Lent 4

-

Whenever we go on holiday I wonder what we do. We get ready we check we have got everything. And then double check. We check that our passports if we are going abroad are ok. We get ready for the journey.

Today’s readings are looking at a different journey. They are looking at the inner journey the journey of faith. And it can in human eyes come up with some extraordinary consequences. In the first reading from the book of Samuel we see that the people of Israel were looking for a King. So going to the Sons of Jesse he picks David the last and most insignificant of his Sons what does God look for then. He does not look for what the world considers as important those with wealth and power, no, God looks at the heart he looks and the inner journey. This inner journey must have outwards signs we can see this from the book of Ephesians we must shun the works of darkness and live as children of the light. He says “Once you were in darkness, but now you are in the light of the Lord.”

The Gospel is essentially a story of a journey of one man into faith. There is a progression of understanding. He first calls Jesus a man then a prophet and then the Lord. He was blind and gradually through faith and understanding he could at last see. Physically and spiritually he was walking in darkness and he saw the light. And Jesus us that light “I am the light of the world” he states. Notice also Jesus again like in last week’s Gospel Jesus tells us all exactly who he is. There is again an echo back to the burning bush and the story of Moses. Jesus says “I AM” exactly the same words that God spoke to Moses in the burning bush.

It is also a story of our inner life and journey into faith. IT is a journey where like the Blind man we have a gradual recognition of the person of Jesus and what he means to us. It is a journey to deepening our relationship with him. We struggle to make sense of some of the things in the world around us. We struggle with relationship, with ourselves with the things that we do not understand. What helps us is having the eyes of faith. It helps us make sense of what is happening and through our faith it can bring great comfort and peace. Think of the healing peace we gain in the sacraments to know that God is always with us. That he is ready to open his arms to welcome us. And we can be sure that Jesus looks at the heart and not the exterior. He sees the desire for faith even if we feel that our faith is hanging very by a string. This is seen by one simple act that happens at our baptism. We are given a candle a light taken from the Easter Candle it reminds us that Jesus is with us all through our lives this light of faith is also something that we can therefore pass on to others. IT shows that all through the many things that life throws at us that faith keeps us going and God is always there.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Year of Service

-
Image
  This last weekend I was able to look back with friends at the wonderful year I had with the Vincentian Volunteers. Looking back I can see that there are many elements to this year that have remained always with me. These I can now see and after reflection have shaped my life since this most formative year. From this year I went on to train for the priesthood and became a priest. After 16 years I left ministry and now try my best to live my Christian values and life in the world. In a recent upgrade to my CV I realised that my whole adult life has been in some sort of service to others and usually to the most vulnerable and those on the fringes of society. From working in Top Shop to ministry to the Hospital to the work I now do in education. This all stems from this year I had with the community and putting Love in action. Yes I have made mistakes on the way and my human frailty has been evident but this life was never going to easy and straight forward.  When I look back on that yea
Read more

Easter

-
Image
  Over the last few years I have had major issues with the Catholic Church. I think that my issue is the authority of the Church and how many clergy, not all, use and abuse their power and class the laity as stupid idiots. I can say this as for 16 years I was a priest and caught up in the system. When you're in the middle of it you can't aways see what is going on around you. I could not see what the Church as a structure was doing to peoples lives. Until I was out I realised that the Church and Im talking about the Catholic Church here is full up of repressed men who are scared of change scared of themselves and scared of the laity. Those who speak out especially clergy who want significant change are laughed at by others and classed as trouble makers. This includes Pope Francis himself who wants change but sometimes can't get it because of what he has inherited. It is an issue that has gone on your centuries.  This does not allow for a healthy functioning Church. There ne
Read more

What have we learnt? Covid and the last year.

-
Image
Over the last year since the start of the Covid pandemic there has been much in the press about the affects on society. We have seen that there are many people who are anxious, feel alone and worried about the future. So I looked on the Internet for the Christian response to the Pandemic. I was not surprised to see that there were many articles to suggest that the Christian Church as a whole has failed in this time.  In the first Lockdown the Churches were asked to close and there was no public worship. As the infection rate went down the Churches could open for private prayer. In the recent lockdown many places of worship have remained open although the infection rate being a lot higher. I have maybe been a thorn in peoples sides by asking why. I even wrote to the Cardinal  to ask him why. I argued that they should be left shut because of the demographic that tend to go. I got a standard reply back. When I looked in newsletters I read many times about how to give your collection and t
Read more