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Division And Unity

30/6/2022

A Reflection on the Second Reading for July 3rd, 2022
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Galatians
6.14-18

Brothers and sisters: May I never boast of anything except the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything!

As for those who will follow this rule — peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God. From now on, let no one make trouble for me; for I carry the marks of Jesus branded on my body.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen.

The book of Galatians is one of my favourites. That might sound strange at first, since on its face, it’s a book about circumcision — not a topic I usually think about a lot! But like all scripture, it’s also about so much more. For me, Galatians is about belonging. The early Church struggled to decide what it meant to be a follower of Jesus: Jesus and His Apostles were Jewish, but as the Gospel spread, it quickly began to draw in Gentiles as well. Debates raged and dissension tore communities apart. Sadly, this is timeless. We human beings are particularly talented at finding something different about others, dividing ourselves into groups, and then treating the other group cruelly.

Paul’s answer to this problem of division is clear: we boast only in the Cross. Hidden within the divisions we make is always the sin of pride, the belief that falling into one camp makes us better than those in the other. I personally often find it hardest to love my political enemies — those who advocate for policies and practices that I strongly feel are wrong. I take pride in my views and too often I ascribe cruel or evil intentions to those who disagree with me. When I feel proud and boastful of my political views, or of anything other than the Cross, I have gone astray.

This reading is a reminder to us that God’s salvation is for all. It was not just for the Jewish people, but Gentiles too. It is not just for me, but for those on the other side of the aisle, too. In Christ, we are new creations. That doesn’t mean we are all the same — just the opposite! If each of us are unique and each of us reflects the image of God, then our diversity is a crucial part of being the Body of Christ. We all belong because we belong to Him. Paul addresses the readers of his letter to the Galatians as “brothers and sisters” twice in this short reading alone. That is what we are — siblings in Christ, alike because of the Divine Parent who loves us, no matter how different we may be. Only He can reconcile us to one another and bring our divisive spirits together.

Jenna Young

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A Polyphony Of Praise

29/6/2022

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A Reflection on the Psalm for July 3rd, 2022
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Psalm 66

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

Make a joyful noise to God, all · the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise. Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!”

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

“All the earth worships you; they sing praises to you, sing praises to your name.” Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds among the children of Adam.

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There we rejoiced in him, who rules by his might forever.

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me.

R. Make a joyful noise to God, all the earth!

I’m often moved by the surprising inclusivity of the psalms. Historically, they were written for and by a small group of people living in a particular time and place. And yet they regularly call us to go beyond the boundaries that we tend to put on our faith. “Make a joyful noise all the earth”; “all the earth worships you”; His deeds are “among the children of Adam”, that is, all peoples. There is room for everyone in God’s plan, and all are called to join in the jubilation of the earth, crying out with amazement and gratitude. We can imagine the whole world united in a choir that is praising God.

The psalm continues on from here though; the choir isn’t singing in unison. The psalm ends with a personal witness, with the voice of one person who has been filled with the love of God, recognizing what has been done for them.

We can each find our own version of this part of the psalm. What would I say if I were to sing this in my own voice?

“I will tell what he has done for me.”

Blessed be God, because He has loved me when I felt unlovable.

Blessed be God because He found me when I didn’t want Him to.

Blessed be God because He has surrounded me with so much beauty and joy in community.

Blessed be God because He is, and I am in Him.

What will you add to the chorus of the earth in praise of God this week?

Sr. Gemma MacLeod

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The Church As Mother

28/6/2022

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A Reflection on the First Reading for July 3rd, 2022
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Isaiah
66.10-14

Rejoice with Jerusalem,
and be glad for her,
all you who love her;
rejoice with her in joy,
all you who mourn over her --
that you may nurse and be satisfied
from her consoling breast;
that you may drink deeply with delight
from her glorious bosom.

For thus says the Lord:
“I will extend prosperity to her like a river,
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream;
and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm, and dandled on her knees.
As a mother comforts her child,
so I will comfort you;
you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.
You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;
your bodies shall flourish like the grass;
and it shall be known
that the hand of the Lord is with his servants.”

It is beautiful how God helps us to better understand His love for us with analogies of both Fatherhood and Motherhood throughout scripture. Having made man and woman in His image and likeness, it makes sense that each reflects His nature uniquely. As a woman, it feels particularly affirming to hear God say, “As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you… ”. With the language that Isaiah uses to describe Jerusalem as Mother, this passage led me to further reflect on the identity of the Church as “Mother”.

The Church is feminine in relation to Christ, and we hear this referenced repeatedly in God’s Word and in Tradition. She is the Bride of Christ, and the marriage of Christ and the Church is made to be a fruitful one — with many spiritual children born from their union. If we are the Church, we then have much to discover about the mystery of our maternal identity.

I explored the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and found one passage that stood out to me for how it emphasized this dimension of the Church:

“… a true filial spirit toward the Church can develop among Christians. It is the normal flowering of the baptismal grace which has begotten us in the womb of the Church and made us members of the Body of Christ. In her motherly care, the Church grants us the mercy of God which prevails over all our sins and is especially at work in the sacrament of reconciliation. With a mother's foresight, she also lavishes on us day after day in her liturgy the nourishment of the Word and Eucharist of the Lord.” (CCC 2040)

There is much to unpack here. How lovely it is to consider the Church as having a womb — a safe place for baby Christians to grow and be nourished as they develop. How wonderful it is that — just as with a mother’s body — we can give of ourselves to sustain life; and the primary way the Church can do this is through Christ in the Word and Sacrament of Communion. It is also an honour to have motherhood linked to tender care, merciful love, wisdom and foresight and to have these qualities associated with the Church. Yet, we must recognize there have been innumerable ways in which we, the Church, have failed to live this out… this is who we are, and it is also who we are in a process of becoming.

Rather than thinking of the Church as an institution, I want to practice embracing her in a more personal way — just as I know I need to encounter and relate to Christ personally. I believe that asking the Holy Spirit to help us experience and live out our motherhood will lead to further growth in intimacy, responsibility, and spiritual maturity. Let us also ask Mother Mary to intercede for us, that our hearts may expand and make room for Him and for others. Amen.

Kendra L.

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Set My Face

24/6/2022

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A Reflection on the Gospel for June 26th, 2022:
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke
9.51-62

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem.

And he sent messengers ahead of him. On their way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make ready for Jesus; but the Samaritans did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem.

When his disciples James and John saw it, they said, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them. Then they went on to another village.

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”

To another Jesus said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

We’ve all heard the expression “talk is cheap.” How easy it is to promise to do a thing. The tough part comes when it’s time to get off the comfy couch, put our shoulder to the wheel, and follow through until we’ve made good on that promise. Follow-through demands long-term commitment.

I was reminded of this while reading the Gospel for this coming Sunday. Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem to die. Along the way He meets some people. Two He invites to follow Him, and they agree, but there’s a catch: they need time to put their worldly affairs in order. Discipleship is all well and good, but people have obligations to their families, and doesn’t family come first? Jesus is having none of it — the Kingdom of God is at hand, and it supersedes all else.

The third man Jesus meets seems eager to begin following Jesus immediately, but Jesus provides fair warning: know what you’re getting into. “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Discipleship is not for the faint of heart. Those who dream of a newspaper and slippers at the end of the day will find the lifetime commitment of a wandering preacher to be a hard road indeed.

Finally, we witness James and John, actual Disciples who have committed their lives to Jesus. They are walking the hard road with Him — and still they miss the plot. Jesus is about to die, and all they can think about is commanding fire from heaven to come burn up some arrogant Samaritans.

The first line of the Gospel says, “Jesus set His face to go to Jerusalem.” This is commitment and determination. Jesus is not preoccupied with the obligations of this world, nor is He distracted by the need to demonstrate His power. Jesus is walking the path God has set before Him.

Those who follow Jesus must be ready to make a lasting and clear-eyed commitment to discipleship. I must be ready to make a lasting and clear-eyed commitment to discipleship and to prioritize it above all else. That doesn’t mean I have to abandon my family and become a wandering preacher — there are many ways to live as a disciple — but, like Jesus, I must set my face, knowing that, if I give freely and unselfishly, the Lord will bless me in everything I do.

Donna Davis

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Division And Unity

A Reflection on the Second Reading for July 3rd, 2022Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A Polyphony Of Praise

A Reflection on the Psalm for July 3rd, 2022Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Church As Mother

A Reflection on the First Reading for July 3rd, 2022Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Set My Face

A Reflection on the Gospel for June 26th, 2022:​Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Archives

A Reflection on the Second Reading for July 3rd, 2022
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A Reflection on the Psalm for July 3rd, 2022
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A Reflection on the First Reading for July 3rd, 2022
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A Reflection on the Gospel for June 26th, 2022:
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time