Pay unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God

The commentary about the separation of the Church and State is one in which people often say that religion has no place in the public marketplace but should solely be reserved to the private sphere in which a person can enter into a relationship with God in the quiet of their own home. This separation between public and private life can often cause us to inherit a sense of dualism whereby we sense a disconnect between what we believe and how we live. Yet the two are intimately connected we cannot live two lives but we are called to become an integrated person who seeks to give an authentic witness to how God is present at the heart of our lives. We are called to grow in holiness and wholeness.
In our prayer, we are called to a place where we can be present to God in silence. This is not removing ourselves from the world but so that we can listen more attentively to the spirit of God who is present at the heart of all life. We know how easy it is to become distracted by activity and those relationships which dissipate us from own core identity. We can be tempted to invest our lives in only what is external and seek our salvation in a particular project, possession or position. The ordering of this allows us to become focussed on things which may be transitory rather than the spirit of God which speaks to our hearts. We are called to be attentive to our own interior self where God speaks to the heart of the matter. It is from this place that we can discover how we can be truly ourselves and act in a way which reaches towards a way of being which is authentically true. This does not mean we won't struggle in this area but does mean that we can discover how God can be present with our own desires to come into communion with God. Jesus desires for us to discover how our faith in action allows us to persevere in hope.

Too busy to pray

There is a modern curse which harms our relationships with God and with each other. It is the phrase I am so busy. We know this can be many things but often it comes to our belief that there are not enough hours to attend to all the things I want to do. Also there can be a nagging belief that if I am not doing something then I am nothing! Our busyness can reflect that at least I am worthwhile because I am involved in this or that activity. We can seem to chase our tails and the faster we go the more it alludes us.
The images we have in this weeks readings is our willingness to sit down at a banquet and be fed. To take time not only to be physically nourished but also to be filled with a life we cannot receive solely by our own efforts. It calls us to become people who are willing to step aside and to be present to the one who calls us to the table. He uses this image of rising to a high mountain, to receive an invitation from a king and to come before God as we are. The prompting is that we hear the invitation and respond appropriately. This means that we need to be interested in what will be provided for us. This is not just setting a brief time for prayer so that we can move on with the rest of the day but rather that our life becomes prayerful. This anticipation for the life that God gives us is at the heart of all our activities. In fact it sees our life as having value so that we be present to God and to others in all we do.
This is why it is not possible just to squeeze prayer into those spare moments of our days but seeing it is the bedrock of who we are. It calls us to take time to become present to ourselves and to God so that we can be present to others. By being open to God at certain times of the day and making these appointments ahead of time we can find a way of discovering that everything we are engaged in takes a new freshness and purpose.This allows us to be amazed and surprised by what God helps us to see. It allows us to be transformed to discover where we are able to be present at this moment and this day. It doesn't mean that suddenly all our work will disappear but it will allows us to discover the work that we are called to take to heart. That which brings value to us and to our world. To know that our lives have eternal worth.

Easier said than done

There are a lot of armchair critics who are able to inform us how things should be done and by when. We live in a culture where we are heavily invested in reality television where we are hooked into matters which distract us from what is truly important. There numb our sensibilities to discovering a life which has substance and meaning. We seem to given a great deal but not asked to account for it. What seems to be the central message is that we are called to be numbed of what truly adds value to life by engaging in a story which is not our own.
At the heart of this weekend's gospel is the story of the vineyard in which the people who manage it think they own it! They start to be believe that they have a better understanding of its purpose than the person who established it. After all they are familiar with its daily operations and the products it produces and they start to claim ownership for themselves. They start to fall short of seeing how their story is an echo of a greater story and that the fruits they produce are a way of encountering the goodness of that story.
So to in our own lives we start to notice that it can be easier to take the initiative rather than wait for directions of what we are working for. We can start to plan our own day on what we consider important rather than what truly brings life. We need to become reflective people who seek to become good stewards of who and what is trusted to our care. This is not so that we can become possessive of it but so that we can see its true worth. We need to guard against those moments when we think we own something or someone for our good and not for the good of God. It is a delicate balance because we can start to see the work we do as our work rather than as cooperation with God who brings out true value. This is why we need to ask God to allow us to be present each day to what brings value to our lives and for what we are called to give thanks. We need to notice how we have been a good steward for that day and then move on to the next. This allows our story to become a dynamic unfolding of what brings life rather than a grasping at things that we try to possess and which can diminish us. We can give glory to God in all things by being present to the unfolding story of our life.

Always consider the other person as better than yourself.

In a world where it is easy to see what is wrong with another, we can find ourselves in a race to the bottom. We tend to find faults easily and the first thing we notice is what is not right in the life of another. This can cause us to become cynical and coarsened to a reality which is self-destructive not only to our own lives but also the lives of those around us. It can also lead to an attitude which justifies our own faults by saying that at least I am not as bad as them. Yet this is not the life that God intended for us.

Each of us needs to recognise that there are things in our lives which can diminish us and alienate us from the life that God intended. We can be absorbed in the life I want to live at the expense of others. My opinion and way of life become more important than the common good. We can seek to see other people simply as means to an end rather than as an opportunity to join together for a common purpose with a common mind. God calls us to be people who seek to discover what it is to live in God's mercy.

This is why the Gospel says that we have to wrestle with what God is asking of us. This is not an easy yes or a dismissive no. This is about the person we seek to become by discovering what it means to live a life of mercy not sacrifice. This is not just about saying the right thing or even about doing the right thing but rather by becoming a person who is totally open to God's life. This is not by exercising power, seeking prestige or even by seeming to be relevant to our current age rather it is discovering what it is to discover our own poverty that we find how to be merciful and to engage in loving service of another. In Paul's words, "Always consider the other person as better than yourself so that nobody thinks of their own interests first but thinks of other people's interests instead. In your minds, you must be the same as Christ Jesus/

At what hour did I heed his voice?

We live in a world of choice where many options are placed before us. This plethora of alternatives can cause us to try and be all things at all times to all people. We know deep inside that this impossible but the lure of being all present, all loving and all knowing draws us beyond ourselves. We can start to imagine that in such a world we do not need God because we have shaped our world in our own image and likeness.

We know this a distortion of the truth of the incarnation where we are made in God's image and likeness. This truth helps us to understand the dignity of our work and the dignity of being human. Our faith does not extract us from the world or the reality in which we live. It calls us to be people who listen to God's voice which calls us to not stand around idly waiting for the Kingdom to arrive. It calls us to be actively engaged in listening to the voice which calls us to be open to a God who is just and loving in all his ways.

This us brings us to the truth of what the Gospel teaches us about our lives as Christians. We are called to be prayerfully present. This is allowing ourselves to become aware of those around us and who share our daily lives in small and greater ways. We are not called to live in splendid isolation. By listening to the heartbeat of God we become aware of a creative love which sustains and renews us and the whole world.

We are called to be thoughtful people who engage our minds in discovering what it is that will assist this work of living the Gospel. We can study scripture, the writings of other Christians, we can observe what brings life to those we consider to be saints and we can examine our own environment to discover what is for the common good. 

We are called to be people deeply in love with God, with others and with ourselves. As Pope Francis said at one stage we are not called to be sourpusses.Our life is called to be deeply engaged with the love that God pours into our hearts. This is not our private possession but something which overflows into the world for good.

By being prayerfully present, thoughtfully engaged and lovingly enriched we start to discover a treasure which is not our own. We discover a place which is open and welcoming of others at whatever stage they are in their journey. We do not seek to impose burdens on others by proclaiming a work which is hard but rather to discover a God who gives meaning to who we are called to be and what we are called to do. Each day we find new ways to which we are called to listen to God's voice. The Gospel is not our possession but rather an invitation to the life which brings life for the good of all.

Stirring the pot

It is to always possible to remember those times when someone or something has cut us to the bone. The wound seems to be so deep that we never think that we will recover and that it will remain open to the ravages of the wind. There can be attempts to close the wound on our own but we know how is it is to become infected by the very violence of the person who has wounded us. We can fester in thoughts of revenge and cold fury which can harness our every waking moment and contaminate our dreams. They can ravage havoc not only on our mental well-being but also on how we look after ourselves. It can seem like a black hole where the more we notice it the more it consumes us and drags us in.
Yet the remedy is to foster a life of forgiveness where we can discover a healing which is not our own. This is not just a platitude of saying that time heals all wounds but rather to seek a way of being present to what most deeply harms us. It calls away from an inclination to mutually assured destruction towards a way of life which seeks to continually seek forgiveness as the bedrock of our lives. This is not a cheap grace where we simply confess our sins and move on but rather a deep engagement where we listen to God in the place where we have been most wounded. By living out of that place with light and hope we discover that we do not seek to heal ourselves but rather discover the balm that reaches deep into the place where it is most needed. It calls us to be people who want to allow God's life and grace into our most guarded fortress.
It seems so easy to forget in the midst of debates and discussions that our lives are called to live for Christ with our whole being. This is not a way of living which is an added extra but engages us in our daily struggles to be a person who comes to life in him. It is not just a way of introspection on how we clean up our own actions but rather how our lives reach out to others. We are in all cases wounded healers who join our wounds to his. For by his wounds we are healed.

The Living of the Gospel

We can somehow be immunised by the advice from another even when it is well intentioned. We live in a world where we are given advice on a daily basis on what to eat, how to spend our money, what to read and what to think. This bombardment of information can cause us to become somewhat desensitised to the many voices and opinions which can seem to flood into our lives. Yet in the midst of all this commentary, we are called to have good friends who we can turn to who can be trusted to have our best interests at heart and who will be honest with us. We are not called to be solo operators or people called to carve out our own niche to the exclusion of all others. We are called to rub up against others and in the process have the rough edges softened. This is not always easy because it takes time to listen and make space for the other to be present to us. There is also a need to be receptive to hear what they say and ponder it in our own hearts. This calls for a prayerful way of living where each day we seek to listen to how God writes his message on human hearts as Good News. We are called to discover how we can be faithful to this life-giving message, and to see how it can liberate us in a way which brings hope and not disaster. The Gospel this weekend talks about building communities which can help to sustain us and which can speak the truth to us in a way which does not demean or alienate us. It calls for a place where God's loving presence can be truly experienced and be the guiding light for us. In the world which often proclaims that might is right this genuine concern for another is the hallmark of a Christian community. Ultimately, it is a place where we can discover a God who reaches out to us and accompanies us for the good of ourselves, for the good of others and the good of our world.

What does God want?

There can often be a sense that God wants what we want. This was certainly Peter's challenge. In last weeks Gospel he received plaudits from Jesus for being on the money, this week he receives a rebuke for being way off the mark. This is where we need to quiten the warring voices within us which equate what we desire with what God desires. The challenge for us in every age is to be people who allow our minds and hearts to be in union with God. It calls us to be people who are prayerful, reflective and able to see how we can be present to our world with faith, hope and love. This is not by imposing our own will but through allowing God's will to draw us to following him.

What do we hold onto and what do we let go

The question Jesus poses at Caesarea Philippi relates to who we think he is. This seems to be such a basic question but it shapes how we relate to him as a person. This is not about an academic test but rather an understanding of how his life shapes our own. It is from this relational understanding that he is the anointed one who enables us to grow closer to our God in his person. The fact that Peter gains a deep appreciation of this insight helps us to see what can lead us closer to God and the ways that we can drift away. By seeking to become intentional disciples we look at the ways that help to nurture that relationship and what needs to be let go. What binds us closer to God and what helps us to exercise a freedom which liberates others. In all things we seek to draw closer to Christ by the way we pray, reflect and act in a way which brings hope and life to others.

Persistence

There are times when we tend to pull back from making a prayer of the heart. We wonder whether we are talking to ourselves or whether God is truly listening. The story of the Canaanite women assures us that we are called to come before God with wit and humour. The very desire to be in God's presence allows us to be present to what is needed for this day. Our prayer also tends to purify our intention and what we truly seek. This allows us to be persistent in seeking to bring good on behalf of another. This is at the heart of our intercession. It allows us to seek a threefold good. To bring another person before God, to acknowledge that what possesses or obsesses us will not have the final word and that our prayer of mercy touches the heart of God. We are called to recognise that as we gather as a community that it is God who draws us together. For the good of ourselves, for the good of others and the good of the world. We touch the creative heart of God who is ever present and ever new. 

The quiet still voice

For fear of repeating myself, we live in a world besieged by noise and opinion. We live in a climate in which we are swamped by a tsunami of media which seeks to grab our attention and focus our interest. Whether it is the daily diet of news, social media or email everybody seems to want to grab our gaze. There is also a great climate of news which seeks to engender fear and distraction away from ourselves to matters over which we have little control. It calls us to attend to something for fear that we may become bored with ourselves and the routine of our daily lives. We can see this in the way storms seem to break upon us and we are called to focus on the destructive forces of nature. There seems to be a climate which creates a sense of powerlessness which seems to be overwhelmed by these events. We seem to be diminished by our own world which seems to be fighting against us. Then again if this was not all we are confronted by those who wish to set fire and destroy what is known whether by terrorism, war or personal conflict. This desire to give vent to their own inner conflicts by force upon others. This seeking to face our own destructive instincts is at the heart of our own ability to be wounded and to wound others. 

Yet in the midst of this outward and inward ability to be overcome by forces which seem beyond our control we have two images that come to us through the scriptures. The first is Elijah in the cave. He does not hear God's voice in the destructive nature of the gale, the earthquake or the fire but in the quiet zephyr of a breeze which passes in front of him. In the midst of this gentleness he covers his face and stands present. This is a call for us to listen to a God who alone can quieten the violence which can seem to overwhelm and destroy us. 

The second image is that of the boat battling a heavy sea and Peter being invited out of the boat to walk towards Jesus. Once again this is not an ignoring of the storms that can rage around us but rather a trust in a God who calls us to reach out and touch him. There is a total reliance in how God is present even in the most difficult situation and to entrust our lives totally to him.

This is a reminder to us that our faith is built on a relationship with the one who can save us and call us to a life in union with him. It is from this relationship that we do not become passive observers of life but rather participants who do not succumb to a fatalistic way of being present. We are called to notice what frightens us but not be overcome by it. By being open to how God quietens our fears we can start to focus on what creates life, what builds hope and what sustains others in loving charity. Each day we listen to that still quiet voice which allows us to be prayerfully present to ourselves and to others.

Listen to him

How we listen to another indicates the way we will live our lives. The transfuguration puts the same words before us that we hear at the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. This is my beloved son, listen to him. This is not just about hearing what he said or reading what has been written. It is allowing his life to touch our own. We encounter Jesus  by allowing his living word to engage us more deeply. To ponder how it becomes one with us and shapes how we think and act. This heartfelt response challenges us to not be afraid that God reaches out to us to enter into a living and life giving relationship. We are called to listen to his voice in the way we live.

Who do we seek to become?

There is often a subtle distinction between choosing what is right and wrong and what is good and evil. The first deals with observable acts which can be seen to be right or wrong according to a moral code or enacted law. The second deals with the unseen motivation of the person which seeks to discover what is good or evil. A person can do the right thing with evil intent, just as a person can do the wrong thing with good intent. This is what Solomon prays for as he seeks to take leadership of the people of Israel. It is not just about been knowledgeable but also about being wise. How do you apply the particular law for the particular purpose it was intended to govern. There is probably a whole book that could be written and have been written about the principle of discernment. Essentially though it is about the head and the heart acting in union for the good of the person and the good of the community. Jesus often taught this as well, it is not sufficient to know only the law but also to know the heart of the law giver. We need to seek for that pearl of great price which draws us deeper into relationship with God and with the community we are called to be part of. This visible and invisible reality is what binds us together. Discernment is not just about making good decisions but about make wise choices about who we will become. They bring a different quality and tenure to our lives. They help us to discover that the things we do flow out of who we seek to become and who we become shapes the things we do. 

What draws us into life?

"Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God's will." Romans 8.26-27
(http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/072317.cfm accessed 18th July 2017)

This passage of scripture particularly struck me when I was reading through the Gospel about the darnel and the wheat. In many cases we put in a great deal of effort into making sure that we accomplish something in our spiritual life. There is a sense that we need to get it right and line up everything in a row. In this scenario we put a lot of responsibility on ourselves and seeking God on our own terms. However, there are times when at the end of the day we struggle to make sense of what is happening in the world. Those times when we seemed to solve all the problems of the world over a cup of coffee seemed to have disappeared into the mist of the day. We look at what has happened and what is happening and we seek to make sense of it all. We want God to discover us rather than it all being about ourselves.
This is why the examen at the end of the day we need to be present to God if only for a few moments. I would propose that it can be done quite simply by seeking to discover what God wants us to be present to:
For what are we thankful?
Where did we discover ourselves becoming most alive?
What deadened us or drained us of energy?
What would we seek to be present to tomorrow?
This is not about a labouring over the day but rather seeing what floats to the surface and which God wishes us to be most aware of. The sense of being present to God in this way incarnates our faith not just based on our own abilities and insights but on how God is drawing us deeper into a relationship of life and love.

Planting the seed

How many homilies can you remember years after they are spoken? In a world deluged by words what takes hold of our hearts and engages us with life? The Gospel of the good seed scattered in the  ground reminds us of how liberal and generous God is with the reminder of how the saving word can be planted within us. Often we know how easy it is for a word to be spoken and then too quickly it is taken from us. There can also be those ads which guarantee instant success without effort whether it is weight loss, financial gain or living the complete life. Here again we try it for a while but it is someone else's word which seems to work for them and not for us. Then there can be the times which while we treasure the word the pressures of life crowd in on us. There do not seem enough hours in the day to do all that we want. We seem to be swamped with too much information that the word gets choked. Yet finally there are those words which abide with us and hold us. They are like breathing in fresh mountain air and drinking from clear crystal streams. They renew us, sustain us and rest deep within us. They help us live each day with a renewed spirit and a grateful heart. They play over and over in our minds and in our hearts and help us to see things differently. They come from a place in our prayer which engages our lives more deeply. They bring scripture to life in the people we meet and in the person I seek to come. They help us to discover the opportunities to give glory to God with our whole life.

Not just theory

One of the most difficult tasks is to move from theory to practice. Part of this difficulty lies not just in an understanding of theory but a willingness to seek out whether it actually matches our practical experience. We know that the Christian faith is not just theoretical but deeply relational. It calls us to enter into a relationship with a person who helps us to engage more deeply with what is important and vital to living a Christian life. This cannot simply be learnt from a book but seeks us to engage with others who help us to become more deeply grounded in our Christian faith. Left to our own devices we will start to shape our faith based on our own personal preferences rather than an encounter with the person of Christ within a community. This is at the heart of the Gospel for this coming weekend, we are called to encounter the person of Christ in our prayer, in our community and in our world. By seeking the person who seeks us we discover how to seek him. This changes our hearts and our way of thinking. No longer is it just a journey towards a hidden goal but a discovery of the person who has planted the treasure in our hearts that we may journey with him and each other. May the Lord help us to be found that we may find, to be discovered so that we may discover, to be loved so that we can love.

For the Good of the World

When we seek to be baptised into Christ we discover that this is more than just words. We are called to incarnate the Gospel as a person and not as an idea. This discovery calls us to be open to discovering how our discipleship is founded on our relationship with the person who brings us life. This is not about us believing that it all starts with us and somehow God joins us on the way. It is actually a way of living which recognises that God always walks with us. This is not about working harder but learning from the person who walks with us. It calls us to be profoundly what God wishes us to be in relationship to the person of Jesus Christ. It calls us into a different way of seeing which opens up the simple ways that everyday allow us to be missionary disciples. By observing others, by providing what is needed and allowing the other to experience life and not death. It is a journey into the person of Christ which changes us so that we can be present to God and each other for the good of the world.

Proclaiming the one who saves us

Whom do we seek? This is the central question of our spiritual journey. We become what we most desire. This is where we need a prayerful unity both with God and the body of Christ. In our search it is necessary to quieten the strident voices both within and without which try to shape us in ways which are not for our good. We can at times be shocked by some of our thoughts which have translated into ways we did not intend. It is easy to become defensive in our life which can say that we do not sin or that at least we do not sin as gravely as somebody else. Yet in allowing God to meet us at our worst and discovering that we can be healed of our weaknesses. This is why we are called to remember the areas of life we most struggle with when we go to confession. It is not so much that we feel shamed into going but a recognition that on our own we just descend into our own swamp. The Good News is that Jesus Christ meets us in that place and allows us to be healed and accompanied in grace. By knowing our areas of greatest weakness God can assist us to allow his light to shine and we discover that we do not walk this path alone. The sacrament of penance allows us to tell what is most troubling us and in that telling to discover that we can be healed and receive absolution. This is not a get out of jail free card but a way of allowing God to meet us in the place of our greatest weakness which reaches out to bring healing, forgiveness and reconciliation to others we meet.

My life for the life of the world

Jesus said:
"I am the living bread that came down from heaven;
whoever eats this bread will live forever;
and the bread that I will give
is my flesh for the life of the world."

The way the meet Jesus in the Eucharist overflows into our daily life. It is the most intimate of encounters where somebody shares their whole life with us so that we may discover what brings us life. This is not just a giving or receiving of something it is a giving and receiving of someone. This opens us the realisation that our lives have eternal worth and that this encounter changes everything. It is all too easy to see this as something we do rather than something we become. We receive Eucharist so that we can become one with Christ. We do not just do this as individuals but as a communion which draws us close to each other. Just as we reverence Jesus in the tabernacle so we should also reverence each other where Jesus becomes the tabernacle of our heart. As Augustine says, "It was in the flesh that Christ walked among us and it is His flesh that He has given us to eat for our salvation." When we genuflect to the tabernacle we honour how God calls us to be present to his saving grace which is for our good and the good of the whole world. We are called to be disciples of that grace which draws us closer to him and closer to each other.

Not at a distance!

How do we perceive God acting in our lives? This is at the heart of our understanding of the Trinity, One God, Three Persons. This truth can be clearly stated as fundamental to our faith but we can struggle to understand what it all means. We state this reality every weekend in the Mass when we proclaim the Creed. Yet it is important that we understand how it touches deeply how we relate to God and each other. There is a sense where at times we can see God at a distance from our lives but the Gospel tells us a different story. Jesus talks about the relationship as one being present to a loving Father in our time. This is a God who sees each life as having eternal worth and that we are all called to enter into that relationship. By given expression to that relationship in our lives, we seek to discover what saves and redeems others rather than condemning them. He gifts us with the Holy Spirit so that we can continue the Mission of building the kingdom of God. We are saved in and through the person of Christ.

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful!

Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them 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 heart of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy his consolations, Through Christ our Lord, Amen

The call to live a Christian life is reliant on receiving the Holy Spirit. The gifts of wisdom, understanding, counsel, courage, knowledge, reverence and wonder draws us into a closer union with God. They help us to experience that we do not live a life of splendid isolation but rather one which draws us deeper into the mystery of God. The gifts are entrusted to us to help us engage with life as it is and live in a way which gives expression to God’s love for the whole of creation.

As a Christian community this calls upon us to see how we manifest the gifts in our daily lives. The signs of the spirit are that it brings life not death to those who hear the Good News. It allows people to gain a deeper appreciation of how God is at work in their lives and the lives of those around them. It helps to sharpen our gaze to see what brings holiness and wholeness. What helps us to experience that the glory of God is a person fully alive!

A Domestic Jesus?

Has Jesus truly risen? This question hangs on how we respond to this question. Is it a matter of a historical event or a living reality? The Ascension brings these questions into sharper focus. We are called not just to believe because of what we have been told but who it is that we have experienced. Our faith is not a matter of just dusting off ancient tomes but it calls us into a living relationship with God. A God who cares so passionately about us that he does not want to see us destroy ourselves. At the heart of the matter is that we are called to see rightly so that our lives display what it means to be a disciple. To love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and your all your mind and to love your neighbour as yourself. This is not a faith which is only theoretically possible it is one of practically applying ourselves to the proclamation of the Gospel by how we live our lives. We are called to be people who gather to celebrate the Good News in Word and Sacrament so that we can live the mission of being his disciples in the world. We are called to be disciples in every place, in every nation and in every age,

To whom do we belong?

The question of ownership can often cause us to ask what belongs to us and what rights do we have to make claims over a particular item. We are called to recognise that in owing something we invest part of ourselves in what we own. This is not just a matter of sentimentality but rather a way of becoming aware that our lives have an impact on others. However, while we need to know our legal rights and obligations we also need to ensure that the very thing we own does not own us.We can easily see how the more we invest in something the more it can preoccupy our thoughts and actions. What we need to discern is how do I discover what and who truly brings me life? What the Gospel articulates is that our lives are not solely our own we are called into relationships with God and each other which share a mutual obligation. We are called to experience how our lives formed in the image and likeness of God make us coheirs to the Kingdom. This is not ours by right but by adoption. God calls us into a relationship which is radically liberating so that we can live as sons and daughters by discovering what truly brings us life.

Do you have a plan?

Do you have a plan? This question rings down to us over the ages. Many of us, like Thomas, want a clearly established guideline or policy document about what it means to Christian. This blueprint or how to document would point us in the right direction. We know that we have many documents which can help us to draw on the wisdom of those who have walked the pathways before us. There is a careful and prayerful study of scriptures, a seeking after the truths handed on to us in the catechism and there are also the teachings provided to us by theologians and Church leaders. Each of these sources can help to clarify both our thinking and things which we should consider in living lives which are faithful to the person of Christ. They help us to recognise that our faith is relational both with God and with each other. We do not enter into the pilgrimage as solitary individuals but as disciples who accompany each other along the way. Yet like Thomas, each of us is called to encounter the person of Christ and be prepared to live with our questions. Our faith is relational and draws its foundation with how we become Christian through our thinking, our praying and by our actions. This is not just an abstract commitment which wishes us into the presence of God but one which engages us more deeply with our own lived reality. We are called to be Christian not just in theory but in practice. This calls us to be people who reflect on our faith each day and discover how we meet the person of Jesus who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full!

I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full! Being guided to good pasture where we can be sustained is essential in living the Christian life. Jesus calls us to listen to his voice and his lead. He seeks us out so that we may discover what truly nourishes us. This comes about not just by our willingness to hear his voice but to find where it may lead us. It calls us to be people who are prayerful, attentive and aware of how God prompts us into action. This reflective stance of being open to God's guidance and to find out what truly fills us is at the heart of the Easter journey. It calls us to notice where God is present to us and invites us to discover how the Spirit is at work in our lives. Each day provides us with an opportunity to give thanks for the people we meet, in the place where we live, in the work that we do and in the times when we relax. In all things, we are called to be present to what brings life to us and to others.