Will be away for 4 days out of range of internet from 1 Aug. DHB

THE MIND OF CHRIST JESUS

PRAYER MOMENT

Wednesday 31 July 2013

THE MIND OF CHRIST JESUS

Pause. Be still in the presence of God.

Reading. “Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Phil 2:1-18)

Reflection. Ignatius of Loyola, whose feast we keep today, shifted his thinking from gaining fame in the service of the king of Spain, to totally giving himself to the service of Jesus. But even then, at first, he had his own ideas what this might mean. He had to come to a second conversion when he left for ever his own plans and welded himself to the divine plan, just as Jesus himself did in the Garden of Gethsemane. And it was not just in the big issues but even in the smallest events of the day he set himself to “find God in all things.”

Prayer. Lord, on this day when we find ourselves in the midst of a charged election in Zimbabwe, teach us to have your mind and the see things through your eyes. Lead us to the peace and unity that you offer. Amen.

A GOD OF TENDERNESS AND COMPASSION

PRAYER MOMENT

Tuesday 30 July 2013

A GOD OF TENDERNESS AND COMPASSION

Pause. Be still.

Reading. “A God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in kindness, forgives faults, transgression, sin.” (Exod 33:7-11, 34:5-9,28)

Reflection. This description, found in the account of the intimate “face to face” meeting of God and Moses in the Book of Exodus, is consistent with the picture of  Jesus we have from the gospels. God allows the weed and the good seed to grow together. It is impossible to separate them as they grow and it is impossible for us to fully sort out motivations or the motivations of others for what they or we do. So often it is my kingdom that I seek when I do something good. God looks at us with the tenderness of a mother and with deep compassion and love..

Prayer. Teach me, Lord, to have a heart of compassion for others and also for myself. Give me the wisdom to understand your tenderness despite the often harsh realities of daily life. Amen.

I AM THE RESURRECTION

PRAYER MOMENT

Monday 29 July 2013

I AM THE RESURRECTION

Pause. Allow yourself to enter the quietness within.

Reading. “I am the resurrection. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live.” (John 11:19-27)

Reflection. We owe it to Martha’s, whose feast we keep today, conversation with Jesus that we have these words that are remembered at funerals. “I am the life.” First, the words “I am” are those used to Moses when God reveals his name in the desert. And then the word “life” recapitulates in one word the whole revelation. The context is Martha’s sorrow at the death of her brother Lazarus and a gentle complaint that Jesus didn’t do something to prevent it. The message is Jesus himself gives life and “to the full.”.

Prayer. Almighty Father, we live in charged times, times that give us hope but also are pervaded by dread. Teach us to have confidence that you are at work in everything drawing life out of every situation  because you love us and have sent your Son to lead us along the way of life. Amen.

Why do the innocent suffer?

Why do the innocent suffer?

Must the good suffer because of the wicked? Every time we open a newspaper we face this question. Those who work for peace in Syria say the problem could have been resolved in a few days after it first erupted but those in power refused. Two years later, after tens of thousands have died and hundreds of thousands have become refugees, a solution is further away than ever. Innocent children and their mothers crowd the cardboard camps of nearby Jordan.

It is an old question and three thousand years ago, in the same part of the world, Abraham bargained with God about the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. “Are you really going to destroy the upright with the guilty? Suppose there are fifty upright people in the city” (Gen 18). It is an amazing almost playful passage where Abraham whittles down the number from fifty to ten and still God agrees, “I will not destroy the city if there are ten good people in it.” Clearly not even ten could be found and the cities were destroyed.

Centuries later the same happened to Jerusalem itself. Jeremiah reported that not even “one individual who does right “could be found in the city” (5:1). It was a grim statistic and the city was destroyed. But it prepares us for what Paul tells us: that Jesus himself was the one just man who was found in the city: “one man’s good act has brought justification and life to all humanity” (Rom 5:18).

Paul goes on to offer his answer to the question about the suffering of the innocent which weighs us down every time we switch on the television. The innocent do suffer and we are more and more aware of how much pain and injustice there is in our world. We cannot anaesthetise their sufferings by saying that Jesus, innocent that he was, also suffered and that he has set down a marker which says suffering no longer has the power to destroy. It is ultimately a gateway to life. I believe this. But not everyone does and it cannot make me indifferent to what I see around me. It is true it will all come right in the end as the fourteenth century mystic, Julian of Norwich, wrote “all will be well and all manner of things will be well.” But we cannot sit on our hands in the face of suffering in the meantime.

Combined with the hope that Paul and Julian describe there is the need on our part to do everything we can to combat suffering. And the same TV tells us how much is being attempted. The call is for us all to reach out; to ask, to seek and to knock (Luke 11:1-13).

28 July 2013                Sunday 17 C

Gen 18:20-32              Col 2:12-24                 Luke 11:1-13

WEEDS IN THE WHEAT

PRAYER MOMENT

Saturday 27 July 2013

WEEDS IN THE WHEAT

Pause. Pause to enter into  the silence within.

Reading. “While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed darnel all among the wheat.” (Matt 13:24-30)

Reflection. A fundamentalist is someone who wants everything neat. There is no room for grey areas. In Egypt today there are people like that while there are others who say we want an open society where all will be included: it will be messy but it will be free. God clearly prefers messiness. Caravaggio (1571-1610) painted some of the most beautiful pictures ever. But he also murdered someone. One of the last books of the renowned Cardinal Basil Hume was entitled Basil in Blunderland. Frankly we all blunder along. We make mistakes every day and yet we also get lots of things right.

Prayer. Lord, help me to be patient with myself. When I fail it is not a disaster. You have a way of making our failures fruitful for your purposes. My impatience with my failures is a sort of pride. Teach me the gentleness to find you in everything. Amen.

PRAYER MOMENT

Friday 26 July 2013

LET US PRAISE ILLUSTRIOUS PEOPLE

Pause. Pause to enter into stillness.

Reading. “Let us praise illustrious people, our ancestors in their successive generations.” (Sir 44:1, 10-15)

Reflection. We do not think much about our ancestors: all those who came before us and fashioned the world we now inhabit. We have built on their achievements. Without them we would be on ground zero. The Church has a curious feast celebrating the granny and granddad of Jesus to whom she has given the names Joachim and Anne. It is a moment to celebrate our own grandparents and all who have gone before us. Important as we individually are we are also simply one person in a vast tapestry, a great community, of God’s people, inheritors and creators of the Kingdom of God which in concrete form is the earth we see and touch but which far transcends it.

Prayer. Lord, help me to rejoice in the world you have given me and all of us. Teach me to reverence the days and hours you have given me. Work with me to contribute to a world that is ever groaning in the pain of giving birth. Amen. 

YOU SHALL DRINK MY CUP

PRAYER MOMENT

Thursday 25 July 2013

YOU SHALL DRINK MY CUP.

Pause. Call to mind that you are in the presence of the Trinity.

Reading. “You shall drink my cup, but as for seats on my right hand and my left’ these are not mine to grant … “ (Matt 20:20-28)

Reflection. Today is the feast of St James, one of the earliest companions of Jesus. The most famous site dedicated to him is in NW Spain at Compostella where there has been a horrific train crash this morning killing over 70 people. James’ mother had ambitions for her sons, James and John, which Jesus patiently listened to but ignored. “Can you drink my cup,” he asked them. And to be fair to them they said, “yes, we can.” An Obama response! But they had to move from ambition for themselves to ambition for the reign of God. And this would stretch them in ways they did not imagine. James was the earliest of the apostles to be killed.  

Prayer. Lord, receive those who died in Compostella into your kingdom and be with their mourning families. Help me to move beyond my own interests to the wider vision we call “your will.” May it be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen. 

IMAGINE A SOWER.

PRAYER MOMENT

Wednesday 24 July 2013

IMAGINE A SOWER.

Pause. Bring to mind that you are in the presence of the Trinity.

Reading. “Imagine a sower going out to sow. As he sowed, some seeds fell on the edge of the pah ….” (Matt 13:1-9)

Reflection. From his own experience growing up in Galilee and helping in the fields Jesus constructs this picture of proclaiming the reign of God. The seed can fall on the edge of the path, on the rocks, among thorns or in good soil. It is a clear image of how God’s word, God’s Word, is received. Perhaps we are not to dismiss the first three completely. For example, someone’s life might be barren like a rock or full of thorny problem but they might still be able to find a space to receive the Good News.

Prayer. Lord, help me to be open to receive your word not only when I am paying attention to you and am in peace, but also in difficult times when I am feeling barren and confused. 

WHO IS MY MOTHER?

PRAYER MOMENT

Tuesday 23 July 2013

WHO IS MY MOTHER?

Pause. Be still in the presence of the Trinity.

Reading. “Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matt 12:46-50)

Reflection. The response Jesus gave to the man who told him his mother and brothers wanted to see him still has power to shock us. He is with his disciples and his relatives interrupt him. He appears to brush them aside. Matthew, Mark and Luke all give this episode. We can draw from it the passionate commitment Jesus has to announcing the “reign” of God, the breaking in of God into human history. Everything takes second place to this, even those closest to us.

Prayer. Lord, your whole being strained to share with us the message that God wills to share his life with us. He wants us to be divine to the fullest degree we are capable of. Open our eyes to see and “taste” the plan you have for us. Amen

SEEKING HIM WHOM MY HEART LOVES

PRAYER MOMENT

Monday 22 July 2013

SEEKING HIM WHOM MY HEART LOVES

Pause. Be still in the presence of God.

Reading. “I will rise and go through te city; in the streets and in the squares I will seek him whom my heart loves.” (Song of Songs 3:1-4)

Reflection. Together with the gospel from John (20:1-2, 11-18) these readings illumine the feast of Mary Magdalene. She was lost and then found by Jesus and every after she sought his company even to the tomb. There is the story about the sheep that found a hole in the fence and wandered in the forest until it got lost and could not find its way back. And a wolf came and closed in on it but the shepherd came and rescued it and brought it home. But the shepherd refused to mend the hole in the fence. God leaves us free to choose, to make mistakes and learn.

Prayer. Lord, you give us the beauty of the world to wander and to find our way. Help us not to lose heart when we lose our way. Lead us back to you who are the one who opens our hearts to receive your life ever more fully. Amen

The sounds of silence

The sounds of silence

The phrase “sounds of silence”, first popularised in the 1960s by Simon and Garfunkel’s song with that title, contains the challenging promise that silence is pregnant with meaning and good news. If a person can be still and enter into their own consciousness they will experience life in a new way. There are two passages from the scriptures that can help us in this.

The first is when Abraham is “sitting by his tent at the hottest part of the day.” It is too hot to work so he just rests for a while. As he does so he becomes aware that there are three men standing close by. They say nothing but their presence prompts Abraham to a sudden response. He begs them to stay and rushes to prepare refreshment for them. While they are eating he stands quietly waiting nearby and they address him, “I shall visit you again next year and your wife will then have a son.”  

The pronouns keep changing between the plural and the singular leading some commentators to see this incident as a hint of the revelation of the Trinity. But whatever one reads into it Abraham clearly saw it as a revelation of the divine and the fulfilment of his longing to have a son. He was attuned to the message behind the events. He was sharply aware of the “sounds” behind the silent presence of his guests.

The second incident about stillness comes from Luke where Jesus comes to the home of Mary and Martha. This time it is Martha who does the bustling in the kitchen preparing the food. And Mary, like Abraham, just waits silently while Jesus speaks. We are not told what he says to her. The point of the story is simply that she listens. She listens to his words and she listens to the One behind the words.

In Japanese art there are many blank spaces. The artist does not fill the whole canvass with what he/she wants to paint. There are spaces and we are invited to be aware of them too. Perhaps we can fill the spaces with our own images. Perhaps we can find in silence our own words and messages.

Sunday 16 C               21 July 2013

Gen18:1-10                 Col !:24-28                  Luke 10:38-42

THE SILENT SERVANT

PRAYER MOMENT

Saturday 20 July 2013

THE SILENT SERVANT

Pause. Be still for a moment.

Reading. “He will not brawl or shout, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.” (Matt 12:14-21)

Reflection. In the heart of his gospel Matthew quotes a servant song from Isaiah. The messiah will achieve his mission quietly, like leaven. You will not hear his voice. The transformation of my life is hardly noticeable – except perhaps after a long time. You cannot watch the seed grow. But imperceptibly over time my life changes and so does the world.  The reign of God comes quietly and one day we wake up and see the fruits.

Prayer. Grant me the wisdom, Lord, to be patient with myself and with others. On the whole we are all trying to do the best we can. Help us to believe that you are quietly at work in our world. I may live to see change or I may not but change is coming because you are at work. Amen.

A GIRDLE ROUND YOUR WAIST

PRAYER MOMENT

Friday 19 July 2013 (Apologies for the gap yesterday!)

A GIRDLE ROUND YOUR WAIST

Pause. Be in touch with the silence within.

Reading. “You shall eat it like this: with a girdle round your waist, sandals in your feet, a staff in your hand. You shall eat it hastily; it is a Passover in honour of the Lord.” (Exod. 1l:10-12,14)

Reflection. There is a sense of urgency in the account of the Passover. It is a moment of decision. This is the time when the Jewish people will begin to separate from those among whom they live. They will acquire a new identity. They will be marked by a new mission. They will eat the meal already prepared for a journey.

We can transfer all these elements into our sense of our own calling as a people of God whose values and identity are marked out in some way as different from the values and culture of those among whom we live.  

Prayer. Lord teach me to have a discerning heart; to be able to see those values in the world today which 

are in tune with your reign; and to see those that are totally opposed. The good grain and the weeds grow together. Help me to know the difference. Amen.

A BURNING BUSH

PRAYER MOMENT

Wednesday 17 July 2013

A BURNING BUSH

Pause. Be still and recall that you are in the presence of God.

Reading. “I must go and look at this strange sight,” Moses said, “and see why the bush is not burnt.” (Exod 3:1-6, 9-12)

Reflection. Much knowledge is available on the internet. When in doubt, google!. There is a way of finding out most things. But the divine irruption into our world is not available on google. It is revealed only to those who are chosen (Matt 11:25-7). In the time before the Son of God entered our world in flesh the revelation was given to only a few patriarchs and prophets, like Moses and Elijah. They were to be leaders of a people who “cannot tell their right hand from their left” (Jon 4:11). But since the time of Jesus this revelation is open to all who seek. And the seeking and the finding is a gift.

Prayer. We thank you, Lord, for planting in us the desire to know you. Teach us to seek you in all things. Reveal your presence in people – especially those who suffer – and in the  circumstances of my life and the life o others.  Amen.

THE SPLENDOUR OF CARMEL

PRAYER MOMENT

Tuesday 16 July 2013

THE SPLENDOUR OF CARMEL

Pause. Be still and enter your inner self..

Reading. “Let the desert and the dry lands be glad. … the splendour of Carmel is bestowed on it.” (Isaiah 35:1-2. Zech. 2:14-17)

Reflection. We take a break from the daily readings today to celebrate Our Lady of Mount Carmel, an unusual amalgam of associations. Carmel was the mountain in Galilee where Elijah battled with the prophets of Baal. And it was the mountain where a group gathered in the thirteenth century – they later became known as Carmelites - for a new battle devoting their lives to contemplation under the patronage of Mary who lived nearby in Nazareth. The mood is one of joy and promise – “let the dry lands be glad” – because God is active in our world revealing the beauty and splendour of people, even though it may be hidden from those same people’s eyes. 

Prayer. Lord, teach us to see the beauty in people, especially in the poor and those on the margins of our society. You know them and each one is important to you but I know that I often pass by and ignore them. Give me eyes that see and ears that hear.  Amen.

A TIME OF DECISION

PRAYER MOMENT

Monday 15 July 2013

A TIME OF DECISION

Pause. Be still and “know that I am God”.

Reading. “I have come to set a person against his father … and mother.” (Matt 10:34-11:1)

Reflection. We have reached the end of Ch.10 in Matthew. Jesus has been instructing his disciples. Now he asks for a decision. Are you with me, with all the consequences this might bring for you, even in your family relationships? Or are are you going to go your own way? To decide for Jesus has consequences. It may mean confronting someone I love. It may mean abandoning a cherished position I have held for a long time. The call to conversion is insistent and on-going and calls us each day to make decisions – sometimes difficult ones.

Prayer. Lord, I hear your words about choices. I know you call me to a fuller life. But I am weak and find it hard to move. Help me in my weakness to say and do what I know in my heart I am called to – even when it is difficult.  Amen.

Moved by compassion

Moved by compassion

The “Good Samaritan” has become part of daily coinage. Anyone who does a good deed can be so called. But when Jesus first told the story in answer to the question of a Jew versed in the law he shocked his hearers. The lawyer had given the traditional teaching about loving God and loving one’s neighbour and Jesus had said, “fine, now do it.” But the lawyer had been trying to stir an argument with Jesus; he was put out by this simple response and sought to prolong the exchange by saying, “and who is my neighbour.”

You can see Jesus settling down to give him an answer. He tells a simple story, something that probably happened frequently. A traveller is mugged and left by the road side “half dead.” People see him but they don’t want to get involved and they hurry by. But then one man has pity for him and helps him. The force and shock of the story comes from the identity of the fellow travellers. One is a priest and another a Levite. These are people who knew the teaching about loving God and your neighbour but it was just words to them. The third one to pass by may not have known the teaching but he was “moved with compassion.” The original Greek word means he was disturbed in his entrails. In other words, he was deeply upset and felt he had to do something.

So the “religious” people did nothing but the member of a group that was despised acted. No wonder Jesus upset his contemporaries. He had a way of telling stories that went deep. This week I have come across several comments from three different sources which all add up to a similar message: many young people in Europe think religion is old fashioned and irrelevant. One group of young people surveyed in the UK think it is actually harmful. We can go into the reasons why people hold these views and even argue that they have been misinformed or don’t understand. But that is not the point. This is their perception and this is what is going to influence their attitudes and actions.

The bishop of Rome, as Francis likes to call himself, is the most recent and most well-known of those who have come to shock us into realising that we can distort religion. We can use it for our own benefit. We can make it into a comfort zone. We can move far away from the one who said, “the foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” The message of Jesus is simple. You don’t have to “go up to heaven or cross the seas to find it.” It is there in your heart and anyone can know it. In the end it will be the witness of our lives that will convince people of the message of the gospel. Francis is giving a dose of hope to those who wish to see the gospel uncoupled from “religion.” 

14 July 2013                Sunday 15 C

Deut 30:10-14             Col 1:15-20                 Luke 10:25-37

DO NOT BE AFRAID

PRAYER MOMENT

Saturday 13 July 2013

DO NOT BE AFRAID

Pause. Be still in the presence of God.

Reading. “Do not be afraid of them therefore. For everything that is now hidden will be made clear..” (Matt 10:24-33)

Reflection. How often in the gospels Jesus says it! “Do not be afraid!” He says it in the context of asking his friends to witness to him in their lives and their words. He asks a lot of them. They are to go out and risk rejection, imprisonment, persecution and even death. They have to reach beyond their own comfort and security. This is the only way the reign of God can come into the world. How does this work with me? Am I afraid of something? Can I reach beyond my own settled patterns of life to others in some way?

Prayer. Lord, let me hear your words, “do not be afraid.” Let them enter my heart and give me courage in the daily challenges – little things and maybe big things – that come my way. Let me understand how much you want to fill me with your life if only I can stretch open my heart, like a young bird in the nest straining to receive food from its mother. Amen.

BROTHER WILL BETRAY BROTHER

PRAYER MOMENT

Friday 12 July 2013

BROTHER WILL BETRAY BROTHER

Pause. You are in the presence of God.

Reading. “Brother will betray brother … children will rise against their parents.” (Matt 10:16-23)

Reflection. Jesus describes what happens in everyday life. The companion Old Testament reading today is about how Joseph was betrayed by his brothers and sold into Egypt and how the brothers deceived their father. One way or another these things happen every day. What Jesus asks is that we “stand firm” and not panic. What we have to say and do “will be given to us.” It should not arise out of our feelings of revenge or resentment. It should arise from our patience and forgiveness. We are call to wait on God.  

Prayer. Jesus, give me a heart like Joseph of old who endured much suffering but who waited until you resolved things for him and for his brothers. Teach me to believe that reconciliation and peace are waiting round the corner if I am patient and stand firm. Amen.

GIVE WITHOUT CHARGE

PRAYER MOMENT

Thursday 11 July 2013

GIVE WITHOUT CHARGE

Pause. Be still in the presence of God.

Reading. “You received without charge, give without charge.” (Matt 10:7-15)

Reflection. There are two ways of giving. One is to give – a present, my time, some service – and somewhere in the back of my mind there is the expectation that the one receiving will give me something in return. The other way of giving is to have no agenda, hidden or otherwise. You simply give because you want to and you are happy to do it. Jesus insists on this second way. When it comes to the gospel, indeed when it comes to anything related to the reign of God, we give without calculation, without any expectation of a return.  

Prayer. Jesus teach me the way of giving that you show us. You gave everything, even your life. You give out of love. You get nothing out of it except the happiness of your people. Amen.

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS CLOSE.

PRAYER MOMENT

Wednesday 10 July 2013

THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS CLOSE

Pause. Recall that you are in the presence of God.

Reading. “As you go proclaim that the kingdom of God is close at hand.” (Matt 10:1-7)

Reflection. There is evidence in the New Testament that the early church expected Jesus to return in their lifetime and proclaim the kingdom of God. But nothing like that happened. Periodically over the next 2000 years – such as in the years 999 and 1999 – this expectation was revived. But again, here we are. Nothing dramatic has happened. Yet the kingdom – or better the reign or the rule – of God IS close at hand. We are not talking of a particular time but of the breaking in of the divine in people’s lives “every moment and every hour” (Tagoe).   

Prayer. Lord, teach me to welcome your coming – like leaven in the flour – at every moment. Open my heart to welcome your coming into what |I say and what I do, what I think and how I respond. Our Father … may your kingdom come … Amen.

THE PEOPLE WERE AMAZED

PRAYER MOMENT

Tuesday 9 July 2013

THE PEOPLE WERE AMAZED

Pause. Be still for a moment in the presence of God.

Reading. “The people were amazed. Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.” (Matt 9:32-38)

Reflection. Amazement is a common description for the reaction of the people to Jesus. He jolted them out of their ordinary lives and ways of thinking. He opened up a new perspective and gave them hope that things don’t have to be the way they are. He stretched their imagination and invited them to reach for a new world – one they could not have thought of. We still have the ability to be amazed but it is often limited to the world of technical discovery or sporting skills. We are called too to be amazed by mystery and wonders beyond our human endeavours.    

Prayer. Lord, open my heart to the wonder of your world with all the possibilities for the divine breaking into our world. Let me not be cramped and limited by the wonder of creation without seeing behind it to the wonder of the Creator. Amen

PRAYER MOMENT

Monday 8 July 2013

THE FRINGE OF HIS CLOAK

Pause. Take a moment to enter into your own stillness.

Reading. “If I can only touch his cloak I will be well again.” (Matt 9:18-26)

Reflection. When a great tennis player, or any sportsperson, reaches the pinnacle of their ambition through stretching themselves to the limit we are lost for words to describe their achievement. We are lost because we are in a realm beyond words. The human spirit can soar in a million different ways. It is available to each of us. For a moment we touch the fringe of the divine.

Prayer. Lord, teach me to be ambitious for ”the higher gifts” (I Cor 12:31). Teach me to reach out to people with whom I would not normally want to associate. Teach me to enter into my own heart to find the courage to stretch out to the divine. Amen

PEACE TO THIS HOUSE

‘Peace to this house!’

Bang in the middle of the uncertainty and toil of Jesus’ mission there is a promise of peace. It is clearly an account (Luke 10) that reflects the trials but also the intense joy of the early church discovering how people received the gospel. It is coupled with a vivid reading from the “Book of Consolation” about Jerusalem being a mother and her children being “suckled and savouring with delight her glorious breasts.” Such experiences and such readings stop us in our tracks and open to us for a moment the life that lies beyond our normal experiences.

Those who have TVs and, what is more, access to international channels can watch the best of sport and this week there are millions glued to an eighth of an acre of grass in South London. The thrill of Wimbledon is to see men and women reach beyond themselves and they carry us with them. It is just for a moment but it is enough to give us a glimpse of the stretch we are capable of.

It is all about peace. The word is used and reused. It is used in greetings and often said lightly and sometimes meant deeply. There is not much point in praying for it, in our own country or anywhere else, unless we combine our prayer with a stretching beyond ourselves to achieve it. It comes upon us suddenly like a gift but only if we have been reaching for it deep within us. It cannot be forced or imposed any more than you can force water to boil. You have to create the conditions and then wait.

How do we connect all these beautiful readings in the scriptures and our own experience? It is awesome to watch Wimbledon, or any sport, but it is also awesome to watch what is being enacted in Cairo. Passions have been coming to the boil for decades and now people in one country but with opposing views have come face to face. Now one side seems to have the upper hand, now another.  To the distant observer it looks like a nonviolent, on the whole, struggle being waged between two ways of thinking. The next stage in the struggle will be to go deep within and search out what they hold in common and how they can satisfy each other’s longings. It will be wonderful if they can do that. That is a far better prize than one side imposing its will on the other through force.

This prize is the peace Jesus promised. It cannot be simply mouthed. It has to grow from deep within. It has to overcome set ways of thinking; the barriers within me which prevent me moving out of moulds set in concrete. It can be done and this is the promise that set the 72 disciples alight. 72 was the traditional number of all the nations of the earth. So we can think of all the countries of the world today from A to Z, which is where we come in.

7 July 2013           Sunday 14 C

Is 66:10-14           Gal 6:14-18          Lk 10:1-12             

NEW WINE, FRESH SKINS

PRAYER MOMENT

Saturday 6 July 2013

NEW WINE, FRESH SKINS

Pause. Give thanks to the Lord and be still.

Reading. “They put new wine into fresh skins and both are preserved” (Matt 9:14-17)

Reflection. Can I not just go on as I have been doing up to now? Why do I have to change? Such questions face all of us at one time or another. Yet we sense within us that to change is to grow and to change often, as Cardinal New man said, is to welcome the divine. The Jews liked listening to Jesus but did not like the cost his words would bring into their lives. But Jesus never compromised. He came to announce the new reign of his Father and this meant people had to change. Otherwise they would shrivel up in vapid decadence.

Prayer. Lord, source of life and goal of all my desires, give me the insight to see where you call me to grow and give me the courage to take steps to answer your call despite the cost. Help the people of Egypt through the painful period they now face. Give them wisdom courage and peaceful hearts. Amen.

MERCY NOT SACRIFICE

PRAYER MOMENT

Friday 5 July 2013

MERCY NOT SACRIFICE

Pause. Be still for a moment.

Reading. “Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘what I want is mercy, not sacrifice.’” (Matt 9:9-13)

Reflection. By sacrifice we normally mean denying myself something – even my own life - for the good of others. Jesus says (John 15:13) “there is nothing greater” than this. But if sacrifice lapses into being a quid pro quo (an act that looks for something in return) then it does not reflect the divine seed in us. The mark of the reign of God, which Jesus announced, is compassion, that is, breaking through “paying debts” and healing our world through mercy and forgiveness.

Prayer. Lord, teach us to be compassionate. Teach us to break down the barriers between people through mutual respect and love. Help us to see that what we share is far greater than what divides us. Amen.

GOD WILL PROVIDE

PRAYER MOMENT

Thursday 4 July 2013

GOD WILL PROVIDE

Pause. Enter into your own stillness.

Reading. “My son, God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering.” (Gen 22:1-19)

Reflection. We may be familiar with the account of Abraham preparing to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, to God but we could do well to allow ourselves to be astonished by it. Here is a mysterious story of Israel’s origins preserved in the Jewish people. Isaac carries the wood and is bound and placed on it. At the climax of the story God intervenes and Isaac receives back his life. How it mirrors the carrying of the cross, the nailing, death and resurrection of Jesus! The deeper we ponder it the more we glimpse the amazing way God has worked through our history, a history charged with meaning and promise for our own time.

Prayer. Lord, it is no wonder Israel broke into song in the psalms which our ancestors preserved for us. You are indeed to be praised for all your works. Help me to discern your working today in my life and in those of all around me. Help me to have a great trust that you “will provide”. Amen.

DOUBT NO LONGER

PRAYER MOMENT

Wednesday 3 July 2013

DOUBT NO LONGER

Pause. Go down into the deep well within you.

Reading. “Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands … I will not believe.” (John 20:24-29)

Reflection. For some reason John singles out Thomas, whose feast is today, for three mentions in his gospel – none of them complimentary. Thomas seems to have been one of those people who thinks the worst of any situation. This is helpful for us since his eventual act of faith – “My Lord and my God” – is all the more convincing. He went from one extreme to the other. We live in an age of doubt. That is quite healthy in a way as it means people don’t just take things from others without internalising them. But, with Thomas, we are called beyond our doubts to explore further.

Prayer. My Lord and my God, help me to open the door of my heart to your presence. Many things are not clear o me but lead beyond my doubts to the sure rock of my faith in you. Amen.

BUT HE WAS ASLEEP

PRAYER MOMENT

Tuesday 2 July 2013

BUT HE WAS ASLEEP

Pause. Be quiet for a moment..

Reading. “Without warning a storm broke out over the lake, so violent that the waves were breaking right over the boat. But he was asleep.” (Matt 8:23-27)

Reflection. Those who go in boats know that a sudden squall can happen any time and you can feel helpless. The disciples felt that and cried out to Jesus. But his reaction was to reproach them a little, “why so little faith?” Perhaps they were the ones who were asleep. They were not yet awake to what Jesus’ presence meant. Storms come in our lives too and what do we do?.

Prayer. “Save us, Lord, we are going down.” We make that prayer with the disciples but we also ask your help to trust you. To trust that with you no harm can come and we will get out of this storm one way or another. Amen.

PRAYER MOMENT

Monday 1 July 2013

LEAVE THE DEAD TO BURY THEIR DEAD

Pause. Allow all around you and you yourself to be quiet for a moment..

Reading. “One of his disciples said to him, “I will follow you but let me go and bury my father first.” But Jesus replied, “Follow me and leave the dead to bury their dead.” (Matt 8:18-22)

Reflection. The harshness of this reply has not softened over the two thousand years we have been reading it. It still sounds shocking especially in countries where anything to do with death is highly charged. There are many other alarming statements attributed to Jesus – about hating your relatives and cutting off a limb that is a cause of scandal – but we should read all these as expressions of urgency meant to shake his listeners into a sense of the imminent breaking forth of the reign of God in the world.

Prayer. Jesus, our Lord and God, help us to have this sense of urgency about the time that you give us. Help us to see in all things the coming of the kingdom. Amen.