Mersey Leven Catholic Parish
To be a vibrant Catholic Community
unified in its commitment
to growing disciples for Christ
Parish Priest: Fr Mike Delaney
Mob: 0417 279 437
Mob: 0417 279 437
Assistant Priest: Fr Paschal Okpon
Mob: 0438 562 731
paschalokpon@yahoo.com
Priest in Residence: Fr Phil McCormack
Mob: 0437 521 257
Mob: 0437 521 257
Postal Address: PO Box 362
Parish Office: 90 Stewart Street
(Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am - 3pm)
Office Phone: 6424 2783 Fax: 6423 5160
Email: merseyleven@aohtas.org.au
Secretary: Annie Davies / Anne Fisher
Pastoral Council Chair: Jenny Garnsey
Parish Mass times for the Month: mlcpmasstimes.blogspot.com.au
Our Parish Sacramental Life
Baptism: Parents are asked to contact the Parish Office to make arrangements for attending a Baptismal Preparation Session and booking a Baptism date.
Reconciliation, Confirmation and Eucharist: Are received following a Family–centred, Parish-based, School-supported Preparation Program.
Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults: prepares adults for reception into the Catholic community.
Marriage: arrangements are made by contacting one of our priests - couples attend a Pre-marriage Program
Anointing of the Sick: please contact one of our priests
Reconciliation: Ulverstone - Fridays (10am - 10:30am)
Devonport - Saturday (5:15pm – 5:45pm)
Care and Concern: If you are aware of anyone who is sick or in need of assistance in the Parish please visit them. Then, if they are willing and give permission, could you please pass on their names to the Parish Office. We have a group of parishioners who are part of the Care and Concern Group who are willing and able to provide some backup and support to them. Unfortunately, because of privacy issues, the Parish Office is not able to give out details unless prior permission has been given.
|
Eucharistic Adoration - Devonport: Every Friday 10am - 12noon, concluding with Stations of the Cross and Angelus
Benediction with Adoration - Devonport: First Friday of each month.
Legion of Mary: Wednesdays 11am Sacred Heart Church Community Room, Ulverstone
Prayer Group: Charismatic Renewal – Monday evenings 7pm – 9:30pm Community Room Ulverstone
Archdiocesan Website: www.hobart.catholic.org.au for news, information and details of other Parishes.
Parish Prayer
Heavenly Father,
and calling us to serve as your disciples.
as we use our gifts to serve you.
as we strive to bear witness
to the Gospel and build an amazing parish.
Amen.
Weekday Masses 30th January - 2nd February,
2018
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin
1:00pm Devonport - Funeral Mass
Next Weekend 3rd & 4th February, 2018
Saturday Mass: 9:30am Ulverstone
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Penguin & Devonport
Sunday Mass: 8:30am Port Sorell
9:00am Ulverstone
10:30am Devonport 11:00am Sheffield 5:00pm Latrobe
Devonport:
Ulverstone:
Penguin:
Latrobe:
Port Sorell:
Readings this week – 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
PREGO REFLECTION:
Firstly, though, I enter into this time of prayer
gently.
I try to become calm as I read the text a few times.
Then I carefully
set the scene.
I pay particular attention to Jesus as he teaches.
I note how
his teaching makes a deep impression on the crowd.
Why is this?
What impact
does he have on me?
I then watch as he deals with the man in the synagogue.
‘I
know who you are’, says the evil spirit.
Who is Jesus for me?
The people
respond to the healing with astonishment.
How do I respond?
What do I make of
Jesus’s authority?
Jesus’s words are manifested through powerful deeds, so that
his fame spreads throughout Galilee.
As I listen to Jesus and watch his
actions, what do I sense arising within me?
Do I feel that Jesus may want to
speak with me now? What do I wish to say to him?
I give what time I can to this
dialogue from the heart.
I can trust this ‘Holy One of God’.
I end with a slow
sign of the cross.
Readings next week – 5th
Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B
First Reading: Job 7:1-4, 6-7
Second Reading:
1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23
Gospel: Mark 1:29-39
Your prayers
are asked for the sick:
Judy Carpenter, Vic Slavin, Rex Bates, Phil
Tuckett David Welch &
…
Let us pray for those who
have died recently:
Dorothy Corbett, Graham Gregson,
Janelle Payne, Josefina-Daguman Montiel,
Paul Rush, Roger Foot, John Tooth, Tony McKenna, Joan Slater.
Let us pray for those whose
anniversary occurs about this time: 24th – 30th January
John
Bilyk, Danielle Natoli, Bruce Peters, Gusta Schneiders, Lorraine Horsman, Robert
Hatton, Thomas Naylor, Noreen Sheehan, John Ryan, Thomas Kelly, Elizabeth
Mazey, Sheila Poole, Trevor Delaney, Sheila Bourke, John Dunn,
David Wyett, Ruby Grubb, Jason Pullen, Clifford Smith. Also Aileen &
Gerrard Reynolds, Glen Clark, Joy Griffiths, Nell Carpenter, Carole Walker, Nicola
Tenaglia.
May they Rest in
Peace
Weekly Ramblings
By this time next weekend there will be a number of changes
in our community – Fr Paschal will have arrived to begin his ministry with us;
Fr Phil will have ‘retired’ and I’ll still be working away!!! Oh yes, the teaching
staff will be back at our Schools ready for a whole new year of activity with
our children and life will again be hectic.
On the page opposite there are a list of Lenten Groups that
have been organised to continue our journey of reflection and prayer during
2018. One of the most important signs of a healthy parish is a small group
culture where people gather and share their faith journey together. These
Lenten Groups are an introduction to the process and so I invite all
parishioners to consider being part of a group – you might be surprised what
can happen. The Penguin Tuesday morning group has been meeting for many years –
it started as a discussion group that just didn’t stop!
As mentioned over the past few weeks the Parish Retreat Day
and Hospitality Workshop has been combined into a one day event on Saturday 17th
February. The Parish Leadership Team will be meeting on Monday to finalise
details about the day so we will have a more complete outline available next
weekend. I’m looking forward to the day and especially the opportunity to work
with Sharon Brewer from the National Centre for Evangelisation and gaining
insights on what opportunities might be available for us to explore as we
continue to grow in our personal and community relationship with Christ our
Saviour.
When I arrived in the Parish 4 years ago I started the
practice of having an Open House with an invitation for any and all
parishioners to come along for simple fellowship and sharing. I have no idea
how many people have been to the 16 that have been held so far but I am looking
forward to the next however many there are. So, this coming Friday night, 2nd
Feb, the 1st Open House for 2018 will be held at the Parish House in
Devonport from 6.30pm. As always all you need bring is yourself. Food and
drinks are provided – all you need bring is YOU!
Please take care on the roads and in your homes,
HEALING MASS:
Thursday
Nights - OLOL Hall, Devonport. Eyes down
7.30pm!
NEWS FROM ACROSS THE ARCHDIOCESE:
MARRIAGE
MASS – RENEWAL OF VOWS: to be celebrated by Archbishop
Julian Porteous on Sunday 11th February at Church of the Apostles,
Launceston 10:30am or Sunday 18th February at St Mary’s Cathedral,
Hobart 10:30am. Couples celebrating Catholic Marriage milestones are invited to
RSVP to the Office of Life, Marriage and Family by emailing ben.smith@aohtas.org.au or on
6208:6036. Catholic married couples will receive a special acknowledgement from
Archbishop Julian on the day.
11th Feb: Marriage
Mass Renewal of Vows – 10:30 am Church of the Apostles, Launceston
LENTEN PROGRAM 2018
Time
Hosts
Location
Monday
evening
Michael
& Grainne Hendrey
Devonport
Tuesday
morning
Tuesday
afternoon
Tuesday
evening
Penguin
group – Elizabeth Nickols
Tony
& Shirley Ryan
Jenny
Garnsey
Penguin
Devonport
Penguin
Wednesday
afternoon
Wednesday
evening
Stella
Lucas
John
& Glenys Lee-Archer
Devonport
Devonport
Thursday
morning
Claire
Kiely-Hoye
Devonport
We would like to offer some other times and locations, particularly
at Ulverstone, Latrobe and Sheffield. Please contact John Lee-Archer (mob:
0419523867 or john.leearcher@gmail.com
) or Fr Mike, if you are willing to host a group. We will give you all the resources you need.
Please contact John if you would like to be part of a group
but the times listed above are not suitable, and we can look at options for
organising a suitable group.
There
will be the opportunity at all masses next weekend for everyone to sign up for
a group. Please contact John or Fr Mike
if you have any questions or concerns.
Watching the River
This article has been collated from the daily email series from the Center for Action and Contemplation and Fr Richard Rohr OFM. You can subscribe and receive the emails by clicking here
To live in the present moment requires a change in our inner
posture. Instead of expanding or shoring up our fortress of the small self—the
ego—contemplation waits to discover who we truly are. Most people think they
are their thinking. They don’t have a clue who they are apart from their
thoughts. In contemplation, we move to a level beneath thoughts and sensations,
the level of pure being and naked awareness.
[1] To further explore this centering prayer practice, see
Thomas Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the
Gospel (Continuum: 2006, ©1986), especially chapter 9.
We live in a world of deep divisions. Everywhere we see polarization, people bitterly divided from each other by ideology, politics, economic theory, moral beliefs, and theology. We tend to use over-simplistic categories within which to understand these divisions: the left and the right opposing each other, liberals and conservatives at odds, pro-life vying with pro-choice.
Virtually every social and moral issue is a war-zone: the status of women, climate change, gender roles, sexuality, marriage and family as institutions, the role of government, how the LGBTQ community is to be understood, among other issues. And our churches aren’t exempt; too often we cannot agree on anything. Civility has disappeared from public discourse even within our churches where there is now as much division and hostility within each denomination as there is between them. More and more, we cannot discuss openly any sensitive matter, even within our own families. Instead we discuss politics, religion, and values only within our own ideological circles; and there, rather than challenging each other, we mostly end up feeding each other in our biases and indignations thus becoming even more intolerant, bitter, and judgmental.
Scripture calls this enmity, hatred, and indeed that’s its proper name. We are becoming hate-filled people who both fuel and justify our hatred on religious and moral grounds. We need only to watch the news on any night to see this. How’s this to be overcome?
At the more macro level in politics and religion, it’s hard to see how these bitter divides will ever be bridged, especially when so much of our public discourse is feeding and widening the division. What’s needed is nothing short of religious conversion, a religious change of heart, and that’s contingent on the individual. The collective heart will change only when individual hearts first do. We help save the sanity of the world by first safeguarding our own sanity, but that’s no easy task.
It’s not as simple as everyone simply agreeing to think nicer thoughts. Nor, it seems, will we find much common ground in our public dialogues. The dialogue that’s needed isn’t easily come by; certainly we haven’t come by it yet. Many groups are trying for it, but without much success. Generally what happens is that the even most-well intended dialogue quickly degenerates into an attempt to by each side to score its own ideological points rather than in genuinely trying to understand each other. Where does that leave us?
The real answer, I believe, lies in an understanding of how the cross and death of Jesus brings about reconciliation. The author of the Letter to the Ephesians tells us that Jesus broke down the barrier of hostility that existed between communities by creating one person where formerly there had been two – and he did it this “by reconciling both [sides] in one body through his cross, which put that enmity to death.” (Ephesians 2, 16)
How does the cross of Christ put enmity to death? Not through some kind of magic. Jesus didn’t break down the divisions between us by mystically paying off some debt for our sins through his suffering, as if God needed to be appeased by blood to forgive us and open the gates of heaven. That image is simply the metaphor behind our icons and language about being washed clean of sin and saved by the blood of Christ. What happened in the cross and death of Jesus is something that asks for our imitation not simply our admiration. What happened in the cross and death of Jesus is an example for us to imitate. What are we to imitate?
What Jesus did in his passion and death was to transform bitterness and division rather than to retransmit them and give them back in kind. In the love which he showed in his passion and death Jesus did this: He took in hatred, held it inside himself, transformed it, and gave back love. He took in bitterness, held it, transformed it, and gave back graciousness. He took in curses, held them, transformed them, and gave back blessing. He took in paranoia, held it, transformed it, and gave back big-heartedness. He took in murder, held it, transformed it, and gave back forgiveness. And he took in enmity, bitter division, held it, transformed it, and through that revealed to us the deep secret for forming community, namely, we need to take away the hatred that divides us by absorbing and holding it within ourselves and thereby transforming it. Like a water purifier which holds within itself the toxins and the poisons and gives back only pure water, we must hold within ourselves the toxins that poison community land give back only graciousness and openness to everyone. That’s the only key to overcome division.
We live in bitterly divisive times, paralyzed in terms of meeting amicably on virtually every sensitive issue of politics, economics, morality, and religion. That stalemate will remain until one by one, we each transform rather than enflame and retransmit the hatred that divides us.
and calling us to serve as your disciples.
as we use our gifts to serve you.
as we strive to bear witness
Amen.
Weekday Masses 30th January - 2nd February,
2018
Tuesday: 9:30am Penguin
Wednesday: 9:30am Latrobe
1:00pm Devonport - Funeral Mass
1:00pm Devonport - Funeral Mass
Thursday: 12noon Devonport
Friday: 9:30am
Ulverstone
12noon Devonport
Next Weekend 3rd & 4th February, 2018
Saturday Mass: 9:30am Ulverstone
Saturday Vigil: 6:00pm Penguin & Devonport
Sunday Mass: 8:30am Port Sorell
9:00am Ulverstone
10:30am Devonport 11:00am Sheffield 5:00pm Latrobe
Ministry Rosters 3rd & 4th February, 2018
Devonport:
Readers: Vigil: V Riley, A Stegmann, M Stewart 10:30am: E Petts,
K Douglas
Ministers of
Communion: Vigil: D Peters, M Heazlewood, T Muir, M Gerrand, P
Shelverton
10:30am: F Sly, E Petts, K Hull, S
Arrowsmith
Cleaners. 2nd
Feb: M.W.C. 9th Feb: F Sly, M Hansen, R McBain
Piety Shop 3rd Feb:
L Murfet 4th Feb: P Piccolo
Ulverstone:
Reader/s: M & K McKenzie Ministers of Communion: P Steyn, E Cox, C Singline, M Barry
Cleaners: M Mott Flowers: M Swain
Hospitality: M McLaren
Penguin:
Greeters: A Landers, P Ravaillion Commentator: E Nickols Readers: M Murray, T Clayton
Ministers of
Communion: J Garnsey,
A Guest Liturgy: Pine Road Setting Up: A Landers
Care of Church: G Hills-Eade, T Clayton
Latrobe:
Reader: M Eden Minister
of Communion: P Mackey Procession: M Clarke
Port Sorell:
Readers: G Bellchambers, E Holloway Minister of Communion: L Post
Clean/Flowers/Prepare: G Bellchambers, M
Gillard
Readings this week – 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
First Reading: Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 7:32-35
Gospel: Mark 1:21-28
PREGO REFLECTION:
I may like to ponder this miraculous healing using my
imagination in prayer.
Firstly, though, I enter into this time of prayer gently.
I try to become calm as I read the text a few times.
Then I carefully set the scene.
I pay particular attention to Jesus as he teaches.
I note how his teaching makes a deep impression on the crowd.
Why is this?
What impact does he have on me?
I then watch as he deals with the man in the synagogue.
‘I know who you are’, says the evil spirit.
Who is Jesus for me?
The people respond to the healing with astonishment.
How do I respond?
What do I make of Jesus’s authority?
Jesus’s words are manifested through powerful deeds, so that his fame spreads throughout Galilee.
As I listen to Jesus and watch his actions, what do I sense arising within me?
Do I feel that Jesus may want to speak with me now? What do I wish to say to him?
I give what time I can to this dialogue from the heart.
I can trust this ‘Holy One of God’.
I end with a slow sign of the cross.
Firstly, though, I enter into this time of prayer gently.
I try to become calm as I read the text a few times.
Then I carefully set the scene.
I pay particular attention to Jesus as he teaches.
I note how his teaching makes a deep impression on the crowd.
Why is this?
What impact does he have on me?
I then watch as he deals with the man in the synagogue.
‘I know who you are’, says the evil spirit.
Who is Jesus for me?
The people respond to the healing with astonishment.
How do I respond?
What do I make of Jesus’s authority?
Jesus’s words are manifested through powerful deeds, so that his fame spreads throughout Galilee.
As I listen to Jesus and watch his actions, what do I sense arising within me?
Do I feel that Jesus may want to speak with me now? What do I wish to say to him?
I give what time I can to this dialogue from the heart.
I can trust this ‘Holy One of God’.
I end with a slow sign of the cross.
Readings next week – 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B
First Reading: Job 7:1-4, 6-7
Second Reading:
1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23
Gospel: Mark 1:29-39
Your prayers
are asked for the sick:
Judy Carpenter, Vic Slavin, Rex Bates, Phil
Tuckett David Welch &
…
Let us pray for those who
have died recently:
Dorothy Corbett, Graham Gregson,
Janelle Payne, Josefina-Daguman Montiel,
Paul Rush, Roger Foot, John Tooth, Tony McKenna, Joan Slater.
Let us pray for those whose
anniversary occurs about this time: 24th – 30th January
John
Bilyk, Danielle Natoli, Bruce Peters, Gusta Schneiders, Lorraine Horsman, Robert
Hatton, Thomas Naylor, Noreen Sheehan, John Ryan, Thomas Kelly, Elizabeth
Mazey, Sheila Poole, Trevor Delaney, Sheila Bourke, John Dunn,
David Wyett, Ruby Grubb, Jason Pullen, Clifford Smith. Also Aileen &
Gerrard Reynolds, Glen Clark, Joy Griffiths, Nell Carpenter, Carole Walker, Nicola
Tenaglia.
May they Rest in
Peace
Weekly Ramblings
By this time next weekend there will be a number of changes
in our community – Fr Paschal will have arrived to begin his ministry with us;
Fr Phil will have ‘retired’ and I’ll still be working away!!! Oh yes, the teaching
staff will be back at our Schools ready for a whole new year of activity with
our children and life will again be hectic.
On the page opposite there are a list of Lenten Groups that
have been organised to continue our journey of reflection and prayer during
2018. One of the most important signs of a healthy parish is a small group
culture where people gather and share their faith journey together. These
Lenten Groups are an introduction to the process and so I invite all
parishioners to consider being part of a group – you might be surprised what
can happen. The Penguin Tuesday morning group has been meeting for many years –
it started as a discussion group that just didn’t stop!
As mentioned over the past few weeks the Parish Retreat Day
and Hospitality Workshop has been combined into a one day event on Saturday 17th
February. The Parish Leadership Team will be meeting on Monday to finalise
details about the day so we will have a more complete outline available next
weekend. I’m looking forward to the day and especially the opportunity to work
with Sharon Brewer from the National Centre for Evangelisation and gaining
insights on what opportunities might be available for us to explore as we
continue to grow in our personal and community relationship with Christ our
Saviour.
When I arrived in the Parish 4 years ago I started the
practice of having an Open House with an invitation for any and all
parishioners to come along for simple fellowship and sharing. I have no idea
how many people have been to the 16 that have been held so far but I am looking
forward to the next however many there are. So, this coming Friday night, 2nd
Feb, the 1st Open House for 2018 will be held at the Parish House in
Devonport from 6.30pm. As always all you need bring is yourself. Food and
drinks are provided – all you need bring is YOU!
Please take care on the roads and in your homes,
HEALING MASS:
Catholic Charismatic Renewal are sponsoring a Healing
Mass with Fr Alexander Obiorah at St Mary’s Catholic Church Penguin on Thursday
8th February commencing at 7pm. All denominations are
welcome to come and celebrate the liturgy in a vibrant and dynamic way using
charismatic praise and worship, with the gifts of tongues, prophecy, healing
and anointing with blessed oil. After Mass, teams will be available for
individual prayer. Please bring a friend and a plate for supper and fellowship in
the hall. If you wish to know more or require local transport, please contact
Celestine Whiteley 6424:2043, Michael
Gaffney 0447 018 068, Zoe Smith 6426:3073 or Tom Knaap 6425:2442.
Thursday
Nights - OLOL Hall, Devonport. Eyes down
7.30pm!
Callers for Thursday 1st February
– Merv Tippett & Terry Bird.
NEWS FROM ACROSS THE ARCHDIOCESE:
MARRIAGE
MASS – RENEWAL OF VOWS: to be celebrated by Archbishop
Julian Porteous on Sunday 11th February at Church of the Apostles,
Launceston 10:30am or Sunday 18th February at St Mary’s Cathedral,
Hobart 10:30am. Couples celebrating Catholic Marriage milestones are invited to
RSVP to the Office of Life, Marriage and Family by emailing ben.smith@aohtas.org.au or on
6208:6036. Catholic married couples will receive a special acknowledgement from
Archbishop Julian on the day.
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY
2nd Feb: Open House - 6pm Parish House Devonport
11th Feb: Marriage Mass Renewal of Vows – 10:30 am Church of the Apostles, Launceston
11th Feb: Marriage Mass Renewal of Vows – 10:30 am Church of the Apostles, Launceston
14th Feb: Ash
Wednesday - Mass Times: 9:30am Latrobe, 12noon Devonport, 7pm Ulverstone
17th Feb: Parish
Reflection Day – 9:30am – 4pm: Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School, Devonport
LENTEN PROGRAM 2018
All are invited to be part of our Lenten program. The
following groups will be operating but there is room for more groups (see
below):
Time
|
Hosts
|
Location
|
Monday
evening
|
Michael
& Grainne Hendrey
Marg
& Ken McKenzie
|
Devonport
Ulverstone
|
Tuesday
morning
Tuesday
afternoon
Tuesday
evening
|
Penguin
group – Elizabeth Nickols
Eugene
Holloway
Tony
& Shirley Ryan
Jenny
Garnsey
|
Penguin
Port
Sorell
Devonport
Penguin
|
Wednesday
afternoon
Wednesday
evening
|
Stella
Lucas
John
& Glenys Lee-Archer
|
Devonport
Devonport
|
Thursday
morning
|
Claire
Kiely-Hoye
|
Devonport
|
We would like to offer some other times and locations, particularly
at Ulverstone, Latrobe and Sheffield. Please contact John Lee-Archer (mob:
0419523867 or john.leearcher@gmail.com
) or Fr Mike, if you are willing to host a group. We will give you all the resources you need.
Please contact John if you would like to be part of a group
but the times listed above are not suitable, and we can look at options for
organising a suitable group.
There
will be the opportunity at all masses next weekend for everyone to sign up for
a group. Please contact John or Fr Mike
if you have any questions or concerns.
Watching the River
This article has been collated from the daily email series from the Center for Action and Contemplation and Fr Richard Rohr OFM. You can subscribe and receive the emails by clicking here
To live in the present moment requires a change in our inner
posture. Instead of expanding or shoring up our fortress of the small self—the
ego—contemplation waits to discover who we truly are. Most people think they
are their thinking. They don’t have a clue who they are apart from their
thoughts. In contemplation, we move to a level beneath thoughts and sensations,
the level of pure being and naked awareness.
In contemplative prayer, we calmly observe our own stream of
consciousness and see its compulsive patterns. We wait in silence with an open
heart and attuned body. It doesn’t take long for our usual patterns to assault
us. Our habits of control, addiction, negativity, tension, anger, and fear
assert themselves. When Jesus is “driven” by the Spirit into the wilderness,
the first things that show up are “wild beasts” (Mark 1:13). Contemplation is
not first of all consoling, which is why so many give up. Yes, the truth will
set you free, but first it will make you miserable.
Many teachers insist on at least twenty minutes for a full
contemplative “sit,” because you can assume that the first half (or more) of
any contemplative prayer time is just letting go of those thoughts, judgments,
fears, negations, and emotions that want to impose themselves. We become
watchers and witnesses, stepping back and observing without judgment. Gradually
we come to realize those thoughts and feelings are not “me.”
Thomas Keating teaches a beautifully simple exercise.
Imagine yourself sitting on the bank of a river. The river is your stream of
consciousness. Observe each of your thoughts coming along as if they’re saying,
“Think me, think me.” Watch your feelings come by saying, “Feel me, feel me.”
Acknowledge that you’re having the feeling or thought. Don’t hate it, judge it,
critique it, or move against it. Simply name it: “resentment toward so and so,”
“a thought about such and such.” Then place it on a boat and let it go down the
river. When another thought arises—as no doubt it will—welcome it and let it
go, returning to your inner watch place on the bank of the river. [1]
[1] To further explore this centering prayer practice, see
Thomas Keating, Open Mind, Open Heart: The Contemplative Dimension of the
Gospel (Continuum: 2006, ©1986), especially chapter 9.
Adapted from Richard Rohr, Everything Belongs: The Gift of
Contemplative Prayer (The Crossroad Publishing Company: 1999), 75; and
Contemplative Prayer (Center for Action and Contemplation:
2007), CD, MP3 download.
OVERCOMING THE DIVISIONS THAT DIVIDE US
This article is taken from the archives of Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI. You can find the original article here
We live in a world of deep divisions. Everywhere we see polarization, people bitterly divided from each other by ideology, politics, economic theory, moral beliefs, and theology. We tend to use over-simplistic categories within which to understand these divisions: the left and the right opposing each other, liberals and conservatives at odds, pro-life vying with pro-choice.
Virtually every social and moral issue is a war-zone: the status of women, climate change, gender roles, sexuality, marriage and family as institutions, the role of government, how the LGBTQ community is to be understood, among other issues. And our churches aren’t exempt; too often we cannot agree on anything. Civility has disappeared from public discourse even within our churches where there is now as much division and hostility within each denomination as there is between them. More and more, we cannot discuss openly any sensitive matter, even within our own families. Instead we discuss politics, religion, and values only within our own ideological circles; and there, rather than challenging each other, we mostly end up feeding each other in our biases and indignations thus becoming even more intolerant, bitter, and judgmental.
Scripture calls this enmity, hatred, and indeed that’s its proper name. We are becoming hate-filled people who both fuel and justify our hatred on religious and moral grounds. We need only to watch the news on any night to see this. How’s this to be overcome?
At the more macro level in politics and religion, it’s hard to see how these bitter divides will ever be bridged, especially when so much of our public discourse is feeding and widening the division. What’s needed is nothing short of religious conversion, a religious change of heart, and that’s contingent on the individual. The collective heart will change only when individual hearts first do. We help save the sanity of the world by first safeguarding our own sanity, but that’s no easy task.
It’s not as simple as everyone simply agreeing to think nicer thoughts. Nor, it seems, will we find much common ground in our public dialogues. The dialogue that’s needed isn’t easily come by; certainly we haven’t come by it yet. Many groups are trying for it, but without much success. Generally what happens is that the even most-well intended dialogue quickly degenerates into an attempt to by each side to score its own ideological points rather than in genuinely trying to understand each other. Where does that leave us?
The real answer, I believe, lies in an understanding of how the cross and death of Jesus brings about reconciliation. The author of the Letter to the Ephesians tells us that Jesus broke down the barrier of hostility that existed between communities by creating one person where formerly there had been two – and he did it this “by reconciling both [sides] in one body through his cross, which put that enmity to death.” (Ephesians 2, 16)
How does the cross of Christ put enmity to death? Not through some kind of magic. Jesus didn’t break down the divisions between us by mystically paying off some debt for our sins through his suffering, as if God needed to be appeased by blood to forgive us and open the gates of heaven. That image is simply the metaphor behind our icons and language about being washed clean of sin and saved by the blood of Christ. What happened in the cross and death of Jesus is something that asks for our imitation not simply our admiration. What happened in the cross and death of Jesus is an example for us to imitate. What are we to imitate?
What Jesus did in his passion and death was to transform bitterness and division rather than to retransmit them and give them back in kind. In the love which he showed in his passion and death Jesus did this: He took in hatred, held it inside himself, transformed it, and gave back love. He took in bitterness, held it, transformed it, and gave back graciousness. He took in curses, held them, transformed them, and gave back blessing. He took in paranoia, held it, transformed it, and gave back big-heartedness. He took in murder, held it, transformed it, and gave back forgiveness. And he took in enmity, bitter division, held it, transformed it, and through that revealed to us the deep secret for forming community, namely, we need to take away the hatred that divides us by absorbing and holding it within ourselves and thereby transforming it. Like a water purifier which holds within itself the toxins and the poisons and gives back only pure water, we must hold within ourselves the toxins that poison community land give back only graciousness and openness to everyone. That’s the only key to overcome division.
We live in bitterly divisive times, paralyzed in terms of meeting amicably on virtually every sensitive issue of politics, economics, morality, and religion. That stalemate will remain until one by one, we each transform rather than enflame and retransmit the hatred that divides us.
REBUILT 18: TRANSFORM YOUR TEAM
One of the major events that we’re already working on is our first ever Rebuilt Conference, April 16 & 17.
Actually it’s not really a first, more like a fourth. Back about five years ago we decided to host a first ever Conference for Catholic churches, such as we had experienced in Evangelical churches. Part seminar, part retreat, part pep-rally, we came away from conferences at Saddleback Church (Purpose-Driven Conference), Fellowship Church Dallas (Creative Pastor’s Conference), and Northpoint Church Atlanta (Drive Conference) refreshed, renewed, restored, and motivated to keep moving forward.
We developed a determination that we wanted to do that for Catholic parishes. Thus was born a conference we called “Matter.” We hosted Matter for three consecutive years 2013-2015 each year selling out. We welcomed parish leaders from everywhere in the country as well as guests from other countries. It was a great experience and we learned a lot in the process.
Unfortunately the past two years we had to put our conference on pause, during the construction of our new church. We took that opportunity to rebrand ourselves as Rebuilt 18 and now that construction is complete we’re ready to re-launch.
The conference begins on a Monday evening. That way if parishes want to check out our weekend experience they can join us the day before. There will be pre-conference breakouts and workshops, so your time here on Monday will be entirely worthwhile. The Opening session, in which I will give the key-note, includes some amazing features that will amaze you.
Tuesday brings two incredibly interesting general sessions hosted by our conference MC Brian Crook. Jeff Cavins, one of the most popular biblical scholars in the country, thanks to his long running TV show on EWTN and his best selling books, including The Great Adventure Bible Study, will be giving us a biblical perspective for church health and growth. Then we’ll hear from Craig Groeschel, pastor of Life.Church. Craig will be joining us via video, in which Tom Corcoran, my associate, and I pick his brain about how he grew his church from 6 of his buddies in his Dad’s garage, to the largest, and one of the most creative churches in the country.
The day will include dozens of breakouts, work shops, and round table discussions led by our Nativity staff. Every conceivable topic related to church life, health, and growth will be explored: liturgy and music, the celebration (and administration) of the sacraments, kids and student programs, pastoral care, finances and fundraising, operations and administration, small groups and volunteer ministry and missions, evangelization, discipleship, communication, preaching…and the list goes on.
There will be an exhibit hall where our partners and friends will be offering resources and tools you can use. And we promise good food and snacks, and great coffee.
Tom will close the conference out with an inspiring send off.
But here’s the thing: to get in on the early bird special you’ve got to register your group before the end of the month. It’s worth the investment because it will transform your team and energize you to go further, faster.
One of the major events that we’re already working on is our first ever Rebuilt Conference, April 16 & 17.
Actually it’s not really a first, more like a fourth. Back about five years ago we decided to host a first ever Conference for Catholic churches, such as we had experienced in Evangelical churches. Part seminar, part retreat, part pep-rally, we came away from conferences at Saddleback Church (Purpose-Driven Conference), Fellowship Church Dallas (Creative Pastor’s Conference), and Northpoint Church Atlanta (Drive Conference) refreshed, renewed, restored, and motivated to keep moving forward.
We developed a determination that we wanted to do that for Catholic parishes. Thus was born a conference we called “Matter.” We hosted Matter for three consecutive years 2013-2015 each year selling out. We welcomed parish leaders from everywhere in the country as well as guests from other countries. It was a great experience and we learned a lot in the process.
Unfortunately the past two years we had to put our conference on pause, during the construction of our new church. We took that opportunity to rebrand ourselves as Rebuilt 18 and now that construction is complete we’re ready to re-launch.
The conference begins on a Monday evening. That way if parishes want to check out our weekend experience they can join us the day before. There will be pre-conference breakouts and workshops, so your time here on Monday will be entirely worthwhile. The Opening session, in which I will give the key-note, includes some amazing features that will amaze you.
Tuesday brings two incredibly interesting general sessions hosted by our conference MC Brian Crook. Jeff Cavins, one of the most popular biblical scholars in the country, thanks to his long running TV show on EWTN and his best selling books, including The Great Adventure Bible Study, will be giving us a biblical perspective for church health and growth. Then we’ll hear from Craig Groeschel, pastor of Life.Church. Craig will be joining us via video, in which Tom Corcoran, my associate, and I pick his brain about how he grew his church from 6 of his buddies in his Dad’s garage, to the largest, and one of the most creative churches in the country.
The day will include dozens of breakouts, work shops, and round table discussions led by our Nativity staff. Every conceivable topic related to church life, health, and growth will be explored: liturgy and music, the celebration (and administration) of the sacraments, kids and student programs, pastoral care, finances and fundraising, operations and administration, small groups and volunteer ministry and missions, evangelization, discipleship, communication, preaching…and the list goes on.
There will be an exhibit hall where our partners and friends will be offering resources and tools you can use. And we promise good food and snacks, and great coffee.
Tom will close the conference out with an inspiring send off.
But here’s the thing: to get in on the early bird special you’ve got to register your group before the end of the month. It’s worth the investment because it will transform your team and energize you to go further, faster.
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