Monthly Archives: November 2017

Monday of Week 33 in Ordinary Time (Year I)
1 Maccabees 1:10-15,41-43,54-57,62-64 | Psalm 118(119):53,61,134,150,155,158 | Luke 18:35-43

Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me, and let me see again.

Let me see to the heart of everyone I meet…

the bus driver who greets everyone, yet is greeted by no one,

the cleaner facing mountains of food detritus, strewn indiscriminately by uncaring diners,

the grandmother struggling with three squalling children and a loaded pram.

Let me see them as they really are, my own siblings in You.

Let me see their worries, their weariness, their need for just a little kindness in an unkind world.

And having seen all that, give me the courage to act…

to greet cheerfully when I board, and thank with a wave when I alight,

to leave the bones and fat of my meal neatly ensconced in the tray, then bus the entire lot,

to reach out and lift the jammed wheels out of the train gap, then fascinate the children with little antics to buy her some peace and quiet.

Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me, and let me see again. Let me not ignore the plight of those around me. Amen.

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
Proverbs 31:10-13,19-20,30-31 | Psalm 127(128):1-5 | 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 | Matthew 25:14-30

The Parable of the Talents is a tale rich with symbolism, right from its opening paragraph:

To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one; each in proportion to his ability. (Matthew 25:15)

I think the key word in this passage isn’t talent; it’s ability or, to put it more bluntly, ready-willing-and-able-ilty.

Do you know what the phrase “ready, willing and able” really means?

It literally means “willing, willing and willing!” So important, it was implied thrice!

Thus we must acknowledge a dirty little secret of our inability: We too often convince ourselves that we can’t do something in God’s name, when we actually don’t want to do it.

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Let’s reimagine this parable in a more contemporary context, with the master (Jesus) talking to his servants (us) thus:

Abe, wow, you’re a real go-getter, man! Here’s a truck full of talents; go build me a Kingdom, tiger!

Bob, hey, you’re a reliable worker, and it shows—this mansion is spotless! Here’s a bucket full of talents; you know what to do with them, brother!

Charlie, um, well, you do show up on time, so I suppose that’s something. Here’s a talent; do something useful with it, OK?

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Now fast forward to the accounting scene:

Abe, wow, so many new converts, great going! Come sit at my table!

Bob, I see you’ve been busy, nice job leading all these people to Me! Come sit at my table!

Charlie…what the?!?!

Sorry, boss, I know You want me to spread the Good News and lead people to You. I hear You, I really do, but I’m so SCARED, so I decided to put that talent aside. Here you go, at least it’s still shiny and new.

Not real Jesus.

Charlie, you LAZY BUM! Even if you weren’t confident enough to share the faith by yourself, you could’ve volunteered to support Abe or Bob in their evangelical efforts. Instead, you chose to sit on your fat arse till my Second Coming! Well, to HELL with you!

Abe, here’s another talent, you deserve it.

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As the Gospel tells us, God gives us talents in proportion to our abilities, i.e. our willingness to serve him. Even if we’re lukewarm at best, we’ll still be given enough talent to help support our fellow Catholics who’re on fire with the Holy Spirit, and thus help “earn interest” for God’s “account” of believers.

But if we still choose to hide even that meager talent, then in the accounting on the Last Day, we’ll show up as a major deficit in God’s ledger.

Oh dear…

Lord, inspire us to want to bring others to You, and then give us the talents we need to do so. Amen.

Friday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time (Year I)
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious
Wisdom 13:1-9 | Psalm 18(19):2-5 | Luke 17:26-37

As it was in Noah’s day, so will it also be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating and drinking, marrying wives and husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. It will be the same as it was in Lot’s day: people were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but the day Lot left Sodom, God rained fire and brimstone from heaven and it destroyed them all. It will be the same when the day comes for the Son of Man to be revealed. (Luke 17:26-30)

Yesterday, Australia voted for same-sex marriage!

Actually, it was nothing of the sort, merely a survey by a government statistics department, and only 48% of the eligible Australian population actually said they were in favour.

Still, it was celebrated as a VICTORY FOR RIGHT-THINKING MAN against those irrational God-fearing stick-in-the-muds. Rainbow colours (the unofficial emblem of “gay pride”) and confetti were everywhere, while one MP lambasted the Aussie PM for prioritizing a meaningless gesture over drought, unemployment and crime.

I imagine a similar air of celebration and carousing confronted Noah just before the Flood, or Lot before Sodom and Gomorrah burned.

I imagine such too would greet the Son of Man when He comes again, and He would be sorely grieved if we were found in their midst, living it up like there was no tomorrow…or no God.

After all, so many of us have adopted a me-now-God-later attitude, and of course it’s always “now”.

We like to say “absence makes the heart grow fonder”, but with God, it somehow degenerates to “out of sight, out of mind”.

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Lately, I’ve been spending most evenings at the bedside of my dear friend Theresa Helen Broughton. I hesitate to call it her “deathbed”, but hope for her is now as dim as the light in her eyes.

Still, I pray with her and her family each night, gathering from far and near: perhaps the Chaplet of the Most Precious Blood, or perhaps the Divine Mercy Chaplet, or the rosary of the day, or whatever prayers come to mind.

We gather round her, sharing memories and our daily experiences. We laugh over silly things, critique the latest MRT breakdowns and other inexplicable decisions in the papers…and watch over her, assuring her out loud that we’ll each navigate this messy world as best we can, and urging her to run to Jesus when she sees Him.

And each night, we leave her side to head back to our respective domiciles and lives, at peace with God and the world.

At peace with God. It’s a good way to live, right up to the end.

Lord, teach us to fill our lives with more of Your loving presence, and less of the fleeting pleasures of this world. Amen.

Thursday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time (Year I)
Wisdom 7:22-8:1 | Psalm 118(119):89-91,130,135,175 | Luke 17:20-25

‘The coming of the kingdom of God does not admit of observation and there will be no one to say, “Look here! Look there!” For, you must know, the kingdom of God is among you.’ (Luke 17:20-21)

It’s ironic that many of us read scripture from LCD screens now, as it’s often these electronic devices that distract us from perceiving the kingdom of God in our midst. By erecting Facebooks before our loved ones, and replacing meaningful interactions with casual “WhatsApp, man?”, we are in danger of relegating the kingdom of God to a vague concept, and therefore dismissable in the hubbub of temporal life.

But what is the “kingdom of God” on earth? Simply put, it is the Church:

On the one hand, the Church is “a sacrament — that is, sign and instrument of intimate union with God and of unity of the entire human race”. She is therefore the sign and instrument of the kingdom; she is called to announce and to establish the kingdom. On the other hand, the Church is the “people gathered by the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”; she is therefore “the kingdom of Christ already present in mystery” and constitutes its seed and beginning. (Dominus Iesus, §18)

“Its seed and its beginning.” In other words, it’s not a done deal. We still have a lot of work to do, to spread the Good Word, to lead others to Jesus.

We’d best get started, if we haven’t already done so.

Lord, You called us to be one Church, one Kingdom in You. Help us help others find their way to You through us, and give us the courage to stand firm against the Evil One and his minions. Amen.

Wednesday of Week 32 in Ordinary Time (Year I)
Wisdom 6:1-11 | Psalm 81(82):3-4,6-7 | Luke 17:11-19

The Miracle of the Ten Lepers is a familiar Gospel passage, and it never fails to call forth questions, either quietly in the depths of my heart, or aloud in the celebrant’s sermon:

• Do we unconditionally trust in God to protect and guide us?
• Do we recognize the gifts and miracles that He has worked, and continues to work, in our lives?
• Do we thank Him constantly for our lives and experiences?

But there’s one part of this Gospel passage that always gives me pause:

As he entered one of the villages, ten lepers came to meet him. They stood some way off and called to him, ‘Jesus! Master! Take pity on us.’ (Luke 17:12-13)

The lepers were required by Jewish law to maintain their distance from others. Jesus uncharacteristically does nothing visible, merely telling them to go to the priests for assessment on their condition, and whether there were to be permanently isolated from the community.

I can imagine their confusion at this point: “Wait, isn’t this the miracle-working rabbi everyone’s talking about? Why isn’t he doing anything?” But they went anyway in obedience and trust.

So why aren’t we doing the same, when Jesus asks us to:

Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)

Why do we not draw closer to him each day, accepting His invitation to trust in His providence?

Why do we instead accept His bountiful gifts of life and health…and run away from Him instead, like the other nine lepers?

Are we afraid that He’ll ask us to do something that we don’t want to do?

Why do we behave like spiritual lepers?

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Jesus isn’t asking most of us to withdraw into hermetic poverty, forsaking all worldly goods and flagellate ourselves into painful oblivion, so why do we act like He’s asking us to upend our lives and be crucified beside Him?

He specifically told the one grateful leper:

‘Stand up and go on your way. Your faith has saved you.’ (Luke 17:19)

Our lives are still ours to live, but can we trust that He knows what’s best for us, and prioritize His loving commands over our own earthly desires?

Our will is still ours, but can we will ourselves to do His will?

After all, He’s just asking us to love God, and love others in the same way.

So the next time we’re at church, let’s draw closer to the altar and open our hearts and minds to the One who saves us.

Let’s not sit as far as possible from the sanctuary, with arms crossed and frequent glances at the time, bored out of our skulls.

Let’s pray every day for guidance and strength to hold firm to His teachings.

Let’s not be lone rangers of our destiny, merrily barreling down earthly paths of sensual delight and uncaring power over our fellow men.

Lord, You know us better than we know ourselves. Help us find the courage to set aside time each day to know, love and serve You. Help us see You in everyone we meet, and treat them with the mercy that You show us every day. Help us be worthy to be called “children of God”. Amen.