Rob Colquhoun

Everyone is called to a vocation: a place or state of life in which God wishes a person to work. To know one's particular vocation is often difficult. One's good inclinations, the opportunities of the moment, the needs of the Church and society, one's talents and accomplishments - these and many other  factors may be indications from God of a vocation. Only with prayer for light and with good spiritual direction can the decision about one's vocation be made prudently.

For a certainty God calls you, and calls strongly. With hindsight your life's work will seem obvious. Enjoy your searching. Do not be frustrated or hurried. Be aware that your calling will often include sufferingand personal loss; all life does. Be courageous. Renew your vocation with thanks in prayer every day. Immitate Pope John Paul II to whom the looking for, revealing and the living of his vocation was a blossoming love affair with God. Like him bank on finding your joy and sustenance in the Eucharist; it does reside there.

The story of Jonah is likely to have been a didactic tale. Jonah helps to bring mercy to Israel’s most detested city, Nineveh. God instructs him to inform the wicked city of Nineveh of their impending destruction. Yet Jonah rebels against his mission, preferring to be a stowaway on a boat rather than faithfully complete his task. Nevertheless God still has plans for his reluctant prophet. On his boat, a storm is blamed on Jonah and he is seized into the sea in order to save the ship, as he is the reason for the storm. It is expedient that one man should be sacrificed rather than the whole ship to perish! Through Jonah’s present on the ship the sailors turn to Yahweh in faith, having previously followed other gods. Through our presence, we can evangelise, and bring others to God.

 Jonah is then saved as Yahweh organises a great fish to swallow him. He again imitates Christ as for 3 days and nights he is kept inside the fish (read Christ’s death and resurrection) and he prays in exasperation: “Some abandon their faithful love by worshipping false gods, but I shall sacrifice to you with songs of praise.” God relents, and Jonah fulfils his mission to warn the people from their city being overthrown. He convinces the king to bring in fasting and sackcloth (penance). But after this, Jonah is again aggrieved. Not only was he reluctant to carry out his mission, he even has the audacity to complain about the success of his mission! He cries out, “Please take my life, I might as well be dead as I go on living.” Many lose hope in our age and the will to live, but we must carry on regardless, God gave us life, and it is God who takes it away. He complains of the death of a Castor oil plant that the Lord specifically grew for him. But God informs him, he did not have any effort to grow the plant, and it grew quickly then died. Jonah is full of ingratitude, yet the Lord still demonstrates to him his universal compassion and generous love, his willingness to relent at the appearance of repentance. The story also shows us that we must be dependant on the will of the Lord, eager and willing to carry it out and we must be grateful for the gifts we receive. We can all be vessels of the grace of God, able to bring redemption into the world in order to save others and ourselves.

Self sacrifice: City vs Church

Many young people are willing to work extraordinary hours in city based institutions (e.g. law firms and investment banks) in the spirit of sacrifice in order to advance in the world. Their sense of self sacrifice is admirable, they are willing to part with some of the most active and enthusiastic years of their life for their cause. A huge amount of effort and hours is put into their quest to get ahead. But what about the authenticity of their incentives? For some, it is the enjoyment of their job. For many, it is the desire for money, for the satisfaction of status or position or the desire to be powerful and influential. Many spend their whole careers committed to the acquisition of money and power for their own sakes.  Ultimately, one’s incentives will be questioned by God if they are not authentic. Greed, pride and avarice can never be stable foundations for the basis of one’s careers and unhappiness is just waiting in the wings to happen. Many workers need to address the transcendental questions of their existence. What are my responsibilities? Why must I do good rather than bad? What happens when I die? What is there beyond the here and now? Such questions are usually key in initiating a mid life crisis.

            The Church has a different notion of self sacrifice, which is orientated towards the gift of self towards a higher glory: to the glory of God, and to the common God of society. Work can be orientated towards bringing holiness into the world, through honesty, benevolence, compassion, integrity and prudence. Self sacrifice has admirable foundations, a following of Christ who himself layed down his life for all of humanity. Through this opening oneself for others, liberation is found rather than taken away and a rejection of one’s own egoism can be embraced. We either control our desires and passions or they control us, leaving a lack of self control. The Church’s message of the call to holiness and sacrifice means that we can come into close contact with joy, hope and peace: and Jesus himself ensures us that his yoke for us is light: he does not command more from us than is possible. God is unavoidable, not only did he create the world, he also created all of us, and has our destiny in his hands, and an assurance of eternal life. This means we have the ability to come into a strong relationship with him, to love him and dedicate our lives to him, founded on principles that will take us beyond where we are here and now. Self sacrifice, when put in its proper context of a loving God can bring countless joy and peace: A stable family life, the ability to care for the uncared, a chance to change the world. A life dedicated to self sacrifice on pure principles will bring endless fruits: most notably a discovery of self, an ability to be in tune with love, joy and peace through the heart of a merciful God.

Lent is a time for reflection and revision of the life of prayer. It is a time for recollection and fasting. It is also a time for penance, conversion and a greater impulse to holiness. We can all rid that unbelief from us by seeking to be more converted to the will of God and to strive to avoid sin and bring good into the world. Lent is the time to cure the poisoning of our soul by our sin.

It was the time when the Lord retreated to the desert for 40 days when he was tempted by the devil. We also need times of solitude and reflection in our lives. We do not necessarily need to follow our Lord into the desert, as we only have to be alone to reflect. It is worthwhile having a daily observance, free from any noise or distraction on conscience and to consider how we have been faithful over the day. We cannot avoid facing temptation, similarly as we cannot avoid sinning, but it is our courage in facing that temptation that we learn to grow in character, discipline and the spirit. Either we learn to control our passions or our passions learn to control us.

Robert Colquhoun

A.1. Liturgy is the set of forms for the public worship of the Church. The word can refer to the whole complex of official services. The most important form of liturgy is the celebration of the Paschal mystery through the Eucharist. The Paschal mystery is Christ’s work of redemption through his life, death and resurrection. The Eucharist renews and celebrates the paschal sacrifice of Christ as the sacrifice offered by the Church. The liturgy is the public celebration of faith in Christ, through the participation in the sacraments and traditions of the Church. Liturgy also means public work and doing the work of God. In the New Testament the understanding also applies to charity and the proclaiming of the Gospel. The liturgy brings in life in the spirit and involvement in the mission of Church. The liturgy makes the Church the visible sign of communion between God and man and involves the whole community; it is where the power from the Church flows out to bring fruit in the lives of the faithful.

2. We need to have liturgy in the Church because it is essential for a community to have a central and organised worship to acknowledge our faith in Christ and his Church. This is so the people of God may live from Christian truth and proclaim and live it in the world. The liturgy is the conscious, active and fruitful participation of the faithful in the rites of the Church and this makes it alive. The liturgy is needed because we need to manifest God’s message into the world and make it living and real. This is done through the expression of the Christian mystery in our lives through actively living faith, hope and charity through life in the spirit. Participating in the work of God, we can help to inaugurate the Kingdom of God, bringing in service of God and neighbour. Liturgy is needed to teach others about the Christian faith in order that they can understand, interiorize and then actively live out the Christian faith. Prayer is integral to the life of a Christian and this is an important part of the liturgy of the hours.

3. The practical consequences of liturgy are a source of life for the practising Catholic. Active participation in the liturgy is not just a commitment, but a life fulfilling activity, being a source for grace and faith. Ideally it means that one is attached to a Christian community where one can live out faith to share with others. The liturgy must at some point educate, nourish and transform the Christian to a more intimate relationship with Christ. Our own transformation (especially spiritually) is integral to the liturgy so we can put on Christ and take up his cross. From that we can evangelise the world with acts of charity and love. The acts of liturgy help to bring evangelisation, conversion and grace. This helps us to change from our previous selves to the people who we have the potential to become, imitating closely the gifts of the holy spirit, wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, piety, fortitude and fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:1-3). It also means offering up acts to God, a sacrifice of thanksgiving (Ps 50 (49):12-4), sincerity in ‘steadfast love’ (Hosea 6:6) and also obedience and submission (1 Sam 15:22) to God. Through this personal relationship with Jesus Christ through the liturgy we can become increasingly faithful and loving of him. Above all we must avoid rigidifying a sacrificial system which then degenerates to externalism and syncretism but instead strive to have a personal relationship with God. (cf. The Spirit of the Liturgy, Ratzinger, p45).

B.1.      During the pastoral placement I found that an understanding of many issues that deal with the Catholic faith were discussed and questioned. The question of creation came to many classrooms which I had to answer. The vast majority of young people did not know that evolution was compatible with the Church’s understanding of creation. An understanding that mankind was given conscience and free will is still possible, along with the fact that man was given stewardship over animals and that human life is sacred. God also created man and he is not a meaningless product of evolution. It was important to communicate that science can be helpful towards faith and in fact complementary.

             At Christian Unity week, the nature and understanding of the Church again came into question and the quality of ecumenical relationships that the Church can have. In reality, I found that the integrity of the priest/minister and the stance of his theology (on both sides) usually were the decisive elements in good ecumenical relations. The proximity of other Churches to Catholic theology was important to finding common positions, but in reality the relationships were virtually non existent. Coming into dialogue with other Christians and non believers showed to me the importance of explaining the faith clearly as a gift of God and supernatural virtue and something that is beyond reason. In this a sense of sin is important as well as the difference between faith and reason. Overall ecumenical relations were hampered more by cold ecclesial structures rather than unorthodox Christology and it was charity that helped to form close relationships.

Related to this was the importance of education of the faith in schools and the role of Catholic education. I saw the huge importance of the family as the instrument to pass on the faith, complemented by the parish and the school. The importance of the school ethos and the RE teachers in communicating and realising the Christian message in their daily lives is very important. Part of this was the expression of the liturgy in school and how this message is conveyed from understanding and practice of the faith. I saw many families who were not practicing Catholics yet very insistent on the first communion of their children. I most clearly saw the disintegration of family life and the failure of human relationships of having a detrimental effect on the people and children involved.  

2.         In our talks in the classrooms, I tried to address the Church’s position on evolution as clearly as possible, clarifying misconceptions and addressing errors. Above all the use of listening and prayer were the most useful methods of dealing with controversial issues. With ecumenical relations I saw the need to avoid scathing comments but to attempt to have dialogue in a sensible and not callous or proud manner. Above all the need for a full education in the faith at school was the only way which the Christian message can be brought across adequately. Correct liturgical practice and adherence to all that the Church teaches was quite clear in determining whether people came to Church out of habit or whether they came because they really believed and practiced the faith. The use of positive, welcoming comments, ensuring that everybody was welcomed and especially new people were also noticed were key ingredients to building up the parish to make it an active, joyful parish. But above all simple warm human relationships were important to make sure that a community sense was clearly present in the parish community.

Robert Colquhoun

1.         Pope Benedict reflects on the Christian concept of love in his first encyclical. He emphasises the centrality of love in the Christian tradition, showing how God loves us and we must respond to his love. He first analyses an understanding of the word love by society.  Love is an often misused word towards many aspects of our lives, but above all it is the love between man and woman that is the most common expression of love and the potential of union with another person that we can have great happiness.

            Benedict then looks at Eros (a Greek word for love) in history. Contrary to modern philosophy, Christianity does not pervert and poison eros but purifies it and restores it to full grandeur, protecting man from falling into degradation. Eros has the potential of giving man an intense happiness and glimpse of the divine and an intoxification of love. However this passion if left totally uncontrolled can become warped and destructive. This can lead to the exploitation of man and it can dehumanise us. Only the unity of the body and soul can ensure that man is fully in touch with himself. Agape is love grounded and shaped by faith. It is an example of concern for the other. Love allows us to be fully human and outward looking.

            The Biblical understanding of love is characterised is many different ways. For Hosea and Ezekiel, metaphors of marriage between God and man were used to describe love. The Song of songs represents a intense desire of two lovers, like a love song. It is through the Torah that man is shown his full nature and a path of faith that lets him discover himself. Moses seeks dialogue with God so that he can fully be at the service of his people and though Israel sins many times God is willing through his love to forgive his people. A passionate authentic love is also willing to forgive. Adam receives a helper, Eve who completes his humanity. This relationship between man and woman is an image of the relationship between God and his people. It is God’s way of loving that can be the only comparison for human love and our love only comes in a response to how he has first loved us. The Bible calls for a close connection between eros and marriage. Jesus Christ shows us love in the most radical form, primarily in an act of oblation of the Crucifixion where God offered his very self. Christ raises up a suffering and lost mankind by offering himself to others. Jesus is the incarnate love of God.

            Love is a single reality, but it can have many different forms. There is an intrinsic desire for love within man that makes him a fully integrated human being. In it we find joy in truth and righteousness. Unity with the Lord leads to being one spirit with him and we must share this love and not take it for ourselves. If we love God we must love our neighbour otherwise any love for God is inauthentic. Jesus lifts love into a universal principle as we must be in communion with him and we must recognise all of humanity as our neighbour. Love can blossom due to its mysterious and gratuitous nature, it has a sense of being eternal but never finished or complete, it also can change and mature over time. Mere sentiment however cannot be compared to love. Above all love grows with community and through others as it can only be fully realised in relationships and not inward looking. An acknowledgement of God can lead us to love him and through seeing an image of God in others we can begin on a journey towards loving them.

2. Benedict makes an important distinction between two of the Greek words for love, eros and agape. Eros is the love that is sexual yearning or an intense desire, that is experienced between man or woman. It is love between two humans. It is mysterious in the sense that it can be unexpected and sudden. Eros was understood as overwhelming reason towards an intense madness, leading to supreme happiness. Eros for the Greeks offered fellowship with the divine, through ecstasy. However, a Christian understanding of erotic love is that it is fully expressed in marriage. If eros is improperly used it leads to an unhuman vision of mankind where others are used for mere pleasure and sex is just used out of its full context purely for gratification. A strictly hedonistic understanding of eros strips humanity of its dignity and means we can only follow our instincts and desires, and not have a full understanding of our feelings and passions because we can be enslaved by them. We must have a sense of self control, purity and dignity which we attach towards erotic love in order to see it in all fullness. In this we must be concerned for the other person in the relationship and willing to offer ourselves at times. It can have selfish tendencies if we are not to control and mature eros by preventing it from being self seeking. Eros however can be a path towards the divine through a journey outside oneself far beyond the norms of everyday life. Eros is fully alive when body and soul are together and man can be seen in all his fullness. The Church has been accused of reducing and distorting eros, at certain times unhealthy attitudes towards eros have existed, but on the whole the Christian way is a greater way to rise above and beyond ourselves and not to seek out pleasure purely for self gratification. For love to mature past searching it must be exclusive and eternal. An anthropological understanding of eros in man is seen in Genesis because it is rooted in what is naturally human. Eros should direct man towards marriage, because by its nature it desires an exclusive and eternal relationship.

Agape however is love that is based on faith. It is used frequently in the New Testament in order to describe love. It is not separate from eros but another form of loving which is fully seen in a Christian context. Overall the two loves are interlinked and it is impossible to only live either agape or eros. One must be able to give and receive love to see it in full context. Benedict compares agape to Jacob’s ladder with Agape being descending love and eros being ascending love. Agape is fully realised through being available and ready for others in understanding and caring for their needs and making them personal. Through service to people and God, love is realised in its different but interrelated dimensions. Agape is also fully willing and capable of forgiveness, partly because of its intensity and compassion and understanding. This form of love is fully lived out in self giving and a search and encounter with God. Jesus is a source of agape which we must embrace, imitate and become one with. Agape is seen in the Eucharist because it is how God comes to us sacrementally and bodily so he can continue to be with us and work in us. The command to love and the acting out of this love is how the eucharist can be lived for the full. Agape is fully lived through the gift of oneself to others. Agape is also realised through a mix of faith, combined with praise and the disposition of character.

Overall, love is not divided up into different definitions but is a united force with different elements. Essentially Agape and eros are not exclusive but complementary. Our love can be diminished if we only experience one reality of it. The Bible shows the different types of human love, and our love must be uncorrupted, authentic and innocent in order for us to be able to love God and love man. God loves us intensely and our love can only come as a response to that. God’s love for man is both eros and agape. God forgives humanity when it trespasses his commandments and eventually through Crucifixion and resurrection, God shows the intensity of his love for mankind. God is really what man yearns for and the Song of Songs perfectly exemplifies the desire that man has in his search for union with God. In this relationship of gift both man and God are fully themselves, but through the gift of the Holy Spirit, God is united to man. Both types of love can be lived through the acceptance of love through our own will and the joy of being loved by God. Their nature is not sterile but part of a journey of development and the contagious nature of love means that we must spread it to others.