The journey of the Three Wise Men becomes our own journey to God

Posted on January 8th 2012 in Weekly messages

The ratings battle between Downton Abbey and Eastenders was easily won by the longstanding soap-opera, which only proves that the nation prefers wholesale chaos, arson and fragmented lives rather than a happy ending. The soap-opera format of closely packed episodes easily portrays a fractured sense to human life. The characters are forever responding to one crisis after another. Rarely does someone take any initiative or embark on a human relationship that can stand the test of time. In so doing the authors are only reflecting a malaise in the contemporary human condition. The difficulty in forming long-lasting relationships is not unique to Eastenders but unfortunately has a much wider remit.

Many might consider this malaise to have a religious explanation, so that the gradual disappearance of Church life from the nation has caused society irreparable harm. The danger with this explanation is that it divides the world between the religious and the irreligious, and forgets that faith is a gift from God. Such styles of argument fail to grasp that what is being lost is not faith, but the proper sense of being a human being.

The human person is a spiritual being, whether religious or not. Each person has an internal spiritual life, the life of the soul, unique to him or her, something that can be nurtured and developed over time. This development will remain forever thwarted if life is reduced to reacting to one crisis after another, or oscillating from one strongly held emotion to another. In such situations, individuals can so easily pass from love to hate and from there may descend rapidly into violence, whether in the home or in the street.

This Sunday’s Gospel invites us to share, whether religious or not, another vision, life as a journey, to as yet an unknown destination represented by the star. The wise men of the Gospel allowed their study of astronomy to raise the biggest questions whose answers would ultimately change their lives. They could never be described as conventionally religious people, but rather men who allowed the workings of their mind and heart to seek the bigger picture, and their place within it. The insights of the ancients demonstrate that human life has a purpose. This purpose was expressed by ancient Greek philosophers as the fullest living of life, not in the modern sense of material excess, but with a recognition of humanity’s created nature and of a shared dependence within the family, the community, all ultimately under the one God.

The discovery of the interior life, and the spiritual nature of the soul, made the question of life after death a perennial backdrop to daily existence. This was part of the common patrimony of the western world, for the religious and non-religious alike, until very recently and formed what might be described as common secular spirituality. It formed the backdrop to the drama that was human life, with its crises, moments of joy and love, as well as the steady attention to duty.

The Christian has a lot more to say on all this: first, on what God reveals about the human condition; secondly, on the ultimate end of human life and, thirdly, on the power of grace to effect change from within the interior world of the soul that makes itself visible in the daily actions and purposes of human life. The Holy Spirit brings a real joy and love to the ordinary circumstances of life.

The believer knows that the journey of life has a destination, something that the three kings could only glimpse through the natural light of reason. Their search did prove successful and, in the presence of the infant Jesus, it received a reward way beyond their expectations. To have received the gift of faith on the journey of life is an awesome privilege since it opens up the very heart of our existence.

The Passion Part 4 - The Crucifixion 19:17-30

Posted on December 18th 2011 in Weekly messages

The kingship of Jesus lay at the heart of His trial in front of Pilate, and now becomes the centre piece of the Crucifixion. Jesus dies the death of a criminal, but as a king, a title given originally to Him by ‘the Jews’ and later taken up by Pilate. The notice, written in three languages, intimates that His kingship will be extended throughout the world. Both the religious and political authorities speak without knowing the central truth that Jesus is a king, and His kingdom, though not of this world, occupies the hearts of His followers. The crucified Jesus stands in the middle between two thieves, and a gathering of both followers and soldiers. Even on the Cross He is the focus of unity, and His earlier prediction that ‘when the Son of man is lifted up He will draw all people to Himself’ is now fulfilled.

The detail concerning the fate of Jesus’ clothing fulfils a prophecy found in Psalm 22. Further details from Psalms punctuate the Passion account and are being fulfilled at the same time as they guide the Church to understand the events of the Passion itself. The seamless undergarment was thought of by the early Church Fathers to be a symbol of the unity of the disciples for which Jesus had prayed in the Upper Room.

The narrative quickly moves on to His Mother, St John, and two female disciples who stand at the foot of the Cross. This is the first time that Jesus has spoken to or of His mother since the first miracle at the Marriage Feast of Cana. The outcome of the conversation between Jesus, His mother and St John is the establishment of a new family: The Virgin Mary and the Beloved Disciple are both bound to Jesus in unique bonds of love. The Prologue is being fulfilled; ‘but to those who received Him…He gave power to become children of God, not of the will of man but of God (1;12-3) This uniting of the Beloved Disciple and the Virgin Mary explains her unique role as Mother, and perfect believer, within the new community of God, the Church.

This was Jesus’ final act before His death, and consciously exclaims the finality of His mission with the words, ‘It is accomplished’. His death as ‘king’ has brought together a nascent community who accept His kingship through their mutual love, both of Him and each other. The death of Jesus on the Cross will open the possibility for the believer to cross over into eternal life because of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at the moment of His earthly death.

We should celebrate Christmas on God’s terms and not our own

Posted on December 18th 2011 in Weekly messages

The Archbishop of Canterbury in his recent radio talk on ‘Pause for thought’ contrasted the vision of the perfect Christmas of our imagination, both from our own past and from the images presented by advertising, to the messy reality of real family life when everything is arranged at the last minute. The search for perfection can become a peculiar form of pride, of boasting in human achievement. It is the very opposite both to the meaning of Christ’s birth and the reality of that first Christmas in Bethlehem. The well intentioned rush to take the initiative is not always appropriate and, with regard to God, can stifle the very gift that He wishes to bestow on us. The first Christmas, though guided by divine providence, remained a messy affair in human terms: a long and difficult journey, the lack of accommodation on arrival, the circumstances of the birth, unexpected visitors, and lastly the violence that occurred shortly afterwards. None of this would appear in a well thought out Christmas plan.

The desire to impose man-made order may be seen in Sunday’s first reading which describes King David wish to build a permanent house for the Ark which now resided in Jerusalem. It seemed to Him improper that he and his family should live in houses made of cedar and the ark of God dwell in a tent. God speaking through the prophet Nathan demands a different approach. Divine action must precede human action. Instead, David will be given a house, a lineage that Christians believe will find its conclusion in Jesus Christ. The preservation of this lineage will be completed through the kindly providence of God that will reach its pinnacle in the Annunciation of the Angel to Mary. David that will achieve something even greater than building a Temple, He will become the ancestor of the future Messiah, someone who would restore the fortunes of Israel.

The divine initiative expressed through the words of the Prophet Nathan, and the message of the Archangel Gabriel, does not preclude human initiative. It sets human action in the proper context. The Virgin Mary gives perfect expression to this dynamic with regard to divine initiative. The first action was simply to listen in silence, something everyone finds difficult to achieve. The worst distractions are not always the obvious temptations but the obsession anyone can develop for plans. Topically these are the preparations needed for the perfect Christmas. Yet the spiritual dynamic is of divine initiative combined with an open heart that is prepared to ask the appropriate question in relation to the message. The Virgin Mary asks, ‘but how can this come about since I am a virgin’. She had to ask a particular question, and so the answer she gives is her grace-filled assent. We will have different questions, ‘why would God want to come to visit me and my family? The answer is found in the Gospels, ‘God so loved the world that he sent His only Son’ (John 3:16) and the human response is just to say, ‘Thank you: Let me be part of the outpouring of divine love’. This immediately gives the context for action which, like our messy lives, will probably be fitful and unprepared. The Good news though is that one will be trying to celebrate Christmas on God’s terms and not our own.

May I wish everyone a very blessed Christmas, and a safe journey for those travelling to visit their families.