The work of the table.

They come every so often and together we sat at a table. We have swapped stories, shed tears and laughed raucously. The wine like the conversation has flowed, been consumed and enjoyed. The bread was broken and the food was passed around.

But there are other tables I go to in other places. In homes, in Churches and in institutions where a similar dynamic occurs.

There is dialogue, there is food and beverages.

Sometimes nothing much seems to happen and yet everything is happening. It’s not just about the outward fare and the drinks. In the chatter and through the chatter, something shifts. We enter into a slightly different dimension. Sure, we look the same and sound the same, but after time together we are always altered just ever so slightly.

We arise from the table transformed. Relationships are strengthened, and new insights are grasped, turned over, reflected upon and integrated.

Odd, that a simple piece of wood with four legs can do all of that when people gather together around it. The table facilitates something much grander and more potent than itself. It is really just the implement, the focal point. The mechanics and the effectiveness of the relationships are really up to those who have gathered around.

I count myself privileged to work from a table. Sometimes in the formal setting of the worship, but far more frequently at a simple kitchen table. Both the altar and kitchen table are important.  One is not somehow ‘better’ than the other. Both have a role to play and in fact, they complement each other in the work they do.

Fortunately, tables are not my exclusive prerogative. The ‘table work’ is for all to enjoy. Next time you are at the table, ask yourself ‘What is really going on here?’

Get right with God a reflection for the 12th of February

Well! Today’s Gospel is a bit different from last week’s. Last Sunday Jesus was calling us the salt of the earth, and the light on a hill and it was all very gooey and wonderful. The week before that he was dolling out blessings left and right centre. But today it’s almost like he’s making up for all the mushy things he said with his sermon on the mount.

And not only is Jesus upholding the old laws like “do not murder” and “do not commit adultery,” but he’s also making them infinitely more difficult to keep.

At first glance, this is a scary text, full of divorce and dismemberment and other things that we’d really rather not think about. As a child of divorced parents who both remarried, it's a little uncomfortable. This is a text all about The Law.

Our first lesson from Deuteronomy explains that the whole point of the Law—is so that we can choose life. And Deuteronomy isn’t talking about everlasting life, or life after death, or anything like that. It’s talking about right now, here, on this planet, with-each-other kind of life. God wants to give us life, and the best way to do that, is, surprisingly, to tell us not to kill each other. Who’dve thought?

But for anyone who’s ever experienced rejection, for any reason, rules like the ones Jesus lays out here can still seem terrifying. Instead of seeing a list of things that can help us choose life together, you may see a list of different ways to get yourself kicked out of God’s family.

Now we get skittish about the concept of sin because it feels like the prelude to a blow. Scripture, the concept of sin, the kind of “tough love” that goes around pointing out all the ways you don’t measure up—

But what if… what if … Jesus is presenting not a threat, with dire consequences. What if it’s not a list of rules to follow and instead more of an instructional video on living together? Let’s take a look at an example. First, Jesus says, “don’t get angry at your siblings, don’t insult them, and don’t use harmful and disparaging words against them. It’s just as bad as physically harming them.” Well, unfortunately, based on what our media serves up to us we’ve all failed pretty miserably at this command. If this were strictly a list of demands and consequences, we’d all be in pretty bad shape.

But the good news is that Jesus knows us, and so what we see in the very next verse are instructions for what happens when you DO fail at following the plan. Jesus says, “So when you are offering your gift at the altar if you remember that your sibling has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first, be reconciled to your sibling, and then come and offer your gift.”

So if you are nervous about being kicked out, know that this isn’t a one-strike-and-you’re-out system—this is the Master understanding our human nature in deep and sometimes uncomfortable ways, and showing us that we can try again.

Jesus is saying that we need to do the hard work of reconciliation with each other before we try to “get right with God,”.

So what does the work of reconciliation look like? Well, the first step is to listen and listen hard. Don’t say anything… just listen.

Remember always that pain is not the last word.

Reconciling means confessing what we’ve done wrong, as individuals, and as Christian communities. We take responsibility for the things we did intentionally and the things we had control over, and we at least acknowledge the existence of the things that were unintentional.

Then, we ask for forgiveness—not expecting it immediately, but doing the hard work of humbling ourselves and allowing another person to show us God’s grace in human form.

Then, we roll up our sleeves, because it’s time to start changing things. Reconciling to and with each other means not just stopping the bleeding in the body of Christ, but bandaging each other up, and moving together. When you bring your whole self into God’s house, you quickly find yourself wrapped up in the reconciling work that got you there in the first place. You get caught up in GOD’S reconciling work. Becoming reconciled with each other leads to working for reconciliation with everyone else!

I’m not saying that it's easy an easy task.

Sometimes God calls the people we least want to share the altar with.

Let our yes be a true yes. A yes that says “I’m going to do the hard and beautiful work of lifting up my brothers and sisters every day of the year, and making sure they can bring their whole selves safely into this community.” Let’s let our yes be yes within these walls, and throughout the rest of our country and our world. Let’s let our yes to each other be a yes in the streets and at tables. And then, hand in hand, we can come to offer our thanksgiving for this beautiful life together before God.

When we can get right with each other…. then we get right with God…

Our choices always matter.

Apparently, those who are about to be executed are given a choice for their last meal.

I’m sure it's an interesting array of selections. I imagine some would choose a lobster, some steak, some a meal from a Scottish-sounding fast food outlet.

Hopefully, none of us will finish up on death row but the question is still a curious one.

The Master had this choice. He knew all about his last meal and he made a conscious decision. Remember he was a faithful synagogue-going Jew. So he participated in and enjoyed the Passover.

Those of us from a Christian heritage has kept the bread and wine side dishes.

But this was not the only occasion when the master chose to imbibe. There was a wedding at Cana of Galilee… you know how the story goes. 120 gallons of good quality show wine and 3 days later…

The other thing that piqued my interest is who the Master chose to eat and drink with. The wedding guests and on his last night, a motley crew of 12 riff-raff vagabonds. He knew some of his guests would disappoint him terribly.

I’m not sure I would have had the same guest list or been so trusting. If I knew that I had one last meal then I would probably choose some good quality show wine, some pickled onions, Stilton cheese, and rare steak,… but the company?

I would want my nearest and dearest, my finest and most fervent friends. It would be very stringent selection criteria. Clearly, I have to work on my graciousness or rather, my lack of it.

But you dear reader…. Your menu would be… and the company you would choose?

Our choices are often remembered long after our last meal and therefore our choices always matter.

A reflection for Sunday 5th of February.

He was born Robert Stockdale Lawson on the 10th of February 1934.

He was professed a monk on the 11th of July 1967 and entered eternal life 31st of December 2022.

Dom Placid was a monk at our monastery at Camperdown. I’m not sure when he came to us from England but he was there all my ordained life which is a goodly number of years now.

So for me, he had always just been there. Working hard, energetic and faithful as the day is long. His welcome was as big and warm as his winning smile. One of his brother monks wrote this about him.

“My lasting memory of him was that we were always laughing together. He had such a positive attitude to life and always saw the amusing side of things. He was a godly person who took his prayer life seriously. One could tell that from the homilies he wrote. He loved the monastic life but it had to be taken seriously and lived properly.”

One of my most enduring memories was a time that Jeanine and I travelled to join in evening prayer. Oh yes, anyone can go and join in with any of the offices.

Dom Placid profoundly bowed his head resting it on his prayer book. When he arose a prayer card had stuck to his forehead. He was completely oblivious to this and carried on the rest of the service as if this was the most normal thing in the world. And hey, this might just catch on.

Jeanine and I smirked bravely and failed dismally to contain our giggles.

It was a privilege to attend his funeral on January 11th this year. There we celebrated the fact that what Dom Placid longed for all his life is now his reality. It is odd, that a man who had spent most of his life in a Monastery had several hundred people come to his funeral. It says something about Dom Placid and something about the work of the monastery in our midst.

The odd quiet day is held there. They receive grateful pilgrims, there are oblates lurking in our midst and it sells the odd icon and prayer card. This parish used to get its pew sheets from there.

Over the years when there has been a special need, I have contacted the Monastery for some super duper high-charged prayers. They pray 7 times a day there so you know in the very core of your soul that when you ask for prayer from a place like that, you are going to get the most reliable and ardent prayer. You didn’t see it, you couldn’t measure it, but you knew in that place deep within you, the only place that really matters, that the prayer was authentic and potent.

But hang on what’s all this monkish business got to do with the salt and light in today's gospel?

Well…Salt and light are never self-serving. They never point towards themselves. Salt discreetly, almost invisibly enhances the dish. It adds flavour and makes it more scrumptious but looking at the dish you would never know it was there.

Light always illuminates the other. The subject. Without it there is only darkness; but with it, we marvel at everything around us. In fact, a good scientist will tell you that the reason we see different colours is because of the way light bounces off different things. The way we give off light for others is by following Christ so that they can follow us along the path of light on which Christ himself is guiding us. You and I are supposed to be like indicator lights on an airport runway so that the people of the world in the midst of a ferocious storm at night don’t crash but can land safely on the airstrip of heaven. The Master wants us to radiate what he teaches us, … about how to live well, how to love well, how to die well so as to live for others, to others, to enflesh his teaching to such a degree that others see the light of his way of life shining from within us almost without our even trying. We are truly light when we illuminate another, shed light on them, and let them shine. Jesus tells us in the Gospel that the way we give off his light is through deeds of genuine Christian love that lead others to glorify God.

We are truly salt when we give ourselves to others in loving service. If you like, we add flavour to other people's lives. We add flavour to the message of the Gospel.

By being light we change how others see things. By being salt we change how others live their lives.

Dom Placid specifically and the monastery generally are salt and light to us. They have enlightened and flavoured our lives in ways that we are only just beginning to understand and enjoy. It may not feel like it, but we are the brighter and the more flavoursome for their ministry to us. May your light so shine before all people so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven.

A reflection for January 29th.

Matthew’s beatitudes are a well-known classic. Luke also has a shorter version of the Beatitudes.

The beatitudes have rightly been called “God’s blueprint for living” and each of Matthews 8 is a sermon in and of itself. So today I thought I would just focus on this one.

“Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven”.

To help us along I found this little parable which I hope might be useful.

Once upon a time, in a sandy desert in Egypt, there was a young monk who had done something dastardly and devious. The leaders were applied and with howls of self-righteous condemnation called a meeting to condemn the brother. They even invited the senior cleric Father Ichabod to come and join in.

At first, Father Ichabod refused the invitation, for he had a full day of basket weaving in front of him. But they sent an envoy to persuade him with the message that the assembly was awaiting his arrival. So Father Ichabod put aside the basket he was weaving, got up and set out toward the gathering. First, however, he grabbed one of the other baskets he had made and filled it with sand.

Now the basket the good Father chose had a hole in it so that the sand slowly leaked out behind him as he journeyed on. When he arrived at the meeting room, the other leaders came out to meet him. Seeing Father Ichabod holding the still-leaking basket; They smirked to themselves and wondered whether Fr. Ichabod had lost his clear-thinking abilities. Then they inquired into the meaning of this bizarre sight.

Fr. Ichabod replied, “The grains of sand are my sins which are running out behind me. I do not see them, and yet you have asked me to come and judge the fault of another.” When the excited motley crew heard this they forgave the brother and set him free, saying nothing further of the fault.

In this story, Fr. Ichabod exemplifies a person who is “poor in spirit” and he does so through his words and his actions. When he first receives the invitation to come and join in the judgment of the younger monk, he has a choice to make.

On the one hand, he is an elder monk and his condemnation has been personally requested. The facts of the case are not in dispute: The young brother’s guilt is apparently evident. It would seem The good Father is justified in passing his own judgment.

On the other hand, something prevents him from following this path of condemnation and what prevents Him is the awareness of his own faults and failures. Fr. Ichabod understands that to act as a self-assured and self-sufficient judge would be hypocritical when at the same time he is painfully aware of his own foibles. It would be dishonest and absurd of him to play the role of judge.

He dramatically illustrates the absurdity of this by means of the basket leaking sand. In God’s eyes, it is just as absurd to pass judgment on his brother given his own personal faults, as it is to carry a leaking basket.

The crucial point of the story then is not so much that Fr. Ichabod is poor in spirit, but rather that he acknowledges and lives out of his poverty of spirit. He doesn’t try to hide his fragility and dependence on God’s mercy and love. He empties himself, like the leaky bucket, of all ego and self-assertion. This is a blessing not only to himself but to  everyone around him

This is the blessing the poor in spirit shower upon us. Only those who recognise their poverty have the capacity to reach out and seize the blessing God offers them. Then we can live not out of their own poor spirit, our own endeavours and struggles, but rather to be filled with the spirit of God Himself

When we recognise our emptiness and choose to receive God’s spirit, we open up a space for the breaking in of the kingdom of God, which Jesus Christ brought to us at Christmas and continues to bring to us each and every day.

This interruption of God’s kingdom into our disorderly lives occurs through people like Fr. Ichabod. His humility transforms the lives of all the other characters in the story. The other elders are moved to forgiveness. The younger monk receives forgiveness and a taste of the mercy of God.

Through Fr. Ichabod, though merely one man poor in spirit, the kingdom of God enters into the tired world of faults and denouncements and makes everything new with the sweetness of divine grace, peace and mercy.

This first beatitude, the blessing of those who are self-emptied and the promise of the kingdom of God entering the world through them, is the way of Christian living. It is the way of the Incarnation. It is the way of the cross. It is the way of the saints. And it is our way too if we will it. Micah had it right in our first lesson today and we should let him have the last word. Do justice,…  love mercy…Walk humbly with your God.

Christmass is Evolving

At Christmas, I usually just collapse into a crumpled little heap and have a scrumptious meal in the rectory later on. But not this year. This year we did something radical. This year we were daring, brave and courageous.

After the last amen and everything was tidied away, we got into the car and went to Melbourne to be with other family members.

There was much jocularity, consuming of yummy fare and those bon-bon things that go POP. You know the ones that have paper hats and ‘Dad’ jokes inside. We laughed a lot and consumed refreshing beverages.

I was reflecting on the way home that not only was this Christmas quite different for us, but in fact, every Christmass is just slightly different from the last. For one thing, we are all exactly a year older. Our hair colour/style has probably changed. There might be another wrinkle that was not on our ‘Santa list’.

The next generation falls in love, leave home, and brings new faces to the table for us to discover and enjoy. Sometimes the senior generation has gone onto that other Christmas party that does not end but only gets better with every one of our passing years. Still… we miss them.

This inevitable, ever-evolving of our Christmass scenarios is something that will either confront us or excite us. If we are honest it probably does both. There are bits that bewilder us and others that excite us. The trick I suspect is to just gently cruise into it, look at the faces you have around you this year, gawk at what is on the table, pull the bon-bons and let your hearts swell with gratitude for all that has been given to you. Even a squawking brat in a feed trough.

Of potential and possibilities.

On Sundays this year we will be reading through the gospel of Matthew.

It was written to encourage the small and fragile community of converted Jews who lived in the region of Galilee and Syria. They suffered persecution and threats from their Jewish brothers because they had accepted Jesus as the Messiah and also for having received the pagans. In order to strengthen them in their faith, the Gospel of Matthew insists on saying that Jesus really is the Messiah and the salvation which Jesus comes to bring is not only for the Jews but for all of humanity.

We glimpsed this earlier this month when Matthew introduced us to the three magi who bring mysterious Christmass presents to Mary and Joseph. Remember they come from the east and so are foreigners and outsiders. Only Matthew has this little story.

So this year, look out for the places where Matthew will underscore Jesus’ Messiahship and his claim that salvation is for absolutely everyone.

Right at the end of Matthews gospel, the universality of salvation is underscored again in emphatic style with

Jesus command to

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”

Two other things to watch out for in Matthew

“The Kingdom of Heaven.” The phrase appears no less than thirty-two times ...and Matthew's prolific use of parables; no less than 23 of them.

Today's gospel can easily be divided up into three chunks.

Chunk one. Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee

“Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. He left Nazareth and made his home in Capernaum by the lake, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali. From that time Jesus began to proclaim, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’”

Notice that Jesus goes into foreign territory. He makes his home in Capernaum in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali. Jesus is the Messiah for all people.

Chunk 2 Jesus Calls the First Disciples

He calls two lots of two brothers. Simon Peter and his brother Andrew. Then he headhunts James and John from their Dads fishing company. I always wondered how Zebedee felt about this when his workforce is suddenly and severely diminished.

Chunk 3 Jesus Ministers to Crowds of People

Jesus cures ‘every disease and every sickness among the people’.

‘They brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics.’

But then we get another geography lesson that underscores Matthew's teaching of how Jesus is for every people of every land.

 ‘So his fame spread throughout all of Syria. And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.’

These three chunks show us the continuous flow of discipleship. There is a calling followed by an active and visible ministry. Matthews’ Jesus is extremely public. He speaks often to great crowds but he also understands the importance of making some quiet time. “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen”.

But it is the second chunk,  the call of the disciples, that I kept being drawn back to today.

For your reflection this week you may like to chomp on these things.

We think that we have taken the initiative with God but in fact, he took the initiative with us a long time ago. He knew us when we were being formed in the womb. Sometimes it just takes us a little while to catch on and catch up and then we can begin to see the true order of things.

On the Sea of Galilee when Jesus calls those first 4 disciples Peter, Andrew, James and John he understood that there would be times when they would disappoint, frustrate and sadden him.

Sometimes they just wouldn’t get it.

 “Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”

They snore their way through much of the garden of Gethsemane when Our Lord is praying and only John makes it to the foot of the cross.

But knowing all this, understanding their flaws and their foibles, seeing how fractured and hapless they are, he still calls them.

Question …Why? Surely it would have been easier to look at a few other resumes and make a different shortlist of candidates.

Answer; He calls them because they are worth it. He calls them because He loves them and He calls them because He can see their potential and their possibilities.

And this my brothers and sisters is very good news. The Master also looks deeply into our lives, our hearts and our souls and He well understands how glitched up and haywire, how imperfect and inaccurate we are and yet… and yet… He calls us because He sees our potential and our possibilities.

And if He can see our possibilities and see our potential…  then why can’t we?

Of an empty crib

The empty crib in the nativity scene in our Church caught my eye the other day. It was just there, in the middle of the straw with some animals and Mary and Joseph looking on expectantly.

It had been a long day with much to ponder and process and I thought for a moment, that sometimes (and possibly you dear reader) that I am a bit like that empty crib.

Surrounded by the mucky mayhem of the day and the world, there is an emptiness that I know needs to be filled and yet…

And yes it’s true that Our Lady and St. Joseph watch over me and are always looking on, but somehow, some days, some times, I am empty and barren. Hopeful and expectant, yet still barren and blank.

It is perhaps in these moments that I am most receptive to the Christ-Child, to Him. When every pretence and pretension, when every gloss and superficiality is stripped away when I am left raw and bruised, it is then I am most ready and eager to receive what I need the most.

So my message is one of encouragement to myself and to you. The muckiest and murkiest place is where the King of Kings chooses to come in His most vulnerable and fragile form to show to the world that He is very interested in our empty manky managers. He is very interested in us. This is where He longs to be, this is where He wants to be, this is where He chooses to ‘pitch his tent’ and it is a marvellous and wondrous thing.

So I shall look with fresh eyes at this waiting manger and hopefully see not something that is empty and desolate, but rather see a place for God Himself to come and make His home.

A reflection for the 15th of January.

In May 1987 a band called U2 released a song called “Still haven’t found what I’m looking for.” It has influences from gospel music and its lyrics describe our familiar spiritual yearning.

Listen to the first verse.

“I have climbed the highest mountains|
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
I have run
I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for”

In today's gospel, we have a few people looking for something and looking for someone.

John the Baptist is one such searcher.

The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! ”

“I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptise with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”

And it doesn’t stop there.

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

One of those disciples is Andrew. We are not told who the other disciple was, but they both start to follow Jesus.

In my mind's eye, I have always imagined that they were a step or two behind Jesus but perhaps that is not the way that it happened. Perhaps they were walking alongside Jesus  and the Master asks them,

“What do you want?” or in another translation “What are you looking for?”

Their answer/question is.

“Where are you staying or where are you living?”

The first two apostles don't ask Jesus for a lesson, or a sure truth or next week's tatts-lotto numbers. Perhaps they are a little surprised and confused by the initiative Jesus takes with them: it is He that turns towards them and it is He that invites them to become aware of the question that they hold in their hearts.

What they are really asking for is a relationship! The place where we live, speaks to who we are. The house is the place where one becomes family. Once a relationship becomes strong enough, then you feel free to invite someone to your house.

Notice too that the two disciples remember perfectly the time of day of the encounter. (it was about four in the afternoon), This is because it is a historic moment. All of us can remember where we were and who we were with when the queen died, or where marriage was proposed or what the weather was like at our dear aunt Flo’s funeral.

However, the scripture does not tell us where Jesus lives. That place remains unknown because there are so many possible places in which we can find Jesus. God does not allow Himself to be enclosed within our experiences.

The two disciples do not stay in the house with Jesus forever: they go out again. Our relationship with the Lord, if it is to bear the fruit of an authentic encounter, becomes an announcement, a proclamation: there is always another whom we must bring to Jesus. Andrew found Simon. And it is through these encounters that lives are changed. Hence Simon must become Cephas and he can never be the same again. He can’t go back to being Simon.

Life is set in motion by our desires and we alter reality along the way. Perhaps not everything will change at once, but at least we will have initiated something, even if we don’t see it or understand it at the time. There are all sorts of possibilities.

Now in these encounters, we think that we poke into possibilities with God. “We are pretty sure God that with you, there is the possibility of world peace and political stability in Yemen, no more car accidents, drownings or bushfires.” And while that is putting it simplistically, the truth is that with God there are always possibilities.

But… and here’s the lovely trick… God also sees it in reverse. He sees in us all sorts of marvellous possibilities. He saw possibilities with the Blessed Virgin Mary, with Simon now Cephas, with the 12 and with you and I. He pokes around into our possibilities. And it matters not what our gender is, our race, or our age God sees all sorts of possibilities and potential for us, in us and through us.  And I can’t help but wonder what might be achieved if we spent less time on telling God what his possibilities and responsibilities are and spent a bit more time allowing God to poke into our possibilities. Stirring them around and letting them bubble.

The yearning and seeking that U2 sang about all those years ago is a real and authentic part of the journey. But perhaps we might see more, arrive sooner and more gently if we understood where The Master lives. Not just in the person who is next to us in the pew, but He has always been deep within us.

Perhaps we should let U2 have the last word

“You broke the bonds
And you loosed the chains
Carried the cross
Of my shame
Oh my shame
You know I believe it
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for”

Or have I…?

The perfect opportunity to be gracious.

We love our sport in the summer. As I type the world cup and also the cricket is all happening.

And yes it’s nice to watch your team win. Yippee! But it’s also interesting to listen to the speeches afterwards.  To see how the person/team who lost responds to their trouncing. And right at that moment is a perfect opportunity for a spirit of graciousness.

How refreshing would it be if the loser paid glowing tribute to the victor? And what if we rewarded them for this humility with post-match points for the next time they played?

I wonder if that would change the way we do sport, the way we play sport, what we say, how we say it and the spirit in which we play sport.

Just as interesting is the winner's speech. Who do they pay tribute to and in what tone?

One of the things that made Ash Barty such a fantastic tennis player was not only her competent action with the racquet but what she said afterwards. I reckon she would have gotten top points for her graciousness with a speech like this.

“First and foremost I have to say congratulations to Danielle (the opposition) and your team. It has been an amazing fortnight for you and you are in the top 10 and that is absolutely where you belong. Congratulations and I know that you will be fighting for more of these in the future.

And to all of the umpires, ball kids, everyone who makes this so easy for us to come and enjoy it and do what we do and love what we do and we love to come here and compete... you guys make it seamless and without you, we would be lost.”

Don’t kiss the kanga

It happened on a Wednesday on a leisurely drive from Halls Gap to Dunkeld. I wasn’t speeding and I had spent a languid time in the company of a priestly colleague.

All of sudden, out of nowhere a kanga kissed the left hand, the front side of the car. It made a resounding ‘thunk’ sound and I made sounds that were most unpriestly like.

After pulling over, the kanga was nowhere to be spied but what could be seen was the passion with which he/she had smooched the car. The left-hand front panel was a mangle, the left indicator was nonexistent and the left-hand headlight shone lower than its right-hand buddy.

Fortunately, the car’s engine was not hurt and I was able to get home and then onto a panel beater person.

I was also very fortunate to have another clerical colleague who organised a loan of another diocesan car for me until the other one is mended. Yes, that’s right folks it wasn’t a ‘write-off,' just damaged and fixable. An epic miracle when you consider what might have been.

A couple of things to draw out of this. Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, stuff is going to find you and land on you from a whopping height. That’s just the way the universe works. It’s not if it happens, it’s when it happens and ultimately, and this is the really good bit, it’s how you roll with it. How you rationalise it and absorb it into your way of life.

Secondly, check out the brilliant pastoral care I received. It was prompt, and thoughtful and the first question everyone asked was ‘Are you alright?’ Sometimes, (not always) sometimes we get it right.

The tagline however remains. ‘Don’t kiss the kanga’

Baptism of The Lord 8/1/23

Today Christmas season where we celebrate God showing himself to us through Jesus comes to an end today with the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord.

We had God showing forth his son at his birth in a manger. Then he was shown to the world by the visit of the magi and now God shines forth in his baptism.

Notice please the murky places where God shows himself most brilliantly.

In a stinky poo cave at the back of a pub. In the middle of a very dark night with some perfect but exotic strangers. Today, at his baptism in a grubby little river where the water is not exactly pristine and sparkling. That's me dressing it up and trying to be polite.

Isn’t it great that we love a God who comes to us, not in our shiny, respectable, immaculate manners and spotless places, but rather seeks us out in those places, those lives and those people who are "less than"? Those people who in that lovely, classic turn of phrase, ‘Are no better than they ought to be’.

In our slime and rubbish, God shines forth with his dazzling love. He makes our icky places and dark nights radiant and beautiful

And this in part begins to answer the age-old quandary of what Jesus was doing when he was being baptised.

The chestnut goes like this.

If Jesus is God and perfect and sinless, how come he needs to be baptised?

Answer: In the grungy river Jordan the Master is saying very clearly to us.

“I want to identify with you. I want to be one with you. You are important to me. By being baptised I will join myself to you so that there can never be any question of us ever being separated in any way whatsoever.”

But there’s more.

Matthew, Mark and Luke all have accounts of Jesus’ baptism and this year we are reading through Matthew’s gospel.

What sets Matthew apart from his colleagues is this curious exchange.

Jesus came to John at the Jordan, to be baptised by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’

When John consents, the baptism happens and three Big ticket events occur.

1. “…the heavens were opened…”
2. The Spirit of God descended “like a dove…”
3. The Voice of the Father spoke: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.

And I wonder what the folk on the shore of the river must have thought of it all. Certainly, it would have been quite a different day for them. A day they could never forget. A life changer for everyone. For Jesus, for John and the motley crew on the river bank.

A few things to draw out of all this.

Playing the ‘I’m not worthy card’ with God doesn’t work. God seeks us out and chooses us. You’re exactly the person he has in mind. You are unique and he has equipped you with everything you need to do his will, even when and especially when it doesn’t feel like it. It makes you realise who it is really all about.

Scratch around a little deeper.

If I read it right, these amazing cataclysmic events, the heaven opening, the spirit descending and the voice of the Father, would not have happened unless John had been obedient to the Master. There is a sense in which John enabled these things to happen and I can’t help but wonder what might happen if John had not demurred. What if he said “Nope… sorry, I don’t know who you think you are, but the deals off” and shut up the baptism shop for the rest of the day.

Now usually we think of God pulling the levers, us doing his bidding and we are just the obedient puppets. But what if God actually needs us to carry his master plan just as he needed John to do the baptism?

It all must have seemed strange, wrong and upside down to John, but what if, on that day, in that place, at that time, John is the key to inaugurating the kingdom?

And it certainly seems strange, wrong and upside down to us, but what if you and I are pivotal and essential to bringing about God’s Kingdom in 2023 here in Western Victoria? What if Our Lord needs us and calls us to do simple things so that outrageous things can happen? Like the heavens can be opened, the spirit can descend so that all may hear the voice of the Father.

St. Theresa Avila understood this perplexing but exciting reality. She knew just how important we are to God’s mission. She put it beautifully and exquisitely in these words.

“Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks with compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.