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.