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.

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?”

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.

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

First Sunday of Lent ~ Mark 1: 9-15 "Urgent Wilderness"

The Gospel today sends us out into the ‘wilderness’. It may be a daunting concept with the ‘wild beasts’ but we need not worry. This short passage from Mark is clear about who is in charge; it is the Spirit who sends. Very often we need some ‘wilderness’ to help us stop and reflect on our lives and where we are going. In this sense Lent can be a very special season for many people and the Gospel texts offer a particular richness that invite us to transformation and real change. Each Lent we are invited to choose life; to choose the things that are life giving for us and to clear out the blocks that stand in our way.

This year we are asked to engage with the urgent issue of Climate Justice as Trocaire’s Lenten Campaign brings us to the ‘cradle of humanity’: Ethiopia. When we picture this amazing country we probably think of images of famine or hunger. This biased image does not do justice to what is a vibrant country with a reputation for amazing landscapes, an ancient culture, a diversity of languages and food; its unique Christian churches and saints. 

We are invited into this beautiful land this Lent, to listen to people’s stories, to hear their struggles and to think deeply about the kind of world we want for generations to come. Climate Change is having disastrous effects for people all over the world and we are having a direct impact with Ireland the second highest polluter per capita  in the EU. If we do anything this Lent, please let us think about how we can live more sustainable lives. There is a lot to reflect on as we enter the wilderness. 

“I wonder if I’ve been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I’m not the same, the next question is ‘Who in the world am I?’ Ah, that’s the great puzzle!” ( Lewis Carrol)

The Holy Family (Luke 2:22-40)

Simeon and Anna have been waiting for God’s promise to be fulfilled. They represent all that has happened in Israel’s history before this moment. What kind of Messiah were they expecting? Simeon had been assured that he would not die before this moment came and he is there to welcome this family who must have seemed ‘ordinary’ and poor. Simeon can see that this child will be ‘a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory of your people Israel’. Already there is a note of reversal; of boundaries being stretched. Mary is told that this child ‘is destined for the fall and the rising of many’. There will be trouble ahead; there will be challenges for many. Simeon knows that many thoughts will be exposed, what people really think will be revealed, who they welcome and who they exclude will be challenged; for God’s invitation and welcome has no boundaries. Anna rejoices for all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. In this statement she knows that this child will overturn systems of oppression and exclusion.

Luke is interested in how humanity responds to the Gospel. If Jesus’ message is really good news, then this requires a shakeup; a shakeup which challenges comfortable assumptions about the way God works. God’s abundant invitation to all may not sit comfortably with many. While Anna prays and fasts for a change of heart in the way Jerusalem operates, Simeon warns Mary that this will not be an easy road.

Let us go now to Bethlehem (Luke 2:1-14)

If you were to put together a guest list for the birth of the Messiah 2000 years ago, many would find it completely unbelievable and shocking that the shepherds would be included. Shepherding was a disreputable trade; shepherds were outcasts, considered ‘unclean’ because of their profession. People instead would have expected political leaders like Caesar Augustus, religious leaders such as the Chief Priests and the Pharisees and so on. Yet for Luke, the shepherds are the first to hear the Gospel of Jesus and they are the first ‘preachers’ of the Good News. At first they were terrified, but the angels reassured them: ‘do not be afraid’. The response of the shepherds was immediate: ‘let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing which has taken place’.

Jesus did not find hospitality in his own city, yet he will be the one who will show the abundance of God’s hospitality. The poor, the marginalised, the outcast will be the first to experience it and the shepherds come in their name. We are told that people were amazed by the shepherds and their words. Their journey didn’t end in Bethlehem, for them it was perhaps only the beginning as they returned ‘glorifying and praising God’. We are invited to Bethlehem today, to open up our hearts to the One who has come to bring hope and joy. And we return, like the shepherds ‘glorifying and praising God for all they have seen and heard’. Shalom.

Fourth Sunday of Advent (Luke 1:26-38)

We sometimes distance ourselves from the real encounter in today's Gospel. As Margaret Silf notes, we sometimes “put Mary into a glass case, surround her with flowers, and avoid the personal consequences of this moment”. And there could have been very severe consequences for Mary, even death by stoning. Mary’s yes is an example of completely surrendering to God’s will. She surrenders her motherhood, her entire life to God.

We can think today of those who mother against the odds in our world. In places where there is no food, no clean water, the threat of disease, of torture; those who watch their children suffer from addiction or violence. And we remember those who are the angel Gabriel’s of the world, bringing good news and hope that ‘nothing is impossible’.

“Hail Mary, woman of Nazareth, home maker, cleaner, preparer of food, fetcher of water, God is with you in your everyday excursions in this ordinary town. Blessed are you among women and blessed indeed are women in their everyday lives, in the confines of family life, in the ambivalence of decision making, in the silences and blessed are the fruits of all our labours”. Janet Lees

‘A witness to speak for the light' ~ Third Sunday of Advent 2014

There is so much darkness around us: in the church, in the troubled parts of the world, in our own families and even in our own hearts. It is easy to become cynical. The Gospel today tells us that John the Baptist was someone who was ‘a witness to speak for the light.’ He gave hope to people. We can think of many people in society today who witness to the light. One that comes to mind is Malala Yousafzai. Malala was shot by the Taliban on her way to school in Pakistan. She was targeted for speaking out on the rights of women to education. She has said: “We realise the importance of our voices only when we are silenced. I was shot on a Tuesday at lunchtime, one bullet, one gunshot heard around the world.” Malala was in her chemistry class when she heard she was to be the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. She celebrated by going on to a physics class.

Look around your families and communities and you will see many who witness to the light. We each have the capacity to do the same, however dark the situation may be. The Gospel challenge is to bring hope and good news. We should take example from the Malala’s of the world.
“They bear witness to the rest of us that somewhere in the dark a light always shines, a light that darkness cannot overpower, and therefore we can all believe again.” Michel de Verteuil.

Advent 2 (Mark 1:1-8) "Prepare a way"

John the Baptist is an interesting character. He was not someone who kept up with the latest fashion. We are told he wore strange clothes, ate insects and lived in the desert. And yet John was very popular as we hear that ‘all of Judea’ came to him. There was obviously something very attractive about John. People could see something in him; something that inspired them; something that gave them hope. John is clear that he is not the one they are looking for; rather he is someone who is pointing to the one they are looking for. John shows the way for people, he is a signpost to God.

The world says to God, ‘we no longer need you, we know what is best’. And then we look at the wilderness of our modern world and hear the voice of one crying, “Prepare a way”. How do we prepare for welcoming God’s love into our hearts? God is crying out for us to welcome him again and again. It is us who are blocked; we put so many things in the way. John is urging us to clear the path, to let go of all the things that are preventing us from experiencing God’s love. John is calling people out from despair into hopefulness.

First Sunday of Advent 2014

You know that feeling of waiting for something or someone? It is a feeling of excitement or maybe anxiety. It can be a creative time, a time of high alert, where we may even be more aware of ourselves. Our senses are heightened especially when we are waiting for important news or results or waiting on a loved one to call or to arrive. Waiting is not always seen as a good thing but it can be a time for growth. And so, we enter into the season of waiting: Advent.

These weeks are weeks of great hope and joy and we celebrate God entering into our lives once more. This short passage from Mark reminds us to be alert, to use this time to prepare. What will our preparations be like? God is with us in many different ways, trying to catch our attention in the midst of our crazy, busy days. As we fight our way through the queues in the coming weeks, can we use 5 minutes, 7 minutes, 20 mins… to stop, be still, to ask God to enter into our hearts and lives once more.

What kind of King?

The Feast of Christ the King is the final Sunday in the liturgical calendar. To understand more fully what this feast means we need to lay aside a lot of the cultural baggage about Kings and Kingdoms. Jesus’ Kingship is very different to the kind we are familiar with. There are no trappings, no palaces, no pomp and ceremony. The picture painted by today’s Gospel shows us Jesus as a King who is found in those considered to be on the very fringes of society. This passage comes at the end of Matthew’s Gospel and it is a challenge, a call to be Christ to others and to see Christ in others.

With so much brokenness in the world, so much unrest, so much war and displacement, the Christian community are called to him by giving our own lives in service to those around us; we are called to be transformative through radical solidarity. There are no shortage of causes, whether it be Gaza, Iraq, Syria, climate justice, austerity, local poverty, visiting the sick or those in prison, community initiatives… Jesus’ Kingdom is built on a different kind of foundation.

“If now we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten how to see God in one another. If each person saw God in his neighbour, do you think we would need guns and bombs?” Mother Teresa

Talents ~ Sunday 16th November

The parable we read today is not a lesson in capitalism. We must bear in mind that Jesus is frustrated with those who had been entrusted with ministering to His people. They had excluded the people and laid heavy burdens upon them. When we read the parable in this sense we can understand the exasperation of the Master. The talents should have been used to transform people’s lives; used for embracing those on the margins; for standing up against injustice and inequality in the world. Yet many were afraid or blind to this, so they hid the talents and did not multiply them. It is a safer place to be.

Compare this outcome to the other servants. There is a beautiful verse in both cases which reads “enter into the joy of your master”. Is this not what happens when we find that path that is right for us? Joy! When we use our talents and gifts in work or projects that are life giving and meeting the needs of our communities? Joy is a fantastic emotion; a sign of God’s grace. Despite the frustrations of whatever work we are involved in, the presence of joy is one sign that we are on the Kingdom track. The challenge is not to be afraid to go out there. Pope Francis asks that we have the ‘smell of the sheep’ and calls us to “be courageous. A Church that does not go out of itself, sooner or later, sickens from the stale air of closed rooms”.

Sunday November 9th 2014 ~ Cleansing of the Temple

Today we celebrate the dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, historically the oldest church in Rome. It was the residence of the Pope for centuries and remains his cathedral. It is considered the mother of all churches! Our Gospel passage for this feast almost seems to be in contradiction as it recalls Jesus cleansing the Temple in Jerusalem.

The theology of the Temple was such that to get to God you had to qualify culturally, socially and in terms of ‘purity’. The goods sold in the Temple markets were used in sacrifices so that people could meet the requirements to be ‘closer’ to God. You can understand why Jesus was angry and challenged this model. He tells people early on in John’s Gospel that HE is God’s Temple. God cannot be confined. Jesus’ words are too controversial for his listeners and challenging such powerful structures comes at a price.

We can take away many reflections from today’s feast: we celebrate the church as a place of encounter with God; we are also reminded that God is not confined to one building or the structures placed around it. We gather as community in prayer and worship in our churches united with Christians all over the world, yet we remember that it is the people who gather there in Jesus’ name who are the real church. The Temple of God is the Christian community, the body of Christ with Jesus as its foundation. This is pre-echoed in the second reading today from St. Paul when he says: “For the Temple of God is holy and you are that Temple”.

“Come to me… and I will give you rest” ~ Remembering

In all our lives we carry many burdens. Sometimes we carry them in such a way that they help us grow, at other times we allow them to eat away at us, making them very heavy indeed. Jesus is not saying that we will not have burdens to carry. But He is telling us to find rest in Him. Jesus is offering refreshment and peace. Even when those we love pass into eternal life, we are consoled in knowing that they are at peace and that we will be united with them again.

We perform many rituals in remembering the dead, especially in the month of November. Today we might light a candle, say a prayer, visit a church or grave, look at old photographs. We can be thankful for the many ways in which our loved ones shaped us, cared for us, and who are with us as we continue to journey through life.

“We are who we are today and we are where we are today, because of those whose lives have touched ours and who have let our lives touch theirs. God, in the magnificence of things, does not intend us to be neutral when we lose those who have loved us. So, our grief has to be tinged with gratitude for lives which have shaped us, for hands that have held us, for voices that have inspired us, for eyes which have beheld us, for ears that have listened to us.” (Unknown Author).

Nov 1st All Saints Day Matthew 5:1- Blessed are the peacemakers…

Sister Megan Rice is eighty four years old and is currently seven months into a three year prison sentence for breaking into a US Security Complex in Tennessee. She, and her co-conspirators, sprayed bible quotes and blood on the walls of the heavily guarded, $500 million Highly Enriched Uranium Materials Facility. When guards came to arrest them they found them singing hymns and were offered the chance to break bread and read the bible with the intruders. The offer was declined. Sister Megan's actions are rooted in the call to "hammer swords into plough shares", i.e., convert weapons into peaceful tools (Isaiah). Their action has been called "the biggest security breach in the history of the [USA’s] atomic complex." At her trial, she was asked if she had anything to say, she replied, "I regret I didn't do this seventy years ago."

Sr. Megan is a peacemaker, what some would call an ‘urban saint’. Saints are all around us, pointing the way for us, teaching us something about God through their lives. They persevere in all they do for their families and communities, especially those on the margins. They are the blessed ones. The Megan Rice’s of this world are an inspiration for us to strive to live the beatitudes in our daily lives. Matthew’s community would have been very familiar with what it means to be persecuted because of their beliefs and the final beatitude calls for perseverance. Perhaps that is the making of all saints.

The Parable of the Two Sons & Homeless Jesus (Matthew 21:28-32)

The ‘Homeless Jesus’ statue was sculpted by Timothy Schmalz (sculpturebytps.com), to bring attention to the chronic problem of homelessness in Toronto and depicts a homeless person on a bench, covered in a blanket. On closer inspection there is a noticeable characteristic, the person bears the wounds of crucifixion. This is Jesus, the homeless wandering preacher. One particular parish were initially enthusiastic in having the sculpture outside their doors but after some reflection decided against it. Parishioners found it ‘offensive’; ‘provocative’ and ‘not an appropriate image’. One lady even called the police! What a debacle?! The ‘Homeless Jesus’ statue eventually found a home; a place where Christians were not afraid to acknowledge Jesus in the most marginalised. The work is now considered to be a meditation on Matthew 25.

Today’s parable reminded me of that story. The parable is a simple tale about two brothers, one who eventually shows through his actions that he has heard a message, the other who does not. The chief priests listening to the parable are forced to admit that it is the first brother who has acted correctly. However, they are behaving more like the second.

It is almost comical listening to Jesus say: ‘the tax collectors and prostitutes are going into the Kingdom ahead of you’.

‘I have long since come to believe that people never mean half of what they say, and that it is best to disregard their talk and judge only their actions.’
Dorothy Day

God's Love Is Just Different ~ Mt 20:1-16 (Sunday 21st September 2014)

In today’s parable Matthew is addressing an issue in the community where people are unhappy with certain groups being included in God’s Kingdom… they were there first! We can identify with the characters: times when we felt hard done by; times we made comparisons between ourselves and others. Whereas ‘THEY’? Well, ‘they’ are the cause of the problem, benefiting in some way from our perceived injustice.

“Friend, I am doing you no wrong.” This is a moment of grace where God is freeing people from jealousy; there is enough to go around, everyone has received what they were promised. Even in our relationships with one another, people sometimes want to possess and take all for themselves. In reality God (and people) can love others unconditionally without taking anything away from us. If we could liberate ourselves from such insecurities and not let them take hold, life would be a lot happier. Have you been wronged? Has an injustice occurred to anyone else? No, then why worry? The workers expect a judgemental God and often we too confine our image of God to a distributor of justice. God’s justice is more concerned with generosity and compassion, there is plenty for all. God’s love is just…different.

“True love is delicate and kind, full of gentle perception and understanding, full of beauty and grace, full of joy unutterable... With such a love one would see all things new; we would begin to see people as they really are, as God sees them.” ― Dorothy Day

A divine attribute (Matthew 18:21-35) Sunday 14th September 2014

Ten thousand talents today are estimated to be in the hundreds of millions! So it would be a foolish King who would allow a ‘servant’ to clock up debt to that mount (you would think!). Even though his debt is completely cancelled, the ‘servant’ is not so forgiving when it comes to his own household. One denarius would be the equivalent of the wages of a labourer for a day, so one hundred day’s wages is a drop in the ocean in comparison. Those who witness these events are ‘greatly distressed’ and decide to protest. You don’t have to look too far today to draw parallels to this parable.

Peter asks a vital question: how many times do you forgive? The answer may disturb some people but it can also liberate us if we allow it to: seventy–times– seven, i.e. an infinite number of times. This might seem idealistic and even ridiculous, but when we think more about it there is no other option. Without forgiveness we allow bitterness to engulf and torture us; zapping our energy; preventing us from being at peace with ourselves. When we only seek retribution, we enter into chaos.

“To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.. When we forgive evil we do not excuse it, we do not tolerate it, we do not smother it. We call it what it is, let its horror shock and stun and enrage us, and only then do we forgive it.” (Lewis B. Smedes)

“I shall be there with them” (Matthew 18:15-20)

Matthew 18 is a discourse on relations within the Christian community and today’s Gospel gives some very practical advice about a problem we all encounter: conflict. The beautiful phrase ‘you have won back your brother’ highlights the importance of resolving our differences with one another; love sometimes involves confrontation. We may involve others to help mediate but only when the first stage has failed. To seek help requires great humility and involving the wider community may seem harsh, but we should not be naïve, lasting peace sometimes requires mediation.

There is an unusual verse referring to tax collectors and Gentiles and the drastic steps that are taken in order to protect the community. Perhaps it is these groups of people who are calling on the community to face facts and to move forward. Mediation is not an easy task, whether it be a parent dealing with conflict in the family; a diplomat brokering peace-keeping deals in conflict zones; a counsellor journeying with two people; conflict is all around us. Today’s Gospel urges dialogue, patience, perseverance and the space to allow grace to enter.

“The conclusion of our meditation is not ‘Jesus tells us to do this,’ but, ‘Let us celebrate Jesus at work in the world.’ We recognise moments of grace when we ourselves lived this teaching, and celebrate the great people who by word and example taught us to live it.” (Michel de Verteuil)