Photo: Canva.comI was listening to a fellow Columban reflecting upon today’s readings and he presented some stimulating, thoughtful insights. He spoke about the Exile and the decree of Darius, the king of Persia, as outlined in today’s reading from the book of Ezra 6:7-8,12,14-20. Exile was an experience of profound loss, the loss of land and leadership and Temple. Like any experience of deep sorrow, where a people hold on to their faith, they do so even as their faith undergoes enormous change. They learn new ways of praying together and a new sense of the presence of God. They come to know God as not just the God of the Jews but rather the God of all creation. They retell their story of creation. What’s more it is through the decree of a gentile king that they can return to their land. Now this experience of Exile is not unlike the experience of Christians, and in particular Catholics today. We are still undergoing a period of deep sorrow and profound loss. In many parts of the world, churches are half-empty on Sundays. In Aotearoa-New Zealand, over 50 per cent of the population no longer believes in any religion. My brother Columban spoke of how in Ireland, a wise church analyst suggested that the major pastoral challenge facing the Church now is the reimagination of Sunday mass. Perhaps it is time for dialogue with peoples of other faiths, non-believers, scientists and with indigenous peoples. Synodality is also the mode of this emerging church. It is time for listening. This brings me to Padre Pio, whose feast day it is today. Above all, people sensed in him the presence of God. He was also a man of deep compassion. Many came to him for healing and reconciliation. Let us pray for the Spirit of deep listening as we enter this present experience of Exile and loss.
Tom Rouse
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