Hearts Burning
This Sunday we reflect on Jesus’ Great Commission as we celebrate the Feast of the Ascension, which falls for us during the Southern Hemisphere’s week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and also on World Communications Day.
World Communications Day was established by Pope Paul VI in 1967 as an annual celebration on the Sunday before Pentecost to draw attention to the enormous power available for cultural transformation in sharing the Gospel message available through the communications media.
In Pope Francis’ message for World Communications Day, he says ‘’a heart that reveals the truth of our being with its beat and that, for this reason, should be listened to. This leads those who listen to attune themselves to the same wavelength, to the point of being able to hear within their heart also the heartbeat of the other. Then the miracle of encounter can take place, which makes us look at one another with compassion, welcoming our mutual frailties with respect rather than judging by hearsay and sowing discord and division”.
In January, Cardinal John shared on Facebook that message from Pope Francis then reflected himself that “true listening is only possible if we are willing to accept that we might be changed in some way by what we hear. Which means we might need to change our ideas on how we view someone. That makes listening with the heart an active process, a real letting go for us. I often think how important this is in families, among friends and in parishes, and when we encounter a person for the first time. When the disciples on the road to Emmaus met a stranger, the conversation led to ‘their hearts burning within them’, because this person listened to their fears and disappointment. This encounter can take place for us at any time and in any place, we just need to be open to it.”
As we hear and reflect on our individual and communal response to the Great Commission, ‘to Go and make disciples of all nations’, may we with respect embrace the various media available that facilitate conversations of witness to our Christian mission. May we as Christians, united in Christ, accompany all whom we encounter, and give witness to Christ alive in our world today.
Debbie Matheson
Lay Pastoral Leader/Parish Leader
