Sunday Reflection with Fr Robin Gibbons - 27 July 2014

Fr Robin Gibbons

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Aspects of our contemporary society in the west are fixated on wealth, status, celebrity. It occurs in almost every group especially those with power attached to their work, such as police, medics, the legal profession, politicians, celebrities, academics, and yes, the Church.

Now we know the Church isn’t community of saints, conversion of life is a continual call of the Gospel and we deal with a mixed bunch of people across all continents and islands. Pope Francis continually challenges the Church, all of us, everywhere, to go back to the message and teaching of Jesus and find in him our direction. Christ who let go of ultimate power, to identify with the least and dispossessed of the world as we are called to do.

Some people do not like this, structures of power and wealth are too entrenched for them to change easily. Another false ‘god’ , the cult of body beautiful, of longevity at all costs (often at the expense of animal life who suffer for our desires in experiments). This is not to knock medical research into combatting disease, but it is to ask questions about everything that surrounds our obsessive preoccupation with the self.

Solomon in his dialogue with God asks for one thing, and it is not wealth or long life, he asks God for ‘wisdom’ to discern what is right! Like the truly wise Solomon understands that justice and integrity are hallmarks of the one who seeks God. Matthew continues teaching about Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven That is where we focus our attention. This Kingdom is the one treasure we should be seeking. It grows amongst us like yeast , is powerful like leaven. When all passes away, it remains! We belong to it, the Kingdom of God’s everlasting love and mercy.

We are a mixed bunch, good and bad alike, that’s the problem, the net image reminds us that we are far from perfect. We need Holy Wisdom, Christ the true scribe and teacher to truly discern.

There are many challenges claiming our attention, but above all today it is the little ones of the world, in particular those persecuted for faith in Iraq, Syria and the Middle East. Those Eastern Churches needs our support more than ever. They represent the Kingdom of new seed , the martyrs, we will be their witnesses!

Fr Robin Gibbons is an Eastern Rite Chaplain for the Melkite Greek Catholics in Britain.