Give way

Give way to one another in obedience to Christ.

Ephesians 5:21

  

"Let us not forget that a faith that is not inculturated is not authentic." 

[Pope Francis to the Latin American Confederation of Religious, 13 August 2021]

The vast majority of migrants and humanitarian entrants to Australia bring a rich story: some seek a new life, more sun, to marry or join a spouse, reunite with family, provide expertise for a growing economy or to escape persecution - because of politics, religion, gender, sexuality or colour. Making sense of who they are in their new home is often wrought with pain - the loss of community identity, struggle with systems, language, food, customs and practices. Some prefer to gather regularly in communities of others 'from home', and yet others seek to integrate fully into their adopted country.

Many of these migrants and entrants are brothers and sisters in faith. Across Australia Masses in Tongan, Samoan, Polish, Italian, Arabic, Latin and many other tongues are celebrated. It is a common table we share. But there are often surprising and delightful adjustments to their celebrations - song, dance, music, drumming. They often recreate their liturgies from 'home' and where possible, bishops draw clergy from their homelands to support the nascent new communities.

Many newcomers come from relatively 'newly' Christianised countries - for example, the Pacific Islands, Papua New Guinea - even New Zealand. In these countries - and in the face of an overwhelming Eurocentric patrimony - there is continuing self-examination by their indigenous populations - about their relationship to land and sea, their relationship to smaller units of the population - nations, tribes, sub-tribes, extended and nuclear familial groups, about what aspects of traditional leadership should be maintained, the conflict of cultural values about gender, in fact what it means to be human.

In the last 45 years I have striven to make my home in and amongst my Australian friends and family. I have made little or no effort to be involved in an ethnic community, having given myself over to my chosen country of citizenship, adopting what was for many years in Australia and New Zealand called assimilation that later morphed into integration. Biculturalism in New Zealand ensued, then following - to some degree - the multicuturalism of Australia. Nevertheless, in the vastness of Australia, our liturgy and other religious practices appear fully imported, in fact totally disregarding Francis' call for inculturation. No doubt this is because the first peoples of this country account for less than 3 per cent of the population. If anything it is they who have given up/deprived of much of their culture, language and practice to survive in the country of their forebears.

In addressing the Latin American Confederation of Religious (2021) Francis invited them to "enter into what will provide us that reality, that will provide us the true sense of a culture that exists in the soul of the people. Enter into the life of the people of faith; enter with respect for their customs, their traditions, seeking to carry out the mission of inculturating the faith and of evangelizing the culture. It is a pairing, to inculturate the faith and to evangelize the culture."

In honouring the 30th anniversary of St John Paul II's visit to Alice Springs in 1986, Pope Francis wrote:

"Uniting my voice to that of Saint John Paul II, I encourage you in his words: 'Your culture, which shows the lasting genius and dignity of your race, must not be allowed to disappear. Do not think that your gifts are worth so little that you should no longer bother to maintain them. Share them with each other and teach them to your children. Your songs, your stories, your paintings, your dances, your languages, must never be lost.' For when you share the noble traditions of your community, you also witness to the power of the Gospel to perfect and purify every society, and in this way God's holy will is accomplished. I pray that this occasion will provide an opportunity to deepen your love for Christ and for one another, offering a convincing and tangible sign that we are "no longer strangers and sojourners, but... fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" (Ephesians 2:19).

We have some way to go to not only enable our Aboriginal brothers and sisters to maintain their genius and dignity, but to enable them to continue to witness and worship with their "songs, your stories, your paintings, your dances, your languages".

Paul calls us all to 'Give way to one another in obedience to Christ (Ephesians 5:21). It is not about power, about numbers, but about truly giving way to one another, obedient to the invitations, exhortations and commands of Christ. It is always about love. Always in the here and now, always truly authentic.

 

Peter Douglas

 

New Zealand Anglican bishops Riscylla Shaw;  Eleanor Sanderson; first Maori Woman Bishop of Upoko o Te Ika, Waitohiariki Quayle; and Denise Ferguson. See article at: Click here.

 

UK university refuses to recognize Catholic priest as chaplain over social media posts

 

By CNA staff

Nottingham, England, Aug 27, 2021

A university in England has refused to recognize a Catholic priest as a chaplain over comments that he posted on social media.

The University of Nottingham, in central England, confirmed on Aug. 25 that it had declined to give official recognition to Fr. David Palmer, a priest of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.

“Our concern was not in relation to Fr. David’s views themselves, but the manner in which these views have been expressed in the context of our diverse community of people of many faiths,” a spokesperson for the university told CNA.

Palmer, who serves in the Diocese of Nottingham, was named as chaplain to the Catholic community at the University of Nottingham by local Bishop Patrick McKinney. The bishop also asked him to serve as Catholic chaplain to Nottingham Trent University.

While Nottingham Trent University accepted the appointment, the University of Nottingham invited Palmer for an interview on June 17.

Following the interview, the university wrote to McKinney expressing concerns about the appointment.

At a further meeting on July 1, the university specified that the concerns related to Palmer’s posts on social media, highlighting one on assisted suicide and another on abortion.

“They referenced a tweet where I had referred to the proposed ‘assisted dying’ bill [introduced in Britain’s Parliament in May] as a bill to allow the NHS ‘to kill the vulnerable,’” Palmer told CNA via email on Aug. 26.

“I was told it was fine for me to have this opinion, but they were concerned with how I expressed it. When I asked how they would suggest I express it, quite remarkably, they suggested I should call it ‘end of life care,’ which is a completely unacceptable policing of religious belief The priest wrote on Twitter on Aug. 24 that the university also objected to a second post in which he described abortion as the “slaughter of babies,” in the context of the debate over U.S. President Joe Biden’s reception of Holy Communion despite backing legal abortion. Palmer said that he defended both posts as reflecting Catholic belief.

 

The University of Nottingham was founded in 1881 and granted a royal charter in 1948. Its School of Medicine is the largest school in the university.

 

In November 2020, the university reached a settlement with a pro-life undergraduate student in a midwife program. Julia Rynkiewicz, a 25-year-old Catholic, received an apology and payout after she was blocked from entering her program's hospital placement phase after the university learned of her leadership of a pro-life student group. The university overturned its decision, but Rynkiewicz sought an apology.

 

Fr. Palmer told CNA that after the meeting where his social media posts were discussed, the university authorities contacted the bishop to say that they still had concerns, asking him to provide an alternative priest.

The priest said that the bishop declined to nominate another priest and that following further discussions, the university agreed that Palmer could offer Mass on campus on Sundays as a “guest priest.”

The university’s spokesperson said: “The university values highly Catholic chaplaincy as part of our multi-faith approach where dedicated chaplains provide invaluable support to staff and students of each faith. We have no issue with the expression of faith in robust terms, indeed we would expect any chaplain to hold their faith as primary.”

The spokesperson added that the university was grateful to Bishop McKinney “for his solution that the current chaplain remains the recognized chaplain on campus and that Fr. David will celebrate Sunday Mass each week on campus.”

“The University of Nottingham remains committed to supporting staff and students of Catholic faith and continuing our 90-year tradition of providing Catholic chaplaincy for them,” the spokesperson said.

Palmer wrote on Twitter that the university does not pay for chaplains. He also said that following the authorities’ decision, most pastoral work with Catholic students would take place at the Newman House and St. Paul’s in Lenton, a parish led by Palmer that includes the university within its boundaries.

 

As a young man, Palmer was drawn to the Hare Krishna movement. But at the age of 21, he had a conversion experience and became a Christian.

In 2018, he wrote: “I steadily went ‘up the candle,’ becoming an Anglican Evangelical (ordained in 1999), an Anglo-Catholic and then, finally, a Catholic.”

 

He was ordained as a Catholic priest for the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham in 2011. The ordinariate was established by Benedict XVI to allow groups of Anglicans to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church while retaining elements of their patrimony.

Palmer told CNA that he rejected the university’s explanation for its decision to deny him recognition.

“The university says they have ‘no issue with the expression of faith in robust terms,’ but this is precisely what they had an issue with,” he said.

He added: “The university claims to support ‘diversity and inclusion,’ but it appears that diversity only goes so far, certainly not as far as the Catholic chaplain being able to express ‘robustly’ mainstream Catholic beliefs.”

Palmer also took issue with the university’s statement that “the current chaplain remains the recognized chaplain on campus.” He said that the previous priest chaplain had left, leaving a lay assistant to the priest chaplain.

He said: “The suggestion that they are grateful for the bishop’s ‘solution’ almost seems to imply that the bishop somehow agrees with the university ‘policing’ the expression of Catholic teaching on pro-life issues.”

“His ‘solution’ was an attempt to ensure that the university didn’t end up barring sacramental ministry to the students entirely. It wasn’t tacit approval of their behaviour.”

A spokesperson for the Diocese of Nottingham said on Aug. 26: “Fr. David Palmer will celebrate Sunday Mass for the students of Nottingham University and will continue to serve young people through his priestly ministry, with the support of the student lay chaplain.”

 

 

Assumed

 

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Stephen Whatley, 2008

The unquantifiable devotion of centuries of the faithful ensured that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was lavished with a raft of titles: Theotokos, Star of the Sea, Queen of Heaven, Our Lady of Lourdes, of Fatima, Help of Christians, of Mount Carmel, of Sorrows, of Providence, of Guadalupe, of Lebanon, of Peace and there are many, many more. Each title has a deep and rich history. What they have in common is acknowledging Mary’s role in the story of human salvation.

Mary was, as we know well, a very young woman when she was engaged to Joseph. Her ‘Amen’ to the angelic visitation is the paradigmatic, Christian response. We actually know very little information about Mary and her motherhood from the scriptures and much has been made of the small amount that does appear. Inquisitiveness about Mary did not exist in the very early church, and this is reflected in the Gospels and Paul’s letters. In the generations that followed, however, the faithful’s appreciation of her generosity and her proximity to the divine, gave rise to speculation. There is an ancient adage, de Maria nunquam satis (Latin: one can never say enough about Mary)

Speculation and reflection (in some cases) over many hundreds of years led to development of several key teachings about Mary, and ultimately enshrined as dogma by the church: Mary as Theotokos (Christ-bearer, or more commonly the Mother of God) in Ephesus in 431 AD and the Immaculate Conception in 1854. Following the horrific wars of 1914 -1918 and 1939 - 1945 during which millions lost their lives and the rise of Communism, 'The Holy Spirit needed to remind the world that human beings are body-souls made for transfiguration, not disfiguration by starvation, torture, massacre and disposal like animal carcasses (Fr Michael Tate)' Pius XII authoritatively defined of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1950.

The Assumption is a feast that was celebrated from the 7^th century in Rome and while it attempts to describe what occurred after Mary died, it is a reflection on her whole life, her call, her parenthood, her faithfulness, her discipleship, her provoking of Jesus’ ministry, her companionship. She stands a model for the church, the model believer. We struggle with language to express Mary’s role, and given Mary’s extraordinary role in salvation history, we need to be able to link the human Mary and what was asked of her in life with the God who asked so much of her. Our experience and reflection tell us that on death, this wonderful and most unique creature in creation was invited in her entire humanity, body and soul into eternal communion with her creator. Would we expect anything less?

Today the Assumption gives us a foretaste of what we too can expect. Mary is indeed the model, the exemplar of discipleship and each of us could do no better than to follow her example. Today is the Feast of the Assumption.

Peter Douglas

The Assumption of Mary: 12 Things to Know and Share

 

by Jimmy Akin

Aug. 15 is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Here are 12 things to know and share...

Aug. 15 is the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary.

In the United States, it is a holy day of obligation (in years when it does not fall on a Saturday or Monday).

What is the Assumption of Mary, how did it come to be defined, and what relevance does it have for our lives?

Here are 12 things to know and share...

1) What is the Assumption of Mary?

The Assumption of Mary is the teaching that:

The Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory [Pius XII, Munificentissimus Deus 44].

2) What level of authority does this teaching have?

This teaching was infallibly defined by Pope Pius XII on Nov. 1, 1950 in the bull Munificentissimus Deus (Latin, “Most Bountiful God”).

As Pius XII explained, this is “a divinely revealed dogma” (ibid.).

This means that it is a dogma in the proper sense. It is thus a matter of faith that has been divinely revealed by God and that has been infallibly proposed by the Magisterium of the Church as such.

3) Does that mean it is an “ex cathedra” statement and that we have to believe it?

Yes. Since it is a dogma defined by the pope (rather than by an ecumenical council, for example), it is also an “ex cathedra” statement (one delivered “from the chair” of Peter).

Because it is infallibly defined, it calls for the definitive assent of the faithful.Pope John Paul II explained:

The definition of the dogma, in conformity with the universal faith of the People of God, definitively excludes every doubt and calls for the express assent of all Christians [General Audience, July 2, 1997].

Note that all infallibly defined teachings are things we are obliged to believe, even if they aren’t defined “ex cathedra” (by the pope acting on his own).

The bishops of the world teaching in union with the pope (either in an ecumenical council or otherwise) can also infallibly define matters, but these aren’t called “ex cathedra” since that term refers specifically to the exercise of the pope’s authority as the successor of St. Peter. (It’s Peter’s cathedra or “chair” that symbolizes the pope’s authority.)

4) Does the dogma require us to believe that Mary died?

It is the common teaching that Mary did die. In his work, Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, Ludwig Ott lists this teaching as sententia communior (Latin, “the more common opinion”).

Although it is the common understanding of that Mary did die, and although her death is referred to in some of the sources Pius XII cited in Munificentissimus Deus, he deliberately refrained from defining this as a truth of the faith.

John Paul II noted:

On 1 November 1950, in defining the dogma of the Assumption, Pius XII avoided using the term "resurrection" and did not take a position on the question of the Blessed Virgin’s death as a truth of faith.

The Bull Munificentissimus Deus limits itself to affirming the elevation of Mary’s body to heavenly glory, declaring this truth a "divinely revealed dogma." 

5) Why should Mary die if she was free from Original Sin and its stain?

Being free of Original Sin and its stain is not the same thing as being in a glorified, deathless condition.

Jesus was also free of Original Sin and its stain, but he could—and did—die.

Expressing a common view among theologians, Ludwig Ott writes:

For Mary, death, in consequence of her freedom from original sin and from personal sin, was not a consequence of punishment of sin.

However, it seems fitting that Mary’s body, which was by nature mortal, should be, in conformity with that of her Divine Son, subject to the general law of death.

6) What are the earliest surviving references to Mary’s Assumption?

John Paul II noted:

The first trace of belief in the Virgin's Assumption can be found in the apocryphal accounts entitled Transitus Mariae [Latin, “The Crossing Over of Mary”], whose origin dates to the second and third centuries.

These are popular and sometimes romanticized depictions, which in this case, however, pick up an intuition of faith on the part of God's People.

7) How did the recognition of Mary’s Assumption develop in the East?

John Paul II noted

There was a long period of growing reflection on Mary’s destiny in the next world.

This gradually led the faithful to believe in the glorious raising of the Mother of Jesus, in body and soul, and to the institution in the East of the liturgical feasts of the Dormition [“falling asleep”—i.e., death] and Assumption of Mary.

8) How did Pius XII prepare for the definition of the Assumption?

John Paul II noted:

In May 1946, with the Encyclical Deiparae Virginis Mariae, Pius XII called for a broad consultation, inquiring among the Bishops and, through them, among the clergy and the People of God as to the possibility and opportuneness of defining the bodily assumption of Mary as a dogma of faith.

The result was extremely positive: only six answers out of 1,181 showed any reservations about the revealed character of this truth. 

9) What Scriptural basis is there for the teaching?

John Paul II noted:

Although the New Testament does not explicitly affirm Mary’s Assumption, it offers a basis for it because it strongly emphasized the Blessed Virgin's perfect union with Jesus’ destiny.

This union, which is manifested, from the time of the Savior’s miraculous conception, in the Mother’s participation in her Son’s mission and especially in her association with his redemptive sacrifice, cannot fail to require a continuation after death.

Perfectly united with the life and saving work of Jesus, Mary shares his heavenly destiny in body and soul.

There are, thus, passages in Scripture that resonate with the Assumption, even though they do not spell it out.

10) What are some specific Old Testament passages?

Pope Pius XII pointed to several passages that have been legitimately used in a “rather free” manner to explain belief in the Assumption (meaning: these passages resonate with it in various ways, but they don’t provide explicit proof):

Often there are theologians and preachers who, following in the footsteps of the holy Fathers, have been rather free in their use of events and expressions taken from Sacred Scripture to explain their belief in the Assumption.

Thus, to mention only a few of the texts rather frequently cited in this fashion, some have employed the words of the psalmist:

"Arise, O Lord, into your resting place: you and the ark, which you have sanctified" (Ps. 131:8);

and have looked upon the Ark of the Covenant, built of incorruptible wood and placed in the Lord's temple, as a type of the most pure body of the Virgin Mary, preserved and exempt from all the corruption of the tomb and raised up to such glory in heaven.

Treating of this subject, they also describe her as the Queen entering triumphantly into the royal halls of heaven and sitting at the right hand of the divine Redeemer(Ps. 44:10-14ff).

Likewise they mention the Spouse of the Canticles "that goes up by the desert, as a pillar of smoke of aromatical spices, of myrrh and frankincense" to be crowned (Song 3:6; cf. also 4:8, 6:9).

These are proposed as depicting that heavenly Queen and heavenly Spouse who has been lifted up to the courts of heaven with the divine Bridegroom [Munificentissimus Deus 26].

11) What are some specific New Testament passages?

Pius XII continued:

Moreover, the scholastic Doctors have recognized the Assumption of the Virgin Mother of God as something signified, not only in various figures of the Old Testament, but also in that woman clothed with the sun whom John the Apostle contemplated on the Island of Patmos (Rev. 12:1ff).

Similarly they have given special attention to these words of the New Testament: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women"(Luke 1:28), since they saw, in the mystery of the Assumption, the fulfillment of that most perfect grace granted to the Blessed Virgin and the special blessing that countered the curse of Eve [Munificentissimus Deus 27].

12) How can we apply this teaching to our everyday lives?

According to Pope Benedict XVI:

By contemplating Mary in heavenly glory, we understand that the earth is not the definitive homeland for us either, and that if we live with our gaze fixed on eternal goods we will one day share in this same glory and the earth will become more beautiful.

Consequently, we must not lose our serenity and peace even amid the thousands of daily difficulties. The luminous sign of Our Lady taken up into Heaven shines out even more brightly when sad shadows of suffering and violence seem to loom on the horizon.

We may be sure of it: from on high, Mary follows our footsteps with gentle concern, dispels the gloom in moments of darkness and distress, reassures us with her motherly hand.

Supported by awareness of this, let us continue confidently on our path of Christian commitment wherever Providence may lead us. Let us forge ahead in our lives under Mary's guidance [General Audience, August 16, 2006].

https://www.ncregister.com/blog/the-assumption-of-mary-12-things-to-know-and-share-27jd571n