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"For Goodness' Sake": A Reflection on the Gospel for September 2nd, 2018: Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

31/8/2018

Mark 7.1-8, 14-15, 21-23

1 Now when the Pharisees gathered together to him, with some of the scribes, who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they wash their hands, observing the tradition of the elders; 4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they purify themselves; and there are many other traditions which they observe, the washing of cups and pots and vessels of bronze.) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, "Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with hands defiled?" 6 And he said to them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, `This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.' 8 You leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men." 14 And he called the people to him again, and said to them, "Hear me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him." 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man."

Throughout the Bible, it is continuously preached that we must do good because we lovingly desire to do good. Thankfully, we are made in the image of God, and therefore we have a desire in us to do good for the sake of doing good. However, we are granted the free will to decide to act in ways that are not of God’s will, which results in our behaviour not always being altruistic. Humans can be a selfish species. We want to look good and to be perceived as good people to others. Most of what we post on social media tends to be the “highlights” of our lives. We want people to see our best moments rather than our biggest struggles. This is a pretty normal human behaviour. If we are to present our lives for essentially everyone we know to see, it is likely that we will want to feel good about what we are posting and take pride in what others are to see of us. But problems tend to arise when we only desire to do good for the sake of a good outward appearance. Although it is “normal” to want to impress others, we are called to much greater than that. We musn’t hold to the “human tradition” if it puts our earthly desires above God.

Saint Augustine once said: “It is pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels.” When we do good only for self-reward, we place ourselves above God.

In this scripture, Jesus rebukes the Pharisees and the Jews for their measurement of faith. They measure faith by the upkeep of the elders’ tradition, which is merely witnessing to others that they are “faithful”. Jesus wants us to have a relationship with Him — like the disciples do — and for that relationship to be more of a testament to our faith than the outward signs of tradition.

From personal experience, I know that practicing faith simply through repetitive actions and traditions is not as fulfilling. When I was younger, I went to church because my family did. It was a sort-of Sunday “tradition” for my family. I didn’t enjoy my time at church because I was there without the intention of having a relationship with Jesus. I am so thankful that I eventually started to become more involved in my faith life and sought to develop a relationship with Him. Having a personal connection with God gives more purpose and meaning to the faith traditions that we engage in. He is why I partake in the traditions that I do. Jesus desires that we look to Him as the fundamental source of our faith, and when we do, it is so much easier to do good for His glory.

Megan Noye

"Jesus wants us to have a relationship with Him — like the disciples do — and for that relationship to be more of a testament to our faith than the outward signs of tradition." - Megan Noye (Ora Reflections)

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"The Perfect Gift": A Reflection on the Second Reading for September 2nd, 2018: Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

30/8/2018

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James 1.17-18, 21-22, 27

Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures.

Welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

I love to give gifts. I also love the hunt for the perfect gift. I take into account all the little details about the person for whom I’m shopping: the right size, their favourite colour, their hobbies, what makes them laugh, what they need, and the list goes on! Ultimately, I give gifts to show love and bring a little joy. But sometimes I wonder if my giving is self-serving. I want the person to like — even love — the gift I give them. Sometimes I equate their like/love of the gift to their level of like/love for me. Do I really need to give to be worthy of another person’s love? The iver of the Perfect Gift doesn’t think so.

As a disciple of Christ, the perfect gift is actually nothing that I can buy, but rather was already bought for me. Jesus “bought” me the perfect gift without basing it on my size, favourite colour, or current hobbies. He didn’t base it on my human sense of worthiness of The Giver, or in being the recipient of the gift. Jesus gave His life for me so that I would have life. Sometimes when I think about this — truly think about Christ’s sacrificial act of giving Himself — I am overwhelmed and saddened. I’m overwhelmed by this grand act of love that I did not ask for or do anything to earn — and yet it was freely given to benefit me. I’m saddened when I recognize the moments I take this gift for granted, and do not do anything with The Gift; when I don’t unwrap it to let it change me. As the writer of James’ letter cautions us, “Be doers of the word, not merely hearers who deceive themselves.” What use is a gift if it’s left wrapped-up? God’s gift of love to us is meant to be opened so that it can change us.

When we allow the Perfect Gift to change us — we become gift. All of us are uniquely gifted by God to be His light in this world. As someone who prefers to quietly blend into the background, I’ve had to remind myself that if I remain hidden, then so too are the gifts God gave me. That’s not what Jesus wants. It’s not what God created me for. Our Church is in crisis on so many levels that many find reasons to walk away. When people choose to leave, we as a Church lose the gift of these persons, and it saddens me. And why stay when it seems too many have forgotten the Perfect Gift they’ve been given? I stay because I haven’t forgotten. I stay because I want to be a doer of the Word, not merely a hearer of the Word — and I want to help others do the same. I stay because I have been given the Perfect Gift, and God needs me to give it to a world that needs it desperately.

Aurea Sadi

"When we allow the Perfect Gift to change us — we become gift."
- Aurea Sadi (Ora Reflections)

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"I Want an Invite": A Reflection on the Psalm for September 2nd, 2018: Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

29/8/2018

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Psalm 15

O Lord, who may abide in Your tent?
Who may abide on Your Holy Hill?
Those who walk blamelessly and do what is right
and speak the truth from their heart;
Whoever does not slander with their tongue.

Knowing how I love praying the Psalms, a friend (with a good sense of humour) gave me a modern, paraphrased version of Psalm 15. It is not meant to be disrespectful, but rather states succinctly, the message of the Psalm: ”O God, who gets invited to dinner at Your place? How do we get on Your guest list? Response: Walk straight; act right; tell the truth!”

This Psalm beautifully reinforces the message of the first reading for today, ”but keep the commandments of the Lord Your God for which I am charging you”. (Deuteronomy 4:2) The message sounds so easy. But in the flurry and encounters of everyday life, one is challenged to “do what is right” — and all the human traits which are not-so-Christian come to the forefront of one's mind. An unkindness is spoken, or a truth is peppered with exaggerations and becomes gossipy — perhaps even slanderous. Someone becomes hurt because of my pride. Saint Teresa of Calcutta says the answer is simple: Prayer! I am reminded of the words of a verse of a hymn, ”You give Yourself to us, O Lord, then selfless let us be; To serve each other in Your Name in Truth and Charity”. (CBW111#603)

O Lord, who may abide in Your tent?
Whoever does no evil to their friends;
Nor take up a reproach against their neighbours;
In whose eyes the wicked one is despised
but who honours those who fear the Lord.

In the words of Nettie Newton, ”Don't hurt your friend; don't blame your neighbour; despise the despicable!”

Jesus taught us that the love of God cannot be separated from the love of neighbour. In today's Gospel, Jesus says, “For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come". (Mark 7:21) It is so easy to become self righteous — even with our friends — and perhaps more so with neighbours, as that can include anyone who lives close by or people from different parts of the world whose customs and habits are not understood by us. We do well to recall that God is Father of us all; Jesus, Saviour of us all, and the Spirit, the Fire of Love of God who fills us all. Saint Francis understood this centuries ago and I still find strength in his prayer, which asks God to "Make Us a Channel of His Peace."

O Lord, who may abide in Your tent?
Whoever stands by their oath even to their hurt;
Who does not lend money at interest;
And does not take a bribe against the innocent;
One who does these things shall never be moved.

To quote Nettie, “Keep your word even when it costs you. Make an honest living. Never take a bribe.” (Nettie’s synopsis is a bit simplistic, but I like to think the Lord has a good sense of humour!)

This last stanza of the Psalm is about steadfast faith in the face of trials and obstacles. It addresses justice and fairness and love and respect for others. Once again, this Psalm of ancient times — sung by generations of people both before and during the time of Christ — was re-stated by Christ Himself in the words of the Beatitudes, which we sing and pray in today's Mass in the Communion Antiphon. (However, I love Luke's account — Luke 6:20-45) Old and New Testaments affirm that without love of neighbour, genuine love of God is impossible.

O Lord, who may abide in Your tent? Yet -- to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of Everlasting Life.

Lynda Tyler

"Old and New Testaments affirm that without love of neighbour, genuine love of God is impossible." - Lynda Tyler (Ora Reflections)

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"Listen": A Reflection on the First Reading for September 2nd, 2018: Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

28/8/2018

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Deuteronomy 4.1-2, 6-8

“Now, Israel, give heed to the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you to observe, so that you may live to enter and occupy the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers, is giving you. You must neither add anything to what I command you nor take away anything from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God with which I am charging you.

“You must observe them diligently, for this will show your wisdom and discernment to the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and discerning people!’ For what other great nation has a god so near to it as the Lord our God is whenever we call to him? And what other great nation has statutes and ordinances as just as this entire law that I am setting before you today?”

If I had a nickel for every time my mother said “listen” to me and I, in turn, said it to my children, I would be a wealthy woman. Why do we persist in reaching out this way? Well, when we love someone, we want them to thrive in life and to flourish in understanding. This is why we share with them the gift of our wisdom, in the hope of saving them the pain of learning life’s lessons all on their own. In sharing our experiences, we are sharing ourselves.

In the First Reading, Moses urges the Israelites to hear and obey the laws of the Lord: “Now listen. Listen carefully. Pay attention to what I am saying and consider it carefully. Why? Because what I am saying is the key to a just life, and because it will help you to become just and wise yourself.” Like any parent, the Lord wants a secure future for His children, and so He shares with them His wisdom, setting it “before” them like a gift, not upon them like a burden. In sharing His wisdom, He is sharing Himself. Therefore, the more we embrace His wisdom, the nearer we are to God.

In offering this beautiful gift, the Lord indicates the type of relationship He wants with us: not a dictatorship but, rather, a relationship that honours our free will. It is our choice to accept or reject a life that respects the laws of the Lord. The Lord never forces us to obey Him and, whatever our choice, He will never withhold His love.

However, if we do choose to enter into relationship with the Lord, what He seeks is a life-giving, most intimate relationship. In offering this beautiful gift, the Lord is offering us His very self. As Deuteronomy says, our God is with us. When we read Scripture and when we pray, the Lord speaks to us and we speak to the Lord, who is always ready to listen. As we grow closer to Him, His influence on us grows until His Presence informs everything we do. Our life becomes a God-centred life. And a God-centred life stands out because it is a thriving life. It witnesses to the world, through what we say and what we do, that the law of the Lord is not just a way; it is the Way. It nurtures a just society, which is good for everyone.

Listen. Choose. Speak. Witness. This is how we create, and sustain, our relationship with our loving Father, and how we can strive to live the just life He wants for us.

Donna Davis

"As we grow closer to Him, His influence on us grows until His Presence informs everything we do." - Donna Davis (Ora Reflections)

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