Today’s readings remind us of the vulnerability of this
earth and God’s people upon it. In the Gospel passage,
we learn that Peter is to be entrusted with the care of
God’s people. Isaiah reminds us of the transient
nature of the earthly and the eternity of God and
Heaven. The world we live in is one of contrasts –
good and evil, plenty and want. Always, as Christians
we are in search of God and the ways of the Kingdom of
Heaven. Instinctively we know when the environment
abounds with the love and mercy of God and when it does
not. Our instincts make us yearn for the love and
mercy of God, but it is a struggle to always live by
this. Sometimes it is our own weakness and tendency to
be poor in spirit. At other times it is the
environment and the forces of darkness at work which prevent
the flourishing of the Kingdom of God in the world.
There is the promise in Isaiah of deliverance and salvation
for the people. This is our hope and our prayer,
especially in times of darkness. The deliverance is
God’s to give, which is the overcoming of evil by God’s love
and grace, freeing his people. To always be in a state
of searching, striving can be draining and self-defeating,
revealing a lack of faith. Rather we should have trust
in God and be like the lilies of the field, neither toiling
nor spinning. To just ‘be’ – the calm and peace of
being in harmony with the Holy Spirit. We do not have
to be flawless, for St Peter was not without fault.
Yet Jesus entrusted him with the foundation of the
church. Peter was shaped by his experiences, as one of
the disciples, learning to be faithful and growing in
spiritual wisdom, to become the first true leader of the
church. As well as a disciple, Peter was a flawed
human being. It is knowledge of this which enables him
to be the leader and founder of the church.
Humanity, infused with true grace from God is what
transforms the world and makes it part of the Kingdom of
God. It melts the heart of men and women
everywhere. It requires courage and self-knowledge of
the people who act upon the Holy Spirit, taking risks and
being prepared to make the self sacrifices needed in the
situation. True humility which does not seek
recognition, but which enables others to live more
peacefully, respecting difference, weakness and not
exploiting vulnerabilities in whatever forms they may
come. It is easy to be intolerant or judgemental; it
is harder to be forgiving and not to rise to indignation.
In Paul’s letter to the Romans he tells his listeners that
there is a role for everyone. It is not enough to take
a passive role, to not take responsibility. Everyone
has a part to play – as a minister, teacher or in whatever
capacity each can use their gifts, for the service of God
and his people. The gifts we have will differ, but
each one of us can play a key part in building the Kingdom
of God. The warmth and gentleness of spirit is in our
hearts is key to this. Keeping rigidly to rules if we
break the spirit of the law is a greater failure. The
duty to follow the teachings of Christ can seem overwhelming
to us. Sometimes it is simply the enormity of the task
which is why we lose faith or act in ways which we later
feel ashamed of. When the world seems hostile or
someone comes into our lives, we may question the purpose of
it all. It is when we see kindness and goodness that
our hearts are warmed once again and we have our faith
renewed.
I think of my grandmother, who had a childhood of great
sadness, living in an orphanage for some of her early
years. Yet, she was one of the gentlest, kindest, most
loving people I have ever known. For me, probably the
most loving and most kind. She was a living
inspiration of God’s gifts, filled with God’s grace, as she
was. For she did not want those she lover to suffer
the loneliness and deprivation she had experienced, as a
child.
Let us pray, therefore, that whatever we do in our lives, we
live in God, that God lives in us and that we share that
love with the world and all of God’s creatures.