“We can imagine the world that Jesus proclaims, which is the possibility of life with God for ever which begins with how we treat our fellow human beings here on earth.” Here’s today’s reflection from the daily Mass.
BIBLE READINGS: You can find the readings Thursday of the Second Week of Lent can be found here
“Imagine there’s no heaven. It’s easy if you try. No hell below us. Above us only sky.” So go the opening words of John’s Lennon’s song,
Imagine,’ which asks its listeners to imagine a world of many possibilities, including one without religion—just a world of people with no hunger, no need, no countries, no borders, a world living as one, but also a world without God.
In the gospel reading, Jesus turns his imagination to a world where there is a Heaven and a Hell. He tells a story. One person finds himself in the underworld, in Hades, a place of death and separation from God. The other, Lazarus, is at Abraham’s side, in a place we might call Heaven. The person in Hades wants to give a warning to his five brothers on earth so they don’t make the same mistake he did—living in selfish, self-indulgent luxury at the expense of the poor. But Abraham says they’ve already had their warning: through Moses and the prophets. If they don’t listen to them, then what more do they want? They’re not likely to believe even if someone rises from the dead.
We can imagine all kinds of possibilities. For us, as Christians, the possibility of life with God for ever has been made real through the death and resurrection of Christ. We can live in the world and behave as if there are no repercussions to our actions. Or we can turn to our fellow human being and treat them with compassion, kindness, and love. Like John Lennon, we can imagine a world without borders and boundaries. But, unlike John Lennon’s song, we can imagine the world that Jesus proclaims, which is the possibility of life with God for ever which begins with how we treat our fellow human beings here on earth.
Mass today is at S Dyfrig and S Samson Church at 10am.
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