Introduction

There was a time when “Ascension Thursday” was part of my vocabulary and experience, just like fasting from midnight before going to Mass and receiving Jesus in Holy Communion. Today, we imagine that seven equals ten and we fast for just one hour before going to Communion; or we realise that the emphasis ought to be on being missionary disciples, not blindly sticking to externals.

One of my blessings that God gifts me is to be invited to join a group of young adults to help them develop their familiarity with See, Judge, Act. What impresses me about them is not their commitment to attending meetings so much as their commitment to putting their faith into action.

At a recent meeting, they reflected on actions that they have committed to and their efforts to draw others into their actions. It struck me as I listened to them, that they were living the message of this Gospel, almost two thousand years after Jesus commissioned his disciples to continue his work.

Yes, indeed, I am blessed. May this Gospel bring you God’s blessings as you engage in this Enquiry.

The Gospel

The eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them. When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated. Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, make disciples of all the nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And know that I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.’ (Matthew 28:16-20)

The Enquiry

See

• This Gospel story is sometimes referred to as “The Great Commission.” Imagine that you hear the Gospel being proclaimed at Mass. What do you hear? What do you learn about Jesus from this Gospel?

• What has been the impact of Jesus’ directions to his disciples? How has his meeting with his disciples affected you and those close to you?

• Why do most of the disciples fall down before Jesus? What does this tell you about them? What about the few who “hesitated”? Is hesitation significant?

Judge

• How does this story fit with your experience of being a Christian? Do you see yourself as someone who has been sent by Jesus to be one of his missionaries?

• Does Jesus commission his followers to get involved in social justice situations, eg, the plight of the Lebanese in Beirut, or the people left homeless because of the cost-of-living crisis in your city, or those whose lives have been ruined by some form of addiction?

• Does meeting Jesus in this Gospel make you feel uncomfortable? What does Jesus say that challenges you about how you live your faith?

Act

• How would you describe the mission of the lay faithful (those who are baptised, but who are not priests, brothers or nuns) in the world you experience?

• What small action can you carry out to help to accomplish this mission?

• Who can you involve in your action, when, where and how often?

Image Source: Lyricmac at English Wikipedia (Creator), The Great Commission, at the Cathedral Parish of Saint Patrick in El Paso Wikimedia, CC BY 2.5

This text, from the Liturgy of the Sixth Sunday of Easter, is part of a long discourse in John’s Gospel, from the setting of the Last Supper. It is a discourse replete with assurances from Jesus that he will not abandon his disciples such as: ‘I will not leave you orphans, I will come back to you’ (Jn 14:18). It is also a discourse which focuses strongly on the Holy Spirit, ‘the Advocate’ (Jn 14:16) and the theme of love. Rather than calling for belief from the disciples Jesus asks them to love him, and to keep his commandments (Jn 14:15 & 21). The motif of the Spirit has been prominent in earlier parts of the Gospel including at Jesus’ baptism (Jn 1:32-33), in the encounter with Nicodemus (Jn 3:5-8) and in the image of living water with the Samaritan Women (Jn 4:10-14). Now, in the Last Supper discourse, it takes centre stage.

The Holy Spirit, in this text, is given two titles, ‘the advocate’ (Jn 14:16) and ‘the Spirit of truth’ (Jn 14:17). The meanings behind these two titles shapes the understanding of the Holy Spirit and invites reflection on the role of the Spirit in contemporary discipleship. Many claim that their discipleship is guided by this Spirit of Truth, however, the true test of this claim is in the Gospel text ‘if you love me you will keep my commandments’ (Jn 14:15) and the fundamental commandment given in the previous chapter ‘love one another, as I have loved you so you must love one another’ (Jn 13:34). If love for one another is present, then surely, that discipleship bears the imprint of the Spirit of Truth

Gospel Text: John 14:15-21

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘If you love me you will keep my commandments.

I shall ask the Father,

and he will give you another Advocate

to be with you for ever,

that Spirit of truth

whom the world can never receive

since it neither sees nor knows him;

but you know him,

because he is with you, he is in you.

I will not leave you orphans;

I will come back to you.

In a short time the world will no longer see me;

but you will see me,

because I live and you will live.

On that day you will understand that I am in my Father

and you in me and I in you.

Anybody who receives my commandments and keeps them

will be one who loves me;

and anybody who loves me will be loved by my Father,

and I shall love him and show myself to him.’

See

What do we understand by the use of the terms ‘Advocate’ and ‘Spirit of Truth’ to refer to the Holy Spirit in this text?

What examples of discipleship can we see that are clearly reflective of love of God and love of one another?

Where can we see claims of discipleship which seem to be at odds with love of God and love of one another?

Judge

In our contemporary experience, what does it mean to show love, as Jesus called for from his disciples?

How do we understand the role of the Spirit in this Gospel text?

How do we see the relationship between the Spirit, love and discipleship in this text?

Act

What steps can I take to be more receptive to the urging of the Holy Spirit in my own life?

What can I do to show love to those people that I simply do not like?

How can I allow the Spirit be ‘advocate’ through my own spheres of influence?

Image: https://copilot.microsoft.com/chats/AKccC1nvNY8CKgXSS2LEH

Gospel Text https://www.universalis.com/Australia/1100/mass.htm

Further Reading:

https://mbfallon.com/john.htm

https://ncec.catholic.edu.au/faith/scripture-resources/

Introduction

The See, Judge, Act method used in this and other Gospel Enquiries was developed by Cardinal Joseph Cardijn. He gave a series of lectures in 1949, which he titled “The young worker faces life.” His third lecture was about the “mystery of vocation.” I choose this lecture because it relates to the Gospel we are about to read.

Cardijn said to the YCW leaders who had gathered at Godinne, in Belgium,

“God calls everyone without exception … Unceasingly He goes on calling all people.” God’s call is to every person to know, love and serve God, here on earth and to be happy with God in heaven forever.

I memorised this statement when I was in primary school and I have carried it with me ever since as a prayer and as a reminder of my vocation, given to me when I was baptised.

When Cardijn addressed the YCW leaders in 1949, he said, “Witnesses to Christ are needed today in the whole of life, in all the aspects of life, in all the problems of life.” This truth of faith underpins what is often referred to as the lay apostolate: all lay people are called to give witness to Christ, who is the way, the truth and the life.

The Gospel

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God still, and trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father’s house; if there were not, I should have told you. I am going now to prepare a place for you, and after I have gone and prepared you a place, I shall return to take you with me; so that where I am

you may be too. You know the way to the place where I am going.’

Thomas said, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’

Jesus said: ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you know me, you know my Father too. From this moment you know him and have seen him.’

Philip said, ‘Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.’

‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip,’ said Jesus to him ‘and you still do not know me? To have seen me is to have seen the Father, so how can you say, “Let us see the Father”? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak as from myself: it is the Father, living in me, who is doing this work. You must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; believe it on the evidence of this work, if for no other reason. I tell you most solemnly,

whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself,

he will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father.’ (John 14:1-12)

The Enquiry

See

• Choose one thing that Jesus says to his disciples and let that be the focus of this enquiry. Imagine that Jesus addresses this to you. Put in your own words what you hear Jesus say to you.

• Do you have any friends who do not follow Jesus, that is, they are not Christian, even though they are good people? How is your life different from theirs because of what you believe about Jesus and what he has just said to you?

• If people can be good without following Jesus, why be bothered with Church and sacraments and practicing your faith?

Judge

• What do you think about Philip’s statement to Jesus? And what do you think about Jesus’ response to him?

• How do you interpret Jesus’ words: ‘I tell you most solemnly, whoever believes in me will perform the same works as I do myself, he will perform even greater works, because I am going to the Father.’ ? Is this something that you aspire to?

• What does Jesus say that challenges you about how you live your faith?

Act

• What was Jesus trying to achieve through having this conversation with his disciples? Is this the mission given to every baptised person?

• What small action can you carry out to help Jesus achieve this goal?

• Who can you involve in your action, when, where and how often?

Image Source: Sharon Tate Soberon (Creator), “Increase our FAITH!”, Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0

Worth reading: “The young worker faces life” can be found in Challenge to Action: Forming Leaders for Transformation, a collection of addresses given by Cardinal Joseph Cardijn. The collection was translated and compiled by Fr Eugene Langdale and his translation edited later by Dr Stefan Gigacz. The copy of Challenge to Action used in this Enquiry was published in 2020 by the Australian Cardijn Institute. The ePub version can be downloaded from here.

The references to shepherds and sheep in this text is a continuation of a long used metaphor among the people of Israel that they are God’s flock and, most famously expressed in Psalm 23, that God is their shepherd. It was also common, in the Hebrew scriptures, for those exercising leadership in the community to be referred to as shepherds. The burden of the shepherd’s responsibility is immense as the very life of the sheep is in their hands. The vitriol expressed towards the ‘false’ shepherds (thieves, brigands, strangers) is probably a carry-over from the conflict of the previous chapter where the Pharisees sought to undermine the miracle (sign) of the man whose sight had been restored.

This conflict is an important backdrop to this text as is contrasts the liberating, life giving action of Jesus with the restrictive, oppressive interjection of the Pharisees. Jesus’ has come so that humanity might live ‘life to the full’, an image presented in the metaphor of the sheep finding certain pasture and restated in the famous final verse of this text. ‘I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.’ (John 10:10).

The text raises a number of important points of reflection for us. Among these are the questions of what it means for us to live life to the full, as Jesus intended and, secondly, what does the metaphor of the shepherd and the sheep say to us about how we exercise our stewardship of those in our care. Those in our care may be colleagues in the workplace, members of our family or, perhaps, those who live at the margins of our community.

Gospel Text John 10:1-10

Jesus said:

‘I tell you most solemnly, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold through the gate, but gets in some other way is a thief and a brigand. The one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the flock; the gatekeeper lets him in, the sheep hear his voice, one by one he calls his own sheep and leads them out. When he has brought out his flock, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow because they know his voice. They never follow a stranger but run away from him: they do not recognise the voice of strangers.’

Jesus told them this parable but they failed to understand what he meant by telling it to them.

So Jesus spoke to them again:

‘I tell you most solemnly,

I am the gate of the sheepfold.

All others who have come

are thieves and brigands;

but the sheep took no notice of them.

I am the gate.

Anyone who enters through me will be safe:

he will go freely in and out

and be sure of finding pasture.

The thief comes

only to steal and kill and destroy.

I have come

so that they may have life and have it to the full.’

See

What does the text reveal about the relationship between the sheep and the shepherd?

How is this contrasted with the image of the ‘thieves and brigands’?

What might the image of the gate represent in this metaphor?

Judge

What might the image of ‘thieves and brigands’ apply to in our world today?

Jesus says he has come that people may have life to the full. What does life to the full mean in our context?

Jesus’ actions are seen as liberating and reassuring. How does this apply to our own life situation?

Act

What steps can I take to ensure that my actions are life giving and liberating for those in my care or under my influence?

What do I need to do to ensure that I am living ‘life to the full’?

What actions can I take to assist others in living ‘life to the full’?

Image: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-10-1-10-2021/

Gospel Text https://www.universalis.com/Australia/1100/mass.htm

Further Reading:

https://mbfallon.com/john.htm

https://ncec.catholic.edu.au/faith/scripture-resources/

Introduction

It occurred to me as I prepared this Gospel Enquiry that my experience of writing enquiries has often been like the Goldilocks story: it is either too short, or its too long, but in the end, just right. I refer to the length of the Gospel passage chosen for the Gospel Enquiry. In the end, it has never about quantity, but always about quality.

Recently, when faced with criticism from the US president, Pope Leo XIV responded with “I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do.”

As I reflected on the Gospel reading, I came to realise that I am sometimes like the two disciples, so wrapped up in my own little world, that I fail to recognise the presence of Jesus in the Mass … until we are in the Communion Rite.

I am convinced that there are some important lessons to be learned through reflecting and acting on this Gospel event and they are to be found in the celebration of the Eucharist.

The Gospel

Two of the disciples of Jesus were on their way to a village called Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking together about all that had happened. Now as they talked this over, Jesus himself came up and walked by their side; but something prevented them from recognising him. He said to them, ‘What matters are you discussing as you walk along?’ They stopped short, their faces downcast.

Then one of them, called Cleopas, answered him, ‘You must be the only person staying in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have been happening there these last few days.’ ‘What things?’ he asked. ‘All about Jesus of Nazareth’ they answered ‘who proved he was a great prophet by the things he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole people; and how our chief priests and our leaders handed him over to be sentenced to death, and had him crucified. Our own hope had been that he would be the one to set Israel free. And this is not all: two whole days have gone by since it all happened; and some women from our group have astounded us: they went to the tomb in the early morning, and when they did not find the body, they came back to tell us they had seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive. Some of our friends went to the tomb and found everything exactly as the women had reported, but of him they saw nothing.’

Then he said to them, ‘You foolish men! So slow to believe the full message of the prophets! Was it not ordained that the Christ should suffer and so enter into his glory?’ Then, starting with Moses and going through all the prophets, he explained to them the passages throughout the scriptures that were about himself.

When they drew near to the village to which they were going, he made as if to go on; but they pressed him to stay with them. ‘It is nearly evening’ they said ‘and the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them. Now while he was with them at table, he took the bread and said the blessing; then he broke it and handed it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognised him; but he had vanished from their sight. Then they said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road and explained the scriptures to us?’

They set out that instant and returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven assembled together with their companions, who said to them, ‘Yes, it is true. The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’ Then they told their story of what had happened on the road and how they had recognised him at the breaking of bread. (Luke 24:13-35)

The Enquiry

See

• Read the Gospel story and observe the changing emotional state of the two disciples. Then read the story again and focus on Jesus. What is different about him?

• What does the Gospel writer teach you about how to interpret what happened to Jesus? What do you learn about Jesus and his power through this story?

• Why did the two disciples not recognise Jesus when he joined them? What is the significance of them recognising Jesus when he broke bread with them?

Judge

• How does this Gospel story fit with your experience of the Eucharist?

• What do you learn from this story about how to live as a faithful disciple of Jesus?

• What happens in the story that challenges how you live your faith?

Act

• What is revealed through this story about how to cooperate with God’s plan of salvation?

• What small action can you carry out to stay focused on doing God’s will today and tomorrow and the day after?

• Who can you involve in your action, when, where and how often?

Image Source: James Tissot (Creator), The Pilgrims of Emmaus on the road, a painting held in the Brooklyn Museum, Picryl, PDM 1.0

The first Sunday after the Feast of Easter is known as Divine Mercy Sunday. It comes with a focus on the forgiveness of God and calls upon followers to repent and seek forgiveness. The Gospel account, from the fourth Gospel, is set on two consecutive Sundays, the first is the evening of the day of the resurrection, the second, eight days later. The first scene finds the disciples in hiding for fear that they would suffer the same fate of Jesus, at the hands of the religious authorities. Jesus appears among them, despite the locked doors, indicating the risen Lord is not subject to the same physical constraints as the human Jesus. The presence of the risen Jesus brings an immediate sense of joy among the disciples. He greets them twice with the powerful words ‘Peace be with you’ before commissioning them and bestowing the Spirit upon them. The disciple Thomas, absent from the first scene and sceptical of reports of Jesus’ appearance is, subsequently present, eight days later when Jesus again greets the disciples with peace.

The notion of peace, repeated three times in Jesus’ greetings, is a central notion of Christianity. St Benedict, quoting from the Psalms, urged his community to ‘seek peace and pursue it’ RB Prol, PS 34:14. It has been a frequent theme of Christian writers throughout the centuries and has become a most urgent message from Popes of recent decades, as the capacity for warfare to destroy all of God’s creation has become so apparent. Pope Leo recently wrote “peace is a principle that guides and defines our choices” https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/messages/peace/documents/20251208-messaggio-pace.html highlighting the importance action in pursuit of peace. Peace activists have regularly used the aphorism ‘what if peace is a verb’. Recently, Nigerian poet and spoken word artist Maryam Bukar Hassan popularized the concept of expressing peace as a verb in her 2025 performance ‘Peace is a Verb’. This concept of peace has much to offer today, forcing us to consider peace as an active step, a deliberate strategy and a purposeful plan.

Gospel Text: John 20:19-29

In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you’, and showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and he said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.

‘As the Father sent me,

so am I sending you.’

After saying this he breathed on them and said:

‘Receive the Holy Spirit.

For those whose sins you forgive,

they are forgiven;

for those whose sins you retain,

they are retained.’

Thomas, called the Twin, who was one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. When the disciples said, ‘We have seen the Lord’, he answered, ‘Unless I see the holes that the nails made in his hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into his side, I refuse to believe.’ Eight days later the disciples were in the house again and Thomas was with them. The doors were closed, but Jesus came in and stood among them. ‘Peace be with you’ he said. Then he spoke to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Doubt no longer but believe.’ Thomas replied, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him:

‘You believe because you can see me.

Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.’

There were many other signs that Jesus worked and the disciples saw, but they are not recorded in this book. These are recorded so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing this you may have life through his name.

See

How is the risen Jesus portrayed in this text?

What does the text say about belief, in the episode with Thomas?

When does the greeting of peace occur in the text?

Judge

What significance can be drawn from Jesus’ commissioning of the disciples and bestowing the Holy Spirit immediately after his greeting of peace?

How do we see the relationship between forgiveness and peace in our own lives?

How does the ‘motif’ of peace, in this text, speak to the current situation in our world?

Act

What steps can we take to bring peace into our own life situations?

What possibilities are within our spheres of influence to bring peace in to the lives of others?

How can we use our personal choices to further the cause of peace in our world?

Image: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-20-19-31-2024

Gospel Text https://www.universalis.com/Australia/1100/mass.htm

Further Reading:

https://mbfallon.com/matthew.html

https://ncec.catholic.edu.au/faith/scripture-resources/

https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/messages/peace/documents/20251208-messaggio-pace.html

Introduction

What did Fr Joseph Cardijn teach young workers about the resurrection of Jesus? It is obvious from published talks he gave to young workers that he believed that Jesus was raised to life three days after he was crucified. But as is consistent in his teaching, his focus was on putting this belief into action.

He made the following reference to the resurrection in a talk he gave on the mystery of vocation at a congress for YCW, held in Godinne, Belgium, in 1949:

The working class will rise again, because it has apostles who, with and by Christ, by their sufferings and prayers, and even by their death on the Cross, merit with Christ this resurrection of working-class youth and of the working class of the world.

Cardijn focused on the three truths of faith, experience and method. His teaching about the truth of faith emphasises the eternal and temporal destinies of each and every worker. These destinies are not separate and distinct; they co-exist to the extent that those who are baptised seek to know and do God’s Will.

The Gospel

It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’

So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in. Simon Peter who was following now came up, went right into the tomb, saw the linen cloths on the ground, and also the cloth that had been over his head; this was not with the linen cloths but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in; he saw and he believed. Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that he must rise from the dead. (John 20:1-9)

The Enquiry

See

• Observe what happens in this scene. Who is involved? What grabs your attention in this scene? Why?

• Find out about the burial customs in Jewish culture during the time of Jesus. What prevented Jesus’ family and friends from fully preparing his body for burial after he was crucified? Why did Mary Magdalene go to the tomb on Sunday morning before sunrise?

• Why was Jesus’ resurrection so controversial in his time? How has the empty tomb impacted the followers of Jesus and the world? Why do so many people today take no notice of the resurrection of Jesus?

Judge

• What do you make of this event in Jesus’ life?

• Why wasn’t his resurrection announced with a fanfare and great public celebration?

• How is your life today shaped by the resurrection of Jesus?

Act

• So, having reflected on this story, what part are you being called to play in God’s transformation of the world?

• What small action can you carry out that will contribute to the change God is calling you to make?

• Who can you involve in your action, when, where and how often?

Image Source: Wannapik Studio (Creator), Palm Sunday Parishioners Carry Palms, Wannapik Studio, CC BY 3.0

Worth reading: The mystery of vocation, Part 3 of “The young worker faces life”: The 1949 Godinne Lecture Series. In Challenge to Action: Forming Leaders for Transformation. You can download a copy of this book from here.

Introduction

One of my New Year resolutions is to write a novel of sorts, featuring a meeting between St Francis of Assisi and three friars (St Bonaventure, Blessed John Duns Scotus and St Maximilian Kolbe). The topic of their conversation is the Blessed Virgin Mary and what each believed and taught about her.

Guiding my research and writing is a statement taken from a Church document that was written after the second session of the Synod on Synodality:

Listening to the Holy Spirit, welcoming the testimony of Scripture and reading the signs of the times in faith, She [the Church] can harmonise differences as an expression of the inexhaustible richness of the mystery of Christ.

Cardinal Joseph Cardijn intended that his Review of Life method (See, Judge, Act) be used by young workers who were seeking to understand how to act in a way that deepened their faith and transformed lives, including their own.

The four verbs found in the statement can be used in this Gospel Enquiry: “listen”, “welcome” (seek unity), “read” (the signs of the times in faith) – Cardijn always began his enquiries with the Truth of Faith as his bedrock – and “harmonise”.

The Gospel

When they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them,

‘Go into the village facing you, and immediately you will find an ass tied,and a colt with her: untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, “The Lord has need of them,” and he will send them immediately.’

This took place to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet, saying, ‘Tell the daughter of Sion, Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of an ass.’

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the ass and the colt, and put their garments on them, and he sat thereon.

Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him shouted,

‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’

And when he entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, ‘Who is this?’

And the crowds said, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee.’ (Matthew 21:1-11)

The Enquiry

See

• Summarise what happens in this Gospel scene. Put yourself in the story, even in just a small part of it, and describe what you see and hear. Are you aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit?

• There are some contrasting responses to the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. Which response is closest to how you respond to Jesus? Are there palm fronds in your life that you wave as he enters? Or is his entry a source of puzzlement to you?

• Why did people welcome Jesus to Jerusalem whereas others seemed to not know him? Do you have the same view of Jesus that they had? Or has the passage of time sharpened or dulled your senses and your faith?

Judge

• What do you make of this event in Jesus’ life? Do you act spontaneously when you become aware of his presence in your life?

• Is the public demonstration of your faith in Jesus an ideal that you aspire to have?

• How do the words and actions of Jesus fit with the description of the Church on mission as listening, welcoming, reading and harmonizing? How does he accomplish these in your life?

Act

• So, having reflected on this story, what part are you being called to play in God’s transformation of the world?

• What small action can you carry out that will contribute to the change God is calling you to make?

• Who can you involve in your action, when, where and how often?

Image Source: Wannapik Studio (Creator), Palm Sunday Parishioners Carry Palms, Wannapik Studio, CC BY 3.0

Worth reading: How to be a synodal Church on mission? Five perspectives for theological exploration in view of the Second Session of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops

Characterised by errors of geography and continuity, the Johannine account of the raising of Lazarus from the dead is a somewhat peculiar text. Many commentators suggest that it was a later addition, by a scribe unfamiliar with the geography of Jerusalem and its surrounds, as well as the narrative sequence of the fourth Gospel. The event of raising Lazarus from the dead is referred to as a ‘sign’ rather than a ‘miracle’ by the author. It is the last of seven such ‘signs’ found in John’s Gospel. The others are: the wedding at Cana - changing water into wine (2:1–11), healing the official’s son (4:46–54), healing the paralytic at Bethesda (5:1–15), feeding the 5,000 (6:5–14), walking on water (6:16–24) and healing the man born blind (9:1–7)

The text wrestles with the concept of resurrection, drawing together three strands. First, the Jewish expectation that the dead will rise on the last day, second, the notion that Jesus has the power to raise the dead and third, a foreshadowing of Jesus’ own resurrection. The ‘sign’ of raising Lazarus points to the glory of God, manifest in Jesus and the power to overcome all things, even death.

The setting of the story is the town of Bethany, close to the city of Jerusalem. The word ‘Bethany’ means place, or house, of the poor. Lazarus is a figure unique to this story in John’s Gospel, he is conspicuously absent in the synoptic Gospel stories of the household of Martha and Mary in Bethany and is not mentioned elsewhere in the Gospel of John. The name ‘Lazarus’ means God is my help.

The motifs of belief and hope are threaded through the text with six explicit occurrences and a constant undertone evident in the actions of Jesus as well of those of Mary and Martha. As with many other Gospel texts, the texts culminates with those present being moved to believe in Jesus.

Gospel text: John 11:1-45

There was a man named Lazarus who lived in the village of Bethany with the two sisters, Mary and Martha, and he was ill. It was the same Mary, the sister of the sick man Lazarus, who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair. The sisters sent this message to Jesus, ‘Lord, the man you love is ill.’ On receiving the message, Jesus said, ‘This sickness will end not in death but in God’s glory, and through it the Son of God will be glorified.’

Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, yet when he heard that Lazarus was ill he stayed where he was for two more days before saying to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judaea.’ The disciples said, ‘Rabbi, it is not long since the Jews wanted to stone you; are you going back again?’ Jesus replied:

‘Are there not twelve hours in the day?

A man can walk in the daytime without stumbling

because he has the light of this world to see by;

but if he walks at night he stumbles,

because there is no light to guide him.’

He said that and then added, ‘Our friend Lazarus is resting, I am going to wake him.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he is able to rest he is sure to get better.’ The phrase Jesus used referred to the death of Lazarus, but they thought that by ‘rest’ he meant ‘sleep’, so Jesus put it plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead; and for your sake I am glad I was not there because now you will believe. But let us go to him.’ Then Thomas – known as the Twin – said to the other disciples, ‘Let us go too, and die with him.’

On arriving, Jesus found that Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days already. Bethany is only about two miles from Jerusalem, and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to sympathise with them over their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus had come she went to meet him. Mary remained sitting in the house. Martha said to Jesus, ‘If you had been here, my brother would not have died, but I know that, even now, whatever you ask of God, he will grant you.’ ‘Your brother’ said Jesus to her ‘will rise again.’ Martha said, ‘I know he will rise again at the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said:

‘I am the resurrection and the life.

If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live,

and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

Do you believe this?’

‘Yes, Lord,’ she said ‘I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who was to come into this world.’

When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in a low voice, ‘The Master is here and wants to see you.’ Hearing this, Mary got up quickly and went to him. Jesus had not yet come into the village; he was still at the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were in the house sympathising with Mary saw her get up so quickly and go out, they followed her, thinking that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

Mary went to Jesus, and as soon as she saw him she threw herself at his feet, saying, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ At the sight of her tears, and those of the Jews who followed her, Jesus said in great distress, with a sigh that came straight from the heart, ‘Where have you put him?’ They said, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus wept; and the Jews said, ‘See how much he loved him!’ But there were some who remarked, ‘He opened the eyes of the blind man, could he not have prevented this man’s death?’ Still sighing, Jesus reached the tomb: it was a cave with a stone to close the opening. Jesus said, ‘Take the stone away.’ Martha said to him, ‘Lord, by now he will smell; this is the fourth day.’ Jesus replied, ‘Have I not told you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. Then Jesus lifted up his eyes and said:

‘Father, I thank you for hearing my prayer.

I knew indeed that you always hear me,

but I speak for the sake of all these who stand round me,

so that they may believe it was you who sent me.’

When he had said this, he cried in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, here! Come out!’ The dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with bands of stuff and a cloth round his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, let him go free.’

Many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary and had seen what he did believed in him

See

Which characters in the story are shown as believing in Jesus?

Which characters in the story have an evident lack of belief?

How does hope influence the actions of Mary and Martha in this story?

Judge

Belief is often closely related to hope. Where is there need for hope in our world today?

In the Gospel account the actions of Jesus, Mary and Martha are important elements of their belief. What do these actions show?

The situation confronting Mary and Martha would often lead to despair. What can we learn from their response to this situation?

Act

What things can I do, to strengthen my own belief?

What can I do to help strengthen the belief of others?

What steps can I take to provide hope when it is needed?

Image: John 11: 3-7,17,20-27,33-45 (2023) | CHRISTIAN ART | Gospel Reading & Art Reflection

Gospel Text https://www.universalis.com/Australia/1100/mass.htm

Further Reading:

https://mbfallon.com/matthew.html

https://ncec.catholic.edu.au/faith/scripture-resources/

Introduction

The Gospel featured in this enquiry is used in the celebration of the Fourth Sunday in Lent, Year A. The Second Scrutiny ritual draws on the miracle of the healing of the man born blind as the prompt to pray that the Elect be freed from slavery to sin, that the desire for good to be stirred within them and that they become “staunch and fearless witnesses to the faith.” This will happen through Christ our Lord.

It is a timely lesson to be learnt, that all good comes from God and in God’s good time. It might seem trite to say that we are creatures of habit, but it is true nonetheless. Just as Google might suggest common ways of stating the obvious, we tend to develop patterns of behaviour that keep us safe, or promise short-term rewards. In this case, the man had grown up being blind and had learned ways of dealing with his blindness. He did not ask to be healed of his blindness. God’s gifts are gratuitous.

Being creatures of habit, we tend to resist anything that threatens to take us out of our comfort zone … unless we are courageous enough to entertain the thought that such change might prove to be beneficial. Miracles do happen. We can change. Conversion is possible … in God’s good time.

The Gospel

As Jesus went along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, for him to have been born blind?’

‘Neither he nor his parents sinned,’ Jesus answered ‘he was born blind so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as the day lasts I must carry out the work of the one who sent me; the night will soon be here when no one can work. As long as I am in the world I am the light of the world.’

Having said this, he spat on the ground, made a paste with the spittle, put this over the eyes of the blind man, and said to him, ‘Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam’ (a name that means ‘sent’). So the blind man went off and washed himself, and came away with his sight restored.

His neighbours and people who earlier had seen him begging said, ‘Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?’ Some said, ‘Yes, it is the same one.’ Others said, ‘No, he only looks like him.’ The man himself said, ‘I am the man.’ So they said to him, ‘Then how do your eyes come to be open?’ ‘The man called Jesus’ he answered ‘made a paste, daubed my eyes with it and said to me, “Go and wash at Siloam”; so I went, and when I washed I could see.’ They asked, ‘Where is he?’ ‘I don’t know’ he answered.

They brought the man who had been blind to the Pharisees. It had been a sabbath day when Jesus made the paste and opened the man’s eyes, so when the Pharisees asked him how he had come to see, he said, ‘He put a paste on my eyes, and I washed, and I can see.’ Then some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man cannot be from God: he does not keep the sabbath.’ Others said, ‘How could a sinner produce signs like this?’ And there was disagreement among them. So they spoke to the blind man again, ‘What have you to say about him yourself, now that he has opened your eyes?’ ‘He is a prophet’ replied the man. However, the Jews would not believe that the man had been blind and had gained his sight, without first sending for his parents and asking them, ‘Is this man really your son who you say was born blind? If so, how is it that he is now able to see?’ His parents answered, ‘We know he is our son and we know he was born blind, but we do not know how it is that he can see now, or who opened his eyes. He is old enough: let him speak for himself.’ His parents spoke like this out of fear of the Jews, who had already agreed to expel from the synagogue anyone who should acknowledge Jesus as the Christ. This was why his parents said, ‘He is old enough; ask him.’

So the Jews again sent for the man and said to him, ‘Give glory to God! For our part, we know that this man is a sinner.’ The man answered, ‘I don’t know if he is a sinner; I only know that I was blind and now I can see.’ They said to him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’ He replied, ‘I have told you once and you wouldn’t listen. Why do you want to hear it all again? Do you want to become his disciples too?’ At this they hurled abuse at him: ‘You can be his disciple,’ they said ‘we are disciples of Moses: we know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.’ The man replied, ‘Now here is an astonishing thing! He has opened my eyes, and you don’t know where he comes from! We know that God doesn’t listen to sinners, but God does listen to men who are devout and do his will. Ever since the world began it is unheard of for anyone to open the eyes of a man who was born blind; if this man were not from God, he couldn’t do a thing.’ ‘Are you trying to teach us,’ they replied ‘and you a sinner through and through, since you were born!’ And they drove him away.

Jesus heard they had driven him away, and when he found him he said to him, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ ‘Sir,’ the man replied ‘tell me who he is so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said, ‘You are looking at him; he is speaking to you.’ The man said, ‘Lord, I believe’, and worshipped him.

Jesus said: ‘It is for judgement that I have come into this world, so that those without sight may see and those with sight turn blind.’

Hearing this, some Pharisees who were present said to him, ‘We are not blind, surely?’ Jesus replied: ‘Blind? If you were, you would not be guilty, but since you say, “We see,” your guilt remains.’ (John 9:1-41)

The Enquiry

See

• Cardijn refers to the Truth of Faith in conflict with the Truth of Experience. Use these categories to analyse this Gospel event. If you are unsure about the meaning of these terms, then read the opening section of Fr Joseph Cardijn’s lecture on the Three Truths.

• Examine the impact of Jesus’ act of healing the man’s blindness. Consider in turn, the man, his parents, the Pharisees, and you.

• Why do the Pharisees refuse to see the miracle as a sign of God’s presence and power in their midst?

Judge

• What do you think about the understanding of faith represented by the Pharisees? Does Jesus’ act of healing the blind man on the Sabbath represent a new spirituality?

• Where would you place yourself in this Gospel? Are you one of the many who witnessed Jesus healing the blind man? Are you one of the Pharisees and you refuse to recognise the work of God in the healing of the man’s blindness? Have you been healed of blindness?

• What is the Christian principle that is illustrated by this story? How would your life change if you lived by this principle?

Act

• So, having reflected on this story, what are you being called to change in the world and in yourself?

• What small action can you carry out that will contribute to the change God is calling you to make?

• Who can you involve in your action, when, where and how often?

Image Source: juan50300 (Creator), La curation del cie go de nacimiento 2017, Flickr, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

The full text of the Gospel for the Third Sunday of Lent is a lengthy one indeed, encompassing almost forty versus of John’s fourth chapter. The text is replete with rich and complex themes that would take many volumes to explore. One of the themes, less frequently discussed, is the encounter between the Jewish Jesus and the anonymous Samaritan woman. The Samaritan people were close cousins of their Jewish neighbours, however, the fall of Samaria, the capital of the Northern Kingdom in 722BCE and the subsequent deportation and reintegration of the population at the hands of the Assyrians led to a fracturing of the relationship between the Samaritans of the North and the Jews of the South. So deep was this rupture that, by the first century CE, there was deep enmity between Jews and Samaritans.

The rift between the Samaritans and Jews is reflected twice in the Gospel text, first at the surprise expressed by the woman that a Jew would approach her, a Samaritan, for a drink. Then again with the return of Jesus’ disciples as they puzzled at why Jesus would be speaking to this woman. As the account progresses, not only does the Samaritan woman become an unlikely disciple but she also goes to her own community and, becomes the catalyst for their conversion and for a previously improbable offer of hospitality.

Gospel Text John 4:5-42

Jesus came to the Samaritan town called Sychar, near the land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well is there and Jesus, tired by the journey, sat straight down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’ His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘What? You are a Jew and you ask me, a Samaritan, for a drink?’ – Jews, in fact, do not associate with Samaritans. Jesus replied:

‘If you only knew what God is offering

and who it is that is saying to you:

Give me a drink, you would have been the one to ask,

and he would have given you living water.’

‘You have no bucket, sir,’ she answered ‘and the well is deep: how could you get this living water? Are you a greater man than our father Jacob who gave us this well and drank from it himself with his sons and his cattle?’ Jesus replied:

‘Whoever drinks this water

will get thirsty again;

but anyone who drinks the water that I shall give

will never be thirsty again:

the water that I shall give

will turn into a spring inside him,

welling up to eternal life.’

‘Sir,’ said the woman ‘give me some of that water, so that I may never get thirsty and never have to come here again to draw water.’ ‘Go and call your husband’ said Jesus to her ‘and come back here.’ The woman answered, ‘I have no husband.’ He said to her, ‘You are right to say, “I have no husband”; for although you have had five, the one you have now is not your husband. You spoke the truth there.’ ‘I see you are a prophet, sir’ said the woman. ‘Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, while you say that Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.’ Jesus said:

‘Believe me, woman,

the hour is coming

when you will worship the Father

neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.

You worship what you do not know;

we worship what we do know:

for salvation comes from the Jews.

But the hour will come

– in fact it is here already –

when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth:

that is the kind of worshipper the Father wants.

God is spirit,

and those who worship

must worship in spirit and truth.’

The woman said to him, ‘I know that Messiah – that is, Christ – is coming; and when he comes he will tell us everything.’ ‘I who am speaking to you,’ said Jesus ‘I am he.’

At this point his disciples returned, and were surprised to find him speaking to a woman, though none of them asked, ‘What do you want from her?’ or, ‘Why are you talking to her?’ The woman put down her water jar and hurried back to the town to tell the people. ‘Come and see a man who has told me everything I ever did; I wonder if he is the Christ?’ This brought people out of the town and they started walking towards him.

Meanwhile, the disciples were urging him, ‘Rabbi, do have something to eat; but he said, ‘I have food to eat that you do not know about.’ So the disciples asked one another, ‘Has someone been bringing him food?’ But Jesus said:

‘My food is to do the will of the one who sent me,

and to complete his work.

Have you not got a saying:

Four months and then the harvest?

Well, I tell you:

Look around you, look at the fields;

already they are white, ready for harvest!

Already the reaper is being paid his wages,

already he is bringing in the grain for eternal life,

and thus sower and reaper rejoice together.

For here the proverb holds good:

one sows, another reaps;

I sent you to reap a harvest you had not worked for.

Others worked for it;

and you have come into the rewards of their trouble.’

Many Samaritans of that town had believed in him on the strength of the woman’s testimony when she said, ‘He told me all I have ever done’, so, when the Samaritans came up to him, they begged him to stay with them. He stayed for two days, and when he spoke to them many more came to believe; and they said to the woman, ‘Now we no longer believe because of what you told us; we have heard him ourselves and we know that he really is the saviour of the world.’

See

Who are the people, today, who live with the consequences of fractured relationships of the past?

Who are the people, in my own circles, who are treated as outsiders?

What common traits of humanity, faith and community can I identify among those who I see as different to myself?

Judge

Jesus’ response to the Samaritan woman challenged the historical enmity between Samaritans and Jews. What does this tell us about historical enmity in today’s world?

What do I see, in the example of Jesus, regarding people who are different to myself?

The Samaritan woman becomes a bearer of the message of Christ to her own community. In what ways do those ‘outside’ my own faith community carry the message of Christ?

Act

The Samaritan community showed hospitality to Jesus and his disciples. How can I offer hospitality to those who I see as different to myself?

How can I support community endeavours to provide hospitality to marginalised people in my own context?

What can I initiate, to create a welcome space for those who may see themselves as outsiders in my own community/parish?

Image: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/john-4-5-42-2026/

Gospel Text https://www.universalis.com/Australia/1100/mass.htm

Further Reading:

https://mbfallon.com/matthew.html

https://ncec.catholic.edu.au/faith/scripture-resources/

Introduction

We are reflexive beings. Susie Scott defines reflexivity as “the ability to think about ourselves.” Terry and Hayfield, two researchers who make use of reflexive thematic analysis, state that reflexivity includes our values, backgrounds, decisions and interests. I would dare to add to their list our beliefs and our memories.

But what has this to do with the Gospel for the Second Sunday of Lent? First, the Gospel Enquiry is intended as a means for deepening our relationship with Jesus, which means we take time to reflect on our relationship with him by means of the Gospel. And the method, captured in the three words “See, Judge, Act,” will be effective to the extent that we commit to reflecting on the presence of God in our lives.

Second, Christians have reflected on the mystery of Christ from the very beginning of the mission of the Church. The Gospel account of the transfiguration of Jesus is a proclamation of his divinity and the silence of Peter, James and John in the aftermath of their experience of the divine speaks not only of the reflexivity of the human person, but also of the experience of mystery.

God created us to be reflexive. St Paul reminded us of this when he wrote to the Christians in Colossae: “You must not be moved away from the hope brought to you by the Good News that you heard” (Colossians 1:23). May this Gospel Enquiry help you to hear the Good News and reflect on the mystery of your relationship with God.

The Gospel

Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone. There in their presence he was transfigured: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light. Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them; they were talking with him. Then Peter spoke to Jesus. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and from the cloud there came a voice which said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour. Listen to him.’ When they heard this the disciples fell on their faces, overcome with fear. But Jesus came up and touched them. ‘Stand up,’ he said ‘do not be afraid.’ And when they raised their eyes they saw no one but only Jesus.

As they came down from the mountain Jesus gave them this order, ‘Tell no one about the vision until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.’ (Matthew 17:1-9)

The Enquiry

See

• What would you include in the storyline of this Gospel event? Which elements can be used to place the story in its wider religious context or tradition? Which element(s) make this event unique?

• Does Jesus being transfigured change anything in the Gospel narrative?

• Why does the Gospel writer include this event in his account?

Judge

• What do you think about the transfiguration of Jesus: Is it just a story? a theological reflection? a metaphor? Or is it about a religious experience (an experience of the divine in a place we can find on a map)?

• Ideally, how should people respond to the Tabor experience?

• Where would you place yourself in this Gospel? Are you one of the many who have not followed Jesus up the mountain? Have you had your own Tabor experience? With whom have you shared your experience?

Act

• So, having reflected on the story of the transfiguration of Jesus and the purpose of the account in Matthew’s Gospel, what have you concluded about what needs to change in the world and in yourself?

• What small action can you carry out that will contribute to the change God is calling you to make?

• Who can you involve in your action, when, where and how often?

Image Source: Slices of Light (Creator), Room VIII, Pinacoteca, Vatican Museum; July 2019, Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Of Interest: Scott, S. (2015). Negotiating Identity: Symbolic Interactionist Approaches to Social Identity. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Terry, G. and Hayfield, N. (2021). Essentials of Thematic Analysis. Washington: American Psychological Association.

With the commemoration of Ash Wednesday a few days ago, the liturgy now moves to the first of the Sundays of Lent, leading to Holy Week and the Easter Triduum. The Gospel for the first Sunday of Lent (22 February) shares the account of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness.

The fast of forty days and forty nights is an echo of the forty years that the people of Israel wandered in the wilderness after the Exodus from slavery in Egypt, prior to entering the promised land. An echo highlighting the author’s theme of Jesus as the new Moses. When confronted with each of the temptations, Jesus responds with a reference to the Hebrew Scriptures, highlighting Matthew’s keen interest in showing that Jesus is the Messiah anticipated in these texts.

The forty days of the text is also a foreshadowing, for Christians, of the six weeks of Lent where fasting, abstinence and almsgiving are central themes.

The temptations themselves are essentially a challenge to Jesus’ integrity and fidelity to his mission. By rejecting each of the devil’s overtures he remains true to himself and his mission of proclaiming God’s Kingdom.

Gospel Text: Matthew 4:1-11

Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was very hungry, and the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to turn into loaves.’

But he replied, ‘Scripture says:

Man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’

The devil then took him to the holy city and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If you are the Son of God’ he said ‘throw yourself down; for scripture says:

He will put you in his angels’ charge, and they will support you on their hands in case you hurt your foot against a stone.’

Jesus said to him, ‘Scripture also says:

You must not put the Lord your God to the test.’

Next, taking him to a very high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. ‘I will give you all these’ he said, ‘if you fall at my feet and worship me.’

Then Jesus replied, ‘Be off, Satan! For scripture says:

You must worship the Lord your God, and serve him alone.’

Then the devil left him, and angels appeared and looked after him.

See

What is the significance of the forty days of Jesus’ fast?

How does the setting of the wilderness underpin the meaning of the text?

What does Jesus’ use of scripture highlight for the reader?

Judge

What forms do temptations take in my own experience?

What types of temptations are increasingly evident in our society?

How do these temptations seek to undermine my own integrity?

Act

What actions can I take to avoid contributing to situations that dehumanise others?

What steps can I take to uphold human dignity in my own spheres of influence?

How can I act to challenge broader social factors that diminish human dignity?

Image https://interruptingthesilence.com/2023/02/27/lets-not-waste-a-good-temptation-a-sermon-on-matthew-41-11/

Gospel Text https://www.universalis.com/Australia/1100/mass.htm

Further Reading:

https://mbfallon.com/matthew.html

https://ncec.catholic.edu.au/faith/scripture-resources/

Introduction

What follows is a figment of my imagination … or is it?

Last night, the American lay theologian Matthew Sadle dreamt that he met Pope St John XXIII. “Your Holiness,” said Matthew, “you once wrote about faith in action.”

“I did,” said Pope John. “I said that concerning the technological development in the world, there is an inconsistency between religious belief and the actions of a significant number of Catholics in the temporal sphere.”

“Perhaps that is why Cardinal Fernandez spoke about intellectual humility?”

“Who is Cardinal Fernandez,” asked Pope John, “and what did he say?”

”Well, he is the head of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith,” said Matthew, “and he told those who had gathered for a plenary session that faith sheds light on what we learn from the natural and human sciences, not directly, but in the light of the totality, which includes God and God’s creative act.”

”So that means whatever we choose to do, we should ask ourselves ‘What would Jesus do?”

”Yes, your Holiness, WWJD.” And he woke from his dream.

The Gospel

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Do not imagine that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to complete them. I tell you solemnly, till heaven and earth disappear, not one dot, not one little stroke, shall disappear from the Law until its purpose is achieved. Therefore, the man who infringes even one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be considered the least in the kingdom of heaven; but the man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven.

‘For I tell you, if your virtue goes no deeper than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

‘You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not kill; and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you: anyone who is angry with his brother will answer for it before the court; if a man calls his brother “Fool” he will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and if a man calls him “Renegade” he will answer for it in hell fire. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. I tell you solemnly, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.

‘You have learnt how it was said: You must not commit adultery. But I say this to you: if a man looks at a woman lustfully, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye should cause you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose one part of you than to have your whole body thrown into hell. And if your right hand should cause you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; for it will do you less harm to lose one part of you than to have your whole body go to hell.

‘It has also been said: Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a writ of dismissal. But I say this to you: everyone who divorces his wife, except for the case of fornication, makes her an adulteress; and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

‘Again, you have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not break your oath, but must fulfil your oaths to the Lord. But I say this to you: do not swear at all, either by heaven, since that is God’s throne; or by the earth, since that is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the great king. Do not swear by your own head either, since you cannot turn a single hair white or black. All you need say is “Yes” if you mean yes, “No” if you mean no; anything more than this comes from the evil one.’ (Matthew 5:17-37)

The Enquiry

See

• If Jesus hasn’t come to do away with the Law and the prophets, why has he come?

• Does Jesus raise the bar for those who listen to him? If so, which areas of their lives does he focus on? Are these areas that are relevant today?

• How does his teaching affect those who come to listen to him? What answer does the Gospel give to this question?

Judge

• What do you think about Jesus’ teaching?

• What do you hear Jesus saying to you that challenges how you live today?

• What would life be like for you if you followed his teaching consistently?

Act

• So what is Jesus calling you to change in yourself and in the world?

• What small action can you carry out that will contribute to the change he is calling you to make?

• Who can you involve in your action, when, where and how often?

Image Source: Fr Lawrence Lew OP (Creator), Christ handing on the Law, a mosaic in the Church of Santa Constanta, Rome, Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Worth reading: Matthew Shadle (2026). Cardinal Fernandez on Intellectual Humility

Pope John XXIII (1963). Pacem in Terris.

The Gospel for Sunday 8 February (5^th Sunday in Ordinary Time) is one that will be familiar to most. It is part of the Sermon on the Mount, a long section of Matthew’s Gospel that begins with the Beatitudes and continues throughout chapters 5,6 and 7. Matthew’s predominantly Jewish audience would have recognised the symbolism of Jesus preaching on the mountain side as it mirrored the account of Moses going to Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. One of the motifs of Matthew’s Gospel is to present Jesus as the ‘new Moses’ and the fulfilment of the Covenant given on Mount Sinai.

Jesus uses metaphors of salt and light as a call to action. It is pointless to hide away one’s gifts when they could be so well deployed to transform the world. The images are starkly familiar, salt, so essential for the preservation of food before the advent of refrigeration, is of absolutely no use when it has become tarnished. To light a lamp and then conceal its light is absurd, an utter folly.

The call to action is central to the Gospel texts, Jesus’ ministry inaugurates the coming Kingdom of God and the lives of those who follow him ought to follow in this path. Surely this is what Cardijn meant when he said ‘your life is the fifth Gospel’.

The Gospel Text: Matthew 5:13-16

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You are the salt of the earth. But if salt becomes tasteless, what can make it salty again? It is good for nothing, and can only be thrown out to be trampled underfoot by men.

‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it on the lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine in the sight of men, so that, seeing your good works, they may give the praise to your Father in heaven.’

See

What is the significance of Jesus’ preaching on the mountain?

How would the metaphors of salt and light been relevant to Matthew’s audience in the first century?

What is the significance of putting the lamp on a lamp-stand?

Judge

What aspects of my circumstances might risk tarnishing the ‘salt’ in my own life?

Where are the spheres of influence that my ‘light’ my reach?

How does the metaphor of the ‘lamp-stand’ apply to my circumstances?

Act

What are the ‘good works’ that I am called to undertake?

Who can I collaborate with to help these ‘good works’ come to fruition?

How can I learn more about the people / situations involved in these ‘good works’?

Image https://allenbrowne.blog/2017/02/13/distinctively-gods-kingdom/

Gospel Text https://www.universalis.com/Australia/1100/mass.htm

Further Reading:

https://mbfallon.com/matthew.html

https://ncec.catholic.edu.au/faith/scripture-resources/

Subscribe now

Introduction

Whenever we put our faith into action, the action should always be a step forward. This was brought home to me during a training weekend for Adult Assistants by a Year 12 student who led us through her review about one of her Year 12 classes. Her teacher was also the Principal of the school she attended and was often absent from class doing office work related to her role.

After repeated attempts to speak with her teacher about her concern about failing the subject, she wrote to the leader of the religious congregation that owned the school. Her letter produced the desired effect: the Principal removed herself from the class and another teacher was brought in to help the students prepare for their final exam.

Years later, I found myself sitting in a YCS group and listening to a Year 11 student speak about her difficulties at finding suitable clothing in the local shopping centre. She was a big-boned, athletic young woman. The clothing for people her size tended to be placed at the rear of the clothing stores.

With her group’s support, she composed a letter to the store managers and delivered the letters. Her intention was to influence them to bring about change in the layout of their stores. Her action met with swift and encouraging responses. She was able to enter the clothing stores and find clothes to fit her placed closer to the front of each store.

When we act in faith, our actions must always be transformative in intent. Always a step forward, just like Jesus.

The Gospel

Some Pharisees came up to Jesus. ‘Go away’ they said. ‘Leave this place, because Herod means to kill you.’ He replied, ‘You may go and give that fox this message: Learn that today and tomorrow I cast out devils and on the third day attain my end. But for today and tomorrow and the next day I must go on, since it would not be right for a prophet to die outside Jerusalem.

‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you refused! So be it! Your house will be left to you. Yes, I promise you, you shall not see me till the time comes when you say: ‘Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!’’ (Luke 13:31-35)

The Enquiry

See

• Jesus identifies himself as a prophet in this Gospel passage. What does he say about the role of the prophets in Jewish society?

• What do we learn about the impact of the prophets in Israel? Does Jesus expect the same fate?

• Why does Jesus choose to ignore the warning given by the Pharisees? Why is the death of the prophets associated with Jerusalem?

Judge

• What do you think about Jesus’ prophecy about his fate? And the fate of prophets in Israel?

• How does what Jesus says fit with what is happening in your life? In the world? Is what Jesus values also a value for you?

• What would be the role of prophets in an ideal world? Like a mother hen?

Act

• What does Jesus value above all else, even life itself? What then ought to be the primary value for his followers?

• What small action can you carry out that will help to establish Jesus’ primary value as your own and as the primary value in society?

• Who can you involve in your action, when, where and how often?

Image Source: PxHere, PDM 1.0

Introduction

When I was still a teenager … it seems like another lifetime away … I memorised Philippians 2:5-11. Now, more than sixty years later, I am just coming to appreciate the power of the words “Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus” (v. 5).

I am of the view that the See, Judge, Act method, developed by Cardinal Joseph Cardijn more than one hundred years ago, hinges on these words. The faith that is put into action through the use of the Review of Life (ROL) is meant to be an expression of the desire for a close and intimate relationship with Jesus.

Just imagine what it might have been like when Jesus finished the Jewish equivalent of secondary school … you will find these ideas in Kevin Cotter’s book Called … he chooses to continue his studies by seeking an apprenticeship with a rabbi. The only words the rabbi utters to him are “Lek hackeri” (Follow me). These are the words that Peter, Andrew, James and John hear when Jesus calls them to follow him. We can find a beautiful story about this time-honoured education method in the 1 Samuel 3: the young Samuel, who is apprenticed to the prophet Eli, hears God calling him in the night.

In the Gospel Enquiry, we aim to listen for the voice of Jesus calling us to an ever deeper relationship with him. He accompanies us as we put our faith into action. Concerning our actions, carried out in union with Jesus, Cardijn describes them as:

… the personal acts of a son of God and a brother of Jesus Christ, through body and spirit, for the service of God and the human community.

What follows is an extract from the Gospel of Luke. It is a record of words ascribed to Jesus. Keep in mind as you read the passage that Jesus is a Jewish man raised in a Jewish family in Nazareth and his words reflect the mind and heart of one at home in his culture and with a relationship with God nurtured by family and community and culture.

The Gospel

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already! There is a baptism I must still receive, and how great is my distress till it is over!

‘Do you suppose that I am here to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. For from now on a household of five will be divided: three against two and two against three; the father divided against the son, son against father, mother against daughter, daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’ (Luke 12:49-53)

The Enquiry

See

• Use a copy of St Luke’s Gospel to find out about the context for this account of Jesus’ reflection on the impact of his missionary work. How do you interpret his words: “I have come to bring fire to the earth, and how I wish it were blazing already!”?

• What impact does his missionary work have on his society? Do his followers continue to have that impact today?

• If Jesus came to announce the Good News of the coming of God’s Kingdom, why does he speak about division and destruction? Why does the Good News have this sort of impact?

Judge

• What do you think about Jesus’ message in this passage? Does it frighten you to hear him speak so negatively about his impact on peoples’ lives? Or do you find some comfort in what he says?

• If you are trying to follow Jesus in your life, do you experience rejection and persecution, or apathy because of your decision?

• Why does Jesus persist with bringing “fire to the earth”? Do you accept this as your mission?

ACT

• What is Jesus calling you to do about the world in which you Iive?

• What small action can you carry out that will contribute to the change Jesus wants to see in the world and in you?

• Who can you involve in your action, when, where and how often?

Image Source: Sharon Tate Soberon (Creator), “I Came to Cast Fire Upon the Earth!”, Flickr, CC BY-ND 2.0

Worth reading: Cardijn, J. (1964). Laypeople into Action. Originally published in French in 1963, this is the only book written by Cardinal Joseph Cardijn. The book was translated into English by Anne Heggie and published in 1964 as Laymen into Action. Almost 60 years later, ATF Press released an imprint of this classic. You may order a copy here. Cardijn’s words quoted in the Introduction were taken from Chapter 10: “The Formation of Lay People for their Apostolate.”

Cotter, K. (2017). Called: Becoming an Everyday Disciple in a Post-Christian World. Notre Dame, Indiana: Ave Maria Press.

Introduction

I entered the world of YCS 1974, not as a student, but as an Adult Assistant (AA). Some of my students invited me into their group and then urged me to attend a training weekend for adults involved with YCS. It was there that I learned from students about the power of the See, Judge, Act method used by YCS and YCW.

And now, just over fifty years after that introduction, I have come to realise that it is only through structured reflection-and-action-in-faith focused on justice in the world that transformation of the world and of self can be achieved.

The origins of the method developed by the Belgian priest, Fr Joseph Cardijn, lie in his commitment to justice for young workers. The See, Judge, Act method, which was one outcome among many that came from his efforts to put his faith into action, was once described by him as “an irreplaceable method of education” and “a precious element in spiritual direction and formation.”

The sources of injustice in the workplace have to be confronted with the commitment modelled by Jesus – a total, whole of life, commitment to overcoming all that opposes the integral development of young people – and done in the name of the Father. The Will of God was Jesus’ primary value and he invites us to make it ours also: “Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

The Gospel

Jesus said: ‘Alas for you who build the tombs of the prophets, the men your ancestors killed! In this way you both witness what your ancestors did and approve it; they did the killing, you do the building.

‘And that is why the Wisdom of God said, “I will send them prophets and apostles; some they will slaughter and persecute, so that this generation will have to answer for every prophet’s blood that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was murdered between the altar and the sanctuary.” Yes, I tell you, this generation will have to answer for it all.

‘Alas for you lawyers who have taken away the key of knowledge! You have not gone in yourselves, and have prevented others going in who wanted to.’

When he left the house, the scribes and the Pharisees began a furious attack on him and tried to force answers from him on innumerable questions, setting traps to catch him out in something he might say. (Luke 11:47-54)

The Enquiry

See

• What accusations does Jesus make against the Jewish leaders?

• What impact does his attack have on the Jewish leaders who were present? How do they silence him?

• Why does Jesus confront the Jewish leaders in this way if past attempts to have them face up to their immoral and unethical behaviour have failed?

Judge

• What do you think about Jesus’ action in this scene from Luke’s Gospel? Is he at fault for provoking the scribes and Pharisees?

• In an ideal world, how would people respond to statements about the unjust treatment of others?

• What is happening in your world today that is like a parallel to what Jesus describes here? How is his accusation relevant to what you are experiencing today? Have you responded to your situation in the way Jesus has responded? Or are you like the scribes and Pharisees?

ACT

• What is Jesus calling you to do about the unjust treatment of people who defend the poor and the marginalised in the world?

• What small action can you carry out that will contribute to the change Jesus wants to see in the world and in you?

• Who can you involve in your action, when, where and how often?

Image Source: James Tissot (Creator), Brooklyn Museum - The Pharisees Question Jesus, Picryl, PDM 1.0

Worth reading: Cardijn, J. (1964). Laypeople into Action. Originally published in French in 1963, this is the only book written by Cardinal Joseph Cardijn. The book was translated into English by Anne Heggie and published in 1964 as Laymen into Action. Almost 60 years later, ATF Press released an imprint of this classic. You may order a copy here. Cardijn’s words quoted in the Introduction were taken from Chapter 10: “The Formation of Lay People for their Apostolate.”

Introduction

Like chalk and cheese .. sort of … are the two pharmacists where I go to get my prescriptions filled. One is very matter-of-fact, focused on transactions. Always polite and gentle, but somewhat distant. The other, also polite and gentle, but also very much into building relationships with her customers.

Her action reminds me of a passage from the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity (Apostolicam Actuositatem),

“God saw that all He had made was very good” (Gen. 1:31). This natural goodness of theirs takes on a special dignity as a result of their relation to the human person, for whose service they were created. It has pleased God to unite all things, both natural and supernatural, in Christ Jesus “so that in all things He may have the first place” (Col. 1:18). (n. 7)

Our actions as followers of Jesus do not have to be all-consuming and “out there”. Showing interest in others and being kind, generous and concerned for their well-being is effective action. Joseph Cardijn describes this in Laypeople into Action:

The apostolate of the layperson, specifically as a layperson, is therefore that of their daily life, of their ordinary environment, as regards all the problems and responsibilities this life creates, both for themselves and for those closest to them, for whom they bear a responsibility.

If used as intended, the Gospel Enquiry will assist its users in their quest to put their faith into action in ways that bring glory to God and help to build the Kingdom.

The Gospel

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him in the middle of the night to say, “My friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine on his travels has just arrived at my house and I have nothing to offer him”; and the man answers from inside the house, “Do not bother me. The door is bolted now, and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up to give it you.” I tell you, if the man does not get up and give it him for friendship’s sake, persistence will be enough to make him get up and give his friend all he wants.

‘So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him. What father among you would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or hand him a snake instead of a fish? Or hand him a scorpion if he asked for an egg? If you then, who are evil, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’ (Luke 11:5-13)

The Enquiry

See

• What advice does Jesus give about prayer? What does his advice reveal about his relationship with God?

• Why does he give this advice to his disciples? Look at what happens in Chapter 10 of Luke’s Gospel and also in 11:1-4. What do you learn about his motives for telling them about how to pray?

• What happens when people follow his advice about how to pray?

Judge

• What do you think about his teaching about prayer? Is it in keeping with your experience of prayer?

• How would you describe the ideal relationship between God and believers?

• Where is the ideal to be found in Jesus’ teaching about prayer? Is his teaching easy or difficult to live by?

Act

• What is Jesus trying to change in the world? In you?

• What small action can you carry out that will contribute to the change Jesus wants to see in the world and in you?

• Who can you involve in your action, when, where and how often?

Image Source: Elias Pirasteh (Creator), Knock the Door! Flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Worth reading: Cardijn, J. (1964). Laypeople into Action. Originally published in French in 1963, this is the only book written by Cardinal Joseph Cardijn. The book was translated into English by Anne Heggie and published in 1964 as Laymen into Action. Almost 60 years later, ATF Press released an imprint of this classic. You may order a copy here. Cardijn’s words quoted in the Introduction were taken from Chapter 7: “Dimensions of the Lay Apostolate.”

Introduction

About twenty-five years ago, the Australian Young Christian Workers National Chaplain commended the young leaders he visited for their commitment to reviewing their lives; however, he noted that their actions never moved from being personal to taking on a collective or communal character. The chaplain’s concern finds support in Cardijn’s description of action as “the apostolic, missionary spirit, always turned out towards others, never turned in on himself.”

Cardijn’s method is apostolic, that is, from the very first moment in an enquiry or a review, the intention is, or should be, to respond affirmatively to the great commission that Jesus gives to his apostles (Matthew 28:19-20). The first apostles were commissioned to make disciples and this is the commission given to every baptised person when they become a member of the Body of Christ.

The Act stage of the See, Judge, Act method is really about God’s initiative, God’s action in the world. And that action is always about uniting creation, not about creating division. As Pope Francis said in his address to members of Italian Catholic Action in 2021, we are called to support and encourage “the action of God in hearts.”

Therefore, when we engage in the use of See, Judge, Act as a decision-making method, we are really undertaking our Baptismal promise to be disciples of Jesus and to be co-workers with him in transforming the world and ourselves. And the Act stage of the enquiry or review must always be about God’s action; and our actions must conform to God’s action.

The Gospel

The disciples came to Jesus and said, ‘Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ So he called a little child to him and set the child in front of them. Then he said, ‘I tell you solemnly, unless you change and become like littler children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. And so, the one who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

‘Anyone who welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. See that you never despise any of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven are continually in the presence of my Father in heaven.’ (Matthew 18:1-5,10)

The Enquiry

See

• What have you learned about Jesus’ teaching method from this Gospel story?

• Look around you. What do you see that you attribute to Jesus’ teaching?

• Why is it necessary to “change and become like little children”?

Judge

• What do you think about Jesus’ teaching and the method he uses? Do you take him literally?

• What would the world be like if everyone became like “little children”?

• Which part of Jesus’ teaching challenges you? In which aspects of your life do you experience this challenge the most?

Act

• So, judging from the Gospel, what does Jesus want to change in the world and in you?

• What small action can you carry out that will contribute to the change that Jesus seeks?

• Who can you involve in your action, when, where and how often?

Image Source: Scott Granneman (Creator), Waiting for Grace: An Uncle’s Story of Loss and Rebirth, Michael Evans Photography, Medium.com, CC BY-SA 2.0

Worth reading: Each young worker has a vocation, Part 1 of “The young worker faces life”: The 1949 Godinne Lecture Series. In Challenge to Action: Forming Leaders for Transformation. You can download a copy of this book from here.