Tenison Woods and MacKillop Centre News: A foundation built upon love

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees they got together and, to disconcert him, one of them put a question, ‘Master, which is the greatest commandment of the law?’ Jesus said, ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second resembles it: you must love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets also.’

Matthew 22:34 – 40

My parents loved me. They were fair. The rules by which so many people co-existed in one household were built on love and trust. None of us was perfect and if the music had to be faced, there was nothing to fear. Even after being disciplined, there was no place for doubting being loved, needed, cared for or being part of a family.

The Ten Commandments or Decalogue found in the Books of Exodus and Deuteronomy are indeed at the core of the Law of Moses although there are a total 613 mitzvot or commandments to be found in the First or Old Testament. The Catholic Church has its own canon law that comprises 1752 laws.

Laws arise from lived experience, based on common wisdom. It is possible to view the Decalogue as rules for survival as a community. Some commentators suggest that the Decalogue was constructed to ensure the integrity of the Hebrew people – written and edited by a variety of communities between 922 and 622 BC, others surmise that the Decalogue owes its origins to the Hittites (an ancient middle eastern people) or even to the Egyptians. Biblical tradition acknowledges Moses himself as the author of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the scriptures), and, of course, the personal recipient of the Decalogue on Mt Sinai.

At the risk of being over simplistic, my parents brought the rules for good life, good conduct and good relationships from their families. They adapted and changed these rules through experimentation, success and failure. They may never have articulated them as a code, but they lived them and offered them as gifts to their children. In turn Toni and I brought to our family the sum of what our families gave to us, and so it continues. We too have no written code, for what we have passed on to our children is both oral and experiential.

The Law of Christ is also the sum of what Jesus offered to his disciples. Again, not a list of rules, but a way of life. Lived exceptionally we understand that a new age is inaugurated (the kingdom of God). We do not need any number of laws or commandments to live the Law of Christ. What we need is a life whose foundation is built upon love and trust, and above all faith.

Peter

REFLECTIONS ON CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP

by Kevin Treston

Managing Change

Generally most people prefer to stay in familiar territory. They tend to resist change which moves them beyond an ordered way of life into unchartered waters. I like the statement by an unknown author: “The only people who enjoy change are babies with wet nappies.” To facilitate change, leaders should keep in mind the following suggestions:

Develop a positive attitude to change as an opportunity to do something better.
Accept the fact that change is always with us.
Involve the people who are affected by the change at every step in the process of change. Ownership of the direction of change almost ensures its success.
Recognise fears, insecurities and hopes.
Affirm the efforts to change, regardless of how small these efforts to change are.
Offer regards for change. The new outcome has to be perceived as better than the previous situation otherwise there is no intrinsic motivation for change.
Before beginning the process of change, know the history and culture of the group. Such knowledge will probably indicate an entry point for the change strategy.
Be prepared to modify the process as it proceeds. Rarely does any plan work out in the way it was envisaged.
Anchor the change in a core vision where values are shared by the group, or at least by most people in the group.
Develop a network of support for the people experiencing change.
Communicate with the people involved in the change about the reasons for the change, the process being used and possible outcomes.
Provide ongoing formation for group members so that they develop the skills and resources necessary to handle the change.
Try to anticipate the possible areas of resistance and plan ahead to respond to overcome the resistance.
Be prepared to tough it out but know when to compromise.
Se achievable goals and regularly check out how the process is going.
Respect people’s feelings and sense of self-worth.
Retain a lively sense of humour.
Focus on the goals of the parish, school or service agency. Do not allow personalities to set the agenda for change.
Pray for guidance of the Spirit.
Explore opportunities for synergizing.
Sow seeds for change – share literature and research on the subject.

If change is well managed, then members of the group feel confident that they will arrive at new solutions, which will be more beneficial for the parish or school. Sadly, there are often personal causalities in change. These people are to be given support and guidance.

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Peter's whereabouts for the next 2 weeks

Meetings coming up

Please forward any agenda items for meetings (with some indication of time required and context) to Carole at carole.goodwin@catholic.tas.edu.au or Tracie at tracie.clyne@catholic.tas.edu.au