FIVE WERE FOOLISH, FIVE WERE WISE

PRAYER PAUSE          

Friday 1 September 2017, Care of Creation Day

FIVE WERE FOOLISH, FIVE WERE WISE

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “The kingdom of heaven will be like this … Five of them were foolish and five of them were wise.” (Matthew 25:1-13)

Reflection. Five out of ten people on the planet are aware of the dangers of global warming and in small ways and big they are doing something about it – even if it is just thinking beforte throwing away their plastic. The other five carry on oblivious to the dangers – hurricanes, floods, droughts and fires, Some – the President of the United States, for instance, - seem intent on denying there is a problem and they actively pursue a course that will make matters worse. Our response to climate change is part of our response to the kingdom Jesus announced.  We either welcome it or turn out back on it. It is all very practical and effects our daily lives.

Prayer. Lord, make us deepl aware how everything is linkd ad interdependent; our daily way of living and out prayer and hopes for the future. Amen.

HYPOCRITES!

PRAYER PAUSE          

Wednesday 30 August 2017

HYPOCRITES!

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “Alas for you scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. From the outside you look like honest men, but inside are full of hypocrisy and lawlessnes.” (Matthew 23:27-32)

Reflection. The gospels preserve these strong words of Jesus. They must be authentic. It is hard to believe they were an invention of the early Church. Jesus was outraged at the hollow men who were the religious leaders of Israel at that time. The harshness of his images – “whitewashed tombs full of deadmen’s bone” – shocks us. But Jesus was intensely angry that these people were blocking the coming of God’s reign on earth. How do we become utterly sincere? How do we speak so that every word comes from the depths of truth withn us? We still some way to go.  

Prayer. Lord, help us to speak and act from the Spirit who dwells in our hearts. Amen.

LIKED TO LISTEN

PRAYER PAUSE          

Tuesday 29 August 2017, Death of John the Baptist

LIKED TO LISTEN

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “But Herod liked to listen to John the Baptist.” (Mark 6:17-29)

Reflection. Herod liked to listen to John but he could not move on from there to act on John’s words. Like Pilate with Jesus, he gave in to group pressure and acted cruellly. God is so patient. John seems to have expected the Messiah to act like Elijah and condemn and destroy. There is evidence that John was confused – and maybe disappointed? – that Jesus acted differently. God gives us time to work through our compromises, our petty preoccupations, our lack of courage in facing uncomfortable issues that seem to threaten us – be they personal or global (climate change). This is the “hour” but we still have time!

Prayer. Lord, give us the courage to act when we come to choices that demand courage and imagination. Aman.

WAITING FOR JESUS

PRAYER PAUSE          

Monday 28 August 2017, Augustine

WAITING FOR JESUS

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “And how you are now waiting for Jesus, his Son.” (1 Thess 1:2-10)

Reflection. The letter to the Thessalonians is Paul’s first and indeed the first writing we have of the new testament. And there is this theme of waiting for the Lord which I used to think meant waiting for the Lord to reappear as he promised he would at the end of time. But we can also see it as meaning waiting for his appearance now in our families and communities; waiting, that is, for the signs of the kingdom of God to become visible in our place, where ever we live, and time, that is, now. The kingdom of Gpd is “advancing” towards us, as we endeavour to live by its values we actuallu bring it about here and now.

Prayer. Our Father, your kingdom come! Aman.

A THING OF BEAUTY IS A JOY FOR EVER Keats.

A THING OF BEAUTY IS A JOY FOR EVER Keats.

On Sunday I listened to Mahler’s 3^rd  symphony on the internet.  For 90 minutes we wandered through the world catching tunes – sometimes trifling, sometimes profound; sometimes thunderous, sometimes so soft as to be almost inaudible. Who was this Mahler I googled? I found he was Jewish and felt rejected and an exile everywhere he went. His music is a yearning for “home”.

Italian film director LuchinoVisconti used the music for his screening of Death in Venice, a novel by Thomas Mann about a famous conductor, Aschenbach, who breaks down and retires to Venice for a change of scenery. While there the languid atmosphere and his personal sadness induces a letting go of his lifelong hold on his emotions. When he sees a teenage Polish boy, who is on holiday with his family, he is stunned by the boy’s physical beauty.

At first this beauty appears to him in an intellectual light but gradually the beauty breaks free of the fetters of his mind and he is tormented by a desire to possess this beautiful creature – which he knows he cannot possess. Failing to open the film itself I agree to be side-tracked into the story of Visconti’s search for the boy. He travels over snow covered Europe until he finds him in Poland and there are endless portraits of the boy as the camera searches to describe his looks. The boy never utters a word.

Then I find myself unsettled. The contemplation of beauty – a sunset, a flower, a Beethoven sonata – is innocent and simple and well within our “control.” But when the beauty comes in the form of a concentrated study of a particular youth in flesh and blood amber lights begin to flash. I am approaching an invisible line between beauty and the exploitation of it.

I started out enjoying a symphony! But now my curiosity has reached the edge of a forest which I cannot enter without fear of getting lost. The internet is a wonderful tool. But it can lure us where we had not wished to go. At the press of a button I can access images that twist and destroy the very beauty that attracts. It is frightening. The surest way to know what to watch, and what not to watch, is to notice how I feel. If I am honest I will know. My own heart will tell me when to turn round and retrace my steps.

In today’s reading Peter is given the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Keys can be used to open doors or to lock them. It is up to us to choose.

27 August 2017                  Sunday 21 A

Isaiah 22:19-23                  Romans 11:33-36                                              Matthew 16:13-20

DOING WHAT IS RIGHT

PRAYER PAUSE (This will not appear tomorrow, Thursday: I will be travelling),       

Wednesday 23 August 2017

DOING WHAT IS RIGHT

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “Why be envious because I do what is right?” (Matthew 20:1-16)

Reflection. The parable of the labourers in the vineyard, where the owner pays those who come at the 11^th hour the same as those who had worked through the heat of the day, has the powewrr to shock us. It is unjust, we say. Well, maybe it would not stand up in a modern court of arbitration but Jesus is intending to unsettle us. In the new age, in the kingdom of God, the landless day labourer will receive enough to feed his family. It is “right and just” that he should. Historical events have deprived him of his means of livelihood. But in the kingdom of God that is breakinginto the world with Jesus, he will not go short.  

Prayer. Lord, help us to put your justice before our own. Aman.

A GREAT LIGHT

PRAYER PAUSE        

Tuesday 22 August 2017, Mary Queen

A GREAT LIGHT

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “The people who walked in darkness has seen a great light.” (Isaiah 9:1-6)

Reflection. Eight days after the Assumption the Church celebrates the glory of Mary in heaven. It is a moment to ponder her participation in the mission of her Son, her triumph and her power. Esther had saved her people by interceding with the king and Mary now continually intercedes for the people of God on their journey, Her total acceptance of God’s plan for his people has led to her becoming the one who manifests now what the Church is and will become fully in the future. With reverence and love we turn to her.    

Prayer. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you … Pray for us now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

HE WENT AWAY SAD

PRAYER PAUSE        

Monday 21 August 2017, Pius X

HE WENT AWAY SAD

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “But when the young man heard these words he went away sad, for he was man of great wealth.” (Matthew 19:16-22)

Reflection. This, from Matthew, and the reading for today from Judges (2:11-19) speak of sadness. The Israelites fail repeatedly to live up to the promise and the rich young man can’t respond to the call of the kingdom because he wants to build his life on what he has.What gets in the way of my seeing clearly? There is a huge promise in the midst of life but we do not see it. It is sad. We continue to live in the shadows of instant gratifications. We want to “possess” now and cannot hold steady to the promise set before us which is still beyond our grasp. The treasure still lies hidden to us, the pearl of great price unattainable.  

 

Prayer. Lord, give us a steady eye, to keep in mind and heart the purrose you set before us: to welcome the kingdom that advances to meet us. Amen.

EVEN HOUSE-DOGS

EVEN HOUSE-DOGS

Like prisoners and those living with disabilities the birds of the air are not represented in parliament. Their habitat is diminished – and they have no redress - when we thoughtlessly light fires the bush burns and acrid smoke is everywhere. I thought I detected a feverish protest from the fleeing birds, while on a walk close to where I live, as the fire spread reaching the edge of my path.

We are told (in the Guardian Weekly July 21) the present worldwide ‘biological annihilation’ represents a “frightening assault on the foundations of human civilisation. … Billions of animals have been lost as their habitats have become smaller each passing year.” Almost 50% of land mammals have lost 80% of their range in the last century. And the scientists quoted in the article conclude: “All signs point to ever more powerful assaults on biodiversity in the next two decades, painting a dismal picture of the future of life, including human life.”

In the Consolation of Israel – the last books under the title of ‘Isaiah’ – the prophet calls us to “maintain justice and do what is right.” If this is to be more than a well-worn mantra we will have to take note of our responsibility for our environment. There may be no habitat for the birds today. Tomorrow there will be none for us. Pope Francis, in Laudato Si, and quoting Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople, says “the divine and the human meet in the slightest detail in the seamless garment of God’s creation” (#9).

A pure scientist might baulk at such a statement but not if he or she is also a mystic. As our planet hurtles towards its destiny the scientist become feverish – but so does the mystic. We have to become convinced of the interrelatedness of everything. Science and technology cannot persuade the human heart (#113) if that heart, either from carelessness or perverse selfishness, is set on ignoring the mounting evidence of the damage we are doing to our planet, our common and only home. More is needed and that ‘more’ can only arise from a chastened heart – one which is prepared to measure its demands on the planet against the needs of the planet itself to breath and survive

The good news – in the encircling gloom – is “there is reason to hope that humanity at the dawn of the twenty first century will be remembered for bravely shouldering its responsibilities” (#165) and that it will gradually “generate processes” (#178) that will save us from the follies we are pursuing which, if not curbed, will lead us headlong over the abyss.

There was once a brave Canaanite woman who broke through the accepted norms of her time – and even got Jesus to alter his “strategic plan”. Things had gone seriously wrong and she wanted a solution. She found one.

20 August 2017                                  Sunday 20 A

Isaiah 56:1,6-7                                   Romans 11:13…32                            Matthew 15:21-28

LET THE LITTLE CHILDREN

PRAYER PAUSE        

Saturday 19 August 2017

LET THE LITTLE CHILDREN

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “But Jesus said, ‘Let the little children alone and do not stop them coming to me, for it s to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.’” (Matthew 19:13-15)

Reflection. We had a profession celebration at our place not long ago and all the local children invited themselves! No one turned them them away. They each got a bun or a cake and a soft drink and they were manifestly happy. It speaks for itself. Jesus goes to the heart of the matter.  

 

Prayer. Lord, give us a simple heart to divest ourselves of all our complications and go straight to you. Amen.

THE LEAST OF MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS

PRAYER PAUSE        

Friday 18 August 2017, Alberto Hurtado

THE LEAST OF MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “Just as you did it to one of these, the least of my brothers and sisters, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:31-40)

Reflection. Alberto Hurtado was a Jesuit priest who died in 1952, aged 51.What was extraordinary about him was his “multi-tasking” and the integrity with which he approached those tasks: labour issues, homeless people, retreats, guidance one to one, writing books and editing a magazine. “Humility consists in inserting yourself in your right place,” he wrote, “… and recognizing continually my absolute dependence on Him…. The greater the task the smaller one feels. Better to have the humility to begin great tasks with the danger of failing than to reduce one’s goal out of pride in order to guarantee success.”

 

Prayer. Lord, give us the magnaminity of St Alberto to insert ourselves in our right place and, without fear, do the tasks you ask us to do. Amen.

SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN

PRAYER PAUSE        

Thursday 17 August 2017

SEVENTY TIMES SEVEN

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “How often must I forgive … as much as seven times?” Jesus answered, “Not seven times, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:21-19:1)

Reflection. The OT describes God as a God of tenderness and mercy, slow to judge, eager to forgive. It is a dscription of the Father Jesus shows in word and action. If we could live it ourselves it would work wonders in our marriages, communities and countries. We are just so quick to judge, so slow to forgive. And yet the fabric of life is so messy and we are all so self-serving. Forgiveness cuts through it all and “wipes out a multitude of sins.”

 

Prayer. Lord, help us to forgive one another time after time. Prevent us from nursing grudges and resentments. Amen.

YOU SEE IT WITH YOUR OWN EYES

PRAYER PAUSE        

Wednesday 16 August 2017, Stephen of Hangary

YOU SEE IT WITH YOUR OWN EYES

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “The Lord said to Moses, “This is the land I swore to give to Abraham … I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you shall not cross into it.” (Deuteronomy 34:1-12)

Reflection. The formation in their identity and mission was now complete. The people of Israel, in the person of Moses, now glimpse the promised land. But again, in the person of Moses, they will not enter the fullness of the promise God has prepared until they have gone through many trials. Like us, they have sight of the kingdom but not the full reality. The kingdom of God has come but we have not yet fully entered it. The world is still full of injustice and hardness of heart. The kingdom is already here  but not yet! So it was with Moses. So it is with us.

 

Prayer. Lord, may we keep our eyes on “the promised land” and do our best to move, with others, towards it. Amen.

BLESSED IS SHE WHO BELIEVED

PRAYER PAUSE        

Tuesday 15 August 2017,The Assumption of Mary

BLESSED IS SHE WHO BELIEVED

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “Blessed is she who believed that the promise made to her by the Lord would be fulflled.”  (Luke 1:39-56)

Reflection. Our readings today from Revelations (11:19, 12:1-6,10) and 1 Corinthians (15:20-26) are in sharp contrast to the gospel. They give an exalted picture of “a woman clothed in the sun” who “gives birth to one who will rule the nations” and will be “the first fruits” after Christ.” The gospel on the other hand speaks of Mary settting out in haste to the hill country to meet her cousin -  an ordinary human event any of us might do. And yet the two sides of the contrast are intimately linked. The latter flows into the former. Our lives look to what “the eye has not seen nor has it entered into the heart of man to conceive what God has prepared for those who love him.”  

 

Prayer. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you … pray for us now and at the hour... Amen.

A GREAT SADNESS

PRAYER PAUSE        

Monday 14 August 2017, Maxamilian Kolbe

A GREAT SADNESS

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “And a great sadness came over them.”  (Matthew 17:22-27)

Reflection. Our first reading today is from Deuteronomy 10:12-22, where Moses is hammering home his message to the people that they are a chosen race called by God to nurture the message that would one day save the whole world. He coaxes them and sweetens the message. Then in the gospel, Jesus, the new Moses, also has a message but it is to tell his disciples for the third time that the Son of Man will suffer. They begin to grasp something of what this means and a “great sadness comes over them.” Both the promise and the cost hold true still for us today. Joyfully we try to integrate the two into our daily lives.

 

Prayer. Lord Jesus, console us with your promises and strengthen us in our struggles. Amen.

BATTLING A HEADWIND

BATTLING A HEADWIND

Antoine de St Exupery, French pioneer aviator and writer, described how, in the 1930s, he flew his little plane down the east coast of Patagonia to deliver the mails. He met a powerful wind off the Andes mountains which kept blowing him out to sea like a leaf off a tree. He struggled to make his way back against the wind to follow the coastline south. He later reflected, “man measures himself against the obstacle.” A person discovers who they are in the face of something that opposes them.

They can run away. More perversely, they can twist it to their advantage. There were two horrific examples this week of what “man” can do in a crisis. One was in Sicily where forest fires raged. People were struggling to fight the fires but there were a few who secretly went and spread the fire. A money allowance is given to those who volunteer as firefighters and these few wanted more money. Another case was in South Africa where police struggle to contain crime. In one location they managed to collect a number of illegally held guns but it later came out that some police then sold the same guns back to the criminals.

But most of us, in the face of a headwind, want to resist and push back. One “headwind” that troubles many in our generation is stress. Students are under pressure to study subjects that make them employable, subjects that narrow rather than broaden their horizon. Adults work long hours at a job that is in itself insecure and their marriage comes under strain. They have no time for their kids. The challenges mount. By many accounts this situation is going to to get worse.

I once visited the Sea of Galilee. It is a peaceful place. But seemingly it can get stormy all of a sudden and the disciples of Jesus had experiences of this. We are told of a time they were battling a heavy sea due to a headwind. They were making little progress, and wondering if they would make it. Then they suddenly saw him “walking on the water” towards them. They were terrified but he tried to calm them. Peter, with impetuous love, walks on the water but his courage fails him.

If we lay hold of the treasures of our faith we will meet Jesus coming towards us in the midst of the heavy sea. He will say to us, “Courage, it is I! Do not be afraid!” He will always be there coming towards us in the midst of our stress.  He is not a ghost or a placebo. He is real. “The wind dropped.” The headwind gives way to calm in his presence.

13 August 2017                                  Sunday 19 A

1 Kings 19:9-13                                  Romans 9:1-5                     Matthew 14:22-33

LISTEN, ISRAEL

PRAYER PAUSE        

Saturday 12 August 2017

LISTEN, ISRAEL

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “Listen, Israel: the Lord our God is the one Lord.You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength.”  (Deuteronomy 6:4-13)

Reflection. This is the heart of Israel’s vocation. If it could live these words it could become a light to the Gentiles in the time to come. That was God’s plan. It did not work out neatly but it did work out – despite all the failures to keep the covenant, the exile, the occupation of the land by successive neighbouring powers and so forth. Christmas came and a new dawn and a renewal of this ancient calling, but this time to all the world. We too break faith, experience “exile” and “occupation” but still the mission of the People of God continues. There is a picture on the web of Pope Francis roaring with laughter at the lunch on St Ignatius’ Day with his Jesuit brothers.  Despite all our worries we can laugh.  

 

Prayer. Lord Jesus, give us joyful hearts as we keep steadily on trying to be faithful to the mission you share with us. Amen.

DID EVER A PEOPLE?

PRAYER PAUSE        

Friday 11 August 2017, Clare

DID EVER A PEOPLE

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “Did ever a people hear the voice of the living God speaking from the heart of the fire as you heard it, and remain alive?”  (Deuteronomy 4:32-40)

Reflection. The first five books of the bible are the heart of the record of Israel’s calling by God. They define Israel’s identiry and mission. As the record draws to a close the authors reflect on the astonishing choice God has made of them - not to boast that they are better than everyone else but to remind themselves of what it means. If God has chosen us then we must respond. We must fulfil our side of the relatiobship, the covenant. This astonishment is echoed many times in the gospels as when the people of Nain marvel at the raising of the widow’s only son. “God has visited is people.” And the astonishment comes into our hearts when we realise that God has come to dwell in us and among us.  

 

Prayer. Lord Jesus, help us to relish your coming into our lives and may we respond with joy and generosity to your call. Amen.

UNLESS A WHEAT GRAIN DIES

PRAYER PAUSE        

Thursday 10 August 2017, Laurence

UNLESS A WHEAT GRAIN DIES

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “I tell you most solemnly, unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies it yields a rich harvest.”  (John 12:24-26)

Reflection. In the persecutions of the early Church there were many martyrs. But Laurence stands out as soemoone who caught the affection of the poor of Rome because of his generous service of them. He was doing something new in that harsh ancient world. And in the end he lost his life, most cruelly, in their service. He was a sign of what the church can do, and often does, today. Pope Francis wants priests and bishops to move away from enjoying “status” and “honour” to service of the people. And there are many today who never go to church at all who stir us by their generous service of the poor and those on the margins.

 

Prayer. Lord Jesus, may we be disciples who love and serve your people today, especially those who are suffering. Amen.

OUT CAME A CANAANITE WOMAN

PRAYER PAUSE        

Wednesday, 9 August 2017

OUT CAME A CANAANITE WOMAN

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon . Then out came a Canaanite woman, who started shouting … “Have pity on me!”  (Matthew 15:21-28)

Reflection. Like Bartimaeus, this woman persists with her request three times, breaking down the resistance of Jesus who says “I was only sent to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.” But the Gentile woman ignores his explanation and he ends by saying, “Woman, you have great faith.” The House of Israel would formally reject Jesus on the night of his Passion but would not thwart the plan of God to save the world through Israel. This woman gives a taste of the eagerness of the Gentiles to break in and discover the treasure.

 

Prayer. Lord Jesus, as we contemplate the compassion of Jesus, give us hearts able to reach out to others and let us not be bound by “rules.” Amen.

ONE OF LITTLE FAITH, WHY DID YOU DOUBT?

PRAYER PAUSE        

Tuesday, 8 August 2017. Dominic

ONE OF LITTLE FAITH, WHY DID YOU DOUBT?

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water … and began to sink. … ‘Man of little faith,’ said Jesus, ‘why did you doubt?’” (Matthew 14:22-36)

Reflection. Jesus sent the crowds away and then turned his attention again to the twelve . He has been forming them into a community who would take up his work of announcing the kingdom. But they kept showing their flaws and, whatever we make of it, this scene of Pater sinking shows the struggle we have to be faithful to that mission. “That sinking feeling” – referring to a moment when we lose control and all seems lost – has worked its way into our conversation. The scene on the water also sends us a signal as to how much Jesus wishes us to step “out of the box” and imagine things beyond our “well trodden paths.”  People like Dominic did just that.

 

Prayer. Lord Jesus, help us to take on the extraordinary in our desire to be faithful to your mission. Amen.

GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT YOURSELVES

PRAYER PAUSE        

Mnday, 7 August 2017

GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO EAT YOURSELVES

Pause. Enter into the stillness of God within.

Reading: “Send the people away, and they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” “There is no need for them to go: give them something to eat yourselves.” (Matthew 14:13-21)

Reflection. Other people are a burden! They get in the way of my own agenda. I want to pursue my plans and here they are, thwarting me! The disciples felt the pressure of the crowds and wanted to send them away. But Jesus, aware of their desire to avoid responsibility, simply says, “Give them something to eat yourselves!” They must have found Jesus very trying at times! He kept knocking at the door of their selfish hearts and calling them to open up to the wider vision of a new world. They did not like it and neither do we today. Reaching out to others can be very demanding.

  

Prayer. Lord Jesus, teach us to open our hearts to others in the sure knowledge that you will help us give them something nourishing. Amen.

COVERED WITH SHADOW

COVERED WITH SHADOW

The weather has been cloudy and cold this past week. We see the clouds because they hide the sun. No sun, no clouds! On a pitch black night we don’t know if there are clouds. A cloud is mentioned in the account of the Israelites’ journey through the desert: “Yahweh preceded them by day in a pillar of cloud to show them the way” (Exodus 13:21). The cloud revealed the presence of God to them but they do not see him. It both reveals and conceals.

Peter, James and John are stunned on the mountain when they see Jesus, his face shining and his clothes dazzling. Then “a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and from the cloud came a voice.” The experience overwhelms them and then Jesus comes to them and touches them and says, “Do not be afraid. Tell no one of this until the Son of Man has risen.”

Jesus is among them but who he is and what he has come to do is hidden from them. This vision on the mountain will only make sense in the future. If it was only to strengthen them for the trial of the Passion it was a failure.

But the metaphor of the cloud helps us. Travelling by air we find we are above the clouds but we have to go through the clouds on the way up and on the way down. For a moment or two we can see nothing but the enveloping cloud. A tinge of panic touches us. We trust the pilot knows what they are doing. Then all is clear again.

When we have a panic moment in our ordinary life we too know we have to trust all will be well. The panic can both hide and reveal Jesus. It can be hard going to trust at such moments. Things may not turn out as we want. They can go badly wrong. I am facing a cataract operation on my only functioning eye. I trust the skill of the surgeon and many are kindly joining in praying all goes well. But there is always another possibility. What then?

Some people we meet, especially those who are different, those who have some disability or some irritating quirk of character, unsettle us. A cloud can descend and it is hard to find something attractive in them. Jesus seems to be so hidden in them as to be imperceptible.

The Incarnation can never be neatly stored away in a box marked ‘Christmas.’ It is a reality every day. God is among us, with us and in us. The greatest way in which he is both revealed and concealed is in the Eucharist. The feast we call the Transfiguration comes every 6^th of August – just forty days before the Exaltation of the Cross (September 14) – to remind us of this mystery of our hidden God among us.    

6 August 2017                                         The Transfiguration

Daniel 7:9-14                                          2 Peter 1:16-19                                       Matthew 17:1-9

Note. If I gave the impression in my words today (5 August) about John the Baptist - that he spoke of judgement whereas Jesus did not- I hope I did distress any reader. Of course Jesus spoke of judgement many times. My point was that he did not speak of immediate judgement whereas I think John, in a sense, did.