Daily Reflections from "alive Publishing"

[Colin]

Mark 8:22-26


22 They came to Bethsaida. Some people brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him. 23He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village; and when he had put saliva on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, ‘Can you see anything?’ 24And the man looked up and said, ‘I can see people, but they look like trees, walking.’ 25Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he looked intently and his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26Then he sent him away to his home, saying, ‘Do not even go into the village.’

Wednesday 19 February

Mark 8:22-26
The account of the healing of the blind man has great significance in Mark’s Gospel. It comes just after a period when the disciples seem unable to understand who Jesus is, despite the miracles they have seen, and just before the revelation given to Peter and his proclamation that Jesus is the Messiah.

Jesus’ healing of the blind man was primarily an act of merciful compassion, but it also symbolically showed the disciples that their eyes needed to be opened. Mark intends the account to teach his readers the same truth, that they need the eyes of their hearts enlightened (Eph. 1:18) before they can understand that Jesus is Lord.

Why is it so vital that our blindness be healed? We have probably experienced first-hand or witnessed around us the anguish of seeing no clear purpose in life or seeking happiness where it can’t be found or falls short of our hopes. A commentator on St Thomas Aquinas writes: ‘Until truth gives light to a man’s mind, his heart is immobilized more effectively than the feet of a man in the pitch blackness of a strange place…if the light of knowledge be false we can only make missteps.’

Jesus has come as the light of the world, the light that enlightens everyone and will set our hearts aflame. Pope John Paul II encouraged us to come to Christ the Light in these words: ‘The man who wishes to understand himself thoroughly and not just in accordance with immediate, partial and even illusory standards and measures of his being must – with his unrest, sinfulness, with his life and death – draw near to Christ’ (Redemptor hominis).

A unique aspect of this miracle is that Jesus heals the blind man in stages; his love and patience are shown in that he does not leave him until his vision is completely restored. If we have questions and doubts, we can trust that Jesus wants to give us the same clarity he gave the blind man. If we ask him in our prayer and seek him in Scripture reading, he will reveal himself and teach us just as he taught his disciples.

Lord Jesus, thank you for the light you have given me. I know there are many things that I do not see clearly yet; please touch my eyes every day, so I may see more of your glory and lead others to your light.

 

[Colin]

Mark 8:27-33


27 Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that I am?’ 28And they answered him, ‘John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.’ 29He asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Messiah.’ 30And he sternly ordered them not to tell anyone about him.
31 Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’



Thursday 20th February


An elderly cockney was once asked how he was feeling. ‘Like Tower Bridge,’ he replied. ‘You know – up and down!’ Life can be like that – it has its ups and downs, its high points and its low points, its moments of glory and its moments of shame. In today’s Gospel we observe Peter going through a high point followed swiftly by a low.
Jesus asks a most crucial and critical question. He wants to know who people say he is, and then he focuses the spotlight on the disciples. Peter – never one to be backward at coming forward – hits the nail on the head. In a moment of wonderful personal insight he declares simply and clearly that Jesus is the Christ. In a moment of pure grace and light he penetrates the sublime and glorious mystery of the incarnation. How he felt we do not know, but it is likely that he felt great joy and a sense of privilege in receiving this understanding. He was probably on cloud nine – elated, affirmed and clear.
Jesus then proceeds to teach plainly about the events which would begin to unfold and gather momentum as they moved nearer to Jerusalem. His disciples detect a clear shift in emphasis – no miracles, no power, no glory, no public acclaim, but suffering, rejection, death. They are so overwhelmed that they fail to register the promise that on the third day he will rise from the dead! Peter, eager to correct this new slant in Jesus’ teaching, strongly rebukes him. Jesus recognizes immediately the work of the evil one. His rebuke is razor-like in its sharp rejection of Peter’s appeal: the disciple did not have in mind the things of God but those of men.
A time would come when this impulsive disciple would be the rock upon which the Church would be built – a chosen instrument of stability and clarity. Like many chosen instruments Peter was refined, tested and purified in the fire of humiliation and the crucible of weakness. Today, we are blessed to have Pope Francis, Peter’s successor, bear eloquent and beautiful witness of one who has given his life entirely to Jesus, the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

Jesus Christ is the centre of the universe and of history. He alone is the Redeemer of every human being. In God’s inscrutable providence he calls us all to proclaim, ‘You are the Christ – the Son of the Living God.’

 

[Colin]

Mark 8:34-9:1


34He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 38Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” 9And he said to them, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”





Friday 21st February



An advertising agency was invited by a church to make its message more popular, relevant and appealing. They concluded that the Church had a lot going for it. Its message of love, mercy and compassion was a winning one. Its emphasis on forgiveness and love was inspiring. Its message of social justice and concern for the common good was compelling. The marketing men were confident they could help the Church get its message over. Unfortunately there was a problem. They thought the message of the cross would rob their campaign of its cutting edge! It was too depressing, too negative and threatened to pour cold water on its upbeat advertising campaign. A message of self-sacrifice and self-denial was not one people would respond to – or so they protested as they lost the contract.
The values of the gospel stand against the values of this world. The message of the cross and self-denial stands brave and courageous against the seductive allure of self-indulgence. It addresses the very simple and straightforward question: What are we living for? It helps us grasp that this world is passing away – its lure, attraction, prestige and power are shallow, fickle and transient. It also teaches that our true destiny is eternal. Our true worth is found not in the prestige of this world but in the glory of the next. God values our soul more than the external things we pay so much attention to – our possessions, our wealth, our social standing, even our reputation. This teaching is radical and presents us with the ultimate challenge in life – to die to self. It will never be popular; it will never be embraced by advertising agencies or media moguls. Nevertheless, its message is essential and fundamental to the gospel.
Freedom and life are gained not by following the pull-and-tug of our passions, our lusts or our drives but in resisting them. When Christ calls us, he bids us come and die. Jesus used very stark imagery to convey this teaching. We all have different crosses to bear, and the grace to take these up is available. This grace is born in us not through gritting our teeth or by muscular resolve but through humbly accepting that through our baptism we died with Christ so as to rise to new life. We can taste the freedom of this new life by counting ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

 

[Colin]

Matthew 16:13-19


13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ 14And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ 15He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ 16Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah,* the Son of the living God.’ 17And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. 18And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’



Saturday 22 February

(Feast) Chair of St Peter • Matthew 16:13-19
Jesus asked his disciples who people said he was. Their reply shows that people had different opinions – some thought he was John the Baptist returned to life, others Elijah or one of the prophets. Today it is still true that there are many opinions about who Jesus is. Some see him as a prophet, some as a great moral teacher, a wise man or a spiritual guru. But as Christians we affirm with Peter that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.
Jesus asks every man and woman the question ‘Who do you say I am?’ and each of us has to answer for ourselves. This is not merely an academic enquiry, but the most important question in our lives: our answer determines how we live and our eternal destiny. We need to ask this question not just once but many times, and reaffirm our faith in who Jesus is.
Jesus told Peter that it was not flesh and blood that had revealed the answer to him, but his Father in heaven. We can never come to understand who Jesus is by purely human reasoning. The Father has to reveal his Son to us, working in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who loves to reveal Jesus. And this is not just a one-off revelation: if we open our hearts to him in prayer, the Father will bring us to an ever-deeper understanding of who Jesus is. The more we know who Jesus is, the more we shall love him and long to dedicate our lives to following him.
After Peter’s declaration Jesus made a remarkable statement, saying that Peter was the rock on which he would build his Church and that he would give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven. This promise applied not just to Peter, but to all his successors as pope, all those who occupy the Chair of Peter, which we celebrate today. The apostolic commission has been handed down through the centuries, and the Pope today has inherited Christ’s charge of guarding and leading his body. Like Peter, he is given the task of feeding Christ’s flock (John 21:15-17). Pope Francis needs our prayers as he seeks to carry out this awesome responsibility.


Father, bless and strengthen Pope Francis in his great task of guiding your Church, so that we, as your Body on earth, may reveal your Son to the world.

 

[Colin]

Matthew 5:38-48


38 You have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.
39 But I say to you not to resist evil: but if one strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other:
40 And if a man will contend with thee in judgment, and take away thy coat, let go thy cloak also unto him.
41 And whosoever will force thee one mile, go with him other two,
42 Give to him that asketh of thee and from him that would borrow of thee turn not away.
43 You have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thy enemy.
44 But I say to you, Love your enemies: do good to them that hate you: and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you:
45 That you may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh his sun to rise upon the good, and bad, and raineth upon the just and the unjust.
46 For if you love them that love you, what reward shall you have? do not even the publicans this?
47 And if you salute your brethren only, what do you more? do not also the heathens this?
48 Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.




Sunday 23 February

Matthew 5:38-48 • Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)
People often learn better if new teachings can be related or ‘hooked’ to what is already stored in their minds. The primary school child may be taught one way of understanding, for example, rainfall, but by secondary school a more sophisticated and scientifically accurate explanation will bring the child closer to the truth. In the light of further research in adult life, the student usually learns once more to discard some previously acquired ‘knowledge’ and to embrace a deeper understanding. Jesus teaches in the same ‘organic’ way. He loves the law and would do nothing to discredit it, but has come to complete it. Thus, he often begins by reinforcing the familiar with, ‘You have heard that it was said...’ and moves on to, ‘But I say to you...’ The new understanding usually expands, rather than reduces, the message of the law, making it more radical and at the same time more loving. ‘Be perfect...as your heavenly Father is perfect’ (v. 48 NIV). That perfection includes loving not only your friends but also your enemies.
We are called to a radical commitment to the Good News, which involves being more generous, more prayerful and more willing to set aside our own needs for the good of others. But loving our enemies? This sounds like an impossible target! Jesus is trying to help us to see the world a little more as God sees it. For God, there is goodness within each person. Our task is to make room for everyone, firstly because that is how God is, but secondly because we do not want to be in bondage to our resentments and thus fail to grow in our own relationship with the Lord of love. Our efforts will demand much of us spiritually and even emotionally, but will pay dividends in a new kind of interior freedom.
We have already seen this attitude lived out – in Jesus himself, who shows us what God is like. Jesus loved his enemies, forgave those who mocked, scourged and crucified him. In this sense, we can say that the Sermon on the Mount predisposes us to live a life of self-giving, in imitation of Christ.


Lord, help us to be attentive to your Word, to rediscover in Jesus the living God in our midst, and to radiate his love in our needy world.

 

[Colin]

Mark 9:14-29


14 When they came to the disciples, they saw a great crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. 15When the whole crowd saw him, they were immediately overcome with awe, and they ran forward to greet him. 16He asked them, ‘What are you arguing about with them?’ 17Someone from the crowd answered him, ‘Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; 18and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.’ 19He answered them, ‘You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.’ 20And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it threw the boy into convulsions, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. 21Jesus asked the father, ‘How long has this been happening to him?’ And he said, ‘From childhood. 22It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.’ 23Jesus said to him, ‘If you are able!—All things can be done for the one who believes.’ 24Immediately the father of the child cried out,* ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’ 25When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘You spirit that keep this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!’ 26After crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most of them said, ‘He is dead.’ 27But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he was able to stand. 28When he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, ‘Why could we not cast it out?’ 29He said to them, ‘This kind can come out only through prayer.’



Monday 24 February


Mark 9:14-29
Imagination is a wonderful, God-given gift which we can use when we are reading Scripture. In today’s passage Mark provides us with so many fascinating details about the healing that it is easy for us to imagine what was going on.
The key players are a distraught parent and a child writhing and foaming at the mouth, clearly suffering from some kind of demon possession. The scene is violent and frightening. We might want to attribute his distress to some kind of neuro-pathological disorder or to underlying mental illness, but Jesus doesn’t allow us this option: he says very clearly, ‘You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again’ (v. 25). After the exorcism the Lord says to the disciples, ‘This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer’ (v. 29).
When we are dealing with the occult realm and demon possession, there are two equal and opposite errors into which we can easily fall. The first is an excessive interest which, when taken to the extreme, could lead to us becoming preoccupied with evil; the second is not to believe in it at all.
To help us to find a balance we need to look to the enduring witness of the Church and Scripture. Pope Paul VI said once: ‘Evil is a terrible reality, mysterious and frightening. It is departing from the picture provided by biblical and church teaching to refuse to acknowledge the devil’s existence, to regard him as a self-sustaining principle who, unlike other creatures, does not owe his origin to God, or to explain the devil as a pseudo reality, a conceptual and fanciful personification of the unknown causes of our misfortunes.’
Let us not be deaf to this warning: the devil is real; there is such a thing as evil; and it is possible to be demon-possessed. However, Jesus taught us to pray, ‘Deliver us from evil’. We proclaim the victory of Christ and look to his cross by which he defeated evil and conquered the devil (v. 31).


‘Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in the faith...be strong in the Lord...Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.’ (1 Pet. 5:8-9; Eph. 6:10-11)

 

[Colin]

Mark 9:30-37

30They went on from there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; 31for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” 32But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
33Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” 34But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. 35He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” 36Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, 37“Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”





Tuesday 25 February


Mark 9:30-37
An ambitious parent said to his son as he was about to go out and play for his school’s First XV, ‘Remember, son, it’s not the taking part that’s important, it’s the winning!’ Having just returned from the Olympic Games where she had won a medal, a sportswoman was invited to attend a school’s sports day to watch a close friend’s children participate. The Olympic champion was amazed by the overwhelming ambition of parents (both mums and dads) to come first in the parents’ race – the parents, she noted, were more driven than their children!!
This may seem very excusable and very natural, but it does highlight something about human nature. The governing principle of our world is power: being first, being the greatest, being number one. The governing principle in the kingdom of God, however, is the very opposite: it is the principle of humility, being willing to be the least and to serve others.
Each of us, if we are honest, can recognize that the world’s principle of power is not just out there, but is in us as well – in our hearts. Jesus saw it in his disciples, particularly on the occasion they argued about who was the greatest among them. Jesus, who was always keen to demolish the world’s principles, told them: ‘If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all’ (v. 35).
The story is told that when Karol Wojtyla was made a bishop at the age of thirty-eight, he immediately went on retreat. His appointment as bishop had not yet been made public and he was unknown to the other priests staying in the retreat house, who insisted that he serve them – which he did gladly. He cooked them their meals, served them drinks and tidied up after them. He did not protest, ‘I’ve just been made a bishop: do you know who I am?’ He humbly served his brother priests! In doing this he put into practice the teaching of Jesus – no wonder he went on to become Pope!


The Christian life is a life of service and a life of love. How true are the words of St Robert Bellarmine: ‘The school of Christ is the school of charity. On the last day, when the general examination takes place, there will be no question at all on the text of Aristotle, the aphorisms of Hippocrates or the paragraphs of Justinian. Charity will be the whole syllabus.’

 

[Colin]

Wednesday 26 February

Mark 9:38-40



John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us ".



Today’s Gospel addresses an age-old problem within Christianity, namely exclusivity and cliquishness. John, the apostle of love, shows that he still has a long way to go as he indignantly protests that someone other than a disciple should have the effrontery to heal in Jesus’ name. He arrogantly assumes he is correct by insisting that the exorcist should stop immediately. Jesus shatters this narrow and indeed dangerous attitude by challenging it with the statement: ‘For he that is not against us is for us’ (v. 40).
The gospel has a breadth and depth that transcends our narrow and petty prejudices. Such prejudices are often very subtle and to a large extent we may not be aware they exist within us. Nevertheless, they can have the effect of making us determine where and when we think God is working. This kind of attitude has been severely challenged by Vatican II in its Decree on Ecumenism (Unitatis redintegratio) and by Pope Paul II in That They May Be One (Ut unum sint). These teachings challenge us to ask ourselves whether we recognize that God can work wherever and in whomever he wishes. Fortunately he is in no way influenced by our thinking, which produces ideas and views that are coloured by our sin. We can be like the disciples and try to determine who is doing God’s work and who isn’t; we also tend to create our own hierarchy of gifts or ministries that draws all kinds of distinctions between individuals or bodies of Christians. The danger with this way of thinking is that it makes us harsh, intolerant and often ignorant of God’s work in others both within our Church and in the wider Christian community.
The truth is that in the kingdom all are valued, all have a unique dignity, and God continues to work in ways far beyond our judgements of what is from him and what is not. Who would have thought fifty years ago that the present ecumenical spirit among Christians would be possible? Notwithstanding our sinful prejudices we are called to join this mighty ecumenical work. God’s call to all Christians is to spread the gospel of love together.


Heavenly Father, you call us to love all people. You alone have the power to transcend division among us. Help me to recognize my complacency and my prejudices. Give me a repentant heart and a desire to work and pray that all your children may be one.

 

[Colin]

Thursday 27 February

Mark 9:41-50


41For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.
42 ‘If any of you put a stumbling-block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. 43If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell., 47And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, 48where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.
49 ‘For everyone will be salted with fire. 50Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.’



St John Chrysostom said: ‘There is only one thing to be feared, and that is sin. Everything else is beside the point.’ The notion of sin sits less comfortably with us these days. Those who object to the use of the word maintain that it is archaic, old-fashioned and too depressing. In a way, of course, this is partly true. Sin certainly can be depressing. We only have to look at our own lives to see that!
Jesus is very clear that sin is a serious business. In fact, he gives a grave warning to those who lead others into sin. A millstone was a heavy stone slab pulled by a working donkey to grind the grain. One thing is certain: if you were thrown into the sea with one of those tied around your neck you’d sink! This graphic imagery may strike us as rather gruesome, but it serves to drive the point home.
What is sin? Sin is first of all an offence against God. It is a rebellion against God’s love and involves us turning our hearts away from him. Sin is a kind of interior revolt or rebellion against our good Creator. Sin isn’t a theory: it’s a daily reality to which our experience testifies. ‘What revelation makes known to us is confirmed by our own experience. For when people look into their own hearts they find they are drawn towards what is wrong and sunk in many evils which cannot have come from their good creator’ (Gaudium et spes 13).
If we look into our own hearts we know this to be true. We experience life as an interior struggle between good and evil, light and darkness. We want to do good but find that the good we want to do we can’t. The power of sin is a real force that works to undermine our life with God. The biggest mistake we can make regarding sin is to underestimate its power. Jesus’ teaching helps us to understand sin in the right way. He came to set us free and strengthen us. Through his gift of the Spirit we are inwardly renewed and empowered to overcome sin. He gives us all the grace we need to say ‘no’ to sin and to live for God.


Lord Jesus, you came to conquer sin. Teach me to be vigilant and courageous so I may not be overcome by evil, but may experience victory over sin in my life

 

[Colin]

Friday 28 February

Mark 10:1-12



He left that place and went to the region of Judea and beyond the Jordan. And crowds again gathered around him; and, as was his custom, he again taught them.
Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” He answered them, “What did Moses command you?” They said, “Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her.” But Jesus said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery.”



Jesus fields a hostile question. Its purpose is to embroil him in controversy. The background to this particular interrogation had to do with John the Baptist’s denunciation of the irregular marriage of Herod Antipas. John had condemned Herod for taking his brother’s wife, Herodias. His stand on this issue lost him first his liberty and later his life. The question is designed to back Jesus into a corner.
Jesus refuses to be drawn into the discussion with a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’. His strategy, as always, is to raise things to a higher level. Divorce was a Mosaic concession to human weakness. This legislation was used to bring order into a society disintegrating through infidelity and rebellion. The Torah was not aiming to make divorce acceptable, just to minimize the suffering caused through marriage breakdown. Jesus points his detractors to consider God’s original plan. God created man and woman in his image and likeness (Gen. 1:26). Through their union they become one flesh (Gen. 2:24). This communion is an image of the covenant of love between God and his people. This union is so sacred it cannot be broken – it is holy ground.

Tertullian, the early church theologian, had a profound sense of the dignity and beauty of Christian marriage. We can ponder his words:



How beautiful the marriage of two Christians, two who are one in hope, one in desire, one in the way of life they follow, one in the religion they practise. They are as brother and sister, both servants of the same Master. Nothing divides them, either in the flesh or the spirit. They pray together, they worship together; instructing one another, encouraging one another, strengthening one another. Side by side they visit God’s church and partake of God’s banquet; side by side they face difficulties and persecution, share their consolations. They have no secrets from one another; they never shun each other’s company; they never bring sorrow to each other’s hearts. Unembarrassed they visit the sick and assist the needy. They give alms without anxiety; they attend the Sacrifice without hindrance. They need not be furtive about making the sign of the cross, nor timorous in greeting the brethren, nor silent in asking a blessing of God. Psalms and hymns they sing to one another…Hearing and seeing this, Christ rejoices. To such as these he gives his peace. Where there are two together, there he is present; and where he is, evil is not.

 

[Colin]

Saturday 1 March

Matthew 5:13-16 • St David (Solemnity in Wales, Feast in England)

13 ‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
14 ‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.



From our earliest childhood, we are taught, rightly, not to boast about good things that we do. Jesus teaches that we should not parade our good deeds before men as the Pharisees did. And when giving alms, he teaches, ‘do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing’ (Matt. 6:3). At first sight, therefore, today’s Scripture would seem to contradict this principle, because Jesus is teaching his followers to ‘let your light shine before men’. How can these two teachings both be true?
In this passage, Jesus charges his disciples with the mission of bringing his presence to the world. It is significant that Matthew places the teaching just after the Beatitudes, in which Jesus has taught his followers that in their lives they will face suffering, and maybe persecution, but that perseverance in the truth will ultimately lead to blessing. So the word-picture of the Christian life which he paints is scarcely an easy or a glamorous option. Fulfilling, yes, challenging, certainly, but resulting in adulation or kudos, not even remotely. So Jesus never taught that being his follower would result in praise from other people. Indeed, despite whatever illusion we may be under, praise from other people is often insincere or grudging. If we trumpet our good deeds in order to seek the approval of others, then we are clearly not living the life of a disciple as Jesus defines it.
Maybe it is the very last line in today’s Gospel which is the key to the true meaning of the teaching: that people would see the good deeds of the followers of Jesus and, as a result, would praise God. Jesus is clearly not encouraging his followers to ever more heroic or expansive conduct, but merely to live the Christian life as he wants us to do – literally to take up our cross daily. By this definition, simple everyday events – quiet faithfulness in looking after a sick loved one, or the refusal to speak ill of others, for example – could be the kind of behaviour which causes others to see, even in a small way, the love of God. Thus, when Jesus says that we should let our good deeds shine out before others, he is not necessarily putting demands of laudable performance upon us – quite the reverse.


Lord, help me to live my life as your disciple right now, in the circumstances and challenges in which I find myself today

 

[Colin]

Sunday 2 March

(A) Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time • Matthew 6:24-34




24“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34“So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today."


Today we are faced with a choice between God and a rival master. To serve God, we need to love him above all things. The rival master can be anyone or anything. The example Jesus gives is mammon, a Semitic word for money or riches, which according to St Gregory of Nyssa derived from the ancient Canaanite god of riches. We can see the challenge as worship either of God or of some other god. Our ultimate loyalty should be to God, and this is impossible if we serve money in the way that a slave serves his master. It is this service of money, not the possession of it, that is wrong. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian sentenced to death for opposing the Nazis, put the choice well: ‘Our hearts have room for only one all-embracing devotion, and we can only cleave to one Lord.’
In the rest of today’s Gospel, the theme is worry and anxiety. The Greek verb in ‘do not be anxious’ (v. 25) is merimnate, used also in Philippians 4:6, ‘Have no anxiety about anything’. God gave us life and our body, so he will give us the lesser gifts of food and clothing, and therefore anxiety is unnecessary.
We are all prone to worry, to a greater or lesser extent, but it robs us of the peace of Christ. The basis of our anxiety is that we lack faith. Jesus’ teaching here gives us several reasons why we should not worry: it is to miss the point of life, which is far more important than things such as food, drink and clothing; it makes little sense for if God feeds the birds, surely he will not let us go hungry; and it is a waste of time because it will never lengthen our lives. Indeed, worry can make us ill, shortening our lives. There are enough problems today without worrying about tomorrow!
The answer to worry is to ‘seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness’ (v. 33). We need to change our priorities and seek to uphold God’s standards. Through God’s grace we can grow in our understanding of his love and become more conscious that he cares for us.


Lord, I am so often busy and worry about all sorts of things. Help me to remember that if you feed the birds and cover the fields with beautiful flowers, you are certainly always going to take care of me.

 

[Colin]

Monday 3 March

Mark 10:17-27




17 As he was setting out on a journey, a man ran up and knelt before him, and asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ 18Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19You know the commandments: “You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.” ’ 20He said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’ 21Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money* to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ 22When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.
23 Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it will be for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!’ 24And the disciples were perplexed at these words. But Jesus said to them again, ‘Children, how hard it is* to enter the kingdom of God! 25It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ 26They were greatly astounded and said to one another,* ‘Then who can be saved?’ 27Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but not for God; for God all things are possible.’



A man comes to Jesus seeking wisdom. In the enquirer we recognize everyone who (consciously or not) comes to Jesus asking about the meaning of life. The man is a seeker – he is searching for the full meaning, purpose and direction of life. ‘Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ (v. 17). His searching question is as sincere as it is probing. The mystery of our eternal destiny strikes at the very heart of our existence.
The man is clearly attracted to Jesus. He sees in him one who can satisfy his deepest needs and answer his most testing questions. Jesus’ response may appear to us to be abrupt and curt. Its purpose is to establish that only God can shed light upon what is good; only the One who is good can grant eternal life. Jesus shows that eternal life is connected to our obedience to the commandments. At their heart is our call to uphold the dignity of every human person. Jesus’ teaching brings the Ten Commandments to fulfilment.
The questioner remains unsatisfied. He feels that there must be more to it than that. We cannot but assume that he is genuine when he says: ‘Teacher, all these I have observed from my youth’ (v. 20). Even though he has lived a morally exemplary life he knows deep inside that he is far from his goal – he realizes that he is still lacking. Jesus is conscious that he is thirsting for something greater and challenges him to enter upon the path of perfection. How? By giving away his possessions and following Jesus. Sadly the man turns away from this challenge – he is incapable of taking this next step on his own. The realization crushes him and he departs sorrowful and dejected.
The demands of discipleship can seem hard and the call to be obedient is not always easy. However, what is impossible for us is possible for God (v. 27). In understanding our own powerlessness and inability not only to keep the commandments but to live the beatitudes, we become open to receiving the gift of God’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s as we come to rely on the grace and power of God rather than on our own strength that we are enabled truly to follow Jesus.


Lord, I want to be your disciple. I want to follow your way, to know your truth and to be filled with your life.

 

[Colin]

Tuesday 4 March

Mark 10:28-31



28Peter began to say to him, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” 29Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, 30who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age—houses, brothers and sisters, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”


‘What’s in it for me?’ How often do we ask ourselves this question? In so many things we do there is an element of self-interest. We may cloak it, but the question lurks in the background. In effect this is what Peter is saying to the Lord when he states: ‘Lo, we have left everything and followed you’ (v. 28). It is reassuringly human that the one who was to be the rock upon which the Church was built should display such a sentiment. It is even more reassuring that the Lord doesn’t rebuke him, but affirms that many benefits and blessings will be conferred upon his followers, both in this age and in the age to come. It is sobering too that contained within the litany of blessings there is also the warning of persecution.
Jesus knew that Peter’s question echoed the complex desires of the heart. In many ways Peter’s words are both question and complaint. The idea that dedication, sacrifice and labour can go unrewarded is abhorrent. It offends our sense of natural justice. Still, we may say with varying degrees of humility that in our service of others we want nothing for ourselves. We protest that what we do is done out of love. But the truth is that even when this is the case our service brings its own reward.
We should not be embarrassed by the idea of reward. It is a godly principle and God is eager to shower his blessings upon all those who serve him. He is lavish and generous beyond our wildest dreams. To understand this we’ve got to get into the logic of the kingdom. God’s reasoning is so completely different from our own – for example, in God’s kingdom the first will be last and the last first (v. 31). In God’s kingdom the humble are exalted and the exalted humbled. In God’s kingdom the rich become poor and the poor rich. If God gives us so many gifts in this world, what treasure will be ours in the age to come! Rest assured that God wants to reward and bless us. If we are suffering for God’s sake and we find ourselves giving way to bitterness or complaint, we can take to heart the words of Thomas à Kempis: ‘With God it is impossible that anything, however small, that is suffered for God’s sake, should fail to meet with its reward."

 

[Colin]

Wednesday 5 March


Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 • Ash Wednesday




6‘Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 ‘So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
5 ‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
16 ‘And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.


Lent can be understood as a season of divine therapy – a time to detoxify our souls, renew our energy and be refreshed in spirit. Lent is like a long ‘retreat’, during which we can turn into ourselves and listen to the voice of God in order to defeat the temptations of the Evil One. It is a period of spiritual ‘combat’, which we must experience alongside Jesus, not with pride and presumption, but using the arms of faith: prayer, listening to the Word of God and penance. In this way we will be able to celebrate Easter in truth, ready to renew the promises of our baptism.
During Lent we are invited to fast and deny ourselves; we receive the call to pray more and give to those who are in need (almsgiving). In all these ways we give of ourselves, but it is also a season to receive. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta said: ‘As Lent is the time for greater love, listen to Jesus’ thirst... ‘‘Repent and believe’’ Jesus tells us. What are we to repent of? Our indifference, our hardness of heart. What are we to believe? Jesus thirsts even now, in your heart and in the poor – he knows your weakness. He wants only your love, wants only the chance to love you.’
Lent then is a time of conversion, of change, of repentance, of turning back to God. The problem is that we often find it much easier to identify and point out how others may need to repent and change than to focus on ourselves and our own shortcomings. Self-knowledge is a gift of the Spirit which we can ask the Lord to give us. As we grow in spiritual insight into our own behaviour and attitudes, we become aware of our need to seek out what the Church calls ‘the second conversion’, which the Catechism of the Catholic Church unreservedly teaches is an ongoing process in the Christian life: ‘Christ’s call to conversion continues to resound in the lives of Christians. This second conversion is an uninterrupted task for the whole Church who, ‘clasping sinners to her bosom, [is] at once holy and always in need of purification [and] follows constantly the path of penance and renewal’’ (para. 1428).


Lord Jesus, during Lent may your Spirit so work in me that my heart may be drawn and moved by the merciful love of God. Help me to recognize my need to return to you.

 

[Colin]

Thursday 6 March

Thursday after Ash Wednesday • Luke 9:22-25





22 ‘The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.’
23 Then he said to them all, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. 25What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?



Do you know where you are going? Do you know where you came from? Do you know what God’s plan is for your life? Of course, the answer to these questions can never be easy or straightforward. We all, truth be told, live with a certain darkness or mystery to our lives as they are lived out in human history. Yet there is a way in which to have some notion or idea of the answer to such questions gives our lives meaning and direction, and helps to shape our identity. Of course, we live our lives against a backdrop of shadow and confusion which can really only be truly enlightened by the light of faith. We are fallen and imperfect human beings.
Jesus, however, was not fallen: as the One who did not sin, he was truly perfect. He had a clear understanding of where he came from, where he was going and what God’s plan for his life was. He had a clear and perfect grasp of his origin and destiny. He knew that he was from the Father and was returning to the Father. He knew that he was the promised Messiah, the anointed and chosen One for whom the Jewish nation had prayed and longed. Jesus’ own understanding of his mission differed sharply from the understanding of the Jewish people, who believed the Messiah would come in a show of power and glory, ushering in God’s kingdom and crushing his enemies. Jesus revealed a different kind of Messiah: he revealed a Messiah who was a scandal, one from whom men hid their faces, one who suffered and was rejected. Jesus was not the Messiah of glory but the Messiah of the cross. Jesus was despised, rejected and finally executed in possibly the most brutal way ever devised by humanity.
Jesus’ life gives witness to the ‘death to life’ principle: from death comes life; from self-sacrifice comes fullness of life and true human dignity. During Lent we embrace this ‘death to life’ principle: in order to find life we must first lose it. For sure this kicks against our human nature. We resist and fight it but by God’s grace we can put on Christ and live a life in the power of the Holy Spirit.


‘I beg you, Lord, to stamp everything I do with the seal of love, for nothing else will last.’ (Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity)

 

[Colin]

Friday 7 March

Matthew 9:14-15 • SS Perpetua and Felicity (Memorial)



14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often,* but your disciples do not fast?’ 15And Jesus said to them, ‘The wedding-guests cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. "


It is a harsh yet observable fact that those who practise their faith with a certain intensity are often critical of those who do not. It as if their devotion and commitment cloud their charity and compassion, causing them to become rather harsh and judgemental towards others. We should not be surprised that John the Baptist’s disciples were set in this mould, asking Jesus why his disciples did not fast. They were clearly scandalized. The Lord cleverly deflected their question with another question, asking, ‘Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them?’ (v. 15).

The image of God as the Bridegroom is deeply rooted in the Jewish faith. Many scriptures express God’s love for his people Israel in terms of a bridegroom’s love for the bride he has chosen: ‘For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name’ (Isa. 54:5); ‘I delight greatly in the Lord…For he has…arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest’ (Isa. 61:10 NIV); ‘For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you, and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you’ (Isa. 62:5); ‘I will betroth you to me for ever; I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness; and you shall know the Lord’ (Hos. 2:19-20). God is our lover and we are his beloved.

The disciples were blessed because they lived during the time of the Bridegroom. We live during a different era – an era when we await his coming again among us. We are called to fast and to prepare for the coming again to earth of Christ the Bridegroom. We should fast, though, not because we are required to or because it is the right thing to do, but because we love the Bridegroom. We fast, pray and give alms because of love, not because of duty. This is a work of the Spirit in us. These disciplines are meant to bring us closer to God and our neighbour – not drive us further apart.

‘O Love ever burning and never extinguished, my God set me on fire.’ (St Augustine of Hippo)

 

[Colin]

Saturday 8 March

Saturday after Ash Wednesday • Luke 5:27-32




27 After this he went out and saw a tax-collector named Levi, sitting at the tax booth; and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ 28And he got up, left everything, and followed him.
29 Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax-collectors and others sitting at the table* with them. 30The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax-collectors and sinners?’ 31Jesus answered, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; 32I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance.’



Jesus was born a Jew and lived his life immersed in Jewish culture and traditions. However, he did not think entirely like the majority of Jews: he thought like a child of God; he thought like the Son of God. The Jews of Jesus’ day absolutely loathed and despised their fellow countrymen who collaborated with their Roman oppressors as tax collectors. Levi was very likely one of the many tax collectors who set up booths on one of the major international routes that went from Damascus through Capernaum to Egypt and the Mediterranean coast. We know little of the detail of what transpired between Jesus and Levi but we do know one very simple fact: Jesus invited Levi to follow him. There was something so powerful, so compelling and so life-changing about their encounter that this tax collector left everything to follow the Lord.

What then made a manipulative, cunning and greedy traitor like Levi turn so radically from a corrupt life to become a disciple of Christ? Was it a look from Jesus? Or perhaps a word? Or was it simply his presence? Luke summarizes their encounter in two brief verses but there must have been a deep and powerful exchange – a meeting of hearts, a look of love, an understanding that Jesus had the message of eternal life, that he, in fact, was the message of eternal life. What is beyond doubt is that a dramatic transformation occurred which resulted in Levi ceasing to be a collector of taxes and becoming a fisher of men.

Each of us is called to a life of repentance and conversion, but what does this mean? We tend to think that it is people in serious difficulty or embroiled in destructive lifestyles who are in need of conversion. Not us! It’s the ones who commit serious sins, such as murder, adultery and fornication. Those of us who commit lesser sins such as greed, gluttony, avarice or gossip just need to seek forgiveness through a visit to the sacrament of reconciliation. Yes, indeed, but the sacrament of reconciliation is in fact a sacrament of conversion, pointing up the truth, salutary as it may be, that we are all in need of conversion.

Lord, teach me that your sun shines on both the righteous and the unrighteous because all are in need of your great mercy and forgiveness, and all are in need of conversion.

 

[Colin]

Sunday 9 March

Matthew 4:1-11 • First Sunday of Lent (A)

4Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. 3The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ 4But he answered, ‘It is written,
“One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” ’
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written,
“He will command his angels concerning you”,
and “On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.” ’
7Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour; 9and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ 10Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written,
“Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.” ’
11Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

The playwright Oscar Wilde famously said, ‘I can resist everything except temptation.’ He also said: ‘A man who moralizes is invariably a hypocrite; a woman, a prude.’ Oscar Wilde certainly knew a thing or two about temptation. How tragic it was that this great man of letters, with such insight into human nature, was destroyed by the experience of being sentenced to two years’ hard labour.

The truth is that we are all tempted. No one can escape the allure of temptation. But what is temptation? We could say that temptation is a state experienced when a person entertains thoughts, intentions or desires which are contrary to the thoughts, intentions and desires of Almighty God. When those thoughts, intentions or desires are entertained, then sin is committed. Sin unrepented of by the sinner and not forgiven by the Father leads to death. Temptation is, then, a link in the chain of circumstances that leads to death (Jas. 1:14, 15). It is important to remember, however, that there is a distinction between being tempted and consenting to it. It is the latter that is sinful.

But how do we resist temptation and how do we overcome it? A key step in the process lies in having a change of attitude towards those things which tempt us. Rather than being fearful of temptaion we can regard it as part and parcel of human nature. The truth is that in resisting temptation we are made stronger in faith and in our spirits, and for this reason temptation can be seen as an aid in our spiritual growth. The great Scripture scholar Origen said: ‘God does not want to impose the good, but wants free beings. There is a certain usefulness to temptation. No one but God knows what our soul has received from him, not even we ourselves. But temptation reveals it in order to teach us to know ourselves, and in this way we discover our evil inclinations and are obliged to give thanks for the good that temptation has revealed to us.’

Lord, thank you for testing me and putting me through the trials of life and the trials of faith. Jesus was tempted as we are but he resisted. Teach me to follow his example and overcome temptation in the name and by the cross and the blood of Jesus.

 

[Colin]

Monday 10 March

St John Ogilvie (Feast in Scotland) • John 12:24-26



24Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour."




The holy season of Lent leads us towards the period in Jesus’ life which he refers to as ‘his hour’. Jesus is on the way to the cross, and we follow him on that journey. It is the hour of Jesus’ suffering and death, which we commemorate on Good Friday. A grain of wheat must fall to the ground and die if it is to produce fruit. Jesus will enter the ground, like a grain of wheat, but his death on the cross will yield much fruit.
This is one of the profound themes of the New Testament: from death comes life. Life is offered to the world through the death of Jesus on the cross. If he is buried like the seed, if he is lifted up (v. 32), then much fruit will come and he will draw all people to himself. There was no other way for salvation to come to men and women except by the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. This was the ultimate revelation of the love of God. Many centuries before, the prophet Isaiah had foretold: ‘Behold, my servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high’ (Isa. 52:13). The cross was the hour when Jesus was glorified.
Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel mirror something of the interior struggle he would endure in the Garden of Gethsemane: ‘Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour?’ No, for this purpose I have come to this hour’ (vv. 27-28; cf. Mark 14:34). Although in his humanity Jesus recoiled at the suffering of the cross, he brought his natural feelings in subjection to his desire to bring glory to his Father.
The heart and centre of the Christian message will always be the cross of Jesus. Just as Jesus’ mission was to go to the cross, so too it is our mission. If we wish to be servants of our Lord Jesus Christ, he asks us to ‘follow’ him in this particular way. We – like him – are to be a grain of wheat that falls into the ground and dies. Only by being willing to die to ourselves, to our ambitions, our longings, our aspirations, will we discover the life energized by God himself, the life of true love, joy and peace, the life that is a foretaste of heaven.


Lord, teach me during Lent to glory in your cross.