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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
