Reflections – Page 10 – Teams Oceania

Easter Sunday 4 April 2021

We celebrate Resurrection Day 2021 with great delight. Locked up last year we all missed something, and not just the parade of the Dragons in Bendigo, let alone the many events like the big Bardifest in Nathalia. All communities had their specific activities to celebrate the inheritance established by our predecessors, of the Easter weekend. They even made Good Friday a holiday so people could make that day a Holy day…that is not so in many parts of the world!

Why do we do it?

Why are we disturbed by the slow but successful move to turn this day into a secular day?

Well, many are the reasons. Principally, because of the handing down of the belief in the Resurrection of Jesus.

The many teachings of Jesus had not penetrated until the women led by Mary of Magdala proclaimed,

“They have taken the Lord out of the tomb.”

Then the men arrived!

John followed Peter and went into the tomb and proclaimed,

“He saw and he believed.”

All the words spoken by Jesus until then, in a sense, were just so many words.

“Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that he must rise from the dead”.

And so, began the witness of millions who in so many different ways have “entered the tomb”; eyes have been opened, testimony again proclaimed, and belief arrived at.

We are still experiencing what Paul experienced in proclaiming the Resurrection.

………Laughed at in public in Athens,

………..Mocked by his own people,

…………..Scourged and beaten by various Civic authorities, but unwavering in his proclamation of the truth –

“Christ is Risen.”

We, too, depend upon witnesses as well as the scriptures, and the testimony of those who proclaim and give their lives in service.

May we joyously proclaim, “Christ is risen, Christ is risen indeed.”

A wonderful Easter to all.

Mons Frank

Palm Sunday 28 March 2021

Holy Week begins.

Many have forgotten the importance of this Liturgical week. Many have not. Our Holy Week this year (so good to be back in community face to face) in timing also embraces the Jewish Memory and liturgical celebration of Passover or Pessach, as some call it. In all parts of the world, people will gather, recall and read again about the beginnings of God’s call to lead a new life. It will embrace the good, bad and ugly events of that long journey which leads to Jesus; and we will recall our failures, moments of repentance, and our resolutions to follow He who is the “Way, Truth, and Life”.

We read Mark’s account of the Passion. It begins with another disturbing plot; “The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by some trick and have him put to death.”

Some things have not changed.

The generals in Myanmar suggested that Aung San Suu Kyi be deposed and removed because she had several illegal walkie-talkies in her possession!

We pray she is still alive.

In our Liturgical life, today begins the deep reflection on the most pivotal events since Creation. Paul sums it up in the excerpt read this Sunday. For all people suffering, oppressed, burdened and desolate, not just nations but so many individuals post-Covid, today is a message of hope.

Jesus in his great love for us triumphed! We, too, in him and with him triumph. Getting that message out, allowing it to be received and embracing the strength of that example has never been easy. The yearly recall reminds us of the millions of people who have received and triumphed.

Today is our turn, not just to celebrate but to announce again to a wounded world that…

“Every tongue should acclaim Jesus Christ as Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Have an inspiring Holy Week!

Mons Frank

Fifth Sunday of Lent 21 March 2021

The tension is building.
Palm Sunday is net week.
It is not unexpected that Jesus is in Jerusalem… the city that murders the prophets!
It is not unexpected that there were some Greeks in Jerusalem.
The festival was renowned! As then, so too now, Jews and Gentiles flock to Jerusalem for the big feast. It seems that Jesus understands that the approach of the Greeks indicates that his hour has come. The word is out to all… even to the tormented societies of today. The difficulty, then and now, is simply: Will I believe his word? The promise made in Jeremiah “I will make a new covenant” is about to be fulfilled, not just with the house of Israel but with all peoples.

The leaders, Scribes and Pharisees could or would not listen to Jesus because they said he came from Galilee. They failed to do their homework. He was born in Bethlehem. God’s plan has evolved and it is being revealed in all sorts of unexpected ways. We should not continue to make God do what we want!

The plan it seems is still evolving!

It is difficult, at times, to appreciate that our God is participating with us in the day to day anxieties of our lives, especially when we constantly have the headlines of papers and TV screens filled with evil. But remember the triumph of the Resurrection. Man did not design that scenario!

As the hour has come for Jesus so, too, for us. Holy Week is just around the corner. How are we going to participate in that hour this year?

Mons Frank

Fourth Sunday of Lent 13 March 2021

Looking in the mirror early in the morning (it sometimes does not seem to improve later in the day), it is hard to appreciate that “We are God’s work of art”. This wonderful expression, attributed to St Paul, must have been consoling to him later in life as he sometimes remembered how he persecuted the new ‘way’ called into being by the same Jesus he met on the road to Damascus. Paul was not always the fiery proclaimer of the Good News; he was a little like Nicodemus…and perhaps like us. Full acceptance of the Good News rarely is found in one of us overnight.

Prior to our Gospel excerpt read today, the earlier verses show Jesus in action, poking and prodding Nicodemus, pushing his curiosity to seek further truths; demanding, in a sense, that Nicodemus does his homework.

What do you really, really think about Jesus?

Come on. Let’s have a real and truthful conversation, no holding back.

Jesus eventually sends him on his way with a few more solid truths to consider

“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son.”

God sent his Son into the world not to condemn the world.”

And for good measure, a few thoughts about light and darkness!

Light and darkness…

In our pandemic driven world with huge debates around vaccines, let alone racism, gender equality and evil behaviour, this darkness needs an infusion of light.

The confronting image of the nun kneeling in prayer before the heavily equipped troops armed for war against their own people, is surely a moment of light in the midst of darkness in that seemingly hopeless situation in Myanmar!

John’s Gospel, written a long time after the event, reveals a confident and confronting Jesus happily causing a degree of conflict, not only with the religious leaders but also with the ordinary people…

Who are you?

Who do you say I am?

And slowly it was said by Peter and down the years, countless millions have affirmed that “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

It took a lot of prodding and poking to get Peter freely to utter those words.

It is now our turn.

Mons Frank

Second Sunday of Lent 28 February 2021

How do you establish your authority? Be you a parent or Prime Minister, let alone a priest, Bishop or Pope. Civic history is littered with the stories of those who tried, let alone the history written in the words of the scriptures.

Much of that history contains the same elements as read in the book of Genesis…killing, lies, blame others for your faults, resort to violence, do anything to save your own skin. Many subscribed to their version that “power comes from the barrel of the gun” and that attitude is not limited to the current attitude of the Myanmar Generals or the Party in Beijing or the attitude of staffers in Canberra, let alone that of Facebook!

Down the centuries, we in church have suffered the fate of those elected to serve who, in a sense, became tyrants of all. Every now and then, a person like Catherine of Sienna or a Francis of Assisi turned up to remind us of what we ought to be about.

So, again, how do you establish your authority?

Some say Abraham learnt a great lesson in the events proclaimed in the first reading today. Don’t act like the accepted norms of those around you. Our God expects something different.

The Gospel account of happenings on yet another mountain reminds us that our actions need to be based on a severe listening to the words of God. Not always easy to listen, let alone listen to HIS words!

Paul speaking from, in a sense, both sides…after all he was armed with the charge to eliminate the followers of the new Way in Damascus, and had experience in dealing with Stephen…reminds us of the way in which God established authority through his Son…a great example of service and self-giving. Tough, but a better world will result if we act like that.

We might even be transfigured!

Mons Frank

First Sunday of Lent 21 February 2021

Welcome to Ash Sunday!

Seeing that most things have been turned on their heads and heels this past year, now it is our traditional Ash Wednesday – not celebrated in Victoria this year.

Wednesday is really not important…but ashes are; and the call of the season is symbolised by our positive participation in the liturgy and reception of the ashes.

“The time has come,” says Mark. We, in Victoria, felt that as we emerged from our third lockdown; some experienced the reality of boredom, of panic, of fear, of loneliness, of deep concern about the future. Many in Israel felt the same in their longing for the Promised One, the Saviour, the Messiah. All had mixed emotions and hopes. Some awaited a great deliverer from the oppressive yoke of the Romans, not unlike the hopes in Myanmar at this moment. Others, with a little more biblical knowledge, awaited the one who was coming to settle accounts, to pass judgement and to punish sinners, particularly those sinners identified by the leading hands in the community.

We have a taste of that position today and not only in Canberra.

Surprise, surprise. The messenger of the God of Surprises had another surprise:

“The time has come,

The kingdom of God is close at hand.

Repent,

and believe the Good News.”

They, and perhaps we too after 2000 years, were not expecting that!

So, what is meant by “the kingdom of God, repent…and Good News”?

Mark endeavours to unleash his inspired understanding of these statements in his work; we are asked to revisit these words during our Lenten journey.

Start today. Ashes may help. Time in the wilderness could be useful, allow the angels to look after you and, if all that fails this week, “What love-mischief can we, can I, do for the world today?”

Mons Frank

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time 14 February 2021

Greetings…from the lockdown state of amnesia. We are doing it again, just in case we have forgotten what it is like. Further, for those who read the tea leaves tossed up by public life and public spokespeople, our first reading on Saturday February 13 was from Genesis 3: 9-24. It is a brilliant commentary on the ‘blame game’. Finally, in this somewhat uncharacteristic commentary, before we look at the readings for this shut -down Sunday, let alone Ash Wednesday, take comfort in the Old Testament reading for Sunday. We, too, have to shield our upper lip and to cry unclean at the borders, and to live apart outside the camp Commonwealth.

We presume it was deliberate. Sadly Mark is not here with us in the flesh to question, but is it not fascinating that he, the Leper begins life outside, is touchingly welcomed into full life and he, Jesus, finds himself “outside in places where nobody lived”.

Did he need a rest?

Did he need to escape?

Did he need some privacy?

Did he need to pray?

We could spend many moments pondering. Did Mark intend that? Was it a warning that sometimes great acts of kindness, healing or simply being attentive to others produces an effect like “Jesus could no longer go openly into any town”. All this and we have just finished Chapter One of Mark.

What an exciting beginning to this person Jesus!

At TEAMS this week we rediscovered the following prayer. You may find it useful and helpful.

May we who are merely inconvenienced, remember those whose lives are at stake.

May we who have no risk factors, remember those most vulnerable

May we who have the luxury of working from home, remember those who must choose between their health and making the rent.

May we have flexibility to care for our children when the schools close, remember those who have no options.

May we who have to cancel our trips remember those who have no place to go.

May we who are losing our margin money in the turmoil of the economic market remember those who have no margin at all.

May we who settle in for quarantine at home remember those who have no home.

As fear grips our country, let us choose love during this time. When we cannot physically wrap our arms around each other, let us find ways to be the loving embrace of God to our neighbour. Amen

Mons Frank

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time 7 February 2021

Read slowly the Scripture from Job today before venturing into the Gospel.

Words written perhaps 2500 years ago describe the many fears experienced by many people in these past twelve Covid-19 pandemic months. “Restlessly I fret till twilight fails.”

How often we have been reminded, “Remember that my life is but a breath.”

I have read that it takes sixteen hands of eight strong nurses to gently turn a Covid patient enabling them to breathe more easily.

It took one gentle hand of Jesus to expel the fever from Simon’s mother-in-law.

Fear of the “devils” or “unclean spirits” has dominated these early words from Mark. Our generation is experiencing fear in a manner that it has never experienced.

Where will it experience the gentle touch of the caring Jesus?

One lament in recent times was the absence of the hug, of the handshake, of the cuddle given by the grannies, let alone the kiss of friendship and of peace. Touch is so important to true human experience. A challenge in these times is to find ways in which we can be the agent of healing touch. Or, if we have received the healing touch, how can we, like Simon’s mother-in-law, provide a thankful service to the community?

Keep the eyes on alert and discover how often the works of Jesus were accompanied by healing touches and comforting words.

May we learn to do likewise.

Mons Frank

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time - 31 January 2021

“What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?”

An explosive question then, and for us now!

What do you want or, as the popular demonstrations shout, “What do WE want?”, never a cry of “What can we do for you?” tends to dominate our world. Somehow the demon recognises that there is power in this man, this Jesus of Nazareth, power to change situations.

Whatever the demon was then, and there are more demons in our lives than the ‘demon drink’, the same truth remains today for us, there is a power for change available for us.

Many proclaim that they are agents of change. Some with bullets, others with powerful media campaigns. Some with smart slick personal presentations, others with veiled threats. They are the powerful external forces that tend to want change on their untested terms. Their form of change is often simply replacing one form of demon with another!

Each of us has our own personal demon or demons.

Can we confront them? Can we be delivered from them?

The Gospel suggests that the people of Capernaum, on this occasion, recognised Jesus as a good, positive and powerful person. They were impressed. We do not know what he taught on this occasion. What we do know is that on another occasion, people from this same town took him up a hill to kill him. Whatever they heard on that occasion did not lead them to consider, let alone change, their ways. Maybe the big picture gives us hope. Jesus did not give up on people when they failed to listen, to accept or to change. He will not give up on us when, yet again, we backslide. A bit like Thomas… it took many lessons for him to be able to say with conviction, “My Lord and my God”.

Let each of us continue to listen to his invitation to change and rid ourselves of our demons!

Mons Frank

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - 24 January 2021

It’s about leadership!

Occasionally, our Sunday Scriptures report aspects of this important role in our society.

Our world, currently, is experiencing many challenges to perceived forms of leadership. The rather horrific clamp down in Hong Kong, the less than transparent governance model in Russia; not all democracies are pure from that point of view either. Much of our world has been saturated by pro and con versions of true and fake leadership in America. Mark moves rapidly in chapter one of his work from the arrest of John the Baptist for proclaiming TRUTH, with the many consequences, including his beheading, to the first words of Jesus:

“The time has come,
The Kingdom of God is close at hand,
Repent and believe the Good News.”

Another proclamation of truth, in a sense a mission statement, that will end in violence and crucifixion!

It is one thing to make a proclamation, another to attract followers to implement the mission or vision.

What is it in the human condition that alerts some to follow?

What is it indeed that governs leaders to choose followers?

In a sense, the rest of the Gospel story is Jesus’ attempt to proclaim new rules for the governance of the Kingdom of God. He does not want us to simply accept the rule of oppression, divide and conquer, my way or the highway!

To do that he needs help; then and now.

So, he changes the rules for selection. He did not go to Jerusalem, the seat of power, both civic and religious. He did not go to the new cities springing up under Herod. Somehow, he recognised a yearning in the fishermen, gave an opportunity to the Tax Collector to change profession, and to those of doubting minds an opportunity to arrive at faith. Not all ‘yes men’.

Why not women? One answer, he already had a mother and many women doing their bit, and we know that that society had these new women replacing the Judiths and Esthers of bygone years.

We are all called to leadership.

We live in changing times.

There will be more opportunities, at all levels of governance in civic and religious society, for all!

The call is here. But, will we bring HIS model of governance with us?

Happy Australia Day as we grapple with these pertinent questions.

Mons Frank