Lent Sunday Week One

Here is the full text of Archbishop John Bathersby’s Lenten Pastoral Message

LENT, my dear people, is a time of prayer and fasting.

This Lenten practice is a well known spiritual formula that was once used universally at this time of the liturgical year, but has now sadly fallen into disuse.

In fact I doubt whether the season has ever been less marked by prayer and fasting than it is at the moment.

Influenced by the hyperactive culture that surrounds it, the Church today might well be accused of too much action and not enough prayer.

If this is true we need to challenge this development by returning once again to Jesus Christ in whose footsteps we seek to walk.

Scripture

When we search the scriptures seeking direction from Jesus about prayer we find that Jesus had some very interesting things to say both in word and deed.

The most startling perhaps is Luke 4:15 when Jesus cured a man sick with leprosy.

After describing the miracle the scripture notes, “But so much the more the report went abroad concerning him; and great multitudes gathered to hear and be healed of their infirmities. But he withdrew to the wilderness and prayed.”

We might well ask, “If Jesus had the power to cure sick and suffering people why would he leave them, to pray?”

We can only guess at His reasons.

Perhaps at that time in His ministry prayer was more important than healing the multitudes, or perhaps without prayer His mission might have become unbalanced, just as our mission often becomes unbalanced.

It is the type of question whose mystery will only be revealed when we meet Jesus face to face.

Nevertheless the action of Christ is an indication of the importance of prayer for Him, the very same importance prayer should have for each one of us.

In seeking answers we must always focus on the knowledge we learn from the prayer life of Jesus, manifest in the scriptures.

In the same gospel 10:38-42, when Christ visits Mary and Martha, Mary sits at his feet while her sister Martha is busy about the house.

When Martha protests about this situation Christ indicates that Mary had chosen the better part and that it will not be taken from her.

It is an interesting comment on what Jesus seems to see as a necessity for those who seek to know him better, namely spending time with Him.

In chapter 11 of the same gospel, when the apostles, impressed by Christ’s skill at prayer, ask him to teach them to pray, he responds with his magnificent prayer, the “Our Father” – the prayer of the Kingdom, well summed up in its key petition “may your Kingdom come, may your will be done”.

Although we can say the prayer by ourselves, of its very nature it demands to include others.

We do not pray “My Father”, but “Our Father”, conscious that we are praying with others, whether together or separated.

The “Our Father” is always a communal prayer in which we acknowledge our membership in a worldwide community of faith whose spiritual power is immense.

It is a prayer we should pray every day, precisely because it is the Lord’s prayer and therefore filled with a power that only the Holy Spirit can give.

We pray this prayer always knowing that the Kingdom of God has already come in Christ but yearning for its completion in the future that can only happen through the power of God, and at a time known only to God.

There is a certain logic to all prayer, and the Lord’s prayer is no exception.

This logic suggests that if we succeed in praying individually for the healing of others as most of us do, usually with a certain amount of success, then how much more might we achieve if we pray with a larger group for the coming of God’s Kingdom.

As St Ignatius of Antioch said in his Letter to the Ephesians, “If the prayer of one or two individuals has such efficacy, how much more powerful is that of the bishop together with his whole Church”.

Prayer Campaign

In 2006 I started a prayer campaign in this archdiocese to call down the Holy Spirit upon the archdiocese so that it might be renewed totally.

I did so because the greatest scandal in the Western world at the present time is lack of worship.

How can so many people say, “I believe in God but do not worship?” The statement seems a contradiction in terms.

Surely if we truly believe in a God of love who loved us into existence and loves us every moment of our existence, then we need to love God in return, first of all by worship and then by action.

But unless we help people understand who God is and what belief in God means then the drift away from the mainstream Churches will undoubtedly continue.

People need to return to worship for their own sake, for the sake of the Church, and for the sake of God’s Kingdom.

In his recent book, On the Way to Jesus Christ, Pope Benedict wrote, “the primacy of worship is the fundamental prerequisite for the redemption of mankind”.

He goes on to describe the destructive effects of the Enlightenment on religions today, and continues, “deprived of their best elements – (they) live on as subcultures and can harm people body and soul, as systems of superstition”.

None of us ever wants to belong to a religion that might be described as a “system of superstition”, and this will most certainly not happen if we recognise worship as the very essence of our Christian religion.

Worship needs to be the priority of all people who call themselves Catholic.

The greatest challenge therefore for our archdiocese today is the need to educate people about Jesus Christ and about the relationship of Jesus Christ to worship, because Jesus Christ and worship can never be separated.

Worship and Liturgy

Nevertheless, although lack of understanding or lack of faith is the major reason why people don’t worship, there are certain other reasons that need to be considered.

One would be the quality of friendship and hospitality at worship, another the quality of the liturgy itself. The liturgy of worship must always be aesthetically pleasing, and planned as skilfully as possible, if it is to attract people, especially young people.

At the same time, even if liturgy does not display the life and vitality characteristic of Jesus Christ it is still an act of worship, and its lack of vitality should never be an excuse for refusing to worship.

As Christ indicated, where two or three are gathered in His name He is present in their midst, and this is true every time we gather to celebrate Eucharist.

At the same time a friendly, welcoming community and good quality liturgy must be the priority of every parish if it is serious about bringing people back to worship.

Conclusion

My greatest desire in my last five years as Archbishop of Brisbane is to continue asking the Holy Spirit to renew our archdiocese and lead people back to the Mass and to worship.

This year our archdiocese has developed an excellent study program called “Everyday with Jesus”, that focuses on Jesus Christ and helps us to better understand His vision and our role in it.

However, before all else, we need to know how to make contact with Jesus Christ in and through the Eucharist.

The study program will certainly help us in this regard and I recommend it to each and every one of you.

There is no doubt, as Pope Benedict said, that our faith is under pressure today, largely from the secular culture in which we live.

Nevertheless the answers we seek are there if only people will reject the false gods that surround them and once again become people of God who worship.

May God bless our future attempts to “return from exile”, and may Mary, the Mother of God, St Stephen patron of our archdiocese, Blessed Mary MacKillop, and St Mary Magdalene assist us in the journey that lies ahead.

I thank you for what you all do in this archdiocese. It is deeply appreciated.

I ask the support of your prayers in my role as archbishop and pray that the season of Lent will bring you every possible grace and blessing.

Archbishop John Bathersby
Archbishop of Brisbane

Sunday 18th Feb 2007, Sunday week 7. Ordinary time C

The first reading is a rather moving scene where the great David is at war with King Saul…  Saul, insane with jealousy for his once favourite warrior, has persistently tried to kill David…..   I have always had a soft spot for this whole part of the bible….   Poor King saul…. It is the epitomy of a type of ‘love/hate relationship’ ….  Saul gets jealous of david and tries to kill him…  then he realizes his sin and is terribly repentant and david and he reconcile…. And then saul gets jealous again… and tries to kill him..   and then he repents and they make up…. But then, saul gets insanely jealous again and tries to kill david … and on and on and on……  It is a testament to the ambivalence that can affect so many people’s lives.,.,..    life is clearly not just full of those who love .. and those who hate… it is also full of people who are caught halfway between …   in a state of ambiguity…. And tension……    which can be torture for all involved…..

 

The first reading makes it clear that God values mercy and the preservation of life over and above retribution….. 

 

Recently on the occasion of the ‘world congress on the death penalty held in Paris last Thursday through Saturday,’ and attended by several Catholic institutions committed to the defense of human life, the Vatican made a statement that said: 

"Public opinion has become sensitized and has expressed its concern for a more effective recognition of the inalienable dignity of human beings, and of the universality and integrity of human rights, beginning with the right to life.

"The Holy See takes this opportunity to welcome and affirm once more its support for all initiatives that aim to defend the inherent value and inviolability of all human life, from conception to natural end."

The statement continued: "In this perspective, it is worth noting that the use of the death penalty is not just a negation of the right to life, but also an affront to human dignity."  Difficult to justify

Though the Church "continues to maintain that the legitimate authorities of state have the duty to protect society from aggressors," the declaration explained that in the modern world, the death penalty is difficult to justify.

States now have new ways "of preserving public order and people's safety," which include "offering the accused stimuli and encouragement" to mend their ways, the Holy See continued.

It added that non-lethal means of prevention and punishment "correspond better to ... the common good and conform more to the dignity of the human person."

"Any decision to use the death penalty involves many dangers," such as "that of punishing the innocent, and the temptation to foment violent forms of revenge rather than true social justice," the declaration said.

It is also, the Holy See continued, "a clear offense against the inviolability of human life ... and, for Christians, an affront to the evangelical teaching of forgiveness."

The Holy See reiterated its appreciation to the organizers of the congress, to governments, and to everyone who works "to abolish the death penalty or to impose a universal moratorium on its use."

 

This weekend’s gospel is also rather special too…..   it is a reminder how counter-cultural the invitation to follow Jesus’ good news really is.

 

I find this gospel really challenging…  if we think about it… how often do we respond based on how others respond to us…… 

 

Someone is nice to me, so I am nice back… 

 

Someone is rude and hurtful to me and they get the same back….

 

Those who affirm and respond to us….  We affirm and respond to them…

 

Interestingly….  Challengingly….    This is not the way Jesus is inviting his disciples to think……..

 

He is challenging us to go into any situation, the way st francis so wonderfully summed up…

 

grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life

 

so……..

 

this is very much ‘the road less travelled’……..    asking us to draw out of our internal well -- graciousness, even in the face of dryness…--

 

to say that this is not easy is an understatement……..   but it is brilliant…  Jesus is wanting to break and smash the old system of ‘you scratch my back, I scratch yours…’  which is great if you are in the circle of benefit….  But for those on the outer… there is nothing ………    ‘you have nothing to benefit me so.. you are out…..’         in Jesus ‘world-vision’.. it’s a case of  ‘don’t ask what you can do for me.. rather.. what can I do for you….’

 

 

It feels like a radical way of living, doesn’t it, not expecting any payoff from out encounters with each other…    but rather making it all about ‘giving graciousness to others no matter what the response…..   and if we get anything in return, that is pure bonus…

 

WEEK FIVE ORDINARY TIME YEAR C. 4/2/07

 

Isaiah looks at himself and says, “I am not worthy”…….so in response…..”God … sends, an angel to touches Isaiah’s lips with an ember and tells him that his sins are purged.”  It is not the place of the great prophet Isaiah to tell God what he is or is not worthy of……….  the same happens with St Peter..

 

Thank goodness the early disciples… the ones we look up to so much…. are also revealed to be people with weaknesses, foibles…. sinfulness……   failure…….    at times lack or trust and faith…..  fear and sometimes even cowardice…….    it revelas how God makes use of what he have to offer and transforms it……. 

 

St Peter, Saint Paul, Isaiah, Jeremiah……   King David… Saul…. Moses…….  the list goes on and on…. of great people… people who did God’s will….. but also who were terribly weak….. who sinned….. sometimes even betrayed their calling…. but nevertheless it was God who called them… and knew them and what they truly could do if they  trusted in God’s promises…..

Again we can reflect on our own experiences of forgiveness, both by the Lord and by others. Being forgiven is a humbling experience, but one that allows us, like Isaiah, to volunteer for the Lord’s work.

All of us are invited to reflect on our own refusals to accept God and His power and His presence. God is not there to frighten us nor to condemn us but to love us. Once we begin to believe and to accept forgiveness for our weaknesses and failings…, then we are able to be given over to the work of the Lord. As with Saint Peter, we can doubt many times and we can deny but eventually, when we begin to believe, our lives can be transformed into a reflection of God’s mercy, compassion and forgiveness.

But there is more……  did Jesus learn something from his previous rejection…. he preached alone and he met with utter rejection.. the crowd almost killed him ….   he narrowly escaped being thrown off a cliff….   now… he goes and calls followers to join him, support him and be company on the journey, and what a hard journey it is………   he calls a community around him……  

 

Simon Peter experiences a great miracle.. in the least expected situation… not on a mountain top somewhere… but in the ordinariness of his workplace…..   and he experiences this amazinf event by listening to someone telling him to do the job he knew so well… in a new and dramatic and trusting and  different way… and the results are huge…….. 

 

this is a reminder to us…..   1. if we do not connect the good news the the ordinary everyday events of life and work then it will not bear fruit… it will not make sense……  2. We . like the disciples need to work together… in unity… community.. like the disciples who were all needed to haul in the enormous catch of fish… and finally…3…   we must take our cuses, as best we can discern them, from Christ… if its all about our effort, it may be misdirected.. it may be fruitless… like the fisherman who laboured all night and caught nothing….. then Jesus asks them to trust him and follow his ways and they catch more than they can hold…….    Jesus ways are not the most ordinary…..not the most logical…. but they are the way of the gospel… and only by following jesus way, which is almost always the road less traveled… can we hope to bear fruit for Jesus good news……

Today let us ask the Lord to deepen our faith and give us the courage to proclaim his marvelous deeds. Let us be able to say: Here I am, Lord. Send me!”

 

(EXCERPTS TAKEN FROM HOMILY from the Abbot, Monastery of Christ in the Desert, http://www.christdesert.org/  ; also thoughts from Gustavo Gutierrez, Sharing the Word through the liturgical year/ also reflection from Madonna Magazine, Jan-Feb 2007).