In cooperation with Bishop Geoffrey Robinson and his publisher, John Garratt Publishing, we have pleasure in presenting the end chapter meditations from his book which has created so much interest around the world. Today the reflection comes from Chapter Five.

"Like his Brothers and Sisters in Every Respect"

Is it possible that the following is the story of what actually happened?

The child Jesus "increased in wisdom and in years and human favour". Under the guidance of the Spirit, he gradually came to understand that he was called by God to a special mission, and he worked hard to develop within himself the knowledge and the qualities he would need for this mission. He read about and pondered the idea of the promised messiah and at some point came to the startling realisation that the hopes surrounding that messiah were vested in himself.

He felt a power within himself and eventually came to understand that this was a divine power and that God was actually saying to him, "You are my son, the beloved; with you I am well pleased". He began to think of God as his father and to speak to God in familiar terms (abba). Despite this, he quickly learned that he could not overcome all problems in the world. Ultimately, he could not overcome the limitations of the human condition itself, for he knew that, in order to fulfil God's eternal plan, he himself had to live within those limitations.

He came to realise that he was a key part of God's eternal plan for the world (what Paul would later call the mysterion). According to this plan he wanted to share (koinonia) with the whole world the fullness of life he found within himself, and he knew that the reign (basileia) of God within himself was the source of the fullness he discovered there, so he wanted to bring about this reign within the minds and hearts of all people. He attracted followers and formed them into a common union (communion) or church so that these goals could be more readily available to all peoples of all times. Working with the same Holy Spirit as Jesus, they began to make the decisions that had to be made.

Credit: These meditations are taken from the end of chapter reflections in Bishop Geoffrey Robinson's book, Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church — Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus, published by John Garratt Publishing. We thank Bishop Robinson and John Garratt Publishing for permission to reproduce these meditations on Catholica Australia.

Bishop Geoffrey Robinson who has degrees in Philosophy, Theology and Church Law, was Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Sydney from 1984 until his retirement in 2004. In 1994 he was elected by the Australian Bishops to the National Committee for Professional Standards, coordinating the response of the Catholic Church in Australia to revelations of sexual abuse, and from 1997 until 2003 he was co-chairman of this committee..

We welcome your thoughts in response to Bishop Robinson's reflection in our forum.

©2007 Geoffrey Robinson

[Sunday Reflections Archive]