Collect and Gospel Reflection for 4th Sunday Yr C

COLLECT 

The Collect for the 4th Sunday of the Year reads as follows:

Grant us, Lord our God, 

that we may honour You with all our mind,

and love everyone in truth of heart.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son 

who lives and reigns with You 

in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

In making this prayer tangible for during the week, the following reflection questions emerged:

1.What does honouring God with my mind mean to me?

2. How will I honour God with my mind this coming week?

3. Why is the mind so vital to my spiritual growth?

4. What does it take to love everyone in truth of heart?

5. What obstacles/hindrances do I encounter loving everyone in truth of heart?

6. How might I address these obstacles this coming week- which one/s will I tackle in my heart?

GOSPEL REFLECTION

Today's Gospel is interesting because it shows the fickleness of humanity.  In one moment in the Gospel, the crowd are amazed at the wonder of God and of Jesus. It does not take too long before the ’’tall poppy syndrome'' kicks in and all of a sudden, the mood of the crowd changes. No longer do they admire Jesus and His giftedness or accept Him, but now want to kill Him.

This pattern is repeated many times in the Gospel, but it is so obvious during Holy Week. On Palm Sunday the crowd is calling out Hosanna, but by Good Friday, the call is ''Crucify Him''.This Gospel then is a hint of what it will be like for Jesus. 

Notice however, that as Jesus time had not yet come, He walked away.  I find this imagery fascinating and uplifting.  He has an angry crowd around Him wanting blood, but because Jesus was doing His Father's will, His time to die had not yet come. As the scripture says'' He slipped through the crowd and walked away''.

There is no anger or angst with Jesus. He is doing His Father's will.  His exit is peace filled.  He does not run away in fear or anxiety. No, the scripture clearly says'' slipped through the crowd and walked away''.  What does this phrase say to you?

I love this phrase myself and I think of it often actually in my life.  There are times when people want to fire you up, want to stir the pot and rile you.  They are not walking the same journey as I am.   Sometimes, the intentions are less than what God would expect and other times, I believe it is done from ignorance or anxiety for themselves.

Many people do not want people to be different. They want us to be the same as them. There is a case for belonging- relationship of course but we all have to walk our own journey, and sometimes we are called to walk it from the crowd.  I am not afraid to walk the journey alone- in many instances I am, but I always walk it knowing that Jesus is by my side.  I get great consolation in this phrase and it is very important for me in times when I know I need to remove myself from situations and people who are not walking my journey or when their behaviours/attitudes cause me harm not good.

HONOURING GOD WITH OUR MIND

The other aspect I would like to address today comes from the Collect.  It is about honouring God with our mind.  Why is this so very important?  Everything we do, every action comes from the mind. We have a choice of course whether to act on it, but the thought is originally there in our mind.  

The second point and the crucial point is this- either good or evil can be nurtured in our mind.  If we choose to honour God in our mind and praise God first thing when we wake up, we set our day off on the right footing. 

Before you even get out of bed, praise God. Praise Him for waking up- God allows us to have another day. Yesterday is gone whether it was good or bad. Today is a new day. Are we going to set it off my thanking God for it?  

There is the expression ''did you get out of bed on the wrong side''.  This comes from the mind. The person may have enormous stresses in his/her life. but beginning the day on a grumpy/ negative note will only perpetuate the problem. The day will become bleaker in the mind.

The other key point is this- the devil uses our negativity, our weaknesses, down moments and comes in for the kill in our mind.  Do not let him in.  We have a choice.  Yes, we may have moments in the day that something happens or someone says something and before long we can be going on that downward spiral.  Catch yourself the next time as you start that downward spiral- and stop and praise God for something right then and there. Keep praising Him. Before long, that negative spiral with be turned around by God and the devil will flee.

The question to ask yourself is who is going to win the battle of the mind- God or the devil.- good or evil.  The answer is obvious I hope but in the day to day battle of life, the devil wants to win. We give him the invitation if we allow him to take hold of our minds. We must let him know he is not welcome in our minds.  Praise God, thank Him and use the name of Jesus ( repeat it over and over again) until you feel a sense of peace and your mind on God again.

I encourage you with all my heart out of love to slip through the crowd and walk away- knowing that Jesus is by your side.  Win the battle of the mind and let God be first place in your heart and in your life.