John N Sutherland

	Things of the Spirit

His Holiness, Pope John Paul 2, Time Magazine “Man of the 20^th Century”

In 1982 I attended the Papal Mass in Glasgow, Scotland and committed my life to following the Way of Jesus Christ. Coming from an entirely atheist background I have no preconceptions about theology, ecclesiology or religious history. However, I remain totally committed to following Christ.

Following Christ means living and acting as He did. He helped the poor, oppressed, marginalized, hurting, confused, messed-up and generally those who did not reckon they had it all together. You cannot follow Christ and be arrogant, self-seeking, money-obsessed or possessions-orientated.

It hurts. Often. There are a lot of frightened people in the world who want to hit back. As Christ did not hit back, so Christians are called to absorb the world’s evil. To call a stop to revenge. To end the cycle of depravity where humans oppress and destroy other humans.

I take great inspiration from the current Pope, the Mass, the late Cardinal Hume and many others. The Christian world, however, isn’t Catholic. Lots of ordinary Anglicans, Presbyterians and Pentecostalists just get on in an inspiring way.

A prayer: may the light of Christ illuminate your walk, may the love of the Father pull you home, and, may the power of the Holy Spirit empower you to be Christ where you are today.