God's grace is more than meets the eye!

We are very familiar with the story of the Prodigal Son. It is almost ingrained in the stories that we are called to live in daily life. Yet in the midst of the reflection, we often ponder on the responses of the two brothers. Both want to possess the goods of God for themselves. The younger brother believes that he should inherit all the things of God now so that he can use them in the way that he bests see fit. The older brother sees that he will earn access to these same things only by adherence to hard work and sacrifice. Both seem to be thinking only of themselves in their relationship with the Father. They are in it for what they can get out of that relationship. They believe that they are masters of their own destiny and that life can be lived on their own terms without reference to the Father. In fact, the relationship is determined by what they want rather than any desire to be in a loving relationship with the Father. Both are prepared to see the relationship as one of slavery rather than of loved children.

The Father's relationship is profoundly different. He always comes out to meet the brothers where they are and in the limits of their understanding of how they wish to enter into that relationship. He wants to open their eyes to a deeper and more abiding relationship which celebrates how he entrusts each of us with the freedom to dwell more deeply into a life-giving response. The Father does seek us out so that we can more fully appreciate and respond to his life. This is not based just on the gifts that he has entrusted us with but on a desire that we can come to life through that relationship. The difficulty comes when we believe that the gifts we have received are God rather than the fruit of the relationship which draws us more deeply into God. This is evident in what the Father says to the brothers and others around. He does not say, "You stink" but rather "Come and Celebrate" that we can come back to life. We need to recognise those times when we try to use the gifts we are entrusted for our own good rather than for the greater glory of God and when in our obstinacy we object to God's merciful action in the life of another. We are called again and again to enter into a relationship which is at the heart of all relationships so that in all things we may give glory to God.

Overwhelmed by disaster

In responding to the massacre of people in New Zealand we can struggle to make sense of great evil visited upon people going about the normal activities of their daily life. What has shocked many people is not just the immediacy of the impact upon ourselves but also how we make sense of evil events that occur in life. We seek answers and solutions which seek to prevent similar events from occurring in the future but we often struggle with how the evil fomented in the life of one person can draw out a sense of a greater evil which can threaten to overwhelm us. It is in these times when Jesus calls us to a sense of how we can experience inner darkness ourselves and how we need to discover an honesty to repent of whatever can harm us and harm others. There is a call to be open to a person who does not abandon us to that inner darkness but draws it to the light so that our lives can be fruitful.

I think in all the things of life we need to examen our own hearts and response. I am very conscious of how quickly the media calls us to respond to situations of great horror. It can bring out the best and worst of us at the same time. I believe in our current age we need to become people of great spiritual reflection who listen to the heartbeat of God in our age. As John Paul II said that this will be the age of the spirit or not all. Our call is to become people of prayer in word and in action. This calls upon us to be open to where the Spirit is leading us and to be aware of how we are called to live. This is the most powerful witness of how we become aware of people within our own square metre. One of the realities of the internet is that this has been expanded to the one square metre around our computers, television, newspaper and radios. Our lives have become centred so much on what other people think and feel that we tend to lose sight of how to be present to our own thoughts and feelings. I believe what St John Paul would pray for us is that we do not become reactive in our responses but more deeply reflective on our vision for humanity. In all things, this is contained within his Gospel of Life which seeks to be present to what heralds God's Kingdom in our current age. I believe that this is the most engaging and challenging question of our age where we are called to grow in personal holiness. Like Mary, we are called to ponder great horrors but respond to them with great love.  

Covered by confusion

This weekend and we notice the scene of the disciples climbing to the top of the mountain in which they witness the transfiguration of Jesus talking to Moses and Elijah. Their eyes are heavy with sleep but they manage to stay awake and are covered by a cloud. In the midst of their confusion, they hear the voice of God saying, "This is my Son, the Chosen One, listen to him." They are reduced to silence and do not tell anyone what they have seen.

During the last week, we have witnessed the sentencing and jailing of Cardinal George Pell and are still coming to terms to what that means for us as Catholics and as a Church. There is almost a sense that this all seems surreal and that we are cast into a reality which is hard to fathom. We struggle for answers and can become covered by a mixture of denial, anger, confusion and sadness. We search for an understanding but it feels like a blanket has been laid upon us.

Yet in the reading from Paul to the Philippians in which he points out that our true homeland is in heaven and that we are to remain faithful to the Lord. I think this is as true now when we face uncertainty about what steps we should take next. This is very much a time when we are called to see how we can be prayerfully present to God and each other. We are called to pray especially during Lent for a spirit of repentance and healing which draws us closer to God and to each other.

I love coffee and chocolate

Seldom does there seem to be a day when I do not have my morning coffee and then sometime in the week crave for some chocolate. It's not that I am addicted to the taste but there is a familiarity which seems to comfort me especially in preparing for a normal days routine. Yet when we come to Lent these seem to be easy things to give up as long as you can put up with the withdrawal symptoms and the temptations to sneak chocolate when nobody is looking. Yet there has to be something more to fasting than just simply giving up things to return to them in Easter and to consume chocolate and coffee in abundance. Fasting is there to help us notice what we consume and how it can turn our attention away from God and from each other. It allows us to notice what we consume and how that has an impact on others.
The first discipline we follow is allowing the money that we would normally spend on those items to go to Project Compassion. It helps us to see a direct link between the action that we are performing as having a direct impact on another. We seek to notice how our simple act of self-denial can have an impact on another.
The second discipline is to reflect on who produces our food and whether they receive the benefits in return for their labour. This was certainly present in recent Fair Trade campaigns which sought to ensure that the people who produced the food received a just wage and also benefited from the fruits of their labour. It enabled people to consider what they bought in stores and in their weekly shop and how that made an impact on the livelihood of another. Most recently we have the example of one chain of supermarkets raising the price of milk to ensure that the farmers who produce receive a living wage.
The third discipline is to consider what may need to change in our lives to act in a way which is just in the way we consume food and other items. This is not to become scrupulous and paralysed by indecision but it is a mature reflection on how my actions can shape the good of another. This can extend to many elements of life especially when we try to live within our budget. But it asks a more vital question of how I am called to act in a way which recognises that every person is created in the image and likeness of God. How and what I spend my money on has an impact on my life and the life of another.
Lastly, there is a call for us to grow in holiness for the good of God, the good of ourselves and the good of others. This seeking after the common good seeks that all created things are entrusted to us to be used wisely and well. It actually is a natural extension of our prayer that what we consume shapes our relationships. What we desire is that our lives imitate Christ's is not seeking to have power, prestige and possessions at the expense of the good of another. We are called to consider that we cannot close our lives to the need of others and only feed ourselves. When we sit down at Eucharist we invite the poor, the lame, the crippled and those most in need. The fact that we join them in their own vulnerability helps us to recognise that in our fasting we become vulnerable. We seek not only generosity of heart but an open heart which seeks a friendship which transforms our world.