THIS reflection is entitled Gathered for Giving: God’s Invitation. “Gathered for Giving” is the title of the Lenten resource produced this year by Brisbane archdiocese’s Faith and Life Vicariate.
There is a connection between the resource and the year of Communion, which is a focus for the Archdiocese of Brisbane this year.
In the archdiocese’s three-yearly cycle of Jesus, Communion and Mission our focus this year is again Communion.
I found some words written by Caroline Jones in the foreword of the book Australian Story: Off the Record, helpful for my reflections on the reality of communion.
She writes:
“In a just and humane society, there should be a place for everyone’s story to be heard.
“The sharing of each other’s stories is the beginning of community. It is how we begin to know each other: through an interest and curiosity in points of difference as well as our common ground.
“It is the sharing of these stories that can diminish misunderstanding and conflict – it is not easy to fight with someone once they’ve told you their story. The telling and hearing create a bond.”
There seems to be an intuitive connection between these words and those offered in the words of “Invitation”, which are part of the opening reflections to the resource “Gathered for Giving”.
Caroline Jones’ words offer us the broader context for a hearing of our Australian story.
She offers an assessment of how, when we share our personal stories with one another, we move more easily and fruitfully to greater harmony and understanding, and indeed into a bond that forms a community.
In the resource “Gathered for Giving”, the authors also focus on the inter-change of giving and receiving that occurs when people gather together to tell their stories with each other.
However, the latter’s particular focus is a gathering for sharing in Christian faith.
When people of faith come together and reflect upon their lives in the light of the scriptures, they provide an opportunity that forms and re-forms the communion of faith through shared wisdom and insight.
As a moment of grace this is the initiative of God known as the Trinity.
The authors explain as they quote these words of Catherine Mowry Lacugna.
“God is a community. It is the essence or heart of God to be in relationship to other persons; there is no room for division or inequality or hierarchy in God; the mystery of divine life is characterised by self-giving and self-receiving; divine life is dynamic and fruitful, not static or barren.
“Christian community is supposed to be an image of God’s triune life.”
To be and form a communion of persons is at the heart of our identity as Christian people.
In the ongoing formation of this communion, when we join together our lives, and so our stories in faith, we more faithfully mirror the God who offers to us a sharing in divine life.
Important here then is the realisation that God has taken the initiative; God as host reaches out to us and invites us into fullness of life.
God’s Invitation to Communion
Again taking Caroline Jones’ words for an interest and curiosity in points of difference, as well of those of common ground, I thought of God’s particular invitation to Moses as a strong example of God’s hospitable invitation and offer of new life.
At a turning point in the book of Exodus, Moses is out looking after a flock of sheep, and becomes curious when he comes across the strange sight of a bush burning, but not being burnt up (Ex 3).
As he comes near the bush God “sees” Moses approaching and calls to him:
“‘Moses, Moses!’ And Moses said, ‘Here I am.’ Then God said, ‘Come no closer! Remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’
“God said further, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.”
In dialogue with Moses, God makes it clear that there is a significant distinction and difference between God and Moses; and Moses is to remove his sandals in God’s holy presence.
He is reminded that he is not the first to be invited, but this invitation from God has a history.
However, further on in conversation with Moses God also promises to be with him through the task that God gives him, and, significantly, the sign that God is with Moses is that Moses will come back to this place and worship God.
Further on in the Exodus story we also hear how Moses is considered to be God’s friend.
“When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise and bow down, all of them, at the entrance of their tents. Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.” (Ex 33)
The Second Vatican Council refers to this passage from the book of Exodus when it gives expression to what I would call the hospitable nature of God; the council speaks of how God reveals God’s self to people and invites them to share in divine life.
The council explains:
“It has pleased God, in God’s goodness and wisdom, to reveal God’s self and to make known the secret purpose of God’s will (Eph 1:9)… By thus revealing himself God, who is invisible, in his great love speaks to humankind as friends (Ex 33:11; Jn 15: 14-15) and enters into their life, so as to invite and receive them into relationship with God.”
In recent months Archbishop John Bathersby of Brisbane has elaborated on the hospitable nature of God as he has sought to invite Catholic people to join together in prayer, worship and study of their faith and form a communion of hospitality.
Indeed, he has sought to give the local Church direction to again form and reform the communion of love the Church is called to be in our time and place.
As a beginning to our year of focus on communion and through his Advent pastoral letter Archbishop Bathersby invited the local Church to take up a number of strategies to assist the archdiocese in accepting God’s invitation to a renewal of its life this year.
He said in part:
“In today’s somewhat fragmented society personal contact is needed more than ever.
“Each parish should have a culture of hospitality that encourages parishioners to seek out people searching for faith, introduce them to their community, and then walk with them as they connect with the local parish.”
The model of God’s call and invitation to Moses, and walking with him as a friend is evident in this direction.
Archbishop Bathersby followed up these words in a public invitation to all Catholics in south-east Queensland at the opening of the season of Christmas.
He offered a specific invitation to all Catholics to gather to celebrate Jesus’ birth in a spirit of hospitality, and concluded his invitation in these words:
“We all exist because God loves us into life, and every Christmas gives us a marvellous opportunity to thank God in return for the many blessings we receive. Please come to celebrate Christmas as we gather to express our gratitude to God through worship.”
More recently in the preface of the resource “Gathered for Giving” the archbishop explicitly focused on Lenten faith-sharing groups as a model of hospitality that reflects the divine invitation to share in the divine life of love.
The archbishop elaborates:
“Just as the Divine Trinity can be described as a communion of love overflowing throughout all of creation, your faith-sharing group has the potential to be a living communion of faith whose love and hospitality flow out into the community.
“It is my ardent hope that as your group meets each week you practise hospitality with one another. As you gather may this hospitality be characterised by warmth, openness and respect for each person.
“In this way your group can be a ‘school of hospitality’ encouraging you to take this gift out to your church community, into your neighbourhood and to all people.”
God’s invitation of a burning but not burnt up bush piqued Moses’ curiosity to “come and see”, to take off his sandals and step onto holy ground.
Moses’ acceptance saw him called to draw God’s people together into friendship with God, so that God might offer this people again the hospitality of entering the Promised Land.
As God’s people they were to be a light to the nations, and in their turn offer God’s open invitation to new life to others.
Likewise, we in our own time and place are called to share a communion of life with each other that reflects God’s hospitable invitation, and, as Archbishop Bathersby concludes, to be in our turn a “school of hospitality” learning together and forming a communion of love in and for our world.
Fr David Pascoe continues this Lenten series of reflections at St Stephen’s Chapel on March 5 and 12 at 1pm. Admission is free of charge and the talks run for 15 minutes.
