Sunday reflections

The celebration of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (the official cathedral of the Diocese of Rome) one thousand seven hundred and one years ago in 324AD) is an occasion to reflect on the architectural symbolism of a church.

On All Soul’s Day the Church invites each of us to remember and pray for the souls of our dear ones who have gone before us and for those who have no one to remember them.

As church-people, we may think we know what it means to worship God. After all, we go to church, say some prayers, pay our dues, and try to live a decent life. Indeed, all this is well and good. But God asks something more of us. Do we think the good things we do in life arise from our own virtue? Do we find ourselves somewhat judgmental and intolerant of those who don’t quite live up to our standards?arked: “Those who travel the high road of humility in Washington DC are not bothered by heavy traffic!”

The determined widow in this week’s parable encourages us to persist in prayer. She was not
deterred by the judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. Instead, she
demonstrates what St Therese of Liseux described as a “surge of the heart”: a trust and
confidence in God who knows what we need and who draws close to us.

How often have you encouraged your young children to say ‘thank you’ after they are given something? Saying ‘thank you’ is a common courtesy that is used almost without thinking. Yet it’s much more than a courtesy.

On December 5, 2018, at the memorial service for US President George H W Bush, long time friend and former Republican Senator for Wyoming, Alan Simpson, remarked: “Those who travel the high road of humility in Washington DC are not bothered by heavy traffic!”

Jesus often spoke in parables, and he knew how to tell a story, but parables were often stories that upended people’s expectations. The wealthy often seem blessed in this life, so we might expect they will be blessed in the next life. This is not the message of this parable.

On December 5, 2018, at the memorial service for US President George H W Bush, long time friend and former Republican Senator for Wyoming, Alan Simpson, remarked: “Those who travel the high road of humility in Washington DC are not bothered by heavy traffic!”

This week’s feast is an ancient one, known as The Triumph (or The Exaltation) of the Cross. Legend has it that on this date, September 14 in 330, St Helena, a Christian, the mother of the Roman Emperor Constantine, discovered “the true cross” on which Jesus had died in Jerusalem.

The good news revealed by Jesus includes many demanding and sometimes scandalous teachings. As the writer of today’s first reading discerns, we probably would not have come to the same conclusions as God if we were in charge. When it comes to living how God wants us to, “who could have learnt it, had you not granted Wisdom, and sent your holy spirit from above?”