I remember that it was Robert Louis Stevenson who commented that if we actually prayed the "Our Father" in an intentional way and actually believed the prayer our relationship to God and our neighbour would change. We would discover that our relationship with God is not exclusive to the lives of others and our forgiveness is conditional on our an ability to adopt a merciful heart. We are called to seek God's reign not our own. This seems so relevant to our own time when issues of power, privilege and possessions seem to be at the heart of many of the challenges facing our world. This is not just about changing deckchairs by putting someone else in power because they will face the same reality that the early disciples faced. Life is not changed from the top down but from the bottom up. It comes from a heartfelt response that we can live differently. This is evident not just in the life of the Church but in many other areas of life. This is not about preaching what others should do or dictating how others lives should change if we are not prepared to examine what needs to change in our own life.
I believe the challenge we have centres on the use of power that we witness in the Gospel where Peter is given the keys of the kingdom. He immediately starts to seek control over the mission that Jesus' of dying and rising. Peter is confused as he believes that the power that Jesus has on offer is for him to decide what is compatible and not compatible with the living of the Good News. What he discovers is that in order to gain life we need to be vulnerable in discovering who the person of Christ is for us. This is not through a carefully prepared plan about how Jesus will turn up but rather a willingness to risk our whole self for the glory of God. It is why hearts change structures not structures changing hearts. I think this is the profound risk that we face as the Church reflects on how to respond to the shocking revelations of abuse in its life. There needs to be a heart for change which not only seeks to ensure that children and vulnerable people are safe but also to discovering a renewal of the Gospel in the lives of all people. There needs to be a call which recognises that Intentional Discipleship is not just about paying lip service to the person of Christ but a profound way of living which offers our whole self to living that in our time and space.
Such an approach recognises the teaching of St James where we do not just say that something should happen but it should not cost us anything. He recognises that our response is one of faith and works where it is not just about saying that we are good in a way which privatises our relationship with God. Rather it seems to see how our heart engages with the mind and the body by demonstrating how this can be lived out. This often means that we have to wrestle with the temptation to have power over others, to be spectacular or to possess what another rightly owns towards an attitude which is present to our current situation which provides all we need to live a life which is humble, tender and just. This allows us to be people who do not seek to overpower others by the force of our will but allows them the freedom to discover a God who truly brings life in what we are prepared to surrender for their good more than our own.
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