Every nation is founded on a set of values. Jesus calls us to be faithful to God and to seek his kingdom, which means loving and caring for all, not fuelling division. Fr Richard reflects on today’s readings from Mass.
Readings for Saturday of week 11 of ordinary time can be found here.
Many people at the moment are taking part in World Cup sweepstakes, at home, in the office, or even at church. For a modest sum you draw one or more teams at random, and if yours wins the whole tournament, you get a cash prize. Some people take the opportunity to find out something about the history and culture of the countries they have drawn. Every country has a set of values which shapes the kind of society it is today. They may be founded on an ancient civilization, have been forged through revolution, or won independence from a colonial power.
The ancient Kingdom of Judah was supposed to be based on fidelity to God, who had led his people to the promised land and founded a royal dynasty with King David. However, King Joash abandoned these values and led the people into worship of idols. Even the witness of Zechariah, who tried to bring the people back to God, had no effect, and Joash had him killed. The result of Judah abandoning its founding principles was defeat and disaster for the nation.
Jesus challenges his disciples and by extension us to consider the values that we follow. He is clear that we must make a choice, for we cannot both follow God and a path that is opposed to his will. The Great Get Together, our Mass intention for this Saturday of Refugee Week, reminds us of the important values which ought to shape us as a society. These values are summed up in Jo Cox’s famous words from her maiden speech in the House of Commons, that as a nation we have more in common than that which divides us. We live in difficult and anxious times, and when anxiety takes root the temptation is to find someone to blame for our problems. Often the target ends up being the most vulnerable in society, such as refugees. This in turn breeds division rather than unity. In the Gospel Jesus tells us not to be anxious about the future but to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness”. May we hold fast to those values as we seek to build a society where everyone has an honoured place.
Mass today is in St Mary’s at 11.30am (preceded by morning prayer at 10.50 and Rosary at 11).
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