Fr John’s Reflection – 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time
22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – 30th August
The Gospel of this weekend reflects how just as Peter recognised who Jesus was, he wanted to dictate how his ministry should unfold. We can notice this in our own prayer where we try to set the agenda and then assess how God matches up to our own criteria. What we discover is that God’s vision is often broader and more inclusive than our own. It is not that God is inattentive but rather that he plants within us a desire for love and peace which calls us to take risks to move out beyond ourselves. Our religion is not called to be neatly contained by our own interests but rather responsive to God’s initiative to lead us out on a mission.
During this time of enforced isolation, we can start to notice that what truly brings life works to a different rhythm. God seeks to guide us to find what leads to our true human flourishing which seeks the goodness of God in our own environment. Rather than concentrating on the problems we face and the difficulties that surround us, we become more open to seeking a more compassionate and hopeful response. This does not remove us from the challenges that we all experience but it does help us to view them differently. It calls us to be people of practical wisdom who notice how God is present in our everyday responses.
Our life is called to be one which builds bridges so that we can encounter others, not destroy them. This is especially true in our own world where noticing differences does not cause us to dwell on divisions but rather on what sustains life. In a world which seems to focus on the fear of our own mortality or even promotes a “me-first” culture, we become more open to the universal call to be present. This recognises that each country and indeed every person is formed with a particular culture. Yet this is not to exclude others but to recognise the gifts that we bring to the table. As we listen to the voice of God in this time may we dwell on what unites us and sustains us in hope.
Fr. John Armstrong
Fr John’s Reflection – 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time – 23rd August
Jesus does not ask this question in a way which seeks a throwaway reply. He seeks for us to discover how his life affects our own. In order to understand this, we need to examine the context in which this exchange takes place with his disciples. The scene takes place against the cliff face surrounding Caesarea Phillippi. This was the place which was considered to be the gates of hell and was taken so seriously that numerous Greek and Roman “gods” were placed on watch at the entrance. There was even a garrison of Roman soldiers garrisoned at the foot of these cliffs just in case all hell should break loose. This is not just passing the time of day but rather saying whether his disciples recognised that it was their relationship with him which held this internal struggle at bay. What we say yes and no to affects the way we live and relate to each other.
In our current age, we are also aware of how the person of Jesus is called to be a living and sustained relationship. This is not just a form of words or a well-expressed theology but rather a living prayer which shapes how we live. Our lives are called to be transformed by our prayer and our prayer is called to be transformed by our lives. In noticing how our relationship with Jesus sustains us and guides us we start to notice what he noticed. This is not only our own internal struggles but also a passion for the reconciliation and healing of the lives of people around us. This can seem like a life and death struggle in how we seek to become authentic and integrated into life. Our authority does not come by a delegation from outside but arises as a loving response which sustains us. Our witness of his life guides us to be present to our world with hope and grace.
So, the way we answer the question is not in what we say but in how we live. In fact, it is by considering this question each day that we discover the life of Jesus becoming central to our own reflections and actions. It is how we are called to become prayerfully aware of God’s presence in the everyday circumstances that we encounter. God is present in who we seek to become and how we are present to each other. In this, we learn to discover deep inner freedom to become the person God desires us to be.
Fr. John Armstrong
Fr John’s Reflection – 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time
20th Sunday in Ordinary Time – 16th August
I already know what will be good for you!
Often when we consider proclaiming the gospel to another person it is possible to proceed from a position of needs to have what we are having. This is a dynamic which sees the other person as a blank slate on which we can write the Good News. There are problems with this process as people tend to resist being preached at or being told that they need to be saved. What they hear and what we say can make a profound difference in how a person receives that message of faith, hope and love. I believe there is a way which does not assume that the person is lacking in any of these areas.
We hear the words of the Canaanite woman who seeks healing for her daughter from Jesus. Paul seeks to preach to the pagans because they experience God’s mercy. In Isaiah, the foreigners seek to have a care for justice and to act with integrity. This approach assumes there is natural and intuitive goodness planted in each person by God. There is a desire which wells up inside each person which seeks to live from that place of good not just for themselves but for others. Karl Rahner often called these people anonymous Christians. There is a place where they have met Jesus Christ in a way which proceeds us talking about him. The way opens up the doors of salvation to those who appear “far away”.
When we then go out and live that good news in our community it is by way of attraction and friendship. Trusting that God will introduce us to the people ready to hear that Word which they have already noticed intuitively. It allows people to be affirmed and encouraged in their journey of faith which allows us to join them on pilgrimage. This is not by pouring information into them but rather by arousing their curiosity and trust to be formed and transformed by the person of Christ. As missionaries, our simple “work” is to be ourselves in the way we live and become prayerfully aware of how God has already proceeded us and touched hearts. The work becomes simpler because we are called to listen with the eyes of the heart which notice where there is a revealed truth that God is present in this place. In this way, we are called to be companions who befriend others as they befriend us. Noticing that it is God who leads us and encounters in the simple acts of each day.
Fr. John Armstrong
Fr John’s Reflection – 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
19th Sunday in Ordinary Time – 9th August
There is a constant theme in this weekend’s Gospel story where Jesus invites Peter to walk towards him across the water. This seems impossible and unrealistic, yet Peter steps out of the boat in a belief that he can reach Jesus. Yet in the midst of the storm and beset by the wind it seems that Peter comes to his senses and recognises the precariousness of his situation. He might say to himself, “nobody can walk on water” or maybe, “what was I thinking I might drown”. Suddenly he is aware of his fears and the danger which surrounds him and he begins to sink. Yet in the midst of this dangerous situation, Jesus reaches out to him and pulls him back up and into the boat. The storm settles and everything seems to be calm again. Yet Peter is aware of the internal battle that still rages within him and his utter dependence upon the person of Jesus.
I feel that in these uncertain times we are constantly called by Jesus to walk on water. This seems impossible and impractical. We often want concrete solutions to concrete problems. We notice this when we turn to our political and civic leaders to rescue us from the current pandemic. Yet in many ways, we find them bewildered and confused about the best way to navigate the way through the crisis. Rather than too little information, there is too much that they are called to consider. Not only the health of the nation but also the welfare of people both in the short and long term. There can be an impression that we are all at sea and that the phrase that we are all in this together takes on fresh poignancy. The call, especially for this time, is to keep those who offer leadership in our prayers. We pray that they can keep their eyes on what brings life rather than on what threatens disaster and misfortune.
Also, for ourselves in the midst of the new “normal” we are called to step out in faith. We follow the health guidelines to keep ourselves and others safe. This can seem difficult because the distance from each other cannot be fully bridged by zoom. There is something about physical presence which needs to aid our encounter with God and with each other. This is probably the hardest part of this pandemic because we are called to be social people who support each other by our presence. This is not only an attention to what is real but where our bodies are there also is our hearts. How do we help each other in this time to discover that real presence of God who is at the centre of our lives? This can often be difficult when only limited numbers can gather in the Church at any one time. When communion seems to be reserved just to those able to attend Mass. There are longing and a desire for the presence of Jesus who sustains us. I believe this is where our prayer and our life are called to be Eucharistic. When we sit down for a meal we pray, share company with each other and can take action for the good of others. I believe especially in the light of this week’s explosion in Beirut and the tragedy unfolding in Lebanon we could take the time of fasting on one day during the week and using the money we save to make a contribution for their immediate needs. In this way when we break bread with each other we share a deeper communion both in Mass and in our regular meals for that deeper connection which unites in God especially at times of trouble. We are never alone when we encounter the person of Jesus who listens to our fears, reaches out his hand and says why did you doubt?
Fr. John Armstrong
Fr John’s Reflection – 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time
18th Sunday in Ordinary Time – 2nd August
Why spend your money on what cannot fill, why spend your time on what fails to satisfy?
In times of the pandemic, there are two fundamental questions about how we spend our time and how we spend our money? The spiritual exercise of looking at our diaries and our bank statements can often tell us more than we are prepared to notice. They help us to know what is informing us and influencing who we are as a person. We know that many of the search engines and social media accounts often use what we are regularly accessing to show us adverts that may seem to be pertinent to our age or interest. There can often be a sense of how did they know what I was thinking. In fact, in this age of modern technology, the search engine can often predict where our interests are leading us and give us more of the same. But what they cannot tell us is what is happening within us? Am I just consuming things and wasting my time or is what I am attending to helping me to grow as a person?
In an age which seeks to promote reaction rather than reflection, it is important that we notice how we are being led to make certain choices. Often these choices can seem to be small, but they can influence the person I become. What is it that I seek as being central to my life? This is not necessarily about finding the right answer but rather noticing what prompts me to act in one way or another. I believe that this could easily be summed up in the question does this bring me life or not? This may seem to be very self-centred, but it is rather looking at what gift has God planted in my heart that can be shared with others. If my life is not moved by love for God and the way I live, then we can easily become people who are shaped by events beyond our making. We fail to see the opportunities which are uniquely ours to share the goodness of God in the place where I am called to be present.
This brings me to how we recognise that God has already provided us with what we need to make the next obvious step. There can sometimes be a hesitancy to step out because we do not feel we have enough or that somebody else could do the thing we are considering with greater expertise and professionalism. Yet when we listen with our hearts, we start to discover what is necessary for this day. By offering everything to God not only are we transformed but so are the things that we offer. The ordinary becomes extraordinarily fruitful. This is not so that we draw attention to ourselves, but we grow in the trust that God will provide what is needed for this day and this moment. In the very act of surrendering our day to God, we discover that we can offer our whole self to produce abundance which fills us and satisfies us. This is not by having more than enough but discovering that our lives matter to God and to our community. Together we can find that our lives are blessed and are a blessing to each other.
Fr. John Armstrong
Fr John’s Reflection – 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time
17th Sunday in Ordinary Time – 26th July
Solomon prays for the gift of service for himself into seeking to discern between good and evil in the service of others. In fact, it is one of the reasons we need to pray for the people who offer leadership either in government and in the Church. This calls us to be able to reason with our minds and test the inclination of our hearts to consider what is the right and good thing to do. In fact, it is this balancing of doing the right thing with good intentions that guides us to know how our life makes a difference for the wellbeing of others. This calls us to be people who pray with all our hearts, who reflect with attention not only to our opinions but to the wisdom of others and act in a way which embodies what is true to ourselves.
The call to prayer is not just to say prayers but to notice what is moving us towards a choice. This calls us to see whether in the first stage our direction is towards doing good or doing evil. By noticing what is happening in our hearts we can consider whether we feel disturbed, angry, afraid or anxious. This lack of peace calls us to become dissipated into many different ways of being present which seem to tear us apart. They draw us away from a feeling of unity and communion both within ourselves and with others. These are often signs that the bad spirit draws us into a conflict which is destructive not just of ourselves but also of the other.
The good spirit is very different. It can help us to notice the inner conflict within ourselves but seeks to navigate the destructive feelings that well up inside us. It helps us to notice first that feelings can be naturally present to each person but they can become a fruitful place from which we can have a conversation with God. They can help us to see that our prayer calls for honest self-evaluation of what feelings lead to life and those that do not. It also allows us to talk to a spiritual companion to sift what is happening in our relationship with God. In essence, this is not by seeing these feelings as alien to our sense of being but allowing them to be brought to the light. This allows us to see how we become constructive in our engagement in the world.
I feel that this is the wisdom that Solomon prayed for. It was not to remove himself from the world but to notice how he could be a person who could bring a sense of balance and equanimity to his considerations. He sought to seek not just what was good for himself but the good of the whole. This was by listening to the stories that people wished to tell him from their own perspective. However, it was not wishing to be influenced solely by that perspective but the motivation that was behind the telling of that story. Was it told for the personal advantage of the person, was it to address a situation which demanded justice for the whole community or was it to reveal the desire of God for the person? These are never easy decisions but a person who helps another to discern listens to the story and also where a person may be guided in the telling of that story. Any discernment seeks to take the next obvious step in the story of a person and our community.
Fr. John Armstrong
Fr John’s Reflection – 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
16th Sunday in Ordinary Time – 19th July
I was struck by how when I look at the little garden I am cultivating under my window that the weeds seem to be more prolific than the carefully planted bulbs. I have the hopes of a wonderful floral display to greet me especially in these times of winter and COVID gloom which seems to loom heavily around us. What I have noticed, however, is that I need to be patient. While the grass seems to thrive and grow quickly the bulbs only hesitantly push forward the signs of new growth, tentatively waiting the welcome of warmer days. Even with the meticulous gardening, it seems that the grass continues to flourish and the flowers only slowly emerge into the sunlight.
When I turn to the reading of the weekend the difference between the darnel and the wheat is less obvious. There is a fear that if you pull out one plant you will damage the other. There is a sense in which we are called to observe and be present to the environment in which both grow. They both bring forth green shoots but only one produces a “fruit” which is desired. Only one can be made into a bread which brings life. Yet it is only by careful observation that we can distinguish the difference.
In many ways, it is similar to situations we notice in life. What seems to bring forward green shoots and fresh insights does not always bring forth the desired fruit. Yet in these situations, Jesus calls us to be attentive to what is happening and notice what actually leads to life. Often this can look as though we give permission to something rather than developing a tolerance which allows a person to be nourished by the Word planted within them. Just as in all growth we need to help a person distinguish what truly brings life and which nourishes their life and others. This calls us to be attentive, tendering and aware of how in being present we help another to grow closer to our Lord.
Fr. John Armstrong
Fr John’s Reflection – 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time
15th Sunday in Ordinary Time – 12th July
Over the weeks and months since we entered into the pandemic, I have a fresh appreciation of nature and creation. There has been a growing appreciation of how things grow even in the midst of terrible disasters. Going through some of the countryside ravaged by bushfires you can start to see fresh growth and green shoots emerging. Yet blackened trees still remind us of the ferocity of the fires that threatened many communities. While nature seems to recover the scars left on human hearts take longer to heal. This is not just the physical effort necessary to rebuild shattered lives but also the need to create a place from which our hearts will trust that we overcome the mental anguish we have encountered. This is not only in the lives of those directly affected but is vicariously shared by our common concern for each other. When we notice the effects of the pandemic, we can start to feel growing anxiety about what the future may hold.
Into the midst of this reality, we have the image of a God who throws out the Word with reckless abandon. God does not reserve it to the chosen few but seeks for it to be heard and seen by all people. This profound love which God bears for humanity is that all hearts should be able to truly see and hear that their lives have eternal worth. Also, it is not that this word is thrown out only once but there is a continual showering of that Word in abundance. The Word is called to be planted in human hearts and draw forth a response which is life-giving not just for the person but for the people who share that life with others.
Yet what can prevent us from seeing and hearing that Word in our own lives. We can allow it to be stolen from us by people who cause us to distrust that this is actually being spoken directly to our hearts. Then we notice a leap in the heart which catches our breath but then we do not rest with it to allow the Word to take us deeper. For many of us, the demands of daily life can cause us to seem to be on a treadmill where we seem that time is a relentless master which pushes us from one task to another. Yet in the midst of all this when we do take time to ponder scripture in prayer, we find that many of the tasks which seemed to overwhelm us can be seen in a new perspective and with fresh generosity. We can find our lives imbued with a fresh insight that brings life and hope not just to ourselves but also to others. There are signs that encourage us to take small steps which multiply the hope and love which appear miraculous. What God calls us to is reckless gardening where we throw out the seed knowing that some of it will take root and produce a good crop. The insight that our lives are lived for the good of God who is encountered in everyday life for our good and the good of the whole community.
Fr. John Armstrong