Reflections

Laudato Si Week Prayers

Sunday: Parishes and Dioceses

Lord of Creation, we pray for our parishes and dioceses, that they may be attentive to the cry of the Earth and promote clean energy, ensure clean air and water for all, protect creation, especially its biodiversity and climate. May we and our parishes and dioceses re-discover our original vocation as carers of our common home and of one another.

Monday: Families
Lover of the poor, we pray for all families that they may be “the place in which life – the gift of God – can be properly welcomed and protected.” May families be especially attentive to the cry of the poor and work toward the fullness of life for all, especially for the most vulnerable and neglected members of our common home.

Tuesday: Economy
Provident God, help us bring “together the different fields of knowledge, including economics,” and promote “new models of integral development.” May we work towards a new economic paradigm at the service of common good, “leaving no one behind.”

Wednesday: Health Institutions
Caring God, we pray that our institutions, especially our hospitals and health care centers, grow in the capacity to care. May we all understand and value how concrete gestures and simple lifestyles make it possible for others to live and flourish.

Thursday: Educational Institutions
God of Knowledge and Virtue, assist us to “grow in solidarity, responsibility and compassionate care.” May our schools and universities, in particular, promote education that can help to restore “harmony within ourselves, with others, with nature and other living creatures, and with God.”

Friday: Groups and Organizations
Triune God, help our movements, non-governmental organizations, and communication centers develop a spirituality of global solidarity that flows from the mystery of who you are, an interconnected community of love.

Saturday: Religious Orders
God of communion, enable us to become communities of participatory action and advocacy, for the Earth and the poor. We ask you God to help our religious communities be prophetic servant leaders in the care of our common home and for the least among us.

The Sacred Gift of Creation

In 1854 Chief Seattle of the Duwamish Tribes of the Pacific Northwest  gave an uplifting speech to his people in response to a land treaty request from the American Government to buy native lands from him. The treaty was proposed by Isaac Stevens, the Governor of the Washington Territory and endorsed by President, Franklin Pierce. 

The following is an abridged version of the speech, written by Joanna Macy and Molly Brown in their wonderful book: ‘Coming Back to Life’

Part 2 All Things Share the Same Breath

The Great Chief sends word he will reserve us a place so that we can live comfortably to ourselves. He will be our father and we will be his children. 

So, we will consider your offer to buy our land. But it will not be easy. For this land is sacred to us. 

The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just our water but the blood of our ancestors. 

if we sell you our land, you must remember that it is sacred, and you must teach your children that it is sacred and that each ghostly reflection in the clear water of the lake tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The water’s murmur is the voice of my father’s father.

The rivers are our brothers, they quench our thirst.The rivers carry our canoes and feed our children. If we sell you our land, you must remember, and teach your children that the rivers are our brothers— and yours, and you must henceforth give the rivers the kindness you would give to any brother….

The air is precious to the red man, for all things share the same breath – the beast, the tree, the man, they all share the same breath. 

The white man does not seem to notice the air he breathes…..

The Sacred Gift of Creation

Part 1

Who was Jesus?

We know from listening to the Gospel stories that Jesus was a teacher whose whole life was one of service to the poor, the sick and the spiritually needy. He taught a people oppressed by the cruelty of the ruling Roman Empire.They were a suffering people, a downtrodden people, unable to find a means of escape from the hopelessness of their everyday lives.

We too, as followers of this same Jesus, want to do so much to help and support our suffering fellow human beings and, indeed, our endangered world. In the face of such an overwhelming task we all have a part to play but where do we start. What is it that God asking of us in our little corner of the world? 

As Christians, when we are troubled, it is natural for us to turn to Jesus. He, like us, was fully human. We can visualise in our human minds what he may have looked like. We feel we have a relationship with him. We keep him close within our hearts. He knows first hand the difficulties we face and so in times of need and in times of joy we turn to him in prayer.

But if we are really serious about following in his footsteps we need a better understanding of who he was. Let’s start with a historical look at Jesus

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Part 2

Life in Nazareth

Regular droughts often meant a poor harvest which made life difficult in the small town of Nazareth in Lower Galilee where Jesus lived with Mary and Joseph. Their home was primitive, built of clay and probably consisted of one dark room where the family and the animals lived together. 

A few families would share an outside open area where women would grind the grain, cook and bake bread. He had seen the women patch clothes, sweep with palm fronds in search of a coin lost in the corner and he would know where to place a candle to get the best light. He knew how women were watched over by the men of the family; how they were expected to be chaste, obedient and say little.

In other words, he knew about life. 

Reputation was all important and family scandals would not be tolerated. When Jesus left home at the age of 30yrs it would have brought shame to the family in his community. It was expected that  family members remain within the patriarchal clan to ensure safety and security in what was undoubtedly a very dangerous and threatening environment.

‘He left with no plan to get a job. He was virtually a vagabond with no fixed employment, performing exorcisms and strange healings and proclaiming a disturbing message without authorisation……They even went to find him because people were saying  ‘he has gone out of his mind.’ José Pagola’

There is no evidence to suggest that Jesus had any formal education. Most peasant families could not read or write. Jesus and his parents, however, would attend the synagogue on the Sabbath to listen to scripture being read and he would go with them, on occasion, to the Temple in Jerusalem. We certainly know he had more than a firm grasp and understanding of scriptural texts. St Luke tells us that, on a visit to the Temple at the age of 12, his parents went looking for him:

‘After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.’ Luke 2:46,47

Jesus, like all Jewish children, was brought up to follow the Law of Moses which consisted of 613 rules about how Jewish people were expected to live their lives. He never abandoned the Law. He simply had another way of presenting it. He knew it was necessary to follow the Law in many areas of life but it was not always the best way to experience the abundant mercy and compassion of a loving God who asks us to love our enemies and love our neighbour as ourselves.

He could see for example, that, although the law says :’Thou shalt not kill’, nothing was done to prevent the poor from being brought to their knees by injustice, terrorised by fear and treated with the utmost cruelty and violence. 

Jesus taught that God was Our Father; a God who lived among his people who cared for all of his creation and who wanted all peoples to be included and happy.

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Part 3

Jesus Leaves Home

Jesus’ family must have been devastated when he decided at the age of 30 years to leave home. We do not know the circumstances that led to him making this decision. He simply seemed to leave his home, his mother, his trade, his family group and his close community . He didn’t to go off to find a new job, to study scripture or even to be near to the Temple in Jerusalem. He didn’t seem to have a particular plan. 

Led by the Spirit, he knew it was time to go. He just wandered off to a place near the River Jordan, known as the wilderness, to be alone, to meditate, to be silent, to find his real self and to take time to experience God’s presence deep within his human soul.

We too need time in the ‘wilderness’; time to be alone in God’s presence; time for quiet listening and searching in the depths of our very being; time to allow the Spirit to transform us. 

To truly experience God’s presence we need to find that quiet space and that quiet time every day of our lives. 

Jesus was moving from the first part of life which had given him stability, security, structure and a high standard of virtue and morality. He had been nurtured within a loving family and morning and night they would confess their faith in one God:

‘Hear O Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and  with all your mind.’  Deuteronomy 6:4

Now with that firm foundation in place, he was ready and confident enough to enter the next part of life where he would make his own decisions, think for himself, search for truth, and take time to discover who he really was. 

Making the journey to maturity requires of us all, immense sacrifice. To leave a place of safety, to be led into situations we would prefer not to enter, to be with people we may not wish to share time with and to begin to question what seemed always to be true, can be a lonely and painful experience. It is then we need to lean hard on a firm foundation. 

Unfortunately, many people, through no fault of their own, have a weak foundation and others prefer to remain in that first secure stage of life. It’s an easier place be; but if we remain there we will never experience a life of true fulfilment. 

Jesus was willing to make enormous sacrifices. With a burning desire to change direction he gave himself over to God; even although he knew he would bring pain and shame to his beloved family. He knew something had to change. 

He had to find out what God was asking of him.

What is God asking of me?

Shortly after leaving home and without an obvious plan going forward, Jesus arrived at the River Jordan where he met up with his beloved cousin, John the Baptist. 

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Part 4

 John the Baptist and Jesus

John the Baptist created his own small religious group by the shores of the River Jordan: the place where Joshua, around 1250 BC, led the people of God to the promised land. 

His ‘clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.’ Matthew 3:4

He was disciplined, fasted, had high standards of morality and expected the same of his followers. Jesus was later accused of not being like John because he ate with sinners and drunkards. 

He didn’t want to be part of the corrupt society he could see taking place in Jerusalem. 

As far as John was concerned all the rituals and temple services had failed to transform the people. He witnessed for himself the hypocrisy of many temple priests who preached the law but did not abide by it. He could also see how downtrodden the peasant people were under the cruel Roman authorities and he empathised with their suffering. 

He knew the people needed something more. He wanted them to change for the better, to be transformed and so find joy in Yahweh; a God of love and forgiveness.

‘People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan.Confessing their sins, they were baptised by him in the Jordan River.’ Matthew 3:5-6

John was part of the Old Covenant between God and the early Jewish people. He did not live long enough to experience the joys of Redemption – the New Covenant – but, like Jesus, he preached about the Kingdom of God and he prepared a people for the Messiah’s coming:

“Repent, for the Kingdom of God is near.” Matthew 3:2. 

Jesus admired John saying that he was more than a prophet:

‘No man born of woman is greater than John the Baptist.’

This humble, priestly man didn’t have whole message. He was a transitional figure. 

‘After me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.’  Matthew 3:11

When Jesus arrived on the scene, John knew it was time for him to take a back seat: the Kingdom of God was about to be revealed:

‘This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the Lord,

    make straight paths for him.’ Matthew 3:3

John knew he had only a part of the message but God still loved him and used him just as he loves and uses us today. We don’t have to know and understand everything perfectly.  What we need to know is that Jesus had the full message – the message of LOVE. He uses us, his present day disciples, to bring that message to all we meet by the way we live our lives.

Will we be like those corrupt temple priests or will we follow in the footsteps of John?

John was brave. He called out sin when he saw it. He was in prison for criticising Herod for marrying his brother’s wife when Herod ordered him to be beheaded as a present for his wife’s daughter. 

John’s violent death had a profound effect on Jesus. His followers were in despair but Jesus knew that God would never abandon his people. It was time to step up. It was time to proclaim the Good News.

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Part 5: The Ministry of Jesus

From the quiet solitude of the desert wilderness to the open countryside and busy Galilean towns, Jesus set about offering an invitation from God, his loving Father, to ALL who would listen.

He was asking them to come and hear the Good News. The news that God was a God of love, a God of healing, a God of mercy, a God of compassion, a God of forgiveness, an inclusive God.

Through parables and stories he taught them to see another way of living; a way that would free them from insecurity and anxiety if only they would put their trust in him. Their present world was a world of fear, a world of violence, a world of punishment, a world of unfair taxes, a world of hunger, a world of guilt, a world of feeling unworthy. They were like lost sheep.

‘The Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost.’ Luke 19:10

It wasn’t only the poor who were in need of healing. The educated scribes, the learned Pharisees, the rich and famous of the day, who always seemed to be in control of their  seemingly wonderful lives, were also in pain. They were responsible for the unreasonable laws imposed on people that brought terrible suffering.

‘Those who are responsible for other people’s suffering have no inner peace.’ Viktor Frankl

God was not looking to condemn them. He was not a God of retribution. He wanted them to be restored. It was time to be healed. It was time, through Jesus, to put their trust in God’s way: fairness, justice, peace and forgiveness. 

Considering the stark reality of life in Palestine, Jesus’ message must have appeared  completely ridiculous and impossible to achieve;  – does this sound familiar to us today ?- but as St Paul says:

‘God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom.’ 1 Cor 1:25 

It seemed as though Jesus was turning their world upside down, but, in fact, we know a more accurate way of describing it would be to say that Jesus was turning the world right way up; love your enemies -turn the other cheek -forgive seventy seven times seven – do not judge.

‘Jesus was able to do the things he did because he put all his trust in God. And the lives of others were transformed when they learned how to trust God.’ Albert Nolan

Faith is required of us too. Can we put all our trust in God? 

Jesus ignored the harsh rules that imposed those unbearable burdens on the people. He called out and criticised the Jewish priests but he never condemned any one person. 

He touched the lepers, he dined with prostitutes and tax collectors, he was kind to the women and little children who were so used to being scorned, and he cured the sick. He didn’t care about status. From beggar to king he treated everyone as equals in his eyes and in the eyes of his Abba.

‘Blessed are you who are poor.’ Luke 6:20.  

‘Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.” Luke 13:30

The significance of Jesus teachings still resonate with us today and should shock us out of our prejudices.

Soon Jesus was talking about the Reign of God whose Kingdom was not an earthly kingdom but a spiritual kingdom. He told them, ‘The Kingdom of God is within you.’ Luke 17:20

‘He spoke from his heart – the heart of God.’ José Pagola’

 Can you imagine how much Jesus angered the priests of the day?

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Part 6 : Jesus Pays the Price

Jesus was playing a dangerous game when he consistently criticised the scribes and the Pharisees for their behaviour and attitudes towards the poor. He called them out for their own good saying:

‘…outwardly (you) appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.’ Matthew 23:28

He wanted them to open their eyes and become aware of their ‘inner shadow’, that ‘small self’ at work within them.  He rebuked them for the unreasonable tithes they demanded from the peasant class who had barely enough food to enable them to feed their families.

‘Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness.’ Matthew 23:23

He insisted that love was more important than the law which they used to: 

‘.. tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, whilst they themselves (were) not willing to move them with their finger. ‘Matthew 23:4 

And so, over many months, his tragic end was building up as he went about his Father’s business.

The threats did not come from the ordinary people. Most of them were only too happy to listen to his message of hope and of God’s overflowing love for them. They desperately needed a change in their situation and he promised them that. He spoke about his plan for the Reign of God and it uplifted them and opened up a whole new and brighter world for them. 

The threats didn’t even come from the Romans who couldn’t care less about his teachings so long as he didn’t incite violence, an uprising or political instability. 

Ironically, the threats came from the religious leaders, the very people who should have been encouraging love of God and love of neighbour. Their only concern was that, if this man continued to gain popularity, they would lose their religious and political powers. 

Those of us who should know better, particularly religious leaders, take note and beware!

The claims he made, the miracles he performed, the people he socialised with and the lack of respect he appeared to have for their religious traditions, along with his harsh criticism of them, all contributed to their determination to get rid of him. They were not prepared to have their way of life endangered by this itinerant peasant pest.

He was a marked man. They wanted him dead.

Are we prepared to be ‘called out’ for our lack of awareness of our ‘shadow’ or ‘small self’ at work?

Perhaps when he scattered the tables of the sellers in the temple he had gone a step too far. He knew then he was in danger and before long he was arrested, unfairly tried and condemned to crucifixion; the cruel sentence meted out to the worst of all criminals.  

It was through his excruciatingly painful and humiliating death that this gentle, humble and loving Son of God willingly shed his last drop of blood. He did not undergo such suffering to change God’s love for us. He did so to change our love for God. 

Do we help make it a worthwhile or pointless sacrifice?

After his death, it must have appeared to his disciples that the game was up. It was all over. Jesus had failed. There would be no reign of God after all. Their hopes had been completely dashed. 

UNTIL!!!

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Final Part: A New and Glorious Beginning

In the aftermath and awfulness of the brutal crucifixion of Jesus, his disciples fled. They were terrified. Some even left town in fear of being arrested and, as the Gospels tell us, his apostles hid themselves away in a room with the doors and windows barred. It was all over!  BUT:

‘When you stay on course you will end up blessed.’ Psalm 119:1

 It was the women who stayed the course and bravely ventured out to tend to the body on that first Easter Day. Imagine their shock and distress when they found the empty tomb. Mary Magdalene ran to tell the men who came an entered the tomb. In her grief, she spotted a man nearby whom she thought was a gardener who asked:

‘Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you seeking?’

Desperate to find Jesus she pleaded:

‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ John 20:15

Apparently this man neither looked nor sounded like Jesus. Only when he spoke her name, ‘Mary,’ did she recognise him. He then asked her not to cling to him. She no longer needed to hold on to him. She belonged to him. We too belong to him.

Be still and listen for his voice.

‘The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and he leads them out.’ John 10:3

The disciples at different times and in different places began to experience a visible presence of the Risen Jesus: The Christ.

‘Let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.’Acts 2:22

On the evening of that first Easter Day he appeared to them in the room saying, ‘Peace be with you.’ John 20:19. They didn’t seem to recognise him until he showed them his Sacred wounds.

In John 21:12 they found him on the shore cooking breakfast but they did not recognise him until he took the bread and the fish and gave it to them.

In Luke 24:13-35 two disciples on the Road to Emmaus did not recognise the stranger who journeyed with them. They did not know him by his appearance or even as he set their hearts on fire by the words of scripture he spoke. They only recognised him at table when he broke the bread.

‘Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him, and he disappeared from their sight.’ Luke 24:30

Jesus had not come back to biological life as Lazarus did. His rising was not into human life that would eventually die. He was raised from the dead by his Father to God’s Eternal Life. 

God had not forsaken him when he cried out in agony from the Cross: 

‘My God, my God why have you forsaken me.’ Matthew 27:46

It was when had reached rock bottom and surrendered his Spirit crying out: ‘Into your hands I commend my spirit’ (Luke 23:46) that his beloved Father was there, and with an abundance of overflowing love he received God’s Eternal Life. 

‘He was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power.’ 2 Cor 13:4

And so God is here with us in this present moment, at all times and forever. When we reach out to him he showers us with that same overflowing love especially when we have reached rock bottom and have only our spirit left to surrender.

There is no doubt that something transformational happened that empowered these frightened, ordinary men and women to pull down the physical barriers and venture out to face immanent danger. They found the courage they needed to go forth and proclaim the Reign of God.

‘…the weak will be raised powerful.’ (1 Corinthians 15:44).

They now truly believed that, as St Paul said of his own transformation,

‘It is no longer I who live, but God lives in me.’ Galatians 2:20

 If we enter this Mystery in faith, and trust that God lives in us and nourishes and strengthens us at his eucharistic table, we too, through the power of his Holy Spirit, will find the courage to cope with our ‘crucifixions’ and allow them to transform us.  

God was now acting in a new way in the world.

Jesus is the map, the blueprint, the promise and the pledge. 

He is The Gospel of Love and he asks us to follow him. 

We do not journey alone. ‘God is as available as the breath we breathe.’ Fr R. Rohr

On Sunday 19 December 2021 during the 9.30 Mass in St Ninian’s Church the children of both parishes are going to stage a

‘No-one who has ever trusted in the Lord is put to shame.’ Psalm 25:1