Sunday Reflection with Canon Robin Gibbons - 18 April 2021

Medieval Window Steeple Aston Oxfordshire

What do you think of these words? 'But whoever keeps his word, the love of God is truly perfected in him. This is the way we may know that we are in union with him: whoever claims to abide in him ought to live [just] as he lived'.(I Jn 2:5,6) if they are familiar it is because the first half of the quote is the ending of our second reading today, but as I have often said, I just wish that sometimes we could read on a little more that the section given, as then the fuller meaning often becomes much clearer or richer for us. John has just told us that Jesus takes away the sins of each and everyone, but then says to us that to be sure of this we must keep Christ's commandments. Here though is the way, to imitate Christ in our daily living, in other words the commandments are not simply isolated words to follow, but are about the manner in which you or I live out our lives. The individual matters but the setting is the community in the world.

What does this do for us? Firstly it takes away from us the tendency to indulge in empty piety, to separate our life in Christ from anything else and resort to a safe religious existence. `No, for John as for `Jesus the risks, joys, hurts, defeats of living are always encounters in which we may, if we seek, find the connection with the Holy One. In Luke's gospel we see the return of the two from their Emmaus walk exploring that encounter and in meeting Christ in the breaking of the bread, but what now takes place is a wonderful mirror image of that tale of disciples leaving Jerusalem to meet the walking unknown Christ.

Here we are in the setting of the gathered frightened disciples back in Jerusalem, they seem to recognise the risen Christ who shows himself, then eats with them and they are filled with 'incredulous joy':

'He said to them,
"These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,
that everything written about me in the law of Moses
and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled."

Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.(Lk 24: 44,45)

Here is perhaps another type of pattern for our faith, we can be like those going away from Jerusalem to Emmaus, suddenly having the faith explained to us by others, finding gradual awakening, hearts being opened with joy, participating at the `Breaking of `Bread' and recognising Christ as present in a new animated way, in other words we grow into our faith by doing it step by step.

Or, we need another type of encounter, for we can be disbelieving, incredulous though we are active in our faith, we attend Eucharist, seek Christ, but somehow miss the big encounter, but there is this, we too can find him when the word is explored and explained, when the mind as well as the heart is opened too.

There we have it, heart and mind must both be opened and then we see Christ there always there. To follow him is a holistic process in which all of our being is involved and in every place on our earth too. Christ cannot be confined, for the resurrection bursts any attempt to keep Christ either locked or kept to ourselves, whether that is as an individual or community, we are the living witnesses. May Peter's words in Acts be ours now: 'The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses' (Acts 3:15)

Lectio

As we remember the Queen and pray for Prince Philip, may all of us be touched by the words and symbols of faith that spoke so well in that powerful simplicity of his funeral service and in the depth of these words:

O merciful God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the resurrection and the life; in whom whosoever believeth shall live, though he die; and whosoever liveth, and believeth in him, shall not die eternally; who also hath taught us by his Holy Apostle Saint Paul, not to be sorry, as men without hope, for them that sleep in him: We meekly beseech thee, O Father that, when we shall depart this life, we may rest in him, as our hope is this our brother doth; and that, at the general resurrection in the last day, we may be found acceptable in thy sight; and receive that blessing, which thy well-beloved Son shall then pronounce to all that love and fear thee, saying, Come ye blessed children of my Father; receive the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. Grant this we beseech thee, O merciful Father through Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Redeemer. Amen.

Give rest, O Christ, to thy servant with thy Saints: where sorrow and pain are no more; neither sighing, but life everlasting. Thou only art immortal, the Creator and Maker of man: And we are mortal, formed of the earth, and unto earth shall we return. For so thou didst ordain, when thou createdest me, saying, Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. All we go down to the dust; and, weeping, o'er the grave, we make our song: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.

Russian Kontakion of the Departed

Go forth upon thy journey from this world, O Christian soul, In the name of God the Father Almighty who created thee; In the name of Jesus Christ who suffered for thee; In the name of the Holy Spirit who strengtheneth thee; May thy portion this day be in peace, and thy dwelling in the heavenly Jerusalem. Amen.

Saint Maria of Paris. d 31 March 1945, Ravensbruck

"At the Last Judgment I shall not be asked whether I was successful in my ascetic exercises, nor how many bows and prostrations I made. Instead I shall be asked, did I feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and the prisoners. That is all I shall be asked,"

Fr Robin is an Eastern Rite Catholic Chaplain for Melkites in the UK. He is also an Ecumenical Canon of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. You can follow him on Twitter: @RobinGibbons2