15 May 2024 – Triduum Day 1 (Novena Day 6), – Wednesday, 7th Week of Easter

by Fr Paul Kee, CSsR

My dear friends, you just heard the Gospel from John. And in this Gospel today, we hear Jesus’ personal prayer. It was an emotional prayer. It was a prayer calling God, the Father, to unite His disciples in love.

To unite His disciples in love. And love is the cement that can bind the disciples in love. An emotional and moving prayer of Jesus, the prayer of unity. Prayer of UNITY. 

And that is the theme of tonight’s reflection.

UNITY. ONENESS. SOLIDARITY. COMMUNION.

Once upon a time, in a vibrant forest where every leaf whispered tales of ancient wisdom. And every creature hummed tunes of harmony. There lived a diverse community of animals.

Each animal had its own strengths, quirks and habitats. Yet, they co-existed in perfect unity. In perfect harmony.

One day, a fierce storm ravaged through the forest, leaving devastation in its wake. Trees were uprooted, nests were destroyed and food sources made scarce in the forest. The animals, shaken and disoriented, gathered in the clearing where the oldest tree stood. 

The wise old tree, its branches stretched out like comforting arms, called upon the animals of the forest to unite. To unite and rebuild their beloved home destroyed by the storm. 

Now despite the differences of the animals, they heeded the call of the wise tree. The agile squirrels scurried up the trees, gathering twigs and leaves to reconstruct nests. The sturdy beavers redirected the flow of the river to prevent flooding while the industrious ants worked tirelessly to clear debris from the forest floor. 

All the animals of the forest worked side by side. A spirit of solidarity and oneness enveloped the forest, strengthening their resolve. They shared resources. They offered encouragement and support to one another and lent a helping paw to those in need. Not a helping hand. Animals got no hand. Animals got paw.

So, it was a beautiful symphony of cooperation among the animals where every creature of the forest played its part in restoring the balance of their fragile eco-system.

Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. But the bond forged in the aftermath of the storm remain unbreakable. Through their unity and solidarity, the animals not only rebuilt their home but also created a deeper sense of community amongst themselves, as you can see in the slide.

And long after the storm had passed, the forest stood tall and proud. A testament to the power of unity and solidarity in overcoming adversity. And the animals, forever grateful to the lessons learnt in their discipline, in their struggle of working together to rebuild the forest, continued to live in that same harmony they enjoyed while working together.

Knowing that working together, working in solidarity, being in communion with one another, they became, as a community, as a group, they became invincible. That is what UNITY does to animals and that is what UNITY can do for us.

My dear friends, UNITY in the Roman Catholic church refers to the idea of Oneness or Solidarity amongst the members of the church. And this unity is understood in several dimensions.

The first one: Unity in Faith.

Catholics are expected to believe in the doctrines and the teachings of the church as articulated by the Magisterium or the teaching authority of the church, the Bishops and the Priests, the leaders of the church. Including for example beliefs about the Trinity, the Sacraments, the authority of the Pope.

Second: Unity in Worship. Catholics participate in the same liturgical practices and rituals, especially the celebration of the Eucharist or the Mass which is considered the source, the central source and summit of our Catholic life.

Third Unity: Unity in Governance. The Pope as the successor of Saint Peter is considered the Spiritual Leader and Supreme Authority in matters of faith and morals for Catholics worldwide. Bishops in communion with the Pope oversee their local churches or Dioceses and ensure the doctrinal unity within their territories.

Fourth Unity: Unity in Mission. Catholics are called to share the Gospel and engage in charitable works, seeking to spread the message of Jesus Christ and promote justice and peace and the dignity of what it means to be a human being.

Overall, this unity proclaimed by the church, Unity in Faith, Unity in Worship, Unity in Governance, Unity in Mission, reflects the unity of God as Trinity and the unity of all the believers, all of us, in Jesus Christ.

Now some of you may ask what is the difference between Unity and Solidarity. Well, Unity has three syllables and Solidarity has four. 

Unity suggest a state of oneness or coherence whereas Solidarity emphasises the active expression of unity through mutual support and shared responsibility.

Solidarity emphasises a sense of mutual support, empathy and inter-connectedness among people, particularly in the face of adversity or injustice. Solidarity involves standing together as one in a spirit of compassion and mercy and forgiveness and healing and commitment to promoting the common good.

In Roman Catholic Social Teaching, solidarity is considered a fundamental principle that calls for recognising the inherent dignity of every person, working for the wellbeing of all, especially the most vulnerable.

A lot of words, huh? Can remember or not? Cannot? I also cannot remember.

We use unity, we use the word solidarity interchangeably. Synonymously. We use the word communion, we use the word oneness. Interchangeably also but we know what it means. It is about working together, it is about believing in each other, it is about respecting each other, it is about caring for one another, which is one of the themes that I will deal with in the next two days.

So does not matter whether you use unity or solidarity because we feel what it means. Okay? We may not have all the words, wonderful words, but we know what it means. Okay.

Let me introduce to you a person by the name of Ernest Kurtz. Some of you may have come across this book. It was written a very long time ago. It is a wonderful book. It has got a lot of stories. I like stories. I like books with a lot of stories. If I am not mistaken, this book was written in the late 1960s or early 1970s and it has gone through several reprints.

Ernest Kurtz is an American author and historian and he is best known for his work in the field of addiction and recovery. And one of his notable publications, and he has written a lot of books, is this one: The Spirituality of Imperfection.

The Spirituality of Imperfection which was co-authored with another wonderful person, also quite renown in the field of addiction and recovery by the name of Ms Katherine Ketcham. Ms Katherine Ketcham.

In this book, The Spirituality of Imperfection, now I’ll come to why I am introducing to you this Spirituality of Imperfection because it ties in with unity. I will come to that, okay? Hold on for a bit.

The Spirituality of Imperfection, Ernest Kurtz explores the theme of spirituality through the lens of imperfection and the human experience of brokenness. Here is one hint.

What is the opposite of unity? Brokenness. Disunity. Disconnectedness. Okay?

The book draws on various spiritual traditions, different religions also, including the twelve step program like the Alcoholics Anonymous, AA for short. To illustrate how, this is the important part, how acknowledging and embracing one’s imperfection can be a path towards spiritual growth and transformation. So important.

Let me repeat it: Acknowledging and embracing one’s imperfections can be a path, can lead to, spiritual growth and transformation, in a person, individual person as well as in the community.

The key theme of Ernest Kurtz’ exploration of imperfection:

Number One: Story telling. Kurtz emphasises the power of storytelling as a means of expressing the human experience and connecting with others. Through personal narratives, stories and parables, storytelling can convey profound truths about imperfection, vulnerability and the search for meaning and purpose in life.

And who is one of the greatest storytellers? Jesus Christ.

One of the greatest storytellers. His wonderful parables, all contain a certain truth, which if we follow, we practice, we make mistakes we pick ourselves up and continue to make the effort to practice, we will be transformed. We will be transformed. Okay? Like Himself.

Secondly, that in this book Spirituality in Imperfection, the acceptance of imperfection. True spirituality involves accepting, embracing, befriending, respecting even to the point of honouring one’s imperfections rather than trying to kill ourselves striving for perfection, which as you know is quite impossible to happen. For any person. Okay?

I struggle with trying to be perfect. It doesn’t mean that I will stop. I will continue. But even knowing that I will never reach perfection should not be an excuse for not trying again and again and again.

By recognising limitations and vulnerabilities, individuals cultivate humility, empathy, authenticity, compassion, forgiveness, healing, fostering deeper connections with themselves, with others, with the Divine. Intrapersonal, interpersonal, transpersonal.

Third point (from the book, the Spirituality of Imperfection): Spiritual Awakening. Ernest Kurtz suggests that moments of crisis, pain or despair can serve as catalyst. Catalyst is something that can hasten progress, move us forward, push us to change. Catalyst for spiritual awakening and transformation.

Through struggles with addiction, loss or adversity, individuals may come to recognise their need for help and seek spiritual solutions beyond themselves leading to profound shifts in consciousness and behaviour.

When I studied in an addiction facility, and I met people with all kinds of addictions, alcoholic addiction, glue sniffing, drug addiction, relationship addictions, that kind of thing. You know what addictions are. They have to pick a Counselor. And say for example a person who is struggling with alcoholism, you know who are the best Counselors?

The best Counselors is a Counselor who is also an alcoholic addict. Recovering. A recovering alcoholic addict who is also a Counselor makes the best Counselor because he knows the struggles that addicts go through when they try to overcome their disease which can never be cured. Their disease called addiction.

The Wounded Healers are the best Healers because they have experienced the pain and they have the compassion to heal.

I would like to move on now to a Parable. And this Parable will throw light on what I have been trying to tell you about unity, imperfection and how we deal with this disunity within ourselves, in our community, in our lives.

There is a Parable in the Gospels. I think it is kind of a neglected Parable. Because you know we all know the wonderful Parable of the Good Samaritan. We know it by hard, we can repeat it backwards. The Parable of the Prodigal Son which I will deal with in the next two days.

But today I would like to focus on the Parable that can help us to understand imperfection in ourselves and in others that can foster unity, solidarity and communion. It is a humbling Parable. It is a Parable which provokes us to think, which can stimulate our heart to be moved and feel, to rethink our expectations and even turn our world upside down.

You know the name of the parable? I give you a fruit basket if you know. Three different kinds of fruit in the basket. Three different kinds of fruits in a basket.

It is the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds. Sometimes you may hear this Parable called the Wheat and the Tares. Tares is a kind of a weed. Or the Wheat and the Darnel. Darnel is also a kind of weeds.

It is found in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 13, Verses 24-30. Matthew 13. Just to refresh your memory, here is a summary of the Parable.

In the Parable, Jesus tells of a farmer. And the farmer sowed, was trying to sow good seeds in his field. Of course no farmer would sow bad seeds. They sowed good seeds. However, while everybody was sleeping, one night, an enemy comes to the field and sows weeds. Must be a rival of the farmer, you know. One of the competitors of the farmer sows weeds among the wheat.

So what happens?

When the wheat begins to sprout, the weeds also begin to sprout. You look at the picture. You can’t tell the difference. The wheat and the weeds look the same. The one on the left is the wheat and the one on the right is the tares or the darnel or the weed. The weed. Useless weed.

So the workers in the farm noticed that there are wheat and weeds. Like tongue twister, you know. Wheat and weeds.

And, of course, the wheat is the good thing and the weeds are the bad thing. So they asked the farmer: Should we collect all the weeds and burn them and leave the wheat alone?

The farmer said: No. Leave them alone. Let the wheat and the weeds grow together until the harvest. At which time, the weeds would be gathered and burnt while the wheat will be gathered into the farmer’s barn.

What is the teaching of the Gospel Parable? Leave the weeds alone. Let it grow with the wheat. Later you can separate them.

Good advice? Or bad advice of the farmer to the workers?

The Parable tells us to be patient, to allow the co-existence of good and evil in the world until the end times. That is point number one.

Respect, be patient with the co-existence of good and evil in the world. The perfect and the imperfect in the world. The good and the bad in the world.

Point number two. The patience of God in allowing both the righteous and the wicked to live together is kind of a tolerance and acceptance that allows people and gives them a chance and another chance and another opportunity to repent and change.

It is another lesson in patience. Be patient with imperfection. Be tolerant of the bad in your life, in people, in yourself. Be respectful of what is not right in others, in yourself, in your community, in your families, in your church. Be patient with imperfection.

Don’t be too quick to change people and make them perfect like yourself. And you know yourself is never perfect also.

Impossible to change people. You can only change yourself. And no matter how many times you try to change yourself, you will never be perfect. But we continue to strive on and make the effort. Try to do better every time knowing that we will never reach it but we still try.

The Parable, my dear friends, of the Wheat and the Weeds is a powerful metaphorical teaching about the nature of the kingdom of God and the reality of evil in the world. There will always be evil in the world. We try to change the evil. We try to get rid of the evil but sometimes we need to be tolerant of it also because if we try too hard, we can go cuckoo. Right?

We try too hard we can go cuckoo, we can go mad. So a bit of letting go.

We emphasise the importance of perseverance. We emphasise the importance of discernment and this is more important: Trust in God’s compassion and love.

The themes of the next three days is about Inclusivity, Care and Unity. And these three suggested themes for our Pentecostal Triduum, there is a golden thread that runs through and connects these three themes, three values, three virtues: Unity, Inclusivity and Care.

Two ideas I would like to point out to you now. That the Norm of Perfection must change. The Norm of Perfection. Haha. Sounds like a paradox, huh?

Norm of Perfection is the Acceptance of Imperfection.

Why do I say this? You just heard it from the Parable. The Parable of the wheat and the weeds. The Norm of Perfection is the acceptance, the tolerance, the patience with imperfection…..in me, in others, and yes, sometimes we are also, you know, we have to tolerate God’s imperfection because God does not act too quickly sometimes, right?

If we don’t believe in this, it will lead us to a self-centered authoritarian control and frequent use of our authority to belittle people and put people down. And it was a warning that came to us from Pope Francis in the Synodal Process where he tells his priests:
Do not practice clericalism. Do not push people around. Do not use the office of your authority to put people down, to lower them. Okay?

Another word for clericalism which is use in a broader sense is authoritarianism. Okay? And a crueler or more advance word for that would be being dictatorial or tyrannical. Huh? Like Adolf Hitler.

My dear friends, the new norm of perfection is acceptance of imperfection in others, and in ourselves, and occasionally in God also.

Intrapersonal   Interpersonal   Transpersonal.

Second point. Next slide please. We can learn a lot of lessons from the Parables. And today we learn one very powerful lesson from the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds, about being patient with imperfection and what is not right in our world and in ourselves. 

If you are working towards good spirituality, and good spirituality means a spirituality that makes us kinder people, more sharing kind of people, generous people, able to love others as we love ourselves, and love God with our whole heart, our whole mind and our whole soul, that is good spirituality. What leads us to that? The Parables can teach us.

The next two days, tomorrow and the day after, we will talk about two more Parables. All right? I will come to that. I mean we will come to that.

The Parables constantly and consistently challenge our thinking, our behaviour which would change our feeling at the same time, to be more pro-active and to work towards a good spirituality in our lives. Okay?

The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds or the Tares and the Darnel, okay, is about (look at the slide here): Accepting and understanding and respecting imperfection, beginning with ourselves.

Love your neighbour as you love yourself. Begin with ourselves.

If we have compassion for ourselves, if we have compassion for our weaknesses and our imperfection and risk being vulnerable in our relationships, we will have a solid formula for a realistic, a profound, a realistic and a viable spirituality.

A spirituality of imperfection that will surely lead us to compassion, forgiveness and kindness. A good spirituality.

The Parables in the Gospel point us to how God sees us, how to develop a vision of God, to discover and understand how God sees us. And that my dear friends is the golden thread that connects Inclusivity, Care and Unity, to develop a way of seeing life, of seeing others, of seeing each other through the eyes of God.

I am sure you know the saying that Empathy is about learning to walk in another person’s shoes. All right? That is too shallow. It is too superficial.

Empathy, compassion for another person is more than that. It is about learning to see another person through the eyes of God. To have the vision of God when we look at another person. And if we can develop that, okay, then we can love our neighbour as we love ourselves. That we can develop this good spirituality, that we can develop this unity and this patience with imperfection and disunity among ourselves. And all these things come together.

Develop this great tolerance of having the wheat and the weeds grow together. In their own time, they are given a chance to repent and change, you know.

Because the story doesn’t end, you know. The story only ends when we die. And before we die, there is a lot of time to change. Make use of the time. You may never be perfect but you can come pretty close to perfection. And how do you know you have developed a state where you are pretty close to perfection?

It is when you feel your heart becoming kinder and kinder. All right.

David, I am skipping the other slides. I will leave it to the third day, okay? There are some more slides. I won’t go there.

I want to recommend a movie for all of you to watch. Third day. This is like a commercial you know, so you all come tomorrow and day after tomorrow.

So third day I will introduce and share with you a movie that will tie in these concepts and this principle and the virtues and the values of Unity, Caring and Inclusivity.

Thank you for listening.

Click to live-stream Mass on 15 May 2024