Stay Alert

 These words echo as we begin the season of Advent. The challenge of staying alert and awake to the reason for the season can often elude us amid the hustle and bustle of modern-day life. There can be many things that demand our attention and divert our attention. This does not just include preparing for Christmas, but it is also the act of remembering the people who are important to us. There can be a sense, when we are drawing up Christmas card lists, about whether we will send a general email, an ecard, or trust our greetings to an actual card. How do we stay in contact? What do we say, will this sustain our connections, and who will we respond to? This is more than just an obligation; it is a way to notice and pray for those who have influence in our lives.

By way of suggestion, as you are drawing up the list, consider what our prayer intention for them may be this year. This will allow us to go beyond a generic greeting towards a heartfelt invitation to allow God to touch their lives. This could address the environment in which they live and how they could make a difference. Then write the card. Hopefully, this should not take much time and will help make writing Christmas greetings not another task to be ticked off. 

It helps us to notice what intentions we have for each day of Christmas. Make an intention list for each day and pin it on the fridge. These can serve as reminders of what we need to pray for each day. It also allows us to see how we can touch people in our own square metre by making a conscious effort to act justly, walk humbly and love tenderly as we journey towards Christmas.

Christ knocks at the door and waits

 William Holman Hunt drew a picture of Christ the King knocking at the door. The door is overgrown by ivy, and Jesus stands outside in the garden with a lantern. This image invites a more profound reflection: when people viewed it, they noticed there was no handle on the outside of the door. While Jesus knocks at the door, he gazes out into the world, inviting us in. This profound invitation lies at the heart of this solemnity. Christ looks out to us and seeks to enter. What holds us back?

The Gospel reading may hold some clues for us. Jesus presides over the people from the Cross. It is almost like the picture drawn by William Holman Hunt he is frozen in place. We witness people throwing scorn on Jesus. The leaders and the soldiers both misunderstanding this saving act. They understood salvation as a remedy for present ills rather than a divine embrace. It is only the good thief who is able to perceive this embrace when he prays to be remembered in the  Kingdom. 

So our hearts and minds are pierced by this reality that seeks to transform how we see God entering into a relationship with us. This is not a salvation that overlooks suffering but one that seeks to transform it for the good of others and the whole of creation. The answer to the paradox of the Cross is not outside us but how we open our hearts to let Christ enter in.

The coming of the Lord

 Having just started the thirty-day retreat, I am taken back to the experience that I had during my time as spiritual director at the Seminary. I was returning from a rest day in the exercises and as I drew closer to the retreat centre, I could see an ominous cloud of smoke on the horizon. As I drew closer, this only seemed to intensify the sense of danger. When I pulled into the car park, there was a smell of ash and smoke in the air, and all the cars had disappeared. I then found the seminarians happily playing volleyball at the bottom of the hill. Yet the danger remained throughout the retreat; we had evacuation plans in place and times when we had to stay put, awaiting advice from the SES. In the midst of this, the seminarians maintained the silence and more deeply encountered the Lord.

The reality is that, in everyday tasks, we often become overwhelmed by real threats to our lives and livelihoods. Yet in the midst of these adversities, we are called to trust in the Lord who comes to rule the earth. This is so that rather than being distracted by whatever everyone else is doing, we are called to remain focused on what has been entrusted to us. In this way, we quietly go on working and earning the food we eat. 

Jesus echoes this reality when doomsayers emerge in our midst. Calling us to fear the future based on the fact that we know at the moment. Yet we are called to build on firm foundations, knowing that it is in discovering Christ that we make a person who can sustain us against our deepest fear and our greatest peril.  He seeks for us to endure even when we do not know what to say or do. He provides the courage to take the next obvious step.

Crossing the threshold of hope

 Over this last year there has been a pilgrimage of hope that has seen millions of pilgrims pass through the Holy Doors that have been opened for this jubilee. In the city of Rome, there are four major basilicas each of which opened a holy door for the Jubilee of Hope. These are the basilicas of St Mary Major, St Paul outside the walls, St Peter’s Basilica and Archbasilica Cathedral of the Most Holy Saviour of Saint John the Baptist and John the Evangelist, also called St John Lateran for short, it is oldest and is the mother Church of Rome and the whole world.

As we honour the mother Church of the whole world, we are called to ponder the importance of a Church building that is dedicated to the worship of God. It is the Pope’s cathedral and was dedicated in 324. We are called to prayer for how these sacred places shape us into places where we encounter God in a profound way.

Yet it is the liminal space where we stand at the lintel of these holy places that we are called to notice the transition that takes place. We move from the outside to the inside and are often stunned by the beauty that has been preserved over the years. Yet do we notice the beauty that we encounter within ourselves. Any pilgrimage is more than taking photos or record experiences it looks to what lasts rather than what is transitional. As people return home from entering these four buildings and praying there what remains of the experience that is foundational for our Christian life.

St Paul hints at this when he says, “you are God’s building”. Building on the foundation of Christ we are called to discover the sacredness not just of Churches but of people who gather in them. The building in its essence helps us to discover how the Spirit of God is living among us. As he says the temple of God is sacred and you are that temple.

I think this is what provokes Jesus into a rage where he overturns tables, scatters coins and drives out animals. It is trying to block the person’s encounter with the sacred through trading in spiritual goods. We should always have this in our consciousness of how we make it easier for people to develop the sacred space within them.

Ezekiel when he points to how a stream of water flows eastward from the temple. This water seeks to make the sea wholesome. It also allows fruit trees to flourish, produce fruit and leaves that are medicinal. The essence is that what flows into the temple also flows out into the world.

We are called to be people who have the mind of Christ and look at what helps people to thrive. To allow people space to discover holiness and listen to how God is moving in their lives. This is a slow patient process that allows them to be nurtured and watered with life giving water. We are called to become people who proclaim a jubilee of hope.

Called to remember!

 Unusually, we celebrate All Saints Day and All Souls Day over this weekend. We remember our call to be saints, as well as those who have died. This dual call embodies the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. The recognition that our external actions mirror our internal sense of who we are called to become. This call to be saints and to pray for others is at the heart of these two commemorations.

  When I read CS Lewis' book A Grief Observed, he noticed that in the midst of his sadness, whether it was directed to prayers for his deceased wife or towards himself. This can be our own experience of loss, where we feel like people standing in an empty cave, shouting into the dark. As we speak the person's name, we start to hear the echo of our own voice. This echo can disturb us because we wonder how deeply the wound that we feel may be healed. We don't want to just be people who become enveloped by the silence that can settle upon us. Yet the very act of remembering the person can lead to noticing that this same place of silence contains a wound of love. It is from this place of love that we feel the bittersweet taste of what it is to grieve the loss of someone we love and who has loved us.

As people called to become saints, we also notice how we reach out to others with this emptiness. This is not just to fill our emptiness with activity but rather to offer our availability for the good of another. It is the paradox of our faith that we surrender everything so that people may discover a space in which they can become themselves. By offering even our poverty of emptiness we can discover a God who can meet us even at the time when we feel most bereft of answers. 

What prayers are heard by God?

 There is often a temptation to pray in a particular way for our prayers to be heard by God. This can cause us to put more effort into our time of worship, looking for the right words, the right actions and the right intention if it is to be "successful". The aim is simple: I need to receive from God the effort I put in. Yet often our prayers focus on who we think we should be rather than who we are. God listens to the heartfelt prayer that simply meets us in our poverty, neediness and dependence.

This is evident in the parable about the Pharisee and the publican. This is not just by an exterior display of piety but an inward conversion of heart. This involves a surrender of our whole self to God, recognising our deepest longing and our utter dependence on God. We see it too in the reading from Ecclesiasticus, where it is in allowing our story to be heard that our hearts may be read. This listening heart of God is like an arrow that pierces the clouds with a pure intent. God listens to what is most heartfelt.

This is the race we are called to be part of, seeking God daily. This is a perseverance that sees our effort in prayer as an encounter with God standing by us in power. This is not just focusing on myself, but seeking God who runs with us in the race of life.  Stay in the race and pray as you can.

Persistance in prayer

 The image of the unjust judge and the persistent widow seems strange for our relationship to God. We often find that our prayer transforms how we relate to God and to others as ourselves. What might start out as an actual need to see justice and a remedy to our problems develops into a faithfulness that purifies our intention. We no longer just seek a particular outcome, but we strive to deepen a relationship that will resolve the heart of the problem. The aim is not to bend God to our will, but to notice how it helps us grow in faith. This is a faith that actually trusts our whole life to God as a way of living.

We see this in Exodus, where Moses is supported in a practical way by Aaron and Hur, who hold up his arms when he faces the assault of Amalek. In this example, it is a reminder that our prayer draws together a community of faith that stands with and supports us. They help us persevere in the face of odds that can seem overwhelming if we try to tackle them on our own. This practical intercession reminds us that where two or three are gathered in prayer, God is with them. 

St Paul also encourages Timothy to be guided by the living Word of Scripture. This helps us notice what builds community by being guided to live wholesome lives. This way of life, or holiness, prepares us to perform good works out of a desire to manifest the love of God to others. The good works are not an end in themselves but an expression of how God works through us. This obedient listening to God allows us to be patient with others in gently correcting and guiding them to learn the truth of the Gospel. May God guide us to discern what brings life, love, and hope to our world. 

Were not all ten healed (28th Sunday)

 When we are sick and need it, it is easy for us to seek the aid of another. We are aware of our own helplessness and poverty, especially when we are beset by our own weaknesses. Yet in the midst of this petition, we are called to be open to the one who can heal us. Many studies show that our healing from both sickness and poverty means a belief that the person who walks alongside us speaks the truth to our condition. We see this in the ten lepers who came for healing. They had faith that Jesus could heal them, but it was only the Samaritan who saw his life transformed and thanked him. This faithful response is that it is not just about a physical healing but a spiritual reshaping of his life.

This is where the faith can lead us to recognise how our choices in life need to be examined in the environment in which we live. We do not wish away our troubles, but in the midst of these difficulties, we seek to encounter the person of Jesus who walks by our side. We notice the way of life that addicts us to specific patterns of behaviour that prevent us from living in a way that is life-giving for God, others and ourselves. By surrendering ourselves, we discover that Jesus cannot disown his own self. It is in realising this that our lives can change for good. It calls us to hold firm even when faced with these difficulties to acknowledge how we resist that grace and to surrender our whole self in thanksgiving to his life.

Naaman is challenged by this revelation when he is called to bathe in the Jordon. He has to overcome his own pride and attachment to power to allow God to not only heal his leprosy and his resistance to accepting a gift without price. He notices that he is called to become a person whose life is offered wholly to God. In this, we discover that holiness comes when we surrender ourselves entirely to God's healing touch. 

Increase our Faith (27th Sunday)

 The belief that faith is an external product that can be obtained is contrasted by Jesus' statement that if our faith were the size of a mustard seed, it could move a mountain. This is more than wishful thinking or magic but rather a willingness to hear his voice and not to harden our hearts. We discover that we are part of the transformation process. In being called to the table of the Lord, this is not just about indulgence but rather participation in preparing the meal. We are called to be people who are ready to see our whole life as an act of service born out of love. 

This is not a spirit of timidity but rather a spirit of power, love and self-control. This is not just about having the strength of our convictions, but also about a willingness to witness to the Lord, even though we may face many difficulties in life. This is where the flame of faith is called to burn deep within us so that we may share the goodness of the gift that we have received.

Being people of justice and compassion is not just about acknowledging that we are powerless against the things that oppress us and others. When we look at the violence and outrage in the world, it is easy to become overwhelmed. To believe that this is the way of the world rather than the way we have made this world. We are called to be faithful and be eager for the fulfilment of the vision of God. That no one is abandoned to their own failures, but that God reaches out to heal, reconcile and nourish those who do not harden their hearts to the voice of God. 

More than skin deep

 I remember once attending the musical 'Les Misérables' that deeply touched my life. This modern-day parable touches the reality of both justice and redemption through compassion. The way the story unfolds invites the person to notice the contrary forces present in the human heart. This story is told by Victor Hugo as a way of seeing how the good news touches every human life and invites a response about where we find hope and meaning.

Yet at the end of the performance, we can walk out of the theatre into the reality of our daily life. We can observe the contradictions of our own day, where we are free to attend such moving performances, yet also witness the unfolding tragedies in the world. The stark reality is that these events do affect who we become both as individuals and as a global community. We are called to be people who prayerfully consider how what happens to another does influence how we respond. We cannot close our eyes and ears to the suffering of others. 

The question then is, how can we respond with hope? The call by Pope Leo to pray for peace in the world during October by praying the rosary is a crucial opportunity to hold this intention in our hearts. There is also an opportunity to explore ways to alleviate the suffering of others. This may be achieved by making a donation to charity or by being informed about what can bring peace to a part of the world experiencing conflict. Lastly, we can consider what first step we may take to become people who nourish, forgive, and heal others that we encounter each day. 

How do we spend our time? How do we spend our money?

 When we spend time in prayer and reflection, do we consider what God may be guiding us towards? So often, we can focus on how much money we have and how little time we have in which to spend it. The pressure can cause us to spend more of our time seeking greater wealth so that we can relax and take it easy! Yet there are only 24 hours in a day!! This calls us to consider what is most important to us and what actually brings us life.

In an age where we face the reality of being able to afford the necessities of life, it is easy to see how our focus can be on earning a decent wage. People need to have the security to make good choices. Yet when we stake everything on money, we can start to lose a sense of our own worth. If we measure our success or our status on something that is here today and gone tomorrow, we can start to feel like we are victims of circumstances beyond our control.

What we value and treasure can more easily direct our choices. This will allow us to become wise and good stewards of the gifts that we have been entrusted. Such an approach enables us to recognise the value and worth of each life and person. When this is at the heart of our living, we can start to be people who transform the community in which we live.

In Coventry Cathedral in England, they pray the following Litany of Reconciliation each day at noon.

Litany of Reconciliation

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

The hatred which divides nation from nation, race from race, class from class,

Father forgive.

The covetous desires of people and nations to possess what is not their own,

Father, forgive.

The greed which exploits the work of human hands and lays waste the earth,

Father, forgive.

Our envy of the welfare and happiness of others,

Father, forgive.

Our indifference to the plight of the imprisoned, the homeless, the refugee,

Father, forgive.

The lust which dishonours the bodies of men, women and children,

Father, forgive.

The pride which leads us to trust in ourselves and not in God,

Father, forgive.

Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

(https://www.coventrycathedral.org.uk/reconciliation/reconciliation-ministry/litany-of-reconciliation)

Encountering the Cross

 Each of us will face challenges in life. This can often confront us with the reality of suffering and sin. We can start to ponder what has caused these events to occur and what remedies will lift this cross from our shoulders. Sometimes what we struggle with is the bad choices that we make in life, and how we tend to believe that the world revolves around us. This can especially narrow our perspective on things to what influences those choices and how we need to change our lives. It can tend to shut out other people and even shut out God. How can I be transformed in these moments?

Part of the mystery of the Cross is how we seek to live it out in the midst of our own suffering and sin. We often see the cause of our suffering as something to be eliminated from life. This can be especially prevalent when we seek out a priest for confession. We can often notice what burdens our hearts and what seems like a deadweight in our lives. We seek to confess our sin and change our lives, but we are usually drawn back to those short-term fixes that take away some of the pain. Yet we also notice how we can become addicted to these remedies that often seem hollow and counterfeit. We are called to confess our sins, not to create extra burdens, but to discover how God meets us in our struggles. This is also linked to our celebration of the anointing of the sick; God meets us in that suffering, not to condemn us but to share our burden. Thus, our lives are not called to be lived in frustration and despair but to discover how God meets us even in our darkest night.

I believe this is where the feast of the Triumph of the Cross helps us to encounter God. In the midst of the suffering, we discover a God who is willing to give everything for our good. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus notices this meeting of what it means to be fully human and fully divine. It is not by walking away from suffering, but instead by allowing us to meet God in a rawness that reveals the reality of how deeply we are loved. This is not just calling us to a stoic resolve or a fatalistic resignation to the truth of sin and suffering. Rather, it seeks to notice how God does not abandon us at these moments. He became incarnate for us not because of us. This helps us to acknowledge that we are accompanied, especially at times of our greatest need.

As a Church community, we acknowledge how we seek to be people of justice and mercy. This is especially true when we seek to become communities that safeguard our most vulnerable, who can be so burdened by the reality of the sins of others and the suffering that they continue to endure. The fact that this feast is also commemorated as Safeguarding Sunday acknowledges that we can not take the Cross for granted. We learn ways not only to build communities that care for the sick and suffering but also seek to be places that heal and reconcile the darkness that can so easily affect our lives. In entering into the mystery of the Cross, we strive to be people who discover that our lives meet a God who sacrifices everything for our good so that we can find the reality of compassion. A God who does not abandon us to suffer or feel powerless against the cause of the suffering. We can be seen even when we feel lost, resurrected even when we feel close to death, and to discover that it is in our wounds that we are healed by Christ.

Knowing the mind of God

 I remember hearing an interview with Paul Davies, an English Physicist who had just a book called "The Mind of God. I remember the interviewer being enthralled by the discussion so much so that at the end of the hour that he apologised for going through the usual interludes for time checks, the news headlines and the usual announcements. What struck me in listening to the interview and later in reading the book was the author's belief that mathematics was the language with which God wrote the universe.  I hear the audible groans and memories that people may have had in learning mathematics as abstact and an arcane discipline. Yet I sense that God speaks in a language that can be understood and helps us to discover more about our universe. In fact it may well be that quantum physicists may be helping us to deepen our understanding of how the mystery of God touches every aspect of our lives.

This wisdom helps us to understand how God is our refuge. We discover that this is not as a security blanket but a discovery of how God touches our hearts and our minds. It helps to allow us insight into the work of God that is ever creative and ever new. It transforms how we view ourselves as part of the unfolding of creation and builds on foundations that are eternal. It helps us appreciate how we can participate in that unfolding. This allows us the possibility to notice how we can have a positive influence on those around us and how we can be instruments of peace.

It also notices how every day acts of compassion, justice and kindness can shape our lives. In Paul's letter to Philemon he focuses on his relationship with Onesimus. This is a practical story of forgiveness and reconciliation where a person is no longer considered as the property of another but rather as a brother in Christ. Thus we see Paul encouraging Philemon to welcome Onesimus as though he was Paul. This shapes each of our encounters because it helps us to notice how we can meet Christ in the people with whom we share our lives. If we see the other person as Christ this realigns our everyday relationships  that allows us Christ to be at the centre of our universe. In this we discover a new language that helps us to know the mind of God. 

Why do Catholics always sit at the back of the Church?

 There is often a popular myth that Catholics sit at the back of the Church so that they can be called forward and thus be recognised for their contribution to the community. However, it may be a false humility that does not want the person to be noticed, and may even mean that they can leave earlier than everybody else. It could also mean that they avoid the congestion and the rise of tensions that often can put our charity to the test when leaving the car park. Whatever the reason, this weekend's gospel could be seen as justifying why we hold back from being pushed to the front!

The question is more about how we discover how to make a home for the poor. This is not about not wanting to draw attention to ourselves, but rather recognising that God calls us to gently go about our work without fanfare or heraldry. It is the attentive ear that seeks to be present to the affairs of the heart. It calls us to be open to how God communicates in a language that can be understood by us. It says that everybody is a firstborn son and a citizen of heaven. This means that we do not have to prove ourselves worthy of God's love but rather discover how we are drawn into that love.

This is why Jesus so often proclaims the kingdom of God as similar to a wedding feast. Usually, couples spend a lot of time analysing to ensure that the right people sit at the right tables so that they may feel at home during the celebration. The invitation is to participate and be present as you are, not as you think you should be! In this way, we begin to notice that our attention is not focused on ourselves, but on how we are present to others. This is to say that it we are not we who decide who is worthy of being invited to the feast, but instead that God sees all people as welcome.

I hear you knocking but you can't come in!

 How often have we been put on hold by those messages that we navigate when calling an institution? The first thing they ask is to choose from various options that help send our enquiry to the appropriate person who can respond to it. So far, so good, we become aware that we will be directed to the right person. Then comes the difficulty, we hold on while a person tells us how important we are, and then listen to music that only adds to the tension. Sometimes, these messages are more helpful and ask for our phone number so that they can call us back, holding our place in the line. Yet the frustration we all deal with is that we want to meet a real person in real time who will unlock the door and help us resolve our problem.

This could be a modern-day example of the rich man who cannot enter through the narrow door. No matter how efficient an institution may become in responding to our enquiries, we find it challenging to have the patience to wait. Various thoughts race through our minds. Don't they know who I am? Are they not interested in what I have to say? How much longer do I have to wait? Or why is somebody else more important than me? These are commonplace thoughts that plague us with some uncertainty, but they can cause us to doubt our own worth, primarily if we have dealt with an institution over a long period.

We can feel that we are on the outside looking in, while others can enter more freely. Weeping and grinding of teeth, however, will not move us up the queue faster! So, next time when we are stuck in those trees of communication that seek to meet us, we need to find ways to stay calm, focused, and present. Our call for help is essential, but more important is that we not lose our sense of purpose while we wait. It may feel like purgatory, but it is not the ultimate test of our salvation! We are called to be people who transform painful situations of suffering into opportunities of hope. They train us not just to become people who vent their frustration, but also to seek to make the most of every chance for good. 

So next time you are on hold and feel the temperature rising inside yourself, remember to look for that which produces fruit in peace and patience. Be charitable to your brother or sister. Go out to the whole world and tell the Good News.

Each person has a story

 We have lost the ability to listen to the stories that others tell. We are often in such a rush to be understood and heard that we do not make room for the diversity of the people we meet each day. This is true even in our own homes, workplaces, and in our media. We learn a lot about people, but do we take time to know who they are? Often, we collect information about people rather than walking with them and taking the time to be aware of the story they long to tell.

In an age where we seek to gather facts about many things, we have lost the ability to engage with the fire that burns within each person. We want to know about them to stoke our own fire rather than feed the embers that glow deep within. This inability to be present to what animates a person can often lead to conflict, where we assume that we already know the person's story. We seek to rush in, advise, correct, and counsel the person about what is the right thing to do. This lack of patience and the presumption rob us and them of an inner freedom to be the person God is calling them to be. 

As we wait in prayer, we need to listen to the eternal story that gently kindles a flame within us. The longing and the desire to notice how this burns even in the darkest night. It seeks to be our guiding light, animating our day and leading others to discover their more profound truth. In a world that longs to hear stories, may we become people with ears to hear and eyes to see these inner movements of the heart.

Being found at the task entrusted to us.

 The grass can often seem greener on the other side of the fence. There can be a great temptation to view the work and responsibilities of others as more important than our own. As we reflect on what is happening in our lives, we often find that others are more gifted, more noticed, and more engaged than we are. We can become observers of life rather than participants.

Yet we are all called to play our part in weaving the tapestry of life. Our participation does make a difference that often we may not see or experience. Yet we are called to stand ready, undertaking what is ours to be present to. We are called to discover how we can be at home with God, with others and with ourselves. We search for our true homeland, and as St Mary of the Cross Mackillop would often say, we are but pilgrims here.

May we discover the joy of being the right person, in the right place at the right time. Happy the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Giving Thanks for what we have

 We live in an age where our success can be measured by how much we consume, how much we produce, or by the influence we have on others in our lives. The appeal of being useful can influence how we make decisions and how we allocate our time. We want someone to notice that we are making a contribution that rewards our efforts. Yet in Ecclesiastes, we are called to labour wisely and to see where our hearts are present to the task at hand. In the end, someone else will inherit all our hard work, over which we have stressed and worried. As Pope John XXIII once had the response in prayer when he wondered how he would resolve all the problems that the Church faced in the modern age, he received the answer in prayer that it was Christ's Church and that he should get a good night's rest!

Similarly, we can begin to plan for a future that has not yet occurred based on what we know in the present. But how will we discern the heart of God rather than our own desire for bigger, brighter, and better? We often want to outshine and outdo what has gone before. The danger with this is that we can be driven by external forces beyond our control into a return to a golden age that we have created in our imagination. This does not mean that we don't try to improve the human condition, but we need to see what our treasure is and what makes us rich. 

God seeks to bring us to live a life that is formed by a relationship that overflows with God's love and kindness. We need to examine what brings life and hope to our age more than just fulfilling our own passions and indulgences. We are called to be renewed in the image of the creator, who does not look for artificial distinctions between people. Instead, it places on our hearts and minds to see Christ in everything and in everyone. 

Unconditional Love

 We live in a world where we are accustomed to making contracts with one another for specific goods and services. They have three essential elements: an agreement on what is to be exchanged, the time when it will be exchanged, and the method in which it will be exchanged. The difficulty with this way of living is that we can focus more on the exchange rather than the person we are called to be in relationship with. The utility of the transaction can overflow into the way we relate to each other.

When Jesus teaches his disciples the Our Father, he emphasises the personal nature of holiness, which draws us towards prioritising relationship —that is, to desire God's realm to be at the heart of our lives. This notices how we are called to be people who are nourished, forgiven and healed daily in our relationships with each other. Often, it seems that there are things that pull us away from being present to the needs of others and focus solely on our own wants.

This is where, in seeking good things, there is a persistence to ask, to seek and to desire the goods of God. At the heart of our prayer is the seeking not just a particular good or outcome but a relationship that can discern what is good. This moves us toward the heart of God, which seeks to be in an unconditional relationship with us, shaping how we reach out to God and to each other. 

What draws us to the table

 "Martha, Martha you worrry and fret over so many things when only one thing is necessary!" We can easily imagine the scene. An important guest has come to our house and we are doing our best to impress them. We want to not only provide a good meal but want to be known as good hosts. Martha is justifiably considered with the preparations. We can even sense her growing annoyance that Mary is focussed totally on the guest who is at the heart of the reason for all the preparations. We can sense the tension in this scene because it unfolds in our own daily activity. Whether it is travelling to work, preparing a meal, or making plans for the future. All are done with good intent but somehow we start to notice that we are no longer centred on the reason for the activity but on the activity itself. This loss of focus robs us of a sense of being present to the moment.

This practice of the present moment can even be scene in contrast by Abraham preparing to welcome the three visitors at the Oak of Mamre. Once again Abraham along with Sarah make all the preparations to welcome their guest. But then he stands under the tree and waits. It is this sense of being present to the three divine persons that transforms the situation. It is not that we should not make preparations but that we need to be present to who is at the heart of the celebrations. In days where many intrusive thoughts and activities can tend to swamp us demanding attention we are called to recentre ourselves over and over again. This is not to stop us from doing important things but so that we can be aware of who we are becoming in the midst of all our doing!

As we journey through life we should not be in a rush just to achieve results but attend to what brings us life. This pausing at table allows us to notice how God dwells with us in the midst of everyday activities. He allows us to gather at table with a sense of being in the presence of God. In this we discover what Paul reveals to the Colossians. "That the mystery is Christ among you, your hope of glory: this is the wisdom in which we thoroughly train everyone and instruct everyone, to make them all perfect in Christ."                

The Word is very close to you

 What will I be called to do today? This question can greet us at the beginning of each day. Who am I called to become, and what will I do? So often, our prayers can read like an agenda list at a business meeting, where we put expectations on ourselves, on others, and on God. We strive to ensure that all tasks are completed in the correct order and manner. We cannot be interrupted during our activity. Our priorities rule our hearts, how we spend our money and where we focus our attention. So often we can be like the priest and the Levite in the story of the Good Samaritan, where we skirt around the person in need for fear that they will rob us or, worse still, consume our precious time. 

Yet in the story, we look to see what will disrupt and interrupt our day. The Good Samaritan takes a risk in lending a hand and spending time to ensure that the person is well cared for. They go out of their way not only to bandage the wounds but also to provide a place where the person can recover in peace. Much of our social welfare reaches out to people in need, providing them with a safety net to protect them in times of unexpected crisis. This aims to convey a practical understanding of compassion, which lies at the heart of good governance. We do not abandon people to the evil actions of those who would exploit the weak, the lonely and those who travel on their own.

This seeks to be prayerfully present to people in everyday life. It also aims to study our environment to understand how the Good News influences our way of life. We are called to be people who reflect the compassionate face of Christ to others. Through this reflection, we can examine what falls within our sphere of influence and what compels us to speak out. This is not just a reaction but a reflective practice that flows naturally from our hearts. We are called to hear and discern how God speaks to us in the everyday events of our lives. God provides the means for us to make courageous and compassionate choices. "The Word is very near to you, it is in your mouth and in your hearts for your observance."

Names written in heaven

St Paul talks to the Galatians about the Cross of Jesus being a rule of life. This can challenge us to understand more deeply what we are drawn into through meditating upon the cross. When we hear that St Paul sees this as a rule of life, we can wonder what it means. We often hear of the challenge to take up our cross and follow him, but this is not what St Paul is calling to mind. Instead, he views it as a guiding principle of life. The word comes from the Greek word regula, meaning "trellis." When we look at the cross from this viewpoint, we can start to see how Jesus stands at the centre of our Christian life and provides a total self-giving for the good of another.

This is emphasised in the teaching of Jesus, where he proclaims to the people that the Kingdom of God is very close to you. This talks about a change of heart and a change of life. It allows us to experience the providence of God that provides what is needed for the situation. This is not just about the material necessities of life, but a sense of inner peace that abides within a person. When we enter a house, we are called to be people who bring peace with us and accept hospitality from others. It is the sacramental meeting where we are called to be nourished, healed and forgiven. There is a generous giving and receiving that allows us to notice how God is at the heart of the interactions.

It also allows us the ability to see how each day writes the script of eternity. We are no longer just focused on striving for material goods and comforts. Instead, we seek to rejoice and flourish in knowing that our lives have eternal worth. This changes not only how we see ourselves but also how we interact with each other if we see that our names are written in heaven. We can give glory to God through our way of life. 

Naming of things

 Knowing how to name something gives us the ability to understand how to utilise a physical object, as well as how to establish a relationship with a person. However, it is possible to confuse the two as we start to use people and relate more to things. This utilitarian approach can often enter our lives unnoticed. The result is that we begin to adopt this approach in different aspects of our lives. We undertake our politics based on what a person can do for us rather than the vision that calls us to look beyond ourselves. In our relaxation, we can follow a team when they are winning, but decry them when they lose. There can be a tendency to own people and collect things.

Yet in the gospel reading, we see that our ability to name Christ correctly changes our own vision. It becomes clear that we can stand against the things that disrupt our human lives. We can start to be the kind of people who unbind others and set them free. There is an understanding that heaven is wedded to earth, and our decisions matter in how we run the race. 

This allows us to be people who seek to reflect on how God meets us in our daily lives. This is not just a matter of wishful thinking, but of being present with courage and faith. The belief that our lives can produce good for others, even when we feel that we are besieged by forces beyond our control. Like Peter in his prison, he did not give up hope but prayed unceasingly to God. When we are trapped by our fears and doubts, may God undo the knots that bind us and set us free. 

Giving of myself for the life of others

 For many years, I would visit the blood bank once every three months to donate blood. At times, I could also give plasma, as they said I had good veins! Once, I tried to donate platelets but had a bad reaction to the anticoagulant that they used during the procedure. While I was donating, it often allowed me to pray a rosary that was the perfect length between Hail Marys to squeeze and keep the blood flowing. Giving myself to others overcame many of my fears and uncertainties. 

As we contemplate the feast of Corpus Christi (The Body and Blood of Christ), we are called to reflect on how he gave Himself for our good. Each Eucharist we encounter is a profound act of love that overflows into our lives. We are called to allow his blood to flow through our veins and his body to bring us life. In many ways, we discover that he seeks to sustain us with life flowing from the Father through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

One of the miracles of modern medicine is that we encounter this ability to donate our lives for the good of others. There is a sense where we discover the memories of another sustain us as they become one with us. May the Body and Blood of Christ transform us. How do we meet him in His Real Presence that enfolds us in compassion to live each day in His love? 

Invited to join the dance.

 I am always struck by Rublev's icon of the Trinity, where there is an invitation to sit at the table and be drawn into a relationship with God, who is present in three persons. Sometimes, when we try to explain the theology behind this mystery, it is enough to make our brains hurt. We can be caught up in trying to express in language what is at the heart of the relationship between God and humankind. We turn a mystery into a riddle rather than an encounter. We are called to discover God, who calls us to be fully human and fully alive.

As we ponder how God meets us at the heart of this relationship, we start to realise that it is not just about what we know about God but how we are known by God. This realisation helps us to discover that God is not just learnt from a book but in an encounter that changes us from the inside out. There is a divinisation that helps us to know God at the core of our being. This is not just wishful thinking but a way of being present to God in the real events of daily life. This brings together both the revelation of scripture and our own personal history. Where these two realities meet, we discover the person of Jesus who is fully human and fully divine. This opens us to the possibility of finding God in the everyday events of our lives.

As we step into this divine dance, we discover a God who is the dance, the dancer and the dancing. This is a dynamic, not static, revelation that God is ever ancient and new. We are called into the midst of the swirl of activity, where we do not just sit at the side of the room waiting for God to pull us onto the dance floor. God whirls around us in a way that makes our heads spin, our hearts beat faster, and our bodies are caught by the rhythm and cadence. Life calls us to the heart of the dance and calls us to dance with the dancer.