Let's get to the bottom of the matter

 Prayer For Our Community

God, Lord of all creation, lover of life, help us to love in our very small way what You love infinitely and everywhere.

We thank You that we can offer just this one prayer and that will be more than enough, because everything and everyone is connected, and nothing stands alone.

To pray for one part is to pray for the whole, and so we do.

Help us each day to stand for love, for reconciliation, for the good, for the diverse unity of the Body of Christ and all creation, because this is what You desire, for we remember Jesus prayed that all may be one.

We offer our prayer in the holy name of God, we offer our prayer together with Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Based on a prayer of  Richard Rohr ofm 

The point of life is not what we do but who we are.  Who we are is the foundation for what we do in life.  The authentic person is not simply the one who does many good things or important things.  It is a fantasy to think that we find our true selves in our roles and titles.  Rather we know our true selves when we wallow as who we are in the love of God.  There are no games, there is no hidden agenda.  It is that easy, it is that difficult.  It is about allowing ourselves to be vulnerable before a God who loves us, who calls us. So then we can stand before others as the person we are called to be, living our life as we are meant to live it.   Being matters, spirituality matters.  

I need a Good Samaritan

Simpson and his donkey, carrying the wounded in Gallipoli

As Christinas, we too easily and too often take the high ground, even in care giving.  We can assume that we are ever the Good Samaritan, giving care, never needing it.  But stand back and think for a moment.  Let us reorientate ourselves and be more in touch with reality.  We too need a Good Samaritan when we are stuck in life.   

Last week, as I closed the door and left my keys inside a friend's condo, far away from my home in a big Bangkok, I thought, "Oh,no!  What will I do now?"  This simple experience reminded me of my vulnerability and forced me to look at caregiving from the side of one desperately in need of care.  It hit me how different that perspective is.  

As one in need of some serious help to regain entry to my friend's condo, I felt lost, not knowing what would happen to get out of this mess and how long it would take.  I felt a level of uncertainty and dependency.  What to do? .  

The one with the power over my life at this time was the one I turned to for a solution, for care - my friend.  In this situation, the caregiver has the power and exercises options.  Yes, the caregiver acts for good for the other, but that does not take away from the sense of powerlessness felt by the one needing care.  In this experience, I naturally realized two insights.  

The great learning for the one cared for is to know that we cannot go it alone, that we need each other and that there are good people in our world, despite all the wrong happening around us.  

The great danger for the caregiver is we can be too self-assured of how good and strong we are.  We can just presume what the other needs and automatically give it, whether the other wants it or not.  This is the temptation to fall into spiritual arrogance.  

As Christians, we are challenged not to assume we are ever the caregiver, having always the power to rush in and fix everything.  We are challenged to look at life from the side of the marginalized, the excluded, the powerless in society.  To see life from the edge and know what it means to be the vulnerable and fragile human beings we ultimately are.  Herein lies great insight and a true gift for the sake of living life to the full.  

This is so for we then remember we are all human and what matters most is not what we do, but who we are, giving of ourselves, for the sake of the other.  We are one together.    

Forward ho!

Forward ho!   In western movies, this was the cry of the wagon train master each morning to get everyone moving on their way.  It was about keeping them moving in the face of the challenges of  the wild west, never looking back.  That was the way to go to reach their aim, despite all misadventures.  

After eight years waiting and struggling, a refugee family moves on to their new home. A new beginning.  

From its very beginning, it has been the same for the church.  We may harken back in time, but the fact is a simplistic remembering of the past is not an answer for living in the present.  The early church did not leave us the model church for all eternity.  Rather it presented a model for being church.  It was a model of operation it gleaned from facing changing circumstances, constant challenges, the ever present struggles, ever responding so as to move forward, never looking back.  

Forward ho for church is based on our being true friends here and now with Jesus, the Risen Lord, who is living in our midst.  It is about listening and responding to the Spirit, with our constant focus on the Reign of God.  It is about being true to our tradition and  actively listening to our world and each other.  It is about Pope Francis' way of Synodality.      

Francis shows us the way in his homily this year for the Solemnity of  Peter and Paul, as shared here.  

"We are called to be a Church that promotes the culture of care, tenderness and compassion towards the vulnerable. A Church that fights all forms of corruption and decay, including those of our cities and the places we frequent, so that in the life of every people the joy of the Gospel may shine forth. This is our “fight”, and this is our challenge. The temptation to stand still is great; the temptation of that nostalgia which makes us look to  other times as better. May we not fall into the temptation of 'looking back'."

Never look back.  Always forward ho!

Livingry not Weaponry

On Saturday, I was going for my walk in the park, when a guy, I never knew, came up to me, telling me how wonderful it was to see me again.   Who was this guy?  That was my only thought.  He was telling me I had always been kind to him, whenever we met, which had not been for a long time.  I just kept thinking who was he, for I had no idea.  What to do? 

I could have just ignored him and walked right away, but that would be unkind and just not decent behaviour.  So I happily entertained him.  After all, he was friendly and had a creative approach to encountering people.  However, I was wondering where he was going with his conversation.  Not assuming this guy's purpose, I finally saw his endgame, when he talked about losing a job offer because he had no address.  I gave him some advice and thought where next?   

At the right time, I could have just kindly finished the conversation, wished him well and continued my walk.  That would have been a decent response to a fellow human being, but I couldn't finish that way, as I was ruled by these are tough times for so many and you can't ignore people in their need.  So I purposely took an extra step, with offering him money for food, but not for the rent as he was intimating.  Thus we parted on a friendly note and he can think me once again as being kind.

I share this natural encounter in my Bangkok, for it serves as a great reflection on life and mission.  It is solely for this reason that I share. 

Our Christian faith does take us that one step beyond being kind, decent human beings.  It is good to be kind and decent.  They are values that stand on their own.  However, as Christians, our faith leads us to be kind for the deeper, altruistic motive, originating in God's love for each of us.  God's love takes us to that deeper place in our hearts and world, where we are challenged to act wholly for the good of the other.  In line with this intrinsic, life philosophy, our human encounters are spiritual by nature and are so much more than we can ever imagine.   

Truth remains that I am no one's salvation.  Mission is not about my saving the other.  All of us have only one saviour, Jesus, who calls us to his mission.  This happens because of our mutual friendship which he has instigated.  With this in mind, we ever strive to be authentic Christians, people of integrity in our encounter with humanity and creation.  

So we enter into God's life-giving vision, always and importantly remembering that no one is perfect.  We all fail.  I fail.  That is okay.  The way is with Jesus as our companion, thus keeping our focus on our goal in faith, ever getting back up and keeping on the way as Jesus' disciples.  This has real repercussions in everyday life and happens within simple, daily reality, even during a walk in the park.       

Happy 200th Birthday

Guess who is turning 200 this year?  It is none other than the holy ground on which Assumption cathedral in my Bangkok now stands.  Yes, in 1822, on the Feast of the Holy Rosary, the first Assumption church (not then a cathedral), located on the same site as the present Assumption Cathedral, was consecrated.  

The story goes back to 1809, when an anonymous donor gave the then Bishop Florens money to buy land, upon which to construct a church dedicated to the Assumption of Mary.  It took Bishop Florens 13 years to find all the money needed and complete the task. It was 13 years of struggle and hard work for the local church, so that, for 200 continuous years, a church could stand on the same ground.  This is a milestone that is about much more than money and physical labour.   

200 years later, people come to the present day cathedral and admire its grandeur and beauty.  It surely stands today in all its glory but it just did not happen.  There was a simpler church before it on the same spot.  Whether big or small, grand and beautiful or simple and humble, a church stands as a result of the generosity, sacrifice, hard work, faith and vision of the local faihtful, past and present.  

Today's cathedral gives witness to all who are and have been part of the local, living church for over 200 years.  It may be a building but it is much more.  It is a living testimony to the presence of God and of church in the local community.  It energizes a diverse community of faith live and minister in the streets of our world, to forge its bond and identity.  For 200 years, a building has stood as church, serving as the intrinsic focus for a community of believers being church.  Essentially, we are church as we live our faith, share the love of God and give witness to enduring hope.        

Deo gratias!

There is a book in each of us

They say there is a book in each and every person.  I believe that to be true.  At a General Audience, in March, 2021, Pope Francis expressed it thus: "It is the Spirit who writes the history of the Church and of the world.  We are open books.  And in each of us, the Spirit composes original works."  

Francis expands that each person is unique.  While we all share in the one humanity, we each have our own, unique story.  The images keep rolling in front of me.  Together, we make up one, rich tapestry, which is depleted, if there is even one piece missing.  Life is lacking if but one person's contribution to the human project is lacking. 

An Irish friend recently shared with me this image of the Irish Church of his boyhood, over 50 years ago.  It shows the institutional church, a church that was and is no longer.  It is obvious who is the star of this show, the author of its unfolding story back then.  In those times, the times of my own boyhood, too much was structured and rigid, too much expected and simply given.  I have no reason to regret nor complain.  I don't.  I am actually very grateful for all I received.  However, nor do I have any reason to harken for what was.  I just take heart in where I am now.  

We live in extraordinary times, crazy times.  This may speak of our entering into that new era, spoken of by Francis.  So we leave behind what was, remembering it with thanks and learning from it, but never glorifying it.  We live now in what is, appreciating its treasure for humanity, approaching it wisely and with a healthy perspective, with the aim of not repeating past mistakes, while bettering our world.  

But do we ever learn?  Look at Ukraine; look at Ethiopia and Yemen; look at how we treat refugees; look at how we treat those who lack value in the eyes of our world.  It is heartbreaking as it is all so unnecessary. These times open us to move beyond institutional settings and givens, so that we may give healthy expression to the human sprit, a spirit that thrives on love and freedom.  .        

This age thus gives each and every person the freedom to sing their own particular song.  What is mine?  Sing it out loud and with pride.  Dare you!

 

D-Day

On 6th June, 1944, the allied forces landed on Normandy beaches in France to begin the battle to push the Nazis back, and so defeat Hitler.  Another war was over.  More were to follow.  78 years later, we continue to live on the edge between good and evil.  We know the right way to go but we just can't seem to get our act together.  

Recently, I was privy to one of those many table conversations older, farang males love to host in my Bangkok.  They can be boring and crazy but this one fascinated me.  The older, atheist male from Canada proclaimed how ridiculous it was to believe in God, as all those bible stories are just absurd.  Well, fair enough point made for him.  Let him be, but my friend, the atheist, finished his tirade with the bottom line that God was to blame for the tragic state of our world.  Huh? He doesn't believe in God, but he blames God for all our problems in this life.  You can't have it both ways.  Who was it that said - You ain't seen nothing yet?    

We will let my friend have his day in court.  Putting aside God, in whom he does not believe, we will uphold two key ingredients for being church, as proclaimed by the present, ongoing Synod of the Church.  One is that we journey together, listening to each other.  This is not some motherhood statement but leads us into deep dialogue and true encounter with each other.  The other is that we reach out to all, touching those on the margins and the periphery of church and society.  To not do either means we have failed as church.  

It is the anniversary of  D-Day.  How can we not believe in God?  Otherwise how are such ideals possible?  If just left to us, they become mere pie in the sky.  As people of faith, we know better.  God, not humanity, which is still finding its way in this crazy world, is the source of all human hope and every human vision for the sake of a glorious future of all and of the earth.