The Record Newspaper 11 August 1988

PERTH. WA: August 11, 1988

Number 2596

Registered by Australia Post Publrcatron No-. WAR 0202

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Resolve not to be poor. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty and it makes some virtues impracticable, and others extremely difficult.

- Dr Samuel Johnson Poverty was never something to which the prophets could be indifferent. When they spoke of it, they protested against the oppression a d injustice of the rich and the mighty.

"You ought to give judgment for the wea a d the orphan," says the psalmist. "and see riqht done to the destitute and downtrodden, you ought to rescue the weak and the poor." (Ps 82: 3-4).

In an Australia where champagne corks pop for the few while Abor"gi es, their children b inded by trac oma. cannot get c ean water for their o es prop etical phrases are perti e t.

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"You cannot be appy un ess you are rich." any Austra ians rea Jy be ieve that it is a sort of spiritual blindness afflicti g many. Has the dream of Lotto wi obscured a true Vision?

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Atheism was a topic explored by the Secood Vatican Council. In its 1965 document, the "Constitution on the Church in the Modem World," the ecumencial council explained that the word "atheism" refers to complex situations. It is used to signify things that differ considerably from one another."

• Some people expressly deny God's existence.

• Some maintain that humanity has nothing to say about God. • Some are more prone to affirm humanity than to deny God. • Still others have a faulty notion of God. What they disown is not the God of the Gospels.

In light of this last point, atheism exerts a kind of pressure on the Church's people, the council suggested. It is a pressure to become clearer about who God is, so that others can see the God of the Gospels in the lives of Christians.

Here is what the council said about this: Believers often share some responsibility for atheism. "To the extent that they are careless about their instruction in the faith, or present its teaching falsely, or even fail in their religious, moral or social life, they must be said

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to conceal rather than to reveal the true nature of God and of religion."

The council said atheism should be countered :r:s�ing and through the example of

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exp 1 Ore d top lC e \l

What does most to show others God's presence, the council said, is the visible love of the Church's people. It is the task of the Chin:h to manifest God, and this is done chiefly by the witness of faith that is alive and mature.

Some atheists are concerned that belief in God robs human beings of their freedom and dignity. Others think believers will not take life in this world as seriously as it needs to be taken.

Both of these concerns were addressed by the council.

The Church holds that to acknowledge God is in no way to oppose the dignity of humanity, said the council. For this dignity is grounded and brought to perfection in God, who created the human person as an intelligent and free being.

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REMINDER THAT THIS IS STILL AREAL POSSIBILITY

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By Father Edward BRAXTON

"Well father, I guess I am still a Catholic, sort of. But I really don't believe in God anymore," the student said.

I have heard that seem-

ingly contradictory slatemenl

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umes 10 unrverstttes. 11 •� a dramatic reminder that atheivrn is still a real possibihtv, It may take the form either of philosophical or practical atheism Some people relate scientific and technolog-

.,,,. .

u al developments to athei-m-, existen o Oth .. ers Clh the lnfluence of philosoph! 11. sociological and politic 11 thinkers "ho mt rpn I rehg, u hr. rJ In a negative light

The Cuthohc student reading far , 1 tzsche and Freud and not also reading St 1 homas \qmful.... Cardinal C\\.rMO, Father Rihner or tho documents of Vatican Counc:il II. might well conclude that religion is based on magic and superstition: that belief is

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the result of Iear and dread Todav's students are hkely to ask • Is 11 reasonable t heh ve there IS such a reallty a Cod m the tradlnonal understanding of that word>

what we kno« as th Church? \\1th u h quest, rs tudent ma, ev ntuall dr.1g0 u shif] m their derstanding of re g, n for example the\ ma embrace "hat some r:.111 relativism regardmore ing a II religions or I equal.

• hen if the unlv docs have ultimate power behind it that we ma, call God. who ran sav that Chnst uniquely reveals this reality?

• If Jesus is admitted, did He intend to establish

Bouts w ith rutativism or athc m are part and pared of the lifo of the mm that is so much present mum, rsity life This ts a nm wh n students probe. mvestite question theorise d uht, re cct and probe l'W

Hut theism I rot cv nhally an abstract theorv In the end, human expcrieru e pla). a big role in leading a person to believe in God or to reject belief.

Arguments are not

Or the, ma, even go on a prlgnrnage into another tradition, dee laring that faith is a matter of historical circumstances and personal choices. ::·:er:.,"/!." �-:=.-c...u.ufii. ... , ' -· ..

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The brand 01 treason in those early days •

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enough, Believers cannot cast v persuade unbe l overs to hare th tr faith nd unheh e \1C\V

The ;pcnence of evil " one of the mam factors lead ng a person to believe that th re IS no God. \ \'h n people .., innocent ouths who are striv ing to lead a decent lifr suddenlv stricken bv terminal Cancer and dying in a hospital room. while others who a.n• .- .. ,.

unju: t die c, hall tn th ir "" n beds al a long full lif • thei Whv> How ff th re a Cod " th things hap n <; r h qu hons oo

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are pen expcnen touclung on If 011 s family and friends, Thought of ,� mav

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concluslon that thi • no (ri)(I. For atht'I"'" be a form of hope! sn ,.

For <ame peopk to

A world without God was simply unthinkable.

Living close to nature, many ancient people were caught up in its recurring cycles. They stood in admiration of it, sometimes in fear. They reacted to God in the same ways they reacted to nature - with admiration and fear. . {any people identified nature with God and tried to control it through various religious rites.

The Israelites did not go

8

this far. God mav haw controlled nature. ·But for them God was distinct from nature - totall other God may have made the sun to shine and the rams to fall But neither the sun nor the rain were God. They were God's creatures.

The author of Psalm 8 gives prayerful expression to this attitude of the Israelites: ·o Lord. Our Lord. "how glorious is Your name over all the earth "You have exalted Your majesty above the heavens "When I hehold Your heavens. the work of Your fingers.

The Record, August 11, 1988

"the moon and the stars whrrh You set m place "\\'hat is man that You should be mindful of him, "or the son of man that You should care for him?"

It is true that after the Israelites entered the Promised Land they were strongly attracted to the nature worship and fertility cults of their neighbours. But they learned that this kind of infidelity brought disaster in its train.

Yet even here, the Israelites were not deny· ing God's existence. The were simply putting other gods in place of the God who had chosen them.

Even pagan Rome was thoroughlv religious.

Parado-dcallv, the Romans r.allcd the Christians atheists.

Whv? Because the Christians refused to worship the Roman gods.

In the Roman Empire, these gods were so much a part of life that rejection of them was regarded as suspiciously unpatriotic In fact, it was high treason The author of the New Testament book of Revelation wrote to the churches of Asia Minor precisely to persuade them not to compromise their beliefs just to "get along" in society.

But the sorial situation did pose a problem. The trade guilds - ancient versions of our labour unions - all had their patron gods and goddesses. Was the early Christian expected to hand in his union card and risk financial and social ruin Just to maintain his Christian integritv? For the author of Revelation, there was no choice.

Oh, there was atheism in Israel. The author of Psalm 14 could wnte: "The fool says in his heart, "There is no God" But this w not our modern athe m. It was not denial of God's

\\'hen one thin at ath i,t,. u stereotype ma) com to mind \\°e mav think or an "atheistic

communist" out to destroy Christian faith. But somr people am atheists practical terms Th people actually ma) goto on :;unda, d prai The) ore practical athc1Sts bt.-causc the, ha,e made a god of some matrnal good such n money or power Thus the, are idol worshippers Or perhap., thP1 nel'er allow the God they say the\· believe in to tou,.h their personal lives.

appear to be. Young people who might appear to be skeptical about their faith

Fresh out of high school and in his first year of university, the young man started to stay away from Sunday liturgies more and more often. Soon he ceased to attend at all.

Mass and the sacraments just didn't seem to matter. This pattern continued after he joined the Army and served in Europe.

The young man, who had struAA]ed \\1th hL, faith. C\'Cntualh entered the �minarv ·and ordained. Toda\ he i� Bishop Rene Gra, da of Corpus Chrish, Te"1s. ;\cr.onling to Fat her Jo,eph Kenna, ,torie, such as Bishop Gr-.idda \ are quitP common.

Father Kenna i, the n•pre,,cntat w for Campus and )oung \duh Min1Stl'\ Th .;;cpl sm b) so mz y )'O J>l"ple ,d Father Kenna, Ls pert of thr common proc s of 're1cding of de n :g hou , and th n pulling thni;s back m that fit."

In fact. such people can be on a rofound spirit· ual Jou me,; Ci.ahl Father Kenna. '"·ho c..erved ns a unil'ersity chaplain for 14 year.;. After a few years, many young adults tend to come back

lie would later sav that he didn't top behc,, g m God. It was. as he d bed II a "en IS 0£ faith a pt'nod or doubt mg and scan hmg that lasted for nbout three veers Then one da) the ,uung man "as dra\\ n almost in<> phcablv, to a rnthedr-.il The hLshop's homily had sue h an impact that the man's crLsis c,nded.

He ruturned to the Church of his youth.

,,-as

or who outwardly reject it can in fact be on a "profound spiritual jo.,.

ney." Often, after a few years, young people return to the faith of their

childhood, but they return as adults not children.

By Joe Michael FIEST

belic,c in God are wry selfish The1 are the centre of their umver.e.

In a sense, the latter group ,s utheistir."

be willing to listen to stories of dLsbelief. We must be nonand Judgemental

to the faith of their childhood. But, he noted tbm come back as adult,. not childn•n. rhe part cular role of }nung-adult mini.c.;t() .. i., to \\Cit ome young people ha, k nnd lislt•n to what the) \e found on their 1ournr)' sug�ested �ath r Kenna The whole qu t1on of C.od s ex stencc of faith and beh is made up al manv d1mens1ons.

Fat'1rr l\:enna u151c.;h,. and ts very comple: .

'In umversiti ho note<l •you meet people living e trcmely posiliw lives fundamentalh, vet who <a\ the,· arc athei�ts.

On the.other hand. some people who say they

Father Kenna discus.""1 how Chnshans shuultl react \,•hen someone the} kn " seemmgl} reJ b God. \\'h1·n people e pres., disbelief. hi' said, a rnmmon reaction 1c.. to Irr.at them m u condescend mi; manner But that approach LS not Good cw • he said.

'Our Job IS to announre the Good e\\ . The \\'Orsi thmg IS to so, nr someho" 1mpl} that the a person 1s bad course, th per.on." pne I said, behC\er don't comprom1.: e or hide th ir own behef m God.

c;;cn, itive.

It can be a compliment "h n someone tells vou he l� an athPJ!,l," .the pnest said. "Hr\ rm"ealing something , l'\ personal and doep."

There is also the q ucshon of what that "ath<>ist" is realh discarding. '\'cry often. thev're Just rejecting rcligiou, symbols or some ,ma of God that IS deficient So Ii to )'OU must I ten cl \\ hat the\ rcalli are enna sa}1ng." Father said. \\'hat "' most import nt

is being able and mllmg

First of all, ad"sed Father Kenna. we must

to \\ilnes., to our faith he added. It must he apparent that our belirf m Goel makes some difference in our lives.

expanded notion of God, he thinks. Other times "grappling with queslions can bring people back" to belief in God, he said.

Some people become atheists. Father:\.lcGrath

thinks. bro,us,, th \ bu) into the view that God lS nothing more than a projection of human qualities. Stated m the 19th century by German philosopher Friedrich ·1etzsche, this vie,,· presents Qid as a '·super· human," the pn,-,,t said.

Then people conclude that God is nonexi.,tcnt.

Father \,1cGrath also observed that people can be atheists becau.se the\ "don't see where God makes a difference."

He referred to ,iew, al the famous Austrian psychologist Karl Jung on the spiritual journey.

Jung was convinced that people spent roughly 40 year.; on what he called the "external joume)." involved ,vith matters outside themsel,es.

For Jung, many people only tum to relig,ou.s matters when the, are older, often after· thev reach a few deadends.

Then, the pri t . contlnued, indi,iduals may become willing to start what Jung termed "the inward joume}"

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By Father John Castelot

Atheism as people desuibe it today was basically unknown amonJ people of biblical times. Even the pagans were intensely religious in their own way.

conclude that th re Ls not God is to conclude that hf IS o tale told h, an idiot so much sound and fury ignifying othmg.

But not wa) \tany peopl believ there IS no God and I d product I\ e, hope, f ed '" howtng as mu h love and concert- for their neighbour do believers.

Is it a wine glass or two faces in pn,file? Things are not always what they

ive • ••

By Katharine Bird The God many atheists reject "is not God as He really is at all," said Father Roger McGrath, a diocesan director of evangelisatioo.

existence. It was a practical atheism, This sort of atheism took the position that God was uninterested in human affairs. If God did not care what people did then the) had carte blanche to do as they pleased.

And there were th who had other problems with God. like Joh. The author of the Old Testament book of Job

struggled with the question of whether God was fair and just. He was struggling with the mystery of evil and suffering.

The problem of evil is a reel problem for people.

In the Old Testament.

Qoheleth. also known as Eccl iast . had problems all along the line over Cod But neither Job nor Eccl last tried to solve their problems by denying God's existence.

\Ian) atheist, dra\\ God m narrow stroke, of the pen. hthcr \lcGrath thmks. The) pamt Him as "a p('lly God. a and scorekrcper punisher."

Other lime, atheists cast God in a "distortion of a father im.igr" and reject it, Fath,•r \lcGrath commented, adding that ''I'd have no part of such a God either."

The pri...,t <aid that he Ls called on ocrnsionallv to help people a, they struggle with question., about God. He inrlir.ated that it is not uncommon

for Catholics to Oirt with atheism for a time.

Frequently it hapJl"n.S when a pc�n 1� con· fronted for thr first time

persona II} \\ith the pre,cn< ,. of e,il. he said The pnL'Sl gave two instances: ,\ student who n•jet: led God after the death of a best fripnd: a man who questioned the goodness of God be<:aus,, of the suffering his mother endured before dying.

In those sorts of situations, Fat her \lcGrath said. people may well respt>nd b) concluding angril), "There can't po,,ibl\ he a good God "ho allows such terrible thin� to happen."

Father :-.tcGrath takes such comments seriously, since atheists often throw the existence of evil in the face of belie,ers as the reason for rejecting a divine being.

Asked how he handles that situation, Father . fcGrath explained that first he tries to get individuals "to de.al ,vith their grief and anger."

Only then are they in any condition to examine the possibility that their

image of God might be somewhat nawrd. The priest gently points out that God doesn't plan the tragedies that occur in human life.

Often, Father \lcGrath o;a1d the next step is to try

and get the person to recognise that human heings are imperfect and so is the world we live in.

Evil things happen but that doesn't mean we must conclude that God can't exist.

He added that. in his experience. people who confront such questions often become firmer believers in the long run.

The experience of trauma, of suffering. often gives people an

The Record, August 11. 1988

9

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Birth regulation not 1 · mitation

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abundantly creative - as Gods love is.

Sir your artic e "Prophetic Wisdom of the Church" (The Record August 4) reporting on the U.S. Bishops' statement on the 20th anniversary of the encyc lea Humanae Vrt.ae, states: 'The encyclical's · nsistence on using only natura means to space or limit births created widespread controversy ... "

Humanae Vitae has serious exhortations to Bishops and priests on their duties to teach the fullness of its truth. think it ·s true to say this duty has been observed mainly · n the

breach · n most of the world.

Even when, in her statement against IVF, the Church renewed her call to her magisteria teaching on the transmission of human life - the same unchangeable doctrine as· n Hu ma nae Vrtae - there was no explosion of ,loyal teaching

Yet nowhere does Humanae Vrtae use the word " irnit" - always "regulation" or "spaci g ".

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Cardinal Gagnon, in interview in A.O. 2000 (July 1988) was emphatic that the natural method was licit only for "spacing children for serious reaso s" and that the proper term was "natura ways of spacing children".

By

ather Jo n Castelot

on the subject.

Now, on the 20th anniversary year of the Encyclical, perhaps we can at last get down to looking at what Humanae Vitae is really all about - and that is not the "limitation" of Catholic families as an end.

YOUTH FORUM

FROM AS FAR AS SCOTLAND

•

A trib te to Father O'B e the ev ning w re on. hildlike l ve nature - he'd often His

She writes:

'He adiated a resence ich see ed to draw all • kinds of eople o I

'

Bring your youth group banner. bring you grandma. bring a friend and meet young people from the other end of the metro area

ith

2

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Afte ard II invited to an nno h meeting and a tomach at, f ing gourmet dell ht.

Enquiri. s Jerr d Lu comb 276 7832

7 Give us a couple. of h ur. of your time.

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Thus 1t appeared that re not f1 ed, all the r at name of antiquity m nuon abo re wron and most , important of all. th G tory of Creation was no more than a myth The social, moral and political impticatlon of Darwin's theory of evolution were enormous (a they re int nd d to b from the deductions of the enh htenment pmlo op ers and screnn ts) and today t rs wid ly ccepted, even n's

by Christians. that Da VI on man's origins are fmal, absolu , even a rorn t c

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by TOM BRANCH

THE PAR �

��CE:NE

FAMILY DAY

The New Families bra ch of the Focolare Movement will hold an open Family Day. To elp each other face and overcome the cha lenges confronting the family a d sha e the positive solutions we have found in real-life situations.

The Day is to be e d on Sunday, September 11, from 9am-4pm at the F.C. Clark lecture Theatre, Sir Charles Gairdner ospital (entrance off onash Avenvue). The cost is $10 per family or $5 a si gle person.

(Lu ch byo: tea, coffee provided.)

T ere wil be a special program for children who come with heir family.

Anyo e is we come married, separated or divorced, widowed, or single, lay or religious, young peop e of a I ages. or furth r informatio please elephone: 387 8430 or 271 3222.

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Social Justice Calendar

POLICY TO PRISO S At a pubic forum on Monday, August 22, Hon Joe Berinson a d Hon Andrew ensa ros wi I spea to Government a d Opposition Porcy on prisons and criminal justice and answer questions from an invited panel, 7.30pm · the Alexa er lecture Theatre, Arts Facutty Bui ding, University of WA. Pa ists will be Professor Richard Hardi g, Mr Richard Utting, Ms Christabe Bridqe, r Robert Bonson and s Diana Warnock. lnq iries: Catholic Socia Justice Commi ion, Archdiocese of Perth, 325 1212.

FR JOSEPH DO DEAS lnternationa ly known theologian, autho and retreat m r, Fr Jo ph Danders will ru two semina spo sored by the Catholic Social Justice Commi · .

_..-

MARIAN CALENDAR PERTH: The Marian Year fina e will take pace on Monday. August 15 at 7.30pm at a so emn conce ebrated ass by Archbishop Foey.

EMBLETON: The Hoy Trinity church will co duct the annual novena to Our lady of Health commenci g August 30. For further information p one 271 5528 or

272 1379.

ORTHAM: At St Jo ph's church No ham 24 hour exposition of the Bl

Conversations around Creative Spirituality: on hursday, Aug st 25, from 7.30pm at the L.eedervill Parish Centre, 40 Fra kli Street, Leedervi le. Cost $5.

Inquiries: Sa dra Brown 325 1212.

St. Carr S ,

St Church.

325 1212.

'Archdiocesan ;i · Calendar ·.

care.

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