30th Sunday Ordinary Time Year C
30th Sunday Ordinary Time Year C – God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
I wonder how often we make judgements about other people during our daily lives? She’s a bad mother or wife or he’s a bad husband or father. They are bad people or worse than us anyway. You know what you can expect from those people. You know that there’s no smoke without fire! And the comments and the judgments go on and on.
We all do it in some form or other and we do it almost all of the time, sometimes consciously and deliberately and sometimes we don’t even know that we are doing it. It is ingrained in us. It is part of our character, part of our natural being. It is what we call bias and unconscious bias and we all do it at some point and in some form or other.
And for most of the time, it is not a problem or an issue. Most times it is inconsequential. But – but. .
But there are times when it can cause serious trouble and problems for us and for those we are judging. Times when our comment, our judgments, tear their characters apart and destroy their good names or at the very least sully their names and their standings in the community.
The casual aside. The softly spoken but snidey comment. The faint praise that leaves doubt lingering behind. Or the half-hearted welcome that leaves you feeling anything but welcome.
But if we are all doing this and doing this most of the time – where is the problem? What is the problem?
The problem is that we are taking part in the creation of a society of mistrust, of doubt and of suspicion. A society where people’s words and expressions are checked and challenged every time for hidden meanings, hidden slurs. A society where you expect judgement, damning judgement to come from every mouth and every lip in the hidden messages and behaviours.
And all of this is wrong. Whichever way we look at this or consider this, it is wrong. It creates doubt, worry, anxiety, stress and much more. It creates the opposite of love. It creates barriers to love.
Whenever we raise ourselves up above those around us or do the same by denigrating those around us, we are doing wrong. We are all God’s people, equal in every sense in His eyes. We are all His children, loved by Him, without question and without favour and we should be showing His love for us in how we love our neighbour.
And we show that love by recognising the same love in our neighbour: by recognising that God lives in our neighbour and that God loves our neighbour just as much as He loves me, loves us. We need to recognise and acknowledge that we have faults and failings and that in spite of these, God still loves me. And so it is with our neighbour, every single and last one of them.
None of us are better or greater than the person next to us or the person we meet in the street. No matter their size or shape’ no matter their manner of dress; no matter the colour of their skin no matter any and every differentiating factor you could think of or mention.
We are all equal in God’s eyes. We are all sinners. We are all in need of God’s mercy and love. We are all children of God.
We need to recognise this and acknowledge this every day and in every way. We need to rejoice in this and to share our joy with every person we meet. We should celebrate this together as the family of God.
God, be merciful to me, a sinner. Help me to be more like Jesus, Your Son. Help me to become closer to You by showing Your love for me in how I love and treat my neighbour. Help me to sing aloud my praise for you and for my salvation from sin. Amen
Bidding Prayers
1. We pray for the children making their First Holy Communion this weekend, James, Robin and Jake, that the Holy Spirit encourages them, and their families, to return time after time for this great gift. Lord in your mercy
2. For the humility to accept that we are all equal in God’s eyes and to reflect that love in how we treat each other. Lord in your mercy
3. For peace across our troubled world and an end to war and conflict. Lor in your mercy
4. For an increase in missions across our world to bring the message of God’s love for mankind to all. Lord in your mercy
5. For those who are sick or ill, housebound or in care homes or hospices and in need of our prayers and our support that they know our love for them through our prayers and our actions. Lord in your mercy
6. For those who have died recently. That they may find eternal rest with the lord. Lord in your mercy
7. That Our Lady might join her prayers with ours as we now say together, Hail Mary