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.