03/03/2024

Third Sunday of Lent

“He could tell what a man – and woman – had in them.”

Intuition enabled Jesus to sense the character beneath the skin.

Thank God he decided to choose a strange bunch as his closest team, his Apostles.

As we saw last week, there was Peter. The impetuous coward. When Jesus called Simon son of John ‘Cephas - the Rock, Peter’- it was like Robin Hood calling the 7-foot John, 'Little John’.

James and John; Boanerges – Sons of Thunder - who wanted to napalm the Samaritan villages that did not want to welcome Jesus and his Apostles – because he was on his way to Jerusalem (Lk 9,54). Matthew a collaborating tax collector. Doubting Thomas, Judas….

Yet, through these inadequate characters, The Church  took off. God’s grace can do marvellous things.

Basil Hume – who had been a teacher for many years, and an Abbot who had to decide on the suitability of an applicant - said that he would decide on any of pupil’s character only once they reached the age of 26.”Around then, you can have a good idea on what they were really like.”

However, remember, people can  - and do - change. Think Saul of Tarsus who became St Paul., Augustine of Hippo, Ignatius of Loyola.

"Every saint has a past; every sinner has a future”.

Never judge a book by its cover or a person by their past. It’s now that counts.

In 1 Cor 1,27 we read that “to shame the wise, God chose the weak”.

Thank Goodness. He did choose me to be a priest!