31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

 This episode takes place after the cleansing of the Temple by Jesus. In this adversarial and inflamed atmosphere, which leads the High Priest to conclude: "... that it was better to have one person die for the people" (Jn 18: 14) we are surprised by a civil and respectful dialogue between Jesus and a scribe. The scribe asks his question and Jesus replies. Having listened to this the scribe responds: "You are right. Teacher." (Mk 12: 32) Jesus likewise takes in this response and reciprocates by saying: "You are not far from the kingdom of God." (Mk 12: 36) Often it is easier for Catholics to tolerate outsiders than to dialogue with fellow Catholics. Let us listen to Pope Francis who asks us to enact synodality as a principle of Church life. This leads us to listen to the Holy Spirit and to each other, as we accompany one another as missionary disciples in a fearful and polarized world. Synodality requires that we all take co-responsibility for the mission of the Church and live out the vocations and charisms that have been so richly poured out on us by the Holy Spirit. Let us not be distracted by past failures and sins because we have the power of the risen Christ to sustain us: "... but Jesus holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them." (Heb 7: 24-25)

Commemoration of All Souls

 The second reading for today concludes with: "The last enemy to be destroyed is death." (1 Cor 15: 26) We also know from St Paul that: "For the wages of sin is death." (Rm 6: 23) The process of purgatory is the completion of the process of death that is the poisonous fruit of sin. We cannot come into the presence of God with death at work in us. St John teaches: "... that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true, But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from sin." (1 Jn 1: 5-7) In his mercy God allows for us to have the darkness purged from us so that we may enter fully and joyfully into his light. Our prayers for the dead are part of our fellowship with them in Christ since as Jesus told the Sadducees: "He is God not of the dead, but of the living; you are quite wrong." (Mk 12: 27) Let us continue to pray for our dearly departed and in doing so affirm our faith and hope in the resurrection when we will meet with them again in fulness of joy and light.

Solemnity of All Saints

 "See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God." (1 Jn 3:1) All of us are called to be saints. St Paul greets the Christians of Rome with: "To all God's beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints." (Rm 1:7) This is not easy. Jesus speaks of entering the "narrow gate" (Mtt 7:13) and Catechism teaches us: "The way of perfection passes by way of the Cross. There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle. Spiritual progress entails the ascesis and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes." (CCC2015) The saints are those who fully enjoy this reality. They are not separated from us because they remain as part of the Body of Christ. They are not just role models and witnesses, they are companions in prayer who support us in our trials and exhort us to greater efforts such that when we meet in heaven we can rejoice forever. The image given for this is that of the Book of Revelation: "Then I heard what seemed to be a voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals crying out: 'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and given him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready; to her it has been granted to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure' - for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints." (Rev 19: 6-8)

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Two details touch me about this episode which do not appear in the other gospels. The first is how Bartimaeus throws off his cloak in order to get to Jesus (Mk 10: 50). If he was homeless, then this would have been his most precious possession to protect him from the elements and keep him warm at night. Vulnerable and needy he comes before the man he has been calling out to as "Jesus, Son of David." (Mk 10: 46 and 48) Certainly, Jesus was descended from the Davidic line (Lk 1: 27) but he was also the son of tradesman and born in humble circumstances. Bartimaeus is taking a tremendous gamble! The second is how Bartimaeus says: "My teacher, let me see again." (Mk 10: 31) We do not know how Bartimaeus lost his sight but the pathos of a man wanting to receive back what he once had tugs at my heart strings. When we apply this, figuratively, to ourselves we can reflect on our own attitude to Jesus. Am I motivated to come before him, emotionally and spiritually, naked and vulnerable? Have I fallen away from my faith and sinned? Am I prepared to ask for God's healing so that I may see him anew with vision cleansed by his grace? For those of us who have not been to the sacrament of reconciliation for years maybe this is a prompt in the Spirit to avail ourselves of the healing which come through Jesus' mercy and love?

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Today Jesus continues to train his Apostles and at the same time, thanks to St Mark who wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he continues to train us. To my mind there are two extremes which Catholic can fall into at this time. The first is an inferiority complex which makes them afraid to identify publicly as Catholic. Believing the propaganda of the mainstream media, scandalized by the sex abuse crisis and drawn in by the slogan "I am spiritual but not religious" they withdraw into their shell. Second, there can be a sort of intellectual and cultural arrogance and superiority. Such Catholics are inclined to mock the hapless situation of non-Catholic Christians who struggle with contemporary moral and social issues. Smugly they revel in the richness of the papal magisterium as well as the artistic and cultural Catholic heritage as they look down on the banal emptiness of atheistic society. This begs the question - what is the Catholic Church for? It is a prolongation of the Incarnation as it mediates sacramental grace to a fallen world and continues the mission of the Master. Thus, the Church is called to serve after the model of its Founder: "For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mk 10: 45) At Vatican II the Church fathers taught: "The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these too are the joys and the hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ." (Gaudium et spes, 1)

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Jesus asks the rich young man in today's gospel to: "... sell what you own and give the money to the poor" (Mk 10: 21). This, on its face, is difficult enough especially for someone who is rich. Jesus goes on to say, in the same verse: "... then come, follow me." As missionary disciples we must be mindful that it is not enough to spend our resources for others and do any number of works of charity. We must follow Christ. This means that we not only dedicate our material goods to the mission and the good of others, but we also conform ourselves to Christ which means taking up our cross each day and following him. This renunciation of self comes about not through duty or fear but through love: "For the love of Christ urges us on." (2 Cor 5: 14) It is through love that we find the relationship with God for which the rich young man longed. St Paul is uncompromising: "If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." (1 Cor 13: 3) Making Jesus Christ our priority places all of our possessions and concerns in perspective. This calls for a transformation in our understanding of why and for whom we are living. This stands in glaring contrast to the self-obsession of the world: "I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Gal 2: 19-21)