Sermon preached at St Michael’s, Baddesley Clinton at 9.45am Holy Communion (BCP).
Sunday 1st August 2010 – Trinity 9 – Proper 13
Adapted versions of this sermon were preached at St Mary's, Lapworth at 8.30am and 11am.
Readings: Col 3: 1-11 Luke 12: 13-21
If we wanted to retell the parable of today’s gospel in a more contemporary setting and with a sharper cutting edge we might say something like this.
There was once a man who owned a business in the city. And the business did well and generated plenty of cash. And the man said to himself, “What should I do, I have got more money than I can spend,” then he said, “I’ll do this, I’ll sell my house in the city and buy a bigger one just outside the city. I’ll store up my money in my house, because house prices always rise, and quite soon I shall be able to retire. I’ll be able to relax, eat drink and take lots of holidays. But they day before he retired God said to him, “You fool! This very night you life is being demanded of you, and all this wealth you have accumulated, what good will that do you?
We are all familiar with that great tragedy of people who die either just before or just after they retire. We often think, they have worked so hard, and really deserve a good retirement, and yet it seems that God has other plans for them. And I have to say that very often this particular tragedy does seem to affect people with a particular role in serving the community; clergy. school teachers, politicians. But hopefully, if they have served the community well, if they have managed to focus their lives on the benefit of others, then they will be well prepared for the kingdom of heaven, well prepared to serve and be served in the heavenly realm. And if this is the case, who are we to think that an earthly retirement might be better for them than the heavenly blessings.
But what about the man in our story, who has not thought about serving other people? In fact the story does not even mention a wife and family so it does seem that he thinks only of himself, of his own wealth, or his own desire to relax, eat drink and be merry as the parable says. Well God’s words to him are, “You fool!” – “You have invested all your energy in earthly wealth, and tonight I am transferring you to the heavenly realm where you have invested nothing.” – “You fool”.
The man in our story is a bit like the arrogant management consultant who transferred all his personal wealth into Railtrack shares, just before they spectacularly lost all their value in 2001. He put all his eggs in one basket, and the basket collapsed. The man in our story put all his resources into earthly wealth and then died. But, as Jesus said, “a man’s life does not consist of the abundance of his processions.” Jesus ends the parable by saying, “so it is for those who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich towards God.” Elsewhere in the gospels Jesus says, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steel, but store up for yourselves treasurers in heaven where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steel, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt 6: 19-21).
We got exactly the same message from St Paul in our epistle reading today, “…seek the things that are above…set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things of that are on earth…”
So how do we, “seek the things that are above?” How do we make sure that we are rich towards God? How do we build up treasure in heaven? How do we invest in our eternal future, remembering that our 70 or 80 years on earth is quite short compared to the eternity for which we are created? How do we invest in assets that will pass the ultimate “stress test” of death?
Well, paradoxically, we do it by thinking not of ourselves, but of others. We do it by following the two great commandments: love of God and love of neighbour. We try to live each moment, each day, attentive to what God wants from us in the moment and that day. And typically, what God wants from us, becomes clear from the people around us. He wants us to be attentive to them, to help them, to serve them, to take them forward on their journey towards God. It is as though the wealth that we create in other people is the wealth that endures to eternity. The dynamic of heavenly wealth is a dynamic of giving, not a dynamic of accumulating.
So what about our worldly wealth? How should we think about that? Well first of all, let’s give thanks to God for it, because any wealth that we have has come to us through God’s good gift. We may have worked hard for it, but without the grace of God we would have nothing. Secondly, let’s remember that we can’t take it with us. When we die we lose it all, so the protection and security that it affords us is limited; we must enter the kingdom of heaven without it. So this means that we should use our wealth wisely and prudently, while we are on earth, in order to build up treasurers in heaven. We should be generous in giving and investing; generous, not reckless. We should seek to use our giving and investing to build relationships of trust. We want to build up other people, build up other organisations in a sustainable way. Now it has to be said that in the current environment this is very hard. Even the banks appear hardly worthy of our trust. But let’s hold the resources that we have before God, and pray for the grace to use them well. Let’s be good stewards of the gifts that God has given us, seeking to invest in others wherever we can; build relationships, build trust, find prudent ways of giving, live for God, live for others. These are the ways to build up treasure in heaven. Amen.
Showing posts with label heaven. Show all posts
Showing posts with label heaven. Show all posts
01 August 2010
28 February 2010
Becoming citizens of heaven
Sermon preached at 8am (shortened), and 10am Eucharists at St Helen’s Church, Solihull
Sunday 28th February 2010 – Lent 2, Year C (RCL rather than CofE gospel)
Readings: Genesis 15: 1-12 & 17-18 Philippians 3: 17 to 4: 1 Luke 9: 28b-36
In our gospel reading today we heard the extraordinary story of the transfiguration. Jesus takes Peter, James and John up a high mountain to pray, and while they are praying Jesus becomes dazzlingly bright and Moses and Elijah appear with him in glory and talk to him. So then there are two groups, each of three people, and it seems that the two groups experience the event in completely different ways. For Jesus, Moses and Elijah this seems to be a very normal experience. They seem to talk away completely unperturbed by the shining glory, or by the fact that two of them have been dead for centuries. But for Peter, James and John the whole experience is extremely weird and disturbing. First they are weighed down by sleep, but not actually asleep. Then Peter says things without knowing what he is saying. Then the cloud comes over them and they are terrified, and they hear the voice of God, and then suddenly everything is normal again.
So why is that for one group of three this all seems very normal, and for the other group of three it is so weird? Well it seems to me that Jesus, Moses and Elijah are all very conscious of their home in heaven. Moses and Elijah were very holy people. They have been dead a long time and must by now be completely accustomed to the heavenly kingdom and totally in tune with its ways. And Jesus of course is the Son of God, the one who came down from heaven to take on human form. Jesus has been completely at home in heaven ever since he helped in its creation!
But this is not true of Peter, James and John. They are born and brought up on earth. They might catch glimpses of the life of heaven through their scriptures or their worship or more recently through their relationship with Jesus. But despite these glimpses it is still a big shock for them to be exposed to the glory of heaven.
And so there is the life of earth with all its problems and limitations and frustrations, which we know about, and there is the life of heaven with its glory and light and perfection. And this reminds us of something that St Paul said in our epistle reading today. Paul was talking about those who live as enemies of the cross of Christ. He says their end is destruction because, “…their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven…”
And this is the great challenge. How do we live as citizens of heaven? How do we keep our minds set on heaven and not simply on earthly things? How do we use our lives to make sure that we grow into good citizens of heaven? This is a challenge because we all know that so much of our time and effort and energy every day is all tied up with very earthly outcomes.
[Let’s think about a typical day. Well in our house the alarm goes off at 6.45am and the first earthly outcome which has to be achieved is getting out of bed. Well that isn’t always easy! Then there is laying the table, making the tea, shower, shave, sorting out all the children’s issues “Can you sign my homework diary”, “I can’t find my music book”. Then, typically at about ten to eight Elaine and the children go off to their respective schools in the car and the house falls quiet. Quiet often I then manage to settle down and do some very simple spiritual reading, which does remind me that my citizenship is in heaven. But I don’t always manage that by any means! Often I have my own daily panics to sot out, the magazine article that must be in that morning, the phone call which has to be made early, or whatever…so quite often it is 8.30pm or even later before I settle down and start to say my prayers. And that is the situation for me, a priest, a full time professional religious person! How much more difficult is it for most of us whose professional lives do not encourage us to remember our heavenly home, and perhaps even discourage us from focusing on it through competitive pressures, through various stresses, perhaps even through greed, conflict or vice?]
Well I think there are three things we can do that are important here. First, we have to practice living out the laws and values of heaven in our very earthly lives. We have to do things for love of God and for love of other people. I try to get out of bed well, as an act of love for God. I try to love the family by laying the table and addressing the needs of the children. I try to love my wife by making the cup of tea. This is the great wisdom of St Teresa of Lisieux; do the simple things in life well, as love for God and love for others. [[And it doesn’t really matter if our efforts seem pathetically ineffective in terms of building the kingdom of God. Remember that when Jesus came to earth to build the kingdom of God, he got crucified. When I was working I used to find that my efforts to love others were often misunderstood; people sometimes interpreted them as weakness or tried to take advantage. I certainly never succeeded much in building the kingdom of heaven at my place of work, but through this process I believe God was able to build something of the kingdom in me.]]
Second important thing. We need a regular pattern of prayer and worship to remind us that we are citizens of heaven and to keep us grounded in the reality of God. When I look back at my life, the times when I have made progress son my spiritual journey have all been times when I have managed to sustain a regular pattern of prayer or spiritual reading, meditation and reflection. And this is so hard, in our busy lives, to make time for God. But really we have to get our priorities right. I expect many of us set aside two minutes a day, twice a day, to clean our teeth and keep them healthy because we know that we need them for seventy, eighty years. How much more time should we devote to keeping our soul healthy, which we need for eternity? Lent is a real opportunity to build up this discipline in prayer and worship.
Third important thing. We can’t do this on our own. We need the love and support and prayers and help of others. The life of heaven is all about our relationships with God and neighbour. They have to become relationships of sharing in which we give and receive. Sometimes we are too selfish to give. Sometimes we are too proud to receive, not humble enough to admit our needs and to accept the love and prayers of others. But without this sharing we don’t build communion among ourselves. We need to practice receiving, so as to receive eternal life from Jesus. So we need to share our faith, and house groups and Lent groups are an outstanding opportunity for this.
So three important things; to practice living out the values of heaven in our lives, to ground ourselves properly in prayer and worship, and to do these things together with others not on our own. These are three top tips for becoming citizens of heaven. My we all become good sharers in the eternal life of heaven. Amen.
Sunday 28th February 2010 – Lent 2, Year C (RCL rather than CofE gospel)
Readings: Genesis 15: 1-12 & 17-18 Philippians 3: 17 to 4: 1 Luke 9: 28b-36
In our gospel reading today we heard the extraordinary story of the transfiguration. Jesus takes Peter, James and John up a high mountain to pray, and while they are praying Jesus becomes dazzlingly bright and Moses and Elijah appear with him in glory and talk to him. So then there are two groups, each of three people, and it seems that the two groups experience the event in completely different ways. For Jesus, Moses and Elijah this seems to be a very normal experience. They seem to talk away completely unperturbed by the shining glory, or by the fact that two of them have been dead for centuries. But for Peter, James and John the whole experience is extremely weird and disturbing. First they are weighed down by sleep, but not actually asleep. Then Peter says things without knowing what he is saying. Then the cloud comes over them and they are terrified, and they hear the voice of God, and then suddenly everything is normal again.
So why is that for one group of three this all seems very normal, and for the other group of three it is so weird? Well it seems to me that Jesus, Moses and Elijah are all very conscious of their home in heaven. Moses and Elijah were very holy people. They have been dead a long time and must by now be completely accustomed to the heavenly kingdom and totally in tune with its ways. And Jesus of course is the Son of God, the one who came down from heaven to take on human form. Jesus has been completely at home in heaven ever since he helped in its creation!
But this is not true of Peter, James and John. They are born and brought up on earth. They might catch glimpses of the life of heaven through their scriptures or their worship or more recently through their relationship with Jesus. But despite these glimpses it is still a big shock for them to be exposed to the glory of heaven.
And so there is the life of earth with all its problems and limitations and frustrations, which we know about, and there is the life of heaven with its glory and light and perfection. And this reminds us of something that St Paul said in our epistle reading today. Paul was talking about those who live as enemies of the cross of Christ. He says their end is destruction because, “…their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven…”
And this is the great challenge. How do we live as citizens of heaven? How do we keep our minds set on heaven and not simply on earthly things? How do we use our lives to make sure that we grow into good citizens of heaven? This is a challenge because we all know that so much of our time and effort and energy every day is all tied up with very earthly outcomes.
[Let’s think about a typical day. Well in our house the alarm goes off at 6.45am and the first earthly outcome which has to be achieved is getting out of bed. Well that isn’t always easy! Then there is laying the table, making the tea, shower, shave, sorting out all the children’s issues “Can you sign my homework diary”, “I can’t find my music book”. Then, typically at about ten to eight Elaine and the children go off to their respective schools in the car and the house falls quiet. Quiet often I then manage to settle down and do some very simple spiritual reading, which does remind me that my citizenship is in heaven. But I don’t always manage that by any means! Often I have my own daily panics to sot out, the magazine article that must be in that morning, the phone call which has to be made early, or whatever…so quite often it is 8.30pm or even later before I settle down and start to say my prayers. And that is the situation for me, a priest, a full time professional religious person! How much more difficult is it for most of us whose professional lives do not encourage us to remember our heavenly home, and perhaps even discourage us from focusing on it through competitive pressures, through various stresses, perhaps even through greed, conflict or vice?]
Well I think there are three things we can do that are important here. First, we have to practice living out the laws and values of heaven in our very earthly lives. We have to do things for love of God and for love of other people. I try to get out of bed well, as an act of love for God. I try to love the family by laying the table and addressing the needs of the children. I try to love my wife by making the cup of tea. This is the great wisdom of St Teresa of Lisieux; do the simple things in life well, as love for God and love for others. [[And it doesn’t really matter if our efforts seem pathetically ineffective in terms of building the kingdom of God. Remember that when Jesus came to earth to build the kingdom of God, he got crucified. When I was working I used to find that my efforts to love others were often misunderstood; people sometimes interpreted them as weakness or tried to take advantage. I certainly never succeeded much in building the kingdom of heaven at my place of work, but through this process I believe God was able to build something of the kingdom in me.]]
Second important thing. We need a regular pattern of prayer and worship to remind us that we are citizens of heaven and to keep us grounded in the reality of God. When I look back at my life, the times when I have made progress son my spiritual journey have all been times when I have managed to sustain a regular pattern of prayer or spiritual reading, meditation and reflection. And this is so hard, in our busy lives, to make time for God. But really we have to get our priorities right. I expect many of us set aside two minutes a day, twice a day, to clean our teeth and keep them healthy because we know that we need them for seventy, eighty years. How much more time should we devote to keeping our soul healthy, which we need for eternity? Lent is a real opportunity to build up this discipline in prayer and worship.
Third important thing. We can’t do this on our own. We need the love and support and prayers and help of others. The life of heaven is all about our relationships with God and neighbour. They have to become relationships of sharing in which we give and receive. Sometimes we are too selfish to give. Sometimes we are too proud to receive, not humble enough to admit our needs and to accept the love and prayers of others. But without this sharing we don’t build communion among ourselves. We need to practice receiving, so as to receive eternal life from Jesus. So we need to share our faith, and house groups and Lent groups are an outstanding opportunity for this.
So three important things; to practice living out the values of heaven in our lives, to ground ourselves properly in prayer and worship, and to do these things together with others not on our own. These are three top tips for becoming citizens of heaven. My we all become good sharers in the eternal life of heaven. Amen.
07 June 2009
Growing up in worship
Sermon preached at Solihull School Chapel, 6.30pm Eucharist on Sunday 7th June 2009.
Choir present: boys and men. Trinity Sunday – Year B
Readings: Isaiah 6: 1-8 and John 3: 1-17
I would like you to cast your minds back to when you were little, when you were about three and used to play at being like the grown ups; play at being like Mum and Dad. And perhaps you had some toys to help you to do that. Did you have one of those little plastic vacuum cleaners so you could walk round behind Mum, doing the cleaning? I am sure that some us here had those little plastic lawnmowers that you could push round and they would throw up some green beads that looked like grass clippings. And then there are those red and yellow Little Tikes coupe cars you could ride around in – how cool were they?
Now someone might say, “It’s very silly for the children to play at being grown ups, because they are not grown ups, and that’s not a real lawnmower; its made of plastic.” And in one way this is quite true, but in another way it completely misses the point. Children are pre-programmed to grow up into adults. Playing at being an adult is an important part of growing up. It shows that the children understand their destiny, their calling. It shows that they want to grow up to be adults; they want to be part of the adult world, to share in the adult world, and to make their contribution alongside the other adults. And this is a very good thing. It gives us good grounds for hoping that these children will indeed one day grow up and take their right place in the adult world.
Now, what I want to suggest to you this evening is that rather like children, who are pre-programmed to grow into adults, we Christians on earth are pre-programmed to grow up into saints in heaven. This is what God created us for. This is our true destiny. This is where we find fulfilment, the full realisation of God’s creation in us. And just as it takes time for a child to grow into an adult, so it takes time for a Christian to grow into a saint in heaven. And just as children need a lot of love, encouragement, teaching and example to grow up into adults so Christians need love, encouragement, teaching and example from God, and the saints and from good people in order to grow up to become saints in heaven. And just as it is natural and good and helpful for children to play at being adults, so it is natural and good and helpful for Christians to play at being saints in heaven.
In our gospel today Jesus tells Nicodemus that he needs to believe about earthly things before he has any chance of believing about heavenly things. In the same way we Christians have to live good Christian lives on earth before we can hope to live the lives of the saints in heaven. And there are many different aspects to living a good Christian life on earth. But today I would like to focus on just one aspect of our earthly Christian lives; our worship of God.
On Trinity Sunday we often sing my favourite hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.” The hymn presents us with a vision of God seated on the throne of heaven in his power and glory, being worshiped by all the angels and saints:
Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.
This description of the worship of the saints in heaven is mainly based on chapters 4 and 5 of the Book of Revelation, the last book in the bible. But today we heard, in our first scripture reading, of another vision of heaven coming from the prophet Isaiah, probably in the eighth century BC. Yet the similarities are striking. The seraphs are in attendance. Those words “Holy, Holy, Holy” crop up again. There is great power and splendour and majesty and the pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house was filled with smoke.
And for Isaiah, a mere human, in mortal flesh, aware of his sin this is an overwhelming experience. He is filled with a perplexing mix of awe and wonder and fear. These are the emotions of our Anthem, “Let all mortal flesh keep silence”. We are painfully aware that anything as earthly as human flesh might simply melt aware before the mysterious majesty of God’s presence. Isaiah says, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips”. But the seraphs purify Isaiah from his sin using a burning coal. Nothing is said, but I imagine that the burning coal was very painful. Certainly our experience of the Christian life is that there is usually a cost, some kind of suffering or pain or hard work associated with being purified from sin. But them suddenly it seems that Isaiah can stand in the glory of heaven and can respond positively to the Lord’s invitation. “Here am I, send me” he replies. The worship of heaven and the presence of God have transformed him. They have given him his role, his identity.
These visions (and others in the bible e.g. Daniel 7 or Ezekiel 1) give us some insights into the life of heaven, and the worship that takes place there. And there is a sense in which our worship on earth is seeking to copy this, the great worship of heaven. Many of the visions of heaven talk about music and singing and certainly we do this in our worship on earth. In this chapel a great deal of effort and energy goes into the organ and singing and we do our best to do these things very well, in order to worship as well as possible. And in our worship we have a rite of repentance and forgiveness, so that like Isaiah we can be purified and made whole. We have periods of silence, in which we seek to be aware of our own nothingness before the awesome presence of God. Sometimes we copy the worship of heaven with loud singing, maybe even enough to make the pivots of the thresholds shake! Sometimes we use incense and we do our best to fill the house with smoke, as in the Isaiah vision. Certainly we use those words Holy, Holy, Holy in every Eucharist, often singing them in Latin: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus.
Now we know that all this worship on earth is a bit like child’s play compared to the great worship of the saints in heaven. But just as children who play at being adults do eventually grow up to be adults so we hope and aspire that through our worship on earth
we will eventually grow up to become saints in heaven. We will be joined forever in that great and eternal worship of heaven. Amen.
Choir present: boys and men. Trinity Sunday – Year B
Readings: Isaiah 6: 1-8 and John 3: 1-17
I would like you to cast your minds back to when you were little, when you were about three and used to play at being like the grown ups; play at being like Mum and Dad. And perhaps you had some toys to help you to do that. Did you have one of those little plastic vacuum cleaners so you could walk round behind Mum, doing the cleaning? I am sure that some us here had those little plastic lawnmowers that you could push round and they would throw up some green beads that looked like grass clippings. And then there are those red and yellow Little Tikes coupe cars you could ride around in – how cool were they?
Now someone might say, “It’s very silly for the children to play at being grown ups, because they are not grown ups, and that’s not a real lawnmower; its made of plastic.” And in one way this is quite true, but in another way it completely misses the point. Children are pre-programmed to grow up into adults. Playing at being an adult is an important part of growing up. It shows that the children understand their destiny, their calling. It shows that they want to grow up to be adults; they want to be part of the adult world, to share in the adult world, and to make their contribution alongside the other adults. And this is a very good thing. It gives us good grounds for hoping that these children will indeed one day grow up and take their right place in the adult world.
Now, what I want to suggest to you this evening is that rather like children, who are pre-programmed to grow into adults, we Christians on earth are pre-programmed to grow up into saints in heaven. This is what God created us for. This is our true destiny. This is where we find fulfilment, the full realisation of God’s creation in us. And just as it takes time for a child to grow into an adult, so it takes time for a Christian to grow into a saint in heaven. And just as children need a lot of love, encouragement, teaching and example to grow up into adults so Christians need love, encouragement, teaching and example from God, and the saints and from good people in order to grow up to become saints in heaven. And just as it is natural and good and helpful for children to play at being adults, so it is natural and good and helpful for Christians to play at being saints in heaven.
In our gospel today Jesus tells Nicodemus that he needs to believe about earthly things before he has any chance of believing about heavenly things. In the same way we Christians have to live good Christian lives on earth before we can hope to live the lives of the saints in heaven. And there are many different aspects to living a good Christian life on earth. But today I would like to focus on just one aspect of our earthly Christian lives; our worship of God.
On Trinity Sunday we often sing my favourite hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty.” The hymn presents us with a vision of God seated on the throne of heaven in his power and glory, being worshiped by all the angels and saints:
Holy, holy, holy! All the saints adore Thee,
Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea;
Cherubim and seraphim falling down before Thee,
Who was, and is, and evermore shall be.
This description of the worship of the saints in heaven is mainly based on chapters 4 and 5 of the Book of Revelation, the last book in the bible. But today we heard, in our first scripture reading, of another vision of heaven coming from the prophet Isaiah, probably in the eighth century BC. Yet the similarities are striking. The seraphs are in attendance. Those words “Holy, Holy, Holy” crop up again. There is great power and splendour and majesty and the pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house was filled with smoke.
And for Isaiah, a mere human, in mortal flesh, aware of his sin this is an overwhelming experience. He is filled with a perplexing mix of awe and wonder and fear. These are the emotions of our Anthem, “Let all mortal flesh keep silence”. We are painfully aware that anything as earthly as human flesh might simply melt aware before the mysterious majesty of God’s presence. Isaiah says, “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips”. But the seraphs purify Isaiah from his sin using a burning coal. Nothing is said, but I imagine that the burning coal was very painful. Certainly our experience of the Christian life is that there is usually a cost, some kind of suffering or pain or hard work associated with being purified from sin. But them suddenly it seems that Isaiah can stand in the glory of heaven and can respond positively to the Lord’s invitation. “Here am I, send me” he replies. The worship of heaven and the presence of God have transformed him. They have given him his role, his identity.
These visions (and others in the bible e.g. Daniel 7 or Ezekiel 1) give us some insights into the life of heaven, and the worship that takes place there. And there is a sense in which our worship on earth is seeking to copy this, the great worship of heaven. Many of the visions of heaven talk about music and singing and certainly we do this in our worship on earth. In this chapel a great deal of effort and energy goes into the organ and singing and we do our best to do these things very well, in order to worship as well as possible. And in our worship we have a rite of repentance and forgiveness, so that like Isaiah we can be purified and made whole. We have periods of silence, in which we seek to be aware of our own nothingness before the awesome presence of God. Sometimes we copy the worship of heaven with loud singing, maybe even enough to make the pivots of the thresholds shake! Sometimes we use incense and we do our best to fill the house with smoke, as in the Isaiah vision. Certainly we use those words Holy, Holy, Holy in every Eucharist, often singing them in Latin: Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus.
Now we know that all this worship on earth is a bit like child’s play compared to the great worship of the saints in heaven. But just as children who play at being adults do eventually grow up to be adults so we hope and aspire that through our worship on earth
we will eventually grow up to become saints in heaven. We will be joined forever in that great and eternal worship of heaven. Amen.
02 April 2009
A glimpse into heaven
Funeral homily
Scripture Reading - Mark 9: 2-9
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
The reading that we have just heard might have appealed to ??????, because it all took place on top of a mountain. It even includes that experience, all too familiar to mountaineers, of being enveloped in cloud at the top of a mountain. And yet there were other things in the story which are not familiar at all; a very special and unusual experience entrusted to Peter, James and John. It seems that they were shown a rare glimpse into heaven.
And we can learn quite a lot from what they saw.
First of all it is reassuring to know that Moses and Elijah, both of whom died several centuries before Christ, are both alive and well and living in heaven. We can be assured of life after death.
Also there seems to be something very normal about the life of heaven. It seems very natural for Moses and Elijah to talk to Jesus. They are recognizable to the disciples, presumably through what the disciples know of them in the scriptures. We can be assured that our relationships, or certainly our positive relationships, continue into the next life in way that is recognizable to the way that they are now.
But then other aspects of the life of heaven seem extraordinary. Jesus’ clothes became dazzling white. Jesus was revealed in his glory and splendour. And this, although it was wonderful, was also very confusing and frightening for the disciples. Peter didn’t really know what to say or how to behave at all, but he did recognise that it was good for them to be there. This, it seems to me, is what it is like near the presence of God. Surely God was very present; they even heard the voice of the Father saying, “This is my son, the Beloved, listen to him.”
So with these thoughts of heaven, let’s have confidence in our Christian hope for ??????. Let’s have confidence that ?????? still lives in heaven, and we will see him again when we die. Let’s have confidence that heaven is a good and natural place to be. Let’s pray for ?????? as he grows accustomed to dwelling in the presence of God. And let’s follow the command of the father to listen to Jesus, so that when our time comes we too may be ready to dwell in the presence of God. Amen.
Scripture Reading - Mark 9: 2-9
Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
The reading that we have just heard might have appealed to ??????, because it all took place on top of a mountain. It even includes that experience, all too familiar to mountaineers, of being enveloped in cloud at the top of a mountain. And yet there were other things in the story which are not familiar at all; a very special and unusual experience entrusted to Peter, James and John. It seems that they were shown a rare glimpse into heaven.
And we can learn quite a lot from what they saw.
First of all it is reassuring to know that Moses and Elijah, both of whom died several centuries before Christ, are both alive and well and living in heaven. We can be assured of life after death.
Also there seems to be something very normal about the life of heaven. It seems very natural for Moses and Elijah to talk to Jesus. They are recognizable to the disciples, presumably through what the disciples know of them in the scriptures. We can be assured that our relationships, or certainly our positive relationships, continue into the next life in way that is recognizable to the way that they are now.
But then other aspects of the life of heaven seem extraordinary. Jesus’ clothes became dazzling white. Jesus was revealed in his glory and splendour. And this, although it was wonderful, was also very confusing and frightening for the disciples. Peter didn’t really know what to say or how to behave at all, but he did recognise that it was good for them to be there. This, it seems to me, is what it is like near the presence of God. Surely God was very present; they even heard the voice of the Father saying, “This is my son, the Beloved, listen to him.”
So with these thoughts of heaven, let’s have confidence in our Christian hope for ??????. Let’s have confidence that ?????? still lives in heaven, and we will see him again when we die. Let’s have confidence that heaven is a good and natural place to be. Let’s pray for ?????? as he grows accustomed to dwelling in the presence of God. And let’s follow the command of the father to listen to Jesus, so that when our time comes we too may be ready to dwell in the presence of God. Amen.
28 September 2008
SS Michael, Gabriel and Raphael
Sermon preached at St Alphege, Solihull at 9.15 and 11am Eucharists
Sunday 28th September 2008 – SS Michael, Gabriel and Raphael
Readings: Genesis 28: 10-17 Revelation 12: 7-12 John 1: 47-51
Today we celebrate Michaelmas, or more precisely the feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Now Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are not ordinary saints, but rather they are angels and so it is not surprising that this feast is sometimes known as St Michael and All Angels.
“And what are angels?” you might well ask. Well angels are spiritual beings which do not have bodies. They are creatures, that is to say they were created by God (Col 1: 16), but they seem to have been well established by the time that Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:1, 24). As spiritual beings, angels have their own personalities and their own free will. Some angels have chosen (as we are all free to choose) to rebel against God and to try to go their own way. These we call demons and we think of the Devil, the prince of all demons, who we read about being cast out of heaven by St Michael in our second reading today (see also 2 Peter 2: 4, Jude 6). When we use the word “angel” we are generally not thinking of demons, but rather we mean spiritual beings that are good. That is spiritual being who choose to use their free will in harmony with the will of God. They choose to do God’s work. In fact, according to St Augustine, the word “angel”, which means “messenger”, is more of a job title than a description of a particular kind of being. Psalm 103 (v20) tells us that angels are “might ones who do his bidding, obedient to his spoken word”. So angels are powerful, spiritual beings who are the messengers of God and who do God’s will.
Now if angels are spiritual beings, who can’t been seen or touched in the visible world in which we live, how do we know anything about them? How do we even know they exist? Well first of all, angels are always much closer than we think. Psalm 34 (v7) tells us that “the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them” and psalm 97 (9-16) tells us that God will deliver those who love him, sending angels to guard them and bear them up. And so we can believe that we each have a guardian angel walking always beside us and protecting us. Certainly Jesus is thinking this when he talks about children. He says, “take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my father” (Matt 18:10). And with angels always so close to us and looking after us it is perhaps not so surprising that we do sometimes meet people who have had some experience of the presence of angels, or of angels protecting them in moments of crisis.
And this certainly seems to have been the experience of God’s people over the centuries. We find that our holy scriptures are full of references to angels. They crop up in literally hundreds of places. As our readings today illustrate, they are spread throughout the bible from Genesis, the very first book, to Revelation, the last book. We find them especially at critical moments in our salvation history; when Abraham is about sacrifice his son Isaac, when Moses is called by God to set the Israelites free, when the Blessed Virgin Mary is told she is to expect the child Jesus, at the resurrection of Christ. The other place that they appear a lot in scripture in where there are visions of heaven. Our reading from Genesis and Revelation both include visions of heaven where lots of angels were seen.
It is interesting to note that it is not just the Christian scriptures that talk about angels. The Jews and the Muslims, who also worship the God of Abraham, also have a great deal about angels in their scriptures. Michael and Gabriel are mentioned in the Muslims holy book, the Koran. The Jewish Talmud has extraordinary details about many angels including Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. It describes many different ranks of angels, and the many different heights of heaven.
And what is so special about the angels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael? Well they are the only three angels to be named in the bible. Michael is the leader of the armies of God, as we heard in our reading from Revelation. Gabriel is the angel who tells Zachariah that he is to father John the Baptist, and tells the Blessed Virgin Mary that she is to mother Jesus. Raphael appears in the apocryphal book of Tobit. He heals Tobit’s eyes so that he can see again.
So that is a bit about angels, but why are angels so important to us in our Christian lives? Well firstly they are important to us because of the practical help that they can give us in our journey towards God. I am thinking here especially of the angels that are close to us all the time, guarding us and protecting us; our guardian angels. But really this is true of all angels. As the book of Hebrews puts it, “Are not all angels spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). With so much help available near at hand, we do well to grow in awareness of angels, thanking god for them and sharing with them in the praising of God.
But angels are also important because they show us something of the high court of heaven. Every now and again the scriptures give us a glimpse of the majesty, splendour and awe of heaven. We saw some of this in our scripture readings today, but it happens many times. [I particularly love the passage in Isaiah when Isaiah describes his vision of the throne of God (Isaiah 6: 1-5). There are seraphs in attendance all around singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” And the thresholds shake at their singing, and the house is filled with smoke. And then there is the moment when Jesus is born and a multitude of the heavenly host appeared before the shepherds singing, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace and goodwill among people” (Luke 2: 13-14).]
And the extraordinary thing is that we are called to share in this life of heaven. God wants each one of us to be part of it all. In Luke chapter 20 (v35-36) Jesus is talking about resurrection and marriage. He says, “But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection”. We are called to share in this life of heaven and in the holiness of God (Heb 3: 1, 12: 10) like the angels. We know that all this is only fully realised after the resurrection of the dead. We know that we have a long journey to walk before we get there, because we know that we are far from being angels at the moment. But despite this, there is a sense in which it is true already. If we are in Christ then we are already part of this new creation (2 Cor 5:17). And perhaps our best chance of being aware of this is at the Eucharist, where we join with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven to praise the glorious name of God. In the Eucharist, Jesus shares his life with us. Truly it is a foretaste of the great heavenly banquet to which we are called (Revelation 19: 9). Let’s try to place ourselves in that reality as we receive Holy Communion today.
Sunday 28th September 2008 – SS Michael, Gabriel and Raphael
Readings: Genesis 28: 10-17 Revelation 12: 7-12 John 1: 47-51
Today we celebrate Michaelmas, or more precisely the feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Now Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are not ordinary saints, but rather they are angels and so it is not surprising that this feast is sometimes known as St Michael and All Angels.
“And what are angels?” you might well ask. Well angels are spiritual beings which do not have bodies. They are creatures, that is to say they were created by God (Col 1: 16), but they seem to have been well established by the time that Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:1, 24). As spiritual beings, angels have their own personalities and their own free will. Some angels have chosen (as we are all free to choose) to rebel against God and to try to go their own way. These we call demons and we think of the Devil, the prince of all demons, who we read about being cast out of heaven by St Michael in our second reading today (see also 2 Peter 2: 4, Jude 6). When we use the word “angel” we are generally not thinking of demons, but rather we mean spiritual beings that are good. That is spiritual being who choose to use their free will in harmony with the will of God. They choose to do God’s work. In fact, according to St Augustine, the word “angel”, which means “messenger”, is more of a job title than a description of a particular kind of being. Psalm 103 (v20) tells us that angels are “might ones who do his bidding, obedient to his spoken word”. So angels are powerful, spiritual beings who are the messengers of God and who do God’s will.
Now if angels are spiritual beings, who can’t been seen or touched in the visible world in which we live, how do we know anything about them? How do we even know they exist? Well first of all, angels are always much closer than we think. Psalm 34 (v7) tells us that “the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them” and psalm 97 (9-16) tells us that God will deliver those who love him, sending angels to guard them and bear them up. And so we can believe that we each have a guardian angel walking always beside us and protecting us. Certainly Jesus is thinking this when he talks about children. He says, “take care that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you, in heaven their angels continually see the face of my father” (Matt 18:10). And with angels always so close to us and looking after us it is perhaps not so surprising that we do sometimes meet people who have had some experience of the presence of angels, or of angels protecting them in moments of crisis.
And this certainly seems to have been the experience of God’s people over the centuries. We find that our holy scriptures are full of references to angels. They crop up in literally hundreds of places. As our readings today illustrate, they are spread throughout the bible from Genesis, the very first book, to Revelation, the last book. We find them especially at critical moments in our salvation history; when Abraham is about sacrifice his son Isaac, when Moses is called by God to set the Israelites free, when the Blessed Virgin Mary is told she is to expect the child Jesus, at the resurrection of Christ. The other place that they appear a lot in scripture in where there are visions of heaven. Our reading from Genesis and Revelation both include visions of heaven where lots of angels were seen.
It is interesting to note that it is not just the Christian scriptures that talk about angels. The Jews and the Muslims, who also worship the God of Abraham, also have a great deal about angels in their scriptures. Michael and Gabriel are mentioned in the Muslims holy book, the Koran. The Jewish Talmud has extraordinary details about many angels including Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. It describes many different ranks of angels, and the many different heights of heaven.
And what is so special about the angels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael? Well they are the only three angels to be named in the bible. Michael is the leader of the armies of God, as we heard in our reading from Revelation. Gabriel is the angel who tells Zachariah that he is to father John the Baptist, and tells the Blessed Virgin Mary that she is to mother Jesus. Raphael appears in the apocryphal book of Tobit. He heals Tobit’s eyes so that he can see again.
So that is a bit about angels, but why are angels so important to us in our Christian lives? Well firstly they are important to us because of the practical help that they can give us in our journey towards God. I am thinking here especially of the angels that are close to us all the time, guarding us and protecting us; our guardian angels. But really this is true of all angels. As the book of Hebrews puts it, “Are not all angels spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). With so much help available near at hand, we do well to grow in awareness of angels, thanking god for them and sharing with them in the praising of God.
But angels are also important because they show us something of the high court of heaven. Every now and again the scriptures give us a glimpse of the majesty, splendour and awe of heaven. We saw some of this in our scripture readings today, but it happens many times. [I particularly love the passage in Isaiah when Isaiah describes his vision of the throne of God (Isaiah 6: 1-5). There are seraphs in attendance all around singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.” And the thresholds shake at their singing, and the house is filled with smoke. And then there is the moment when Jesus is born and a multitude of the heavenly host appeared before the shepherds singing, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace and goodwill among people” (Luke 2: 13-14).]
And the extraordinary thing is that we are called to share in this life of heaven. God wants each one of us to be part of it all. In Luke chapter 20 (v35-36) Jesus is talking about resurrection and marriage. He says, “But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection”. We are called to share in this life of heaven and in the holiness of God (Heb 3: 1, 12: 10) like the angels. We know that all this is only fully realised after the resurrection of the dead. We know that we have a long journey to walk before we get there, because we know that we are far from being angels at the moment. But despite this, there is a sense in which it is true already. If we are in Christ then we are already part of this new creation (2 Cor 5:17). And perhaps our best chance of being aware of this is at the Eucharist, where we join with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven to praise the glorious name of God. In the Eucharist, Jesus shares his life with us. Truly it is a foretaste of the great heavenly banquet to which we are called (Revelation 19: 9). Let’s try to place ourselves in that reality as we receive Holy Communion today.
25 May 2008
Holiness - The ultimate lifestyle choice
Preached at St Alphege, Solihull at the 11am Eucharist.
Sunday 25th May 2008, Trinity 1 – Year A (Readings from Epiphany 7)
Readings Leviticus 19: 1-2 & 9-18 1 Cor 3: 10-11 & 16-23 Matt 5: 38-48
Our readings today focus on the theme of becoming holy; holiness as a lifestyle choice. There is quite a lot in the readings about what it means to be holy. There is quite a lot about how we might become holy. But the theme of our readings that stands out most clearly is the call for us Christians to work towards personal holiness as individuals and collective holiness as Church.
The call to holiness is one of the themes of the New Testament (e.g. John 17 17-19, Phil 2:14, 1Thess 4:7 5:23, 2 Tim 1:9, Heb 9:13 13:12, 1 Pet1:15). In our gospel reading today we heard Jesus say to his disciples, “Be perfect therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” And this call to holiness is not something new that arrives with Jesus. God has always called his people to holiness. When Jesus says, “Be perfect and your heavenly Father is perfect,” he is making a reference to the book of Leviticus, which we also heard read today. In Leviticus God himself says to the people, through Moses, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” So God has always called his people to holiness, but Jesus gives this call new impetus and he provides new resources to help us on the journey towards holiness.
People often think, “I am a good Christian…I go to church,” without realising the full implications of being a Christian, without realising that the Christian life is a journey, a journey towards heaven. And heaven is not just a place that we go to when we die, rather heaven is a experience, a state of being. Heaven is where God dwells. To be in heaven means to dwell with God, to rest in his presence, to be illuminated completely by the light of his love, like a crystal of cut glass in a chandelier. Our journey to heaven is therefore about drawing closer to God. It is about improving our relationship with God; about getting to know God. It is about getting better at living in the presence of God. It is about growing up into Christ (Eph 4:5). It is about being formed into Christ (Gal 4:19). It is about being made complete in the love of God (1 John 4:12). It is about being purified from all sin (1 John 1:8). It is about being pure so that we can see God (Matt 5:8, 1 John 3:12-13). And these things take time, they can take a lifetime, perhaps even more than a lifetime. But this journey can be walked much more effectively and much more profitably if we are aware of it, if we welcome it and if we work with it.
Holiness is our true destination. Ultimately our personal fulfilment comes from becoming holy. God created us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He wants us to fulfil our potential, to become what he created us to be. His plan for us is greater than anything we could imagine for ourselves, it satisfies completely our most profound desires and aspirations. Growing in holiness is therefore the logical and sensible way to live our lives. It is the way to self-realisation. It is the way to heaven.
The raw material for this journey of faith, this holy journey towards heaven, is all the circumstances of our everyday lives. There are many different ways of interpreting the circumstances of our everyday lives. Suppose for example we catch a cold. We can interpret this in different ways. We can think, “it’s so-and-so’s fault – he sneezed near me, yesterday.” Another interpretation might be, “It’s my own fault for getting cold on the bus and not having enough victim C.” Another interpretation might be, “I need to take good care of myself for the next few days until I am better.” And all of these interpretations might be true to a greater or lesser extent, but there is one interpretation which is always going to be the most helpful interpretation from the point of view of our journey towards heaven. This is the interpretation that, “God, in his great love for me, has either willed or allowed that I should catch this cold in order to help me to grow closer to Him.” This attitude trains us to find God’s love in everything. It helps us to understand suffering. It helps us to grow in love. This attitude is especially helpful when we deal with other people. Cardinal Van Thuan apparently trained himself not to think, “This person is a nuisance”, but rather to think “This person is sanctifying me”.
Perhaps we have never thought of becoming holy. Perhaps we can’t imagine ourselves as a saint. Perhaps we think, “but I am just very normal…I can’t be something really extraordinary like a saint.” Perhaps we are aware that sin runs deep within us so we feel we can’t become a saint. Perhaps we think, “Ah well, holiness, that is for the enthusiasts…it’s not for me.” If we are thinking like this then we need to think again. We need to remember that we are created for heaven. One day, by hook or by crook, we have to get to heaven. Of course we always have the option of rejecting God completely and going to hell, but assuming that is not what we want, then it makes sense to start work on the journey to heaven right now. This is the journey to life and hope and joy and the sooner we can start making progress the better.
And the good news is that we are already part holy. The embryonic saint already lives within us and is keen to grow and develop and to mature into the new life in Christ. The bad news is that we are also part sinner. Despite our good intentions we are slaves to sin and our behaviour often falls well short of holiness. The devil does his best to convince us that holiness is unattainable. But the devil is a liar. We have been baptised into Christ’s death and resurrection and this has broken the power of sin. If we concentrate on living in the saint and growing in the life of Christ then, in the fullness of time, it is inevitable that the sin within us will be overcome.
So today I invite you to make the ultimate lifestyle choice. Let’s commit ourselves to holiness. Let’s commit ourselves to becoming saints. Let us offer this project to God and let us pray to God for his help. Let us ignore the great liar who says that holiness is irrelevant, or unrealistic or impossible, or not desirable, or not for me. Let’s commit ourselves to walking the way of Christ. Let’s forgive ourselves when we fail. Let’s pray for the grace to start again each time we fail. Let’s not be put off by our failures but rather entrust them to the mercy of God and make a fresh start. And let’s walk with confidence. Christ’s death and resurrection has broken every barrier. If we want our place in heaven, and work for it, then ultimately we cannot fail.
Sunday 25th May 2008, Trinity 1 – Year A (Readings from Epiphany 7)
Readings Leviticus 19: 1-2 & 9-18 1 Cor 3: 10-11 & 16-23 Matt 5: 38-48
Our readings today focus on the theme of becoming holy; holiness as a lifestyle choice. There is quite a lot in the readings about what it means to be holy. There is quite a lot about how we might become holy. But the theme of our readings that stands out most clearly is the call for us Christians to work towards personal holiness as individuals and collective holiness as Church.
The call to holiness is one of the themes of the New Testament (e.g. John 17 17-19, Phil 2:14, 1Thess 4:7 5:23, 2 Tim 1:9, Heb 9:13 13:12, 1 Pet1:15). In our gospel reading today we heard Jesus say to his disciples, “Be perfect therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” And this call to holiness is not something new that arrives with Jesus. God has always called his people to holiness. When Jesus says, “Be perfect and your heavenly Father is perfect,” he is making a reference to the book of Leviticus, which we also heard read today. In Leviticus God himself says to the people, through Moses, “You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” So God has always called his people to holiness, but Jesus gives this call new impetus and he provides new resources to help us on the journey towards holiness.
People often think, “I am a good Christian…I go to church,” without realising the full implications of being a Christian, without realising that the Christian life is a journey, a journey towards heaven. And heaven is not just a place that we go to when we die, rather heaven is a experience, a state of being. Heaven is where God dwells. To be in heaven means to dwell with God, to rest in his presence, to be illuminated completely by the light of his love, like a crystal of cut glass in a chandelier. Our journey to heaven is therefore about drawing closer to God. It is about improving our relationship with God; about getting to know God. It is about getting better at living in the presence of God. It is about growing up into Christ (Eph 4:5). It is about being formed into Christ (Gal 4:19). It is about being made complete in the love of God (1 John 4:12). It is about being purified from all sin (1 John 1:8). It is about being pure so that we can see God (Matt 5:8, 1 John 3:12-13). And these things take time, they can take a lifetime, perhaps even more than a lifetime. But this journey can be walked much more effectively and much more profitably if we are aware of it, if we welcome it and if we work with it.
Holiness is our true destination. Ultimately our personal fulfilment comes from becoming holy. God created us. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He wants us to fulfil our potential, to become what he created us to be. His plan for us is greater than anything we could imagine for ourselves, it satisfies completely our most profound desires and aspirations. Growing in holiness is therefore the logical and sensible way to live our lives. It is the way to self-realisation. It is the way to heaven.
The raw material for this journey of faith, this holy journey towards heaven, is all the circumstances of our everyday lives. There are many different ways of interpreting the circumstances of our everyday lives. Suppose for example we catch a cold. We can interpret this in different ways. We can think, “it’s so-and-so’s fault – he sneezed near me, yesterday.” Another interpretation might be, “It’s my own fault for getting cold on the bus and not having enough victim C.” Another interpretation might be, “I need to take good care of myself for the next few days until I am better.” And all of these interpretations might be true to a greater or lesser extent, but there is one interpretation which is always going to be the most helpful interpretation from the point of view of our journey towards heaven. This is the interpretation that, “God, in his great love for me, has either willed or allowed that I should catch this cold in order to help me to grow closer to Him.” This attitude trains us to find God’s love in everything. It helps us to understand suffering. It helps us to grow in love. This attitude is especially helpful when we deal with other people. Cardinal Van Thuan apparently trained himself not to think, “This person is a nuisance”, but rather to think “This person is sanctifying me”.
Perhaps we have never thought of becoming holy. Perhaps we can’t imagine ourselves as a saint. Perhaps we think, “but I am just very normal…I can’t be something really extraordinary like a saint.” Perhaps we are aware that sin runs deep within us so we feel we can’t become a saint. Perhaps we think, “Ah well, holiness, that is for the enthusiasts…it’s not for me.” If we are thinking like this then we need to think again. We need to remember that we are created for heaven. One day, by hook or by crook, we have to get to heaven. Of course we always have the option of rejecting God completely and going to hell, but assuming that is not what we want, then it makes sense to start work on the journey to heaven right now. This is the journey to life and hope and joy and the sooner we can start making progress the better.
And the good news is that we are already part holy. The embryonic saint already lives within us and is keen to grow and develop and to mature into the new life in Christ. The bad news is that we are also part sinner. Despite our good intentions we are slaves to sin and our behaviour often falls well short of holiness. The devil does his best to convince us that holiness is unattainable. But the devil is a liar. We have been baptised into Christ’s death and resurrection and this has broken the power of sin. If we concentrate on living in the saint and growing in the life of Christ then, in the fullness of time, it is inevitable that the sin within us will be overcome.
So today I invite you to make the ultimate lifestyle choice. Let’s commit ourselves to holiness. Let’s commit ourselves to becoming saints. Let us offer this project to God and let us pray to God for his help. Let us ignore the great liar who says that holiness is irrelevant, or unrealistic or impossible, or not desirable, or not for me. Let’s commit ourselves to walking the way of Christ. Let’s forgive ourselves when we fail. Let’s pray for the grace to start again each time we fail. Let’s not be put off by our failures but rather entrust them to the mercy of God and make a fresh start. And let’s walk with confidence. Christ’s death and resurrection has broken every barrier. If we want our place in heaven, and work for it, then ultimately we cannot fail.
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