Tenison Woods and MacKillop Centre News

Then the King will say to those on his right hand, “Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take for your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you made me welcome; naked and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me.” Then the virtuous will say to him in reply, “Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you; or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome; naked and clothe you; sick or in prison and go to see you?” And the King will answer, “I tell you solemnly, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me.”

Matthew 25:34 – 40

The earliest kings were no more than small tribal leaders. Some possessed both political and religious functions. The word is derived from the Old English word cyng and is related to the German and Dutch words for king, and not surprisingly comes from the same root as the word kin, for family.

Undoubtedly David, king of Israel, was not unlike those early kings. There were no castles, princesses or other paraphernalia we attribute to modern kingship. David was chosen by the Lord and anointed by Samuel. He eventually becomes king of Judah and later of a united Israel. He is remembered as a warrior, a poet and a musician. The memory of this king was imprinted on the minds and hearts of Jews. Any Messiah would be a descendent of this king. And while the Jews expected a warrior-king to free them from their various enemies and captors (Assyrians, Greeks, Romans), the acclamation of Jesus of Nazareth as both Messiah (Christ) and king was greeted by derision.

So, if Jesus was a king, what kind of king was he? Where was his kingdom? John (18:36) reports Jesus words: Mine is not a kingdom of this world. The parables, the miracles, the Beatitudes all hint as to what this kingdom would look like and feel like. The scriptures suggest that this kingdom has already been inaugurated (in the words and actions of Jesus) and will be completed when he comes again. Those who enter his kingdom are those who feed the hungry, visit the imprisoned, cared for the ill, clothed the naked and gave drink to the thirsty (Matthew 25:31 – 46).

The feast of Christ the King which we celebrated this Sunday was instituted by Pius XI in 1925. It came at a time when monarchies were failing across Europe, when nihilism, Marxism and other philosophies were challenging the Church. Commentators of the time believed that the feast was a reminder that Christians owed their allegiance not to earthly supremacy – as claimed by Benito Mussolini, but to their heavenly, spiritual leader.

The timing of this feast as the last Sunday of the liturgical year invites us to consider the promise of what is to come at the end of time, and we then begin a new year with the Sundays of Advent.

The fact that we are bordering on being a republic, that our monarch lives on the other side of the world, that she and her descendants live privileged lives and are expected to be exemplary citizens, makes it difficult for us to gain a full appreciation of what the feast has to offer. Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI’s insight into Christ's kingship is that it is not based on "human power" but on loving and serving others. And that is how each of us can acknowledge Christ’s kingship and each of us can actively enter into, bring about and sustain his kingdom – by our love and service for others.

Peter

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

From Our Lady of Mercy

From Larmenier

From St Anthony's

From St Finn Barr's

From St Thomas More's

From St Patrick's College - Launceston

From Our Lady of Lourdes

From St Joseph's - Queenstown

From St Peter Chanel

From St Joseph's - Rosebery

From Stella Maris

From St Brigid's

From Sacred Heart - Launceston

From St Brendan Shaw College

From St Patrick's

From Star of the Sea

From Maris Regional College

From Sacred Heart - Ulverstone

Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, Louvain, Belgium

A perfect wife – who can find her?

She is far beyond the price of pearls.

Her husband’s heart has confidence in her,

from her he will derive no little profit.

Advantage and not hurt she brings him

all the days of her life.

She is always busy with wool and with flax,

she does her work with eager hands.

She sets her hands to the distaff,

her fingers grasp the spindle.

She holds out her hand to the poor,

she opens her arms to the needy.

Charm is deceitful, and beauty empty;

the woman who is wise is the one to praise.

Give her a share in what her hands have worked for,

and let her works tell her praises at the city gates.

Proverbs 31:10-13.19-20.30-31

From the end of the book of Proverbs, these verses form part of an acrostic poem on the noble ideal of womanhood. One of the essential tools of the Jewish and Christian scholars has been to view the scriptures as analogy. All theological language is, of course, analogous. A declaration from the 4^th Lateran Council stated: No similarity can be found so great but that the dissimilarity is even greater. Thus although we humans can love so much, God’s love is incomprehensibly greater and has none of limitations of human love.

This is why we speak of Wisdom as a feminine entity. In Hebrew it is a feminine noun. We Catholics most often endow Mary, the Blessed Virgin, with the title Seat of Wisdom – in Latin, sedes sapientiae – as a devotional title, which recognises Mary’s role as the mother of Jesus, and which in iconography depicts her with the Infant Child seated on her knee.

But further, while these words from Proverbs may appear to exalt the perfect wife, or perfect woman – and which we may then appropriately attribute to Mary, the writer of Proverbs is equally exalting of Israel’s relationship with God, about the kind of nation, the kind of people that God calls his own. As church, we are, like Israel, called in to relationship with God.

There are many scriptural images of the relationship between God and his people. There is the intimacy of the dysfunctional marriage of Hosea and his wife Gomer, the beauty of the Song of Songs. However, the writer of Proverbs writes of the perfect relationship – one undoubtedly modelled on the culture of his time, and you and I are invited both personally and communally into this relationship of perfection in which our fidelity is expressed in word, work, action and praise.

Peter

End of Year celebrations

If you would like to invite Peter to your end of year assembly would you please contact Carole. Peter will work on a first in, first serve basis. Our regional EOs also love to receive invitations!

Well done, Leeann!

On Friday 7 November, our EO: Curriculum (NW), Leeann Medwin, was honoured and recognised by ACEL by awarding her a Certificate of Excellence in Educational Leadership! A number of our colleagues, principals and TCEO staff were present, including our Acting Director Sean Gill and Head of Mission and Education Services Sandra Harvey. The contribution of former Director Trish Hindmarsh to education was also recognised at the same ceremony. Congratulations to you, Leeann!

Road runners (Burnie 10)

Guess who ran in the Burnie 10? And who flew down here just to run?

REFLECTIONS ON CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP

by Kevin Treston

Group Facilitation

Many tasks of the leader relate to managing groups such as staff, pastoral council, management teams, parish and school assemblies, parents and friends associations. The quality of interpersonal relations is a major concern for any leader. Jesus devoted much of his ministry to the formation of his group of disciples. The gospels recount his struggles to inculcate his vision and the obduracy of the disciples (e.g. Mk. 9:33-37; Mk. 10:35-40).

Group leaders use helpful strategies to assist people to interact creatively and achieve their goals. Those involved in leading groups will find the following suggestions helpful in the facilitation of group relationships:

· Encourage a shared belief among group members about the positive value of consensus decision making.

· Ensure that the physical arrangement of the room is conducive to positive group interactions. Avoid a ‘top/bottom’ seating.

· Plan an appropriate process for that particular group. The levels of personal maturity and education, the stage of group development, the degree of competence in achieving the task are some of the factors, which would shape the kind of process used.

· Attend to the two major purposes of a group viz. achieving its purpose and facilitating health interactions.

· Helps to achieve group tasks are:

o Clarify the purpose of the group

o Initiate an appropriate process

o Communicate relevant information

o Keep to the task

o Develop possible options

o Focus on a solution

o Plan actions

· Evaluate outcomes and the proces Good relationships in a group are helped by these approaches:

o Welcome people into the group and introduce members to one another

· Set a climate of respectful listening

o Creatively manage conflict

o Establish a group culture of synergizing

o Encourage members to participate if they so choose

o Acknowledge differences and use them for better option

o Help people to become bonded in the Spirit

o Establish eye contact

o Show care for one another

There are many variations in the character and purposes of groups such as groups for prayer, social justice, pastoral planning, per support, pastoral councils, school and hospital administration teams, staff meetings. Good leadership in the groups helps people to experience the value of working together for communal reward.

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Peter's whereabouts