Readings Isaiah 57:14-19; Psalm 36:5-10; 1 Corinthians 1:1-17; Mark 9:33-41
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our
hearts be now and always be acceptable in thy sight O Lord our strength and our
redeemer. Amen
Introduction (Giving
thanks)
I wish to begin my thoughts tonight … the way St. Paul
begins his letter which we've Just read … by giving thanks to God before the
gathered church.
… I want to give thanks to God for the great relationships
there are in this village … warm, sincere and practical relationships in this
community between the 2 churches in the square. It has been a great pleasure to
work with so many people from this church, Rathpeacon and Whitechurch in the
past year and a bit since I arrived .
… I also want to thank Fr Bill for his welcome and working relationship over this
time … we’ve been to many community events and also working together at various
services.
This is, from what I gather the first week of prayer for
CU service in a long time in this
village and something which I believe and hope will become something which will
become part of our shared witness in the village.
The question before
us this evening has Christ been divided?
We are living in a complicated and confusing world – some of
the norms which we took for granted for generations are being questioned and
worked out in this generation. And we as Christians grapple with these together…
Technological, social, ethical and political issues are being wrestled with day
and daily and the church does have things to say in the public square.
St. Paul writes … “Now
I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that all of you should be in agreement and that there should be no divisions
among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same
purpose.”
The psalmist puts it another way – “where brothers and
sisters dwell together in unity, there God is blessed”
There is something extremely powerful happens when people come together… when we are happy with
who we are … content in our own Identity and ready to work with others as
neighbours and friends and to learn from one another.
We are called together to have Unity in diversity … we are
different and we should be able to celebrate our differences but also be able
to work practically together for the sake of the gospel of Christ. There are
fantastic things being done right around this community …
… for seniors there is the love that’s shown with meals on
wheels, the work with those who are suffering in many ways, mums and toddlers,
Bible Studies, work with the homeless, education … none of these ministries are
the same … that’s the diversity, the unity comes in the purpose … that is
serving Christ day and daily.
Now, There is something inside each of us which seeks to
compare ourselves to each other … how much better we are than the other … we
see this in the Gospel reading … That even within the 12 Disciples … the saints
there was bickering and trying to compare each other
Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he
asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the way?’ But they were silent, for
on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.
As brothers and sisters we need to be content and secure in own identities … but also celebrate
and be thankful for the others.
We see in the disciples unique individuals … each with their
own gifts and abilities … their own callings and destinies … each sent to
different places and to meet different people.
The churches here in Blarney have been placed side by side …
we worship the same God and we’ve been called to the same mission … to teach
the word of God, to build each other up, and worship God through sacraments
prayers, and service.
We do this in different, unique ways day and daily … and all
of us are called to be part of this serving Christ. This is the call to common
mission.
It is great that this is coming both from grass roots … we’re
doing these things but its also reassuring that this is coming also from the
leadership of our churches.
In June 2013 the Archbishop of Canterbury from the Anglican
Communion met Pope Francis at the Vatican. In his remarks at this meeting Pope Francis said
“We share
many ideas” on the topics of economics, social justice and peace, … we Christians bring peace and grace as a
treasure to be offered to the world, but these gifts can bear fruit only when
Christians live and work together in harmony.” - See
more at: http://irishcatholic.ie/article/pope-anglican-leader-pledge-continue-search-unity#sthash.lwYZHKaO.dpuf
Also just this morning Pope Francis, speaking on this very
question – is Christ divided, at his public audience said the following
" We know that Christ has not been
divided; yet we must sincerely recognize that our communities continue to
experience divisions which are a source of scandal and weaken our witness to
the Gospel.
In reproaching the Corinthians for their
divisions, Paul reminds them to rejoice in the great spiritual gifts which they
have received. His words encourage us to rejoice in the gifts God has given to
other Christians, gifts which we can
receive from them for our enrichment.
To be able to do this calls for
humility, discernment and constant conversion.
As we reflect on Paul’s teaching
during this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, may we be confirmed, together
with all Christ’s followers, in our pursuit of holiness and fidelity to the
Lord’s will. (www.vatican.va)
So Taking all of this on board … the teaching from Scripture, the
exhortation from our leaders, the practical realities and the great relationships which we currently
enjoy here in Blarney … a cross roads of world culture.
I would love to
end with a hope filled picture
… Out on the village square … one day I was sitting where I
like to sit … just in front of the old Garda Station and my eyes were drawn to
the tree right in the middle of the Square … an Oak tree … a small acorn
produced that big tree
Of course we know that is the way of all life … things grow.
As we pray together tonight … I would hope that we as Christian Churches in
Blarney … in this wee village that’s known all over the world … that this time
of prayer & hopefully others like it … though small in itself would indeed be something that would continue
to grow … and be a powerhouse for faith and mission in this locality, in this
nation and across the world.
Perhaps this week of Prayer for Christian Unity would help
us to discover the gifts which Pope Francis speaks about and also encourage us all in our pursuit of holiness and
fidelity to the Lord’s will.
No comments:
Post a Comment