Scripture:‘Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matthew 13 45-46)Reflection:We are often too busy in our minds hankering after an imagined past or worrying about a receding future. Instead, if we can trustfully arrive in this present moment, in not too much of a hurry, with not too much on our to do list, we can recognise the precious treasure of God’s reign already offering itself to us.The insight from the merchant that sold everything to possess the pearl of great price is that we have to let go of a lot of unnecessary baggage, outworn attitudes, lesser priorities to recognise and enjoy the immense value of God’s kingdom, already here in front of our noses. The reign of God becomes visible when people find what is most precious and important and live out of that truth. Such joy and love are contagious and healing.Lyn Hayes ALM
Scripture: “Do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.” (Matthew 6 13)Reflection:‘Temptation’ usually suggests attraction in the wrong direction. This translation of the Lord’s Prayer tries to get closer to the Greek word, which was used for testing, for trying out. The Covid pandemic tested us in a frightening way, and now we hope that we can learn lessons from that testing to have greater resilience in future. On a different scale, this is a daily experience for each of us, as our strength of body, mind or spirit is tested, and those tests can lead to improvements (think of the toddler’s progress) – as long as we are not tested beyond breaking point. Jesus encourages us in our prayers to remember that we need help and protection, both from external threats – evil in the world around us - and from within – St Paul himself talked of not understanding his own actions ‘I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate’. “Your father knows what you need before you ask, so pray, Our Father,… lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”David Harmsworth
