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/

 

Generosity of Spirit:

The Source of Personal Happiness (Mark 12:38-44)

The Gospel Story set for this coming week is an interesting one because it has many parallels in Buddhist, Rabbinic and ancient Greek writings. It also reminds us that the small sacrifices made by those who are poor, are, in fact, more pleasing to God than all the extravagant contributions made by those who are wealthy.

One of the best examples I came across of this short parable, is the Jewish story about a priest who scorned a woman's offering when all she had to give was a handful of flour. During the night the priest dreamed that he was rebuked by God because of the way he treated the woman. 'Despise her not:' God said to him, 'It is as though she has offered me her life^!1 It is a lovely Jewish double-edged answer that begs a new question: 'What does it mean to offer your life?'

This question is one that the Franciscan author and Counsellor/therapist, Richard Rohr, addresses in his book Falling Upward: A Spirituality for the Two Halves of Life. It is a big question that we all should ponder from time to time, because Rohr suggests it is the first big question we may struggle over during the first half of our life because it is about discovering 'Who we are and Who we are not'. It is not always an easy question for us to answer. 

 Later in life, when we may have discovered that our initial hopes and dreams for the future have not served us as well as we had hoped, we may then have the courage to see ourselves, and our hopes and dreams for our life, with new insight. Yet out Christian faith reminds us that whatever happens to us through the ups and downs of human experience, God is still with us because God will never, abandon us – even when we may loose our faith in a Divine Being. God still journeys with us through all the challenges and joys life brings. This is a promise that occurs many many times in Scripture.²

 This ability to see beyond the current moment also offers us a way to unpack this week's short Gospel story where Jesus first offers a warning to his listeners: “Do not try and copy the way the teachers of the Law behave. They loved to parade themselves in their long robes and they expect people to respect them when they meet them in the marketplace! They also demand to be given the best seats, or better still, places of honour, when they attend a banquet (v 38-40).

 In contrast Jesus applauds the courage and the open handed generosity of a poor Widow compared to the temple officials, who gave little of their wealth, while the widow gave the very last two coins she owned! (Mark 12:38-44)

The point Jesus was making in telling this parable is that her action demonstrated the radical challenge of Jesus. His way of life teaches us to walk lightly and open-handedly through the gift of our days, and to use the time and resources we are given, to develop and use them for both our enjoyment and for the greater good of others. He was also reminding those who seek to follow him that the upside down values of the Kingdom of God will inevitably be challenging because they call us to follow in the footsteps and Way of Christ, for whom the first will be last– the poor are blessed – and unless we have the trust of a little child, we will never enter the Kingdom of heaven.

 A challenging story! Yet it gives us insight into the cost and way that Jesus taught and lived. And that is not unusual! Many of the stories and teachings Jesus gave, also carried an uncomfortable challenge for his listeners. I wonder what sense or application you might make of this short parable?

 The other good thing is that we were not expected to do this alone. Later writers understood that the woman in today's story represented Sophia – who was the personification of divine wisdom. And the good news of this parable is that God walks with us, and within us, so that we might also live life open handedly, with risk and with trust:

                                " For it is in giving that we receive,
                               It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
                        and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life." ( St Francis of Assisi)

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://ffoz.org/torahportions/commentary/the-poor-widow

2. See https://www.openbible.info/topics/ i_will_never_leave_you_nor_forsake

See Also Richard Rohr on the Two Halves of Life: https://www.patheos.com/

blogs/emergentvillage/2015/02/the-two-halves-of-life/

 What Do We Do in the Face of a Crisis?( Mark 10:46-52)

It is interesting that this Sunday we have another story where Jesus asks the same question: “What do you want me to do for you?” However, the two occasions couldn't be more different. Last Sunday, it was two cousins who ask Jesus for special privileges so they might share his glory, whereas this Sunday's Gospel reading (Mark 10:46-52) it is a blind beggar who asks Jesus to heal his eyes so that he might see again.

This certainly raises a question for us because we all have our hopes, worries and needs. Life never stays the same for us either. We all face times of hardship and struggle. The Psychologist Care Garednswartz (PhD) has suggested three ways that might help us to navigate such times of transition in our life and how we might transform our challenges into personal growth. She has suggested three key ways that might help us navigate such moments of transition:

1. Embrace the uncertainty you face and seek to see it as an invitation for growth and not fear.

2. Actively build resilience in your life through self-compassion and flexibility and adaptability.

3. Actively build a support group around you from people you trust that will bee there for you during times of challenge and transition. ¹

We find Gardenswartz suggestions are also embedded within this weeks Gospel story:

1. Practical: Bartimaeus was blind which made him always always at a disadvantage within his culture. But he was also a practical person. When he heard Jesus was nearby he used every means possible to attract Jesus' attention, and in doing so he received his life-changing healing. Also, rather than saying “Thanks” to Jesus for his restored sight, Bartimaeus immediately became a follower of Jesus.

   Our situation may be quite different. But today's Gospel reading suggests when faced by a crisis, the first thing we need to do is to be practical and, as hard as it may be, to explore how you might turn the situation into an opportunity for personal growth.. Bartimaeus offers us a good example. Blind Bartimaus was a practical person in-spite of his handicap. Even though he was blind, he still made sure he knew what was happening around him. In this way he made the crowd who followed Jesus into an opportunity for his own growth.

2. Psychological: As a blind beggar, sitting beside of the road, he was totally dependent upon the charity of others. Rather than remaining isolated in his blindness, he was also willing to ask anyone and everyone for information on what was happening around him, and to also ask for help when he needed assistance.

   Life is not always straight forward for us either. However, the outcome may also be dependent, in part, on our attitude and our willingness to seek appropriate help or advice when needed.

3. Spiritual: We know nothing about Bartimaeus' faith – except he knew Jesus could heal people.

   We all have our personal beliefs. These give shape to our values, and also enhance meaning in our life. They may be religious /spiritual beliefs. Or they may be based on our experiences of awe and wonder of the natural world around us. They can include the significant people with whom we share our life.

   One of the gifts a spirituality can provide, is to provide support, hope and love in times of personal crisis. It can also give us comfort and new meaning in our struggles – and new hope to face the future as Bartimaeus discovered.

4. Mystical: Spiritual beliefs often relate to things we have been taught and to the thoughts we carry in our minds. Mystical events relate to first-hand experiences of the sacred in everyday life. Bartimaeus, for example, wasn't content knowing that Jesus had healed people – he desperately wanted to experience healing for himself.

   We all have had mystical experiences. These may include falling in love, sensing the stillness in a forest or in an empty Church; holding our newborn baby for the first time, or being stunned by the beauty of a sunset. In all these moments we perceive the boundaries of our life and world are not as fixed and physical as they might appear on the surface. We may have a fleeting sense of an interconnectedness that holds everything together.

5. The Wisdom of the Sage: John C. Robinson (a clinical psychologist with a second doctorate in ministry)² suggests “We create our most mature self” as we integrate and utilize the practical knowledge and insight acquired over the years of life experience. This provides us with not only knowledge and practical and skills, but also the wisdom of one who can provide meaningful and inspiring leadership.”

   We don't know how old Bartimaeus was, but the wisdom he demonstrated was not limited to age. In many ways, the focus in the Gospel story is not the healing of Bartimaeus' physical blindness, but his response to his healing. He leaves everything to follow Jesus in a similar way that the other early disciples had done. It is also important to remember that Jesus' life was spent mainly with those who were vulnerable, poor and homeless. In this way, Bartimaeus offers us a more authentic model of what it means to be a follower of Jesus compared to James and John in last week's Gospel. James and John wanted recognition and power. However, they still had to learn that the Way of Jesus was one of service to others – especially to those who may be struggling on the fringes of our communities.

   I find that food for thought.

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://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-discomfort-zone/202409/navigating-life-transitions-turning-change-into-opportunity2

2. https://www.johnrobinson.org/blog - Crossing Over February 11, 2021

 

Knowing What We Want

At some point in our life I am sure we have all played the game of 'Chinese Whispers' (also called 'Telephone'). Today's Gospel reading reminded me of that party game because at the end of July, when we celebrated the Feast of James and John – two key the disciples of Jesus – we had a similar Gospel reading but from the Gospel of Matthew'– however, it differed from Mark's version in several significant ways:

In Mark's version James and John approach Jesus and demand that he did whatever they asked of him. And Jesus kindly responds with a very practical question: “What is it you want me to do for you?”They asking for a place to be reserved for them in heaven so they might “sit each side on him in his Kingdom”. A bold and self-centred request one might say!

However, when Matthew wrote his account of James and John's request some 25 years later, he tells us that it was their mother who came to Jesus and she knelt before him and made a similar request for her two sons (Matthew 20:20-28). In both cases, Jesus initial response is similar. Would you say such a 'bold' self -centred request was out of order​?

Perhaps it was – perhaps it wasn't. Be that as it may, what attracted my attention was the wording of the questions Jesus asked of the disciples or of their mother because both are good questions for us to ponder as well. How would we answer that question: “What is it you want me to do for you?” What do we want for ourselves – for our family – for our Church – for our country, or our world, or for our cosmos for that matter, because they are all part of God's domain? It is a very easy question to ask – but it not always a simple question to answer.

For example: When I was studying for my degree at University, I spent a year with the Vocational Guidance Service. In those days it was part of the Government's Education Department. I recall an occasion early in my orientation week when I was invited to observe the standard way the Department would interview a budding school leaver. After the young man's personal and educational particulars had been noted, the conversation turned to his thoughts of a possible career. The budding school leaver had no idea of what he wanted to do – except leave school! In the end, with no progress being made, he was given a handful of career leaflets and invited to return when he was ready to discuss some options.

In reality, the young student's dilemma is understandable because it is not always easy to know what we really want – for ourselves, for those closest and dearest to us, or for our church community or country for that matter, because we live in an increasingly secular age with high expectations of independence. Yet the question remains: What is it that I want? What do I long for deep inside? Is it always up to me to decide? Or is there an existential answer that would change the whole orientation of my life?

We may be able to list some universal wishes, such as the abolition of war, poverty or sickness – and all those things are both important and universal needs according to the American Psychologist, Abraham Maslow, who created a common basic physical hierarchy of needs, that include such common needs such as food, clothing, housing, safety, a sense of love and belonging, respect and recognition, self confidence, independence and freedom¹. However, is that all you really want out of life? It's not really enough, is it. And Maslow would agree with you because he went on to identify other basic needs, that included:

'Cognitive needs' (such as creativity, foresight, curiosity; or our basic)

'Aesthtic needs' (such as appreciation of beauty and nature; or the opportunity to realise our full potential).

Later he included our basic human need for Transcendence which enables us to open and give ourselves to something beyond ourself as we are enabled to put our “own needs aside, to a great extent, in favor of service to others and to some higher force or cause conceived as being outside the personal self”.¹

Certainly, Maslow's list invites us to pause and consider what is it – deep down – that we really want and long for during our life here on planet earth?

We are not alone in pondering this question, because it is the same question that is asked a number of times in the Gospels, and one that Jesus asks of us in this week's Gospel reading. It's also an important question, because knowing what we want in life will influence the way we live and make our choices. It can also open the door to new possibilities, hopes and dreams.

So, then, how would you answer the question asked by Jesus: What do you want me to do for you? Or to re-frame the question, What do I expect God to do for me?

Do you believe or expect God to do anything for you?

Or are we responsible with our gifts and experiences to sort out a life for ourselves?

Let me close this blog with these words written by

 The Monks of New Skete: 

 

In the Spirit of Happiness

The God who sees into our depths,

who knows us as we really are,

isn't interested in some phoney fantasy

of what we think we are.

God is interested in us as we really are.

It's only when we try to own ourselves in our totality,

when we respond to life as it truly is,

that we can truly relate to God.

That's the work of spiritual journey.

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 Maslow's hierarchy of needs: https://

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/

Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs

 Living in Uncertain Times

We live in uncertain and troubled times. We see evidence of this in the ongoing unrest and increasing violence in the Middle East, for example, which also carries the risk of causing more people to flee from their homes as the war spreads, as other countries become involved.

At the same time, our world faces the impact of changing weather patterns, natural disasters, storms, fires, droughts and flooding. In the midst of all that is happening in our world, this weeks Gospel reading from Mark 10:17-31 raises the challenging question of 'Where (or on what) do we focus our attention in these changing times?' And the reason this question is important is because as Jesus states elsewhere: where our treasure is - there our heart will be also” ¹

Jesus raises this question in the context of a young man who approached him and wanted to know “What must I do to inherit Eternal Life?” Apparently he was very wealthy and had been trying to studiously keep all the religious rules and regulations that were expected of a good Jew. Yet it wasn't giving him any sense of fulfilment or purpose. To complicate matters even further, the Jewish authorities were inconsistent in their advice and teaching. For example:

According to the first century Jewish historian and military leader Flavius Josephus, there were 24 different Jewish sects in and around Jerusalem and they had a range of differing views. There were those who believed our physical body would rise again as mentioned in the prophet Isaiah 26:19: “Your dead will live, their bodies will rise.” While another group taught that we have two bodies. In this life we inhabit a physical body, and when we die we will continue to live in “disembodied bliss” in a spiritual body. Another group believed that the gift of life is passed through us into our children, or the gift of life is carried within their Jewish faith and society as God's chosen people. And so the young man's confusion, and the question he asked of Jesus was both real and understandable. However, Jesus didn't answer his question! Instead he redirected the man's attention back to the present moment, and he invited him to reflect on the way he was already living out his life, content with taking one day at a time.

I recently watched a lecture by Richard Rohr based on his book 'Falling Upward' ². He suggested that in life, we have two important tasks: The first is to create a sense of self as we explore the two questions “Who Am I?“ and“Who am I not ?” These are important questions because they apply to the way we form and ultimately live out our life. Yet whatever answer we may hold will inevitably be incomplete! Because it usually lacks depth. However, if we don't grow beyond this stage, we may spend the rest of our lives defending our chosen way of life –which brings us back to today's Gospel.

In the story of the Rich Young Man, Jesus tries to help his listeners (including us) to to reflect upon the way we also live our lives – because life is always more than simply a 'me – first' attitude. So Jesus took a familiar example from the local landscape.

When planing to build a new home, would you ever think of building it upon the shifting and unstable sand of the desert – or would you choose to follow the wisdom of those who are seasoned builders, and build it upon a sold rock base?

In telling this parable, Jesus encouraged the young man (and us) to realise that deciding to become one of his disciples, will never protect us from life's storms, nor from other trials we may encounter over the years. However, when we do experience these dark and painful moments – God will never abandon us. God promises he will always be with us through every step, and moment, of our life. When we choose to place our faith and trust in him, will will find a peace, and we will find the strength, and we will find the ability, to stand and not fall, because we have built our life upon the firm foundation of God's love for us. (See Deuteronomy 31:8.)

This divine promise doesn't mean we will not have our struggles, nor our heart aches and our hard choices, because growing up often involves leaving the familiar behind – and we have all experienced that process! When we are born for example, or when we began our schooling or employment. However, Jesus also never promised us that life would always be easy.

Carl Jung, who was one of the most influential psychologists in history, once wrote: “we will all experience suffering because it is a necessary part to being a human being”. He goes on to suggest that when suffering “is not understood that it becomes hard to bear, while on the other hand it is often astounding to see how much a person can endure when (they) understand the why and the wherefore.” ³

Of cause, as you may all ready know first-hand, we all experience our own painful moments. Some may have forced us to grow-up and in the process we begin to see life differently. Some of these moments may have challenged us to the core of our faith and our beliefs. Yet the call of Jesus in this gospel reading is for us to learn to hold things lightly and allow our faith not to guide us through these life experiences, because the God who created us doesn't call us to be ordinary, but to recognise and to know that we are created and held in his image and likeness.

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

May you find peace and goodwill on your journey.

Phil

¹ Matthew 6:21

² Father Richard Rohr "Falling Upward Video”:

J1kXeklcmMIhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1kXeklcmMI

³ Carl Jung, CW 18, Para 1578: https://carljungdepthpsychologysite.blog/2020/02/12/suffering-7/