22/04/2024

Rome Thoughts, The Luminous Mysteries, each one spoken a day at a time on the coach.

Monday, 22nd April 2024 

Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan.                      Mt 3, 13-16

As a young man, I wondered “Why was Jesus baptised? 

Maybe, as at our baptism we are committed to God, Jesus showed he was committed to God. Hence the word from heaven, “You are my son whom I love, with you I am well pleased.” 

Baptised – christened – en-christed. We become as Christ a son or daughter of God. We become one with Jesus and our vocation become as his, to spread the Kingdom of God, the state of divine love. After all, a kingdom is a state. God is love.

Frederick Nietzsche stated “I might believe in the Redeemer if his followers looked – and I would add acted – more redeemed.”

Frequently, I ask myself, “How  redeemed is my life?” What evidence would my friends – including, I hope, my family – give at my funeral? We are never too old to change.

Tuesday The Self-Manifestation of Our Lord, Cana   Jn 2, 1-11.

At Cana, Jesus reveals – for the first time – his ability, his identity. To make it clear that as we read in John 10,10 “he has come to bring us life to the full.”, the first miracle turns water into wine. For me , a celibate priest, after God, health, friendship and music, wine is the fifth great life enhancer.

While in the Synoptics, Jesus is seen as divine only after his resurrection, in John’s Gospel He is clearly divine right from the start of his life “In the beginning was the Word….and the Word was God.”.(Jn 1,1)

Reality and perception are two different things.  For many intelligent people we are the way we are due to natural, spontaneous evolution. For me, that evolution has been brilliantly guided by God. How else could our ear, eye and brain be the way it is? Trained in Imperial College as an engineer, my faith is not strong enough to accept that these  happened ’just like that’. My perception, seeing God’s presece in everything, has shaped my life and its values.

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Wednesday, 23rd April 2024

The Proclamation of the Kingdom.               Mk 1,14-15

Jesus started his ministry with “Repent and believe the Good News.” 

Repentance – metanoia in Greek – is much more than turning away from evil. It’s a new way of thinking, perceiving and acting. Our faith enables us to realise God’s presence in everything and everyone. “Whatever you do to the least of mine, you do unto me.” (Mt 25,40). 

We proclaim the Kingdom more by our actions that our words.

Hence the importance of courtesy and respect for all – not just those of our clan. Thank God, this Christian value has percolated through most so-called western societies where racism  - and sexism - are no longer tolerated but have become crimes.

That is why I start my masses with TAPS. I thank God for everything – and the divine presence in everything. I ask for our needs – including our ability to perceive God in everything. I praise God for creation – and God’s presence in it all. I say sorry – and apologise – for missing the mark, getting things wrong and sinning.

Seeing Jesus Christ in you, I keep my homilies short as, aged almost 85  - and thus due to meet him not a long time hence - I do not want to bore Him – present  in you. 

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Thursday, 24th April 2024

The Transfiguration.                                     Mt 17, 1-8    Lk 9,28-29

The appearance of Moses and Elijah – The Law and The Prophets - was an affirmation of Jesus as the Messiah or Christ.

You may have noticed that at Mass I pause after the word ‘Jesus’ before I add ‘Christ’.

That is because, all too often as director of school chaplains for some 25 years, I was told by primary school children that the Holy Family were Joseph Christ, Mary Christ and Jesus Christ.

Jesus, my best friend Yesh, is The Christ, The Chosen, The Anointed: God translated into the vernacular of our humanity. As we realised after The Resurrection, he is divine. He is The Word that speaks God.

The transfiguration is a preview of the future, when the Son of Man will come in glory to consummate his kingdom. But this future kingdom can only come through his death and resurrection, which is why Jesus warns the three disciples to “tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead” (Matt. 17:9)

For me, it’s a hint of our life after death. Our bodies will be radiant.

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Friday, 25th April 2024

The Institution of the Eucharist.                    Mt 26

We become what we take on board, across our PIES, the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual dimensions of our life.

In their wills, folk leave funds and properties to those they value. Jesus, in his will, gave us his very self. The Eucharist is an everlasting covenant in which each of us and Jesus are bonded together.

If we really – not just verbally – commit ourselves to Jesus Christ and thus God, we discover peace. Not just the absence of conflict. The Hebrew word for ‘peace’ is ‘shalom’. The Aramaic – which Jesus probably would have used – is shlomo. 

The words shalom and shlomo reach way beyond lack of conflict and peace after war. They encapsulate not just a lack of conflict but  universal flourishing, wholeness and delight.

Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.

Next time you  are at mass, spot the fact that the word ‘peace’ appears seven times after The Our father.

The Eucharist can – and I have discovered does – bring me shalom – and helps to keep me young.

If you do not take care of a gift, you insult the giver. 

And as God is the giver of my body – and given my age, we shall be seeing each other soon - the last thing I want to do is insult God. My aim it to die young at an old age.

May that be your won future.