PFG Letter No 131
Greetings fellow disciples on the way. It is a privilege to be involved in this week’s newsletter. I hope that you will find something to ponder as well as something to give you hope and remind you of the closeness of God’s unconditional love at this tumultuous time in our human history.
In the words of the psalmist: “Blessed be God who refused me not my prayer or her kindness! (The language we use in our prayer makes a difference and, in the previous sentence, you will see that I have deliberately replaced the masculine pronoun for God with the feminine in deference to the wonderful description of God in this week’s first reading as someone who comforts us as a mother comforts her child – see my reflection below.)
Blessings and peace,
John Kleinsman
Reflection for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary time – Year C
6th July 2025
John Kleinsman
Day after day, night after night, we are confronted with reports and images of aggression, death and destruction in so many parts of our world. The victims are dominated by innocent women and children, killed and maimed and traumatised for life – their pain and grief further compounded by the deaths of their men – fathers and husbands – whose lives are lost in the fighting. Meanwhile, much of the reporting and analysis of these wars focuses on male politicians who speak of revenge, increasing defence budgets and producing more phallic like missiles which are measured in terms of their power to penetrate buildings and bunkers and even mountains.
There is another way, and this Sunday’s readings highlight what that way looks like.
The language, images, metaphors and tools of war described above are so overwhelmingly masculine!
Juxtapose that with the metaphors and imagery that are part of the first reading from the last chapter of the Book of Isaiah. This reading is characterised by a preponderance of strongly feminine or, more specifically, rich maternal imagery: being comforted and nursed with delight; being carried and fondled; finding contentment in abundance through the sort of care a mother gives her child.
What precisely is the significance of Isaiah’s message for us today? The words and message from the Book of Isaiah go back to a time of war, destruction, death and exile that is very similar to what we are seeing today. God’s chosen people have finally been released from their captivity and slavery in Babylon and allowed to return to Jerusalem, only to find their holy city has been destroyed.
In the midst of the despair the returning exiles must have experienced, the Prophet Isaiah – a mouthpiece for God – offers a seemingly ridiculous vision of hope and promise.
Speaking in the midst of the hopelessness and turmoil of death and destruction, the true prophet (as opposed to the false prophet) is God’s faithful messenger; someone who is recognised as being in touch with, and having an immediate experience of, God; one to whom the holiness and will of God is revealed and who is able to look at the present and future and interpret it through the eyes of God rather than human eyes clouded by a desire for power and revenge or dulled by grief and despair.
Yes, the prophet holds up God’s vision for God’s people – a maternal vision – at a time when the destructive and seemingly hopeless reality of the present makes it hard, if not impossible, for them – for us – to see anything other than despair and destruction.
We all have times when we can’t trust our vision … when we can’t trust our experiences and the emotions they generate … when we cannot see past the struggles that overwhelm us … when we cannot see a future that we might rejoice in again.
At these times, we have a choice to make – whether to remain trapped in and defined by our emotions … or whether to put our trust in prophets, like Isaiah, who can see and envision a future that is beyond our ability to see – a future that is beyond our own horizon – perhaps even beyond our imagination.
In times of chaos, the true prophets challenge us to look beyond our fears and anxieties – we are called to commit ourselves to their God-given vision and version of reality, rather than trust our own distorted vision.
In times of chaos, our inability to see a positive future full of prosperity and hope can be a false measure of how things will actually turn out.
At these times, the prophet Isaiah reminds us, God carries us on eagles wings. As we read in the book of Exodus chapter 19:4: “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.”
While this message plays out for us in our individual lives, this weeks readings also remind us that we must not limit it to our personal existential situations.
The original historical context in which the message of Isaiah was first uttered shows that it has a distinctive political dimension; God’s message and vision applies at a national and global level – it is capable of speaking to the sort of destruction being faced by so many people in so many places around the globe in these times.
Furthermore, the choice to trust the vision of the prophets – the choice to trust in God’s love and power and to remember the abundance of God’s blessings expressed so powerfully in maternal imagery – is not licence for us to sit back and simply wait for things to unfold. It is, simultaneously, a call to action in so far as a renewed awareness of God’s loving power and action releases us from the paralysis that despair can bring, while directing us to positive action in line with the values of God’s reign.
As Isaiah states in an earlier part of the book of Isaiah, chapter 40:31: “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
Only when we turn to God and trust in God’s vision are we in a position to be truly energised to fight for the justice, peace, joy and prosperity that is promised to us and that is held up to us in today’s readings.
This is what it means to respond to the Gospel call to go out as lambs among wolves, to pass on peace to all we meet on the way, and to be the bearers of God’s vision for a world that so desperately needs it.
But, while God’s comforting words and work cannot be separated from the agency of discipleship, our energy, courage and perseverance for the challenges of discipleship can certainly be nurtured by the prophets’ evocative reminder of a feminine God’s wonderful maternal care for each of us – especially in those times when human logic and emotions would otherwise leave us abject and paralysed
Yes, the reign of God is at hand despite appearances.
Two questions for each of us and together to think about:
‘Who are the true prophets today?’
‘Which prophets am I listening to?’
May “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.” (Galatians 6:18)
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The Pope’s prayer for July:
Each month, the Pope entrusts his Worldwide Prayer Network each month with prayer intentions that express his great concern for humanity and for the mission of the Church. His monthly prayer intention is a worldwide call to transform our prayer into specific actions; it is a compass for a mission of compassion for the world.
For July, the theme is “Formation in Discernment.”
You can access the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer
Network here:
https://clicktopray.org/monthly
The Pope’s Monthly Prayer
Holy Spirit, you, light of our understanding,
gentle breath that guides our decisions,
grant me the grace to listen attentively to your voice
and to discern the hidden paths of my heart,
so that I may grasp what truly matters to you,
and free my heart from its troubles.
I ask you for the grace to learn how to pause,
to become aware of the way I act,
of the feelings that dwell within me,
and of the thoughts that overwhelm me
which, so often, I fail to notice.
I long for my choices
to lead me to the joy of the Gospel.
Even if I must go through moments of doubt and fatigue,
even if I must struggle, reflect, search, and begin again…
Because, at the end of the journey,
your consolation is the fruit of the right decision.
Grant me a deeper understanding of what moves me,
so that I may reject what draws me away from Christ,
and love him and serve him more fully.
Amen.
Let us pray:
Please remember in your thoughts and prayer:
· Those living in war areas including Gaza, Ukraine, Iran & Israel, Sudan and Syria.
· Pauline Prendergast after the death of her husband Michael.
· The Bartells family
· Linda Darbyshire and family.
· Jocelyn Bryant, Kev and family.
· Robyn Burns (Hill)
· Tim Bartells
· Rencha who is dealing with cancer.
· Sean and Ann Mulcahy who are both battling major health issues
· Di Buckley in your prayer
· Christine Geoghegan daughter Kate and extended families
· Pat Smith RIP and Maureen and family
· Pat Carson; Graeme Matthews; Adrian van de Pas and her son Robert
· Graeme and Margaret Armstrong
· Jenny Epplett, Preston, Kate and family
· Paul Davenport and his wife Jill;
· Clair and Ray Hague; Terry Nelson’s family; Brian and Eleanor McFlynn;
Bryan Davidson;
· Tim Bartell’s son Sam and family ; Richard and Sue Gibbs; Martin and Sally
van der Wetering; Phil and Anne Drew .
· All those who are struggling with various aspects of mental health
· Please pray for Dot and Neill Wilson (Invercargill)