Up to 30 per cent of food produced worldwide is wasted.
One billion people have not enough food to eat.
Ireland produces one million tonnes of food waste each year.
On a per capita basis, the average Irish person generates 280kg of food waste each year, the fifth highest in Europe.
The average Irish household spends between €700 and €1,000 annually on waste food.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Signs afoot of a gentler and kinder Catholic Church
This week's Independent News and Media regional newspapers' column.
By Michael Commane
Much has been written about the new pope. Certainly, in his style - or perhaps understatedness - Pope Francis seems impressive.
The omens are good: he dresses plainly, lives modestly, pays his hotel bill in person within 24-hours of being made pope. I have high hopes he will look askance at the obscure and exclusive liturgical practices that gained such traction in our church over recent years and bring the People of God, in from the cold.
A few days ago I was at Mass. There was a clear division of status - the priest ‘up there’, the rest of us, in our proper place and by proper order, ‘down here’.
Up there then in the rarefied atmosphere, the celebrant cleaned and re-cleaned the chalice, intensely, scrupulously, to the point of phobia. Down here though in the pews, we strained to hear, as the Mass sped by us, in a barely-audible monotone. Up there, was a priest wearing pre Vatican II vestments and a maniple. A ‘maniple’ you ask? An embroidered band of material which hangs from the left arm of the priest, a liturgical affectation that disappeared in the 1970s.
Pope Francis, himself, seems to be having none of it, opting for a more matter-of-fact liturgical dress.
It’s uplifting to see that he seems to care more about the radical message of the Gospel, the urgency of the Word of God for all, particularly the poor, than establishing canonical status or donning retro liturgical accessories. It seems as if, suddenly, authenticity and simplicity will have their day.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, when Archbishop of Buenos Aires, told his own priests who refused to baptise the children of unmarried mothers that they were hypocrites. What about the fathers?
US Vice President Joe Biden and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi have received Communion from Pope Francis. Lucky they.
But luckier still, the men, women and children who, under Pope Francis, will no longer have to put up with the unadulterated, offensive words peddled and preached by their priestly ‘betters’ about who can and cannot receive Communion. Not too long ago, a priest was out roaring and shouting about unmarried mothers receiving Communion at the First Holy Communion of their children.
The Church - the People of God - have suffered greatly because of a tendency to turn priests into some sort of moral police service, a holy KGB watching over sex and sexuality. I never ever heard of a priest being asked to refuse Communion to someone who does not pay their taxes, or whose choices broke banks, brought down a country and forced thousands of our best and brightest to emigrate, have you?
Michael Harding, who writes a weekly newspaper column and has just published ‘Staring at Lakes’, was interviewed on the Brendan O’Connor Show last Saturday week.
Michael was ordained a priest in 1981 but retired from his priesthood after a short period. He made an interesting comment on the show. He said that theological fascism was introduced into the church with the papacy of John Paul II and then continued under Pope Benedict XVI. And if you think about it, John Paul II grew up under two nasty systems, Nazism and Communism.
Benedict was born into a barbaric Nazi world and would have spent his early schooling being brainwashed by the system.
Of course, the two men despised the Nazis and the Communists but we are all children of our environment and very often the tools we use to oppose our enemy develop vestiges of the behaviour of the enemy itself.
Today then, we need a gentler and kinder Church, one that is sympathetic, empathetic, always willing to listen to those who might disagree with us.
Talking to the world’s media on March 16 Pope Francis said: “Many of you don’t belong to the Catholic Church, others are not believers. From my heart I impart this blessing, in silence, to each of you, respecting the conscience of each one but knowing that each of you is a child of God: May God bless you.” Impressive words.
Astounding humility. A telling insight.
By Michael Commane
Much has been written about the new pope. Certainly, in his style - or perhaps understatedness - Pope Francis seems impressive.
The omens are good: he dresses plainly, lives modestly, pays his hotel bill in person within 24-hours of being made pope. I have high hopes he will look askance at the obscure and exclusive liturgical practices that gained such traction in our church over recent years and bring the People of God, in from the cold.
A few days ago I was at Mass. There was a clear division of status - the priest ‘up there’, the rest of us, in our proper place and by proper order, ‘down here’.
Up there then in the rarefied atmosphere, the celebrant cleaned and re-cleaned the chalice, intensely, scrupulously, to the point of phobia. Down here though in the pews, we strained to hear, as the Mass sped by us, in a barely-audible monotone. Up there, was a priest wearing pre Vatican II vestments and a maniple. A ‘maniple’ you ask? An embroidered band of material which hangs from the left arm of the priest, a liturgical affectation that disappeared in the 1970s.
Pope Francis, himself, seems to be having none of it, opting for a more matter-of-fact liturgical dress.
It’s uplifting to see that he seems to care more about the radical message of the Gospel, the urgency of the Word of God for all, particularly the poor, than establishing canonical status or donning retro liturgical accessories. It seems as if, suddenly, authenticity and simplicity will have their day.
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, when Archbishop of Buenos Aires, told his own priests who refused to baptise the children of unmarried mothers that they were hypocrites. What about the fathers?
US Vice President Joe Biden and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi have received Communion from Pope Francis. Lucky they.
But luckier still, the men, women and children who, under Pope Francis, will no longer have to put up with the unadulterated, offensive words peddled and preached by their priestly ‘betters’ about who can and cannot receive Communion. Not too long ago, a priest was out roaring and shouting about unmarried mothers receiving Communion at the First Holy Communion of their children.
The Church - the People of God - have suffered greatly because of a tendency to turn priests into some sort of moral police service, a holy KGB watching over sex and sexuality. I never ever heard of a priest being asked to refuse Communion to someone who does not pay their taxes, or whose choices broke banks, brought down a country and forced thousands of our best and brightest to emigrate, have you?
Michael Harding, who writes a weekly newspaper column and has just published ‘Staring at Lakes’, was interviewed on the Brendan O’Connor Show last Saturday week.
Michael was ordained a priest in 1981 but retired from his priesthood after a short period. He made an interesting comment on the show. He said that theological fascism was introduced into the church with the papacy of John Paul II and then continued under Pope Benedict XVI. And if you think about it, John Paul II grew up under two nasty systems, Nazism and Communism.
Benedict was born into a barbaric Nazi world and would have spent his early schooling being brainwashed by the system.
Of course, the two men despised the Nazis and the Communists but we are all children of our environment and very often the tools we use to oppose our enemy develop vestiges of the behaviour of the enemy itself.
Today then, we need a gentler and kinder Church, one that is sympathetic, empathetic, always willing to listen to those who might disagree with us.
Talking to the world’s media on March 16 Pope Francis said: “Many of you don’t belong to the Catholic Church, others are not believers. From my heart I impart this blessing, in silence, to each of you, respecting the conscience of each one but knowing that each of you is a child of God: May God bless you.” Impressive words.
Astounding humility. A telling insight.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Fines for Germany's two wheelers
Germany introduces new cycling fines today.
A cyclist cycling the wrong direction in a one-way street is fined €15. Fine for cycling in a pedestiran zone is €20.
Something that is urgently needed on the streets of our cities.
A cyclist cycling the wrong direction in a one-way street is fined €15. Fine for cycling in a pedestiran zone is €20.
Something that is urgently needed on the streets of our cities.
A little boy, his mammy and the deodorant
Is this just old fashioned nonsense on my part?
In a Lidl shop today a woman suggested to her little son at the cosmetic section that a particular brand of deodorant would suit him.
Does a little boy, who was most likely under 10, need to buy deodorant?
I have to admit I'm puzzled.
In a Lidl shop today a woman suggested to her little son at the cosmetic section that a particular brand of deodorant would suit him.
Does a little boy, who was most likely under 10, need to buy deodorant?
I have to admit I'm puzzled.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Easter greetings to all readers of this blog
A happy and holy Easter season to all readers of this blog.
In March this blog was read in 235 cities around the world.
It is now linked to a twitter feed.
Thank you for your readership.
In March this blog was read in 235 cities around the world.
It is now linked to a twitter feed.
Thank you for your readership.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
The Risen Lord overcomes all fear
In his Easter Viigil Mass Pope Francis spoke about how the women were surprised to discover the empty tomb and how they told the disciples.
Fear turned to joy and hope.
The Risen Lord gives us the power to overcome all fear.
Fear turned to joy and hope.
The Risen Lord gives us the power to overcome all fear.
Cul-de-sac of Holy Saturday ends in Easter Sunday
Today's Thinking Anew column in The Irish Times.
By Michael Commane
Today is not Easter Saturday, rather Holy Saturday. And it's interesting how the world of marketing has changed today's name from Holy Saturday to Easter Saturday.
Of course the world of branding and marketing wants to keep us all so upbeat and celebratory that we want to dance out to the shops and fill our baskets with produce and spend our money.
But in the Christian calendar today and the days of this week are filled with doom and gloom. The agony in the garden, betrayal, crucifixion. Today the world stands still. We are in a cul-de-sac and it seems as if there is no hope.
We have been duped, fooled and it has all ended in the brutal and mocking execution of a man who claimed crazy things, offering hope to the marginalised and freedom to the enslaved.
And then on Easter Sunday a woman, well worth noting that it was a woman, Mary of Magdala, first became aware of the enormity that had taken place.
The man who had been crucified some hours earlier was no longer in the tomb where he had been placed. The woman was so excited about what she experienced that she called Simon Peter and the one Jesus loved.
And then it dawned on them that something extraordinary had happened.
"Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that he must rise from the dead. The disciples then went home again." (John 20: 9 - 10).
It was as extraordinary and as ordinary as that. Nothing is ever the same again.
For someone as ordinary as I, it is impossible to attempt to 'explain' or try to give an empirical or philosophical meaning to what resurrection means.
All I can say is that I am a child of my environment, a Christian who believes in my own fumbling way in resurrection. It is always made most manifest to me when I visit the grave of my parents, where I pray and believe that they share in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Surely my mother and father have not been annihilated. There is more to all this than nothing.
Anyone who has sat at the bedside of a gravely ill person knows something about the horror of pain and sickness. Clichéd and trite words are meaningless, even offensive. It's a time when the reality goes beyond our words.
The phenomenon of such illness is terribly bleak. One has every reason to say it is a cul-de-sac. There is no hope. It is the cruel reality we encounter in Holy Week.
Tomorrow we celebrate the most important feast in the Christian calendar - our hope and our belief, resurrection.
And this day today, Holy Saturday, is a great reminder for us to take some consolation in the reality that before our ultimate resurrection none of us avoids the pain and suffering, "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune".
Of course it is our mission, our project to do all in our power to alleviate pain and suffering in the world. It is simple cant to tell people to relax in their pain and suffering. But at the same time it would seem naive to try to hide ourselves from pain, to wish it away or to think that this world can be turned into a pain-free zone.
The present economic crisis gives us some hint of how close we are all the time to pain and suffering.
Maybe calling today Easter Saturday is not just a marketing technique but also signifies some wishful thinking that we can banish pain from the world. We believe all doom, all pain, all suffering end in resurrection. We all die. No one avoids that. But Christians believe that we are destined for resurrection.
We believe we have neither been fooled nor duped. There is more to it than a cul-de-sac. Holy Saturday leads to Easter Sunday.
Alleluia, alleluia, the Lord is risen.
By Michael Commane
Today is not Easter Saturday, rather Holy Saturday. And it's interesting how the world of marketing has changed today's name from Holy Saturday to Easter Saturday.
Of course the world of branding and marketing wants to keep us all so upbeat and celebratory that we want to dance out to the shops and fill our baskets with produce and spend our money.
But in the Christian calendar today and the days of this week are filled with doom and gloom. The agony in the garden, betrayal, crucifixion. Today the world stands still. We are in a cul-de-sac and it seems as if there is no hope.
We have been duped, fooled and it has all ended in the brutal and mocking execution of a man who claimed crazy things, offering hope to the marginalised and freedom to the enslaved.
And then on Easter Sunday a woman, well worth noting that it was a woman, Mary of Magdala, first became aware of the enormity that had taken place.
The man who had been crucified some hours earlier was no longer in the tomb where he had been placed. The woman was so excited about what she experienced that she called Simon Peter and the one Jesus loved.
And then it dawned on them that something extraordinary had happened.
"Till this moment they had failed to understand the teaching of scripture, that he must rise from the dead. The disciples then went home again." (John 20: 9 - 10).
It was as extraordinary and as ordinary as that. Nothing is ever the same again.
For someone as ordinary as I, it is impossible to attempt to 'explain' or try to give an empirical or philosophical meaning to what resurrection means.
All I can say is that I am a child of my environment, a Christian who believes in my own fumbling way in resurrection. It is always made most manifest to me when I visit the grave of my parents, where I pray and believe that they share in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Surely my mother and father have not been annihilated. There is more to all this than nothing.
Anyone who has sat at the bedside of a gravely ill person knows something about the horror of pain and sickness. Clichéd and trite words are meaningless, even offensive. It's a time when the reality goes beyond our words.
The phenomenon of such illness is terribly bleak. One has every reason to say it is a cul-de-sac. There is no hope. It is the cruel reality we encounter in Holy Week.
Tomorrow we celebrate the most important feast in the Christian calendar - our hope and our belief, resurrection.
And this day today, Holy Saturday, is a great reminder for us to take some consolation in the reality that before our ultimate resurrection none of us avoids the pain and suffering, "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune".
Of course it is our mission, our project to do all in our power to alleviate pain and suffering in the world. It is simple cant to tell people to relax in their pain and suffering. But at the same time it would seem naive to try to hide ourselves from pain, to wish it away or to think that this world can be turned into a pain-free zone.
The present economic crisis gives us some hint of how close we are all the time to pain and suffering.
Maybe calling today Easter Saturday is not just a marketing technique but also signifies some wishful thinking that we can banish pain from the world. We believe all doom, all pain, all suffering end in resurrection. We all die. No one avoids that. But Christians believe that we are destined for resurrection.
We believe we have neither been fooled nor duped. There is more to it than a cul-de-sac. Holy Saturday leads to Easter Sunday.
Alleluia, alleluia, the Lord is risen.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Friel's 'Translations' at the Gaiety
Brian Friel's 'Translations' finishes in the Gaiety tomorrow.
The cruelty of all forms of military behaviour no matter how nuanced. How love manages to cross the most fortified borders.
At times the greatness of the play came through but far too often stereotypes seemed to dominate and as a result much was lost.
It's on this year's Leaving Cert and many students were in the theatre on Tuesday night. It would be interesting to ask them what they thought.
The cruelty of all forms of military behaviour no matter how nuanced. How love manages to cross the most fortified borders.
At times the greatness of the play came through but far too often stereotypes seemed to dominate and as a result much was lost.
It's on this year's Leaving Cert and many students were in the theatre on Tuesday night. It would be interesting to ask them what they thought.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
A fabulous paragraph
Another paragraph from Pope Francis today.
People leaving church with good news.
This is great. We have been waiting a long time for this.
"A good priest can be recognised by the way his people are anointed: this is a clear proof. When our people are anointed with the oil of gladness, it is obvious: for example, when they leave Mass looking as if they have heard good news."
People leaving church with good news.
This is great. We have been waiting a long time for this.
"A good priest can be recognised by the way his people are anointed: this is a clear proof. When our people are anointed with the oil of gladness, it is obvious: for example, when they leave Mass looking as if they have heard good news."
Pope suggests to priests to be shepherds with their people
Two short paragraphs from Pope Francis's Holy Thursday Chrism Mass. He is talking about priests
Those who do not go out of themselves, instead of being mediators, gradually become intermediaries, managers. We know the difference: the intermediary, the manager, “has already received his reward”, and since he doesn’t put his own skin and his own heart on the line, he never hears a warm, heartfelt word of thanks.
This is precisely the reason for the dissatisfaction of some, who end up sad – sad priests - in some sense becoming collectors of antiques or novelties, instead of being shepherds living with “the odour of the sheep”. This I ask you: be shepherds, with the “odour of the sheep”, make it real, as shepherds among your flock, fishers of men.
Those who do not go out of themselves, instead of being mediators, gradually become intermediaries, managers. We know the difference: the intermediary, the manager, “has already received his reward”, and since he doesn’t put his own skin and his own heart on the line, he never hears a warm, heartfelt word of thanks.
This is precisely the reason for the dissatisfaction of some, who end up sad – sad priests - in some sense becoming collectors of antiques or novelties, instead of being shepherds living with “the odour of the sheep”. This I ask you: be shepherds, with the “odour of the sheep”, make it real, as shepherds among your flock, fishers of men.
Pope Francis's Holy Thursday sermon
Easy to read and wise words.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This morning I have the joy of celebrating my first Chrism Mass as the Bishop of Rome. I greet all of you with affection, especially you, dear priests, who, like myself, today recall the day of your ordination.
The readings and the Psalm of our Mass speak of God’s “anointed ones”: the suffering Servant of Isaiah, King David and Jesus our Lord. All three have this in common: the anointing that they receive is meant in turn to anoint God’s faithful people, whose servants they are; they are anointed for the poor, for prisoners, for the oppressed…
A fine image of this “being for” others can be found in the Psalm 133: “It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down upon the collar of his robe” (v. 2). The image of spreading oil, flowing down from the beard of Aaron upon the collar of his sacred robe, is an image of the priestly anointing which, through Christ, the Anointed One, reaches the ends of the earth, represented by the robe.
The sacred robes of the High Priest are rich in symbolism. One such symbol is that the names of the children of Israel were engraved on the onyx stones mounted on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, the ancestor of our present-day chasuble: six on the stone of the right shoulder-piece and six on that of the left (cf. Ex 28:6-14).
The names of the twelve tribes of Israel were also engraved on the breastplate (cf. Es 28:21). This means that the priest celebrates by carrying on his shoulders the people entrusted to his care and bearing their names written in his heart. When we put on our simple chasuble, it might well make us feel, upon our shoulders and in our hearts, the burdens and the faces of our faithful people, our saints and martyrs who are numerous in these times.
From the beauty of all these liturgical things, which is not so much about trappings and fine fabrics than about the glory of our God resplendent in his people, alive and strengthened, we turn now to a consideration of activity, action. The precious oil which anoints the head of Aaron does more than simply lend fragrance to his person; it overflows down to “the edges”.
The Lord will say this clearly: his anointing is meant for the poor, prisoners and the sick, for those who are sorrowing and alone. My dear brothers, the ointment is not intended just to make us fragrant, much less to be kept in a jar, for then it would become rancid … and the heart bitter.
A good priest can be recognized by the way his people are anointed: this is a clear proof. When our people are anointed with the oil of gladness, it is obvious: for example, when they leave Mass looking as if they have heard good news.
Our people like to hear the Gospel preached with “unction”, they like it when the Gospel we preach touches their daily lives, when it runs down like the oil of Aaron to the edges of reality, when it brings light to moments of extreme darkness, to the “outskirts” where people of faith are most exposed to the onslaught of those who want to tear down their faith. People thank us because they feel that we have prayed over the realities of their everyday lives, their troubles, their joys, their burdens and their hopes.
And when they feel that the fragrance of the Anointed One, of Christ, has come to them through us, they feel encouraged to entrust to us everything they want to bring before the Lord: “Pray for me, Father, because I have this problem”, “Bless me Father”, “Pray for me” – these words are the sign that the anointing has flowed down to the edges of the robe, for it has turned into a prayer of supplication, the supplication of the People of God.
When we have this relationship with God and with his people, and grace passes through us, then we are priests, mediators between God and men. What I want to emphasize is that we need constantly to stir up God’s grace and perceive in every request, even those requests that are inconvenient and at times purely material or downright banal – but only apparently so – the desire of our people to be anointed with fragrant oil, since they know that we have it.
To perceive and to sense, even as the Lord sensed the hope-filled anguish of the woman suffering from hemorrhages when she touched the hem of his garment. At that moment, Jesus, surrounded by people on every side, embodies all the beauty of Aaron vested in priestly raiment, with the oil running down upon his robes. It is a hidden beauty, one which shines forth only for those faith-filled eyes of the woman troubled with an issue of blood. But not even the disciples – future priests – see or understand: on the “existential outskirts”, they see only what is on the surface: the crowd pressing in on Jesus from all sides (cf. Lk 8:42). The Lord, on the other hand, feels the power of the divine anointing which runs down to the edge of his cloak.
We need to “go out”, then, in order to experience our own anointing, its power and its redemptive efficacy: to the “outskirts” where there is suffering, bloodshed, blindness that longs for sight, and prisoners in thrall to many evil masters. It is not in soul-searching or constant introspection that we encounter the Lord: self-help courses can be useful in life, but to live our priestly life going from one course to another, from one method to another, leads us to become pelagians and to minimize the power of grace, which comes alive and flourishes to the extent that we, in faith, go out and give ourselves and the Gospel to others, giving what little ointment we have to those who have nothing, nothing at all.
The priest who seldom goes out of himself, who anoints little – I won’t say “not at all” because, thank God, the people take the oil from us anyway – misses out on the best of our people, on what can stir the depths of his priestly heart.
Those who do not go out of themselves, instead of being mediators, gradually become intermediaries, managers. We know the difference: the intermediary, the manager, “has already received his reward”, and since he doesn’t put his own skin and his own heart on the line, he never hears a warm, heartfelt word of thanks.
This is precisely the reason for the dissatisfaction of some, who end up sad – sad priests - in some sense becoming collectors of antiques or novelties, instead of being shepherds living with “the odour of the sheep”. This I ask you: be shepherds, with the “odour of the sheep”, make it real, as shepherds among your flock, fishers of men.
True enough, the so-called crisis of priestly identity threatens us all and adds to the broader cultural crisis; but if we can resist its onslaught, we will be able to put out in the name of the Lord and cast our nets.
It is not a bad thing that reality itself forces us to “put out into the deep”, where what we are by grace is clearly seen as pure grace, out into the deep of the contemporary world, where the only thing that counts is “unction” – not function – and the nets which overflow with fish are those cast solely in the name of the One in whom we have put our trust: Jesus.
Dear lay faithful, be close to your priests with affection and with your prayers, that they may always be shepherds according to God’s heart.
Dear priests, may God the Father renew in us the Spirit of holiness with whom we have been anointed. May he renew his Spirit in our hearts, that this anointing may spread to everyone, even to those “outskirts” where our faithful people most look for it and most appreciate it.
May our people sense that we are the Lord’s disciples; may they feel that their names are written upon our priestly vestments and that we seek no other identity; and may they receive through our words and deeds the oil of gladness which Jesus, the Anointed One, came to bring us. Amen.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
This morning I have the joy of celebrating my first Chrism Mass as the Bishop of Rome. I greet all of you with affection, especially you, dear priests, who, like myself, today recall the day of your ordination.
The readings and the Psalm of our Mass speak of God’s “anointed ones”: the suffering Servant of Isaiah, King David and Jesus our Lord. All three have this in common: the anointing that they receive is meant in turn to anoint God’s faithful people, whose servants they are; they are anointed for the poor, for prisoners, for the oppressed…
A fine image of this “being for” others can be found in the Psalm 133: “It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down upon the collar of his robe” (v. 2). The image of spreading oil, flowing down from the beard of Aaron upon the collar of his sacred robe, is an image of the priestly anointing which, through Christ, the Anointed One, reaches the ends of the earth, represented by the robe.
The sacred robes of the High Priest are rich in symbolism. One such symbol is that the names of the children of Israel were engraved on the onyx stones mounted on the shoulder-pieces of the ephod, the ancestor of our present-day chasuble: six on the stone of the right shoulder-piece and six on that of the left (cf. Ex 28:6-14).
The names of the twelve tribes of Israel were also engraved on the breastplate (cf. Es 28:21). This means that the priest celebrates by carrying on his shoulders the people entrusted to his care and bearing their names written in his heart. When we put on our simple chasuble, it might well make us feel, upon our shoulders and in our hearts, the burdens and the faces of our faithful people, our saints and martyrs who are numerous in these times.
From the beauty of all these liturgical things, which is not so much about trappings and fine fabrics than about the glory of our God resplendent in his people, alive and strengthened, we turn now to a consideration of activity, action. The precious oil which anoints the head of Aaron does more than simply lend fragrance to his person; it overflows down to “the edges”.
The Lord will say this clearly: his anointing is meant for the poor, prisoners and the sick, for those who are sorrowing and alone. My dear brothers, the ointment is not intended just to make us fragrant, much less to be kept in a jar, for then it would become rancid … and the heart bitter.
A good priest can be recognized by the way his people are anointed: this is a clear proof. When our people are anointed with the oil of gladness, it is obvious: for example, when they leave Mass looking as if they have heard good news.
Our people like to hear the Gospel preached with “unction”, they like it when the Gospel we preach touches their daily lives, when it runs down like the oil of Aaron to the edges of reality, when it brings light to moments of extreme darkness, to the “outskirts” where people of faith are most exposed to the onslaught of those who want to tear down their faith. People thank us because they feel that we have prayed over the realities of their everyday lives, their troubles, their joys, their burdens and their hopes.
And when they feel that the fragrance of the Anointed One, of Christ, has come to them through us, they feel encouraged to entrust to us everything they want to bring before the Lord: “Pray for me, Father, because I have this problem”, “Bless me Father”, “Pray for me” – these words are the sign that the anointing has flowed down to the edges of the robe, for it has turned into a prayer of supplication, the supplication of the People of God.
When we have this relationship with God and with his people, and grace passes through us, then we are priests, mediators between God and men. What I want to emphasize is that we need constantly to stir up God’s grace and perceive in every request, even those requests that are inconvenient and at times purely material or downright banal – but only apparently so – the desire of our people to be anointed with fragrant oil, since they know that we have it.
To perceive and to sense, even as the Lord sensed the hope-filled anguish of the woman suffering from hemorrhages when she touched the hem of his garment. At that moment, Jesus, surrounded by people on every side, embodies all the beauty of Aaron vested in priestly raiment, with the oil running down upon his robes. It is a hidden beauty, one which shines forth only for those faith-filled eyes of the woman troubled with an issue of blood. But not even the disciples – future priests – see or understand: on the “existential outskirts”, they see only what is on the surface: the crowd pressing in on Jesus from all sides (cf. Lk 8:42). The Lord, on the other hand, feels the power of the divine anointing which runs down to the edge of his cloak.
We need to “go out”, then, in order to experience our own anointing, its power and its redemptive efficacy: to the “outskirts” where there is suffering, bloodshed, blindness that longs for sight, and prisoners in thrall to many evil masters. It is not in soul-searching or constant introspection that we encounter the Lord: self-help courses can be useful in life, but to live our priestly life going from one course to another, from one method to another, leads us to become pelagians and to minimize the power of grace, which comes alive and flourishes to the extent that we, in faith, go out and give ourselves and the Gospel to others, giving what little ointment we have to those who have nothing, nothing at all.
The priest who seldom goes out of himself, who anoints little – I won’t say “not at all” because, thank God, the people take the oil from us anyway – misses out on the best of our people, on what can stir the depths of his priestly heart.
Those who do not go out of themselves, instead of being mediators, gradually become intermediaries, managers. We know the difference: the intermediary, the manager, “has already received his reward”, and since he doesn’t put his own skin and his own heart on the line, he never hears a warm, heartfelt word of thanks.
This is precisely the reason for the dissatisfaction of some, who end up sad – sad priests - in some sense becoming collectors of antiques or novelties, instead of being shepherds living with “the odour of the sheep”. This I ask you: be shepherds, with the “odour of the sheep”, make it real, as shepherds among your flock, fishers of men.
True enough, the so-called crisis of priestly identity threatens us all and adds to the broader cultural crisis; but if we can resist its onslaught, we will be able to put out in the name of the Lord and cast our nets.
It is not a bad thing that reality itself forces us to “put out into the deep”, where what we are by grace is clearly seen as pure grace, out into the deep of the contemporary world, where the only thing that counts is “unction” – not function – and the nets which overflow with fish are those cast solely in the name of the One in whom we have put our trust: Jesus.
Dear lay faithful, be close to your priests with affection and with your prayers, that they may always be shepherds according to God’s heart.
Dear priests, may God the Father renew in us the Spirit of holiness with whom we have been anointed. May he renew his Spirit in our hearts, that this anointing may spread to everyone, even to those “outskirts” where our faithful people most look for it and most appreciate it.
May our people sense that we are the Lord’s disciples; may they feel that their names are written upon our priestly vestments and that we seek no other identity; and may they receive through our words and deeds the oil of gladness which Jesus, the Anointed One, came to bring us. Amen.
Chips for every dog in the State
Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney plans to introduce chipping for all dogs in the State.
Sounds a good idea.
Thirty per cent of dog owners buy a dog licence. What sort of a system is that, where 70 per cent don't purchase a licence?
As 'Dougal' would say: "... that's mad
Sounds a good idea.
Thirty per cent of dog owners buy a dog licence. What sort of a system is that, where 70 per cent don't purchase a licence?
As 'Dougal' would say: "... that's mad
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Cruel bank holiday social welfare cuts
Certain categories of social welfare recipients have a disproportionate sum of money cut from their weekly payments in weeks which have bank holidays.
Imagine the justified anger people who are so affected must feel.
Mr Ahern and Mr Cowen receive €2,743 per week from the State.
And then the palaver that is used to explain why such cuts are made in weeks which have bank holidays.
No cuts in those weeks to Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen.
Imagine the justified anger people who are so affected must feel.
Mr Ahern and Mr Cowen receive €2,743 per week from the State.
And then the palaver that is used to explain why such cuts are made in weeks which have bank holidays.
No cuts in those weeks to Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Advised to go away and join the Masons
This letter was written to me subsequent to a column I had wirtten in INM Irish regional newspapers on March 6.
Dear Fr Commane,
I don't know who you are or do I want to know you but reading your story in this week's Kerryman leads me to believe that you are one of these so-called association of priests that no right minded priest would want to be associated with, parasites in every sense of the word, lost in the quagmire of sin and the delusions that sinful living manufactures.
Fod God's sake and for the sake of the majority of Kerryman readers, all well grounded and God fearing, go away and join up with the Masonic movement or some other oganisation of similar persuasion.
Sincerely,
XXXXXXX
I doubt the Masons would take me.
The writer did give his name and address.
Dear Fr Commane,
I don't know who you are or do I want to know you but reading your story in this week's Kerryman leads me to believe that you are one of these so-called association of priests that no right minded priest would want to be associated with, parasites in every sense of the word, lost in the quagmire of sin and the delusions that sinful living manufactures.
Fod God's sake and for the sake of the majority of Kerryman readers, all well grounded and God fearing, go away and join up with the Masonic movement or some other oganisation of similar persuasion.
Sincerely,
XXXXXXX
I doubt the Masons would take me.
The writer did give his name and address.
The world according to 'Alive'
In the April issue of the free sheet 'Alive' there is an un-signed article which states that 'The Irish Times' places more value in 'The New York Times' than it does in the natural law or common sense.
On another page the reader is informed that 'The New York Times' is 'the great bastion of silly liberalism'.
Herod gets mention again this month above a story that has the headline: "Study finds UK hospitals killing off 60,000 patients a year"
The April issue also carries a story on UK environmental campaigner David Bellamy.
The piece is titled 'Bellamy says he was frozen out of the BBC'.
'Alive' reports how Bellamy regrets the present political correctness at the BBC.
"When I was at the BBC, I could do whatever I wanted. In those days, you could say what you liked. You can't now," he said.
Replace 'BBC' with 'church' and would it still be political corectness.
Logic never seems a strong point with 'Alive'.
On another page the reader is informed that 'The New York Times' is 'the great bastion of silly liberalism'.
Herod gets mention again this month above a story that has the headline: "Study finds UK hospitals killing off 60,000 patients a year"
The April issue also carries a story on UK environmental campaigner David Bellamy.
The piece is titled 'Bellamy says he was frozen out of the BBC'.
'Alive' reports how Bellamy regrets the present political correctness at the BBC.
"When I was at the BBC, I could do whatever I wanted. In those days, you could say what you liked. You can't now," he said.
Replace 'BBC' with 'church' and would it still be political corectness.
Logic never seems a strong point with 'Alive'.
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Gunther Jauch continues the Nazi discussion
This evening's Gunher Jauch Show highlighted the years of the Nazi terror.
On the proramme were: 1. an 85-year old actor, whose father was a convinced Nazi. As a young woman she prayed that God would protect Adolf Hitler, 2. a 91-year old woman, who served in a field hospital in what was then Königsberg, 3. a 30-year-old historian, who in 2005 interviewed his grandfather, who fought on the eastern front, 4. a man who volunteerd to serve with the Herman Goering battalion, 5. Sigmar Gabriel, SPD president, whose father was a convinced Nazi until his death last year.
Fascinating television.
There was a general consensus that after the war families simply did not speak to one another about what had happened.
The young historian argued that in the programme instead of speaking about what happened at Auschwitz, they should ask how was it that the German people allowed Auschwitz to happen.
Also on the show was an interview with a man, who fought in Russia, his son and the old soldier's grand-daughter.
It was an insightful programme but not one of the participants ever hinted, that yes, he or she personally did wrong, shot someone, informed on someone, as millions of Germans did in the years of the Hitler terror.
It so happens that today German President Joachim Gauck, on the invitation of a survivor, visited a village in Tuscany, 150 kilometres from Florence, where Germans massacred more than 500 villagers on August 12, 1944.
On the proramme were: 1. an 85-year old actor, whose father was a convinced Nazi. As a young woman she prayed that God would protect Adolf Hitler, 2. a 91-year old woman, who served in a field hospital in what was then Königsberg, 3. a 30-year-old historian, who in 2005 interviewed his grandfather, who fought on the eastern front, 4. a man who volunteerd to serve with the Herman Goering battalion, 5. Sigmar Gabriel, SPD president, whose father was a convinced Nazi until his death last year.
Fascinating television.
There was a general consensus that after the war families simply did not speak to one another about what had happened.
The young historian argued that in the programme instead of speaking about what happened at Auschwitz, they should ask how was it that the German people allowed Auschwitz to happen.
Also on the show was an interview with a man, who fought in Russia, his son and the old soldier's grand-daughter.
It was an insightful programme but not one of the participants ever hinted, that yes, he or she personally did wrong, shot someone, informed on someone, as millions of Germans did in the years of the Hitler terror.
It so happens that today German President Joachim Gauck, on the invitation of a survivor, visited a village in Tuscany, 150 kilometres from Florence, where Germans massacred more than 500 villagers on August 12, 1944.
Born on Palm Sunday 1915
Lally Lawlor was born on Palm Sunday 1915.
A remarkable woman, who reads the daily newspaper and knits for her grandchildren.
An amazingly kind person and so alert.
When the cardinals gathered to elect a pope she commented that there was not a woman to be seen.
Ms Lawlor is the grandmother of 'Nidge' in the RTE series 'Love/Hate'.
A remarkable woman, who reads the daily newspaper and knits for her grandchildren.
An amazingly kind person and so alert.
When the cardinals gathered to elect a pope she commented that there was not a woman to be seen.
Ms Lawlor is the grandmother of 'Nidge' in the RTE series 'Love/Hate'.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Michael Harding makes great television
Michael Harding was most impressive on the Brendan O'Connor Show this evening.
Or maybe it is simply that this blogger is greatly impressed with the man and his writing.
His fun, his sense of the world about him, his lack of any self importance. And then the throw-away comment about what life might be about.
His remark about the theological facism of Pope John Paul ll and how the world of liberal theology changed with his papacy was more than interesting.
His realness was so clear. Compare that to all the pious 'stuff' we hear from the 'holy ones' .
Interesting. Surely in a healthy and a church that is alive and real there would be a place for the likes of former priest, Michael Harding.
Or maybe it is simply that this blogger is greatly impressed with the man and his writing.
His fun, his sense of the world about him, his lack of any self importance. And then the throw-away comment about what life might be about.
His remark about the theological facism of Pope John Paul ll and how the world of liberal theology changed with his papacy was more than interesting.
His realness was so clear. Compare that to all the pious 'stuff' we hear from the 'holy ones' .
Interesting. Surely in a healthy and a church that is alive and real there would be a place for the likes of former priest, Michael Harding.
A mere extra 80 or so million years
Scientists revise previous estimates of the age of the universe.
They now say it is 13.81 billion years old.
They now say it is 13.81 billion years old.
Nobel Peace Prize winner support Pope Francis
Some clarification on the role Pope Francis, the then Fr Bergoglio, played in Argentina during the junta.
Argenitne Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Pérez Esquivel after a meeting on Thursday with Pope Francis said: "Fr Bergoglio in no way colluded with the Argentine military dictatorship."
Argenitne Nobel Peace Prize winner Adolfo Pérez Esquivel after a meeting on Thursday with Pope Francis said: "Fr Bergoglio in no way colluded with the Argentine military dictatorship."
Friday, March 22, 2013
Different German boots in Astana this evening
Time in Dublin 18.31, in Berlin 19.31 and in Astana 00.31.
Thirty-one minutes ago was kick-off time for the football game between Kazakhstan and Germany.
Obviously the time is to suit German TV viewers. What about the people of Kazalhstan?
Still, that young German men are playing in friendship and peace against young men from Kazakhstan is the miracle of our time.
Seventy years ago, 69 years ago, young men from these parts were slaughtering one another.
It is a great evening for the world even if the money of the wealthy have the people of Kazakhstan staying up so late. Better than to be kept awake watching football than listening to the bombs and rifle fire of German guns and Russian Katushas.
Fortunately, the Germans never got so far east but it was the young men of the east, who were drafted in to fight on the Volga.
Alas, now at 18.36 the Germans are two goals to the good.
Thirty-one minutes ago was kick-off time for the football game between Kazakhstan and Germany.
Obviously the time is to suit German TV viewers. What about the people of Kazalhstan?
Still, that young German men are playing in friendship and peace against young men from Kazakhstan is the miracle of our time.
Seventy years ago, 69 years ago, young men from these parts were slaughtering one another.
It is a great evening for the world even if the money of the wealthy have the people of Kazakhstan staying up so late. Better than to be kept awake watching football than listening to the bombs and rifle fire of German guns and Russian Katushas.
Fortunately, the Germans never got so far east but it was the young men of the east, who were drafted in to fight on the Volga.
Alas, now at 18.36 the Germans are two goals to the good.
Priestly jealousy can look so polished
The Scottish Herald reports that it is a former lover of Cardinal Keith O'Brien who outed the now retired Archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh.
The article points out that the complainant is a priest now working on mainland Europe.
Revenge, conniving, hurt.
There are no answers to human nature but so much of this pain might well be avoided.
Our church needs to be a more honest place, kinder too. The spoof is intolerable. The more sophisticated the spoof, the more likely it is rewarded with promotion.
Often it is said that women are the jealous ones. So wrong. Men are the experts. And nowhere is jealousy more evident than among priests. And all done in the nastiest of ways. And ever so polished. It can even sound eloquent and eerily kind.
Sad and pitiful too.
Pray God Pope Francis will see the story.
The article points out that the complainant is a priest now working on mainland Europe.
Revenge, conniving, hurt.
There are no answers to human nature but so much of this pain might well be avoided.
Our church needs to be a more honest place, kinder too. The spoof is intolerable. The more sophisticated the spoof, the more likely it is rewarded with promotion.
Often it is said that women are the jealous ones. So wrong. Men are the experts. And nowhere is jealousy more evident than among priests. And all done in the nastiest of ways. And ever so polished. It can even sound eloquent and eerily kind.
Sad and pitiful too.
Pray God Pope Francis will see the story.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
How headlines can mislead
Yesterday's Guardian ran a headline: 'Police support officer guilty of sex charges'
Of course the police were not supporting the officer. The man in the dock was a police support officer.
Of course the police were not supporting the officer. The man in the dock was a police support officer.
Separating the men from the women
There is a number of givens that divide women and men. Women remember dates of birthdays, anniversaries.
It seems women too can match socks.
I can never fathom how I end up with so many odd socks. I have just spent the last 30 minutes kneeling down trying to match socks. I can't believe how many pairs I managed to create but I still end up with 12 odd socks.
It has to be one of the great unresolved mysteries.
It sounds wise to buy all black socks until you discover there is a myriad shade of black.
Are there as many shades of white?
It's impossible.
It seems women too can match socks.
I can never fathom how I end up with so many odd socks. I have just spent the last 30 minutes kneeling down trying to match socks. I can't believe how many pairs I managed to create but I still end up with 12 odd socks.
It has to be one of the great unresolved mysteries.
It sounds wise to buy all black socks until you discover there is a myriad shade of black.
Are there as many shades of white?
It's impossible.
Government can cut vulgar pensions
Former taoisigh Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen have had their pensions 'reduced' to €142,655.
In yesterday's Irish Times David Gwynn Morgan, emeritus professor of law at UCC, argues that Government has scope to reduce such pensions to a scale comensurate to the current crisis.
It makes little sense for Government to 'slash and burn', especially the most vulnerable and fragile and at the same time to leave Mr Cowen and Mr Ahern with weekly cheques of €2,743. It's by the week the less well-off manage their budgets.
Two men who oversaw the destuction of this State paid such pensions can't make sense.
But it is not just the former taoisigh, judges, senior civil servants and other senior managers in the public and priavte sector are simply paid vulgar pensions.
In yesterday's Irish Times David Gwynn Morgan, emeritus professor of law at UCC, argues that Government has scope to reduce such pensions to a scale comensurate to the current crisis.
It makes little sense for Government to 'slash and burn', especially the most vulnerable and fragile and at the same time to leave Mr Cowen and Mr Ahern with weekly cheques of €2,743. It's by the week the less well-off manage their budgets.
Two men who oversaw the destuction of this State paid such pensions can't make sense.
But it is not just the former taoisigh, judges, senior civil servants and other senior managers in the public and priavte sector are simply paid vulgar pensions.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Simply slipping into a new queue
What changes will the new pope bring?
On Sunday a wise man said: "The sycophants will just change queues."
He used a more common and vulgar term for sycophants.
Clever, accurate too.
On Sunday a wise man said: "The sycophants will just change queues."
He used a more common and vulgar term for sycophants.
Clever, accurate too.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Guardian columnist tells another story
This article by George Monbiot appears in today's Guardian. Upsetting if this is an accurate picture.
"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist." So said the Brazilian archbishop Dom Hélder Câmara. His adage exposes one of the great fissures in the Catholic church, and the emptiness of the new pope's claim to be on the side of the poor.
The bravest people I have met are all Catholic priests. Working in West Papua and then in Brazil, I met men who were prepared repeatedly to risk death for the sake of others. When I first knocked on the door of the friary in Bacabal, in the Brazilian state of Maranhão, the priest who opened it thought I had been sent to kill him. That morning he had received the latest in a series of death threats from the local ranchers' union. Yet still he opened the door.
Inside the friary was a group of peasants – some crying and trembling – whose bodies were covered in bruises made by rifle butts, and whose wrists bore the marks of rope burns. They were among thousands of people the priests were trying to protect, as expansionist landlords – supported by police, local politicians and a corrupt judiciary – burned their houses, drove them off their land, and tortured or killed those who resisted.
I learned something of the fear in which the priests lived when I was beaten and nearly shot by the military police. But unlike them, I could move on. They stayed to defend people whose struggles to keep their land were often a matter of life or death: expulsion meant malnutrition, disease and murder in the slums or the goldmines.
The priests belonged to a movement that had swept across Latin America, after the publication of A Theology of Liberation by Gustavo Gutiérrez in 1971. Liberation theologists not only put themselves between the poor and the killers, they also mobilised their flocks to resist dispossession, learn their rights and see their struggle as part of a long history of resistance, beginning with the flight of the Israelites from Egypt.
By the time I joined them, in 1989, seven Brazilian priests had been murdered; many others across the continent had been arrested, tortured and killed; Óscar Romero, the archbishop of San Salvador, had been shot dead. But dictators, landlords, police and gunmen were not their only enemies. Seven years after I first worked in Bacabal, I returned and met the priest who had opened the door. He couldn't talk to me. He had been silenced, as part of the church's great purge of dissenting voices. The lions of God were led by donkeys. The peasants had lost their protection.
The assault began in 1984 with the publication by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (the body formerly known as the Inquisition) of a document written by the man who ran it: Joseph Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict. It denounced "the deviations, and risks of deviation" of liberation theology. He did not deny what he called "the seizure of the vast majority of the wealth by an oligarchy of owners … military dictators making a mockery of elementary human rights [and] the savage practices of some foreign capital interests" in Latin America. But he insisted that "it is from God alone that one can expect salvation and healing. God, and not man, has the power to change the situations of suffering."
The only solution he offered was that priests should seek to convert the dictators and hired killers to love their neighbours and exercise self-control: "It is only by making an appeal to the 'moral potential' of the person and to the constant need for interior conversion, that social change will be brought about." I'm sure the generals and their death squads were quaking in their boots.
But at least Ratzinger has the possible defence that, being cloistered in the Vatican, he had little notion of what he was destroying. During the inquisition in Rome of one of the leading liberationists, Father Leonardo Boff, Ratzinger was invited by the archbishop of São Paulo to see the situation of Brazil's poor for himself. He refused – then stripped the archbishop of much of his diocese. Ratzinger was wilfully ignorant. But the current pope does not possess even this excuse.
Pope Francis knew what poverty and oppression looked like: several times a year he celebrated mass in Buenos Aires's Villa 21-24 slum. Yet, as leader Argentina's Jesuits, he denounced liberation theology, and insisted that priests seeking to defend and mobilise the poor remove themselves from the slums, shutting down their political activity.
He now maintains that he "would like a church that is poor and is for the poor". But does this mean giving food to the poor, or does it mean also asking why they are poor? The dictatorships of Latin America waged a war against the poor, which continued in many places after those governments collapsed. Different factions of the Catholic church took opposing sides in this war. Whatever the stated intentions of those who attacked and suppressed liberation theology, in practical terms they were the allies of tyrants, land grabbers, debt slavers and death squads. For all his ostentatious humility, Pope Francis was on the wrong side.
"When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist." So said the Brazilian archbishop Dom Hélder Câmara. His adage exposes one of the great fissures in the Catholic church, and the emptiness of the new pope's claim to be on the side of the poor.
The bravest people I have met are all Catholic priests. Working in West Papua and then in Brazil, I met men who were prepared repeatedly to risk death for the sake of others. When I first knocked on the door of the friary in Bacabal, in the Brazilian state of Maranhão, the priest who opened it thought I had been sent to kill him. That morning he had received the latest in a series of death threats from the local ranchers' union. Yet still he opened the door.
Inside the friary was a group of peasants – some crying and trembling – whose bodies were covered in bruises made by rifle butts, and whose wrists bore the marks of rope burns. They were among thousands of people the priests were trying to protect, as expansionist landlords – supported by police, local politicians and a corrupt judiciary – burned their houses, drove them off their land, and tortured or killed those who resisted.
I learned something of the fear in which the priests lived when I was beaten and nearly shot by the military police. But unlike them, I could move on. They stayed to defend people whose struggles to keep their land were often a matter of life or death: expulsion meant malnutrition, disease and murder in the slums or the goldmines.
The priests belonged to a movement that had swept across Latin America, after the publication of A Theology of Liberation by Gustavo Gutiérrez in 1971. Liberation theologists not only put themselves between the poor and the killers, they also mobilised their flocks to resist dispossession, learn their rights and see their struggle as part of a long history of resistance, beginning with the flight of the Israelites from Egypt.
By the time I joined them, in 1989, seven Brazilian priests had been murdered; many others across the continent had been arrested, tortured and killed; Óscar Romero, the archbishop of San Salvador, had been shot dead. But dictators, landlords, police and gunmen were not their only enemies. Seven years after I first worked in Bacabal, I returned and met the priest who had opened the door. He couldn't talk to me. He had been silenced, as part of the church's great purge of dissenting voices. The lions of God were led by donkeys. The peasants had lost their protection.
The assault began in 1984 with the publication by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (the body formerly known as the Inquisition) of a document written by the man who ran it: Joseph Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict. It denounced "the deviations, and risks of deviation" of liberation theology. He did not deny what he called "the seizure of the vast majority of the wealth by an oligarchy of owners … military dictators making a mockery of elementary human rights [and] the savage practices of some foreign capital interests" in Latin America. But he insisted that "it is from God alone that one can expect salvation and healing. God, and not man, has the power to change the situations of suffering."
The only solution he offered was that priests should seek to convert the dictators and hired killers to love their neighbours and exercise self-control: "It is only by making an appeal to the 'moral potential' of the person and to the constant need for interior conversion, that social change will be brought about." I'm sure the generals and their death squads were quaking in their boots.
But at least Ratzinger has the possible defence that, being cloistered in the Vatican, he had little notion of what he was destroying. During the inquisition in Rome of one of the leading liberationists, Father Leonardo Boff, Ratzinger was invited by the archbishop of São Paulo to see the situation of Brazil's poor for himself. He refused – then stripped the archbishop of much of his diocese. Ratzinger was wilfully ignorant. But the current pope does not possess even this excuse.
Pope Francis knew what poverty and oppression looked like: several times a year he celebrated mass in Buenos Aires's Villa 21-24 slum. Yet, as leader Argentina's Jesuits, he denounced liberation theology, and insisted that priests seeking to defend and mobilise the poor remove themselves from the slums, shutting down their political activity.
He now maintains that he "would like a church that is poor and is for the poor". But does this mean giving food to the poor, or does it mean also asking why they are poor? The dictatorships of Latin America waged a war against the poor, which continued in many places after those governments collapsed. Different factions of the Catholic church took opposing sides in this war. Whatever the stated intentions of those who attacked and suppressed liberation theology, in practical terms they were the allies of tyrants, land grabbers, debt slavers and death squads. For all his ostentatious humility, Pope Francis was on the wrong side.
Full text of Pope Francis's sermon
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
I thank the Lord that I can celebrate this Holy Mass for the inauguration of my Petrine ministry on the solemnity of Saint Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the patron of the universal Church. It is a significant coincidence, and it is also the name-day of my venerable predecessor: we are close to him with our prayers, full of affection and gratitude.
I offer a warm greeting to my brother cardinals and bishops, the priests, deacons, men and women religious, and all the lay faithful. I thank the representatives of the other Churches and ecclesial Communities, as well as the representatives of the Jewish community and the other religious communities, for their presence.
My cordial greetings go to the Heads of State and Government, the members of the official Delegations from many countries throughout the world, and the Diplomatic Corps.
In the Gospel we heard that “Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife” (Mt 1:24).
These words already point to the mission which God entrusts to Joseph: he is to be the custos, the protector. The protector of whom? Of Mary and Jesus; but this protection is then extended to the Church, as Blessed John Paul II pointed out: “Just as Saint Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model” (Redemptoris Custos, 1).
How does Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly and silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand. From the time of his betrothal to Mary until the finding of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem, he is there at every moment with loving care.
As the spouse of Mary, he is at her side in good times and bad, on the journey to Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful hours when she gave birth; amid the drama of the flight into Egypt and during the frantic search for their child in the Temple; and later in the day-to-day life of the home of Nazareth, in the workshop where he taught his trade to Jesus.
How does Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church? By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s presence and receptive to God’s plans, and not simply to his own.
This is what God asked of David, as we heard in the first reading. God does not want a house built by men, but faithfulness to his word, to his plan. It is God himself who builds the house, but from living stones sealed by his Spirit. Joseph is a “protector” because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping.
He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to God’s call, readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the Christian vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation!
The vocation of being a “protector”, however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone. It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us.
It means respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about. It means caring for one another in our families: husbands and wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their children, and children themselves, in time, protect their parents. It means building sincere friendships in which we protect one another in trust, respect, and goodness. In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God’s gifts!
Whenever human beings fail to live up to this responsibility, whenever we fail to care for creation and for our brothers and sisters, the way is opened to destruction and hearts are hardened. Tragically, in every period of history there are “Herods” who plot death, wreak havoc, and mar the countenance of men and women.
Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be “protectors” of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment. Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world! But to be “protectors”, we also have to keep watch over ourselves! Let us not forget that hatred, envy and pride defile our lives!
Being protectors, then, also means keeping watch over our emotions, over our hearts, because they are the seat of good and evil intentions: intentions that build up and tear down! We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!
Here I would add one more thing: caring, protecting, demands goodness, it calls for a certain tenderness. In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness!
Today, together with the feast of Saint Joseph, we are celebrating the beginning of the ministry of the new Bishop of Rome, the Successor of Peter, which also involves a certain power. Certainly, Jesus Christ conferred power upon Peter, but what sort of power was it? Jesus’ three questions to Peter about love are followed by three commands: feed my lambs, feed my sheep.
Let us never forget that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross. He must be inspired by the lowly, concrete and faithful service which marked Saint Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God’s people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important, those whom Matthew lists in the final judgment on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Only those who serve with love are able to protect!
In the second reading, Saint Paul speaks of Abraham, who, “hoping against hope, believed” (Rom 4:18). Hoping against hope!
Today too, amid so much darkness, we need to see the light of hope and to be men and women who bring hope to others. To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light break through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope!
For believers, for us Christians, like Abraham, like Saint Joseph, the hope that we bring is set against the horizon of God, which has opened up before us in Christ. It is a hope built on the rock which is God.
To protect Jesus with Mary, to protect the whole of creation, to protect each person, especially the poorest, to protect ourselves: this is a service that the Bishop of Rome is called to carry out, yet one to which all of us are called, so that the star of hope will shine brightly. Let us protect with love all that God has given us!
I implore the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saints Peter and Paul, and Saint Francis, that the Holy Spirit may accompany my ministry, and I ask all of you to pray for me!
I thank the Lord that I can celebrate this Holy Mass for the inauguration of my Petrine ministry on the solemnity of Saint Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the patron of the universal Church. It is a significant coincidence, and it is also the name-day of my venerable predecessor: we are close to him with our prayers, full of affection and gratitude.
I offer a warm greeting to my brother cardinals and bishops, the priests, deacons, men and women religious, and all the lay faithful. I thank the representatives of the other Churches and ecclesial Communities, as well as the representatives of the Jewish community and the other religious communities, for their presence.
My cordial greetings go to the Heads of State and Government, the members of the official Delegations from many countries throughout the world, and the Diplomatic Corps.
In the Gospel we heard that “Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife” (Mt 1:24).
These words already point to the mission which God entrusts to Joseph: he is to be the custos, the protector. The protector of whom? Of Mary and Jesus; but this protection is then extended to the Church, as Blessed John Paul II pointed out: “Just as Saint Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model” (Redemptoris Custos, 1).
How does Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly and silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand. From the time of his betrothal to Mary until the finding of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem, he is there at every moment with loving care.
As the spouse of Mary, he is at her side in good times and bad, on the journey to Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful hours when she gave birth; amid the drama of the flight into Egypt and during the frantic search for their child in the Temple; and later in the day-to-day life of the home of Nazareth, in the workshop where he taught his trade to Jesus.
How does Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church? By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s presence and receptive to God’s plans, and not simply to his own.
This is what God asked of David, as we heard in the first reading. God does not want a house built by men, but faithfulness to his word, to his plan. It is God himself who builds the house, but from living stones sealed by his Spirit. Joseph is a “protector” because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping.
He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to God’s call, readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the Christian vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation!
The vocation of being a “protector”, however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone. It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us.
It means respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about. It means caring for one another in our families: husbands and wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their children, and children themselves, in time, protect their parents. It means building sincere friendships in which we protect one another in trust, respect, and goodness. In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God’s gifts!
Whenever human beings fail to live up to this responsibility, whenever we fail to care for creation and for our brothers and sisters, the way is opened to destruction and hearts are hardened. Tragically, in every period of history there are “Herods” who plot death, wreak havoc, and mar the countenance of men and women.
Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be “protectors” of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment. Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world! But to be “protectors”, we also have to keep watch over ourselves! Let us not forget that hatred, envy and pride defile our lives!
Being protectors, then, also means keeping watch over our emotions, over our hearts, because they are the seat of good and evil intentions: intentions that build up and tear down! We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!
Here I would add one more thing: caring, protecting, demands goodness, it calls for a certain tenderness. In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness!
Today, together with the feast of Saint Joseph, we are celebrating the beginning of the ministry of the new Bishop of Rome, the Successor of Peter, which also involves a certain power. Certainly, Jesus Christ conferred power upon Peter, but what sort of power was it? Jesus’ three questions to Peter about love are followed by three commands: feed my lambs, feed my sheep.
Let us never forget that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross. He must be inspired by the lowly, concrete and faithful service which marked Saint Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God’s people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important, those whom Matthew lists in the final judgment on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Only those who serve with love are able to protect!
In the second reading, Saint Paul speaks of Abraham, who, “hoping against hope, believed” (Rom 4:18). Hoping against hope!
Today too, amid so much darkness, we need to see the light of hope and to be men and women who bring hope to others. To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light break through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope!
For believers, for us Christians, like Abraham, like Saint Joseph, the hope that we bring is set against the horizon of God, which has opened up before us in Christ. It is a hope built on the rock which is God.
To protect Jesus with Mary, to protect the whole of creation, to protect each person, especially the poorest, to protect ourselves: this is a service that the Bishop of Rome is called to carry out, yet one to which all of us are called, so that the star of hope will shine brightly. Let us protect with love all that God has given us!
I implore the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saints Peter and Paul, and Saint Francis, that the Holy Spirit may accompany my ministry, and I ask all of you to pray for me!
A few lines from Pope Francis's sermon
Cherish and protect one another and our environment
Caring, protecting demands goodness.
We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness.
Never forget authentic power is service.
The pope must be inspired by the lowly. He must open his arms to all, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important, the stranger, the sick, those in prison.
Only those who serve in love are able to protect.
The hope we bring is against the horizon of God.
Let us protect with love all that God has given us.
I ask you to pray for me
Caring, protecting demands goodness.
We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness.
Never forget authentic power is service.
The pope must be inspired by the lowly. He must open his arms to all, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important, the stranger, the sick, those in prison.
Only those who serve in love are able to protect.
The hope we bring is against the horizon of God.
Let us protect with love all that God has given us.
I ask you to pray for me
Major TV networks carry papal Mass
Michael Ross, who wrote his column in Saturday's Irish Times, will note, BBC One, BBC World, CNN, Al Jazeera, ARD, Phoenix, France 24 and indeed RTE are some of the television stations carrying live transmission of Mass from Rome this morning.
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