Tenison Woods and MacKillop Centre News: Preparing...

The beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

It is written in the book of the prophet Isaiah:

Look, I am going to send my messenger before you;

he will prepare your way.

A voice cries in the wilderness:

Prepare a way for the Lord,

make his paths straight,

and so it was that John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. All Judaea and all the people of Jerusalem made their way to him, and as they were baptised by him in the river Jordan they confessed their sins. John wore a garment of camel-skin, and he lived on locusts and wild honey. In the course of his preaching he said, ‘Someone is following me, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to kneel down and undo the strap of his sandals. I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.’

Mark 1:1 - 8

In 2008 our family made its first European trip together via Tokyo. We were heading for Italy: Rome and Florence. Preparations began a year before, booking travel and accommodation for five, organising leave, replacements (for those of us who were working), booking our Italian classes, making arrangements for pets, our children had to save their spending money. The experience was everything and more than we expected. There were so many incredible moments but I will spare you from the travelogue. After our holiday, my family returned to Australia while I travelled on to Leuven, Belgium, where I completed the American College’s Sedes Sapientiae course.

Two of our colleagues - Gretchen McCoy (EO: Digital Technologies) and Errin McDonough (APRE, Sacred Heart, Ulverstone) - are busily preparing for their forthcoming nuptials. Most of us have endured, I mean, experienced such preparations. Having everything fall into place, having the right weather, having the wedding party in one place at the right time, perfect photographs, well-behaved little nephews and nieces (and uncles and aunts). Good preparation doesn’t necessarily mean a perfect outcome (given the incredible number of variables), but it certainly contributes to a sense of satisfaction, achievement and of a job well done.

In Advent we parallel the stories of a) our salvation history leading up to birth of the Christ, b) John’s preparatory ministry leading to the public ministry of Jesus, c) the apostolic communities’ expectation of the second coming of the Lord, and finally, d) the stories of our own lives as we await the fullness of God’s presence with us. That fullness comes from lives lived well, lives lived with faithfulness to the Gospel, and lives given generously and liberally to and for others, lives well prepared and grounded in love.

May we each be open to the Advent possibilities, and may all of our pathways be straight.

Peter Douglas

HEAD OF SCHOOL SERVICES, NORTH

REFLECTIONS ON CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP

by Kevin Treston

Discernment

How do groups who profess a Christian ethos arrive at decisions? Do members make decisions according to the strength of factions and lobbies and manipulation of power blocks? Or do Christian gatherings come to decisions by a process which is aligned with their belief in the Lord’s presence amongst them: For where two or three meet in my name I shall be there with them (Mt. 18: 20)?

Discernment is the process of seeking to discover God’s will through a prayerful reflection on alternative positions. It involves a sifting through choices in a search to know what the Spirit is saying to this gathering of people at this time of their history. Discernment is not an imposed parachute of the Spirit into the assembled group. Nor is discernment a sprinkling of the deliberations with a spray of holy water but a thorough investigation of the situation in the light of faith. Proper discernment necessitates research, inquiry, listening, discussions as well as an appeal to God’s providential care (McKinney: 1987 Ch. 5)

A parliamentary model of working may involve manipulation, control, majorities (and minorities), voting and lobbying for power. The discernment or shared wisdom model implies a collaborative working together, a commitment to bringing together the wisdoms of the members, a faith orientation and patience in the struggle to know God’s will.

The flow of discernment session follows these stages:

Gathering the relevant information.

Setting the climate of prayerful reflection.

Presenting the options.

Clarifying the issues.

Private and communal prayer for guidance.

Sharing feelings, hopes, anxieties.

Proposals for action presented.

Discussion and focus on preferred choices.

Testing choices in the light of the Spirit.

Communal modifications.

Acceptance and ownership of choices made.

The actual format varies according to the purpose of the discernment but the key elements of prayer, research, sifting out possible options and communal ownership of the decision are essential dimensions of an authentic discernment process.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Peter's whereabouts for the next two 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