Fr Peter's newsletter notes - May 2005

7th Week of Easter - Sunday 8th May 2005

Nearly every traveller to the Lebanon probably takes with him or her a copy of Robert Fisk's 'Pity the Nation', a journalistic account of the twenty-five years of civil war that has plagued that country. It tells of the appalling brutality and cynicism of both sides in the conflict; the changing and incongruous alliances between different factions; the malign effect of outside forces. The after-shocks of this civil war are still being felt, especially with the assassination of the former prime minister Rafik Hariri, which in turn has spawned a peaceful 'cedar' revolution. The question as to who possibly killed the former prime minister depends on one's understanding of 'the Plot', the sinister force that takes on many guises, and makes nothing seem as it should. 'The Plot' breeds a deep suspicion of motives, it has contributed to a collapse in confidence in any government's integrity, and most damaging of all, it gives licence to commit grave atrocities against the unwitting participants in 'the Plot'. The concept of human rights; to life itself, a family, a home and the possibility of work are quickly trampled upon, and life is turned into a cheap commodity. The tragedy of this history is that has taken place in what one combatant described as, 'the garden of earthly delights' and which has led to destruction of Beirut, the Paris of the Mediterranean, and much else besides.

This land of cedars, mentioned in the Old Testament, and the land that Jesus must have briefly visited on his early journeys, like every country blighted by civil war, deserves so much better. It is so contrary to the vision, expressed by Jesus Christ to the rich young man, of the uniqueness of human life, and the centrality of the commandment not to kill.

The intention to kill will always be opposed to the precious quality of life as demonstrated in God's saving actions. The particular care God has for human life is revealed from the beginning of Genesis when God rests after creating man, knowing that he has created someone in his 'image and likeness'. This reaches a new peak with the Exodus. The chosen people now become 'the object of God's gentle and intense love'. He frees them from slavery and initiates a new chapter in their history. Later the prophets emphasise God's providential care for the poor and the precious quality of their life in His eyes. The life given by God in the Old Testament reaches its fulfilment with the gift of eternal life in the New Testament. God is the sole Lord of this life, both at the beginning and the end. Therefore man cannot do with life as he wills. The truth of life is revealed in God's commandments, which protects this divinely given life throughout the years on earth.

The collapse in recognising the truth of life leads to so many of the widespread horrors of the modern age, and becomes ingrained in the culture of the time. What the recent history of Lebanon shows all too clearly is that the abandonment of a belief in the uniqueness of the individual will, coupled with the belief in 'the Plot' will lead to the most appalling acts of violence. The Church recognises the difficulty in fully participating in the 'culture of life' even when one sees the truth about life as finding its source, middle and end in God. Hence the Church preaches the necessity for grace and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Everyone needs this internal fortitude to make the command not to kill in all its ramifications the foundation stone of human action.

Pentecost - Sunday 15th May 2005

They must exist nearly everywhere, the 'wet blankets' for whom nothing is ever good enough, and for whom every experience confirms a pre-existing prejudice. They have an unnerving facility to turn every potentially shared experience into a trial, whether at home, on holiday or at work. The opposite is also somewhat trying, when the eternal optimist who can always find something good even in the most adverse circumstances. There is probably something of these attitudes in each of us but when they become entrenched they can unfortunately lead to an all too easy rejection of the place of faith in human life. The first group would understand themselves to be beyond redemption, and would wallow in their own victimhood. No grace could ever touch them. Likewise the second group would have no need for grace either, since behind the eternal optimism is an unfailing belief in their own abilities to overcome every situation, and naïve hope in the future.

The Feast of Pentecost is a marvellous tonic to both the pessimist and optimist inside us. The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples in the Upper Room is the final act in the drama of Easter, and the reason for the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. Each of these particular events in the Paschal mystery have a different emphasis; the death of Jesus and the conquest over sin; the Resurrection and the beginning of new life; the ascension and the return of Jesus in his humanity back to the Father. All together they point towards the gift of the Holy Spirit and the sharing, by the believer, in the life of God. This is not to ignore the conquest over sin achieved by Jesus' death on the Cross and simply focus on the divinisation of the believer. The fire of the Holy Spirit has both a negative inference, the burning away of sin, and a positive, the warming of this newly given life.

The gift of the Holy Spirit does not suppress either our humanity or our individuality. St Paul speaks of a common Spirit given to all but which reveals itself as a unique gift for each person. The donation of the Holy Spirit does not foster a rampant individualism, nor does it mean that the path to God can avoid the necessity of the Church and doctrine. The Holy Spirit brings us home, and that home is the Church. The multiplicity of languages spoken on that first Pentecost emphasises the universality of the message, but also the sense of belonging that is firmly established through repentance and Baptism. The Church becomes the place to worship God because the Church is the place to share God's life. We do not spend every minute of our lives inside Church, but she is the true anchor to our lives and establishes a common link between us, a link that is always stronger than the forces of dissipation and disintegration that mark our world.

Trinity Sunday - Sunday 22nd May 2005

The classic description of the life of the Trinity by St Thomas Aquinas is not the dry and dusty treatise of modern prejudice. The inner life of God certainly involves intellect and will, but also includes that of bliss. God enjoys a life of bliss. Even recognising this we can feel that this form of love is so different to our common experience that we assume that these two orders of love, divine and human could never meet. The intense feelings of love and bliss for us are all too transitory, and duty or selfish pleasure in all its myriad forms soon re-emerges into the forefront of our minds. However the Christian claim is that these two orders do intersect, and that the divine does penetrate the human. This does not mean that one can say that all human love is divine love, but that within the moments of love and intense happiness that characterise the life of the Christian, and so by extension of all humanity, there is sometimes something of the divine, whether it is consciously recognised or not.

The doctrine of the Trinity puts into inadequate human words the reality of the closeness of God and the impact of Jesus Christ that the believer experiences through faith. This doctrine is not simply a codification of human experience but is rather established on the economy of salvation, that reached it's historical highpoint in the mission of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit hovered over the waters at the beginning of creation, and God breathed the Spirit into the first man to give him life. Now through the work of Jesus Christ, the Father and the Son now send the Holy Spirit as the breath of eternal life into the believer. The Christian does not believe that the Trinity was created in history, but has existed eternally. God has never been one who then became three, either at creation, the birth or resurrection of Jesus. The Christian claim is simply that God is triune, and that all other concepts of God are only approximations to the truth.

The bliss and love that marks out the life of God might be described as an intellectual love, a love that embraces what is known, the Father begetting and knows the Son. However it is also a love that inclines outwards towards the other as other, thus preserving the relationship of Father to Son. We can see something of this in human love, which is directed to one known, but also recognised as other and different. Very briefly one may say that God's creation is loved by him though His Son. Hence through faith one may see Jesus Christ as the centre of how the God loves the world. God's love inclines to us, and so is close to us while simultaneously recognising our difference, which is our freedom to either accept or reject his love. God's love is constant, it is just our fickleness and our sin scared imaginations that make us fail to experience His constant presence.

The Priestly prayer of Jesus c17 (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)

This prayer of Jesus, addressed to the Father, come at the conclusion of His long, virtual, monologue to His disciples who are still sitting at table. It is a prayer of union, and reveals the inner meaning of the Ascension. These words are a privileged access to Jesus' understanding of His relationship with the Father. This is a relationship that will also embrace the apostles at table, and those to whom they preach the Gospel. Jesus is speaking both in time and as exalted Lord, already benefiting from his ascended status.

The prayer reflects on the 'hour' which began with the Washing of the Feet of the disciples. This act of service towards His own demonstrated the depths of Christ's love, a love that will become visible to all at the Crucifixion. The Cross is the climax of the hour, and simultaneously leads to both the glorification of the Father and of the Son. Jesus has now definitely made the Father's name known, and in turn been vindicated by the Father through His resurrection from the dead. The mission is completed and the believer may now participate in the gift of eternal life, a sharing in the life of the Trinity.

The call, by Jesus, to those still sitting at table and their response to Him, are also the work of the Father, who has given them to the Son. Jesus recognises their present fragility, and prays for them that they will continue to remain within the union of the Father and the Son.

The Father is the ultimate origin of unity, but such a unity is only possible through the Son who has made God's name known. The unity for which Jesus prays is established on the truth about God. It is this unity that will reveal to the world the truth of the Church, and so it is those visibly within the Catholic Church who express the unity desired by Christ.

The Journey towards Jerusalem Mark 8:27-10:52

This section of the Gospel covers the journey undertaken by Jesus and His disciples from Galilee to Jerusalem, a journey marked by a lack of understanding by the disciples as to the meaning of Jesus' destiny. This travel narrative is split into three parts, each with the same structure of passion prediction, misunderstanding by disciples, Jesus teaching on true discipleship, and further teachings or healings.

The first Passion prediction comes immediately after Peter's profession of faith. Despite his recognition of Jesus as the Christ, Peter misunderstands the need for Jesus to suffer and die, and so Jesus teaches them about the nature of discipleship. This teaching is followed by the Transfiguration, and the parallel incident whereby the disciples, who had remained at the bottom of the hill, fail to cure an epileptic boy. (Monday)

Jesus continues his journey with His second Passion Prediction. Again He describes Himself with the title, 'Son of Man', a complex designation that emphasises both His humanity, and His historic death on the Cross, and His divinity and resurrection from the dead. The disciples reveal their growing distance from Him by failing to ask, out of fear, the meaning of His statement. Instead they descend into a childish question about who is the greatest. Jesus uses this as an opportunity to explain that they should, like children, accept the kingdom in complete trust. (Tuesday)

The issue of trust forms the background to Jesus' condemnation of the disciple who becomes an obstacle to faith. The apostle, and indeed every Catholic, becomes a channel of trust, as the carrier of the Good News, and should act accordingly. This is a privilege and never a right, so it is always necessary to accept that others might equally be channels of God's grace. (Wednesday and Thursday)

The morality fitting to the journey of faith will be a return to the original plan of God, and hence Jesus reiterates the teaching of marriage that has not been sullied by the hardness of heart exhibited by the descendents of Adam. Jesus' death and resurrection will usher in the age of the Holy Spirit, and thus allow the believer to return to the original plan of God. (Friday)

The Journey towards Jerusalem Mark 8:27-10:52 (Part 2)

The question of discipleship continues to dominate the Gospel. Jesus has again re-iterated the need to welcome the kingdom of God like a little child. Now a rich young man comes to Jesus. He vocalises the question of so many, 'What must I do to inherit eternal life?' Underlying his question is an understanding of human life as a vocation, and of the close connection between morality and destiny.

The young man is attracted to Jesus as one who speaks with authority, and who in His own life reveals the 'vocational' understanding of doing good. Their subsequent conversation demonstrates that the Ten Commandments are the parameters for the moral life but following them cannot be the full answer. The commandments are the human response to the covenant established by God between Himself and His chosen people on Mount Sinai. This response will never be adequate on our part, a fact highlighted by Jesus in the following episode when he said it is impossible for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. The young man has followed all the commandments that protect the good of the person, his life, his family, his property, his name. This action in itself is commendable but is not sufficient as it does not quench the desire for perfection.

This desire can only be met in the following of Jesus, and of making His own self-portrait, as described in the Beatitudes, our own. The desire for perfection is met only through a moral identity with Jesus, 'the man who did not come to be served but to serve, and hand his life over for the ransom of the many'. The young man bottles out at the last step, and we can sympathise with Peter who having witnessed this failure of nerve, now listens to the impossibility of entering into eternal life, though he and his fellow disciples have left everything to follow Jesus. Peter is not left alone wondering why he did leave everything in the first place. Jesus promises him, and us, that those who embark on this road of perfection will be rewarded, even if it might not look that way now.