19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The walking of Peter on water is a curious story in the Gospel. We are accustomed to thinking of the Lord and his miracles but we do not think of others as participating directly in them. Individuals are the objects of miraculous activity not subjects of it! Yet, here we have Peter being given the chance to join the Lord as he walks on the Sea of Galilee! It is amazing the Peter should even ask to join the Lord but how much more so that the Lord should say "yes"! Things become business as usual and it does not take long: "But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, 'Lord save me'! " (Mtt 14: 30) Is it the case that I get the "speed wobbles" when I see the Holy Spirit at work in my life? Am I ambitious for the work of the Lord? The danger is that I write a "spiritual cheque" to sign up for holiness and discipleship things can get tough and I am losing control of my life so I as for the chque back. Surely, with the lesson of the Gospel in front of us we can trust God more and allow him to call us to join with him when see him as he "walks on the water."

The Transfiguration

The Transfiguration is an event that was memorable for the disciples who were present to it. The Second Reading tells of Peter recalling: "We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain." (2 Pet 1: 18) Nevertheless, two of the apostles who were there for the revelation of Christ's glory, fled at the time of the Passion and initially doubted the veracity of the Resurrection. So it can be with us. We are privileged to have spiritual experiences and enlightenment but we fail to understand them or see how they impact on our lives. Years later, after a period of doubt and suffering, the memory may re-surface and help to restore our faith in God. Our own transfiguration experiences therefore can serve the purpose of the Transfiguration in overcoming the scandal of the Cross in our own lives and open us up to the fulfilment of God's promises. Peter writes: So we have the prophetic meesage more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." (2 Pet 1: 19)

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

There are two examples of people finding treasure in the Gospel today. First, there is the accidental finding of treasure in a field. As we go along in our everyday life we can bump into God or stumble across the work of the Holy Spirit. Second, there is the intentional search for the "pearl of great price." Here the individual knows what s/he is looking for and sets out to find it. In both cases what is important is the recognition that treasure has in fact been found and the courage to take the plunge in doing whatever is required to acquire it. If you are baptised and attending Mass chances are that you are looking for the Kingdom of God. Nevetheless, have you the courage to appropriate the gift of the sacrament and the rrelationship it brings with Christ Jesus to acquire the treasure. Or, are you still weighing up the cost?

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today we have another parable involving sowing but this time it is not the sowing of the Word but of evil. It helps us to understand something of the nature of evil which has plagued thinkers throughout history that has even led some people to become atheists when they despair of evil in a world where God is said to be love. Often it is interesting that those who make such a decision have not actually experienced much suffering themselves! Maybe they are more afraid of their own capacity to deal with evil rather than recognising the power of God to transform and overcome evil through love? In the parable today it is the enemy and not God who sows the evil in with the good. The evil, in fact, grows with the good and can be difficult to distinguish from it or is entangled with it. The danger is that trying to remove evil absolutely, as if we ourselves know how to do it, we will damage the good. God, who is the only true arbiter of good and evil, reserves to himself how to deal with the eventual harvest. After all it is the angels who will do the reaping (Mtt 13: 39) It is up to us as the workers to keep working the land so that the good can be brought to harvest and remain forever. In the book, Daily Prayer with Mother Teresa she states: "We deliberately renounce all desires to see the fruit of our labor, doing all we can as best as we can, leaving the rest in the hnads of God." (p. 118) 

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today we have the parable of the Sower of the Seed. It must have been an important story for the Early Church as it is found in all three of the synoptic Gospels with the parable and its full interpretation, as an allegory, along with it. Surely, having seen the power of the Word proclaimed by Jesus, the first evangelizers were disappointed when converts fell away from the faith or failed to yield the fruit that they were capable of? I can identify with that as I see the Gospel proclaimed Sunday after Sunday, the work of the Catholic schools and that of devout parishioners who do their best to serve God yielding such a meagre harvest of faith. It is important that we realise that the power is not in us but in the Word. We are there to sow and to be generous in our sowing even as we know the soil is thin in places and society full of perils. The fact that the Word is not received is not due to our failings or any shortcoming in the message. It is up to the actions of the Evil One (Mtt 13: 19), trouble of persecution (v. 21) or the cares of the world and the lure of wealth (v. 22). This should not distract us because if we look closer we can also see a great harvest in those who hear the Word and understand it (v. 23). Let us also be alert, not just to the positive stories of faith, but also to the fruit that is or is not evident in our own harvest. Am I producing the fruit of the Kingdom?

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the Gospel Jesus points out: "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit." (Mtt 7: 18) Consistent with that Jesus, who liberates, reconciles and heals, does not inflict burdens on people. his programmatic statement in the Gospel of Luke is: "... he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. he has sent me to proclaim release to captives and recoveray of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." (Lk 4: 18-19) When he tells us, as he does today, "For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Mtt 11: 30), we have to believe him. If the practise of my Catholic faith and reception of the sacraments brings me dread, anger and disquiet it is not of the Lord. The desolations of the good spirit, as described by the Jesuits, are their not to oppress us but to call us back from our sinful ways. Perhaps, if my practise of the faith leads me to feel pessimistic and upset, I need to listen more attentively to the Gospel and ignore judgemental, critical and negative voices who,  behave like the lawyers Christ condemned, saying: "Woe also to you, lawyers! For you load people with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not lift a finger to ease them." (Lk 11: 46)