimately connected with the Law and the prophetic tradition through the presence of Elijah and Moses. But then it was only Jesus who was present - Jesus was the fulfillment of all that had gone before them. But they still didn’t understand what they had experienced.

As I write this today it is the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatius believed totally in daily self reflection in the company of the Trinity. Daily reflection on the life lived and experienced was a non negotiable for Ignatius and his followers. He saw it as critically important in the faith journey.

When we look at our Gospel today we can understand why daily reflection is so important. These three disciples (and the rest of them) didn’t get who Jesus was until well after his death. They didn’t understand what had happened at the transfiguration. They didn’t understand what was happening as they witnessed Jesus’ life. They didn’t understand what was happening at the crucifixion. But they kept pondering their experiences over and over - if they didn’t we simply wouldn’t have the New Testament.

So what do we learn from this?

Every human life is filled with experiences from when we get up until we go to sleep and even in our sleep we experience our dreams. What do we do with these experiences?

Mostly we ignore them and then we forget them. Even the profound moments that come into our lives, we can shut the depth of their meaning out. We might have gone through a depression – do we take the time to ponder the meaning of this depression in my life or do I just think: thank God that is over and then fill our lives with all sorts of other distractions and then wonder why down the track I fall into another bout of depression?

I might have experienced walking with a loved one who has been sick and has died. Do I sit back and reflect upon the experience or is it too difficult to re enter this painful period, so we try and shut it out hoping it will go away.

I might have experienced a deep hurt. Do I ponder the experience considering my own reactions and responses to the hurt or do I totally throw blame on those who hurt me without any self reflection? So I become the victim in life and I go from one lot of blaming to the next without any examination of my own heart.

I might have deeply hurt someone myself. Do I take the time reflect upon my behaviour (even if it is down the track from the experience) so as to be confronted with what I have done. Or do I just keep running away from this self disclosure because it s too painful?

There are numerous life experiences that we all have. Many of these experiences are profoundly mysterious. Sadly many of them become buried and we lose the richness these experiences can offer us. Not only this but we now have multi million dollar industries offering all sorts of therapies etc to help people cope with the results of their non reflective lives.

Someone once said that a non reflective life is a life not worth living. It might be more accurate to say that a non reflective life is a life not lived – it is life rejected.

Jesus invites each of us to this holy mountain today. It might be shrouded in mystery – we may not have much of an idea who Jesus is yet – we may be confused by the experiences of life and feel lost – but Jesus says to us today to come with him. To trust him. To have faith in him. To keep thinking about our experiences but to do this with Jesus at our sides.

When we have the courage to come to the mountain with Jesus then we too may see something beyond our imagining. When we truly see Jesus transfigured (see Jesus as he truly is) then the life that Jesus offers us will begin.

A large part of the problem is that we really don’t see who Jesus is. Jesus can become our own creation – a feel safe, feel good guy that we call upon when it suits us, and we try and mould Jesus to be what we want him to be. If we truly believed in Jesus we too would not know what to say, we would be frightened, but we would hear God saying to us: Listen to him. And even in all our blindness and ignorance all we would truly want would be to Listen to Jesus – we would hunger for Jesus – not the Jesus of our own making, but the Jesus who stands before us as mystery. Can we accept such a mystery?

We, the Body of Christ must also be transformed just as Jesus was transformed – but this cannot happen until we come to this mountain in all humility. Then the horrors our world is currently experiencing may begin to fade and the light will truly shine in the darkness.

In the coming week let us pray for the desire and will to come to the mountain that Jesus invites us too so that we may encounter the true mystery before us and then ponder for a life time its meaning for ourselves and the whole of creation.

Weekly Reflection: Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B

2006-07-24T13:00:00.000+09:30

Reading References:

1st Reading: Kings 4:42-44
Psalm: Ps 144:10-11.15-18, R v 16
2nd Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6
Gospel: John 6:1-15

In our readings today we are called to trust our God – to trust unreservedly. How difficult this can be for us. We allow our fears of failure, our fear of making a mistake, our fear of how we might be perceived by others, our fear ridicule, and our fear of looking like an idiot etc to dominate our lives. This fear can retard the possibility of so much good.

In our gospel the disciples must have felt a great awkwardness as Jesus entertained the thought of feeding so many people with what seemed virtually nothing. They must have wanted to say to him: are you blind, can’t you see that what you are planning is simply not possible? But however they may have felt they stayed with Jesus in a situation that logically seemed impossible. How must the disciples felt and what would they have thought as they were picking up the baskets of bread left over?

We can reject so much in our lives because of fear. If we look at our lives and see where perhaps we have embraced the fear we may have felt and then see how much growth and good came from this decision to move beyond the fear then surely we too will be amazed. But we must take that initial step to move beyond our fears.

How many times have we had an idea or thought and rejected it because it seemed like it was impossible. We can think of people like Pope John XXIII who had the courage and vision to implement the Second Vatican Council in the face of great opposition and surprise. He saw the need for reform and he trusted God.

We think of all the people who have stood up against the common opinion in order to be faithful to a truth. There have been many great theologians and political leaders who endured the wrath of church and state leadership when they dared to speak out and put forward a truth that was counter to popular belief.

So many of these people who took the risk and went beyond their fears broke open a deeper truth that enlightened our human hearts. Their courage fed the hearts of the multitudes beyond imagining. All the great reforms in our human history were brought about by people who never gave into their fears and took risks regardless of how this risk would impact on them personally.

Jesus invites all who believe in him to work with him and feed the hearts and souls of those around us. When we are faithful to love and all that love entails then what seems impossible will become possible – what seems like scarcity will become abundance. But we must trust our God. We make a mistake though if we look for this abundance in our life time. Many of the great reformers in human history went through enormous horrors and suffering and even death (look at Jesus and many others) before the abundance was known. The challenge for us is to keep loving – to keep trusting.

There are many who fear for the future of the church at this point in our history. Many are walking away from what they call a sinking ship. These people are not looking at Jesus. They do not believe that out of this scarcity will come abundance. One of the greatest mistakes the church leadership has made over the centuries was to become entirely clerical in its authority – the people of God were merely onlookers – onlookers upon what they were not – holy. It is a shameful system and a system which is in the midst of breaking down – and break down it must if new life is to emerge within the Church.

We stress about the lack of clerical vocations. We stress about the drop off of numbers at Sunday Eucharist. We run the few remaining priests we have into the ground by placing greater demands on them in all sorts of areas. We try and import priests from cultures that are totally different to our own. We amalgamate parishes to keep accommodating the clerical system and it goes on. Our focus is being kept on a clerical system that is dying in its present form – we are not seeing the reality before us. We are a bit like Philip when he asks “Where can we buy some bread for these people to eat? Or we are a bit like Andrew when he says: “There is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that between so many?” We are acting out these questions: There isn’t anywhere to buy bread and what we have isn’t enough anyway. We are not looking at Jesus – we are not trusting Jesus. We are locked into our closed world and our own limitations with rigid arrogance.

What we must do is let go of the power, let go of the fear – we must begin to trust the Spirit that is leading us and then perhaps we will learn to be amazed instead of being driven to despair by our own blindness. Can we dare to imagine that something else may be possible and do we dare to trust (as John XXIII did and a multitude of others) the Spirit to lead us into the abundance and surprise that awaits all of us?

Weekly Reflection: Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B

2006-07-23T12:37:00.000+09:30

Reading References

1st Reading: Jeremiah 231-6
Psalm: Ps 22 R v 2
2nd Reading: Ephesians 2:13-18
Gospel: Mark 6:30-34

Today’s readings are filled with promise – a promise that will be fulfilled if we keep our eyes on Jesus and our hearts open to Jesus. We are promised that Jesus will always shepherd us. We are promised that through the cross peace will be restored.

Our gospel shows the energy present in the disciples as they had gone out and preached what Jesus was teaching them. But Jesus knew this energy needed to be nurtured – he knew that he was the one to nurture them and makes it very clear that they needed time to reflect upon what had happened to them and those around them on this journey of mission. This journey of mission brought them back to Jesus.

But in the midst of all this we see the attraction that this small group of people had mustered. People “hurried” to follow them. There is a sense of desperation present on the part of the people – they do not want to lose this opportunity and they drop everything to get a glimpse of the mystery before them.

Jesus also senses this and even though he had planned to spend time with his disciples he responds with great compassion to the crowd. He sees their desperation – he sees that they are lost – re recognizes they have no one to lead them to what their hearts are longing for.

How do we read all this today?

The disciples believed in Jesus even though they continually failed and didn’t yet understand what was before them. It was their belief that kept bringing them back to Jesus. Where is this belief present in our world today? Our world needs desperately people who believe in Jesus – every Christian person is called to be a disciple of Christ.

Yet we have world leaders that proclaim a belief in Jesus while at the same time they are the ones who continue to crucify love – they are crucifying Jesus over and over again in the name of seeking democracy and peace. We have a world that has over one billion people proclaiming to be believe in Jesus and yet this collective voice is deafeningly silent in the name of love.

Where are the shepherds today?

Even the church leadership while it has pockets of people in leadership that dare to speak out about the atrocities our world currently faces, there are many who remain silent. This silence is a total abdication of the shepherding role our church and political leaders are called to give. It is nothing short of shameful.

But the shamefulness of it cannot end there. Every person who proclaims a belief in Jesus has a responsibility to name evil for what it is and to do all in their lives to act against it. This call to discipleship will leave us at times with an enormous sense of powerlessness and helplessness but none the less we must keep on loving. It is these people who can truly love in their lives that will shepherd us.

It was this loving that was so deeply attractive to those who truly followed Jesus and it is this loving that brings hope to our world today – but it is the responsibility of every person who proclaims a belief in Jesus.

In a world that has become so subjective and dependent on self reliance this call can seem impossible. And of course it is impossible if we do not keep our focus on Jesus. This is why the world needs people who truly believe in Jesus because they will help us see what is truly possible when we do believe - they are our shepherds along with Jesus.

When we become so consumed with ourselves we will almost certainly lose sight of the vision Jesus lived and showed us. When ever we lose the vision we can be assured we are in deep trouble. This lost vision is present in all parts of our world including the church.

We all must reclaim this vision. The longer we sit on our hands and silence our hearts we will continue to spiral out of control – and we will continue to be bewildered by a world that seems to have gone mad.

Let us pray in the coming week that we will have the courage to “hurry” to see Jesus so that the shepherds will be more visible in our world and our hearts then will open the hearts of the world to see what it is to live out our belief in Jesus.

Weekly Reflection: 15th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B

2006-07-16T19:16:00.000+09:30

Reading References

1st Reading: Amos 7:12-15
Psalm: Ps 84:9-14. R. v. 8
2nd Reading: Ephesians 1:3-14
Gospel: Mark 6:7-13

Who really wants to hear the word of God? How many among us already think we know what God is saying and shut our minds and hearts to God’s word? Are we like Amaziah in our first reading who just wants Amos to go back where he came from and is closed to hearing the word?

God speaks to us in our every day lives through various events but particularly through others. Too often we think if we follow formulas and laws (such as Amaziah) then that is what God is asking of us. When we do this we become static and faith in Jesus is anything but static.

We can follow all the right formulas and laws and at the same time behave appallingly towards each other and we often don’t seem to make the connection.

And yet in spite of our broken behaviour and our blindness our God continues to love us and to have mercy on us – God “chose us in Christ” and continues choosing us every moment of every day. Isn’t this truly extraordinary?

Jesus is our key. It is Jesus who sends us out to each other. It is Jesus who calls us to mission. It is Jesus in whom we must trust. It is Jesus who is our prayer.

In our Gospel today we hear those universally known words: “shake the dust from under your feet as a sign to them.” I suspect that this statement is somewhat misunderstood in our modern world. Love that is real and true will never force itself upon another, but at the same time it will never stop loving. But in today’s world we can twist it to mean things such as the following: if a relationship breaks down such as a marriage or a friendship or a working relationship etc then we often hear the words said: I wiped the dust off my feet. But at the same time our behaviour and attitudes are filled with bitterness and often revenge and a whole cycle of hurt and resentment is kept alive.

Sometimes there are circumstances in relationships where it is important to walk away for many reasons. But so often when we do walk away we walk away with bitterness in our hearts and we act out that bitterness. We set out to hurt the other person/s by whatever means possible. We want to hurt them because they have hurt us. We can engage in the most dreadful behaviour because we are consumed with revenge and retaliation.

But this is not what this phrase is saying to us today. It is saying to walk away when it is necessary but to keep loving. To not let our hearts be poisoned by what has happened. Now anyone who has been very hurt or rejected will know just how difficult this can be, but this is what is being asked of us today. It is saying do not let any of the contamination of the breakdown of the relationship stay with you – leave it all behind. But the pain can be so intense and it is here where we must turn to Jesus because we simply cannot do it on our own.

The world in which we live gives great evidence to this. A world that is consumed with the self and its own self importance and self reliance. We so openly accept the attitude of revenge “get even” and it breeds further contempt and now we see it all around us. This surely alerts us to a world that has lost its way. It has stopped listening to the prophets in its midst and it certainly isn’t listening to Jesus.

Who of us has the courage to break this destructive cycle? We must begin with our own hearts and we must turn to Jesus. With many of us there will be a great struggle but if we truly listen to our hearts we will be carried through it. We may think all sorts of negative thoughts but if we let Jesus walk with us we will not act upon these negative thoughts and feelings. It is not the thoughts that do the damage it is the acting upon them that creates havoc.

It is these people who have learned to listen to their hearts that are the prophets in our midst. Do we want to hear them? Do we really want to listen to Jesus?

This is the healing Jesus invites us to be part of today. Jesus makes it very clear that we will have to trust him and that we will have to let go of all that we have relied on or held onto in the past. We are entering into mysterious territory that goes way beyond our own knowledge or understanding – this is the place where all we can do is trust in Jesus. But to trust him we must let our hearts know him and listen to him – do we want such a journey?

In the coming week let us pray for the grace to truly believe in Jesus and all that is being offered to us today.

Weekly Reflection: Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

2006-07-05T09:57:00.000+09:30

Reading References:

First Reading: Ezekiel 2:2-5
Psalm: Ps 122. R. v. 2
Second Reading: 2Cor.12:7-10
Gospel: Mark 6:1-6

In last weeks gospel we saw the faith of two people (the synagogue official and the woman with the hemorrhage) and how this faith brought them to life in one form or another.

This week we see God sending Ezekiel to tell the rebelling Israelites, the chosen people whom God has a Covenant relationship with, that there is a prophet amongst them.

The Psalmist (and the community) cries out for mercy as they keep their gaze fixed on God.

Paul finds the strength of God within his own “weakness” after hearing God’s words: “My grace is enough for you: my power is at its best in weakness” and then Paul’s prayer became “For it is when I am weak that I am strong.”

Then Jesus in his home town is rejected. Those in the synagogue were astonished by his teaching and the wisdom granted him and the miracles that were worked through him, but they would not accept him because he was too familiar to them. Then we hear that Jesus “was amazed at their lack of faith.”

What does all this say to us today?

Paul will help us answer this question. Who amongst us wants to feel weak, afraid, insulted, confused, persecuted etc? The right assumption would be: very, very few of us. So we spend a lot of our lives trying to ensure that this doesn’t happen. We don’t rock the boat with our thoughts because we don’t want to be rejected... We go against what we hear our heart saying so as to protect ourselves from ridicule. We tow the party line so as to feel safe. We spend much of our lives and we put a lot of time and energy into playing it safe. We do this to keep our own egos intact and well inflated.

Perhaps it is not until our egos take a bit of a hammering that we might understand what Paul is saying to us. Paul was persecuting the Christians with a passion. He wanted them destroyed. But he kept being confronted with the beauty and courage of these Christian people until he could no longer resist what his heart was saying to him. He then had the courage to LOOK AT JESUS and he had a powerful conversion experience.

This turned everything he believed upside down. His ego would have been shattered. He was then treated with suspicion by the Christian community that he had been so openly persecuting. He would have been rejected by the Pharisees of which he was one prior to this profound experience. The only person that could sustain him through this suffering was Jesus. It was here that he learned to trust Jesus and let go of his own ego.

So often when we hit a crisis in our lives, when we are struck by our own weaknesses or our own powerlessness we can be taken to new depths of faith if we have the courage to allow ourselves to be taken into this mysterious journey.

But for those in our Gospel today who rejected Jesus, they could not dare this journey. They couldn’t dare face the implications of what it meant to have “God” in their midst. This would have demanded all sorts of changes that they refused to face.

We must ask ourselves if we see and recognize Jesus in our midst. When we do recognize Jesus, our lives will change – they must change. If they do not change then we can be assured that we have not recognized Jesus in our midst – we have probably recognized something that has done little more than boost our own egos even further. We are not talking about feeling good about ourselves – this purely individualistic relationship between me and God. Many who think they have experienced Jesus speak of the “feeling” of being loved by Jesus and “feeling” so happy, and “feeling” so alive in a “me and God” sense... But unless these “feelings” have brought us to a deeper faith and a deeper communion with Jesus and with humanity and a diminishing of our own egos, then we have in all likelihood miss read the experience.

Many of the Pentecostal churches today preach what a good thing it is to acquire personal wealth - Jesus wants us to be comfortable – Jesus wants us to achieve – Jesus wants us to be happy – Jesus wants us to ambitious etc. How do we preach this Jesus to the multitudes who are dying of starvation in our world? How do we preach this Jesus to the millions who are held in refugee camps and have been there for years? How do we preach this Jesus to those living with poverty and who are oppressed by the wealthy and comfortable? How do we preach this Jesus to our indigenous communities world wide that battle with oppression and racism and all its ugly offshoots? If we believe in a theology that puts one persons well being above that of another then we too have rejected Jesus.

In the coming week we need to examine our lives to see where “we play it safe” – where we put our energies into protecting our egos – where we perhaps reject Jesus. Let us pray that when we do meet Jesus and our own blindness is revealed to us, that we will have the courage of Paul and be able to pray along with him “For it is when I am weak that I am strong.”

Weekly Reflection: Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

2006-06-28T10:14:00.000+09:30

Reading References:

First Reading: Wis. 1:13-15,2:23-24
Psalm: Ps 29:2.4-6.11-13. R.v. 2
Second Reading: 2 Cor. 8:7,9,13-15;
Gospel: Mark 5:21-43

Up to this point in Mark’s Gospel we have seen a series of parables, miracle stories and various teachings of Jesus and back in Chapter 3 we see the Pharisees and Herodians already conspiring to destroy him. He has turned their self righteousness on it head and exposed its meaninglessness.

But today we see the “synagogue official” asking Jesus to “lay your hands on her” because she was very sick – his daughter was at the point of dying and Jairus was going to pull out all stops to try and save her – he would try anything.

The woman with the hemorrhage however wouldn’t dare touch him because the nature of her illness made her ritually unclean, but she believed “If I can touch even his clothes” that she would be well again. This woman’s life had been almost destroyed – she was alienated from her community, she had endured incredible suffering and had spent all she had in an attempt to be “well again.” It was clear that all she wanted was life – nothing else mattered.

As an aside for a moment it is a source of great curiosity as to why in the Sunday Missal the story of the woman with a hemorrhage can be excluded to accommodate a shorter version of the reading. It is surely the intention of the author that these stories go together?

What this story indicates to us is our ultimate desire for life. Jairus would have known the contempt many in the synagogue had for Jesus but his desire for life for his child overrode all that. Likewise with the woman, all she wanted was life itself. But for both of them it was FAITH that was going to be the key.

Jairus would have been considered a leader and a leader of importance in his community. The woman with the hemorrhage was an outcast in that same community.

Both of these people came to Jesus wanting LIFE. But as we see with Jairus’ daughter, the life that Jesus offers goes beyond death.

This raises two questions for reflection:

· Do we believe that Jesus is the source of our life and if so how does our life reflect this belief?
· Who are we to exclude anyone from our communities?

Both people in our gospel today are at desperation point – their lives are in crisis – that fine line between life and death. Jesus tells Jairus “Do not be afraid; only have faith.” But the woman who had been shunned by her community already had faith.

Jesus is not interested in the games of who is “in” and who is “out” that we seem to put a lot of energy into playing. In itself it is a most sinful practice, but we all seem to do it in some form. We judge certain things to be sin that are not and we judge the sin of others to be somehow worse than our own. We are often so blind to our own sinfulness – so therefore how can we possibly judge the sins of others. None of us are worthy to come to Jesus (“Lord, I am not worthy to receive you”) and yet Jesus welcomes EVERY HUMAN BEING regardless of who they are – we must pray for the courage to do the same.

Do we really understand the LIFE that Jesus is offering each of us in today’s Gospel? It is a life that will be given us in faith. It is not a life that we will KNOW in this life we currently live but we will experience minute glimpses of it. Do we put all our faith and energies into this promised life or do we seek out something more certain in this life. Do we seek out our own comforts, our own ambitions, our own standing in the community, our own crucifying judgments, our own self righteousness, our own black and white laws that help us feel more certain in this life? -and the list goes on and on. If we have allowed the scriptures to truly touch our hearts then we will know the absolute futility of this way of being.

Both Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage CAME TO JESUS – so must we. They experienced fear – so will we. We must be courageous enough to break through all our barriers and come to him. Hiding behind laws that alienate and hiding behind our own self importance have nothing to do with COMING TO JESUS. We come to Jesus through humble prayer. Yet this prayer of communion can be such a struggle for all of us - but it is really the only way we can come to know Jesus.

Let us pray for the courage in the coming week to break through our own barriers so that we can come to Jesus and hear him say to us “My daughter, your faith has restored you to health; go in peace and be free from your complaint” OR “Do not be afraid; only have faith.”

No Weekly Reflection for Twelfth Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year B

2006-06-20T12:16:00.000+09:30

Reflections will resume next week for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B.

Apologies for any inconvenience.

Blessings,

Annemarie

Weekly Reflection: Trinity Sunday, Year B

2006-06-07T09:04:00.000+09:30

Reading References

First Reading: Deut. 4:32-34.39-40
Psalm: Ps 32:4-6.9.18-20.22. R. v. 12
Second Reading: Romans 8:14-17
Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20

The instruction from Jesus in today’s gospel is very clear: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations;……”

This very beautiful feast of the Trinity in the Church is most simply put as the communion of Love. This great mystery holds EVERYTHING in its embrace and draws everything to itself. As Paul says: we are the children of God therefore we are also the heirs of God. We are part of the Trinity.

When we look back over the history of the Church (and it is very important to do so in order to move forward) we can see that many aspects of this great mystery of the Trinity have been rejected or lost and it seems very evident that now we are dealing with the fall out of a hierarchical institution that over the centuries has become highly dysfunctional in many areas.

Some of the errors were confronted in Vatican 11 but we have a long way to go in a rapidly changing world. Perhaps the greatest gift of Vatican 11 was that the whole “people of God” were openly recognized in a way they had not been in the past. It was finally recognized that the “faithful” were not just bystanders we were active participants – we were part of this Trinitarian mystery.

Some have caught on to this liberating insight but others sadly haven’t. So we have a Church that is torn. We see increasing divisions, increasing frustration, increasing despair, increasing aggravation, increasing resistance etc right across the board from clergy to the faithful.

Difference will always be a part of the Church and necessarily so. But when that difference becomes divisive and when it generates ongoing hostility and contempt for each other or when people just walk away in disgust or bewilderment then we must all step back and take a good look at what is happening.

The days are gone when the “faithful” will be dictated to on mass as they could be in the past. Theological education is no longer the sole privilege of the clerical system and this has been liberating for many people and brought with it a whole new level of wisdom. The “faithful” are questioning the institution of the Church in a way they have never been able to do in the past – well not as openly as is possible in our time and still remaining part of the Church.

We live in exciting but uncertain times. Times of change. Times of questioning. Times of “hesitation”. Times of turmoil. Times of fear. Times of enormous creativity. Times of new frontiers. Times of new beginnings. But with all of this we must not forget that we also live in the time of the Spirit. Today’s feast reminds us that all of creation is being drawn into this communion of Love. However bad we might judge things to be, this is our ultimate belief and our ultimate reality. When we can truly believe this we will be able to endure the suffering knowing that the Spirit is at the heart of everything.

However hurtful we might find being part of the Church at the moment and for whatever reason, we must pray to never take our eyes off the Spirit knowing this Spirit is drawing us into the communion of Love. This is the key for all of us.

The hierarchical structure of the church which can be a source of enormous frustration and suffering for many and for many reasons, is only one very small part of the Church. The “people of God” are where we should begin when we associate ourselves with Church. This communion of Love drives us to care and support each other in our every day lives. Jesus says to ALL OF US today “make disciples of all the nations.” Surely we must begin at our own back door – our own family and friends, our neighbours, our work places and our wider world. If we cut ourselves off from Church because of one small part of it, then perhaps we need to re examine our understanding of Church.

Perhaps some reading this may think: Well that’s all very well to say but this “small part of the church” has total power and authority. When we think like this we underestimate the power of our own Loving. If the whole “people of God” embraced what is in our readings today, I ask you to consider: Where would the power and the authority be then?

To make disciples of all the nations we must live what we believe. We must be attractive – in other words we must LIVE LOVE. The greatest teacher is our lived example not bombarding people with empty words filled with self righteousness and condemnation. The example of our lives is what will “make disciples”. The whole Church (and this includes the hierarchy) must know this – we must live this.

Let’s pray in the coming week that this Trinitarian Communion of Love will turn our despair into hope, our frustrations into missionary energy and our fears into Loving so that the mystery of the Trinity will be revealed to the whole people of God.

Weekly Reflection: Pentecost Sunday, Year B

2006-05-31T09:23:00.000+09:30

Reading References

First Reading: Acts 2:1-11
Psalm: Ps 103:1.24.29-31.34. r. V. 30
Second Reading: Corinthians 12:3-7.12-13
Gospel: John 20:19-23

The response to our Psalm today proclaims: “Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.”

If we ponder the crucifix and watch Jesus so cruelly hanging on the cross and we recall the story that brought him to that hideous execution, what do we think?

Perhaps we wonder how the people around him were so stupid not to recognize who he was.
Perhaps we wonder how people could have let this happen.
Perhaps we judge harshly the actions of the executors and those who called for the execution.
Perhaps we look at the crucifixion and just don’t understand it and walk away.
Perhaps you wonder what you would have done had you been there.
Perhaps we wonder why Jesus allowed the situation to come to this.
Perhaps we blame Jesus for putting himself in this situation.
Perhaps we wonder what it might have been like to be there watching Jesus die etc etc.

If we wonder what it might have been like to be there watching Jesus die then we only have to look at parts of our world and our own country today and watch the crucifixions that are happening all around us and ask ourselves what do we think as we see love being crucified all around us.

What do you think as one country invades another killing thousands of its civilian population all in the name of a lie that was then diverted to bringing democracy to that country?

“Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.”

What do you think as our countries immigration policy now wants to process all boat arriving asylum seekers and refugees off shore even if they land in Australia causing further potential physical and mental suffering and even possible death through suicide for those seeking refuge?

“Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.”

What do you think of our country Australia as we watch many of our Indigenous peoples so totally broken and cast out that in some areas we are seeing shocking examples of abuse of women and children, of substance abuse, of unemployment, of suicide, of high rates of incarceration, of sheer hopelessness and aimlessness?

“Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.”

What do you think as you read of the two recent mountain climbers climbing Mt. Everest – one thought to be dead and wasn’t and the other left to die as several others past him so that they could claim they had conquered the mountain – not one of them stayed with him or attempted to help him? Their own ambition took priority over the well being of another human being. [To read this story of the mountain climbers go here].

“Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.”

What do you think as so many countries spend billions of dollars on defense while millions of people die of poverty related causes?

“Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.”

What do you think of governments and corporations that put the economic well being of the country and their own pockets as a priority regardless of the impact it has upon its citizens and what do you think of those that just allow this to happen?

“Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.”

What do you think as you watch the earth being raped by us of its natural resources for economic gain – leaving a legacy of destruction for coming generations?

“Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.”

What do you think as you watch the apathy of the people around you and confront your own apathy?

“Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.”

What do you think as you give most of your time and energy to work so that you can give yourself and your family the material needs you think they want and need while spending less and less time with them?

“Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.”

What do you think as you watch suicide rates increase, as you watch substance abuse increase, as you watch crime rates increase?

“Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth.”

Pentecost is often referred to as the birthday of the Church. We the Church then are “sent” to “renew the face of the earth” and in the words of the Gospel Acclamation “Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful; and kindle in them the fire of your love.” Anything less than this is a distortion of what it is to be Church.

We cannot renew the face of the earth by locking ourselves in church buildings once a week and shutting ourselves off from the world chasing our own selfish needs and wants and what makes us FEEL good about ourselves. To be Church demands of us to ask the hard questions – not run away from them. It demands that we stop, we look at Jesus and we love with Jesus’ heart present in us, and from there we go out and we attempt to make a difference.

The mountain climbers in the article above in many ways reflect what our world is becoming – they justify what they did through economic rationalism and self centred ambition however implicit that rationalism may have been or how it impacted on the life or lives of those around them. The shocking focus on themselves above all else has many lessons to teach us. If we are truthful with our own hearts we will see part of them in ourselves – the circumstances may be different but the parallels are very evident. We must not let ourselves be fooled otherwise.

So how do we celebrate Pentecost? We celebrate Pentecost because we know God is merciful and all forgiving. But to truly celebrate Pentecost we must ask Jesus the God of Love in our prayer to kindle in our hearts the fire of love being offered to each of us today and everyday. When we can truly pray this prayer with real and truthful desire then we can be assured that the Spirit is resting gently upon us and guiding us to renew the face of the earth. It is here where our Pentecost journey begins.

Weekly Reflection: The Ascension of the Lord, Year B

2006-05-24T10:06:00.000+09:30

Reading References

First Reading: Acts 1:1-11
Psalm: Ps 46:2-3.6-9. R. v. 6
Second Reading: Ephesians 1:17-23
Gospel: Mark 16:15-20

In Ephesians, Paul prays that God will “give you a spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed, to bring you to full knowledge him….. and may he enlighten the eyes of your mind…...”

Too often we are tempted to explain this most profound mystery (and many other mysteries) called the Ascension. A belief in Jesus is born out of faith and sometimes we are tempted to give factual language to this faith and it simply cannot be done. The language may give us some revealed insight but it cannot give us a complete picture otherwise it would not be faith. Language is always extremely limited when it comes to faith.

This example may help you understand the dangers when we attempt to explain areas of faith. A couple of years ago a priest gave a homily on the Ascension. He said Jesus physically ascended upwards into the sky (implying the apostles could see it with their physical eye) just like a rocket ship goes to outer space from the earth. This attempt to explain the Ascension was an absolute insult to an intelligent mind and to our faith.

When we try to explain such an EVENT we get ourselves into all sorts of strife. What we need to do is to look for the revealed truth that lies underneath the so called EVENT. The revealed truth is that we know through faith that Jesus overcame death and his divinity was revealed – we know through faith that the life of Jesus lives within us today – we know through faith that Jesus reveals to us the God of Love, the God whom death has no power over.

The one thing in this life we can all be sure of is the certainty of our physical death. But our faith assures us that our life with Jesus will ultimately conquer death. So what we are being asked to believe – to see through the eyes of faith today, is that nothing in this life not even crucifixion can stop us from having life to its fullest with Jesus the God of Love if that is what we truly desire. It is this desire for life eternal that will drive us into the world “proclaiming the Good News to all creation.” It is this driving desire to be in communion with Love which will overcome our physical death.

Our gospel today says there are “signs that will be associated with believers”. What are these signs? The first one named in our Gospel is that in Jesus’ name “they will cast out devils.” This means that they will reject evil in their own lives and they will confront evil around them. These believers will hunger for the heart of Jesus to live within them and within others.

This does not mean that these “believers” are not capable of evil – every human being is. But it means that they are continually making the choice to Love. Just as Jesus confronted the evil around him so will those who truly believe in Jesus.

Another “sign” of a “believer” is that they will have the “gift of tongues.” At Pentecost which will be celebrated next week, we will hear that people of every nation were gathered and they heard and understood the apostles in their own language. I am not going to bye into the charismatic speaking in tongues phenomena other that to say that if what is being spoken is not understood by everyone then we must surely see its disconnection to the above experience of the apostles and the nations at Pentecost. What was at the heart of this mysterious Pentecost experience was that everyone understood.

This language that is universally understood is the language of Love and Truth. When we see Love lived it touches into the depths of our hearts and we stand before it in awe knowing it resonates deep within us – knowing there is a great mystery before us. This language of Love is the “gift of tongues.”

Another sign of a “believer” is that “they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison.” A “believer” – one who is consumed with Love and Truth, will confront their fears, and knowing Jesus is with them will be able to overcome their fears. It is not that fear and suffering will not be part of their lives, but the longing to be eternally with Jesus will drive them beyond their fears. Jesus experienced fear and sorrow and grief and anger but it never stopped him from Loving – it never stopped him wanting to be with his Father – it never stopped him living the truth in love. A “believer” will go beyond the fear even if it may mean death because in faith they know God will not desert them even if it feels as though God has.

The final sign of a “believer” in our Gospel today is “they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.” The greatest human sickness is our total reliance on our own ego – we can let it rule our lives. We become self absorbed and self obsessed. We become the centre of the universe and what I want is just about all that matters. We might have a few pangs of guilt here and there but our ego finds ways to justify our actions.

Just as Jesus’ life of truth and love touched deeply into the hearts of so many people so will the life of the one who believes in Jesus. People will be moved by their authenticity and their humility. There is nothing more powerful than to see the vision of Jesus lived and it can mirror for us what is in our hearts but often never knew it existed until we saw it lived in someone else. These “believers” will draw our attraction to Jesus and Jesus will then lead us beyond our ego centered lives.

Let us pray for the courage, the wisdom and perception to ask God to wound our hearts with the fire of Jesus’ Love so that our longing for Love will be revealed by the way in which we choose to live our lives so that others may come to know and see the Good News.

Weekly Reflection: Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year B

2006-05-15T13:41:00.000+09:30

Reading References:

First Reading: Acts 10:25-26.34-35.44-48
Psalm: Ps 97:1-4. R. v. 2
Second Reading: 1 John 4:7-10
Gospel: John 15: 9-17

Today’s readings powerfully affirm what is at the heart of Catholicism:

“God does not have favourites”
“Jewish believers ……were all astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit should be poured out on the pagans too….”
“All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”
“Love comes from God and everyone who loves is begotten by God”
“You did not choose me, no, I chose you and I commissioned you to go out….”
“What I command you is to love one another.”

I recently heard a wise catholic priest say to a number of people that his second favourite people were atheists. You could sense the somewhat confusing silence as people waited for an explanation. He went on to say that atheists have rejected, and rightfully rejected the image of God that has been presented to them. A false image that made no sense to them and so naturally they rejected it.

Let’s take a look at a few of the false images of God that we see operating around us and within us and some images that we may have grown up with, and while we listen to these images keep the phrases from our readings today that are listed above in your minds.

Growing up we were taught in our catholic schools that Catholics possessed the whole truth – if you weren’t Catholic you wouldn’t go to heaven. This was also common teaching in our parishes. “God does not have favourites”

Many of us grew up believing that priests and religious were “special” in God’s eyes – they were set apart – they were God’s “favourites”. They were called to be holy and the faithful were merely the onlookers. “God does not have favourites”

We go to war and proclaim God is on our side. We fight wars in God’s name. We kill in God’s name. We torture in God’s name. “What I command you is to love one another.”

We can treat other religions and faiths with suspicion and often consider that we have nothing to learn from their wisdom. We close our hearts and minds to the wisdom present all around us and we often do this in God’s name. “Love comes from God and everyone who loves is begotten by God”

We can limit God to the ritual of liturgical practice and think that if we abide by these laws and practices that we are somehow right with God. We choose for our children to have the sacraments of initiation “done” and in the majority of cases we have no or little sense of our responsibility for the ongoing faith journey of our children and those around us. “You did not choose me, no, I chose you and I commissioned you to go out….”

We can exclude particular people from our faith communities in God’s name – we talk about welcoming, being inclusive, all being sinners, and yet we say to the homosexual person you cannot be a full member of this community. “Love comes from God and everyone who loves is begotten by God”

We say to the married Anglican Priest who wishes to become a Catholic Priest – welcome. But we say to a Catholic Priest who wishes to marry you can no longer practice your ordained priesthood. “You did not choose me, no, I chose you and I commissioned you to go out….”

We say to the woman who feels deeply called to the priesthood – No. In God’s name the woman is told her call is not part of God’s will. But a man with the same deep call is received with open arms. “You did not choose me, no, I chose you and I commissioned you to go out….”

We go to Mass on Sunday to hear God’s word but we can resent it when the homily challenges us in some area of social justice that might conflict with the ideologies of my particular political party etc – for example the Australian governments shameful treatment and continued shameful treatment of refugees and asylum seekers coming into our country. Or we can just switch off thinking this has nothing to do with me. “What I command you is to love one another.”

The list could go on and on. But all of the above say something about our image of God. So what does that say about our own personal image of God? So often we tragically distort the image of God and of course it is not attractive and of course people turn away.

But Catholicism when it is lived is profoundly beautiful and awe inspiring – it is centered on Jesus and on Love. Some people think that those who are working for any number of these great humanitarian causes or are passionate and active in the social justice area that they are living their Catholicism even if they don’t go to Mass or have any connection with the Eucharistic community. Other people think that if they go to Mass each week and are faithful to all the rituals and practices required of them and believing that their faith is a private matter between them and God and having little to do with the wider community that they are living their Catholicism.

There is partial truth in both these attitudes but both are incomplete and somewhat distorted on their own. It’s a bit like living in a marriage where you never see or hear from your partner from one year to the next. It’s an absurd image and it will never be an example to anyone of what a good marriage might look like – it makes no sense and is not the least bit attractive.

Well like wise when we distort Catholicism and our image of God - if we only know or live half the truth and we have no interest in the other half it will be an image that makes little or no sense and it certainly won’t reveal the attractiveness of Catholicism.

Catholicism when it is lived hungers for the Eucharist and hungers for Love and hungers for the whole of creation to share this experience. For Catholicism to be attractive its fullness must be lived (however imperfectly), not just half of it.

In the coming week let’s ask Jesus for the grace to be open to the fullness of Catholicism and all its extraordinary beauty so that the belief we proclaim will become attractive and real for those around us. May we take deeply into our hearts those words of Jesus that Catholicism is built on “What I command you is to love one another.”

Weekly Reflection: Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year B

2006-05-09T18:59:00.000+09:30

Reading References:

First Reading: Acts 9:26-31
Psalm: Ps 21:26-28.30-32. R. v. 26
Second Reading: John 3:18-24
Gospel: John 15: 1-8

Yet another wonderfully challenging Gospel we are confronted with today. How we need to listen to this Gospel.

In our second reading John makes it very clear that love and truth go hand in hand. He also helps us understand that the love we are called to live is “real and active”. And he continues to tell us:

“His commandments are these: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and that we love one another as he told us to.”

In our Gospel John makes it clear that only through Jesus (through Love) can we bear much fruit. Jesus tells us that he has already made his home in us and invites us to make our home in him. When we live this invitation then we will bear much fruit (Love will blossom in our world). But failing to live this invitation we will wither and die.

So how does this speak to us today?

One of the greatest problems facing our Church today is the absence of youth and young families. Why are we not attracting them? The answer to this question is complex.

I hear so many people ask the question “Why aren’t young people and families coming to Mass now when it is the heart of our faith?” Perhaps this is the wrong question to be asking. Perhaps we should be asking “Why are we no longer attractive to the next generations?”

The celebration of the Eucharist that means so much to the older generation simply does not have the same meaning for most of the younger generation. Why is this so? What have we lost?

Let’s explore a couple of possibilities. The early church grew and spread. It found ways to keep the story of Jesus alive and it found ways to live out Jesus’ vision (certainly not perfectly but it kept trying). This conscious attempt to live out the vision was so deeply attractive that people wanted to be part of it. The truth of it touched their hearts deeply and they wanted to belong. The fruit of the vine was plentiful.

But through this, the hierarchical structure developed. In many ways the faithful were left behind. The Church became the hierarchy. Rules and laws developed which somehow became the central focus of Catholicism for the majority of the faithful. Vatican 11 attempted to shatter this and named the Church as the whole people of God. But many of the faithful struggled with this and were left with the scars that are still with us in many ways.

The sacramental life of the Church has suffered greatly. In lots of ways we have privatized our religion. We celebrate baptism in private little family and friends groups – they should be celebrated with the whole community into which this child is being initiated. We largely celebrate Confirmation and First Eucharist through our school systems. We have separate celebrations away from the whole community to celebrate these sacraments of initiation because if we celebrate them during the Sunday Eucharist many in the parish communities won’t like it and there will be too many people. By far the majority of parents see these sacraments of initiation as something that needs to be “done” with little or no concept of what they are being initiated into. Many parishioners also fall into this category. The parish community is often absent from these initiation ceremonies. We must ask ourselves what sort of sense this makes – no sense at all.

Many in the parish communities foster this highly corrupted attitude. We don’t have baptisms during Sunday Eucharist because the community don’t like being kept for another five or ten minutes. We want a forty five minute Mass and anything above this is begrudged. Then if a parish is courageous enough to hold these sacraments of initiation within Sunday Eucharist many “regular parishioners” choose to go to another mass. What does this say about our understanding of who we are?

When we begrudge celebrating with the newly initiated there is something radically wrong.

If the fully initiated are not understanding who they are and what they are being invited into then how can we expect the newly initiated to understand? Is it any wonder people walk away? Is it any wonder we are not attractive? Is it any wonder people walk in and then walk out saying the Church is not relevant to me.

We have lost so much of our story – the story of Jesus – our story, and we need to reclaim it with vision, enthusiasm and Love. The beautiful proverb that says: “A people without a vision will surely perish” is something that we must listen to today. The most powerful attraction to Christianity is to see it lived and this is the responsibility of all of us. When we live it we will bear much fruit.

Our parish leadership needs to be courageous and re engage our story so that we become visible signs of God’s love in our world – so that we can become “the heart of God on earth”. We need to allow our attitudes to be challenged and we need to challenge each other so that we can “do the truth in love”. We must cease practices that make a mockery of the truth such as our practices and attitudes to our sacraments of initiation. We must learn to constantly question our practices through the eyes of truth and love.

I am reminded here of a recent experience. I was in our National Gallery and saw this abstract painting which I couldn’t make sense of and I was ready to walk away when one of the employees of the Gallery came to me and asked if I would like to know about the painting. He was obviously passionate about the painting and its story. I listened and his passion was contagious. I was simply astounded by the clarity of the painting once I knew the story of the artist and the meaning behind his painting. It was a profound experience. It not only gave me insight into something that seemed irrelevant initially, it also spoke very loudly to my own life experience and it spoke loudly to me of the world in which we live. It spoke to me even more loudly about the Church to which we belong. I shall never forget the experience.

If we don’t know the story of why we gather for Eucharist and we don’t understand what it really is inviting us into, then of course it will be irrelevant for those around us. It is like looking at the painting and walking away saying it makes no sense to me. We need people in our lives that will give life and meaning to the story of Jesus to the story of our faith – we cannot do it on our own. The Eucharist is a ritual that sends us out to love God and to love one another – Jesus is the food for our journey.

Let us pray in the coming week that we will allow our hearts to be nourished by Jesus and that we will become visible signs of Love for those around us so that the Eucharist will become a profound and life giving experience for us and the vine will bear much fruit. Let us pray for the courage to reclaim our story.

Weekly Reflection: Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year B

2006-05-09T18:01:00.000+09:30

Reading References:

First Reading: Acts 4:8-12
Psalm: Ps117:1.8-9.21-23.26.28-29. R. v. 22
Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-2
Gospel: John 10:11-18

Our gospel today is profoundly beautiful and challenging for us.

Jesus tells us he is the “good shepherd” – the one who will “lay down his life” for us. Some may think the image of “shepherd” is some what outdated these days, and yet it captures so clearly and powerfully the great love, compassion and concern Jesus has for us.

Jesus talks about having to lead others who are not of this flock and that “they too will listen to my voice and there will only be one flock and one shepherd.” What an extraordinary Catholic statement this is. Too often we as Catholics are exclusive in our attitudes and thinking. We forget the universality of our Catholicism. We can narrow it down to the point that our universality becomes lost – we then become lost also.

Jesus’ vision was for the whole of humanity – we must not forget this. We can be fearful and often suspicious of other faiths. And yet we have so much to learn from each other that will enrich our understanding of who God is for all of us. Why would we be afraid of this?

Each of us is called to let the heart of Jesus live within us. Just as Jesus is shepherd for us and through our communion with him we are called to be shepherd for each other. Every time we celebrate Eucharist we are “sent out”. This sending out is at the heart of the Eucharist. It is the nourishment of the Eucharist that clothes us in Love that then drives us more deeply into our world.

Perhaps we need to explore this image of “shepherd” a little more closely. Many parents of teenage children will know the experience of rebellion and the pain and often sleepless nights this can bring. As parents we try to “shepherd” our children during these years of turmoil. But for some, how ever hard we try and what ever strategies we might put in place we seem to have no effect. We can experience a feeling of helplessness and deep sorrow as we watch our teenage children behave in ways that leave our hearts breaking.

By far the majority of parents who have found themselves in this situation will develop very beautiful relationships with their children as they become adults. But the parents have had to endure large storms in their lives to get there. The majority of these parents would tell us that they kept loving their children through these most difficult years – they didn’t like their children through this period, but they loved them. They didn’t hold back from speaking the truth in love but the key was that they kept loving.

We have a lot to learn from this. When people are bullied or rejected, more often than not they will walk away from a relationship and it will be very difficult to restore it. How many times have we heard stories where a parent has kicked their child out of home and refuses to speak to them because the child has done something that the parent/s did not approve of? What a tragedy it is when parents or their children go through their whole lives having nothing to do with each other. The fact is that this reactionary behaviour is often done in retaliation – you hurt me so I am going to hurt you. No doubt there are some occasions where this separation is necessary for any number of reasons. But too often we can just go around in circles and keep this retaliation alive – it takes courage and forgiveness to break the cycle.

But for those who can love through the pain then something very beautiful has a chance of developing. All of us have heard stories where parents agonized over their teenage children and were treated so badly. But now their children have grown up and often have children of their own and all the relationships have been restored.

This should give us great hope. How often do we break the heart of Jesus by our actions or non actions? We all do it. Often we do it blindly, but none the less we do it. It is our actions that cut us off from this relationship with our God – we can behave like rebellious young teenagers and cause all sorts of pain and suffering around us. But the extraordinary thing is that our God keeps loving us through our blindness. God keeps gracing us and seeking us out. God never stops pursuing us, just as the Shepherd will keep looking for that one lost sheep.

As we reflect upon how Jesus is shepherd for us we also need to reflect upon where we are shepherd for others. As we examine our relationships with family and friends we need to look at where we are loving and where we have failed in love, and ask God to grace us with the courage and desire to seek out forgiveness and to accept forgiveness. When we can begin to do this then we can be assured that the heart of Jesus is living within us.

Weekly Reflection: Third Sunday of Easter, Year B

2006-04-30T18:03:00.000+09:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Acts 3:13-15.17-19
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 4:2.4.7.9. R. v. 7
Second Reading: John 2:1-5
Gospel: Luke 24:35-48

The resurrection stories and experiences we have been hearing over the past couple of weeks are just as critical for our understanding of Jesus as they were for those first disciples. If we do not have the courage to keep our focus on Jesus then we will not understand.

The thread running through our readings today is our need to repent. But the only way we will truly be able to repent or understand our need for repentance is to keep looking at Jesus.

In our first reading Peter challenges the Israelites to recognise Jesus through their tradition and then tells them that “neither you nor your leaders had any idea what you were really doing” when they disowned Jesus and sent “the prince of life” to his death. He urges them to repent knowing God’s forgiveness is assured.

In the second reading John urges the people to stop sinning and warns the people of the difference between saying “I know him……while refusing to admit the truth” and acting in a way that honours the commandment of Love.

In our Gospel the disciple’s minds were opened as they experience the resurrection of Jesus. They remember the person of Jesus; they recognise him as the Christ and the fulfilment of scripture. It is through the witness of this perfect love of Jesus that they come to know repentance as the heart of the spiritual journey. When they looked at Jesus they saw the perfection of Love and in that they saw their own imperfection. They remembered their denials and desertion of Jesus – they could now see how blind they had been. They knew their need for repentance. But at the same time they knew themselves to be forgiven and loved which filled them with peace and joy.

How does all of this speak to us today?

So often today people are branded as religious nuts if they start talking about repentance, sin and forgiveness etc. Sometimes this is true. But if a person is deeply grounded in their faith and endeavours to live a life of Love there is nothing more attractive. Perhaps part of the problem is that it has been preached AT people by people who have the theory but do not have the real conversion of heart that we see present in the disciples today. It was the disciple’s real belief in what they were preaching that was magnetic for others. Their lives revealed a truth that was deeply attractive and that enabled those to whom they were preaching to see Jesus with open eyes and open hearts. It is critically important for all of us to be exposed to those who truly believe and live that belief.

Talk of repentance and sin is often seen as old hat and religious fanaticism. This is evident in many people who belong to parish communities. We do not like to hear of ourselves as sinners. It makes us feel uncomfortable when we believe that we are living lives that have no real obvious sin in them. We think that we are doing all the right things so what do I have to repent for – that’s for someone else not for me?

But if we truly kept our focus on Jesus we would know how distorted and wrong this attitude is. Jesus cried out on the cross: “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do”. That cry is for each one of us. We are often blind to our own sinfulness and our need to repent. But the more deeply we come to know Jesus our sinfulness will be revealed to us. We truly must accept our blindness knowing that through grace it will be revealed to us when we are ready to receive this truth about ourselves.

Our God does not was us to feel downtrodden or devastated about our sinfulness. Our God embraces us with forgiveness and we delight in this. But how can we experience the joy and peace of this forgiveness and love God has for us if we do not recognise our own need for repentance?

These conversions that take place in our hearts (if we are open to them) help us grow in love. They bring us to a deeper knowledge of ourselves and our need for repentance – they bring us to a greater awareness of our neighbour and our responsibility for our neighbour – they bring us to a greater awareness of Jesus and God’s great Love for us.

Today’s readings call us to go beyond being people who just SAY a lot - claiming to know God while our lives reveal the opposite, to become people whose lives reveal Love in action.

This will happen when we are prepared to walk with Jesus, to look at him, to learn from him, to be in awe of his loving and the affects this has on those around him, to stay awake and pray with him, to weep with him, to experience his forgiveness when we deny him, to die with him.

When we allow Jesus to become our centre we will not run away from repentance, we will embrace it.

So let us pray in the coming week that we will have the courage, the insight and the desire to turn around and face Jesus while saying to him “Lord, let your face shine on us (me)”.

Weekly Reflection: Second Sunday of Easter, Year B

2006-04-22T12:32:00.000+09:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Acts 4:32-35
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 117:2-4.15-18.22-24 R.v.1
Second Reading: John 5:1-6
Gospel: John 20:19-31

Today’s gospel is at the heart of the ongoing experience of the resurrection of Jesus throughout the generations. We do not understand the resurrection if we think that Jesus only came to the disciples and other followers in the days just after Jesus’ crucifixion. The resurrection is filled with mystery. The resurrection is ongoing. Just as those early disciples of Jesus and his followers experienced the resurrection of Jesus, so do we if our hearts are open to it.

If we look at our text we see that the disciples were afraid and had closed themselves in a room. But something happens to their hearts and this fear is replaced by the experience of joy and peace. They hear Jesus saying to them “As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.” He tells them to receive the Holy Spirit and to Forgive.

But Thomas is not with this little community when they have this experience. Why isn’t he with them? Has he walked away feeling all was lost because all their hopes were in Jesus and he had now been crucified? But this small group of disciples tell Thomas of their experience in that closed room and he refuses to believe. But the following week Thomas joins the community and it is here where he experiences the risen Lord. It is within the community that he experiences Jesus and comes to believe.

What does all this teach us today?

The culture of individualism is growing in our world. One of the main causes of this individualism is fear. We close ourselves off from the world and create what we think is our own little safe haven. We bury our heads. We don’t know our neighbours. We don’t trust our neighbours. We close our hearts to the well being of others around us. And then we wonder why our world is in such a mess. The silence of individualism is a grave sin of our time and it is a betrayal of our neighbour and of our own hearts.

While the disciples of Jesus were tempted to stay closed in their room they knew Jesus and they kept reflecting together upon who he was. It was this communal reflection that enabled them to experience the resurrection of Jesus. We experience this communal reflection every time we celebrate Eucharist if our hearts are open to it. So it is a living community that will help take us out of our fear. It is in this community where we will experience Jesus. Thomas didn’t believe until he was re connected with the community. We very sadly close ourselves off from the resurrection while we continue to embrace individualism.

So what happens to us when we have this experience of resurrection?

Our hearts will burn for Love and this is what will drive us – this is what will send us out. We will know that Love does not close itself off, but it goes out into the world with wide open arms that are prepared to die on a cross. This Love will long for our world to be in communion and will do what is within its power to help make this a reality. This is the experience of the resurrection.

When we are baptised we are baptised into the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. We are anointed priest, prophet and king. We are baptised into the body of Christ. Increasingly people are seeing “the church” as irrelevant in their lives - they have lost the meaning of their baptism – they have become deaf to the story. They have become like Thomas and walked away. But if we go back to our text it was the disciples who had experienced the resurrection who came and told Thomas what had happened to them. Thomas must have seen the new life of Joy and Peace evident in the disciples and it was this that brought him back into the community where he would also come to believe. It was in this community where Thomas could see and feel the wounds inflicted upon Love and this drove him along with the other disciples into a ministry of forgiveness.

This teaches us very important lessons. It is the tendency of some parish communities today to sit back and just let themselves die. Their communities are dwindling and in some cases are almost lifeless. They go through the motions of a weekly Eucharist but they do not experience the resurrection that drives them out into the community. They stay closed in their church building afraid of going out and afraid of receiving the Holy Spirit. They have forgotten the story – they have forgotten who Jesus is for them.

Today’s gospel calls us to go out to the Thomas’ of our world. It calls us to live lives that reflect the peace and joy of the resurrection. It calls us to an authenticity that by its very nature will attract others into the community. It calls us to forgive ourselves and others and to help others to forgive each other. We don’t do this by bullying people, or telling them arrogantly that they should be doing this or that – or telling them that I am right and you are wrong – or telling them God will punish them. We do it by the example of our lives. There is nothing more attractive and contagious than someone who has experienced the truth of the resurrection and then has the courage to live it. This is how the early church grew. It is how the church today will grow.

Let us pray in the coming week for the grace to grow in Love and understanding so that we may become beacons that will attract people into this great communion of Love.

Weekly Reflection: Easter Sunday (Mass of the day), Year B

2006-04-10T16:12:00.000+09:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Acts 10:24,37-43
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 117:1-2.16-17.22-23. R. v. 24
Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-4
Gospel: John 20:1-9

The dark journey is now filled with light – everything has become clear – “Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that he must rise from the dead.”

Easter invites us to share in the hope the resurrection of Jesus offers us. It is this hope that will draw us out of the darkness – that will empower us – that will lead us out of despair – that will drive us into mission – that will know in faith that love conquers all no matter how bad things might look. It is this hope that the world longs for.

How is this hope passed onto others? How do we ourselves receive this gift of hope?

Those in our human history whom have been inspired by God to write scripture are deeply reflective people. They have reflected on their experience - they have told the story and re told the story – they are people of faith – they REMEMBER. In our Gospel today we hear John say “Till this moment they failed to understand…….” It was their ability to reflect upon their experience that opened their eyes. We see this beautifully presented in the Emmaus Story when the two people are walking along the road remembering their experience and telling their story to Jesus and then suddenly in the breaking of the bread their eyes are opened. They REMEMBER their past experiences in light of their current experience and their hearts burned within them.

This theme of REMEMBERING is critical in our faith journey, just as it was critical in the early church and Old Testament times.

We have lost the art of telling our stories, of remembering. Instead we now sit in front of the TV and allow our senses to be deadened by what is often rubbish. Or we might absorb ourselves fanatically with sport etc. We fill our lives with all sorts of distractions. Sometimes distractions are necessary but when they take over our lives they become like a disease that eats away at our soul.

It is a very dangerous thing when a culture stops telling its story. We lose purpose, direction and vision.

Perhaps this is what is happening in our church at this time. Why is it so that the Eucharist seems to have lost its significance for so many people? Even if we don’t like what some of the hierarchy of the church are doing, why do we turn our back on the Eucharist? If people in the pews were asked why they came to the Eucharist on a Sunday, what might some of their answers be?

Why do I – why do you come to the Eucharist?

If people who have chosen not to join the Eucharistic community on a Sunday were asked what the meaning of the Eucharist is for them, what might they say? A survey along these lines might show some interesting results.

I would suspect that many do not understand the Eucharist. We have lost the story of its significance. We have become so busy with useless distractions that have filled our minds and hearts to the point that there is no room left to remember or reflect upon ones life and experiences.

When we choose not to REMEMBER the story (for example the story told in the Eucharist), it will no longer have meaning for us. The disciples that ran to the tomb to look for Jesus were enlightened because they remembered scripture, they remembered Jesus, they remembered and listened to their experience and they brought it all together and at that moment they understood. For a person who had not experienced Jesus, who had not know something of scripture and who was not reflective about their experience, this empty tomb would have meant absolutely nothing.
What I am trying to highlight here is the importance of our story – our faith story – our human story and experience. Everybody has a story.

It would seem that as a church we have some how stopped telling the story and have become bogged down with dogmas and rules and laws. We have lost the story of our rich rituals and powerful symbols that help give the story life and meaning.

Again, if we asked Catholics in the pews what the meaning of the rituals and symbols we use in Baptism and other sacraments were, what would be their response? So many times now we hear the words “when can we get our child done” when talking about baptism and other sacraments of initiation. We seem to have lost the sense of being initiated into the body of Christ. Instead we have adopted a strange magical sense of “getting done” which will make us somehow right with God. What a profoundly sad misunderstanding of our story.

If we lose sight of the meaning of the rituals and symbols that we use, haven’t we lost the story?
And stressing again, if the story is lost, so is the understanding. And then we might understand it when we hear people say that ‘the church’ has no relevance in today’s society.

What a tragedy this is, when the church can be a real beacon of hope for our world.

But what we must do is retrieve and own our story. We must encourage each other to Remember. When we can do this we will see enormous change.

We must begin with our children. If children do not hear the story from home and learn to reflect and remember their faith story in light of their own experience then they will come to the tomb and see it empty and walk away not understanding or making sense of anything. Isn’t this happening with many of our sacraments programs being offered now? We embark upon a few months of ‘teaching’ the sacraments in schools or parishes and then we scratch our heads wondering why the children and their families do not seem to maintain the faith. We blame parents, we blame the church, and we blame the schools.

To throw ‘blame’ at one particular group is to somehow miss the point. Every one of us during this Easter season is being asked to remember our faith story – the story of Jesus – the story of our Tradition – our story. Every one of us has a responsibility to keep this story alive.

So as parents, as families, as schools and as parishes we must reclaim our faith story – the story of Jesus. We must say NO to practices that water down this story to the point that it is no longer understood and is seen as some sort of strange magical attitude that thinks ‘getting done’ will make us right with God. When these strange practices are maintained and supported, is it any wonder that we seem to lose our soul and that things no longer make any sense to us and we walk away?

Let us pray during this Easter season that we will have the courage to keep our focus on Jesus and become more open to keeping this extraordinary story of Love and Hope alive in our hearts and in our world.

Weekly Reflection: Passion Sunday, Year B

2006-04-03T16:20:00.000+09:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-7
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 21:8-9.17-20.23-34 R. v. 2
Second Reading: Philippians 2:6-11
Gospel: Mark 14:1-15:47

In the alternative opening prayer and in the gospel acclamation for Passion Sunday we see the word “obedient” before us. While this particular word is not explicit in our readings for today it is implicit all the way through them. Therefore “obedience” will be the subject of our reflection for this week.

“Obedience” seems to be a grossly misunderstood word, particularly within the church. In the alternative opening prayer we are told “….so that through the obedience of one man, estrangement might be dissolved for all…”

To whom was Jesus obedient? Was it the Jewish leaders and authorities of his day? No. He confronted the leaders and challenged them and became angry with their arrogance and their blindness, but he never turned his back on them. These Jewish leaders demanded obedience from the people. They interpreted the Law in a way that alienated and oppressed people, and they demanded obedience to their interpretation – this is a false obedience. Jesus would not be contained by such corruption and he named it for what it was. Jesus was obedient to his God – he was obedient to Love. His pure heart demanded this of him.

During Lent we are encouraged to look at our lives and explore our hearts with Jesus beside us, so that we too can become pure – so that we too might become obedient to Love.

A heart that is pure will have eyes only for this and like Jesus, will endure whatever suffering comes its way in order to remain obedient to Love. And there will be suffering for the one who longs to be obedient to Love as we see in our readings today.

Do we long to be obedient to Love? Or is it easier to just abide by the rules and go with the flow, not rocking the boat and not letting ourselves be disturbed by too much, not letting ourselves think too much and not letting ourselves question what is happening around us? These are serious questions we must ask ourselves.

The foundation of the “obedience” we see in Jesus is faith. Without this faith we will not know or understand the obedience that is being asked of us. It is this faith that will sustain us in our suffering. It is this faith that will help us endure and remain present to those around us even when we are suffering. Faith will not walk away – it will search for ways to remain obedient and faithful.

Some church authorities and lay people even today make shocking demands upon the people to follow a false obedience. People have been very hurt and alienated because of this. And very sadly many people have walked away.

There is a difference between obedience to Love, and just wanting my own will and sometimes disguising that as God’s will and claiming this as obedience.

There is a temptation to bully people with fear tactics trying to coerce them into our own way of thinking and this has nothing to do with obedience to Love. For example: Much of the pre Vatican 11 church used fear to extract a false obedience from the people. If you miss mass it is a mortal sin and if you die in mortal sin you will go to hell. If a child dies without baptism then the child will not go to heaven. Sin and its consequences were the focus.

As a church we are still dealing with the fall out of these ways of thinking which has created all sorts of distortions. The image of God so many held was a God who would punish us and a God to be fearful of in a very unhealthy way. How can we have real faith in a god who would behave this way? It makes no sense. So this way of thinking did not nurture faith it did quite the opposite – it retarded faith through an unhealthy fear.

This has little or nothing to do with a God who longs to draw the whole of creation to God’s self in communion. It has nothing to do with the God of Love we know that counts every hair on our head. It has nothing to do with the God of Love we know that stretches his arms out on the cross so that our eyes may be opened to the power of Love.

Vatican 11 endeavoured to turn this erroneous way of thinking around with substantial success. However there is still a long way to go. But as we journey towards this obedience to Love we must remember those beautiful words of Paul when he says:

Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1Cor. 13:4-7

If we can truly listen to the great wisdom in these words of Paul we will know that when we try to force our own way on others, whoever we are, or we try to bully people into our way of thinking, or we hold up a god who will punish and judge ruthlessly etc that our self perceived obedience to Love is greatly corrupted.

Let us pray in the coming week as we watch Jesus show us what obedience means even to the point where he cries out to his God, “My God, my God, why have you deserted me? that we will have the courage to pray for a renewed depth of faith so that we too may become obedient to Love, even in our darkest hour.

Weekly Reflection: Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year B

2006-03-27T11:56:00.000+10:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 50:3-4.12-15. R. v. 12
Second Reading: Hebrews 5:7-9
Gospel: John 12:20-33

“Sir, we would like to see Jesus.” is the request made by some Greeks to Philip. The Greeks along with many others were very curious about Jesus – they had heard things about Jesus and some had seen the wondrous things Jesus had done.

But was it enough just to see Jesus? Obviously not.

We need to take particular note of this very beautiful Gospel. To see Jesus is one thing, but to follow (or believe in) Jesus is quite another. Ruth Burrows says this in the opening paragraph of her wonderful book To Believe In Jesus:

Faith in Jesus, the Son of Man, is very, very rare. If what I say is true it is a depressing assertion. It would be even more depressing if there were nothing we could do about it. As it is, we are set over a gold mine, a shovel is put in our hands, we are given the strength to dig and the absolute assurance that if we do so we shall find. No special gifts are required, no superhuman effort, only resolution and the taking of trouble. Everyone is given a chance, no one is excluded. What happens? Some of us at any rate set to work and dig but what we find is not at all what we expected. We expected a glistening nugget and instead all we have in our weary hands is an ugly, shapeless lump of metal. ‘It is gold, pure gold,’ we are told. But it doesn’t look like gold, it doesn’t feel like gold. You say you believe in Jesus. He told you that if you dug you would find the treasure. Where is your faith?

What is our reaction to these wise words?

So often when we come to see Jesus we come with our own agendas and our own hardness of heart. We want Jesus to fit into what we want. But when something is asked of us we often reject it – when we are asked to lose the life we know, we say NO – we will not take the risk – we lack faith. We then become like Pharaoh when he was asked to let God’s people go – he wouldn’t.

When we are asked to let our lives go so that God can “create a clean heart in me” we often say NO. When we do this we are effectively saying that we want to remain a grain of wheat and we are too frightened to let it fall on the ground and be transformed into something beautiful that will yield a rich harvest.

What a tragedy this is.

But there is potentially a greater tragedy. Church leadership must do all within its power to nurture the faith of the people – the Church – this is its priority and its mission. Unfortunately, too often the leadership has often encouraged the people to see Jesus but it has neglected to empower and nurture the people to believe in Jesus.

It is a very risky business to nurture and encourage people’s belief in Jesus because this faith/belief in Jesus creates a freedom that will not be contained. We of course saw this most beautifully and powerfully in Jesus.

So the Church leadership must also constantly strive to be faithful to our Gospel today. It must learn to let go of its life and allow the grain of wheat to fall on the ground and yield a rich harvest.

When the Church leadership can really do this then we will see a Church teaming with life and filled with renewed hope in a broken world and in a broken Church.

There are faint glimmerings of this happening but only faint ones. Until the Church leadership can learn to let go of its controls through a highly dysfunctional male clerical leadership system, its increasing centralisation, its unmoveable laws that can alienate and exclude and oppress people, its alienating rigidity regarding the role of women and lay people in the leadership of the church, its denial of the Eucharist to communities without an ordained priest, its insistence on continuing to build the Church around the clerical model etc etc, then it will continue to flounder and become more irrelevant in a world that longs not only to see Jesus but to also believe in Jesus. It is the central most important role of Church leadership to bring this longing to fruition – it is its mission in our world.

Constructive criticism is always important and must be named. But we must also learn to see our own brokenness and come to the knowledge of being able to name that. When we can do this we will become more tolerant and understanding of everything that is before us. It is all too easy to throw stones while excluding our own role or responsibility in this mission regardless of how insignificant we may feel.

WE as Church have such exciting potential before us, but we must work together, we must support each other, we must challenge each other, we must learn to weep with each other,we must listen to each other, we must be patient with each other, but most importantly we must believe in Jesus.

There are many Catholics and many clerics that cry out the words of Jesus: Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say: Father, save me from this hour?

But the journey of us all has brought us to this place in this time – our prayer, our response to God’s call, our longings and desires, our faith etc however broken all this may be, have brought us here to this very moment in time. Can we then say along with Jesus: But it was for this very reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name!

Do we truly recognize the journey that has brought us to this place and time?

Do we have the courage to respond to what is being asked of us now?

Let us pray in the coming week of our Lenten journey that we will have the determination and the desire to be steadfast on the journey ahead and that all we say and do will truly reflect our belief in Jesus.

Again I leave you with some further wise words from Ruth Burrows to ponder in your prayer:

The most valuable form of asceticism, because it is the actual exercise of love, is the patient acceptance of the hardships and sufferings of life.

Weekly Reflection: Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year B

2006-03-23T08:20:00.000+10:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Chronicles 36:14-16.1923
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 136 R. v. 6
Second Reading: Ephesians 2:4-10
Gospel: John 3:14-21

Our readings have many lessons for us to learn from today. The Chronicles are scathing of the “heads of the Priesthood, and the people too” and accuse them of great infidelity to the point that it is said “there was no further remedy.”

The Psalmist who is experiencing what is perceived as the absence of God begs God to “let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!”

Paul in Ephesians tells us we are “God’s work of art” but reminds us that we have been saved through faith and through nothing we have done. All is gift from God.

Our Gospel reveals part of a conversation between Nicodemus who is a Pharisee and a leader of the Jews and Jesus. In this conversation it is made very clear that belief in God’s son will determine our salvation. This belief in Jesus will be determined by the way in which we choose to live our lives.

Jesus’ life and death shows us how to live – he said to us: I am the way, the truth and the life, and his resurrection is our hope.

Why is it so hard for us to live this truth?

Fundamentalism has always been present within various religious traditions and to varying degrees and perhaps there is an element of it within us all at times. In recent times we have seen a rise in fundamentalism in a number of religions and it is something like a cancer that destroys the goodness that is possible. It possesses a self righteousness that is exclusive and alienating and grossly distorts the truth. It has a mentality of: I am in and you are out. Within Christianity it lives a literal interpretation of scripture, when it suits it. Fundamentalism has little or no understanding of who Jesus is for us. Fundamentalism is a most shameful practice.

Why are so many attracted to this religious practice that is creating havoc in our world?
To trust God and God’s ways requires faith. To proclaim a belief in Jesus will mean that we see every human being as “God’s work of art” and we will have some idea that God embraces every human being in a loving embrace. We can only trust God through faith.

In the time of Jesus so many of these works of art were excluded from the community because they were not considered clean or worthy for any number of reasons by the religious authorities of the day. The mentality being that: I am clean but you are not. And yet the very ones who were proclaiming to be “clean” or worthy, were themselves so defiled but they were totally blind to their sinfulness. Has anything changed?

Fundamentalism is a cop out – it buries its head and runs away from what Jesus is really asking of us – to love one another. It claims credit and puffs itself up to be saved while proclaiming that others are not.

Jesus spent his time with the social outcasts of his day and he loved them. He attracted those who were not Jewish and he loved them. He attracted the woman in adultery and he loved her. He attracted the business people who were ripping people off and he loved them. He attracted those who were consumed by their wealth and he loved them. He attracted the religious authorities and he loved them. He attracted those who were sick and dying and he loved them. He attracted those who hated him and he loved them. He attracted those who were consumed with evil and he loved them. He attracted the little children and he loved them. Jesus’ whole life was lived loving the people. He was the greatest “lover” we have known.

Are fundamentalists open with their loving?

Do their words and actions proclaim a faithful belief in Jesus and his teachings and create an environment of faith, hope and love for all?

Every one of us are sinners and to think otherwise is delusional. But equally we are ALL “God’s work of art” therefore we are capable of great love – and when we love, goodness is generated. But when we do not love by upholding those that are in the inner circle and excluding others for whatever reason, then it is often hatred and ill will that is generated.

Over the coming week take some time to ponder this list below and pray for the grace to recognize what is not loving within us and ask Jesus to help us grow in faith and love.

Fundamentalism will proclaim God to be on their side.
Lovers will proclaim every human being to be God’s work of art.
Fundamentalism will proclaim they alone are saved.
Lovers will leave the flock to find the one lost sheep.
Fundamentalism will judge the sins of others with contempt.
Lovers will know themselves to be sinners but loved.
Fundamentalism will take credit for what they have done.
Lovers will know that everything is a gift from God.
Fundamentalism will want to have full control.
Lovers will trust in God’s providence.
Fundamentalism will exclude those not like themselves.
Lovers will embrace difference with love, tolerance and understanding.
Fundamentalism will be closed to ongoing revelation.
Lovers will see God’s revelation evident all around them.
Fundamentalism will ridicule and despise the prophetic voices in their midst.
Lovers will hunger for the prophetic voice.
Fundamentalism will claim God’s will is evident in everything they do.
Lovers will strive to do God’s will with discernment and uncertainty.
Fundamentalism will judge the world as evil excluding themselves.
Lovers will weep for a broken world but knowing it is made in God’s image.
Fundamentalism will often live in fear of a judgmental God who will punish and condemn them.
Lovers are in awe of a God who is full of mercy and forgiveness.
Fundamentalism leaves nothing to chance and will do all in its power to get what it wants because it believes it is doing God’s will.
Lovers will only love and leave the rest in God’s hands.
Fundamentalism will exclude people in the name of God.
Lovers will embrace all people in the name of God.

Fundamentalism in all its forms is an evil of our time and it has permeated many areas of our lives both communally and individually. It is at its most dangerous of course when it goes unrecognized because it keeps us in exile and we starve our souls of the nourishment we long for.

Religious and church leaders along with all of God’s people need to pray for the courage to keep naming fundamentalism for the evil it is and to keep praying for the grace to recognize it in our midst.

Walter Brueggermann leaves us with these wise words to ponder as we reflect upon our readings this week:

“The world does not depend upon us, and the world is not available to us. The world is out beyond us in God’s wisdom. It mocks our pitiful efforts at control, mastery and domination.

Weekly Reflection: Third Sunday of Lent, Year B

2006-03-14T18:51:00.000+10:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Exodus 20:1-17
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 18:8-11. R. Jn 6:69
Second Reading: Corinthians 1:22-25
Gospel: John 2:13-25

Any relationship that is built on love will do its utmost not to hurt each other. It will only want the best for each other. We see this clearly in our First Reading. The Law given through Moses is a Law of Love. It is not a list of rules that are set to keep us on our toes or that are meant to threaten us if we stray. It is the Law of Love built on God’s covenant with us. When we truly Love God then this is the natural way we will want to live.

Our Psalm tells us that this law of the Lord is perfect. We are all familiar with those beautiful words: be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect.

In the Second Reading Paul upholds the crucifixion as the revelation of God’s Love and highlights for us that our own wisdom and strength are little more than foolishness when compared to God’s strength and wisdom.

Our Gospel places Jesus in the Temple and we witness the anger of Jesus as he confronts the corruption of the religious system. Then we see the Jews totally misinterpret what Jesus means when he says: Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up. They are blind as to who it is before them and they are blind to their own corruption and sinfulness.

What do we learn from all of this?

When we are baptised, we are baptised priest, prophet and king.

Priest in that we see God in all things and are committed to a life of prayer and awareness of God within us, within creation and beyond all of this.

Prophet in that we are graced to speak out and act in truth and love. The prophet will name all that is not love in our world and will know themselves to be graced by God to confront all that goes against love. Prophets have been and are the great lovers in our midst.

King in that we will not run away from the fear of leadership. Our love will be focused on others and we will only want the best for them and we will behave accordingly.

But when we look at our First Reading and then look at our world what do we see – do we see this grace given to live a life of priest, prophet and king being lived out?

What do we see?

We see a world that has gone mad with consumerism and materialism that have become gods for us in many ways.

We see declining church attendance and an increasing sense that church is somehow irrelevant in our busy and distracted world. We do not have time to fit God into our lives – we have lost sight of the importance of community – the Body of Christ. But at the same time we posses a deep hunger within us but we have lost our way in our attempts to nourish this hunger.

We see a world where divorce is on the increase along with the break down of relationships.

We live in times where adultery has almost become normal.

We see drug addiction and other addictions on the increase which feeds an increasing crime rate and further social dysfunction.

We see youth suicide on the increase.

We see depression and other mental illnesses on the increase.

We see a world where the rich oppress the poor in order to feather their own nests.

The question we must ask now then is where are the priests, prophets and kings?

If Jesus physically walked into our churches this Sunday would he be any the less angry than he was in our Gospel?

Anger can be a fearful thing and it can be very destructive and is often grounded in evil. But the anger we see in Jesus today is a holy anger, and anger grounded so deeply in Love. An anger that will not tolerate the abuse of Love, that will not tolerate social injustice, that will not tolerate hypocrisy.

When we look around and see our world so broken, and if our faith and belief in Jesus is real, then we too will experience this holy anger and we will not be silenced. This is our priestly role. It is our prophetic call. It is our kingly duty.

As we continue to move through Lent let us ask for the grace and the courage to explore our hearts through the eyes of what it means to be Baptised, and with Jesus at our side to show us what God’s desire is for us and what that might be asking of me.

These wise words from Archbishop Oscar Romero, Archbishop of El Salvador until his assassination in 1980, have much to teach us if we are prepared to listen. He longed for the freedom and liberation of his people under an oppressive regime and he truly lived a life of priest, prophet and king.

There can be no true liberation
until people are freed from sin.
All the liberationist groups that spring up in our land
should bear this in mind.
The first liberation to be proposed by a political group
that truly wants the people’s liberation
must be to free oneself from sin.
While one is a slave of sin –
of selfishness, violence, cruelty, and hatred –
one is not fitted for the people’s liberation.
March 2, 1980

Weekly Reflection: Second Sunday of Lent, Year B

2006-03-08T14:52:00.000+10:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Genesis 22:1-2.9-13.15-18
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 115:10.15-19. R. Ps 114:9
Second Reading: Romans 8:31-34
Gospel: Mark 9:2-10

In today’s Gospel we hear those very familiar but profound words: This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.

It is also very clear in this text that the Peter, James and John were shrouded in mystery with what was before them. They were afraid, they didn’t know what to say and they didn’t understand what was happening. When the disciples see Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (representing the Prophets) and the mystery of Jesus transfigured before them, Peter wants to hold the three together (let us make three tents). But the disciples will only be able to understand this event in the light of the resurrection. They will come to understand that Jesus the Christ is the fulfilment of everything that has gone before them – he is the fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets.

What is important for us in this text is that the disciples do not understand what is happening but as they journey with Jesus and continue to listen to him and learn from him even though everything is shrouded in mystery, they come to understand who Jesus is for all of us.

Lent asks us to journey with Jesus – to listen to him. Can we do this – are we ready to do this? Are we ready to experience the “transfiguration”?

The first sentence in our Psalm today may help us to answer this question: I trusted, even when I said: ‘I am sorely afflicted.’ The disciples must have felt this affliction. They must have felt frustration at their inability to understand - with the fear they experienced in the face of the mystery before them. But the lesson is that amongst all this they stayed with Jesus – they trusted Jesus. Even when they ran away in fear at the crucifixion, they came back otherwise we wouldn’t have Mark’s Gospel before us today. As they listened to the world around them and the world within them it helped them make sense of who Jesus was.

The key for us is to stay with Jesus. Our culture today often rejects mystery. What it cannot see or understand is too often brushed aside and often scorned. But if we have faith that is real then we know ourselves to be surrounded by mystery. The disciples had faith. Even though they kept messing things up it was their faith and trust in Jesus that helped them persevere and grow in their understanding.

How many of us when we are “sorely afflicted” walk away?

We can get frustrated in our prayer because it is dry and uneventful and the emptiness is too much for us and we can be tempted to walk away thinking what a waste of time and effort this is.

We can be tempted to walk away if we think our prayer hasn’t been answered. A loved one may have died and we prayed that they would live. We can think our prayer has been rejected because we didn’t get what we wanted.

We may have been deeply hurt by someone or something in the Church. We react by walking away angry, hurt and disillusioned with the whole church and we cut ourselves off.

We can be tempted to walk away when we don’t understand something. We don’t like not being in control of our situation.

There are many ways in which we can be “sorely afflicted” and each of us will have our own stories to tell. But what an enormous tragedy it is when we cut ourselves off from Jesus because we don’t get what we want or we don’t get what we think we need or we refuse to let ourselves be shrouded in mystery. The tragedy for us is that we do not trust. And when we do not trust how can we possibly listen?

It is our trust (faith) in Jesus that keeps calling us back. We may falter at times. We, like the disciples may even run away for a while, but if we can engage our hearts to trust this great mystery then we will learn to listen regardless of the personal hardships or frustrations.

In the coming week let us pray to be open to experience the “transfiguration” and to pray for the grace for a heart that longs to listen to Jesus, so that we too may come to see more fully the mystery that surrounds us and that is immersed in our world.

Teilhard de Chardin, who had an extraordinary sense of Communion, wrote these beautiful words in a letter to a friend. May these words help open our hearts to discover the profound truth that the “world is full of God” and through Jesus we will discover this truth.

Let us not doubt it,
and let us awaken to that light:
the world is full of God.
For if it were empty,
the world long ago would have died of disgust.

Weekly Reflection: First Sunday of Lent, Year B

2006-03-01T15:34:00.000+10:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Genesis 9:8-15
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 24:4-9 R. v. 10
Second Reading: Peter 3:18-22
Gospel: Mark 1:12-15

Lent is a very beautiful time in the Church’s year. It invites us to keep our focus on Jesus and to be open to what ever it is that we might discover as we do this.

When we are baptised we are baptised into the life of Christ. We are not baptised into rituals and laws (which have their place and assist us in our journey) – we are baptised into Christ whose ways are love and truth. Therefore the heart of Jesus lives within us which means that we are called to be people of love and truth.

We all know that we fall short of this ideal. But as we grow in a life of love and truth we will long for it to deepen and deepen, and this longing will reveal to us God’s longing for us to be the heart of Jesus in our world.

There is such powerful imagery in our gospel today: “The Spirit drove Jesus out” - “the wilderness” – “tempted by Satan” – “wild beasts” – “the angels” – “proclaimed the Good News” – “the kingdom of God is close” – “repent” – “believe”.

This imagery alerts us to Jesus’ suffering and temptation in the wilderness, his being looked after within it and his subsequent emergence proclaiming the Good News and the reign of God and calling out to us to repent and believe this Good News. As he emerged from this wilderness he embraced the whole of creation.

What is important here for us is that Jesus enters the wilderness, he experiences temptations, but he responds to the longing in his heart and he doesn’t run away from it or contort it to his own requirements. It is his entry into this mysterious wilderness that sees him emerge to proclaim the reign of God is close. We have a real sense of his joy and enthusiasm for life as he emerges from the wilderness.

There is a great longing present in our world today. But this longing appears to be grossly misinterpreted by the majority of us. This longing has come to life in the form of our desire to accumulate as many material goods as possible – we long for more and more and we do whatever is necessary to get it. This longing has become obsessed with itself and its own well being – we long for what is best for ME and what will make ME happy. This longing has cut the care of our neighbour out of our lives – we block our hearts to the needs and suffering of others. This longing has put the desire for material wealth above the importance of relationships – we can so often consume our lives with work and grossly neglect our personal relationships. This longing has created unrest and despair among those who have nothing to the point of creating much social unrest and tension – those who are the “haves” then create tougher and unforgiving laws but we refuse to look at what the causes of the unrest might be.

The affects of our misguided response to this longing has caused unbelievable suffering for everyone. Instead of our longing giving us life it is poisoning us. We have become blind to the suffering it is causing. We have entered into the wilderness and given into nearly every temptation that has come our way. We don’t notice the “angels” looking after us and instead of coming out of the wilderness proclaiming the Good News we come out clinically depressed or at least with a very negative outlook on life that works like a slow acting poison – which slowly poisons us against life. We just do not see how close the reign of God is.

So what do we learn?

Lent asks us to look at our lives both as individuals and as a community and discern where God’s ways of Love and Truth are being lived and where they are not. We are asked to look into our hearts and see if the fruits of the way I choose to live my life are life giving for myself and others or life destroying for myself and others.

Lent calls us to take responsibility for bringing the reign of God closer and closer. If we authentically enter the longing that is in the heart of every human being we will experience life knowing that we are being looked after even when there is suffering and temptation.

But if we keep thinking only of ourselves at the expense of everyone else then we are taking a daily dose of poison.

Suffering in this life is unavoidable for everyone. We create much of our own suffering when we give into temptation and act out of our own self centeredness. But suffering can also be inflicted upon us and we can be powerless within it. But if we enter into suffering knowing through faith that we are held by God who weeps with us in our suffering then we too can emerge knowing that the reign of God is very close and we too will want to proclaim it.

In the coming week take some time each day to look at your own life. The following questions may help you with this reflection.

Look at the times when you have experienced suffering. How has this impacted on your life?

Look at the times when you experienced temptation. How has this impacted on your life?

Look at the people you know who have experienced real suffering and temptation. What do you learn from them?

Look at Jesus and reflect upon the suffering and temptation he experienced in his life. What do you learn from him?

Today’s Psalm is a particularly beautiful prayer. May I suggest that as you reflect upon your life during this week that you pray this Psalm every day (or whatever part of it that touches your heart) and pray that it can become your prayer and help you to respond to the longing that is present in your heart.

Lord, make me know your ways.
Lord, teach me you paths.
Make me walk in your truth, and teach me: for you are God my saviour.
Remember your mercy, Lord,
and the love you have shown from of old.
In your love remember me,
because of your goodness, O Lord.
The Lord is good and upright.
He shows the path to those who stray,
he guides the humble in the right path;
he teaches his way to the poor.
Your ways, O Lord, are love and truth,
to those who keep your covenant.

Weekly Reflection: Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

2006-02-22T10:08:00.000+10:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Hosea 2:16-17.21-22
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 102:1-4,8,10,12-13 R. v. 8
Second Reading: Cor 3:1-6
Gospel: Mark 2:18-22

In the gospels over the past weeks we have seen a series of healings by Jesus. Many of these healings took place with people who were excluded from their faith community by the rules and regulations of the Jewish Law at the time. Some of the ramifications of these healings in light of the Jewish Law were that Jesus himself became “unclean” because he had touched the “unclean”, and that the scribes began to look at Jesus with suspicion because he didn’t fit their religious mould.

In today’s gospel we see Jesus being questioned by “some people” as to why his disciples were not fasting when others were. So already in this early stage of Mark’s gospel we are seeing that Jesus’ belief and practices are not fitting into the religious practices and beliefs of the day.

Jesus shows us that radical transformation is at the heart of his message. This transformation is firmly grounded in a Love relationship. Jesus shows us a God that is “kind and merciful”. He shows us a God that is WITH us. The poetic and emotive language used by Hosea when he says: “I will betroth you to myself for ever, betroth you with integrity and justice, with tenderness and love…;” How does this language of deep personal relationship fit into a religious system that alienated and outcast people and was so fixed on its upholding of the religious rituals and laws that it was blind to its relationship (its betrothal) with God?

Surely we are moved to recognise God’s living presence within us when we hear St. Paul say to the Christian community at Corinth “you are a letter from Christ…and written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets but on the tablets of your living hearts.”

Then in the Gospel the language is all about the “bridegroom” - the Lover.

Again Christianity is about transformation, liberation and freedom. This is born out of our deep personal relationship with Jesus. We have seen the Gospel stories of transformation when people have been healed.

A common image often used to symbolise transformation is the caterpillar and the butterfly. It is an extraordinary process and one that is instinctive to the caterpillar. But the caterpillar doesn’t know what it is going to become – it just does what comes instinctively to it and in the process is transformed from being bound in a cocoon into something beautiful and free.

This process of transformation is something similar for us. But one major difference though is that we have the freedom to choose entering into this process of transformation or we can choose to remain cocooned and lifeless. Our greatest longing and attraction is towards love, because we were created in love and for love by our God. But Love will never force its way upon us.

Like the caterpillar, we will have no idea of what will emerge during this transformation and this can be scary for us and calls us into a radical trust in God.

We cannot be a caterpillar and a butterfly at the same time. And this is the point being made in our Gospel today. Jesus shows us a whole new way of being and it will transform what we have been into something profoundly beautiful. This is what we have been promised and we must pray for the grace to believe it.

So what is it that we need to do to say yes to this transformation?

Firstly, we must have a commitment to prayer. It is in prayer where our relationship with Jesus will grow. It is in this prayer where we will learn to trust Jesus more. It is here where humility will develop and we will come to recognise how this relationship is beginning to transform our lives. It is from here that our trust will grow and that we will begin to have a sense of only wanting what God wants.

Secondly, we need to know ourselves. We are not good at this as a whole. But who we are will be revealed to us as our relationship with Jesus grows. As this relationship grows our understanding of how deeply loved we are will also grow and this will carry us as we discover what may not be so beautiful in us. This is the development of self knowledge but it can only come about if we keep our focus on Jesus and walk with someone who cares deeply for our soul such as a spiritual director.

Thirdly, we need to be able to let go, where necessary, past perceptions and actions in all areas of our life (including our religious practices) that we thought were important but in actual fact we discover they have been an obstacle in this journey of love. We need to be open to experience the “God of Surprises”.

The journey WILL have difficulties and at times be painful. When we begin to see the world through little glimpses of love our hearts will break as we see the injustices around us – but we will be carried by a love that is far greater than our despair.

But also as we begin to see the world through little glimpses of love our love for the world will grow and our desire to want what God wants will drive us lovingly forward. It is here where we will learn to notice all sorts of beauty around us that we would perhaps have never noticed. It is here where we will learn tolerance and compassion and understanding. It is here where our greatest desire will be for peace and justice not only for ourselves but for everyone.

Our journey of transformation is a journey into Love. It is Jesus who will lead us so lovingly into this journey. Are we ready to choose to embark upon this great mystery of transformation?

Weekly Reflection: Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

2006-02-14T11:48:00.000+10:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Isaiah 43:18-19.21-22.24-25
Responsorial Psalm: Ps.40:2-5.13-14. R. v. 5
Second Reading: 2 Cor. 1:18-22
Gospel: Mark 2: 1-12

Today’s Gospel presents us with some very powerful imagery that will greatly reward us if we take the time to reflect upon it and its meaning for us in our time. Its focus is squarely on faith and how it affects our lives.

To help us understand this Gospel I would like to look at the characters in the Gospel story and see what we might learn from them.

Jesus:

Firstly we know that Jesus is preaching and many people have gathered to hear him. And we know this is happening within a building of some sort and that there is no room left in the building.

The paralytic:

This man is motionless in the first part of our gospel. He says nothing, he does nothing. But he does allow himself to be carried towards Jesus on a stretcher. All we know about him is that he is a paralytic – he is paralysed for what ever reason we don’t know.

Who does this man represent for us?

How many of us are paralysed in the broader sense of the imagery. We might suffer a break in a relationship and we can become consumed with revenge or all sorts of unpleasantries.

Doesn’t this paralyse our souls?

How many people do we know (including ourselves) that have been hurt by the church for any number of reasons? We can allow that hurt to continually fester within us and we can become bitter and removed from what can be a life giving community. This can paralyse our ability to love and to forgive and it certainly paralyses our faith. Some examples of this are when people choose to walk away from the church because someone may have deeply offended or hurt them – or people are offended by the churches stance on women – or people are wounded by the child abuse scandals that have rocked our church in recent times etc etc etc. All of these scandals have caused great personal hurt on many levels and this hurt is valid. We must not question the validity of this hurt.

But faith ALWAYS calls us beyond the hurt. This doesn’t mean that we won’t suffer and that this journey will not be incredibly difficult. But our faith tells us that it is possible even when we ourselves feel that it is impossible. But sadly so often we allow ourselves to wallow in our suffering for a life time and in doing this we block love, we block forgiveness and we block faith. We become the paralytic.

The four men:

These four men show us what a faithful community looks like.

Together they are determined to bring this paralytic to Jesus. Nothing is going to stop them because they know in faith that Jesus can help this man. If we re read the story and imagine what must have been involved to get the man on the roof (in a stretcher) and to then lower him down, we can see that this would have almost seemed like an impossible task. But they were determined. Faith is always determined.

There is an old saying that faith can move mountains and in many ways it is true. One of the greatest attributes of faith is determination - determination in the face of adversity of all kinds.
The other thing that we learn from these four people of faith is that as a community we bring each other to Jesus. The way we respond to life can inspire others. I remember reading the Memoirs of Hans Kung last year and I was inspired by the faith of this liberal theologian who was stripped of his right to teach Catholic theology because he questioned the infallibility of the Pope (and many other things), but he remained faithful to his belief in Jesus and the Catholic community. Many wonderful theologians have been treated like this but their faith carried them through and many of them were inspirations to their communities and became inspirations to the Church. If they had chosen to walk away look at what we would have lost.

When we remain faithful in spite of personal suffering we become deeply attractive to those around us and it is this faithfulness that has the power to transform a paralytic in whatever circumstances.

Crowd:

The crowd can appear to be innocent in this text but they are anything but innocent.

Again, picture the scene and see the crowd before you. These four men want to bring the paralytic to Jesus but the crowd made it impossible for them to get through. If this crowd was switched on and possessed the faith of these four men they would have stepped aside and let them through. But no, the crowd were focused on themselves and what they might get out of Jesus and no one was going to beat them to it or do them out of something. They were totally self obsessed. But faith will overcome this barrier of selfishness and self centeredness.

This point is very important. Faith in Jesus always presents itself through our love of our neighbour. Its focus will always be for the well being of the other. Pope Benedict says it beautifully in his encyclical Deus Caritas Est. It is placed in a different context (which will be more fitting when we look at the scribes below) but none the less speaks powerfully to the point I am trying to make:

“But if in my life I fail completely to heed others, solely out of a desire to be “devout” and to perform my “religious duties”, then my relationship with God will also grow arid. It becomes merely “proper”, but loveless. Only my readiness to encounter my neighbour and to show him love makes me sensitive to God as well. Only if I serve my neighbour can my eyes be opened to what God does for me and how much he loves me….. Love of God and love of neighbour are thus inseparable, they form a single commandment”.

The Scribes:

The scribes just don’t get it. All they see in Jesus is a threat. Their religious understanding is built on being “devout” and performing their “religious duties”. Their understanding of God is “arid”. They have no “sensitivity” to God and are closed to any deepening understanding. They do not see the connection between faith, love and neighbour and they accuse the very God they proclaim to believe in, of blasphemy.

It is far more comfortable for us to act devoutly and perform our religious duties and leave it at that, than it is to live a life of faith that always drives us towards a love of our neighbour. A love of neighbour built on faith will make demands upon us. It will demand our determination, it will demand that we lovingly work our way through any obstacles that block us from the truth regardless of the personal cost. The temptation for us all is to hide behind the religious duties and being devout because it is so much easier. When we do this we become “arid” like the scribes. Surely this is not what we want?

We hear in the gospel that Jesus heals the paralytic because of the faith of the four men. This highlights for us how important we are to each other and for each other. There will be times in all of our lives when we are like the paralytic, or the four men, or the crowd or the scribes. If our faith is such that we then acknowledge our responsibility for each other and live this responsibility then we too will cry out to our God, “We have never seen anything like this.”

During the coming week then, we might open our hearts to Jesus and pray for an increase in faith knowing as Paul did in our Second Reading that our God can only say “Yes” to the promises God made to us.

Do we have the courage to pray such a prayer?

Due to overwhelming response, I am offering an email service of this weekly blog to interested people. If you would like to me to email you my reflection [which I will still blog at this address] then please notify me of your email in the comments link just below. The message you post will be re-directed to my email inbox and I will add you to my distribution list. Thanks for your ongoing readership support. Annemarie.

Weekly Reflection: Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

2006-02-06T20:32:00.000+10:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Lev 13:1-2, 44-46
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 31:1-2.5.11. R.v. 7
Second Reading: 1Corinthians 10:31-11:1
Gospel: Mark 1:40-45

Today’s gospel invites us to look very deeply at our lives and what we believe.

When we read the gospel who does the leper represent for us today?

There are two answers to this question. Firstly, the leper could not be part of his community because he was considered unclean (many skin disorders and other circumstances came under this category of “unclean” not just leprosy). So he was deliberately alienated from his community by the laws of the day until his skin was healed.

Who are the lepers in our congregations today?

Many divorced people still suffer this alienation in the church today although it appears steps are slowly being taken to rectify this. The other group that stands out are the homosexual community. Church laws as they stand at this time alienate both of these groups of people under particular circumstance. These laws have caused much suffering and heartbreak for so many faithful people as they have endeavoured to live loving lives but in doing so have been rejected by a church that has meant so much to them. The very people that we outcast with our laws of rejection are the people that Jesus welcomes – this is evident right through the gospels. Why is it so hard for us to learn this fundamental lesson?

Secondly, the leper asks us to look at the leper in ourselves and represents for us our separation from God. The leper invites us today to get in touch with our longing to be in communion with our God and to learn that it is God’s longing for us that sparks this longing in us. We are not the instigators of this longing we are the recipients, but it does require our response. We must learn here that it is not God who alienates us from Gods self but we alienate ourselves from this communion of Love that we see so beautifully present in Jesus.

This was powerfully pictured in a recent TV programme on the life CS Lewis. It spoke of his atheism as a young man and his sheer determination to remain an atheist. But he also spoke of being hunted by the “hound of heaven” who relentlessly pursued him until Lewis could no longer resist and he eventually and initially reluctantly converted to Christianity.

We long to be whole and the yearning in our hearts indicates that our wholeness is only partial. The leper knew this and wanted to be healed – he wanted to be whole. He knew Jesus could do this for him but he wasn’t sure if Jesus wanted to do it. Jesus responds to him saying: “Of course I want to”

So what do we learn here?

One of the biggest obstacles we face in a culture that is self obsessed is that we look to ourselves for all the answers. We think our wholeness will be found in ourselves and by our own efforts. We can come to see ourselves as the centre of this search and often all we are doing is feeding our own egos. If we choose to follow this path then it is the path of delusion and it will not lead us to wholeness, it will lead to a greater emptiness.

One of the first things we must do is to acknowledge our helplessness and to ask to be shown what it is in us that separates us from what we long for most in this life. We often are the worst judges of who we are and can be so blind to what separates us from our God. God is Love and so then all that is not love within us is what separates us from God. We can be very blind to what is not love within us and today’s gospel tells us that we must come “pleading on our knees to Jesus.” We are to come pleading even when we may not know what it is that we are pleading for.

The longing within us is deeply mysterious. We often don’t understand it but at the same time we are drawn into it. It is a bit like hearing a magnificent piece of music in a language or words that we may not understand, but something about the music penetrates our hearts and draws us into its beauty and profoundly affects us. We want to hear it again and again even though we don’t really understand it. If we liken that music to God it may help our understanding here. Of ourselves we cannot create the music, it comes from beyond ourselves. But it evokes a response from us. We must believe that God wants us to respond, that God longs for this communion.

But we must also be tuned into what our faith asks of us if we are to respond. If all we think about is ourselves then we will not hear the music because we are too tuned into ourselves and the music we are trying to create, when really all we are doing is creating an awful static that blocks us from hearing what we are really meant to hear. It is a call to let go of ourselves and to look at Jesus knowing that he wants to heal us. This letting go is foreign in our modern day culture but when we can let go through God’s grace, then we will find that it is Jesus who will penetrate the depths of our hearts and draw us more deeply into this great mystery.

Over the coming week we may remember to pray throughout our days that beautiful and well known prayer by St. Augustine which has nurtured people through the centuries. Let us pray that we can make it our own prayer and that it may help heal the leper in us:

"You have made us for yourself O God,
and my heart is restlessuntil it rests in you"

Weekly Reflection: Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

2006-01-30T14:18:00.000+10:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Job 7:1-4,6-7
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 146:1-6 R. v. 3
Second Reading: 1Corinthians 9:16-19.22-23
Gospel: Mark 1:29-39

So many people in our times are devastated by wars - by poverty - by oppression - by grief – by despair – by addictions – by a lack of purpose or direction. There is a sense that our world in so many ways is broken hearted.

But our psalmist today has experienced something so profound that enables him or her to go beyond the devastation and to cry out with such passion and hope “Praise the Lord who heals the broken-hearted.”

What has happened to this person and their community to be able to pray these beautiful words? As faith communities do we truly pray and believe the words of this psalm?

If we do believe it, then it requires something from us as we see from Paul in the second reading and from Mark in the Gospel.

Paul feels compelled to respond to the risen Christ and he uses words like “duty”, “responsibility”, “made myself a slave to everyone”. He is driven into a mission to proclaim the Good News that he cannot say no to nor does he want to say no to. The heart of this mission is love. This love is revealed through his communion with God and his relationship with those around him and the world in which he lives.

One of the great threats to religions today is that we can tend to be so focused on the rituals and religious practices that mostly take place inside a church building, that we ignore the mission which calls us to be in relationship with each other and with our God.

Our Gospel speaks very beautifully about this and invites us to look at Jesus to help us unfold our response to this mission that Paul could not resist. Interestingly it begins with the words: “On leaving the synagogue…” So all of what we are about to hear happens away from the synagogue or in our case away from the church building.

It speaks of relationships (Jesus and his disciples are together).
It speaks of service (Simon’s mother in law began to wait or to serve them).
It speaks of communities being healed (the whole town came crowding round the door, and he cured many).
It speaks of prayer (Jesus went off to a lonely place and prayed there).
It speaks of searching (everybody is looking for you).
It speaks of mission (let us go elsewhere…..I can preach there too, because that is why I came).

If we are looking for a formula to help us follow Jesus then this is a pretty good one. We are called to let the heart of Jesus live in us. I am not saying that the church building is not important. But I am saying that it is only part of our faith journey and it is the rituals and practices that happen within the church building that should nourish us and send us out in love to each other. We cannot separate any of the above underlined words from our relationship with God.

We live in a world that is filled with separations. For example: the rich and the poor, the first world and the third world, the powerful and the powerless, the oppressor and the oppressed. All of these bring with them enormous problems and potential problems and are a shocking reflection on us as human beings and what can happen to us when we become self absorbed.

But look how it changes if we say God and the rich and poor, God and the first and third world, God and the powerful and powerless, God and the oppressor and oppressed. When it is seen in this context there is a sense of communion and everything working together and striving to be what we were all created to be and to break down the separations that cause so much pain and suffering.

We cannot remove God from our daily lives or attempt to put God in a neat little box and adapt God for our own purposes at the exclusion of anyone. Nor can we contain God in a church building. It creates disaster which has been evident throughout our history.

Just as Paul’s response to the risen Christ aroused in him the desire that drove him to a sense of duty, of responsibility and being a slave to everyone, that too must be our desire. If the desire is present in us then the Spirit will bring forth the fruit, and the fruit will always be grounded in love. This love will break down the separations that cause so much suffering, not bolster them.

So let us be courageous in our prayer this week and ask the Spirit to grant us the desire to follow Jesus more faithfully so that the wounds of our broken hearted world (including the wounds of our own broken hearts) may continue to heal and drive us further into this extraordinary mission of love.

Weekly Reflection: Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

2006-01-25T15:01:00.000+10:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Deut. 18:15-20
Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 94:1-2.6-9. R. v. 9
Second Reading: Corinthians 7:32-35
Gospel: Mark 1:21-28

Today’s reading are all about listening – listening to our hearts and listening to our world and therefore listening to our God.

Authority also is at the heart of our readings. Authority is often misunderstood. But when we truly learn to listen to our hearts it will become transparently clear.

Let’s look at authority for a moment. In our Gospel we hear that Jesus teaches with “authority”. This authority exposes evil and renders it powerless and then generates an extraordinary freedom. It is deeply grounded in truth and love.

Numerous people throughout our history have displayed this type of authority by having the courage to name evils and expose these evils for what they truly are. Some of these evils include slavery, racism, corrupt political systems, corrupt religious systems, greed etc.
Many of those who have claimed this authority have experienced persecution or even death because they dared “to speak the truth in love.” Eph.4:15

But there are those who also make claim to this authority but it is deeply corrupted. Any authority figure that incites hatred, creates fear or retards freedom must be exposed as fraudulent and evil. An authority figure can be anyone from a parent to a religious or political leader.

This is where the challenge comes for us. I would like to look at just one example but there are numerous. In western politics we have many governments whom we have given the authority to lead our countries. But so often these authority figures blatantly abuse this privilege. Let’s look at Australia for a moment. We have a government (and supported by the majority of the opposition) that has taken us to war on a lie. As a nation we didn’t want war, but fear tactics were used to persuade us that it was the right thing to do - we would feel safer in the long run. And of course God was on our side.

We are now seeing the ramifications of this decision to go to war. There is increasing racial intolerance and suspicion happening in Australia. There is increasing legislation that threatens our freedoms. We support our allies as they prescribe to torture and the abuse of our basic human rights. We do not feel safe in our own country. We support our allies who hold people prisoner for years without charge because they might be a terrorist. Out of fear we jail innocent men, women and CHILDREN in detention camps and treat them as less than human and think it is OK, because we have been fooled into believing they are some sort of threat to us – and the majority of us vote for a Government that allows this. We support a war that has murdered tens of thousands of innocent civilians. We support the philosophy of retaliation. We rightly support the condemnation of terrorism but are blind to our own acts of terrorism.

When will we wake up? When will we learn to listen to our hearts?

This is a very clear example of authority gone mad. To understand the authority that Jesus shows us today we must look at the world around us and search our hearts and ask ourselves “Do I think this is what our God is asking of us?”

Our God longs for us to be free. Our decision to support this war on ‘terror’ has bound us ever so much more tightly. But we keep letting it happen. If we were more vocal about what we believe in and had the courage to speak the truth in love then governments would change. There is a saying: “A government is only as good as those who elect it”. What does this say about us?

Every moment of every day our God is calling us through every event and happening in our daily lives. When we live our faith it will come with an authority that will touch the hearts of those around us and bring with it a real sense of freedom, even if we experience persecution in the process.

So do we walk with those who display the authority that is grounded in truth and love or do we walk with a false authority that brings with it a constriction that is deadly. Or do we just not care either way. If we don’t care then our silence is equally constricting and deadly.

The response to our Psalm is profoundly beautiful and it would be good to carry it in our hearts during the coming week: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” Our readings today urge us to LISTEN. They promise us that this LISTENING will soften our hardened hearts. With God all things are possible. We must believe this.

Let us pray in the coming week for the courage to look at our attitudes to the world around us, to see what is not of God, and to listen to our hearts response as we do so. At this time in our history when evil appears to have such a powerful face we need to join our hearts to the heart of Jesus. As we do this and keep watching Jesus and learning from him we too will be graced with the authority to cry out “Be quiet!” And we will be heard.

Weekly Reflection: Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year B

2006-01-19T14:46:00.000+10:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Jonah 3:1-5.10
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 24:4-9. R. v. 4
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Gospel: Mark 1:14-20

In today’s readings we hear phrases such as:

“..the world as we know it is passing away.”
“the kingdom of God is close at hand.”
“Repent, and believe the Good News!”

In the Psalm we sing out to our God “Teach me your ways, O Lord.” Then in the midst of all this we hear Jesus call Simon and Andrew and later James and John to “follow” him and Jesus tells them he will make them fishers of people.

What does all this mean? And particularly what does it mean for us today?

We have heard the words repeatedly that God’s ways are not our ways. But so often we behave like spoilt children because we want our own way in this materialistic and self centred world. We want everything that we think is good for ‘me’. And we only want to do things that we think will make ‘me’ happy. And at all costs we want to avoid all discomforts or personal sufferings of any kind. Does this sound familiar?

Today’s readings cut right into this deeply flawed attitude.

When we respond to the call of Jesus (just as we see the disciples do today) we will experience “the world as we know it passing away.” The reason that Jesus gave the disciples to follow him was that he would make them “fishers of all people.” For them to make the choice to follow Jesus meant that they were no longer focused on themselves but on the well being of others and their relationship with their God. And with this change of heart of course the world as they knew it had to pass away and make way for something new.

It is exactly the same for us. Every human being is ‘called’ without exception. If we believe God is Love then we cannot believe otherwise. But the choice is always ours to respond. When we make the right choices we will know and see very clearly that the world we once knew and held up as our truth is very surely passing away and something new and mysterious is emerging.

It is here when we will come to understand that the “kingdom of God is close at hand” We will discover this ‘kingdom’ dwelling within us and around us if we make the life giving choice to respond to Jesus’ call.

When we respond to this call then our repentance will naturally be part of our response. In a very beautiful book on prayer called “Yielding to Love” by Michael Fallon msc, he says: ‘The easiest way to put off repentance is to put off prayer.” And in reality that is what our readings are about today – they are about God’s invitation drawing us into this most mysterious communion. But of course it is up to us to say yes.

When the disciples said yes to Jesus it was just the beginning of this journey for them as it is for us. They messed up all the way through Jesus’ ministry. But their hearts were beautifully open to learning from him. Their mistakes caused them great pain and suffering and embarrassment but they grew through this pain and they learned more and more to pray “teach me your ways, O Lord”. Their experience assured them that their prayer was being answered which would have brought with it a real sense of joy and trust amid the struggles.

There is no question that to begin to follow Jesus is counter cultural when we look at our world, and we should not expect the journey to be necessarily an easy one. We have to be prepared to let go of our ego and be prepared to learn some very difficult lessons, particularly about ourselves. But Jesus assures us the journey will be a life giving one.

There is a word of warning necessary as we read our Gospel. We must be careful that we do not perceive this ‘call’ as one that will remove us from the world so that we can be nice and comfortable with Jesus. It is the opposite. When the disciples made the choice to follow Jesus it emersed them in the world around them, with Jesus as their guide and teacher. It is the same for us. As we grow in this prayer communion with our God we will grow in love with and for our neighbour. To believe anything else must alert us to grave misunderstandings.

As we spend time reflecting on our readings this week and their meaning for us let us pray for the courage and the wisdom to keep this profound prayer before us: “Teach me your ways, O Lord” and to then be open to the Spirit breathing life into our lives.

Weekly Reflection: Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B

2006-01-11T17:53:00.000+10:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Samuel 3:3-10.19
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 39:2.4.7-10. R v 8.9
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 6:13-15.17-20
Gospel: John 1:35-42

There is a theme of doing God’s will running through our readings today. But to do God’s will we need to recognize where God is in our lives. It was Eli in our First Reading who showed Samuel that it was God who was calling him. It was John who showed the ‘two disciples’ who Jesus was. And it was Andrew who took Peter to see who Jesus was.

We have a profound lesson to learn from these readings. It is through each other that we discover who and where God is. It is not a discovery that we can make on our own.

Many of us proclaim a belief and love for and in Jesus but we ignore the human story before us. We must see the error in this. When we turn our backs on each other then nothing is surer that we are turning our backs on God. This seems hard for many of us to understand. Often we can think that we have a deeply personal relationship with Jesus while at the same time we turn our backs on the human struggles and injustices that are happening around us every day.

Silence, apathy and deliberate ignorance are all occasions when we turn away from God. We don’t want to face what is before us and we do not want to be disturbed.

When we have the courage to begin to turn around and face what is before us then we will learn compassion, we will learn tolerance, we will learn to recognize the racism, bigotry and elitism that sometimes dwells deeply hidden in our hearts – it is here where we will meet God – it is here where our awareness will be heightened - it is here where our hearts will be transformed.

Next time you go for a walk notice the wind and its affects on you. If there is a moderate wind happening and we are walking into it, we become so aware of the wind. We find ourselves having to put a little more energy into our walking because of the resistance our bodies experience walking into the wind. We feel and hear the wind rushing past our ears. We squint to protect our eyes against any sand or particles floating through the air. We feel the wind rushing through our hair. We feel the wind forcing our clothing against our bodies. We feel our heart rate go a little faster because we are having to work a little harder. Our whole body becomes so much more aware of and engaged in what is happening around it – it is truly alive.
But when we turn around and have the wind on our backs the journey seems a much easier one and we can often have a little sigh of relief. But the interesting thing is that we lose our awareness of the wind when we turn our backs on it. No longer are our senses heightened – we have lost our awareness.

I think this is a very accurate analogy of life and our relationship with God. When we turn our backs on each other and look for everything that is easy and comfortable we lose our awareness of each other and then of course we lose our awareness of God.

But our God never deserts us. Grace keeps pounding upon our hearts and urging us to turn around so that our senses will be heightened and we will become more aware of what is happening around us.

God is constantly gracing us to Love. But this grace always works through others. When we encounter a beautifully faithful person they can inspire us to endeavour to be more faithful in our own lives. When we see a person courageously and truthfully speak out about various injustices, they can inspire us to be more socially aware. When we see a person accept pain and suffering graciously, they can inspire us to be more gracious in our own suffering. Likewise when we see and experience the impact of lies, deceit, greed and the desire for power, they can drive us to be truthful, generous and affirming in all things. When we encounter a person with a profound belief in Jesus and they live their life accordingly, then we can be inspired to seek out Jesus.

All of these occasions invite us to turn around and to be inspired or challenged by what is before us – and there is much to see. They are invitations to be prepared to walk into the wind and have our senses brought to life. They are invitations to see where and how God works in our lives. They are an invitation to hear God’s voice calling us through those around us and then us having the courage to turn around and say “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.”

Christmas Break

2005-12-23T12:35:00.000+10:30

I am currently on holidays and will resume blogging for the Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B [Sunday Jan 15 2006].

I will post the reflection for that week's readings on the Wednesday prior [Wed Jan 11].

Have a peace filled and holy Christmas season.

Weekly Reflection: Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year B

2005-12-16T21:34:00.000+10:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Samuel &:1-5:8-12.14.16
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 88:2-5.27.29. R cf.v.2
Second Reading: Romans 16:25-27
Gospel: Luke 1:26-38

In today’s gospel we hear that Mary is “deeply disturbed” and doesn’t understand the meaning of the greeting from the angel. She is subsequently told “do not be afraid.” And her response to all this was “let what you have said be done to me.”

A common image that is held of Mary is that she was submissive and mild and a very gentle woman. But in her lived reality was she?

As we approach Christmas each of us are receiving a greeting for the “angel” to let the birth of love come to life within us and to be open to the will of God. What is OUR response? If we examine this question carefully then we may come to realise that Mary had incredible courage, strength and fortitude and would have had to have been far from being meek and mild.

As we reflect upon our response to accept the birth of love within us and being open to God’s will, let’s look at what this might mean for us and the way in which we live our lives with the help of a little check list.

Are there relationships in my life that are fractured and need healing and forgiveness?
Do I hold attitudes that are harmful to others and to me such as: racism, religious and political persecution, greed, lack of concern or care for the poor and the outcasts and all those in need, apathy etc.?
Do I refuse to speak my mind and heart about injustice, waiting and hoping someone else to do it?
Do I constantly seek my own comfort while causing discomfort for others?
Do I run away from my responsibilities to my family and the communities to which I belong?
Do I seek self gratification?

The list could be endless. But it is important for us to see that when we say yes to this extraordinary gift of Love the self becomes less and less important and our focus will turn to the other and their well being.

If we think of the people in our lives who have truly inspired us, they are the ones who have given themselves for the good of others, they are the ones who are passionate about God and see the connectedness of everything in our world, they are the ones who have often suffered but have continued to love and give of themselves during this suffering, they are the ones who have a real and tangible relationship with God, they are the ones who often display strength and courage and determination in the face of persecution, they are the ones who challenge us to Love, they are the ones who will not let fear trample their Spirit, they are the ones who can forgive, they are the ones who long to do the will of God, they are the ones who have known failure but know themselves and everyone else to be Loved.

To say yes to this extraordinary gift of love in a world that is so broken will make demands on us – please God that we are not fooled otherwise. We cannot truly Love and remain silent when we see our world groaning in pain and confusion. Just as Mary was asked to give her life to this extraordinary gift, so are we.

So as we continue to prepare in this final week leading up to Christmas let us pray that we will be open in mind and heart to receive this extraordinary and mysterious gift of Love that is being offered to us. Are we really open to receiving such a gift?

Weekly Reflection: Third Sunday of Advent, Year B

2005-12-07T12:23:00.000+10:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Isaiah 61:1-2.10-11
Responsorial Psalm: Luke 1:46-50.53-54 R. Is. 61:10
Second Reading: Thessalonians 5:16-24
Gospel: John 1:6-8.19-28

In our Gospel today John the Baptist is questioned about who he is: “Who are you?” the priests and Levites ask him. His response is that he is not the Christ or a prophet - but he says he is the one Isaiah prophesied about “a voice that cries in the wilderness: Make a straight way for the Lord.”

We too are asked “Who are you?” It is a question that demands our attention if we are at all serious about this Advent journey. We are also called to be witnesses – to be voices that have the courage to cry out in the wilderness of our world, that Jesus offers us hope, love, peace and compassion. But at the same time and perhaps more importantly we need to learn to listen to all those other cries in the wilderness that have so much to teach us but sadly we often ignore them.

Let’s explore an example of this.

I am particularly reminded here of the young Australian Tuong Van Nguyen who was executed in Singapore last Friday for drug trafficking. There is no denying that the crime and its potential harm was shocking, but those last weeks of Van Nguyen’s life taught us valuable lessons if we cared to listen.

We heard of a young man who was remorseful - accepting of his immanent death - inspiring those around him - a source of courage and strength for his family and friends who had supported him through. We saw and felt with a mother and brother who were denied permission to hold her son and his brother one last time before he was executed – we watched his lawyer barely able to speak as he told of the prison inmates singing Ave Maria in Chinese as Van Nguyen was led out to be hung.

During those last days many of us looking on became acutely aware of the shockingness and barbaric nature of capital punishment that happens daily around our world. Many of our hearts were filled with compassion and sorrow and we saw something of the power of forgiveness at work. We were inspired by the faith of the gathering community who came together to support the family in prayer.

This story was a voice crying out in the wilderness and it revealed a number of important things for us to ponder. These cries from the wilderness often come from the most unexpected places, but it doesn’t matter from where they come, what is important is that we must learn to listen to them. Van Nguyen’s story challenges us to reflect upon our own beliefs about capital punishment in the light of the Gospel. It challenges those who believed this execution (or any execution) to be just and right to look at Jesus’ own execution and reflect upon his forgiveness of the criminal on the cross beside him and of those who were about to execute him. It confronts us with the centrality of forgiveness if we proclaim a belief in Jesus. This doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be punishment, but it asks the question: ‘What right do we have to take anyone’s life regardless of the crime?’ Do we make a straight way for the Lord when we behave this way?

This story is just one small voice crying out to us to wake up and to stay awake. How many other cries do we hear every day but we ignore them or we don’t see their relevance to us and our lives. We see violent acts of all kinds exercised through the abuse and manipulation of power. We hear the voices of poverty and struggle and brokenness all around us. We are confronted with injustice every day of our lives. But do we see it?

Advent invites us to prepare for the birth of Love, a birth that will reveal to us that we are intimately connected to each other and with our God, and this intimacy is called communion. When one part of this communion is hurt or broken for whatever reason it affects the whole communion in some way. When we act with violence on any level then violence is perpetuated. When we act with Love then Love is perpetuated. What do we believe God asks of us?

One of the greatest challenges for all of us is to Love or to keep loving when we have been badly hurt or betrayed and we feel angry. We simply cannot do this on our own as it can be a most difficult thing for us to do. We need support from each other and most importantly we need to cry out to our God to show us how to love when it feels almost impossible to do so.

When we can do this the cycle of violence will be weakened. This takes enormous faith and courage but it will break the cycle of violence and revenge that have become so much part of our way of being in our world. We cannot wait for someone else to break this shocking cycle of violence, the responsibility is ours.

So as we enter into this third week of Advent we ask our God to help us hear the many voices crying in the wilderness and to awaken our hearts to the birth of Love. In our reflections this week hear the question being asked of you: “Who are you?” and pray for the courage to examine your week with a heart that is prepared to listen and a desire to make a straight way for the Lord.

Weekly Reflection: Second Sunday of Advent, Year B

2005-12-01T16:14:00.000+10:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Isaiah 40:1-5.9-11
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 84:9-14 R vs 8
Second Reading: Peter 3:8-14
Gospel: Mark 1:1-8

In this second week of Advent we are called to prepare a way for the Lord. Advent really is a time that beckons for us to grow up and mature in our faith. The Psalmist talks today about justice and peace embracing and cries out “let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.” So where do we see the Lord’s kindness? Where do we see justice and peace meet?

Most children that are weaned from the breast don’t like it. It is quite common for them to cry and protest at what they have lost. They don’t realize that there is a greater choice of food and nourishment awaiting them and that this is one step toward their human development. When toddlers take their first steps it is their first real step of independence but it brings with it falls and tumbles and often tears. When children begin school there are often many tears from parents and children who find this separation just so painful. But this really is just another step in a journey to help them grow and mature as individuals. When teenagers leave school they have had a series of experiences in their short lives that have brought them to a greater sense of independence, a greater sense of responsibility for themselves and for others and often with that comes a greater sense of maturity. These are really important stages in our human development.

Our faith journey also has these similarities. But we seem to run a greater risk of staying in that infancy stage in the faith journey. We don’t want to leave the mothers breast and we certainly are reluctant to take our first steps. Like very young children we can become consumed with our own selves and we are not aware of the world around us and we can see ourselves as the centre of the universe and our faith can be very individualistic and self focused. We can hold false images of God that help keep us in this place where little or no grown occurs.

It is often painful for us to move on in our faith journey. It calls us to let go and this can be scary and uncomfortable and sometimes painful. It is our faith that will enable us to make this vital and life giving move because we know that our God walks with us. But if we stay in this infancy stage of our faith we will not see God’s kindness and we will never see justice and peace embrace. Justice is at the heart of our Christian faith. Just as a small child has little concept of justice and a fair go for others because they are so self absorbed, if we refuse to move out of this infancy stage in our faith then we will have no or little concept of justice either.

We see God’s kindness when justice prevails. If we don’t have an understanding of justice and peace then we don’t have an understanding of God. Justice is not necessarily about giving money to the poor etc (these are important things but they often help us feel good about ourselves and have little to do with justice) – justice is about seeing the structures and the policies and the corruption that maintains poverty and all other sorts of injustice. We see God’s kindness when we see these structures etc torn down and recognised for the evil that they are.

When justice is our priority and our lives reveal a desire for justice, it is then that we prepare a way for the Lord and it is equivalent to letting every valley be filled in and every mountain and hill be laid low, and every cliff becoming a plain and the ridges a valley and then our Psalmist says “then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed…” This journey of Justice and Peace requires a response from us – it requires our commitment and our dedication. Our God tells us that it is not sacrifice that God requires but mercy. If we have mercy then we will know justice.

Why is it then that we find it so hard to see the connection between justice and seeing the kindness of God? That is a question that we all must take time to answer for ourselves during this Advent. We might be tempted to blame aspects of the Church leadership for this ignorance and there might be some truth in that. However, Advent calls us to a maturity and a responsibility to know that what ever has gone before us and whoever else may be blamed, that we are responsible for ourselves and for each other. This Advent we are called to mature in our faith journey, we are called to prepare a way for our God, we are called to act justly, and we are called to pray that we will see God’s kindness. Then we will see justice and peace embrace in our troubled and broken world – but it is up to each one of us to let go of our infancy and take those first steps.

Weekly Reflection: First Sunday of Advent, Year B

2005-11-23T11:11:00.000+10:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Isaiah 63:16-17;64:1.3-8
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 79:2-3.15-16.18-19 R. vs. 4
Second Reading: Corinthians 1:3-9
Gospel: Mark 13:33-37

Advent is a very beautiful season of our Church’s year. It is a time when we are invited to be reflective about our lives knowing that “God is the potter and we are the clay”. It is a time when we are challenged to become more aware as we wait for our God to “visit this vine and protect it”. It is a time when we pray to “stay awake” and to be more in touch with our hunger and longing for God (for Love) knowing that God can come so “unexpectedly”.

Advent really is and invitation to deepening prayer and a reminder of the life giving importance of prayer in our lives.

Prayer has many faces. There is liturgical prayer when we come together as a community to offer praise and thanksgiving. There is formal verbal prayer such as the rosary etc. There is reflective prayer where we spend time examining our lives. While these are all important, the prayer we are reminded about during this advent season is the prayer of communion – the prayer that profoundly draws us into this relationship with our God in a most personal and empowering way, so that we stand before God in absolute awe.

This contemplative prayer has been largely misunderstood or even ignored within our faith communities. We can absorb ourselves in the prayer where we do all the doing/saying – we say all the daily prayers and we attend the daily liturgies etc, but this is only a small part of the prayer journey to which we are invited to be part of. When we respond to the call of contemplative prayer we can do nothing except stand in awe of what surrounds us and it is then when we will allow God to do all the doing within us. We must allow prayer to transform us and to bring to life the birth of love within our hearts – this is what Advent is about.

We will come to learn that what is required of us is our silence, not our verbal utterances. But we must allow God to lead us on this journey of deepening Love and that is often the hardest thing for us to do because it requires us to let go instead of holding the reigns and directing our prayer.

When we are drawn into this contemplative prayer we can often feel helpless and wonder if our prayer has perhaps been a waste of time. But we must be careful of this temptation. Teresa of Avila gives us some great words of wisdom about this when she says that our prayer cannot be judged by how much we do, but it can be judged by how much we love. So our loving is the fruit of our prayer, and how ever hard we are finding prayer, if we remain and grow in love then we know that God is working within us.

Contemplative prayer is confusing for many. But a small example might help our understanding. It is a very limited example because any example given can never capture God, it can only give us a glimpse to help our understanding.

Recently I was walking along the beach front with my family and the sun was going down in the west. The sky was streaks of reds and pinks – it was spectacular - and this great ball of yellow sun was just about to meet the surface of the ocean on the horizon, and we all stopped and never spoke a word and just watched the sun disappear beyond the horizon. We were in awe of the beauty before us. There was no speaking just silence for those few minutes as we watched and pondered this magnificent scene.

Think of times in your own life when you have been totally captivated by something in this way. They are not times when you just keep talking about whatever, or thinking about whatever else. You become absorbed by what is before you and silence is a natural reaction.

Well if we can have this experience with various aspects of nature then how much greater will this experience be when we open our hearts and come to truly know something of the immensity and mystery of God. This is contemplation, to stand in faith before God in awe and wonder and silence, and coming to know my own powerlessness before this great mystery. One of the greatest tragedies in our prayer lives is to limit God to our own understanding and when we do this we will not know the awe of God.

Let’s pray in the coming week that we will have a renewed commitment to prayer and ask that our hearts will be ‘awake’ to discover a deepening understanding of prayer as we await the birth of Jesus/the birth of Love breaking into our world and into our own hearts.

Weekly Reflection: Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King - Year A

2005-11-16T15:46:00.000+10:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-12.15-17
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 22:1-3.5-6. R. vs. 1
Second Reading: Corinthians 15:20-26.28
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

In one of our Opening Prayers in our liturgy for this Sunday it says: ‘Open our hearts, free all the world to rejoice in his peace, to glory in his justice, to live in his love.’ This is what our ‘king’ offers us today. ‘King’ is quite a difficult and unhelpful image for many people to relate to because firstly: the imagery puts forward the exclusivity of a male God and secondly: because history reveals to us that a number of kings have been ruthless power mongers who have cared nothing for their citizens on many levels. But for us to engage this very beautiful celebration of Jesus the universal Christ we must endeavour to not allow ourselves to be bound by the limitations of our language and to be open to see what is at the heart of this wonderful feast.

The universality of Jesus is something we often don’t understand. We can be tempted to see Jesus as our own personal messiah and see very little beyond this. Or various religious groups can claim Jesus as their own and exclude others, thinking they and no others possess the truth of Jesus. These are gross misunderstandings and distortions of who Jesus is for us.
When Jesus was hanging on the cross and cried out ‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing’, he cried this prayer out for the whole of humanity – he cried it for us.

In our gospel today Jesus says: ‘All the nations will be assembled’ and it will be revealed to us what our response has been to the hungry, to the thirsty, to the stranger, to the naked, to the sick and to the imprisoned. Jesus placed himself in every human being when he made these statements to the nations, and this was a great surprise to those who did not respond to the needs of those around them. They did not recognise the universality of Jesus – they did not know Jesus.

We today must ask ourselves if we recognise the universality of Jesus and what the implications of this are for us. If we have a genuine personal relationship with Jesus then we will have that relationship with the world around us. Jesus wept over Jerusalem, but he kept loving, he kept challenging and he kept faithful to the empowering love that welled up within him. So often we hear people say today: “What can I do I am only one person – what difference can I make.” When we give in to this attitude we need to hear Jesus saying to us “For I was hungry and you never gave me food, I was thirsty and you never……..”

None of us want to hear these words, but hear them we will if we refuse to respond to the world around us, if we refuse to see Jesus in our neighbour.

Surely we weep when we see innocent people being murdered in wars. Surely we weep when we see people without food or shelter. Surely we weep when we see political leaders uphold the economy in preference to the well being of the people. Surely we weep when we see alcohol and drugs destroy the lives of many people. Surely we weep when we see the youth suicide at a never seen before level. Surely we weep when we see innocent people jailed and detained. Surely we weep when we see the plight of our aboriginal brothers and sisters. Surely we weep when we see people crippled and manipulated by fear. Surely we weep when we see revenge enacted etc etc etc.

BUT do we weep? Or do we close our eyes and our hearts and pretend everything around us is OK because I think I’m OK?

Peace, Justice and Love are what our universal Messiah offers us. But the world we live in is a word of increasing turmoil, growing injustice and growing hatred. If we say we believe in Jesus we cannot shut our eyes and hearts to what is happening around us – to believe in Jesus is to believe in justice and peace for all. We must challenge our political leaders to produce policies that reflect this justice and peace. We the people have an enormous power to do this but often we selfishly shut our eyes and then we wonder why we find ourselves in a mess. For example a growing trend in our political elections is to vote for whichever party puts the most money in our pockets regardless of how that might impact on others, and regardless of the policies a particular political party might have on any number of justice issues. It would appear that we don’t seem to care and that our main concern is for ourselves. When we think and behave in this way little good will come from it.

Our selfishness and self centeredness is our greatest problem and our greatest challenge. When, as individuals and as a world wide community we can move beyond this and acknowledge our deep longing for peace, justice and Love and respond to it, then we will see the emergence of a world that reflects what Jesus the universal Messiah is offering us.

Then Jesus will turn to us and say: ‘For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me; sick and you visited me; in prison and you came to see me'.

Reading references:

Weekly Reflection: 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A

2005-11-09T13:52:00.000+10:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Proverbs 31:10-13.19-20.30-31
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 127: 1-5. R vs 1
Second Reading: Paul Letter to Thessalonians 5:1-6
Gospel: Matthew 25:14-30

The response to our Psalm today is ‘Happy are those who fear the Lord.’ How do we understand this word ‘fear’ in this context? It is a very important question because it is often misunderstood and creates all sorts of problems for us. So often we limit God to nothing more than our own understanding and of course this distorts God beyond imagining. But when we come to know something of the immensity of God and we look at Jesus who reveals for us the God of Love, we will know we are standing before sheer mystery. That experience of faith will make us tremble with awe, not with fear as we understand fear today – but with an awe that will free us from what binds us and we will be lovingly drawn into this mystery and we will want to be drawn into the mystery. Our God does not want us to be bound by fear – our God wants us to be free to Love. So, to ‘fear the Lord’ has nothing to do with the fear that permeates our world today – it is to do with Love beyond our imagining and standing before this mystery in absolute awe and wonder.

But in our gospel we are presented with a fear that is destructive, and if our eyes are open we will recognize it all around us and within us. The three servants are given gifts by their master. Two of them multiply the gifts. But one of them hides their gift because of fear and then loses everything. So how does all of this speak to us today?

Every human being is given the gift of Love. Some of us have been badly broken during our lives for a number of reasons but we still have the freedom to make the decision to Love and to let ourselves be loved. When we love we are multiplying the gift that we have been given (as we see in two of the servants today). But what stops us from loving? Mostly it is fear. We are afraid to let ourselves be vulnerable by daring to speak the truth. We are afraid we will be rejected and so we put up a barrier between ourselves and others. We are afraid of what people may think of us so we behave in a way that we think others would want us to behave and we loose ourselves in the process. We are afraid to take risks and in doing so we retard our potential to grow in love. We are afraid we will lose power so we play dangerous games to try and destabilize those whom we think are a threat to us. We are afraid we will lose control and so we exercise control over others through manipulation, violence etc.

We see government’s world wide currently operating through a politics of fear with its citizens. We see it in our own country through the promoted threat of terrorism and all that goes with that. Through this political game we have become very suspicious of particular people without any justification. We have allowed the horrific treatment of refugees and asylum seekers to take place on our own soil because we have been manipulated into thinking that ‘these people’ are a threat to our ‘security’ our ‘democracy’ and our ‘way of life’. It creates division, suspicion and fear – and it further exacerbates hatred and conflict. It puts the rights and freedoms of citizens at a greater risk when we allow ourselves to be manipulated by fear in this way.

We must allow our hearts be troubled by such shocking political games and our eyes and hearts must be open to see that the promotion of fear is always counter productive to love. Fear is the enemy of Love. When we give into fear of any kind in any circumstance we are blocking love. Throughout scripture we are told ‘do not be afraid’ because the crippling and destructive nature of fear is known to the wise. We must pray for the courage to break the cycle of fear that is running rampant around us and within us.

In the coming week take some time to ponder your life and our world. Think of the gift of love you have been given and reflect upon how it has been multiplied in your life. Think of how your own heart has been touched by those who love you. Take some time also to think of where fear has impacted on you and what happened when you gave into this fear or what happened when you were able to go beyond the fear. These wise words by Oscar Romero may help your reflection:

“To each one of us Christ is saying:
If you want your life and mission to be fruitful like mine, do as I.
Be converted into a seed that lets itself be buried.
Let yourself be killed.
Do not be afraid.
Those who shun suffering will remain alone.
No one is more alone than the selfish.
But if you give your life out of love for others, as I give mine for all,
you will reap a great harvest.
You will have the deepest satisfactions.
Do not fear death or threats; the Lord goes with you.

[Excerpt taken from “The Violence of Love” Page 128]

Please note: This reflection may be used in parish bulletins etc but with acknowledgment of its author.

Weekly Reflection: 32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A

2005-11-03T14:28:00.000+10:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Wisdom 6:12-16
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 62:2-8. R. vs 2
Second Reading: Paul Letter to Thessalonians 4:13-18
Gospel: Matthew 25:1-13

Our First Reading today speaks of wisdom and says:

“Quick to anticipate those who desire her, she makes herself know to them….”

And our psalmist is filled with longing for God and cries out

“For your love is better than life…”

Our Gospel highlights for us the difference between those who are wise and those who are not and what the ramifications of this will be for us. Let’s explore the bridesmaids and see how they might speak to our lives today.

Like the ten bridesmaids there is no doubt that religious communities world wide want to come and meet God – they want to be part of the kingdom of heaven. But also like the ten bridesmaids some of us will be “foolish” and we will not be known by our God because we took no responsibility for our own preparation on the journey.

What a great tragedy it will be if we don’t recognize ourselves in this parable and begin to turn our lives around and make preparations so that we may be eternally with our God. We are personally responsible for ourselves and it matters greatly how we prepare ourselves. To carry the “lamp” is not enough – we are responsible to keep that lamp lit – we are responsible to provide the oil that will keep it burning. It is not enough to proclaim Jesus to be our light - it is not enough to go to Mass on Sunday – it is not enough to say I want to be with God. All of these things are important, but to give these expressions of faith life, then we must learn to LIVE what we proclaim.

To say or do these things is one thing, to desire God with all our hearts is quite another.

The way in which we choose to live our lives is equivalent to the oil in the lamps. If we continue to ONLY ‘proclaim’ to ‘go’ and to ‘say’ then we will not know our God and our God will say to us “I do not know you.”

If we persist with living lives that say and do plenty but LOVE little then we are walking in very dangerous territory.

It is our Loving, our desire and our longing that is equivalent to the oil in the lamps. We must examine our hearts and our lives very carefully and very deeply and ask God to heal us of our blindness.

Love is what will lead us to the Kingdom of Heaven and Love does not separate itself between religious practice and a life lived in love – if we choose to separate them it is like having a lamp without the oil as we saw in our parable today.

Let us pray in the coming week that our hearts will be open to the Wisdom our God offers us.

We might also ponder these wise words below by Joan Chittister in her book “Heart of Flesh” and think of all the ways in which we separate our religious practice from the way in which we live our lives and the choices we make. We might also think of all the enlightened moments we have had in our lives and pray that we will be open to continuing enlightenment.

“We spend so much time camouflaging reality by prettying up what we do not want to face that only when it is irrevocably unmasked do we come to see what we realize we were intended to see in the first place. We look at so many things and refuse to see them for what they really are. We look at life and divorce it from spirituality.”

Please note: This reflection may be used in parish bulletins etc but with acknowledgment of its author.

Weekly Reflection: 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A

2005-10-26T12:55:00.000+09:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Malachi 1:14-2:2.8-10
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 130
Second Reading: Paul Letter to Thessalonians 2:7-9.13
Gospel: Matthew 23:1-12

Today’s readings place an enormous challenge before us. There is something quite dysfunctional in our human nature that is tempted to aspire to elitism or to hold up elitism as something to be honoured. In the gospel today Jesus attacks this mentality and says ‘the greatest among you must be your servant.’ Jesus embraced the religious and social outcasts of his day. He broke right through the purity code/laws that alienated and oppressed so many people who longed to be part of the faith community.

We the church must be careful of this in our time. There is an element within the Church that upholds laws that continue to alienate and oppress people who long to be fully part of our faith communities. There is a temptation to keep returning to the very purity codes that Jesus was so determined to expose for the evil they were. We must remember that Jesus is our truth – not us. Every one of us is contaminated by sin. We don’t like to hear this, but none of us are free of it. But when we exclude people from our communities because we judge their sin to somehow be worse than ours, we ourselves are entering into grave sin.

Perhaps one of the greatest wrongs of our time is to not recognize our own sinfulness: this is religious elitism at its worst. When we exclude people from our faith communities because we judge their sinfulness to be worse than our own, two things happen (among many others): we isolate ourselves from their goodness and we isolate them from the goodness of our own community. All sorts of damage is done in the process. Repentance is a life long journey and a life lived in community is our greatest teacher on this journey.

So why then do we exclude people?

For example what a shocking and often hypocritical thing it is that divorced people who long to be fully part of our community are so often excluded. What do we do to their souls and their spirit when we treat them in such a way? What we are effectively saying to all those whom we treat as outcasts are that you have sinned, but we have been purified and your entry into this community would contaminate the Church (us) in some way.

We must be so careful and aware of laws that exclude, oppress and alienate people who have a desire to be part of our faith communities. Two of the greatest sins of our time are ‘apathy’ and ‘silence’ in the face of injustice, and how much apathy and silence is present in every church on every Sunday? – So we dare not judge when we can be so blind to our own sinfulness.

These magnificent words are in the Wisdom of Solomon and they say this about our God:

“….but you are merciful to all, for you can do all things, and you overlook people’s sins, so that they may repent.” [Wisdom of Solomon 11:23]

There is great richness in these few words and we must learn from them. If God overlooks our sin so that we may repent, then who are we to do otherwise?

Let us pray in the coming week for ourselves as Church that we will learn to question and reject structures and laws that are oppressive and alienating to so many, and pray for the courage to fully welcome into our communities those who have been so unjustly outcast.

Please note: This reflection may be used in parish bulletins etc but with acknowledgment of its author.

Weekly Reflection: 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A

2005-10-19T13:11:00.000+09:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Exodus 22:20-26
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 17:2-4.47.51. R. vs 2
Second Reading: Paul Letter to Thessalonians 1:5-10
Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40

In today’s First Reading we hear God saying “….I am full of pity” for those who cry out to me in need. Then we declare our love for God in the Psalm. In the Second Reading Paul tells the community at Thessalonica that they are a “great example to all believers….”. Our Gospel tells us we must love God and love our neighbour.

Each of us must ask ourselves where we fit into this extraordinary scene of love and compassion that each of us are being asked to imitate. Martin Luther King Jr. once said: “There comes a time when silence is betrayal.” So often when we keep silent we are betraying God and our neighbour, we are betraying Love, and we are betraying the very existence that Jesus asks us to live. When we look at our Readings and then look at the shocking mess our world is in, we will see how profoundly true these words of Martin Luther King Jr. are. But so often it is the one who breaks the sinful silence that is then portrayed by those who persist in keeping this silence, as the one who has betrayed their community and they often become the outcasts or worse. Jesus invites us today to have a radical trust in Love. If the majority truly lived this radical trust in Love then it would be those who betrayed this trust that would be the outcasts, but tragically this is not the case it is quite the reverse. Any Love that is real will not allow itself to be silenced regardless of the cost. Take some time this week to look at where Love is active (or perhaps not so active) in your own life and your own attitudes to what is happening around you. If we are to grow as human beings and understand what and who we are truly called to be then we must make the time to see where we are loving, but more importantly where we fail to love.

Think for a moment of your personal relationships. Do your personal relationships reflect this radical Love we are called to live - or do you hold grudges or set out to hurt those who hurt you or ignore the needs of those around you? Look at our country and many of the issues we currently face and ask yourself where in my attitudes to these issues am I living out the radical nature of Love? Keep the words “There comes a time when silence is betrayal” in your mind as you reflect upon your attitudes to the following:

· our immigration policies and treatment of those in detention
· the politics of fear inciting racism and suspicion
· people caught in the poverty trap
· the priority of the economy over people’s well being and rights
· a culture that puts self above all else
· a personal culture that puts the accumulation of money/wealth above personal relationships and well being
· the plight of our indigenous communities
· our care for our environment
· list some of your own concerns

When we reflect upon our attitudes to the above what do we discover about ourselves? Do we have the courage to be truthful? Anything that you are tempted to dismiss in the above list may need your particular attention. What does our silence tell us about ourselves? Whatever it is that we discover it is never too late to Love. This is the one constant in our lives; we are forever being invited to Love. Let’s pray in the coming week for ourselves and for each other that we will be graced with the insight and the courage to break the silences that corrupt our minds and hearts so that we may truly grow in our Love for our God and for our neighbour.

Weekly Reflection: 29th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A

2005-10-12T21:23:00.000+09:30

Reading references:

First Reading: Isaiah 45:1,4-6
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 95:1,3-5,7-10. R. v. 7
Second Reading: Paul Letter to Thessalonians 1:1-5
Gospel: Matthew 22:15-21

In today’s gospel we are presented with a very ugly side of our human nature as seen through the Pharisees, but at the same time we are presented with an extraordinarily beautiful side of our human nature as seen through Jesus. The Pharisees are greatly threatened by Jesus and they set out to find ways to destroy him. They lay traps to catch him out hoping that they can encourage others to learn to also hate him. They want to infect others through their own poisonous and ruthless games. But Jesus keeps beautifully faithful to love and throws them off balance with every attempt to discredit him because he sees everything through the eyes and the heart of love.

So how does all this speak to us today? We are really presented here with two ideologies, one from the Pharisees and one from Jesus. Most, if not all of the greatest reformers in our history have been idealists in one-way or another. Idealism is a good thing, but it must always be in partnership with tolerance - if it isn’t then we become like the Pharisees and we try and enforce our ideals upon others and if they don’t conform then we set out to destroy them – we become dictators. And sadly of course in doing this we ultimately destroy ourselves and so often many others along with us. Not once did Jesus use force – he always invited and left it up to people to respond. His lived example of faithfulness to love was what changed people’s hearts.

Why is it so hard for us to hear and respond to the real message of Jesus? Why do we set out to hurt and destroy each other? Why do we invade each other’s countries and do so in God’s name? Why do we attempt to defame others in ways that will harm them dreadfully and unjustly etc?

Tolerance is something our world craves for today but there are too few role models for us to follow. The predominating mentality today is: ‘if someone hits you, then you hit them back but twice as hard.’ And yet we have over 1 billion Christians in our world who declare that they follow Jesus – the God of Love, the God of Compassion, the God of Peace. Something does not add up here. And this fraudulent declaration of belief in Jesus must be exposed for the deceit that it is – just as Jesus exposed the Pharisees in today’s Gospel for what they really were. But we as Christians must take responsibility for this and live lives that reflect our belief in Jesus.

Let us pray in the coming week that we will examine the way we live our lives and rejoice in our idealism - but pray also for the grace of tolerance so that the way we choose to live our lives will be attractive to others and therefore we will be able to hand back “to God what belongs to God.”

Please note: This reflection may be used in parish bulletins etc but with acknowledgment of its author.