21 October. Friday, Week 29

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1st Reading: Ephesians 4:1-6

One body and one spirit, a warm ideal of church unity

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said, “When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.” (When it says, “He ascended,”; what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.)

Gospel: Luke 12:54-59

Why can’t you interpret the signs of the present time?

He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain’; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

“And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? Thus, when you go with your accuser before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle the case, or you may be dragged before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you in prison. I ell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”

Bible

A Kairos to be grasped

In symbolic language, Jesus shows how we must grasp the offer of salvation that comes to us in the here and now. Some important choices do not come a second time, so that failure to act loses the opportunity. Some graces belong to “today” and the “hour”  and the “kairos,” are favourite biblical terms. Kairos is not a long period of time (for which the Greeks used chronos) but a very special moment with major implications. The moment must be seized promptly, in charity, conversion, and fidelity. The stakes are high, and not to decide is itself a negative decision.

Despite the worries and challenges of this present time, under the genial leadership of pope Francis, it can be a Kairos for us, individually, and for the universal Church. We and our episcopal leaders are to act for God with the same energy as we seek practical decisions to further the Christian faith in our time. The natural virtues of prudence and courage must be put to the service of the religious activity, the body is at the service of the soul.

Keeping an eye on the weather

We tend to talk a lot about the weather in Ireland. It is a regular topic of conversation. We find it a useful thing to talk about when we have nothing much else to say. Because the weather in Ireland is so changeable and variable, there is always something to say about it. It has either been raining or is raining or is about to rain. Even when it doesn’t rain for days we consider it worthy of comment. In this morning’s gospel, Jesus suggests that his contemporaries sometimes talked about the weather too. They knew what weather was coming from the direction of the wind; they were able to read the face of the earth and the sky.

Jesus was disappointed that they were not able to read the times they were living in. They failed to recognize from what Jesus was saying and doing that God was moving among them in a special way. We too can be very aware of the ways of the weather but not so aware of the ways that the Lord is present to us and moving among us. Jesus promised us that he would be with us always until the end of time. The signs of his presence can be subtle and non-dramatic, but nonetheless, very real. We pray this morning for the eyes to see the ways the Lord is present to us, especially in and through those whom we meet in the course of our day.
[[Martin Hogan. See his new book: Know the Love of Christ — weekday homily reflections for 2017]]

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