“It is in this sense that St. Paul tells us that faith works through charity: love is the nourishment and the fullness of faith, the gift of one’s self to the Other, and invariably to others. This is the foundation of the praxis of Christians, of their active presence in history”.

-Gustavo Gutierrez

"We can never know God by seeking to grasp and manipulate God, but only by letting God grasp us."

- John Macquarrie

To exclude and reject is a form of Hedonism. We use our power to reject and exclude other people or the way they live their lives to gain cheap pleasure and comfort. This is a self indulgent exercise, no matter how natural it may seem.

Countless amounts of times I have heard people claim a song written, a poem constructed, or a prayer said, was not the work of the writer but that of the Holy Spirit. While I am not denying the ability of the Spirit to move us in these areas there are a couple of issues with this kind of statement. The first issue is that it can work as a defence mechanism. If the piece or prayer is not received well the author is shielded from the feeling of disappointment because they were simply a “medium” for the spirit. The second issue is that if the hearer disagrees with the statements being made then it is the Spirit they are disagreeing with. We need to be courageous enough to own these instances. If we do so it can lead into a discussion of differing views and a communal exploration that leads to relationship and a move towards togetherness. In other words, the work of disagreement can actually lead to us closer to the kind of peace Christ left for his people. This kind of peace leads us away from self-defence toward a focus on sharing ourselves with the other. Disagreement and a willingness to challenge ideas is not an absence of love or peace.

We all like to think that in times of fear or pressure we would act in a way that is congruent with who we believe we are. The reality is that we are human and this is not always the case. We can lash out in ways that surprise us, stay silent when we thought we would speak, or conform to a position that we know is not true to our inner beliefs. The truth is we often surprise ourselves with who we truly are.

It is by the Grace of God that we are seeing the church become increasingly more accepting and loving of groups that should always have been offered outstretched arms and a place at the table. The older brother offers an example for us and we are presented with the same open-ended invitation to the celebration. Do we accept this invitation of love and join in the feast of acceptance, or do we decline? It is up to us to make this choice

Lent is an invitation to explore the reality of repentance in our lives. As we journey through this season, we should take this invitation seriously and seek out how we are called to see things anew. This is a difficult calling in a world that seemingly invites us to put ourselves in opposition to others.

The temptation to put our identity in Christ aside can be felt whenever we are tempted to place economic “sensibleness” before generosity, convenience before environmental sustainability, party politics before caring for our neighbor, and judgement before acceptance. We can find ourselves doing mental gymnastics to justify almost anything, especially if it means we don't have to question our solid identity.

If we can reflect on the nature of God as a relationship, we begin to understand that our spiritual transformation is interdependent on all of God’s creation. This is freeing for all of us. Our Worship is a time for spiritual nourishment, yes, but it is also a reminder and call to action in the world.