In the gospel reading today, the community of disciples appears to be fractured and fragile. Our dreams for true community begins with living what we hope to change. Here’s today’s reflection from Mass.
BIBLE READINGS: The readings for the Tuesday of Holy Week, can be found here.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian and anti-Nazi dissident who was executed at Flossenburg concentration camp in 1945, wrote, “Those who love their dream of a Christian community more than they love the Christian community itself become destroyers of that Christian community.”
We may have a dream for the church and imagine what it could or should be really like, but, if we take Bonhoeffer’s words seriously, then it must begin with a love of the church, whisky acknowledging its sinfulness and weaknesses.
In the gospel reading, at the heart of the celebration from which we receive the sacrament of unity and communion, there is a very real sense of fear and foreboding, self doubt and questioning. Jesus himself is troubled in spirit, and each of his disciples become suspicious of the other. They eye up one another as potential threats and even Peter, who seems so self assured, has the rug pulled from under him. The community of Jesus’ disciples seems fragile.
We live in a society which is so often divided, where we can suspiciously eye up people who are different from us, look for someone to blame for all the problems in society whilst we are distracted from what the real problems might be. How can we, as the Christian community, dismantle the barriers which exist, and model the kind of relationships which bring unity, hope and love? How can we have the kind of conversations which are respectful, choosing our words carefully, listening to others and learning from them? Perhaps it begins with being more self aware and certainly with taking the posture which Jesus adopted— stooping to wash feet, and laying down our lives as servants, loving one another as he has loved us.
Mass today is at S Mary’s Church at 630pm
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