All Souls + All Saints "get-up" Lk 7.11-17

As we celebrate today the two groups, we know: one day everyone belongs to the great group of "all souls" and we have the chance to belong to the minority group too: the "all saints".The first group has the privilege to get the word "get-up".
Jesus word: I tell you "get-up" is not an order, is not a wish, is just the right thing to do. If not; you are not up-right! Only as up-right you will get the right human perspective... to see the world, to see you neighbour (on the same eye-level).

The call "get-up" is an universal call; already a call for the unborn baby; but much more: it's a call for the animal, it maens "get-up" is the evolutionary call for hominisation; to bring to the fore the homo sapiens.The sun also gets the daily
call "get-up"; the whole cosmos is alive under the call "get-up". And some people
belief the call "get-up" is for ever and ever (eternal life) or is a call into the fulness
of Life; or: life without end...

"Get-up" means go into existence. go into life, go on the way, show yourself, be attractive, stay upright, take it on... -
and whenever you are down, tired, dead, discouraged, lame, lazy -
you hear and you know it: it's just the right thing to do: to "get-up"..

In regard of the other group "all saints", a minority, we recognize. these are souls, they have done well; the call "get-up" is changed into "they got-up". These are con-
firmed people; we have seen: they have performed a "uprising"; a demonstration for
life. The group "all saints" shows how much we all are in the hand of others; the other, not you, decides: you are a saint.
"All souls" are still struggling; "all saints" not any more.

In the Liturgy we tell everybody: "lift up your hearts"; this call is like: "get-up". In our holy celebration we should have the courage to "get-up", to stand-up, to be upright,
to realize the human perspective.

At the end:  "all souls" + "all saints" are given to the mother, the earth.
In every case - dead or alive - we belong to the mother-earth.
The cosmos, the earth, the mother are the three wombs for all.

30 Sun A "love God" not so easy...

Following Mt 22.34-40 we get the message: for Jesus the FIRST commandment
is "love the Lord your God with heart + soul + mind".
At first, it looks quite simple... and some people feel: it's sure: I love God  (???)
The jewish people got "JAHWE" as a gift and this people saw how JAHWE has
guided his people and cared for his people and how he sent redemption
(in a good way written in the Bible).
Such a God is very good for the people and to love such a God is healty and
understandable (for the single person as for the people as such).

Today  (also in 2014) the recommendation "love God" is much harder.
Inbetween we got the distinction between
a) the real MYSTERY of God
b) the ideas or pictures or imaginations we got about God 
   (the story of the religions in the world shows this art of God-making)
c) the constructor of these wonderful or terrible imaginations about God. 
Today we know: the culture and our brains etc... are busy constructing the pictures, the ideas of God. The language has an indicating symbol "God" -
but "God as such" is total a MYSTERY (unrecognisable).
And here now the field of difficulties widens. Do you love your picture of God or
the unknown MYSTERY of God ???  Do you communicate with the God you know (picture) or with the real God (you cannot imagine) ???  Do you love the revealing God  - but you have forgotten that what is revealed is a cultural act.
What humans see is a human-god, what lions see is a lion-god.

Because of these and such difficulties Jesus has a solution: "love your neighbour".
It's easier or better: it's more real. But pay attention again ! There is also a difference between your real neighbour (could be your friend)  and the picture you have about your neighbour (friend / wife etc...)
The way to discover the reality is steep - and to love what we like (pictures) is easier as to love the reality (the real person).
This GOSPEL may be a reminder that we are on the way to learn the skill of love and by the way: LOVE is less about receiving than about giving.

29 Sun A / 19.10.14 / responsible...

In Mt 22.15-21 the big Q: "is it permissible to pay taxes to Ceasar or not ?"
is a highly political question ! Ceasar is for the Q the strange occupier !
Is there a reason to pay taxes to the occupier, to the oppressor ?

Jesus (as many times) in his answer changes the level, the background,
the horizon of the question; there is no direct answer...  only Yes or No...
but: as the Denarius (money) comes from the Ceasar - give it back to him.
Refuse to accept something from your oppressor - if, give it back now.

We learn:
1. If we accept God as the CREATOR and if we accept that God has given
the CREATION at our disposal / into our hands... we exactly know: the CREATION
belongs to God - therefore, in reality: it is not possible to give HIM back something.
What we may do: give thanks for the GRACE, the gifts, the GIVEN.
2. We see the God-given-gifts as a river, a tendency into the future;
"all what is given, is given for all".
Take as a wonderful example: the air, the water, love, fulness of Life etc...
3. If we have something in our hands...  we know: it is destined to go on...
to bear fruits...   to contribute...
we only are like stewards "responsible administrators"; not owners...
4. So we ask again and again: the gift I have now in hands...
belongs to whom ? comes from ? is in relation with ? has to go where ?
what is his task ? his function ?

The Synod of Rome gives thanks for the "gift of family"...  they know: the family
has to go into the future; they feel responsible for this gift and are now looking
for better conditions: what will help the families to bear fruits ? ? ?
I hope the Bishps will tell us: every Parish, every Deanery, every Diocese etc...
has to perform their own "Family-Synod" - to find ways to improve family-life...
It's not the work of God... (cf. the "payer of the family") it's given into our hands !
Therefore the Bishops have not to give the solution...  they have rather to encourage, to animate the Communities; to enable, to empower them to find
their own best solution, practise...

The very difficult INVITATION - 28 Sun A

The wedding feast is ready (Mt 22.1-10) as is the Kingdom of God at hand...
it means: nearby; possible today...  but also the Church (as a means of introduction)
likes to be ready, the Sacraments show readiness, the Holy Mass is to begin...

Now the big moment: let's announce to all the invited guests: it's time to show up!
But what a des-illusion... to discover the reality ! they dont' show up...
(the participation with the Holy Mass is very low...)

Tray again (don't realize the way may fail): let's explain what the feast offers...
what grace the Church brings, what joy the celebration evokes...
what great work is done for you - dear invited chosen guests.
This time the reality-shock is even greater:
a) the invited guests are not interested with this great offer
b) their interest is directed towards other, "better offers..."
c) it's worse: the invited chosen guests are furious against the wedding-offer... killing is going on (like last Sunday)...
d) there is escalation: the king burns down the town of the chosen invited guests.

Now the king changes his strategy in order to celebrate the wedding-feast:
Now everyone is invited... global unrestricted invitation...
in this kind of invitation you risk to collect "bad + good alike".

What I see: 1.) How far God and his kingdom is changing the strategy.
2.) How broad are the interest of the people and many are in no way interested with what we think is the best for them.
3.) How great the risk if you invite everybody...  the situation of today... global
evangelisation / invitation... and on the other hand:
it's good: the not interested people are off... at least somehow... and not lost!
but we are now a celebration of "bad + good alike" (sinner + saints) !
with the great Challenge to unite (and not to separate).
4.) How important for our Work to see, to hear, to touch the reality -
to reduce the illusion about world, church and God.

"The PEACE will be with YOU" 27 Sun A

A) Is now Paulus out of reality ? (Phil 4.6-9) "There is no need to worry..."
That is his message today - and what is the reality of Namibia ? For what do we need a Bishops-Synode ? I feel: there is much reason to worry ! ! !
The solution for Paulus: "pray... and the peace of God will guard your hearts and thoughts". I wonder what Paulus meant by "PRAY" ???
And now something more: "fill your mind with everything that is true, noble, virtous..." positiv thinking ? Is it the famous reminder: "calm down" ?

B) And now the parable (Mt 21.33-43): The killing of the servants and finally of the SON by the tenants of the vineyard - Is this not enough reason to worry ?
And the solution ? other tenants ! they will do better ?  And the warning:
"the kingdom of God will be taken away from you!"   No reason to worry ???

C) And now the Bishops-Synode (to open today in Rome: 05.10.2014) about
"marriage and family". The Bishops will pray ! They will fill their mind with every- thing that is true ?? (if they are ready to discover the reality) Will they hear the warning: "The Kingdom of God will be taken away from you!" ??? They don't believe such warning is meant for them.

D) In this situation Isaiah (5.1-7) asks: "What could I have done for my vineyard that I have not done ?"  - a very interesting question !
(I expected it to yield grapes, why did it yield sour grapes instead ?)

E) That is prayer, that is: fill your mind... that we discover "WHAT did WE DO ?"
 (that marriage and family-life has gone sooo wrong...) "what did we NOT do... ??
The Bishops will accuse the world...  WE (the Church) are right !

F) This Self-examination, EVALUATION of the Church in the face of the Mystery
of God, in the face of the WORLD-REALITY, in the face of our real Church-Situation - (if they are ready to see it!) -  this is our daily PRAYER and I hope the prayer of the Bishops-Synode.
Such a MINDFULL PRAYER will bring peace -
but sorry: such a mindfull prayer is not on the agenda !