Reflections from Fr Kieran

The Gospel for today, June 21, is the text of the very familiar Sermon on the Mount. Kieran considers the use by Jesus of the word, hypocrite. When we hear this word, we interpret the word in terms of its usual meaning today. But in this homily, Kieran takes us to its meaning in the original Greek culture of its time.

This perspective offers a different way to read the words of Jesus. Our call, as followers of Christ, as Christians, is to present Christ to the world where we move to the back and Jesus comes to the fore. Good hypocrites?

In his reflection this week, Fr Kieran looks at the story we have been hearing in the readings during this past week, taken from the book of Tobit in the Old Testament. This is the story of a family, a holy family, trying to do their best and observing God’s laws and commands.

And, as happens with all families, sometimes, things go wrong and we are challenged, even in some cases, despairing. In these readings, we hear of the angel Raphael, whom God sends to Tobias, son of Tobit. And as we listen to the story, we see the importance of prayer, of God’s response to the prayer. And in God’s response, we experience a God who is loving, healing, and forgiving.

Surely a lesson for all families today?

In this reflection, Fr Kieran considers the question from the rich young man in St Mark’s Gospel (Mk 10:17). And in this world of ours today when so much emphasis is given to the material things of this life, perhaps sometimes, we can empathise with the rich young man, maybe wanting to have our cake and eat it!

And so, as Kieran suggests, we need to look at the greatest gift of all, Jesus’ unconditional love for us and His promise of eternal life with him; are we ready, and willing, to accept that gift in preference to all else?

In Fr Kieran’s reflection on the Gospel readings of the seventh week of Easter, he writes of themes appearing frequently in this week, viz. concepts of knowledge and truth.

In particular, Kieran explores the dialogue between Peter and Jesus when Jesus asks Peter: “Do you love me,” to which Peter’s reply is not just to say that he does, but to say to Jesus that: “You know that I love you.”

Only God knows how much or how little we love Him. Only God knows the full history of our lives and how we will turn out. We can only hope that we love God. We can never know.

From time to time, as we read or listen to the Gospels, the words of Jesus can seem harsh, as in the Gospel that we have heard last Tuesday (Jn 16:5-11) where Jesus first tells us that, while He is going to the Father, He is giving us the Holy Spirit as the Advocate. Following this, Jesus then sounds a more gloomy tone when speaking of the Spirit as one showing the world how wrong it is about Jesus.

In reflecting on this, Fr Kieran looks to the story in Tuesday’s first reading of Paul and Silas in prison (Acts 16:22-34), and the powerful work of the Holy Spirit in the life of their gaoler. And this same Spirit continues His loving work in our day.

It is not unnatural or unusual to be anxious about a forthcoming event or the future in general. For some people, anxiety itself can be a terrible burden that they might carry through life. And if we speak with people who carry such a burden, the reality of it can seem like a physical weight to be carried, with each step made more difficult as the weight on the shoulders bears down.

In Fr Kieran’s reflection this week, he explores the words of Jesus when he tell us, “Peace I bequeath you, my peace I give you.” It would be all too easy to read, or hear, those words, feel comforted by them, and move on. However, this peace, this assurance, is not as we know it. To be sure, it will not easily relieve all anxiety but if we can truly take this words to heart, understand what Jesus is saying to us, then we can truly live in the unconditional love that Jesus has for each one of us, uniquely.

We use the terms ‘good’ and ‘fine’ interchangeably all the time. And perhaps, that risks us taking a somewhat complacent attitude to the word, ‘good’ when we read and hear stories of The Good Shepherd. While English can be a very expressive language, sometimes, when reading the Word of God, a look back at the original Greek tells a very different story, just as looking at the original Irish word for a town or village tells its own story, one that is lost in its English translation.

Fr Kieran takes us on that journey today and in doing so, opens up a new perspective on what Jesus means when He says, “I am the Good Shepherd.”