Share your bread with the hungry
It is February already! Where did January go? School and work routines have returned, and the year lies ahead of us. What will it bring? I suspect that the only thing we can rely on is that change will continue to be part of our lives both personally and as a part of the Cathedral community.
It may be the beginning of the secular year but from a liturgical point of view, the year is well underway and Ash Wednesday and the Lenten season is only a couple of weeks away. While the Lenten season may not have yet started and this weekend is only ‘Ordinary Time’, we are left with no room for complacency with respect to our faith and how that should influence our actions and view of justice. This weekend’s readings confront us with how the Word of the Gospel should translate into action in our lives. The first reading is from Isaiah 58: 7-10 and with unescapable clarity we are told what God wants from his people. ‘Share your bread with the hungry, and shelter the homeless poor, clothe the man you see to be naked…’ There is no doubt that mercy and care of all peoples is expected of the true follower of Jesus. The 2nd reading and the Gospel from Matthew continue the idea by extolling a life of mercy and justice, comparing our actions with ‘light rising in the darkness’.
Having watched the unfolding flooding disaster in Northland, Auckland and Coromandel and the anguish of those affected, we see that the need is huge. But we don’t need to look that far from home to find examples of those who are desperate for our help – our local food banks and the Downtown Community Ministry are experiencing extraordinary demands for food, clothing and accommodation. Listening to this weekend’s readings with an open heart invites us to consider how we approach the giving of our time or donations of money or goods.
May our community be a light to the world, a living example of the Gospel through its actions.
Jane Kelly
Chair, Liturgy Committee
