June 17th: Gospel: Mark 4:26-34

From small seeds:

The parable of the mustard seed seems pretty straight forward at first glance, but as always there is more to it than first meets the eye. Jesus did not compare the Kingdom of God to a majestic tree. There is an ancient text which forbade planting mustard seeds in Palestinian gardens because the shrub takes over wherever it is planted. It is wild, gets out of control, and attracts unwanted birds. The Kingdom of God grows from something small to something large, but more than that, its growth is overwhelming and it will grow even where it is not wanted. Author and activist, Shane Claiborne, compares it to kudzu, a wild vine that could blanket entire mountain areas, smother trees, even crack cement buildings.

People of Jesus’ time may have preferred the image of the lofty ‘cedars of Lebanon’ to explain God’s kingdom, where the nations could build nests like the eagles do. Now that image may have gotten a few cheers from the crowd! Mustard plants however, only stand a few feet tall. Jesus is turning the ideals of power and triumph on their head again. The image we have here is of the birds who find a home in this little shrub which cannot be curtailed. It will grow even where it is not wanted. Watch out this week for glimpses of this ‘mustard seed’ Kingdom, quietly growing. 

Sunday 10th June 2018 Gospel: “He has gone out of his mind”

In the Gospel today we hear that Jesus made a visit home. Word about this radical Teacher had gotten around and the religious leaders are not happy. In an effort to protect their son and brother, Jesus’ family try to restrain Him in order to protect Him. The people who have gathered try to dismiss Jesus’ teachings saying that he has ‘gone out of his mind’.  The religious leaders even go so far as to say that He is possessed by a demon! Perhaps their way of explaining away someone that they could not cope with. Who in our society today is explained away? Who do we wish would stop speaking out because it makes us uncomfortable? Who do we know who is speaking the truth and yet is dismissed by those in authority? Who tries to silence others?

One of the criticisms of Christians today is that we are not Christ-like or we are no longer challenged by the Gospel message. Sometimes it is easier to ‘keep your head down’. But Jesus knows that in order to bring change, to work for God’s Kingdom of love and justice and peace, this involves sticking your head above the parapet, whether that be in our communities, our families or in our church. 

“I began to wonder if anyone still believed Jesus meant those things He said. I thought if we just stopped and asked ‘what if He really meant it?’ it could turn the world upside down. It is a shame Christians have become so normal.”  (Shane Claiborne, The Irresistible Revolution)

June 3rd 2018 Corpus Christi

On the feast of Corpus Christi we celebrate the gift of the Eucharist. It was one of the last actions of Jesus to give us this nourishment for our life journey, to remember Him and to help us to live out His teachings in our daily lives.

As Christ’s followers we are all called to change from within so that we can be part of the building of a Kingdom of love, justice and peace in this world, so that we ourselves are transformed in some way. The Eucharist, as Pope Francis says, “is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak”. It is a call for all of us to grow and to share with one another Christ’s message of love and peace. The Eucharist sustains us on this Christian path and brings us together as sisters and brothers travelling together on this journey of faith. We should leave this table changed by the encounter, a little lighter, a little more hopeful and joyful, a little stronger. In a movie I saw recently there was a line which said ‘the world will only change as we change’. The Eucharist invites us to this transformation. Because “in the Eucharist, God comes to us not from above, but from within. In the Eucharist the whole cosmos gives thanks to God… it is itself an act of cosmic love... The Eucharist joins heaven and earth; it embraces and penetrates all creation.” (Pope Francis, Laudato Si).