Living the Faith we Know

 

Living the Faith we Know

All of us would have experienced times when things happen to us for which there are no simple answers. As time passes, we may be able to gain some understanding – but not always, and the situation, the way we responded to it, just sits there as a painful unanswered question. In time we may find the initial pain has passed, but the questions it raised still remain.

We all carry our own internal wounds and bruises, and these often can cause us to re-frame our understanding of life – and perhaps of people, or of the Church, or of our faith in who Jesus and God is – or was – for us.

Certainly we are not alone in those moments, although often it is not until we actually share our doubts and struggles, our pains and heartbreaks, that we are able to understand them in a different light.

I say all this as an introduction to the readings set for this coming Sunday ^1, because in each reading we find that same principle tucked away. For example, it was only when Ezra started to translate, or re frame, their sacred texts, that his listeners started to understand them with new insight. Similarly, with St.Paul, he often reminds us in his writings that we actually need each other, because we are all interconnected. For example, in Romans 12:5 he writes: “So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another”. It is as we recognize this, and have the courage to learn to live that insight, we find new strength and purpose in working together. We find a similar truth unfolding in the Luke's Gospel reading set for this Sunday.

Luke wrote his Gospel sometime in the early decades of the second century. He was writing to people who had been through enormous suffering. For example:

• They had experienced the destruction of all they held sacred: their homes, their livelihood, their city of Jerusalem that included their Temple.

• They had experienced relentless persecution under two Roman emperors.

• Many of their Christian leaders had been martyred – including James, Peter, Paul, and Simeon (who was Jesus cousin and bishop of Jerusalem),

• They had seen families torn apart and betrayed, some dying horrific deaths.

In response to all this suffering – they asked similar questions to ones we might ask:

• Why? Why is this happening to us – when Jesus promised to always be with us?

• Where was God when we needed God the most?

• What have we done to deserve this?

• How do I, will I, continue to live and find meaning and purpose?

It is when we read Luke's Gospel with this in mind we discover a number of things we might have otherwise missed.

For example,

• Luke mentions the marginalized, the oppressed, and those who suffer more than any other Gospel.

• Luke alone records that Jesus is born in a stable – because there was nowhere else.

• The first to hear the good news of his birth were the outcast shepherds.

• We also find that Luke includes more stories of sickness and those in need as compared to the other Gospels. For example:

• In Luke 7 we have the story of a mother whose son has died

• In Luke 10 we have the story of a traveler who is set upon by robbers who wounded and robbed him and left him to die. He received no help and support from the religious leaders who were also traveling the same road, yet a passing foreigner stops and risks his life to offer the man help – and in doing so, he alone reveals the love and compassion of God.

• In Luke 15 we have another parable, this time of a father whose son rejects him and wishes him dead by demanding now his share of his father's inheritance – and goes off and then squanders the lot.

The point of all these stories is not about why or what or where or how? Rather we simply meet the compassion and love of God reaching out through the lives of ordinary people.

And yet, the community that wrote Luke's Gospel did so in the face of unfolding horror and suffering. And yet in the midst of all that was happening, they had discovered that the Jesus they believed in, was still with them, giving them the courage and faith to continue to be the hands and feet of God to those who were held captive by their fears and pains. In this way they were able to help them to find new life and hope because they knew that God had not abandoned them!

So the Good News this Gospel hold for us, is that it’s much more important to live the truth than to know it, because Faith is not found by reading about it, nor even believing in it, because is only by living our faith will we discover “the truth that is able to set us free: (John 8:32).

Kia mau te rongo me te pai ki a koe i to haerenga

May you find peace and good will on your journey.

Phil

________

Footnote:

¹Nehimiah 8:1-10, 1 Corinthians 12:12-32a, Luke 4:14-21

 

When is Enough – Enough?

I have heard it suggested that the annual incomes of the world's 100 richest people could end global poverty four times over¹, which brings us to the heart of this Sunday's Gospel reading (Luke 3:7-18).

This week, as we make our pilgrimage through the season of Advent, we journey with John the Baptist. John saw a gross imbalance of wealth in his day. So much so that he strongly condemned those who failed to share their wealth with those in need:

“The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Instead John suggested the wealthy should do something far more radical and counter intuitive:

Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, anyone who has food should do the same...”

As we travel through these days of Advent we also have a similar opportunity to offer support to those in need in the community in which we live by supporting the local food banks, for example, or to follow John's advise literally, and give away good clothes we no longer need to the various Opportunity Shops in the local community.

However, the heart of John's advice was that we should also learn to “be content with what you have” which sounded very similar to something Jesus' said in his sermon on the mount – or to Gandhi's comment: “our happiness really lies in contentment” – which reminded me of the following story about a government official who longed for fame, fortune and dignity.

The official happened to serve an elderly king and had tried many different ways to please the king. For example, when he discovered the King loved poetry, he tried to learn to write a poetry thinking this was one way he might get promotion or fame, fortune and dignity. However, while he was learning to be a poet, the king died and the young prince was crowned king.

Unfortunately, for the government official, the new king did not like poetry, instead, he liked military matters and going to war – so the government official began to learn how to be a warrior in the hope that he might be promoted and so gain the fame and fortune he longed for. However, it wasn't long before the king was killed on the battlefield and his son was crowned. The new king, however, did not like poetry, nor did he like going to war. Rather, all he wanted to do was to play chess and sought out those who were also good at playing chess.

At this point the official had become old and helpless. As he reviewed his life he thought: “I have tried to serve three kings in the hope I might receive fame, fortune, dignity and promotion. But I have gained nothing. I have wasted my whole life – and shortly after that he died in confusion.

The sad story makes a point: Those who chase after what they want without wisdom, are chasing after their own shadow.

Do we find ourselves chasing after shadows? What should we do? John was asked a similar question in this weeks reading – and he pointed to Jesus. John was aware that greed and desire, fame and fortune will never give us lasting peace and happiness. It is faith that makes the difference, because faith begins to create what it desires. Faith supports us to keep trusting, hoping and believing. It also helps us to discover a generosity of spirit which is exactly what John refers to in our this week's Gospel reading. He suggests that if we have faith, faith will help us to learn to see everything through, and even with, the eyes of God.

Which leaves us with these questions:

• How do you see the people you meet in your life?

• Do you see the glory of God radiantly shining on their faces?

• If not, how might you share even a little of the faith and hope that you have.

O God, this Advent season: give us new eyes so we might see your glory in those we meet. Amen.

Kia mau te rongo me te pai ki a koe i to haerenga

May you find peace and good will on your journey.

Phil

--------------

1. Oxfam International https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/annual-income-richest-100-people-enough-end-global-poverty-four-times-over

             Weddings – and Transformation

Most of us would have attended a wedding at some stage. It may have been your own wedding, or a friend's wedding, or the wedding of a family member. In each event you would have appreciated the enormous amount of planning and preparation that a wedding takes. It is a special and a busy time, full of hopes and excitement... and then finally, the chosen and memorable day finally arrives.

On this coming Sunday (19^th of January) the Gospel reading is about a Jewish wedding. As we hear or read the Gospel text, we will note how their wedding customs differed from a typical western wedding. First of all it occurred not in a church or at the beach, but in the family home of the groom. It also didn't take an afternoon – rather it could last for seven days.

Typically, it began with the wedding supper, then at some point the family and friends would gather for wedding ceremony, and after the wedding party would normally make a long trek around the whole village so that everyone could wish the newly wed's all the best for their future together.

In John's Gospel (Ch 2:1-12) we read how Jesus and his mother Mary attended a wedding in their local village – but curiously they didn't arrived until the third day. What seems even more strange is that the wedding seems to have involved a family member, because because as soon as Mary arrives she takes charge when she hears that the wine supply had run out.

But we soon discover there are other curious twist in this story, for while most artist impressions of the wedding naturally include the Bride and Groom – in John's telling of the story, they are not mentioned at all. It's almost as if John, in composing this story, was inviting us to look for a deeper meaning because the story is so rich in metaphors and meaning.

For example, the story begins with the phrase 'On the third day'. This happens to be a common Jewish term used to mark a time for 'New Beginnings', or a time of 'Divine intervention', or the 'fulfilment of promises'. We first find this mentioned in the Hebrew book of Exodus that marked the day that God appeared to His people (Ch 19 v 11). In the Gospels we come across a similar use of the term to mark the day Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to Mary and the Disciples (Luke 24:46). The 'Third Day' was also used as a term to remind us that God's pattern is to create new life, and to continually create and affirm his covenant with us. We find all these meanings unfolding in this wedding story which is so rich with symbols familiar to the Jewish People.

For example, when Jesus' mother Mary takes charge because the wine supply had run our, her first request was to have the six empty stone water jars that were normally used for the Jewish rites of purification, to be filled be with water – no mean event as each one could hold 20-30 gallons. Yet the symbolism extends into this request as well because there are other similar references for water in the Jewish scriptures. For example in Exodus 17 we hear how the Jews in their pilgrimage from Egypt ran out of water in the desert and God instructed Moses to release water from a rock by striking it with his rod; and in the Gospels we hear how Jesus met a Samaritan woman by Jacob's well that led to a discussion not only on Jesus request for a drink but also on the living water Jesus seeks to share with anyone who comes to him:

“Whoever drinks the water I will give him will never be thirsty ever again. Rather, the water I will give him will become in him a spring of water, bubbling up to eternal life” (John 4:14).

It is this abundance of what God has to offer us that lies at the heart of these references. We find the same abundance occurring elsewhere in the Gospels – such as the feeding of the 5000; or the miraculous catch of 153 fish by the tired depressed disciple-fishermen when they follow Jesus' suggestion to place their net on the other side of the boat. These are all reminders that God's love is limitless, generous, and overflowing and knows no bounds.

We find other example of the generosity of God in Amos 9:13-l4:

“The time is surely coming, says the Lord...(when) the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it. I will restore the fortunes of my people Israel...they shall plant vineyards and drink their wine, and they shall make gardens and eat their fruit.”

Or in Exodus l7 where we hear how God instructed Moses to release water from a rock by striking it with his rod; and in the Gospels we have the story of Jesus meeting a woman by a well he we have these words:

“Whoever drinks the water I will give him will never be thirsty ever

again. Rather, the water I will give him will become in him a spring of

water, bubbling up to eternal life ” (John 4:14).

It is the release of God's generosity that lies at the heart of these, and many other references in the Bible that are reminders of that God's love has no boundaries, because it is limitless, generous, and overflowing – and we are reminded of it again in this story of the wedding that ran out of wine we are reminded again that God's love is limitless, and what God has to offer us will fill and overflow their (and our) lives with transforming joy.

So what better symbol could the author of John's Gospel include at the beginning of Jesus' ministry – than tell the story of Jesus attending a wedding, to remind us also, as his readers and listeners, that we too have access to the same love and generosity of the One who created us, and delights in us, as promised by the author of the book of Isaiah (62:4-5):

You shall be called 'My Delight'...
for the Lord delights in you.
For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your builder marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.

And while sometimes we may feel we are a bit like an empty stone water jar – tired, deplete, forsaken, desolate, anxious, or fearful – God is still with us and has so much more to share with us, and invites us to come with open hands and an open heart and mind to receive and share God's gift of transforming love and life.

But wait! There is still more tucked away in this story for us to ponder. John's Gospel stresses throughout his story of Jesus, that faith is not about knowledge – because the word 'faith' is not a noun – nor is faitht about believing the right thing. Faith is a verb – it is about 'doing' something – and we can only discover and know the love and presence of God by living the truth we know. It is as we allow this generous open gift of God's presence to transform us, that we are able to turn that gift into generous action towards others.

Kia mau te rongo me te pai ki a koe i to haerenga

May you find peace and good will on your journey.

Phil

                                         Celebrating Christmas

Christmas 2024 has come and gone... and I wonder how you found and celebrated this past Christmas? On the day after Boxing Day we went to one of the local commercial centers in the town where we live and we were hard pressed to find a park! I was also struck by the difference between the stillness and beauty of our Christmas Eve Service, and the crowded busyness of the commercial world. It was a stark reminder of how commercialized Christmas has become – and that is not new! Christmas has many origins, and some of more ancient ones have their origin in the pagan celebrations of the winter solstice. Perhaps, now-a-days it is the commercial world that has gradually taken over our contemporary celebration of Jesus Birthday. And yet the origins of our December celebration of Christmas has a long 'secular' tradition.

For example, in England the first recorded mention of 'Christemasse' was in the 1038 and the date of December 25 was chosen to appeal to non-Christians who wished to celebrate the winter solstice. Father Christmas didn't make his appearance until the 17^th Century following the English Civil War. It arose from a political wish to link some of the emerging traditions – such as Father Christmas with the emerging political reforms of 1660. The role of Father Christmas as a giver of gifts came later, along with the other secular tradition's that arose around the celebration of Christmas.

We have also seen more recent changes in our own lifetime – for example, Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, and other ways the commercial world has claimed center stage for the way many people celebrate Christmas. Even so, I still remember the time I spent living in a Franciscan Community in the USA. Having spent most of my life living in New Zealand, I appreciated the difference between celebrating a Mid Winter Christmas in a religious community, where the shortened daylight hours were made more beautiful by falling snow, to the heat and sunshine of a southern Christmas where we are able to enjoy the beaches and other out-door forms of recreation. Yet, wherever we live, and however we celebrate Christmas, it still offers us the opportunity for re-creation – which reminded me of a film, Babette's Feast, which you also may have seen:

The story is set in a small remote village in 19th-century Denmark in the home of two ageing sisters. Their father was a pastor who started his own conservative Christian Church which had little appeal to those living in the local community. While the sisters had received many opportunities for marriage, each time their father refused to grant his permission. When finally, the father died, his two (ageing) sisters continued to look after the dwindling and elderly congregation.

Thirty-five years later, a woman named Babette arrived at their door seeking accommodation, and hopefully, work. However, the sisters could not afford to pay her, but were willing to take her on as their cook in return for bed and food. This arrangement continued for some years. Then we come to a twist in the story.

Unknown to the sisters, Babette had been given a lottery ticket from a friend in Paris which he also renewed each year. Then one day she received the news that she had won 10,000 francs. Babette decided that since the sisters had been so kind to her and had provided both home and food, she would prepare a special anniversary dinner for the two sisters and their small congregation. It was to be a meal that transformed their lives!

Little did they realize, Babette had formerly been the head chef of the Café Anglais. The meal she prepared as an appreciation for way the Sisters had received and treated her was a magnificent feast! And because the gift of her meal, and the generosity and skill that she poured into her cooking was so potent, it was able to transform the guests, physically and spiritually so that 'old wrongs were forgiven, ancient loves were rekindled, and a mystical redemption of the human spirit settled over the table'.

Babette then announced that the dinner had cost her all the money she had won! The story ends when one of the sisters responded: "Now you will be poor the rest of your life", to which Babette replied, "An artist is never poor." I wonder who we might relate to in that story?

Carl Jung once made the following comment about Babette's Feast when suggesting that Babette “makes her sacrifice with no expectation of any return. She does not make the sacrifice to purchase the goodwill of the sisters or of those who will consume the feast. Indeed, she makes her decision believing that the consumers of her feast will have no idea what they are eating. When Philippa gently chides Babette for giving away all that she has for the sister's sake, Babette answers: 'For your sake? No for my own'." ⁽¹⁾

I wonder who you most relate to in this story?

Kia mau te rongo me te pai ki a koe i to haerenga

May you find peace and good will on your journey into the new year.

Phil

___________________

(1) ttps://jungpage.org/710-the-discovery-of-meaning-in-qbabettes-feastq

 

Learning to share God's Love

This Sunday we come to the fourth Sunday in the season of Advent. Advent is a busy and interesting time of year. It is also traditionally a time for pilgrimage when we may be planning to visit family members or to go on holiday and in doing so, perhaps we discover our life is slowly being woven into the lives of those who made their journey towards the celebration of Christ's birth.

It's also a time that may evoke many memories of past Christmas celebrations and especially those we loved and now see no longer .

We are reminded of this in the Sunday readings during the four weeks preceding Christmas, as we hear again the stories of Mary and Joseph, the Wise-men, and the angels and shepherds who all made their own and different journeys towards the place where Jesus was born.

For example, we first hear of Mary who was visited by an angel and learnt that she would be giving birth to a son who would be great and called “the Son of the Most High” (Luke 1:32). I wonder how she felt caught up in the divine drama that would forever change her life?

As I think of Mary I wonder how I would have responded? Yet what impressed me is the way she was able to stay and live in the moment – knowing that the God who called her would be faithful to His calling.

Then I wonder how her partner Joseph had felt? While he overcame the uncertainty and challenge of the news of Mary's pregnancy, little did he know or appreciate what was to come, especially as the months past and being forced to respond to his government's call for a census. No doubt he would have preferred to stay at home with Mary rather than make the 65 miles / 105 km journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem – with Mary, heavily pregnant, riding on their donkey while Joseph walked alongside. It would have taken them 4-5 days. In my mind I picture Joseph being full of concern and worry. Yet what impressed me was the way he was able to patiently learn, like Mary, to also stay in the moment.

As we journey with Joseph, I wonder what concerns and worries we bring with us on our Advent journey? We may know in our heads, perhaps, but sometimes not so sure in our hearts, that the God who calls us will also be faithful and provide for us through our hopes and struggles that life throws at us.

Or do we journey with the Magi (or so called wise men) who had set out on an even longer journey with their hopes and dreams as they simply followed a star in the sky! People must have though they were mad. What gave them the certainty to leave behind, in such uncertain times, the safety and shelter of home?

I wonder what calls our hearts and minds to leave behind the safety of what is familiar, to journey into the unknown? It will take us faith and courage to follow God's call and yet God never leaves us to journey alone – which reminds me of the poem by Minnie Louise Haskins:

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:

“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”

And he replied:

“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day...

Then there were the Shepherds who lived out in the fields, guarding their sheep from the dangers of theft and wild animals. They were really introverted caretakers who loved nature and the quiet. They looked after with gentle concern what belonged to others. It's interesting that Jesus is often referred to as a Shepherd because he also offers to guard us – and feed us with his love and care as he calls us also to follow in his footsteps with his our hand in ours.

As our story reaches towards it's climax we meet an Inkeeper who could have done with the shepherd's wisdom and support as he worried about the practicality of providing space for the flood of tired and disgruntled people arriving in the evening of the day. Perhaps, he, like us at this time of year, begin to feel tired and exhausted with the business and demands that this time of year may have for us – and if so, no doubt we too may sense a growing restlessness, glad when the rhythm of our life is able to return to normal.

In contrast to the Innkeeper, we hear the story of the Angels who were full of joyful expectation and delight. Perhaps we still see glimpses of this through the expectation and delight in our children or grand children who remind us of the excitement we also shared in the celebrations of Christmas-past.

And finally, there was Jesus, waiting to be born. As he waits to be born again within each of us. The German Catholic priest, theologian, philosopher and mystic, Meister Eckhart, once wrote:

“What is the good of Mary giving birth to the son of God

if I do not also give birth to God today,

We are all called to be Mothers of God”.

So as we make our journey through this Advent Season, I wonder what sort of journey you are making? What do you carry in your pilgrim's pack? Is there anything that weighs you down? How can you lighten your load? Have you left some room in your pack for the gifts of Hope, Peace, Joy and Love that are offered to us to experience afresh as reach towards the end of our Advent pilgrimage?

The gift of God's love reminds us that we learn to love from being loved. And we learn to love God by being open to God's love. And so as you make your pilgrimage through this final week of Advent, may you be renewed by the love of God so you may share that love with those you meet.

Kia mau te rongo me te pai ki a koe i to haerenga

May you find peace and good will on your journey.

Phil

 

Advent: The season for Preparation

I wonder if you have been encouraged by the Black Friday sales to start your Christmas shopping, and whether you have already begun to decorate your home and garden with festive lights and ornaments?

Of cause to succumb to the commercial world's desire for you to spend your money may encourage us to also to miss the whole point of Advent! And while Advent is traditionally a time of preparation – it was originally a preparation of quite a different sort!. This is because the traditional themes that lie behind this four week season during December, are more about a yearning and hope for the fulfilment of quite a different sort to the incitements of the commercial world. The season of Advent is not just for us humans – it includes the whole of creation!

Perhaps this is easier for those who live in the Northern Hemisphere to relate to this idea. This is because during December they are rapidly approaching their longest and darkest time of the year. Some years ago I lived in a Franciscan Community in America and experienced or the first time a winter Christmas. It did appeal at first. But as the winter darkness (and snow) slowly deepened, it was not long before the novelty began to wear thin. However, in retrospect, because we spent much more time indoors the season actually seemed to invite us to think back over the past year, to celebrate the times where we excelled, and to review the situations where we could have acted differently. It also encouraged us to set new goals and intentions for the new year.

We find a similar theme of spiritual renewal in the Bible Readings set for this season of Advent. We will hear about:

1. The parting of the red sea and in the pillar of fire by night and cloud by day that led the Hebrew people during the difficult stages of their journey – to remind us that God does not abandon us in times of our need.

2. Of God's provision of manna and water in to his people times of hunger and thirst – which also is a reminder that God continually journeys with each one of us, providing and sustaining us on our journeys.

3. How God also provided his people with a rule of life for them to follow. Initially this was engraved on tablets of stone, which the Hebrew people carried with them as a constant reminder that God was still journeying with them, through all their joys and challenges. May we also learn to 'write' that wisdom upon our minds and hearts.

4. And as they carried the tent of the Tabernacle with them as their place of worship, we are also reminded that even in times and places of desolation and danger, the divine presence is still close at hand, to direct and guard us, on our journey of life.

Advent is also, a season to appreciate and care for creation.

Some years ago I came across the book 'Soul Survivor, A Spiritual Quest through 40 days and nights of Mountain Solitude'. It was written by the Wellington TV documentary film maker, Paul Hawker: In it he described his 40 day spiritual pilgrimage alone into the Tararua Mountains behind Masterton in an attempt to hear God's voice and obey it.

I think most of us have been touched by the spirituality that flows from creation, for example: the sense of wonder, and of our insignificance, when gazing at the star filled sky at night, or the stillness of a peaceful landscape, or the joy and sacredness of a beautiful garden where we may feel “nearer to God's heart... than anywhere else on earth”.

And finally, Advent is a season of Stories

Scientists like Brian Swimme and the cultural historian, Thomas Berry have suggested that Life is really a question of story, and while we we hear of those stories in our Bible Readings, however, we are now living in a period that is' in-between' stories. The Old Story that included how our world came to be and how we fit into it is no longer functioning properly. However, we have not learnt the New Story that whether we like it or not, we are actually responsible for the whole further evolution of our planet.

It is important for us to remember, that what happens to our outer world will inevitably affect our the inner world, Because, ‘If our outer world is diminished in its grandeur, then humankind's emotional, imaginative, intellectual, and spiritual life will also be diminished or extinguished¹.

I wonder what stories we are creating by the way we live?

Kia mau te rongo me te pai ki a koe i to haerenga

May you find peace and good will on your journey.

Phil

_________

1. https://thomasberry.org/life-and-thought/about-thomas-berry/a-universe-story

Finding Hope in the Midst of All that Life Throws at Us

Mark 13:1-8

We do not need to be remind that 2024 is rapidly coming to an end. Nor do we need to be reminded of current issues that affect us nationally and locally. A recent report suggested that New Zealand will faces a number of issues in 2025, especially in the areas of our Economy, Housing, and National security.¹

Peter Turchen, a complexity scientist who works in the field of historical social science, has made a similar comment when he suggested the whole world is caught in a global “polycrisis which will pose a severe and possibly existential threat to contemporary societies”² – although he also suggested such warnings often go in cycles. I mention this by way of introduction because it is timely, and it also relates to the Gospel reading for November 17^th where the author of Mark's Gospel forecasts a pending existential threat facing their country (Mark 13:1-8).

Other New Testament authors also were aware they were living on the brink of a national human disaster. So it's no wonder they wrote so often about “The end of the age” ³. They were facing, or had faced, total destruction of their homeland by the Roman military. They had lost all they knew and held dear – their homes, their family, their nation, and for many, their life. Little wonder when Jesus warned his disciples of what was to come, the disciples demanded: “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” (Mark 13:v4).

While many were killed and others were taken away into slavery, the followers of Jesus still hung onto the hope that God would fulfil His promise and usher in the new Kingdom of God as promised by the Prophet Isaiah:

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together;
and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together;
and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
he nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra,
and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den.
They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6-9)

We met a similar theme in my last Blog on the 'Generosity of the Poor Widow' who was willing to give away everything she had – even the last coins she owned – and Jesus applauded her generosity because she had held nothing back. We begin to see how challenging the words of Jesus would become for the people of Jerusalem and surrounding landscape. And yet, as Frederick Meyer comments in his book, 'Binding the Strongman', in-spite of the reality of the gathering storm clouds of pending war and destruction, “The temple was devouring all the resources of the poor and was deaf to the voice of true wisdom and oblivious to the way of Compassion”. No wonder Jesus was saying quite clearly in both last week's Gospel reading, and again in this week's Gospel that the facade of self-focused religion was doomed. I wonder whether much has changed in our time and culture?

I say this because the Franciscan author/ Therapist, Richard Rohr has mentioned something similar when he reminded us that we all have to deal with suffering during our life as we wrestle with the conundrum of coming to terms with “Who am I?” “Why am I Here?” And more pertinently,“How and where do I find meaning and hope?”⁴. This was one of the concerns Jesus had for the Jewish people when he suggests they pack their bags while they had time, and flee to a safer place to live (Mark13:14-19).

How does this saying of Jesus apply to us? While we may live in relative safety, Rohr offers us a different challenge that invites us to consider engaging in two important tasks:

• The first task is learning to build a strong container, or strong identity of our life. The second task is learning to create a strong sense of Self, and to discover what we really want out of life, and how we might go about to achieve it– which also involves having the courage to learn to listen to the promptings of the Spirit and be guided by them. Both tasks are essential for our ultimate happiness! ⁵

This is because we live in a world where many people have absorbed themselves in climbing the economic and workplace ladder. As a result they usually end up focusing on the things they need to achieve and on the way they live – physically, emotionally, socially, and in the way they perform in their chosen career. And yet, these are incomplete tasks because they are not ends in themselves. They need a focus beyond themselves – and this is what Jesus was criticising in the religious practice of the Scribes. They had made their religious practice into an end in itself, rather than learning to be guided by the promptings of the Spirit. For this reason, Mark's Gospel mentions three life-giving relationships:

1. Do we seek a relationship primarily with ourselves – where the focus of our life and religion are about meeting my needs as illustrated, for example by the Scribes?

2. Do we seek a relationship that is primarily focused on the structure (Church/Home/Work etc) in which we practice our faith and worship as illustrated by the Temple Priests?

3. Or do we seek a relationship that is primarily with other people where our religion is primarily about being a servant to others, and is a lived out in practical ways of experience where our own inner transformation and compassion is able to draw it's life and energy from our daily spiritual practice and life experience, as seen the life and teaching of Jesus?

In my last Blog we explored the story of the woman who gave the last two coins she owned. In many ways she demonstrated the wisdom and behaviour of 'Sophia' who was been with God from eternity and fills all that is with the wisdom God. In the Book of Proverbs she is referred to as the 'master worker' – or "the breath and power of God”, through whom creation came into being. We find a similar theme hidden within this week's story. For when we have they eyes to see and a heart to believe we begin to sense God's invitation for us also to live life open handedly, with risk, non attachment and compassion – and with trust that All will be Well, and in the knowledge:

that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,

nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,

nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing,

will be able to separate us from the love of God,

which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

Kia mau te rongo me te pai ki a koe i to haerenga

May you find peace and good will on your journey.

Phil

Footnotes:

        1. Current issues for NZ for 2025: https://www.google.com/search?             q=Current+issues+for+NZ++for+2025

2. “Why reports that Western civilisation will soon collapse are premature” Peter Turchin 5 December 2023 https://www.newscientist.com/article/2406477-why-reports-that-western-civilisation-will-soon-collapse-are-premature/

• 3. See 7 https://www.openbible.info/topics/the_end_of_the_age

4. “Because we will suffer. Even the Buddha said that suffering is part of the deal! See his article 'Transforming Pain' https://cac.org/daily-meditations/transforming-pain-2018-10-17/

5.. https://dominiccogan.com/the-two-halves-of-life/