70. The Soul
None of us particularly like to be stretched but it is a natural part of life and often necessary for our own growth. This week we reflect on the different ways we are challenged and invited out of our comfort zone. Jesus continually calls us to take this leap of faith. It is worth reflecting how we have been stretched in our lives and how we can continue to stretch ourselves into who we are called to be.
“If you choose, you can make me clean.” Mark 1:40
Jesus stretched out his hand.
Two invitations offered. The first by the leper and second by Jesus.
The leper asked and hoped. Jesus answered and offered.
It was a stretch for both. One was a leper after all. It was audacious to speak out and ask for healing. He could have been turned down, shunned again. He had nothing to lose and everything to gain. And Jesus, He stepped out beyond the bounds of cultural norms, to draw the leper back into community, into love. Jesus was radical, but do we ever think about the fact that He also stretched himself? Culturally and religiously, He pushed the boundaries of the time. He touched and associated with a leper, thereby making Himself ritually unclean. This man seeking His healing was an outcast and a sinner, and by mere association Jesus’ character was called into question. Yet Jesus healed him anyway. His love healed the leper and changed the lives of so many.
In his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis writes: ‘Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travellers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all.’ (#8)
This dream Pope Francis speaks of, is Jesus’ invitation towards the Kingdom of God. An invitation into a community of love for all. It calls on us to come together, to accept and to reach out in Jesus’ radical love. Pope Francis contextualises this as a radical love for our common home and for each other. This is no easy task. It’s our turn to stretch. To stretch beyond our prejudices and our misconceptions, to stretch out our hands and our hearts in love.
Invitations have been offered. Will we accept?
-
You Walk On Water (Fr. Maximilian Mary Dean) - We are walking on water whenever we choose to follow Jesus. Fr Maximilian Mary Dean is a Franciscan Priest who enjoys writing music and is inspired musically by St Alphonsus and Fr Antonio Vivaldi.
-
I’m So Blessed (Cain) - Whether it’s a good day or a bad day, you're still a child of God.
- Stretched Wide - (Feast Worship) - God’s love is all we need.
-
I Don’t Have Much (Corey Voss & Sarah Kroger) - Lord, You are meek and humble of heart. We pray that we might grow ever more humble and in doing so, desire you more in our lives.
Community care is any care provided by a single individual which benefits other people in their life. It is about giving and receiving care in ways that support shared wellbeing and connectedness, particularly amidst shared struggles. Click here to read more.
Martin Luther King said "Life's most persistent and nagging question is 'What are you doing for others?'" The attached article encourages readers to consider what ways of reaching out could be included in your family’s way of being. Click here to read more.
Recently our Australian Church has been called on to stretch its thinking as it held the second Assembly of the Fifth Plenary Council in Australia. It was a diverse gathering made up of 277 members across all the dioceses and eparchies in Australia. Below are a variety of links from the Council that are well worth reading and listening to.
- Member Reflections
- The Plenary Matters podcast was hosted by Geraldine Doouge throughout the Assembly. She interviews a range of people on the various motions from both the First and Second Assemblies.
- What exactly were the topics being discussed at the Plenary Council? Here you will find what the motions were, how they were voted upon and the decrees of the Council.
- Good Samaritan Congregational Leader Sr Patty Faulkner reflects on her experience of a particularly difficult day at the Plenary Council in this article. It was first published in the July 2022 edition of The Good Oil, the e-journal of the Good Samaritan Sisters www.goodsams.org.au
- Against the Grain - Australian Catholics speak to Sister Melissa Dwyer of the Canossian Daughters of Charity, who gave up an Olympic career to be a nun and has never looked back.
- The Catholic Gentleman with Jonathan Doyle - Renowned motivational speaker, Jonathan Doyle, from Australia, joins us to talk about his life as a peak performance athlete and motivational life coach, as well as how to avoid letting sloth, laziness, or suffering ruin our lives. Learn how to overcome your weaknesses and be a powerful witness to the world.
- Good Sport: Questions and Activities - The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will take place from 28 July and 8 August. Here are some sport-themed Religious Education resources to help you celebrate the games with your class.
All staff in Catholic Schools in the Diocese of Lismore receive The Soul by email. The link in these emails can be forwarded and shared with family and friends. Alternatively, use this form to subscribe as an additional reader to The Soul mailing list.