Thanks to Rachael, Elza and Roberto for noting some of the shared reflection at our Eucharist today:
'As a Jew, Jesus actively participated in the customs and traditions of his people.' I wonder if the (Zionist) Jews in Israel today think the same way regarding their neighbours, the people whose land they have occupied/colonised.
By this Eucharistic celebration over Zoom, we are trying to model 'sharing the table differently'
We heard a parable that tells us that God wants to compel people to come in, and instead we experience a Church that compels people to go out!
The host in the parable says to invite the imperfect, the marginalized, those that no one invites... “Todos, todos, todos!” - said Pope Francis!
Today in my city, Lecco, the lgbtq+ Pride is being held. This year's theme is: "Let's stay human!".
Humanity is what God wants to fill His/Her house with, without asking anyone if they are “straight” or not.
I think that Christian God is a queer God, who does not look at labels but at humanity.
On the t-shirt of a Pride protester it says: “straight as wet spaghetti”.
Spaghetti are straight, but to taste how good they are you have to cook them, and let them take their own direction.
We are all different and all wonderful!
Another t-shirt says: “only very fragile egos fear equality”!
And in Rome we had proof of how scary the word equality is…
In Italian there is a motto that says:
"We are made di-verse because we are poetry".
God loves diversity, and wants His/Her house full of it, full of us all!
The parables of the Kingdom are not only a teaching directed to us, but first and foremost they represent Jesus’ way of thinking and acting.
He is the first one who, sent by the Father, goes to seek out the poor, the sick, the sinners and “the lost sheep of the House of Israel” on the streets and in meeting places.
The Gospels indicate them in various ways: the poor, the crippled, the lepers, the hungry, those who cry, sinners, prostitutes, the little ones, the last, the crowd that does not know the law and therefore is declared cursed by the guardians of the law.
They too become part of those whom Jesus calls “blessed”, not because they are considered happy and blessed among men and women, but because they are his Father’s favorites.
Inclusion is a very important part of our reality. We have to be the counterculture - religions and politics function on exclusion. If we look at the gospels, Jesus lived in a similar society and consciously INCLUDE. Jews excluded sinners, Jesus included them. Jews hated the sick, and Jesus would include. The non-Jews were excluded, but Jesus included them. Women, children....
The Church today has become exactly what the Jews of that time was - an exclusionary Church.
We have to consciously include - and we will be excluded in the bargain. Let us take a stand, and take the prophetic role of including. It is a powerful mission that Jesus has invited us to live today.
It is remarkable that the hierarchical Church hasn't 'got it' yet. They live in the old model. The culmination was in Francis' funeral. He chose not to live in the Vatican, not to die, nor be buried there. He walked with the people, talked with them, and he opened doors. But it is our job now not to lose hope. To keep on living and believing wherever we are. We have to BE the person of the Gospel, who listens to people, lived with them, ate with them, and wanted to know each others' stories.
The hymn we heard - it makes my skin crawl. The last place I would look for neighbourliness is the Sunday congregation. If you want neighbourliness, join with the people, find them on the train, in the public. What struck me is not to HAVE a social ethic, but to BE a social ethic. If you can BE a social ethic, you have to be on board and go out and DO something. The beauty of being elderly is that you do have the time to listen, to enjoy each others' presence. You can enjoy each person you meet. We Are Church is wonderful at doing this. This is what keeps me with WAC, we meet, we talk, we heal wounds. This is a big demonstration of how the institution of the Church should be like.
Our first task is to represent Jesus' way of thinking and acting. He is the first one sent by the Father, and goes to seek out the poor, sick, sinners, and lost sheep - on the streets and in the meeting places. The poor, hungry, lepers, sinners, prostitutes, the last, the crowd, those who do not know the law, those cursed by the 'law'. They all become part of what Jesus calls 'Blessed'. Not because they are happy and special, but they are ...
Being part of an international group is inspiring. I feel honoured to be in the company of you. You give us hope. We have each other.
Remembering the nun raped by the Bishop in Kerala, India... standing with her is living the Gospel. Very inspirational work.
Jesus was incarnated as a male human. Something I've been conscious about. For me, as a woman, God coming as a human, it is amazing. But he comes as a man... I can see in the institution that his maleness is more important than his humanity. It is not talked about, so it is good to see the inclusion here.
The kin-ship across boundaries is important. I think of people who are attacked for where they come from. I am so ashamed of the racism in Northern Ireland. I want to reconnect, and seek out people who are from different places, to stand with them with solidarity and friendship.
The hierarchy just doesn't get it. I live 26 miles away from Ballymena, N. Ireland. Reminds me of the early days of the problems there, and makes me think - Gosh, we haven't moved a bit! The fear and the terror that people are going through... it is nothing in comparison to Gaza.
In the last few months, I have been on LinkedIn, with what has been happening in Gaza. I connected with people I would not normally have connected with. It is interesting to sense that so many people in Palestine who look at us, the EU, asking, "do you not care because we look different? Do your Human Rights only apply to white people? Are Palestinian children not as important?" Human Rights abuses have no consequences. Our talk about human dignity, human rights, the right to life, and children being precious, all that seems to be limited. Neighbour doesn't matter of colour and creed. Humanity seems to apply only in some cases, and only to some colour of people when it comes to violation of human rights and international law. As a citizen of 2 countries, we have been shown to the world as being totally hypocritical. My grandparents and parents lived through the holocaust in France. From an early age, we said 'never again'. I cannot believe I am living through a genocide (there is no other word) and we know, because it is FILMED. And we go on as if it is not happening. A lot of talk, and no action. So, complicity. As I say, the EU will not have a leg to stand on when it comes to human rights and international law. And most of us are Christians - we have to ask ourselves what is our Christianity worth, when it comes to such situations. Now that the internet is cut off in Gaza, you can imagine how much worse is happening there. I want to pray for the dead. We trade, we sell weapons, at the expense of what? We have decided to worship mammon.