Tui Motu InterIslands August 2003 Price $4 O maiden Mary, why are you grieving? 2 Tui Motu InterIslands editorial A church not credible Contents 2-3 editorial hy, asked the parish priest, is the Prostitut-ion Bill is the pragmatic one: its Paul Freedman Wword of God not being heard outcomes will harm more people than 4 letters in our time by our people? He fixed his it might help. Whereas arguing from Edinburgh, Cardiff, Rome beady eye on me sitting in the bench. the Christian moral ethic is for most a Tom Cloher “For the answer, you must read the next huge turn-off. 5 Earth in transition editorial of Tui Motu!”, he said. Diane Pendola Likewise the GE debate: Sir Peter 6-7 Not in my backyard A slightly flippant comment – yet Elworthy recently came out against Hugh Fearnley- sowing a tiny seed in my unconscious. marketing GE foodstuffs purely on Withingstall Some of the articles in this issue prompt economic grounds. It would harm our 8 Why the Prostitution Bill is bad Bishop Richard me to hazard a response. Take popular markets both at home and overseas. Randerson music. “Why,” asks Mike Marshall (p 19) The fact that it violates the sacredness 9 Dying with dignity “does the devil have all the good tunes?” of created life is not mentioned – even Bishop Penny Jamieson Music has always spoken more pro- though in the final analysis it is the one 10-11 Time for a change foundly to the human spirit than words, compelling ground for rejecting GE. Pat Maloney yet nothing may seem more secular popular spiritual writer of the ’80s focus on spiritual direction than contemporary pop. Or is it? John 12-13 Retreats in everyday life: Thornley’s study of Kiwi songwriter A once observed: “Christianity is interview with Michael Dooley Dave Dobbyn (pp 20-23) suggests there not a moralism, but a mysticism.” & is at least one contemporary lyricist Meaning that even though faith should Mark Chamberlain who touches profoundly on the great motivate our every thought and action, 14-15 Knight errant for God – perennial themes of life and love, of ultimately religion is a relationship. St Ignatius of Loyola pain and social sin just as much as the Christianity is about a Person – how 16-17 Universe as healer and teacher troubadours of earlier, so-called ages we meet Jesus. And how he leads us to Joy Cowley of faith. relate to God and learn to bask in God’s 18 Praying the Rosary creating and forgiving love. One reason why modern man and Paul Andrews SJ Therefore the ultimate answer to my 19 The music of teenage revolt modern woman are put off religion is parish priest’s challenge is to be found, Mike Marshall because much of the message they hear I believe, in this month’s focus (pp 12- 20-23 Troubadour’s Tale: Dave from the churches sounds irrelevant to 15), difficult though that may seem. The Dobbyn them or so judgmental as to be actually church has a rich and splendid tradition John Thornley repellent. There are huge contemporary 24-26 Ministry, a non-anxious presence of spirituality. This wealth is there to be ethical issues: issues of life and death, of Christopher Newell shared around. The process described, sexual behaviour, of power and greed, 27 in memoriam – Bernard based on the Spiritual Exercises of of the survival of the planet itself. But Tottman & Vince Ignatius, is like a pebble thrown into a the churches are often preoccupied with Flaherty pond. It is so simple to do, yet its effects liturgical minutiae, internal squabbles Michael Hill IC can spread and spread. Another writer or with a sexual ethic which makes no 28 Alleluia Aotearoa – a story of wrote that there is an aching void in the achievement sense to the contemporary mind. See heart of contemporary man and woman 29 books Pat Maloney (pp 10-11). The people that only the love of God can fill. ask for bread – and we give them stones. And this, surely, is the Church’s essential Another major problem, of course, is Cover: To celebrate the August task. It is to teach people how to reflect patronal feast of the Assumption the profound agnosticism of our society. on the predicament and beauty of their of Mary, we are reprinting Donald Bishop Richard Randerson observes (p lives. And somehow to find God there. Moorhead’s magnificent graphic from 8) that the one argument which could M.H. a 1997 Tui Motu. make sense to people evaluating the “O Mary, why are you grieving. I never found fault in you... ”, says Joseph; inviting Mary to reveal God’s promise The next issue of Tui Motu (September/October issue) to her through Gabriel. will appear mid-September. All subscriptions will be (from an early English poem) moved forward by one month. (See page 4) 2 Tui Motu InterIslands Moral Messages Paul Freedman o much for prostitution! Now to man the barricades and commitment to the behaviour we believe God expects. Free oppose any softening on euthanasia (probably as we will, alone, enables us to become unique, individual human Susually do, via petitions, pressure groups and lobbying)... persons. Without it, we would be simply robots. But, hang on! is our protesting and indignation really what God wants? Can we learn from the recent prostitution debate? Ought we, therefore, to participate in fax-attacks and lobbying Many conflicting views were aired, but, as so often happens that may reinforce the stereotype of the religious zealot? when passions are high, neither side really listened carefully In the abortion debate, the pro-life cause was irremediably to the other. discredited by maniacs who murdered staff at abortion clinics. Where is the boundary? There is a perception among non-Christians that many who oppose law change are inflexible, unattractively self-righteous. f we truly seek the wellbeing of those who suffer under We can seem dedicated to laws which force others – whether Iliberalised laws, let’s consider whether superficial activism they accept our moral viewpoint or not – to behave as if they achieves anything worthwhile. Better, surely, to try and help did. Occasionally, a clear overlap between legal and moral everyone attain a more Christ-like understanding of these boundaries exists; theft, trespass and assault are examples. Yet, issues; aim at better-formed consciences and more creative if we suggested making adultery a criminal act, there would encouragement to obey them. Let’s speak out powerfully on the be a huge outcry. How many Catholics would champion such wonderful palliative care available now, publish more stories on a law as persistently as we have those on prostitution? Are we the life-enhancing encounters that often happen when someone clear about the difference? at death’s door receives excellent hospice care and can work through end-of-life issues with family and friends. Euthanasia raises deeper questions. We worry that sick, weak, elderly people may cave in to pressures that they be tidily On not just prostitution, but also homosexuality, marital ‘disposed of’; suggestions that pain is always meaningless fidelity and family life, let’s do more to underline the equality or that all suffering can (and must) be neatly averted. The of women and men; to depict the beauty and sacredness of sex overlap of moral imperative and justice is slightly clearer here. in its right context, a unique building block of love within a However, the tendency is still to argue ad hominem rather than committed relationship. If God leaves humans free to perform focussing on the facts. immoral acts when so determined, have we any right to impair that moral (but not legal) freedom? We must be clear why we oppose reform. Do we believe, somehow, that God is better pleased when individuals produce Have we considered the effect on the non-Christian ostensibly ‘moral’ behaviour, merely through fear of legal community when we merely trot out knee-jerk formulae, as consequences? Our heritage suggests, rather, that God is far spokespersons like Graham Capill so often do? (Am I the more concerned with an individual’s motivation. Consider only believer who cringes when he is wheeled in to tell the Christ’s warning about the man who “looks lustfully” after a world ‘what Christians think’?) We must, of course, oppose woman. Jesus condemns this as producing exactly the same evil. But it is the evil we oppose, not the people surrounding moral injury as if he had physically committed the act. (Mat. it. Let’s make that clear. 5:27) With the Samaritan woman at the well (Jn 4:1-42), with Above all, let us try to make our views known creatively, the adulterous woman (Jn 8:3-11) Jesus is similarly focussed lovingly, attractively. We must, as Christ did, use reason, on inner conversion, not outward behaviour. persuasion and conversion. Our mission is to help usher in the God never makes it impossible for us to transgress. Among Reign of God - not a job for lawyers or lobbyists, primarily, our greatest gifts is free will. By seeking to master our actions but for witnesses. – despite temptation – we can express (through grace) our Paul Freedman was editor of Auckland based New Zealandia magazine Tui Motu-InterIslands is an independent, Catholic, monthly magazine. It invites its readers to question, challenge and contribute to its discussion of spiritual and social issues in the light of gospel values, and in the interests of a more just and peaceful society. Inter-church and inter-faith dialogue is welcomed. The name Tui Motu was given by Pa Henare Tate.