Peace on earth in the midst of conflict

 There is often a seeming contradiction when we welcome the Prince of Peace into our midst on Christmas Day when the world seems to be torn apart by many ancient conflicts. Our current age is no different when we look at the armed conflicts around our world when we see families torn apart and people forced to flee. There are also natural and human disasters that can beset us through fire, flood, and storm. The world seems to rage with wild tempests that can threaten to destroy us or isolate us from one another. Yet it is in this contradiction that we see the Christ child born.

This is not false hope or a retreat into a private religious view of the world. God seeks us out and labors for us not as a powerful overlord but rather as a vulnerable child who is placed in our hands. Like any child, this changes how we live in the world. No longer are our lives called to centre on our own needs but rather on God's desire to nourish, heal and forgive the ancient wounds that are opened around us. God knows that when left to our own devices our vision becomes clouded and opaque. We miss the reality of our calling to be formed in the image and likeness of God. By taking the form of a young child he gives us pause for thought to see how we wish to live our lives.

This may be the divine pause that we need between Christmas and New Year. Not to make new resolutions that place ourselves at the centre but rather to see how we are called to centre our lives on God who draws us closer together. Our prayer of this age needs to allow us to become a people of prayer who live prayerfully with others. It calls us to be people who reflect on how we live in our own environment in a way that draws us closer together. We are called to act with a spirit of faith, hope and charity that embodies Christ for others. May this be a blessed season for us where we seek to reset our priorities in the light of Christ. May the peace of Christ disturb us!

Allowing my garden to grow

 During the year I have consciously tried to maintain a garden of pot plants on the veranda. I have had mixed success as some of the plants are more thirsty than others. There can be a tendency on my part to over water but also know that at times the plants go for significant periods when I need to be away. I find that this gardening is a profound act of trust that they will grow in their own good time. I have also tended to find plants that are not as thirsty and can survive our long hot summers.

When we encounter John the Baptist once again he seeks to not point towards himself but to Jesus. This witness seeks to not put the emphasis on who he is but rather on the person who is coming. This is a bit like myself as a gardener the emphasis is not on my own abilities but on the plants that can bring joy to passers-by who witness their beauty. 

This is also emphasized by Paul in his letter to the Thessalonians. God entrusts us with gifts of peace that enable us to learn how to be good and avoid evil. The element is that our prayer is one of constant thanksgiving that calls us to make this journey towards Christmas.

So as we journey towards Christmas take time to smell the roses and give thanks for the many blessings that you will encounter today. So often we are in a rush to justify ourselves through our own efforts rather than seeing how God desires for us to discover our own holiness. Allow this time to be an advent of anticipation of all that leads you to a safe harbour that allows you to enjoy and give thanks for all that is good. 

Make the Paths straight

 As we meander our way towards Christmas we can find our spirits being diverted by many different things. This is not just about our own personal preparations but also how events in the world can intrude and beset us with many fears, worries, and anxieties. When we turn on the television, read the news on the internet, or listen to the radio we can become besieged by events beyond our control. Whether it is the stories of wars, the climatic changes, the everyday struggles of managing a budget, or seeking a deeper meaning in our daily activities we can search for a way of being present that liberates rather than imprisons us.

In the readings for this weekend, there is a longing for everything to be straightened out so that we can more clearly recognize the voice that brings us Good News. What we seek is a relationship that will sustain us each day and make all things new. I believe that in Advent we make preparations for a renewal of that relationship that is not just lip service but a genuine desire to meet our Lord who will embody our hopes and dreams. This is not a fantasy where all the disturbances will magically fall away from us but rather become solid ground on which we can build a faithful life. It calls us to abandon ourselves to God's love so that we discover how we can love others and ourselves.

One of the Advent practices is to recognize how we can place the focus on ourselves rather than on Jesus Christ. We seek recognition for our own efforts to be good people but discover that we can often be distracted by the way we seek to possess good things and experiences. There is a sense that we can miss the mark and not use the gifts entrusted to us to a good end. Sinfulness at its essence can cause us to become more self-centered even at the moment that we seek to become more charitable. This internal battle needs to be recognized because it cannot be won simply by our own efforts. We are called to trust even this reality to God in reconciliation. This is not therapy or punishment but rather a genuine desire to allow Jesus to guide us in our deepest struggle. When we feel abandoned to handle it all on our own we can tend to dig a pit that only grows larger. However, when we realize we are in the pit Jesus sits down by our side and listens to our story. This is not to judge us or condemn us but rather a lifeline that can embolden our spirit. To discover that we are cherished and that we are worth the effort.

Over this season may we discover a God who beckons us to discover a deeper meaning that will make the paths straight. This is not by ignoring the reality of our own darkness but rather by allowing Jesus to become our homing light. May we follow that light to discover how God walks with us straight when all we see are crooked lines.    

Are we ready for Christmas?

 There can be a fear that Christmas comes too early and we are not ready. While the shops seem to be decorated with the trimmings much earlier each year we can lose a sense of the natural rhythm that leads us into this Advent season. We start humming Christmas carols before the day is actually upon us. Yet this may be a time to actually ponder how we prepare for Christmas. This is more than preparing the meal, buying presents, or posting cards but rather taking time to notice where our hearts are amid all the flurry of activity.

It would be good to spend some quiet time each day reflecting on what type of person we want to be in the hurry of the marketplace and on our way to work. To intentionally carve out times in the morning and evening when we make an appointment with God and put it in our diaries. 

To find ways in which we can reflect on the environment in which we live and discuss how we can become people of faith, hope, and love in our community. Considering what will assist others to seek a deeper meaning to their life, to provide encouragement for those in need, and to undertake practical acts of charity. 

Then calling a blessing down a blessing on each person we encounter whether in the checkout queue, when we are looking out for a parking spot, or when we are considering the needs of those around us. When we seek Christ in our daily lives he will find us quicker than we expect.

To whom do we trust our lives?

 The Solemnity of Christ the King allows us time to reflect on whose voice we listen to when seeking guidance for our lives. In an age where personal autonomy is king, there can be a sense of alienation towards bowing down to an external authority. Each person can tend to work within their system of government by paying taxes, obeying the local law, and participating in elections when they are held. Yet in many cases, we are not called to love our rulers rather we learn to accept them as a necessary part of life. Yet the feast we celebrate is not just about accepting external structures of governance but rather an interior conversion of heart towards the person of Christ. There is a call to holiness that abides with us so that we can become teachable and governable.

I believe this lies at the heart of the recent Synod on Synodality. It is not just about a new external structure of Governance but rather a way of being present to God with listening ears. The call is to seek out the voice of God that is ever ancient and ever new. The voice that echoes through our liturgical prayer that gathers us together as one body. This is not just an effective manifestation of the presence of Jesus but also an affective presence that guides us still. The call to fall more deeply in love with God who has already fallen deeply in love with us. By seeking God in our daily life we discover what it is to be prayerfully present to the issues of our day that seek for our hearts to beat in tune with God's. This is not just seeking warm comforting feelings but rather a deeper desire to recognize the authentic voice of God spoken to our age.

This process of sanctification allows us to seek holiness in a way that does not abstract us from the real problems of our age. It draws on the wisdom of our tradition, the insights into scripture, and the discernment of theologians to witness the golden thread that bears an authentic teaching that can be received for our time. This is not just about changing with the times but rather a reading of the signs of the time. It examines a line of inquiry that seeks to build on what is already known and allows for fresh insight of Christ into the teachable moments of our lives. 

Through this call to sanctification and becoming teachable the Church seeks to provide governance as an apostolic witness to the person of Christ. As a pilgrim people of God, we seek to journey together as people who through baptism are gifted with both the charism of Office and the charism of Mission. We seek to become people who articulate with our lives what we already believe that Christ is with us. Thus as we celebrate this solemnity do we entrust our lives to Christ in whom we discover who we are and become evangelised by his life.

Return to sender address unknown!

 Each of us is entrusted with gifts and talents for the good of the whole creation. We live in a country that has been blessed not only by great natural beauty but an abundance of opportunity. Yet this is not just for our private consumption or personal pleasure. We are part of a commonwealth that is called to share the goodness we have received for the common good. Each of us has a part to play in renewing the environment in which we live and caring for those who have been entrusted to us. We are called to entrust all things to God for the good of the whole community.

This is especially necessary when we become aware of the forces that tear at that unity of purpose. When we see people seeking to profit from conflict, hatred, and violence the humanity of all is diminished. It recognises that we are called to profit in virtue not just external wealth that can be here today and gone tomorrow. This calls for an integrity of life that seeks to see all things as entrusted to us by God for a good purpose. In a world that seeks to emphasize personal autonomy at the expense of corporate responsibility, we can notice the attitude that creeps into the daily life of every person for themselves. 

Yet in the Gospel, we see a daily examen that calls us to reflect on how we have used these gifts to produce good fruits. This act of surrender is about a belief that everything is given to us for a good purpose. It calls us to a prayer that entrusts our whole life to God, seeks to discover in our own square meter what we are called to do today, and acts in a way that gives and receives with open hands.

As we enter this Sunday this weekend we need to ensure that we do not just send the gifts entrusted back to sender unused. Our reason for being is to develop a healthy detachment that allows us to discover God at work in all things!

Running on empty

 When we set out on a journey there is always a need to ensure that we have enough fuel to reach our destination. This ensures that we make proximate plans to ensure that we know our time of departure and our time of arrival. If we are travelling by car we seek to prepare the car so that it is roadworthy and that if it is a long distance we plan adequate stops or have a co-driver to share the driving. If we go by some other form of transport we trust our lives to another but we still need to make sure that know when we have to leave, how long it will take, and what we can expect when we arrive. This shows that we do not travel by chance but with a destination in mind.

The Gospel shows this in great detail when it notices that the time of our departure is not known but the destination is. How do we prepare for a journey when we are called to entrust ourselves to another. This is the heart of the words spoken by Jesus, we need to be ever-ready and have our house in order. This brings the readings of the last few weeks into sharp relief. Often it seeks to live our life on our own terms rather than on God's. When we have so many seeming demands on our time we can discover our energy being spent planning for the future or resolving historical events. Both these approaches to life while necessary can distract us from being present to what will happen today. We can become distracted by anxiety or angst about what seems urgent but unimportant.

This is where we are called to exercise wisdom that allows God to direct our attention on to what is important but not urgent. It calls us to become present to what is within the locus of our own intentions and within the ambit of our own environment. So often we can become focussed on external events that demand urgent attention but are beyond our control. They can prevent us from being open to the ways that we can and need to be present. Our lives can seem to be out of control and devoid of meaning and purpose. This is where our lives are dispirited and we can seem to have spent all our oil on what does not enlighten us.

As we reflect on the Gospels we are called to examine what keeps our lamps burning brightly and whether we provide ourselves with the best opportunity to have our flasks refilled. This is where we are called not to abstract ourselves from daily life and the challenges it can bring. It calls us to be prayerfully aware of how God is present in our own reality and how we are called to tend to our environment with God's heart and eyes. The danger is when we do not examine our own lives that we can become heavily influenced by the conflicts of others. We can be drawn into hostilities, conflicts, and violence that draw on history or animate our own anxiety about our own future. Thus we can be drawn into reflections that focus on a deterministic view of the world that places ourselves at the heart of any conflict. We know that this is a recipe for disaster because even with the best will in the world often it needs to be recognized that we need to reframe the question about how we should live in our world. 

When we allow that question to emerge from within us, from the heart of God our way of living changes. It calls us to see what we need to live by and how this becomes a rule of life for us. No longer are our lives shaped solely by our own desires but rather by the loving call of God who seeks us out and comes at an hour we do not expect. It allows us the possibility that only God can fill our lives with meaning when we have an expectant longing that we are invited to sit down at the table and enjoy the banquet of life laid out for us. 

Listening to God with our whole lives

 The reflection this weekend looks at how the office that a person occupies can be confused with who the person is. In an egalitarian culture such as Australia, there has been an essential recognition that a person is taken on their merits rather than on the position they occupy. Authority tends to be hard won and easily lost when a person acts differently from what they say. I believe that this is important when we seek to reflect on the role of people who occupy ecclesial offices and how they can be perceived as speaking for God rather than about God. I believe this can be at the heart of any Christian life or in fact any religious person that they need to hold this balance of what they can speak about definitively and what they can speak about from their own reflection. I believe this is what lies at the heart of the Gospel text that notices the subtle distinction between proximity to the Holy and closeness to the Holy One.

I know from my ongoing reflection that it is important that I seek to live a life of closeness to God in my prayer and in my prayerfulness. I cannot presume that I am close to God simply because I exercise an office with the Church. I am only too aware of the apparent contradictions within my own life between what I say and what I do. Almost like St Paul, I seek to do good but often find myself doing the very thing I hate. It is important that at the heart of our life that we abide in a living relationship with God not just our own perceptions of holiness. We are called to be formed into the image of the Divine Master who is ever creative and ever new.

This calls us also to ponder on how we seek to live the Word of God in our daily lives. This is not just through a familiarity with scripture but rather an absorbing the word and allowing our hearts to be transformed by what we hear. There is a need to have a heart that is teachable and tenderized. This is not a blind pounding of noise but rather a softening attentiveness to the quiet breeze of God. We listen to the life that lies at the heart of all life and allow ourselves to be taught.

It is in this spirit that we gather to be present to God who presides over our life with mercy and compassion. We become formable and present to the guiding hand that entices us to draw closer. This is not through our own merits but rather our deepest need. God demonstrates love for us by seeking broken hearts and earnest longings. We discover that we are indeed close to the heart of God who reaches out to us long before we reach out to God.

The Golden Rule

 The word "must" stands out to me as the translation in Matthew's gospel echoes the words from Deuteronomy 6.5. This gives an indication that the imperative to love God is not an optional extra or a nice ideal but the central teaching of all scripture. In saying that we are called to love God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our understanding we start to gain a glimpse of what is at the heart of religious life. This is not just following a law to love but rather finding the heart of God that is always turned outward towards the love of another.

Unpacking each of these elements we start to see that the three elements are wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. By learning things by heart we are not just called to a rote way of living but rather an appreciation of applying what we have learned to the situation in which we live. At the heart of wisdom is the ability to notice what is necessary for this moment and this time. What might fit for one person or culture may not be appropriate for another. It is a call to be immersed into the culture with the heart of God that seeks to inculturate the Gospel for others. 

In a similar way, our understanding is a willingness to commit our life to God and others not just to do our own thing. This commitment helps to notice that our life has an influence on others and can transform their life by witnessing to what God has entrusted us. This is calling us not to be alienated from God or from each other. We are  called to be soulful in the way we are present to God's grace that lies at the heart of our creation

Then we apply our minds and our strength to how God is manifest in daily life. This is not thinking God into being but rather noticing how our belief in God shapes our way of being present to the world. There is an integration of belief that builds on solid foundations. It helps us to recognize the language with which God has written the universe that is writ large for those who seek what sustains life. We are called to be people of faith and reason. Detectives of God in a world that seeks light over darkness, substance over triviality, and depth over dissipation. 

The separation of Church and State

 The Gospel Weekend seems to give a clear differentiation between the sacred and the secular. Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's. It seems to be clear-cut where one should not influence the other or vice versa. The danger is that religion is seen only as a private affair that has no impact on the public arena. However, we believe that rather than seeing our beliefs as icing on the cake they are core to our identity and to how we view creation. What we believe influences how we view ourselves and how we act in the world. Thus our beliefs do influence our relationships and how we act as good stewards in the world.

It is with this understanding that there is a sacred underpinning to all life that we seek to interact with each other and how we seek to care for the environment we live. This stance helps us to see that we are both body and spirit. As people influenced by the incarnation of Jesus Christ we are called to see how his life influences our own. The belief that the divine and the human are intimately interlinked helps us to use material things for the good of others not just for the good of ourselves. Thus it is this understanding of the sacred underpinning for all life that shapes who we seek to become.

Thus we seek to serve the common good by respecting both the material and spiritual welfare of the community of which we are a part. We are called to be good citizens in both the earthly and heavenly realms. This helps us to know that our identity as Christians is called to incarnate the Gospel in our own day. In creating a culture that fosters the welfare of others, that displays good stewardship for the people and creation entrusted to our care, and our seeking to be transformed by the Word we display a life that seeks to be authentic and whole. This is at the heart of holiness not that we have a foot in both camps, the sacred and the secular but rather that the secular becomes an expression of that divine imprint that is planted on our hearts. This means that we seek to live in a way that considers who God is and how that influences the way we act for the good of all creation. 

Misreading the signs of the times

 After the week of horror that has confronted us on a daily basis, we can wonder where God is in the midst of this carnage and destruction. In what has shown us the basest of human behavior we can relate well to the passage on how people's priorities can be distorted by their minds and hearts. How violence can ever be seen as a way to peace continues to astound me. It is also easy to see how violence can breed anger, disappointment, and revenge and thus perpetuate the cycle. In the midst of this reality, we see the stark contrast of how God invites his people to the Wedding Feast of the Lamb. It is important that we do not become consumed by those who peddle hatred and vengeance but rather look at opportunities for reconciliation and healing where people can sit down with each other. 

This is the hard work of reconciliation and healing that is not just preached in words but lived out by witnesses. I believe that this urgency of mending broken hearts is not easy or pious talk. Many minds and hearts have sought to understand how this long-standing conflict can be resolved in a way that brings both justice and peace. Often this is by recognizing that all people carry the wounds of this suffering and have longed to consider a place they can call home. Often the question is why people hate each other so much that they cannot see their common humanity. War and its consequences often produce a distorted ingenuity and cruelty to inflict pain on another. However, it can also breed a hope within others to stand in harm's way to protect, heal, and strengthen those whose lives must be rebuilt. 

Our earnest prayer is that as we gather to pray at Mass we do not stand ideally by and wash our hands of making difficult choices. The art of reconciliation seeks firstly to notice how hatred and fear can often fill our own hearts. There is a need to acknowledge this so that we do not become infected by the same parasite that can leap from generation to generation. This is the hard work of prayer because it means that we are not immune to the suffering of others. What afflicts others has an impact on our own lives. There is also a call to be people who reflect on how so easily a conflict in a distant land has the potential to put people at odds with each other in our own. We should not stoke the fire but rather put out the flames. Lastly, we should not act in a way that seeks to isolate ourselves from reaching out to those in great need, those who believe they are excluded from enjoying the banquet of life. We need to seek equity of opportunity not just equality of choice. We are called to become pilgrim people who walk with each other and talk with each other along the way. Cardinal Pizzabella, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, has requested people to join him for a day of fasting, abstinence, and prayer to express our thirst for peace, justice, and reconciliation. 

Called to be good stewards

 Each of us has been gifted with life and entrusted with a way of life that is given not possessed. Each day provides the opportunity to examine how we build on these foundations in a way that gives glory to God, not ourselves. It allows us to notice how our lives become a prayer that echoes the voice of God lived for the good of all creation.

It is important that we listen to the voice of God and not just our own. This is at the heart of the Synod on synodality where we are called to be in the world but not of the world. In our listening, we are called to act justly, walk humbly, and love tenderly in how we are present in our day-to-day realities. 

This is important when we realize that in entrusting life to us God calls us to witness to proclaiming the good news in our own time and space. In a world that often seeks to divide people against each other, we need to seek how the kingdom of God is actually producing fruits in our own age. Will there be a fruit that is rich and juicy or sets our teeth on edge? In all things, we are called to discover the quiet voice that dwells deep inside for the good of the whole of creation.

As we pause to cast our votes on the referendum may we act justly, walk humbly, and love tenderly in the way we care for the land that we call home and for the indigenous people who invite us to share their wisdom.

You can tell a lot about our yes and no!

 In a day of instant marketing, we can be aware of how easily it is to entice people to make a positive response over a negative one. The proposition is that our life would be better off if we see yes to something rather than no. We want to feel good about ourselves. Yet we know that any decision has consequences not only for ourselves but also for others. This is why we should not be rushed into giving a response just to clear the table for what we may consider other important things. We need to make a consideration not only what we think but also what consequences will flow from how we put our thinking into action and whether our hearts are centered on making transitions in our lives. 

We see this played out with the two people who are called to work in the vineyard. The first makes a quick response which is no and then ponders more deeply and considers that he will actually go to the vineyard. The second makes a quick yes but then does not follow it through. I think this is important whenever we are called to consider an important decision. There is a need to notice any resistance inside ourselves and to bring this before God in prayer. Sometimes we are unsure about why this arises but often it is a balancing of our priorities with how this will cause a change in life to which I need to be deeply committed. Our responses should be drawn from us not by fear or manipulation but rather by a heartfelt consideration of what is both good for me and good for another.

So often in the discussions, we see how these voices seem to besiege us by saying we are too woke or too redneck. The labeling and judging of others can cause us to close off this consideration. There are already too many memes and asides, ten-second sound grabs, and knowing glances to cause us to become uneasy about where we actually stand in life. At the heart of any discussion is where our yeses and nos lead us and leave us. Are they just matters of convenience to safeguard us from deeper commitment to the common good of others? This is the desire to be authentic, whole-hearted, and united in love. 

As St. Paul says in Philippians 2, "Always consider the other person to be better than yourself so that nobody thinks of his own interests first but everybody thinks of other people's interests instead. In your minds, you must be the same as Christ Jesus! His state was divine, yet he did not cling to his equality with God but emptied himself to assume the condition of a slave, and became as men are; and being as all men are, he was humbler yet, even to accepting death, death on the cross. But God raised him him and gave him the name which is above other names so that all beings in the heavens, on earth, and in the underworld, should bend the knee at the name of Jesus and that every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father." What will I say yes to in life and how will I put my life on the line.

Do we seek equality or equity?

 The Gospel revolves around a principle we often see present in labour negotiations, a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. Yet we know that certain jobs are valued more than others in terms of how much a person is paid for their employment. Most of this disparity is due to the added responsibility or the level of skills that a person is called to maintain for the good of others. Yet we also know in recent times that there has been a widening gap between people who receive salaries that seem excessive compared to what would appear to be an equitable distribution of wealth. I remember that at one stage the Chief Executive of a British Petroleum company drove a mini while ensuring that his sales personnel were given vehicles that were appropriate to their work. I think what he demonstrated is that we show good care for ourselves by taking good care of those in our employment. He sought to provide an equitable outcome so that they could adequately perform their work. The right tools for the right purpose.

Yet I believe there is a deeper issue at work that the Gospel seeks to demonstrate. We have worth not because of the number of hours that we work or the remuneration we receive but because of the person we are. This calls us to seek God as a person who seeks salvation for all people not just the early birds. God constantly seeks what is good for every person and seeks to witness love in a way that is equitable. It is almost like God is blind to that sense of entitlement that can seem to arise when we have been on the spiritual path for a while. Rather God is aware of the need of each person to be welcomed into God's kingdom. This is not about length of service but rather a responsive heart.

If we seek this equity of endeavour our hearts start to witness to a God who is always on the lookout for others to be welcome. This is not about closing the doors too early but rather opening wide our endeavours to seek what is needed to preach the Good News for our time. The awareness that God welcomes people to the table not solely for our good but for the good of all creation. This gives voice to God's concern that all should hear the Good News and be able to participate in the fruits of the kingdom. This saves us from insisting on our rights to earn a place in the Kingdom but a willingness to share what God has to offer. All should hear that they are worth a Kingdom and God welcomes them to participate in what is on offer.

Agents of Mercy

 In a consumerist age, there can be a tendency to limit the reception of the sacraments to my own immediate needs. We often hear this indicated when people seek to have their children done almost like a sheep dip at baptism. Yet what God seeks through the ministry of the Church is for people to enter into a living relationship that sustains them in life and prepares them for eternal life. What we engage with here is reflected in how we are present to others. It helps us to notice what is most important and where we channel our time and our resources.

This is at the heart of the Gospel about the forgiven and unforgiving servant. He is very conscious of the demands placed upon him and he has fallen short of what was expected. There is no way he can repay the debt and yet his focus is on the money owed and his inability. When the debt is forgiven you would sense the relief that he had cheated prison and was now a "free" man. Yet this is only half the story. While he has been forgiven he has not absorbed mercy into the heart of his life. If anything his heart has been hardened at the very point you think it would be softened. He starts to become harsh to those around him and imposes far greater penalties on those he believes have short-changed him. He lacks forgiveness that we could have assumed would so easily flow from being forgiven himself.

In a similar way celebrating the sacrament of Penance is not just about wiping the slate clean but rather a life-giving encounter with the person who can heal our wounds. In an age where the sacrament seems to have been relegated to the dusty corners of a Church on a lonely Saturday, we can believe that it is all about our sins rather than God who seeks to offer salvation even to the worst sinner. God seeks to enter the broken heart so that the person may become an agent of God's mercy. This is not about just seeking salvation for ourselves but rather a liberation from what imprisons us from destructive and soul-destroying behavior. The celebration of the sacrament opens us to love God and others more deeply with a sincerity of heart that we are broken healers.

This takes great courage and reflection because it is hard to admit that I cannot be saved through my own efforts but only through that life-giving encounter with Christ. In prayer, it calls us to allow God to meet us even in our greatest struggles and our worst sins. This encounter is not just about what we think and how we act but who we become as a disciple of Christ. We embody what makes us whole by discovering what can tear us apart if left unresolved. The holiness we seek is not a self-perfection but rather a meeting of hearts that allows us to touch the wounds of Christ with our own wounds. 

How we deal with each other in charity

  In a world of instant news and quick results, there is a prevalence of rushing our judgment of others. We can quickly be made aware of bad behaviour and coerced into condemning not only the action but the person at the heart of the action. Yet during the week, I was struck by the example of Bridget Sakr who has established a cafe in South Strathfield to fund the important work of helping grieving families rebuild their lives. She seeks to help others encounter a way of building hope when it is possible to be enfolded in darkness. 

This puts the gospel into practice for the weekend. In this gospel, we hear how many of the evils in our world are resolved by helping to win back the heart of another. The spiritual works of mercy talk about this patient work that is required to sustain any change. This fraternal accompaniment seeks not to focus on the destructive act of another but on their ability to be informed, formed, and transformed. It calls for a Gospel that embodies a heart built on reconciliation, reconstruction, and justice.

The principle is that this can be lived out even in the smallest community where two or three are gathered. It speaks of a mutuality that seeks to show that we must love our brother or sister in life. It is these small fires that can be lit within our own hearts that see the creative act of God actively present in our world. 

Worship God with our whole body!

The incarnation of Jesus Christ reveals the heart and mind of God to us. What is sometimes overlooked is how becoming flesh changes our view of God and ourselves  No longer is God a person who watches us from a distance but is intimately engaged in our everyday struggles. The implications of this is that he is not immune to our suffering or distant from our own reality. 

This is recognised in how we celebrate Mass. We are called to fully engaged as a people of God who embody Christ. When we pray we worship with our mind, our heart and our body. This holistic reality calls us to be holy. Not by removing ourselves from the world but rather in discovering God at the heart of all things 

We witness to what is hidden by becoming transparent in our prayers to a God who always listens so that may hear God's voice. We reflect on our own environment and what is pleasing to God. We act in a way that embodies God’s life within us. We worship God with our whole life. 

Who do you say I am?

 The naming of someone changes our relationship with them. When we are able to use a name it changes the nature of what we seek from the other and how their life affects our own. We see this in the dialogue between Jesus and Peter. Jesus asks his disciples what people are saying about him. They draw on images of previous prophets and inspired teachers of Jewish law. Yet it is Peter who starts to recognize that Jesus is the anointed one who draws people into a living relationship with God. No longer is Peter's faith shaped by the teaching of others but through a personal encounter with who Jesus really is. This transformation draws us into a deeper consideration of who Jesus is for us today.

How we name Jesus in our daily life shapes who we seek to become. Our experience of prayer calls us to ponder through scripture and daily life the Good News of the incarnation. God does not relate to us as a distant entity but as a person who touches our own reality. Through the love of the Father, the twofold nature of Jesus and the presence of the Holy Spirit shapes how we are enmeshed in the life of the Trinity. The invitation is to allow our viewpoint to be broadened into a rich panorama rather than a narrowing of our vision. Jesus invites us into a living relationship that looks at the heart of creation through the eyes of God who sustains us.

This incarnate way of living helps us to see that life does not centre on ourselves and our own perceptions but on the life-giving work of Jesus Christ who labors with and for us. This is a prayerfulness that encaptures our hearts for the good of others not just for our own good. It forms the groundwork of compassion and justice for the good of all creation. It becomes a rule of life not just rules for life! When we are animated by the Holy Spirit we notice that the charisms entrusted to us are for the good of the whole community.

As we ponder the affirmation of Peter we are called to see how naming Jesus as the Christ shapes our way of life for the good of God, the good of others, and the good of ourselves.

Where is my true home?

Undertaking international travel helps us to see our world differently. We are called to open our hearts to new people and fresh experiences. We notice that when we travel we are welcomed as visitors. This helps us to notice how we can receive rather than demand hospitality. We trust ourselves to the generosity of our hosts who seek to share what is precious to them.

We see this in the readings for this weekend. Do we see ourselves as residents seeking to welcome others or as visitors in a foreign land. I believe this will shape how we seek to live our lives. Do we seek to possess the gifts entrusted to us by God or do we seek to share them. I feel that our sacred authors call us to see how our lives are shaped by these attitudes. Do we see ourselves as pilgrims or tourists?

As pilgrims we travel the way together and welcome the people who share their time with us. As tourists there can be a temptation to hoard experiences that seeks to contain our world to a privatised sense of self where we are entitled to consume these events. As pilgrims we are transformed where as tourists we are limited to our last experience. 

I feel that this is the challenge for our Church today. Do we seek to become pilgrims who accompany others or are we tourists consuming the Holy for ourselves? 

The Carefree Gardener

 The gardening analogy has carried on for another week. This touches on the task of what we consider to be a weed and what we consider to be a plant that we want to flourish. The story about harvesting the darnel and the wheat reminds me of how many exotic species that are appropriate in their own environment grow with abandon in an Australian environment. I am very much aware of how Lantana produces a really pretty flower from native Latin America that smothers the native grasses in Australia. Similarly, Eucalyptus can be considered a weed outside its native environment. This reflection helps us to see what may be a beautiful plant for one person that may be considered a noxious weed when it grows outside its native environment.

No wonder God is so tolerant of weeds in a world that has shrunk due to the prevalence of world travel and the biosecurity measures that we experience in Australia to keep our native environment safe. Yet this is more than just the spread of exotic species but also how ideas and behaviors can be viewed with favor or disdain. Each of us will have noticed how many attitudes can shift about what is considered a virtue and what is considered a vice. It seems that we are in constant flux about what is acceptable about human behavior and what is not. No wonder so many people are confused about how to live a spiritual life in accord with the person of Christ.

I believe that at the heart of the Gospel for this weekend is the call for compassion for the person but not for the sin. By recognizing that our lives can be beset by problems and difficulties we need to notice our own weakness and keep turning back to God in reconciliation. As Paul discovered there is the paradox of discovering how he needs to keep praying with his whole self that transcended words. It was this prayer that allowed us to embody what is in the mind of God for the good of the person and the good of the community. 

We can be thankful that God is mild in judgment which helps us to be kind in our approach to others. As we can see this stands in contrast to the focused outrage that we see too often in our daily news where the spotlight shifts rapidly from one sinful act to another calling us to take a stand. Rather God sees to the heart of the person and seeks what is needed to win that person's salvation. This may be an important lesson for us in an age when everything seems to be turned on its head and what is valued can often seem counterfeit and vice versa. It calls us to be people who pray, reflect on our environment, and act in a way that allows God to draw us closer. This is not so much pondering our sins as allowing God's grace to draw us closer as missionary disciples even in a time of great confusion.

The Careless Gardener

 I am not much of a gardener but I try my best to try and ensure that what I plant has the best chance to grow and flourish. Thus I am careful in what I purchase, make sure that the ground is prepared, and that I water and fertilize the plant. However, this is not the image that is presented in the Gospel. In this, the gardener keeps sowing the seed regardless of whether it will grow in the environment in which it will land. This seems to be a paradox because you would think that God knows where the seed has the best chance to grow. Yet what we notice is that in some way we have to play our part in being able to receive the word into our hearts. That means that we not only hear it but also have to create an environment in which it can be heard.

This is often difficult in our modern environment when there is a tsunami of words and we do not know how to sift what brings life and what distracts us from trying to live in a way that is alien to us. I believe this is why we need periods of silent meditation with scripture where we allow the word to filter more deeply into us. In Lectio Divina we first hear the word so that we can notice what grabs our attention, we read it a second time to see what moves us to pay attention to our own feelings, and we read it a third time to notice where it addresses aspects of our own life and then we have time for it to settle more deeply inside us and take root.

In this way, the word becomes at one with our thinking, our feeling, and our acting. We become at one with the word as part of mind, body, and spirit. In slowing down we allow God's word the best chance to take a hold of us and become firmly planted in who we seek to become.

My yoke is easy my burden is light

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” This quote from Teilhard de Chardin causes us to ponder more deeply what it is that we labor at and why. Often the call is to recognize that it is God who labors with us in our daily life rather than trying to meet a benchmark where we will encounter God.  This emphasis on encountering God becomes as natural as breathing and seeks to guide us on what becomes the focus of our life.

Too often we measure our success by being able to make decisions for ourselves, by appearing important in the eyes of another, or even how much we own. Yet we are called to recognize that it is in this homing experience of God that we encounter ourselves. It allows us to work for an eternal home through the priorities that are expressed in daily life. We do this as embodied people, not as disembodied spirits. We experience in our own bodies the reality of God coming truly alive. It helps us to be stewards of creation and brothers and sisters to each other. 

This sharing of our life for the good of God, the good of others, and the good of ourselves is at the heart of the teaching of Jesus. He desires for us to experience and live out this reality. This is how we come into communion with God and each other. That God journeys with us even when we encounter difficulties. He opens our hearts and minds to live with God.

Preference Paths

 Often town planners look at the routes people take in deciding how to modify roads or footpaths. We often see this when people have their favorite rabbit runs to cut through suburbs to arrive at their destination more quickly. In a similar way, you see the tracks where people walk being worn down by foot traffic. Each of these decisions looks at the best way of arriving at our destination more quickly. Also in the second place it looks at our preferred traveling companion who we want to accompany us on the way. This allows us to notice not just the direction we are heading but also who we join us on the way.

The question is not just about noticing our own identity that can be defined by our family and friends but also who we welcome into our orbit. It allows us to appreciate that we are called to be who are in our relationships with others. Jesus expands the orbit beyond what is familiar and focuses on how we are called to become disciples. This growth in holiness assumes that our lives are deeply influenced by another. Matthew continues to ask us to notice how our lives are to be orientated towards God and not just to our own parochial interests. He calls us to be transformed from the inside out and to notice how we are called to live in a way that guides our thinking, our speaking, and our acting.

This is an orientation to our true self seen through the eyes of God. We are called to live in a way that builds on good foundations where we are blind to our own self-interest and moved more clearly towards God's-interest. Often this can be portrayed as polar opposites but rather it is a correcting of our aim to actually see the good entrusted to us as being lived not just for ourselves but for the good of all creation. This is about expanding our hearts to discover God's preferences for us and not just our own. When our hearts are in tune with God we discover that we can love from the heart and with all our soul. Our thinking is motivated by this motivation and it channels where we spend our time, energy, and resources. The preferential option is not just what I want but who God desires me to become. In this way our preference paths guide others to discover their own way of life that calls us out of the darkness.

Seeking Good News

So often we wake to news that is not good. We read of accidents, tragedies and natural disasters. We often hear also of people's misdeads and betrayals. With such a constant diet of misery and misfortune who can blame anyone for shutting down. We can only take so much without trying to retreat into our own privatised world.

Yet the Gospel seeks for us to become detectives of grace. To listen for the hidden wisdom and the sheltered word. This is a proclamation that gently recreates us and unites us in faith. No longer are we called to be strangers to each other or aliens in our own land. The searching for the meaning at the heart of life reveals that we are not the sum of our fears. We are children of hope called to witness to our faith in every age. We are not victims of circumstance but agents of compassion. 

May we seek this truth everyday and be present to God in our everyday lives. 

Learning to become shepherds

 There is often a portrayal of sheep as being easily misled, vulnerable, and moving as a mob. They are easily spooked by fears that may be as commonplace as a gust of wind, a sudden noise, or the appearance of a stranger. But they also seek out good pastures and seek to stay close to each other. Like all living things they provide gifts that are not just fleece and food! They also help us to discover how to slow down and become present in the environment in which we live.

When Jesus chose the image of the good shepherd he sought to provide an understanding that he came to live among them. Pope Francis often talks about having the smell of the sheep on the person who pastures the flock. This is important because it means that a person lives in the same conditions as them and does not hold himself aloof from their daily struggles. It is one of the realities of being a priest that we are not to lord it over others but rather listen to their stories and become one with them.

This is probably counter-intuitive as we see people in leadership being removed from the everyday struggles of people. This distance can seem to them trying to control, direct or manage the mob rather than being part of the mob. The call that Jesus places on our hearts to take on their labor and at times be willing to carry them along. In this we discover that the kingdom of God is within us and that God lends his ear to those that seek to be led. Today we notice how he seeks to cure the sick, raise those who are deadened to life, cleanse human hearts, and purge us of all that alienates us from God and each other.

Learning to love what is unlovable

 The three feasts that we celebrate during the conclusion of Eastertide are at the heart of living the Christian life. Pentecost shows that The Holy Spirit is entrusted to us so that we can experience the love of God, The Trinity shows us how to grow in a total self-giving relationship with the other, while The Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ shows us that this love is tangible and offers our whole self for the good of others. It is the call to grow in a nuptial love that is not just centered on what I want but to discover what it is to love what is unlovable. This is at the heart of our lives in learning to love like God.

The heart of the Christian life is to grow into the heart of God. In our prayers, we discover it is not even about the quality or quantity of our prayers. This helps us to notice that our prayer is not just about how we feel or the amount of time we spend in prayer but rather that we become present to God in prayer. This is probably the most difficult discipline of prayer in actually showing up and discovering that our faithfulness to being present is at the heart of God. We show up even when we don't feel like it. This is the obedience of being willing to listen to God when our whole being rails against listening and would prefer to do our own thing. It means that we trust our whole selves to God even if we don't feel like it.

It also shows us the mutuality in seeking to love the other person even in their fragility, incompleteness, and sinfulness. This talks about how God seeks to be in a nuptial relationship with us and enter most deeply into a relationship that is all about giving and receiving the love of another. The mutual loving of another is known as the return model where love responds to love. This is what we are called to learn at the heart of a relationship. This is true in whatever state of life we are called to live our life. The central question is how am I called to love this other person even when I discover behaviors that I hate. This does not mean we compromise ourselves by just doing what the other person wants but rather discovering who it is that I need to be for them. I can only be myself but I can be myself for the good of the other. This chaste way of living allows us to see love through the eyes of another.

This then leads us to know what skin is in the game. This is not just loving as a part-time profession or a feel-good activity that we undertake on our terms. This will cost us everything in learning to love like God. In fact, this is the reality of the Incarnation that God shows up when we discover what is unlovable about our life. God actually turns up not because we have everything all together but because everything seems to be falling apart. This is not cheap grace because it costs the whole self for the good of the other. Our humanity protests that this is too much and that God cannot be serious but the divine call of ultimate poverty is that in giving everything we receive everything. In fact, this is the paradox of the Christian life we only discover ourselves when we fully give ourselves without the expectation of a particular reward. It also changes what we do when we discover fragility, frailty, and alienation within ourselves the call is not to eradicate "the sin" but to surrender everything to God.

So this is learning to love like God in discovering how we are called to be loved into life. As we enter what is called ordinary time we discover the extraordinary love of God that surrenders everything to us so that we can surrender everything to God,

Come Holy Spirit

 When we go into a pick-and-mix store we can often be presented with many attractive lollies. The desire is to fill our bags with goodies and then return home to consume them in our own time. Yet Pentecost is more than just seeking out the gifts that are attractive to us but rather seeing how the Spirit guides us to proclaim the Good News in our own time. It allows us to discover that the Spirit advocates for us to become witnesses.

This enables us to discover the charisms that draw us closer to God and closer to each other. They help us to acknowledge that God does not abandon us or leave us as orphans. God adopts us as children who are formed in God's image and likeness. We become stewards of the graces entrusted to us for the good of all.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your spirit and they shall be created and you shall renew the face of the earth. O God who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by that same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever rejoice in his consolations, through Christ our Lord.

The prelude to mission

 In encountering Jesus along the way the disciple's hearts burned within them and allowed them to experience him at the breaking of bread. This encounter lives on as we prepare to experience Pentecost next Sunday. This is not just a once-in-a-lifetime experience but rather an embodiment of how the early Church experienced the reality of the Holy Spirit. 

He walked alongside them on a road that drew them away from an incident that was full of sorrow and disappointment. They had sought to follow Jesus and had believed that in him all things were possible. Yet their sight was clouded by a vision that had been formed in their own minds and hearts about what God should be doing to proclaim the kingdom. This can be an all too familiar experience in our own lives when we wonder why God seems to be slow to act against injustice and oppression. 

Jesus takes these encounters seriously as he listens to the disciples and their real-life concerns. Yet He also seeks to draw them into a deeper encounter with who he is and invites them to recognize him as he breaks open the Word for them. This is not just reading from a text but a reading of the heart. This is how we can meet Jesus in the Word proclaimed. Their excitement is not just momentary but seeks out a longing deep in their hearts. 

They bring this anticipation of a richer and more fulfilled life to the altar of life where he breaks bread with them. In this moment he shares not only himself but a deeper understanding of themselves as people called to share that life with others. This is the proclamation that Jesus makes at the Ascension and is realized in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Jesus emboldens the disciples to become people alive with his vision of proclaiming the Good News to every nation. This is not just a personal gift but a mission for every nation and every generation. We are called to follow Him and proclaim his life to all people and to the whole of creation.

Whom do we preach

Easter is about encountering the Risen Christ. Too often we can settle for an interpretation of who he is rather than discovering how we become one with God  At the heart of the pilgrimage of life we are called to be at one with God. This is the challenge and art of surrendering all that is to God.

On whom do we build our foundations?

 There has been much attention on the coronation of King Charles III in the last few days. In the midst of the pomp and ceremony the question of who we pledge allegiance to has come to the fore. This is a question for all of us and is at the heart of the Gospel reading for this Sunday. Thomas wants to know where they are called to follow in the future and what plans need to be put in place. I have great respect for the questions that Thomas asks because they are often ones that arise from our own hearts. Yet, Jesus responds by pointing to himself by saying that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. This can raise fresh questions that come from Philip seeking to see what this looks like and Jesus reassures him that if he has seen him, he has seen the Father.

However, it is this seeking after the person of Jesus that moves us to question on whom we build our foundations. This is not just about reliance on allegiance to an institution but rather on the person who gives substance to our lives. This internal sense that each of our lives finds a calling to discover who guides us and becomes our light to illumine our path. This personal encounter allows us to acknowledge who we listen to and how they shape our own responses to the way we live. Too often we can be drawn by the image that we are real if we are successful, influential, and wealthy. Yet these can be ephemeral and quickly taken from us. To base our lives on these shifting sands can cause us to be swept away by the tide of history. On what will we build our foundations?

I believe it is the simplicity of the Christian life that calls us to become people of prayer, reflection, and action. This model is how we encounter the person who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. We are called to be people who enter into a relationship with God who seeks to reach out to us and we seek to reach out to God. We are called to ponder where the truth lies in the daily life of seeking God at the heart of all things. This is not just an intellectual assent that can be proclaimed with our lips but rather what captures our hearts with joy and gratitude. From this heartful assent our lives become shaped by who we seek to become.

This is the living stone that allows us to grow in our daily response to God. To become the person that God intends us to be. A daily reflection on our way, our truth, and our life allow us to meet Jesus who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Being a Good Shepherd

 Pope Francis often talks about the importance of pastors having the smell of sheep upon them. Having traveled the Camino to Santiago de Compostella there are several images that emphasize this insight. The first is the royal road that gives local shepherds priority in moving their flocks from one place to another. This allows people to see the importance of a person leading others to good pastures but also a community recognizing that this is a basic underpinning for society. We are called to be people who seek good pasture that allows a person to be provided with the basic necessities of life. 

The second reflection is that the shepherd shares his life in the middle of the sheep. This emphasizes a basic familiarity with the conditions in which they live. The shepherd goes out to the field and learns to listen to their smell and their voice. He starts to be able to be present to who they are and respond to their particular needs. This allows a person to be available and present to them as there are.

In our own age, we also need shepherds. There is a need for the basic priestly presence of people being present to others in their own square metre. The ability to mix with people in our own neighbourhood and our own environment. This familiarity allows us to read the signs of the times by seeking actions that respond to particular needs. It also broadens our sense of home to not being isolationist but being people who see that our action or inaction has an impact on others. The call to be good shepherds seeks to befriend others and to see Christ in them.

We also need pastors who provide the point of unity and enable us to recognize how Christ is at work in our midst. We know how easy it is to be concerned only about our own mob rather than noticing the interconnection between our common humanity. It also seeks to see whether we are coated in fear or in love. There is a seeking that seeks to proclaim life that may be lived to the full. We need to reach out to each other in a friendship that proclaims Christ in risen for all people and for the whole of creation.

Accompanying each other along the way

 Our ability to walk and talk can not only bring us closer together but can help us journey forward into an unknown future. Often in life, our markers are placed in the past and formed by the experience of what has happened. This can cause us to shape the future by predictions of what should happen rather than what is happening. The experience of the disciples on the road to Emmaus helps us to see that we are all formed by our own interpretation of history. Yet in talking together about the Easter event our lives are reshaped by the person of Jesus that we encounter along the way. He listens to their story and their hopes but helps them to reimagine how the scriptures draw them to a deeper encounter with the Good News. He does not abandon us to our own devices but causes our hearts to burn within us as we meet at the Eucharist.

In our own age, we accompany each other into a future that is not our own. It calls us to the heart of creation in discovering the Word of God who walks with us still. That shares life through the Eucharist and enables us for our mission. As we walk with each other and listen for the voice of life that recreates and renews all things. We discover the promise that we journey to the heart of God. Each day we become people who build a communion of faith that seeks to witness how our lives matter to God.

God surrenders everything to us that we may surrender everything to God

Saint Matthew in his Gospel account of Jesus sums up his teaching as learning mercy not sacrifice. I believe this is important in the light of Jesus' invitation to Thomas to touch his wounds. I believe this is more that a casual touch but rather an embracing of his heart. We need to feel the rhythm of his life beat through our own. May we discover how God is present to us today!

Travelling together in Christ

 As we approach Easter there is a calling to walk with Christ. This invitation is pivotal in our Christian lives because it marks a transition from doing things for Him to being present with Him. We see this as we mark an important shift in the governance of our own hearts. We are called to recognize the face of Christ in every culture and every nation. This central principle of friendship allows us to discover that we are not alone on this journey. As we seek to accompany our local Church  to share the priestly, prophetic, and kingly office entrusted to us at baptism. With our Bishop, we seek to become servant leaders who seek to pray, study and act in a way that embodies the person of Christ in our own communities. As we enter the 50 days of Easter may we encounter the risen Christ who wells up within us for the good of God, the good of each other, and the good of all creation. May we discover as the disciples did on the road to Emmaus that our hearts burn with us as we talk along the way? That we notice Him whenever we break bread together and are drawn deeper into a communion that is His Body and Blood. May you experience the Easter blessings that surprise us with joy!

Walking with Jesus

As we went Holy Week there is a subtle but important change of pace. This is where we start to walk more closely with Jesus. We recognise how grief, disappointment and opposition can confront us in daily life. But as we see in the prophet Isaiah they do not crush his spirit. Rather he sets his face into the wind and seeks to be who he is called to be.  

In a similar way as walk with him we can discover someone who does not want us to be crushed by our suffering. Rather he seeks for us to be touched by a confidence of knowing how deeply we are loved by God. This is not just a call to buoyant optimism but rather a discovery of how God seeks out the best for us even in our greatest trials.

As we journey through this week may we discover how walking with Jesus we may encounter him more deeply.

Living

 I recently watched a movie called Living starring Bill Nighy who played a public servant, Rodney Williams in the Public Works Department of the London City Council who faces a terminal illness. The plot is built on a previous film Ikuru and the Russian Novella, "The Death of Ivan Ilyich"(Wikipedia.org). Essentially it seeks to move beyond the nickname given to him by one of his clerks, Miss Harris who calls him Mr. Zombie. This is a person who looks alive on the outside but is dead on the inside. The movie touches on what it means to be alive and to live a worthwhile life. It is set against the backdrop of a group of women petitioning for a playground in a deserted area of the local council area and how their application passes from one department to another before landing back in the public works department. One poignant line which weaves throughout the movie is the image of children being reluctantly called back from the playground by their mothers. The impression that Rodney Williams ponders is whether when God calls him home he will reluctantly respond to the call as he ponders what he cherishes in life.

In the story of Lazarus, we see similar scenes played out as Jesus faces the death of a good friend. This is more than just a realization that the sickness will end in death but how we make sense of our lives. Martha is able to assent to her belief in the resurrection, and Mary is able to assent to the importance of where our hearts lie but Jesus draws attention to how we are all called to be present to God. This is not just about thinking and feeling our way toward God but also how we are physically present in what brings us life. It calls us to ponder not just what God can do for us but how we can be with God and live in union with God. There is an element where we come to life when we lose our life for the good of another. 

As we enter into the last days of Lent and come closer to Holy Week we are called to discover how we are present as body, mind, and spirit to the realities of our daily life. Are we just making our way through life or do we find the deeper meaning which is present in the silence of our hearts?

What blinds us and binds us?

 Whenever we experience physical limits or sickness in life we can tell a story about our own worth. The link between our body and our spirit is at the heart of the Gospel for this weekend. We can start to tell ourselves a story not only about our illness but also about ourselves. There can be a tendency to make ourselves into a disease rather than a person who is called to live with a disease. This is where we can become mixed up between what causes our ill health, the reality of suffering with the daily effects of that condition, and the reality that we are called to be whole in ourselves.

We see this in the way that Jesus responds to the man born blind. He not only seeks to remedy his physical condition but also his social isolation which has forced him into a life of begging. The healing is more than just physical healing but also societal healing that restores him to the community. We witness that the person is restored to his original dignity where Jesus sees him not just his sickness.

This is the challenge of any religious community we seek to become people who are suffering. This is helping us to orientate ourselves towards the other for the good of the other. Our communities are not called to become clubs for the saved but field hospitals for those in need. In this way, we witness the relationship that is at the heart of any healing, an encounter with the person of Jesus. He looks at us as we look at him. 

We discover that especially in our own age we can be liberated from what blinds and binds us. We discover a truth that transforms our day and restores our dignity. We witness to the incarnate presence of Jesus who restores us in thanksgiving for the person we can become.

Having deeper conversations

 The woman at the well is an example of how God draws us more deeply into a conversation that has life-changing consequences. The meeting between Jesus and the woman reminds me of my Camino experience 20 years ago when I walked into a Spanish village and sat around the common well. Only the pilgrims were foolish enough to be out and about in the middle of the day. The rest of the village had shut their windows and doors to escape the heat and rest. Yet it is during this time of resting that we discovered the importance of remaining hydrated and we welcomed both the temporary shade and the refreshing water.

Yet like many discussions on the Camino people started to talk about everything and nothing. The beginning of the dialogue was noting what can separate us but also what can unite us. This starts with the everyday question of what will quench our thirst. It is a willingness to respond to our physical needs but it also touches on a thirst for meaning which will transform our discussions. We seek to encounter life-giving water that will fill us with hope.

As the encounter continues this touches on the various traditions between Jewish and Samaritan cultures and how we rely on our history and ritual to understand how we reach out to God. Yet in the midst of these insights, Jesus reveals how God reaches out to us so that we can worship spirit and truth. This allows us to see how our faith is built on this personal encounter with Jesus that allows us to bear witness to others in our lives. This revelation allows us to see how our prayer transforms our relationships with other not just for the good of ourselves. Our prayer draws us closer because God meets us in our openness to sit down and be present and listen.

Whom do we seek?

 When we enter into prayer there is an anticipation that we will grow closer to God and that God can draw closer to us. Yet this is not an exact science where a particular form or method will work. Yet it is actually a call to enter deeper into a relationship where God takes the initiative and invites us to listen more closely. We are not just called to hear our own voice but rather the voice of God holding us in silence.

I think too often we can be like Peter, James, and John when we climb a high mountain and taste the rarified air. This intoxicating feeling can overcome us and blind us with a loving presence that transcends our every day.  These occasions seem too rare or infrequent that we want to hold on to them and like Peter build three tents to contain our insight. Often like the modern habit of wanting to capture the moment with our mobiles or cameras, we do not want to lose the experience. Yet when we look at these photos later they do not quite meet our expectations and we wonder what it was that we were seeking.

In these dark nights, God encounters us in a way that seems to be devoid of words and images. Like being plunged into a cloud of unknowing where we can become afraid that we encounter only darkness and even separation from the one we seek. Yet in these moments we are no longer called to listen to our thoughts, ideas, or images but rather the quiet still voice which says this is my beloved Son listen to him. This allows us to become aware that our lives are not just centered on our own striving but rather on a God who envelops us and surrounds us.

These encounters allow us in these wordless, imageless moments to ponder more deeply a God who is at the heart of all things and who is no-thing. God holds us closer so that our lives may become a blessing not just for ourselves but for others. That we may proclaim life which transforms our very being. It helps us to be enfolded into a way of being present that transfigures our world.

What do we fast from?

The three temptations that Jesus encounters in the desert even beset us today. They are basically the same lie. We are only someone if we are powerful, influential, and relevant. We need to be seen, heard, and connected to the right people. The danger is that we can pursue things that are external at the expense of what is necessary which are faith, hope, and charity that flow from a living relationship with God. 

During Lent, we are often presented with these temptations in many different ways. We can spend a lot of time trying to control people and situations to arrive at a pre-determined end. This causes us to become myopic and moved by our own viewpoint. Prayer allows us to see with God’s eyes and gain a broader vision.

We can also spend time trying to bend others to listen to our voices. We can end up just hearing the echo of our own voice. We need to enter silence so God can speak to our hearts.

We can then try to process all the information available to stay up to date. We read, listen and consume many sources so that we may fit in. Yet we may lose ourselves. We need to rest so that we can connect with God for our own good and the good of others. 

So this Lent we can become people of prayer who seek to see with the eyes of God, allow our hearts to beat in rhythm, and surrender each day to God’s guidance. All shall be well, and in all things, all shall be well.

How do we decide to love people?

 One of the realities in life is how to respond to people who dislike or hate us. We can often spend much of our energy trying to discover what it is that we have done that causes such enmity between us and them. I think that this may be wasted energy because the reasons may be more complex than we imagine. It may be that they remind us of someone who has hurt us or they may have actually caused us harm. They may hold viewpoints significantly different from our own or it may be as simple that they barrack for a different team than our own. However, it is often this ability to divide one against another which can influence how we react and how we will respond differently to the people we like and those we cannot stand.

Yet the Gospel speaks of loving our neighbour not because we agree with them but because they are created in the image and likeness of God. Thus we seek to love the person as God loves them. This can seem paradoxical but it is essentially at the heart of God's creative plan. We even see this in the Jewish law which says an eye for an eye or tooth for a tooth. This is not as it seems a call for vengeance but rather that we are not called to allow evil intentions to consume us in response to the harmful actions of another. Jesus takes this further to ensure that we do not allow our actions simply to react to the actions of another. We are called to consider not just our own good but the good of another. This is so counterintuitive that we often find a way of conditionally loving another rather than the agape love of God. This is why we ponder the crucifix so often as we seek to make sense of the radical love of God which is prepared to suffer and die for us so that we can find new life.

So this is what lies at the heart of the matter. It is not about finding the right argument or position that will convince another that we are right and they are wrong. Rather it is witnessing this radical love of God by giving the whole of ourselves to even the ungrateful and the unkind. This is indeed challenging but it lies at the heart of our consideration that each person is created as a temple of God and should be considered sacred. Thus when we work with others, especially those who oppose us we need to find ways that allow us to give thanks for the work of God within them. It calls us to be people who pray, reflect, and act in a way that is opening to the grace of God who bids us to the same radical love that guided Jesus to surrender everything for the love of us. God did not wait for us to become good but rather bid us to encounter the depth of this love even in situations where we are challenged in our relationships with others. Jesus makes this the principle and foundation of his life when he states we must love our neighbour as ourselves.

Choose Life not death

As we reflect over the last week we have witnessed scenes of life and death played out on our television screens. In reflecting on the tragedy that has occurred in Turkey and Syria one image that stays with me is the father holding the hand of his daughter who died under the rubble. This is a poignant scene of both deep grief and powerlessness. It probably captures our own imagination where we are both intimately present to the suffering of another but also holding it at a distance. It is where we can observe what is happening but question what impact this will have in our own life. It is so easy to notice especially when we approach anniversaries of past tragedies how easy it is to isolate ourselves from the concerns of others. To concentrate on our own backyard and our very real problems

I believe that these concerns can be played out in our spiritual life where we are called to choose life, not death. Ultimately it calls us to reflect on how we can be present to others in our daily life. We can at times seek to contain or direct the Holy Spirit within structures. I believe there is a natural instinct in which we try to box God’s voice into small bite-size pieces rather than provide a trellis in which that life can grow. Thus, any structure is not an end in itself but a support in which the life of God can grow. Without this support, it becomes a wild weed or thick undergrowth which trips people up rather than orientating them toward God. At times of difficulty, we need to be people who are able to rebuild the trellis on which a person’s life can be rebuilt.

In a similar way, we can seek to exert power and control over people rather than exercise authority for the good of others. This is important when we seek to contain our own uncertainties, fear, loneliness, regret, and despair when faced with situations that appear beyond our control. When we seek to be the guiding light we develop theories that become an echo chamber for our own opinion rather than a way of being present to a contemplative silence that embodies us for the good of others. When we seek to assert ourselves, we struggle to listen and be heard. Often what is called for is our ability to be people who walk alongside others as they seek to discover a deeper meaning for their lives.

Lastly, we can tend to mute the conversations into cliché of what others are saying. This is especially true when we seek to blame another for our own circumstances, or we seek to possess what belongs rightfully to another.  When we hear them speak, we switch off our hearts by parodying their voice by mimicking them with our own contempt. This is a place where we know that it does not befriend others or befriend ourselves. It seeks to alienate and isolate all that is fully human. Having lived through the tragedy of human conflict and the ways in which we can become trapped by a lifestyle that makes God into our own image and likeness. The call of our age is to listen once again to the voice of God which seeks us out so that we may become fully human and fully alive. To live Good News which witnesses to the life of God that is birthed within us.

Not mere words but a way of life

 In every age, we are called to shed light on the Gospel to our generation. Jesus talks about this as being the salt of the earth. This can often be seen as being grounded in the reality of daily life. We are called to be seen as Christians not just members of the club which excludes others. The mission of evangelism is not about a recruitment drive but as a witness to what is essential to every human life.

In St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, he does not see this through the construct of the best argument or most convincing speech. Rather he talks about how to discuss the knowledge of the Crucified Christ who gives the best of himself for the good of the whole of creation. Our faith is demonstrated when our God prompts us to be people who witness to others in our lives. 

Isaiah says this is constructed in what we would name as Corporal Works of Mercy. We are called to share our bread with the hungry, shelter the homeless poor, clothe the person who is naked, and not the needs of those closest to us. This is contrasted with how we can tend to bind others with our own vision and with a polemical mindset that seeks to crush all opposed to us. Rather we seek to befriend those in greatest need with practical acts of charity that seek what is best for them not just what is good for us.

Being a Fool for Christ

 In the Franciscan tradition, there is an image of being a fool for Christ. The encounter is called to bring joy to our hearts by discovering what is precious within us. This is especially true when we reflect on the beatitudes where we are called to discover an inner appreciation of the compassion of God. It renders the words learn mercy not sacrifice that the Gospel of Matthew seeks to proclaim as the way of discovering God in daily life. This looks at nurturing a rich internal life that meets the vagaries of what can seem to confront us.

So we come before God with open hands knowing that each day is a gift that cannot be possessed but can be received. This calls for a certain gentleness that does not grasp after things but seeks what is right and whole. This merciful presence allows us to grieve with others from a heart that is not divided but seeks peace deep within. Ultimately it calls us to become our true self which is not swayed by the opinion of others.

This often can cause us to feel that we seem to be foolish in the eyes of others who seek power, success, and relevance. Yet we know when we stake our lives on what others consider important we mute ourselves. We become voiceless or invisible to what God sees as valuable and precious. So each day we are called to listen to that inner voice and how we reflect it to our world. When we allow ourselves this encounter it shapes who we are and what we are to become.

Be united as one

 Over the recent weeks following the deaths of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and George Cardinal Pell, it is easy to see how divisions can come to the fore and how easily they can become the focus of our attention. It is easy to see how these can be fueled to produce more heat than light. People can passionately put forward their points of view that can see the serious differences that exist. There is always a sense in which we can lobby for one camp or another.

Yet divisions within the Church are not new as we see in Saint Paul's letter to the Corinthians. It is easy to see how strong personalities can become the catchphrase that seeks to resolve any debate. Hence people live by slogans like, 'I am for Paul', 'I am for Apollos', 'I am for Cephas', or 'I am for Christ'! The reality is that it can be easy to adopt patterns of behavior that seem to work in other forums and that mirror secular patterns of debate. Yet Paul points to the reality of the Cross as the way in which disputes are resolved. This emphasizes that on our own we can notice more what separates us rather than what it is that unites us. We do not ignore differences but we do need to see that our communion with each other is at the heart of preaching the Gospel. We need to be united in belief and practice.

This is where I believe that the process of listening to the voice of God is at the centre of our lives. This is where we seek to notice where our prayer seeks to bring the conflicting voices within ourselves to silence. This is not to negate our own personalities, learnings, or gifts but rather to provide a space in which we can welcome others. It is in this sacred space that people of all backgrounds, cultures, and standpoints can be transparent about how we believe God is speaking to our age building on the traditions of our faith. We seek to promote the person of Jesus Christ who seeks to shed light on our own age. This witness allows us to seek ways in which we can travel with each other and talk along the way. 

We are called to be pilgrim people who seek to proclaim the Gospel. In the words of the psalmist, we seek the Lord who is our light and our salvation. We seek the Lord's goodness in the land of the living by placing our hope in God. In this, we discover what sweetens and savors our life. This incarnate way of life proclaims that God is at the heart of all creation and is ever-ancient and forever new.

Witnessing what we are searching for?

 We are called to be witnesses in the world to God who binds us together. This calls us to become detectives of grace who search out what leads to life. We seek not to glorify ourselves but discover who it is who leads us in this journey. It calls us to notice that just as we search for God, God searches for us. This calls for an openness that transforms us and reorientates us. We are not called to live lives of splendid isolation. Each person's life has an effect on the life of another.

This calls us to be available each day to seek out how we may do this for the good of God, for the good of others, and the good of ourselves. It calls us to delight in the depths of our hearts and how we become people who live a truth that is not just about ourselves. We seek to become people who witness how Jesus Christ joins us in that daily search.

Each day we are called to discover how our eyes are opened, our hearts moved and our actions bear witness. This seeks to point not just at ourselves no matter how important we may become in the eyes of others. Our lives are called to bear witness to a relationship that is foundational to our whole life. Each day we seek to come closer to the person of Jesus Christ not just in theory but also in practice. We seek to be people who pray, reflect, and act in a communion of faith. We are formed in this relationship to a deeper trust that transforms the world we live in.

At whose feet do we lay our gifts?

 As we celebrate the Epiphany we see the unfolding of a story of how Jesus' presence changes the way we act. The wise men initially see their gifts as focusing on those who have power, make the headlines and urge their opinions upon us. We can notice this in the many opinion polls which are produced. Their essence is to direct our lives toward the questions that other people ask. Often there can be an underlying uncertainty about whether we fit in with the world we are called to live in.

Yet as the story unfolds we start to see that life is not acquiring more power, headlines, or stuff. It calls us to reflect on how our daily life manifests the goodness of God. This is not by acquiring more of anything but rather by looking at who we are with what we already have. This is about being equitable in who are in relationships rather than striving for that which will may us equal with others. The aim in life is not to be the same as others but rather to treat each other as worthy of essential dignity. This is by seeing our life as precious in the eyes of God.

This drama is played out in our own lives when we seek to encounter God as the person we are called to be. As we reflect on each day we are called to seek that which brings life, hope, and generosity of self. We seek to discover who we are called to become rather than just fitting in. Through our prayer, reflection and action we shape the world around us. It allows us to see that each day is a gift. At whose feet will we lay this gift?