Vatican II. Pope Francis says, “Grace supposes culture, and God’s gift becomes flesh in the culture of those who receive it” (EG 115). He goes on to say, “Christianity does not have simply one cultural expression…it will also reflect the different faces of the cultures and peoples in which it is received and takes root” (EG 116). I often question how our Church reflects the different faces of the cultures in such a multi-cultural Australia. For Aboriginal peoples the question is more complex because the ways the different faces of our cultures are reflected in Christianity in the present is intimately tied to our shared and difficult colonial and mission histories. Perhaps the issue is that nonAboriginal people do not really understand inculturation. It’s not something that is ‘done’ to Aboriginal peoples. Nor is it about simply seeking permission from the Bishops and Priests to allow some symbols of Aboriginal culture in the liturgy. Inculturation is the coming together of culture and faith and must be undertaken by people who are both of the culture and the faith. One of the problems that we encounter when we talk about these issues is that people keep pointing
to non-Aboriginal people for their expert opinions. Surely, it would be better to seek guidance from Aboriginal Catholics who are living embodiments of inculturation.
Inculturation is the coming together of culture and faith and must be undertaken by people who are both of the culture and the faith. Pope Francis understands some of the difficulties of culture within the Church. He says, “The message that we proclaim always has a certain cultural dress, but we in the Church can sometimes fall into a needless hallowing of our own culture, and thus show more fanaticism than true evangelising zeal” (EG 117). It is my experience that there is a distinct lack of discussion or questioning about the cultural dress of our Australian Church. We all need to think more about the essential message of God as distinct from the cultural choices we make about how we engage with that message. As Pope Francis says, “We would not do justice to the logic of the incarnation if we thought of Christianity as monocultural and monotonous” (EG 117).
THE FRANCIS EFFECT – LIVING THE JOY OF THE GOSPEL
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