| World
day of the Sick
When
you think of it, the most material thing
we know is soil, and the most spiritual
reality we know is soul. Both words in the
English language contain almost the same
letters with one difference. The material
has an I, the spiritual a U.
In
many ways western culture focuses on me
and my desires. It claims to give us happiness,
but it is incapable of doing so. It’s
why we need the counterbalance of the soul:
sensitivity to the needs of others.
The
1937 Church of the Beatitudes by the Sea
of Galilee was commissioned by the Italian
Dictator Bentio Mussolini. It’s an
irony that is not lost on the viewer. Earthly
ambitions and empires come and go. The realities
that the Beatitudes speak of belong to a
higher Kingdom. They speak uncomfortable
truths. Jesus talks of a new age where things
are reversed. It’s right now. He says
‘yours is’ not ‘yours
will be the Kingdom of God.’
The
poor can expect to be cared for, the hungry
to be fed, the sorrowing to be comforted
and the hated to be affirmed. Happy are
they! This is speaking ‘on the level’
(gospel) to us. This Kingdom is already
– but not yet. It needs human co-operation.
‘Jesus’ call has always demanded
a choice between the two voices competing
for your hearts.
Even
now, on this hill, the choice between good
and evil, between life and death…
which voice will people follow?’
John
Paul II, Mount of Beatitudes, 2000 AD
Copyright:
Fr. Tom Cox (Intercom)
|
