Wrapped in swaddling clothes and placed in a manger

 We have become familiar with the Christmas story and the way it provides a focus for our lives. It is recognized in how we undertake journeys to be with those we love and how we sit down with them at the table. We are called to recognize each other's fundamental dignity and the need to be nourished: to be clothed and fed. Jesus is born in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes. In his vulnerability, he becomes an unspoken source of good news which seeks to disturb us.

In our modern world, we notice how this Good News can be disrupted by events beyond our control. Not only the difficulties associated with travel caused by the pandemic but the hidden disruption which causes people to be disturbed by the relentless barrage of information that seeks to take control of our lives. Evelyn Underhill, an English mystic compares these to the animals which are present in the nativity scene: the ox of passion and the ass of prejudice that seek to push out the person of Christ. Yet it is the person of Christ who we need to make room for and allow His light to shine within us.

This may be the challenge which is how we allow these days of Christmas to become a place where God makes an election for us so that we can fulfill our office in the world. To discover a rule of life that radiates out to others. To become people who act justly, love tenderly, and walk humbly with our God. Where our world view is not shaped by self-interest or divisions but a genuine desire to encounter God in our daily life.

May this Christmas season bring you joy and peace. Live what you believe that Christ seeks you to make room for him in your prayer, in your own environment, and in how you act.

How do we listen for God?

 One of the questions which seem to occur in the spiritual direction of others is how do I know that this is what God wants? There can be a desire to buy a how-to-book that will lay out an easy-to-follow plan which clearly states what needs to be done. This finds echos in the reading from Hebrews which we read this weekend which seeks some concrete expression of this desire whether it is through the sacrifices we make for others, the gifts we offer, or the time we spend in preparing for Christmas. Yet it is how we are present to God and others that are more important. It is a life that we live which gives the best expression to what we believe.

We see this in Mary rushing to be at Elizabeth's side during her pregnancy. There is a deep concern which Mary seeks to live through the visitation. There is a sharing of what brings her life which elicits a response from Elizabeth which recognizes the blessing which draws attention to what is at the heart of all life. This obedience is about allowing God's voice to make a connection between everyday life and the mystery which is at the heart of life. A blessing is a lived expression of who God desires us to become not just something that we receive.

This is the essence of the incarnation which seeks that we are met body and soul by the person of Jesus. This person changes the way we listen both to God and each other. It helps us to notice the deep connection between the spiritual underpinning of God's creative spirit and the human expression of that loving presence. We are called to be internationally present to others in seeing the life of Christ motivating our every action. By being people who listen to the movement of God's spirit which quickens within us for the good of the whole world. This calls for an offering our whole life in being transformed by the person of Jesus. May his peace disturb us!

Playing by the rules!

 In learning any game we need to not only learn the rules but also the spirit. There is a need to not only compete fairly but also to ensure that we do not exploit the goodwill of those who share the game with us. We know how easy it is to overcook the cake and start to notice the urge to win overtaking our need to treat fairly those who play with us. We are not called to win at the expense of the relationships we seek to build up by playing the game. This may be important to bear in mind as people share their time over Christmas not to squander the goodwill of the time we spend together.

Yet it also overflows into daily life. Life can imitate how we play games. We are called to be people who respect others in a way that is just. As John the Baptist reminds his listeners in seeking to act fairly which does not misuse a position of trust for their own benefit. There is a call to witness to how God is present in guiding us in our daily interactions to be people who live the Good News for the good of others, not just ourselves. To allow the word of God to be announced with conviction in the way we live. Our love is not just to be words but action.

The aim is not just to tolerate others but to seek their happiness which allows us all to give thanks to God. This is evidenced by a prayer that seeks to proclaim to the world that our way of life has its influence on others. We are called to people who return to the source of our hope on a daily basis. The seeking to draw the water of hope from the wells of salvation. To be people whose prayer guides their hearts for the common good. 

May the Lord guard your hearts with joy and gladness as we continue in these last two weeks leading to Christmas.

Straight Paths

 What is the quickest way from A to B? This almost sounds like a traditional maths problem rather than a theological question.  John the Baptist starts preaching a conversion of heart through a baptism of forgiveness. He seeks to see how God speaks to the wilderness of our own lives. There is a desire that we may see the salvation of God with our own eyes. This is not so much just wishful thinking as listening with the ears of the heart. Seeing what is fundamental to life helps us to know ourselves as God sees us.

St Paul stresses this when he speaks to the Philippians about improving their knowledge and deepening their perception. Recognizing how the good work that God has started in us can be brought to fruition. As the psalmist says by recognizing the good things that God has entrusted to us we are filled with joy. We start to find the integrity of life which proclaims God's mercy to the world.

As we approach Christmas we are called to find ways in which we do preserve our own hearts with joy. To find how we become a fragrant gift for others. We seek to discover a God who walks with us and accompanies us to make straight our paths,

Advent

 Christmas is now very close and we start to notice that we can become lost in the preparations. Not least are the proximate preparations of buying presents, attending parties, and finding a car park in trips to the shops. Yet this is also set against the backdrop of the restrictions which disrupted Christmas past that we become wary of what Christmas present might look like let alone Christmas future. It is easy to notice the places where this Christmas may look somewhat different. The need to be aware of health restrictions when crossing state borders or even venturing further afield. The relief of being able to associate more freely when hearing in the background the concerns that we may be plunged back into lockdowns. There can be a feeling of our beliefs being shaken by events that seem out of our control.

Jesus warns his disciples that it is easy to become caught up in a diet of confusion about natural and human disasters. How we can live a lifestyle that throws caution to the wind and says we only live once! The ability to focus just on ourselves and discover ways to numb the pain by shutting this bad news out. Yet we are called to be people who do not ignore reality or succumb to our own fears. We need to find a person who will guide us and whom we can trust.

As Paul encourages the Thessalonians so he encourages us by witnessing to that person by living lives that embody love and generosity. The call to integrity and generosity proclaims to the world that each person is called to wholeness and holiness. This Christmas we can start by looking at how our giving can bring joy not only to ourselves but to the world. How do we live in a way which is kind to others and helps us to become stewards of God's creation? What words of encouragement need to be heard at this time? What is the greatest gift that we can give to God by the way we live our lives?

May the Kingdom come!

 Telling the truth to power is at the heart of the Gospel. This is not a way of condemning those called to leadership but rather a way of helping them to discover what is at the heart of obedience, a true listening to the heart of God. As we face elections we often look at the person who is to fill the office and our opinion about whether they are suitable to govern. Yet at the heart of our concern is how they govern for the good of all. This is often the difficulty of elections is that leadership is often seen through the lens of political preference rather than a concern for the common good.

The heart of the gospel then challenges us to discover how we truly listen to the truth which proclaims the voice of Jesus to our age. This desire for synodality is not just an openness to hear all the voices but rather a considered discernment to what most easily allows this truth to be heard. This discernment seeks to discover what brings life and what trips us up in becoming living witnesses of Jesus Christ. What steps can we take day by day to allow us to become more transparent in listening to the Word of God spoken to us?

I believe that we are called to be witnesses to the Gospel. We are a people of pray, study, and action which lives for our time that as we grow in a living relationship with Jesus Christ we discover a deeper sense of unity for the common good. We seek to befriend each other and discover ways to reach those who doubt that the Gospel can be lived in our modern age. The reality is that we are all citizens of heaven who seek to live that truth here on earth. To be people who trust that the prayer taught to us by Jesus is a way of life, not just pious words.

The end is nigh?

 Over many years we have the prophets of doom who predict that the end of time is upon us. This can look at the signs of the times as harbingers of destruction which proclaim flood, war, plague, and pestilence. There is something about the current climate which seeks to predict the future rather than live in the present. The result can result in fear, anxiety, anger, and paralysis where we just have to wait for the end to arrive. Yet this can result in a certain sense of fatalism which leaves us powerless to live in the present.

The Gospel for this weekend does not seek to notice these markers that appear outside our control. Rather they seek perfection which comes from within and makes us available to this present age to do what we can rather than what we cannot. What can sustain us in uncertain times with hope and courage? This comes from being people who pray, study, and act in our current environment. We are called to be people who are present with wisdom and grace.

This calls for a heartfelt response that engages us with thoughtful reflection. What will sustain us as people who care for the planet and for each other? The pandemic has taught us that a common mind and a common heart can confront problems that seem to overwhelm us. They help us to notice that what binds us together is more than what will drive us apart. In an age that looks for conspiracy, scandal, and violence we can become bearers of the good news who seek Christ in the everyday. Our lives make a difference that enables others to bear witness to how God calls us to be present to this time with faith, hope, and charity.

What do I have to give?

 The enormity of the tasks which we seem to encounter in life can seem to beg the question why me and why now? There can be a feeling that we are overwhelmed by a tsunami of events that can flood over us which threaten to submerge us with their urgency. In the midst of this reality, we can look at what we have to offer and feel that we are unprepared and under-resourced by what is to hand. Our prayer can be focussed on the externals which seem to attract our attention rather than reflecting on who we are called to be and become.

The Our Father often contains the important request that we receive our daily bread. That which is enough for us to live on for this day. As we reflect on Elijah's conversation with the poor widow this is not just a generosity of physical resources but a generosity of heart to give the best of yourself for the moment. Similarly, Jesus' observation of the widow putting her money into the treasury is not an abandonment of responsibility but a profound trust that God will provide what is needed for the good of others.

I believe this is what challenges us on a daily basis which is to give the best of ourselves to the matters at hand. This is not just to give the impression of being generous but to allow our lives to become one of thanksgiving in whatever situation we find ourselves. Our prayer is not just about looking good but about becoming good.

So our prayer for this week reflects on who we are and what we have to offer for the good of our world. It is a profound shift that recognizes that all good things come from God and that we are called to live a life of thanksgiving. Just as we receive communion through our celebration of Eucharist we are called to share that communion with each other by the lives we live. We bear witness to how God is present this day and invites us to respond with faith, hope, and love.

Love with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength

 When Jesus preaches he adds an important element to the word spoken by Moses to the people. Those words are "with all your mind". This reminds us that we are gathered as body, mind, and spirit in the way we live our lives for the good of creation and the good of our relationships. It sees a sustained relationship between our love for God, our love for ourselves, and our love for others. How we pray, how we think, and how we act are called to proclaim the reality of the realm of God alive and active in our world.

There are probably three elements that emphasize this in the events of the world. The first is the GOP26 conference in Glasgow. What we recognize is that this conference should not be just about words but about action. As Pope Francis gathered with other religious world leaders they stressed three things: the need for actions to be in harmony with creation, that we are called to respect each other but most importantly we are called to be driven by the dynamism of love. "Love is the mirror of an intense spiritual life: a love that extends to all, transcending cultural, political and social boundaries; a love that is inclusive, concerned especially for the poor, who so often teach us how to overcome the barriers of selfishness and to break down the walls of our ego." It is this unselfish commitment to the common good which intends a culture shift for our common home. This is a culture that calls us to reflect on how our actions mirror our words.

It is also significant that this occurs on the days before all hallows where we honour all the saints who show us how our lives are called to bear witness to Christ. Yet more attention is paid to Halloween where the focus is on what drains us of life, what calls us to be like dead people walking and who is haunted by ghosts of ages past. The emphasis seems to be on what deadens us rather than what enlivens us with hope. There can be a sense of fatalism that predisposes us to disaster and an unwillingness to change. It is like horror besieges us at our gates rather than challengings us to stand in the breach against forces that seem to overwhelm us. Yet this is not what is proclaimed at the heart of the Gospel.

In the Word, we are called to examine how our whole life is called to become a love story that encaptures our hearts. There is a call in which we are incarnate people who set our minds on what brings life not death. That the ability to change is not beyond our strength or our ability. This is the imagination that the Church is called to prayer in union with the heart of God at the heart of creation. We are not called to be people who are abstracted users of resources but people who are stewards of the gifts entrusted to us not just for our time but for all time.

This calls us to be people who are open to the spirit of God which draws us together for the good of the whole. The need to examine how we live what we believe not just in our worship but in our lifestyles. This is a love that is called to embolden and strengthen us to be a compassionate presence for the common good. To discover the sacred underpinning of our lives which bears witness to God's creative action in the world. We become co-creators with God in allowing the reign of God to be on our hearts, in our souls, in our considered choices that sustain us and our world.

That I may see!

 Are we called to be observers or participants in life? There is a growing culture of being spectators of the lives of people where we are called to express opinions of who they are. This can cause us to develop blindness which does not see the fundamental worth of the person but rather judges them by their physical appearance. We start to evaluate who a person is through what is external to them rather than what is core to their being who they are.

When we can see this in the people who are on the fringes of our lives who don't seem to fit into our well-ordered lives. We can often silence them either explicitly or implicitly when their voices make us uncomfortable and disturb our peace. This silence is not a place where they are welcomed but rather isolated and forgotten. This can be especially concerning when we start to know how it can pervade not just our daily lives but also our religious communities. When we see how easy it is to not hear the voice of those who are in greatest need.

Jesus always seeks to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed to paraphrase the words of Cesar to Cruz. The artwork of our lives is called to be manifested in how we hold uncomfortable truths with the loving presence of Jesus. This is not to induce guilt or sympathy but rather to notice what draws our hearts into a relationship of communion and solidarity. This call to be authentically ourselves not just in seeing what the world needs but what sets us on fire to become alive. What we are called to hear is not only the voice of those on the fringes but an invitation for them to be welcome into the presence of Jesus.

Servant Leadership

 This is a phrase we may have heard often but not fully understand. Often we imagine leaders being appointed over us to govern us rather than being people who live among us for our good. It is the difference between exercising power and authority. Authority comes about through a person living in the midst of us and sharing the same life as us. There is a responsibility to be at one with others so that we may act for the good of the whole and not just for the individual in power. This is an art that needs to be lived as much as to be learned. 

When we listen to Jesus as he speaks about this leadership we can notice where he directs our attention. This is not about receiving privileged seats at the table but rather a willingness to share in the reality they are called to be present. They need to be people who have open hearts and engaged minds applied to the greater good and not just to their own interests. This calls them to be willing to give their best for the good of the whole.

Yet, we know people in leadership have to balance their own instinct of self-serving and their own weaknesses which can often be exploited by others who seek special favor. It is why we need to pray for those called to leadership whether it is in the secular or religious realm. We need to pray that their faith in God does not fail them or us. They need to be people of considered judgment and great wisdom. To be people who do not trust themselves to their own whims but are gently discerning of the spirit who guides them.

By suffering for others with their lives they raise up a community that looks to the margins. They notice that in listening to those in greatest need they empower a commonwealth of gifts to emerge. It sees each person as created in the image and likeness of God. It builds up a society of saints who are of service to each other by undertaking who they are called to be in what they do.

Why do you call me good?

 This question is raised by Jesus in pointing to God as the source of all good. In some ways, it is a paradox that Jesus points away from himself or even acknowledges what others see in him. However, I believe this has something important to teach in a time of the plenary council. Our goodness is not changed by external acts but through interior conversion. By stating the commandments he is not proclaiming the law handed down by Moses but rather the inherent goodness which underpins this law. He seeks for people to discover this inherent goodness that leads to good acts. It seeks to highlight that loving God with all our heart, strength and mind leads to a love of neighbour as ourselves. That we seek to demonstrate the goodness we discover within us through tangible acts of faith which bring us into deeper communion with God and each other.

At the heart of this movement is persistence in prayer, study and action to seek what is good for our time and for our age. We seek to discover where our true treasure lies. This is why Jesus cautions us against building up wealth based solely on external acts or by visible possessions. He notices that when people life is built on these things it can easily supplant our reliance on God as the source of who brings life. Essentially, this is not by seeing poverty as a good but a recognition that it is through our personal relationship with God that we discover our own inherent goodness. It is a willingness to see our whole life through the eyes of God.

This interdependence of God is not a Christian fatalism where we are called to take a step back from life. Rather it is to see our life's work as found on a spirituality that is truly incarnate. We are body and soul present to the realities of life with a spirit that ennobles and recreates us. There is the internal struggle to be faithful not just to our own thoughts and feelings but to the choices that we make. Our calling is to be people who notice how God's providence is present in our everyday actions. The openness to see God's transforming presence in who we seek to become. This is acknowledged that our lives are shaped by a building up of God's realm on earth. By seeking to build up what is good and ever creative in life. Our true wealth is the investment we make in each other in building up a communion that acknowledges that God is the source of all goodness.

Living by the law or the spirit

 The reading of the gospel this weekend can be particularly confronting in an age when we are familiar with the number of marriages that end in divorce. This is not only devastating for the couple and their families but has a profound impact on their children. People do not make this decision lightly and there is often a hidden wound about whether a person can trust themselves to another with what is most personal and most intimate about themselves. 

When we look at the gospel that Jesus teaches this weekend he looks at how marriage is called to reflect the profound giving of one person to the other. He sees this as a covenant which binds two people in a relationship so close that they become a new person seeking the good in the other. This is not a decision to be taken lightly and we see many courses which seek to prepare people for this relationship of mutuality. It seeks to guide the other to become their best self which builds them up to give freely their love one to another.

This calls for a good knowledge of ourselves and a good knowledge of the other. This is not just an intellectual assent which knows things about the other person but it is a deeper knowledge of the heart which assents to what is fundamentally good about ourselves and that person. It helps us to know how from the time that we are children that we are shaped by our experience, our families and the context in which we live. It takes a time of listening, respect and a discerning spirit to be open and vulnerable to what is deepest about ourselves and the other person. It cannot be rushed or taken for granted. It needs to mature and grow as a person comes closer to the other.

It calls for a person to be faithful to the other not just in bed but in the everyday decisions which draw a couple closer to each other. The way we manage a household, in deciding where they live, it what brings hope and meaning to life and in discussing issues together. This faithfulness is nurtured especially in prayer and in the small daily kindnesses. It calls for an encouragement which notices both our limitations and our strengths. It enables others to grow closer in their capacity for intimacy and vulnerability.

These foundations build the place where children can be welcomed and formed with loving attention. Each child will develop in ways which will amaze, confuse and challenge parents to respond to their individual needs and desires. They will surprise their parents with wonder and grace, with failures and sadnesses but ultimately with hope, faith and love. They will transform their parents by who they are and who they become.

Yet in the midst of these challenges we also pray  for couples who do experience divorce, for single parents raising children and those adoptive parents who seek to care for the formation of children. In all these situations we are called to be people who look lovingly at the real and discover ways that we can support each other to build communities of faith, hope and love. It is about discovering a God who guides us by the love of each other which sustains us in life. To allow God to labour with us to rebuild trust and to discover the good in challenging situations.

Look for peace not disaster

 As we progress day by day through the pandemic we become aware of how it has changed the way we live. The everyday activities seem to be a remote memory where once they were commonplace. The ability to associate freely with others and the new rituals that we have adopted seem to have seeped into our bones. In the face of this reality, there can be a sense of both hopes for a better future and frustration with what the new normal will look like. We long for freedom while practicing restraint. We also become aware of other places where people seem to have it better than ourselves.

In these times it can be easy to look for what seems miraculous which can lead us out of these difficult times. This is not just about being vaccinated but rather how we will encourage each other to become people of mercy. How do we see the face of Christ and look for peace, not disaster? We need to be people of hope who look for the graces which are present in everyday life. Acknowledging those who go the extra yard to bear witness to the goodness of God in acts of kindness. It is easy to look for what may go wrong in life rather than seeking to discover ways of living that make a profound difference to others. 

This is not to become people with our heads in the clouds but rather who take a long loving look at the real. To notice the sometimes conflicting emotions and thoughts within us. This allows us to be people who are aware that we can make a choice, to be honest to ourselves about those situations which can seem to overwhelm us. Yet by allowing ourselves not to be overcome or isolated by tidal waves of oppressive thoughts which alienate us from each other we can make a choice for good. It helps us to be people who become aware of how our lives can make a positive difference for others through the charism entrusted to us. To be people who build a community founded on peace, not disaster. In this way, we can become creatively present on a daily basis by witnessing God's presence in our lives.

Our prayer is now not just a private affair between us and God. It is a way of being open to what brings hope to ourselves and to our neighbours. It changes the way we think and the way we act. It allows us to become agents of faith, hope, and love. To be detectives of grace and point to those things that build up rather than tear down. To be prophets for our own age that God is present in all things.

Who is the greatest?

 In the Ignatian exercises, there is a mediation on the two standards which seeks to understand how we can be drawn into a way that proves our worth to the world or a way that recognizes our fundamental worth. In trying to prove our worth to others we seek to exercise control, undertake projects which will produce spectacular results, or simply seeking to discover the prevailing opinion of the day. Each of these approaches places the locus of control for our lives on position, possessions, or posture. They call us to look good on the outside and seek approval from others.

The contrasting stance looks to recognize our seeking for a life which seeks compassion from within. It notices the competing forces within ourselves which can unsettle us or bring us peace. It is the place where we seek to encounter these parts of ourselves which are at war and discover a way to achieve an armistice that does not lead to the destruction of ourselves or others. This becomes a place where our prayer seeks to discover what is our true desire rather than our own indulgence. There is a pull to discover wholeness and holiness. 

By entering into a life of prayer we become our true selves. This often means that we need to understand what moves us and sustains us for the long haul. Often there is a belief that our influence is based on how much money we have, the things we own, or the power we exercise. Yet we know that these can be ephemeral and transient. They can consume us rather than providing us the freedom to be our best selves. Our worth, however, is measured not by what we own but by who we become. This allows us to notice who and what we witness as having eternal value.

The contrast is between what has worth and what has utility. As Jesus witnesses in the Gospel for this weekend, it is in the wonder and presence of a child that we discover how God sees us. He welcomes us for who we are and discovering that true love witnesses to the goodness of our creation. That it is God who upholds our life and holds us in positive regard. By seeking this at the heart of our lives we discover our magis which bears testimony to our own calling to live for God's greater glory not our own.

Who do you say I am?

 The experience of an encounter with Jesus Christ can initially fill us with overwhelming joy. Almost like falling in love for the first time, we start to notice what is attractive about the person which fills us with faith, hope, and love.  We can be deeply moved to notice how this person makes sense and provides meaning for us. The sense that we can be pulled in a certain direction in response to the person of Jesus can start us to ask questions about what he can do for us? 

This may well have been the experience of Peter in the gospel passage where he is prompted to respond that Jesus is the Christ. However, even though he had this insight there was a part of him that felt that now he has named him that he can control the direction of that divine life within himself. The belief that a person has control over another through naming them has a certain resonance in our own time. Our names are not just labels stuck on us but they seek to integrate who we are as a person. When another uses our name we feel both a sense of appreciation and responsibility. We are called by name for the good of another.

This is where the struggle is in the daily life of living with our life with Jesus. We are not just called to know about Jesus we are called to become known by him. This is not just through speaking his name but experiencing the depth of his life within us. We are called to enter into a deeper relationship that allows us to be formed as a person of faith who listens for His voice. Just as we treasure our own life we are called to become a person who responds with an incarnate way of living. We are people who are both body and soul animated by God's spirit. The question that Jesus asks is, "who do people say I am?" The response is not about just a verbal response but a living encounter with who He is. Our lives give witness to this question by becoming His disciples. We are people who live the Gospel in our daily lives in living with this question.

Don't judge by appearances

 We live in a very visual world where we are encouraged to read a book by its cover. A lot of money is spent by advertisers to promote and encourage people to buy products or experiences based on how a thing looks. In many cases, the product is filmed or photographed in a particular way to see it in the best possible light. This is not only to attract our attention but to touch an inner response that seeks to own or encounter the same experience. We are led to believe that if we own this product or travel to this destination we will be fulfilled. Yet in many ways, this is an illusion that plays on a deeper longing.

In a similar way when we meet people we can notice similar feelings arise inside us. We start to judge the book by its cover and make assumptions about who the person is by how they dress, how they speak and what they do. They can be a visceral reaction in which we are moved by something deep within us which judges whether this person is worthwhile or not. This can then guide our responses by how we choose to accommodate that person in our life. We adopt an inner distinction that determines a person's worth solely on the exterior expression rather than the character of who they are.

Yet in our own lives, we encounter a God who has a profound love for all creation but especially those in greatest need. God calls for our eyes to be opened, for our ears to be unplugged and our tongues to be loosed to seek joy in our life. That which blinds us deafens us and causes us to become tongue-tied needs to be the source of our prayer. We can to easily limit God's interaction to what looks good rather than what is good. In this way, we start to see as God sees, hear as God hears, and speak in words that echo that fundamental goodness that rises in each human heart.

Over the week it then helps us to look at where we spend our money, who we listen to, and how we occupy our time. Our bank accounts, our internet searches, and our diaries can become a testimony to what and whom we believe to be important. They show what possess our money, our relationships, and our priorities. At their essence, they help to be a reality check between what we seek and what we do. They help us to notice the dilemma that St Paul encounters where he says one thing and does another. 

This realization can be confronting but it can help us to encounter a God who reads our hearts. Not to condemn us but so that we can see more clearly, listen more attentively and respond more lovingly in our daily lives. When we seek not to judge by appearances but to respond with a heartfelt concern for humanity we discover that there is not so much distance between us. That God moves each person to encounter our neighbour for the greatest good in their deepest need. 

A bad hair day!

 What is the price of a good haircut? The length of the lockdown is becoming increasingly noticeable by the length of our hair! Probably more than anything else the ability to feel good about yourself can be determined by how we are able to care for ourselves. It is important that we maintain normal routines which bring structure to our lives. Yet the very practice of these rituals can claim more importance when we allow them to determine our own value to God and to others.

We notice this when we see the Pharisees emphasizing religious reasons for the common disciplines of good hygiene and cleaning utensils. We know even in the time of the pandemic there is a checklist we go through when going to the market: one person does the shopping; we wear a mask over the mouth and the nose; we protect the eyes; we observe a physical distance; we hand sanitize and we clean the shopping trolley or basket before using it. Yet we can notice that there becomes a moral imperative where these rituals take on a deeper meaning when we see others not observing "the rules". There can be a rising of bitterness and condemnation which tends to label a person as unclean. We even see it when people are actually isolated with COVID19 and do not enjoy these freedoms. 

As Christians, we are called to notice these feelings rising up inside us to ensure that our prayer is not just lip service. We need to guard about making health directives religious lore about the worth of the other person. Our lives are called to listen to God's voice in the midst of the things that we consider will make us unclean and untouchable. Yet it is what arises within us which makes us unclean. This is the reason why we need to be on guard against this stinking thinking which can lead us into acts that alienate, isolate and condemn others. Especially at this time, we need to find ways that we can practically support each other through these most difficult days. Especially if it just feels like a bad hair day!

Queen of Peace

 God loves his Church because it is his body. This is seen as intimate of the relationship of a husband loving their wife and the wife loving their husband. While the language in the letter from St Paul to the Ephesians might jar with our own understanding essentially it looks at building up a relationship of mutuality and trust. We are not called to be observers of the spiritual life but active participants. I believe this is where the intercession of Mary as Queen of Peace originated in 1656 in the Papal Bull, "Ad Sanctam Beati Petri sedem" by Pope Alexander VII to counter the negative effects of Jansenism in France. This was in reaction to the negative view of humanity which may well have been a distortion of the words of Jesus in this weekend's gospel where he states in the Gospel of John, "It is the spirit that gives life the flesh has nothing to offer. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life." Yet this looks to see what animates us with life and gives meaning to us. This is a reality that is both the human and the divine presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. We are called to encounter something substantial and life-giving which fills our whole being. It is not just food that we eat but someone who becomes at one with us.

This is a most challenging Jesus when people stopped following Jesus because what he said was scandalous to them because the idea of God wanting to enter into such a profound relationship within our own flesh was anathema to them. People still wrestle with this teaching which causes people to become one with an intimate relationship with God which not only transforms bread and wine but transforms us. Especially in these times, it is hard for people to notice how we are called to both body and soul animated by the spirit. There are those who see the Church solely as an institution rather than a living embodiment of God's love for the world. Often we look at the weakness of men and women and miss the divine reality which animates us with hope, faith, and love.

I believe this is especially important as we pray for and reflect on the plenary council. We are called to encounter the message of eternal life in which Peter recognizes Jesus eliciting a deeper knowledge and belief in the person of God who weds both the human and the divine. I believe this is where Mary, Queen of Peace can help us to taste and see the goodness of the Lord. She stands as a living witness of what this intimacy embodies for her and for us. She helps us to discover how even in the most difficult times we are called to be body and soul animated by God's spirit. As the spouse of the Holy Spirit and the spouse of the Church, she helps us to notice what we choose and whom we serve. She shows us how to integrate the living witness of faith within our own lives. We are called to be people who are transparent to God's love which seeks the good of the whole world. Mary, Queen of Peace pray for us.

Pondering Lockdown

 This weekend we celebrate the Assumption of Mary: the feast which celebrates the assuming of Mary, body, and soul into heaven. This is one of the most recent dogmas of the Church which have been proclaimed as infallible. Such a statement not only recognizes her unique role in the salvation history of the Church. This sees as intimately connected the human bond with her divine son, Jesus but also the intimate bond that she has with the Body of the Church. This acknowledges our own desire for bodily resurrection and to ponder the kingdom of God by the witness of our lives.

I believe it is significant that we celebrate this feast in the middle of lockdown. Many of us are called into an involuntary "stay at home" order. There can be a sense of frustration that can build up which longs for freedom and certainty. We also notice how readily fear about having enough to live on causes people to panic and storm the shelves for toilet paper and meat. We know that we need these regular supplies but it can be the sense of trust that is put to the test. We listen to the news and we react rather than reflect on what is needed for the moment. We can tend to overconsume and overcompensate by expressing our fears in concrete actions. We tend to overspend and overconsume what seems everyday necessities. There can be an addiction that manifests our deepest insecurities through our actions.

Yet this is where the life of Mary can accompany us through this time. She was deeply challenged by God and the life of her son, Jesus. In seeking to understand she was not involved as a passive observer of his life but as an active participant. Much of what we know is recorded in the Gospels where she pondered where His life was interwoven with her own. This can often be seen in the devotion of the seven sorrows of Mary: the prophecy of Simeon; the flight into Egypt and massacre of the innocents, the loss of Jesus in the temple; meeting Jesus on the way to Calvary; standing at the foot of the Cross, the pieta; and laying Jesus in the tomb). I believe that her life stands at the heart of the story of each Christian. Just as her life is interwoven with these sorrows it is interwoven with our own in the time of this pandemic. There are signs that over our faith tradition that when we are in greatest need our heartfelt prayer becomes her prayer too. She leads us to notice that this is a prayer that unites both faith and practice.

In our own time, we also notice that this is linked to how we consider our lives and what brings meaning. As you ticked the box in the Census you may have wondered whether you are just making up the numbers or whether something deeper is being asked. There is a connection between the faith we express and the life we live. We are not just called to a brand name but to a deeper recognition of what it means to live a faith-filled life. While Churches are shut many can question what is essential to life. Does going to Mass matter and will anybody notice my absence? Yet I believe this tackles the question from the wrong angle as we could notice the same reality in the sports arena or in our social activities. Does it may a difference if I am not there? In an age where we can pay subscriptions for services, our personal interactions can be reduced to what we can afford. The sense that our own participation in living a life of faith can be bought and sold. Yet our presence matters! We are called to be active participants not passive observers of the Christian life.

So where to now. What is the way out of the pandemic? Many point to the importance of good health protocols through hygiene and social distancing, being vaccinated, and supporting people in great need. Yet there can also be subscripts that need to be addressed which are left unanswered. We do need to work for the common good as everybody's contribution to the commonwealth is essential whether it is paid or unpaid work. We need to name what isolates the goodwill in our community through personal recrimination even when it names and shames those who are vectors of the virus. We need a deeper sense of how to be human and to be faithful.

I believe that this is where the pondering heart of Mary can lead us in our prayer. We need to be people who are not abstracted from our circumstances or overcome by our sorrows. She was a woman of faith who gathered people in the love of her son. Jesus. I believe the same is true of us as a Church we need to gather people in faith even while we seem to be apart. To discover ways in which our mission is not to be distanced from the sorrows of the world but to be deeply invested in our prayer and in our actions with the life of Jesus. It calls us to ponder what brings life and what does not. We stand in solidarity with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. We are called to be people who beat in time with the heart of God which brings hope to our world. To ponder, to reflect, and to act in harmony with God and with each other.

Don't see a need without doing something about it!

 Being isolated can occasionally lead to the feeling of being out of sight out of mind! Our world shrinks to our immediate daily concerns and routines rather than looking inside so that we can look out on our world. Sitting in Sydney can be at times be slightly depressing when we wonder how can we reach out when we are called to avoid daily contacts and interactions. Over recent days we have seen this extend to Brisbane and only just today to the regional areas around the Hunter Valley. There are important messages about being vaccinated and tested if we have the mildest of symptoms. We know only too well that this is not just to ensure our own safety but to provide hope that we will return to a sense of normality in the long term.

Yet what will this new "normal" look like? We can only be too conscious of the immediate pressing needs of meeting mortgage payments, keeping paid employment, putting food on the table, and providing appropriate care to those in greatest need. These are important practical considerations and we need to make sure that we don't just try to wish them away. However, in the midst of these concerns, we are told not to worry about tomorrow but to set our hearts on the kingdom first. I believe that this is where we can look at each day and see what difference we can make for the good of another. Especially when resources, close contact, and movement are restricted how do we reach out to each other?

I believe this is where our celebration of the Solemnity of Mary Mackillop can resonate with our own experience. She neither ignored poverty nor become overwhelmed by it. She realized that her prayer and action were deeply interwoven in her life. She set her heart on being present to the needs of the people she encountered. Her insight in our own day echoes our own concerns, "Don't see a need without doing something about it!" As we know we are all pilgrims on the journey accompanying each other along the way.

Working for God!

 One of the common observations in my life as a priest is that people see it through the prism of the work I do rather than the person I seek to become. We notice this in our daily conversations where we seek to know what a person's job is. There is a sense in which the value of a person can be discovered in what consumes their waking hours. However, our work is more than just putting bread on the table but rather what seeks to bring meaning to our lives. This is more a question of vocation which helps us to provide leaven to our daily activities. 

This is at the heart of the Gospel this weekend where people pursue Jesus for what he can provide rather than who he is. We know how easy it is to know a person through what they produce rather than who they are. We can even notice this as we watch the Olympics where a person's value can be measured in whether they win Gold, Silver, or Bronze. But after the dust is settled will we become more deeply connected to the person and their story? I think this is the deeper hunger for us to make connections that are life-giving and life-sustaining. Otherwise, our attention is transitory and ephemeral awaiting the next morsel which will fill our emptiness.  

I believe that as we enter into the extended effects of the pandemic we can start to notice how our attention becomes focused on the spread of the virus rather than on what can bring hope to our own situation. It not only physically isolates us from each other but it can narrow our life to be lived vicariously through others. Many have pangs of hunger for the Eucharist especially in Sydney where for the third time many of our Churches are closed. Yet in these times it is looking at how we can satisfy that hunger by being Eucharist for each other. We find our daily activities inviting us to offer, bless, break and give our lives for the good of another. We can discover opportunities to build a community that sustains us and becomes people of thanksgiving in our daily life.

What do we hunger for?

 There have been many analogies to "The Hunger Games" which appears to be a lawless place where people grab what they need with little regard for the needs of others. We saw some of this in the panic buying which descended upon our cities when people besieged supermarkets. There was a sense of scarcity and fear which saw people desiring to stock up to outlast the storm. Even when there were assurances that there was enough for everyone this did not alleviate the heartfelt concern that we would go without. 

Yet in the Gospel, we see a very different scene where people hunger for the living word which will sustain them. They venture out into deserted places to listen to a voice that will give them hope. They sought healing and renewal of their spirits. What they had become used to no longer filled them and they desired a great depth of life to fill their hunger. This story was not about filling our physical hunger but our deeper need to find a life that will sustain us.

This is wherein the midst of what is considered essential to life we seek to find not just a way to occupy our time or earn a living wage important as these both are. Nor is it just appearing useful or worthy when many of the things that occupy us can appear wasteful. I believe it is at the heart of discovering our vocation that our life takes on a deeper meaning. I believe we seek to be drawn deeper into a relationship with God and each other which sustains our community. By discovering where God's spirit enables us to live for the good of others not just ourselves we discover the spirit which draws our lives together. We are called into a communion that is shared in the breaking of bread and the filling of our deeper hunger. 

Guidance rather than opinions

 We can feel like sheep with too many shepherds at times. Many peoples give us their opinions about the pandemic and the best way to respond. We seem to be scattered and isolated from each other in seeking to find good pastures. In Greater Sydney as in other parts of Australia, we are finding it difficult to make sense of a way out of this crisis. People seek to be vaccinated, get tested, and stay at home. We are called to do the "right thing" and I feel that the majority respond positively to the health restrictions and seek to safeguard each other. Yet it is at times like this when we seem to be in a valley of darkness that we are called to find the right path.

Like many, there is a limit to how many sitcoms you can watch before becoming dulled to a medium that seems banal. We can notice how our routines become affected by the daily bulletins which bring up fresh exposure sites and seem to further restrict our movements. We can become overwhelmed by facts and by seeking to comply with the daily updates. Our nerves can start to become frayed at the edges and we long for a time when the restrictions may end. We notice the many different opinions of people who stand on the sidelines shouting doom and gloom rather than providing hope and encouragement.

The question is how can we be a Christian community when we cannot  be in Churches to pray, support, and provide outreach to others. There is a limit to the watching of Mass over zoom which turns us into spectators rather than participants. I believe that this a time when we do need to find a creative response that does see how the Eucharist is at the centre of our life. There is a call placed on our hearts to engage in the prayer which deeply engages with the Word of Life. In many ways, I believe it is through engaging with the Liturgy of the Word on a daily basis and seek to find the word we are called to live each day. Undertaking Lectio Divina allows us to become soaked in the word spoken to us. To allow it to speak to our minds, our hearts and our bodies. It may be this way of prayer that can hold us together either as households or in personal sharing groups. I believe that such a practice will immerse more deeply in the Word and enrich our participation in the Mass. It will feed our souls and help us to be at home with God.

Out of these moments, we may also find the word that we are called to live for the day. Our attention is focused on words that bring life and guide us to a living of the good news even in times of darkness. It opens our hearts to new possibilities where we listen to what God is seeking in our own time.

On what do we rely?

 Each day seems to pose a fresh challenge in the time of the pandemic. We seek answers and certainty about our future while living in the stress of the moment. We listen to the current reality of a virus that seems to have taken on a life of its own and is highly infectious. We pay attention to health advice and seek to abide by the restrictions which it places upon us. There is a recognition that what confronts us directly impacts our care and concern for each other. What seems commonplace is being challenged as our hearts seek to reach out to comfort and support while our heads urge a natural caution which seeks to prevent further transmission. Yet what we seek to avoid is the fear which builds up social isolation and mutual distrust that raises barriers of support that squanders our commonwealth.

There can be an attitude that seeks to isolate us from the pain and suffering of others. We can start to value our own security and safety as being greater than our social responsibility for the welfare of others. There can be a sense of xenophobia born on the place of residence which can build not just physical barriers but also cultural and social barriers where none existed before. It seems that much of the understanding, cooperation, and mutual support seems to have been broken down over a very short period of time. Thus we are called to retreat into our own private castles rather than engage in the stream of life. We become more self-centred and parochial in our outlook where the world own exists in our own backyard.

The dangers become self-evident in those who foster this mutual distrust as it seeks to find a scapegoat who can bear the sins of another. We can start to fall for false prophecies of doom and death rather than a gospel that preaches compassion and love. I believe this is where Christian communities need to be aware of how we prepare ourselves to engage in a new reality that is good news to others and which is not just self-reliant. This calls for communities that seek to engage with the reality of preaching the Gospel among those who are being affected by the fallout of the pandemic. We need to address issues of mistrust, guilt and suspicion of others. There is a sense where we need to facilitate an inner strength that recognises both the reality of daily living but also a practical response. It calls us to be people who daily seek to be people of prayer and action, who reach out with what is needed for today. This may not be possible through physical contact but through the delivery of messages of hope which keep us connected. We are all in this together!

Struck with amazement or pondered with love

 There is a difference in our spiritual life between being amazed at the good actions of another and pondering how those actions may be absorbed into our own life. Often we can live our spiritual life vicariously through the life of another. We can notice how what they say affects what they do and what they do affects what they say. There is a sense of authenticity and depth to the person which deeply engages us. However, if we view their life as if we were a spectator in the stands we never into the field of play ourselves. We delegate the spiritual life to someone who appears holier or more authentic than ourselves.

Yet we see in the life of Paul a person who struggled with his own weakness but also engaged with the transforming power of Christ. There is a need to notice that God meets us even in our greatest sin. This is the reason why in our prayer we need to honesty and willing to surrender our whole life to God especially the areas in which we struggle. It would be so much easier to appear good rather than be good by allowing our life to be directed by the opinion of others. Yet our daily wisdom calls us to be open to God's grace which transforms our life.

In this way, we are called to be people who ponder the life of Christ on a daily basis. This is not just in the major events of life but in how we can be present to God's presence which is revealed to us. This is not just for us to be amazed by God's goodness and creative love but actually to be touched by God's heart. In this way, we notice a compassionate and merciful God who helps us to recognize the truth of who we are and what we are called to be. It allows us to be participants in a life of grace that keeps us faithful to the proclamation of the Gospel even through our own frailty. It bears witness to the reality that we are called to be loved into being.

The untouchables

With the sudden lockdown in Sydney we start to see streets emptied and travel curtailed. The plans that many have hoped for have been put on hold. The contrast with the Gospel scene cannot be more stark where people were pressing around Jesus for him to touch them or least touch the hem of his garment. In times when we are called to stay put where we are what can we hope or pray for?

I believe it can be good to see what is foundational to our life. What causes us to reach out to others for healing and support. I think it is important that we do not retreat into social isolation even though we might be physically separated. 

It is also important to find what truly inspires us for the good of ourselves which can inspire others. We can worry so much about the future that we miss the present. 

Lastly, it allows our prayer and our action to seek what vision will guide us through the pandemic. What is our mission and faithful response?

Be calmed

 One of the daily activities I engage in is listening to the daily news. Whether waking up to the radio, reading the newspapers, or watching the television there is a thirst for being present to the everyday. Yet often this stirs up hidden waters which can direct the course of my day. They can start to preoccupy my thinking about the storms of life which can threaten to overwhelm me. They are an extra burden that I carry in trying to figure out which direction this day will take me. Yet the reality is while these stories are about real events and real people there can be a sense of both distance and immanence at the same time. They can preoccupy my day in ways that prevent me from focusing on what is important for this moment. 

What happens can also affect our prayer. We become so preoccupied with the physical challenges and the hidden turmoils that we can feel that Jesus has gone to sleep. The feeling that we have to work it out all ourselves. We start to turn to prayer as the last resort when faced with overwhelming odds and the waves crash against our boat threatening to swamp us. There can be a sinking feeling that God is not awake to our concerns. Yet in the midst of this, we can learn two things. The first is that our prayer is formed out of what is really happening at this moment. The second is that we need to learn how to surrender this and become aware of how God is alert to our suffering and dilemma.

The emphasis that in seeking peace is the difference between being becalmed where we feel there is no direction and the feeling of being calm so that we can center on what is important not just what appears urgent. This freedom allows us the possibility to see our prayer in action. That God is present in the reality of our daily life. This is the journey of discovery where we learn to trust all things to God in daily life. That nothing is alien to God and that there is a creative Spirit that draws us into a closer lifegiving relationship. So in the midst of our daily lives, we see a melding of our lives and our prayer where we pray at all times.

Is my life called to be a parable?

 Jesus often spoke to those who listened in parables. He would then explain these parables to his disciples. Yet reflecting on how the scriptures touch us now we can listen to homilies or consult scripture commentaries to understand the context in which he spoke. Yet the parables are still as challenging now as they were then. We can come to a knowledge of what the disciples understood and Jesus taught but it is very different to appreciate how they lead us to the core of that understanding. The seed of faith is planted within us so that it can grow into life.

As Paul notices in his letter to the Corinthians, this calls us to be people who grow in confidence that we are not exiled from God. We are called to discover what it is to be at home with God in daily life. This is what allows us to notice the places where we give thanksgiving for the life entrusted to us. The place where God sustains us and helps us to grow in a sense of appreciative presence. 

This noticing changes how we become present to each other and the environment in which we live. We start to see how we gaze upon things differently with reverence and awe. The way in which we are sustained to be in harmony with God, with others, and with ourselves in the midst of creation. We are called to be people who witness the goodness of God's creation in daily life.  We are not aliens in a foreign land but people who are at home with God.

Offering our life for another

 In Australia, we have become used to volunteering. This not only happens at times of crisis but also in our concern to build up a community that can sustain each other. This is more than philanthropy as it expresses a common desire to share our commonwealth with each other. Our gifts are entrusted to us for a good purpose so that we can find meaning and purpose in life but also so that we can share them with others. This is not to focus attention solely on ourselves but also to enable others. It is a respect for the dignity and worth of each person.

As we celebrate the solemnity of Corpus Christi we see the desire of Christ to share his very life with us through the celebration of the Eucharist. This is not just a gift that is to be preserved for the selected few but rather an engagement with the life of Christ. Much as we donate blood or indicate on our medical records that we will donate our organs if we die. There is a sense in which our bodies are not just our own personal possession but rather a way in which we are called to relate with each other for the good. Our incarnate spirituality recognizes that our body and spirit sustain us in a relationship with God, with ourselves, and with each other. We live in a communal setting which brings us into communion.

This is recognized each Sunday which is the summit and source of our life. We are intimately bound to the person of Christ and to each other whenever we share Eucharist. This is a communion in which we listen to God's Word, give thanks for the life with which we are blessed, allow our lives to be broken open so that we can give life to others. This is not just a solitary act in which we privatize our relationship with God. It is a call that we offer our lives for the good of each other. We are commissioned to bear witness to the truth that every life matters and that nobody should be excluded from a deeper communion with Christ through the sharing of our life.

The Dance, the Dancer and the Dancing

 As we approach Trinity Sunday we can often skirt around trying to understand how we are drawn into the reality of the relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We can often be caught by feeling that we have to relate to one or the other but the reality of three persons and one God can confuse us. It can cause us to chase various rabbits down holes which are interesting theological explorations but do not actually help us to grow in a dynamic relationship with God. 

I believe that in essence we are called to sustain the same dynamic relationship at the present moment. Just as when we are dancing we are called to experience being the dancer and the certain movement of the dance. I believe that this is a powerful metaphor for the Christian life. We are called to a person of prayer. We learn from our tradition the ways in which people have been led on the dance. We notice those who have become a dancer to that particular rhythm of life. Their way of dancing attracts people to notice how they too are invited into the dance.

So too with us in our own age. We are called to listen to the music that enthralls us, to step out and feel the beat. There is a resonance that runs through our own body which calls us to be part of this dance. The question is not whether we can dance but rather whether we will join the dance?

Ordinary Events, Extraordinary Lives

 I wonder what the disciples felt when they were present to Jesus' ascension. In my own reflections, it may seem that this second separation was more difficult than the first. At the foot of the cross, they experienced a whole mixture of human emotions with which we would be familiar, fear, shock, anger, rejection, and anxiety. These emotions drove them into hiding and withdrawal. Yet in the midst of these all too human responses, Jesus walked into their midst and proclaimed peace and reconciliation. It was these initial resurrection encounters that called the disciples to a deeper appreciation of His life.

However, there was a sense in which the second withdrawal was necessary so that an internal conversion of the heart could take place. It was this liminal space between the Ascension and Pentecost in which the womb of expectation was born in each of them. No longer was their life called to be one simply of observation of the life of Jesus but rather a participation in proclaiming the Good News. They were called to be people who responded to the life for which they were chosen. To proclaim that this changed how they would live in the world and what they were prepared to live and die for.

We are faced with the same choice as the People of God. We can either see ourselves just as observers of holy things and holy people or we can to an appreciation that we are transformed into life through daily prayer and action. In this way, the sacramental life is not an action that we receive or something that is done to us but rather an invitation to participate in a new life. Our participation and response are central. We are not spectators called together on Sundays just to go through the motions but rather people who are commissioned to live that Good News in daily life. In this way, the Holy Spirit transforms ordinary lives into an extraordinary witness of God's love for the whole of creation.

God does not have favourites

 This statement should assure us that we do not have to earn God's love but we do need to witness it with our lives. This can help us to know in our hearts that God loved us first and that our vocation is to grow in that love. This calls us to see each of our encounters as a meeting with the risen Christ. To see in the eyes of another a reflection of God's love for us and to encourage each other in faith. 

This love is not just a warm, fuzzy feeling but a practical call to action. To love one another in a way that helps them to experience their own worth and dignity. This is at the heart of the Good News that we witness the goodness of God's love which created everybody for a good purpose. This shapes both our actions which seek acts of social justice that seek to remedy anything that degrades humanity and seeks to reach out in solidarity with those in greatest need of our care.

Especially, during this month of May, we are called to become part of a continual pattern of prayer around the world for the ending of the pandemic and for specific intentions through praying the rosary. St Mary's Cathedral is one of the 30 Marian shrines around the world which will join in this prayer vigil. More can be found on https://www.vaticannews.va/en/church/news/2021-05/shrines-around-the-world-linked-for-recitation-of-the-rosary.html. I believe this act of solidarity joins our minds and hearts with fellow Christians around the world for a common purpose. It is one of the practical ways is that the physical distance between is carried on the wings of prayer.

As we celebrate Mother's Day we also give thanks to other mothers for nurturing and sustaining us with love and friendship. We also keep them at the centre of our prayer for all the intentions that they carry in their hearts.

Love shows itself in action

 Nothing is more practical than finding God, than falling in love

In a quite absolute, final way.

What you are in love with,

What seizes your imagination, will affect everything.

It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning,

What you do with your evenings,

How you spend your weekends,

What you read,

Whom you know,

What breaks your heart,

And what amazes you with joy and gratitude,

Fall in love, stay in love,

It will decide everything.

(Arrupe)

For whom do we lay down our life?

 It is not often that Anzac Day coincides with Good Shepherd Sunday. Bit it is significant that they arrive at the conjunction of event around the world. Not least is the current pandemic but there are also fresh rumours of war or armed conflict reemerging. Russian troops gathered on the border of Ukraine, the flights of Chinese fighters over Taiwan, the ongoing conflicts in Chad and sub-Saharan Africa, the tensions in the Middle East and ongoing suffering Yemen. There can be a sense of deja vu in how we face familiar problems in a new context. The central question is how we respond to circumstances beyond our control as a person of faith.

I feel that we need to have a prayerful response to these situations. We need to recognise the profound effect that armed conflict and the ravages of the pandemic can have on the life of communities. We need to be people who are not only praying but prayerfully present to the reality of the suffering of others. Our lives are interconnected and we are not called to live in isolation from the needs of others. Our prayer should not be to keep the reality of such situations far from our minds and our concerns but rather how do we respond as a person of faith to these circumstances. What affects one part of humanity affects us all. As Pope Francis notes are that during May we pray that this pandemic may end.

However, as people who are called to apply our minds and hearts to ways in which we can respond to this situation. This means that we need to be reasoned and reasonable in how we are of service. In some cases, we need to consider not only what is for our good but the good of the whole community. We have noticed this has assisted in responding to isolating outbreaks of the virus and people being vaccinated. Yet there is also the need to connect with each other in ways that support each other rather than becoming consumed by fear, anxiety and anger. In times such as these, it is natural for tensions to rise and people to become suspicious of the behaviour of others. Yet our call to serve is not just to seek what is good for me but what is for the good of the whole.

Thus it is when we are called to act we notice how we are called to be both prayerful and present to the good of the other. Our lives are based on simple acts of kindness which value the life of another. In being present in these ways we follow the example of Saint Mary of the Cross Mackillop who looks for the next obvious step as we travel together. We become people who lay down our lives for each other.

What surprises us with awe and joy!

Easter presents us with a new reality that centres on the risen Christ. This new reality not only challenged the early disciples but also challenges us. What we are called to notice is that this is not focussing on what we need to give up but rather the relationship that we need to sustain. When Jesus appeared in the midst of the disciples they were overcome with fear believing they were seeing a ghost. Sometimes we can sense the same reality when a loved one dies. Familiar events can draw that person to mind and at times we can be caught by surprise when we are touched deeply. The circumstances can overwhelm us in ways that are hard to put into words. We are often drawn towards memorials of that person which are either the clothes they wore, the pictures we remember by or even the place where they are buried. There is a connection that holds us close to the memory of the person.

The resurrection touches us in the same way but more profoundly. In the encounter with Jesus, the disciples notice a fundamental shift that rocks their own understanding. They become physically present to their own response to how Jesus is truly present. This is not just a figment of their imagination or wishful thinking. They are not just moved by distant memories called to mind but a new encounter that changes their lives. This is how the journey to Pentecost changes us. The locus of control is not centred on what we want but on who Jesus is for us. He moves towards us so that we can move towards him. This is a relationship that transforms us in our own daily encounters and refocuses why we do what we do. It opens our minds and hearts to be people who understand how we are called to rise from the "dead" and seek a new life.

This is what we witness in daily life that Jesus calls us to be people who proclaim the Gospel by our way of life. This is not just lip service or formula of words but a way of being present to our world. This is a lived encounter with the person of Jesus who stands at the heart of our Christian community. It does not make us superhuman but it does recreate us in God's image and likeness. The call to be a witness is not a task to be undertaken as if it was something on the to-do list. Rather it calls us to become more fully alive with awe and joy that God seeks this profound new relationship that transforms us and the way that we live. Not because we have to but as a result of how Jesus' life stands at the centre of our own. We cannot but be faithful to the indwelling spirit which arises within us and proclaims that Jesus has risen!

Believing Thomas!

 Thomas always seems to get a bad rap! He wants to check out what the other disciples have experienced is true. He asks good questions about how we experience life when he says if I don't see it for myself I cannot believe it is true. For him, faith is a personal journey even when he is encouraged by others. I feel that this is true for all of us and especially in our present age. Why others can teach us about Jesus it is only through personal experience that we learn to relate to Jesus. Even the best teacher or homilist can only lead us towards that experience they cannot undertake the journey on our behalf. In fact, this is where we are called to begin our Easter journey. We are called to notice what happens in everyday life. To discover what leads us to an experience of life and not death. Where we find our hearts burning within us as we listen to scripture, pray and gather with others.

Yet in the reality of daily life, we are called to encounter the living wounds of Christ. Often around times of suffering and death, we experience different emotions of trauma and grief. This is perfectly natural and each of us with the support of others undertakes this part of the journey in life. What catches us by surprise is that the experience of passing through trauma and grief empowers us to encounter others in ways that bring hope and life. Much in the same way as Thomas meeting the Risen Christ we put our hands in their side. Not to cause more grief and suffering but to encounter one heart beating in rhythm with our own.

In fact, there is often a tentativeness in each of us in standing with a community or an individual who has gone through an experience of deep grief. Often we can be with them on Good Friday but is hard to stay with the silence of Holy Saturday which marks the transition to Easter Sunday. Often it is this waiting that frustrates and worries us. There is a tendency which wishes to rush a person through their experience of suffering and death because it disturbs us with our own mortality. Yet if we can wait with the person and their questions like Thomas it opens up space within us to touch the heart of another. Often this is done with hesitation when we ask for one thing but do not expect the response to be invited in. This is a place of profound trust and vulnerability. It is in fact what Jesus invites Thomas to do. To make the first tentative steps to sense his heart beating in time with our own. Easter is a time when we are called to trust and have faith that Jesus will surprise us often in our everyday encounters. In many ways, he uses the same words: "Do not be afraid, put your hand into my side". Trust that even in our deepest questions and our darkest night, Christ's light will shine.

Signs of Hope

 It is now about a year since we experienced a very different Easter. There is a sense that as we start to emerge from the ravages of the pandemic that we seek signs of hope. Not least is our ability to start returning to Church and experience a deeper communion with God and each other. What we considered normal and every day has changed. We are all too conscious of how unpredictable life can be and what we look for as signs of hope.

This Easter Sunday as we gather and celebrate with family we become familiar with some of the traditional problems that occur at this time not least the traffic jams as people seek relief from enforced isolation. Yet Easter is not just a passing season where we take a breath before plunging into winter. It is a time where we look for signs of life where there seems to be only death. The ability to see that God is present even in the darkest night.

As we journey from now until Pentecost we are called to be surprised by the risen Christ who encounters us on our everyday journey. May this be a blessed time for us all. As we once again see signs of hope.

How do we welcome Jesus into our hearts?

 We know the story of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem all too well. How cheering crowds could so easily turn into a howling mob! It is a reality we see all too often when peaceful demonstrations turn ugly when anger turns into violence and the hope of liberation turns to tyranny. There is something all too familiar with the story which seems to be played out in our own time not only in events over history. It is probably a good reality check to see where our hearts are at the beginning of Holy Week.

There can be anticipation that Lent is rapidly drawing to an end and we approach the climax of Jesus life in the Paschal Mystery. Where is it in his life, death and resurrection that we see the story of our own salvation played out? This is not just a mystery play that leaves us unmoved but a life that touches deeply into our own. Lent is not just about what we have given up but how it has prepared us to encounter the person of Jesus in the reality of our own frailty, vulnerability and sinfulness. His life is intertwined with our own as we journey towards Calvary. We know suffering, disappointment and the feelings which cause us to hide away from a God who loves us. The immanence of the person Jesus overcomes us and surprises us with grace.

Over this week we are called to accompany Jesus, not just as passive observers but as living participants who are profoundly affected by his total self-offering. The at-one-ment opens the gates to the relationship with the Father which lay at the centre of his life. This is not just a blind abandonment to fate but rather an active engagement with what lay at the heart of his life. God was prepared to offer everything of life that we may enter into eternal life. That in his death we discover a life that transforms us and breaks our own hearts with life and love. This Holy Week is not just a depressing repetition of past events or a reminder of the cost of sin on the human heart but rather a hope-filled encounter with the person who reorients our life towards God.

The Law written on our hearts!

 When someone asks us what the right thing to do we often turn to a book of rules or laws. When we ask how I am called to be the person that God desires me to be we need to know the heart of the person who wrote the laws. This is often the dilemma we encounter in daily life. In some ways, it is easy to know the law rather than the heart of the lawgiver. Often we encounter this in relationships whether it be in playing a sport, living our lives in the workplace or meeting people for the first time. The encounters that are part of daily life are called to be truly life-giving for ourselves and for others. We are called to become our best self which seeks to show authenticity and integrity.

Over the last few weeks, we witnessed this reality in the life of the nation and the world around the issue of sexual violence towards women. The question is how to build workplaces and social environments which allow women a place where they can feel safe and respected. I believe often we live with the contradictions where physical beauty is seeing people objectively and this causes a diminishment in treating a person with the dignity that they deserve. This is not only present in how we see the prevalence of the trivialisation of relationships that are lifelong and sustaining. Often it is the breakdown of trust between persons which causes people to live in a society that is underlayed by fear and anxiety. The question is not how we apply the law but how we are called to people who are authentic and integrated.

I believe Richard Rohr noted this in rites of passage that men discover both their power and vulnerability. The fact that these rites of passage are not present as a regular part of our western culture can cause young men to become powerful without recognising their own vulnerability and the vulnerability of others. I can sense that the ability to have power without responsibility can cause many to treat others as objects to be possessed rather than people to be related to. Young men need to learn through prayer and reflection on how to live their lives as people of compassion and integrity. 

When we come to the questions of the heart we need to recognise that our prayer often deals with the internal conflicts that we all experience. When issues trouble us they call for a thoughtful and prayer-filled response which is for the good of the person and the good of the whole community. There can be a sense in which it is easy to demonise the other and to see our own life as the only thing that matters. Yet at the heart of the gospel is what seeds to be want to be planted within us which blossom to eternal life. I believe that bringing issues into the light allows us to recognise not only the truth of human life but also how we become people of compassion. This allows us to notice what needs to die within us so that we can become our best self.

What bites us may not kill us!

 The image of Jesus suffering on the cross has often been one of the most confronting images in which we encounter a God who self empties everything for our good. This is a very disturbing reality for most of us as we discover a God who is vulnerable and who can suffer with us and for us. There is a part of us that wishes to save Jesus from this suffering but there is also another part of us that recognises that our own personal suffering afflicts our own body. None of us is immune to the afflictions which can cause us mental, physical and spiritual pain. There is an acknowledgement that Jesus' total offering of self for the good of another can help us to experience not only a deeper insight into our own life but also how we are called to become vulnerable to what seems unspeakable.

This reality can become part of our own Lenten experience. Through our own penance, fasting and almsgiving we discover that there is an inward desire to encounter God as ourselves. This can be about losing our false image of self which seeks to control outcomes, seeking quick fixes and listening all too easy to the solutions which are not meant for us. Lent ultimately seeks us to encounter God in our own poverty, powerlessness and frailty. This allows us to abandon our whole life into the loving embrace of God who does not seek counterfeit affection but an inward desire which wells up within us. This seeks for us to become real and become who God desires us to be.

So here we stand at Laudate Sunday hoping beyond hope that our lives are centred on the one person who matters. To discover in the midst of our daily confusion, struggles, sadnesses and the pressures of life that there is a God who sustains us in love, hope and peace. This does mean abandoning our plans but rather encountering a God who seeks to bring them to fruition with a graced awareness. The recognition that God sustains us when we make the first step. Thus our mediation on the cross sees our own vulnerability in his own. That our lives are open to God who is all in all.

Can we buy off God?

 Sometimes our prayers of intercession can sound more like a wish list where we try to bargain with God. We seek to influence a particular outcome in our favour and we would like God to see it from our point of view. Often this can seem like we keep badgering God with the same request even though it may not be what God sees as the best for us. There can be a tendency to see this is as a transaction which if I pay a certain amount of money, undertake a particular sacrifice or spend a certain time in prayer that God will respond more favourably to my request. There may even be a subtle thought that if I do this God owes me the solution which is most beneficial to my circumstances.

Yet sometimes it is in our disappointments that God encounters us as we truly are. The most significant insight is that we cannot buy God off and seek him to compensate us with a certain reward for our good behaviour. Regardless of our action or inaction the love of God is constant and I believe this is what Jesus notices in the turn over of the tables in the temple. His frustration and anger are not that people are seeking to develop a relationship with God but the thought that it can be turned into a transactional relationship. Jesus desires us to encounter God in a way that transforms our lives into a way that brings us into a deeper faith, hope and charity.

I believe this is where our Lenten discipline is the most challenging because it is not what we give up but rather how we abandon everything over to God. This profound surrender seeks to engage our whole being, heart, mind and body in a way of living which acknowledges our total dependence on God's loving presence in our lives. It is when we do that out of a profound union with the person who loves us most deeply that we start to discover who it is that we are called to be and how we are to act. It allows trust to be discovered which build up a sense of mutuality that we are created in God's image and likeness. There is a sense that God desires what will bring us the greatest happiness and the best contribution that we can make to our own community. Lent is not what we give up but rather the relationship we are drawn into that recognises that even in our frailty, sinfulness and limited vision that God calls us to see with eternal vision. To notice how God's presence transforms our world for good!

Transformed by Light Plunged into Darkness

Lent brings with it two amazing contrasts in the spiritual life revealed to us in the Transfiguration. The first is that we meet the full reality of Jesus contained in the law and prophets. We see clearly the black fire of the written word on the white fire of our hearts. We are called to see God present in all things. The glory of God is made transparently clear which overwhelms us with awe. We are astonished by God’s immense love for us in revealing Jesus' divine presence and its impact on our lives.

Yet almost as we seem to comprehend this we seem to be plunged into darkness where God seems to be no-where and no-thing. It is almost as though all the certainties about God are stolen from us and we enter into a cloud of unknowing. We start to have doubts about ourselves and our fears confound our isolation. Yet it in this darkness that we are able to listen attentively to the voice of God which says, "This is my beloved Son, listen to him."

Thus Lent is a deeper awareness of how we can encounter God in every aspect of our lives while also realising that God is no-thing. These dual experiences are essential if we are to surrender our whole life to God. Recognising that is through these these experiences we encounter God as our true self.

What do we thirst for?

 Lent is a time when we are driven out into the desert to face our own demons. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of daily life, we often are drawn to events outside of us which seem to crowd out our inner lives. There are bills to pay, people to meet, appointments to be kept and items to be purchased. Our lives can become simply a to-do list which we mark off with an inevitability there will be more things to be done. There can seem to be a relentless pressure to perform and meet the expectations of others. That there never seem enough hours in a day to attend to what we consider important.

Yet Lent is really a time when we could consider a to-be list. How have we been present to our daily activities with a spirit of thanksgiving and gratitude? What has helped us to notice the graced moments where God draws our attention to beauty, creativity and wonder? They may only be simple things like a person who unexpectedly smiles and wishes us a good day. The person who recognises that we may need encouragement with a particularly difficult task or even a person who agrees to accompany us to a doctors appointment. These are all things that we can take for granted but they transform lives.

In a similar way, we can see what most easily allows us to review what is bring us life and lead us to a more wholesome way of living. This can be as simple as seeking to notice what we truly hunger for and what satisfies us. It can also notice what seems to be a dead weight on us and which we endure rather than carry. There are situations in life where we will all encounter difficulties but how do we find ways in which we can bring a sense of joy and peace to a what to many would seem a crushing weight. 

There can also be those times when we are distracted from the very good that we seek to do by things that have the appearance of being urgent rather than important. When we notice that we are spending time on things which do not help us or others we can start to make changes which open us to the more creative use of our day. We can also become aware of the direction in which our life is taking and make small course changes which direct us to a more prayerful way of living.

In the end, Lent is about preparing ourselves for the renewal which comes about through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Recognising those things which are obstacles to the way of life we seek to live, to discover the truth which will sustain us on the journey to becoming fully alive.