Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

“for where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

To gather 'in Jesus's name' is to assemble under his authority and for his purposes. And, Jesus wants us to love our neighbour and thus love God. To love means to appreciate and respect: to be there for the other. To give rather than take. It rejects violence.

The United Nations – reflecting politically The Reign or Kingdom of God - was founded in 1945 to prevent future global conflicts, maintain international peace, and promote cooperation among nations following the devastation of World War II.

Given, in the past, Korea, Afghanistan and Vietnam, and currently The Ukraine, Gaza, Iran and Sudan it has not been a total success.

In all too many countries there is racism, anti-Semitism and islamophobia. 

Jesus Christ said “what you do to the least of mine, you do unto me.”(Mt 25,40) So, as I walk along a pavement and identify people from clearly, a wide variety of cultures and beliefs, I see them as I see Jesus Christ, with respect and appreciation. After all, in 1946, I arrived in London as a BF – a bloody foreigner - from Czechoslovakia  not in a small boat but in a three engine Junkers 52.

It is good to look beneath the skin of those who do not look like ourselves - and see God in the heart of everyone.

What would you like have said at the eulogy at your funeral?

Would it include words like patience, generosity, kindness,  love? Are these virtues in your relationships this week? If they are, Jesus Christ is there with you. If not, it is never too late to change.

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