A woman in Samaria happened to meet with Jesus at a well she went to fetch water from. She asked Jesus a question: “Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, while you say that Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship”, Jesus’ answer was “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem…when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth: that is the kind of worshipper the Father wants. God is spirit, and those who worship must worship in spirit and truth.” (Ref John 4:21-24). It is no more the mountains that matters for worship, but a personal or spiritual relationship with Jesus Christ.
There is a little known fact about St Mary’s Cathedral Sydney. It is a war memorial church and has a statue of an unknown fallen soldier in the nave! I was surprised to find it out many years ago. But it made sense later. Not one, but two, World Wars dominated the history, especially the western in the twentieth century. Hence there have been glorification of wars, erection of war memorials in city centres, and dedication of churches to the memories human conflicts.
Dominic Savio, a school boy, died at the age of fourteen. He was one of the students of St John Bosco. One day, Fr John, speaking to a group of students in their playground, asked a question, “Suppose you are told you will die in an hour’s time, what would you do?”
“I tell those idiots who argue for ‘big bang theory’ and ‘evolution theory’, to read the Bible about creation”. These were the words of a proud Catholic. When I told him that the story of God creating everything in seven days is not meant to be a scientific explanation on the origins of the world; it is rather the theology of the relationship between humans and God.
I have a crafted Christmas nativity scene on the wall of my presbytery, a gift on the 25th anniversary of my ordination. The artwork of Jilumol Mariet Thomas. But this creation is not the work of her hands, she does not have hands. The amazing piece of art was created with her legs alone. When I met Jilumol she was a school girl in an institution run by the Sisters of the Destitute, where my cousin Sr Christine was in charge. Now she has a university degree in graphics and animation and works as an animation artist.
It is a strange feeling to think of starting Holy Week in the current COVID19 situation. But we can also thank God that he has provided us with the ability to make sense out of the unusual situation.
CORONA AND RAISING OF LAZARUS (Jn 11:1-45) COVID19 Pandemic seems to kill, not just people, but the economy, the religious practices, education systems, in short the world as we know it. In a microcosmic way, the death of Lazarus made his sisters think of their world collapsing. They were all the more saddened by the[…..]
