Offering ourselves to God

The celebration of the Presentation of the Lord known more popularly as Candle Mass allows the opportunity to notice how Christ brings light to our world. Often this happens at Baptism where we are immersed into the Christ-life and called to allow His life to be the guiding light of our lives. The focus of this feast is how our attention is drawn in anticipation that we will meet Christ even when he comes disguised as a little child totally dependent upon those around him. It is probably good to notice the characters who form part of this story.

First, there is Mary and Joseph who undertake what the law requires in bringing their child before God to be consecrated to Him. There may be a slight sense of irony here in that the one who imparts the blessing is the one they offer to be blessed. Yet in this mystery, we see how fully Jesus enters into our human life. He calls a blessing down upon us that we may allow Him to be at the centre of our lives. That he holds our attention and focus on who He actually is for us and with us.

Second, Simeon lays out how fully this life is missionary in character by the way he is called to bring light to all nations and gather people to Him. There is a recognition that his life enters into our most secret thoughts. There is nothing human that cannot be revealed and opened up before God. There is a sense of confidence that His life will allow others to rise from the oppression which can weigh down on them and love them into a deeper relationship with God. This is like a sword being plunged into us that we may lay our vulnerable selves before God without pretence.

Lastly, there is Anna who praises God with her life. One which is focussed on fasting and prayer so that her heart may be aware of how God is here with us. There is a sense of what she said about Jesus was pondered deeply by those who heard it.

For us, we are called to see how we make each day an offering to the Lord. How we are aware and attentive to where we meet Him. Where do our lives shed light and bring light to others? How do we help others to share what is most important to them and help them to gain the confidence to bring their secret life before God? How do we seek at the end of the day to give thanksgiving for who we are? Each day is an opportunity to meet Christ. Where will we meet Him today?

What makes us who we are?

What makes Australian? Is it the fact that we were born in a particular country or that we chose to migrate to this wide dry land? Was there a common bond that drew us to settle in this land and to share both in the benefits and challenges? In our current climate we are called to study the environment in which we live. This is not just about an analysis of the changing nature of our weather but also a deeper reflection on how we are called to listen to what will make a difference to the way we are present to this land.

Whatever happens we can no longer be passive observers of the world around us. The changes of the last few months have devastated communities and have caused widespread suffering. In the moment we reach out to those seeking to rebuild lives but also rediscover hope in the aftermath of this destruction. Yet there is also a deep felt need to engage with the reality in which we now live. The call is to discover what will shed light and not just heat on the situation. This is about what engages us mind, body and soul in working together. What will bring Good News to the situation. How do we live in a way which incarnates the Gospel which walks with people? This is what seems to capture us most that we are all in this together. Go gently over the coming weeks and months ahead.

Proclaim the Gospel with your lives!

Where do we see Christ at work in our lives? Our prayer and our actions are called to raise our awareness and attentiveness to this question. This is a sense of anticipation that Jesus walks in our midst often unseen and prompts us to notice where we bump into him on a daily basis. This openness to discover how God is present in our daily lives allows us the possibility to notice what truly centres us as people of faith, hope and love. It changes our outlook to see as God sees and to notice what God notices in our daily lives. It calls us to become people who become co-creators with God by enabling moments of grace which transform our lives and the lives of others.

Particularly as we live through one of our worst bush fire seasons we hear many stories of heroism and generosity. There is a resilience in the human spirit which naturally reaches out to the other in a way which seeks to bring life to another. This daily call allows us to notice how God is at work in our midst on a daily basis and allows us to be open to the promptings of the spirit. On 26th January we will commemorate the effects of the bush fires on our communities and how this can be a moment of solidarity which seeks to bring life out of the ashes.

Yet we also need to pause to reflect on what deeper issues bind us together for the good of God, the good of others and the good of ourselves. How does this experience shape our nation and our souls? What is it that we seek together and what is God calling us to listen to? These questions are the backdrop to our current experience and speak to us of our how the Plenary Council helps to become more responsive as individuals and communities to the prompting of God's spirit. May we journey together in faith, hope and love bring the light of Christ to our world.

Baptized into Christ

One of the most significant events of the Christian life is one that many people will not remember unless they have been baptized later in life. As we know baptism is efficacious, that is that it achieves in the life of the person what the sacrament intends. A person becomes one with Christ and one with the Christian community. This often has the fancy title of bringing about an ontological change in the life of the person. Yet I am struck that this choice often made by the parents of a child when they were a baby needs to be affirmed in the life of the person as they grow older. It is part of the reason why we celebrate the sacrament of confirmation when a person is a young adult and they are able to start adopting the Christian life for themselves. Yet we know in reality that the celebration of a sacrament can be mired in many other expectations not chosen by the person being baptized or confirmed. They can be the pressure to please older relations, to ensure a place in a good school or even because it is a tradition which keeps us  connected with the spiritual side of our life even if people do not regularly attend Church.

The question that raises its head at the baptism of the Lord is what is actually going on? I believe fundamentally it is an invitation made by God into relationship with his Son. There is a witness that God cares so deeply about us that Jesus enters into our human story. This is not just a repentance of sin and dying to self but rather the planting of desire deep within us to grow in a life giving relationship with God. In this way baptism is not just a ritual action which happens once in a person's life but rather an opening up of the gates of heaven to how we are called to live in our everyday lives. There is a realization that there is now no separation between us and God. This changes how we relate to God and each other. It allows us to be seen by God and to be transformed by grace. It allows us to see the world from God's point of view and allows us to become people who grow in relationship with God and each other. We are transformed by grace so that we can live with hope, faith and love. Our lives are now no longer solely our own but immersed in the person of Christ who seeks us out. In this way we become people who cooperate with God's grace in our daily lives.