A message from Mother Linda
I want to thank you for my warm welcome to the parish this week. I feel quite overwhelmed and very emotional about this new beginning. At the Commissioning rehearsal your enthusiasm for your parish was palpable. I am deeply grateful for the time, effort and energy you have put into the preparations. How special to celebrate Christ The King and then Advent with its theme of anticipation as we cement our new relationship.
So, as we face the festival of Christ The King we are experiencing a world riven with strife. How should we draw comfort from our belief in Jesus? The text of our gospel this Sunday pivots on a drama played out in the conversation between Pilate and Jesus. Jesus says: “My Kingdom is not from this world.” Further, “If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” (John 18: 36) We could paraphrase that Jesus rejects the use of power and coercion to win the world to his kingdom.
Where does this statement leave us? It calls us to reflect on every aspect of our own behaviour. How do we embrace a citizenship of peace and compassion as the hallmarks of His kingdom? We do that by participation in the love of our pattern and our King.
There is so much I want to share with you about my understanding of Ignatian Spirituality and all that it teaches me, but we can only take that one step at a time. For now, we can take heart that despite the turmoil of our world, Love is the heartbeat principle of the Kingdom of God. Our charge is to make it visible.
Wishing you every blessing,
Linda