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TENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME [C]

1 Kings 17: 17 – 24                                                           Galatians 1: 11 – 19                                                            Luke 7: 11 – 17
Jean Valjean stands centre stage in the musical, Les Misérables.
He’s sent to prison for 19 years for stealing a loaf of bread to save his sisters son:
he goes in a simple and decent man, but his time in jail has a seemingly irreversible effect on him; he emerges from the chain gang a hardened criminal who hates a merciless law and society for what they’ve done to him.
When Valjean arrives at the town of Digne, no one is willing to give him shelter because he’s an ex-convict: so, in desperation, he knocks on the door of the Bishop who treats Jean with kindness; the first person in decades to treat him with love and respect.
A simple act; a gift of human compassion: but what the Bishop really gives Jean is a gift beyond price; the love and mercy of Jesus.
The meeting with the Bishop changes him forever; he’s raised to life again.
“My life was a war that could never be won. Yet why did I allow this man to touch my soul and teach me love? [Jean reflects] He treated me like any other. He gave me his trust. He called me brother. My life he claims for God above. Can such things be?”
Les Misérables: Valjean’s Soliloquy
Yes: Jean opens up his heart, he becomes a testament to the redemptive power of love, compassion, and mercy.
Galatians, from which we’ve just heard a few verses, is Paul’s most passionate of all his Letters about the love, compassion, and redemptive mercy of Jesus.
Paul had preached to the Gentiles the ‘good news’ that there’s complete forgiveness of sin, in Jesus; there’s liberation from the power of evil, in Jesus; there’s eternal life that comes from faith and fidelity, to Jesus.
As he went about his mission in Galatia, his steps were dogged by a group of zealous Jewish converts to Christianity who were trying to undermine his preaching of the Gospel to the new Gentile Christian converts.
They insisted that Gentile Christians had to observe all of the Jewish Law, including male circumcision, to know full salvation in Jesus.
When Paul heard this he ‘went ballistic:’ in fact, he was so incensed that they were trying to lay impossible burdens on these new Christians that he wrote in Galatians: “I just wish that those troublemakers who want to mutilate you by circumcision would castrate themselves!” Gal. 5: 12
Very powerful words indeed: but what was at the heart of Paul’s concern was his refusal to allow anything to diminish the power of the Cross of Jesus.
The redemption we have in Jesus, he said, is final, complete, and universal: it needs no additions, or, indeed, subtractions!
We don’t need physical circumcision: Paul says that what we need is a circumcision of the heart – a cutting away of sin – to make us alive to Jesus.
As he writes to the Colossian Christians: “You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then [by His Cross] God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. Col. 2: 13  
Jesus alone gives new life from the death of sin; Jesus alone gives eternal life because He’s the Lord of Life.
However, in the little town of Nain, Jesus, the Lord of Life, meets with death; the death of a widow’s only son.
Luke tells us that: “When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion.” Lk. 7: 13 for this widow who’d now lost her only son.
Jesus says to her: “‘Don’t cry.’ Then he walked over and touched [her son’s body], and the bearers stopped. ‘Young man,’ He said, ‘I say to you, rise!’” Lk. 7: 13 – 14
Jesus touches the dead, lifeless body, and says: ‘Rise!’
Jesus, the Word of God, speaks, and it happens: even the dead hear Him, and obey.
Jesus rose bodily from the dead; when He returns at the end of time He will raise us bodily from the dead too.
In the here and now, Jesus speaks to us when we feel spiritually dead; those times when we feel that our hearts are dead and bare, like a tree in winter.
But, just as a tree is sure its leaves will reappear in Spring, with the Holy Spirit’s anointing, we can come to life again.
That sort of raising from the death of sin is just as powerful, and as much of a miracle by Jesus, as His raising of the widow’s son to life from physical death, so that we can be: “Dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.” Rm. 6: 11
Today, let’s ask Jesus to breath His Spirit into us so that our faith rises again into a deep, personal relationship with Him.
But we must always begin from prayer; from asking, as did Mary, and the Disciples in the Upper Room, for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
Today the Holy Spirit is still blowing through the Church, and we, her people.
Let’s renew each day our trust in the Holy Spirit's action; let’s be guided by the Holy Spirit; let’s become people of prayer who witness to Jesus with courage, becoming instruments of His love and mercy in the world to those who feel: “My life [is] a war that could never be won.”
 
 
 

THE HOLY TRINITY 2016            

                                                                               
Proverbs 8: 22-31                                     Romans 5: 1-5                                        John 16: 12-15
The Capuchin Friar, Raniero Cantalamessa, who is Preacher to Pope Francis and the Papal Household, says this at the beginning of his new book, ‘The Gaze Of Mercy.’ “Too many discussions about love circle around its mystery rather than entering into it. I believe the same can be said about mercy, which is a particular aspect of love.”
I would add to his assertions that the same can be said about the Holy Trinity.
I was never any good at Maths; and I find logarithms, algebra, and calculus an alien language.
Many people find the Trinity just as baffling; others think of the Trinity as an abstract divine essence or a distant Supreme Being.
In fact, the Trinity is the real, tangible movement of love between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 
For us to enter into the mystery of love and mercy in the heart of the Trinity, we need to be attracted to it; to be drawn into it; to patiently knock at its door so that Jesus will come, and take us into the heart of God.
Our reading from Proverbs brings to life a picture of the Father and the Son in love with one another, delighting and revelling in the fruit of their love.
So there’s a relationship, and communion of love at the heart of God – Father, Son, and Spirit – and that love’s expressed through the Holy Spirit who indwelt Jesus: “The Word [who] became a human being and made his home among us.” Jn. 1: 14
The Wisdom and Word of God, who became a frail human being like us and, through His humanity, made known to us the Trinity of Love.
“No one has ever seen God, [John says] but the One and Only Son, who is himself God and is in the closest relationship with the Father, has made him known to us.”
Jn. 1: 18
The wonderful thing about having faith in Jesus is that, whoever we are, we can know, deep within us, the life, love, and mercy of the Holy Trinity.
“We have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.” Rm. 5: 1 – 2    
This ‘place of undeserved privilege where we now stand’ is the outpouring of God’s mercy.
We need constantly to contemplate the ‘mystery’ of mercy: it’s a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace, and our salvation depends on it.
 
 
 
 
Mercy: the word reveals the very mystery of the Holy Trinity.
Mercy: the ultimate, and supreme act by which God comes to meet us.
Mercy: the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person who looks sincerely into the eyes of their brothers and sisters on the path of life.
Mercy: the bridge that connects God and us, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever, despite our sinfulness.
That love isn’t just for the named Saints: it’s for all of us who try to faithfully follow Jesus; and it isn’t just awaiting us in Heaven.
It’s something that possesses us now because of our faith in, and Baptism into the Trinity, through Jesus.
For us to be able to stand under the mercy of God, Jesus absorbed our sins, which  separate us from the love of the Trinity, and nailed them to the Cross in His body.
Jesus loved His Father to the end; He endured the Cross out of love for His Father, and of His great love for us, because He delights in us.
Jesus hoped in His Father, even when it looked as if all hope was lost, because He knew His Father loved Him with all His heart.
And: “We know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.” Rm. 5: 5
In this Year Of Mercy, let us open our hearts to receive the gaze of mercy from: Jesus [who is] the face of the Father’s mercy.” Pope Francis: Bull Of Indiction; 1
So that: “All our living, all our loving, all our praying [will] draw us into a deep sharing in the life of Father and Son and Holy Spirit so that we may reveal his image in our lives, and in our world and, at the end, be united with him in glory.”
See Roderick Strange: The Catholic Faith. p. 186
 

THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD

Acts 1: 1 – 11                                                        Ephesians 1: 17 – 23                                                            Luke 24:46-53
“So what does the Feast of the Ascension of the Lord mean for us? It does not mean that the Lord has departed to some place far from people and from the world. Christ's Ascension is not a journey into space toward the most remote stars.”
Pope Benedict XVI: Homily May 7 2005 It’s about far deeper truths….
Let’s go back for a moment to the evening of Maundy Thursday: in the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, we relived Jesus giving us the Sacrament of His Body and Blood as His ‘Real Presence’ among us on our journey through this world.                                                     That’s His ‘Shekinah,’ to use a Hebrew word, which means the very presence of God dwelling amongst us.                                                                                                                                            Paul, in Colossians, tells us that Jesus is the true ‘Shekinah’ of God: “For in Christ   [he says] dwells all the fullness of God in a human body.” Col. 2: 9                                                 At the Last Supper, Jesus recalled that night in the history of His People when they were brought out of slavery in Egypt to journey toward freedom in the Promised Land.                                                                                                                                                                    Their freedom was purchased by the blood of many lambs: our freedom from sin and death has been purchased by the Blood of Jesus, THE Lamb, who takes away the sin of the world.                                                                                                                                                               On their journey out of slavery, the ‘Shekinah’ of God travelled with His People to protect them: “The Lord guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire.” Ex. 13: 21                                                             Cloud and fire: does that not remind you of the Ascension and Pentecost?                                                                                                                                                        At His Ascension, Jesus tells His Disciples they: “Will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me to the ends of the earth. After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him.” Acts 1: 8 – 9                                                                                             We forget the Lord’s promise that the Holy Spirit will come upon, and choose to remember only those words; ‘and they could no longer see Him.’                                         That, I think, is what makes us think that Jesus is somehow absent from us; rather like a distant relative with whom we just exchange the odd phone call or Christmas card.                                                                                                                                                                         Quite the opposite is true; for that cloud is the ‘Shekinah Glory’ of God, showing us that God has not left us.                                                                                                                                  The promise given by the two Angels to the Disciples as Jesus ascends is that: “Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go! “Acts 1: 11                                                                                                             
 
Yes, Jesus will return on the clouds at the end of time to create a new Heaven and a new Earth, to fulfil His promise given in Revelation: “God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.” Rev. 21: 3                                                                                                                                                                                                    We don’t know when that will be – it might be today, tomorrow, a million years from now: “No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.” Mt. 24: 36                                               But come it will; so we need to be awake – alert – for Jesus to return: and yet, in a real, and very intimate way, He has already come again.                                                                           Ten days after Jesus was taken up in a cloud, He returned again as fire.                                          Then, the ‘Shekinah Glory’ of God came down, and: “What looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on [the Apostles, and the Mother of the Lord].” Acts 2: 3                                                                                                                                                                          Not just to settle upon them, but to enter into them – to enter into their hearts and their souls.                                                                                                                                                            The ‘Shekinah Glory’ of God dwelt within them as a foretaste of God dwelling with us in a new Heaven and a new Earth at the end of time.                                                                     And that indwelling of the ‘Shekinah Glory’ isn’t something which happened to just that small number of people at Pentecost; it happens to each one of us when we open our hearts, and invite Jesus to dwell within us.                                                                 As Paul says: “We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure.” 2 Cor. 4: 7                                                                                      Jesus said: “Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” Jn. 20: 29                                                     His Ascension isn’t about absence, but presence: now, the Risen Jesus is as close to me as the beating of my heart.                                                                                                                              As we gather at this Eucharist, let’s do so with open hearts: to be inspired, to offer praise, and to go out and proclaim the Risen One who never leaves us.                                             “Be sure of this: [Jesus promised] I am with you always, even to the end of time.”     Mt. 28: 20
 
 
 
 
 

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER [C]

Acts 15:1 – 2, 22 – 29                    Revelation 21:10 – 14, 22 – 23                     John 14:23 – 29

It would be so much easier to believe, people say, if I’d lived when Jesus walked this earth, and I could have met Him in the flesh; but I don’t think that’s true.
Then, He was confined to one place and time: Now, He’s no longer in a particular place in the world; now He’s present in every place and time, close to each of us.
Now, the Risen One is still present in the world; living and active in His Church: Jesus is really present, but in a new way.
The Spirit, which had come down on Him at His Baptism in the Jordan; which He breathed out on the Cross when: “He bowed his head and gave up his spirit”
Jn. 19: 30 is now poured out upon all believers, so that we can go out to draw people to Him for salvation.
Jesus said: “When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”
Jn. 12: 32
Lifted up from the earth, yes, on a Cross; but lifted up from the darkness of death three days later.
Jesus – The Risen One – calls us to fulfil, in His name and in His power, that promise of His to draw everyone to Him so that they can know His love and mercy.
“My Father will love [you], and we will come and make our home with each of [you].” Jn. 14: 23 That’s another promise Jesus made, this one at the Last Supper.
Not an empty promise; not an abstract promise, but a firm and binding promise that the Spirit will indwell all who come to Jesus so that He and the Father can live in our hearts.   
This was the living experience of those first Christians we hear about in the Acts of the Apostles, but they weren’t given some sort of ‘super-power’ that we don’t possess.
The only ‘super-power’ they had is what we have; the indwelling of the Holy Spirit: the presence of the Risen Jesus working in our hearts in a powerful, and personal way.
The Risen Jesus, poured into their hearts by His Spirit, allowed them to follow in His footsteps and to be like Him, bearing witness to Him by their life.
This is the same ‘super-power’ the Lord gives to us by our Baptism and Confirmation, and by feeding us on His Body and Blood in the Eucharist.
The Holy Spirit indwells each of us personally so that we can: “Confess with [our] lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in [our] heart that God raised him from the dead.”
See Rm. 10: 9
If our faith in Jesus is as deep as that, then it comes naturally to us to share this experience with other people.
Jesus promised that He’ll give us His breath to breathe in, so that we can breathe out our witness to Him: that promised breath, Jesus says, is: “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name.” Jn. 14: 26
The Spirit of Jesus, who will defend us from the Devil’s snares; defend us from our own sins, and plead for us before the Father; who will give us courage to live, and speak for Jesus.
So let’s not be afraid to go to Jesus, and ask forgiveness; to ask for His blessing and anointing; to ask for His mercy, for, He always forgives us; always defends us.
If we entrust our lives to Him, we’re in the safest of hands: nail-scarred hands that bear witness to the depths of the Lord’s love for us.
But do I want that powerful wind of His Presence to blow through me as on the day of Pentecost?
I suspect not: I think we’d rather have a tame Holy Spirit.
Like a lion-tamer in a circus, we want to turn the Holy Spirit into a tame, docile lion.
But the Spirit of the Lord can’t be tamed; can’t be docile, because: “He’s wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.” C.S. Lewis: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Ch. 17 
To really let the Holy Spirit loose in our lives would – we fear – be dangerous; heaven forbid that should happen!
I’ll just make-do with the familiar and the comfortable instead, and let someone else witness to Jesus instead.
But let’s remember, through our Baptism, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit when we were Confirmed, every Christian is called to be an evangelist.
From Pope Francis, to those countless, hidden, living saints around the world – yes, even in our Parish – who live their faith in everyday family relationships, friendships, and work relationships, and remain faithful to Jesus in this seemingly unremarkable way.
Let’s ask the Lord for the grace to become Baptised persons who are brave and sure that the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, always moves us to proclaim Jesus with our life, our testimony, and, yes, even with our words.
To bring this to life within us, let’s listen to the Lord; let’s learn to contemplate, to know His constant presence in our lives.
Let’s stop and talk to Him, give Him space with prayer, so that the friendship, love and mercy of Jesus will accompany us on the pilgrimage of life.

THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER [C] 2016

Acts 5: 27-32, 40-41                                                    Apocalypse 5: 11-14                                                    John 21: 1-19
When someone you really love dies, it can affect different people in many different ways.
One reaction is to want to do something familiar; something safe; something we’re used to in order to dull the pain: I think that’s where we are in today’s Gospel.
Yes, I know the Disciples have encountered the Risen Jesus before He cooks this simple breakfast for them on the lakeside, but the enormity of His Resurrection is still sinking in.
They’re still numbed by the experience of the Lord’s Crucifixion. They’d seen Jesus die an horrendous death; yet, now He’s alive! How can it be?
When the Romans crucified someone, they remained dead; nobody survived, let alone appear at will, walk through locked doors, and let Thomas touch their crucifixion wounds as Jesus did.
“The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead after you killed him by hanging him on a cross.” Acts 5: 30 Peter would boldly testify after being filled with the Spirit at Pentecost
At this point, though, Peter is still burdened with the guilt of having denied he knew His Lord in the hour of His greatest need.
He can still smell the smoke from that charcoal fire where, in the chilly April night air of Maundy Thursday, he betrayed Jesus: “Peter – before the rooster crows in the morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.” Jn. 13: 38
Peter, and the other Disciples, were real, frail, fallible people, just like us.
Like the Disciples who went back to their nets after the tragedy of the Crucifixion, we, too, are sometimes tempted to lose hope.
Like Peter, and the Disciples, when we rely on ourselves, we will lose hope, we will fail; our spiritual nets will be empty.
When we listen to Jesus, then they’ll be full to bursting.
It may surprise you to know that I’m a big Dolly Parton fan!
Very often in her concerts, just accompanying herself on an Appalachian dulcimer, she sings the old hymn; ‘In the Sweet By And By:’ “There’s a land that is fairer than day, and by faith we can see it afar; for the Father waits over the way to prepare us a dwelling place there. In the sweet by and by, we shall meet on that beautiful shore.”
Jesus stands on the shores of our life, and He calls us to throw away our nets so that He can say to us, as He said to Peter when He called Him: “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” Lk. 5: 10
Once again, Peter is with Jesus on the shore where the Lord first called Peter to follow Him; but not even the Resurrection itself could erase for Peter the memory of his denial by that charcoal fire in the High Priest’s House.

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT [C]

Isaiah 43: 16 – 21                                                             Philippians 3: 8 – 14                                                               Jn. 8: 1 – 11
To get an idea of what this Gospel scene would have been like, then just watch the scene near the beginning of ‘Murder On The Orient Express,’ where Hercule Poirot, played by David Suchet, sees a woman being stoned for adultery on the streets of Istanbul.
In fact, in this Year Of Mercy, watch all of it: I think it really speaks about God’s language – His way – being that of mercy toward us, even though justice would condemn us.
The thing that intrigues me about this Gospel, though, is this: what was it Jesus wrote as He: “Stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger.” Jn. 8: 6
As the Scribes and Pharisees knew the Scriptures back to front – but with their heads, not their hearts – perhaps Jesus wrote these words from Jeremiah: “[Your] sin is engraved with an iron chisel, engraved with a diamond point, on the tablets of [your] hearts. All who turn away from [me] will be disgraced. They will be buried in the dust of the earth, for they have abandoned the Lord, the fountain of living water.” Jer. 17: 1 & 13
In the reading from Isaiah, the Lord says: “I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” Is. 43: 19
God providing living water surrounds today’s Gospel, which takes place during the Feast of Tabernacles: a Feast that recalled Moses, and the People of God living in tents in the wilderness for 40 years before entering the Promised Land.
By Jesus’ time it had become linked with the Lord – the Messiah – coming to the Temple to redeem His people, and set them free.
To tabernacle; to pitch His tent among them; to dwell among them: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him.” Jn. 1: 14 & 11
On the 7th. and last day of the Feast, the Priests poured water over the altar in the Temple as a sign of the Messiah appearing there, and providing: “Rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed.” Is. 43: 20 as Isaiah wrote.
The Prophet Zechariah, speaking about Feast of Tabernacles, says: "On that day a fountain will be opened, a fountain to cleanse them from all their sins and impurity.” Zech. 13: 1
Jesus is that: “Living water [which] becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within [us], giving [us] eternal life.” Jn. 4: 10 & 14
The Messiah has appeared in the Temple just as Scripture promised; but, instead of receiving Him, the Pharisees and Priests want to seize hold of Jesus, and kill Him.
 
 
The next day Jesus returns to the Temple, and I think the reality of His own people rejecting Him has become woven into His heart and mind: He realises they’re wanting to kill Him because their hearts have become a dry wasteland.
Then the religious leaders drag a woman in front of Jesus whom, they say, they’ve caught in the very act of adultery, which in their law meant she had to be stoned to death.
There’s no doubt they’re cynically using, and manipulating her for their own ends so they can trap Jesus.
If Jesus tells her that her sin is forgiven, they’ve got Him! He’s teaching people to ignore the Ten Commandments.
The story doesn’t mean that adultery, and other sins, don’t matter: Jesus is going far deeper than that.
He asks the woman’s accusers to look into their hearts and, if they’ve never sinned, then they can start throwing rocks at her.
One by one they slink away, and Jesus asks the woman: “‘Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?’ ‘No, Lord,’ she said. ‘Neither do I. Go and sin no more.’” Jn. 8: 10 – 11 Jesus says to her.
Those last words of Jesus to the woman are really important: He has forgiven her, but she must live by that forgiveness; forgiveness isn’t the Lord saying: ‘Never mind, sin doesn’t matter.’
Forgiveness actually means that sin does matter; but that: “God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much.” Eph. 2: 4 that “The Lord laid on [Jesus] the sins of us all.”
Is. 53: 6 Laid the burden of our sin – that woman’s sin – onto Jesus on the Cross.
And, from His heart flows a healing stream of mercy, to cleanse us, and give us new life: “We do not hear words of scorn, we do not hear words of condemnation, but only words of love, of mercy, which are an invitation to conversion…. to return to him with a contrite heart.” Pope Francis: Angelus March 17 2013
Our sin has pierced Jesus to His heart…. but let’s make the prayer of the Psalmist ours this morning: Lord, how great is your mercy; answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful.
Ps. 119: 156; 69: 16

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT [C]

Joshua 5: 9 – 12                                                2 Corinthians 5: 17 – 21                                                     Luke 15: 1 – 3, 11 – 32
“I’ve grown accustomed to her face; it almost makes the day begin. I’ve grown accustomed to the tune she whistles night and noon. Her smiles, her frowns, her ups, her downs are second nature to me now, like breathing out and breathing in.... Grown accustomed to the trace of something in the air; accustomed to her face.”
Alan J. Lerner & Frederick Lowe: “My Fair Lady.”
Remember Rex Harrison as Professor Henry Higgins singing that in ‘My Fair Lady’ when he thinks he’s lost forever Eliza Doolittle, the Cockney flower seller he’s plucked from Covent Garden, and turned into a lady?
He took her for granted; he grew accustomed to her face; she became part of the furniture, and Eliza puts up with it because she’s fallen in love with the Professor.
It isn’t until she eventually leaves, because of his indifference towards her, that he realises he’s in love with Eliza; he’s grown accustomed to her face.
Now Eliza’s no longer there, he knows it’s she who makes the day begin for him. Without Eliza, his life’s an empty shell; he’s ‘Grown accustomed to the trace of something in the air; accustomed to her face.’
I love Musicals: you can just go and enjoy the musical; yet, at a deeper level, you can also learn something about human nature, and God.
Learn about God from a musical like My Fair Lady, surely not!? Yes, I think you can.
I know only too well that I can grow accustomed to God.
Yes of course I still love Him, but I don’t tell Him very often: too often, I take Him for granted – just like Professor Henry Higgins with Eliza.
Eliza left because she thought it was no use banging her head against the brick wall of Professor Higgins’ indifference to her.
The Lord never has, and never will, give up on us, and leave us; He’s not like Henry Higgins
Indifference, apathy, our hard hearts, our lack of love; none of these things will drive the Lord away from us: He never leaves us.
I don’t know about you, but I sometimes let familiarity breed contempt as far as my Christianity is concerned: I’m so used to coming to Mass, and hearing Scripture readings week after week; I think I know them so well; but, often, they go in one ear, and out the other.
Like the story of the Lost Son in the Gospel today: one son goes off on a binge with his Dad’s money, and spends it all; the other one stays at home like a good boy, and works in the family business.
When the younger son’s spent all the money he goes home; his Dad runs out to meet him, and forgives him: but the good, eldest son sulks because he’s stayed behind, and worked hard.
It’s easy to say that the younger son was wrong, and the eldest son was justified in feeling left out of it, but that misses the point.
‘Dad, I wish you were dead!’ is what the younger son is actually saying in demanding   his share of all that his Father has.
And, you know, the Father loves both his sons equally because he actually divides his wealth between them, and gives them the freedom to do what they like; even though both of them, in their different ways, are completely indifferent to their Father.
The younger one takes all his possessions with him; he wants to cut free from his Father; the older one stays at home, but there’s bitter resentment, not love in his heart for his Father.
The younger son had physically separated himself from his Father; the older son, even though he’d never left his Father, was as far away from his Father because of his smouldering resentment toward him.
We may have been Christians for years and years; never strayed away from the outward practice of our faith, but inside we’re in a ‘distant land.’
Perhaps, like the older son, we can’t take that decisive step over the threshold of our cold, cold heart into the arms of Jesus, the face of the Father’s mercy.
In his poem, “The Death Of The Hired Man,” the American poet Robert Frost, explores the theme of justice and mercy.
Silas, the old man in the poem, is a casual farm-worker who comes to the farm owned by Warren and Mary once a year, and stays for a time. Now, Silas, has come for the last time – he’s exhausted and is dying. ‘I’ll not have the fellow back,’ Warren tells Mary. ‘What good is he?’
Warren believes he’s justified in saying Silas doesn’t deserve a place in their home because he can’t work – he’s no use to Warren: Mary, out of mercy, believes he does; so she says: “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” Robert Frost: The Death Of The Hired Man
Because of our sin, out of justice, we don’t deserve a place in the Father’s House.
But, because the name of God is mercy, He’s prepared a home for us in His House.
So let’s return home to the Lord: “Give me your hearts [the Lord says]. Return to [me], for [I am] merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and filled with unfailing love.” Joel 2: 12 – 13

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT [C]

Exodus 3: 1 – 8, 13 – 15                                      1 Corinthians 10: 1 – 6, 10 – 12                                                   Luke 13: 1 – 9
None of us likes to be told what to do: it starts when we’re children, and doesn’t stop until our last breath.
I know what’s best for me; nobody else does, or has the right to tell me; and what a mess it’s got us into!
In Lent, Jesus calls us to put ourselves under His discipline and, when I looked up ‘discipline’ in the dictionary, I found this definition: ‘The practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behaviour, using punishment to correct disobedience.’
That definition is what I suspect the view of our faith is from some people outside the Church; and probably from within it too. 
But we’re not dogs to be trained to just obey orders, or prisoners being punished for breaking the rules.
We must listen to, and imitate, Jesus so we can become, as Jesus says in the Sermon On The Mount: “Perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Mt. 5: 48
Well, I might as well give up now; I’m nowhere near being good, let alone perfect: so what am I do…?
“Repent of your sins and turn to God.” Lk. 13: 3 That’s what Jesus calls me and you to do in the Gospel; to turn around, and seek His mercy: “Mercy [that] has become living and visible in Jesus of Nazareth.” Pope Francis: Misericordiae Vultus: 1
To do what God told Moses to do at the burning bush: “Take off your shoes, for you are standing on holy ground.” Ex. 3: 5
That gesture of taking off his shoes meant that Moses was laying aside his own will to do God’s will and work in his life.
In the Letter to the Hebrews it says that the Lord’s: “Discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness.” Heb. 12: 10
That’s mind-blowing! That the Lord wants me, a sinner – and that’s what I am – to share in His holiness!
That, for my sake, He: “Made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Cor. 5: 21
To have a share in God’s very life I need to be disciplined; and, to accept the Lord’s discipline is to, metaphorically, take off our shoes so that we can do what Paul says in Ephesians: “As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace.” Eph. 6: 15
To be fully equipped disciples – imitators – of Jesus, who can walk with His Gospel into the world; but always remembering our Father disciplines us so that our will is tuned-in to His.
Not to punish us, or make us feel spiritually inadequate; but to mould us into the image of Jesus, so that we can begin, in this life, to share in His holiness, so we will experience it for eternity.
So often, we don’t want to accept the Lord’s discipline because we’d rather make do, and walk in our own shoes.
In Oxford’s Turl Street, there’s a small, insignificant shoe shop called Ducker & Sons. It’s been there since 1898, making bespoke, hand-sewn shoes for the rich and famous; each one crafted exactly to fit that unique pair of feet.
I’ve never been able to afford to have a pair of shoes made there; but Jesus has made some wonderful custom-made, spiritual shoes for me.
Through the Cross, He has made them at great cost to Himself, but anyone can own them.
You don’t have to be wealthy, famous or extra special in any way; you don’t have to be good in the first-place, because Jesus wants us to be saved by His grace alone.
All that Jesus asks of us is that we repent; to have a spiritual heart-transplant; to completely turn around our life to seek the face of Jesus.
He calls us – each and every one of us – by name: “Do not be afraid, for I have saved you. I have called you by name; you are mine [the Lord says].” Is. 43:1    
Although we don’t find a burning bush whenever we come into church for the Eucharist, we’re truly standing on holy ground.
We’re standing in the Real Presence of the Lord God who appeared to, and spoke with, Moses; the Lord God, who brought His people out of bondage in Egypt: “With a strong hand and powerful arm.” Dt. 26: 8
There He is in the Tabernacle, veiled in humility in the Blessed Sacrament, having led us out of slavery to sin and death through: “His blood, shed on the cross.” Col. 1: 20 and the waters of our Baptism.
That fig-tree in the Gospel represents us: we know Jesus as our Saviour, but are we barren Christians because we haven’t produced the fruits of the Holy Spirit: “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Gal. 5: 22 – 23
We have received a great gift from the Lord: “The incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.” Eph. 2: 7
Let’s ask the Lord to produce within us those fruits of the Spirit in abundance so that we can begin the journey in faith to become: “Perfect, even as [our] Father in heaven is perfect.” Mt. 5: 48
 

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT [C]      

                                                       
Genesis 15: 5 – 12, 17 – 18                                           Philippians 3: 17 – 4: 1                                                      Luke 9: 28 - 36
Some Old Testament passages are very difficult to understand, and today’s is just such an example.
However, instead of quietly ignoring it, let’s see if we can make some sense of it.
It always reminds me of the outbreak of Foot and Mouth in 2001 when over 10 million sheep and cattle had to be slaughtered, and their carcases burnt.
When I saw that happening, it struck me forcefully that day after day, year after year, century after century, it had been like that in the Jerusalem Temple.
Millions of animals sacrificed to take away people’s sins; though their death never cured the homing instinct in humanity to rebel against God, which is what sin, in all its disguises, is.
Those sacrifices foreshadowed the defeat of the Devil, the root cause of sin, through the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus, the Lamb of God, sacrificed on the Cross to wash away sin; Jesus, the one perfect sacrifice; Jesus, who: “Died only once as a sacrifice to take away [our sins; so] there is no need to offer any more [animal] sacrifices.” Heb. 9: 28 & 10: 18
In the Old Testament reading we heard of the encounter Abram had with the Lord God, and we’re told: “Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a terrifying darkness came down over him.” Gen. 15: 12
A sort of waking nightmare, as fire and smoke, passes between the halves of the sacrificed animals: then, out of that darkness, the Lord makes Abram a binding promise – a covenant – with him.
In this covenant the Lord makes, He’s really saying to Abraham: “I’ll take the blame and consequences, even if you and your descendants break this covenant. If that happens, I’ll be sacrificed, as these animals were.”
Even though Abraham didn’t fully understand what was going on; even though he didn’t see the outcome of the promise that his descendants would be as many as the stars in the vastness of space, he: “Believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.” Gen. 15: 5 - 6
Abraham took the Lord at His word, and his relationship with God changed; he was made right, reconciled, with God.
At that moment the history of humanity was changed because, in the fullness of time, out of Abraham and his descendants, came Jesus, the Saviour.
We believe in the Lord Jesus and, as Paul assures us: “The real children of Abraham are those who put their faith in [Him].” Gal. 3: 7
Not because we belong to a particular country or race of people, but because we do as Abraham did; we have faith in the Lord.
 
Not a distant God, but one who’s down here with us, pulling us out of the muck, washing the dirt off so we can be just like Him, just like Jesus: “God [is] in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting [our] sins against [us].” 2 Cor. 5: 19
It reminds me of a story I heard of two friends who lost contact with each other when they left school. One went up in the world and became a distinguished Judge; the other went down in the world and became a criminal.
Years later they met again in the Judge’s Court when the criminal pleaded guilty to a crime he’d committed.
The Judge recognised his friend, and faced a dilemma. He was a Judge so he had to be just; he couldn’t let the man off. On the other hand, he didn’t want to punish him, because he loved his old friend. So what could he do?
He sentenced the man to be fined the correct penalty for his crime. Then the Judge took off his wig, descended into the body of the Court, and wrote out a cheque to pay the fine. Nicky Gumbel: Questions of Life
This is just a story, but it illustrates what Jesus has done for us; He’s taken on the consequences of sin, and paid for it in full on the Cross because He loves us, and wants to set us free from sin.
In Jesus: “Unfailing love and mercy have met together.” Ps. 85: 10
At every Eucharist we celebrate the Death and Resurrection of Jesus: no more so than at the Easter Vigil, when we come together and reflect on the reality of our own Baptism.
That moment when: “Because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit.” Titus 3: 5
That moment when we were: “Born again of water and the Spirit.” Jn. 3: 5
It doesn’t end with our Baptism. If we leave our Christianity at the font, we won’t grow and mature into that faith.
So, this Lent, let’s the Holy Spirit to indwell us, and to: “To fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave [us].” 2 Tim. 1 6 when we were Baptised.

FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME [C]

Isaiah 6: 1 ��� 8                                                     1 Corinthians 15: 1 – 11                                                              Luke 5: 1 – 11
I remember the day well; it was June 30 1995.
The temperature had reached a humid 95F; even at 7.00 in the evening it was much the same.
Holy Rood Church was full – around 400 people in it – and not a breath of fresh air.
I laid prostrate before the altar as the Litany of the Saints began: then, out of nowhere, a cool breeze started wafting over me.
As that ‘breeze’ cooled and calmed me, it brought to my mind the Old Testament reading that had just been read for this, my Ordination Mass; and it’s the reading we’ve heard at this Mass.
The year is 740 BC, Isaiah’s quietly worshipping God in the Jerusalem Temple, and suddenly the Lord appears to Him in all His splendour, and majesty.
That encounter Isaiah has with the Lord is rooted to a pivotal moment in Israel’s history, because King Uzziah, who’d ruled powerfully, and successfully for 52 years, was dead.
What was going to happen to the country now? Would the next King be godly; or would he be corrupt, as so many of the Kings of Israel were?
Would he make alliances with Israel’s super-power neighbours Egypt, Syria, or Babylon that would make Israel a vassal-kingdom to one of them?
God appears to Isaiah to show him that He, the Lord, is the true King.
One of the: “Mighty seraphim.” Is. 6: 2 touches Isaiah’s lips with a hot coal, and assures him that: “Your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” Is. 6: 7
Then the Lord calls: “’Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?’ [And Isaiah says] ‘Here I am. Send me!’” Is. 6: 8
To go to the people and tell them of the God who is love, so that they: “Will see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn to [the Lord] for healing.” Is. 6: 10 (altered)
Our reading from Isaiah, and the Gospel are so rich, and beautiful because they reveal to us the different ways in which the Lord speaks to us, and calls us.
And His call is to a vocation of love for Him; which, in turn, puts His love in our hearts for those whom we will meet, and don’t know Jesus.
Love such as this is only possible because we know that God is love
Because God is love, it means that He calls us to follow Him – in love – in so many different, and totally unexpected ways.
Peter, James, and John are fishermen, and they’ve had a bad night because they didn’t catch a thing.
Jesus just casually asks Peter if He can use his boat as the people are crowding in on Him, eager to listen to what He has to say.
Jesus, again casually, after He’s finished speaking, says to Peter: “Put out into deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.” Lk. 5: 4
Peter’s the expert here, so he knows full well that daytime isn’t the best time to catch fish as they’ll have gone to the bottom of the lake.
But he humours Jesus, casts out the nets, and hauls in so many fish that the nets start to tear, and the boats are full to the brim with the catch.
Then he falls at Jesus’ feet and says: “Oh, Lord, please leave me – I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.” Lk. 5: 8
His reaction, like Isaiah’s when he meets the Living God, is to recognise his sinfulness in front of utter holiness.
Jesus, who is: “So rich in mercy” Eph. 2: 4 doesn’t condemn Peter; instead, the Lord calls him to use his innate skills in completely different way: “Don’t be afraid! [Jesus says to Peter] From now on you’ll be fishing for people!” Lk. 5: 10
Catching them up into the love of Jesus so that the Lord can say to each one of us: “Follow me.” Jn. 21: 19
For Peter, the ultimate cost of the decision he made that day by the lakeside, when he: “Left everything and followed Jesus.” Lk. 5: 11 was martyrdom in Rome.
We may not be called to lay down our lives for Jesus in that way; and yet, if we’re to truly follow Him, then, in another sense, we are.
When we consciously make a decision to follow Jesus, our old ways have to die; when we make the decision to: “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.” Ash Wednesday Liturgy that can be just as painful as physical death.
Most of us will live out our Christian vocation, Laity and Clergy, leading ordinary lives in the midst of the world; no doubt thinking that we’ve had little or no impact on anyone inparticular, or the world in general.
But the quality of our loving, if it’s rooted in Jesus, and not a shallow caricature of His love, will make an indelible mark on the lives of those we meet.
So let us, like Peter: “Put out into [the] deep water.” Lk. 5: 4 of faith, and say to Jesus: “Here I am. Send me!” Is. 6: 8 so that we can be messengers of His mercy.

CHRISTMAS DAY 2015                                                                                           The Prologue of John’s Gospel

We have four Gospels; four accounts of who Jesus is, and why He came to this tiny planet in the vast Universe.
None of them are biographies in the sense that we would understand that word today, but the purpose of each of them can be summed up by John’s words at the end of his Gospel:
“Now Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Jn.20: 30 - 31
Mark’s Gospel doesn't tell us how, when, and why Jesus was born: instead, it has all the zip and punch of a quick, hasty story that’s meant to grab you by the collar, and make you face the truth about Jesus; about God; and about yourself.
Matthew and Luke do tell us about the birth of Jesus, each coming at the birth from different perspectives, and with different characters in those accounts.
But each with the one purpose of showing Jesus, the baby, as the Lord of heaven and earth, and our Lord and Saviour.
In the traditional Crib, we have those two accounts dovetailed together into one scene: but what on earth are we to make of the first chapter of John?
Well, it's John's Christmas story; it’s his telling of the birth of Jesus, but told in a unique way.
John takes us back; beyond Matthew and Luke, with Jesus in the crib, through time and into eternity.
It's unlike anything else in the New Testament. Its subject is the relation between Jesus, the central character of that Gospel, and the creation and salvation of the world.
“In the beginning, the Word was already there. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made through him. Nothing that has been made was made without him.” Jn.1: 1 -3
Those first words of John's gospel bring to my mind the first words of the first book in the Bible, Genesis.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” Gen.1: 1 -2
Then Genesis goes on to tell us that when God spoke, everything was created.
When someone speaks, of course, they use words: so the Word; who was God from all eternity; who created the galaxies, the Universe, and this tiny planet, which we call home, came and dwelt amongst us.
The little: “Baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.” Lk. 2: 12 is God in the flesh.
“The Word became a human being and made his home among us.” Jn.1: 14
The Creator became part of the creation; limited by time and space; susceptible to age, sickness, and death.
From Heaven He came, propelled by His love for us, to rescue and save us because we’re lost: to give us, as a wonderful gift, eternal life with Him.
"He was in the world; but the world, though it owed its being to him, did not recognise him." Jn.1: 10
There we have a puzzle. Why do people not recognise Jesus as their Saviour? Why do you and I need to be rescued?
John would take us back to Genesis for the answer.
There, in Adam and Eve, we see the human beings that the Word created, refusing to admit that they have a Creator.
They live a lie, and live in darkness.
They live in the darkness of Satan, the prince of darkness
A few years ago, the makers of the soft drink, ‘Tango,’ had a big Christmas advertising campaign.
One advert, which really struck me, and stuck in my mind, was a pastel drawing of a little boy looking out of his window at the Star of Bethlehem.
His hands were together in prayer, and his prayer was: ‘Lord. I hope it's a Tango!’
I thought how that sums up the sort of darkness we often sit in, mistaking it for the true light.
One or two gulps from a can of ‘Tango,’ and it's gone.
Nothing to show for it; nothing satisfying and lasting; nothing eternal.
Let’s not just make do with the spiritual equivalent of ‘Tango.’
Let’s quench our thirst on the drink Jesus offers us.
“Those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again [Jesus says]. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” Jn.4: 14
We'll not be like the boy in the ‘Tango’ advert, praying for something that will never satisfy our inner thirst.
And if we follow Jesus, we’re also walking in the light.
John tells us that the light of Jesus: “Shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” Jn.1: 5
Instead of living in the artificial light, which the prince of darkness would have us living in, let's live with Jesus: “The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone.” Jn.1: 9      
 

FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT [C]    
                                    
Jer. 33: 14 – 16                                         1 Thess. 3: 12 – 4: 2                       Lk. 21: 25 – 28, 34 – 36
“Life was filled with guns and war, and everyone got trampled on the floor. I wish we'd all been ready.” Larry Norman: I Wish We’d All Been Ready. 1969
Those are the opening lyrics of a Christian song by Larry Norman written in 1969, where he reflects on world events in the light of the Second Coming of Jesus.
Advent is supposed to be a quiet, gentle time yet we hear in this opening Gospel for Advent Jesus saying that: “Here on earth the nations will be in turmoil. People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth.” Lk. 21: 25 – 26  
When we look around us this Advent, the Lord’s words ring so true, don’t they?
Yet in the midst of all this, let’s never forget that Jesus is the ‘Faithful One,’ who asks me to trust Him in all things.
He who: “Is the same yesterday and today and forever.”
Heb. 13: 8
Jesus, whom the Father loves; who “Has placed everything in his hands [so that] whoever believes in him has eternal life.” Jn. 3: 35 – 36
Advent, I think, is a particularly good time to do a stock-take of our lives; to reflect on what life is all about; to sit with Jesus to reassess the way I live my life as a disciple of His.
To ask the Holy Spirit to bring Jesus alive in me now; so that
He’s not just a person from the past, or an event sometime in an unknown future: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Heb. 13: 8
When I see world events unfolding in front of me on the news, what can I learn from reading: “The signs of the times.” Mt. 16: 3 by sitting with Jesus, the ‘Faithful One?’
Well, that Jesus has my life in His hands now, and eternally, which means I can trust in the Lord; to put my worries in His hands so that I can face life with all of its triumphs and tragedies.
From my own life, I know that’s easier said than done!
I don’t mean that we should be ‘happy clappy’ people who put on a false and fixed Christian smile in the face of tragedy and sadness.
To follow Jesus is to be a realist, not an escapist: The Lord doesn’t want us to retreat into a cosy cocoon of piety.
As we heard in our recent mission, He wants us to be His eyes; His mouth; His hands in the world: to be His missionaries of mercy.
And, yes, to rejoice: to always rejoice in His mercy; His promises, His abiding presence in our lives.
However good our lives are: happy marriage and family, a good job, and all the blessings of life, the foundation for rejoicing is not any of these, but the Lord, in whom true joy is to be found.
If the joy of the Lord is deep in our hearts, then nothing can take that away: “It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within [us], giving [us] eternal life.”  John 4:  14
Yes, we can make do with the spiritual equivalent of Thames Valley tap water; or we can really desire to drink from the well of the Holy Spirit; to have a deep relationship with Jesus.
All of today’s readings, in their different ways, are about rejoicing and trusting in the Lord. 
In Jeremiah’s time, things were grim for the People of God: when they looked back over the history of their recent kings, they saw a line of failures…. except for King David.
If only we had David, they dreamed: but David’s family line was exhausted, and the glory days were gone.
Yet, the Lord promises this: “I will make a godly Branch grow from David’s royal line.” Jer. 33: 15
God is faithful and true in His promises to us: He shows us that the ‘Godly branch’ is Jesus, the Saviour.
In the Gospel, Jesus describes world events prior to His return at the end of time; a time when: “People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth.” Lk. 21: 26
When we tune into the news these days, it can make us feel just like that; but Jesus says something extraordinary to us: “When all these things begin to happen, [He says] stand and look up, for your salvation is near!” Lk. 21: 28
Don’t be afraid, rejoice instead, because I’m coming back to take you home as I promised you.
But when will Jesus return?
It might be today; it might be tomorrow, or in a million years or two – only the Father knows – but come He will.
Let us prepare NOW for our meeting with Jesus – either at His Second Coming, or our death – whichever comes first.
Let’s not find ourselves saying to Jesus at that moment: I wish I’d been ready.
THEN, there’s no time to change our mind: NOW, let’s fix the eyes of our hearts on Jesus who is: “The face of the Father’s mercy.” Pope Francis: Misericordiae Vultus; 1
 
 
CHRIST THE KING [B]

Daniel 7: 13 – 14                                     Apocalypse 1: 5 – 8                                     John 18: 33 – 37
Those of us who are dévotes of the TV Soap, ‘Coronation Street,’ will never forget Jack & Vera Duckworth.
Do you remember Vera became convinced that she had blue-blood coursing through her veins because she thought her Granddad was the love-child of King Edward VII!?
It was, as always with Jack & Vera, a very funny story-line, but also shot through with pathos.
It might be dismissed as just a TV ‘soap,’ but I think it revealed a very human trait: the longing we all have to be ‘somebody,’ to belong.
Living in that back-street in Weatherfield, her fantasy of belonging to royalty meant so much to her.
She was no longer one of those grey, non-descript people you see in Lowry’s paintings.
To her mind, Vera belonged to a family – the Royal Family: yet all of us who’ve been Baptised into Jesus belong to the Royal Family – no, I’m not having a Vera Duckworth moment!
I don’t mean we belong to the House of Windsor; we belong to God’s family because we’re royal priests in His Kingdom.
In the Scripture for today, we’re told Jesus has: “Made us members of his royal family. He has made us priests who serve his God and Father.” Apoc. 1: 6
For some Catholics, the only real vocation in the Church is the Ordained Ministry, or the consecrated life of a monk or nun; but Lay-people are as much ‘the Church’ as anyone in those vocations: you’re not just passive onlookers.
You too have a God-given vocation to be apostles; to spread the Gospel by word and deed.
And the Church calls you to carry out your vocation with the authority, creativity, and power that the Holy Spirit has given you in Baptism.
It’s actually enshrined in the teaching of the Church, and this is what it says about you; you’re: “Assigned to spreading the Gospel by the Lord Himself. You are consecrated through Baptism for the royal priesthood and the holy people, that you may offer spiritual sacrifices in everything you do, and also that you witness to Christ throughout the world.” Vatican II: Apostolicam Actuositatem;3 (paraphrase)
To be a Lay-person is to have a vocation as much as Fr Jamie and Phil, and I, have a vocation to the Ordained Ministry.
Your vocation – your mission – as lay-people flows from your Baptism, and is strengthened through Confirmation.
Your place, and your work in the Body of Christ, is given to you directly by the Holy Spirit.
So let’s not focus on what the laity can’t do, but what you’re called to do and be.
As ‘royal priests,’ you’re missionaries of the Church by living in the midst of the world; sharing in: “The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age.”
Vatican II: Lumen Gentium; 1
As Jesus stands before Pilate, beaten, bruised, and tortured, Pilate asks Him if He’s really a King.
“But what kind of a king is Jesus? Let’s take a look at him: he’s riding on a donkey, he’s not accompanied by a court, he’s not surrounded by an army as a symbol of power. He’s received by humble people who have the sense to see something more in Jesus; [they see] the face of the Father’s mercy.” Pope Francis
To be a ‘royal priest’ of this King, is to bear witness to the truth that He alone is: “The way, and the truth, and the life.” Jn. 14: 6
Sometimes, bearing witness to that truth will leave us feeling battered and bruised; but we must be true to our King.
In those moments, we walk in darkness with Him on the Way of the Cross yet, in His mercy, He leads us out of His Empty Tomb into the light.
This is the doorway – the door of faith – into the King’s Kingdom, which we enter through Baptism.
In this life, we travel with a sure hope and a certain; knowing that Jesus: “Loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.” Apoc. 1: 5 
Twenty years ago, in that famous TV interview Princess Diana gave, she said she wanted to be ‘the queen of people’s hearts.’
Today, Jesus asks us to reflect on this question: who, or what, rules my heart?
Of course, someone we love can be very close to our hearts; but Jesus wants to be the one, true King of our hearts.
As we celebrate – Laity and Clergy together – this Eucharist of Christ the King, let’s: “Look to Jesus; to the unveiled face of God’s image [so we can] once again make the Gospel of Christ compellingly attractive to the men and women of our age.” Archbishop Rowan Williams: Address to the Synod of Bishops in Rome October 10 2012
Together, let us go and announce the Gospel of the Lord, glorifying the Lord by our lives.