May 28 2012

Pentecost: Empowering the Church

 Pentecost B 2012

We might say that the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples liberated them from their fear and transformed them into apostles, men with a mission. Not for nothing do we say that this feast marks the birthday of the Church. Let’s look more closely at what today’s readings tell us.

First of all, Pentecost was an established Jewish feast, one of the most important in their liturgical calendar. It was sometimes called the Feast of Weeks, because according to the instructions in the Torah, it took place seven weeks after they had gathered the first sheaf of new corn. So initially it was a kind of harvest festival. Torah stressed that the entry of the tribes of Israel into the Promised Land marked the fulfilment of God’s promises to his Chosen People. It was right and fitting that they should offer the first fruits of the harvest as an act of thanksgiving. The Jewish people came to think of the festival as a celebration of the renewal of the covenant. A key aspect of the covenant was God’s gift of Torah, the laws for righteous living and it just so happens that in rabbinical teaching, fire was often used as a symbol of Torah.

The passage from Acts that we heard just now stresses the crowds present in Jerusalem on the day that the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples, looking like tongues of fire. There were pilgrims from every part of the world into which Jews had gone. These pilgrims from the diaspora then can be said to symbolize the known world. As the apostles began to preach, each of the visitors heard them in his or her own language. And we may be sure that when they returned to their own countries they talked about what they had seen and heard in Jerusalem. Later, when the apostles began to move out from Jerusalem carrying the good news towards the ends of the earth, no doubt some of these people came forward to support what the apostles said, and to welcome the gospel.

Today’s gospel is another extract from Our Lord’s final instructions to his disciples during the Last Supper. He promises to send them an Advocate whom he describes as the Spirit of truth who issues from the Father; he [or she] will be my witness. Scholars argue about the best translation of the word rendered here as ‘advocate’. To us ‘advocate’ suggests a court of law which is not the normal setting for the apostles. Still, there is a touch of the courts in Jesus’ instruction that you too will be witnesses because you have been with me from the outset. Because they have been with Jesus throughout the years of his public life, they will be able to testify – to bear witness – to all that he has said and done. Since the Spirit is the Spirit of truth they can count on her to help them recall accurately the details of Jesus’ life and teachings: the Spirit of truth will lead you to the complete truth [and] will tell you of the things to come.

We sometimes speak of the ‘indwelling’ of the Holy Spirit. By that we mean that the Spirit once received remains with us, unless we drive her out by committing grave sin. The Spirit dwelling in us represents Jesus’ ongoing presence in the world. This makes us vulnerable, for Jesus does have enemies in the world. Think of the often renewed attacks on Church schools and the teaching of religion generally. Think of the plague of abortion. Think of the indifference to and the demonization of refugees and asylum seekers. Insofar as we draw attention to these evils, we shall receive the abuse that Jesus’ enemies can no longer give to him directly.

Writing to the Galatians, St Paul was concerned not so much with the Spirit’s influence on the mission of the whole Church as with her effect on the life of the believer, that is to say every single one of us. After all, we all received the gifts of the Holy Spirit when we were confirmed. God does not force his gifts on us. We can put them to good use, or we can ignore them. We can follow the promptings of the Spirit, or we can pay no attention. Paul writes: If you are guided by the Spirit you will be in no danger of yielding to self-indulgence. He lists the fruits of self-indulgence. They include sins of the flesh, works of idolatry, activities that harm the community, like jealousy, anger, factions; and drunkenness and carousing. By contrast, the fruits of the Spirit are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control.

As you know, this year’s feast of Pentecost has been chosen by the Australian bishops to launch the Year of Grace. It is not so much a time for doing something new as a time for pausing to take stock and for being more deeply what we are already: people of God, recipients of many gifts. Just as the Jewish people regularly recall God’s liberating gifts to them, so also we are being invited this year to review all that God has done for us. It will then be natural for us to draw closer to God with prayers of thanksgiving. Please note that I am not saying we should say more prayers. What I am saying is that we should pray better, i.e. we should spend more time quietly in the presence of God offering prayers of praise and thanksgiving.

During this week the Church reminds us of another matter, namely the need for reconciliation between indigenous Australians and the later arrivals and their descendants. When the first European settlers invited themselves into Australia at the end of the 18th century they were immediately struck by the differences between themselves and the native inhabitants. ‘Different from’ quickly came to mean ‘inferior to’. The 18th century is sometimes called the Age of Reason. It was a time of research, enquiry, exploration; it was a time of notable achievements in literature, art and music – a high point in European civilisation. Regrettably it was not the most civilised Europeans who arrived at Botany Bay. From the point of view of the Aborigines, what they call ‘the invasion’ has been a disaster. Yet we now know that those peoples had developed a very intelligent way of managing and using the resources of this continent. They had an elaborate set of beliefs about the origin and purpose of creation. They had laws and a moral code and ways of dealing with transgressors. Certainly their culture was very different from that of the Europeans, but it was not inferior to it as a way of ordering society.

You may remember that it was not until 1967 that Aborigines were granted full citizenship rights. I can tell you that to an Australian who has lived abroad for more than 30 years, that is an embarrassing fact. So progress has been made, but it is far from complete. The purpose of this reconciliation week is to make us all aware of the problem, and at least open to attempts to solve it.

Early navigators called our country the Great South Land of the Holy Spirit. Let us not stifle the Spirit within us, but rather be open to her promptings to draw closer to God and to each other. (Quentin Howard)

26-05-2012

May 12 2012

Seeing God through our neighbours…

6th Sunday of Easter B 2012

It was as a result of a vision that Peter agreed to go to the house of the centurion Cornelius. In the vision he had seen a huge sheet lowered from heaven, filled with all sorts of animals and birds, and he’d heard a voice telling him to kill and eat them. He’d answered: Certainly not, Lord; I have never yet eaten anything profane or unclean. But the voice replied: What God has made clean, you have no right to call profane. Shortly after this, messengers arrived from Cornelius inviting Peter to come to their master’s house. Again the Holy Spirit had to prompt Peter: Some men have come to see you. Hurry down and do not hesitate about going back with them; it was I who told them to come.

Normally Peter, as a good Jew, would never have entered a pagan’s house, but he was being pushed or guided by the Holy Spirit. That is what helped him to understand what we read just now: The truth I have now come to realise is that God does not have favourites, but that anybody of any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him. This understanding was to be immensely significant for the spread of the gospel and it was important that Peter, as the leader of the Apostles, should be the first to grasp it. The matter was clinched for Peter and his companions when the Holy Spirit descended on Cornelius and his household while Peter was still speaking so that he asked: Could anyone refuse the water of baptism to these people, now they have received the Holy Spirit just as much as we have? Of course nobody could, so they baptized them right away.

How many times have you heard the words God is love? Probably so many that you get a nice warm feeling every time, but without thinking much what those words mean. Notice they don’t say “God is a loving person”; they say God is love. The very nature of God is love. Remember, too, that love is more than an emotional activity: it is a rational activity. The purest kind of love for another person is to wish that person well, to desire what is good for the other. With that distinction in mind, let us look again at what God has done for us.

We do not know if there are other planets somewhere in the universe inhabited by rational sentient beings. What we do know is that planet earth is the perfect place for creatures like ourselves. Not only are the conditions just right for us, but it is also a very beautiful place. True, some parts have been spoiled by human stupidity, but most of it is a joy to behold. So God created the ideal environment for the human race. Not content with doing that, God has entered into a relationship with us, instructing us on how to live together in society, and indeed, in revealing something of his own nature to us. The reading from the first letter of St John which we heard just now spells out the next step in the revelation of God’s loving concern for us: God’s love for us was revealed when God sent into the world his only Son so that we could have life through him. A little further on he makes it still clearer: he sent his Son to be the sacrifice that takes our sins away.  

At this point we cannot avoid recalling Abraham’s response to the test. At God’s command, however reluctantly, Abraham was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. Once Abraham’s obedience was clear, God stopped the test. Abraham had told his son that God would provide the lamb for the sacrifice … Indeed: his Son, the Lamb of God, was to be sacrificed to save us all. What’s more, the Son consented willingly to the sacrifice. Jesus himself explained to his friends at the Last Supper: A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends. Then, to remove any trace of doubt, he told them: You are my friends, if you do what I command you. As we heard just now, he had already promised: If you keep my commandments you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love.

There is a purpose in this instruction: I have told you this so that my own joy may be in you and your joy be complete. I guess we all know what joy is. The Macquarie Dictionary describes it as “a state of happiness or felicity”. Karl Rahner’s Concise Theological Dictionary offers a theological definition: Joy is “That frame of mind which results from the experience of the ordered harmony of the plurality of human existence.” I understand that to mean that we come to see that there is a plan, that we are part of the plan, and that ‘all manner of things shall be well’ – as Julian of Norwich puts it.

Several times in St John’s gospel joy is associated with Jesus’ saving work. For instance, John the Baptist compares himself with the best man at a wedding, who feels joy at the bridegroom’s happiness. In another place Jesus tells the sceptical Jews that their father Abraham rejoiced to think that he would see [Jesus’] Day; he saw it and was glad. Later, after hearing of the death of his friend Lazarus, Jesus tells his disciples: Lazarus is dead; and for your sake I am glad I was not there because now you will believe. In an earlier part of his Last Supper discourse, Jesus declares: I am going away, and shall return. If you loved me you would have been glad to know that I am going to the Father. So it is in today’s passage, if joy flows from the disciples’ union with Jesus, their friend, it comes to fulfilment in their continuing his mission and bearing fruit. They now see that there is a plan, that they are part of the plan, and that all will eventually be for the best.

It is no flattery for Jesus to say: You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last. All this has been part of the plan!

And what of ourselves? Not every Australian is Catholic; not every Catholic Australian comes to Mass. But here we are today and I expect most of us were here last week and the week before as well. This is no accident. This is part of God’s plan for us and we have responded. Jesus’ words are addressed to us too: You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last. We have received God’s gifts. It is up to us to put them to good use. In particular, I suggest, we should live out in our own lives the lesson that God does not have favourites. So let us keep in mind the mission statement of this cathedral which you find on the bulletin: “As a visible sign of the Church in Bendigo, we aim to be welcoming and hospitable. By using our gifts to build a prayerful well-informed community, we celebrate liturgy and strive to serve each other – and those beyond our parish – with missionary spirit”. That is not this week’s suggestion; it is a long-term commitment. (Q.Howard)

13-05-2012

May 6 2012

Getting in touch with our only true Vine…

Easter V B 2012 Readings

There are several passages in the Old Testament where Israel is presented as the vineyard of the Lord. In Isaiah XXVII, for instance, we read: Sing of the delightful vineyard! I the Lord am its keeper; every moment I water it for fear its leaves should fall; night and day I watch over it. It is another way of saying how dear his Chosen People are to the Lord. And none can be dearer to the Lord than his only begotten Son who became a Jewish man known as Jesus the Christ.

In today’s gospel Jesus takes up the same viticultural imagery to describe the relationship between himself and his followers. If they are truly to be his followers, they must remain closely united to him. His Father continues to watch over and take care of the true vine. He declares that: Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes to make it bear even more. He adds: As a branch cannot bear fruit all by itself, but must remain part of the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me.

What are we to understand by remaining in Jesus? First of all, let me remind you that we all have free will. We are not automata. Look at the heavenly bodies, the millions of stars and planets and comets: they are wonderful to behold. All obey the astrophysical laws. At any moment God knows exactly where they are and precisely when they will disappear. By contrast, we are capable of doing the unexpected; we are much more entertaining. Not all our choices are between good and evil; many of them are morally neutral – what breakfast cereal to eat, whether to take tea or coffee. But we can make morally wrong choices, which amount to turning away from God. If we persist in that behaviour, we are indeed severing our links to God.

So the question becomes: by what exercise of free will can we remain united to Jesus? During my years in Rome I found that Australians and New Zealanders got together regularly; the Congolese got together regularly; the Zambians, the Ghanaians and the Tanzanians got together. Similarly, in practically every city of the world you will find Filipinos meeting regularly. This suggests that if we are to remain united to Jesus, we should get in touch with him regularly … through prayer for instance! That commandment which orders us to “keep holy the Sabbath day” has never been revoked. One of the best ways of sanctifying the Sabbath is to join the community in worship – not, you notice, in shopping. Even if that were not possible, we can raise our hearts and minds to God any time, anywhere. Given that God is looking after us 24/7 it is not unreasonable for us to take time to talk to God at least once a day.

Now while it is good to say some prayers, like the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Glory be, God is going to find us rather boring conversationalists if that is all we ever say. Just as parents like their children to tell them about their day, so God welcomes us to talk to him about all the things that concern us. After all, God is our loving Father. Let our prayer be more than a series of petitions. God knows what we want even before we ask for it. But God might be interested in our opinion about certain matters, and will surely appreciate gratitude for favours received.

You know, there is both an individual and a collective dimension to the divine plan. God thinks big. He made an alliance with the whole Jewish people, not just with Moses and his family. The Christian Church has developed a theology of the Mystical Body of Christ – that is to say that all believers are united by the presence in each one of them of a spark of the divine life. Jesus died for all of us, not just some of us, but we can – by committing grave sin – separate ourselves from the community of believers.

Jesus told his disciples that his Father prunes those branches which bear fruit – i.e. ourselves – so that they will bear still more. At a certain point in our lives we come to realise that our powers are diminishing. We can’t play sport the way we used to, we can’t walk or run or swim as far or as fast as we used to. What’s more, everybody seems to speak more softly these days. These reductions in our physical powers are signs of our being pruned. Little by little we will experience other losses – through the death of a wife or a husband, or even of a child; we may have to give up driving; we grow more forgetful. In our second childhood, gradually we become almost as dependent as we were in our first, but with the painful memory that there was a time when we were autonomous and free.

I guess we all saw pictures of Pope John Paul II in his last years when he was stooped and sick. His was a very public decline towards death. It is said that he did consider resigning the papacy. Presumably he prayed for guidance. It is hard to see how it could be best for an organization as vast and complex as the Church to be led by a man in his dotage. Those of us who have views on this matter should make arrangements now for the time when we are old and frail. Ideally, I think, our last years should be a time of preparation for our meeting with God when we move on to the next stage of our existence. That means accepting the diminution of our own powers, willingly letting go of the attachments which mattered so much to us earlier in our lives, in all simplicity allowing God’s will to be done.

Perhaps you know Judith Wright’s poem “Bullocky” which is a meditation on the grave of a pioneer. It concludes with these lines:

“Grass is across the wagon-tracks,

And plough strikes bone beneath the grass,

And vineyards cover all the slopes

Where the dead teams were used to pass.

 

O vine, grow close upon that bone

And hold it with your rooted hand.

The prophet Moses feeds the grape,

And fruitful is the Promised Land.”

 

That’s not Scripture, but it’s a reminder that each of us has a place in the order of things so that even after our death we contribute something to the community. While we live, however, we have many opportunities to contribute in positive ways to the life of the community, the other members of the Mystical Body, other branches of the Vine. Let us not waste them. (Quentin Howard)

05-05-2012