Rob Colquhoun

1/ To love God with all heart, soul and mind

2/ To love others and be of service to others

3/ To show commitment and continuity

4/ To learn how to say no and not just do everything

5/ To bring others to faith and show the appeal of faith through example and evangelisation

6/ To finish with gossiping

7/ To find open opportunities to be of service to others

8/ To be open and honest to God’s vocation for oneself

9/ To increase in self control and all the gifts of the holy spirit

10/ To work hard and be fully engaged in all one does.

Suffering is a real and unavoidable element of human life. Many look for the avoidance of necessary suffering, but sometimes we have to embrace the crosses that God gives us and accept them, even thank God for the situation we are in. A trial of character can bear much fruit and can help us build character. Only Christianity has an answer to the problem of suffering, because God came down and endured terrible suffering himself. Free will has not been compromised to eradicate human suffering and we are responsible for much suffering ourselves, even at times, indirectly when we do not recognise it. Mostly man’s worst enemy is himself because he continually invents new ways of hurting and destroying himself and his environment. One of my favourite sayings is pain is only temporary, but glory is forever. Implied in this, the anguish we suffer can never be compared to the glory of resurrection and eternal glory with God. Even when the just and righteous are persecuted, God can bring greatness out of miserable events. God brings justice, in fruitful collaboration with his mercy to man. It is not acceptable to wallow in self pity or misery for no good reason, or to use emotional blackmail to seek attention from others. Learning to cope with suffering, and never to complain or to seek attention is a gift of humility. Many have suffered greviously and unjustly yet have barely uttered a word of complaint.

Given that the universal destination of material goods means that we cannot attach ourselves too closely to worldly materials,

Given that we are not knowledgeable about our origin and our destiny, and therefore are either created or exist by chance,

Understanding that man searches for meaning from the depth of his own heart looking for meaning and purpose in his life,

Acknowledging that Man yearns for life beyond this life and in the quest for existence further than the temporal, glimpses to the eternal,

Following this, man can only posit theological questions of a supernatural kind in order to approach these questions coherently and must therefore talk about God to determine all of the above. In answering questions of meaning of existence (who, why, what, where) one must have a chat to God, in prayer.

Therefore, for any of the above questions to have a positive answer, God must exist otherwise man is a casual and meaningless product of evolution, destined for future non existence.

2. Given that love is the most powerful and liberating force known to humanity, surpassing all barriers of race, nation or time, A religion that embraces a God that is love is likely to be closer to God and to an understanding of God,

Given that the Church pays high regard to humanity, championing the poor, visiting the sick, loving neighbour and standing up for man’s fundamental human rights of dignity and inviolability on earth, we must understand that the Church is an expert in humanity.

Understanding that the Christian God embraced our suffering, gave his life as a ransom for many, dwelled in humanity that we might embrace divinity and was made man and dwelt among us, this God must be considered the one true God,

Believing that this God, made manifest in Jesus Christ, founded the Church, appointed apostles and successors and gave mankind the Holy Spirit which countless Saints have received holiness from,

Only one conclusion can be reached, which is the Church is alive, its beliefs are true and the Gospel is to be accepted to love and serve Jesus as he loved and served us. Yet due to the foolishness of humanity few will accept this at heart and only those that love him will keep his commandments. Therefore this resolution can not be approved by the assembly, as the EU minister is going on about something on reproductive rights.

And only where

God is seen

Does life truly begin

Only when we meet the living God in Christ

Do we know what life is

We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution

Each of us is the result of a thought of God

Each of us willed

Each of us loved

Each of us is necessary

There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel

By the encounter with Christ

There is nothing more beautiful

Than to know him and to speak to others of friendship of Him

Religion cannot but have some connection to politics. Since the separation of Church and State in the USA and in France in 1905, an emphasis has been placed on distinctness between the two realms has been made. Politics is geared towards justice, which is inherently ethical. Justice also involves reason which when properly analysed must be accompanied by faith. Reason is also bound by ethical considerations. Religion has much to say the foundation and origin of ethics. The more society acts towards the common good in its legislation and culture the less evil can pervade humanity. The Church can help to guide consciences to show how we can have a correct understanding of what good and evil is, and how to promote the common good.

Religion is discarded by modern popular culture in Britain today. But the philosophical foundations of religion must be actively considered by every rational person. This is the mystery of life. What is the meaning and purpose of existence? Who am I? Where am I from? Why is there something rather than nothing? What happens when I die? What happened to my ancestors when they died? Where am I going (in the transcendent and ontological dimensions)? Why do I know the difference between right and wrong? Without a serious engagement with those questions one would live a meaningless and purposeless existence. British culture is at a watershed moment- I think it is currently directionless and awaiting new impetus, away from the Big brother culture and towards a clear understanding of humanity. Sometimes the deepest cause of suffering is an absence of God. And yet despite the lack of interest in institutional religion, there is still a yearning and fascination for an answer to the questions that surround religion. Christ is the guide of the way to follow in order to have a full understanding of our meaning and purpose, yet he does not answer all our inquisitive questions immediately.

There is also a chasm between what religion is and how it is perceived. After centuries of inaccurate media coverage of Catholic issues, there is a wealth of misunderstanding, errors and prejudice. If people really knew what that was available through the grace of God there would be queues outside every Church. Yet at the same time every person must stand accountable to God at the end of their life and testify their acts. Sometimes I wonder whether a great reawakening of Britain would be possible, a conversion back to the faith and how this would occur. This may happen by witness, by events but time and time again it seems more unlikely.

The Church must engage with these questions of life in the language of the secular world in order to be understood, but it must not reduce or water down its message to the level of the secular world. When Paul visited the Areopagus, he talked there to the Greeks about the unknown God that they were searching for. Ultimately life finds its meaning and purpose in serving others rather than self, and through a relationship with Jesus Christ.  

Benedict XVI has recently commented on the relationship between faith and politics:

Deus Caritas Est n.28:

Be not anxious of what may happen tomorrow. The same everlasting father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day.

Either he will shield you from suffering or he will give you unfailing strength to bear it.

Be at peace then, and put as all anxious thoughts and imagining.

The mystery of God means that he is far beyond human reasoning and understanding. But the Bible describes that God sides with the weak, the humble, the poor and simple. God deserts those with pride, arrogance, riches and selfishness. The beatitudes portray with great beauty the description of how God has such compassion to side with those who are hard done by and have suffered. A dogmatic understanding of God within the institutional Church would fail to take account of his love for all mankind- Jesus himself dined with tax collectors and prostitutes. It is a common phrase that the Lord moves in mysterious ways and grace or love can never be put under the microscope or in the laboratory. However, if we are authentic in our prayers and in our actions, we can learn to come to a closer relationship with God through loving him. Our understanding of who God is may change over time as this relationship becomes closer- perhaps for example from paternal judge to loving father. Our own parents are essential in the formation of our own religious beliefs and the notion of God itself as the parental role is an imitation of the paternity of God.

Life in the College over the autumn term 2005 (revised article)

Robert Colquhoun

This year we have 17 students studying the propadeutic year at the Royal English College. The year is designed to be a preparatory year prior to starting the 1^st year of seminary, not just to focus on academic issues but also to mould us into well rounded individuals (which can also happen through the excellent food here!). The most striking aspect of the community is many students are from different backgrounds and stages of life yet we have still formed a solid community. Gareth is from Wales, Tom from Ireland, Jean Paul from Congo and the rest of us are from all over England, including some funny accented people from the north of England.

The emphasis on the year is structured around the instructions given by John Paul II in Pastores Dabo Vobis, an instruction on priestly formation. The four main areas are human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral development. Most days start with meditation for half an hour. It is essential to start the day with prayer, in silence with God in the peace of the chapel. We also pray morning and evening prayer together which is a focal point for the community. Fr John Pardo teaches Catechesis (an outline of the catechism) for 3 lessons a week, served with many dollops of references to ice cream, his favourite subject. We also have spiritual direction with Fr Kevin Mcloughlin once every 2 weeks. This is an essential part of formation where spiritual progress and any problems can be discussed, normally with ample comparisons to his 20 years working for Topman and the retail industry. There is a weekly session of ‘Lectio Divina’ (praying with the scriptures), Eucharistic adoration and the rosary. We also have many Spanish lessons with Maria Pilar that are important given the excellent opportunity that there is to have a good grasp of Spanish here. There is also an emphasis on public speaking and we have been given many presentations as assignments.

We have a daily celebration of the Eucharist, helped with a good standard of liturgy and music. A Schola (choir) was formed in order to drown out the atonal members of the community. The liturgy is organised by the students every week in line with the readings, although some radicals have infiltrated the selection committee to introduce diabolical hymns such as ‘Shine Jesus shine.’ Musical diversity went a little bit too far when somebody got a tambourine out and Stefan starting playing the drums! The Martyr’s day (25^th October) celebrations and the Vulnerata Mass are the two biggest celebrations of the College this term. Both Masses were followed by appropriately enormous feasts, with Lunch ending just in time for evening prayer! We also have had a Taize Advent service organised by the students and a reconciliation service.

Many lessons have been taken by visiting priests and religious from the UK. Fr Bill Readman came to give lectures for a week on the Scriptures, whilst Archbishop Kelly of Liverpool also gave a week of talks on theology. Sister Amadeus Bulger has been very helpful visiting 3 times before she comes permanently for the spring term. Fr Jeff Bayhi has taught on human development with a particular emphasis on the role of celibacy and the length of trousers. We have had a great variety of guests and it enhances the life of the college to have so many visitors. I have visited some of the outstanding Cathedrals in the department (area) of Castile y Leon in Segovia, Leon and Burgos which have been truly inspiring.  

Two major cultural events occurred this term. A conference was organised to celebrate 400 years of peace between England and Spain. This included 3 history lectures, an exhibition, a piano concert and 2 nights of acting from a compilation of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. The Vulnerata Mass was preceded by 3 days of prayer and public Masses, including a spectacular concert from the poems of St John of the Cross and St Terese of Lisieux. We have also visited Salamanca and Avila, whilst there was a 3 day break to allow students to travel to Spain to experience some of the culture in other cities.

The year presents itself as a clear opportunity for students to develop a deeper relationship with God through a solid interior life, through the liturgy, sacraments and personal prayer. The college chapel is an inspiration for prayer in itself. One only has to imagine the martyrs who lived and studied here to be inspired and the lifelike paintings down the corridor help to vivify this image. The fascinating history of the college, combined with the beauty of the building makes one feel privileged to be here as part of that history.

In January each student has been assigned a pastoral placement somewhere in the UK to either help with a community or a parish through volunteer work. This will help us to have a greater understanding of commitment in service, helping, guiding and inspiring others.

2 years ago I went to a talk in St. Paul’s Cathedral about whether humanity was killing itself. The speakers failed to address any of the serious issues on this topic which would directly answer this question. Yet with the advent of yet another debate about euthanasia in Parliament, this question is again on our door. Even though the description humanity is abstract, there are many areas where one could answer this question: euthanasia, abortion, suicide, poverty, war, destroying the environment, causing cancer or other terminal illnesses and the disintegration of society leading to earlier deaths for all.

Euthanasia is the most direct answer to the question, one person with or without request killing another person- I sincerely hope that the legislation of Britain does not encourage it further, currently it is legal in Britain by omission, but those libertarians who want more freedoms want to have assisted euthanasia and pretend that this killing is ‘dignified.’

As for abortion, it involves a mother killing her unborn child for various reasons. Given that around 180,000 abortions happen in the UK each year, this is definite place where humans are killing others, occasionally for very selfish reasons. Ultimately much compassion is needed in this area given the immense psychological damage that is done over abortion which is simply not recognised by many doctors, who loosely interpret the 1967 abortion law as meaning abortion on demand. In that respect they break the law and create further medical problems for their patients.

Suicide is tragic, nevertheless it can never be moral. There are a low number of suicides, but given it is an individual against himself, it is not quite the same as a collective effort of many humans acting against themselves.

AIDS ensures that sex which is meant as giving the gift of life is radically transformed into giving the gift of death- exactly the opposite. Yet if humanity lived having sex within the confines of monogamous it would be virtually impossible for the disease to spread. This is a clear example of how sin changes mankind from giving life to giving death to one another.

More research needs to be done into Cancer to verify the causes of the rise in Cancer. There are many causes and research needs to be done especially on the pill and other reproductive issues to establish whether they cause cancer. The astounding rise in Breast cancer must be coming from somewhere and not having children increases the chances of Breast cancer.

These examples all have one thing in common, an unhealthy understanding of death and suffering. Christ embraced his Cross and embraced suffering for the sake of humanity and consequently gave the potential of eternal life for all. It is through his death that life is given to humanity, and a transcendent understanding of life, one that is beyond our life here on earth. If we cannot believe anything beyond this life then we might as well become saturated with all our pleasures here on this earth as life is meaningless if it has no future. But in this culture, a culture of death enters society – wreaking havoc and misery on its members, who have no purpose and meaning to their existence. Once people lose purpose and meaning they disintegrate.

What needs to be promoted is a culture of life, from conception to natural death, embracing humanity, which shows how humanity is capable of giving life, through birth and spiritual life though faith in Christ- that way people will be filled with faith, joy, hope and these aspects will radiate out across humanity. Humanity is capable of giving true life to itself.

Can you believe in Justice and not believe in God?

If one does not believe in God, it is remarkably complex to believe in either a supernatural life or an afterlife unless you believe in reincarnation or another method of some form of your being continuing existence. Given that justice is rarely lived in fullness in the temporal realm, for example some robbers are not punished while innocents receive life sentences, it is impossible to believe that the temporal realm gives more than an incomplete picture of Justice. This is all that non afterlife atheism can strive for.

But by believing in God, all one’s actions both good and bad are before the Lord, by the one who gives and who takes away. God ensures that justice is served eventually. Mankind is not made to be the judge but we are reassured that a judge is there who forgives us from our offences if we wholeheartedly repent and honour our lives towards God and serving good as understood by Christ and his Church. Simultaneously those who have committed horrendous crimes unrepentant cannot escape their repercussions. Forgiveness cannot necessarily happen after death when there is to be some gnashing of teeth.

Therefore, atheism must be unless it comes up with an alternative gesture to understand justice has a flawed notion of justice. Atheism that rejects the afterlife believes both Hitler and Mother Teresa live in the same present state of non existence- that is surely a ludicrous depiction of the nihilistic vision that atheism adheres to. Justice is mysteriously made manifest and shining in full brilliance by God and this is what we believe.