St. Boniface
Readings:
Tobit 1:3; 2:1-6
Mark 12:1-12
Reflection
St. Boniface, whose feast we celebrate today, is honoured as the apostle to the German people. He was martyred for his effectiveness in bringing people over to the faith, thus becoming a significant threat to those who opposed such change. Today’s Gospel, too, reminds us that if we bear witness to our truth, if it is different to what the group believes, then we can expect to experience rejection as Jesus did. That is because buying into group thoughts maintains stability. When you break from the group mind to mark a place for yourself, don’t expect the group to reward you. Indeed, I can pace the speed of growth in my life by the density of the thoughts that I am plugged into. If you are plugged into a thought that billions of people believe, then you can only evolve at the pace of the group – slowly. Perhaps the fact that Christianity has gone ‘out of fashion’ in our world today is the greatest opportunity our Church has of evolving quickly into what we are meant to be.
Fr. Ray Sanchez CP is the leader of the Oxley community and responsible for Parish Missions and Retreats throughout Australia and NZ.