June 2004

The Bishop's Letter
From Bishop Kevin Manning

My Dear People,

Do we really want vocations?
I have been reflecting on the words of the Holy Father to me during my recent Ad Limina visit: "Tell your people to pray for vocations!"

I admit that I become frustrated at times in continuing to ask you to pray for vocations and seeing little result from your prayers. The words of Christ trouble me: "Pray the Lord of the harvest that He send labourers into His harvest". This indicates that He is only too ready to respond to our prayers. But, still the vocations are not coming. The question has to be raised: "Are we really praying enough for vocations?"

In the post-Easter accounts of the early Church prayer was constant: the Disciples prayed for the coming of the Holy Spirit; Mary and the other women prayed in the Cenacle; when the successor to Judas had to be chosen, the Disciples prayed.

We are told that John and Peter were constantly in the Temple praying, and assured by St Paul that if we don't know how to pray, the Holy Spirit comes to help us. (Rom 8:26)

At St Patrick's Cathedral in Parramatta I have been urging people to pray to the Blessed Sacrament exposed after the early morning Mass, but not always successfully, which leads me to question why people don't spare the time to pray.

Never in the history of Australia have there been so many early retirees, people who have much time on their hands, time to be in the presence of God, time to pray for vocations; schoolchildren who bypass the churches and cannot spare a few moments in a visit to the Blessed Sacrament; shoppers who ignore Christ's presence in their feverish search for bargains. So, my question is: do we really want vocations?

There was a strong move some years ago to replace Priests with lay ministers. The Holy Father has, on more than one occasion, debunked this theory for we need priests, priests to confect the Eucharist, to make Christ present among us.

We need Priests to lead our parishes, to minister to those in need, the sick and dying. We need priests to teach us by their example how to pray. We need Priests to forgive our sins in the Sacrament of Penance.

The need is so obvious, so much part of God's design to draw His People back to Himself.

Christ went to the trouble to institute a special Sacrament for the Ordination of Priests, to give them the graces necessary to lead and to care for His People. Yes, the need is obvious. We must pray for an increase in vocations.

That all be one
The Second Vatican Council recognised that the ecumenical movement is a sign of the Holy Spirit's action and considered the promotion of this movement to be one of the principal tasks of the Council. The Decree Unitatis Redintegratio (Restoration of Unity) is required reading for Christians.

There has been some progress on the ecumenical level since the Council but, on the other hand, there are some who, contrary to the Council's declared intention, misinterpret the Decree and believe that they will further the movement by surrendering, as Cardinal Kasper says: "to dogmatic relativism, indifferentism and pure pragmatism".

This causes others to question the ecumenical movement. Some say they want nothing to do with the ecumenical movement and wonder what Unitatis Redintegratio is about.

Pope Paul VI explained that the Decree on ecumenism clarified the Constitution on the Church, thus giving it added importance. Added to his statement are many post-Counciliar magisterial documents that confirm and further develop ecumenical openness, especially the Encyclical Ut Unum Sint (1995).

The acceptance of the teaching of Unitatis Redintegratio in the faith and life of the Church, in theology and in ecumenical dialogue, is further proof of the importance of the ecumenical movement.

In the past 40 years Unitatis Redintegratio has generally made a major contribution to developing ecumenical awareness, but with some exaggerated interpretations and inappropriate applications.

To underestimate the Decree 40 years after its proclamation would be to set ourselves above the Ecumenical Council, above the authentic magisterium of the Church, above the life of the Church, which is guided by the Holy Spirit.

It would mean resisting the very Spirit who has pushed this process forward through its high and low phases, with all its problems, but more than these, by far, its many hopeful aspects.

Christians, dedicated to taking seriously Christ's words at the Last Supper that "they all be one" can appeal to the principles of the document knowing that Unitatis Redintegratio is authentic Catholic Church teaching.

Answer to terrorism
On 25 March 2004 Cardinal Antonio Varela, Archbishop of Madrid, presided at the State funeral of the victims of the terrorists attacks in Madrid on 11 March 2004. The funeral was held in the La Almudena Cathedral.

In his homily the Cardinal said the terrorist act on 11 March could only be described as a strategy of hatred with intent to kill and destroy. The terrorists' goal was to damage the courage, resistance and peace of the Spanish people, to undermine the moral and spiritual foundations of Christian societies, namely, the affirmation of the inviolable dignity of every human being from conception to natural death, the integrity of the fundamental rights inherent in human beings, and an understanding of, and solidarity with, the common good.

One would expect that the terrorists' actions would have elicited a strong denunciation on the part of the Cardinal. On the contrary, he made clear that there is only one effective tactic: that of love.

He said: people's reaction must be a deep and merciful love for the relatives of the victims of the attack, compassion and active love in caring for the injured, imploring love so that the Lord will transform the terrorists and bring them to repentance and conversion, grateful love for those who gave themselves in caring for the injured, love which brings hope and prays for those who fight courageously to overcome terrorism and uproot it once and for all.

Yours sincerely in Christ,

 

Bishop Kevin Manning,
Bishop of Parramatta.