Faith & Mission

Reflection

I am a huge fan of the ‘Rest is History’ podcast.  I have to confess that what excites me most about each episode, is when the focus turns to the wars and conflicts and the great men and women of the era under discussion.  

With this knowledge, I hope that you will understand why the following parable of Jesus from last week’s Gospel started me thinking.

If a kingdom is divided against itself, 

that kingdom cannot stand. 

And if a house is divided against itself, 

that house will not be able to stand.

As exciting as war and division might be to an amateur history nerd, the reality of conflict in all its dimensions, from family violence to wars between nations, is catastrophic horror.

Fr John Hannon, our parish priest, noted the recent death of the Apollo 8 astronaut, Bill Anders.  While in space, Anders had taken a photograph of the distant earth rising over the horizon of the moon’s surface.  

These images of our fragile blue planet, call us to recognise that in interpreting Jesus’ parable of division, we need to think of the ‘kingdom’ as our planet.

Later in last week’s Gospel, the crowd tell Jesus that his mother, brothers and sisters were asking after him.  Jesus responded:

"Who are my mother and my brothers?"

And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers and my sisters.  For whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."

Let me admit that the Gospel of Mark can be full on, and I am certainly not a biblical scholar.  However, I am certain that Jesus was not encouraging us to disown our parents and siblings.

My takeaway is that Jesus is challenging us to rise above tribalism and rejection of the outsider and the stranger.

Last Sunday, the Catholic Church returned to Ordinary Time.

The question that relates to my reflections above whether the Ordinary is ordinary?

It is true that in the Christmas season, many people are moved by the message of new birth and hope to come and join in the festive masses of Christmas.

Similarly, Easter draws us into the deep mysteries of the human experience.  Loss and suffering, resurrection and hope.  The great feasts provide powerful moments of reflection and wonderful moments of celebration.

But I believe that the ‘will of God’ that Jesus called us to follow, is found in the ordinary moments of life.  The daily routines of support and care for our families and friends.  The ordinary in the service and hospitality to those we meet, regardless of their external circumstances.  The ordinary in the compassion, justice and respect that characterise our dealings in our communities.

In their class mass, Year 7 Green captured this idea beautifully in their opening prayer for their mass:

Lord, give us new strength so that we can build places of belonging and welcome:  To create a community for all to share their gifts, to know that each of us is unique and to help us to see the light of Christ in all that we serve.  Let us remember that each of us is loved and each of us is necessary.

Mr Mark Hyland

Director of Faith and Mission