Scripture Reflection – Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time (24-25th of June)

We live a reasonably unchallenged life. We are not confronted by civil wars, oppressive governments or Indological factions of the left or right of politics. We do have the odd demonstration of the ultra-left verses the entrenched ultra-right ideologues; a wages and fair conditions march to parliament or a call to support a cause. We do live in a reasonably unchallenged society. Unfortunately, we can become interiorly unchallenged into the bargain.

The surprising thing is that we should be feeling some challenge of sorts. Two of our Christian sacred festivals of Christmas and Easter are trivialised, commercialised and redefined for us. Advent is no more than chocolate calendar and Christmas a debit induced liability in the shops. The humble hot-cross bun is sold in January! The surprising thing is that we should be feeling some challenge of sorts – but we do not.

If we wish to reclaim our religious and social Christianity we will have to accept the reality that it will cause pain and opposition and hostility. The ABS census might tell us that Catholicism is the largest religious denomination – but the reality is that about a third of the respondents practice their faith and we are not so great after all.

If we wish to reclaim our religious and social Christianity we must reclaim inconvenience and segregation in a secular society. We must externally demonstrate our faith as not different to society but distinctive in values – life and end of life issues for example. As Jesus says in the Gospel “Everyone, therefore, who confesses me before men, him I will confess before my Father in haven.” (Mat 10:32)