Ash Wednesday

 The First Reading speaks of a communal turning to God and repentance: "Blow the trumpet in Zion; sanctify a fast; call a solemn assembly; gather the people. Sanctify the congregation..." (Joel 2: 15-16) St Paul likewise urges a collective response to God's grace: "As we work together with him, we urge you not to accept the grace of God in vain." (2 Cor 5: 1).  By contrast Jesus speaks to the individual: "Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them." (Mtt 6: 1) Lent, I think, is both a collective and individual experience. Let us support one another in making a good and holy Lent. The challenge is to imitate Jesus in his fast after his baptism and prior to embarking on his public ministry. If we strive worthily this Lent, we will be prepared to receive the blessings God wants for us in Eastertide.

8th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 When I read the gospel for today and reflect on my life I am convicted by Jesus' teachings of my own shortcomings. How often have I been blind? Or, failed to notice the log in my own eye while seeing the speck in others? There is a saying that "hindsight is always 20/20." The capacity of human beings to rationalize their own conduct or delude themselves is tremendous. How else could many come to the conclusion that killing babies in the womb is a human right?! To be a Christian is to: "...work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." (Phil 12: 2) Until we die our lives are a work in progress. The fruit of our lives is manifest often after we have gone. However much of our experience is brought about through self-fulfilling prophecies: "Out of the good treasure of the heart, the good person produces good; and out of the evil treasure the evil person produces evil." (Lk 6: 45) Nevertheless, we do not lose heart. Every Sunday we celebrate the resurrection and are reminded of our loving God's power over sin and death: "The sting of death is sin, and the power of the sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Cor 15: 56-57)

7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Jesus tells his disciples: "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them." (Lk 4: 32) We are called to a higher standard of morality and conduct. This is a challenge for Catholics: "since all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Rm 3: 23) and "but sin is not reckoned where there is no law" (Rm 5: 13) The objective teachings of the Catholic Church mean I cannot invent my own, personal morality that meets my subjective needs and criteria. I cannot rely on values and good intentions. No, I am held to the standard set forth by the Lord himself and the example of the saints. Our Lady is a model of holiness for the whole of the Church. However, we should not wallow helplessly in our failures and inability to live up to the demands of Christ's law of love: "For the love of Christ urges us on." (2 Cor 5: 14) We have to journey as missionary disciples and pilgrims of hope. We are sustained by the grace of God, assisted by the sacraments and given forgiveness by the mercy of God. The place to start this project is in our own homes and congregations where our welcoming attitude and invitational smiles will be a sign of our desire to serve the Lord and love others as he asks us to.

6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Called to be "Pilgrims of Hope" we walk by faith, sustained by hope, while inviting others to experience and share the same journey. This means we are necessarily unfulfilled and contingent in the present. We are poor, hungry, weeping as well as excluded, reviled and defamed "on account of the Son of Man." (Lk 6: 20) Hope is oriented towards the future. The danger is that when the Church is conformed to the world, we become rich, full, laughing and have people speak well of us "for that is what their ancestors did to the false prophets." (Lk 6: 26) Inevitably, to embark on the Jubilee 2025 is to have a sense both of conversion and optimism. It is only by listening to the Lord and putting his Word into practice that we will be assured or reaching our pilgrimage destination: "But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home." (2 Pt 3: 13) The foundation for this conviction is our belief in the resurrection which proves God's power over sin and death. As St Paul tells us in the second reading: "If for this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all people to be most pitied. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died." (1 Cor 15: 19-20)

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Today we hear of individuals who, when encountering the divine, acutely experience their own unworthiness: Isaiah exclaims: "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips" (Is 6: 5); St Paul admits: "For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God" (1 Cor 15: 9); while St Peter fell down at Jesus' knees saying: "Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!" (Lk 5: 8) Yet, despite their deficiencies God had a mission for each one of them. So, it is for us as missionary disciples who are, in the Jubilee 2025, called to be "Pilgrims of Hope." Let us not be discouraged by failures or sins, rather let our gratitude for God's mercy and love be a motivating force to help us share the joy of the gospel to those who are willing to receive it: "... for the love of Christ urges us on." (2 Cor 5: 14) As parishes many of us have come to understand what it means to be welcoming. It is time for us to go the next step and become invitational. As we journey through the liturgical year there are plenty of opportunities to invite others, Catholic or not, to participate in the life of the Church. Open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit let us not hesitate to invite others to share the joy we experience in our beautiful faith.