Encouraging each other along the way!

Barnabas is a person who only turns up in the Acts of Apostles and makes important interventions on behalf of Paul. From all descriptions, he is true to his name which means "son of encouragement". In each of these interventions, he introduces Paul to other Christians and is present in Antioch when people start to identify the followers of the Way as Christians. He has a pivotal role to play in seeing the Gospel is proclaimed to people living ordinary lives in extraordinary ways. Our relationship with Christ is never just a private affair which we can contain to ourselves it will always overflow into the way we live and how we see the world.
Yet we know in our own world many challenges can come our way which call us to become people who live our prayer with love and devotion. It calls us to enter into the mystery of how Christ reaches out to us and enables us to be transformed in the area in which we live. This action of falling deeper in love with God calls us to become more ourselves and to discover the flame that burns within each of our hearts. God calls each of us to discover that unique gift which draws us together into the person of Christ. He places a question on our hearts which asks quite simply how will I become the person God wants me to be on this day? This is not so much a riddle to be solved but rather a life to be lived. To encounter each person as being blessed by God. How will we recognise that blessing and encourage the person to discover the flame that burns deep within? For even in the darkest night his light will shine.

Listening for the voice

When we listen to a person's voice we have a way of memorising not just what they say but how they say it. This familiarity allows us to distinguish between voices even when they have a similar intonation. This ability to differentiate between voices allows us to become attuned to that person's voice and to know when we should pay attention to what they are saying. This is also a learnt obedience that we can observe when someone is giving us instructions that when the person speaks, we listen. This may be our regular day life when we hear the familiar tone of the news which draws our attention to what follows. When we hear an announcement made at a railway station or airport. When someone calls us from the other room or even when we go to a lecture to hear a person speaks. 

Yet we know how easy it is also to tune down on what some people say to us. It is almost as though we have a mute button or a damping switch which lessens the intensity of what is being spoken. We can hear the noise but it is in the background and does not grab our attention or hold our interest. 

Yet the voice that Jesus speaks seeks to form us into one Body deeply in relationship with the Father. Sometimes, it can seem that we are in a way separated from God and it is only in listening that we are brought back together. The truth, however, is that our ability to recognise and respond to the voice of God is innate within our being even when we have tried to lessen its impact on our lives. It is not a separate part of us but rather a way of integrating who we are called to be. To be attentive, aware and awake to how that moves us into an ever-deepening relationship. By daily attending to that inner voice and becoming familiar with how God communicates with us. God seeks for us to discover his indwelling presence which draws us into closer union. By listening for the voice of the Good Shepherd we are drawn together as one for our good and the good of all creation.

What on earth am I doing?

Easter allows us the time for a deeper reflection on what and who is central to our life. This is reflected in each of the readings this weekend. The truth that we are presented with is knowing Jesus as he really is. This is more than just a historical understanding which seeks to trace the events of his life but rather an encounter which seeks a knowledge of who he is for us and how this affects our lives. The key theme is to stop us from falling into a life of sin which focuses just on ourselves and our abilities to make sense of the world. To shape God's creation in our own image and likeness. We need to encounter the person of Jesus as he truly is and not some phantom of our own imaginings. The question is where do we start and how do I seek the person of Jesus in my daily life.

I think the first place is by becoming prayerful aware of how Jesus encounters us each day in ways which can surprise, delight and challenge us. There can often be a sense in which we believe that Jesus only reached out to people of his age when the truth is that he reaches out to people of every age and in every nation. Each person will encounter the person of Jesus in the place where they need to be met. Often this can be in our own fears and in the situations which seem to overwhelm us. This is why it is good to reflect each day on what has enlivened us and what has frightened us. These two moments can say what draws our hearts and what binds us tight. It is in these two moments where Jesus can stand in our midst and say, "Peace be with you". Jesus will always speak in a language and in a situation in which we can understand his presence and encounter his life.

Yet this is not just about experiencing graced moments but rather seeing how this can call us to reflect on what they mean to our life. We need to be people who can ponder what is happening in our lives and how we meet Jesus the living Word who reveals to us a God who abides with us through scriptures. This is not just about studying scriptures as though they were a textbook to be learnt but rather as a way of life to be lived. They are called to become a living fire which burns deep inside us and which finds a seed that can be planted in our hearts. The word is called to leap off the page and into our lives. It calls us to respond in a way which allows it to nourish our life.

By this ability to reflect and embed the scripture in our own world we can live that Good News for others we encounter. Not by becoming lexicons of the word but by becoming witnesses to the Word. By loving who we meet and living what we seek. In all things, we seek to become one with the Word in all that we are and in all that we hope to do.

Doubt no longer but believe

Thomas was the first disciple to touch Jesus's wounds. He wanted empirical proof that Jesus was truly alive. He wanted to see the wounds that the nails made and the wound in his side. Yet when he was confronted with the reality of Jesus' presence he held back and it was Jesus who took his hand and put it into his side. This is a time when Thomas moved from just observing what was happening to an experience which took him to the heart of the matter. In fact, by placing his hand in Jesus' side he was actually able to feel the living heart. 

In our lives too we encounter the living heart of Jesus often in places where we discover that we may be called to touch the lives of people who have been deeply wounded. This is especially true when we not only see the physical wounds but also experience the deep psychological or spiritual wounds that people carry in there own bodies. We know for people living with mental illness or trauma that these wounds are not immediately visible but still affect a person's life significantly. As people who walk alongside them, we need to be able to be present to them. There is a sense in which our physical presence can say more than words when we reach out and meet them where they are. Even when we are afraid and uncertain about what to say or what to do. By being present we allow the Gospel to touch us deeply with the words that Jesus often says to his disciples, "Peace be with you." It is from this place of apparent fear that we can touch the wounds of Jesus and find our lives transformed. Easter is a journey where we are called to allow Jesus to meet us in places where we often fear to tread and discover a person transform our fear with his presence. This is not just a healing touch but an encounter with a real person who shows us what it means to be fully human and fully alive.