REFLECTIONS AND READINGS MONDAY 29 JUNE 2020

 ST PETER AND ST PAUL

Both these men, the two greatest leaders of the early Church, are commemorated separately in the Calendar; Peter on 18 January for his confession of faith in Jesus as Messiah, and Paul on the 25th of the same month for his conversion on the road to Damascus.  They are brought together on 29 June to commemorate the well-established tradition of the Church that they both died as martyrs in Rome during the persecution of the Emperor Nero.  Paul was granted the right of a Roman citizen to be killed by the sword; Peter suffered the common fate of the underprivileged of his day and was crucified.

(Saints and Seasons – ACSA)

Let us Pray :

Almighty God,

your apostles Peter and Paul

glorified you in life and death:

inspire your Church to follow their example

and to stand firm on the one foundation

which is Christ our Lord;

to whom with you and the Holy Spirit

be all honour and Glory, now and forever.

Amen. 

Amos 2 : 6 – 10, 13 – 16           Psalm 50: 14 -24           Matthew 8 : 18 – 22

The message of Jesus seems so uncompromising. He seems to be challenging us to follow him completely, without holding back at all.  

Reading the words of Amos feels like visiting a classic version of the headlines of today:  injustice to the poor and lowly, betrayal that knows no bounds.  War and struggles continue, but we have switched channels. We have create systems like labyrinths that few understand, where no one seems to be responsible for all that is lost. The urgency of people struggling to hang on goes quiet. Secure in our helplessness, we sit and sigh. 

There is something refreshing and attractive about Jesus’ invitation to follow him with complete freedom. It feels like an invitation to let God’s grace into our lives and bring wholeness and integrity. It is easy to think of “renewal” as fixing this or that problem. Real renewal involves a complete change of heart. It calls us to radical  change – a  re-assessment of who we are as individuals, as communities and as a people of God.  Integrity means that what we say and do in one place fits with and supports what we say and do in every place. 

Christ’s invitation to follow him is an invitation to enter into our own lives without fear, without holding back.  Being Christ’s follower will inevitably bring us to concrete examinations of how we live our lives. 

Could it be that we have too much, or have become accustomed to too much?  Has our life style so corrupted us that we are unable to see the poor, reach out to those in need and to share with those who mourn?  Is it that our moral compass doesn’t work, because it is surrounded by attractions in every direction? 

In responding to a renewed call to follow Jesus more fully and freely, let us begin by simplifying our lives. Let’s start by re-assessing what is important and where God needs us.  Let’s prune away the excesses of our lives that make our hearts sluggish. Let’s experience the peace that the world simply can’t give us and the joy that Jesus promises us. Let us leave behind all that holds us down and separates us from the work and the way of Jesus Christ. 

Let us Pray :

Faithful God,

Your love stands firm from generation to generation;

open our hearts to hear your word

that we may seek Christ’s presence

in everyone we meet;

through the same Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the

Holy Spirit,

One God, now and for ever.

Amen