2 October 2011

Isaiah 5.1-7
Philippians 4.6-9
Matthew 21.33-43

Recently a certain man was bitterly complaining to his friend that the government had made a court order taking almost all his farmland from him because they wanted to build a big highway and it was necessary for the development of the area. They told him that he would be compensated for the land taken. But he just could not accept this. He said that his family had lived on the land for many generations and it was now being taken from them unfairly. He said he could never forgive them no matter what reason they gave for this.

In the gospel today we have a parable about another piece of land, this time a vineyard. Here the original owner of the land planted a vineyard. He put a hedge around it, dug a winepress and built a tower. He obviously spent a good deal of money hiring people to do all this for him. Then when all this hard work was done and now that the land was much more valuable because of this development, he leased it to some tenants. These were given the finished product so to speak. They didn’t even have to do any planting. Their task was to wait for harvest time and gather in the harvest. At harvest time the owner who had gone away sent some servants to get his share.  It was the practice that he would have paid the tenants in one way or another, by money or giving them part of the harvest.

Amazingly, not only did these tenants refuse to give the servants the produce due to the owner but they actually either injured them or killed them. They probably felt the owner was far away and wouldn’t have been able to do anything in the short term. But the owner persisted and sent some more servants in the hope of getting what was due to him. There was no change of heart on the part of the tenants who acted as before. It seems odd at this stage that he didn’t arrive himself with many servants to deal with the situation. He seems to have been incredibly patient hoping for a change of heart despite all appearances to the contrary. Finally the owner sent his son hoping this might resolve the matter. To me this seems an incredibly naïve response on the part of the owner. Surely he must have been realistic enough to know that the son would receive similar treatment. And so he did.

Jesus addressed the parable to the chief priests and elders of the people.  It would not have been too difficult for these to know that Jesus was speaking about the way that the Jewish people treated the many prophets sent by God. These religious leaders would have known that the parable was addressed especially to them. They had been given authority by God to lead their people. Yet, how much violence and oppression was being committed in the name of that authority. The readers of Matthew’s gospel would have realised that the son in the parable was Jesus himself and that he had a similar ending to many of the prophets who spoke on behalf of God – persecution and death. Finally, they knew that the prophecy of Jesus was being fulfilled even shortly after his death. “The kingdom of God would be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit”.

In the first reading from the prophet Isaiah we hear that the Lord “expected justice but saw bloodshed; righteousness but heard a cry” v.7.  The God of life and love wants justice to rule in the midst of his people and he wants the rights of everyone, especially the poorest to be respected. These are the fruits that the vineyard, which the Lord planted and cared for, should have produced.

Perhaps the Good News of today’s gospel is that God never gives up on us. God continued to send prophet after prophet to call the Chosen People, the People of Israel back from following false gods and not practising justice and righteousness especially on behalf of the poor ones.  In spite of great rejection over the centuries he then sends his beloved son in one last throw of the dice, so to speak.  One might well think ‘how could he have been so naive?’  But it is not about naivete but of God’s incredible, constant, unwithdrawn love for his people.  Finally when he met with rejection he invites the non-Jews, the Gentiles to be his co-workers.

Where are we in all this? What type of grapes do we produce – good grapes or the sour grapes spoken of in Isaiah? In today’s readings from Isaiah and Matthew, God’s chosen people are described as belonging to God’s vineyard. The temptation is to act as if the vineyard (God’s physical and spiritual gifts) were our own private property. It’s not; it is God’s, and it is meant for the whole world. We are only the harvesters. We must share the harvest – physical and spiritual – with the whole world.

“Lord Jesus, by the power of the Holy Spirit, help us to be good and faithful workers in your vineyard in return for so much love and the so many gifts received.  Amen”

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

18 September 2011

Isaiah 55.6-9
Philippians 1:20-24, 27
Matthew 20.1-16

Once there was a certain woman who complained to her brother that she felt that her husband was a bit naïve or foolish when it came to making money. Apparently her husband had a company but according to his wife employed many more workers than was necessary. She felt that he could have sacked a quarter of the workers who could easily have been done without. This would not in any way affect the smooth running of the company and a much greater profit would be the result. When the brother of his wife questioned him the man said. ‘Of course it is true but where would these men who were unskilled find work elsewhere?’. I employ them so that their families can eat and go to school. I make enough profit each year to live very comfortably. Why would I want to make more profit if it meant getting rid of many of my workers?

The story reminds us clearly of today’s gospel which is one of the parables of Jesus. The focus of the parable is the generosity and compassion of the landowner. This man goes out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He could have remained at home and waited for the labourers to come to him, as they would have searched for work there. But the landowner is the one who takes the initiative.  He is the one who goes out to search for labourers. Not only does he go early in the morning but he also goes a number of times during the day. There didn’t seem much point in going out at the ninth hour when the working hours were nearing their end. Certainly going out at the eleventh hour seemed rather foolish as these men could do hardly any worthwhile work. But of course that is the whole point of the parable. The landowner’s concern is not to make a huge profit. He is very concerned for the lives of those labourers who might otherwise be unemployed. Their families would also benefit.

The landowner is a symbol for God. He is the one who always makes the first move. He takes the initiative in seeking us out. He is not interested in seeking glory or profit for himself. His main concern is our good just as it was in the case of the landowner. God wants all people to be included in his kingdom just as the landowner wanted to give employment to as many as possible. God wants everyone to be included. The danger one feels is that some religions seem to make it hard for people to participate. They can set up many rules, which must be kept. This probably excludes a lot of people who then just leave their church.  God is the great Includer.  He welcomes everyone. As St.Paul says to Timothy: ‘God wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth’. (1 Tim.2.4).

The parable is raising the question as to what Image of God we have.  It seems that quite a number of people believe that God is a Profit and Loss God. That is, if we are virtuous, kind and forgiving to others we will earn God’s favour, his friendship.  The parable is telling us that this may well give a wrong understanding of who God is. When I was a seminarian we had a superior.  Once when someone asked him what the quality he most looked for in those preparing for the priesthood he immediately replied ‘generosity’. In the parable when those who worked hard all day long saw that those who came at the 3^rd, 6^th, 9^th and 11^th hours received the same as them they were very upset as we probably would have been if we had been in their place.  The reply of the landowner as it is of God according to Jesus was ‘Why be angry because I am generous?

And yet it should be a very consoling gospel for many of us. Maybe when we were younger or middle-aged we were not too concerned about God. Sure, we may have gone to Sunday Mass and said some prayers.  A fair number of people say that they wished that they were more attentive to God when they were younger. Especially if they have sinned seriously they wonder how they will make up for this. The parable reminds them that they are similar to those who came at the last part of the day and yet received the same as those who worked the whole day.  God is an incredibly generous God.  He does not act as we do.  This may be a hard lesson for us to believe. It is never too late to turn to God. We may feel ‘how can he forgive me for this or this?’  The parable underlines his generosity. Even if we only turn to him at the eleventh hour of our lives the parable confirms that God will give us place in his eternal kingdom.

Another aspect of the gospel is that the landowner made a contract with those who worked all day to pay them a denarius which was a day’s wage for labourers. They agreed to this and received their just reward.  With the others there was no contract just the promise of a fair wage.  They had to trust that he would be true to his word.  Their trust was very generously rewarded.  It would be a pity if we felt we were beyond God’s generosity.

The first reading from the prophet Isaiah underlines for us that God’s ways are as far above our ways and his thoughts so far above ours that we cannot fully understand his ways of acting.  The gospel says that the last shall be first just as those who were employed last of all were invited to come first.

Thus the parable is meant to underline God’s sovereignty or majesty in contrast to all human conceptions of work and wages. God’s sovereignty is seen in his goodness and generosity.  Isn’t it great that God doesn’t act or judge according to our human understanding of who we think he is and how he should act? All our human conceptions of justice have to be reinterpreted in the light of God’s ways of acting as the parable shows.

‘Lord Jesus, help us to believe in your incredible generosity and patience towards us. May we be true witnesses of these to others?  Amen’

Fr.Jim Kirstein, SMA

28 August 2011

Jeremiah 20:7-9
Romans 12:1-2
Matthew 16:21-27

During the Liberian Civil war one of our SMA missionaries was kidnapped. For some time we did not know whether he was alive or dead. Eventually he was released after negotiations with the rebels. For over 100 years we have been working in Liberia, and during the civil war it was a very risky and dangerous time for our missionaries. Yet they continued to expose themselves to danger because of their strong faith. They know that to follow Jesus will involve suffering.

In the gospel today Jesus began to make it clear to Peter and the disciples that he was destined to go to Jerusalem and suffer grievously at the hands of the elders and chief priests and the Scribes. He was to be put to death and to be raised up on the third day. No sooner had Jesus said this than Peter reacted with violence. Peter had been brought up with the idea of a Messiah of power and glory and conquest. For him the idea of a suffering Messiah was incredible, in fact, unthinkable.  Peter ‘caught hold’ of Jesus, putting a protecting arm about him to try and stop him from following such a suicidal course. Peter’s words indicate this: ‘This must not and cannot happen to you’. And then came the great rebuke of Jesus that makes us catch our breaths – ‘get behind me Satan’. The literal meaning of the word ‘Satan’ is adversary. Peter’s words were not those of God but humans. What Jesus is saying here is that Peter cannot be the one who leads Jesus.  It is the other way round. Jesus is the Messiah and therefore the leader and all others are invited to follow. Jesus’ reaction contains both firmness and welcome. The Lord knows that discipleship involves a process. It takes time to understand and to put into practice.

So Peter’s Image of the Messiah, of God was a God of power and conquest, someone totally in control. Maybe we are like Peter at times. We wonder why God allows so much suffering in the world. Why doesn’t he use his power as we think he should? Again a human way of thinking. Sure, we would like to know but maybe in faith and humility we have to bow our heads and accept it. And whether we realise it or not the cross is at the very centre of all our lives.  It is easy to say this. But when suffering comes our way even when we try to lead a good life, we might feel tempted to stop following Jesus. The cross is not just on a wall in a room or in a church, or on a hill on Calvary, it is in all our lives when suffering or tragedy visits us. So it is not too difficult to understand Peter’s reaction.

We know that one does not have to be a Christian to experience the cross. Ultimately it is the motivation that counts. How will we react as Christians when any cross comes along? Jesus has gone the way before us and he invites us to follow him. We have his help and also his Holy Spirit to strengthen us.

We must remember too that each moment of our lives does not involve the cross. We could make people depressed if we gave that interpretation Reading the gospels we know that especially early on Jesus stayed in the houses of Peter, Mary and Martha. He certainly enjoyed eating and being with his friends and their families. But when the cross comes our way then Jesus is asking us to follow his way. Another reason for Peter’s strong reaction was that he began to realise more clearly what following Jesus involved.  It was not just only saying as we heard last Sunday, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.’ Neither was it the number of miracles or the great popularity Jesus enjoyed earlier on.

The first reading from the prophet Jeremiah is very instructive. He says ‘you seduced me Lord and I let myself be seduced.’ When first called by Yahweh Jeremiah did not see all the consequences of his call. Later on when speaking the message of Yahweh which the people did not want to hear, he suffered greatly at their hands. Nevertheless he continued to be faithful to his vocation in spite of this.

May it not be the same for us? When we marry at first all can seem great but gradually the demands of marriage and the continuing call to be faithful may be very difficult, at times even like a crucifixion. It won’t be any different for those called to priesthood or religious life. Our own experience then may help us understand what Jesus meant by saying that he would suffer, be put to death and be raised up on the last day. We need to hear this Good News as well as the rest of his statement about suffering. In fact, we will have many experiences of resurrection, of being raised up in our lives: the birth of a baby or a grandchild; the success of our children at school in spite of many difficulties during their school days and study times; the recovery from a serious accident or health problem etc.

‘Lord Jesus, you invite us to follow you when times are good and happy but also when suffering and difficulties come our way. You have walked the path ahead of us. You know our human struggles and are very patient with us when we fail. Give us your powerful Holy Spirit to help us to be faithful to the end.’

Fr. Jim Kirstein SMA

21 August 2011

Isaiah 22:19 – 23
Romans 11:33 – 36
Matthew 16:13 – 20

“Who do you say I am ?”…

We know Peter’s inspirational response –
        ‘You are the Son of the living God’.
We know the varied opinions of those who met the historical Jesus from Nazareth –  
        ‘John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah or one of the prophets’.

But you!  Who do you say He is?

We too have varied opinions about Him and may even relate only to a historical Jesus of Nazareth who died 2000 years ago.  Or like St. Paul, do you recognise and believe in a Risen Christ.   If not, then ‘your faith is useless and my preaching is in vain’.

The risen Christ enables us to reach into the very depths of God which St. Paul refers to in his letter to the Romans. In seeing the person of the Christ we see the nature of God.  Christ told his followers ‘if you have seen Me you have seen the Father.  The Father and I are one’.

Knowing Christ enables us to plummet the depths of God’s wisdom and knowledge.  To come to an understanding of God’s motives and methods. All this while still recognising our dependency on Him.  Knowing our place in relation to Him.  As St. Paul reminds us today – “who could ever be His counsellor?  Who could ever give Him anything or lend Him anything?  All that exists comes from Him, all is by Him and for Him.  To Him be glory for ever!  Amen.”

Fr Tom Fenlon SMA, SMA House, Claregalway

14 August 2011

Isaiah 56:1, 6-7
Romans 11:13-15, 29-32
Matthew 15:21-28

An Invitation…
           … to strangers…
                     … can do marvels…

This Gospel story can make us ask, why did Jesus respond to the Canaanite woman in this way?

But perhaps rather than wondering if Jesus did the right thing or not in his response to the woman, it would be better for us to focus on our own life, our relationships and reactions to people who come across our path unexpectedly.

Jesus was in this area – a foreign environment – at the time because of the strong opposition of the Pharisees – he was rejected by the religious leaders.

• How often have you found yourself in a strange environment?
• When last did you feel like a stranger?
• Do you meet people who are not part of your circle of friends or work group?
• When last did you feel rejected?
• Have you said or done something to cause others to feel rejected?

In our changing world new horizons open up daily as more and more people move from their own home base to new environments. The new horizons may come about through personal choice or they may be forced on us by circumstances. No matter which way they come they present a challenge.

The new environment, our personal “region of Tyre and Sidon” can be the place of a new beginning just as it was for Jesus when he met the woman who kept asking for healing for her daughter. The new beginning happens when we get over the initial resistance to what comes at us or when we find ourselves challenged by new demands, new places, new cultures and new needs. While we may not be able to meet all the ways we or others would wish, we know that our choices do make a difference – we grow and others grow by creating a new beginning.

• What new beginnings can you name in your life?
• How has your life been enriched by new beginnings?
• When last did you welcome a ‘stranger’, a rejected or self-rejecting person?
• When did you say to someone, “you have great faith”?
• How is your faith today?

– Fr John Dunne SMA
Blackrock Road, Cork

31 July 2011

Isaiah 55:1-3
Romans 8:35, 37-39
Matthew  14:13-21

As much as they wanted

These times I find myself listening to news, reading about it and so often saying to myself: So much of it is bad! bad! Tales of war, destruction, suicide bombings, drought, famine. I picture parents struggling to get money to buy food to feed hungry children. I am sure many is the time there is simply no money, so no food. Until when? Only God knows!

In our Readings today, we hear much about the reverse side of the coin. We meet someone who has the power to give us food, all the food we would want. And no money needed.
“Though you have no money, come! Listen to me and you will have good things to eat”
– Isaiah 55:

Sounds too good to be true! But it is not just anyone who is calling. It is the Lord himself, opening wide His hand.
“You open wide your hand,
Grant the desire of all who live” – Psalm 144

The Gospel tells us of the 5,000 plus: “They all ate as much as they wanted”. From the wine at the wedding feast to the crowds that day out in the open country, there would be no rationing with the Lord.

The hunger in our world today is all too real and painful. But there are other hungers too -hunger for peace and security, hunger for help and comfort in difficulties and, perhaps the strangest and deepest of all, the hunger for happiness.

So what remains? To believe, to trust that the Lord is absolutely to be relied on.

“As much as they wanted”…
Where does your wanting, your hunger lie? Perhaps it is not all that obvious to you?
The offers of today’s Readings do not come any better in this life of ours. Why not reach out for them?

– Fr Mick McGrath SMA
Kaduna, Nigeria

24 July 2011 

1 Kings 3:5-12
Romans 8:28-30
Matthew 13:44-52

Near to where I lived in Cork an old man was dying. He had been a farmer all his life. Knowing he would die soon he called his sons and told them that he had hidden his money in a certain part of the farm which was a fairly big one. He explained to them exactly where it was. Then he showed them a copy of his will and how that money was to be divided among his children, his wife being already dead. It was not unusual many years ago for people to hide money in the ground. They distrusted banks especially in those days and felt safer with their money near them, very often in a field or garden.

So in the first little parable of today’s gospel the listeners of Jesus would have understood the background to the parable, as they would have been aware of the practice of people hiding money or treasure in a field or garden. This was still more the case in a land where a man’s garden might at any time become a battlefield. Palestine was probably the most fought over country in the world.  And when war threatened the people it was common practice for them to hide their valuables in the ground before they took to flight, in the hope that they could return one day and could then dig up what they had buried.

It seems that the latest occupant of the land was doing some farming. In other words he was about his daily work when very unexpectedly he came across the treasure. The first thing to notice is that it was during the course of his daily work. For the most part this is where we find God who rarely comes to us in extraordinary ways. If we are aware of God’s Incarnational or ordinary ways of coming to us we may find him much more in our lives than we thought. So when I bring my kids to school and they kiss and hug me on their return, here is surely a sign of God’s kissing and hugging me. When someone calls me on the phone to greet me there is God again inspiring the person to do this. Personally I have never experienced God kissing me or hugging me directly from heaven or phoning me from heaven! Have you? 

The other point in this little parable is the unexpected nature of finding the treasure. The parables suggest that things seem to happen by chance therefore surprising us. It is a way of saying that we are in the presence of mystery.  God’s gifts are always like that: totally free, unexpected and undeserved.

The main point of this little parable is the joy of the discovery that made the man willing to give up everything in order to make the treasure his own. The question begs itself. Is God our treasure? Are we so surprised by all the blessings we discover going through life that we will let go or give up all behaviour and attitudes that are contrary to God’s will.  Perhaps the most surprising aspect of all is that God regards us, his children, as his greatest treasure and he was prepared to give up all, even the life of Jesus on the cross for us, so that we could receive the fulness of life he has planned for us.  Is not this Good News?

In the second little parable the man is really searching for fine pearls. He finds a pearl of great price. And like the hidden treasure he is prepared to sell all he has and buy it. Are there not many people in our world searching for the pearl of great price, whatever or whoever it may be. We all search for a lasting happiness. Many search for it in wrong places or relationships. Many have tried these and found they didn’t answer their desires. Finally some turned to God and there found the pearl of great price they had been looking for. St.Augustine was one of these. Before his conversion he even sought it in a relationship with a woman with whom he a child. But it didn’t answer his deepest needs. Finally he turned to God and there he found the pearl of great price. The second little parable reminds us that God ought to be the pearl of great price in our lives. But is this true for you and me? Perhaps our lack of faith and trust prevents us from seeing God as such. Why not pray to him often to reveal himself to us as that great pearl and that the Holy Spirit would open our eyes and help us to respond generously and joyfully.

The third parable is that of a fishing net cast into the sea. Such a net does not select or discriminate. It is bound to include all it comes across. Jesus is telling us more Good News here. The Church is made up of saints and sinners. This is meant to be a reflection of God’s inclusive attitude towards us his children. The life of Jesus clearly showed this. He welcomed everyone.  It was one of the main reasons he was put the death. Most of the Jewish religious leaders were scandalised that Jesus accepted public sinners, adulterers, prostitutes, tax collectors etc as his friends. Can we do otherwise?

Just as a time of separation comes for the fisherman who keep the good fish and throw away the ones of no use, so too a time of separation will come when God will judge us. We are warned by Jesus not to judge others. All such separation must be left to God who is very compassionate, just and merciful.

“Lord Jesus, the three parables you have used in today’s gospel tell us that you are the treasure we really want to have, as well as being the pearl of great price. Help us not to settle for anything less. Amen”

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

17 July 2011

Wisdom 12:13, 16-19
Romans 8:26-27
Matthew 13:24-43

A certain boy started Secondary School. He was quite intelligent as well as being good at sport. But he came from a disturbed family. The father had a drink problem and he and the wife were continually arguing and fighting. Before long this boy started to disturb the other boys in his class. At first he was warned to change his ways. But he didn’t seem to be able to do this. Then his parents were asked to see the principal of the school. As soon as he saw the parents he knew where the boy’s troublesome behaviour came from. Against the advice of a number of teachers who wanted to expel the boy for disturbing regularly, the principal who could see his great potential resisted. He took a personal interest in the boy who gradually because of the trust and concern of the principal began to improve his behaviour, eventually rewarding the principal’s patience and trust in him by finishing near the top of his class.

The opening parable of the gospel today is saying something similar. A farmer sowed good seed in his field but during the night his enemy came and sowed darnel or weeds among the wheat. When the wheat began to grow, the weeds appeared as well. The servants of the farmer felt the obvious thing to do was to pull out the weeds there and then. Amazingly the farmer said ‘no’. Rather, he told them to wait until harvest time and then they could gather the weeds in bundles and burn them.

In the parable, God is the farmer. God sows only good seed in our lives. Yet he knows that in the world there are people who live good lives and some who act in an evil way. This is quite obvious to us these days when we hear or see on our TV screens all the terrorist attacks in our world, many civil wars, not to mention the sexual exploitation of women and children as well as so much injustice. Many people ask the question ‘why doesn’t God weed out this people now and destroy them?’ The parable gives the answer. Like the school principal in the story only much more so, God sees the possibility for change in each of us. He is the God of many chances. He keeps on giving us more and more opportunities to change our ways. Why? Well, because he is God and that is the way God acts if we are to believe what Jesus does and teaches in the gospels. So Jesus is saying that it is God alone who makes the separation and amazingly he will only do so at the end of time. Where would any of us stand if it were otherwise and God weeded us out now? Which of us is without fault?

The Good News is that the parable is underlining the incredible patience and longsuffering of God towards us. He knows that there is the potential for good and evil in each of us. We all know this from our daily experience. And aren’t we all very blessed that God sees the great potential for goodness in each of us and gives us time to change. St.Peter says ‘think of God’s patience as your opportunity to be saved’.

Another reason why God allows the weeds in our lives even if he doesn’t put them there, is that if we didn’t have any struggles or shortcomings we would most probably not feel our need for God.  Experience tells us that it is when difficulties, suffering and trials come our way that we turn to God with greater focus and intensity. The terrorist attack of September 11 was a good example of this when many people who had lost interest in religion started praying and turning to God for strength and comfort.

In the parable the enemy came when everyone was asleep. By this we are reminded that in our lives as Christians we need to be vigilant. Isn’t it easy enough to get sucked into what is popular and to follow the present trends. For example we hear people saying ‘ I am living with my boy or girlfriend’.  After all many people are doing it. Or, if many people, even public personalities take bribes why shouldn’t I? Or again many people tell lies, why should I suffer by telling the truth. Does that mean that by doing these we are just in God’s eyes? For sure God will not punish us for these things but we will certainly punish ourselves and others whether we are found out or not. This is why God is giving us the time to convert as he knows we will suffer if we allow the weeds to become part of our lives. Sadly they can choke the wheat of peace and joy in our lives if we are not vigilant. We need to call often on God for his Holy Spirit to help us.

The parables in chapter 13 of Matthew’s gospel are about the presence of God’s kingdom in history and this involves a process. The kingdom does not arrive suddenly. Nor does conversion take place all at once.  For most of us it starts in a small way. This ought to encourage us. The parables of the yeast and the mustard seed in today’s gospel confirm this. God is patient with us.

Finally, the parable about the wheat and weeds leaves no room for ambiguous or lukewarm positions. We cannot choose both as Christians. When we are confronted with our own dishonesty or violation of basic of human rights we cannot be spectators. We have to choose life or death. We are constantly being called to be life-giving wheat. God knows we are capable of this and gives us his Spirit to do so.

 “Lord Jesus, help us to be more and more the life-giving wheat for others that you were. Amen”

Fr.Jim Kirstein, SMA

Reflection for Pentecost Sunday 2011 by Fr Pat Kelly SMA

Locked Up Holy Spirit

When great people die we often say their “spirit” lives after them. It’s not really their “spirit” – this accompanies them to await the final judgement. It’s really their “memory” that lives on and continues for a time to inspire their followers.

Jesus was different. After his Spirit ascended with him to heaven an amazing thing happened. On Pentecost he sent his Spirit back again into his disciples! He still sends his Spirit upon his followers today. Nobody else ever did that. The same Spirit that filled Jesus on earth – that empowered him to heal the sick and raise the dead – now lives in all who are open to receive him. On Pentecost we ponder this amazing truth!

“If this power abides in us” you ask, “why don’t I experience it? Why am I full of fears and anxieties? Why can’t I do the things that Jesus did?” (Read Mt.17:20) Lack of faith and trust can block this power being manifested in our lives.

The Holy Spirit is often represented as a dove. Imagine this dove locked up in a bird-cage. “I have the Holy Spirit” you say. “I received the Holy Spirit at Baptism and Confirmation.” Yes, he dwells in you – but perhaps you don’t give him any freedom. Perhaps you don’t take time to encounter his presence within you or don’t trust him to guide your life. The result  – you don’t experience his power. The Holy Spirit locked in a cage. (Read Rom.8:11). This Pentecost – open the cage door!

– Fr Pat Kelly SMA
Tenafly, USA

5 June 2011

Acts 1:1-11
Eph 1:17-23
Mt 28:16 -20

A few years a certain man was driving along in his car and suddenly another car came out of a side street and collided with the car in front of him.  He went to court as a witness and although the lawyers of the driver who caused the accident tried to show that this witness may not have seen things exactly as they happened, he simply kept repeating what he saw. He spoke from his personal experience of the accident and he was so convincing as he never changed what he said no matter how often he was questioned, the judge was in no doubt that he was telling things exactly as he had witnessed them.

Today’s feast of the Ascension is a call to the disciples of Jesus to be witnesses to all the world of what they experienced when they were with him while he was still alive.  It is interesting that today’s gospel from St.Matthew does not focus on the Ascension as such but on the sending of the apostles to carry out his mission to make disciples of all nations. What matters about the Ascension is not so much about how it happened as to what it means, namely that the time of visible Jesus on earth is ended for he is now in glory in heaven. It is now the time of the apostles and the Church.

For the apostles the Ascension obviously meant three things:

1. It was an ending. One stage had finished and another had begun. The day when their faith was faith in a flesh and blood person, Jesus of Nazareth has gone. Their faith depended on his being with them physically. Now they are linked to someone who is forever independent of space and time.
2. But it was equally a beginning.  The disciples did not leave the scene heartbroken. They left it with great joy. Now they knew they had a master from whom they would never be separated. Did he not say: ‘And know that I am with you always to the end of time.’ So rather than seeing the Ascension just as the departure of Jesus we should see it as the sending of the Church on mission (you, me and all Christians). We are being asked to take the place of Jesus. Wow! Rather than seeing the Church as an orphan it should be seen as being given adult status, being given the responsibility to witness to Jesus Christ. That is how much trust and confidence Jesus has in us to continue his work.
3. Still further, the Ascension gives the disciples the certainty that they had a friend not only on earth but also in heaven. Surely it is the most priceless thing of all to know and feel that in heaven there awaits us that self-same Jesus who on earth was so marvellously kind. To die is not to go out into the dark; it is to go to him.

In the story at the beginning it was the personal experience of the man who witnessed the accident that gave him the assurance to witness clearly and simply. So too for us as Christians we will be able to witness to Jesus only to the extent of our own personal experience of him. What then is the extent of my personal relationship to Jesus?  Do I allow him to be a true friend, someone to whom I feel close?  Does my personal experience of what he has done for me in my life make me want to share my knowledge of him with others? It is like a young man who has fallen in love and keeps on telling his friends about his girlfriend. He feels more alive because of her. Is it like that with Jesus and me? If not maybe I should pray to have this personal experience of him.

The first reading today from the Acts of the Apostles tells us that Jesus informed the apostles that they were not to leave Jerusalem but to wait there for what the Father had promised, in other words to be baptised with the Holy Spirit. It was as if Jesus was telling them very clearly that unless they had this Holy Spirit they could not possibly witness to him, as he would have wished them to. It is almost as if he is telling them.  ‘Please, please, do not claim to be my disciples, my followers if you try to do this without the help of the powerful Holy Spirit because it is impossible without his help’. Trying to be a disciple of Jesus, a close follower of his is just not possible without the Holy Spirit whom we receive in Baptism and Confirmation.  But whether we are aware of this and live out of this reality is another thing altogether.

The first reading also tells us that when Jesus ascended into heaven the apostles were gazing into the sky as he was taken from their sight. But the two men in white standing there ask ‘Why are you men from Galilee standing here looking into the sky?’ They are being told clearly that the Ascension rather than pointing to the skies directs the believers attention to the vast horizon of their mission on earth.

One very consoling fact in the gospel is that when the apostles saw him as he was about to ascend they fell down before him, though some hesitated. This phrase, ‘though some hesitated’ gives each of us so much courage and hope. That even though we may have certain doubts and hesitations about some aspects of our faith, these in themselves are no barriers to God using us. He sent out some hesitant apostles to be his witnesses. Can he not do the same with us if we offer ourselves to him?

‘Lord Jesus, help us to be true witnesses to you on earth with the help of the powerful Holy Spirit. Amen’

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

29 May 2011

Spirit of Truth…

“On a huge hill,
Cragged, and steep, Truth stands, and he that will
Reach her, about must, and about must go; 
And what the hill’s suddenness resists, win so”
                                                            – John Donne

The desire for truth is a fundamental aspiration of the human spirit.

This desire includes the desire to know the truth about what is happening in the world around us, but it is much more than that.

It is a desire for truth with a capital T. It is a desire a truth that not only illuminates the mind but that also liberates the heart. It is a truth that cannot be defined by words, only by living. Truth with a capital T is always more than knowledge. Knowledge is about things observed, but truth transcends the purely material levels. It is linked to wisdom and embraces the mysteries of who we are, where we came from and where we are going.

Knowledge originates in science; wisdom in true philosophy; truth in the religious experience of spiritual living. Knowledge deals with facts; wisdom, with relationships; truth, with ultimate values.

This is the Truth the 16th century English poet John Donne is referring to in the lines quoted above, lines which present the quest for truth as an arduous uphill journey.

In the Gospel today Christ tells us, however, that we are not alone in this quest. He sends us a helper, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, to accompany us in the quest. 

The Spirit of Truth not only teaches us a vision of life totally in harmony with the vision of God himself but guides us in all our decisions, actions and relationships, so that we may live by that vision. 

– Fr Michael McCabe SMA, SMA House of Studies, Nairobi, Kenya

15 May 2011

Acts of Apostles 2:14, 36-41
1 Peter 2:20-25
John 10:1-10

A certain young woman in her early thirties was a very fearful person. She was fearful of so many things: her health, that she would lose her job, that she might be killed in a car accident any day she travelled to work. She was fearful of risking marriage in case she married the wrong man etc. She really lived with so much fear in her life. That was 10 years ago. Since then there has been a great transformation in the life of this young woman.  She actually met a young man who understanding her fears gradually led her to an ever-greater freedom.  She eventually married him.

This young man reminds me of the last verse of today’s gospel when Jesus says ‘I have come that you may have life and have it to the full’. Of course the young man would never compare himself to what Jesus came to do. But he certainly helped the young woman who became his wife to have a much fuller, happier and less fearful existence. He led her out of her fears as the shepherd leads out his sheep.

What about you and me here this morning? How would we describe the quality of our lives?  Would we say that we are close to living life to the fulness? Are we at peace?  Do we experience much joy in our lives?  That is not to say that there won’t be difficulties and trials but deep down do we have this inner peace so many desire. So where do we go or to whom do we go to find this peace and joy? The great German mystic Meister Eckhart wrote: “As far as you are in God, thus far you are in peace and as far as you are outside God you are outside peace…for where you lack peace, you must necessarily lack God, since lack of peace comes from the creature and not from God”.

The image used for Jesus in the gospel today is that of a shepherd.  Jesus was living in a rural setting so the image of sheep and shepherd would have been familiar to the Jews. For the Jews down through their history God was seen to be a Good Shepherd for his people, always caring for them.

In the rural set-up of the time of Jesus a number of shepherds would bring their flocks home before night came. They would have put them into a common sheepfold or enclosure. Each night one shepherd would keep watch over all the sheep to guard against robbers or wild animals that could steal or kill the sheep. Early next morning all the shepherds would arrive, they would enter the sheepfold and call their sheep one by one, by name. The sheep would know the voice of their own shepherd who would lead them out to where they could pasture. Each shepherd knew his own sheep very well.

Like the young woman there are people who would are enclosed in their fears or addictions like drink, drugs, sex, money or power etc. That is why Jesus the Good Shepherd is inviting all to leave what is enclosing them and reach out for the fullness of life. He is inviting them to follow him to a greater freedom, peace, in fact to the fulness of life he offers in the gospel today.

There are many voices calling out to us each day. The voices of advertisements urging us to buy this or that product and so be happy. As if it was that easy. We rarely see sad faces in the adverts.  We are children of God and called into an ever-greater relationship with Jesus the Good Shepherd who alone can guide us along the way to true peace and joy.  I know a man who once decided to explore a large forest and nearly died of thirst because he got completely lost for nearly 3 days.  Luckily someone passed by the place where he was and so his life was saved.  From then on he would never enter the forest without a guide. Jesus the Good Shepherd is like that. A shepherd is there to guide his flock. We have a sure guide for life if we have a good relationship with Jesus. It is more than just saying prayers or going to Mass. It is asking him to teach us to become a real friend of his and have an ever-deeper friendship with him. The danger is that Jesus can remain a stranger to us unless we live close to him.

In Jesus’ time the true shepherd guided his flock, he nourished them, went after the stray, knew each sheep by name and assured their safety. Jesus does all this and even more for us if we allow him.

Before Jesus left the world, he commissioned Peter to feed his lambs and tend his sheep (John 21:15-16). The work of shepherding God’s flocks is an ongoing task that is entrusted to the whole church with Peter as head. As today we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday or Vocations Sunday we need to ask ourselves two important questions:

1          Am I a faithful member of God’s flock?

2          How could I participate more closely in the work of shepherding God’s flock?

Popes and bishops as well as parents, school teachers, church ministers etc – all participate in various forms of shepherding God’s flock. How can I be a better shepherd in my own state, reaching out with understanding and compassion to the weak and misguided dropouts of church and society, so that through me they may hear the loving voice of Jesus, the Good Shepherd?   Let us pray for genuine vocations to the priesthood, religious life and the lay state. 

“Lord Jesus, may I allow you to be the Good Shepherd in all areas of my life”

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

8 May 2011

Acts of Apostles 2:14, 22-28
1 Peter 1:17-21
Luke 24: 13-35

Some time ago I was visiting a family and one morning the mother was sending 2 of her children to school. After a kiss and a hug for each, her final words of advice were: ‘Remember you never, never talk to strangers’. Unfortunately in nearly all cultures today this is very necessary advice.

What would have happened in the gospel today if the two disciples had refused to talk to the stranger who appeared at their side and started to converse with them? He noticed that they were very sad and downhearted and asked them what they had been talking about that had caused this. We know the answer from today’s gospel, ‘You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know about the things that have been happening there these last few days’. And they describe what happened to Jesus. This leads to a frank and profound dialogue that set their cold hearts on fire with insight and inspiration. All because they trusted a stranger and were open to inform and be informed by him.

In their disappointment and sadness they say to this stranger ‘our hope had been that he would have been the one to set Israel free’.

What of us today? What are our hopes? Do we hope that Jesus will set us free not from the Romans as in the case of the Jews of Jesus’ time but from fears, prejudices, from looking at reality in a wrong way, from our inability to forgive etc.

Cleopas and his companion shared with the stranger all the way through. Not only were they ready to share their confidences with him, but they went all the way and shared their meal and shelter with him. It was in the process of this sharing that the moment of disclosure occurred and they suddenly realised that the one whom they had accepted all along as a stranger was indeed Jesus, the answer to all their heart’s questions. This discovery that the one in whom they had trusted, Jesus Christ, was indeed alive and not dead, gave new meaning to their lives, their faith and their vocation. Banishing all fear and fatigue they went back that same night to rejoin the apostles and followers of Jesus and share the good news with them that they had met the risen Lord and that they met him in the person of a stranger.

It is important to note that Jesus explained to the two companions all the scriptures had spoken about him. So it was in breaking the Word of God for them that opened their eyes also. He did not speak only about the wonderful things God had done for his people and is still doing for us. He spoke of the suffering which was part of his own human experience.

“Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory”.  It is may be enough easy to speak generally about the cross in life. But when it touches our own lives we may wonder where God is. Yet in genuinely trying to do God’s will, suffering will come our way, as for example when we try to be faithful in marriage, be honest, forgive, show kindness to all we meet etc. Then we may expect in faith that we will also share in the resurrection of Jesus and not only when we die. We ought to pray for all priests each week that they would have the gift of preparing their homilies well by prayer so as to be able to break the Word of God for their Sunday congregations. They owe it to them to do this. It is not an option but indeed a serious obligation.

When Jesus went in with the 2 disciples for a meal, he breaks the bread in his own special way and immediately they recognize him in this action. We are told that their eyes were opened. It might be good for us to ask the Lord to open our eyes too to recognize him in his Word and in the sacrament of his Body and Blood each time we take part in the celebration of Mass.

The problem for us is that nearly always God appears to us in so ordinary ways, in so ordinary people and actions each day. If we fail to see him in these and wait for extraordinary signs we may never encounter him.

The resurrection was for Jesus the dividing line between earthly life when he was limited to the form of a male Jewish body, and his risen life when he is no longer limited in this way. The risen Lord now appears in all types of bodies: male and female, White and Black, young and old, rich and poor, those with special needs, native and immigrant, Catholic and Protestant, Christian and Muslim, liberal and conservative etc. Though we may see those who are different from us as strangers, today’s gospel challenges us to start seeing them simply as companions on the way. When we reach out to them in hospitality we reach out to God and so receive his blessing.

‘Lord Jesus, open our eyes to recognise you in the breaking of the Word of God and at the breaking of the bread at each Eucharist. May we also see you in the strangers in our midst.  Amen’.

Fr. Jim  Kirstein, SMA

1 May 2011

Acts of Apostles 2.42-47
1 Peter 1.3-9
John 20.19-31

Some time ago I was speaking to a young man of about 27 years. He wanted to make a decision. He had been going with his girlfriend for the previous two years and he felt the time had come for him to decide whether to marry her or not. He listed many good qualities she had but he still wasn’t sure. He said also ‘when I see so many marriages nowadays ending up with couples separating how can I be certain the same won’t happen to us if we marry’. The simple answer is, of course, he can’t be certain. What would you think of this young man if before marrying he wanted every guarantee and assurance that he was not going to make a mistake in marrying his girlfriend? Many would regard him as a very calculating young man who had not much of a heart to give.

Maybe things have not changed much since the first Easter, and so, like Thomas, sometimes called ‘Doubting Thomas’, we may continue to ask for more than is needed in order to believe. Maybe we too would like to see and touch Jesus and have everything proved beyond doubt. We could not then be said to believe as there would be nothing left to believe in. Neither faith nor love call for absolute certainty.

Perhaps too we may think that having doubts of faith is something to be ashamed of. In fact if we have doubts and still believe in spite of them are we not making a great act of faith in the other? So like the young man doubting whether to marry or not, we too may have our doubts but basically we are saying to God.  ‘I believe in you’.  Even on the human level is not this a great gift, a great compliment to pay to another? Did you ever say to another ‘I believe in you’ as hopefully the young man decided to say to his girlfriend, ‘I believe enough in you to want you to be my wife. I believe we can have a very good future together and work through whatever difficulties may arise. Yes, I love you because I believe in you’. Did anyone ever say to you ‘I really believe in you’?  How did you feel as a result?

In the gospel today we have many doubters, not just Thomas. We have the disciples locked into the Upper Room because of fear. They were afraid that what happened to Jesus would happen to them. They have lost all faith in ever seeing Jesus again.  After all, he died on the cross and was buried. And then the unthinkable happens. Jesus appears in their midst.  His opening words are ‘Peace be with you’ and he repeats it again. There is no condemnation and we are told the disciples are filled with joy when they saw the Lord. But Thomas was not there and he refuses to believe them when they tell him about the appearance of the Risen Jesus. Eight days later Jesus appears again and this time Thomas is there. Again the opening words of Jesus are: ‘Peace be with you’. And in his great love Jesus came to the doubting Thomas and allowed him to touch his hands and side.  Then Jesus says ‘You believe because you can see me. Happy are those who have not seen and believe’. Hopefully we are among those whom the Lord addresses. John is saying very clearly that the faith of the Church in the Risen Jesus does not depend on the sort of proof Thomas demanded. The reason for writing the gospel is then given. All the signs and miracles of Jesus are recorded so that people may believe that Jesus is the Son of God and believing they may have life in his name. The purpose of believing in Jesus is to have the fulness of life.

When Jesus appears to the disciples in today’s gospel he showed them his hands and feet meaning he went back to his Father in his woundedness. This is to say that we too can have confidence in going back to our Heavenly Father in our woundedness. Unlike Jesus whose wounds were physical, ours are our sins. And the Good News is that our wounds are no obstacle to our being with God. In fact he wishes we go to him and allow him to embrace us, wounds and all, as did the father of the Prodigal Son.

We are also told in today’s gospel that Jesus breathed on the disciples and gave them the Holy Spirit. We too are sent by Jesus and so need this Holy Spirit to witness to Jesus especially his forgiveness.

A very important aspect of today’s gospel is that the mission to proclaim the forgiveness of sins is entrusted to the community as a whole and not only to certain leaders. John describes the group simply as the gathering of the ‘disciples’.

It is above all by forgiving others that the gospel or Good News looks to the future, opening up the possibility of a new existence. We can always begin anew with God after failures.  The joyful realisation that one has been accepted by God even after betrayal and sin is a central part of the Easter experience and brings with it an obligation to become God’s instrument in announcing his forgiveness to all.

“Lord Jesus we believe you are risen from the dead. Praise you for always being faithful, always ready to forgive and especially for accepting us totally in our woundedness. Amen”

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Holy Thursday 2011 – Year A

During a TV interview a well-known Muslim scholar said that ultimately there is only one sin and all others come from that sin. What would you name as the worst sin?  He was quite clear that the greatest sin of all is forgetfulness. According to him if we forget Allah (or for us, God) we forget who we are, what we are about and where we are going. We are like people wandering about without any goal in life, being blown this way and that by whatever prevailing wind blows – pleasure, drugs, money, etc.

I think he is correct. For a year before my mother died she had Alzheimer’s disease, e.g. loss of memory. My mother couldn’t recall who had visited here 5 minutes earlier, when she had eaten last, if she had forgotten to turn off the gas – very dangerous, you’ll agree. It was very hard for us to see her like that. She had forgotten the most important things, through no fault of hers.

Tonight’s feast, the celebration of the institution of the Lord’s Supper is all about remembering.  Remembering who God is, who we are, what we are called to be. Above all it is a call to gratitude or to thanksgiving which is the Greek word for Eucharist. In the first reading, the Jews are warned not to forget one of the greatest events in their history – the Passover Meal. This meal is still for Jewish communities around the world a commemoration of the Jews as God’s people, namely their liberation from slavery in Egypt. For us as Christians it is a re-enactment of our Christian Passover from slavery, the slavery from sin to the freedom of the children of God.

On the night before he died Jesus celebrated the Last Supper, which became our Eucharist. The account is taken from John’s gospel. John himself does not have a Last Supper scene in his gospel, rather he assumes the Christians know about it and so he interprets the meaning of the Last Supper for us. The love of Jesus for us in giving his life and in instituting the Eucharist is bound up with the idea of service – the washing of the feet. This was the work of a slave at the time of Jesus, but Jesus the Lord and Master tells us that leadership among his followers is a leadership of loving service. To be a leader, to have authority in God’s church is to serve others in love. It is about serving not in any kind of condescending way but a service among equals.

When Jesus went down on his knees to wash the disciples’ feet Peter was appalled. And he cried out ‘you shall never wash my feet’. Here Peter reveals the mentality of those, and surely we can count ourselves among them at times, that the master never serves but is served and obeyed.  But Peter has to learn that in God’s kingdom it is the leader who is the one who serves.  It is a message for bishops, priests, religious, parents, teachers, employees, managers, chief executives, in fact for all of us.  And yet most ordinary people I know do this, parents in taking care of their children or aging parents, mothers preparing meals, fathers trying to earn enough to take care of their families, young people in voluntary organisations helping the old, sick, etc. 

If God got down on his knees before you or me here tonight would we have the fundamental poverty needed to accept this graciously?  So the incredible love and humility of Jesus in getting down on his knees at the last Supper was just another expression of what he did on the Cross the next day. Each action was a total offer of love, self-sacrifice and service for us.

The spirit of Holy Thursday is a spirit of self-acceptance. Simply because, first of all, the spirit of Jesus on Holy Thursday was precisely that: the acceptance of what Good Friday would bring.  It involves all that is still to come in our lives, not just the Good Fridays, but the Holy Saturdays, the Easter Sundays and afterwards. Indeed it involves every aspect of our vocation.

Jesus ‘yes’ on Holy Thursday was essentially no different from what occurred on Good Friday, it was only the outer expression of the inner ‘yes’ that Jesus always gave to his Father. His ‘this is my body given for you’ of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday was in essence no different from the ‘yes’ which he physically lived on Good Friday. Obviously, Good Friday was a very dramatic, humiliating and painful living out of the consequences of his ‘yes’.  

Jesus always said ‘yes’ to the Father. Whether he was working in the carpenter’s shop or instituting the Last Supper, or hanging on the Cross. For Jesus, it was always ‘yes’ to his Father.

“Lord Jesus, we praise and thank you for your great humility, for getting down on your knees before the apostles to wash their feet. Help us to follow your example of loving, humble service too. Amen”

Fr Jim Kirstein SMA 

Acts of Apostles 10.34, 37-43
Col. 3.1-4
John 20.1-9

I once visited a family with 4 children. The parents explained to me that their youngest, a boy of 14 years, had special needs with regard to his educational ability. With patience he could understand most things unlike the others who learned more quickly. The parents particularly loved this child and seemed to give him more of their love and attention because of his particular needs.

When we read the gospel today we might well think that the apostles and the women who followed Jesus were people who took time to learn, a bit slower on the uptake than many others. Many times when he was alive Jesus had told them that he would suffer, die, but would rise again. Obviously they didn’t grasp what he was saying. At the end of today’s gospel we heard ‘till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture’. Could we not also say that just as the parents gave their youngest son more of their attention and love, Jesus did the same for the disciples? Whilst he was often frustrated with them as the gospels tell us, he never gave up on them, just as he never gives up on us. Now at the empty tomb we are told one of them John ‘saw and believed’. It seemed to have taken a while longer for the others including Peter to believe fully that Jesus had truly risen. Are we ourselves not like that too? Are we not slow learners?  Those of us who are older now probably experience a deeper conviction that Jesus is risen than say 20 years ago.

Many of us may have had a similar experience to that of a friend of mine who said that when he was younger he gave lip service to the idea that Jesus was risen. But the more he prayed to Jesus over the years especially in times of great difficulty the more he experienced the presence and help of Jesus in his life. He will now say that he is convinced that Jesus is risen because of his own personal experience. I think this an important point for us to remember. The empty tomb is not the basis for our belief in the resurrection of Jesus. The conviction that Jesus was risen came to his disciples not because of an empty tomb as such but because they had experiences of meeting the Risen Jesus. When we read the gospel accounts of the Risen Jesus appearing to them he is not exactly as he was before. Yes, it is he but he is also different. They still doubt as they meet him in his glorified state so he has to convince them by phrases such as ‘It is I, touch me and see for yourselves’ or ‘have you anything to eat?  And they give him a piece of grilled fish’. I know that for myself I am totally convinced that Jesus is risen because of my own very many experiences of his presence to me.  He is a real, living power at work in my life whenever I allow him.

Why do we rejoice today?

We rejoice because our faith in Christ has been vindicated, truth has triumphed over falsity, justice over injustice, good over evil. It is like watching one of the episodes of Batman. First you see an innocent and helpless victim being attacked, robbed, kidnapped, assaulted and tortured by a wicked assailant. And we feel so bad seeing the triumph of the bad guy. Then, almost at the point where the victim has given up hope and is at the point of death, down from the skies comes Batman to the rescue. He battles and defeats the bad guy and rescues the innocent victim. And we feel happy inside at the triumph of justice.

Good Friday was not the last word as it seemed at the time to the apostles. Easter Sunday is God’s last word. He is saying to us very clearly that Easter Sunday is not just one day in the year. Every day since then has within it the potential for God to triumph over Satan, for justice to conquer injustice, love and forgiveness to overcome hatred and evil. It is the invitation by God to each of us that even though we may suffer for awhile, that is never the will of God. If people choose evil instead of good, death instead of life, even out of what seems totally impossible situations God will eventually triumph.

But God asks us to be Easter people to cooperate with him in trying to make the world a better place.

On Holy Saturday night we heard the story of creation. God wants us to work with him in creating the world to be a better place. Surely we can see this happening in all the trouble spots of the world. We see the international community going to the aid of those who suffer the tragedy, of earthquakes or wherever there is famine. We see peacemakers trying to negotiate peace wherever there is conflict and often succeeding. This is resurrection being lived out on a daily basis.

The raising to new life of Jesus Christ by the Father is a promise to us that God can do the same for us. He can offer us life where there is now death, goodness where there is now evil, light where there is darkness, freedom where there is any kind of slavery in our lives. Little wonder Easter Sunday is the greatest feast in the Church.  It is underlining for us that our God is a God of Life, Light, freedom etc. Jesus said it best when he said “I am the Resurrection and the Life’ and ’I have come that you may have life and have it to the full’.

“Lord Jesus, we praise you for your victory over sin, evil and death.  When trials come our way and when we doubt, give us the Spirit to believe strongly that you will help us to be victorious too.  Amen.”

Fr Jim Kirstein SMA

17 April 2011 – Palm Sunday

Isaiah 50:4-7
Philippians 2:6-11
Matthew 26:14 – 27:66

Recently I was speaking to a woman who practises Zen meditation. She grew up as a Catholic. When I tried to explain to her that in the Passion narrative which we hear today we have to be honest and say that from the moment he chose them as his apostles, the 12 and the other disciples appear as a very human and weak group. Are not many of us like this at times? They come across to us as men who constantly misunderstand the message of Jesus. They stay with him but as the likelihood of Jesus being put to death becomes clear they all abandon him and run away’. Her reaction to me at that stage was: ‘Well if that is how those who were close to Jesus acted, what hope is there for the Church now?’  And, of course, she is right if the crucifixion of Jesus was the end of the story. But it isn’t. The resurrection of Jesus gives a whole new way of looking at life and what the Risen Jesus is offering us.

We are entering Holy Week today as we celebrate Palm Sunday. The Paschal or Passover mystery of Jesus, his passage from death to life, is the heart of our faith. The account of the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus forms the oldest part of the gospels. It is what the disciples recorded first. We must remember that we have the great advantage of reading and celebrating the Passion accounts of the life of Jesus knowing how it all ended with his Father gloriously raising him from the dead. At the time of Jesus the disciples didn’t have that luxury. They had pinned all their hopes on Jesus. The earlier part of his life was a great success story, with huge crowds following him especially when he performed many miracles.  But, bit by bit, as he began to mention suffering and death in Jerusalem they began to have doubts and many stopped following him. Finally, the arrest of Jesus was too much for the disciples and we are told they all deserted him, except some brave women who remained faithful to the end. Little wonder it was to those that he first appeared after his resurrection!

Matthew’s version of the Passion goes into details. The betrayal, the fear, and the denial of the apostles are openly pointed out. The Master bewilders them. The same for those who wish to put him to death, either the Roman or Jewish leaders. Their security and vested interests are threatened and they wash their hands of Jesus. They act as if we can deny our responsibilities as easy as that.

They accuse Jesus of wanting to become a king. Jesus does accept his kingship but it differs from that of Herod’s or Caesar’s. It is a kingdom of service, not of domination. It is the choice of the One who emptied himself and surrendered himself to death on a cross. For anyone wishing to follow Jesus this emptying or humiliation is the obligatory path to serve others. It is the path followed by the Master and the one which the disciples today will have to follow if they are to be true to their calling.

One way of responding to the Passion narrative or story is to ask myself where do I stand myself now?  Which of the characters in the drama can I associate with most?  Am I at times like Pilate who had not the courage to stand up for the truth?  He had no just reason for condemning Jesus yet his fear of losing his position as governor would have been put in danger if the Jewish leaders complained him to the emperor.  Have I acted like the Jewish religious leaders who were not prepared to listen to the truth of what Jesus was saying? This which would have demanded a radical change in the way they were asked to respond to God, not from self-interest but of loving and humble service to all.  The soldiers mocked Jesus and even spat at him.  How do I treat others under my authority, at work or wherever?  Do I mock others in my thoughts or by my words or actions?  What of the disciples of Jesus, all betrayed him and deserted him.  Am I always faithful in following Jesus or have I deserted him for fear of what others may say if I act in a truly Christian way which may be contrary to popular opinion?

Above all let us look at the inner emotional state of Jesus.  How do you think he felt when those he chose to be his close friends deserted him?  When he was in the Garden of Gethsemene he was full of fear and distress.  He knows from the inside what it is to be fully human.  So he called out to his Father to spare him all the suffering that he would have to undergo. If Jesus wanted so much to avoid suffering and healed so many who were sick do we still believe in a God who we wrongly think wants to punish us and make us suffer.  As Jesus cried out on the cross ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me’ and no answer came from God will Jesus not now understand our situation when God at times doesn’t seem to answer our call for help as and when we wish it to be?

“Lord Jesus, we have sinned, we have sinned. Praise and thank you for becoming as human as we are. Help us to realise that suffering and death are part and parcel of life. We believe you are with us every step of the way. Praise you for being faithful to your Father. Praise you for the Good News that suffering and death are not the end but the door to the fullness of life with you beginning now. Amen.”

Fr.Jim Kirstein, SMA

10 April 2011

Ezekiel 37.12-14
Romans 8.8-11
John11.1-45 

A number of years ago my father called me, as he had to go into hospital and said: “I might not come out alive as I have a serious blood complaint”. A few nights later the nurse went to see him and she said: “There is a priest in the hospital now. Do you wish to see him?”   My father replied ‘no’.  An hour later she was back.  ‘The priest is still here. Maybe you should see him’.  My father who never seemed to fear anything asked ‘am I dying?’  The nurse replied ‘it seems you may be’, so my father said ’o.k. send him along’.  Later on my father said ‘the moment the priest anointed me with the oil of the sick I knew I was healed’.  My father didn’t see himself as a religious person. He lived a good number of years after that incident and felt he had been given a new lease of life – a kind of resurrection experience.

In the gospel today we hear Jesus being invited to go to the home of Mary and Martha who send him a short message ‘he whom you love is sick’. They refer to their brother Lazarus. They did not ask Jesus to go to the house. They gave him the freedom to respond to their request as he wished. Going to their house to see Lazarus was a risk. The enemies of Jesus were out to get him. Thomas, one of the 12 knew this and says in v.16 – ‘let us go too and die with him’. Despite this, his friendship with this family of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, people Jesus loved, was enough reason for him to risk his life to go to them in their time of trouble. When Jesus arrives at the village Martha meets him and she shows great trust by saying: “If you had been here my brother would not have died, but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God he will grant you”. Jesus then tells her that her brother will rise again and she says she believes that he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day. Then comes the great statement of Jesus. “I AM THE RESURRECTION. If anyone believes in me, though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”  Martha believes.

What of us? Do we believe? How fully do we believe it? It is surprising how many Catholics claim to follow Jesus and yet have problems with the resurrection from the dead.

The resurrection is the central belief of our Christian religion. And as Jesus said above – whoever believes in him though he dies, he will live. Obviously there are people who are enslaved by sin now and Jesus is offering them freedom from this slavery now. It could be the slavery of fear, of drink, drugs, hatred, unforgiveness, of what others think of them or whatever. The resurrection begins now if we wish it by calling on Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life to free us, unbind us. Towards the end of the story when Jesus goes to the tomb and asks for the stone to be taken away Martha objects. She says:’It is now the fourth day. He will smell’.  Jesus asks her to trust him. Is there not always the danger that in the face of a big problem we will seek a human solution only? Here we are asked to believe and not to reduce God’s capacity to help us to our way of thinking.

So here we have Lazarus in the tomb which is closed off by a large stone. He is in the darkness. He is dead. He is bound with cloth. This is a good image of how we ourselves can feel like at times thinking there is no way out. Jesus is there. He asks for the stone to be removed. He calls out in a loud voice “Lazarus come forth”.

He does. Jesus lifts up the one who was lying down, loosens what was bound and gives life to the man who was dead. Jesus is saying here that the can call us forth from whatever tombs we may be in now.  Whatever the darkness may be for us, he can call us into the light as he himself said more that once ‘I am the light of the world’. He can unbind us too from whatever prevents us from moving freely as children of God.

It is important to remember that prior to calling Lazarus from the tomb Jesus prays to his Heavenly Father.  It is a prayer of communion with his Father and the conviction that since what he is asking the Father for is that those standing around will believe, his prayer will be answered.  It is.

Finally, it is good to note too that Jesus asked the help of others to remove the stone, to unbind Lazarus.  Jesus still uses us to help him give new life to others until the day arrives when we will receive the fullness of eternal life after we die.

In the second reading St.Paul reminds us that nowadays this is the work of the Spirit within us. The Spirit dwells in us and so death is already overcome. The Spirit must eliminate the fear paralysing us, from closing in on ourselves and preventing us from seeing what is new in our lives. Also where God is challenging us to do what we can to help our brothers and sisters to be free in whatever way we can.

“Lord Jesus we believe that you are the Resurrection and the Life. Free us on all levels of our being where we are entombed, bound, unfree and lacking in a real faith in your power to raise us up now and after death.  Amen”.

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

3 April 2011

1 Samuel 16:1,6 – 7,10 – 13
Ephesians 5:8 – 14
John 9: 1 – 41

A young woman was engaged to be married. Her friends told her that she was unwise to do so as her fiancé was an alcoholic. But she couldn’t see this. It seems her love for him blinded her from seeing his drink problem. Not too long before the marriage they were out for a meal. He got so drunk that he actually hit her as she complained about his behaviour. At that moment her eyes were opened to what her friends had been telling her. She broke off the engagement. Sometime later a young man she grew up with but was never attracted to, reappeared in her life and then she saw him in a completely new way. Her eyes were opened to his goodness and other qualities. Eventually they got married and are doing well.

In the gospel today we have a blind man whose eyes are opened by Jesus.  The opening of the man’s eyes symbolises the opening of the disciples’ eyes to faith. The phrase ‘opening of eyes’ appears 7 times in the story like a refrain in a TV advert. This story keeps emphasising that the man was blind from birth. To heal him meant the beginning of a completely new life, a life where he can see. The blind man is also a beggar. The prevailing thinking of that time was that his blindness was a punishment because of his own sin or the sin of his parents, as the disciples show in their question to Jesus. So others would look down upon him. He would be avoided. In the society of his time he would be an outsider. 

Jesus sees him, takes pity on him and opens his eyes. It is Jesus who takes the initiative even before the man could ask. We probably cannot imagine what this meant to him. By healing him of his blindness Jesus frees him on a number of levels. He is physically healed. He is no longer an outsider in society, he is part of it. He has received a new dignity. Jesus raises him up. Above all his eyes are opened spiritually also because as the story progresses he accepts Jesus as the Son of Man.

To heal him Jesus uses mud and saliva, which may surprise us. People believed that saliva could heal. We know now that saliva is a kind of antibiotic. That is why dogs and other animals lick their wounds. But more importantly by using mud Jesus helps us to remember that God used mud to create Adam, the first man. So here too is a new creation. Jesus is making a new man. Jesus tells him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam which is symbolic of baptism, when in faith we believe we become children of God.

The terrible irony or tragedy of course is that when the man is brought to the Pharisees to confirm the healing as the Law required, they do all they can to discredit Jesus the healer. The fact that Jesus healed on the Sabbath was a violation of the Law so he couldn’t be from God. Yet others claimed that since he had worked a miracle he had to come from God. But many of these Pharisees, Jewish religious leaders persisted in their refusal to accept Jesus. They who should have been the first to recognise Jesus because of the miracle were blind. Like the young woman in the story at the beginning who at first was blinded to the drink problem of her fiancé, the Pharisees were blind also though a few did accept.

After his healing the man’s friends and neighbours discuss his identity. Is it really the same person because the beggar was blind and this man can see? Because he has changed some cannot accept him. We may recall St.Paul. After his conversion most disciples of Jesus found it hard to accept he had changed. Was it really the same person? They were afraid that it couldn’t be true. We ourselves may know of people who were once lukewarm Christians or had fallen away from the faith, but who later had a conversion experience and now are very committed followers of Jesus. Their eyes were opened and this led to a change in their behaviour. For you and me if we are lukewarm in our following of Jesus, do we need an identity change too? Will we ask Jesus to open our eyes so that we can see him as he really is, Lord and Saviour of our lives?  Like the blind man he will give us a new life-giving identity. But maybe we are scared of what this will demand of us as if God would ask more of us than we could give.

These Pharisees do all they can to discredit the blind man. They question him about what happened. He simply retells his experience of the cure. They don’t believe him. So they send for his parents who suggest to the Pharisees that he speak for himself. They were afraid that if they were seen to accept Jesus they would be barred from the synagogue too. Because of the blind man’s persistent confirmation that Jesus had opened his eyes, and so is from God, he is eventually rejected by the Pharisees.

Jesus, the Light of the world, hears that the man has been expelled, goes in search of him and finds him. He reveals himself as the Son of Man and the man formerly blind, bows down and worships him.  Jesus then condemns the Pharisees for being so blind that they won’t see him for who he truly is.

The Good News is that Jesus wants to reveal himself to us too and open our eyes where we are blind.

“Lord Jesus, open our eyes to all that blinds us from accepting you fully as our loving God and from letting go of all that does not lead to true peace and seeing all as our brothers and sisters too. Amen’

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

27 March 2011

 Exodus 17:3 – 7
Romans 5:1 – 2; 5 – 8
John 4:5 – 42 

One time a 12 year old girl was sent by her family, living in a semi desert area, to a well three miles away to get a bucket of water. On her way back a snake appeared almost under her feet.  She jumped away from it and sadly all the water in the bucket was lost as she fell. Because it would have been unthinkable to return home without water she had no other choice but to make her way back to the well for water and take it home. The overall journey was about 7 miles. For her family water meant life.

We live in countries where we can turn on the tap. Probably it is almost impossible for us to appreciate how people in poor countries suffer to have water just to survive.

The gospel we have just heard is about the Woman at the Well and also centres on the theme of water and life. The woman can be said to represent three oppressed groups with which Jesus and the gospel are interested: women, prostitutes and sexually immoral people generally – all kinds of outsiders. These are people regarded by many religious people as being unclean and far from God.

The woman here is a Samaritan. These Samaritans were regarded by the Jews as infidels because their religion and customs were mixed with pagan elements. The Jews and Samaritans were enemies and would have had nothing to do with each other. Once again Jesus goes beyond prejudices – religious and political boundaries and speaks to the woman who is amazed that he would do so. But the love of God knows no limits, and the God Jesus proclaims does not fit into the spaces we build for him or into the concepts through which we attempt to understand him.

Not only that but Jesus is at the mercy of the woman in the sense that he needs her help to have a drink of water. Here is an amazing reversal of roles. It is interesting to note that Jesus never worked a miracle for himself. Here he is in need of water. He is also hungry and has sent his disciples to the town to buy bread. We may rightly be amazed at how human Jesus reveals himself to us here. He is very tired as he sat down immediately by the well. He also has to be patient until someone came along to draw water, most probably a woman. It was a woman’s task to draw water, not that of a man. Does not all this give us great courage to approach Jesus in our human and spiritual needs?

This woman who had five husbands and was presently living with another is the one Jesus chooses to dialogue with, to relate to. She came alone in the hottest part of the day probably because the other women in the town rejected her because of her immoral lifestyle. Usually women in that culture came to the well in groups and in the cooler times of the day.

Jesus starts off by asking for a drink of water and she obviously thinks of the water in the well. Almost at once Jesus raises the conversation to another level. Jesus now promises her living water. Misunderstanding him she argues again on the human level. Jesus goes further and says to her ‘Everyone who drinks the water in the well will be thirsty again; but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life’.  

In this dialogue we see that it is really Jesus who is longing for something. He is thirsting to give salvation (the water welling up to eternal life) to the woman and to whomever else he encounters. He also has eternal food to offer – himself – and not the human food that the disciples come back with from the town. Later on in John’s Gospel, chapter 7, Jesus invites all by saying ‘If anyone is thirsty let them come to me. Let anyone come and drink who believes in me for from his breast shall flow fountains of living water’. Jesus is in fact here talking about the life-giving Holy Spirit.

The woman is so amazed by this offer of living water and by Jesus revealing himself as the Messiah that she hurries off. She wants to tell her townspeople about Jesus. She is so full of what has taken place. As a result they come and persuade Jesus to stay with them which he does for two days. They now believe in Jesus because of their own experience of him but it was the woman who brought them to Jesus.

Here Jesus uses someone to be a missionary about him to others whom religious people have rejected. She was immoral, had five husbands and was at that time cohabiting with another. A non-Jew as well, therefore considered an infidel. The Good News is that despite our sinfulness, failings etc God can use us if we accept his call which comes to us because of the water of baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

What is the water we seek to quench our thirst with? – the water welling up to eternal life which Jesus offers or the polluted water from the wells of pleasure that cannot deliver peace and joy, or the water of success, wealth, power, drugs, etc? The Good News is that the living water Jesus offers us is free and we have but to ask for it. It alone can satisfy our longings and deepest desires.

“Lord Jesus, thank you for the life-giving water you offer us freely. Help us to reveal you to others too”.

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

20 March 2011

Genesis 12.1-4
2 Timothy 1.8-10
Matthew 17.1-9

Many years ago a young man from Canada who came from a rich family was appointed as a professor in a famous university. Because of an experience he had in meeting people with special needs he gave up his university career and a great future. He took in two young men with special needs and lived with them feeling called by God to treat them as normally as he could rather than allowing them to remain in a big institution where they received very little human friendship. The man’s name is Jean Vanier. He is regarded by many as a modern saint. From his own experience he started a foundation called L’Arche meaning Ark in which throughout the world there are over 100 small communities looking after those with special needs in as human a way possible. This man has literally transfigured the lives of these people. One can see their joy and happiness when he visits them. But most of the time it is a very challenging lifestyle for the people who have dedicated themselves to caring for them daily.

The times when Jean Vanier visits his communities are full of joy for the residents themselves and their helpers They are like transfiguration experiences. These highpoints encourage the helpers to be faithful to their daily commitment, struggle and hard work with the residents when he is not around.

Perhaps the gospel account of the Transfiguration is like that. This experience comes between two prophecies of his passion and death that Jesus gave to his disciples. The three disciples, Peter, James and John were privileged to see Jesus transfigured. Yet these three same disciples will also be with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemene. It is as if Jesus wants them to see that his difficult life, his passion and death are not the end of the story. He gives them a preview, an advance look at what is the climax of his vocation.

It is as if we watch a preview of a movie, getting only an idea of highpoints without being told the final part of the movie. The final part of Jesus’ life is not his Passion and Death but the Resurrection and Ascension. Thus today’s gospel is a reminder to each one of us his followers, that despite the suffering, pain, difficulties in life that we experience it is not the end of the story. At the end of our lives there too will be the ultimate transfiguration for us as sons and daughters of God.

And yet does not each of us get occasional glimpses of great joy and happiness? It may be the birth of our first child, sheer delight at seeing the baby for the first time and in the months after. Yet there will be a lot of struggle to bring up the child as we would wish. There may be sickness, misunderstandings, and rebellion on the child’s part. But also at birthday times or other highpoints in our lives we are maybe almost overcome with joy and happiness. Perhaps for others it may be a recovery from a serious illness or falling in love. But we know these experiences are not the norm in that they do not last, but they give us the strength and courage to deal with our daily struggles.

Peter on the mountain wanted to build a permanent place and stay with that experience of joy at seeing Jesus transfigured. But he is very quickly reminded that the mountaintop experience is a passing experience, though very important to serve as a reminder when later on suffering and rejection come the way of Jesus their memory of the transfiguration will encourage and support them. Life has to go on.

The Good News is that each one of us who is a disciple of Jesus will one day be fully transfigured or transformed too. As we go through life and are trying to be faithful to Jesus we know that we are gradually being transformed into being more kind, more loving, forgiving and so on. If God can transform bread and wine each time at Mass into the Body and Blood of Jesus can he not transform us also? This is why going to Mass is so important. It is both a reminder of what God is doing for us and also to receive the nourishment that allows change to happen in our lives. Our Father says from the cloud ‘this is my Son the Beloved, listen to him. To listen to Jesus and live out what he asks is a constant struggle. Listening to Jesus and to God’s Word at Mass can transform us if we are open. To listen to Jesus means to hear what he says, to accept what he says and to make it our own, to identify with it.

Maybe we also have the experience of the three disciples who fell to the ground in fear because of being in the darkness of the cloud. When our faith is weak, when we doubt God, when we fail maybe we too feel fearful like the disciples. We feel as if we are in a cloud. Yet we can be sure that Jesus will be there to touch us as he did the disciples and encourage us with the same words, “Do not be afraid”.

The Transfiguration experience for the three disciples and for us is meant to serve as a glimpse of what is to come. It is an encouragement; it is given to reinforce our faith in the face of future difficulties and trials. It is to encourage us to follow Jesus and not give up along the way. We are called to be people of hope.

“Lord Jesus, Abraham is our father in faith.  Let us be courageous like him in setting out on our journey of faith confident that God our loving Father will transform us too despite our struggles and failings”.

Fr Jim Kirstein SMA

13 March 2011

Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7
Romans 5:12, 17-19
Matthew 4:1-11

Some years ago I spent some months in France to learn French. Whilst there I met a Catholic couple who were very helpful to me. One day the wife said to me that shortly after their marriage she told her husband that he would always be second in her life as God would have the first place. He was not in any way as religious as she was and he could not accept what she said. In fact he was quite jealous of God as he felt that he himself and not God should be the centre of their relationship. Maybe she was a bit naïve in telling that to him.

This first Sunday of Lent presents the drama of temptation. This is primarily what the first reading and the gospel are about. It is not so much about forbidden fruit in the case of the Genesis reading but what place does God have in our lives. Is God jealous of us? Do we fully realise that our lives are a gift from God and so we owe him everything. How central is he to us? How aware of God are we daily or is it just when we are at mass on Sunday or say some prayers?

According to John 8.44 the devil is “the father of lies and there is no truth in him at all”. So in the first reading the devil is telling lies to our first parents Adam and Eve. He says that ‘God is jealous and does not want to share his knowledge of good and evil with you. He does not want you to be his equal.  He jealously wants to keep things to himself. Eat the fruit that is forbidden and you will be equal to God’. Sadly Adam and Eve believe the lie told them by the devil. He tricks them, he cheats them. They eat the fruit as the story goes and their eyes are opened and they realise they are naked. In other words, they see that their sin, not God, has stripped them of happiness, peace and contentment in the relationship they had with God prior to the devil tricking them with his lies.

It is like the case of a young man who is pressurised by his friends to take drugs. They tell him he will be much happier if he uses them. He believes them and soon he is enslaved by drugs. He becomes almost sub-human the more dependent on drugs he is. It is hardly God who can be blamed for punishing him.

The devil has tricked Adam and Eve by lying to them saying that God wanted to deprive them of what would give them total happiness. Instead of trusting God and believing in him they believe the devil’s lie.

This then is the centre of all temptation, not to believe God, not to trust God. To put ourselves at the centre and decide without listening to God what we want to do with our lives. That is the choice we have. 

It is the same dynamic at work in the gospel. The devil tries to trick Jesus. It is a temptation to take the wrong turning, to centre on self instead of on God. Jesus realised that he had great powers and he could have used them to go on a big ego-trip.  If he had done what the devil wanted him to do he could have had a huge following. The Jews were expecting a political messiah, one who would overthrow the Romans. If Jesus had used his powers to turn stones into bread or whatever else he wished, if he had jumped down from the temple, and if he received all the kingdoms and their splendour promised by the devil, imagine what power he would have had over people.

Thus the devil tries to seduce or trick the human Jesus with an offer of immediate power, with a short-cut to success. Basically he tempts Jesus to cheat on his humanity.  He wants him to avoid living as fully as possible the human condition.  It was a call to instant gratification.

But Jesus rejects all three temptations. His firm conviction is that as a human being one does not doubt God. Even if God promises are not immediately present and fulfilled our faith calls us to trust that God is on our side. This is the message of the temptations. God will do everything to help us in this life because he is a father who loves us passionately and unconditionally. He is not holding anything back from us. He gives us all he knows we need. He is not a jealous parent who does not want us to live a full and happy life. No. God wants us to be truly happy and he is saying that we cannot be happy apart from him.

Jesus is showing us the path to follow. Jesus is all for God. He never doubts God’s designs, his plans for our good even in the midst of his own terrible suffering. This is basically what our faith and trust is about. It is a call us to believe God’s promises. This is what we must cling to with the help of the Holy Spirit, especially in times of crisis and pain. Is God with us? Indeed he is. But are we with God?

The Good News is that despite our doubts and failures Jesus knows our struggles to overcome temptation. He experienced them.  In the letter to the Hebrew 4.15-16 we are told: “For it is not as if we had a high priest who was incapable of feeling our weaknesses with us. But we have one who has been tempted in every way that we are, though he is without sin. Let us be confident then in approaching the throne of grace, we shall have mercy from him and find grace when we are in need of help.”

“Lord Jesus, help us to believe this and trust in your great desire to help us especially when tempted”.

 Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

6 March 2011

Deuteronomy 11:18.26-28.32
Romans 3:21-25.28
Matthew 7:21-27

Is my life built on rock or sand

Anyone wanting to construct a home or some other building must ensure that the foundation on which they build is solid. No point in building on marshy land or on sand. You need solid rock! And if you don’t have it naturally you must create it. That’s what all good builders do. If you don’t, you can rest assured that – in time – whatever you build will begin to have problems and may, in some cases, fall down!

Today’s Gospel is all part of the famous Sermon on the Mount (a gathering together of many teachings given by Jesus but which the Evangelist presents as if they were all presented by him on one single occasion).

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus explains what is demanded of those who want to follow him. Now, in the final part of the Sermon read today, Jesus is speaking of what will happen those who choose to follow that way and those who choose a different way. In other words, those who decide to act on the words of Jesus and those who decide to act differently. The first group decide to change their way to the Way of Jesus. And the others decide that the Way of Jesus is not their way and they continue to go a different way.

Those who decide to follow Jesus’ Way will be on solid rock; they will not follow the fickle popularity stakes or follow the latest fad.

Those who choose the other way are on sand, going with the flow of popular opinion and short-sighted solutions to complex problems etc.

The first group will be able to say ‘Lord. Lord’ as they enter the Kingdom of heaven because their lives have been lived in accordance with the principles of the Sermon on the Mount (merciful, forgiving, humble…).

The second group who seek to enter heaven by calling out ‘Lord, Lord’ will not do so because the life they have lived up to now is alien to the type of life in heaven. They would be alienated if they were to enter the Kingdom of heaven. So they have decided to enter a different place.

Which type of builder are you? Easy to say that you will build your life on Christian principles… but will you really battle for Christ against the many false messages which surround us today? Or will you keep your head down and try to ‘sneak along’ in your Christian life but not really doing anything much for Christ?

The choice is yours!

Loving God, fill us with the fire of your Holy Spirit so that we may profess our Christian faith in every situation in which we find ourselves. Loosen our tongue to speak your word and to proclaim the Way of Christ as the only way to lasting peace and justice in our society. Amen.

Martin Kavanagh SMA

20 February 2011

Lev 19: 1 – 2, 17 – 18
1 Cor 3: 16 – 23
Mt 5: 38 – 48

Be holy, be perfect – that is the resounding call from the Liturgy of the Word today. It is the call of the Christian vocation.

It is the clear challenge set out for us in the readings today. From the injunction in Leviticus, Be holy, for I, the Lord your God, am holy to the words in the Gospel, Be perfect, as your heavenly Father in perfect, we are reminded of how a Christian must act. Last week we were given some prompts as to how radical the call to be a Christian is. Today, Jesus spells it out clearly: I have to do as God does.

The first injunction is addressed by Yahweh to all the People of Israel; the second is that addressed by Jesus to his followers in Israel but, by extension, to us who are his followers today. No one is excluded from this call, poor and rich, old and young, leaders and followers…

To be holy is to be perfect and to be perfect is to be holy. It’s doubtful that any one will reach perfection this side of the grave but, as St Paul tells us in one of his Letters, we have to be in the race, facing towards the finishing line. And that is our vocation. Even though we’ll not reach perfect love we must keep striving to do so. It is not an optional extra!

And the way we can achieve holiness is by living a life of love. And even if there are times when we fall down in our loving of others we can, like Jesus on the road to Calvary, get back up and continue the climb to perfection and holiness.

In the context of today’s Gospel, we must not return evil for evil, no matter how justified it may seem – on a human level. But Christians, though in the world are not of the world. We do not judge and act solely by secular principles. We must act to a higher standard, that of Christ.

God does not return evil for evil. He causes his sun to shine on the bad as well as the good.

But what if someone hates me? What am I to do? The Gospel is clear: you must love that person. No one can control how others see us or treat us. But we must ensure that how we look on others or how we act towards them are always in accord with God’s way. So we cannot exact vengeance as Jesus reminds us today. It’s hard…. but it’s what we’re called to do. How we do this is something which needs a lot of thought. It also needs a lot of prayer as we ask God to guide us to say and to do what is right. Sometimes it may mean going to that person and trying to sort things out; other times it may mean leaving well enough alone. But, no matter what we do, we can never return evil for evil, bad words or actions for bad words and actions that have been done to us.

Christ’s call is the most radical: to be a Christian I must be rich in mercy, slow to anger and abounding in love.

May each of us be filled with God’s Holy Spirit so that we may imitate Him, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Amen.

Fr Martin Kavanagh SMA

13 February 2011

Sirach 15: 15 – 20
1 Cor: 2:6 – 10
Matthew 5.17 – 37

Today’s Gospel is one which can cause a lot of confusion for people – if they read it literally. But it is not meant to be read in this fashion. Jesus is certainly NOT telling us to tear out our eyes or to cut off our hands.

No, what Jesus is calling for is a radical way of life. Yes, he’s nearly asking the impossible! But there are some people (not too many) who make choices which cause the rest of us to look on in wonder, even amazement and sometimes admiration. Jean Vanier and the work of the L’Arche community comes to my mind. And there are so many Irish missionaries and aid workers who leave aside the comforts of Irish life to walk with the poor, in Africa, South America, and Asia. They are the in the frontline. Theirs is a radical choice to put others first.

You are also called to this radical way of life. And you can respond! Probably not all the time and always with a full heart, brimming over. But you can reach for it. How?

St Therese once said that all she wanted to do on earth was to do the ordinary things extraordinarily well. Can’t you start there? But in fact many of us are already doing that – the single parent doing their best to raise their children; the unemployed woman or man who gets involved in some voluntary work to help others in need; the mother who washes, cleans and cooks every day so that the family are looked after… the list is endless. You’re already doing it to some degree so you’re already responding to Jesus’ invitation to build God’s kingdom on earth.

No matter what I do (or fail to do) there are repercussions. What I must do each day is to make sure that anything I do or say does not have bad repercussions. Sometimes it’s as simple as keeping my mouth shut and not passing on that bit of gossip I heard down at the shops about a neighbour. What was it someone once said: ‘if you can’t say something good about someone, say nothing.’

But there is one particular admonition in the Gospel today which we might look at in a closer way, especially at this time in our history: “I say to you that the one who is angry with their brother or sister will be liable to judgment”. Anger is the source of so much evil in our world. If it is not dealt with properly it can lead on to hatred. How many times have we read in the papers of trial where the accused expresses remorse for their actions because it was done in the heat of anger.

Here in Ireland we are hearing that many people are angry with how things have turned out with the disappearance (or is it the death) of the Celtic Tiger? People losing their jobs, homes, unable to feed their families, pay bills, our young (and not so young) having to emigrate because there are no jobs. We cannot deny our anger.

There is a righteous anger (Jesus himself was sometimes angry about bad things he saw) but he was always in control of it. And he used that feeling, not to react and do bad, but to inspire him to try to make the situation better. And that, my sisters and brothers, might be a lesson to us in our present situation. We must not just remain angry but must look for ways to harness it for the better. It’s not for me to tell you how to do it. Each of us must decide what we think is best. But I have no doubt that if we harness our anger in a positive way – and not just remain in the ‘angry state – we will be better able to deal with our individual difficulties and also help to improve things for all of us. You could say that I’m suggesting a radical way to deal with anger!

I pray that you, I and everyone in our land will take up Jesus’ invitation to a radical way of life and so show forth to the world His power at work in us. Amen.

Lord Jesus, think on me, and purge away my sin
From earth-born passions set me free, and make me pure within.

May what is false within us before your Truth give way
That we may live to praise you, today and to the end.  (inspired by Synesius of Cyrene, c375-430)

Fr Martin Kavanagh, SMA

6 February 2011

Isaiah 58: 7 – 10
1 Cor: 2:1 – 5
Matthew 5.13 – 16

A certain man was invited by his friends to a local restaurant for a meal. After having tasted the food he asked for the salt. As far as he was concerned the meal needed some salt to give it flavour. Apparently the cook had forgotten to add salt.

Jesus in today’s gospel uses some images to describe what his disciples are like. The first image is that of salt. As we know good salt is very pure so one of its functions is to purify. Another is to preserve. And as already mentioned to give flavour.

And Jesus is saying this to his disciples ‘you are the salt of the earth’.

He doesn’t say that they should become the salt of the earth. By his very calling of them they have a certain quality about them. But of course we know as he himself states that salt can become tasteless. And then it loses its value. It is also interesting to remember that salt is never actually seen in the food when it is put on the table. It remains hidden in the food and a little amount is usually all that is necessary. Salt does not draw attention to itself though it is used to give flavour, to improve the taste of the meal. Jesus in using a very ordinary well known commodity like salt is teaching his followers that they too wherever they find themselves are to be people who can purify and preserve his teachings so as to hand them on to others. For the most part his disciples are very ordinary people. They are not meant to draw attention to themselves. What they are asked to do is to live as true disciples of Jesus, so that people will be drawn to Jesus himself and not to them. And most of the time this work will be hidden – husbands, wives, children, business people, craftsmen, teachers, farmers etc. quietly going about their daily business but doing it as true disciples of Jesus.

Another image used by Jesus in this short passage is that of light.  He tells his disciples that they are to be the light of the world as he is. Jesus once said “I am the Light of the world”. For many of us living in the so-called First World with electricity available all the time the image of light may not be so striking. It is probably taken for granted nearly all the time. Many who live in developing countries, as in Africa, have no electricity available and when evening came lanterns or torches are needed see where one is going. A small light, even a flashlight could really light up the way and so the importance of light was underlined. Again, like salt, light has no value in being light for itself – its importance comes from the value it has for others. Again Jesus is asking us his followers to be like that.

Some lights, especially very large ones will light up a large area, others quite small do the same for smaller spaces. We see the same in people. People like Mother Teresa of Calcutta even though a small frail woman was a very large light on the world scene. She would constantly say that any good she may have done came from her close relationship with Jesus who for her was the Light who inspired her. She was in many ways like the moon. The moon has no light in itself, it merely reflects on to the earth the light it receives from the sun. She tried to be a reflection of Jesus, the Light of the world. She gave a meaning, importance to so many people dying in Calcutta. And because of her incredible witness many other people joined her in her work. Others are people like Nelson Mandela who in spite of the way he was so harshly treated for many years in prison in South Africa preached reconciliation instead of revenge when he was eventually released after 27 years.

Jesus then in speaking to his disciples and to us in today’s gospel is telling all of us that though we may think we are weak and insignificant we are very necessary for carrying on his work to bring about his kingdom here on earth. The gifts given to each of us by God are not given for private use but must be communicated to others. They must shine through the weakness of its bearers. We can’t all be like Mother Teresa or Nelson Mandela but we can be the best we can be wherever we are no matter how little we feel our contribution may be. That is all the Lord asks each of us.

So the good that we try to do is not meant to glorify ourselves but to glorify our Heavenly Father.  In today’s Gospel Matthew tells us that the light will be manifested in good works. As Isaiah says in the first reading these will be seen in precise deeds with very concrete benefits for our neighbours: sharing bread with the hungry, providing housing, clothing the naked, forgiveness etc.  If we do that ‘our light will rise in the darkness’ – the last verse of Isaiah today.

The Good News of today’s gospel is that Jesus is reminding each of us of our great vocation – that we are called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  Jesus believes it of us.  Do we believe it of ourselves?

How can I be more the salt of the earth and light of the world this Lent?

“Lord Jesus, help us to believe that we are called to be salt of the earth and light of the world.  Give us the Holy Spirit to enable us to be what you ask of us.  Amen”.

Fr.Jim Kirstein, SMA

30 January 2011

Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12 – 13
1 Cor1: 26 – 31
Matthew 5: 1 – 12

Many years ago when I worked in Nigeria in West Africa a notice appeared in one of the daily newspapers.  It said ‘Advertisers for Jesus Christ wanted’.  I was sorry that I never answered this, as it would have been interesting to know what qualities they were looking for in the people they were seeking. 

Today’s gospel sums up the kind of people Jesus himself is looking for in order to advertise his kingdom.  He lists a number of qualities which he considers very important. We might say that as Moses received the 10 commandments from God, Jesus is giving his list known as the Beatitudes which complements or offers another way of looking at the original 10 commandments.  As someone pointed out they are the Be-Attitudes, the attitudes of Jesus himself which he recommends to his disciples. 

Nearly all the 10 commandments found in Exodus 20 start with a prohibition –‘You shall not’. Only a couple of them are put in a positive way like ‘Honour your father and your mother’. 

But here in the Beatitudes we have a different emphasis. Jesus is stating that those who put them into practice are Blessed or Happy. He doesn’t state you must or you have to keep them. And certainly not that you will be punished if you don’t respond positively. He is simply pointing out the reality that if you do live by them you will be truly blessed or happy not just when you die but beginning right now.  So they are offered more in the form of an invitation or an encouragement. He invites people to try them and see for themselves that they are only way to true peace and joy. We must beware of making them into commandments.  Anyone who has tried to live by them will know what Jesus is talking about. Of course, Jesus was the one who lived them out to the full and he invites us to do likewise knowing it is a lifetime’s work but he assures us of the help of his Holy Spirit.

Another way of looking at the Beatitudes is to see them as God’s dream for us.  God is offering us the possibility of dreaming his dream, of dreaming the dream of God. Jesus offers them to us as a guideline for discipleship. It reminds me of a woman in her forties who said to me that her dream is to go to university in a few years time when her children are educated. She said that she is already saving for this in order to realise her dream. She knows it won’t be easy but she is determined to make it happen.

She underlines an aspect of the beatitudes which is important. In the original language of Jesus, Aramaic, the word for ‘beatitude’ comes from an active verb so does not have a passive quality to it.  Thus to be blessed means ‘to set oneself on the right way for the right goal’ just as this woman is doing. It also includes the idea of turning away from whatever prevents one from achieving this goal. This may also include the idea of renewal. The beatitudes are offered by Jesus to empower us. They offer us the possibility of changing what is not good. Thus, ‘blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they will be satisfied’. We just don’t sit around hoping things will come about only by prayer. We must actually become involved in working for justice. Also ‘blessed are the peacemakers’ – again a call to ‘make peace’ not just to hope it will happen. Even ’blessed are those persecuted for the sake of righteousness’ assumes they have been struggling to achieve this.

Because it is the first beatitude mentioned ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven’ it is the key to all the others and it is written in the present tense where all the others refer to a future reality. The best translation I have seen of this first beatitude is ‘blessed are they who desperately know their need of God’’. This was the attitude of Jesus himself. He knew that as a human being like you and me he totally needed the help of his Heavenly Father to bring about the kingdom having done all he could humanly do himself.  I am sure that if a priest asks in a church on Sunday ‘who needs God’s help?’ all hands will be raised. But to desperately know how much we need God is a different experience. Just like a drowning man knows he desperately needs the help of someone to save him. Once we are convinced of this then we will turn to God who will certainly help us because we allow him to enter our lives. Very often when things are fine we don’t think that we desperately need our God but in fact we do. And when we allow God to enter into our lives then we will be empowered to work to bring about the dream of God. One danger with this first beatitude would be to reduce it to a purely spiritual dimension. It means also working to improve the physical and material condition of the poor in whatever way I can.

It is a good idea that if we are examining our consciences in preparation for Confession, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we should use these beatitudes as a guide to see how we are living out our Christian commitment.

“Lord Jesus, help us to be more and more aware how desperately we need your help to live out the beatitudes in our daily lives so as to bring about your kingdom here on earth. Amen”

Fr.Jim Kirstein, SMA

9 January 2010

Isaiah 42: 1-4
Acts 10: 34-38
Matthew 3: 15-17, 21-22

A well known speaker started a seminar participated in by over 200 men and women by holding up a new crisp twenty dollar bill.  “I want to give this away”, he says, “but first let me do this”. Then he proceeds to crumple up the money.  “Who wants it now?” he asks.  Many hands were raised.  He drops the money on to the floor and grinds it into the floor with his shoe.  When he holds it up again the bill is crumpled and dirty.  “Who wants it now?” he asks again.  The same hands go up.

My friends he says, “you have learned a very valuable lesson”, he tells them.  “No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth twenty dollars.  Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground down by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way.  We feel as though we are worthless.  But no matter what has happened or what will happen, we will never lose our value in God’s eyes.  To God, dirty or clean, crumpled or new and crisp, we are always priceless”.

In the gospel today Jesus is baptized in the river Jordan.  It is a confirmation of his vocation as a human being.  His father’s voice from heaven speaks and says: “You are my Son, the Beloved: my favour rests on you”.  It says quite clearly that it is a favour that is not for a short term but it abides.  God says the same to each one of us.  “You are my beloved child.  My favour rests on you always”.  So no matter what we think of ourselves or how we feel because of past sins or failings or present weaknesses, God is speaking with authority to assure us of his love and choice that we are his beloved children.  Just prior to hearing the voice from heaven, the gospel account tells us that the heavens opened and the Spirit, like a dove, descended on Jesus. This recalls the opening verses of the bible when God’s Spirit hovered over the chaos to bring life and order to creation.  So the Spirit, which came upon Jesus at his baptism, reminds us of the new creation, the new covenant God makes with us.  Each of us therefore that has been baptized is a ‘new creation’ as St. Paul reminds us.

A friend of mine attends a psychotherapist regularly because she has a very low self-esteem or bad self-image. He tries to help her realize her giftedness and  inner goodness in spite of all but she finds this hard to accept.  Most of us are like this whether we realize it or not. Today in the gospel, God the Great Psychotherapist is trying his best to assure us, that we are great in his eyes.  In fact at the end of the first chapter of Genesis, the first book of the bible, we hear the words, “God saw all that he made and indeed it was very good”.  So from the opening of the bible to the last verse, this is the only message that God and Jesus wish to proclaim and they do this in many ways, through stories, parables, miracles, option for the poor and the rejected in society etc.  In God’s eyes, we are great, but like the crumpled or dirty dollar bill we think we are not of much value. The measure of how valuable or priceless we are is the Crucifixion of Jesus. God is trying to show us here just how very much he loves us and that in spite of all the evil in our world and our own part in it, God cannot stop loving you and me.  Why do we find it so hard to believe this?  Maybe because human beings reject or don’t accept us at times and we take this as the measure of our value instead of listening and accepting fully what God is telling us. It shows too how important is our vocation to encourage, affirm and build up others and not just criticize and knock them down. 

So the baptism of Jesus was his call to accept how beloved he was in God’s sight. If we could accept this, that we are loved unconditionally and passionately by God, we would be free then, as the first reading Isaiah reminds us, to love others.  And especially to work for justice and so show them by the way we treat them and love them that they too are very valuable.  This is our basic baptismal vocation or calling. All our Masses, prayers, devotions, novenas should strengthen us for this work.

Today in the gospel, Jesus though not having sinned, takes his place with other human beings as they line up to be baptized by John the Baptist. John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance, Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit and that makes all the difference.  So Jesus stands by our side to show he is in solidarity with us. We are told in other gospels that John the Baptist’s baptism was a baptism for repentance. This is quite important for us to accept.  We need to repent to God of our sins, failings and acknowledge our need of his total forgiveness.  If my heart is cluttered up or full of hatred against another how can we be empty and free to receive the baptism of the Spirit, to receive God’s love and gifts?

“Lord Jesus, thank you for joining us in our need to be baptized with the Holy Spirit though you never sinned.  Help us to realise the great value we have in you sight.  Enable us to love ourselves first as you command us to do, so as to witness to others just how much you love them too. Amen”  

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

5 December 2010

Isaiah 11:1-10
Romans 15:4-9
Matthew 3:1-12

 There is an ancient story about three devils who were arguing about the best way of destroying the souls of good people in the world. The first demon said: ‘Let’s tell all the Christians that the bible is a fable, not true’. ’No, that will not do’, the second demon said: ’Let me go and I will tell them that there is no after life, no heaven, and no hell’. The third demon said: ’There is one better way.  Tell the Christians that the bible is inspired, it is true and that there is heaven and hell. Yes, but I will tell them that there is NO HURRY; there is always tomorrow’. And the devils agreed to send him. Such is Satan’s strategy; there is no hurry, there is always tomorrow, we have plenty of time.

In the gospel today John the Baptist appears preaching in the desert of Judea and says ‘Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand’.  He is saying that the kingdom of God or equally ‘the reign of God’ is at hand because Jesus has appeared and he calls upon his listeners to pay attention to him and respond now. .None of us has any guarantee how long we will live.  One of our SMA priests was killed by armed robbers a few days ago in Kenya.  I am sure when he woke up that morning he never knew what would happen.  Being a good priest no doubt he was prepared to meet his God.

John the Baptist and Jesus both began their ministry with the call to repent.  In a class of 10 year olds the teacher asked the children what the word they understood by the word ‘repent’.  A little boy answered saying it meant being sorry for one’s sins.  Immediately a little girl said it was more than that. It meant being sorry enough for your sins to quit or give up committing them.

Contrary to the devil’s strategy there is a note of urgency in today’s gospel.  John says ‘even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree that is not fruitful will be cut down and thrown into the fire’.  He is not saying this just to scare us but that that if what we are doing in our lives is contrary to God’s will, we will not have the deep happiness and peace God wants for us now.  

So in contemporary language John the Baptist is saying to us: ‘If you are thinking of making a Christmas confession, do it now. If you are planning to be reconciled with someone now is the time. If you are considering doing good to others do it now. Don’t delay’.

Some years ago in a newspaper a reporter wrote about an unusual programme. It dealt with the removal of unwanted tattoos from the bodies of young people.  Because of the remarkable response, a television company produced a film called “Untatoo you”.  The films tells about the dangers of tattooing and how difficult and painful it was to remove tattoos from arms and faces.

The story illustrates an important point.  All of us have done things in our lives that we now regret and would like to erase. Happily, we Catholics are blessed because Jesus gave us a way of erasing our sins. This we can do in the Sacrament of Confession.  Why not avail of this free gift this Christmas as a very good preparation for Advent and celebrating the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ?

Before he died, George Harrison (of Beatles Popgroup fame), who did not claim to be a Christian, said “Everything else can wait but the search for God cannot be delayed.  And love one another”. Not a bad summary of the Christian message!

Christmas is no accident on the part of God who knew quite well what he was doing in sending us Jesus. But Jesus cannot come into our hearts if we don’t welcome him. We won’t be able to do this if we our hearts are full up of all that does not lead to true happiness.  That is why John’s call in today’s gospel to repent is so important. It implies a change of attitude since without conversion it is impossible to welcome Christ. John reminds us that the change he is asking of us is not something formal; something done by complying with external rituals. John demands that ‘we bear fruit worthy of repentance’. Spelling this out means welcoming, forgiving and sharing with our neighbours in whatever way possible. There is no middle path; there is either acceptance or rejection of Christ’s attitudes and behaviour. Which will we choose? Jesus says in the gospel of Matthew: ‘’Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven but the one who does the will of my Father in heaven’. Good intentions are not enough. Good deeds are what Jesus expects.  Let us not put off until it is too late to do them.

The word ‘repent’ is best understood as a new way of looking at life. Ultimately it means looking at life and people through the eyes of Jesus. It means treating people as Jesus did with kindness, forgiveness, compassion. It means doing whatever we can to make the lot of others better especially by encouraging them, affirming them, welcoming them etc.

“Come, Lord Jesus. Help us with your Holy Spirit to repent and believe the Good News today. Amen”.

Fr. Jim Kirstein SMA

28 November 2010

Isaiah 2.1-5
Romans 13.11-14
Matthew 24.37-44

 One time I was watching TV with 2 friends. Both were heavy smokers. They said they could never stop smoking. Not long afterwards each of them had a heart attack. One died immediately but the other survived. His doctor told him to stop smoking or he would die. He believed the heart attack was a warning, a wake-up call to him and he stopped. It is hard to know why one died and the other survived.

Can we not say that the gospel today is a wake-up call from God? Jesus says to his listeners: “Stay awake because you do not know the hour when your master is coming”. And he uses two little examples from their history to remind us about the unexpected coming of Christ, the Son of Man at the end of time. How will you and I heed, pay attention to this invitation? Will we neglect it or be like the man in the story above who heard the call and took the steps necessary to respond for his own good.

We must beware of seeing today’s readings of this First Sunday of Advent as a kind of threat from Jesus, from God to us. In fact, they are the exact opposite. Jesus, who loves us passionately and unconditionally, is concerned only for our well-being, for our good. This is the Good News. He came into our world to reveal to us God’s total love for us and showed us, through his teachings and his life, what leads to true peace and joy beginning now. Unfortunately very many Christians don’t see it that way.  They interpret the 10 Commandments and the Beatitudes of Jesus as a kind of threat: “keep these, if not you will be punished”. Nothing could be further from the mind of God. Today’s readings are not to cause fear in our hearts, but to allow hope to take over more and more in the place of fear. Jesus is encouraging us to do this by staying alert and avoid foolish, non life-giving behaviour.

Several times I have been at courses and the speaker said towards the end of the talk that they will meet again in 2 weeks and he gives the day, date and time. Quite often before the end of the session a number of people will raise their hands and ask when the next session will be. They were not alert to the information given about this a short time before.

Today the Church begins the new Liturgical Year with the season of Advent. This season can be seen as a kind of wake-up call to us to ask us how we are preparing for the coming of Christ. Are we alert? The word Advent means Arrival or Coming.

Advent reminds us of the 3 comings of Jesus, the First was his being born in Bethlehem, which is what Christmas celebrates. But has he been born yet in my life? Have I made room for him or what fills up my life that prevents this? The Third coming will be his coming at the end of time. The Second coming is right now as each day he comes to us. He knocks on our doors through others; through the events of our lives etc. He comes to us in ways that are so ordinary that often we miss these. Like a visit we receive from someone when we feel a bit low or a compliment from another when I do something good. Or again, a challenge from someone when I may be behaving in a way that is not life-giving for myself or others. Will I allow him more and more into my life? If I try with the help of the Spirit to be alert each day through prayer and good works, then it doesn’t matter when the end of time is for the Third coming of Jesus.

Advent is also a time of learning. The first reading today is from the prophet Isaiah. He invites us to go to God in order that ’he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths’. Isaiah spells this out for us as we wait for Jesus to come. He invites us to hammer our swords into ploughshares and our spears into sickles, the tools for harvesting. What swords do we as individuals use? Maybe the swords of unforgiveness, the swords of anger, of selfishness, threats to those whom we employ or have under our influence, etc. etc. Not easy to do but Jesus never said it would be easy. That’s why he asks us to call always on the Holy Spirit for help. The second reading from St. Paul invites us to throw off the works of darkness and put on the armour of light: courage, truth, integrity, compassion and love.

So Jesus, the Son of Man comes and surprises us at the least unexpected hour especially in our daily encounters with those he gives us as brothers and sisters.  Waiting for the Lord does not take us out of history, but it involves us more in it since we are hoping for the God who has come and is in our midst. What then is inconsistent and what is unchristian in our behaviour as we wait?  Maybe we should ask ourselves “In what direction are we going as we make our way as pilgrims on this earth?”  How well am I preparing spiritually for Christmas? Hopefully the answer will be “Towards Jesus, towards peace and solidarity with everyone, a desire we all share”. A very good prayer to say often is:” Maranatha, come Lord Jesus’.

‘Lord Jesus, open our eyes and hearts to prepare in a special way for your coming more and more into our hearts this Christmas and always. Amen’. 

Fr. Jim Kirstein SMA

14 November 2010

Malachi 4.1-2
2 Thessalonians 3.7-12
Luke 21.5-19

A friend of mine, who had just come back from New York, showed me a photo of people looking at the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre as they collapsed to the ground. The expressions on the faces of these people were full of horror, fear and probably most of all disbelief. Two months after the terrible tragedy of the evil terrorist attack of 11 September nothing remained of these famous Twin Towers but a huge pile of stones where the buildings once stood. Nothing but rubble stood in place of these famous landmarks. They’re now putting up new buildings there.

Before the evil attack no one would have thought it possible that what was one of the centres of world trade and finance could be destroyed. Now we know otherwise. The prophecy of Jesus in today’s gospel is that the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem would end up likewise, that one stone would not be left standing on another.  In that Jewish Temple the pillars were columns of white marble 40 feet high, each made of a single block.  The front face of this Temple was covered with plates of gold of great weight.  It had taken 46 years to build. Therefore, for the Jews it was simply unthinkable that the glory of their Temple should be shattered to dust but it was.  If that could be utterly destroyed like the World Trade Centre was anything safe any more? The very basis of their religious security and certainty was taken from them.  What then remained? 

More than one commentator after the September 11^th terrorist attack in the U.S. said that probably the worst effect of what happened was that now people felt terribly vulnerable. No longer were Americans involved only in wars outside the US.  Now on their own soil anything this evil was possible.  Where was one to find one’s security just as the Jews asked after the fall of their Temple in Jerusalem? Well, that answer for American Christians is written on their coins if it is accepted.  “In God we trust”.  But we all know that we can write phrases and speak them without them having a practical effect on our lives.

Is it not true that God often seems absent from our lives? How often do we ask this in time of trial, the sudden loss of a loved one, in time of sickness, adversity, tragedy etc. “Where is God now, where is his help now?” Everything seems hopelessly dark. But if in such moments we remain faithful, there are sometimes new, unknown ways opening up to us.  We would never have discovered them were it not for this trial. Later, sometimes we have to acknowledge that God was there after all. Maybe thanks to this suffering I have come to discover or discern better the deeper aspects of life. However, no one would wish this tragedy to happen in order to discover this. And certainly God does not and could not send it just to teach us. But I have to admit that it is not easy to understand why he allows it.

Where was God at times of tragedy?  It would seem he still comes as he did in the days of his being with us here on earth when he lived in Palestine. God comes to us in human form. He uses us humans to be his loving and caring presence, to be his concern, his compassion etc. if we allow him. New York’s response was a great example of this.  We saw people coming together in solidarity in ways they never did before. There was tremendous concern for those who lost loved ones. There were many, many heroic examples of what is best in the human person – firemen, policemen, religious, very ordinary people risking their lives.  We see it too in the efforts of people in times of earthquakes, famines, floods etc sending help both material and human to the affected areas.

Jesus does not deny that these terrible events will happen. But he does remind us powerfully in the gospel that we are not alone. He assures us that ‘our endurance will win us our lives’. He is with us strengthening us in times of trial. It means that even if evil people cause us harm or evil, the person who walks along with Jesus may lose his life as Jesus did but not his spirit or soul.

Today’s liturgy reminds us that we are called, invited, encouraged by his Holy Spirit to persevere as our temples fall around us. Nothing lasts forever, eventually they perish and disappear. What are our temples? Where do we put so much of our trust – wealth, power, a good job, health, another person? What do we need to let go of?  These things will pass away but not God.

“In God we trust”.  May this be the only true Temple in our lives, which will never pass away or be destroyed.  Jesus affirms the great power of God at work in history. It demands that we work to destroy sinful human structures or Temples that are not of God and which enslave ourselves, others.

“Heavenly Father, give me an unshakable confidence in your Fatherly providential loving care Amen” Why not pray this prayer daily at least to learn to trust God more and more?

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

31^st October 2010

Wisdom 11.22-12.2
2 Thessalonians 1.11-2.2
Luke 19.1-10

A man in his forties, Paul was invited to the birthday party of his good friend John.  During the party he met many people. The next day he met his host John who asked him what he thought of one of those present but who spent only a short time at the party and then  passed on to another engagement.  “He has changed since we were at college together”.  Paul was amazed that he did not recognize him.

In the gospel today we see Jesus entering Jericho and passing through it. So many times in the Gospel we see him passing by or through a place. If he is not stopped, he will keep going. Similarly, he constantly passes through our lives. He comes every day in one form or another. He will come into my life today. Will I recognise him? Where am I expecting to find him? In what person? In what place? In what experience? To be really ready I have to be prepared to meet him in ANY experience.

No one expected Zacchaeus a senior tax collector, a very wealthy and prominent man in Jericho hiding up a Sycamore tree.  But he was very small in stature and therefore felt he had no opportunity because of the crowds to see Jesus who was to pass that way. Certainly no one would have wanted to help him either by making way for him.  His fellow Jews would have hated him as he worked for the Roman army of occupation.  Besides tax collectors in general were a corrupt group, well known for exploiting their own people and becoming rich as a result.

There is a message there somehow. Very often we are not able to see Jesus in our lives because we are crowded out by other people and the way they think. To see Jesus clearly we often have to get away from the crowd and risk being different, risk losing our dignity. The word “holy” in Greek actually means someone who is different, someone set apart.

How determined are we to see Jesus, to come close to him? Zacchaeus had to overcome the obstacle of his small size.  What are the obstacles in our lives that might prevent Jesus coming close to us? Are we too busy to give him time in our lives? Do we spend enough time in prayer? Do we hear Jesus knocking on the door of our hearts asking us to invite him more and more into our lives?  Or are our hearts too taken up with many concerns that do not lead to true peace and happiness?  In what way may we be hiding from Jesus?

We are told that Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus, to catch a glimpse of him from a distance. In order not to be seen he hides in the Sycamore tree.  We can imagine how amazed he was when Jesus looks up, calls him by name and invites himself to stay at his house. God always gives more than we ask.

One of the things we notice in the story is that the initiative comes from Jesus. God always makes the first move.  Zacchaeus responds generously by promising to give half his possessions to the poor and to pay back those he may have cheated

‘Zacchaeus, come down.  I must stay at your house today’. How wonderful when Jesus says these words to us! Yet at every Eucharist he makes this invitation at communion. At many other times too he wishes to enter into our lives. The Book of Revelation has Jesus say in a beautiful image: “I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into his house and eat with him and he will eat with me” (Rev 3:20). Are our doors always open and ready to offer him hospitality?

Zacchaeus has no hesitation. He climbs down quickly, delighted to welcome Jesus into his house. The reaction of the crowd, however, is something else. They are deeply shocked and scandalised. “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” Of all the people in Jericho, Jesus picks the house of possibly the most obnoxious and detested person in the town.

The story shows that Jesus addresses all kinds of people. No one is excluded from his call to participate in the kingdom. The kingdom is also for those who are not socially well considered or accepted, maybe today like AIDS victims, drug addicts or paedophiles. But change as in the case of Zacchaeus is called for.  If anyone is excluded from the kingdom, it is because they have excluded themselves!  Jesus came to seek out and save those who are lost.

Sometimes what prevents us from allowing God to come close to us is that we may think others may ridicule us for being a close disciple of Jesus.  Zacchaeus was prepared to accept that ridicule of his fellow Jews but he stood his ground and responded to the invitation of Jesus.

This Sunday Jesus seeks us out too in the Eucharist.  Where are we in need?  Will we hear his call?  Will we recognize him as he passes by in our lives? How will we respond?

“Lord Jesus, help me, like Zacchaeus, to hear your invitation to invite you more and more into my life.  Help me to understand ever more clearly that you alone can fulfill the deeper needs of my heart. Amen”

Fr. Jim Kirstein SMA

17 October 2010

 Exodus 17. 8-13
1 John 4.11-16
Luke 18.1-8

At one stage one of our priests who worked in a certain African country wanted to get a CofO – a Certificate of Occupancy for a piece of land he wanted to buy. The CofO is similar to Title Deeds in Ireland. He went to the local government office to get this but every time he went the official who wanted a bribe first, was either absent or couldn’t find the file! The priest went back every day for 6 months. Finally, he wore down the official with his persistence and got the CofO.

This incident reminded me of today’s gospel about the widow whose persistent prayer and perseverance were eventually rewarded. She refused to give up and be discouraged.

Some background to the parable:

The Judge

Clearly the judge was not a Jewish judge since disputes were taken before the elders and there were 3 appointed to judge the case.  So this judge was one of the judges appointed by the Romans or by Herod.  These people were notorious for being corrupt and taking bribes.  So to gain a favourable judgement a person would have to bribe the judge.

The Widow

is a symbol of all who were poor and defenceless. She would have had little chance of success being totally unable to bribe the judge. But she had one weapon which finally proved very effective – her persistence. She wore down the resistance of the judge. So her perseverance, her refusal to give up paid off.

This seems to be a rather simple parable about how we should keep asking; pounding on God’s door and eventually we will get what we ask for. But prayer, or persistence in asking, is more than saying words or having thoughts. God is not a judge who is manipulated by pretty words or angry suggestions.   Prayer is an intimacy which extends beyond a particular time of praying. We are urged to live as a prayer rather than separating prayer from our daily living. The main purpose of prayer is to foster our relationship with God

In the first reading Moses needed Aaron and Hur to help him. We too find additional grace to persevere through the support of prayers of the Christian community.  It is a gift we can offer others too.

It is important to realise that the parable does not liken God to the unjust judge; rather it contrasts him to such a person.  Jesus was really saying: ‘if the corrupt and unjust judge can be wearied into giving the widow woman justice, how much more will God our loving Father give his children what they need?’

The widow asked the unjust judge for justice against her enemy. Quite often human justice is by no means the best example of fair play and honesty available to us. If God were simply to apply the principles of human justice to each of us, who would stand a chance? It is only in the light of divine mercy that we can hope to be vindicated and forgiven.

Of course, sometimes we don’t seem to get what we pray for. Only God knows what is good for us in the long run. That is why the lesson of the parable is to persevere and never give up. There is, of course, an important condition, that what we ask for must be according to justice and the will of God.  Do we not pray in the Our Father: ‘Thy will be done’? That is why Jesus asks the question at the end of the parable. “When the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?” Jesus in asking this question was wondering if people’s faith would stand up to the long delay before the Son of Man would come again in his glory. May we persevere in prayer and accept that God’s answer is what is best for us.

‘Will there be any faith on earth?’ We need to recall that faith is not automatic, nor is it given forever if it is not nourished. Faith grows and matures through prayer and the sacraments as well as through the practice of kindness, love, compassion, forgiveness etc.  Faith is a gift but it is also a task.

Sadly, often we forget God when things are going well.  Then there is a crisis and we cry out to God to help us.  The amazing thing is he does, instead of forgetting us as we forget him much of the time.

Prayer and faith are very closely connected.  It’s because we have faith that we pray.  At the same time prayer sustains our faith. We need to pray not just when we are in trouble but at all times.  

Finally, prayer is no substitute for action. God wants us to do all we can in any circumstance and also to pray. Prayer is not an escape from life but a journey into the heart of life.

“Lord Jesus, may our prayer deepen our relationship with you. Help us to persevere in difficult times. Increase our faith and trust in you. Amen.”            

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

10 October 2010

2 Kings 5.14-17
2 Timothy 2.8-13
Luke 17.17.11-19

A certain man saw a poor beggar at the side of the road and gave him some coins. He had walked away about 200 metres when he suddenly realized that the beggar had not thanked him and he became quite angry. He spoke to his Rabbi about it who asked him, ‘Did you give him the money only to be thanked?  And, by the way, did you thank Yahweh for inspiring you to be kind to the beggar?’

One message of today’s readings is gratitude, especially to God. Are we grateful people? The central worship we make is the Eucharist, a Greek word meaning thanksgiving because in it we offer Jesus to the Father in gratitude for the gifts he lavishes on us daily. Healing is another aspect of today’s gospel.

The gospel today highlights the fact that it is a foreigner who shows gratitude to God, not the other nine.  At the time of Jesus leprosy would have been thought of as AIDS is by many today.  Lepers had to keep their distance from people and villages. They usually had a bell which they rang warning others of their presence. Even though the disease of leprosy was terrible, eating away into the flesh until eventually killing the leper there were other perhaps worse aspects associated with being a leper. They were cut off socially from their families, their village, from attending synagogue worship. Simply they were regarded as outcasts, outsiders.  One could imagine that they would have had little self-esteem.

At one stage in Nigeria outside the church where I celebrated Mass on a Sunday there was a leper who had only two stumps of hands – no palms, no fingers etc. I often thought: How did he dress himself? He obviously couldn’t write, tie his sandals or thread a needle. I couldn’t but thank God for my hands and fingers each time I saw him. Should it not be the same when we see blind or similar people?

So on his way to Jerusalem where he would suffer and die Jesus entered a village and 10 lepers came to meet him. As the custom demanded they stood some way off and begged him to help them.  Here Jesus simply tells the 10 lepers to go and show themselves to the priests. This was in keeping with the laws of the time so that they could be certified as being free from leprosy. It is interesting that he didn’t cure them on the spot but asked them to do something by going to the priests and trusting him. 

The change effected by Jesus was far greater than merely a physical one. They were healed of being social outcasts. They could now go back to their families, their friends, and their synagogues. But for the Samaritan who was cured it was even deeper as it now meant a new relationship with Jesus, with God.  In turning back to Jesus he praises God and Jesus says ‘your faith has saved you’.

Interestingly, at first the 10 lepers stood at a distance from Jesus. The Samaritan in turning back to give thanks fell at the feet of Jesus. This shows us that he is now much closer to Jesus than before the healing.  But the others go farther away. Isn’t it true for any of us that our blessings, our gifts from God can either bring us nearer to Him or keep us away if we forget the Source, the Giver?

Luke wants to emphasise something that may be overlooked. It happens that one of the lepers is a Samaritan, a foreigner and therefore someone who would have been looked down on by the Jewish people. However, Jesus shows no partiality. On the contrary he seems to prefer marginalised and insignificant people. Luke, who in his gospel shows such sensitivity for the poor, does the same with the Samaritan. These other lepers, most likely Jews, accept a Samaritan among them. Their common pain and tragedy brought them together just like these days the evil terrorist attacks bring people of all creeds, nationalities, and languages together in great displays of solidarity.

The listeners would not have been delighted to hear Jesus describing this Samaritan as the hero of the story. And by implication Jesus expresses his disappointment that the others did not show their gratitude. Obviously God appreciates being thanked and haven’t we all so much to thank God for?

Leprosy now as in the time of Jesus always makes outcasts of people. It has a thousand names and a thousand faces: illness, old age, poverty, AIDS, unemployment, drugs, but also abuse, violence, desertion, giving up, loneliness.  In reading the story of the 10 lepers I am aware that I am a leper too because of my sins.  We can cut ourselves off from God, from others and even ourselves if we distance ourselves from God and the others who may want to help us find a meaning, peace and joy in life.

Finally, the Greek word for healing is the same for saving or making whole. So in healing the leper and the sins of each of us Jesus wants to make us whole. He wants to save us from all that could harm us or cause division. All the lepers knew how desperately they needed the healing touch of Jesus? Do we?  Let us go to him and ask him to reveal to us where we most need healing and ask him to heal us.

“Lord Jesus, help me to be aware of my need for healing and especially to be ever grateful to you for all your gifts, healing included. May you use us to be healers for those we meet who feel cut off from what is life-giving. Amen”

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

3 October 2010

Habakkuk 1:2-3, 2:2-4
2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14
Luke 17:5-10

A certain woman had two teenage daughters. She told them that her cleaning woman would be away for two months as her only daughter was about to give birth to her first baby and she wanted to be with her. She asked her two daughters to help her with the cleaning of the house during that period. All she asked of them was to use the vacuum cleaner once a week and do some dusting also. They asked their mother: ‘how much will you pay us for this?’ The mother was very hurt and amazed. She replied: ‘ever since your birth I loved you, took care of you, fed you, clothed you, and sent you to a very good school. I never once asked you to pay me for this. Loving you as I do how could I have asked you to pay me?’

To serve God is not a duty but a privilege. The most important quality to bring to that service is love. What sort of spirit do we bring to our worship and service of God?

In this gospel Jesus is telling us that we cannot claim anything from God because of any good we do. We can never put God into our debt. We can never make claims on him even when we have done our best. Have we not only done our duty?  How could we fail to do what God asks of in response for all his goodness to us? The whole idea of merit or reward must be abandoned in our approach to God. It is a warning against a book-keeping mentality. As Jesus says in the gospel: “So with you when you have done all that you have been told to do, say: we are merely servants”.

It is not easy for most of us to think like this. Many of us in the Catholic Church have been brought up with the idea of reward and punishment, to see God as a kind of divine book-keeper. If we do God’s will God will bless us, if we do wrong or sin God will punish us or even send us to hell if we sin badly.  This is totally false and quite the opposite of what Jesus taught. Jesus continually speaks about his Father and ours too as being a God of total love, a God of mercy, compassion and loving concern. When we put this into the overall lifestyle of Jesus, of his teaching and his attitude to outcasts, prostitutes and sinners we see Jesus speaking about a God of love.  We try then to do God’s will as an act of gratitude and praise to God for the totally free, unmerited gift of his love.

Since we are used to doing many things ourselves and are rewarded for this, because of our talents and gifts we may think that by being virtuous and good we will earn God’s love.  If we could only realize how totally opposite this is to the message of Jesus who came to reveal the sheer gift of all God gives and who wants us to accept it freely, humbly and for being grateful for the gift of his friendship and love.

We try to do good as a response to God because this is what God wants from us as an act of gratitude and also to witness to others by our loving concern and compassion what kind of God we believe in.

There is one other important point in today’s gospel and that is in the opening verses in which the disciples ask Jesus: ‘Increase our faith’. He tells us that a grain of authentic faith can achieve great things. Faith is not just about believing certain doctrines; it is about remaining faithful. It is, first and foremost, about faithfulness to God. Faithfulness is not just a matter of dogged determination. It finds its strength in God whose faithfulness is a constant theme in the Bible from start to finish. Faith is best seen as a relationship. It consists in living in a dynamic union with someone, someone in whom we place our trust because we know that he / she loves us. If we understand faith in this way it has many consequences which Jesus also explained. Faith is the total commitment on all levels of our life to God, remembering that he has, first of all, totally committed his life to us even to Jesus being crucified for us.

So if we see faith in terms of a relationship we will need to grow in faith. This takes time. Look at how long it takes to develop human skills, to become a good musician, a good parent, a good husband or wife, a good priest or religious etc. God knows it takes time and he is very patient with us. Faith grows quietly because it is God’s gift and it unfolds in God’s time. Faith grows strong if we nurture it by prayer, by the sacraments, daily fidelity to God’s love, especially by doing God’s will according to our calling in life. Maybe we need to pray at least once daily for a very great increase of faith, trust and love.

In this sense faith is an encounter with Someone we believe loves us and who invites us into a loving relationship, in order to become a partner of his in his work.  It begins at baptism but since faith is life it has to grow toward maturity, to develop.  Jesus was always faithful to the will of his Father which finally led to his death on the cross, the true meaning and outcome of faith – giving oneself totally to the other in a relationship no matter what the cost. We see this in many people who care for their children, parents, relatives, friends or neighbours, at great cost to themselves.

“Heavenly Father, praise and thank you for the gift of faith, your invitation to us to enter into a loving relationship with you, Jesus and the Spirit.  Give us all a great increase of Faith, Trust and Love. Amen” 

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

19 September 2010

Amos 8.4-7
1 Timothy 2.1-8
Luke 16.1-13

I once attended the First Communion Mass of a 9-year-old daughter of good friends of mine. Back at their home for a celebration the little girl started to busy herself opening the gifts she had received. She focused on opening the envelopes. All but the last one she opened had money in it. She shook the offending empty envelope but to no avail and declared: ‘this one doesn’t work’. A child of our times alright, but in what way has she been brought up by us. Will the parents educate her to have a proper attitude to money? Today’s readings are about money, wealth and various attitudes towards them.

Before I went to Nigeria I was invited by a former classmate to go for a meal. He had a very important job as the Financial Manager of a company. He seemed to be very well off financially. When I returned to Ireland for my vacation I asked about him. I was shocked and very saddened to be told that he had been sentenced to 5 years in prison for fraud and stealing company money.

He reminded me of the dishonest steward in today’s gospel. Sadly, the gospel parable seems to jump out at us directly from today’s newspaper headlines. Quite often we hear of managers and others being accused of and dismissed for squandering money entrusted to them. Accounts of falsified documents, forgery, misuse of funds, scams – it seems Jesus is speaking of our time as well as his own.

What surprises us about today’s gospel is that at first Jesus seems to be praising the dishonest steward for what he has done. Rather, we would expect Jesus to condemn the actions of the dishonest steward. What Jesus praises the dishonest steward for is not his dishonesty but his astuteness or prudence in reacting to the situation when his master finds him out. He uses his imagination in a creative way to secure his future. He knows he is not strong enough to dig; he would be ashamed to beg. An important aspect of the parable then is that in the face of a crisis, of total loss he acts immediately and decisively. The crisis he finds himself in demands instant action and he responds.

Jesus compares the ‘children of light’, his followers, with the ‘children of this world’, those who live according to worldly values only. As the steward prepares for one form of ‘after-life’ when he is dismissed, Jesus invites us to be as decisive in preparing for our ‘after-life’. Jesus is not commending any form of dishonesty but rather invites us to take advantage of life’s opportunities to choose real life.

‘Use money to win you friends’ – money is there to serve us. Jesus invites us to use mammon, that is, money or material goods to share them with others, our families, friends as well as those less well off. There is a big difference between being a steward of the wealth and talents God has blessed us with and being at their mercy. Instead of us controlling them we can allow them to control us. For St. Luke, helping the poor and needy is the best way for us to serve God and not mammon.

This is what the prophet Amos speaks about in the first reading. He condemns those who are already well off but seek only to make themselves richer by exploiting the poor and the lowly. Religion can never be relegated to the purely private and subjective sphere, but must be assertive in the search for social justice.

The dishonest steward solved his problem by relying on the mercy of his master. How much will our loving God help us in our crises if we depend and trust in his mercy? Thus, the real point of the parable is to confirm the kindness and generosity of the master.  He did not send the steward to prison but only dismissed him.  He would honour the lower amounts the dishonest steward negotiated with the debtors.  Jesus is saying – ‘this is your God.  He could really punish you for your sinful ways but is merciful and compassionate to you like the master in the parable. He accepts a lot less from you than he is entitled to receive because of his incredible goodness to you’.

But Jesus is also challenging us. ‘Wake up’, he says. Be more decisive and imaginative in your Christian vocation so as to use your talents, money and the material goods of this world as is worthy of children of God. We don’t know what time remains for any of us. The terrible evil terrorist attacks we see daily on our TV screens should be a warning to us not to be complacent. God is so generous with us in spite of our dishonest ways. It is an invitation to us all to examine ourselves to see if we act honestly. Do we need to repent in any way and turn back to him using our talents and material goods to build his kingdom?

‘Heavenly Father, we are all dishonest stewards in one way or another. Thank you for your great patience in accepting far less in return from us than you deserve. Change our hearts so that we can be more loving and generous in our response to you. Amen.’      

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

5 September 2010

Wisdom 9.13-18
Philemon 9-10,12-17
Luke 14.25-33

Oliver was 25 years old when he fell in love with an Italian who had come to Ireland to study English. Eventually they decided to get married. But her mother was seriously ill and needed to be looked after.  Maria told Oliver that they would have to live in Italy as she needed to take care of her sick mother. She was an only child and her father was dead. It meant Oliver had to give up a good job here and search for one there. He has been living in Italy for the last 15 years, would love to come home to Ireland to live but is unable to do so as Maria’s mother is still alive and needs caring. Because of his love for his wife he is prepared to make sacrifices to be with her and their 2 children.

Using the language of today’s gospel he had chosen ‘to hate’ his family and others. How could Jesus who spoke so much about love, compassion and forgiveness be talking about hating and especially hating those closest to us? This sounds shocking to our ears. In order to understand the text properly we must realise that his use of the verb ‘to hate’ is a ‘Semitic’ way of speaking that was typical of the cultural background of Jesus. Then the meaning of ‘hating’ would have been the equivalent of the verb ‘prefer’ or ‘to love less’ as we might use them today. So to be a true disciple of Jesus means putting him in the first place. It does not stop us loving, caring for, and delighting in our parents, family or friends.  It means that our relation to Jesus, to God has to have first place like the man put his wife in the first place. Are we capable of putting Jesus in the first place in our lives?

Jesus had one great goal in life; namely, to carry out the task his father had given him.  That’s what he lived for. And he was prepared to pay whatever price was demanded in order to fulfill his goal. It meant leaving home at about 30 years old.  He gave up a sure job as a carpenter to take up another way of living. His total commitment to his Father’s will eventually cost him great suffering and a terrible death.

For us too discipleship may be quite costly. We can draw encouragement from the life of the apostles. The gospels show that they struggled at every point to follow Jesus yet he didn’t write them off.

When I see certain families who have an autistic child or a child suffering from cancer or a badly paralysed or mentally handicapped child and their total dedication to looking after them in very demanding circumstances I say to myself ‘there is discipleship of totally committed people’.  Some of these may not be Christian or even be believers at all but they certainly fulfill the command of Jesus

To return to the gospel – whom was Jesus addressing? The gospel says that ‘great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way and he turned and addressed them’.  So it was not only the 12 apostles but also a great number of people. We know who these people were from other gospel passages: fishermen, farmers, housewives, tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers, scribes and Pharisees and all other kinds of people. It is to this great number of all kinds of people that Jesus was speaking. And to us too.

This is the Good News of today’s gospel. Each and every one of us is called to be a disciple of Jesus.  ‘Carrying the cross’ as Jesus asks of us is another way of speaking of following him. ‘Great crowds accompanied Jesus on his way’ – to be on the way of Jesus, to follow him means that it is a lifelong journey. Discipleship is more than a one-time decision.  It is a process.  It takes time.

Discipleship means more than doing some good things for the Lord – it means committing ourselves to him as he did to us. To be a Christian means we have a goal, we are going some place, we are following Someone. Jesus does not ask the impossible of us. He knows that it takes time to follow him closely.  We need to learn his ways.  Above all, we need to depend totally on the help of the Holy Spirit.  This is the great gift Jesus promised us before he went back to his Father in heaven.

The two little stories that end today’s gospel are reminding us that it costs to follow Jesus. It is not easy. But if we wish to follow Jesus on this long journey we are asked to let go of whatever in life attaches us too much to ourselves, our comforts, our status, possessions and so on.

Do I ever sit down and ask myself: am I on the right way? Am I doing the best I can with my talents and gifts?  Do I give a helping hand to others needing my help? Do I share what I have with the poor, at least sometimes?  Where is my focus – at least on Jesus at times, on others or always on myself?

Jesus calls each of us to follow him closely.  And I am sure you try to live out the demand of Jesus for discipleship. For a husband or wife, it will be their love and concern for each other and their children as well as for others. For a doctor or nurse, it will be their care of the sick. For priests and religious – to share with others their love for God in faithful, loving service. Jesus calls us all to discipleship.  He calls us to greatness.  He knows we are capable of it despite our sinfulness, limitations and failures.  He won’t give up on us.  He keeps calling us. He wants disciples to help him?  How will we answer his call?

“Lord Jesus, you are the Way. With the help of your Holy Spirit enable us to be your true disciples as we follow you closely along this way. Amen.”      

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

29 August 2010

Please remember to pray for Fr Kieran O’Reilly SMA who will, this afternoon at 3pm, be ordained Bishop of Killaloe, Ireland. Fr Kieran was, until his appointment, the SMA Superior General. May the Lord bless him abundantly with the fruits of the Spirit that he may wisely lead the People of God in Killaloe.

Sirach 3.17-18,20,28-29
Hebrews 12.18-19,22-24
Luke 14.1,7-14 

One time the late Princess Diana was in Japan and they held a banquet in her honour. Only the rich and important people were invited.  It seems that afterwards in discussing the banquet those invited judged their importance by how near or far they were seated from where she was placed.

At one stage I was invited to a wedding and a government minister had been invited also.  Before the ceremony began he arrived with his wife and they sat down near the front of the church.  When the church began to fill up with other guests he was asked by one of the attendants to go back four or five rows. The front rows had been reserved for family members and for some handicapped people. The government minister was clearly embarrassed by being asked to move back.

In today’s gospel Jesus noticed the invited guests choosing the places of honour. Here Jesus is warning people like that and maybe ourselves too that our real importance does not come from external signs.  God isn’t at all impressed by the games people play to try to show to others how important they think they are. It seems the more fragile we are inside, the more we lack real self-esteem, then the more we will want to prove to others and ourselves by external signs that we are important.

If, as Christians we want to be important or first among others, then let us be first in terms of loving service to those who need us.  This is precisely what Jesus did.  To show to others what importance in the kingdom of God is, he got down on his knees and washed the feet of his disciples. He was constantly serving others.  He did not seek to impress others or try to prove that he was important. He knew God was his Father, as he is ours. He was known as coming from Nazareth in Galilee, a place that had little importance in the world of the time.  He worked until he was about 30 years old as a village carpenter, unknown, unsung, unheralded.

So real humility comes from the awareness and acceptance of who we are before God. The word humble comes from the same word as human and humus, which means soil or earth. Humility is tied in with inner freedom. If we are content and happy with who we are as God’s beloved children then there is no need to prove exteriorly that we are important people. Humility is also related to gratitude and honesty.  We accept our gifts as well as our limitations and weaknesses believing God loves us as we are, not as we would wish to be.

Pride results from forgetting or denying the truth that we are children of God. We depend for our very life breath from God second by second. Sadly many of us continue to play games with others and ourselves that we are important using worldly standards like social status, physical beauty, money, talents, academic qualifications, possessions, where we live, designer labels etc.

Each Sunday we are invited to a banquet – the Banquet of the Eucharist. Here Jesus is the host and we are his guests.  Here there are no special places.  You can sit where you wish.  Here privilege, status, rank have no meaning. Differences don’t count. This is because before God all of us are equal.

Some people get quite upset if they are not addressed by their titles even in the Church: bishop, father, sister or for others architect, engineer, professor etc.  There is nothing wrong with having these titles but if we need them to impress others then maybe we need to take today’s gospel to heart. Jesus resisted all attempts by people to call him the Messiah or when they tried to make him king. (John chapter 6)

That is why the second observation Jesus makes today in the gospel is about those who are important in God’s sight.  He has a preferential option for the poor.  These know they are not important in the world’s eyes. So he is drawn to them just as parents feel called to give special love and care to a handicapped child. It was interesting that in the story at the beginning, the couple being married worked with handicapped people and so gave some of the front seats to these. These could pay nothing in return; there was nothing to be gained but the satisfaction of their joy at being present at the wedding. 

  Obviously Jesus is not telling us in the gospel that we should not invite our relatives or friends or even well off friends to a meal. He is using a Semitic way of speaking. He is exaggerating for effect. The deeper meaning of what he is saying is that gratuitous or freely given love is the standard in God’s kingdom. Do we share gratuitously sometimes with those less well off in society?

The Good News then is that we all are invited to take part in the banquet of the kingdom of heaven. We are invited by God to accept his gift freely acknowledging his great love.  Humility and gratitude go hand in hand. The humble are truly grateful people who know that all they have received is from their loving Father. The kingdom is for the humble, the grateful, the gentle, those who freely accept God’s gifts. Is the fact that I am a child of God the most important identity I have?

  “Jesus meek and humble of heart, make our hearts like unto Yours.  Free us from any kind of pride. Amen”.

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

22 August 2010

Isaiah 66:18-21
Hebrews 12:5-7,11-13
Luke 13:22-30

One time I was on my way to visit a Nigerian family I knew but got lost so I stopped at a house to ask the way. The man who came to the door was a Muslim. He greeted me kindly and immediately invited me in to share their evening meal that they were having at that moment. I was obviously not a Nigerian.  He didn’t ask me if I were Muslim or whatever, whether I believed in Allah or was I an atheist.

He just welcomed and invited me to join them. He did not set any conditions for me to belong.

In the gospel today when Jesus is asked ‘will only a few people be saved?’ he does not answer with a ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Rather he invites people to enter the narrow gate. What does he mean? Well, the opening of today’s gospel gives us the key to understand Jesus’ answer. He is making his way to Jerusalem where he will die. Regardless of the cost he is determined to do his Father’s will. Those who try to do likewise and attempt to be true to what Jesus asks will join him in heaven.

The little parable that follows uses the image of a door. The master has locked the door and people come along and ask that the door be opened for them. Twice the master replies that he does not know where they come from. Jesus says they will claim they ate and drank in his company and he taught in their streets. But that is not enough. In Matthew’s gospel Jesus says “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of my Father but he/she who does the will of my Father in heaven”. In 1 John 3.18 we read that ‘our love is to be not just words or mere talk but something real and active’.

Jesus is telling us clearly that labels are not enough: those like Catholic, Jew, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist etc. can lead us to be complacent, and to take things for granted because we bear a certain religious label. Jesus was telling the Jews of his time that they were in danger of being locked out of the kingdom because they did not heed the call to repentance. All this is important for us. We must not repeat the mistake of Jesus’ contemporaries who thought they had a divine right to enter the kingdom of God, that they belonged to the club, so to speak. The gospel message is meant for us too: but when we are inclined to think that someone is ‘not one of us’, we might remember the teaching of Jesus – that no one is beyond the mercy and acceptance of God.

Remember Jesus was speaking to his Jewish hearers and especially to the religious leaders like the Pharisees, the Scribes and the Pharisees. These were convinced beyond doubt that only Jews could be saved. Not only Jews but the Jews who followed the Law exactly as they interpreted it. That is why they were determined to get rid of Jesus. He was acting like an outsider. He broke the Sabbath from time to time, he did not always uphold their religious traditions. He touched lepers and ate with people they called public sinners. He allowed women to go about publicly with him.

We might think that Jesus was giving us a new teaching in this regard but the first reading today from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah says that the Lord will come to gather the nations of every language. And he is not talking just about Israelites.  In 1 Tim. 2.4 we read ‘God wants all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth’. The Good News of today’s gospel is that God wants all people to be saved, irrespective of religious labels. Anyone who acts in a loving manner, following his/her conscience and is guided by the Spirit, even if not formally acknowledged will be part of God’s kingdom.

Each one of us has the capacity to allow Jesus Christ into our hearts or keep him out. The choice is ours. God doesn’t lock anyone out of his house. We do it ourselves by the choices we make in life.  It is not enough to say we heard of him, knew about him. To enter demands going through the narrow gate – the gate of love, forgiveness, compassion, living in peace with others, sharing what we have when this is possible. All this is far from easy.

But entry into God’s house by the narrow gate is possible for each one. The secret is to have the humility to knock on God’s door and ask God to allow us in. The narrow gate reminds us that salvation cannot be obtained through our own strength alone.  When Christ knocks on the door of our hearts he is asking us to allow him in and to journey with us, to call on his help freely offered.

God passionately wants us all to be in his kingdom. Jesus tells us not to worry, that in his Father’s house there are many mansions. There is enough room for us all. But we can refuse the invitation to enter. If we truly appreciate God’s incredible love for us, we will try with the help of the Holy Spirit to enter by the narrow gate, to follow him closely, that is, to do God’s will. It is the best way of saying ‘thank you’ to him for his call and choice of us as well as the many gifts he lavishes on us daily in life.

The Eucharist is the way in which we show that we are at least trying to be one with God and the other people with whom we celebrate and by extension all others, each of whom is a child of God.

“Lord, never let us take you for granted.  May our lives of service, of following you closely. be our thank you for your choice of us. Amen”.

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God

15 August 2010

Revelation 11:19, 12:1-6, 10
1 Cor 15:20-26
Luke 1:39-56

Two missionary priests made an agreement that whoever died first would contact the other about what happened. Some years later one of the priests had to go back to Ireland for medical treatment. Then one night the priest still on the missions woke up during the night convinced that there was someone in the room with him even though he couldn’t see anyone. Later he heard that that was the very time the other priest had died. One may not believe this or may dismiss it as pure coincidence. Whatever the reality we don’t have to base our trust in the resurrection on things like that.

In faith, today’s solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is telling us that God did indeed assume Mary body and soul into heaven at the end of her earthly life as a promise of our own resurrection from the dead after we die.

Mary’s greatness comes from her faith. Elizabeth, in today’s gospel says of Mary: ‘Blessed is she who believed that the promise made her by the Lord would be fulfilled’. Mary’s response is to give all the praise and glory to God who made it possible. Mary does not proclaim this song of thanksgiving as an isolated person but as the daughter of a people. This is clearly Luke’s intention. With her people, Mary sings the greatness of God whose power is revealed through history in his people by way of his saving deed.  Mary’s greatness is not based on a blood relationship with Jesus but because she was above all, the woman of faith who accepted God’s plan for her, even though it would involve a lot of suffering. She is someone very human like us experiencing many of the ups and downs of life as we do and so she knows what we go through having many of the same experiences, if not in the same detail, but certainly with the same joys and struggles of being human.

Mary is truly a model of the Christian life. Sometimes saints can be presented in such a way that we feel they are almost superhuman beings, almost angelic whom we could never imitate. This is certainly not true and especially it is not true of Mary. Mary is the greatest of all the saints because she never sinned.  She was sensitive to the call of God and lived her life in total obedience to that call. Hopefully, most of us Christians try to live in obedience to God’s will in our lives but the obvious difference is that we sin from time to time, Mary never did. 

Yet in many ways her life was very similar to the life of most women. She was married, gave birth to a child, and did her best to raise him as she believed. But there were times as in the case of all mothers when there were great misunderstandings between her and her son. When he was 12 years old and went missing for 3 days, she and St. Joseph must have been frantic with worry. The answer he gave was hardly satisfying on a human level. ‘Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’

At the age of about 30 when he decided to leave home to be an itinerant preacher how would his mother have reacted?  She most probably questioned him about the wisdom of it – where would he sleep, eat, what would support him etc? Of course, if we don’t really accept Jesus being fully human then we can give easy answers. At the wedding feast of Cana would Mary not have been like any other woman there, out dancing, enjoying the company, delighting in the newly wed young couple until her sensitivity to the lack of wine made her approach Jesus and ask his help. It shows the power of Mary’s intercession with her son.

So Mary was no plaster saint, totally different from other humans. She never heard confessions, celebrated Mass or performed miracles in the ordinary sense of the term. But hers was the greatest miracle of all – never to have sinned, never to have resisted God’s will. And she was faithful to the very end. She followed Jesus to Calvary and saw him crucified cruelly.

Today’s solemnity then is, above all, the triumph of God’s grace over evil and sin in a human being, Mary. The first reading from revelation is simply telling us that God is victorious in the struggle with evil and sin. The Assumption is the celebration of what God can do for us humans if we allow him

For a long time this thanksgiving song of Mary was seen in terms of a spiritual hymn only. But in recent times the emphasis is also very much on God’s preferential option for the poor, the underprivileged, and the marginalised. This is a theme running right though the bible and Mary’s song highlights it. In effect it speaks of God turning the ordinary way of looking at things upside down. ‘God pulls down the mighty from their thrones and exalts the lowly; the hungry he fills with good things, the rich he sends empty away’ etc. This, of course, was what Jesus proclaimed and carried out during his public ministry.

St. Paul says ‘eye has not seen nor ear heard what things God has prepared for those who love him’. What must have been like for Mary, when she was assumed into heaven by God’s choice, to have come face to face with Jesus whom she had last seen physically hanging on a cross before being put in the tomb. What an incredibly joyful encounter it must have been.   

Today’s solemnity is a reminder to us that we too are called to the same destiny as Mary – to be with her Son forever in heaven. However in the meantime, we need to pray often for a great increase of faith and trust in God so that like Mary we will be faithful to the call each of us has from God. We too are called to work for justice – to let go of prejudices against any group of people, like AIDS victims, immigrants; to be those who are concerned for the underprivileged to the extent that we can be.

“Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of your mother Mary.  May she continually intercede for us.  Amen”

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

8^th August 2010

Wisdom 18.6-9
Hebrews 11.1-2, 8-19
Luke 12.32-48

Some years ago a friend of mine went on a plane journey for the first time. When the air hostess asked those on board for their attention to the safety instructions he paid great attention, not having heard them before. He heard the hostess telling them where the emergency exits were, how to use an oxygen mask should there be a drop in cabin pressure, where the safety jackets were and how to use them. The idea behind all the instructions was to help passengers to be prepared for the unexpected.

In the gospel and readings today Jesus gives us some instructions regarding the flight of life, that is our journey through life. We hear in the first reading that just as God came to the rescue of the Jews in Egypt, so he will save those who put their trust in him. In the gospel we are asked to be prepared for the unexpected. We are called to be ready whenever the Lord returns to take us with him.

The whole point of today’s readings is not to frighten or threaten us. It is the very opposite. The opening lines of the gospel give us the good news when Jesus says to his disciples and that includes us: ’There is no need to be afraid little flock, for it has pleased your father to give you the kingdom’. So the kingdom is a sheer gift from our loving God. He does not want us to get involved in any kind of lifestyle by which we could get sidetracked by a false value system or to forget our goal.

Just as a business man will invest wisely or get involved in projects which will ensure a good return we are asked by Jesus to do the very same to ensure our future happiness. The best down payment we can make towards being assured of our heavenly home is almsgiving and whatever lifestyle or good deeds that are demanded of us because of our vocation. That is why Jesus advises us to get purses that do not wear out, treasure that will not fail us. For where our treasure is, Jesus says, there will our heart be.  What really is treasure for us?  Where, in fact, is your heart and mine?

As life goes on we may become increasingly aware of how fleeting it is. And how precarious our hold on life is. An incident some years ago taught me this lesson. I read about a young man who was shot in Dublin, Ireland because he was mistaken for someone else whom the gunmen were seeking. Neither he, nor his family foresaw his totally unexpected and sudden death. Who would have foreseen his unexpected death? Nearly all of us know of people who die as a result of cancer which attacks them out of the blue. Our lives hang by a thread. Life can be taken away from us in the twinkling of an eye.

Jesus was aware of the uncertainty of life. His parable stresses the fact that death can come at any moment. It isn’t that God tries to catch us unawares like a thief breaking into a house. That would be unthinkable. Death, not God, is the thief that robs us of life.

The uncertainty of life should not prevent us from enjoying life in the present. And we don’t know if we will have that chance to live long. What we do have is an opportunity to be faithful to our responsibilities and commitments on a daily basis, like the good and wise steward Jesus spoke about. Then we can go forward into the unknown like Abraham did, trusting in God’s gracious and loving care.

One day a monk was sweeping a floor in the monastery when someone asked him what he would do if he knew he was going to die within the hour. ‘I’d go on sweeping the floor’, he replied. In other words he was attending to the duty of the moment.

What we are talking about is faith, the faith Abraham showed in the second reading. The letter to the Hebrews reminds us: “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things unseen. (Heb.11.1). Ultimately faith is about trust. Will we trust that Jesus will come again and in the meantime try our best to live as good servants of his in this life.

It is easy and tempting to think of the coming of the Lord at the end of time, when our own lives will most probably be over.  It is more challenging to imagine that perhaps the Lord comes to us in less dramatic ways, in our daily dealings with each other, in situations that call for personal honesty and integrity.  The clearest and surest ways that the Lord enters our lives is when we celebrate the Eucharist together, when we receive the food which sustained the Israelites of their journey in the desert.

It is amazing that the Lord when he finds his servants doing their work faithfully when he returns, will actually sit them down at table, put on an apron and wait on them hand and foot. This is really something! Being raised up all because our head was focused down on the task given.

Let us pray for a renewal of faith in our own day, a faith that will enlighten our way, enabling us to travel lightly as pilgrims, choosing to live more simply that others may simply live.

“Lord Jesus, help us to believe totally that you are our treasure that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. Give us a great increase of faith and trust in you that especially in dark and difficult times we will be faithful to you and to your promises.  Amen.”      

Fr. Jim Kirstein SMA

1st August 2010

Ecclesiastes 1.2, 2.21-23
Colossians 3.1-5, 9-11
Luke 12.13-21

A certain rich man, who had never married, inherited a large amount of money at the age of 79. He consulted a number of friends who were investment bankers to know where best to invest his money so that he could get the best return. They suggested a number of different options, different companies.  Despite all his money, he spent a lot of energy and time worrying about which would give him the most interest on his investment. Whilst he was doing this he died suddenly. Because he was always well off it never seemed to have occurred to him to share with people less well off.

The readings today focus on our priorities and attitudes in life. Nowhere in today’s readings or in the Bible does it say that having possessions is wrong. The question is what importance do we give them in our lives? The first reading today is from the Book of Ecclesiastes. When he says that ‘all is vanity’ he is using the word ‘vanity’ in the sense of ‘illusion’ or ‘mist’. He says that it is an illusion to think that wealth or possessions in themselves can give true happiness and especially if we put them in the place of God so that they become idols. We then act as if we are independent of God.

In the gospel Jesus refuses to get involved in a dispute regarding an inheritance between two brothers.  He takes the opportunity to warn people against avarice or greed of any kind. Greed can become an idol because it consists in putting our trust in something other than God. Jesus is not talking only about material possessions. He is talking about anything that can become an idol for us.  It might be drugs, drink, sex, work etc. Today computers and modern technology may take up so much of our time that we haven’t time to pray or go to Mass as we used to.

In the parable Jesus speaks about a man who is already rich. He wants to pull down his barns and build bigger ones. It is clear that the focus is on himself. He is self-centred. He doesn’t seem to consider the needs of those less well off. Jesus is saying that riches are a blessing when they are shared and a violation when they are stored up for personal identity or security.

Gandhi, the Indian leader, repeated many centuries later what the early Fathers or theologians of the Church had taught. “Even if it is not stolen, something is to be considered stolen if one keeps it without needing it. The rich possess a great abundance of superfluous things they do not really need and that therefore remain unused and are lost, whilst millions die of hunger because for them there is no food”. Gandhi says clearly what Jesus speaks about in the gospel today. Maybe it is a call for each of us to examine our conscience about what importance our possessions have in our lives. Do we use them for our own needs but also to help others in need?

The other fact about the man in the parable and the man in the story at the beginning was that both acted as if they were God, as if they had control over the length of their lives. No one has any guarantee about how long he/she will live. A friend of mine was always in perfect health and one day without warning at the age of 34 he died suddenly. Could a sudden death not happen to any of us?  

Basically the man in the parable was preoccupied with the success of his farming business that it consumed him. It caused him to have a wrong perspective of life. Instead of recognizing and living every moment of his life not knowing what the future would be he begins to plan a long life. So his success had led him to the point that God no longer played a primary and guiding role in his life.

Isn’t it so easy to be distracted by the things of this world? We must call on the Holy Spirit often to prevent this from happening to us. Let us pray to maintain a primary focus on the will of God and not allow success, good management, pleasure etc. to be the cause of neglecting His role in our lives.

The Good News of today’s readings is a gentle reminder that we are here on earth only for a short time and that our true home is in heaven as St.Paul says in the second reading. The real riches that we take with us to heaven are those we have given to the poor or whatever we have shared with others here on earth. Jesus is reminding us of this so that we might have the freedom that gives us a deep peace and joy now. Money can become devalued very quickly. It is the opposite with God. God never becomes devalued! In fact the opposite is true – the more we trust in him and follow his ways with the help of his Spirit the more peace and joy we will have now and later too.

Those who try their best to share with others and are conscious of their call to help those less well off enjoy much peace and joy in their lives.

“Lord Jesus, we thank you for the many ways you have blessed us with.  Every good gift comes from our Heavenly Father. Help us to use these gifts in a Christian manner for our own good and for others less well off when this is possible.  Amen”.

Fr. Jim Kirstein SMA

25 July 2010

Genesis 18.20-32
Colossians 2.12-14
Luke 11.1-13

Once a bishop friend invited me to his family home for supper. His parents were still alive. I was very touched by the way he called his parents ‘Daddy and Mammy’. They in turn treated him simply as another child of theirs calling him by their nickname for him.

Maybe that is the most important thing to say about prayer, that we are addressing someone in a very childlike and trustful way. The Aramaic word that Jesus used was ‘Abba’ or ‘daddy’ just like the bishop addressed his own father. Perhaps prayer is a bit like that. The readings for this Sunday invite us to reflect on the dimension of prayer in the Christian life. Above all it is an attitude of trust in God our kind Father who is always ready to listen to his children but who doesn’t always give us what we want because it would not be best for us. St Luke delights in frequently presenting Jesus praying. In all the important moments of Jesus’ life, Luke never forgets to point this out.

Jesus in teaching us about prayer underlines the model of all prayers. It is not to be longwinded, drawn out – we may need to listen more than we normally do and give God a chance to speak to us.

Is this not telling us that first of all prayer is about a relationship – one between our loving heavenly Father and us his children? It is interesting to note that this model of how we ought to pray puts the focus first of all on God our loving Father. We start by calling God, “Father”, not just my father but our Father.

Of the 5 petitions in the Our Father today the first two focus on God. We are told to pray: ‘may your name be held holy’. For the Jews a name was the same as the person. Thus we are asked to adore, honour and glorify our Father in heaven. Before mentioning any of our requests, praise and adoration of God are foremost. Then, in praying ‘your kingdom come’ we are told the how this might be carried out in our lives. Working to bring about his kingdom is more than just words. It calls upon us to be peacemakers, to work against all injustices, to live the truth of God’s love and forgiveness in our lives. We are called to do this wherever we are, in our homes, with our families, in our workplaces etc.

The next three petitions allow us to pray for our own needs and those of others.

They represent all time: the present (give us this day our daily bread), the past (forgive our sins, that is, all we did that was contrary to God’s kingdom), and the future (do not put us to the test – that is ‘do not demand more of us than we are capable of doing).

So in asking our generous Father for our daily bread we are asking him to give us what is best for us – we may not get what we think is best for us. Or now may not be the best time to get it as God knows. Nigerians have a saying: ‘God’s time is best’. Not a bad motto when we come to pray. Of course, God may want to give us certain gifts but others may refuse to cooperate with God’s plan. Forgiveness is mentioned quite a number of times in the gospels and it is included here. It is the only petition with a condition attached. We promise God we will forgive others as he does us though this is not always easy. That is why in the second parable that follows, Jesus tells us that God’s best gift to us is the powerful Holy Spirit who enables us to do what God asks of us to bring about his kingdom and forgive others. Our Father knows that will power is not enough, we need Spirit power to live as God’s children and to act accordingly.  

The first of the little parables that follow the Lord’s Prayer tells us of the need to persevere in prayer and not to give up if at first we don’t receive what we ask for.

I knew a woman whose husband left her. She prayed daily for his return. Then one day he walked into her house again. This was after 19 years. She really persevered in prayer and believed God would answer her.

Jesus tells us that there are 2 conditions needed to have our prayers answered by God. In John’s Gospel chapter 14:13 he says

–                  1) ‘whatever you ask for in my name (that is according to my will) I will do

–                  2) ‘so that the Father may be glorified in the Son’ (that it will give glory to God).

Many times we forget this and want God to respond to our demands without taking these into account.

Sometimes, of course, we try to bargain with God: ‘If my sick husband lives a few years longer, I will go to Mass daily and pray a daily rosary’. Yet God doesn’t think this is foolish. In the first reading we heard about Abraham bargaining with God. He trusted God enough to bargain all the way. It doesn’t mean we will always get what we want but it does show a great trust in God and I feel God appreciates this bargaining as we take him seriously as he does us.

Ultimately prayer is about a relationship of trust. We trust we have a loving Father who passionately cares for us. More than anything he hopes we will develop an ever greater intimacy with him and he asks us to work to bring about his kingdom. He takes all this so seriously that the best gift he can give us now is the Holy Spirit who can empower and enable us to respond to his invitation.

“Lord Jesus, thank you for teaching us how to pray by giving us the best model in the Our Father. May we say not only the words but also put them into practice in our daily lives. Amen”.

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA – 14 July 2010

18 July 2010

 Genesis 18:1-10
Colossians 1:24-28
Luke 10:38–42

One time there was a football competition organized in Paris and one of the African teams arrived to find that no accommodation had been arranged for them. Later the journalists in the daily newspapers in Paris were amazed that this did not constitute any problem. Being non-Africans they found it hard to understand. Fellow countrymen of the football players immediately put them up in their own homes without the slightest problem. Hospitality is so much part of their culture that they saw it as very normal.

In the first reading today we read about Abraham welcoming three strangers with great hospitality. He doesn’t realise it then but in welcoming them he is welcoming God himself. Later on in the gospels Jesus will say, “whoever welcomes you welcomes me and whoever welcomes me welcomes the One who sent me”. It seems hospitality and welcome were the ground base of Jesus’ ministry. Where do we stand on this? How often do we advert to this in our daily lives wherever we find ourselves. Is not God’s welcome and hospitality revealed to us by others? How aware are we of this? Maybe a gift to pray for.

The gospel tells us of the welcome given by Martha and Mary to Jesus. Martha is the one who actually welcomes Jesus into her house and appears to be the cook and organiser. Jesus would have appreciated having a good meal after his journey. It was her way of welcoming Jesus. Mary on the other hand welcomes Jesus by sitting at his feet and listening to him. These are two different ways of welcoming someone. What Jesus meant by saying that “Mary had chosen the better part” was that at that particular moment that was the best response for her.  At another time she might need to take on the role of cook and organiser.

Here we touch on a deeper meaning in the incident. At the time of Jesus only men sat at the feet of the Rabbis or Teachers of the Law. It was not the place for women. The cultural roles would have been quite rigid as regards the role and place of women in society. So Jesus is emancipating or freeing women to be equally entitled to do this. Is he not the first real feminist? He is saying that God’s love and word is addressed to everyone, men and women alike.

Mary, and in fact every woman, has the right to listen to the Word of God. House tasks must not suppress that interest. This is a woman’s right which is still not recognised in many cultures even in the so-called developed countries. By his words and deeds Jesus liberates women from a concept which maintains them in a role with no other possibilities to develop themselves.

Jesus then is teaching us that an active life which leaves no time for prayer and listening to God will soon becomes dry and barren. On the other hand a relationship with God that does not bother with the neighbour is nothing but cult worship that may keep a person away from the realities of life.

How can we tell what our priorities are? The best way to recognize our actual priorities is to reflect on our normal behaviour. What gets most of our energy? These are our priorities. It’s the easiest thing in the world to get our priorities wrong. When the late Cardinal Joseph Bernadin of Chicago, learned that he had terminal cancer he said: ‘I came to realize that what consumes much of our daily life is trivial and insignificant.’ A period of non-doing is essential to nourish the soul. Action and contemplation are not meant to be contrasted. Both are necessary and have to be integrated into life.

According to Gandhi ‘prayer is not just asking. It is a longing of the soul. It is an admission of one’s weakness.’  Maybe the highest form of worship is silence. Because then we have a greater chance to hear God speaking to us. And is not listening a great form of hospitality? We all know when some people are speaking to us or we to them maybe they or us are not really practicing hospitality. We are preparing our replies or are elsewhere in our thoughts.

Ultimately really listening to God in prayer must lead to action. So the listening of Mary would have had little effect if it did not motivate her to action. Likewise if we are really listening to God in prayer it should motivate us too to action. It can be as simple as visiting someone in need in the area where we live.

At a superficial glance it might seem that Mary’s part was easier – all she had to do was sit there and listen – and Martha’s the harder. But on reflection we can see that at least sometimes Mary’s part is the harder of the two. It is not easy to set aside one’s own work and give one’s undivided attention to another person. But it is tremendously fruitful spiritually.

Is there not a Martha and Mary in each of us? As the Book of Ecclesiastes says: “there is a time for everything under heaven”. 

“Lord Jesus, give us the gift to truly listen to you speaking to us and at each moment may we be guided by the Spirit “to choose the better part”.  Amen.

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA – 14 July 2010

11^th July 2010

 Deuteronomy 30:10-14
Colossians 1:15-20
Luke 10:25-37

In a certain city people were coming out of the church after Mass. Many saw a man lying at the side of the road bleeding. He had fallen from his bicycle as someone had tried to steal it from him. Nearly all kept walking by afraid of becoming involved. A young homosexual couple, both suffering from AIDS saw the man and immediately went and helped him, arranging to take him to the nearby hospital. Don’t we know in the gospel who acted in the way Christ invites us to respond?

Today’s gospel is about the essence of our religion: faith in God is expressed in concrete acts of love.

This gospel starts off with a lawyer trying to trap Jesus by asking him what he had to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked him what was written in the law. He quotes the law stating ‘you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself’. But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus: “And who is my neighbour?’

Jesus instead of going into the details of the law and quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures tells the poignant story of the Good Samaritan. Very cleverly Jesus points out the difference between ‘knowing the law’ and ‘fulfilling the law’. For him the most important thing was not church worship but love. Church worship is important but if at times there is a clash between the two, then love has absolute priority.

In the story the first to see the half-dead man is the priest. If the victim were a non-Jew or dead and the priest touched him he would have been defiled or ritually impure and would have had to go back to Jerusalem for purification. So he passed by on the other side. The Levite, (a member of the tribe involved in Temple worship) came next and followed the example of the priest. He also passed by on the other side. Next came a Samaritan trader who took care of the victim.

The Jewish listeners of Jesus would have been appalled that the hero of the story was not a Jew but a member of the hated Samaritans. For a long time there was ‘bad blood’ between these two peoples. This hated enemy is the one who shows compassion. He bandaged the wounds of the victim, then lifted him on his own animal meaning he had to walk himself and took him to an inn and cared for him. He paid the innkeeper and said he would pay whatever else was necessary on his way back. He really put himself out for the victim. The Samaritan was a carer. Carers are special people, they are the salt of the earth. They don’t care out of a sense of duty but because their heart will not allow them to do otherwise.

Jesus does not tell us in the story if the man robbed was a Jew or a non-Jew, whether he even believed in God. Was he a good or a bad person? The lawyer who asked the question at first focused on himself and on the need to justify himself.  He is prepared to debate the question of ‘who is my neighbour’ in an abstract way. But Jesus deals with his questions in a very concrete manner. He is not interested in a vague question like ‘who is my neighbour?’ The danger with that is we may limit neighbour to those we know and live close by, those with the same religious beliefs or skin colour. Jesus is telling us very clearly that what makes us neighbours is our generous attending to anyone in need. He is inviting us to go beyond labels or names like Christian, Catholic, Muslim, those who have AIDS, divorcees, and women who may have had an abortion. He is asking us to cross borders and boundaries we may have grown up with. There are very few of us who don’t have some prejudices. At times, don’t we all pass by on the other side? The sins of the priest and Levite were those of omission, not commission. The former may be our worst sins even if we don’t always think of them as such.

Do we recognise ourselves in the priest and the Levite? We can attend Sunday Mass, pray daily yet may not get involved with people in need especially if we can help. The story at the beginning is an indication of how we can make a distinction between loving God and loving our neighbour. As we read in 1 John 4.20 – Anyone who says ‘I love God and hates anyone is a liar, since not to love the person that he can see, cannot love God whom he has never seen’. This leaves no room for doubt.

In real life, Jesus lived out to the fullest what it means to be a Good Samaritan. As the second reading says: “He is the image of the unseen God”. His whole life was a concrete response to whoever the neighbour in need was – Jew, Samaritan, adulterous woman, prostitutes, Roman centurion, tax collectors, sinners etc. He still wants to be the Good Samaritan to each of us. He wants to bind up our wounds which may be our fears, our anxieties or whatever. It was costly for the Good Samaritan to look after the man who fell among robbers.  It actually cost Jesus his life to help us.

‘Who is my neighbour?’ asked the Samaritan. Jesus’ answer was: anyone in need of my help.  What kind of a neighbour am I?  And who am I willing to treat as my neighbour?

“Lord Jesus, praise you for being the Good Samaritan for us at all times if we allow you to help us.  May the Holy Spirit enable us to be Good Samaritans for those we meet and can help. Amen.”

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA – 10 July 2010

4 July 2010

 Isaiah 66.10-14
Galatians 6.14-18
Luke 10.1-12, 17-20

Many years ago at the height of the ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland, a Catholic priest went across the road to the local Protestant church to wish the minister and his congregation a happy Christmas. The minister received him warmly, reciprocated his greeting and later made a return visit. However, some of the elders of his church reacted angrily and took steps to have the minister removed from the parish. These two clergymen were only doing what Christ would want them to do – to be instruments of peace in a divided and troubled society.

In the gospel today when Jesus sends out the 72 disciples he says that their first words on entering a house were to be: ‘Peace to this house’. They were to be ambassadors of peace and goodwill. Of course, true peace must be based on justice.

Peace is not a negative thing. It is not just the absence of war or enmity. Peace is a positive thing. It implies openness, tolerance, friendship, goodwill, hospitality and reconciliation. Neither does it mean just a feeling of well-being but above all the peace between God and man / woman. Peace is especially a gift from God. God’s great gift is peace. It is a source of joy for all people. In John’s Gospel, Jesus says: “my own peace I give you, a peace the world cannot give, this my gift to you.”

In Matthew’s Gospel when Jesus gives us the Beatitudes, in verse 10:9 he says: Happy the peacemakers for they shall be children of God’. So peacemakers are those who reconcile and are reconciled. In Hebrew the word for peace is ‘Shalom’ which means to be complete or to experience wholeness. It does not mean the absence of difficulties or even suffering but deep down one is at peace. A God gifted peace ultimately means real liberation. We are at peace because we are free or detached from many things which could enslave us.

Working for peace means welcoming people who are close to us, those who annoy or disagree with us, even those who cause anguish within us. Shortly before Communion the priest invites us to offer each other a sign of peace. The hand that we reach out to our neighbour is the same hand with which we receive Jesus in Communion.

It is interesting that when Jesus sends out his 72 disciples he sends them out in pairs, meaning they cannot be effective ministers to others unless they are at peace and in communion with each other.   We are called into community. It is about living in right relationships with all others. 

Where are you and I in all this?  Do we pray to God for the gift of peace, not only for ourselves but also for others and for the world at large? Is there anyone we are not presently at peace with? Are we sharers of God’s gift of peace not only with those near us at Mass but also with others at all other times? Are we peacemakers in our world as the Beatitudes speak about?

In St. Luke’s gospel, ch.9 Jesus associates the 12 Apostles with his mission. In today’s gospel he associates 72 others. Little by little he will call on the help of more and more people to assist him. Today’s gospel is a gospel for all people, not just for priests and religious. Every baptised Christian and indeed all people of goodwill are invited by Jesus to work with him against all that is opposed to the kingdom of his Father which he came to establish on earth. Each one of us is called by God, depending on our particular vocation, to spread the Good News.

Jesus emphasises the importance of freedom for the disciples. ‘Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals’ (v.4), in other words do not trust your possessions, do not rely on them too much. He is not saying we should get rid of all we possess. But he is warning us against carrying too much baggage with us on our journey through life. Possessions may tempt to compromise us. If we truly believe that we are totally and unconditionally loved by God, and this is not as easy as it seems, then that is where we are invited to get our peace and joy from and no one can take away that conviction if we truly believe it. Then we can be free of the baggage we may have put too much trust in before – what others think of us, our possessions, our academic qualifications or our status in society etc.

At the end of the gospel the apostles return from their mission overjoyed at their success. But Jesus warns them that miracles are no guarantee that it is God’s work. He cautions them against putting too much emphasis on the successes of their pastoral ministry. If they are following the guidelines of Jesus sooner or later they will face opposition. People get tired of miracles as Jesus himself experienced.  Despite all people had seen they still crucified him. The real Good News as Jesus tells them is that ‘their names are written on heaven’. This is a totally free gift on God’s part. He offers it to us freely also.

“Lord Jesus, we may lose our possessions, our health, the good name we have but your love for us is total and constant. May we allow you to use us to bring about your kingdom here on earth.  Amen”.

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA 

27 June 2010

1 Kings 19:16, 19-21
Galatians 5:1, 13-18
Luke 9: 51-62

Jackie Hewitt chairman of the Loyalist / Protestant Shankill Community council in Northern Ireland was driving back to Belfast from a town where he had been at a war memorial ceremony. He was listening to his car radio when the news came in that a bomb had gone off in his area in the Shankill Road. Three people were dead. Blinded by anger he thought to himself ‘that’s it, we need a bomb now in the Nationalist / Catholic area of the Falls Road. As he neared the city he heard another news flash on the radio saying that seven were now dead. And he thought to himself ‘we need two bombs on the Falls Road’. But when he got to the scene, and stood amidst the anger and grief of his community, his own thoughts haunted him’. “When I heard other people saying what I was thinking, it frightened me.”

Over the subsequent years both Protestant and Catholic people came to realise that retaliation, revenge and violence are never the solution. Ultimately it was only the negotiation, courage and determination of people on both sides that brought about a peace deal. But it cost them a lot as their families and houses suffered due to hardliners on both sides.

In the gospel today the disciples of Jesus, James and John wanted to retaliate in a violent way to the refusal of the Samaritans to make them welcome as they were going to Jerusalem. They wanted Jesus to respond by calling down fire from heaven on the entire village. At that time Samaritans and Jews were hated enemies. Here we see the example of tribalism, of great prejudice. To follow Jesus’ teaching of non-violence and non-retaliation requires exceptional strength and a strange kind of love. Evil must be resisted but not by doing further evil. The perfect example for us is Jesus on the cross. The Jewish leaders, the Roman soldiers and others present hurled their abuse and hatred at Jesus but instead of retaliating in like manner he broke the cycle of violence and returned love for hatred.

Are we prejudiced in any way? How do we respond? Do we hold grudges and try to retaliate by like attitudes or actions? Or do we ask for the grace which Jesus won for us on the cross to return love for hatred. It is far from easy. That is why the help of the Holy Spirit is so necessary.

The other key point in the gospel today is the total commitment of Jesus. We are told that Jesus ‘resolutely took the road to Jerusalem’. Jerusalem is the place where Jesus’ journey will meet its goal and completion: his Passion, Resurrection and Ascension. Going up to Jerusalem with determination and commitment expresses the free decision of Jesus to surrender faithfully to the will of the Father and never to give up despite the cost.

In one sense each of us who claims to be a disciple of Jesus has to journey to his/her own Jerusalem. It is a journey to be faithful to whatever commitment we have made in life – be it marriage, priesthood, the religious life or a vocation to the lay state etc. Each of us will meet certain obstacles along the way, certain temptations to face.

The gospel today is a clear call to each of us from Jesus to be his disciple. To be a real disciple of Jesus is not easy especially in today’s world where there are so many voices calling us. It costs to be a true disciple of Jesus.

There is a call to do what we choose without reference to God; there is the voice of pleasure, of making money even if it means bending the rules and being dishonest.  We may justify this by saying ‘after all, aren’t many others doing the same thing? Then there is the call to have the latest technological gadgets. These in themselves can be very good.  But the danger is becoming enslaved by them. Yet Jesus has a dream for each one of us. He sees our capacity to accept the cost of discipleship, our ability to be faithful despite our occasional failures. He will be with us every step of the way. He knows how hard it is since he has gone the way before us.

St. Paul writes in the second reading today: ‘When Christ freed us he meant us to remain free. Stand firm then and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery’. Some may feel free now of the Church and its calls saying they were enslaved by its rules. Yet cannot many instead become enslaved by all the modern world offers with its consumerism and materialism? We may have tried to live by the world’s value system and found it wanting.  It is never too late to turn to Jesus. He is waiting to welcome us with open arms. But since he created us and loves us he is trying to warn us against seeking our security only in what is temporary and passing.

In the first reading we see the total commitment of Elisha who gave up all to follow the prophet.

The three incidents in today’s gospel are not telling us that we have to give up all we possess but that our only real security is Jesus. Neither is Jesus saying that we cannot attend the funerals of our parents or loved ones or that we cannot say goodbye to our family and friends. It is a Semitic or Jewish way of saying that our call to discipleship is not a part-time affair but that it calls for commitment and determination to be faithful. Our relationship with Jesus must be total. Having his values or attitudes should determine how we live our lives.

All this is not easy. At times it is quite difficult especially when we are tempted to seek happiness elsewhere or act selfishly. Why not pray to Jesus to give us the Holy Spirit to open our eyes to the things or relationships in our lives that cannot give us the peace and joy we seek? With this freedom hopefully we will become more sensitive to the needs of others also and care for them. Being a friend of Jesus demands we are truly centred on him, on others and not just on ourselves.

“Lord Jesus, free us of all that would prevent us from being your disciples, your friends and living as such”.

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

20 June 2010

Zechariah 12.10-11, 13.1
Galatians 3.26-29
Luke 9.18-24 

A certain elderly woman who lived overseas rarely visited her brothers and only sister who still lived in the country of their birth. On one such visit she commented to a friend that she was not very impressed by her sister’s husband as she felt he was rather impatient and moody. When her sister heard about these comments she replied: ‘obviously she doesn’t know my husband very well as she rarely visits us.  I have lived with him for 30 years. I know him very, very well and he is a marvelous husband. Like all of us he has human limitations but I am really happy I married him’.

In the gospel today we have something like that. Jesus asks the disciples who do people say that he is. They replied that there were different opinions about him. Because they don’t know Jesus that well some said John the Baptist, others Elijah and others one of the ancient prophets come back to life. It is clear that there was not a general agreement about his real identity. All these saw Jesus as a holy man like the ones the people mentioned. But when Peter is asked he doesn’t quote what others say of Jesus but in answer to Jesus’ direct question: ‘who do you say I am’ Peter replies ‘the Christ of God’.

Peter sees Jesus as much more that a holy human person. The word ‘Christ’ means the Anointed One of God, the Messiah, someone who has a very special relationship with God. It is only after the resurrection that the full truth of who Jesus is was revealed to the apostles and disciples.

Of course, Jesus is asking each one of us the same question he asked of Peter. “Who do you say I am?”  What is our answer? We may quote some of the saints and what they say about Jesus or maybe a pope or other holy people. But Jesus wants a personal reply from each of us. Jesus is really asking ‘Who am I for you? What is your most cherished way of naming me? Who do you want me to be for you? It is never enough to know what others are saying about Jesus. Jesus asks for a personal answer.

The wife in our story knew her husband, through and through. Why? Because she was living with and therefore very close to him. Is there really any other way to know a person than to spend much time with that person as Peter did with Jesus? Hearsay is not enough. It is very interesting that the text tells us that Jesus himself sets the pattern of getting to know him and the Father. Today’s gospel passage opens with the statement that it was just after he was praying alone in the presence of his disciples that Jesus posed the question about his identity. Jesus the human being because he spent a good amount of time in personal prayer to the Father knew him intimately. He is telling us that this is the best way. Do you and I spend personal time in prayer, not only repeating vocal prayers, rosaries or novenas which are very good prayers but do we also spend time in quiet prayer to Jesus, to God, listening to them, talking to them about our own personal lives, joys, sorrows and needs.

So far in the gospel episode maybe what Jesus asks isn’t too disturbing but then he really makes a radical statement which the disciples or we would prefer not to hear. Following Jesus involves carrying the cross, not anyone’s cross, even the cross of Jesus, but my own cross. The gospel passage spells it out clearly. “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let them renounce themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me”.

One of the medieval mystics wrote ‘Jesus does not ask us to take up his cross!’ This simple statement – only a matter of underlining a different word from the one we usually underline – has been a source of insight and support for me for many years. My cross will not at all look like the cross of Christ! It will look more like me! We are our own crosses. To carry ourselves along, with all our fears, compulsions, laziness and sinfulness: that alone could make many of our days Good Friday! Add to it all the people we try to help, who make demands on us, or those we lend a shoulder to in order to carry their crosses’.

As we know one doesn’t have to be a Christian to be a disciple of Jesus. Millions are without knowing it. Just look at the television news any day and see the explosions, the bombs, the famines, the civil wars and all those displaced and starving – there is the cross in its stark reality. These tragic people do their best to survive in their living hell concerned about families, friends and fellow victims. If we feel like complaining about our own crosses hopefully these scenes might make us count our many blessings and see our own crosses in perspective.

The gospel passage ends today with Jesus telling us: ’whoever would save his/her life will lose it, and whoever loses it for my sake will save it’. That certainly is the greatest paradox of our lives. We gain life by losing it. Why? Because by doing so we become sharers in the life of Christ himself.

“Loving Father, your Son Jesus offered his life for our sake. Grant me the grace of offering my own life to you.” 

Fr. Jim Kirstein, SMA

13 June 2010

2 Samuel 12: 7-10,13
Galatians “:16, 19-21
Luke 7:36-8:3

Jesus always sees things as they really are; we don’t. We generally see things from our own point of view. We pick and choose the bits we want to see, or believe. And so we live our daily lives with a distorted and incomplete knowledge of ourselves, of others and, of God.

One of the ways we do this is by giving everything a title or a label. And we can then relate to people in accordance with the label we’ve assigned to them.

The first reading is the story of Nathan telling King David about a rich man, who had a huge herd of sheep, decides he wants the one lamb that someone else owns. David expresses his anger that such a thing should happen in his kingdom. And Nathan’s reply: ‘But YOU are that man!’ “You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, taken his wife for your own, and killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.” (2 Sam 12:9)

King David was badly caught, and it was his own fault. Nathan showed David the reality of the situation of what he had done. David had a different reality, according to his way of seeing things. But, to his credit, David acknowledged he had done wrong. I have sinned against the Lord.

God was pleased that David acknowledged his sin. What he did was terrible, but his immediate repentance pleased God.

Maybe you don’t feel so good in the presence of God, because of the way you live your life today or because of some situation in the past. Well, the readings today give us a lesson that no matter how bad things might be between us and God, we are always welcomed back. St Peter also failed but he too acknowledged his denials of Christ and he was still chosen by Christ to lead the Church. St Paul was no great shakes before that famous “fall from a horse”.

No matter how often I sin, I can always turn back. That does not mean that I can sin and then say ‘sorry’ and then go back to sinning again. Remember the woman caught in adultery: ‘Has no one condemned you’ asked Jesus of the woman. ‘No one, sir’ she replied. And his loving response: ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go!’ but then he adds the key bit: ‘But do not sin again.’

In the Gospel story, Simon the Pharisee was probably unaware that inviting Jesus to eat with him was going to lead to a major change in his life. The woman who ministered to him was a known sinner. Simon was horrified to see this sinner touching Jesus, weeping on his feet and drying them with her hair. All Simon could see was the fact that she was a woman of ill repute, but Jesus could see the truth behind the woman who was at his feet.

Simon had another label which he used quite easily: good name, bad name… The woman had a bad name and Simon believed he had a good name. Jesus too had a good name and shouldn’t be associating with such a woman, as Simon saw it.

Am I guilty of imitating Simon in my relationships? Do I relate to others by the labels already ascribed to them, by society in general or by me in particular?

When Jesus speaks to Simon about sin, forgiveness, love etc he is inviting Simon to move beyond his set views / labels and open himself up to looking at others (in this case, the woman) in a new light. Jesus wants Simon to look at the woman as Jesus does.

The Gospel doesn’t tell us how Simon responded. Did he take a step back and look at things in a new, Christ-like, way? Did he let go of his prejudices?

The same Jesus who invited Simon to let go of the labels he lived with is the same Jesus who invites us today to look afresh at the world around us. And remember the label we have on ourselves – the false face we present to others – does not fool God. And even with our disfigured self, God still loves us. So why can’t you love others as God loves you?

Martin Kavanagh SMA, 11 June 2010