16th Sunday Year B

16th Sunday Ordinary Time – Best of Times and Worst of Times – Highs and Lows

“It was the best of times: it was the worst of times.” Some of you may recall that I have used this quote from Charles Dickens’, A Tale of Two Cities before when I have preached, but I feel it is worth requoting and reusing for here and for now.

We have come through a time when we have had some highs and some lows recently. We had the high of sixty-odd children who made their First Communion in early June and the sad low of very few  of them coming back to church on the Sundays following their Communion, neither they nor their families. But there is a high amongst this as there are several of these children who are and have been regular attendees at our Sunday masses and they and their families continue to have a huge influence on our parish group!

We had the none-church-high of England reaching their Euro football final followed by the disappointment of them falling short again.

A couple of weeks back we have had the high of celebrating the retirement of one of our teachers, Mrs Bulmer, after twenty plus years of dedicated and fruitful service as Head Teacher of our Infant School. She had performed steadfastly and brilliantly in preparing our young children for their lives as students in school. This mass was a rich celebration of music and song in a packed church that was enjoyed by all.

The additional high was the end of year celebration mass for the Junior School which was a celebration in song of our faith that moved me and many others to tears: tears of joy and tears of celebration and pride. Oh would that we could all share in such a mass with such singing as part of our weekly participation in mass! What a celebration that would be and what a great impact the children would see they had had on their parents, grandparents and other parishioners!

And these highs have been followed by other highs and lows depending on where you stand. The Summer Holidays have now started – High or Low? Children off from school – Yeah? Or not?

We have celebrated two weddings this past month here at St John’s and have another one coming up next week. Three great reasons to celebrate and to wish the couples and their families every grace and blessing.

Highs and lows. Best of times and worst of times. Where are we at? What are we experiencing?

Now perhaps is this best of times when we can, “…come away to some lonely place all by ourselves and rest for a while,” voluntarily, of our own free will, and consider our blessings. Consider all that the Lord has done for us and for our families and friends. To take time out to listen to what the Lord is trying to say to each one of us, on what to pray for; on what to celebrate; on what and who, still needs our thoughts, our prayers and our love.

It is easy to be swamped with calls on our time to cover children’s holidays or extra work or to become overwhelmed with just the increases of day to day life.

It is hard not to be swept away with the inrush of so many freedoms. It is easy to run away rejoicing as the ten cured lepers did. It is essential for us to apply a personal brake to all that is going on around us, and sweeping over us, and to think, really think and focus on what it is that God wants from me. What does he want me to do now, to do next? To take the time as the tenth leper did to go back and to thank Christ for his cure and to praise God.

“It is a far, far better thing that I do now than I have ever done,” ends this Tale of Two Cities. Let us take time out to find out from God, what it is, that he wants this better thing to be. Lord, help me to listen to your voice, to hear it in the whisper of the breeze and to understand what I must do in praise and celebration of Your Name. Amen