‍

Dear brothers and sisters,

It is so easy for us to become creatures of habit. This is not always a bad thing, especially when the habits and routines that we have contribute to our good, and that of those around us: daily prayer, regular celebration of the Sacrament of Penance, joining in the celebration of Mass on Sunday, works of charity and care for those around us. All these are good - but sometimes the Lord can surprise us.

We see examples of this in the Old Testament reading this Sunday and in the Gospel. In both cases, unexpected people proclaim the word of God. We must be open to such possibilities, for sometimes the Holy Spirit will prompt us to do things that surprise us and there will be occasions, most certainly, when we hear the Good News from unexpected sources. Indeed, I am sure we will all have had the experience of being put on the right track by people we might perhaps find difficult. It is important, as followers of Jesus, to have eyes and ears, mind and heart, open to His word, His action.

Neither should we be obstacles - either to the good that the Lord has placed in us or in the good we see in others. The gift of recognising the presence of God in another is something for which we should pray each day - for there will be many occasions of such meetings that we might miss, so many opportunities lost, unless we are ‘tuned in’ to the Lord’s presence in those around us. We must also look to ourselves. James, in this Sunday’s Second Reading, has stern words for the rich. There will be other ways in which we can hamper the action of the Holy Spirit in ourselves, and a daily examination of conscience is an important means to preventing the stifling of the Lord’s work in us.

God is active in every place and at every moment, in the good practice that we have developed in our lives and in the unexpected too; He is active in us and in our brothers and sisters. It is so important to remain always open to God’s grace and to put an end to anything that would prevent the action of that grace. God has given us so many gifts – let us use them and celebrate them in ourselves and in our brothers and sisters.

With every blessing,

+ Richard

‍

To discover the latest news from the Diocese or join one of our upcoming events, please click the button below to read this week's E-Bulletin newsletter.