13 April 2014 – Passion [Palm] Sunday

A Few Thoughts

Let him be crucified! Or in our case, we are saying, “Let them be crucified!” During Lent some of us have been participating in a Lenten Program called, “I thirst”, which focused on Earth's dwindling fresh, clean water. But water is not the only gift from God that we are crucifying.

For example, we know that the Earth is suffering. Water and air are being routinely polluted and the lungs of the Earth are being destroyed through deforestation. Most of this is devastation is perpetrated to support corporate profits. Let's look at just one corporate example, Coca-Cola, which has operations in China, Colombia, El Salavador, Guatemala, India, Kenya, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Tanzania, and Turkey.

In Guatemala and Colombia, advocates for fair labour practices at Coca-Cola bottling plants, are systematically intimidated through kidnapping, torture and murder. People in areas of India and Kenya are getting sick and dying because Coca Cola has obtained the water rights to potable water sources. It is cheaper for the poor to buy a Coke than Coca Cola's bottled water. So free, clean, safe drinking water, is unavailable to the people.

Unfortunately, we participate in this crucifixion of the Christ in creation. Unfortunately, we are caught up in a system from which it is almost impossible to disengage. We can, however, become responsible neighbours. We can familiarize ourselves and those in our circles with information on companies like Coca-Cola and their record on human rights, social justice and, environmental sustainability. We can use our purchasing power to demand greater corporate responsibility. We can purchase environmentally safe and human rights violation free products.

When it comes down to it. If we crucify them, that is God's people and God's Earth, we die with them. So let us not just look to our celebration of Jesus' resurrection at Easter, let us work with Christ for an Age of Easter for our world.


Please share your thoughts.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Homily on Mark 6:14-29 - for July 15, 2012

Image
God’s Voice Will Not Be Silenced Speaking Truth to Power This reading tells me that there are consequences to speaking truth to power, often deadly consequences.   But, God’s voice will not be silenced.    We are told that John spoke against King Herod’s marriage to his brother’s wife, Herodias.   Herodias was not too pleased about this negative publicity.   So she bides her time.   She uses Herod’s hastily spoken promise to her daughter to silence John once and for all. But God’s voice will not be silenced.   We are told in the stories just before this that Jesus was rejected in his own home town of Nazareth.   Jesus left Nazareth but he was not deterred by this rejection.   He sent the twelve out two by two and Jesus and his disciples carried on God’s call to repentance when John no longer could.   Speaking truth to power continues to have devastating consequences.   In 2004, I went on a women’s del...
Read more

7 July 2013 – 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Image
Shared Homily Starter First Reading: Isaiah 66.10-14 Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 62 Second Reading: Galatians 6:14-18 Gospel: Luke 10.1-12, [13-16], 17-20 Today’s gospel is about evangelization.   The word, “evangelization” has become, for many of us, a word that sends up red flags.   This is because, unfortunately, for almost two millennia, evangelization has been used more as a weapon than as an invitation to follow Christ’s example of peace and love.   Let’s examine evangelization from Jesus’ perspective.   He knows there are plenty of people out there who would be open to hearing the Good News.   He also knows that there are plenty who don’t want to hear it.   But Jesus sends out his disciples like lambs into a sea of wolves.   We live in a culture of ravenous consumption and accumulation.   We seek to accumulate more and more money, more and more power and more and more ad nauseam.   The more we have, the more we wan...
Read more

24TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Image
15 September 2013 – Shared Homily Starter First Reading: Exodus 32.7-11, 13-14 Second Reading: 1 Timothy 1.12-17 Gospel: Luke 15.1-32 When I pondered this week’s readings, a theme began to emerge.   Before I delve into the theme, I’d like you to consider a quote from Thomas Berry.   He said, “[O]ne of the basic difficulties of the modern West is its division into a secular scientific community, which is concerned with creative energies, and a religious community, which is concerned with redemptive energies.   So concerned are we with redemptive healing that once healed, we look only to be more healed.   We seldom get to our functional role within the creative intentions of the universe” (Berry 1988:25). When I considered this and looked at the readings again, I saw that what we need to be is not only co-creators but co-redemptors.   For example, in our first reading, have God’s promises to Noah and to Abraham been committed to forgetfu...
Read more