蜜芽传媒

Good morning In the Christian calendar we continue the holy season of Lent - 40 days of preparation for Easter. 聽Primal traditions and World Faiths engage in similar periods of commitment to spiritual renewal and to social justice. A privileged time to turn our minds to the plight of millions of uprooted peoples scourged by war, terror and rape, perilously traversing mountains and seas in search of refuge, facing closed borders, confined in camps, stripped of all agency. It is timely to challenge ourselves and those in power to do whatever it takes to accommodate these world citizens who have rights nowhere but 鈥渢he Republic of Conscience鈥� In his Lenten preaching and solidarity, Pope Francis 鈥� whose inauguration anniversary is today 鈥� places collective responsibility before our eyes.

True to its old English root, the word 鈥淟ent鈥� means Spring - seeds cracking their skins, birds building nests, our spurts of spring-cleaning and the spirit鈥檚 longing for open space again. The road into the New Creation of Easter goes the way Jesus鈥檚 patience and self-emptying power-in-defencelessness. Seamus Heaney puts his finger on this in his portrayal of Jesus being scourged, blindfolded and mocked by the soldiers. 鈥淎nd he didn鈥檛 strike back鈥�. 聽Yet, Something was made manifest 鈥� the power
Of power not exercised, of hope inferred
By the powerless forever鈥�

Lord, in our lives, may the grace of your 鈥減ower not exercised鈥� enable all who work to build and share your kingdom of justice, , truth and mercy for your whole creation. Amen.