“The supreme law is the salvation of souls.”

This Gospel reading will be proclaimed in the Ukraine this weekend. I am not sure how enthusiastically I would proclaim “Love your enemies”, let alone, “pray for those who treat you badly”. The relationship between the Russian people and the Ukrainian people has certainly had its up and downs in the past years and, yes, the current crisis is not manufactured by the ordinary people, but the Gospel excerpt is, to say the least, challenging!

To a lesser extent, the news that WA is opening its borders to the rest of Australia, again, may resolve some of the hostility that that lockdown has produced, and enable families to reconnect. So, it is perhaps timely to ponder the truths that Luke records in proposing Jesus as the teacher of morality for the restored people of God.

We are the restored people. Baptised, as we are into the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, does make a difference. We can, and do, fall back into the old ways of “tit for tat”, “do as you would want to do”, let alone, “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth”.

The marching season of “pride” and “Mardi Gras” and similar movements and associated events is upon us. They do raise tensions.

The restored law of love, our banner, demands a standard of human relationships that involves a

“going beyond”, more than the old, accepted norm of reciprocity and now asks us to “do as God would do”. Jesus went beyond in giving up his life freely, and in a most horrible way, to practise, as it were, what he preached. That is the norm for us.

Tough.

In a sense one joy in being the children of The Most High, is that we can imitate in the world the kindness of God towards the world.

So, perhaps there will be times this week when we need to bite the lower lip and smile.

Mons Frank

Arriving at a level piece of ground in one piece, takes on new meaning in the light of many events being contested in the Winter Olympics. Level ground is so important for the new temples much prided today; sporting venues, airports, even car parks! Having spent time on the mountain and having chosen his Twelve, we find Jesus now on level ground with the “big four”.

The Twelve
The Disciples
The crowd
The “pagans” from Tyre and Sidon.

It is in that collective space that Jesus offers his vision and message.

What follows, we call Beatitudes, a gift for all.

This is His programme, much different from the agenda of the Little Red Book of Mao, let alone the constitutions of most nations. It is Jesus talking about the morality to guide the restored people of God.

The presence of the “big four”, in itself, is both provocative and prophetic. God’s word is now for all. It will cause great debate and opposition within Israel. The “pagans” will hear the word with joy and they, too, will be cured. An extraordinary moment in world history…which needs to be proclaimed afresh today.

Our poor and marginalised, our lost, lowly and last, need to hear His consoling words anew. The hungry and neglected need the practical help and assistance that reminds them that God is kind to all his creatures…and even kind to those who are not kind, even wicked.

This proclamation renews the vision of the God who spoke to Abraham, Moses and the great prophets.

St Alphonsus many centuries later summarised this teaching in these words, “The supreme law is the salvation of souls.”

Our fractured, disturbed, sometimes violent society, urged on by often hateful and ill-informed comment on social media, needs to hear again this vision of Jesus. It is up to us to find a way. Previous generations have done so. We, too!

We start by practising what we have heard from the Beatitudes.

Mons Frank

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time 20 February 2022

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time 13 February 2022