April 23rd 2017 ~ 2nd Sunday of Easter (Jn20:19-31)

Shalom

The disciples in today’s Gospel must have been so excited to tell Thomas their news: “We have seen the Lord”. Sometimes, when we try to share something of our faith experience with others, we can meet similar responses – doubting, cynicism - we can even be made fun of. The Risen Jesus bears the wounds of his suffering and even invites Thomas to touch them, to get in touch with the reality of his suffering. We might recall times when we have been overwhelmed by pain but looking back on those times we can see that they sometimes brought us to a different place, to new life. Perhaps today recall those times of ‘wounded-ness’ – and hear Jesus’s ‘Peace be with you’, the promise that He is with you. The word “Peace” (Shalom) is more than a wish for a good evening or peaceful day. It expresses the desire that the person receiving the blessing might be whole in body, mind and spirit. The Risen Jesus brings a peace that is life-giving. The disciples were locked away, afraid, closed off from the world. When Jesus is present with them, their hearts are opened again, they rejoice. The risen Jesus in today’s Gospel moves the disciples from total fear and despair to ‘rejoicing’. The same risen Jesus is active in all our lives and in the world around us.

“Life will always prevail, through all the layers of death in which we try to contain it.” Margaret Silf.

April 16th 2017 Easter Sunday (John 20:1-9)

In today’s Gospel Mary Magdalen is highlighted as the woman who is the first witness of the resurrection. Mary and the two disciples must have been very confused and upset as they tried to understand what had happened to Jesus’s body. Reading this story can bring many emotions for us: fear and confusion at death, or even a feeling of euphoria and joy at the realisation that death is not the end. If we have lost a loved one, we might feel comforted in the knowledge that we will be reunited with them once more. Jesus comes into situations of despair, disappointment and doubt and, as with Mary after this incident, comes in the form of a stranger, gently calling her name. The Risen Lord seems to meet us in familiar territory, where we least expect it.

We might ask the Lord today for the strength and courage to allow him to break into our lives once more, to help us to be free of whatever it is that causes ‘death’ in our lives, to help us to let go, to be open to recognising him in our most painful moments and in the most familiar places.

 “God of openness, of life and of resurrection, Come into this Easter season and bless me. Look around at the tight, dead spaces of my heart. Bring your gentle but firm love… Open me. Open me. Open me. For it is only then I will grow and change, for it is only then that I will be transformed. For it is only then that I will know how it is. To be in the moment of rising from the dead.” (Joyce Rupp)

April 9th 2017 ~ Palm Sunday

Today we read Matthew’s account of the death of Jesus; yes it is the long Gospel but we should not miss out on the journey that spending time with this account offers. As you read perhaps you might notice the various characters and their roles, their words and actions. A good question to ask as we enter into this text is “Where do I stand”? Are you looking on as a bystander, are you in the group of disciples or some other character: Pilate? Pilate’s wife? Perhaps it is a more difficult journey as you relate to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, a Jesus who is ‘grieved’ because of many things: isolation, the disappointment he must feel because of the abandonment of his friends, betrayal, loneliness, mocking, torture? This is not an easy journey. We know the story does not end here, but for this week we enter into the reality of betrayal, trial, suffering and death.  

We might remember today those who stand for justice, those who are counter-cultural, those who stand against oppressive systems even though the path is often dangerous and lonely. We might recall times we felt betrayed, abandoned or times we were in despair.

Try to return to this text during the week, perhaps reading a small section each day as we continue to ask ourselves: “Where do I stand?”

April 2nd 5th Sunday of Lent: Come forth Lazarus

In today’s Gospel Jesus is surrounded by a culture of death. The disciples are afraid to go back to Bethany, the Jews want to stone Jesus to death, Mary and Martha are distraught over the death of their brother Lazarus, and Lazarus himself lies bound in the darkness of the tomb. It appears as if there is no hope. Jesus weeps for his friend and for those around him. Yet, surrounded by a culture of violence and despair, Jesus gives hope, compassion, and resurrection to those in turmoil. It is easy to say that nothing can be done when we are faced with difficult situations in our own lives. Yet Jesus says ‘Lazarus, come out” and to the people he says “Unbind him, let him go.” It is a message for all of us to come away from a culture of death; to help unbind one another and to also allow ourselves to emerge from the tomb. We are called to take away the stone. Today’s Gospel is a story of liberation. Jesus gives a new insight into the power of faith over death.

 “Hope means to keep living amid desperation and to keep humming in the darkness.
Hope is knowing that there is love, it is trust in tomorrow, it is falling asleep and waking
to work when the sun rises. In the midst of a gale at sea, it is to discover land. In the eyes of another, it is to see understanding. As long as there is hope,
there will also be prayer. And God will be holding you in his loving hands.”(Henri Nouwen)