‘Perhaps Lazarus sees the big picture’
HOMILY: And now we see the full measure of wisdom in the house of Martha and Mary, who, with their (mute) brother Lazarus, offer hospitality (safety, nourishment) to Jesus …
‘A steep way’
HOMILY: YHWH says, “I am going to measure my people Israel by plumb line. I will no longer excuse their atrocities.” The plumb line, the vertical measure, is social and ecological justice, equity … safety, freedom for one another … true love.
‘Two by two’
HOMILY: The word “mission” is fraught with danger (beware ravenous wolves!). Depending on the context, on lived experience, “mission” can mean purpose, good intentions, control, colonialism, fear and trauma … as well as the mission of Christ … vulnerable openness … the mission of God to make and to mend …
‘Hold on, hold on’
HOMILY: “Well, I got my hand on the gospel plough / And I ain’t got nothin’ for my journey now // Keep your hand on that plough, hold on / Hold on, hold on / Keep your hand on that plough, hold on …”
‘What is your name?’
HOMILY: “What is your name?” Jesus asks the one in torment. He asks for a name, and in so doing begins to recall the one ostracised by society to a precious identity as a child beloved of God.
‘Vision and faith’
HOMILY: Angels move between heavenly and earthly realms – bringing grace and wisdom; blessing humble earthlings, human and otherkind. This is the vision and faith of Margaret Vazey.
‘Three angels’
HOMILY: “The Christian image of the Trinity as perichoresis is a playful dance around the chora, circling about the core space of hospitality, the generative womb of Sarah and Mary, the eucharistic chalice of bread and wine.”
‘Works of love in action’
HOMILY: The Orthodox icon called Descent of the Holy Spirit shows the inner meaning of Pentecost – revealed to event participants … This inner or theological meaning is deep and wide.
‘Almost Pentecost’
HOMILY: Ascension registers departure and letting go, not as abandonment but as blessing. Ascension means we are close to Pentecost as exclamation on the season of Easter, as celebration of Christ re-embodied.
‘Sustained by a vision’
HOMILY: When I was 20 years old, I heard Nelson Mandela speak in Sydney at a prayer service for the people of South Africa. It was one of the most moving occasions that I can recall because it was, for me, the first time I truly realised what it means for someone to be sustained by a vision.
