Fr Peter's newsletter notes - March 2004

Second Week of Lent - Sunday 7th March 2004

It is not long to go before Mel Gibson's film 'The Passion' will be released in British cinemas. Most of his previous films feature a fair amount of violence. The Passion has been criticised as being far too violent, and when I went to see a preview last week I can see why some might believe this. The producer rightly claims that there is a difference between brutality and violence for the sake of it, the normal Hollywood diet. The film is certainly very brutal, especially the long extended scene of Jesus' punishment by the Romans. However interspersed with scenes of unremitting brutality are flashbacks to telling moments of Jesus' public life. Spliced with the nailing on the Cross is Jesus on top of the mountain telling his listeners to love their enemies, and at another time the command to His disciples to love one another.

The driving power behind the film is Mel Gibson's catholic faith, and particularly his religious experiences of twelve years ago when he found peace through meditating on the wounds of Jesus Christ. This type of traditional piety is evident in the encounter between Our Lady and her son. The continual presence of Our lady throughout the Passion, and with flashbacks to his family childhood emphasise the role of Mary in our salvation. She is the perfect participant in joy of Christ's childhood, and in His long road to Calvary. In many ways the film is seen through her eyes. This will certainly be a revelation to the many American evangelicals, amongst the first 15 million who saw the film on the first weekend of its release.have already seen the film. A biblically inspired account of the Passion will undoubtedly include Our Lady. She is not just the Catholic extra bit.

Much ink has already been spilt on whether this film is anti Jewish, or whether it will fuel anti Jewish sentiment. The High Priest and his cohorts do initiate the cycle of violence for a mixture of unsavoury motives but the Romans carry the process through to the bloody end. The Jewish rabble call for Jesus' crucifixion but like any rabble whether here or the Middle East, they do not make up the sum of the people. Passolini's film on the Gospel of Matthew contained the contentious sentence, 'His blood be upon us and our children', but it was cried out by a fanatic racing through the Roman barracks. The film does not look to promote an anti-Jewish agenda.

Neither is the film a fundamentalist tract as portrayed by the liberal press. Anyone who goes to see the film will see it as a work of art, which includes a necessary level of interpretation. The question is whether such interpretation is within the authentic tradition of the Church. The depiction of good and evil, with the embodiment of the devil appearing throughout the film, takes its cue from the Evangelist's comment about the devil returning after the Temptation at the appropriate time, and likewise most of the interpretative details take their origin from the Gospel. It is not always an easy film to watch but as the product of one man's mission to depict the depths of Christ's love in dying on the Cross, it is not to be missed.

Third Week of Lent - Sunday 14th March 2004

It was not the move expected by the crowd who questioned Jesus on the relationship between suffering and sin. The crowd's immediate supposition as to the ultimate cause of the death of their countrymen in the precincts of the Temple was their hidden sinfulness. Over a thousand years earlier the deaths of a large part of the Israelite army caused consternation among the survivors until they discovered that all the slain had been wearing Canaanite good luck amulets, an act directly contrary to the first commandment. Suffering as a consequence of sin was and still is, to some extent, a popular belief prevalent to day. Anyone who believes in re-incarnation would have to admit to such a theory. Jesus sees the problem in another dimension completely.

The secular alternative is to blame God, and thus declare He can neither be all powerful nor all good, an understandable position in face of so much individual suffering, but one which the Christian must reject. God Himself cannot suffer, otherwise He would not be all-powerful, nor the ultimate grounds for hope and the source of all that is good. The Christian philosopher can show that God is not the direct cause of evil done in the world. The question why He permits us to commit evil acts will always remain a mystery. One possible reason is that He wishes us to love Him firstly without external constraints but more importantly with an inner freedom that drives us towards the good.

Jesus turns the question round from one of a relationship between the individual and suffering to that of humanity as a whole. There is a connectedness in suffering which is not directly related to individual sinfulness, but is part of the growing pains of the world. The connectedness in suffering is the mirror of the universal salvation worked by Jesus through His death on the Cross. He underwent the Passion on behalf of all humanity. Jesus does not deny the reality of individual suffering, but points to its deeper cause, the consequence of sin in the world.

The only 'cure' for humanity is to cultivate works of repentance now while there is still time, and to embrace the values of the kingdom. This time has been carved out by Jesus, and lasts from His Resurrection to the end of the world. This end is effectively our own death, since afterwards there is no more time for change, as by then we will have set our course heavenwards or hellwards. The works of repentance are both passive, the acceptance of suffering, but also active, the building of peace, and the alleviation of individual suffering. Jesus' answer to the question of evil and suffering is to offer the solution, and though it is effective for all time, it is on offer for the duration of our lives only.

Fourth Week of Lent - Sunday 21th March 2004

I am sure St Patrick and the Budget do not mix very well, but it was good to wake up on Thursday and discover that the last glass of cheap wine had not been drunk the night before. By Friday of course the stealth taxes were beginning to emerge from the woodwork. What grabbed my attention in the paper was a small detail about the new tax liability of parents enjoying a benefit whether large, such as a flat, or small such as a picture, given to their children. I have never grasped the morality of inheritance tax seeing it as anti-family. The handing down of family heirlooms fosters a sense of belonging, and true respect to ones ancestors. The government's action is a long way from the father in the parable of the Prodigal Son, who tells the elder son that 'everything I have is yours'. It is almost as if the government wants to adopt the role of an unrepentant younger son who grabs the inheritance and wastes it, but sadly not in such a colourful way as the original younger son.

The difficulty about talking on taxation is that there are no accepted ground rules to assess an appropriate tax rate, whether in relation to our pay packets or between direct and indirect taxation. The answer to these questions lies much deeper, within the concept of the person, a unique individual in relation to others. The place where 'persons' has by and large taken a severe battering in recent years, most obviously in the family, but also within the Church, the professions, the judiciary and the school system. It is difficult to apportion blame, but it does seem as if this government with its continuous attacks on the 'forces of conservatism' wants to replace its institutions with itself. Any government now with aid of modern technology divide and rule us now exposed families and individuals. The early days of the national lottery exemplified these tendencies with announcements of an anonymous individual winning a small fortune - all in uncanny replica of George Orwell's masterpiece 1984. The government makes individual lives better! The opposite extreme, taken up by many financial institutions is to declare 'tax freedom day' but this is to remain fixated in the same mindset. Again it is the individual pitted against the state. The Church proposes a different solution.

The right to life, fundamental to the natural law of choosing good, avoid evil includes the right to family life. This is the loving context in which to bring up children, and the context to possess private property. The family is a fundamental building block to any human society.

Private property may be seen as part of God's plan and therefore is related to God's care and providence. This recognises that there can be no such thing as absolute property rights since ultimately everything belongs to God. The family as the place where human life flourishes is where we may share in God's property. The trouble today is that the state wants to usurp the role of God by both dictating what is acceptable, whether contrary to natural law or not, and make as many families as possible dependent on the state for its livelihood.

Fifth Week of Lent - Sunday 28th March 2004

The court of King George could have retired for a late dinner feeling morally uplifted by the happy and virtuous ending of Handel's opera, Sosarme, The Opera set in ancient Greece, contrasts the violent and jealous intentions of men to the peaceable intentions of women, but also the triumph of virtue over vice and laxity. Perhaps it is naïve but I sometimes enjoy a happy ending to an opera, play or film. As a priest friend once remarked, he never wanted to see a Derek Jarman film with their bleak assessment of the human condition as he wanted to escape the streets of his run down urban parish at least once a week!

It is indeed to naïve to expect everything to have a happy ending, but there is nothing wrong in possessing the supernatural virtue of hope. It is an integral part of any believer's relationship with God. Traditionally the Church speaks of faith, hope and charity as being the three supernatural virtues that describe the chain of grace between God and believer. They are not three distinct gifts, but rather explain three facets of one relationship with God. To grasp this, is immediately to recognise as erroneous, the sentiment of a lapsed Catholic parent who wishes to bring their child up to be a good person, but let the child decide later which religion to choose. Children have the unerring ability to see through hypocrisy, and exhibit all the virtues of faith in relation to their parents, love and trust, which they 'naturally' extend to God. They also have a 'natural' prayer life, and a hope in the future. Faith, hope and charity are intimately connected in the mind and heart of a child. Obviously none of this is expressed in the cold language of adult discourse, but the love of adventure stories, fantasy stories demonstrate an innate triumph of hope over despair, of life over death, of love over fear and good over evil. The embodiment of good and evil in different characters, and the dynamism of the plot are all part of a pre-evangelisation necessary for the Gospel to take route in the human soul.

The lasting genius of Judaism and Christianity is to embed all talk of God's revelation in the form of a story, of many books and chapters. It allows for every generation to develop a richer relationship with God, and guide for action than any philosophical or theological treatise. The bleakness of so much of the contemporary world, whether in its architecture, its painting, its literature, its morality and its politics, is due to its dour foundations in the bitter and vindictive assertions of cold abstract thought, that has lost touch with the richness of the human soul, and the individual history of each person.

The virtue of hope finds its fulfilment in the person of Jesus Christ, who can 'see' the future, not in all its details, but as the consummation of His Father's plan. It is a future that we are all invited to share, and it gives space for penance, reconciliation and conversion. It is the hope that becomes the source of new life for the women taken in adultery, the subject of this Sunday's Gospel.

The First Readings, Second Week of Lent, Year C, Cycle II

This is a traditional prayer of lament and penitence that recognises the sinfulness of the exiled people. The prayer is one of hope, as God will surely answer the sinner's plea on behalf of his people, since God always remains faithful to His covenant. The fidelity of God makes us all too aware of our own lack of fidelity to His commands (Monday)

The summons to listen is set against the threat of judgement. God lovingly takes the initiative but it will be our response that determines the future. The change of heart required will demonstrate itself not in empty abstractions but actual works of charity. The prayer that marks our relationship with God is intimately bound up with charity, our relationship with our neighbour. (Tuesday)

The prophet Jeremiah, like most prophets, is frequently ignored. When noticed they attract violent antagonism. No-one wants to have their comfortable patterns of sins disturbed. The prophet, like all those who preach uncomfortable truths, looks to the Lord as his source of salvation which He readily gives. (Wednesday)

God is the ultimate source of all life, but a source which remains invisible, and so easily ignored. This hidden vitality when recognised, as part of the process of conversion, becomes the tree that produces much fruit. The production of fruit seems quite perverse to the heart, turned in on itself, who jealously guards its limited supply of willpower. (Thursday)

The story of Joseph's abduction by his brothers and sale into slavery is well known. God's chosen servant is protected from his brothers' murderous intentions by the timely intervention of Reuben. This gives Joseph a second chance and allows him to re-emerge again. Likewise for ourselves our timely interventions in our families can give someone a second chance and restore peace in our families. (Friday)

The First Readings, Third Week of Lent, Year C, Cycle II

The cure of Naaman, a foreign army commander, indicates a future worldwide mission of salvation, that will be confirmed by Jesus in the Synagogue in Nazareth when He addresses the crowds about this text. The story of Naaman also shows that salvation is God's work, and so it is the essence of simplicity, humans always want to complicate matters. Bathing in the Jordan prefigures baptism. (Monday)

Azariah's prayer does not presume on the covenant but recognises the people's guilt in failing to live up to its demands. He appeals to God's commitment to Abraham, whose descendants now live without any of the glory of former times. The fidelity of God and this memory allows him to look to the future with hope. (Tuesday)

The call of Jeremiah arouses a deep sense of inadequacy within him. How could the role of prophet be his, as a child?. The Lord however takes the initiative. This divine necessity is not mechanical, as Jeremiah will speak God's words in words of his own. The prophet though reluctant takes up his calling. (Wednesday)

Despite the covenant with God, the Israelites continue to rebel against God's commandments, putting their own counsel against His. The virtually 'predetermined' opposition points towards the necessary coming of Christ who will break through these hardened hearts. The need to trust in God seems to perversely bring forth an internal opposition resulting in sins of pride, and proves the need for grace to break the stranglehold of sin. (Thursday)

The prophet Nathan tells David that God is the one who will build the House, and it will not be a work of architecture but the bloodline ending with Joseph's 'son', Jesus. Nathan prophesises of the future heir that, 'I will be His father, and he will be my son'. The same is said in Psalm 2, which is the key to understanding the meaning of the Resurrection. (Friday)

The First Readings, Fourth Week of Lent, Year C, Cycle II

The creation of the new heaven and new earth, taken from the last chapters of Isaiah, speak of a return to a time prior to the fall of Adam and Eve. The tragic consequences of the fall, death, pain and suffering will become just a memory and no longer exist. This return is only possible through the gracious intervention of God in Christ, the new sinless Adam. (Monday)

This passage from the final vision of Ezekiel about the new Temple was a favourite text of the Church Fathers to show the OT origin of the sacrament of baptism. Jesus Christ is the new Temple, and out from which poured this living water that proves to be the only source of life within the desert of the world. (Tuesday)

The servant that is coming, Jesus Christ, is the definite covenant with the people, the embodiment of obligation on both sides, God and man. Jesus achieves all Isaiah predicts; He brings light, He feeds, and gives comfort. The coming of Christ informs us that God does not forget His covenant to Israel, nor to Abraham, and nor to the Church (Wednesday)

The classic prophecy of Isaiah points to a virgin who will give birth to a son. King Ahaz's historic refusal to ask for a sign, 'allows' God to take the initiative in giving a sign, a divine initiative that will result in the Annunciation, the meeting between the Angel and the Virgin Mary. The name given to the child, Emmanuel, God is with us, explains the redemptive value, the inner why of the Incarnation. (Thursday Solemnity of the Annunciation)

Jesus Christ is the just man who will have his endurance put to the ultimate test. These malicious individuals will paradoxically bring to fruition God's plan to conquer death through the death of His Son. The 'just man', the symbol of the religious believer, however unassuming he may be will always arouse opposition since by his very choices he puts into question the lifestyles of so many. (Friday)

The First Readings, Fifth Week of Lent, Year C, Cycle II

One of the uncomfortable facts taken from the story of Susanna's false condemnation is the community's early acquiescence in accepting the malicious charges of the elders. Only the young prophet Daniel had the inspired courage to stop these flawed proceedings. It is a courage we all need to stop the seemingly unstoppable process of injustice. (Monday)

This is the last of the murmuring stories of the Exodus years. The Israelites have idealised their past life, and doubt the providence of God and leadership of Moses. Their punishment, being bitten by poisonous snakes will also be their salvation. Just as God becomes man in Jesus, to take on our sins, so He will be, when raised on the Cross, the source of our salvation. (Tuesday)

The strength of faith, despite all the obvious trappings of earthly power, is quite remarkable. The three Jewish men stand firm in front of Nebuchadnezzar's earthly power, and refuse to accept the obvious. God does indeed protect the three men accompanying them in the fire and brings them out of the ordeal alive. (Wednesday)

The 'covenant' between God and man is established first with Abram, who is renamed 'Abraham'. By being a descendant of Abraham, whether by bloodline or later 'faith' is to participate in this divine relationship which entails commitments on both sides, and whose first quality is fidelity in all things. (Thursday)

Jeremiah's former friends cannot wait for him to fall, and disgrace himself. Yet despite this universal condemnation, the prophet trusts in God, who is the greatest of judges. It is his judgment that is crucial, and He will rescue his followers in their hour of need. The fickleness of worldly opinion can never be, for the Christian, the standard for action. (Friday)