I've been kept busy with parish work for the past few days, so I've not had the time to write down my thoughts on the findings of the Apostolic Visitation to Ireland. In the main, I agree with Fr John Hogan's take on the report, and in particular his suggestion that it be read carefully. I'm sure that some friends of my own are disappointed that the report didn't suggest such drastic actions as widespread sackings in the theology faculties and the closure of Maynooth. Plenty of other commentators are bemoaning the fact that the report didn't suggest the introduction of married clergy. Of course, many of these latter commentators aren't too keen on the Catholic Church teaching actual Catholic Doctrine, so it's not likely that they'd be happy in any case. It should also be noted that this visitation was not primarily about Child Protection or an analysis of Child Protection failures - it was intended on giving a general picture of the Irish Church so that it might be effective in its mission.
If the Church in Ireland actually takes the recommendations of the report seriously, there is more than enough there for us to get working on for the renewal of our Church.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Lazarus and Dives
'The rich man replied, "Father, I beg you then to send Lazarus to my father's house, since I have five brothers, to give them warning so that they do not come to this place of torment too". "They have Moses and the prophets," said Abraham "let them listen to them.". "Ah no, father Abraham," said the rich man "but if someone comes to them from the dead, they will repent." Then Abraham said to him, "If they will not listen either to Moses or to the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead".'At a recent confirmation dinner, a group of us clergy were discussing various discredited or dubious visionaries and the way so many people (even priests & bishops) who should know better are taken in by them. It's natural to look for extraordinary signs to confirm or strengthen our faith, and indeed, the Church has a long enough list of authentic visionaries and mystics that we can't just assume that these phenomena are always fraudulent or inauthentic. However, I think the parable of Lazarus and Dives serves to warn us that God's Revelation is essentially public.
Abraham insists on the sufficiency of the Law and Prophets - the scriptures known and revered by the Chosen People teach God's commandments with sufficient clarity to let Dives's brothers know their obligations. If their hearts are hardened against God's Word, then even the wonder of a risen Lazarus won't change things.
Implicit in that, is, I think, the idea that God had made known all that was necessary in a very public way and there would be something deficient about a faith based on the terrifying wonder of the ghostly warning of one who was dead.
One of the earliest challenges faced by the Church was the rise of Gnosticism - a mystical sort of teaching which claimed that there was a deeper and higher knowledge beyond the Gospels that could only be understood as one progressed spiritually. In facing down this teaching, the 2nd century bishop, St Irenaeus of Lyons insisted on the public nature of revelation - Christ taught openly, the Apostles taught openly and the truth of the Church's proclamation is seen in the way in which the different Apostolic Churches openly proclaim the one and the same Gospel in harmony with each other, whereas the furtive and elaborate teachings of the differing gnostic sects are in contradiction with each other and in contrast to the manner in which Christ and His Apostles taught.
Bringing things up to the present day, with the different schisms and disagreements in Christianity, the whole idea of the harmonious and public proclamation of the Gospel might not be as convincing an argument as to the truth or credibility of the faith. One has to do a bit of spadework to see how the Catholic Church preserves the Apostolic Faith in a way that the Orthodox Churches and protestant denominations don't. However, the principle of the essential nature of Revelation being Public casts an interesting light on a number of areas of Church life.
As a Church, we should be very clear that we have no hidden agenda or secret motive in what we do. All our aims and intentions are to be found in what we teach. Our only task is to live according to the Gospel we have received and to bring others to that same saving knowledge and lifestyle. What is more, NOTHING about that knowledge or lifestyle is secret. There's no secret technique for nirvana, there's no hidden knowledge about Christ or the Church that is only revealed to an inner elite. All that we believe is public knowledge, and any claim by anyone within the Church to have secret knowledge is a denial of the public teaching of Christ, the Apostles and their successors.
Certainly, one doesn't deny that as one grows in the knowledge of the faith, one receives new insights. Likewise, a life of prayer brings a deepening knowledge and intimacy with God. However, none of this, strictly speaking, is truly a secret knowledge in the sense of being an understanding or teaching that is different from that publicly professed by the Church.
I think that also puts a certain duty and responsibility on Christian teachers, lay and ordained. We need to be upfront about what the Church teaches and diligent in passing on a full and thorough understanding of the faith. Certainly we need to have 'pastoral instincts' in our manner of teaching - but when these 'pastoral instincts' lead us to obfuscate or obscure the teaching of the Church, then we're failing in that duty to pass on what we have received and we're being fundamentally untrue to that same Gospel.
We need also to be aware that we should be seen to be people of integrity. If we fudge things or act evasively, then we're not being faithful to the One who is Truth Himself. Our behaviour needs to reflect His charity and His integrity.
When I meet the parents of children who are being prepared for the sacraments, I like to make a point of explaining that their children come into contact with so many different competing world views - what they see on TV, what's pushed at them by advertisers, what they pick up from other youngsters and the adults they come into contact with them. The Church has an agenda for their children as well, but almost uniquely, we're totally upfront about what it is. We want to help children and parents alike to come to know Jesus Christ and His Gospel and to live their lives in following Him as best they can. And there's nothing hidden or concealed about that agenda. It's perfectly public, there's no ulterior motive and we're totally transparent about our intentions.
Finally, it's important to remember this public nature of Revelation when dealing with the plethora of visionaries, messages and private revelations that are out there. I won't deny that some of them have been found to be genuine and that God's grace can and does work through them for many people. However, no matter how personally helpful or authentic they may be, they are essentially secondary when compared to the public proclamation of Christ's Gospel by the Church. Christ wants to speak to all nations through His Church, and we should be especially sceptical about any small group or clique that claims to have an 'ínside track' in terms of our salvation. Putting too much interest on a particular devotion as being the way to be saved or constantly chasing after signs, wonders and special messages run the distinct danger of distracting us from the utterly sufficient and complete Revelation given to the world by Christ through His Church.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Teaching children how to pray...
Fr Tim Finigan gives a lovely answer to a a mother who asks how she should teach her child how to pray.
I know that when I was growing up, bedtime prayers were the most natural thing in the world and a regular part of the daily routine. Prayer was as much a part of life as eating or breathing or brushing one's teeth. And that's as it should be. However, that tradition or habit seems to have been broken in most households these days. I sometimes wonder how that came to happen - how people who had learned to pray from their parents didn't pass on the same habits to their children. I suppose the most obvious answer is that they themselves had stopped praying, and therefore it wasn't part of their home-life when they had children. However, parents also want their children to grow up knowing God and receiving the sacraments, so they're not totally disengaged from a life of faith either.
I like that Fr Tim is so encouraging in his answer. Personally, I try to be encouraging as well when preparing couples for the baptism of their children. I remind them that one of the final blessings of the Baptism ceremony contains the prayer that they should be the first and the best of teachers of the faith in their children's lives. It's important for parents to realise that Church teaching and practice empowers parents and encourages them in their roles as parents. They are told clearly that they have an irreplaceable role and importance in their children's lives and that they themselves have the right and duty to pass on the best of values and a belief in God to their children. So many other influences in society seem to take away or minimise the parents' role. Children's television and the media in general do not affirm or encourage parenthood. The cult of youth puts out the message that the next generation should be free to make their own mistakes, and by the time children reach their early teens, I get the impression that most parents simply no longer know how or have the confidence to be parents to their own children. Maybe I'm naive, but I genuinely think that the Church can do some good by being more forthright in encouraging and supporting parents to be parents when children are young.
I also love the fact that Fr Finigan encourages this mother to pray with her unborn child. When I'm going through the baptism ceremony with parents in our preparatory class, I tell them that making the sign of the cross on their child's forehead should remind them as parents they can always bestow a blessing on their children. They can also make a point of praying with their children, even before the child knows what prayer is. I was chuffed to bits to discover that one of the first words learned by the first-born of a dear friend was "amen!" Tús maith, leath na hoibre!
It's quite a common - and heart-breaking - thing these days for children to arrive into primary school aged 4 or 5 unable to bless themselves or not knowing the basic prayers such as the Our Father or the Hail Mary. I'm fortunate that the Primary School teachers in my parish schools are excellent and pray with the children throughout the day, but unless the habit of prayer is learned in the home, I fear that it will be something ultimately foreign to these children.The place to start is with your own prayers. There are many good prayer books that will help you to say some simple morning and night prayers so that you are used to spending a little time with Our Lord each day. You can also spend some quiet moments thinking about the truths of the faith (again there are some quite simple summaries available in many prayer books) and then asking Our Lord in your own words how to live well as a Catholic.[snip]
As soon as your child is able to walk and talk a little, that would be the time to kneel down and say some simple prayers, especially at bedtime. You can say prayers at your own choice; there are many good children’s prayer books that can help. It is also good if you say some traditional prayers such as the Our Father and the Hail Mary, and perhaps the Act of Contrition and the Prayer to the Guardian Angel. It doesn’t matter that your child doesn’t understand them fully as yet – he will start at school knowing these familiar prayers and will understand them better as he gets older.
I know that when I was growing up, bedtime prayers were the most natural thing in the world and a regular part of the daily routine. Prayer was as much a part of life as eating or breathing or brushing one's teeth. And that's as it should be. However, that tradition or habit seems to have been broken in most households these days. I sometimes wonder how that came to happen - how people who had learned to pray from their parents didn't pass on the same habits to their children. I suppose the most obvious answer is that they themselves had stopped praying, and therefore it wasn't part of their home-life when they had children. However, parents also want their children to grow up knowing God and receiving the sacraments, so they're not totally disengaged from a life of faith either.
I like that Fr Tim is so encouraging in his answer. Personally, I try to be encouraging as well when preparing couples for the baptism of their children. I remind them that one of the final blessings of the Baptism ceremony contains the prayer that they should be the first and the best of teachers of the faith in their children's lives. It's important for parents to realise that Church teaching and practice empowers parents and encourages them in their roles as parents. They are told clearly that they have an irreplaceable role and importance in their children's lives and that they themselves have the right and duty to pass on the best of values and a belief in God to their children. So many other influences in society seem to take away or minimise the parents' role. Children's television and the media in general do not affirm or encourage parenthood. The cult of youth puts out the message that the next generation should be free to make their own mistakes, and by the time children reach their early teens, I get the impression that most parents simply no longer know how or have the confidence to be parents to their own children. Maybe I'm naive, but I genuinely think that the Church can do some good by being more forthright in encouraging and supporting parents to be parents when children are young.
I also love the fact that Fr Finigan encourages this mother to pray with her unborn child. When I'm going through the baptism ceremony with parents in our preparatory class, I tell them that making the sign of the cross on their child's forehead should remind them as parents they can always bestow a blessing on their children. They can also make a point of praying with their children, even before the child knows what prayer is. I was chuffed to bits to discover that one of the first words learned by the first-born of a dear friend was "amen!" Tús maith, leath na hoibre!
Saturday, March 3, 2012
A post to prove that I'm still alive...
Taps microphone
Is thing thing still on?
Apologies to the couple of people who still follow me. I've not been very diligent about keeping it up to date. A mixture of genuine busy-ness and a wretched dose of sloth has kept me away from my blog. Anyway, I wanted to add a few links to my blogroll and draw my readers' attention to a few articles.
The Irish Blogosphere
Since my last post, I've added links to a couple of Catholic blogs which concern themselves with Irish issues. First of all, the Lux Occulta blog has a mainly historical focus, with a wealth of articles and pamphlets painting a picture of the Irish Church in the first half of the 20th Century. Need one say that this picture doesn't always square with the dominant narrative?
Even though he's based in England, The Thirsty Gargoyle seems to be the go-to blog for commentary on the media's treatment of Irish Church matters. When he takes Patsy McGarry to task like this, he does the Church and the truth a great service. I wish that the Bishops' Conference were more pro-active in doing likewise. There seems to be this assumption that it's unpastoral or counter-productive to challenge the mainstream media in this way or that because of the genuine failings of the Church that we must therefore sit in silence. However, renewal and justice can only be served by truth, and a failure to challenge untruths does no service to the faithful. When I read The Thirsty Gargoyle's blog-posts about the Irish Church, I usually wish that I had the time (and intellect) to write them first.
Further Afield
Amy Welborn is one of Catholic America's best known bloggers. In her latest book, Wish You Were Here she writes about her experience of losing her husband (the late Michael Dubriel) and her path through grief as she takes her family on a trip to Sicily a few months after his death. It's a very honest and faith-filled account of grief and healing, and is permeated with a sense of the sacramentality of this world for the believer - grace and healing by God's power gradually make themselves known to her, often through the most mundane and everyday of things. This book is well worth a read and Amy's latest blog Booked is worth following.
To my mind, John Allen is one of the best religion reporters out there. I'm not a fan of his newspaper, the National Catholic Reporter, but his work is rightly noted for its fairness and insight. One of the reasons I like his work is the way in which he's able to school other journalists (and indeed many Catholics) with articles such as Three things about the church to give up for Lent.
Is thing thing still on?
Apologies to the couple of people who still follow me. I've not been very diligent about keeping it up to date. A mixture of genuine busy-ness and a wretched dose of sloth has kept me away from my blog. Anyway, I wanted to add a few links to my blogroll and draw my readers' attention to a few articles.
The Irish Blogosphere
Since my last post, I've added links to a couple of Catholic blogs which concern themselves with Irish issues. First of all, the Lux Occulta blog has a mainly historical focus, with a wealth of articles and pamphlets painting a picture of the Irish Church in the first half of the 20th Century. Need one say that this picture doesn't always square with the dominant narrative?
Even though he's based in England, The Thirsty Gargoyle seems to be the go-to blog for commentary on the media's treatment of Irish Church matters. When he takes Patsy McGarry to task like this, he does the Church and the truth a great service. I wish that the Bishops' Conference were more pro-active in doing likewise. There seems to be this assumption that it's unpastoral or counter-productive to challenge the mainstream media in this way or that because of the genuine failings of the Church that we must therefore sit in silence. However, renewal and justice can only be served by truth, and a failure to challenge untruths does no service to the faithful. When I read The Thirsty Gargoyle's blog-posts about the Irish Church, I usually wish that I had the time (and intellect) to write them first.
Further Afield
Amy Welborn is one of Catholic America's best known bloggers. In her latest book, Wish You Were Here she writes about her experience of losing her husband (the late Michael Dubriel) and her path through grief as she takes her family on a trip to Sicily a few months after his death. It's a very honest and faith-filled account of grief and healing, and is permeated with a sense of the sacramentality of this world for the believer - grace and healing by God's power gradually make themselves known to her, often through the most mundane and everyday of things. This book is well worth a read and Amy's latest blog Booked is worth following.
To my mind, John Allen is one of the best religion reporters out there. I'm not a fan of his newspaper, the National Catholic Reporter, but his work is rightly noted for its fairness and insight. One of the reasons I like his work is the way in which he's able to school other journalists (and indeed many Catholics) with articles such as Three things about the church to give up for Lent.
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