Fr Peter's newsletter notes - January 2006

2nd Week of Ordinary Time - Sunday 15th January 2006

The 'loving context' ordained by God is permanent, life-sharing and truly life giving

This weekend, by some mysterious act of providence, I am saying a Vigil Mass in St Patrick's, Soho and smiled when I saw the second reading from St Paul whose opening line is 'the body is not for fornication'. It seems an appropriate place to speak on such issues because of the area's notoriety - both a place of seedy clubs and as a centre for the 'gay community'. This should of course, according to the ideologues of free and commitment-less sex, be a place of smiling faces and happy demeanours, but sadly for them it is no such thing. The general grunge of the area, and grim expressions of those in search for this nirvana of free love, says much about disordered passions and the loneliness of such pursuits and life-styles. I do not think it is just a matter of sitting in judgement on this sea of moral turpitude but of giving an alternative vision based on the simple fact of collective human experience that sexual love needs a loving context. The Church has a specific understanding of the nature of this 'loving context', and that is the state of marriage, a conviction not plucked out of thin air by an outdated priestly caste, but based on both the natural law of creation and 3,000 years of Judaic-Christian revelation.

The sense and meaning of 'loving context' will have many different nuances. It will include some which the Church will find deeply problematic, especially as presented in secular education manuals that ooze political correctness and social inclusiveness - homosexual unions and arranged marriages can sit side by side in the same text-book. Despite the differences of opinion, common ground can be discovered to demonstrate that the Church presents a vision of humanity that already exists, albeit in a fractured and incomplete sense in some people's minds. This is particularly true for those who see a connection between sexual love and commitment but who naively believe that sexual love generates commitment rather than being an expression of permanent commitment.

The practical denial of any context to sexual love by those who promote contraception in schools is the worse expression of 'free love'. I am sure that in twenty years time, the prescribing of contraception to twelve/thirteen year old girls will be seen as form of child abuse, because everyone, whether religious or not, can see that no appropriate 'loving context' can be formed by such young individuals of either sex. These victims could well come back and ask the question, why did no-one offer us an alternative vision to sexual love other than more contraception.

There never was a golden-age after the Fall in which sexual love took place within marriage alone, and it would be naïve to think that such an age could be identified historically. The Church has always understood the weaknesses of humanity, but can never let go of that datum of nature and revelation, 'God made man in his own image, male and female he made them'. This datum lies at the heart of the Church's conception of sexual love because this is the 'loving context' ordained by God. This context is permanent, and thus truly life-sharing and life giving. It is also the ultimate goal of all those inchoate desires and intimations that people have over the connection between sexual love and loving context.

3rd Week of Ordinary Time - Sunday 22nd January 2006

The acceptance of common truth that unites us requires belief in God

The so-called plot to kidnap Leo Blair is turning into a classic Italian 'giallo' (mystery) with an illustrious cast of the famous, the foolish and sinister. The most obvious, but rather dull, solutions to the mystery are that it was either one red-top's attempt to outflank its rivals in sales numbers, or the ramblings of a drunken man in a pub, who is not the first nor will be the last to say something incredibly stupid while in his cups. The gradual decline in newspaper sales is making many owners and editors take greater risks with their content, and failing to ask sufficient questions about the veracity of their sources and of their information. Most sinister explanations include the desire of the police to seek vengeance against an organisation that has made them look foolish. Other more extreme theories claim to see the hidden hand of the government attempting to distract attention during a week of bad news.

What strikes me about such 'mysteries' is how quickly the truth can be lost in the details of claim and counterclaim. It is almost as if certain sections of society live just below the line of mass hysteria, neither open to reason, deliberation, nor sense of proportion. How much police time was spent attempting to seize a fur-coat from one of the more bizarre contestants in Big Brother? Stories like this could be multiplied endlessly. What is being rapidly lost is not just respect but the grasp of common-sense that allows the truth to emerge without resorting to mass hysteria. The emergence of the truth as something to discover and share in both good and bad situations alike is a necessary part of the social cement that keeps us together as a society. On reflection the truth as revealed in 'common-sense' points to something beyond, and so comes with the acknowledgement that the truth is not just my own personal interpretation.

This 'beyond' is ultimately God, the source of all truth, first in the order of creation, where all that exists, and all that actually happens, is connected to the ultimate truth. Secondly, God is the source of truth in the order of salvation, a fact all Christians recognise when they use the proper name 'Jesus', which literally means 'God saves'. This truth is not something abstract but involves an entry into a way of life. Jesus did not just preach the forgiveness of sins, He also gathered around Him a group of disciples who would become the nascent Church, a community of the redeemed. Their association with Him, through their listening to His teaching, and witnessing to His miracles made them see that He was the Messiah, a king but also, under further painful reflection, a man for us. This dimension 'for us' will lead Jesus to the Cross, and later to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

This outpouring of the Spirit of truth is the spiritual cement that brings believers together in a shared vision of human life, the reality of sin and the offer of salvation. At heart there is a basic trust between believers that over-rides the many differences of opinion that do exist. In a post-Christian society, this trust is being lost. It is becoming commonplace for the bizarre and outrageous, and however extreme or unlikely, to seize centre stage. How does one know, or discover, that others share the same vision of life in a world of government power games, newspaper stories and other media distractions? The Church might be dull to many people but it offers a respite from the excesses of secular lunacy and the contemplation of the truth with others who have made the connection between the God who saves and the God who creates.

4th Week of Ordinary Time - Sunday 29th January 2006

A Catholic should be able to demonstrate the nature of Christ, the so-called 'life for others'

On Wednesday night I attended the launch of a restoration appeal at St Patrick's Church, Soho. This was an appeal with a difference, since it was not restricted to bricks and mortar, nor with the vague generalities of providing for charitable works. There was a deep desire to witness to Christ through the renovated architecture, and different apostolic activities that take place there, especially for homeless people and drug-users. Every charitable work involves an inter-personal engagement, and that means giving of oneself, and also of being humble enough to receive from those to whom one is ministering. Both actions, active and passive, are formed by Christ. A Catholic should both be able to demonstrate the nature of Christ, the so-called 'life for others' virtually unconsciously, and in so doing have the humility to recognise the workings of grace in the other.

At first sight this might seem easy, but a moment of reflection will make one realise that so often it is self coming first, and only listens for what it wants to hear. After Mass there were two testimonies from users of the parish's facilities, one relayed from prison, the other given by a man in a surprisingly well-spoken voice. Each focused on the spiritual dimension, neither found it necessary to blame society, or to publicly accuse themselves. Instead both wanted to be prayed for, and both had the Parish and its assistants in their own prayers and thoughts.

It is natural to want to break the cycles of desperation and addiction that most of these people suffered from in our own way, or in ways approved of by official donors. However, human life is never that straightforward. The Psalms are full of warnings about the complexities of the human person and caution as to the extent of understanding; 'Who can penetrate the secret emotions of the heart?

The Second Vatican Council coined the phrase 'Christ reveals man to himself', a theme taken up by Pope John Paul II in his first encyclical, 'Redemptor Hominis', and to which Pope Benedict XVI alludes in his first latest encyclical 'Deus Caritas Est' in the section on the charitable works of the Church. This self-understanding that the encounter with Christ encourages is never complete, and the love of Christ that we experience should urge us on, not simply with yet more activity but with an ever deeper grasp of our need for His love in our lives. Pope Benedict specifically mentions that such personnel who carry out the Church's charitable activity 'must not be inspired by ideologies aimed at improving the world, but should rather be guided by the faith which works through love' (No. 33). The charitable work of the Church is not a numbers game, it is not about 'making poverty history'. All those who are involved with the Church's charitable work need a lively faith based on prayer that does not seek to change God's will but to see what His will is now, and 'to avoid blaming God for allowing poverty, and failing to have compassion on his creatures' (No. 37). These words will be the benchmark to judge whether so-called Catholic charitable organisations are worthy of the name or whether, despite the best intentions, they allow secularist agenda to dominate their thinking. Last Wednesday evening at St Patrick's showed how all this is possible on the human and individual scale, and it was good to behold.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church: The Fall - CCC 385-421

The Church has always offered its own unique insight into the origin of moral evil, which accepts the reality of sin as being more than just psychological weakness or mistaken choices. The Old Testament revealed the pathos of the human condition in the story of the Fall. However, this event can only be fully understood through the light of Jesus Christ. One needs to 'know Christ as the source of grace in order to know Adam as the source of sin'.

The fall of Adam and Eve is made possible through the fall of the rebel angels. Their choice is irrevocable, and so Satan tries to subvert Jesus from His. However, Satan is not infinite like that of God, and so cannot prevent the kingdom of God being built. His actions do cause spiritual and even indirect physical injury even today. The reason why they are permitted remains a mystery, but every believer learns to recognise that 'in everything God works for the good with those who love Him'.

Before the Fall, man lived in peace with God in a state of so-called 'original justice'. However, the devil sowed doubts in Adam's and Eve's minds and, by perverting their sense of God, turned Him into someone jealous of His prerogatives. The consequent expulsion from Eden and the loss of this original justice brought death, personal disruption over the soul's control of the body, and violence into the world.

The Church teaches that the human race is 'one body of one man', and so there is a parallel between Jesus Christ and Adam. All people can be saved through Christ, because all men have sinned through Adam. The connection between Adam and ourselves in this one body of humanity is stronger than mere imitation. Adam and Eve are our first parents, and so original sin needs to be explained as it is called sin only by analogy and does not refer to individual wrong actions.

The teaching of the Church resonates with human experience in that nothing evil can come from God. Our hearts are often drawn to what is evil, so there must be some other 'presence' in our hearts. Human nature has been severely wounded but is not totally corrupt and, through Baptism, the stain of original sin is removed. Human nature remains weakened so life for the believer still remains a spiritual battle. The Good News - 'Where sin increased, grace abounded all the more' (Rom 5:20)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church: Jesus Christ, the only Son of God

The Catechism begins this section on Jesus Christ by emphasising the gratuity of God's action in sending His Son. When the Father sent His Son, the historical figure Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary, He both fulfilled and exceeded the promises made to the Jewish people. The coming of Jesus Christ can therefore be described as the Good News, and all the teaching of the Church revolves around the identity of Jesus Christ, and the aim of which is to place the believer in communion with Jesus.

The Gospels use many titles for Jesus, but the Catechism identifies four key ones which are also used in the daily prayer of Christians, namely Jesus, Christ, Son of God and Lord. The titles are important because they form a connection between prayer and theology. The way we pray says something about how we believe. Theology, like every academic discipline, is the coherent explanation of a definite subject matter, and in the case of Church teaching uses the titles given to Jesus in the Scriptures to form the building blocks for explaining the faith.

The title Jesus literally means 'God saves', and emphasises that it is God alone who forgives sins, and that the name of God is present in Jesus. He will ultimately make the name of God known through His death and resurrection. The title 'Christ', literally means 'the anointed one' or Messiah in Hebrew, and was given to Jesus because he would complete the divine mission entrusted to Him. He was recognised as the Messiah during His lifetime, but often with an overtly political meaning. Peter recognised His true identity in a moment of divine inspiration by connecting this title with that of the 'Son of the living God'. However, Jesus had still to correct any further misunderstanding by connecting His kingship with the need to suffer on the Cross. He was also the suffering servant as well as being King.

The title, Lord, had been reserved for God alone in the Old Testament. The apostles use the title, but its full meaning was not revealed till after the Resurrection with Thomas' profession of faith after his doubts, 'My Lord and my God'.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church: Jesus Christ, the only Son of God

The Catechism asks the rhetorical question, why did the Son of God become man, and gives four outline answers. The key response, 'for us men and for our salvation' is taken from the Creed, and is linked with further reasons: to know God's love, to imitate His model of holiness, and to partake in His divine nature. The history of the Church's teaching on the person of Jesus Christ did not take place as an academic exercise but one related to His mission to save humanity.

The first heresies of the Church doubted the real humanity of Jesus Christ, and later heresies doubted the true divinity of Christ. Originally the Church did not possess the language to describe adequately the truths of faith found in the Scriptures that Jesus Christ was true God and true man. It was not till the Council of Chalcedon in 451 that the Church discovered the right language, and defined Jesus Christ as one divine person, the second person of the Trinity, with two natures. The divine person, the Word, did not assume abstract human nature but the nature of a particular person, Jesus, son of Mary, and the Word obliterates this individual human nature. Jesus Christ did have a human consciousness, and did use His intellect and will. Thus he could grow in knowledge and understanding. However, He knew all that was necessary to reveal the will and purposes of God, because of His own self-understanding of Himself as Son of the Father. The Church can conclude therefore that the things Jesus did not know in his humanity were not necessary for our salvation, such as the exact date of the end of the world. There is no secret knowledge that He did not share. Everything is found in the Gospels.

The definition of Jesus Christ as one person with two natures, helped explain that Jesus' human will was in complete accord with His divine will without losing any of its human qualities. The struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane was a real one, but one that makes evident Jesus' free conformity with the divine will. As the Word assumed particular flesh, it is legitimate to depict Jesus; the Word has become visible in Jesus Christ because He made the human body His own.