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Chris (email link at the bottom of each page)

The Holy Spirit opens our hearts

20-07-2020, 07:42forgiveness, mercy, repentance, sinPermalink

Matthew 12:38-42

Despite Jesus’ many miracles the Pharisees wanted to see more. But Jesus was having none of it and promised that the only other sign that would be given to them would be the sign of Jonah. The prophet Jonah was called by God to preach a message of repentance to the Gentiles of Nineveh (located in modern-day northern Iraq).

In the bright constellation of Old Testament prophets Jonah shines (or not) as the most reluctant prophet. He disobediently ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish by boat. The Lord then sent a severe storm that caused the crew of the ship to fear for their lives. Jonah was soon thrown overboard and swallowed by a great ﬁsh, in whose belly he remained for ‘three days and three nights’ (Jon. 1:15-17). After the three-day period, the Lord caused the great fish to vomit Jonah out onto dry land on. 2‘10).

Chastened and humbled, Jonah delivered his message of repentance and conversion, and the Nineties responded favourably. In similar vein the Gentile Queen of Sheba went to great lengths (and miles) to hear the wisdom of Solomon and was very impressed (1 Kgs. 10-1—13).

Jesus pointed to these examples to highlight how the Spirit had opened the hearts of Gentiles to God’s message, but now, when one greater than Jonah or Moses — greater because they pointed to him — was among them, the religious authorities had hardened their hearts.

The message of repentance and conversion is foundational to our faith. The Spirit always leads us towards the grace of repentance because it brings us into a human-divine reality: God is holy and we are sinners. We tend to think of this admission or confession as a sign of weakness but it is the very opposite: when we confess our sins, admit our fault and throw ourselves on God’s mercy, we receive every spiritual grace and blessing.

Lord have mercy upon me a sinner; wash away my iniquity and cleanse me of my sin.

Chris

From Bible Alive

St Peter's Parish, Biggleswade

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Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened . . .

16-07-2020, 07:08burden, Jesus, yokePermalink

Matthew 11:28-30

Girl pulling a heavy bag towards the Cross

Jesus will never abandon us. He knows our lives are demanding and fretful, fraught with anxieties about work, housing, relationships and money, and that we may have difficulty absorbing the nourishment of prayer, Scripture and the sacraments.

People can be like pieces of elastic: stretched to their utmost. limits one day, in a state of. collapse the next. Jesus" ‘yoke’ is a whole way of life, discipleship and relationship with him. He demands of us willing service to the gospel, but rewards us with friendship and love. Our part of the bargain is a twofold pledge: to model our lives on his, and to enter wholeheartedly into a relationship with him.

The image of the yoke calls to mind two oxen pulling along side by side, in step with one another. Jesus walks beside us if we invite him into the rhythm of our lives. Sharing our burden, he befriends us on the journey and invites us to rest with him at close of day. Discipleship and trust are key qualities needed. Enthusiasm for the Lord can see us through the ups and downs of life, focusing us and ﬁlling us with the light of his grace.

The conviction that Jesus is beside us can calm our fears and encourage us to take the spiritual rest that we all need for a healthy and balanced life on this frenetically active planet.

Lord may I always be aware of you beside me, not lifting but sharing my burdens and helping me to bear with joy the yoke of discipleship

Chris

From Bible Alive

St Peter's Parish, Biggleswade

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The Father Knows the Son

15-07-2020, 07:00Holy Spirit, knowing, lovePermalink

Matthew 11:25-27.

Jesus says all things have been committed to him by the Father, and at the heart of this is the relationship he has with the Father. He speaks of the Father and the Son being in a relationship of knowing one another exclusively. This word ‘know’ does not indicate just intellectual knowledge or understanding: it means the most intimate experience of another person.

Really to know someone is to be united with them in a relationship of mutually self-giving love. So Jesus and the Father are one in being. But that’s not all. We are invited into the heart of this relationship, for Jesus says intimate knowledge of the Father can be shared with whomever he chooses to reveal it to. So as we become one with Jesus Christ in baptism and in the life of faith, we are taken into his intimate relationship with God the Father.

Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, we share in the dynamic love that exists between the Father and the Son. We don’t enter into this relationship primarily through intellectual understanding. When we think about the Trinity we soon get confused, but when we adore the Holy Trinity we are caught up in a heart knowledge that is far more simple and profound. As we adore the Holy Trinity in faith and love, we enter into the relationship and learn far more than we can ever understand intellectually.

Through this sharing we become like ‘little children’, like the ‘babes' Jesus talks about, and we shall begin to experience truths that are far beyond our words or imagination.

Heavenly Father, by the revelation of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit, draw me into the mystery of your everlasting love.

Chris

From Bible Alive

St Peter's Parish, Biggleswade

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Have Mercy on me, O God

10-07-2020, 07:24faithfulness, forgiveness, repentance, sinPermalink

PSALMS 51 (NIVUK)

1 Have mercy on me, O God,

according to your unfailing love;

according to your great compassion

blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash away all my iniquity

and cleanse me from my sin.

3 For I know my transgressions,

and my sin is always before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned

and done what is evil in your sight;

so you are right in your verdict

and justified when you judge.

5 Surely I was sinful at birth,

sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

6 Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;

you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;

wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

8 Let me hear joy and gladness;

let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins

and blot out all my iniquity.

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,

and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

11 Do not cast me from your presence

or take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation

and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,

so that sinners will turn back to you.

14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,

you who are God my Saviour,

and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

15 Open my lips, Lord,

and my mouth will declare your praise.

16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;

you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

17 My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;

a broken and contrite heart

you, God, will not despise.

18 May it please you to prosper Zion,

to build up the walls of Jerusalem.

19 Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,

in burnt offerings offered whole;

then bulls will be offered on your altar.

St Peter's Parish, Biggleswade

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Preaching the Gospel

09-07-2020, 07:27evangelise, gospel, sent, truth, vineyard, WitnessPermalink

Matthew 10:7-15

Jesus’s instructions to his followers are as relevant today as when he sent them out to proclaim the message of the kingdom of God. But perhaps our hearts sink at the prospect of witnessing for our faith. Increasingly in society, having faith, practising faith and witnessing to it are widely misunderstood and considered strange. In any event, faith is considered personal, private.

But the key to all evangelising is revealed in v.8: “Freely you have received; freely give.” Our vocation – whatever our role or ministry, whether we are an ordinary Christian, an ordained priest or religious or even an Archbishop or the Pope – is to grasp the great gift of the gospel of salvation: to appreciate its free, unmerited and undeserved nature and therefore to be filled with the joy of the evangelist.

An evangelist or witness is simply someone who has freely received the joy, hope and love of the gospel and who in their turn freely gives the joy, love and hope of the gospel. Yes, it’s challenging and difficult, but we have the Holy Spirit and he gives us wisdom – as well as tact, sensitivity, intelligence, understanding, knowledge and patience. And courage.

We are just ordinary men and women, workers in the vineyard of Christ. Our task is always to be prepared to share with others the reason for our hope, joy and love. Our challenge is to be filled with hope, joy and love which speaks to others’ hearts.

Lord, teach me to be a joyful, enthusiastic and convincing witness of the truth, goodness and beauty of the gospel.

Chris

from Bible Alive

Art Source: sent soysi.files.wordpress.com

St Peter's Parish, Biggleswade

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God's Delight

05-07-2020, 08:12delight, knowledge, love, revelationPermalink

Matthew 11:25–30

Today’s Gospel is a particularly beautiful one. It reveals a wonderful truth about God and his nature, expressing it in a way that no mere human mind could. These words of Jesus come directly from the Father’s heart.

The passage is effectively in three parts: the Father’s delight; the relationship between Father and Son; and the grace of revelation. Jesus teach us that God the Father delights to pour out a gift of revelation on his children. “Revelation” in this context means receiving a blessing, an insight or fresh understanding which enables us to enter more deeply into the mystery of God.

In the Christian faith there are no new truths, simply the ancient revelation of the Scripture, the Creed and the teaching of the Church; and it is in these truths that we immerse our minds and hearts. As we do so, the Holy Spirit opens our minds and hearts to see the hidden depths: a new meaning, a fresh interpretation or a word of nuance which touches us deeply and moves us to love and worship God.

This grace of revelation can come to us in many ways, but of course as we reserve time and space to pray and to study the Scriptures – as we are still before the Lord – we can experience it in a special way. We are allowing our hearts to open to the grace of revelation; we can see this as the desire of the Father’s heart.

By making ourselves receptive to revelation from God we can know God’s joy and rejoice in his plan of salvation. Today we have an opportunity to experience the delight of our heavenly Father as we penetrate the mystery of his Son, and receive the grace of revelation that brings us peace, joy and happiness.

Praise the Father, the good and holy Creator who blesses his children with the grace of revelation and the gift of deep and lasting joy.

Chris

from Bible Alive

St Peter's Parish, Biggleswade

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Only God can Forgive Sins

02-07-2020, 07:52brokenness, chances, forgiveness, healing, love, Rolheiser, sinPermalink

Matthew 9:1–8

The teachers of the law got at least one thing right: by claiming to forgive sins, Jesus was claiming to be God. And of course we know that he is God, and he does forgive sins, repeatedly.

Fr Ronald Rolheiser:

“. . .if the Catholicism that I was raised in had a fault, and it did, it was precisely that it did not allow for mistkes. If you made a mistake, you lived with it and, like the rich young man, were doomed to be sad, at least for the rest of your life. A serious mistake was a permanent stigmatization. We need a theolgy of brokenness. We need a theology which teaches us that even though we can’t unscramble an egg, God’s grace lets us live happily and with renewed innocence beyond any egg we may have scrambled. Every time we close a door, He opens another one for us . . .

"We need a theology that teaches us that God does not just give us one chance, but that every time we close a door, God opens another one for us. We need a theology that challenges us not to make mistakes, that takes sin seriously, but which tells us that when we do sin, when we do make mistakes, we are given the chance to take our place among the broken, among those whose lives are not perfect, the loved sinners, those for whom Christ came. We need a theology which tells us that a second, third, fourth, and fifth chance are just as valid as the first one. We need a theology that tells us that mistakes are not forever, that they are not even for a lifetime, that time and grace wash clean, that nothing is irrevocable. Finally, we need a theology which teaches us that God loves us as sinners and that the task of Christianity is not to teach us how to live, but to teach us how to live again, and again, and again."

Chris

from Ron Rolheiser

St Peter's Parish, Biggleswade

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Follow Jesus

29-06-2020, 08:19death to self, new life, self-sacrificePermalink

Matthew 8:18–22

God wants us to face our concerns honestly and gives us the Holy Spirit to shed light on the truth of Scripture.

Today’s passage is a perfect example of a passage of Scripture that can cause us difficulties. A number of people approach Jesus, ostensibly desiring to follow him, but each is rebuffed by the Lord in a way that can appear harsh and unreasonable.

We can just about understand the man who is enthusiastic to follow Jesus, but who is informed of Jesus’s nomadic and precarious existence – that even vermin and poultry have somewhere to rest at night, but not the Son of Man. It is the next approach that can cause us concern, because the would-be disciple who wants first to bury his dead father is rebutted with harsh words, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead”.

The truth is that discipleship is radical and requires us to decide to follow Christ at any cost. Jesus was telling them that following him required sacrifices, some quite radical: that they had to choose Jesus above everything else.

When Christ calls us he invites us to come with him and to die to the old life; in this way we can rise with him to the new life of the resurrection.

”The cross is laid on every Christian. The first Christ-suffering which every man must experience is the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ . . . When Christ calls a man he bids him come and die . . . [I]t is the same death every time — death in Christ, death of the old man at his call.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship).

Chris

from Bible Alive

St Peter's Parish, Biggleswade

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The Golden Rule

23-06-2020, 07:12justice, narrow path, righteousnessPermalink

Matthew 7:6, 12–14

Sun shining through trees in golden light

The Golden Rule is the heart of justice and of righteous behaviour. The rule is “golden” because if we apply it in any situation, it becomes clear to us what we ought to do – it may not be easy, but we can see the right course of action.

Thinking about thsi rule can cure us of the blindness we often have when we get angry about what others do to us without realising that we do exactly the same to them. But if we live by this rule we are sure to keep God’s commands and thus fulfil “the law and the prophets”. Jesus links this to what he has just said about God’s goodness and generosity: if we keep the rule we are acting as true children of our heavenly father, who loves us however wicked we are and however often we reject him.

Lord, you call us to tret others as we would wish to be treated. May we have the wisdom to remember this rule in our lives, and the strength to follow it, and so pass through the narrow gage that leads to eternal live with you.

Chris

from Bible Alive

St Peter's Parish, Biggleswade

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