A Spiritual Wind Up
One of my life’s simple pleasures is winding up the women in my life and then pretending I have no idea what I did. I know this is not my finest gift, but it does give me a small window into how confronting it can feel when someone deliberately unsettles us.
Earlier in the week, the Gospel readings show Jesus speaking sharply to those following him. He calls out hypocrisy, warns against judging others and reminds them that the mysteries of the Kingdom of God are revealed gradually, not all at once. Jesus almost seems to unsettle his followers deliberately: first challenging them directly, then telling them there is still more to learn, but that they are not yet ready to understand.
Our Gospel this weekend takes this even further. Jesus says we must choose him above everything else, even our families. That must have been confronting for those listening, and some may even have wondered whether he was deliberately stirring the pot. He then moves from this demanding call to the language of carrying the cross and losing one’s life, before ending with something beautifully simple: offering a cup of cold water.
It would be easy to conclude that Jesus is asking us to love our families less. But instead, he is asking us to love him first; to place him at the centre, so that our love for our families becomes deeper.
But the message for us is that small acts matter just as much as the big ones. Giving a cup of water, taking up a cross, and losing one’s life are not competing examples; they are all ways of showing love when Christ is at the centre. We live our faith not only in big decisions, but also in everyday acts of generosity, hospitality, and caring for others.
So, unlike Jesus, whose “winding up” carried a profound message, mine is probably less theological and more mischievous. Perhaps it is something I should stop doing, although I suspect the women in my life are not holding their breath.
But if anyone asks, I am merely offering them a practical workshop in patience and forgiveness, while they resist the urge to throw something at me.
Clint Ramoo – Chair, Parish Finance Committee