Reflection - Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Photo: unsplash.com/@sami_jms

In 1953/54, John McMurray was invited to give the Gifford Lectures in Scotland. Anyone who gave the Gifford Lectures was considered outstanding in their own field. After the First World War, McMurray made himself unpopular by suggesting that society should forgive the Germans. Many people disagreed strongly.

But of course, that was Jesus’ expectation if a person became his follower, but difficult in many circumstances.

McMurray suggested that religion was both ‘real’ and ‘unreal’.

‘Unreal’ religion meant that a person ought to trust God and not fear. Consequently, God would make sure that none of the things we fear would happen to us. ‘Real’ religion, on the other hand, accepted that some of the things we fear are quite likely to happen to us, but with trust in God, there is nothing to be afraid of.

Mother Mary of the Cross is a saint, Australia’s first recognised saint. She is one of those who practised ‘real’ religion. Other people who practice ‘unreal’ religion become outraged when God lets them down. For example, the person standing on a chair fixing a curtain fell off the chair and broke a leg. Somehow this was not part of the deal, and that person stopped going to church.

Mother Mary of the Cross is well named because she had many crosses to bear. She responded to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and began her work, and gathered women to her. She suffered from her dealings within the Church, and it is hard to believe that she was canonised a saint after being excommunicated by a bishop.

Whatever the facts of the case and those who know about them proclaiming that the bishop was out of order, the experience must have been shattering. Quite a few saints suffer from their interactions with people of importance both within and without the Church. They trust more intensely that God will see them through their trials.

There is that well known but wonderful story of Teresa of Avila speaking with Jesus and complaining about the treatment Jesus was allowing her to receive, which caused her grief. Jesus said that was how he treated all his friends. And she retorted that was the reason he had so few friends!

And it seems to me that saints are often recognised not only for their holiness and deep relationship with God, which inspires others to join them as in the case of Mother Mary of the Cross but for the way they never give up and never let the words of the Beatitudes fall on dry soil.

They maintain the spirit and word of the Beatitudes in their lives. They lead by example and come closer to God as their rock and fortress since a fortress is a form of defence they sometimes needed. McMurray's insight that the things we fear may happen to us, but they are nothing to fear when we trust in God gives us the balanced relationship with ourselves that we all need. 

Columban Fr Gary Walker is currently living at the Columban house in Sandgate, Brisbane.