November 2015

Christ the King (B) – November 22, 2015

From the Pastor /

The years following the Great War of 1914-18 were years of trouble and turmoil. Many nations struggled to come to terms with the horrors that had befallen the world. Before long and further war erupted, driven by the expansionist will of Adolf Hitler, and so the 1920s and 30s are known now as the “inter-war years”. The Bishop of Rome published a letter to the whole Church and the whole world, to put before everyone the vital importance of Jesus as the ruler over all. The year was 1925 and already dictators were flourishing in the shape of Benito Mussolini, and new forms of government in Soviet Russia, where first Lenin and then Stalin would rule with an iron fist. With the new nationalism there arose the new secularism, a world ruled without reference to God. In our world today, we are accustomed to secularism, and the Church has had to accommodate itself to an ever-changing world. In some places the Church has had too much influence in the political sphere. In other places the Church is still persecuted and required to submit to the will of the Government.

Today’s feast prompts us to think about the rule of the Lord in our personal life and in our public and social life. The kingdom that He proclaims is the kingdom of truth, and that claim puts all of us on the spot. “All who are on the side of truth listen to My voice,” says the Lord.

“Love one another, as I have loved you.” “Love your enemies and do good to those who persecute you.” The teaching of Jesus shows us that every human being is to be loved and honored and respected.

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XXXIII Sunday (B) – November 15, 2015

From the Pastor, PNCC /

We can understand people’s shock on hearing Jesus speak about the total collapse of the heavens, popularly believed to be in control of this world. The context for Jesus’ words is also important, though. Today’s Gospel is part of a long list of comments He made after leaving the Jerusalem Temple with His disciples. His passion and death are nearing. The Temple was central to Judaism. It had been greatly extended and improved by King Herod the Great – at the cost of massive taxation of His subjects. Think of shock when Jesus says that not one stone of this will stand upon another – a prophecy fulfilled in AD 70, when the Romans destroyed it.

Gospel stories like this one may seem distant to us today, rooted as they are in terminology alien to our understanding of the universe in which we live. At all times, disciples are to be wary of giving allegiance to what may seem impressive now, but will not last. The list of these may include people, ideologies, wealth, technology…we can make the list almost endless. As we approach the end of this liturgical year, we are reminded that all of these are transitory. We are called always to have our hearts set on the kingdom of God. As Jesus reminds us, not even the Son of Man knows the day when He will return, but He does stress one essential thing: heaven and earth might – indeed, will – pass away, but His words will never pass away.

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XXXII Sunday (B) – November 8, 2015

From the Pastor /

In today’s Gospel Jesus condemns those who “swallow the poverty of widows.” The widow in the society of His time was an outcast. She had no inheritance rights from her husband’s property. Her eldest son would inherit and if there was no son she might be married to a brother of her deceased husband. If the brother refused, or if there was none, she would return to her father’s house or go begging. Widows, like other women, had no role in public or religious life. Jesus is sitting opposite the area in the Temple where financial gifts can be donated. Amidst all the ostentatious giving by affluent people He notices a poor widow humbly offering two coins. They are smallest coins in use, and she seems unaware that her tiny contribution is even noticed. But Jesus’ admiration for the widow is coupled with strong reservations about what is happening. Religious legislation was forcing widows to lose their homes, and even the poorest in society were expected to contribute financially to the Temple. This is an opportunity for Jesus to draw attention to the lowliest people in His society. But it is also a chance to lament the injustice that creates the conditions for this scene. It is a warning about wealth: that wealth and greed blind those who are affluent to the needs of vulnerable people, and that amazing wealth for the elite, and even for the religious establishment, means poverty for widows and those at the margins of society.

The injustice that afflicted the widows in scripture continue to affect those who are poor and vulnerable in our day. And we particularly remember the millions of widows globally who are victims of war and conflict, which have impoverished them. The Church has an obligation to work for peace and justice in the world, and constantly to reviews its economic practice to ensure that vulnerable groups are supported. The Church is called to have compassion for those on the margins of society with no wealth or influence. What about individual Christians? All of us are challenged not to let financial self-interest dominate our lives. The widow in the Gospel was able to let go of her security by giving her last coins – a small deed of love. We are called to be selfless with the resources at our disposal, particularly supporting poor and vulnerable people. Today’s readings encourage us to rely on God for all our needs, and thank God each day for the many blessings received and the small deeds of love that we experience.

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All Saints (B) – November 1, 2015

From the Pastor /

On this Solemnity of All Saints, for the Gospel reading the Church has chosen the proclamation of the Beatitudes by Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount. In doing this the Church draws upon a long tradition that has seen in the Sermon on the Mount — the perfect instruction for living the Christian life — for becoming a saint, in other words. In his presentation of the Beatitudes St. Matthew presents Jesus as fulfilling the Law of Moses. Just as Moses went up the mountain to receive the tablets of the Law, which is the basis for the life of Israel, Jesus now ascends the mount to preach His new kingdom. The Beatitudes are the expression of His life, and those who live according to the Beatitudes will become like Him. Yet what it is to become like Him is mysterious. Those who live the Beatitudes provide a powerful witness in their lives of the presence of Jesus Christ, but we can never reduce this to a set of actions. Holiness is manifested in those who live their lives in love of others, but that love itself overflows any attempt we may make to contain it. Each one of us is called to live the Beatitudes in our lives, and to open our hearts fully to the mystery of Christ’s love.

When we read the lives of the saints we can find great inspiration, but we can also find it hard to see how we, with all our faults, can ever approach their holiness. The essential thing in reading the lives of the saints is to focus on Jesus Christ, for the lives of the saints are always to be seen in His light. In Jesus Christ we are all invited to share in a mystery of love that goes beyond our understanding and imagination. It is by welcoming this mystery into our lives that we are able to follow the example of the saints. We often misunderstand the nature of sainthood. Sainthood is not something reserved for a select few within the Church, but it is the calling given to all. As we pray, as we celebrate the liturgy of the Church, as we try through God’s grace as a sharing in the mystery of Christ’s love. At those times when we fail we are called not to lose hope, but to find in our failure the opportunity to encounter Christ’s love, a love on which we can never place limits, a love that calls each of us to holiness.

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