15/07/2024

God has never left us alone to oversee his creation. He has always guided humans who have come to realise that the meaning in their lives is not the result of the achievements of mankind.

In the Old Testament, Job is mankind accepting that we all live in the providence that is not decided by God but arises out of the interrelatedness of decisions for good or evil made by each one of us. 

Isaiah is inspired by God to give warning to us all that what is required from us is to know, love and serve him and no matter how brilliant the achievements of ourselves or our forefathers we are all individuals who must make a personal response to "Our Father".

Jesus speaks to us "man to man". He does this always but sometimes he hits us hard with  pure truth. Today we hear one of these "hard sayings" which we struggle to understand. 

The sword, family discord and universal strife is hardly the stuff of the blessings received on the mount earlier in Matthew's Gospel.

The Church founded on St Peter has always been guided by some great individuals whose relationship with God has been so brilliant that all have recognised their holiness. Today we celebrate the holiness of St Bonaventura who revealed to mankind his devotion to the Lord in his teaching and writings.

When I read of the holy lives of saints I always try to find out the state of the Institutional Church during their lifetimes. St Bonaventura as did St Thomas Aquinas and Roger Bacon served in an "unholy church of this world" ruled by Popes who were devoted to politics and Mammon.

In my lifetime millions of souls have been lost by the Church, a worldly institution that is the not nearly perfect product of not  practising what was declared by its founder in open court to the representative of Mammon . "My kingdom is not of this world".

We all admire, or are envious of, those intellects which are greater than our own. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, however, has no need of "Theology", our God is "All-Knowing". The Good Shepherd, however, seeks out all sinners that he might save us all from our sin and reminds us that no matter our place in the hierarchy of this world  we have to return to him as naked, helpless infants to be judged by the deeds of our lives.

Dear Lord, help me this day to live without sin. Let my being be open to the words of Scripture and the promptings of your Holy Spirit, one God with Father, and Son. Help me to never forget that you know me for what I am even in the vastness of your creation. Jesus and Mary are present with you in the glorified bodily humanity that you have prepared for us all, Help your creation avoid any further sinfulness by becoming open to the Holy Spirit and may your "second coming" bring us all into the "glorious freedom" prophesised by St Paul. Open all hearts to receive the pardon shared by all sinners here and in Purgatory. May that "final coming" be soon. Maranatha! Come Lord Jesus Come!