Listen Carefully

Most of us do not like being told what to do. We like making our own decisions, so one of the keys of leadership is not to tell people what to do, but encourage and form people so that they are equipped to make the right decisions. In the Christian life this decision making process is crucial.

As a consequence of this, I don’t tell people that they have to come to Mass, even though I know it is good for them. I don’t tell people not make up their own religion, even though it foolish to do so. I try to help people discover these things for themselves, for if this happens, the lesson far better than being told from above.

Jesus does not tell us we must keep the commandments, but he makes it very clear that his followers are drawn from among the people that firstly and fore mostly keep the commandments. In the Gospel, Jesus reminds his disciples that he is not going to be physically present to them for much longer. He prepares for the time when he is not with them by reminding them of how they can stay strong to follow him throughout their lives.

St Peter challenges us to always have a reason for the hope you hold in your hearts. Today is the perfect example of why to do that and the effect that it can have on others. We have among us here this evening young people who are fired up in preparation for receiving their First Holy Communion. What will you say when one of them asks you why you follow the teaching of the Church, or come to Mass, or why you receive Holy Communion, or why it is important to you? What is the reason for the hope that you have I your heart? When people who are not motivated by such noble ideals as these young people ask us or attack us, how do we, as St Peter asks, courteously and respectfully defend our faith and hope.

Jesus gives us a reason to be faithful, happy and hopeful. He wishes us to be part of his body, the church. He knows that the best way of achieving and maintaining that is to follow the commandments and his teaching, which today is given to us through the magisterium (the pope and bishop’s and the Church). 

I know that the hope of Christ in which I share has never been dashed if I follow the commandments and the teaching of the church. My times of unhappiness and sadness have always been when I have not embraced that teaching, when I have strayed, made up or changed church teaching to suit myself, or not given my heart to God. 

The word obedient comes for the Latin, obedire, to carefully listen. Jesus does not tell us we must believe, he asks us to carefully listen, and points out to us the consequences of failing to listen. Let us then be obedient to the teachings of our Lord and Saviour.

Homily,OLQP 29th May 2011, 6th Sunday of Easter

Listening and Acting

When I came to the Kimberley, I was told to listen a lot and say very little. It was crucial advice, and advice I share with newcomers. To engage effectively with others we need to hear what they are saying and meet them on common ground. Yesterday I was asked about m,y views on a particular topic and I realised that I had been listening about it for enough years and now it was time to start talking about it, hopefully with some knowledge and wisdom.

During Eastertide we are listening to the experience of the disciples and their encounter with Jesus after his resurrection from the dead. Slowly all of the scriptures have come together and they fully realise who has been in their midst. Their reflection on their time spent with Jesus takes on a new meaning and is seen in new light. The experience of faith suddenly has flesh, has direction and has meaning. For the apostles it is time to act. So it is no coincidence that throughout Eastertide we read from the book called Acts of the Apostles.

Up until this time, the apostles had been very good at staying in the shadows of Jesus, soaking up the wisdom, knowledge and hope. Now they are called to share it with other people. Jesus tells them that he will be departing soon. This is too much for Thomas. Remember Thomas? He had to eat his words, apologise, and in doing so he shared his wonderful faith when he said: “My Lord and My God.” He was the most disappointed. None of us like change, especially just after we have had to change recently against our will. Jesus task was to reassure them. He said: “You know the way to the place I am going.” So do we?  Thomas did, he just did not want to admit it. He had everything he need to go forward, but he was confortable and did not want to move.

You and I have everything we need to move forward in faith. Through our baptism we have the gift of God’s Spirit and call God our Father. Through Jesus we have the gift of salvation, the redemption won for us by the sacrifice of the Cross. The problem is that often we don’t really believe in this or don’t use it.

Recently, I was asked to explain a Church teaching to a third person. Why can’t you do it? I said. No, she said: The priests and the nuns do that. That’s how we were brought up. I think St Peter would have a great answer to that one, far better than the one I gave. It comes from our second reading:  

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

We are all called to take our part I proclaiming the resurrection and the reason for our hope. Eastertide is our season of hope. Christ has conquered death and eternal life is our reward. Now is the time for us to speak from our wisdom, our knowledge. We have listened, heard, taken it into our hearts and declared our faith in the risen Christ. We are called to bear this witness to others and talk about it in our lives. The first reading tells of how the apostles shared their ministry with others so that everyone is able to take part. That is the mission of the church. We all have a role and a part. My friend was wrong, we cannot leave it all to the priests and the nuns, for in doing so we are negating the power of our own baptism.

If we allow the Word and sacraments to work through us, the faith will spread, love and respect will be given and received, and hope will conquer the sadness and despair enslaving many in our society.  May the word of God, alive and active, find a place in our hearts. 

Homily, Broome, Fifth Sunday of Easter, 22nd May 2011

Kinyu and the Good Shepherd

Holy Land shepherds lived and slept with their sheep; they knew their names and habits, much like our relationship with our pets.  It is a difficult image to convey in a country of 80 million sheep gathered in mobs of thousands rather than flocks of fives. My image is found in the relationship I have with Kinyu, the Presbytery dog.  I am his human and he is my dog.

Early in morning, if I have not stirred, quiet noises begin to come from out the back. They remind me to take Kinyu on our walk. He runs ahead and sometimes I have to call him lest he get wiped out by a vehicle. When I warn him of cheeky dogs or people, he comes close to me.  If something wonderful or terrible happens, he wants to know I am near enough to help or celebrate with him. He knows he needs me, so even if he becomes side-tracked exploring or wanders away, he is back at home before too long. He does things that he knows make me happy, like protecting the house at night and staying outside the Church, and even the things that he does not want to do, like taking a bath.  I want Kinyu to be healthy, happy and contented. I know that without me or a similarly kind human patron, he will die. I know that I know what is good for Kinyu better than he does. The analogy cannot be stretched too far, but it probably is closer to our reality than sheep.

Our Good Shepherd looks out for us, protects and guides us, is interested in our future and wants us to be happy. Our God is greater than us and can see more clearly than we can and sometimes leads us in ways that we do to want to go, with the result that we kick, resist, whinge, or run away. In the end we trust, are led and are sometimes even carried. If we manage to evade the goodness of God we are gently called home and are greeted without retribution.

Many say that they don’t need anyone to lead them as they will find their own way. The reality is that we all follow someone or something, whether we care to admit it or not. As Christians we admit that we follow Christ as our leader, guide, support and strength. However, Christ cannot protect or guide us if we do not trust that he is our shepherd. Sometimes people say to me that God is not present to them, or they hardly any relationship with God. Often what they say is true, even though they are Catholic, because they do not put their faith and trust in Christ, and so are always confused.

As the flock of the Good Shepherd, we are called to trust and follow. Kinyu trusts me and follows, sometimes with trepidation, because he knows that I will protect him and know what is good for him. Christ calls us to follow him completely in the Church, not just to follow the Church teachings I like or are not too hard. If I pick and choose what to believe or not, or if I decide to make up my own religion based on a mixture of religious themes, I do it at my peril, for I walk away from the protection of the Good Shepherd.  

In our world, we need Christ to provide Good Shepherds for us in the form of holy priests. Today we remember the role that each baptised person has in the encouragement of priestly vocations in our parish. In his message for today, Pope Benedict has said that: “proposing vocations in the local church means having the courage, through an attentive and suitable concern for vocations, to point out this challenging way of following Christ….”.[i]

If we wish to follow Christ we need to develop our faith through a personal commitment to Christ. The Good Shepherd will ensure that this trust is guarded through the leadership of holy priests and bishops.

Today pray for courageous and holy priests to lead God’s holy people.

[i] http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/messages/vocations/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20091113_xlvii-vocations_en.html