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Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time 7 November 2021

Well, despite the ups and downs of 2021, liturgically, we are in the home straight; two more Sundays and then it is Advent.

Perhaps a time for pondering. What will we offer the Lord on Christ the King Sunday on 21-11-2021?

It’s been quite a year.

Today’s Gospel presents Jesus continuing to teach in the Temple. Perhaps standing, maybe sitting, certainly observing. Several times in Mark chapter 12, crowds surround him, hanging as it were, on every word, and often “with delight”. His words seemed to give hope, hope especially to the poor the downcast and those lost and last in that society.

So, was Jesus too tough on the rich and too harsh on the poor widow?

He certainly acknowledges both for making a contribution.

Our city this week is rather proud of two sons of the local soil who seem to have achieved good things. Lucas Herbert won his third major at the Bermuda Golf Championship early in the week and James Seymour made his maiden century for Victoria on Friday, in his third Shield game. We all bask in the glory of the local lads’ achievements…but do we remember the efforts of those who worked to make golf and cricket competitions possible at the local level? Those people are often the “poor widows” of our communities.

Years ago, on his visit to Tondo, the huge rubbish dump in Manila, Pope John Paul II reminded the rag pickers who lived and worked the dump, that they, too, could and should make a contribution to their society.

Some thought, that’s harsh, at that time. But was it, really?

So, as we work through the fourteen days to the Feast of Christ the King, can I suggest that we might consider giving a little or great time sitting like Jesus, with the Temple of God in our mind and ponder…contribution.

Contribution in its many facets. May we try to move towards the widow, in faith and trust. She, somehow or other, had arrived at an understanding of her obligation to the “Temple of the Lord” and what in the big picture the Temple should be and should do. If it failed to deliver, that was its problem (and another form of contribution was necessary). She had done her duty, she had paid her dues, she had made her contribution in fact and in kind. She had made a profound statement, worthy of Jesus’s praise.

For some, she may be considered as a victim of religious exploitation. For others, a model of generosity and sincerity.

We too face the same dilemma. So, we ponder!

Have a response to offer on Christ the King Sunday.

Mons Frank

Thirty First Sunday in Ordinary Time 31 October 2021

“Words, words, words”.

You may remember this line spoken by Henry Higgins in the musical. “My Fair Lady”.

“Let-out weekend” for Melbourne based Victorians comes with a war of words…“vaccinated and unvaccinated” and accompanied by another war of words, “boundary and boundary”.

The conversation, at times, is more like a prelude to a fight than dialogue; it makes today’s Gospel very relevant. Glasgow 21 adds fuel internationally and to mention Plenary Council, in some quarters, is downright incendiary!

Keep in mind our journey with Jesus in our weekly readings; Jerusalem. These past weeks, the incidents have been full of words; not seeking to learn, but to catch Jesus out, to test him, and to gain a reason to get rid of him.

For example, remember…

Master let me see again…they scolded him.

Allow us to sit one on the right…they began to feel indignant.

What must I do to inherit eternal life…his face fell at these words.

Is it against the Law…they were testing him.

There were other sections read in which the conflict is most evident.

Then we come to the encounter described today.

The question is one that still emerges in today’s world, not on everyone’s lips but on many. It is the great question… this time the Scribe acts alone and seemingly with respect and courtesy, what must I do to inherit eternal life?

On many occasions in recent years since Pope Francis first announced the importance of synodality, he has talked more about the process than the answers. He has asked the world to enter into respectful dialogue, to listen to one another…attentively and seriously. He has asked that we chat with a listening ear. Don’t come to ram your opinion down the throat of everyone, or to dismiss their opinions out of hand. But to learn.

Today’s Gospel reminds us that Jesus was able to say to the Scribe, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God”, which must have given him great solace. That, after all, was his mission; to announce the “gift of the Kingdom”.

Words can provide intense reaction, respectful dialogue honours difference.

That attitude, in turn, can lead to new beginnings.

It is wonderful to love God whom we cannot see easily with our human eyes. But that ‘love’ word must lead to action and enable us to love the neighbour that we can see.

Mons Frank

Twenty Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time 10 October 2021

“I prayed, and understanding was given me; I entreated, and the spirit of Wisdom came to me” (First Reading).

“The word of God is something alive and active” (Second Reading).

“How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God” (Gospel).

The First General assembly of the Fifth Plenary Council of Australia, October 3-10, 2021, has concluded. This week I would like to add a few thoughts on this major event in the life of the Church in Australia. I am not a delegate nor a ‘periti’.

The previous Plenary Council was held against a background of the Great Depression, with dark clouds being generated by the likes of Hitler, Mussolini and Tito. “They”, the delegates, were, in the main, the Bishops and their chosen advisors, principally Theologians and Canon Lawyers. The meeting was private…it was, in essence, Bishops’ business. The Anglo Celtic laity, mainly white, watched and many prayed.

There are those who do not believe in change or in growth or in development, and who proclaim that nothing really changes!

Really!

The 2021 Plenary gathered this session, thanks to Zoom (with all the attending challenges), and certain sessions were open to all who tuned in. Covid and the fall out of the sexual abuse plague is causing a different depression, and China looms large as a dark cloud. “They” resemble in 2021, more the “They” who gathered in the upper room according to Acts 1:12-14. The Anglo Celtic composition this time was more Catholic, aided by the presence of the Melkite, Maronite, Ukrainian, Chaldeans and Syro-Malabar Bishops and Delegates. We are no longer the same composition of people as 1937. First Nations people have a prominent voice.

A feature of the gathering is an attempt to prayerfully discern what the Spirit is asking of us, today. Codification of practises is not central to the agenda.

Happily, it seems that more attention and time was set aside to allow the Spirit of wisdom to come, and it is evident that the Word of God is offered more space in daily deliberations. Over the centuries, reform has followed the rediscovery of the poor amongst us and the willingness of individuals “to sell everything you own and give the money to the poor and then follow me.”

Not all are called to be a St Francis of Assisi or a Mother Teresa or a Mary MacKillop. But that seems to be the way forward when we discern “the poor”.

We await Session Two in anticipation.

In the meantime, we can ponder the key phrases of the readings this week. How are we being called? When will we act? Renew your love of the Scripture.

Mons Frank

Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time 3 October 2021

To paraphrase, “It’s all about relationships.” A cursory glance at the headlines this week, emphasises this truth.

“Premier bought down by her questionable choice in lovers.” Or, “Road map raises fears.” Or, “They are sick of lockdowns and just trying to live a life that’s somewhere near normal.”

Genesis today presents the ideal. Women and men are made for genuine relationship. “They become one body.”

The Gospel tackles two disturbing realities in Israel in 30 CE. What happens to the woman, particularly when the relationship breaks down? Whatever the solution, Jesus again reminds us of the ideal. So, “What God has united etc”.

The second is a powerful reminder that children are more than a “possession” or a “chattel“. Even though they are perceived as powerless, dependant and simply receptive, they are still able to be welcomed into the Kingdom.

Jesus had a vision of a restored creation in which unity and mutuality, both within marriage and in the broader family relationships, should mirror God’s original plan. Jesus notices the intent of the Pharisees to test him. It suggests that they had a suspicion that their accepted practise in 30 CE was not really God’s position let alone that of Moses. Our generation may also be on the end of the phrase, “It was because you were so unteachable!”

We acknowledge that relationships break down, have rough patches, can at times be vicious and violent, even towards children. Rulers are often the worst offenders, as we see at the moment in many countries of the world.

And whilst we continue to proclaim that “Marriage is the only community built upon a sacrament”, let us not forget that our basic relationship is likewise built upon a sacrament, Baptism.

For the sake of the nation and the family and despite all the failures that occur, we must continue to proclaim the ideal. Jesus’s radical position was not too popular in 30 CE, as it is not overly popular in 2021 CE. Let’s work on our basic relationships this week!

“May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.”

Mons Frank

Twenty Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time 12 September 2021

“Who do people say I am?”

It’s a question that bothers many people in our world today…and asked frequently by various groups, organisations, movements, parties and even family dynasties.

Individuals rarely put the question to the community, though journalists try often to get leaders in the community to answer their persistent demands.

Many attempts in the past few weeks have fallen upon deaf Taliban ears or shrugged off with a cursory “we’ve changed.” Reports from the Panjshir Valley in more recent days would have James thundering his words read this Sunday, “…now you prove to me that you have faith without any good deeds to show.”

“Who do people say I am?”

Something must have been niggling at Jesus. He is on his way to Jerusalem. His words and deeds have won the admiration of, well, nearly all. Pockets of resistance, even hostility, have emerged. Battle lines are hardening. Some see him as the new saviour in the tradition of the promised Messiah. He will deliver us from the rule of the hated Romans. Others see him as a threat to the existing order, which he was. Jesus senses that his mission is not really understood by his chosen friends…and sets out to put them on the right road.

It is tough to ask this very same question to a group of friends. Yet, we do need to do just that, every now and then. Their answers may not be as forthcoming as Peter’s. On the flip side we may not really wish to hear them.

But…if James and his forthright statement, “I will prove to you that I have faith by showing you my good deeds”, is a touchstone for following Jesus, then let’s accept that every now and then we must ask the question, “Who do people say I am?”

Mons Frank

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 5 September 2021

“Go to the peripheries, smell the sheep” is a rough translation of Pope Francis’ words of some years ago. Today’s readings found me remembering not just his words, but also the historical fact that in our long history, so many wonderful movements within our faith community started “on the periphery”; Mary MacKillop is but one of a great number in our world.

We find Jesus in an alien gentile world again today. He is, in Mark’s account, slowly making his somewhat circuitous way to Jerusalem. We can easily see today that he, in effect, was saying gently, “You are all God’s children”. This truth is hammered home by the action he took, drawing on his own tradition “…the ears of the deaf unsealed…and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy”.

His six-step action of taking aside, putting hands in the ears, spitting, touching the tongue, deep groan and command of healing may reflect some of the practices of the gentile world, but Jesus said in his own name “Be opened.”

That raised the bar.

That action set a new standard for the early Church and, indeed, for all time…

We sometimes fall into the security of complacency. Prophets like Isaiah reminded the community then, of the Lord’s standards, and Pope Francis is in similar vein today.

It may well be the task of the elected Governments to tackle the physical ailments of Covid-19, but who will pick up the pieces of fractured relationships in the near future? People need people. Families need families. That task may well rest with you and me.

We still belong to the family of whom it was said by Matthew, “Jesus preached the news of the kingdom, and healed all who were sick.”

Mons Frank

Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary 15 August 2021

It is many years since I, and hundreds of boys, celebrated this Feast at Assumption College Kilmore. In my time, the feast was always preceded by a retreat…and followed, for us coming from a 1950’s form of lockdown, a day off. We often were bussed into Melbourne; Kilmore could not have coped with 300 plus students roaming the then Hume Highway Main Street for eight hours. The city was ours for the day and ended with the obligatory three cheers for the old boys as we passed Pentridge Jail on the way home! Such were the innocent days when the same school sent many of its students off to the seminary and to the noviciate each year. I am not sure what we really learnt about this feast except that “Mary was taken up to heaven body and soul”. On the surface we all believed, got on with our lives and, in the winter cold, looked forward to the next football match!

The role of Mary in our long 2000 years of history is mixed and wonderful. The people seemed to recognise the important role of this young lady long before the theologians and scholars started to dissect the evidence, and we don’t have all that evidence to dissect.

She said “YES”.

She was a loving Mother

She raised her special child with what emotions we can only really guess at.

Even at the foot of the cross she does not speak, nor is she quoted as commenting upon the gift of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Despite this, our Tradition loves her, prays to her, seeks her intercession, and rejoices to tell anyone that listens, that she is our Mother.

This year, amidst the turmoil of flood and fires in the north, wars and power struggles in Afghanistan and Myanmar, lockdowns and restrictions on our freedoms, maybe it is a timely moment to remember her words…

“…his mercy reaches from age to age for those who fear him.”

Further, quietly, but also publicly, to petition for that mercy to be poured out on our troubled world, our troubled families, and our troubled Church, according to “the promise made to our ancestors”.

That mercy has flowed freely in the past; why not now!

Hail Mary…

Mons Frank

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 8 August 2021

The readings today are those appropriate to the Solemnity of Mary MacKillop.

Pardon a little history.

Mary opened the first Josephite school in Victoria at Numurkah, a parish in the Diocese of Sandhurst, on 12 January 1890. She returned to the Diocese in August 1891, visiting the many families who had accepted a child from one of the homes that the sisters had established in Melbourne. She was ever solicitous for the wellbeing of those children. Mary arrived in Bendigo (then called Sandhurst) on August 3, 1891 and in the next few days, she endured “some rough driving around Eagle Hawk and Myers Flat” whilst staying at the Convent of Mercy in Barclay Place. She then visited Pyramid Hill, Echuca Toolamba before leaving for Melbourne on August 6. All this by train and coach, 140 years ago. Celebrate this grand woman in a creative way this Sunday.

Looking back, it is now obvious that the Word of God came to Mary as it did to Elijah. She, too, in some way was told to “up and go”. On her many journeys around this vast continent, she was often in the receipt of the “widows” or “fellow travellers” mites, who offered her hospitality and money to assist her works. Mary, like Elijah, had a great trust in Divine providence. In an age that is rather sceptical of the religious dimension, let alone the benefits of a solid spirituality (the Victorian Parliament is to debate the removal of the Our Father from the opening order of the day’s work in the coming days), it is timely to remind ourselves that for ourselves, as for Mary, the words from today’s psalm are apt, “My soul shall be filled as with a banquet”.

The Gospel for today is Matthew 6:25-34. Some of its key words are, “Each day has enough trouble of its own”. This current outbreak in the eastern states is a grim reminder for our affluent age, that things were not always as comfortable for people as we have experienced since World War II. Mary had her troubles, including the famous misunderstanding with the Bishop in Perth. I have found a little quote from one of her letters written on August 7, 1888….

“Do what you can with the means at your disposal….

And leave all the rest calmly to God.”

May this great Australian continue to be a source of great pride for all Australians. May we endeavour to continue her work where we can with what we have.

Mons Frank

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 1 August 2021

Gold, silver and bronze. The Olympics are back. The nations, some 196 plus, have gathered. Around 10,000 athletes and many more support staff. New sports, skateboarding and BMX to name just a couple which were not invented when I was young. Even mixed relay teams in and out of the water. And people say that things don’t change!

I wondered for a long time about these events and where the “true bread“ fits into this world in which hunger still is present and the locals have never eaten wheaten bread, let alone dined with barley loaves or drank a glass of wine.

We have our medals. Servant of God, Blessed and Saint.

A golden victory at Tokyo for the Philippines was their first ever and has produced a wonderful sense of pride for the people. Perhaps a little like the Jesuit Community as they remember the Feast of St Ignatius on July 31. They recall the occasion 500 years ago when Ignatius fell foul of that cannonball! What makes a person train for years to be first on the podium? What makes a person like Ignatius do a back flip and harness a mighty force that helped transform a wounded Church back to life?

Jesus, offering the “true bread”, set off alarm bells in the minds of his immediate listeners and shock waves amongst the leaders in Jerusalem. Could they cope with a better bread than what they had in the time of Moses?

How do we cope with trying to offer “true bread” to all the new nations of our world…and not impose on them the bread of Moses?

Tokyo 2021 offers us a glimpse of a new world being born and poses questions for a Church community called to preach the Gospel to every creature. There are some wishing that the Olympics were more like they were in the “good” old days, as there are those wishing our beloved Church to be as it was. Pope Francis puts it in “Let us Dream” … “attempts at restoration always takes us down a dead-end street”.

The scripture this week calls us to really ponder our path to glory. Paul’s exhortation contains a number of pertinent statements.

Are we living in the way we have learnt from Christ?
Have we heard his truth properly?
Are we a new self, created in Gods way?

Indeed, are we training in the goodness and holiness of the Truth?

Happy Olympics viewing!

Mons Frank

Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 25 July 2021

“Give it to the people to eat”, so said Elisha, the man of God.

Our Gospel story today is set in the context of the coming feast of Passover. Jesus, the disciples, and the people would all be aware of the coming feast and holiday season. Etched in their collective memory were the great deeds of their liberating God working, as it were, hand in hand with Moses. We are exposed, today, to the new Moses sitting on yet another mountain.

Something had to happen.

It did, enough to elicit a spontaneous move to make him King.

Abundance. Yet again the new agent of the True God fulfilled the ancient memories of that fabled journey out of Egypt. Not only liberated from slavery but fed in abundance each and every day of their long march. Here, today, again, abundance…., “Giving out as much as was wanted.”

No such abundance offered to NSW by the other States in recent days, even if we are all in this together. So much for Commonwealth.

Often in the gospel, Jesus is seen as a messenger bringing hope to people, so oppressed in their society at that time. He not only “cured the sick” as in today’s reading but was an agent of peace. “Your sins are forgiven”, “Has no one condemned you?”, “Do you love me?” to recall some instances. Real conflicts are not found only on the battlefields. There are many conflicts, in a sense, right here on the grass. Sit down. Let me feed you in mind and body. We will find peace and satisfaction together. And we will do it, not in a miserly way, but in abundance.

So, the lesson is heard again today. Maybe after all the years of hearing this story, we may yet again miss like Philip and Andrew, the point. Take comfort. In time they understood.

Never begrudge hospitality. Make sure there is some left over. You might yet entertain angels in the unexpected guests.

Mons Frank.