Praise no one before he speaks

 We are often influenced by the words of another, not only to see what rings true to us but also what we are called to reflect on. In recent times, we have noticed how our responses to one another can be shaped by instant communication. There is a tendency to hear but not listen to the voice of another. Unfortunately, in an increasingly opinionated world, we only have to speak louder or more frequently to be heard. The trend is played out not only in the regular news cycle but also in applying those opinions that can influence and alter the lives of others. We often find people being labelled or alienated from us due to our viewpoints not being mirrored back to us.

The danger to ourselves and our community is that we become shaped by the instant unreflective response. We read or hear something and instantly notice a reaction inside ourselves that demands to be heard. Yet, when this happens, we must set aside time for prayer. This is the first time we have noticed our internal response, which may have been angered, saddened, or disappointed. This is not to stew on the feeling or reaction but rather to befriend it. This befriending of our internal response helps us to know what may be masked within us. By owning how we react, we can then have an honest heart-to-heart engagement with God to discover how we become a people of thanksgiving. This allows us time to consider the appropriate response and how we may invest in resolving a particular dilemma. It gives us room to open to changes in approach that aid others and myself to grow in a communal spirit that seeks the good of the whole body.

As Thomas Merton notes in "Thoughts into Solitude, p33, "To be grateful is to recognise the Love of God in everything. He has given us-and He has given us everything. Every breath we draw is a gift of His love; every moment of existence is a grace, for it brings with it immense graces from Him. Gratitude, therefore, takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, and is constantly awaiting new wonder and praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful man knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience." This changes how we see ourselves and others. Our gratitude emerges from a place that does not just plaster over the cracks of our own failures but from a generosity that seeks the good of each person, especially with the person from whom we are most easily estranged. 

Turn the other cheek

 The Gospel goes to the heart of the matter. Does God love us even when we do not behave lovingly. It appears on a daily basis that examples of people who cannot tolerate the life of another are thrown up to us. They go to war with them either in their own hearts or the concrete reality of daily life. It appears that hatred can become parasitical when ingested into our bodies. This parasite can take root and wants to be fed to be kept alive. Like any parasite, hatred can take a firm hold on us, and we can find recipes that stew within us. They can spew forth antagonism either in words or actions that seek to destroy the other. They can easily pass from the host to another person so easily that it is hard to heal the hurt they cause.

Yet Jesus stands in the midst of these conflicting thoughts, feelings and actions. He draws attention to the reality that it is only through love that the life of another can be transformed. This is actually at the heart of the incarnation when the Trinity ponders how humanity can be redeemed from the violence of sin. We discover that God does not stand idly by watching our own destructive instincts but intervenes to proclaim a different way of being. Jesus says, "Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you; a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back."

This is contrary to what we read on a daily basis, which feeds on conflict and hatred. The magnification of this can be seen to be multiplied through social media, where we see people seek to use power, control and opinion to shape our response to issues of the day. The separation between persons grows greater when we cannot meet people face to face. Trading barbs over the internet or through the letter pages in newspapers only adds fuel to the flames. It isolates us into our own thought bubbles, and we lose the ability to read the other. We also lose the capacity to pay close attention to our own internal world and our capacity to empathise with the life of another. I believe our prayer can be founded on how we are called to be present in our existing reality with wit and humour. When we hold ourselves lightly, God, we are no longer just drowning in a sea of information, but we are formed in God's image and likeness. This is the path of transformation where we do not throw up our hands saying thus is the world, but thus do we make the world.

Where do we sink our roots?

 One of the miracles we witness in Australia is the desert flowers that bloom following heavy rains that filter inland. This spectacular ray of life not only emerges from what appears to be a dead and barren landscape but also attracts many birds to the middle of the desert. They can sense life instead of blooming in the middle of a wilderness. There is a fresh sense of hope that not only delights the eye but lifts the spirit.

This new life almost occurs in contradiction to what we believe there is only death. It helps us to experience a renewal of life that engenders faith. These fruits help us imagine the earth witnessing a deeper life within. They cause us to discover how this new life bears witness to the creative power of God present in our world.

The beatitudes presented by Luke bear witness to how new life can bloom where there seem to be only tears, hunger and poverty. They help us to discover how, in our deepest human need, God can accompany us with a charity that is more than skin deep. This helps us to know that it is at times when we are most deeply challenged, or our resources are stretched to the limit that we can trust in a God who will not abandon us. At times when we are comfortable, we tend to rely on our resources and credit ourselves for our own success. It is not that we are called to welcome hard times but to discover how we need to sink the roots of our faith deep into the earth, anticipating the saving rains so that we are not overwhelmed.

Real Life not Infotainment

 As we witness the scene unfolding with the dialogue between Jesus and Peter, we are struck by the seeming contradictions. Fishermen usually mend their nets during the day to fish by night. They are used to the hard work that goes along with an unsuccessful night of fishing. Lastly, it takes a person who is not a fisherman to tell them when they should go out and fish. It is these contradictions that can often preoccupy us in our daily tasks. We become used to the routine of daily life even when there do not seem to be any rewards at the end of the day. We can seem to go through the motions, but nothing gains traction.

As the Gospel unfolds, Jesus seeks to make us into people who are willing to go fishing in waters that are familiar to us. There can be a natural resistance that points out the fact that we have tried hard to bring in a catch but have not caught anything. In our disappointment, we can become despondent, wondering if we have done something wrong or whether it is worth the effort. Yet this is where Jesus steps into the scene to put fresh heart into us and a new vision or way of seeing.

I feel this is important because we can often focus totally on our work rather than what engages us in the work. As people who are called to pray, we discover that this is about being present to God in the midst of our daily lives. This is not about the quantity or length of our prayers but rather that we become present to God as ourselves. We seek to settle our minds, hearts and bodies into silence. It is from this silence that we can start to live as people who witness a life that connects us together. We can act in a way that draws others into God's creative plan. This is not by just being observers of life watching a reality show on television but an engagement with real people in real-time.