Like a child

Hazel Douglas

Jesus exclaimed, ‘I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes, Father, for that is what it pleased you to do.

Matthew 11:25 - 26

Our fourth grandchild and second granddaughter, Hazel, was born in January. She is an extraordinary gift, full of life, larger than life, beautiful and utterly dependent upon those who love her, who sustain her and protect her. Matthew (also 18:1 and 19:14). grabs our imaginations to take these emotive sensations as a powerful analogy to explain the relationship God has with us - and - the relationship he invites us into with himself.

It goes without saying, that God is Abba, Father or Dad (or alternatively Immah which is Aramaic for Mother or Mum). God brings into life, provides for and nurtures, teaches and instructs, defends - but also corrects, admonishes, praises, celebrates with and loves. As sons and daughters of God we are not required to be childish in response, but childlike: that is, we remain dependent on the God who loves us, acknowledging the gift of life and the world we have been surrounded with. We remain curious - inquisitive, constantly seeking to explore, understand and engage with the world, ideas, music, art, beauty, marvels. We remain innocent and loved unconditionally, because there is no need to doubt God or his love for us, we are in the moment! We remain joyful - grateful for every surprise, sunrise, gift, tender moment, spectacular revelation. And, we remain full of anticipation - holding on that excitability, the frisson of expectation.

This is isn't childish obedience, lack of responsibility or accountability, this is a relationship of trust.

Nevertheless, we are terribly well educated, and some are very learned, and we do spend an awful lot of time focused on the detail, the numbers, the meaning of words and texts - and it is incredibly easy to get lost. And sometimes the demands of our workaday lives is sufficient to remove any semblance of the awe and wonder that enables us to encounter our God. So, it is no surprise that when it does get too hard, that Jesus issues this powerful and extravagant invitation: Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest. Yes, we need to let go the stuff that holds us back, that prevents us from the open and honest relationship we require to thrive - as God's children.

Just be aware that we use this language as an analogy... we use language to access understanding, but that in itself is not the truth.

Peter Douglas

Click to enlarge

RESPONDING TO DISASTER

by Peter Michael Scott

Fr Peter Michael Scott

We can never be totally prepared to respond to a major incident like the fire at Grenfell Tower, West London. The scale of this emergency was not limited to the bereaved and the casualties; it extended to the much larger community who provided support but who also wanted to know how such an immense tragedy could have taken place.

Immediately after the fire in the early hours of 14 June, the local churches, mosques and Christian centres opened their doors to provide shelter, food and clothing. Fire, police, ambulance, hospitals or social services all have disaster recovery plans in place; but their resources could not respond to the number of casualties and displaced people involved in an emergency like this. To support them, local councils have major incident plans that include calling on faith communities and public buildings for assistance, although on the day of the fire, an Anglican vicar living in Grenfell Tower phoned his dean to tell him what was happening and that started the response of the local churches.

Fire at Grenfell Tower (Click to enlarge)

Here I want to discuss the contribution local parishes can make, in terms of practical help for those affected, emotional help for the traumatised, and appropriate spiritual help.

At a parish level, it is usually the Anglican area dean who has the details and guidelines of the local authority’s emergency guidelines; but leaders of all churches, temples and mosques should also be familiar with those guidelines and the advice they offer – and, of course, the guidelines must be kept up to date. The lessons that have been learned after a disaster should be incorporated into the guidelines; contact details must be kept current and correct since they are central to the dissemination of information. The faith leaders should themselves have lists of volunteers they can call upon to help. For example, people will be needed to get a space ready to receive and welcome survivors. Revising whatever emergency guidelines parishes have might include an evaluation of their facilities; they will need to estimate how many casualties or families they could temporarily accommodate in their hall or church.

After the Grenfell Tower fire, families were divided between three centres, with halls that had easy access, but which were also supervised to ensure the media did not infringe on the privacy of those in shock. Due to the enormity of public donations, other church halls and mosques were used to receive clothes, food, bedding and toiletries that were then sorted by volunteers and taken to the buildings earmarked as survivor reception centres.

While reviewing the local emergency plans, ensure to connect with the local health-care chaplains and include them in any arrangements to be made in the event of a major incident – asking for their assistance and offering assistance to them. This may require you to become an honorary chaplain with a contract and a badge, but in the event of an emergency you could be called upon to help the “on call” chaplain or to provide the hospital with sacramental and religious cover when the incident is over and they are off duty.

Some American parishes, who are on “storm watch” from June to November, have “hurricane cupboards” containing non-perishable supplies, which can be renewed annually.

Crucial to any major incident are crisis support teams of qualified volunteers, who are trained and insured by the local council to go into the various centres and, with the local clergy, begin to prepare the hall or centre to receive casualties or those displaced by the emergency. Those remarkable people aiding the survivors of Grenfell Tower acted quickly and separated hall space into registry, a makeshift canteen, and a basic first aid centre with volunteer health-care professionals who had turned up to assist. These support teams also need assistance, and value parish volunteers who provide them with refreshments and a place to rest occasionally.

Almost immediately after the emergency services arrived in west London came the media. There was a huge influx of satellite vans, reporters, cameras and sound engineers. Initial coordination of the media is usually handled by the police, via a media liaison officer, but in the case of Grenfell Tower it was almost impossible to control journalists and reporters. However, police and volunteers tactfully provided a wall of security around the survivor and family reception centres.

The crisis support teams are usually staffed by people trained to counsel and listen to those traumatised after a major emergency. Some individuals affected by the disaster may need specific help for post-traumatic stress. If clergy are called upon, it is usually to listen and console those in shock. Sometimes a familiar prayer like an “Our Father” or a “Hail Mary” can calm and comfort, but ideally prayers should be introduced gently and said together. If casualties are still waiting for ambulance and medical assistance, and are badly injured, Catholic clergy could offer to administer the sacrament of the sick.

Opening the church is also important. In the aftermath of the fire in west London, shrines of candles and flowers have been left near the tower. In one church, a memorial was made by enclosed nuns in the neighbouring monastery that comprised 24 large stones for the floors in Grenfell Tower and 120 small pebbles to denote the flats and apartments. With the pebbles and stones was a large cross. This was a powerful focus for prayer.

At the heart of these terrible events, are innocent lives lost, people brutally injured and families bereaved. Cardinal Vincent Nichols was quick to arrange to celebrate Mass in a local church after the fire at Grenfell Tower. Before the Mass there was two hours of prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. In his homily, he said: “What we can do is intercede with Jesus on behalf of the broken, the lost and the devastated.” Intercessory prayer is essential. Jesus taught us at the end of his life the most important lesson, the power of praying for each other. “Jesus intercedes for us constantly,” Cardinal Nichols said, “and when we intercede on behalf of others, selflessly, we join our prayers to his.”

The development team of Caritas Westminster is helping the community. To donate, please visit their page on the diocesan website: http://rcdow.org.uk/news/caritas-westminster-grenfell-tower/

Fr Peter Michael Scott is Cardinal Vincent Nichol’s adviser for healthcare chaplaincy, and chaplain to St Joseph’s Hospice, Hackney.

This article appeared in The Tablet, 28 June 2018.

Dr Peter Kreeft

Boston College

introduced by Martin Tobin

Assistant Director CIE

I was listening to an audio talk by Dr Peter Kreeft. Peter is a professor of philosophy, at Boston College, I was introduced to him by a friend and have used some of his material in my teaching. 

I have found his talk and videos very beneficial in developing my own understanding of philosophy and spirituality. I recently shared some of his material with friends of my eldest daughter. Their immediate enthusiastic response sparked me to think that Peter Kreeft and his ideas may resonate with some of our young teachers. I hope that they may find his work helpful; and more importantly, challenging.

Peter Kreeft is a very keen surfer and lover of the ocean. From my experience, many young people share his love for the surf and often express that surfing is as much a spiritual experience as physical. Bethany Hamilton expressed a similar experience in 'Soul Surfer'. 

In the following talk Peter provides an explanation for this experience. The link to the audio is as follows: http://www.peterkreeft.com/audio/12_sea-spirituality.htm

Bio for Peter Keeft

Peter Kreeft, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy at Boston College and also at the King's College (Empire State Building), in New York City. He is a regular contributor to several Christian publications, is in wide demand as a speaker at conferences, and is the author of over 55 books including: Back to Virtue; The God Who Loves You; Heaven, The Heart's Deepest Longing; Everything You wanted to Know About Heaven; Your Questions - God's Answers; How To Win The Culture War; The Journey; Before I Go - Letters to Our Children About What Really Matters; and Jesus Shock.

Dr. Kreeft is a convert to the Catholic Church from reformed Protestantism. He earned an A.B. degree from Calvin College, an M.A. and Ph.D. from Fordham University, followed by post-doctoral work at Yale University. He has received several honors for achievements in the field of philosophy, including the Woodrow Wilson Award, Yale-Sterling Fellowship, Newman Alumni Scholarship, Danforth Asian Religions Fellowship, and a Weathersfield Homeland Foundation Fellowship.