Can a sound tree produce rotten fruit

No doubt much has been written of the events of the last week with the judgement made regarding Cardinal Pell. I certainly do not intend to add to the commentary especially while we await an appeal of his case. There are many who are more eloquent and informed about legal processes than me. Yet what needs to be acknowledged is the immediate fallout that this has on the life of those who have suffered abuse and those who seek to support them. The effect goes much wider because it goes to the heart of how to believe God is revealed through the life of another. This weekend I think the reading speaks to us about three things which are important for us to remember in our Christian life.

"The disciple is not superior to his teacher" In this simple phrase Jesus talks to us about the importance of discipleship based on our faithfulness to His Life. We are called always back to a life which reflects on how our lives are called to speak of a deeper reality rather than just our own. This calls us to become aware of how God is actually speaking to our age and how we are called to listen to God and each other. 

"Brother let me take the splinter out of your eye when you cannot see the plank in your own." There is always a tendency that we can see clearly when others cannot. This is a  common perception when we seek to correct another without also examining our own perspective. We never attend to the issues in life isolated from our own context and our own viewpoint. Once we become aware of this we do not seek to perpetuate the errors we find within others within ourselves.

""For every tree can be told by its own fruit". This may be the sobering element of this week's Gospel as it does not seek to look just at our intentions but rather at the fruit that we produce in our lives which are signs of the spirit: love, joy, peace, fortitude, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These are contrasted in Galatians 5.19-21 with the signs of the flesh. What is important is the closing line of the gospel which says that a man's words flow out of what fills his heart. As Odette Churchill mentioned on her reflection of the great evils perpetrated in World War 2 which she endured in the Ravensbrook Prison Camp that we should not become the host for the very parasite of evil which we have opposed in the life of another. 

At this time more than ever we need to be people who pray and act in a way which is formed by the person we seek to follow and thus reflect the words of the First Letter of St Paul to the Corinthians 15.58 where he says, "Keep on working at the Lord's work always knowing that, in the Lord, you cannot be labouring in vain."

Are you ready for Lent?

We are just about to head into Lent and it is a good time to notice what obscures the person of Jesus in our daily lives. We are called to be people who fast, give alms and pray. This is central to understanding Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life. As we enter into the time it is important to recognise that we can become what we consume. Thus Fasting is not just about the food that we eat even though we recognise Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as formal days of fasting and abstinence. Rather it looks at how we take into ourselves both bodily and spiritually things which do not build up the Body of Christ. This is why we are not called to fast on our own but in solidarity with each other. We fast from something for someone. This is at the heart of almsgiving and is the logical extension of why we fast. It calls us to recognise those in need who might be able to share the things we take for granted. It calls for our hearts to be open to the possibility that our actions can transform the life of another by a simple act of generosity. Lastly, we are called to be people who are prayerfully aware of how God leads us each day to give thanks with our lives. Our prayer is not just a matter of our personal relationship with God. It is always deeply communal in joining us to the heart of God and each other. As we journey through Lent may we can discover how we can be drawn closer to Christ by listening to His Word and sharing our lives with Him in Eucharist.

Eternity

We remember the times when Arthur Stace wrote the word Eternity all over Sydney. This reminded people that their lives have eternal worth and value. In a world where human life is valued more by its utility rather than by its ultimate worth people's dignity can be greatly diminished. As we read in the beatitudes people tend to be valued by what they own, the happiness they enjoy or their ability to be healthy and well. We seek to possess more, to be entertained and to be well nourished. These are good except where they are lived out at the expense of others. Where we value things more than people. 

Yet we can become numb to what the Beatitudes tell us about our own society and who we are becoming. When we start to value people by what they possess, how healthy they are and whether they can make us laugh we can create false distinctions between material and eternal values. I believe that in this weekend's Gospel we are called to recognise how keeping our eyes on eternal values changes the way we see the fundamental human dignity of each person. People are created in the image and likeness of God. When we adopt this as our fundamental principle of life it changes the way we view the world but also the way we act for the good of others and not just ourselves. It allows us to be present to a love which recreates us and sustains us. It allows us to recognise that the life Jesus shares with us allows us to live in the light of God's Kingdom in our current age by the way we treat each other and respect every human life.

Walking with Jesus: Gone fishing!

Walking with Jesus: Gone fishing!: During the week I made the decision to quit Facebook. While I have found it a great way to connect with many people I found that it had sta...

Gone fishing!

During the week I made the decision to quit Facebook. While I have found it a great way to connect with many people I found that it had started to consume my life. I kept going fishing for likes in a global pond and my life was starting to be shaped by the opinions and posts which fell like an avalanche each day. They would often remind me at moments when I was called to be present to a particular person that I would suddenly become distracted and absent from the real world around me. It is one of the things I observe often on the trains which are a deadly silence or hush which descends upon each carriage as people become absorbed into their screen rather than noticing what is around them. I found that I was dissipated and I was starting to think and feel about what was happening in this artificial environment which demanded instant attention.
In a similar way, we sit on the shores of our world longing for someone to teach about life and what brings meaning to our hearts. This is not by becoming absorbed in activities but rather listening to the one who shows us where we need to fish. This comes not just at times when we expect to encounter Jesus but when he sneaks up on us and overwhelm us with graced moments. He encounters us in a way which transforms our fears into hope-filled anticipation. He calls us to be disciples who preach His Word by our lives. This is by allowing His Life to give us direction which does not focus on our limitations but on His desires for us.
The question that remains with me is how best to remain connected but not enslaved by the medium which sought to help me communicate. There needs to be a freedom which builds rather than destroys life and allows us to proclaim a message which is more than myself.  The main reflection is to discover what brings life and hope to our world and allows us to put out into deep where Jesus is at the centre, not myself.