PRAYER MOMENT
Friday 9th May
Sorry, can't manage today. Travelling. DHB
Thursday, 8 May 2014
THE LIFE OF THE WORLD
PRAYER MOMENT
Thursday,
8 May 2014
THE LIFE OF THE WORLD
Pause. Be present
in the synagogue at Capernaum.
Reading: “Anyone
who eats this bread will live for ever; and the bread that I shall give is my
flesh, for the life of the world.” (John 6:44-51)
Reflection. We
continue to explore the riches of John, chapter six. The “life of the world!”
The world already had “life” before the coming of Jesus and many today consider
the world has a life of its own: we don’t need Jesus. But what God is offering
in Jesus is a vast expansion of what we call “life.” People are alive, yes. But
often their lives are wearisome. As I write I am in Nigeria where I see huge
numbers of people squeezing a life out of what remains when the powerful have
taken their share. I find a quiet patience and dignity as people struggle to
make a living. They are nourished on the bread of life and it is clear to see.
But the intention of Jesus is not only that they enjoy the fullness of life in the
Spirit. That “life” is to flow over into this world through justice and the
fair distribution of the gifts of the earth.
Prayer. Lord, you
are the life of the world! Help us to welcome that life and share it with our
brothers and sisters. Amen..
David Harold-Barry SJ
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
WHOM THE FATHER GIVES ME
PRAYER MOMENT
Wednesday,
7 May 2014
WHOM THE FATHER GIVES ME
Pause. Be present
in the synagogue at Capernaum.
Reading: “You can
see me and still you do not believe. Everyone whom the Father gives me will
come to me.” (John 6:35-40)
Reflection. “Everyone
the Father gives me!” Does that mean there are some he does not give me? Any
puzzling out we do about the meaning of texts has to come second to the clear
message of the gospel: Jesus came to offer his life for everyone. There are no
exceptions. Why some are drawn to the things of the spirit while others dismiss
these as distractions from the pursuit of power and wealth is hard, perhaps
impossible, to understand. It leads us into the question of evil and why free
beings make evil choices. They prefer short term gratification to long term
peace of mind. John chapter six tells us that God’s gift of the bread of life
is for all. Even the Father is not free. He can only draw people to his Son
when he sees the spark of goodness in the heart of a person. If he finds
nothing he cannot “give” us to his Son.
Prayer. Lord, we
ask you to “draw” us to your Son. We can be so resistant. Purify our hearts
that we may notice your gentle drawing. Amen..
David Harold-Barry SJ
Monday, 5 May 2014
THE BREAD OF LIFE
PRAYER MOMENT
Tuesday,
6 May 2014
THE BREAD OF LIFE
Pause. Be present
in the synagogue at Capernaum.
Reading: “I am
the bread of life. No one who comes to me will even hunger; no one who believes
in me will ever thirst.” (John 6:30-35)
Reflection. The bread
of life! It is a phrase of different layers of meaning and the dialogue pushes
the reader/hearer to move beyond the immediate to the deeper. The Jews
understand the first meaning. Jesus shows he is a prophet by performing a
miracle in multiplying bread. He then draws them further by the reference to
the manna in the desert. All of this is a preparation for the life that God is
offering. The bread of the Eucharist is the focus of this life. Eating his body
and drinking his blood unites the receiver with the source. It unites the
believer with the Lord who shares his divine life with him or her. It also has
a ripple effect on the whole world. There are many who receive a share in this
life without expressly reaching for it. But they receive it anyway because
their lives are good and they seek the truth.
Prayer. Lord, you
are the bread of life who has come into our world to share your life with every
person and every society. Prise open our confused hearts to receive your great
gift so that your world may be transformed and your reign come. Amen..
David Harold-Barry SJ
SEEING THE SIGNS
PRAYER MOMENT
Monday,
5 May 2014
SEEING THE SIGNS
Pause. Be present
in the synagogue at Capernaum.
Reading: “You are
looking for me not because you have seen the signs but because you had all the bread
you wanted to eat.” (John 6: 22-29)
Reflection. Jesus
came to offer the “gift of God” (John 4:10) but many had their eyes on something
less. Religion offers many attractions: community, identity, status and even
some financial perks. I write from Nigeria where there is deep dismay about how
religion threatens to tear the nation apart. Religion can be used for evil
purposes but it can also be used as a support system where there is no moral
blame beyond a settling for the minimum – a sort of pass mark. But Jesus says, “Look!”
Look at the signs in your midst. Can you not see what is happening? Can you not
see that God has made his dwelling among us? (John 1:14) Since he has done so
much, even giving up his own Son to death for us, is it likely that he will
deny us the ope thing that will make us completely happy? (Rom 8:32)
Prayer. Lord, teach
us to reach beyond the immediate and to glimpse what you are calling us to. Forgive
us for settling what is immediate and easy and avoiding the long term harder
search for you and your will. Amen..
David Harold-Barry SJ
Friday, 2 May 2014
As I will be traveling over the next 10 days my contributions may be intermittent
Apologies and thanks. David Harold Barry
A change of heart
A friend of
mine pulled himself out of an alcohol induced downward spiral and is now
helping others to overcome addiction based self-destructing compulsions. It is
awesome to witness and opens a window on a dream that others whose addictions
are to power and the unreflecting pursuit of wealth would do the same. Yet a
change of heart, history tells us, is rare. Once a person becomes accustomed to
a way of life that compromises his or her integrity it is a hard struggle to
draw back.
The Easter
narratives tell us of two individuals who literally turned back. They gave up
on the whole “Jesus effect” and set off for Emmaus, presumably returning home.
They reckoned without Jesus himself who also set out to find them and probe
them with questions. They did not know the person walking beside them was Jesus
no more that countless people know the origins of the questions that probe
their own consciences.
But they
listened, and as the journey progressed they felt their “hearts burning”
within. This was the prelude to recognising who their companion was and a
literal turnaround of their fortunes. Also in the Easter narratives we hear
several times of Peter “standing up” and addressing people in a “loud voice”.
They listened and “were cut to the heart” and asked, “What are we to do?”
The Easter
season is a time of listening and allowing the message to enter deep into us.
How hard it is to listen! Not with the ears but with the heart. How hard it is
to stop and deeply reflect on the direction of my life! I am so used to do
things “my way.” I am kind of set in the way I react and respond. It is almost
a reflex. People can predict what I am going to say. It is almost a formality
asking my opinion. They know already what my answer will be.
But what if
I dug deeper? What, if I came in touch with a reality greater than the little
world I have created for myself? What if I allowed myself to change! Pope
Francis openly admits that he was set on a certain way, until he met the poor
of Buenos Aires. They profoundly changed him. Or rather he allowed them to
change him. He did not resist the voice that said, ‘Turn around and go back to
Jerusalem.’ He did it and became the man the world reveres.
4 May 2014 Third
Sunday of Easter A
Acts 2:14, 22-28 1
Pet 1:17-21 Luke 24:13-35
Thursday, 1 May 2014
FIVE BARLEY LOAVES AND TWO FISH
PRAYER MOMENT
Friday,
2 May 2014
FIVE BARLEY LOAVES AND TWO FISH
Pause. Be present
on the hillside with the ‘large crowd’.
Reading: “There
is a small boy here with five barley loaves and two fish; but what is that
between so many?” (John 6:1-15)
Reflection. Some
committee in Rome forty years ago must have had fun deciding which parts of John’s
gospel to put in late Lent (the tension and confrontation bits) and which parts
in Easter time (the growth and consolation bits). Here is an example of the
latter. A few loaves and fish feed a large crowd and “twelve hampers” of scraps
were left over. That last detail itself gives us pause for thought. God multiplies
the effects of the smallest human efforts by the “smallest” people. When we try
to do something with all our heart it has a ripple effect that we do not know.
And, as has often been pointed out, this passage has Eucharistic echoes that
are not separate from these efforts. The mention of bread will tell us that. It
is all one offering.
Prayer. Lord, help
us to come with our daily offering of our lives. Bless and multiply what we do
so that your people may have life, your life. Amen..
David Harold-Barry SJ
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