A pilgrim's reflection: on the beauties and the dangers of the law

 "The man who keeps them and teaches them will be considered great in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt 5:19)

The idea of the law can sometimes have a bad reputation among Christians. The topic seems complicated. Jesus lambasts the Pharisees for adding the burdens of human tradition on top of the laws which God imposed on the Jews under the Old Covenant. The constant scrutiny of legal compliance is what seems to characterise many of their questions to Jesus in the course of His ministry. Yet in today's gospel, Jesus seems to veer in the other direction, specifically warning his disciplines not to imagine He is abolishing the Law and the Prophets.

As we see in the period after the Ascension, the apostles have to work out whether the ritual and dietary elements of the Law should be adopted by Gentiles who become Christians. St Paul even clashes with St Peter on this issue when Peter does not stand up to those Jews who wanted to require Gentiles to conform. That particular issue is of course long since passed in the history of the Church, but in a way the problem haunts us still in another guise, most especially in how we relate to the various elements of the Faith.

For it is possible to treat the practices of the Faith like a set of instrumental rules that deliver salvation to us. When we do this, our compass shifts subtly away from the communion of divine friendship which God calls us to in Jesus Christ, and towards a legalistic compliance by which we measure our own performance in the faith. Let's make no mistake here; divine friendship requires us to be as faithful as we can by God's grace. We take our failings then to the confessional with us. Yet, in our resolve not to sin again, as the act of Contrition says, we can be too ready to police this compliance not so much with rigour as with something approaching egoism - a tendency that has more to do with our self-image, than it has with a genuine outward turning of the soul towards the God of love who reaches out to us.

This is perhaps one of the places in which self-surrender becomes essential. In truth, we are not the masters of our soul, and compliance lies beyond the capabilities of even the greatest saints (for the just man falls seven times a day). Unconscious forces and needs - the wounds of original sin that remain even after baptism - operate in us and twist our best intentions when we least expect it. The good that we would do, that we do not, as St Paul tells the Romans.

Worse still, however, our knowledge of God's laws can work against us when we dress up such unconscious needs as the fulfilment of the law. An unregulated and unconscious need to nurture others can be disguised as a dutiful exercise of love towards our neighbour while underneath it may be more about manipulation and control. An unregulated and unconscious need for attachment to others can be disguised as humility, selflessness or dutiful obedience but underneath it may be a kind of servitude. The best we can do here is to know where self-confidence ends and a genuine distrust of self begins. Or, as St Philip Neri used to pray, "Dear Lord, don't trust Philip!".

So, to conclude,  we should both embrace and avoid the law! Embrace it as the expression of the beautiful order that the God of love calls us to. But avoid it - or not so much avoid it as know how to suspend our legalistic impulses -  when our hearts misuse it as a measure of self-regarding evaluation or as a cover for the pursuit of needs that simply have not been brought before the throne of Christ and surrendered at His feet. 

Surrender all to Him. Our real journey into the abyss of love begins there.

... a pilgrim's prayer journal ...

 'Ask, search, knock ... is there anyone who would hand his son a stone when he asked for bread?.... 

... So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.'

Matthew 7. 7-12

Generally these words of Jesus from His mountain discourse bring to mind the encouragement to pray for real, specific things and to be 'extravagant' in our requests to God., trusting that He wants to give us what we desire as long as those are good desires, in line with His will for us.

This time I was struck more by the fact that verse 12 is included in the reading.  We are reminded to treat others with equal kindness, dignity and respect, as we would like to be treated.  It struck me that we are being invited here to be like the Father in the previous verses, to give abundantly to others as He does.

When we practice saying our 'Yes' to the Lord, every moment of our lives, are we also able to say yes to others in the same way?  Do we always respond openly, giving the bread and the fish we're asked for every time?

Jesus says here that this mutual kindness is 'the meaning of the Law and the Prophets'.  How often do I remember this in the little things, even the tiny requests for a yes from me, in the good and bad moments of every day?

A pilgrim's reflection: wars and rumours of wars

 We do apologize for not updating the blog for a little while. Last week saw us travelling to Dereham midweek ahead of a meeting of the Walsingham group, and we returned from Walsingham ill and have spent the last three days in bed! So many moments in which to say 'yes' to the Lord more fervently than ever - would that we could do so easily!

Undoubtedly, however, much of our attention has been drawn in the last few days to the extraordinary and ominous events unfolding in Eastern Europe. We are watching history unfold before our very eyes. The events of the last few days will undoubtedly have a profound and lasting impact on international affairs - perhaps even on our own lives. We are yet to feel fully the economic consequences but these too may be significant.

There is no easily available, just-add-water-and-stir spiritual answer to events of such magnitude. We are human after all, and we are both vulnerable and slow to understand. Some of us may be personally affected immediately by what is happening if we have family in Ukraine or nearby countries. Others may have friends there or close by, as is the case for us. Others among us may feel more personally remote from the situation. And yet, in a great and mysterious way, we are all concerned and should feel concerned. 

So, when we are ready to bring ourselves and this issue before God, we have now more than ever a perfect opportunity to plunge more deeply into what it means to drink Christ's cup of suffering with Him. Many Ukrainians are our brothers and sisters in Christ. All Ukrainians and indeed Russians are our fellow citizens of the world. The persecution of every innocent soul, the broken bodies of the refugees and the victims of bombings and other atrocities, are all so many blows aimed at the heart of God who has commanded His followers to love one another as He has loved us. How can we not grieve in such evil times? 

As is so often the case, the gospel of today offers us a lifeline of sorts to unravel this ungodly mess. "Your light must shine in the sight of men [...] so that, seeing your good works, they may give praise to your Father in heaven." Few of us are called to solve the problems of the world. All of us, however, are called to say 'yes' and 'thank you' to God every day, so His goodness may become the woof and weft of the existence He has given us. 

All of us are capable of coldness; let us conquer it with the warmth of His love despite the cold shadows or war. All of us are capable of hostility; let us vanquish it in our hearts with His goodness which seeks to reconcile, sundering ties only with the burdens of sin. 

May all know the Father's love through our actions this Lent. And may we be worthy to follow our Crucified Lord in His victory parade up the hillside of Calvary. 

Mary, behold your children and keep us close to Him.