Sunday, February 28, 2016

Lavish forgiveness and love

 

‘The father said, “My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it is only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.”’

Luke 15:31 – 32

We all heard the warnings our parents gave us about hanging around with those deadbeats, delinquents, troublemakers, recalcitrants and ratbags. Who knows what kind of trouble you’d find yourself in? Needless to say, despite the warnings, we did hang out with them – and in the end most of us turned out quite okay, a few lessons learned, a few brushes with the ‘dark side’.

The word ‘prodigal’ has received some rough press. Because we know how hard end the young man (of the parable fame) was, we tend to think that prodigal means ungrateful or sinful. In fact it has its origin in the Latin word prodigus for lavish or extravagant. Many prefer to call Luke’s parable of the prodigal son, the parable of the forgiving father. I would prefer to call it the parable of the prodigal father. For here is a most extraordinary father. One must assume that this young man had received a sound and God-fearing upbringing, and that his father, though perhaps disappointed with his son’s choice, allowed him the space to choose.

This sounds like the ideal parent, but you would have to wonder what on earth could be going through his mind. Did he fear for his son’s life as he fell into bad company? Did he hope in his heart of hearts that his son would see the error of his ways and return home? Did he think of his elder son, of his fidelity? For here is a father whose love is so lavish, so generous, so welcoming, and so forgiving, that we are not surprised by his elder son’s complaint.

In this parable we are able to see ourselves in each of the characters: the father for whom nothing is more important than loving forgiveness; the elder son who struggles to reconcile his steadiness and fidelity with the lavishness of his father’s welcome to his wayward brother; the younger son who wants to stretch his legs, see the world, burn up his inheritance, and who despite knowing his offences, believes that even as a servant, he is better off at home.

This is a deeply rich story, for Jesus uses it as a metaphor for our relationship with God. For only God’s extravagant love has the capacity to forgive everything and yet still honour those who are steadfast and faithful.

This parable comes to us on this coming 4th Sunday of Lent as a challenge to our world-weary view on young people. Yes, our children will give us a hard time, but they need us to have that longer vision that helps us see to the horizon, constantly on the lookout for their return. You must let them go, and you must always leave the door ajar.

Peter Douglas
HEAD OF SCHOOL SERVICES, NORTH


 

Pope shakes up Mexico’s bishops
From America Magazine


Gerard O'Connell

Pope Francis sought to shake up Mexico’s bishops on his first morning here with a powerful, challenging speech, in which he called on them to live as humble pastors, “not princes,” to be close to the poor and oppressed, and to prophetically denounce the drug trade and other evils of society.

He has been twice to Mexico before, in the 1970s as a Jesuit provincial and in 1998 when John Paul II presented the Exhortation on the Church in America. He knows the situation here, both in the church and state, and it’s clear he has come to call them to conversion.

He issued that call first to the civic and political leaders of this land, and especially those who call themselves Christian, when he spoke to them at the Palacio Nacional. Immediately afterwards, he issued it with particular force to the 176 bishops of this, the second most Catholic country in the world. 

He had written the entire speech himself, and he delivered as a master of the spiritual exercises to them in the Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady – just as he had done to the Roman Curia before Christmas 2014. 

Speaking to the Mexican bishops, he hit hard at what he considers their weaknesses and failings, but he also offered some words of encouragement in areas where they are on the right track. He called them to conversion and at the same time he offered them a vision for the road ahead as shepherds to this nation of 120 million people, 87 percent of whom are Catholic, and more than half are under the age of 18. 

Francis is aware that not a few Mexican bishops are closer to the rich, powerful and influential sectors of society in this country where the economic and social inequalities are striking, rather than to the some 50 million people (among the many indigenous peoples) who are living in poverty or misery, and to a large extent discarded by that other society.  

Before his arrival here, he revealed that his main reason for coming to Mexico City was to pray before the revered image of Our Lady of Guadalupe (la Virgen Morenita), and he focused his talk to the bishops around the message of Guadalupe, which is at the heart of the spirituality of the people of this land. He reminded them that La Virgen Morenita “teaches us that the only power capable of conquering the hearts of men and women is the tenderness of God” and urged them to live as pastors who incarnate that tenderness.

“It is necessary to have an outlook capable of reflecting the tenderness of God,” he told them. In this context, he asked them “to be bishops who have a pure vision, a transparent soul, and a joyful face.” He urged them, “Do not fear transparency. The church does not need darkness to carry out her work.”

He called on them too to “be vigilant so that your vision will not be darkened by the gloomy mist of worldliness; do not allow yourselves to be corrupted by trivial materialism or by the seductive illusion of underhanded agreements; do not place your faith in the “chariots and horses” of today’s Pharaohs, for our strength is in “the pillar of fire” which divides the sea in two, without much fanfare (cf. Ex 14:24-25).”

“In this world"—Francis said"—"God asks you to have a view capable of grasping the plea which cries out from the heart of your people” and “which needs a response.”

He reminded them that “observing your faces, the Mexican people have the right to witness the signs of those ‘who have seen the Lord,’ of those who have been with God. This is essential.”

Therefore, he said, “do not lose time or energy in secondary things, in gossip or intrigue, in conceited schemes of careerism, in empty plans for superiority, in unproductive groups that seek benefits or common interests. Do not allow yourselves to be dragged into gossip and slander.”

“If our vision does not witness to having seen Jesus, then the words with which we recall him will be rhetorical and empty figures of speech,” he added. This is especially important for being able to share the Gospel with young people, he said.

Then turning to the disturbing situation in the country because of the drug trade and the violence linked to it, Francis told them that he is “particularly concerned about those many persons who, seduced by the empty power of the world, praise illusions and embrace their macabre symbols to commercialize death in exchange for money which, in the end, ‘moth and rust consume’ and ‘thieves break in and steal’ (Mt 6:19).”

From his years as archbishop of Buenos Aires he knows well the deadly impact of drugs on peoples lives, Francis urged the bishops “not to underestimate the moral and antisocial challenge which the drug trade represents for Mexican society as a whole, as well as for the Church.”

He reminded them of “the magnitude of this phenomenon, the complexity of its causes, its immensity and its scope which devours like a metastasis, and the gravity of the violence which divides with its distorted expressions, do not allow us as Pastors of the Church to hide behind anodyne denunciations.”

He clearly feels the bishops are tepid in their response and called on them to have “prophetic courage” and develop “a reliable and qualified pastoral plan” that involves families and elements of civil society.  Only in this way, he said, “will people finally escape the raging waters that drown so many, either victims of the drug trade or those who stand before God with their hands drenched in blood, though with pockets filled with sordid money and their consciences deadened.”

He encouraged them to be bishops “who imitate the freedom of God who choses the humble in order to reveal the majesty of his countenance,” as happened with San Juan Diego. He urged them to “show tenderness” to the indigenous peoples and their cultures, and declared that “Mexico needs its American Indian roots.”

He urged the Mexican bishops to have a vision that is “always and solely resting upon Christ” so that they can contribute to the unity of their people and foster the “reconciliation of its differences and the integration of its diversities”

He called on them to have a vision that is “close and attentive, not dormant” and strongly urged them “to not fall into that paralysis of standard responses to new questions.”

He invited the bishops, who were listening attentively but never applauding, “to give yourselves tirelessly and fearlessly to the task of evangelizing and deepening the faith” by means of a catechesis “that treasures the popular religiosity of the people.” Our times, he told them,  “require pastoral attention to persons and groups who hope to encounter the living Jesus.”

To achieve this vision, Francis insisted that, “it is necessary for us Pastors to overcome the temptation of aloofness and clericalism, of coldness and indifference, of triumphalism and self-centeredness” and he reminded that “Guadalupe teaches us that God is known by his countenance, and that closeness and humble bowing down are more powerful than force.”

Reiterating a message that he has given throughout his pontificate, he told the bishops that “only a church able to shelter the faces of men and women who knock on her doors will be able to speak to them of God. If we do not know how to decipher their sufferings, if we do not come to understand their needs, then we can offer them nothing.”

Speaking as a pastor, he urged them to be close to their priests too, even when they fall or walk away, and reminded them that “we remain in God’s presence only when we are little ones, orphans and beggars.”

He invited these bishops of the second most Catholic country in the world to understand and appreciate that “the mission which the church entrusts to you demands a vision embracing the whole. This cannot be realized in an isolated manner, but only in communion”

Pope Francis did not just use hard words in his talk to the bishops, he also had words of praise for them for having “made significant strides in these years since the Council” in many areas, including by developing “the spirit of collegiality” and by their shared pastoral efforts in vital areas of the church’s mission, such as the family, vocations, and the church’s presence in society.

He encouraged them “not to lose heart in the face of difficulties and not to spare any effort in promoting, among yourselves and in your dioceses, a missionary zeal, especially towards the most needy areas of the one body of the Mexican church.”

“To rediscover that the church is mission is fundamental for her future, because only the ‘enthusiasm and confident admiration’ of evangelizers has the power to attract”, he said.

He urged them “to take great care in forming and preparing the lay-faithful, overcoming all forms of clericalism and involving them actively in the mission of the Church, above all making the Gospel of Christ present in the world by personal witness.” 

Francis acknowledged that “the mission is vast” and can be carried forward in multiple ways but, well aware that the bishops are divided among themselves, he reminded them that to carry out that mission they must “preserve the communion and unity that exist among you.” The church, he added, “stands in need of bishops who are servants and custodians of that unity built on the word of God.”

“We do not need “princes,” but rather a community of the Lord’s witnesses” for whom “Christ is the only light,” he stated. 

“It falls to you—he told them—to sow Christ in this land, to keep alive his humble light which enlightens without causing confusion, to ensure that in his living waters the thirst of your people is quenched; to set the sails so that the Spirit’s breeze may fill them, never allowing the barque of the church in Mexico to run aground.”

As he neared the end of his long talk, Francis expressed his appreciation “for everything” that the bishops and the church in Mexico is doing on the migration front. He recalled the desperate plight of millions of these migrants, and urged the bishops to accompany those men and women, even beyond the borders of Mexico.

He asked them too “to strengthen the communion with your brothers of the North American episcopate, so that the maternal presence of the Church can keep alive the roots of the faith of these men and women.”

Moreover, he asked them too “to witness together that the church is the custodian of a unifying vision of humanity and that she cannot consent to being reduced to a mere human ‘resource’.” And, he reminded them that “the divine Samaritan in the end will enrich the person who is not indifferent to him as he lies on the side of the road.”

Pope Francis concluded his 45 minutes talk by telling the Mexican bishops that he “is sure that Mexico and its church will make it in time to that rendezvous with themselves, with history and with God” with the help of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The bishops applauded at the end, but in a rather muted way. It now remains to see what effect it will have on how they conduct their ministry as pastors after he has left this land.







   Thanks to Fiona Labuschagne and Richard Wassom who assisted in ensuring staff were        able to attend Mr Broomhall's funeral.


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****Just click here to read the article in the College's newsletter of 23 February 2016.

Saturday, February 20, 2016

I am who I am


Then Moses said to God, ‘I am to go, then, to the sons of Israel and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you.” But if they ask me what his name is, what am I to tell them?’ And God said to Moses, ‘I Am who I Am.’

Exodus 3:14 - 15

In the epic that is the book of Exodus, the mountain-top encounter between Moses and the God of his ancestors, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is one of the pivotal moments of the Hebrew scriptures.

In this pericope, a typical biblical calling narrative, Moses, while looking down on his father-in-law’s flock, sees a burning bush that is not being consumed by the flames. As he approaches he hears a voice emanating from the blazing bush. It is the voice of God. Gods (with a lower case g) were many in the ancient near east, but the Hebrew people had maintained their fidelity to the God of their forebears long into their exile in Egypt. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had heard their plea, and he had chosen Moses to set them free. Moses was acutely aware of his limitations, he had a stutter, he was unsure how he was to convince the Hebrews to follow him. Moses wanted to be able to tell the Hebrew who exactly had sent him, and it is to this question that voice from the unconsumed bush revealed his name: I AM WHO I AM – represented as the tetragrammaton, YHWH, which we say as Yahweh.

This is the beginning of a story that is critical to Israel’s identity – the slavery, the liberation from bondage, the establishment of the covenant and the gift of the Law, memorialized in the Passover and linked intimately to Last Supper and the Paschal mystery which is the cornerstone of our Christian faith.

There is a voice in a burning bush calling each of us. It will happen just as it did for Moses, while we are about our work and everyday life. It will be a person, a situation, an intuition, a need, and if we listen as Moses listened, if we hear as Moses heard then we will discern the right response. You may not liberate a nation, but you may help set someone free from loneliness and bereavement, you may not perform miracles of nature, but you may provide comfort and compassion, you might not seek manna from heaven, but you may give generously to charity and those in need.

And yes, we may have difficulties of our own, people might not believe our motivation. The proof is to be armed with faith, to know that the God of our ancestors walks with us, that we will be provided with the courage to respond. And again, this Lenten season invites us to the burning bush, inviting us to make a leap of faith

Peter Douglas
HEAD OF SCHOOL SERVICES, NORTH




Giving up indifferent for Lent

By Jim Wallis, Sojourners


Here is what Pope Francis said to the world in his Lenten message: “Indifference to our neighbor and to God also represents a real temptation for us Christians. Each year during Lent we need to hear once more the voice of the prophets who cry out and trouble our conscience.”

Instead of giving up chocolate or alcohol for Lent, the pope seems to want us to give up our indifference to others. He continued: “We end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people’s pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else’s responsibility and not our own.”

Francis’s focus on the “indifference to our neighbour” hit me hard as I am on the road for my new book America’s Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America. We have been to six cities so far — Chicago, the Twin Cities, St. Louis/Ferguson, Atlanta, New York, and Washington, D.C.; next we head to the West Coast. The “town meetings” we are doing have evoked some extremely honest conversation from very multiracial audiences.

A huge piece of the white church's complicity in America's original sin comes down to indifference to others. It has been quite revealing how many of the white participants have been horrified by the outright and explicit demonstrations of racism in America. The murder of nine African Americans during their weekly prayer meeting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina often comes up as something that “appalled” them. But what many of the black participants in the forums speak of is their experience with the indifference of white people to their circumstances, stories, and suffering.

Just last night, a black woman told the still painful story of her 12-year-old brother dying of a burst kidney because he wasn’t allowed to be treated in the nearest hospital and the family having to make a long drive to another. “My father never recovered from that,” she said. As the father of two boys, I can easily relate. Later she told me that her son was recently pulled over by a white police officer who admitted that he had “done nothing,” and after searching him and his car told the young man, “I will have to let you go this time.” Black church members spoke of many sad experiences of conversations with white Christians who “just won’t listen to our stories.”

"During Lent we need to hear once more the voice of the prophets who cry out and trouble our conscience.” (Pope Francis)

What I keep hearing is that more than outright hostility, a huge piece of the white church's complicity in America's original sin comes down to indifference to others. Indifference to the experience and sufferings of their black neighbors and even black brothers and sisters in churches — including indifference to those “prophets who cry out.” With white Christians in the room, at every venue so far, black participants in the discussions sadly wonder if their white neighbors would ever really care about them — whether they can really have any hope for the future.

According to Francis, even Lenten fasting must never become superficial. An article by Christopher Hale in TIME points to a Lenten message the pope gave when he was still the Cardinal of Buenos Aries in Argentina. He quoted one of his favorite early Christian leaders, John Chrysostom, who said, “No act of virtue can be great if it is not followed by advantage for others. So, no matter how much time you spend fasting, no matter how much you sleep on a hard floor and eat ashes and sigh continually, if you do no good to others, you do nothing great.” Or as Francis put it in his 2014 Lenten message, “I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt.”

The pope is saying that our spiritual activities must genuinely enhance other’s lives.

When you are used to white privilege, racial equality feels like a threat. Francis describes a phenomenon he calls “the globalization of indifference.” Here is how he describes it: “whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades.” He goes on: “We end up being incapable of feeling compassion at the outcry of the poor, weeping for other people’s pain, and feeling a need to help them, as though all this were someone else’s responsibility and not our own.”

White privilege allows this indifference. And it has been striking to me as I travel how oblivious many white people are to their own privilege. When you are used to white privilege, racial equality feels like a threat. Or as one young person at a forum said, “If you can’t see white privilege, you have it.”

But the hopeful thing I have found is the hunger at these meetings for a deeper conversation — and then concrete action as a result. I have seen white people listening to the stories of black people and being changed by the conversation. That kind of listening might be the best Lenten discipline for us white Christians.

Jim Wallis is president of Sojourners. His book, America's Original Sin: Racism, White Privilege, and the Bridge to a New America, is available now. Follow Jim on Twitter @JimWallis.








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