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 HE
EXTENDED DIALOGUE within the Christian Brothers' Congregation
to shape a new future for their work in Oceania continues.
Since our last newsletter in August last year a number of
significant meetings have taken place furthering the work
of the Shaping Our Future Committee for Oceania (SOFCO).
This newsletter will endeavour to provide you with an overview
of the significant developments.
Of particular interest to wider network members who are seeking
identification with the charism of Blessed Edmund Rice, late
last year the SOFCO committee published a position paper seeking
consultation with network members on the identity of the Edmund
Rice Network and how individuals might identify themselves
as part of the network. It is partly that position paper which
gives rise to our headline, "what is the real objective
of all of our striving?", which we have juxtaposed with
a photograph of the student leaders from Edmund Rice schools
and colleges around Australia who met at Rostrevor College
in Adelaide in January.
The headline question also has wider import and seeks to direct
attention to the quite deep discussion now going on within
the wider educated Catholic community about what the real
objective of our religious and spiritual striving is. Are
we Catholics and Christians merely because our religion gives
us some kind of identity in a similar way to the way in which
we identify ourselves as Australians, Africans, Asians, Americans,
Aboriginals, Islanders or Europeans? Is our faith something
similar to the way we identify with our family name, the State,
suburb or town in which we live, or our school or alma mater?
Is our "faith" some kind of emotional comfort against
"the big bad wolves" that lurk at our doors breeding
fear in our hearts?
 The
rise of religious and political fundamentalism in the world
since September 11, 2001 has partly triggered this discussion.
Some people do seem to push religion as some kind of emotional
comfort and place of certitude in a sea of increasing scientific
and social knowledge which is showing that at the heart of
life there is largely Mystery — as our faith has always
taught. Our 'faith' is not meant to be some adult equivalent
of a baby's dummy which we suck on to take the mystery, fear
and uncertainty out of the Mystery of Life, but a pathway
which leads us into the Mystery of the Divine that sits at
the very heart of each of our lives and of All Life. The objective
of our lives as followers of Jesus Christ and Edmund Rice
is not merely some utilitarian quest to do good works for
the sense of satisfaction that brings to our egos and emotions.
Is not the ultimate objective of
our lives that state of gracedness where we radiate the Inner
Divine and emulate 'the Way (of thinking and acting)' as Jesus
Christ would do if he were facing the challenges we face in
our lives today?
We are not Catholics as some sort of equivalent to
being members of the cheer squads of the West Coast Eagles,
the Dockers, the Adelaide Crows or the Power. We are not Catholics
for similar reasons to the ways in which we barrack for our
country and sporting heros at the Commonwealth or Olympic
games for the emotional buzz we get when we see our team winning.
All those cultural, tribal and ritualistic
behaviours we engage in are important for building our sense
of identity and community. But to elevate them to the point
where they become the ultimate objective of our faith is a
form of spiritual immaturity if not idolatry.
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Diarmuid
O'Murchu
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Visiting Australia in January next year
at the invitation of the Edmund Rice Centre, Amberley in Victoria
is one the leading international writers exploring the meaning
of our faith in intelligent ways. Fr Diarmuid O'Murchu
is the author of seminal works such as Quantum Theology
(1996, revised edition 2004), Evolutionary Faith (2002),
Catching Up With Jesus (2005) and Paradigm Shifts
in Religious Life (2005). O'Murchu will be presenting
two seminars: the first "Catching
Up with Jesus" will be held 22-25 January
2007. The second, "Religious
Life – Changing Paradigms" will be
held 26-28 January 2007. Unfortunately all residential places
for the second program have already been booked but they are
still taking bookings from non-residential attendees. See
the advertisement further down this page for more details
of the O'Murchu seminars.
Brian Coyne
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