Nineteenth Sunday of the Year

Jesus shows us a world where our lives intersect with others: away from self-focus, self-centredness and self-concern, to relationship, to community. Problems can arise when our worlds intersect. But we also get in touch with who we are. When we allow another person into our lives we allow in the God who calls us to forget self, to leave narrowness, to come alive and be in touch with our hearts. Are we allowed a sheltered world, or is there room in my heart for one more person? The world we live and love in is larger than the one we create. Many people do this by choice. They move out of their comfort zones to engage with people who are homeless, have been drug and alcohol affected, are living with HIV/AID’s, or people out of prison needing to assured they can start again.

Eighteenth Sunday of the Year

Television commercials, billboards, and the internet suggest we do not have enough and incomplete. We will be complete and happy if we purchase their products. They also assure us that if we buy the products they advertise that we will be complete. Our culture often equates consumption with satisfaction; possessions with happiness and personal worth; and material wealth with the good life.

Seventeenth Sunday of the Year

The scriptures invite us to continually check our image of God. It seems that a critical and questioning faith is not only acceptable but is vital. Many see God as judgmental, angry, vengeful, vindictive, dominating or simply aloof. Certainly not tender!! It is reinforced by many who claim to be believers. In the face of injustice, violence and corruption God seems to invite questioning. Abraham keeps posing the question of justice and compassion and keeps doing it because his view of God is of one who will act justly he is emboldened to pray/argue/protest as he does. Abraham was being stretched as to the meaning of true justice and true humanity where the world is not abandoned to destruction.

Sixteenth Sunday of the Year

The classic story about Martha and Mary is explained as the difference between contemplation and action. Mary, sitting beside Jesus, is the poster child for contemplation, and Martha as the image of a person of action. It can be challenging for people who feel like they must be doing something. With each news cycle, we are reminded that there something to respond to, an action to combat the hatred and violence ever-present in our society. There is no time for the luxury to just sit and listen to Jesus. Yet, we are called to do this. We are called to be present to Jesus.  The readings offer two ways of being present to Jesus – not putting one above the others. Could it be a message about timing?

15^th Sunday of Year

Today’s parable of the Good Samaritan is often used as a moral story where we are to help anyone in the proverbial ditch. We need to go deeper. Familiarity with this story makes it easy to lose sight of its message. We can focus on the two religious leaders who should know and model God’s command to love. Jesus’ focus is on the Samaritan, and his actions. Jesus’ audience would have expected to hear about bad behaviour because Samaritans were despised enemies of Jewish people. There is a surprise twist as Jesus tries to stop the standard responses of people and nudge them into a new realization.