24/02/2021 Wednesday First Week of Lent
Remember Luke 11: 32
Jesus addressed the crowd:
‘On Judgement day the men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation and condemn it, because when Jonah preached they repented; and there is something greater than Jonah here.’
Reflect
People rejected Jesus because his message was challenging.
He called for repentance, a change of heart, as did all the prophets, like Jonah.
Prophets challenge us, free us and move us from the narrow world to live in to seek the truth of God and the wider world. – to become prophets like Jesus ourselves.
Modern Prophets and poets challenge
our vision of the state,
our view of the church,
our faith in God
and/or our hopes for our personal lives.
They point out what life could be like if things were only different and we could believe it – Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, John Hume, Mother Teresa, Oscar Romero, Pope Francis, Greta Thunberg, and poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman among many others.
Most of us cry on the inside,
‘leave me alone’, give my head peace’, leave me be as I am,
We do not want to rock the status quo,
we prefer to be safe and secure,
minding our own business,
and living with an ‘acceptable’ level of violence, inequality, and victimhood.
Prophets, on the other hand are dangerous people.
They challenge our comfort zone,
question our motives,
shake up our prejudices!
point out a different way,
a better way,
the Jesus way of service to others.
Bloom where u are planted.
A Story
Peter Hannah SJ, in his book ‘Follow our dream – Restoring lost intimacy,’ c/f/ www. Columba.ie. retells the fairy tale of Rapunzel.
Rapunzel was a very beautiful young girl. She was captured by an evil witch who convinced her that she was really ugly. As a result Rapunzel was afraid of being seen by anyone outside the house, terrified when any strangers came to the witch’s house. Surely they would be horrified by her appearance
One day, as she was combing her hair in her room she became conscious of someone looking at her through the window. Instinctively she awaited the abuse she would surely suffer. She only saw admiration in the eyes of the young man gazing at her. Only then she realized that she was beautiful not ugly as the witch told her. Her fear was replaced by joy.
She began on the long journey of freeing herself from the deadening power of the possessive witch and accept the life and happiness which life was making available to her.
She was free to be herself, to be free with others and God
Prayer
Jesus,
lover of the poor and needy,
enlarge our minds to think well of ourselves and everyone we meet,
enlarge our generosity to share what we have with those in need,
so we will become more like you,
friend of all,
and friend of the poor. Amen.
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