Second Sunday of Advent

Today we hear of John the Baptist who was spoken of by Jesus as the greatest of the prophets. This calls to mind, for me, the role of prophets in the Church and society as a whole. Such people are able to read the signs of the times in such a way as to warn us of what will happy in the future if we do not change our ways. This is evident throughout the Old Testament as the prophets often scolded the kings of Israel who were intent on pleasing foreign powers rather than relying on God. Prophets as a result are often unpopular as they give a message that is unpalatable to people who have conformed themselves to the world. One example of this is the document Humanae vitae by Pope Paul VI. It was repudiated by many, however, the predictions in it turned out to be accurate. Thus, we need to test the spirits and not be carried along by the trends of the day: "For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come." (Heb 13: 14) "Therefore, beloved, while you are waiting for these things , strive to be found by him at peace, without spot or blemish; and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation." (2 Peter 3: 14-15)

First Sunday of Advent

Welcome to the start of a new Church year! The season of Advent, in this part of the world, gets overshadowed by the end of school and secular years and the Christmas events which have begun even as I write. The tinsel and the decorations appear many of which are predicated on the Northern Hemisphere winter. As Catholics we are often distracted by these things and so we tend to miss the crucial messages of this holy season. The first two weeks strike a penitential note. We are reminded of the Second Coming of Christ which will inaugurate the eternal age: "... so that God may be all in all." (1 Cor 15: 28) Hence, in the second reading, St Paul reminds us: "He (God the Father) will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; by him you were called into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Cor 1: 8) We strive to respond to this call by going to reconciliation where we are forgiven our sins and given new grace to rejoice in God's gifts. This year the Rite II celebration will be on Thursday 17 December at 7pm at Sacred Heart church. With Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent, the mood changes from solemn to rejoicing as we look forward to celebration the birth of our Saviour. More about that in due course! For the time being we are alerted by the Church to not have  our senses dulled by self-indulgence or our hearts distracted by the cares of the world. Christ is coming  and it is we, as his disciples, who need to be alert so that he finds us ready to greet him: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. beware, keep alert; for you do not know when the time will come... And what I say to you I say to all: Keep awake." (Mk 13: 31-33, 37)

34th Sunday in Ordinary Time - Christ the King

Every year, on this feast, I find myself bumping up against the cultural and religious concepts of what it means to be a king. I think this is inevitable when we consider how the life and person of Jesus Christ can be contrasted with that of King Herod the Great and the Roman emperors of the period especially Nero and Caligula. When Pope Pius XI instituted this feast in 1925, which was three years after the seizure of power in Italy by the dictator Mussolini, the Catholic Church was besieged by many challenges in the Soviet Union, Mexico and throughout Europe on account of political extremism and dictatorships. The Pope asked the faithful to make a reality of Christ's reign in every aspect of their lives. It is not enough to go to Mass on Sundays and then carry on as if Christ did not exist. A conscious effort to invite Christ to rule every aspect of our hearts and lives is necessary if we are to resist the present day challenges to Christian values and worship. This means listening to Pope Francis, as well as the New Zealand Conference of Bishops, and seeking to implement prayer, charity and good works as an integral part of our daily lives. We cannot plead ignorance. It is not as if having heard today's gospel readings that we are unaware of what we need to do to serve Christ: "And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.' " (Mtt 25: 40) 

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

A key aspect of today's gospel reading is that the slaves in question are all given money to invest: "to each according to his ability." (Mtt 24: 15) We can think of ourselves as having been given spiritual gifts according to our own ability according to God's good pleasure: "The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ..." (Eph 4: 11-12) When I consider my participation in the life of the parish what gifts have I been given and what have I done with them? Or, I am afraid of failure or do I think that others have greater gifts so I am not going to try anything? In the parable the king is shown to have been a harsh, demanding individual yet we know that the reality of God is that He is the best of fathers and loves us more than we can know. He wants my happiness even more than I do! Isn't this an even stronger argument for each one of us to use the gifts that we have been given in the mission that Christ has for the Church as well as encouraging us to help others who are yet to deploy the gifts with words of faith, hope and love? The amazing thing about responding to God's call is that we discover so much joy and this always far outweighs whatever contribution that we have made in the first place. Our greatest joy is found in meeting the needs of others. St Paul writes to the Philippians: If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus." (Phil 2: 1-5)

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

As we approach the end of the liturgical year our attention is turned not only to the conclusion of 2020 but also towards the conclusion of all things. As Christians we believe that the end of all things will be heralded by the return of Jesus. In this we are in the same position as the Early Christians. Like them, however, the delay in that return can be cause for disquiet or even doubt. Jesus had said he would rise again and he did. He said that he would return and he hasn't. Does that mean that he did not rise either? Maybe its all a scam?! Maybe the militant atheists and mockers are right? If so then the words of St Paul are true: "If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins." (1 Cor 15: 17) It is comforting, therefore, to hear today what Jesus said to his disciples about his coming in glory: "Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour," (Mtt 25: 13) From the beginning Christians have had to understand that the end of all things, including the return of Christ Jesus. would happen in God's time. We need not worry about that. Rather, we need to be concerned about our own readiness to live the mission that Christ has given us and and have the "oil" of good deeds and faith topped up so that when he comes again he will find us occupied with the work of the gospel. "And just so it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgement, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin, but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him." (Heb 9: 27-28)