October 2011

“If you only knew what God is offering…”   Jn 4:10

 

The Gospel challenges us to recognise the Jesus who is “passing by” in our midst today – inviting us to throw off something of yesterday’s cloak (Mk 10:46). A world of consumerism may have dulled our sight – preventing us from recognising him and so he may walk on… In the Emmaus story (Lk 24), we are also told that Jesus was about to move on until the disciples invited him to stay with them (Lk24:28).

In the last book of the Bible, we read: ”let anyone who has ears listen to what the Spirit is saying…” repeated seven times. Then in Ch 21 we read: “I will give water from the well of life free to anyone who is thirsty”.

Hopefully we can support one another on this gospel journey in creative and life-giving ways.

Focussing on new wine without looking for new wineskins may not be a very good idea.

 

One of the real ‘sins’ of our time might be that of waiting for the dust to settle in the hope that all will return to normal – in our society and in our Church…

According to Karl Rahner, “the spirituality of the future will no longer depend on a conviction that is unanimous, evident and public, nor on a generalised religious environment but rather on experience and personal decision i.e. a deepening of one’s faith – growing in personal mysticism – recognising the God who is manifest in human weakness and pain and who has redeemed the world through this apparent helplessness”.

The Kerry mystic, John Moriarty, said it like this: “as human beings we need to hibernate from time to time, like the bears at the north pole”.

 

 

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