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4 HOLY SCRIPTURE
Catholic Voice
18th June 2021
Water In The Scriptures Canon Lebocq I.C.K.S.P.
Holy Scripture presents water full of meaning. It is associated with birth and fertility, suffering and conversion. Throughout the Bible, water is presented as a means of purification and ablution ultimately preparing souls for the indwelling of Divine Life by baptism. Among the three other elements (fire, earth and air), water is the first to be described as created by God Himself, who grants it to whomever He pleases. Genesis distinguishes “the waters that were under the firmament, from those that were above the firmament” (Gn 1,7). Sometimes rain would fall on earth when “flood-gates from on high” (Is 24,18) were opened, and water would visit the earth with dew that would “continue in [God’s] harvest” (Job 29,19). It often appears that water is a sign of God’s blessing. It was generously granted to those who were obedient to God’s Law: “The Lord will open his excellent treasure, the heaven, that it may give rain in due season” while it was deprived from the unfaithful: “I will make to you the heaven above as iron, and the earth as brass” (Deut. 28, 12). Those who live without God are compared to a dry earth who will soon die (Ps 143, 6) while those who are united to the Almighty are, on the contrary, similar to a flourishing garden that contains the source and origin of Life itself: “Thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a fountain of water whose waters shall not fail” (Is 58,11). As the source of life, God can also use water to inflict punishment upon His people. In the book of Job suffering is compared to the “violence of overflowing waters” (Job 22,11) and Isaiah threatens the river
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Euphrates “shall overflow all his banks” as God chastises his people for their unfaithfulness (Is 8,7). Whether used in blessing or chastisement, however, Holy Scripture ultimately uses water for conversion and spiritual regeneration. The washing of hands in Psalm 26, 6 points to a higher innocence, a moral purity and a sinless conscience. The High priest in the Temple also prepared himself for his consecration with purifying water: “When thou hast washed Aaron and his sons with water, Thou shalt clothe Aaron with his vestments” (Ex 29, 4). Yet all of these purifications were only exterior and unable to purify souls. When Christ comes, however, He perfects regeneration and declares, “Now you are clean by reason of the word, which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you” (Jn 15,3). Foreshadowing Christ’s Incarnation, God promises Ezekiel an abundance of purifying waters to
18th June 2021
HOLY SCRIPTURE 5
Catholic Voice
the faithful, which will clean their hearts and enable them to accomplish His Law in perfection: “I will take you from among the Gentiles, and will gather you together out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land. And I will pour upon you clean water, and you shall be cleansed from all your filthiness, and I will cleanse you from all your idols. (Ez 36,24-25). Jeremiah prophesies that God “will bring them through the torrents of waters in a right way, and they shall not stumble in it” (Jer 31,9). The city of Jerusalem, when all is accomplished, is compared to an infinite spring, where a large river will flow from the Temple to the Dead Sea. It will bear heath and life on its banks, along with growth of trees and fruits (Ez 47,1-12): “Every living creature that creepeth whithersoever the torrent shall come shall live: and there shall be fishes in abundance after these waters shall come thither, and they shall be healed, and all things shall live to which the torrent shall come (Ez 47, 9).
The
Dominicans
Preaching Truth for the Salvation of Souls
Christ, Life Himself come to earth, fulfils the images of water in the Old Testament and presents us with true salvation in Baptism. He is the rock whose side was opened and from which “immediately came out blood and water” (Jn 19, 34). He is the only one who can quench the thirst of all pilgrims on this earth and He offers this gift to all in prayer and the sacraments. When we are baptised, our souls receive the forgiveness of all our sins, the complete purification of the soul and of the conscience, the “laver of regeneration, and renovation of the Holy Ghost” (Tit 3,5). Jesus says in the Gospel of John, “If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink” (Jn 7, 37). Let us then come to Jesus the true Temple, the source of the river that flows upon the New Jerusalem and slake our thirst in Him.
"In an age of universal deceit, speaking the Truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell www.irishdominicanvocations.com
20 AN IRISH CATHOLIC?
Catholic Voice
18th June 2021
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE AN IRISH CATHOLIC? Mary Kearns
Recent years have seen a renewed interest in what is sometimes called “Celtic Christianity.” This is however, a very ill-defined term. In Ireland, where Christianity generally meant Catholicism, it seems to mean a brand of religion that has its roots in a spirituality that identifies with the natural world in the sense that the ancient druids did. This identification is always suspect as being pagan because, according to what we have learned about the druids, they were believed to have the ability to become what they identified with, for example, a bird, a tree, a lake or a river. Whatever demonic influence is mixed up here would be impossible to discern but we need to be certain that this kind of identification has nothing whatever to do with Christianity. Those who like to call themselves Celtic Christians tell us this is the true nature of the Irish. In ancient times we had the Brehon Laws which they say were favourable to women but when Christianity was imposed on us at the coming of St. Patrick, the Irish were subjected to new alien laws. Of course there are more complex reasons. No-one would deny the legacy of the monasteries which blossomed in Ireland in response to the Christian Faith. Each monastery, under the direction of its Abbot was the centre of culture and learning but was also the fundamental unit involved in the economy, the social life and even the trade of the people who formed a community around each monastery. Fr. Vincent Twomey, in ‘The End of Irish Catholicism?’, recounts the
story of a lady, recently returned from London who was asked “Are you a Roman Catholic?” to which she replied with some indignation “No, I am an Irish Catholic.” How many other Irish men and women think of themselves in a similar way? Is our Catholicism almost synonymous with our national identity? To be an Irish man or woman, at least up to recent times, was to be a Catholic. Although those outside of the Catholic Church often refer to us as “Roman Catholics” it is not a term we use easily ourselves, at least not in Ireland. Many of us still remember the Reverend Ian Paisley using those words in a derogatory way. Traditionally we were distinct from Catholics on the European mainland. While being loyal to the Holy Father, there was always something different about the Irish Catholic man and woman. There are many reasons for this.
We are a nation that has been subjected to various colonisations but so were most European countries and as in Ireland, each new invader left its imprint. Those who have had the privilege of visiting some of the great cathedrals of Europe are able to appreciate the great treasures, art and architecture that are a witness to a Catholicism of which Ireland is mostly bereft. We often see liturgical practices where the sense of Irish spirituality is evident. It appears that those who plan and carry out these activities usually claim a distinctly “Celtic” component, claiming that the official Church fails to recognise. This makes the Irish different from Catholics of other nations but the attempt fails because it lacks integrity. Pagan practices and improvised ceremonies had never been included the official liturgy of the Church and even in the earliest times, liturgy was always in Latin. The Gallican Rite, to which the Celtic was closely related, did not contain elements of pagan superstition. In
18th June 2021 addition, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy states that cultural diversity can only be incorporated into the Church if it is in harmony with the true and authentic spirit of the liturgy. It is a sad irony that while there is an attempt to make religion pastorally relevant, no account is taken of that fact that folk customs had always been intertwined around major Church feasts. When the feast loses its traditional relevance as has been the case with the major feasts of Ascension, Pentecost and Corpus Christi, the devotional practices are set adrift. A growing passion for the beauty of the world in which we live and the identification with nature can be inspiring and can bring us closer to the Holy Trinity. It does however have another side that needs to be considered. In today’s post-modern world the strongest single source in the revival of interest in paganism, is Celtic legend. As one publisher declared, a book with the word “Celtic” in the title is always sure to sell. This kind of spirituality suits those who claim not to be religious and who have plenty to say against the Catholic Church. They are spiritual they say but have no time for doctrines and dogmas.
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Catholic Voice remember that it is not all about feelings. Feelings come and go and are not the most reliable judge of truth. As Christian people we know that God has revealed himself to us and for Catholics there is nothing more important than being in touch with him through the Mass and the sacraments, regardless of how it actually feels at the time. Let us never forget the very many men and women of Ireland who in the past were martyred for the Faith. This is the faith of our Fathers and it has nothing to do with druids or bards or fili. It has to do with the doctrine of Holy Mother Church. How many Catholics today even know the names of the Irish martyrs beatified by Pope John Paul II a few years ago? As Fr. Twomey claims, while there are many monuments recalling the Great Famine, there is little witness to the heroism of the Irish martyrs.
“There is little popular devotion either to the beatified martyrs or to the rest of the 259 men and women who gave their lives for the faith in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries at those places associated with their lives and their heroic deaths. There are few visible memorials to recall the long period of the persecutions, apart from the Mass rocks and holy wells, which today are often neglected.” (The End of Irish Catholicism?) At the same time as long as our fundamental doctrines remain in place we can learn something from our Celtic heritage. Whether or not we want to claim Celtic roots, we can appraise the beauty of our country with spiritual eyes and allow ourselves to see this as the gift of a loving Father, our Creator. For catechesis and liturgical formation: marykeenankearns@gmail.com 087 7794687
If we are Christians, we are not pagans. We know that God is not nature and that he is not the Universe. He is the Creator of all of nature and is our Father through his Son, Jesus. A person may well feel he is more in touch with the divine when he climbs a mountain or sits at the sea. Some have even said these experiences bring them closer to God and maybe to some extent that is true. Nevertheless, we must
Christ Enthroned - from the Book of Kells