“…‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” (Luke 3:13)
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org
Year C: Third Sunday of Advent, 12 December
2021
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice
....is taken from Philippians 4:4 which is the opening verse of the second reading for this Sunday.
Joy is a difficult thing to define or measure. It is felt more than seen. It is seen more than heard. It is heard more than measured. No market value can be put on joy.
The secret of joy is in trusting (God) and in giving (to others). The Gospel of Luke provides important guidance.
Let's listen again to the Gospel:
'Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise'. (v.11)‘Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you’ (v.13)
If each of us collected ‘no more than the amount prescribed’ for us the world would be a different place indeed. If only…
Where we are today is on the cusp of a momentous change in the conditions of this mother earth where we have been planted. The call to love our neighbour takes a particular urgency because it means loving our children – the next generation. There is more than weather extremes and rising temperatures and flooding at stake here. We simply don’t know for sure how much or how long it will take but we can be sure of one thing – unless action is taken at global and local levels the future planet and the conditions for those living there does not look pretty. To put it another way, we are consuming one and a half earths. This cannot continue. Eventually, something gives. It becomes a choice of ‘de-growth’ or ‘de-carbonise’ or both. Leaders and peoples can continue to duck and dive on what it takes to begin to fix the underlying causes of environmental degradation but, eventually, the reality and the truth will catch up with us all.
We know that the current patterns of globalisation, trade, consumption and energy utilisation are not sustainable. What are we doing about it?
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