2011 June archive at Being Frank

Archive for June, 2011

Jun

Saints of East and West

By Inkling 3 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

In an effort to find some striking and impressive bit of trivia to begin today’s post with, I was side-tracked by a speech given by the Patriarch of the Eastern Orthodox Church, Bartholomew I, and while I didn’t end up with the sought-for piece of trivia, it did point to what I thought was an interesting aspect of this celebration – that it is a chance to forward the ecumenical movement between the Eastern and Western Churches.

I often wondered during my Religious History class what it would take to bring East and West together once again. I thought of the sort of concessions it might involve on both sides – and whether the faithful on both sides would be willing to change if change was necessary, and what great change of heart would need to happen on both sides on such a broad scale. Considerable experience of living in close quarters with very close siblings was always cause to reflect on how ridiculous it was that the people closest to a person are the ones who it’s easiest to get angry at, and the hardest to make concessions to. The fiercest wars, it’s said, are most often civil wars, and the most bitter disagreements are often about the pettiest things between close friends. But reunion and reconciliation was never sweeter than when between siblings. Relations were terribly bitter at the time of the Schism – has enough time passed that we can look forward to a growing union between East and West once again?

The following quote from John Paul II’s encyclical Ut Unum Sint of 25 May 1995 makes a good point:

Every renewal of the Church is essentially grounded in an increase of fidelity to her own calling. Undoubtedly this is the basis of the movement toward unity … There can be no ecumenism worthy of the name without a change of heart. For it is from renewal of the inner life of our minds, from self-denial and an unstinted love that desires of unity take their rise and develop in a mature way. We should therefore pray to the Holy Spirit for the grace to be genuinely self-denying, humble. gentle in the service of others, and to have an attitude of brotherly generosity towards them. … The words of St. John hold good about sins against unity: “If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us”. So we humbly beg pardon of God and of our separated brethren, just as we forgive them that trespass against us.

Considering our common roots, lets ask these two great saints we hold in common with the Eastern Orthodox Church, Sts Peter and Paul, to continue to pray for us and for the smoothing of the way to union between East and West once again.

Jun

Vatican III?

By Marty Rethul 21 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

So, opening up my NZ Catholic the other day for a quiet, post-Mass Sunday read, I was overjoyed to see that a local lay Catholic has called for a new Ecumenical Council. How wonderful to see the flowering of well-formed, theologically literate lay people in our midst.

And the forum for this conciliar call, I hear you ask? Not in a private letter to the bishop, no – nor in a parish bulletin even – but at the graduation ceremony for Good Shepherd College, our local theological institute (the one of some repute) in Auckland, on 3 June. Mrs (Ms?) Nadja Tollemache (an ombudsman – our first female one, apparently) was the guest speaker.

So the article says, she began by speaking about the Universal Declaration on Human Rights, as the result of which women got to have a bigger role in society. Disappointingly for Nadja, this has not been reflected in the liturgy (which of course does not reflect society, but I digress). You see, they don’t get to do enough, it seems. This is, of course, silly. In the brave new church of the 21st century, where women can be anything from servers to EMOHCs, with everything in between (literally – lectors, ushers, sacristans, cleaners, porters, flute-tooters, representatives of the apostles on Holy Thursday even), this complaint sounds hollow. One wonders whether she believes it herself. But, naturally, this leads into the tired old chestnut:

She read out the first conclusion of the theological reflection group convened by Bishop John Mackey in 1990, which requested the New Zealand bishops keep alive the reflection on the ordination of women.

Of course. What an excellent moment to bring this one up. A captive audience, the bishop there, a number of monsignori – an excellent opportunity to rail against chauvinism and misogyny to your heart’s content. It isn’t that women don’t get to do enough, they don’t get to be the circus ringleaders of the parish liturgies (unless they’re lucky enough to be in the Wellington, Palmerston North, or remoter parts of the Auckland, dioceses).

But it didn’t end there. The article tells us:

But an elephant in the room, that the Church has shied away from, is the issue of population, especially with increasing costs of fuel threatening modern methods of food production and distribution, she said.

An elephant? Does she mean there are others? How many has she identified? How big is this room, and if there are that many elephants how comfortable can they be? What are the other elephants concerned with? Maybe Catholic schooling, although she didn’t get onto that. Maybe liturgical abuse, and it seems she got onto that in her own way. But population was mentioned…looks like HV is in the firing line then.

But what I like best is the beautifully vague and senseless conclusion:

We probably need a new Vatican II-type council to take a fresh look at all the ethical issues that have arisen in the last half century and that is where I hope some brilliant theologians will reassess the old answers that no longer answer the new, different questions. After all, the Church has managed to do this before.

Why would old answers answer new questions? For goodness’ sake, the questions are probably different. I’d love to know what these new questions are, I really would. Holy Mother has already answered the women’s ordination one, and the birth control one – are they simply being asked in a different way? Is that what she means? Perhaps she just wants to change the answers, although the questions remain the same.

And why a Vatican II-type council? What was wrong with Vatican I – you know, that one about the primacy of the pope. Or Trent, or Ephesus, or Nicaea? What’s really meant here is the ol’ spirit of Vatican II stuff – do what you like, primacy of conscience and subsidiarity, destruction of traditional Catholic culture, modernism rampant…brilliant, sounds like a heterodox dream.

Well, at least we can applaud the ‘courage’ it took to do this. The bishop and clergy said nothing in response (nothing new there, although it could have been a good opportunity to reaffirm Church teaching in a few areas).

Jun

Small victory in landslide law

By Kereopa 8 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

Massive victory for the liberal left in New York as the State legalises same-sex marriage. Unlike the California law (remember Proposition 8?), this looks set to stay, at least in the medium term. While there has been massive opposition to the law, it has also been widely supported by moderates, on both sides of the political spectrum.

Its not totally surprising as New York is very liberal. Most US commentators have admitted that this is unlikely to result in a nationwide sweep of reforms in across US states. Most states are conservative by nature – and New York is particularly unique in that its a very wealthy, urbanised, Caucasian-dominant state, with small Latino or African American populations (who are historically Christian) and therefore has one of the largest liberal-leaning populations in the US.

From the Washing Post:

The Catholic Church is another prime opponent of the legalizing of gay marriage. In their conferences with lawmakers last week, Catholic leaders stressed that while they love and value gay people, gay-marriage laws can affect the church’s ability to operate and coordinate with the state on its charities and other programs.

Conservative groups and the Catholic Church have won a massive victory of their own in that within the law, Catholic churches and priests can refuse to marry homosexuals. This is in stark contrast to the grave laws of the UK where Catholic adoption clinics were forced to close because they wouldn’t adopt out children to same-sex couples.

While I don’t think many Catholics will be celebrating the news, it does come as a small recompense that Catholic and Christian faiths will be safeguarded in law.

Its one thing to allow for gay marriage, but its another to erode the religious freedoms of Christians at the same time. Kiwi lawmakers take note.

St John Francis Regis, pray for us.

Jun

My Bucket List

By Joan of Arc 5 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

A few people have mentioned to me lately that I should put together a bucket list of things to do before I leave NZ (I have been accepted to enter postulancy with the Sisters of Life and leave NZ on the 2nd August). It seems that others are more concerned than I am about what I’m going to miss out on if I end up spending my whole life in a convent.

My mother was the first person to suggest a bucket list and I said to her “I’m not dying!” She hadn’t quite understood the link with ‘kicking the bucket’. The more I have thought about it though, the more I have reflected on how in a way I will be dying to many things once I give up my belongings, move to the other side of the world, and put on my postulant uniform (of course this is all in order to have a fuller, more free and abundant life). Maybe I do need a list!

Actually, the only thing that I really wanted to do before leaving was walk up Rangitoto which I did two weekends ago with my sister – so I’m feeling quite fulfilled Surprisingly my workmates have suggested that the first thing I should put on my list is ‘experience some road rage’. Apparently I’m one of the few people around who has never gotten angry with another driver on the road. I didn’t realise it was one of those ‘must-do’ experiences. I prefer to pray for the other drivers on the road.

If you were moving into a convent/monastery what would you be wanting to make sure you had experienced first? Any ideas for me? (ideas that are better than experiencing road rage!lol)

Jun

Identity

By Voice in the wilderness 3 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

John knew who Christ was and he proclaimed it.

Do we know who Christ is? And if so, are we proclaiming it?

Earlier this week, I read an interesting article about Archbishop Charles Chaput from the States. The line in the commentary that drew me to it was:

Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput, stress[ed] the need for Catholics in Catholic organizations to be Catholic.

Lets have a look at that again…

Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput, stress[ed] the need for Catholics in Catholic organizations to be Catholic.

What a novel idea. In terms of organizations, we could extrapolate that out to include hospitals, schools, rest homes, social centers, pregnancy health centers, universities, dioceses, parishes and even families.

The weakness comes when we fail to realise our identity. If we do not know who we are and who our neighbours are, it is so easy to water ourselves and our church down.

A metaphor I like is one that compares us to achoholic spirits e.g. whiskey. When I was a student we used to drink whiskey mixed with gingerale and lime cordial, it became sweeter with the lime and the alchohol was not as strong when diluted with the gingerale. But there was always the subtle taste of the whiskey in the background, that perhaps we liked, or perhaps just made us feel sophisticated…

As the years went by and as I matured a little (in regards to my spiritual life and my drinking habits) I developed a taste for whiskey drunk straight. Not mixed, not sweetened (not tainted, some might say!). Sure, it was more difficult to drink, and with some whiskeys there was definitely the odd cringe as I waited for my throat to stop burning. However, I have gained an appreciation for the spirit as it is, in its true form.

Like the whiskey, there was a time in my life where I diluted my faith. Adding extra things in to make it seem sweeter, to alter its effect on my life and to generally change it. I did not know the true identity of my faith, myself and those around me.

From this lack of true identity, havoc can be wreaked on our lives, and as the Archbishop implies, havoc can be wreaked in our society.

“The more that Catholic universities or hospitals mute their religious identity; the more that Catholic social ministries weaken their religious character … the less useful to the Gospel they become,”

“Catholic social ministry begins and ends with Jesus Christ,” he said. “If it doesn’t, it isn’t Catholic.”

“Being faithful to Catholic teaching isn’t something optional for a Catholic [...] worker. It’s basic to his or her identity,” he said, adding that the faith “is much more than a list of dos and don’ts.”

Jun

“Does my withered face remind you of the grim specter of Death?”

By Methuselah's Beard Closed

Categories: Being Frank...

I’m not sure if this was mentioned on the blog at any stage, but it appears that Jack Kevorkian passed away earlier this month. You can read all about it here. I wasn’t even aware he had been in prison to be honest. Apparently along with pioneering assisted suicide, he was also a big promoter of hospices and stronger painkillers for the dying. What a guy.

Anyway, morose topic or not, death comes to us all and I often wonder what it’s like. It’s strange to think that everything you are, all your memories, all your thoughts, all gone in a flash. It’s a little scary I think. Do you think that mankind created all the various versions of the afterlife to lessen the impact and fear of passing on? The promise of everlasting life, or being reincarnated, or having your own planet, these can all seem like attempts to make death less final than it is, that there is something afterwards rather than nothingness. I guess we won’t know until we get there. In the meatime, the best we can do is believe.

Jun

“…to give to the Church and the world poor priests and good catechists…”

By Inkling 5 Comments

Categories: Being Frank...

- Quote by Blessed Antoine Chevrier

Apologies for the late post today.

I’ve probably said this in a post somewhere before, but one of the major areas in which I believe the Church in New Zealand is lacking is in Catechesis. Paging through my cousin’s RE book from school was an education as to how impoverished childrens’ and teens’ religious education here has become.

A friend of mine (a well-informed Catholic) was telling me the other day how they had entered a little unwittingly into a conversation with a Satanist, who had begun their acquaintance by casting a few invectives against what he thought Cathlolics believed – which my Catholic friend corrected. The Satanist was genuinely surprised by the answers my friend gave him, and even more surprised that a Catholic should continue talking to him rather than telling him he was evil, and so, as a result, they enjoyed a 1 1/2 hour conversation about religion.

Anyway, the point is, there are a lot of misconceptions about Catholicism out there, and if we’re not giving good substantial catechesis – explaining Catholic doctrine and so on, how can we expect our young Catholics to be able to enter into discussions well-informed?

“I find plenty of people do physical work, but to teach catechism, to put the faith and love of our Lord in souls, I find very few, almost none.” – Blessed Antoine Chevrier devoted his life to the catechesis of the young and the poor, and sought to impress upon all the people he met and lives he touched the great importance and urgency of good catechesis.