Reconciliation for Mon 11 May to Friday 15 May - 11.15am - 12.20pm. Please note that strict social distancing rules will be applied. Confession will take place in the Cloister area.
Dear Friends
William Barclay in his commentary on John’s Gospel speaks about the mentality of the disciples as they are gathered in the upper room listening to Jesus’ farewell discourse (John 13:1-17:26): ‘in a short time life for the disciples was going to fall in. Their world was going to collapse in chaos around them. At such a time there is only one thing to do – stubbornly to hold onto trust in God…there comes a time when we have to believe where we cannot prove and to accept where we cannot understand. If in the darkest hour, we believe that somehow there is a purpose in life and that that purpose is love, even the unbearable becomes bearable and even in the darkness there is a glimmer of light.’ [Barclay, The Gospel of John: The Daily Study Bible, Volume 2, pp 152-153].
As he takes leave of his disciples Jesus taps into their feelings of agitation and anxiety. He simply says to them: ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in God still and trust in me’ [14:1]. As the world of the disciples was about to cave in, they were to face many troubles: abandonment of Jesus, discouragement, and eventually persecution and martyrdom. In all this Jesus tells them to simply trust in him and in God.
There are many things that can trouble our own hearts. On an international level there lies the presence of terrorism and economic instability and natural disasters that seem to be occurring in an ever-increasing fashion. Since the beginning of this year we have experienced in Australia: floods, bushfires, drought and the Corona Virus pandemic. On the local front, there is the seemingly growing alienation within society, with people becoming more and more self-centred and distant from each other. And on a personal level there always seems to one or two areas of life that can always cause us consternation and anxiety.
In the face of all these things that capture our hearts and may cause an amount of restlessness within us, Jesus simply asks us to have faith in him and in God. There definitely comes a time in our lives when we realise that we have done all that we can with regard to our problems and issues in life, often finding ourselves not having a clue on how to progress in certain troubling situations. Placing our trust in Jesus and in God better allows us to trust in ourselves and in others in dealing with the troubles and challenges in life.
We are familiar with the ever new and popular GPS systems that can guide and direct us to unfamiliar and unexplored places. Today, Jesus presents himself as our life’s spiritual GPS system as he states that he is ‘the Way, the Truth and the Life’ [John 14:6]. This Way is found in the Truth of his word and his example. The Truth is found in the certain belief that God loves us, irrespective of our faults and failings. In placing our faith in Him, we then are offered Life in its fullness. Faith in Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life does not guarantee that we will know how the mysteries and troubles of life will unfurl. It does however give us an assurance that we do not travel that difficult road alone. It allows us to believe that life’s purpose stems from God’s love and that that love adds light to our world, even in those dark moments. The challenge for us is to not allow our hearts to be troubled, but simply and honestly to place our trust in God and in Jesus, the Way, Truth and Life. Last Sunday we were challenged to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd in our lives, among the many other voices that ask for our attention. Having been able to recognise his voice, we are challenged this week to have the faith and trust to follow Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. .
Fr Robert Bossini
Dean & Parish Priest
