11th Sunday Year A:

I shared some of my exploration, living  and applying of two movements from the gospel –
1.                   Jesus’ heart for those in need … his deep compassion .
2.                   Jesus commissioning and calling disciples to become apostles …

Within the gospel I hear and see Jesus “heart” for the people around him – and his deep compassion.   They are like sheep without a shepherd – or in our context –         children in a rip without a life-saver!   

Jesus’ Heart awakens my own heart.   Every time I hear an awakened heart of other people I hear my own heart awakened a little more.   
How awake is your heart?   What awakens it?

What are the needs of people as you look around?   

I shared the affect I received from seeing parts of the Confirmation project the children in our parish just completed.    Seeing their sensitivity was like looking at situations through the heart of Jesus.  

Nearly all identified people in their schools that are bullied, left out, struggling, … hearing those struggle through their eyes awakened my heart.   It awakened me to the heart of Jesus …  

This is what Jesus is about …  awakening our hearts!!  Enlarging our hearts …   

I concluded with a prayer I composed flowing from my awakened heart:
(If you wanted a copy of that prayer I could send it to you ... better still is to make up your own :) 

My next reflection was on Disciples and Apostles. 

What is the difference? 
Basically disciple means to follow!   Apostle means one sent forth!

We are all called to be disciples all the time – to follow Jesus.  Most of us at different times are called to be apostles.   

Last week I made a mistake.   Some people communicated how they were angry and some hurt by what I did.    
I thought and prayed about this … holding their comments in my heart and prayer.  I am sorry and apologise to those people who were hurt.   
Please forgive me. I will learn from that mistake.

I did not honour people coming to the Eucharist for nurturing of their discipleship.     I pushed everyone to an act of Apostleship.   Jesus didn't do that.

Blessings to all as we awaken our hearts with Jesus - as we continue to be disciples at the foot of the master and for those sent forth as apostles!

Fr Mick Court SDB (Parish Priest)

9^th Sunday Year A:  Mt 7:21-27:  Building on Rock or Sand or Cards!

I began exploring the context in which this passage of Mathew comes in the gospel.   It is at the end of very significant teachings of Jesus: – the Sermon on the Mount.   The message is that all this great teaching will not have an impact unless you live it as well as know it.  

The context of today that we as a Church find ourselves, is at the end of our significant Church feasts; Lent, Easter, Pentecost, Trinity, Body and Blood, etc.  The Church presents to us this passage – and the message is similar; all this great teaching will not have an impact unless you live it as well as know it.  

I’ve always found it of interest that in a Discussion or Questions on Religion in our Western mind set the basic questions or discussions will be around: “What do you believe?”  

        In Eastern and Asian traditions the basic questions or discussions will be around: ”What is your practice?”   

          Jesus parable reminds us it is both; Teaching/ wisdom AND practice/ applying! 

I offered a story to help us hold this truth.  A famous spiritual teacher had a very diligent student.    The student listened to, and read all the master said or wrote.   One day the student was talking to the teacher – “Master I have listened to you for many years now and gone through all your writings?   Have you anything more to say to me or anything more I can go through?

“Yes – it is good that you have gone through so many of my teachings, but really the only thing of importance is - which teachings have gone through you?”

We certainly go through so much wisdom and teachings – but what goes through us – and impacts in the way we live?

I then explored how Difficult it is to Apply wisdom!  The parable itself hints at how difficult it is to live a teaching when it tells us it is like building on rock.   Yet to build on rock in Jesus area meant moving to the hills.  It was so hard to excavate and build there, and it meant a greater daily difficulty to obtain water.  It was much easier to build on sand. 

Recovery programs tell us it takes at least 21 days to change a habit or start a new practice!  You can learn the wisdom in such a short time – but to make it part of life?

My final hook to remember the wisdom of Jesus parable was in the phrase;

“All knowledge is for action!”  and I added my little post-script, and – all action is for loving!

What teachings of Jesus have gone through you?          What is your practice?

Blessings

Fr Mick Court SDB (PP)

Feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus:

My homily was basically a story:
Once upon a time there lived a beautiful princess.   There came a time when the father of the Princess said that she must accept the hand of one of the many princes that came to ask for her hand in marriage.    There were three that she admired and thought worthy of her hand in marriage, but she couldn’t decide which one would be the best husband.

Fr Mick Court SDB  (Parish Priest)

May the gift of the Trinity enlighten and empower us all.  

The essence of my homily was based on a hope that it would help us  - love God more deeply and authentically, and secondly to reflect on how as we live Trinity - it reveals where we look for God, how we pray and how we will create Church.  

My reflection questions were the following:

Pentecost –2008

In my homily I tried to share two things: 2 frames to put the feast in a context,
and stories to help us remember and awaken within us the gift of the Holy Spirit. 

First a theological-church language frame.  Similar to last week’s feast – Pentecost is part of the Paschal Mystery; that is the Life, Death, Resurrection, Ascension and Pentecost experience.  We spiral deeper and deeper into the mystery of God as we live these experiences of Jesus.  

Then a personal frame to appreciate this feast.  An important part of my Salesian ministry for youth has been holiday camps.  All involved have a special time on those camps - and the leaders are young people who enjoyed the camps and now come back to help. 

Many years ago a young person named John, came into our leadership program who was equal to any young person I have seen in terms of inspiring, initiating, and leading activities for youth.   He was also a leader among his peers in the Church Youth group, and was coaching a local junior football team when he was 17.   Then at around 18 or 19 he pulled out of everything.  I was shocked and struggled to understand what had happened?  Then one day I asked John, why?  His words shook me and have remained and influenced me ever since.  He said;
‘It is too bloody hard, to be a true Christian!’

I reflected deeply on his words – and one sense I have is that we had done a lot for him, but had never clearly connected him to the Holy Spirit – God’s power source to guide and energize us.

So this feast is essential to me for my own survival as a Christian and for anyone who wishes to respond to Jesus.

Now for some stories to help us reflect on God’s Holy Spirit.

There was once a master craftsman who had an apprentice who longed to produce works comparable to a master.  Despite his efforts that could not be faulted, his work was far inferior to that of a master craftsman.

The apprentice was always pondering what it was that he lacked?  

One day the apprentice decided that he had worked out the secret.  I am sure it is just the tools the master craftsmen have!  

So one night the apprentice broke into his masters tools and used them – all to  no avail – it made no difference. 

The master felt his tools blunted and knew what had happened.

He called the apprentice – and said “It is good that you long to excel in your work- however what you lack is not something external but it is the inner ‘spirit’ of a master.  It is this that makes the difference you are seeking!”

If we wish to be an artist in any field – we need the spirit of the artist rather than just the external tools to replicate similar works! 

As a Salesian I strive to be like Don Bosco for youth – however it is no good for me to just imitate Don Bosco externally – I must open my heart to the Spirit of DB to inspire and guide me. 

As a Christian I strive to be like Jesus – however it is no good for me to just imitate Jesus – I must open my heart to the Spirit of Jesus to inspire, energize and guide me in my everyday living of the Jesus life.

So many look to externals – but the Christian life and all authentic living is an ‘inside’ job – flowing from and empowered by the “spirit”.

2)  Once I was presenting a song and a power point presentation to a large group.   I see myself as above average in technological literacy!  However the machine this school had was baffling me – and I was struggling to make things happen.  I was fine tuning things and switching button after to button ..   Then a year 7 student stood up and said – Fr Mick it might help if we plug it in, and turn it on!!  

When it comes to the Christian life, we can be turning things and doing so many things – and it still doesn’t seem to work.  

The Holy Spirit is the power!!  Be sure to plug in the Holy Spirit and switch him on if you are serious about the Christian life!!

3) A story about the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Once there was a piece of iron, which was very strong and very hard, and needed to be broken into smaller pieces.  Attempts were made but failed.

 “I’ll master it,” said the axe… his blows fell heavily but every blow only made the axe’s edge more blunt, until it finally gave up in frustration.

“Leave it to me,” said the saw… and it worked back and forth on the iron’s surface until its jagged teeth were all worn and broken.  Then in despair, the saw fell to the side.

“Ah!” said the hammer, “I knew you two wouldn’t succeed.  I’ll show you how to do this!”  But at the first fierce blow, off flew its head and the piece of iron remained just as before, proud and hard and unchanged.

“Shall I try?” asked the small soft flame.  “Forget it,” everyone else said.  “What can you do?  You’re too small and you have no strength.”  But the small soft flame curled around the piece of iron, embraced it… and never left it until it melted under its warm irresistible influence.

The parable reminds me of the way of the Spirit – it is not the way of force but love.  God’s way is not to break hearts but to melt them.  It reminds me to place myself within that fire of God’s Holy Spirit  – to melt my heart open for God. 

Come Spirit of God fill the hearts of us your faithful – and we shall in God’s name renew the face of the earth.

Imagine if someone said to us “Speak to us of God “– and we burst into bloom – into being all we can be and sharing that with others!

6^th Week of Easter

I listen to God’s word and strive to let some words from the scripture speak to my life … and  then see if I can hear life around me speaking those words?

After reading this week’s scripture I had some words in my heart that I went looking for in life – but was surprised to hear life echoing back to me the following words:
“I will not leave you orphaned; I will come back to you.” 

This idea of coming back to us after we have felt an absence made  me wonder? 

I kept seeing examples of an “Absence – then a new presence.”    Have you felt that in life or seen it in life?     Is it important for you?

I will share some of the life experiences that threw light on this scripture for me.

I saw a movie during the week and I don’t remember the tile - it was a tear jerker, feel good movie about a teacher named Mr D.   The movie focused on how he turned the students and the school around in a positive way, but then had to move on.  When he did, all he shared with them seemed to fade.  Then another teacher pointed out – that what the teacher had shared with them could never be taken from them – but now it was no longer out there -  with him calling them to realise their giftedness and all the lessons he inspired them to discover.  The teacher who was leaving, was within their hearts and they must find his spirit and continue to live the gifts he had given them and awakened within them.

Can you see the connection?   Absence – then a new presence.

During the holidays, Veronica Cremen a girl in Y7 at Bosco spoke at her mother’s funeral in a way that moved the hearts of all who heard her.  She shared many things but the part that was relevant to now, was the following:

“It will be very difficult for me at times as there is a hole in my heart because I can never see mum again, and often things remind me of her not here.  Things like mother’s day, and when my friends are in trouble they often ring their mums.   But now I feel mum with me in a way she never was able to be when she was sick.   It is hard but it is also better.”

There is a wisdom in those words far beyond her age … and I am sure she will at times just feel the absence – but may she know Jesus words and find the new presence as she did at the funeral.     Absence – then a new presence

Can you think of times of being inspired by another – and then loosing that presence.  In those times of absence – there is a challenge to rediscover the gift of the other person and what they awakened within you, at another level – deep within us!  It is not always easy.

I think today’s scripture is reminding us of this regards God in our lives.   There will be times of absence, and the reminder that God is still with us – “I will not leave you orphaned …” Yet we do feel orphaned at times.     In that ‘ABSENCE’ is the challenge of Jesus to find another ‘PRESENCE’; the presence of Spirit within.

Derek Redmond was a young British runner, who shot to fame by shattering his country’s 400-meter record at age 19. Then an Achilles tendon injury forced him to withdraw from the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, and he endured five separate surgeries. When the Summer Olympics arrived in Barcelona in 1992, Derek Redmond was pumped and hungry for a medal.

During the 400-meter semi-final, at the Barcelona Olympics 65,000 fans were in the stands.
The race began and Derek broke through the pack to seize the lead. His father Jim was high in a stand proudly cheering on his son!  

Heading down the backstretch, only 175 meters from the finish line, Derek was set to win this semi-final heat and qualify for the Olympic finals.

But Derek heard a “pop”. It was his right hamstring. He pulled up lame, looking as if he had been shot. His leg was quivering, Derek began to hop on the other leg, and then he slowed down and fell on the track. Medical personnel ran towards him as he sprawled on the ground, holding his right hamstring.

At the very same moment, there was a stir in the stands. Jim Redmond, seeing his son in trouble, began to race down. He had no credentials or permission to be on the track, but all he could think about was getting to his son, to help him, nobody was going to stop him.  

On the track, Derek realizes that his dream of an Olympic medal was gone. The other runners crossed the finish line.  Derek was orphaned, as it were, a lonely figure on the track, friendless, and alone.

When the medical crew arrived with a stretcher, Derek told them, “No, I’m going to finish my race.”   He lifted himself to his feet, ever so slowly and carefully, and he started hobbling down the track.
Suddenly, the crowd realized that Derek wasn’t dropping out of the race he was actually continuing on one leg, in a fiercely determined effort to make it to the finish line. Derek limped onward, and the crowd began to cheer louder and louder for him.
Jim Redmond vaulted over a railing, dodged a security guard, and ran out to his son.  Jim reached his son at the final curve, about 120 meters from the finish line, and wrapped his arm around his waist. “I’m here, son.  We’ll finish together.”

Together, arm in arm, father and son struggle toward the finish line with 65,000 people cheering, clapping and crying. A few steps from the end, with the crowd in an absolute frenzy, Jim released the grip he had on his son so that Derek could cross the finish line by himself. 
For me yet another story that is the gospel today.   Like the disciples learning in Absence there is another Presence – that of the spirit.    Derek learned in his absence of being able to achieve the medal, there was another presence – a spirit of courage and perseverance within him.   He found a spirit of love from his father beyond what he had known before.   Absence – then a new presence

We will have to deal with many absences – can we hear Jesus assurance that there is a spirit of truth, life, strength within us?   May we all learn to find God’s Spirit within each of our absences, whatever form it takes.  Absence – then a new presence!

5th Sunday of Easter

In getting this weeks homily ready at times it felt like getting blood out of a stone!   Finally with God’s help it broke out of my head into my heart, soul and life.

This experience of finding teaching and life in God’s word was a powerful lesson for me.  It reminded me that if my response to God’s word is to be significant it will take work.  I had to ‘suck’ on God’s word, ‘chew’ it over, ‘cook’ it in my life experience, and add my ‘life spices’ to it, until it became food for my soul, heart and life! 

I can use recipes from the past to unpack scripture, but I must cook them anew if the word of God is to be alive and active for me!

My homily this week was about my chewing and cooking of Jesus words about being the way, the truth and the life.   It was about converting them into food for my soul, heart and life!

First I chewed on the words ‘I am ...”.   
I learn in 3 major ways –1) books and discussion that gives me an intellectual learning,
2) ‘Life experience’ that gives me an even deeper learning – but is harder to process.  
3) by imitation of people.
When Jesus says “I am ..”  he is inviting me to learn from him at the level of imitation! 

I chewed on what is important to imitate Jesus?  It is not rocket-science to realise that first I have to know him!!   I cannot imitate him and learn from him if I don’t know him!!   It means really coming to know him through the scriptures and through prayer!    It does not mean copying him as he was 2000 years ago – it means living my life responding to it as he would today – which is not always easy, but it is exciting and life giving.

I then started to ‘suck and chew and cook’ the phrase – I am the way?  

What does this mean for me?                 What is Jesus way?

Is it being a preacher, is it healing the sick, is it dying on a cross?   What else is most significant in Jesus life? 

It is all of these things – but not in the sense of copying, but imitating and in the context of what underpinned his life to do these things.    That is what makes it even more challenging.  

I kept asking myself in my prayer – what is the way for me to imitate Jesus - not just copy? 

I kept asking myself more and more deeply – what is his way?   What is fundamentally underpinning his life?    Not just the external things …   I cannot imitate the external things, but I can imitate his internal attitudes and values.

I will leave you with that question – and let you chew and suck on it, and cook it.   Keep chewing and sucking and cooking, until your answer excites you and feels like real food for your soul and heart!!

I am the truth …

During my homily I cooked that phrase and spiced it with a life experience I once had.  The experience gave significance to Jesus words; ‘the truth will set you free’.   That experience made ‘truth’ significant and alive for me.   To know Jesus is the truth – is powerful for me.  I know Jesus as the truth is a food that will free me in the ways I most deeply long, and I am passionate about feeding on that food.  

I then chewed on and cooked the words: “I am the life.”

I did that in last week’s homily – it is still attached.  

It was all about the ‘process values rather than product goals’ as being the source of life that Jesus gives.  All during the week I was striving to live more authentically ‘process values’, and let go of ‘product goals’ a little more.  I felt God’s life growing in me!  I saw it growing in others when they focused on process values, and I saw it diminish when they thought product goals were the essence of God’s life!

It made me reflect that these values rather than goals have to be the source of life Jesus offers for they are accessible to all people; rich and poor, in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health!   Product goals, external achievements are a gift, but only at certain times and not for all people – process values are always possible and open to all!  Surely a sign of God’s life!

I hope these reflections help you to chew, suck, and cook the word of God in your own lives … and share with others and me the truth you experience.  I pray you feel the life of God growing within!

Let’s continue to explore a life that really does make Jesus the way, the truth and the life!