The cry of abandonment on the cross has to be one of the most
frightening aspects of this account: “Eloi, Eloi Lema Sabbachtani?” My God, my
God, why have you deserted me? At the
crucial moment, even God is silent. This is not an easy journey. We know the story
does not end there, but for this week we enter into the rawness of Mark’s
cross. We can remember those today who stand for justice, who fight for human
rights, those who are counter-cultural, who stand against oppressive systems
even though the path is dangerous and lonely. And we can continue to ask
ourselves: “Where do I stand?”
Ramblings of a Climate Pilgrim... In October 2018 I embarked on a 1,000km walking pilgrimage to COP24, the UN Climate Summit. Here are some thoughts before, during and after.
Saturday, 28 March 2015
Palm Sunday 2015
Today we read Mark’s account of Jesus’ Passion; yes it is the
long Gospel but we should not miss out on the journey that this account offers
us. A good question to ask is “Where do I stand” in this Gospel? Are you
looking on as a bystander, are you in the group of disciples, are you closer to
the Roman Soldier who confesses Jesus’s identity after his death ~ an unlikely
hero? Perhaps it is a more difficult journey as you relate to Jesus in the
Garden of Gethsemane, a Jesus who is ‘distressed’ and ‘agitated’ because of
many things: isolation, the disappointment he must feel because of the
abandonment of his closest friends, betrayal, loneliness, mocking, torture?
Mark has Jesus die in total isolation.
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Fifth Sunday in Lent: John 12:20-33 “Now the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified”
There is a very short
parable in today’s Gospel describing a seed which has fallen on the ground and eventually
dies. It may remain a single seed or it may yield a rich harvest. This concept
of losing what one has to give way to something new and life giving is
frightening for some. We get so attached and lifestyle changes are tough.
In this passage Jesus
knows that his hour has come; this is his crisis moment. But Jesus’ time of
anguish moves from a cry of ‘save me’ to one of glorifying God ‘let it be as You not I would have it’. We
are at an ‘hour’ in terms of climate justice. This is the time where big
decisions and commitments must be made and there is no other option but to opt
for life; to listen to God’s will, not ours. The priorities of wealthy nations
must change, must turn outward and take risks if we are all to experience peace
and security.
We remember the horrendous
storms which battered Ireland last year and which will continue to do so as our
climates change. We are called to be stewards of the earth, ‘everything has been entrusted to our
protection, and all of us are responsible for it’ (Pope Francis).
For us to
be true stewards means campaigning for legislation at national level and
different choices at a personal level.
“I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in
economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: Let us
be protectors of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature,
protectors of one another and of the environment.” Pope Francis.
Sunday, 8 March 2015
Zeal for your house will consume me ~ Third Sunday of Lent (John 2:13-25)
You can understand why Jesus is angry with those selling
goods in the market place. The
goods sold in the Temple markets were used in sacrifices so that people could meet the requirements to be ‘closer’ to God. This model needed challenging. They
have turned what should be a place of sacredness into a place where what is
important is monetary value and exclusion. Jesus
is ‘overcome’ with fierce love and passion because of the injustice he sees
before him.
What temples have
we turned into market places today? Our world is driven by consumerism and
profit at the expense of our environment and at the expense of the resources of
the world’s poorest people. The Book of Creation is now speaking to us to stop
making this house a market place. We don’t have to look too far to see how
climate change is having adverse affects on our weather systems here in Ireland
and in the poorest regions of the world.
Let us pray this
Sunday that ‘zeal for Your house will consume’ us and that we will take the
necessary steps to ensure a more sustainable world for all. World leaders
are working towards a global treaty on climate change but they are not agreed
on how to cut emissions to sufficient levels in order to reduce global
temperatures. They need encouragement.
“May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that we may work for justice, freedom, and peace. May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, hunger, and war, so that we may reach out our hands to comfort them and turn their pain into joy. And may God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in this world, so that we can do what others claim cannot be done, to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor”. (Franciscan Blessing)
Coming down the mountain ~ Second Sunday of Lent (Mark 9:2-10)
We journey to the mountain top in the Gospel this
Sunday as Jesus invites Peter, James and John to join him and be witnesses to his
transfiguration; to seeing Jesus for who he really is. The people of Sebeya in
Ethiopia once lived in a region where mountain tops were green and covered in
vegetation. Today, the people of Sebeya are confused as to why their rains have
stopped and why a land once full of vegetation is now dry. The people of Sebeya
live a simple life and have played no part in causing their weather systems to
change. They are experiencing the effects of climate change, the cause of which
lies with the lifestyles of rich nations thousands of miles away. This is a
great injustice.
When we read today’s Gospel we can see Peter who is desperate to stay on the mountain in that blissful moment with Jesus, so much so that he offers to build tents. But Jesus’ way is different to what Peter may have had in mind at the time. The mountain is far more comfortable whereas Jesus’ way involves coming down from the mountain and walking a very different path. We hear the call to act on climate justice everywhere but now we need to really listen and to take urgent action. Yes it involves making changes to our lifestyles, yes it involves campaigning our governments who are slow to act. The damage caused by countries in the Global North will soon become irreversible. We start with ourselves, with small acts in the hope that the Kings’ and Presidents of the world will follow.
“Creation is not a property, which we can rule over at will; or, even
less, is the property of only a few: Creation is a gift, it is a wonderful gift
that God has given us, so that we care for it and we use it for the benefit of
all, always with great respect and gratitude.” Pope Francis
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