Worldly Vision

February 22, 2021

Scripture

And he said, ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.’ Then he said to them all: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.  What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? (Luke 9:22-25 NIV)

Worldly Vision

Parents in Nigeria have more than the pandemic to worry about when sending their kids to school. Recently, yet another armed group kidnapped at least 26 kids and some adults from a school there. People on the streets of Myanmar, Belarus, Yemen, Palestine, Sudan…. and the list goes on, have the pandemic as only one complication to lives filled with turmoil, oppression, hunger, famine and death from many causes.

A quick scan of our news sources shows our preoccupation with cases, rates of hospitalization, vaccination plans, national debt and a small amount about what is going on with the rest of the global human family. Perhaps one Lenten exercise we could try is for every story about our own country we might look for news somewhere on the globe with which we aren’t very familiar – keeping us sensitized to the needs of others.  

At the end of his earthly ministry Jesus had many hard conversations with his friends about his path ahead. He steeled himself to continue offering love and compassion while aware he would soon face suffering, rejection and death. He offered his friends the opportunity to share his challenge – not escape it.

I prefer comfort and ease but sometimes discomfort leads to compassion and generosity – not bad things in these days. We can join Jesus in steeling ourselves for challenges ahead while maintaining a generous and compassionate spirit.

A Prayer for Today

Courage comes from the heart
and we are always welcomed by God,
the heart of all being.

We bear witness to our faith, knowing that we are called
to live lives of courage, love and reconciliation
in the ordinary and extraordinary moments of each day.

We bear witness, too, to our failures
and our complicity in the fractures of our world.  

May we be courageous today.
May we learn today.
May we love today. 

Amen. Amen.      (Daily Prayer With the Corrymeela Community, Padraig O Tuama)