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.