The King of the Fisherfolk does not wear rich robes but instead travels in disguise and we can only find this Holy Grail when we learn to reach out to help the thirsty and the hungry, the naked and the homeless, the sick and the imprisoned.
Answering God is not a task for Lent alone but an every day attitude of listening for God’s voice whispering ‘Where are you?’ and then running towards the One WHo has always called our name.
40 Days ago the world was a very different place with very different plans. As we move from Lent to Easter the question God asks us is ‘What will you do now?’
‘Live simply that others may simply live’. Surely this is not that difficult a maxim to follow? However from the realm of fast fashion to the need for the latest version of just about everything we find ourselves faced with a world that is more interested in money than people.
How we use the goods of this world is often seen as personal business and we should be permitted to enjoy the fruits of our labour. However not all that we do with them is good for us or for others
Contrary to tales told by the media, most people do not enjoy being the centre of attention as it means they are distinctive in one way or another and become ‘famous’ because they are different. For Christians being ‘different’ is our primary call and we must be ready to acknowledge that we are ‘not as others are’
In a time of international crisis, more than at any other time, we need people to ‘tell it like it is’. Our predilection for telling half-truths to gain advantage will mean we all lose. It is time to be true humans.
It is fine to have strongly held convictions. Yet we must do this without presuming that our ‘knowledge’ about the faith gives license to destroy the honestly held beliefs of another
We do not yet know what sort of world we will be living in once the dark times of the current pandemic have passed. Whatever it brings we can prepare for it now by learning to make the Good Samaritan our ‘patron saint’.
But they don’t deserve any help! Is a cry often heard in a society that does not perceive everyone’s common humanity and sees anyone who is different as a threat instead of an opportunity to make Christ visible
Suffolk Vicar 