28^th Sunday of the Year

‘Our revolution comes about through tenderness,

through the joy which always becomes

closeness and compassion,

and leads us to get involved in

and to serve the life of others.’     Pope Francis

To the question of the young man, ‘Good Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus does the unexpected. Rather than give the usual response that he should repent and establish a personal relationship with Jesus, the young man is told to keep the commandments which includes selling his possessions and distributing them to the poor. It is too high a price to pay!!

27^th Sunday of the Year

Reflections on the readings

The interconnectedness between ourselves, God and creation is often overlooked in a culture that is often individualistic. We need to include the Church in this critique when it excludes people and groups from the table. The readings however, are a call to joy in finding welcome and relationship with one another. The gospel reminds us how we receive one another. It is a message for all. 

26^th Sunday of the Year

Migrant and Refugee Sunday

‘I want to tell you right away how much

the Church esteems and loves you,

and how much she wishes to assist you

in your spiritual and material needs.’

Pope John Paul II, Alice Springs 1986 to the Aboriginal people of Australia.

25^th Sunday of the Year

In Jesus first followers, we find the trappings of ego and greed. The familiar scene where they argue over seeking places of power reminds us that the desire to be elevated, to be the best, to be more than others, is very real. Deep wisdom forces a reality-check that there is within us a tendency to quickly turn a simple disagreement into dissolved relationships. This is where the love that Christ embodies is most tested, and most needed. James tries to help the community to be centred on Jesus and his teachings when it finds itself at odds. 

24^th Sunday of the Year

In the late 1960’s, I read a book by Father (later Bishop) Trevor Huddleston called Naught for Your Comfort. I have read this book a number of times since 1969. Huddleston was a towering figure in South Africa's struggle against apartheid. This small book was hard to read as it captured the lone voice of a man whom Desmond Tutu referred to as one of the strongest critics of South Africa’s oppressive regime. Huddleston shared his experiences in the shantytowns and of being on the protest lines as church and state clashed over politics. It highlights injustice such as apartheid being met with silence, and the failure of white Christians to come to grips with that evil, and the failure to resist makes one compliant. This book describes how people can mistreat others, and even justify it supposedly because it is for the best.