18th ‐ 20th June 2010 Our Ecumenical Conference at Swanwick this year was lead by Fr. Diarmuid O’Murchu, a member of the Sacred Heart Missionary Order and a social scientist who has spent his working life in social ministry, counselling couples, HIV victims, the bereaved and the homeless. As a workshop leader he has worked all over the world facilitating programmes on Adult Faith Development. The title ‘Catching up with Jesus’ was a mysterious one, but we were all there with an open mind, ready to listen to what this unassuming man had to say. Our first session was Friday evening – after we had met up with old friends and dined together. Diarmuid gave us an over view of what was to come, little did we know of the challenges ahead! In his opening statement he told us that he was not a theologian but a social scientist, an intellectual but not necessarily an academic, that we are all blessed with intellect but we don’t need to be academics! In today’s climate we need an adult focus on the Kingdom of God and we need to reclaim it as the kernel of our faith. He spoke of the way Christianity had been hijacked by people such as Pope Urban 2nd, who started the First Crusade in 1095, and St Anselm’s theology of atonement – the sole purpose of the Incarnation was to drive relentlessly to the act of dying. (Cur Deus Homo? – Why did God Become Human – first appeared in 1097, outlining Anselm’s theory) During the first millennium Christianity focused on the ‘good news’ rather then the dreadful events that led to the death of Jesus. The majority of crosses at that time were either plain or had the Risen Christ on them –the idea of Paradise was the dominant image of early Christian sanctuaries, and in the catacombs the art contains no images of a crucified Christ or images relating to judgement and hell, but rather of beautiful gardens where paradise is the transformation of Earth to the Kingdom of God It was only in the second millennium, when the power to influence outcomes by violent means came to the fore, that Christian leaders began to speak of “the power of the cross”, and that the happiness and fulfilment of paradise can only be achieved through this power – in other words through “redemptive violence”. The shedding of blood came to be seen as a means of restoring a lost balance. The idea of ‘victory’ was seen in the ruling vindictive God – in the Hebrew Scriptures we are sometimes presented with a God who is pleased with the slaying of enemies. In the Jesus story these two ideas became entangled. Christian theology lost sight of the focus on life, as the rhetoric of salvation by death on a cross gained momentum and ‘sacrificing all for Jesus’ became central to Christian discipleship. Jesus said “Today you will be with me in paradise” but Western Christianity has removed paradise from today, placing salvation beyond, behind or ahead of us – but not here and now. We are preoccupied with being lost, anxious for home and escape from this life ‐ which can never measure up to our imaginary goals. Avarice, domination and exploitation have taken over and we need to get back to the view that paradise is something that we should be working towards every day of our lives, it isn’t something “beyond this life” but rather is part of our DNA‐ to be improved upon constantly. Our devotion to God has to reflect the world we live in. Many people pray for the help and support of God to the exclusion of the many ways that our fellow humans and the society we live in can help. Diarmuid gave an example:‐ he spoke of a woman, in great pain, who prayed to the Cross for healing but would not turn to a doctor for help. She gained strength from the knowledge that Jesus suffered with her. We have no right to say this woman was wrong, for she derived a great deal of comfort from her devotion, her faith was a simple one but no less valid. But we need to be more adult, to deepen and expand the context of our faith and devotion ‐“Another Christianity is possible. It begins when we understand that paradise is already present. We have neither to retrieve it nor construct it. We have to perceive it and bring our lives and our cultures into accord with it” Jesus didn’t intend man to suffer unnecessarily; “our salvation has to do more with embracing our existential capacities and choosing to live in a way that evolves them” (to shape our self‐chosen mode of existence and moral stance, with respect to the rest of the world). Diarmuid set the scene for our evening liturgy by drawing attention to the image of Palm Sunday. He reminded us that on that day two processions arrived in Jerusalem. One from Caesarea Philippi led by Pontius Pilate coming on horseback, armed and with a military force to maintain power and peace in Jerusalem during the Passover festival. The second a diverse group waving palms branches following a man on a donkey offering an alternative image of service and empowerment along with a different kind of peace, one not imposed by violence. The question he left with us was ‘in which procession do we find ourselves taking part?’ Our first session ended with a silent, thoughtful procession to the chapel for evening liturgy, which began with The Blessing and Sprinkling of the Waters of Reconciliation and a prayer expressing the many joys of Baptism. We spent some time contemplating the prayer and were invited to voice the line from it that struck us the most. The reading was taken from Revelation 21... Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth..........this was a quiet and beautiful way to end the day! ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Saturday morning began bright and early. Diarmuid led our second session ‐ Entitled “Jesus in the context of the Kingdom of God ‐ The Companionship of Empowerment: The Disturbing Prophet and incorporated our morning prayer into the session. Saturday mornings sessions were the key sessions of the weekend – exploring the idea of the Kingdom of God. Diarmuid talked about the cultural context both of our own faith now and that in the time of Jesus, and asked the question “How, when approaching modern faith, do we reclaim it for our time?” Kingship in the time of Jesus, as seen through the Roman Imperial Theology, concentrated on government and control from on high, on rule of the people through violence. The male King was regarded as divine and his authority was absolute and unquestioned. (We see examples of this today in President Mugabe and also Hugo Chavez both of whom considers themselves above reproach in all public matters and even more subtly in our own country.) Kings reigned from within great palaces embellished with heavenly glory, access to the ‘kingly palace’ had to be earned by the select few, and people knew no other form of governance. Any messianic figures of the day would have to be ‘kingly’ in nature to be authentic and descend from a royal line. We see this played out in Matthew 1 and Luke 3 although Luke goes one better and takes the line back through Abraham’s ancestors to the first human! In all of this we hear the titles given to the rulers and can understand where the writers of the gospels could possibly have derived the titles given to Jesus in their accounts, although it is said that His followers were not happy that Jesus did not act in a kingly way as he went about the towns and villages! Jesus on the other hand subverted the culture of power with a new strategy of empowerment, he taught unconditional love – to love your enemies without brokery. He undermined royal privilege with radical inclusiveness, He abandoned argument in favour of subversive stories, He broke rules without apology or explanation and denounced His disciples every time they tried to make Him a King. Jesus possibly adopted the royal/kingly terminology and standards of the time but turned it upon its head so that it was virtually unrecognisable, thus parodying the way of leadership He was trying to destroy. By using the parables as explanations to questions asked by his disciples, Jesus, time and again spoke of inclusiveness of a kind that shocked those listening. ‐ In Diarmuid’s words “ a parable throws people into creative confusion, they are for adults only!” ‐ Jesus’ attitudes to law and order were considered cavalier, He was seen as blasphemous, irreligious and intent on undermining many of the values on which the Jewish faith was based ‐ preaching and teaching should give way to commensality / healing, and many of the first followers (especially the men) did not grasp the new vision of the Kingdom. His was a way of living for other people, of opening our minds to the vastness of humanity, to look on it as one family rather than staying within our own family/community – a sin against the Holy Spirit. Here are a few examples of inclusivity and cultural context used in the parables by Jesus to point the way to a new understanding: The parable of the Good Samaritan ‐ The Jew who had been attacked was ‘half‐dead’ – this is a state of unclenliness and as such no one who valued their reputation would approach such a person for fear of being thrown out of their own community. The priest and the Levite were trying to honour the rules of their religion. This offers some explanation for the actions of those who ignored the unfortunate man. The Samaritan was part of a community despised by everyone – the lowest of the low – he had no problem touching or helping the man, he had no reputation to preserve! Diarmuid posed the idea that maybe the injured man, although grateful for the help, was appalled when he realised that he had been helped by a Samaritan, and that maybe he then realised that a religion with so many rules to be obeyed, to the detriment of humanity, was not what the Kingdom of God is all about. Jesus was subversive in many of his parables and turned actions deemed to be unclean into things to be honoured – the baking of bread for example – women who baked bread were not allowed to do so outside of their own homes as it was not an acceptable chore, they were deemed to be unclean and couldn’t go near or touch anyone else in the community. Did Jesus tell this story to encourage the role of women or just to preach inclusivity? (On many occasions the role of women as the lynch pin of society is suppressed in the gospels – they undoubtedly were present at all the meals shared by Jesus and His disciples, having more than likely prepared the food they ate. It was probable that women were also present at the Last Supper for the same reason and for the fact that Jesus did not exclude them from His life. ) Was He going against the traditions of the time to show us a ‘new way’? The tax collector inside the temple? This man was not accepted because of his role in society, yet Jesus places him in the Temple – on the same level as everyone else. The wedding feast? He talked of collecting people from the highways and byways to enjoy the feast (was the tale of the one who was rejected because he was not dressed correctly a jibe at the Jewish love of authority – still being in control of things?) Diarmuid then set out the criteria for authentic discipleship:‐ a. Unconditional love b. Radical inclusiveness – expansive vision c. Open commensality (common table) d. Unconditional forgiveness & healing (no need for sacrifices of appeasement) e. Justice through adult empowerment of the masses f. Freedom from all oppressions g. A new criteria of family membership (not just our family but all humanity) h. Reclaiming the imagination in the power of story ( reading miracles as parables in action not just to be taken literally) i. Being HUMAN in a new way Discipleship looks much different in this light; it is no longer a case of following meekly behind some noble figure at the top but rather ‘mission in partnership’. The phrase ‘Kingdom of God’ could be replaced by the ‘Companionship of Empowerment’ (so writes John Dominic Crossan) this is a much more radical and disturbing phrase. The “kingly” realm now belongs to a different power, not power over but power with. Collaboration, not only among people, but with everything and everybody in the ‘New Reign of God’s Creation’. There are no hierarchies in this kingdom, only holyarchy ‐ where humans and animals and flora are interdependent, and respect for everything is part of the communal process – the pyramid has collapsed into a circle. Justice is seen as central to the Christian faith and working for right relationships in all that we do and say. Our third session, also on “Jesus in the context of the Kingdom of God” expanded “The Evolutionary Context” “The world that Jesus entered was seething with human longings that showed in messianic dreams, millennial fantasies, apocalyptic desperation, mystical revelations, suicidal nationalism, religious critique and reform, reactionary rigidity, and a sense that time was collapsing, that the future was foreshortened, that the mystery of reality was about to be revealed. In such a milieu, the authenticity of Jesus was like a beacon that drew all mythological motifs to itself. Incubating in the womb of that period was God’s rash gamble that humanity might become more humane.” (Wink 250). ‘Jesus put Himself into the deep state of humanity and in doing so came to divinity.” “ God is what happens to a person on the way to becoming human, He is fully at work in creation at every stage” DO’M ............... Jesus is the human, radical face of God. He is political in the sense of empowering people and encouraging a church that is good at building community. He spent His time in houses and house‐
churches rather than in the synagogues. He taught religion through non‐violence and justice to peace as opposed to the way of thinking at the time ‐religion, violence, victory to peace. He chose to manifest Himself as a human being in order to put us back on the right track. Was this a rash gamble or a quantum leap of providence?? Was it the beginning of the collapse of Patriarchy?? Diarmuid suggested that Jesus did not come to rescue us from anything, we got most of it right! His coming is more about the culmination of all that humans have achieved; it affirms, confirms and celebrates humanity. He “befriends us and empowers our earthly grace”. He teaches us that we can evolve grace‐filled potential through creativity, spirituality and by our mistakes ‐ the world is not perfect and neither are we. The human Jesus was not perfect, there were tensions within his family (Jesus found in the temple) He was known to lose His temper and defy the rulers and priests of the time. In Aramaic (the language Jesus would have used) the phrase “be perfect as your father is perfect” reads “Aim to be whole as the heavenly father is whole”– to be more human, which is a much more realistic goal. How can we be more human? We can start by being more in tune with nature, we need to reclaim our place in nature rather than hold power over it, to listen to the messages. – During the tsunami of 2007 a small indigenous tribe saw the signs, the way the sea was acting and the actions of the animals, and knew that there would be a flood very soon. So they gathered their belongings and made for the hills. On the way they met a group of Europeans who scoffed at their tale – two carried on down to the coast and two turned around and followed the native people. Needless to say the two who continued down the hill were tragically killed, while the rest were safe and sound on top of the hill. And all because of the respect and understanding the small group had for the world around them. We need to learn to have that respect and not to try and dominate everything around us. Taking all this into consideration our best model for carrying our faith forward is that of the basic Christian community rather the hierarchical structures of today. You can’t have communion unless you allow it to grow from the bottom up ‐ humans need social structures, but not necessarily heavy organisations. We also need to take on board the methods of communication that we have today ‐ web‐
sites on political and environmental issues, sites that can talk to the masses and wield influence in a completely new way, maybe this is the leadership of the future? These two sessions gave us a great deal to discuss and reflect upon and so the ‘free time’ between lunch and afternoon tea was a time of great debate! Our next session was entitled “Is the Jesus story compatible with the New Cosmology?” Something that Diarmuid has always to include for his American audiences as they have a huge conflict with this and the creation story.............. It’s all a question of story. We are in trouble just now because we do not have a good story. We are in between stories. The old story, the account of how we fit into it, is no longer effective. Yet we have not learned the new story. (Thomas Berry) In the Christian tradition the Incarnation of Christ happened 2000 years ago at what we celebrate as the Nativity. By perpetuating this understanding Christian scholars have reduced Jesus to fit into our own ideas of time and place. This concept is a very short‐sighted benchmark for the beginning of Christ’s manifestation in the human story, as humans came into being almost 7,000,000 years ago and God was and is present in all creation from the beginning of time. We need to rescue the notion of incarnation from the minimalism to which we have condemned it and honour God’s time scale which is unlike anything we could envisage – Jesus belongs to the time‐less realm but Christendom translated this to be “the world beyond”. We endlessly run the danger of imposing a dysfunctional cosmology on the world view of Jesus With what we know of the development of our planet through the scientists and archaeologists today we have a very different view of how it all came into being. With this knowledge we must consider whether or not the idea of God not manifesting himself into our lives until just over two thousand years ago is a valid one. The Holy Spirit was there at the ‘Big Bang’ and has been in and with the whole of creation for ever. The idea that God is in charge should perhaps be tempered with the thought that we have a great capacity for self‐organisation and for embracing all developments. Creation is God’s great story not just the gospels. It is in Creation where our faith story begins. We need to get away from the idea that humans are superior – we are reflections of Jesus and He embraced all comers! We are cosmic creatures first and foremost, belonging to ourselves, our families, our country, then the Earth and finally the Cosmos. We need to integrate ourselves more into the world around us, it is the best we can have and it is down to us to make sure that we strive to make it the best, to embrace all comers, all faiths and traditions and celebrate our differences and our commonality. – The Companionship of Empowerment.......... At the end of this session we were given something really to think about. “He serves as a bridge to our next major evolutionary stage – physically humanity has gone almost as far as it can, the next step has therefore to be psychological, to be able to control the power of the mind.” ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Our final session on Sunday morning looked at “Discerning Gospel wisdom in the Power of Poetry ‐ Discerning through the poetic voice” Diarmuid came late to poetry writing and found it a very effective way of getting his thoughts into order and looking at the gospel stories from a modern viewpoint, taking into account our more extensive knowledge of the creation story and the lives of those who were around at the time of the gospels. He believes that poetry is Porous in that it can be read many times and be understood differently each time as apposed to prose which tends towards more monolithic understanding. This gives it a deeper meaning and can show the ‘ bigger picture’. He found that poetry gives him a freedom to “speak the unspeakable, uncover what has been subverted, illuminate the invisible, and give voice to dimensions of life that tend to be subjected to invisibility and inaudibility”. It enables him to get inside the feelings of the people and on occasion, by giving them names, to bring them to life and see a different aspect of the gospel stories. “Poetry is more likely to unveil a multi‐faceted understanding of life and reality…………..when we engage the poetic process, the symbolic is likely to outwit the rational”. It can be subversive, liberating alternative meanings and facilitating new possibilities. It gives you the freedom to follow your intuition, your ‘gut reaction’. Poetry…. will never finally solve anything because it is the voice of new promise, the art of permanent beginning. (Brendan Kennelly) ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ The liturgy of our Mass was spread over Saturday and Sunday, with the introduction and readings on Saturday evening and, after listening to Diarmuid recite some of his poems during the Sunday morning session we were invited to recite “Let Bartimaeus speak for himself” as our creed. I give you the last verse of that poem as a taster – “So, tell us what he did to you, all that messing with the clay, While breaking all the holy laws on this Sabbath day?” “I simply know I once was blind but now the day is clear. No longer co‐dependant, I’m an adult without fear. And anyhow, I’m old enough to speak now for myself!” Jesus in the Power of Poetry” published by The Crossroad Publishing Company Ltd in 2009 We had been asked to write on a post‐it note what we would like to pray for during our Mass whether it be global, local or indeed personal, this done we once again processed to the chapel where we attached our notes to the altar cloth and then continued our Mass. Before the final blessing Fr. Kevin Clark, chairman of the Diocesan Ecumenical Commission, wished Fr. Ken O’Riordan blessings and prosperity in his retirement, he spoke of the involvement of Ken in the ecumenical movement from the inception of the commission and thanked him for his hard work and commitment. Monica Purdue, as secretary of the Commission, then presented Ken with a gift in recognition of his years of work, prayer and support. Fr.Kevin also thanked Paula Bailey, who is taking up a new position in September, for her work with Fr. Ken in planning and leading events all around the diocese to educate and inform members of our faith. Her talents will be sorely missed. Again Monica presented Paula with a gift. Our Mass then concluded with the final blessing and Fr. Diarmuid led us in the recessional hymn as we processed out into the sun shine, to gather in a circle of friendship and to offer our love and peace to all who were there. ‐‐‐‐‐‐ So… having been led through some very unfamiliar ground and shown how different the gospel stories can be interpreted with our better knowledge of the history and archaeology of our planet, I left the conference with an awful lot to think about, and am still thinking! I have used many of Diarmuid’s quotes in this report and hope that he will forgive the use of them but his wordmanship is much better than mine! I hope I have given you a small insight into our weekend, and if you would like to explore further you can read Diarmuid’s books…………. “Catching up with Jesus” published by The Crossroad Publishing Company Ltd in 2005 and “Jesus in the Power of Poetry” published by The Crossroad Publishing Company Ltd in 2009