a tale of two funerals

Interesting, and from a Protestant perspective:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/geneveith/2013/05/two-kinds-of-funerals/

Corpus Christi newsletter

The weekly Newsletter for the Catholic Parish of the Good Shepherd, Hurunui, is now uploaded at the parish website www.catholichurunui.co.nz.  

daily meditations

In a couple of blog updates, including the one earlier today, I have referred to Pope Francis' little homilies at the daily morning Mass.  I notice that these have been gathered together on a single page on the Vatican Website. I wouldn't mind betting that this new "daily reflections" page becomes the most visited page on the Holy See website. You might like to bookmark it.

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/cotidie/2013/index_en.htm

temporary or definitive?

Each morning the pope celebrates the Vatican "worker's Mass" at 7am in the building in which he lives. At these Masses the pope gives a simple homily - and these little homilies have become something of a talking-point because of their simplicity and their depth.

Click on this text to hear a summary of the pope's homily reflection on the 'attraction of the temporary.'

bridging the gap - in a minute

an invitation to let God 'bridge the gap'.

bridging the gap - in a minute

just blending in?

Take a minute to watch this 60 second clip.

Amazing, isn't it?  Notice that the people watching in the live audience applauded this creature that was able to become one with its surroundings.

Such blending-in is a constant danger for Christians.  Society applauds religious people who "blend in".  When we blend into a secular background our family and friends are happy too. We are less challenging and embarrassing when we just blend.

The call for people of faith is to blend into the life of God, and never to settle for becoming one with the movement of the secular crowd.  This is a subtle danger - how often in our parishes and family we use material assets as our security instead of turning to Jesus for everything.

So here's to living with the courage of the disciples after Pentecost. Let our desire be only to blend with the full life of God.

Trinity Sunday newsletter

The Trinity Sunday newsletter for the Catholic Parish of the Good Shepherd, Hurunui District, is now uploaded to the parish website at www.catholichurunui.co.nz.

If you, or anyone you know would like to receive this newsletter by email each week simply send an email requesting this to catholichurunui@gmail.com.

this man is in love

Take three minutes to watch this brief summary of Pope Francis speaking at the Pentecost Vigil last Saturday evening. It is evident that this man is in love with God!  His passion is contageous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL7Z79WJ2Yg

starched Christians?

On Saturday evening in Rome over 200.000 people from new movements and ecclesial communities, met with Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square.  It was an extraordinarily intimate gathering of faith, in which the pope focussed the people once again on the simplicity and beauty of faith.

Vatican Radio offers a summary of the gathering at the link below. I haven't yet been able to find other links (especially video) of the vigil so if you know where I can find this let me know and I will upload the links here.

Vatican Radio Summary

pope at Pentecost

As I type this I am watching Pope Francis celebrating the Mass of Pentecost morning in St. Peter's Square.  A few notes from his homily, just finished.

What happened on that Pentecost day when the disciples gathered in the room.

1. there was a sound - the rush of sind
2. and there were tongues of fire.

Sound and tongues of fire are clear and concrete signs that touched the disciples deeply not only outside themselves but inside themselves.  A great crowd then gathered to hear them speaking, speaking about God's deeds of power.

The pope then offered a reflection on three words: newness, harmony, and mission.

Newness

Newness always makes us a bit fearful. We feel more secure when we have everything under control. The same is true when it comes to our relationship with God. It is difficult to abandon ourselves to God totally, allowing the Holy Spirit to take us over. We fear that God will lead us to strike out on new paths. God always brings newness.  God demands our complete trust. Remember Noah, Abraham, Moses, the apostles, they all go forth with courage. This is not novelty for novelty's sake, but the search for something new to relieve our boredom. God's newness actually brings us the fulfillment we seek.  Are we open to God's surprises?  Do we have the courage to strike out on new paths, or are we barricaded into old structures.

Harmony

The Holy Spirit appears to create disorder in the Church - a variety of gifts, but the Holy Spirit brings unity. Not uniformity, but harmony.  Remember The Holy Spirit IS harmony.  In our attempt to bring unity in accordance with our human plans we end up creating uniformity and standardisation. If we let ourselves be guided by the Holy Spirit,.   Am I open to the harmony of the Holy Spirit, living in and with the Church?

Mission

The older theologians used to say that the Church is like a sailboat, and the Spirit is the wind that takes us forward.  In the Spirit we are saved from going in on ourselves. The events that took place in Jerusalem almost 2000 years ago are not removed from us. The Pentecost in the Jerusalem upper-room is the beginning.  He wants that gift to reach everyone. The Holy Spirit makes us look to the horizon. Do we tend to stay closed in on ourselves, safely in our group?

Let's remember these three words.

In today's liturgy we pray:

Come Holy Spirit, 

fill the hearts of your faithful 

and enkindle in them the fire of your love.

+++

Last night the Pope celebrated a Pentecost Vigil with many of the new movements and ecclesial communities in the Church. I heard only a small part of this replayed early this afternoon, and as soon as youtube clips etc are available I will share these here.

abundantly living - in a minute

In the midst of your busy day, take a minute to relax and to consider this pathway to abundant living

.

 3:22

Sister Wendy

A few weeks ago I enjoyed a documentary on Sister Wendy Beckett & the art of the gospel. It was an inspiring insight both into the gospels, through the colourful lens of art, and a glimpse into the life of the hermit Sister Wendy.  Tonight I found the documentary on youtube. Here it is, in four 15 minute parts.

being in love

Lord, send out your Spirit

and renew the Hurunui District

In the psalm response to today’s Pentecost reading  (Acts 2:1-11) we pray: “Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.” 

The face of the earth is a vast expanse. And the many faces of the people of the earth are numerous and anonymous.  How can we grasp the meaning of such a general prayer? 

As we celebrate Pentecost today, it is helpful to be specific: to think of the land that we know, and the people whom we encounter each week. The Spirit of God came to the Church in a specific place, to a single community of local people. Today, let’s consider our Good Shepherd Parish and our local Hurunui District, the people of our home neighbourhoods. Lord, send your Spirit to renew us. Lord, we are in need of your Spirit.

In the Prayer of the Church (Office of Readings) during the week leading up to today’s feast, the Church read from the Constitution on the Church (Vatican II): “By the power of the Gospel, the Holy Spirit enables the Church to grow young, perpetually renewing it...” (par. 4) What a great phrase: “grow young.”  If we want to grow young, then here is the recipe!

This week the new Parish Council for our Good Shepherd Parish met. The Council is fortunate not to have to deal with the practical issues of building maintenance since each of our seven communities will  continue to oversee this work. This enables the Parish Council to be truly pastoral, to focus on the faith-lives of the people of our parish. 

What does this mean, to focus on faith? This is an especially timely question for this Year of Faith. Too many people in the church have the sense that we (and they) are growing old. There are not as many young people active in our parish as we would like. What must we do? This was the central topic of Wednesday night’s Council meeting. 

Too many people who live in our families and our neighbourhoods think of the church as old and tired. They see the our Catholic faith as a moralistic and legalistic antique, the antithesis of the life and freedom that healthy people seek. This is a tragic reality, far from the experience of the first disciples of Jesus. 

Before their encounter with Jesus, the disciples were fearful for their survival. The burdens of daily life and the demands of the precepts of their religion weighed heavily upon them and those they loved. 

This is often our own experience too isn’t it? 

Take a moment to think back over the week just past. We carry family anxieties for ourselves and for those we love. Perhaps our health is uncertain. Then there is financial anxiety and employment stresses. Many of us live with a sense of distance from God. Our sin is real and we can feel its effects. These issues were also the central reality for the disciples, that is, until they began to live in relationship with Jesus. 

The theories, plans and projects that occupy humans are powerless to bring about a real experience of life and freedom. While commitment and discipline might be useful when working towards a goal, it takes something more to give true meaning and motivation to a human existence. Such energy and satisfaction is however found in relationship with another. At the most profound human level, it is the experience of being in love that effects real and lasting change not only to external actions but to the inner life of the human heart.

And this is the key point. If a parish community is focussed on the external signs of faith (albeit healthy and necessary signs), we will feel as though we are engaged in an unrelenting and exhausting effort to inspire parishioners and to build a community. But, thanks be to God, there is another way. When each parishioner is seeking above all else to live in personal relationship with Jesus, then the Holy Spirit of Jesus is able to respond and enter with love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, and other welcome fruits of the presence of the Spirit of God.

So the life of faith is not about demands and duty that stifle sponteneity and strangle freedom. The life of faith is a life of relationship with Jesus who answers every human need and who satisfies all human desire.

The decision to live in this relationship is not a choice we make simply alongside human relationships and occupations. Instead, human relationships only become fully possible when one is living in relationship with Jesus. This is this one relationship that enables all relationships. 

Too often we use people and projects in a futile attempt to anaesthetise our need for God. We forget that this inbuilt need for God is not a human flaw. Instead this need is the quality that turns every healthy person to the one who answers every need.

For a Catholic, the Mass and other sacraments are the heart of this personal encounter with Jesus. A parish is not a human community alongside the many other community options. While it is important that we are responsible custodians of the material assets of the parish (ie buildings, land, investments), the heart of our parish purpose is to focus on Jesus Christ, alive and active among us by the power of the Holy Spirit.

When a parishioner encounters this all-satisfying friendship with Jesus, everything else follows. WIthout complete dependance on the Spirit of God among us as our motivator and purpose, parish life will be hard work.  

When we turn to Jesus with whole-hearted dependance, our parish life together becomes the fruit of our personal experience of the presence of Jesus with us, and the love of Jesus for us.

pentecost newsletter

The Pentecost Sunday newsletter for the Catholic Parish of the Good Shepherd, Hurunui District, is now uploaded at the parish website www.catholichurunui.co.nz

Orvieto and light

Pentecost, Orvieto, light and alabaster

A couple of years ago I spent a few days in the Umbrian hill town of Orvieto. The town's cathedral is a remarkable building. There are so many 'bloggable' reflections that this Duomo inspires. But I will leave these for future blog entries.

For today, just one aspect.

The nave of the Cathedral is constructed in strips of 'black' and 'white' marble. The windows from the outside are a bit distracting. It seems as though the spaces for the glass have been filled with plywood, as if the glass had broken and the glazier hadn't got around to the repair yet. Perhaps the plywood is a temporary measure to stop the weather getting in?

And then I went inside.

The interior of this magnificent building is flooded with light. There is no plywood. The windows are a most natural colour and design. Clearly an artist has been at work. No plywood, but the most exquisite glass work.

After my visit, which was the first of many visits, I sat at a little cafe reading a brochure about the Cathedral.

I had presumed that the 'plywood' windows, were made of glass. But I was wrong. These windows are alabaster. This stone is sliced paper-thin to create the windows that flood the dark interior with light.

And it is this Orvieto memory that comes to mind as I prepare to celebrate Pentecost. Let me share the reason.

The disciples of Jesus were gathered together, probably out of fear. They had good reason to be fearful. The Romans were on the warpath. They had crucified Jesus. Perhaps their little group would be next?

But within moments, at the arrival of the Holy Spirit, they realised that because the Spirit of Jesus was with them, they had no reason to be afraid. They then boldly left the room and lovingly confronted the powers they previously feared. 

Because of Pentecost, things are rarely what they seem. What appeared to be plywood, then I presumed was glass, was in fact stone.

What seems to be a cause for fear, in the light of the presence of the Spirit of Jesus with us, is in fact an opportunity for greater intimacy with Jesus who dissolves all fear.

And now, this Pentecost vigil, I remember the Holy Spirit window in St. Peter's basilica in Rome. The window appears to be the most exquisite work of a glass-crafter.

But it is in fact... alabaster.

Tap on this text for some more Orvieto images

growing young

Last week I read a reflection from the Constitution on the Church in preparation for this Sunday's feast of Pentecost. There was a line there I had not noticed before: The Holy Spirit "enables the Church to grow young..." 

That's a great thought...'growing young!'

With the passing of every year we notice the aging process in ourselves. We can no longer move as fast or jump as high. The mind lets us down. We think we don't look as good as we did just a few years ago.

The offer of a fountain of youth is very attractive. The elixir is not to be found in face creams, exercise and hair colour. The key to 'growing young' is found in life in harmony with the Spirit of God. This is what keeps the human heart beating young.

We don't have to believe this simply because the Constitution tells us. A simple experiment will give a more personal experience of the life that is on offer.

one week

Set one week in which you seek to live in harmony with all you know God to be asking of you. (much of this will have come to you through the gospels and the teachings of the church. Some of these teachings you may struggle or even disagree with. Whatever, for one week, just do it!)

pray

We know that prayer is an essential relationship in the life of the Christian. 

Notice that I call prayer a relationship. Prayer is not the reciting of incantations in order to please and appease God. Prayer is awareness of my desire to be connected to God.

Sometimes this desire is expressed in formal prayers and spoken or silent expression. At other times I am just aware of my hunger and longing for God. This fundamental human need for prayer is the most significant mark of our healthy humanity. 

This is good news for the person who is struggling and who knows their weakness. It is a bit of a challenge for the person who thinks they are doing pretty well on their own! 

As a part of your week, set regular time for prayer. Ten minutes morning and evening. One minute every time the traffic light turns red. Two minutes during the TV ads...

make good change

If you suspect God might be nudging you to change your behaviour in some way, then commit to making this change - at least for one week. For example we know that Jesus taught us to love our enemy. This is a bit of a challenge since my enemies do not deserve my love. But, for a week try it! Think too of the teaching of Jesus and the Church on care for the needy, justice and honesty, sexuality... In each of these areas, do not be afraid to make the changes you know God to be asking of you. You have nothing to lose.

There are many other challenges that the Gospel and scriptures put before us. These are communicated with more explanation in the teaching of the Church. It is common for Catholic's to treat these teachings as a smorgasboard of suggestions and to live only those that come most easily. The invitation of this Pentecost feast is to put yourself, one hundred percent, in the disciples Pentecost upper-room of waiting. 

When the disciples did this, their main motivation was fear. That's a good enough reason to open up to God. Perhaps you have a fear of growing old, and sickness and death? The Holy Spirit is waiting to grow you young.

time for the review

At the end of your week (or at bedtime on day two if that is all you can manage), ask yourself if you are more happy with yourself than you were a week ago. If you are happier, then keep the rhythm of life you have set going for another week. God created us to be happy, and the Spirit if given to us to enable us to live happily, and to give us eternal youth.

Te Putea reflection

One of the Publications of the Catholic Diocese of Christchurch newsletter publications is the "Te Putea" (the resource) newsletter. Phil Gourdie, the editor asked me to contribute the editorial to the most recent edition. This gave me a good opportunity to reflect on friendship and family in the life of people of faith. Here is my reflection.

Most “Te Putea” front-page reflections contributed by priests of our diocese over the years, have been addressed to “dear friends in our diocesan family.”

A couple of these words of greeting are especially worthy of our consideration, since our living encounter with Jesus Christ, the Word of God, gives our old, familiar, and often tired language, new meaning, focus and vitality.

People of faith are able to appreciate the words “friends” and “family” in a new way. Dusty dictionary definitions of social and biological connections are powerless to communicate the beauty and depth of intimacy with God and with one another.

The term “friendship” is often used of like-minded people who enjoy each other’s company and are agreeable. Such friends are fun. They don’t challenge us beyond our comforts. Neither do they disagree with us about what is important in life. Casual conversation with such companions fills free time and eases earthly ennui.

The name “family” is often reduced to a blood or legal connection. Our blood relatives did not choose us. Neither did we choose our parents or children, our sisters or brothers.

Sadly the term “family” today, has little more stability than the common contemporary experience of fleeting friendship. Instead of turning to the architect of all life to define the meaning and possibilities for human relationships, we grasp at variations and adaptations, thus tampering with divine order. 

With tragic consequences we disguise human vulnerability. We suppress the signs that are symptoms of human dysfunction. Without too much resistance (although albeit with much pain), people move from one family relationship to another without the God-centred vision that enables “till death do us part” commitment.

Our common diocesan “family” of “friends” marks people of Catholic faith as different. We are not a transient secular social society brought together by personal likes and dislikes or by common interests. Instead, we are the friends and family of Jesus Christ; that is, a family alive in the friendship of faith.

It is not our primary task as people of the parishes and chaplaincies of the diocese to create a community. Such a desire will be well intentioned. But our own efforts will ultimately falter and fail for the same reasons that secular structures rarely last beyond a few decades.

Instead our prime task as the people of this local Catholic community of the Christchurch diocese, is to relax into the fact of our Easter faith: The Word of God, Jesus Christ has become flesh and, risen from the dead, dwells amongst us. Confident in this ultimate relationship that satisfies all human desires, we can now live lovingly as the friends and family of Jesus.

In this divine relationship of love, our attitude to all human realities is transformed. Far from ignoring human structures of government and management, we allow Jesus to draw our vision beyond earthly systems. Instead of using money as a weapon of power or a god-like guarantor of security, we gift our time, talent and treasure to the one God, so offering ourselves and all we have to be transformed into tools for the building of God’s dwelling among us.

We know that when we withhold our time, talent and treasure from friendships and family, these relationships immediately suffer and soon die. When we give to our friends and family without counting the cost, even when we feel like withholding, the relationships flourish once more. We call this self-transcending generosity, “love”. When we act against our moods of selfishness, and persevere in living with loving generosity towards our family and friends, it is not too long before the experience of peace and harmony in the relationship returns. This is love.

This is the purpose of this resource, the “Te Putea” newsletter:  to remind us of the goal of the Christchurch Diocese Foundation, the Catholic Development Fund, and the parish Thanksgiving Programmes. 

To these diocesan vehicles of the mission of Jesus Christ among us, let us bring the generous gifts that are characteristic of our family life and friendships; that is, our time, talent and treasure.

+++

the tension of the Ascension

Ascension inspiration - thank you Fr. Alex!

Fr. Alex is the author of the blog "the depth of life" http://www.fralexz.blogspot.com/

newsletter (Ascension)

The weekly newsletter for the Good Shepherd Parish,  Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord (12 May) Hurunui, is now available online at

www.catholichurunui.co.nz

don't let your hearts be troubled

As I write it is early morning here on the Chatham Islands. I’m sitting at the table that I have re-sited to the window of the living room, giving a glorious sunrise view down the hill and across the bay. There is a lot of weather here this morning, and I’m not sure how that will affect my flight back to Christchurch (via Wgton) later today.

The days here have been full and satisfying. I have had the opportunity to spend time with parishioners in the most remote parts of the Christchurch Diocese, at Pitt Island Waitangi and Kaiangaroa. The pace of life here is different - people take the time to sit and to chat. Such relaxed conversation that floats from topic to topic is a great way to spend quality time with people, and to share their joy, hope, grief and anxiety.

I also appreciate the opportunity to pray in this remote place. There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit is alive and active here. Unfortunately the priest is only able to visit half a dozen times each year, and therefore the Mass is not celebrated as often as the people need. If there were no Mass on a Sunday in a large city parish, people would have a choice of a dozen other Masses celebrated within a 10 minute drive. We are blessed here in the Hurunui with Mass available every Sunday to every parishioner within a 45 minute drive.

I went for a stroll on Pitt Island. I took the chance to pray the the Joyful mysteries. In the first mystery, the Annunciation, I pondered the visit of the angel to Mary, asking that she be the mother of the Messiah.  It is significant that Mary was initially fearful at the angel’s surprise visit and extraordinary news. The angel assured Mary that she had no reason to fear since the Holy Spirit was with her.  Mary let go of her fear and within moments had given God her ‘yes’.

As I braved the Pitt wind, and meditated with this thought, my mind jumped to today’s gospel reading. I usually try to read the readings of the following Sunday early in the week before, giving me time to mull the message as I prepare the homily. The line from today’s gospel that stayed with me most deeply is the instruction of Jesus to his disciples. Jesus is telling them about the Holy Spirit, and goes on to tell them: “do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.”

The word that really surprises me is the little word “let”.  It is as if Jesus is reminding us that we do have control over whether or not our hearts are troubled or afraid. He is instructing his friends not to allow trouble or fear to permeate their hearts.  Jesus wants them to make the decision not to be troubled, as if trouble and fear in our hearts are not thrust upon us as much as allowed in when we are not vigilant against these unwelcome invaders.

Well, that is a different perspective. If trouble and fear are the consequence of my lack of vigilance, then so too are the anxieties and moods that burden us each day. When that thought ocurred to me the wind was getting a bit strong and cold so I found a shelted spot to sit on a broken fence post, looking  east towards Hakepa (North Head), the eastern-most inhabited part of NZ. Hakepa was until recently the first part of the inhabited world to see the sun each day. But this distinction was lost when Samoa shifted the international date line. This was where Bishop John Cunneen celebrated the first Mass of the new millennium in 2000 along with international news crews.

So as I sat in my shelterd spot, my thoughts drifted to the problem that we all have with trouble, fear, anxiety and worry. There are times when there are good reasons for us to experience the weight of these unwelcome emotions. Perhaps I have spoken or behaved in a way that has caused harm or pain to myself or to others. It might also be that someone else has shared their struggle with us or dumped their baggage onto us. Either way we are often left feeling powerless to change the fear or anxiety we experience.

But Jesus is suggesting that we do have the power to ‘not let our hearts be troubled.’  What does he mean?  What is the secret?

I wonder if Pope Francis is helping us here. It is interesting that the media continue to give the new pope the grace of “honeymoon” treatment. In fact he is speaking out strongly in many ways that Pope Benedict was ridiculed for. For example, have you noted the number of times Pope Francis has spoken about the power of evil in the world and the reality of the devil. It is clear that he appreciates that just as the power of the Holy Spirit is present and active in the world, so too is the power and presence of the evil spirit, the devil, at work among us.

I know that the feelings that ‘get us down’ are sometimes a result of the direction action of the devil on us. I’m not talking here about a chemical depression that requires treatment, or anxiety or fear that is a healthy response to bad choices or unwise actions. Instead I am referring to the feelings of trouble, fear, anxiety or worry that we might also call “moods.”

Let’s be direct here and accept that Jesus is telling us to be careful, and not to let such ‘bad’ moods take root in us. Both Jesus and Pope Francis speak clearly about the reality of the evil one. Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits, also warns us to be vigilant against such action of the devil.

Let’s also remember that to speak of the devil so clearly is not a negative or unhelpful teaching. Instead this reality helps us to understand that not all the evil that wells up within us, and at times bursts out of us, is from our own making. Instead these motivations and this energy can be from the action of the evil one in me.

In recent years excessive priority has been given to feelings over thoughts. Perhaps this is an inevitable attempt at compensation for those years when we were taught not to pay attention to our feelings. It is true that we ignore our feelings at our peril. But most often our emotional life is guided by a personal objective understanding of good and evil, right and wrong that we carry in our heads (our thinking). And it is a wise decision to allow the thinking that guides us to be formed by the teaching of the one who loves us more than we could ever love ourselves.

So, again, let’s take seriously the advice of Jesus and be vigilant in acting against any negative moods that  threaten to overwhelm us. In short:

"do not let your hearts be troubled". 

newsletter (Easter VI)

The weekly newsletter for the Catholic Parish of the Good Shepherd, Hurunui District (Sixth Sunday of Easter) is now uploaded to the parish website www.catholichurunui.co.nz. Click on the 'newsletter' button.

If you would like to receive the newsletter each week by email (pdf - easier for printing) just send an email to catholichurunui@gmail.com and type "newsletter subscribe" in the subject line.

Kaingaroa

One of the most isolated communities in the Diocese of Christchurch is the settlement of Kaingaroa (population fewer than 50) on the North-East tip of Chatham Island (pop. around 500). It's an hour's drive on a winding rugged shingle road from the main Chatham settlement of Waitangi. Today I made the journey to lunch with some of the locals. It was good to be with them again.

Faith in Jesus is alive and vibrant in these isolated communities. We are well over half way through the Year of Faith, and the diocesan offerings and events to mark this year aren't designed to reach people in these rural and distant areas of the diocese.

I offer what I have been given to offer as a priest. I think of offering Mass at Our Lady of the Antipodes Church on Pitt Island (pop. 30 people), lunching with parishioners and their friends at Kaiangaroa, then late this afternoon celebrating Mass in St. Therese of Lisieux Church Waitangi, and offering the other sacraments (Reconciliation and Anointing and Baptism) wherever they are desired.

And this evening as I prayed Vespers in the dark Church, I was grateful for the opportunity to serve God as His priest in this place.

a couple of views on the journey to Kaingaroa: