Informed Political Engagement

It has often been said, even by Prime Ministers, that religious leaders should confine themselves to religion and not meddle in politics, but what does that really mean?

Politics can be very divisive of families, communities and countries.  The same was true in Jesus time. The Pharisees tried to exploit this to discredit Jesus and thereby weaken his influence on people.  In the gospel story he was in a no win situation. If he supported the paying of taxes; he was a collaborator with the hated Romans and their idolatrous rule. On the other hand, if he supported withholding of taxes he was a revolutionary who could then be easily denounced to the Romans. 

Jesus chose a third way, which was not proposed by the Pharisees and similarly often not proposed by those who seek answers to political conundrums from Church Leaders. The new way Jesus shows is to teach the principles and then allow people to make their own decisions from that point onwards. Jesus did not tell people what to do, but he pointed out moral principles and the consequences of their actions. The role of the church is the same.

Render unto Caesar. So what belongs to God? Simply put: everything. I cannot stand here and teach about what the Christian response to the ethical, moral and spiritual challenges of society are without wishing to influence your response when you leave this church. I want us all to be a positive force in society, building and guarding the rights of all people.  If you wish me to influence you on these matters within these walls, and then become someone else when you leave, a grand schizophrenia is at work. If religious leaders did not inform politics of Australia, education, health care, social welfare and all forms of social justice would not have any prominence in our society. Currently, the rights of refugees, the family, the old and vulnerable whose lives are under threat from euthanasia and the unborn are being championed by the leaders of Christian church. This is role and calling of leaders of the Christian faith.

Most of us voted today or during the last week. We all have a calling in the political life of this country, to shape her future and safeguard her people. To do this we need to engage in the public square openly as Christians.  It is my calling as a priest theologian to guide this parish towards the correct incorporation of Catholic teaching into our daily lives. If I don’t do this I am negligent, staying ‘out of politics’, therefore, is not an option for any of us.  I am not saying that the priest as teacher always gets it right. However, if the principles of Christian ethics and the natural law are followed there is a much better chance of a just society emerging.

The price of ignoring our political responsibilities are significant. An extreme example is that of Martin Niemöller (1892-1984) a prominent Protestant pastor who eventually emerged as an outspoken public foe of Adolf Hitler and spent the last 7 years of Nazi rule in concentration camps. He wrote: First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out -- Because I was not a Socialist Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out -- Because I was not a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -- Because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Catholic activists, and I was protestant. Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.

We need reflection, challenge and reform. We need to be open to listen to the views of others and then make up our mind, not based on moral principles, not on feelings or sympathies. 

Homily, 16th Octiber 2011, 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The Wedding Feast of Baptism

In the midst of all the publicity surrounding the British Royal wedding this year, in my mind I have a picture of a socialite waving an invitation, absolutely ecstatic that she had been invited. It was a time of happiness and joy, and as many weddings are, and an occasion to cement social and political ties among families and countries.

The wedding feast in the gospel is similar. It was a big occasion, and opportunity to show that everyone in the land was reconciled and happy together. That is why the king reacted so strongly when some of his people refused to come to the wedding. This was open defiance and a declaration of war, hence his reaction.

As with many of the stories of Jesus, there was an open and closed version. The open version is clear. The closed version, that which would have only been understood by Christians living around 80-110AD, is about baptism. The early church looked on this parable as a story about baptism, at a time when it was very dangerous to be baptised.

Yesterday I asked a young boy what baptism was, and he answered me that it was getting closer to Jesus. He is right and for his age that I just the answer I wanted. However, when we are adults, the answer becomes a little more involved, just as life becomes a little more complex. Baptism is about a lot more than the good feeling of becoming closer to Jesus. Baptism was serious business, and it still is today, with direct consequences in certain parts of the world. Recently an Egyptian told me that in his country Christians cannot be in the government, military or police: nothing like this happens in Australia. It does not have the consequences of the early church where submitting to baptism could well condemn a person to social exclusion and persecution, but it does have the consequences of changing our lives in this life and the next.

The parable tells us of those who were too busy to come, a clear reference to the Jewish people of Jesus time who chose not to accept him. He then went to the Gentiles, to those who were not Jewish and were not the chosen people. Many of them understood the king and accepted the invitation, knowing the love and commitment that was required. The wedding garment signifies the love. St Augustine, writing in 400, says   Listen to him: If I give away all I have to the poor, if I hand over my body to be burnt, but have no love, it will avail me nothing. So this is what the wedding garment is. Examine yourselves to see whether you possess it. If you do, your place at the Lord’s Table is secure. (Sermon 90,5-6)

Augustine wrote at a time of persecution, when faith was challenged and many fell away. Without love we cannot sustain our commitment to Christ and we fall, just like those who are described as without a wedding garment.

We come today because of our commitment and desire to deepen our love for Christ as guest as the banquet.

May God strengthen, sustain and guide us!

Homily 9^th October 2011, 28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, OLQP Broome.

Blessing pets on St Francis of Assisi

Today the Christian Church remembers a remarkable person, Francis of Assisi. (1182-1226)

He was born in 1182 almost a thousand years ago in Italy. As a young man he sought adventure but also looked to the future. After an illness he underwent a change after a voice in a dream told him to ‘follow the master rather than the man’. He returned a changed man, and began to meditate and pray a great deal.

This conversion led Francis to share his family’s wealth with those less fortunate. Concerned about this, his Father took him to court in 1205, which led to that famous scene where Francis returned all his Father’s possessions to him, including his clothes, thereby renouncing his inheritance. Many people joined Francis, and they lived according to simple rules of poverty (not owning anything), and the teaching of the Church. He was one of the great originals, as he introduced a radical way of following Christ and depending entirely on others. This gave hope and strength to those on the edges of society.

Francis was a whole man. He wanted to be like Jesus Christ in every way, not to pick and choose what to believe or follow: every word had to be obeyed, every action tested to see if it conformed to God’s will.

Francis loved creation and lived very close to it.  He preached to the birds on number of occasions, and they listened, but to him this was less important than preaching to people to save them from their sins. He rescued lambs from slaughter, but this was less important than saving lepers from a rotting to death, unloved and uncared for. He tamed the wolf at Gubbio but was more concerned with people of the neighbouring towns who were fighting with each other.

We recall Francis’ love for all God’s creation was not just for the beauty of what he saw. He loved creation for two reasons:

God made it and therefore to was good

In creation one could see signs and learn about the creator.

Today we bless pets and remind ourselves of our God who gives great gifts to our world. He gives us the gift of companionship through our pets, who teach us to care and love even as they show us an aspect of the beauty of God’s creation.

Blessing of Pets, OLQP 4th October 2011, Feast of St Francis of Assisi.

Our Own Masters?

Each of us are aware of people who are completely full of themselves. They are so concerned about their own cares, their own ideas, their own thoughts, their own dreams and goals that there is no room for anyone or anything else. I am sure that as I am saying this, all of you here can think of someone who fits the bill, and we ourselves may have been or maybe still are that person.   If we are that person, or if we know that person, the characteristics are instantly recognisable: self-centredness, conceitedness, being always right, a disregard for others views or inspirations and many others. Sometimes this is hidden behind a stated desire for the independence of self or others, or maybe in terms of freedom fighting, but it is thinly veiled. However, probably the most insidious and damaging characteristic is that of self-sufficiency, to the detriment of community.

Traditional societies, such as aboriginal culture that we here in the Kimberley are so privileged to live in or near, values the community dimension of life. The major events, decisions, joys and pains of life are laid bare by individuals so that they are shared by the community. There is not one single person in control. This does not destroy the person, but reassures the individual that they are not alone.

On the other hand many modern societies like to emphasise the cult of the individual. In these societies, and we can count our own in this group, nothing is able to get in the way of the desire or aspiration of the individual. This can often lead, of course, to an exalted view of our own importance and a disordered understanding of the attainment of our own desires. Put simply, we are limited and finite beings, we are not capable of everything, and we are not our own gods and masters.

That is where our Gospel parable chimes in so eloquently. Israelite society was strictly organised but had God as its centre of its law. Over its history there had been times when they disregarded God’s place at the centre and as a result completely lost their way.  The greatest crime of the tenants was not to hold back the rent (this is not an economic parable), but to reject the place and their need for God claim for themselves something they had no right or capability to hold. They rejected the prophets (the messengers) and then God’s own Son, and then are not able to produce the fruits of the kingdom, as they have put themselves above it. I think that is where this parable challenges our society and the direction that it seems to be going at great speed.

Faith is the antidote to rampant individualism that sees oneself as the centre of the universe.

Any society that has put itself at the centre of the universe has ultimately fallen amid an avalanche of human rights violations and totalitarianism. The history of the twentieth century is littered with examples of violent atheistic regimes.

This is not the society envisaged by Jesus as he told this parable. It is not the society that the church strives to build on this earth to prepare for the perfect society in the next. Our task is to allow ourselves and others to recognise the place of Christ at the centre of our world, the fact that as individuals we cannot be and do everything, but as a group with Christ at our head we are able to achieve things of which we can hardly dream.

Homily OLQP Sunday 2nd October 2011, 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Living with Integrity

At the ordination of a deacon, the newly-ordained deacon comes before the bishop who presents him the Book of the Gospels and tells him: "Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you now are.  Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and practice what you teach." It is very clear and very precise, and by extension not restricted to priests or deacons, but a call to all the baptised. The order is important as well. We must believe first, then we can teach by our lives, and finally witness by putting into practice what is taught.

In effect, it is a call to lead a life of integrity, so that what we hold in our hearts is lived in our lives. Surely that is the aim of us all as we strive to lead a Christian life. In our Gospel we are presented with the two sons who acted to a challenge in different ways. The first son, for whatever reason, rebelled against the authority of his father, which was a huge issue in that society. We can only assume that he was being honest with himself, and then was given the grace of reflection, a result of which he followed the direction of his father. His integrity remained intact.

The second son just said yes, he would follow his father’s direction, and for whatever reason he did otherwise. Maybe he just wanted to keep his father happy by saying yes, or maybe he really intended to go, or there are a host of other possibilities. What is clear is that he said one thing and did another. We must assume that there was some intention of following the direction of his father, but did not follow through.  Each day we are given opportunities to choose, to remain faithful, to reflect on our decisions and amend them if it is needed. The admonition of the bishop to the newly ordained deacon can form a pattern for all of our lives. It is not something that we do once, but an action that is revisited in our daily lives, part of the ongoing process of conversion.

Many years ago I prepared a couple for the baptism of their child. As we were going through the Apostles Creed, the father stopped me and asked me to omit a line. He did not believe that one, he said, so he wanted me to leave it out. I explained that it was not a supermarket, and that I had to ask it, as this is our faith. He told me he would not assent to that at the baptism. The day of the baptism came and asked, with some trepidation, for the beliefs of the parents.  The father answered positively and the baptism proceeded. Later he told me that my challenge had made him really think, and that he had come around to an understanding of the creed. What shone through to me was his the integrity of his approach, not just keeping me, his wife and extended family happy, but truly confronting the issues of faith in his life.  He emerged, like the first son, with a stronger faith.

Today is Social Justice Sunday. Each year the Bishops of Australia put in front of us an issue of our society for our reflection and action. This year they have asked us to reflect on the situation of prisoners in the jails of our country. The challenge for our society is to discover a suitable and dignified method of rehabilitation that respects the rights of each of us in society to a safe social situation.  It asks us for our attitudes to those in prison. There are alternatives to incarceration, and the statistics do not show the success of locking up large numbers of people for minor crimes. This is an opportunity for many of us to form an informed opinion on a major issue for our society.

Reflection which leads to action means that we are able to live by the will of our God. In doing so we will lead a life of integrity.

Homily, Social Justice Sunday, 26th Sunday in Ordinary time Year A, 24th September 2011

Strength in the Storm

A few weeks ago I stood in the middle of a violent storm at an airfield in Madrid with two million others, one of them being the Holy Father. It was wild, but in the midst of the wildness of the weather there was a calmness among the people. Pope Benedict stood there, not leaving (even though he was advised to do so) like a rock, the rock of Peter. Afterwards, the press reported that the normal crowd reaction in such cases is mass panic. When you have panic in a crowd of two million, there are inevitably deaths. There was no panic, so injury, no death, because there was something else there with us at Cuarto Vientos. That same spirit is with us tonight. 

The calmness we were able to hold in the storm taught us a lesson. Pope Benedict told us before he left: “Your strength is greater than the storm. With the rain the Lord has sent us many blessings. In this you are an example. As happened tonight, you can always with Christ endure the trials of life. Do not forget this.” We had done the impossible,and emerged soaked and happy! We learned the lesson.

Peter had to learn the lesson as well. He was being very generous, going beyond the confines of the Mosaic Law in offering to forgive his brother seven times. In reality he did not have to forgive him even once. This was big. However, Jesus blows him out of the water and demands that he do the impossible. What Jesus suggests is madness, but Jesus does it with a straight face….  he is serious. Of course it is madness, and of course it is impossible, but with the Holy Spirit it is possible… forgiveness is possible, reconciliation is 

possible.

Today is the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York. My first memory of this tragedy is the horror of the planes flying into the towers, The second memory is the immediate outrage called  for righteous revenge in the style of the Mosaic Law, ‘an eye for an eye’. I am not so sure that Jesus would have been in the grandstand cheering for retribution. In fact I am sure he would not have been. Justice is to be sought and strived for in our lives, and the key plank to that effort is forgiveness. Benedict told us a few weeks ago: Dear young people do not be satisfied with anything less than truth and love. Do not be content with anything less than Christ.

This cannot be done without the active participation of the Holy Spirit, and it cannot be done by ourselves.  Without the Spirit it is simply impossible and without purpose.  Without each other, without the community of faith it is both humanly and divinely impossible. The Holy Father said during his homily at the Closing Mass: We can’t follow Jesus on our own. Anyone who would be temopted to do so would risk never encountering Jesus, or following a counterfeit Jesus. This of course means, he concluded Having faith means drawing support from the faith of your brothers and sisters.

Forgiveness and reconciliation without the Holy Spirit and each other is impossible. With each other, and strong in the Spirit, we can achieve heights of which others can only dream! That is the message of Christ, that is the message of the Holy Father, that is the message of two million young people in Madrid, and that is the message that our world needs to hear.

Homily 11th  September 2011, 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time. St Vincent Pallotti, Kununurra.

Not Your Usual Sunday Mass

Two weeks ago I concelebrated Sunday Mass with the Holy Father, eight hundred bishops and eight thousand priests. It was not your usual Sunday Mass.  That Mass was at the culmination of the pilgrimage of millions of people, invited to Madrid by Pope Benedict. The reason for the pilgrimage is stated by St Paul as we heard today in the letter to the Romans: “love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour.” This is where World Youth Day starts.  I would like to ask Soleil White to come up and give us her reflections on where this leads.

The experience that most touch me on the pilgrimage was doing the Stations of the Cross in Fatima. While walking the Stations of the Cross we stopped at the Fourth Station (Peter’s Denial), as we walked away a cool breeze swarmed by and I felt at peace and that God was really with me. At that point in my life I really came to believing that God was always with me and that he brought me on this journey to find my faith. Later on that evening I explained my experience to Sabrina from the NATSICC group. She placed her arm around me and gave me a smile and said it was okay to openly believe in God and that we were all there to celebrate our faith with young people from all over the world – Soleil White

It was with experiences such as this that we came to the vigil with the Holy Father at Cuatro Vientos, when the storm hit, everyone shared umbrellas, coats and groundsheets. We tried to stay dry but just got soaked right through. The WYD cross fell over in a gust and hit a bishop, and the Holy Father remained in his chair, ignoring advice for him to move to shelter, in front of us like Peter the Rock. The whole event resulted in bringing the crowd closer together in true solidarity around our Pope. And, in addition, the rain settled the dust and cooled things down, and after the storm had passed, the wind dried the soaked us so that it made for a bearable night. Before he left, the Holy Father, who also got soaked, said:

Dear Young Friends, We have lived together an adventure. Strengthened by your faith in Christ, you have resisted the rain. Before leaving I wish you all good night. Have a good rest. I thank you for the sacrifice that you are making and I have no doubt that you will offer it generously to the Lord. We shall see one another tomorrow, God willing, in the celebration of the Eucharist. I am expecting all of you. I thank you for the fine example that you have given. As happened tonight, you can always, with Christ, endure the trials of life. Do not forget this. I thank you all.

The WYD program was intended to remind us that we are not accidents on this earth, but willed out of the love of God and destined to help each other reach the dizzy heights God has made possible for each one of us. On Sunday morning the Holy Father continued:

Yes, dear friends, God loves us. This is the great truth of our life; it is what makes everything else meaningful. We are not the product of blind chance or absurdity; instead our life originates as part of a loving plan of God. …If you abide in the love of Christ, rooted in the faith, you will encounter, even amid setbacks and suffering, the source of true happiness and joy. Faith does not run counter to your highest ideals; on the contrary, it elevates and perfects those ideals. Dear young people, do not be satisfied with anything less than Truth and Love, do not be content with anything less than Christ.

So WYD was a chance to encourage, strengthen and challenge one another. In many ways our Sunday Mass here in Broome is the same. Here we come to put aside the cares of this world and remember that there is something bigger than us of which we are a part. At the time of WYD, Vargas Llosa, a famous Spanish writer and agnostic, wrote that World Youth Day was: a gigantic festival and there are two possible readings of this event: one which sees World Youth Day as more a superficial than a religious festival, and the other which interprets it as proof that the Church of Christ maintains its strength and vitality. I was there both for the event and the testimonies of young people who participated.  I know that there was nothing superficial about WYD, jusdt as there is nothgin superficial about our presence here today.

Pope Benedict always reminds his listeners that his role is to present eternal truths in a way that encourages us think and then act in a positive way. St John Chrysostom provides a perfect conclusion to our reflection on WYD and today’s liturgy, and the necessary action that will result from it:  

             

You will be doing everything for the glory of God if, when you leave this place, you make yourselves responsible for saving a brother or sister, not just by accusing and rebuking him or her, but also by advising and encouraging, and by pointing out the harm done by worldly amusements, and the profit and help that come from our instruction.

In other words, “Whoever tries to save those that are negligent, and to snatch them from the jaws of the devil, is imitating Christ as far as a human being can.” What other work could equal this? Of all good deeds this is the greatest; of all virtue this is the summit.

That is what PopeBenedict aimed for in Madrid. That gift of God, given through the Holy Father and two million young people, is offered to this parish and every Parish in the world today.  May we accept this extraordinary gift of the Holy Spirit.

Homily, OLQP Broome 4th September 2011, 23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time Year A