Light of the north issue 13

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Light

Light I am the Light of the World John John Deighan D eighan assessess the threat thr eat off Margo’s M argo’s bill Page P age 25

Jame James es Byr Byres es Antiquarian A ntiq quarian & A rch hitect by by Architect Peter P eter e Davidson Da viidson Page P age e 29

I s s ue 1 3 , Sp r i ng, 2 0 1 0 Meditations Meditations ffor or Everyday Everyday Living with Peter P eter M Morris orris Page P age 16

Sr Janet Ferns, “The teacher is a swimming pool ” Page 35

Each copy of the Light of the North costs over a pound to produce and we would ask you to consider this if you wish to make a donation.

A quarterly magazine produced and published by the Diocese of Aberdeen R.C. Diocese of Aberdeen Charitable Trust, a registered Scottish Charity no. SC005122

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Light of the North

When the New Testament series went on display at The painting on this issue’s front cover is James Tissot’s ‘What Christ the Champ de Mars Salon in Paris in 1894, it was saw from the Cross’, a watercolour claimedthatTissothadsingle-handedly revolutionised which created a certain amount of religious painting. The New York Times reported that: controversy when it was first “On the painter’s day women went from one exhibited because of its unusual illustration to another weeping and full of emotion, speechless and deeply moved. The composition which men, who came in chattering and depicts Christ’s view from the cross. gay, soon began to move about Jacques Tissot, as he was then known, silently, with soft and reverent step.” was born in 1836 in Nantes and, as a The highly publicized exhibition young man, travelled to Paris in order later travelled to London and the to train as a painter. He studied at the United States and made Tissot a Ecole des Beaux-Arts and in the studios small fortune when eventually the of Ingres and Flandrin. Among his whole series was bought by the friends and acquaintances were Manet, Brooklyn Museum of Art where it Degas and James Whistler (who must went on permanent display for the have made a strong impression on him next thirty years. because after meeting him he The painting featured on our cover anglicised his name to ‘James’). is about 9”square and was executed He achieved recognition for his work around 1890. It’s the unusual quite quickly but in 1871, as a viewpoint that is striking here. sympathiser of the Paris Commune, he Instead of showing Christ upon the was forced to seek refuge in London to James Tissot, Self Portrait Cross, the painter placed the viewer escape imprisonment. Despite his (c.

1865) inside Christ, looking down upon continued success as one of the greatest painters of social life of the Victorian period, the scene. Rabbis or scribes on donkeys brazenly line he was held in contempt by most of the critics up just beneath the Cross. They seem satisfied with including Ruskin and Oscar Wilde, and aroused the situation – after all, they were the ones who had considerable jealousy amongst his Impressionist pressed Pilate into having their rival crucified. Roman colleagues in France where he was regarded as a very centurions are there, some sitting in mild, almost minor figure. The main criticisms were that his pictures cynical curiosity while one stands resolute, arms were really only painted photographs, and that they crossed, respecting the dignity of the manner in were vulgar because they portrayed the shallowness which Christ endured this horrific fate. After Jesus of nouveau-riche society. However, this did not breathes his last, Luke has him acclaim: ‘This man was truly just’. prevent his paintings from selling extremely well.

At the bottom of the canvas are Christ’s bloody feet While in London, Tissot met a beautiful Irish divorcee who became his mistress. When she died of and we see a woman, probably Mary Magdalene, consumption he returned to Paris where, while at crying in anguish. In the middle of a group of women, work in the Church of Saint-Sulpice, he claimed later a possible three more Mary’s: Mary, mother of Christ; to have had a vision of Christ. This conversion Mary, mother of James and John; and Mary, wife of experience brought him back to the Catholicism of Clopas. The man to their left could be John the his youth and inspired him with a quest: to reveal the Evangelist. In the background, Tissot has painted a historical Jesus in pictures. He began to make study tomb where the body is to be deposited the same trips to the Middle East where he sketched and night. The pots in the foreground may contain the photographed, but his new found mission did not vinegar that was offered to Christ to quench his thirst. impress all of his contemporaries. Degas, after many Humanity, in its full measure, is laid bare in this one years of friendship, derided him as a ‘poseur’ for scene. While it is probably true to say that Tissot’s embarking upon a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and painting lacks psychological depth and reminds us of wrote Tissot off as mercenary for selling a portrait a still from a Hollywood movie spectacular, it is still a Degas had painted of him. Nevertheless, as a result of remarkable demonstration of painterly skill, close his trips to the Middle East, Tissot eventually produced observation, compositional drama and spiritual about 350 images of the New Testament, as well as a intensity. later and rather less successful series based on the Cowan Watson Old Testament.

up front

Light of the North

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contents

diocese 5

witness 10

liturgy 12

educationandformation 16

faithinaction 25

faithandculture 26

crossword 33

humour 34

Westminster 35

Light of the North Managing Editor Deacon Tony Schmitz Editor Cowan Watson Editorial Advisor Canon Bill Anderson Advertising Sandra Townsley 01463 831 133 Sedstown@aol.com

Light of the North, Ogilvie Centre 16 Huntly Street, Aberdeen AB10 1SH 01224 638675 lightofthenorthmagazine@gmail.com

www.lightofthenorth.org

I’m one of those squirrel-like people who hoard away bits of trivia like nuts for the winter though, unlike the squirrel, I can usually not remember where I’ve put them on the odd occasion when they might be useful. But here’s a little gem which I must share before it disappears down an old rabbit hole or wherever squirrels stash their cold weather rations.

Everyone will be familiar with the expression, ‘Touch wood’. Often we use the phrase and proceed to do just that: knock on the table or door or whatever wood comes to hand but did you know that the practice comes from the rosary?!

Rosaries in the old days were often made of oak wood and were fingered in times of distress or trouble. Thus, holding on to or rubbing the wooden rosary or its wooden crucifix when danger was near became a common way for Christians to deal with hardships and difficulties and the practice slipped into common use as ‘touch wood’.

Speaking of rosaries, you’ll notice that on page 16 Peter Morris continues his series of ‘Rosary Meditations for Everyday Living’ with ‘The Second Joyful Mystery and, as you make your Lenten journey this year, there’s plenty more in this issue to meditate on and enjoy: Clare Benedict recalls how, in this ‘Season of Grace’, we can prepare to meet the Risen Lord this Easter; Scottish Parliamentary Officer, John Deighan, discusses the threat posed by Margo MacDonald’s Assisted Suicide Bill; Shelagh Noden reveals more about the Rev George Mathison from Banffshire, one of the first priests in the country to form a choir; and Professor Peter Davidson tells the story of James Byres, leading light in the art world of Rome, who planned to remodel King’s College, Aberdeen in the style of the ‘Sapienza’ at Rome and create one of the earliest picture galleries in Britain.

Finally, may I draw your attention to the obituary of Fr Ronnie Walls who was a regular contributor to the Light of the North. He will be greatly missed, as will his ‘Orkney Diary�.

A very Happy Easter Cowan

I’m going to live forever

When we are young we don’t worry about getting old. When we are old we shouldn’t have to fear the future. Age Concern and Help the Aged in Scotland, who have joined forces to form a single charity for older people in Scotland, works hard to take the worry out of growing old.

We work on issues like income, health, housing and care so that older people can enjoy a better quality of life. Even a small legacy from you can make a major contribution to this work. To include us in your will, speak to your solicitor, ensuring that, should you wish your money to be spent in Scotland, you use the exact name Age Concern and Help the Aged in Scotland.

With your help we can ensure a worry-free future for older people.

Age Concern and Help the Aged in Scotland, Causewayside House 160 Causewayside, Edinburgh EH9 1PR Tel: 0845 833 0200

Charity number: SC010100

Light of the North

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New s fro m t he D io ce se Bishop’s Ad Limina Visit to Rome 2010

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very five years each bishop in the world makes a formal visit “to the thresholds of the apostles” – in Latin, Ad limina apostolorum. With the other bishops of his country, (1) he celebrates Mass at the tombs of St Peter and of St Paul, (2) he meets the Pope individually and (3) he visits the Departments (in Vatican language the Congregations and the Pontifical Councils) of the “Civil Service” of the universal Church.

Scotland’s eight diocesan bishops, with two retired colleagues, made their visit in early February this year.

Mass in the crypt of the Vatican basilica, where St Peter lies buried, is a privilege and an emotional experience. So, of course, is an individual meeting with the Holy Father!

Pope Benedict spoke English with me. He had an atlas on his desk and when I pointed out Orkney and Shetland he asked how many Catholics there were “in the islands”.

(About 500 in Shetland and 200 in Orkney, in fact.) I emphasised how small a percentage of the population is Catholic (3%), and how recent migrants had probably doubled that percentage. I was able to introduce to the Pope the two seminarians studying for our diocese.

In each Congregation or Pontifical Council we the Scots bishops (sometimes all of us, more often just three or four) met officials who deal, for example, with Promotion of Christian Unity or with Catholic Education or with Men and Women Religious. Each department had received our reports about these topics in our dioceses, and there was opportunity for detailed exchange of views. We could

Madrid will host World Youth Day World Youth Days are the greatest concentration of young people in the world. Hundreds of thousands of young people respond every three years to the call of the Roman Pontiff to go on pilgrimage to a city of the world and manifest their faith in Christ.

Madrid 2011 will be the 26th World Youth Day and the chosen theme will be “Rooted and Built Up in Jesus Christ,

report successful initiatives or seek advice about problems; the officials could put questions to us or pass on “best practice” working well in other countries. Usually the meeting was chaired by the Prefect (normally a Cardinal), or the Secretary (normally an Archbishop) with up to six “juniors”, clergy or laity. It was encouraging to note that in at least one meeting the Under-Secretary (i.e. No. 3 in the Department) was a lady – appropriately enough, in the Council for Justice and Peace.

The Council for Migrants and Itinerants mentioned not only the 90th anniversary this autumn of the founding (in Glasgow) of the Apostleship of the Sea but young people from other countries studying in Scotland. The Council for Justice and Peace had noticed, and commended, how vigorously the Scottish hierarchy challenges our country’s leaders on matters of Justice and Peace, such as the treatment of asylum-seekers, and on matters of Life and Death. The Council for the Laity encouraged us to tap into the spiritual energies of the newer lay movements such as Focolare. At the Council for Communications we discussed rapid advances in media technology but also the challenge for the older and younger generations of understanding each other’s thinking patterns. In this Council and also in the Congregation for Divine Worship we dealt with anxieties about forthcoming changes in the texts of the Mass.

These few examples may show how pleasant and useful this high-level visit was. =Peter

Firm in the Faith” (cf Col 2:7) It is expected that the WYD 2011 calendar will follow the pattern of previous World Youth Days: Days in the Diocese: August 11th to 15th. Opening Liturgy, Catechetical Sessions and Youth Festival Activities: August 16th to 19th. Way of the Cross: August 19th. Pilgrimage Walk and Vigil: Saturday, August 20th.

Closing Mass with the Holy Father: Sunday, August 21st.

WYD offers an amazing opportunity to experience the universality and power of the Catholic faith and is not to be missed. Interested? Then get in touch with your Parish Priest to find out more.

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Light of the North

Bishop Peter’s gift to his old university

2010 Diocesan Pilgrimage to Lourdes and the Shrines of France

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n Tuesday, 15th December Bishop Peter presented a facsimile of two leaves of the Bodmer papyri to Professor Duncan Rice, Principal of the University of Aberdeen, the bishop’s own Alma Mater.

The two leaves are from a collection, probably from Egypt, which appeared on the antiquities market in the 1950’s. They date from the early years of the 3rd century AD and contain the Gospels of Luke and John. In 2007 they were formally gifted to Pope Benedict XVI and were added to the manuscript holdings of the Vatican Library. When in October 2008 the Synod of Bishops met to discuss “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church” Pope Benedict presented each participant with a facsimile.

Photographic Competition Contemporary Images of the Diocesan Priest

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n celebration of the Year of the Priest, Priests for Scotland invites you to present Contemporary Images of the Diocesan Priest. Photographs should depict the essence of the Diocesan Catholic Priest. This competition is organised by Priests for Scotland with sponsorship from Arnold Clark, Phoenix Honda, T&R O’Brien, The Union of Catholic Mothers, and The Catenian Association.

See www.priestsforscotland.org.uk for details.

n recent years, the custom has developed of a group from the Diocese of Aberdeen travelling in pilgrimage every second year or so to Lourdes.

Many will recall the pilgrimages organised by the late Canon John Gowans and, more recently, by the much-missed Mgr Eddie Traynor.

Last year it had been hoped to organise a pilgrimage, but early on in the planning it was realised that the costs were going to be prohibitive due to the recession, and so sadly, the plans had to be postponed. Now I am writing to let you know that a pilgrimage is planned for this coming summer, from the 7th – 17th July.

This year, however, we are offering a pilgrimage with a difference! Recent pilgrimages have travelled to Lourdes by air, and while this is the quickest mode of

KINNOULL

St Marys Retreat Centre 1/4 Redemptorist Centre of Spirituality

St Mary’s, Kinnoull, overlooking the historic city of Perth, is at the gateway to the Highlands of Scotland and, since the1860’s, has been a place of sabbatical rest and spiritual renewal.

Holy Week Retreat 29 March – 3 April 2010 Fr Ronnie McAinsh C.Ss.R. Life in abundance Holy Week is the ideal time for your personal retreat. Jesus said, “I have come that you may have life and have it in abundance”. (John 10: 10) Join us for this retreat and be back in your parish for the Easter Vigil.

Summer Retreats 26 – 30 July 2010 9 – 13 August 2010 Our traditional summer retreats are directed by the staff at St. Mary’s, with a focus on personal prayer, times of quiet, relaxation and the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of our gardens, woodlands and Kinnoull Hill.

Healing Power of Forgiveness 12 – 16 July 2010 Dr. Stephanie Thornton and Fr. Jim McManus C.Ss.R. The healing power of forgiveness is being re-discovered by the medical world in our own time. Dr. Stephanie Thornton, a leading British psychologist, formerly Head of the Psychology Department at Sussex University, co-authored a best selling book on Forgiveness with Fr. Jim McManus. This week will examine the human process of forgiving.

Saints of the Third Age: Spirituality in a time of Retirement 19 – 23 July 2010 Dr. Stephanie Thornton and Fr. Jim McManus C.Ss.R. We retire from work, not from life. In fact, should we not say that we retire for life, for a fuller and more integrated life? Dr. Thornton collaborates with Fr. Jim McManus in exploring the new opportunities for human growth in the time of retirement.

Details: The Secretary, St. Mary’s, Kinnoull, Perth PH2 7BP Tel: 01738 624075 E-mail: stmaryskinnoull@btconnect.com Web Page: www.kinnoullmonastery.org

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City Mission at St Mary’s Cathedral 20 – 26 March

T transport, it is not always the easiest nor is it the cheapest. In order to try and keep the cost of the pilgrimage down, we have decided this year to travel by bus.

“Oh no!” I hear you say – not the dreaded bus!

However, the itinerary has been arranged in such a way as to ensure that the pilgrimage is not remembered for the nightmare travel! Our luxury coach is fitted with comfortable seats and has many on-board features designed to make the journey comfortable and enjoyable.

The first leg of the journey will see us spend the night on the Hull to Zeebrugge ferry, where we will enjoy full cabin facilities as well as dinner and breakfast. As we travel through France we will visit various shrines, in particular the shrine of St John Vianney in Ars, remembering the Year of the Priest.

Also visited en route will be the Convent at Nevers where St Bernadette lived and died. We will then spend five nights in Lourdes, taking part in the full pilgrimage programme. On the way home, we will visit the famous shrine of St.Catherine Laboure and the Miraculous Medal at the Rue du Bac, and spend two nights enjoying all that Paris has to offer! Before heading back to the ferry at Zeebrugge, we will visit the shrine of St Therese, the Little Flower, at Lisieux.

I hope that as many of you as possible will be able to join us in what will, I am sure, be a most enjoyable and spiritually uplifting pilgrimage, and a time of great grace for the Diocese as well as all pilgrims. If you would like more information, please contact me at St. Peter’s, Buckie. I look forward to hearing from you!

Fr. Gerry Livingstone (Pilgrimage Director) St. Peter’s Church St. Andrew’s Square Buckie AB56 1QN Telephone: 01542 832196 Email: frgerry@supanet.com

he Mission is a great spiritual event for the City. You will have the opportunity to experience the healing power of faith; you will be able to reflect more deeply on the comforting truths of our faith; you will be able to celebrate those consoling truths with the whole community throughout the week.

The Mission is a grace of spiritual renewal for the parish. It is a time for proclaiming Christ’s Gospel and celebrating the sacraments he gave us and praying together throughout the week. It is a time of retreat for the parish.

During a mission people become aware of the healing presence of God in their lives. Some receive a deep renewal in their faith, others are set free from hurts, pain and sadness, and all experience the blessing of God in their lives. During this Lent your Mission will be a grace for you. But you will have to participate in order to receive the blessing.

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Light of the North

Knights celabrate 90th anniversary

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he Knights of St. Columba recently celebrated their 90th anniversary during a ‘supreme meeting’ in Paisley. An anniversary Mass was celebrated in the beautiful St Mirin’s Cathedral, Paisley by the Bishop of Paisley, the Rt Rev Philip Tartaglia. Co-celebrants were Bishops John Mone, Joseph Devine, John Cunningham and Joseph Toal from Scotland and the order’s Ecclesiastical Adviser, Bishop Malcolm McMahon OP and former adviser, Bishop Howard Tripp, from England.

The Knights of St. Columba are a body of Catholic men within the church who are committed to serving the church in any way that the parish priest requires. They also raise funds for charitable organisations and help any ‘brother’ who is in spiritual need or in ďŹ nancial diďŹƒculty. The order was founded in Glasgow in 1919 and councils are to be found all over Scotland, England and Wales.

In the Diocese of Aberdeen there are two councils, Council 88 in Aberdeen and Council 629 in Inverness.

In preparation for the anniversary the Knights had a ‘year of spirituality’ which included visits to various churches in May where they led the Rosary of Our Lady with parishioners.

During the year the “ Fraternal Cross� visited every province

The Fraternal Cross on display at Trinity Church, Westhill, Aberdeen in the order. The idea for the Fraternal Cross originated in the council in Wolverhampton and it is circulated around every province every second year. The provinces are asked to display the cross in churches in their Diocese and to ask that Mass be celebrated and prayers be said for the order, for deceased brothers and for the Church.

The Knights’ nominated charity for the next two years is “Vision Aid Overseas� which is an organisation that helps the poor in Africa by providing eye operations and spectacles for youngsters, thus enabling them to attend school and get an education.

If you would like to join the Knights of St. Columba please contact any member of council 88 or 629 for further information.

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CIAF’s WEE BOX, BIG CHANGE Lent campaign in 2010 focuses on the issue of hunger in Ethiopia.

The campaign’s message is that we can all make a dierence to the lives of those in need during Lent.

Parishes, schools, community groups and individuals across Aberdeen Diocese are being asked to give up a favourite treat such as chocolate or wine, put the money they save in a SCIAF WEE BOX, and donate the proceeds at the end of Lent to help our life-saving work around the world.

Last year, the amount raised by schools and parishes in Aberdeen Diocese for SCIAF was ÂŁ29,409. This year, with your help, we hope to raise even more.

Hunger remains a huge global issue with around one billion people going to bed hungry every night. In Ethiopia alone 6.2 million people are in need of emergency aid due to food and water shortages caused by poor rains and harvests. SCIAF is working in Ethiopia to help communities grow better crops

Obituary

Light of the North

and protect themselves from drought.

The Gebreselassie family, who appear on the WEE BOX this year, live in the dry Tigray region of Ethiopia where it is very difficult to grow food. To address this problem we helped their village build a reservoir which collects precious rainwater and a system of concrete canals which carry the water straight to farmers’ fields. We also gave the Gebreselassie family agricultural training so that they can grow a greater variety of crops and taught them business skills so they can generate an income.

By supporting SCIAF this Lent you can help more families in Ethiopia, and around the world to free themselves from hunger – for good. Even a small sacrifice can make a big

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difference. For the price of 40 packets of crisps, SCIAF can provide four families in Africa with seeds, and the price of 40 cappuccinos is enough for us to provide safe water for ten families.

SCIAF also campaigns to tackle the root causes of poverty and this Lent we are urging supporters to sign campaign postcards calling for whoever wins the forthcoming general election to ensure global poverty does not slip off the political agenda.

To order your free WEE BOX, campaign postcards, SCIAF prayer resources and other Lenten materials call 0141 354 5555 or visit www.sciaf.org.uk.

Father Ronald J. Walls (1920 -2010)

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ith the death of Father Ronnie Walls in Kirkwall on Saturday 2nd January the Catholic Church in Scotland has lost one of its most venerable and well-loved priests.

Ronald James Walls was born on 23 June 1920 in Edinburgh, son of Thomas John Walls, optician, and Jane Ross Walls (nee Kemp). His paternal grandfather was from Orkney, and that link made Father Walls specially pleased to return in December 2006 to Kirkwall to spend his closing years.

Ronnie Walls grew up in a practising Presbyterian family in Corstorphine, Edinburgh. He attended George Heriot’s School in the city from 1928 to 1937. Even in those early years, religious discussion interested him and was encouraged.

He also looked back “to the German class as the foundation of much of my true education. Not only did we learn the language thoroughly, but through the language we were introduced to Europe”. Indeed during his Edinburgh University days (he graduated MA [Hons.Phil.] in 1941) he spent a summer vacation en famille on a farm in Hungary.

Ronnie married Helen in the final months of theological studies at New College, and after temporary assistantships, and by now with two young children, was inducted as Minister of Logie Easter, in Ross-shire. He has vividly portrayed that early ministry in his The One True Kirk (London, Burns & Oates 1960).

Following years of self-searching and intellectual enquiry he resigned his charge. He and his wife were received as members of the Roman Catholic Church at Nunraw Abbey near Haddington in 1948. He then found employment as Scottish Organiser of the Converts’ Aid Society and also devoted himself to writing.

In 1974 he and his wife were seriously injured in a road accident: Ronnie survived but sadly Helen died two weeks later. Some months passed before he applied for training for ordination as a Catholic priest for the diocese of Aberdeen. He enrolled from 1975 to 1977 at the Beda College, in Rome, where staff comments reveal an outstanding student.

On 30 June 1977 he was ordained priest in St Peter’s church, Morningside, Edinburgh, the first candidate to be ordained by the then recently nominated Bishop Mario Conti of Aberdeen.

He served in Banchory and Aboyne (1977-82), in Wick and Thurso (1982-89) and at Saint Joseph’s, Woodside, Aberdeen (1989-95) before taking retirement. However, he was hardly less active in retirement, helping colleagues with “supply”work while living in Portsoy (1995-2000), in Buckie (2000-2004), in Inverness (2004 – 2006) and finally moving, to his own great satisfaction, to Kirkwall in Orkney where he spent his final three years, active to the last.

Father Ronnie Walls was appreciated within and outwith the Catholic communities wherever he lived, and will be remembered for his clarity of mind, his affable personality, his readable articles and books, his pawky humour and numerous anecdotes, and above all for his singleness of purpose in communicating his staunch faith. With his passing, an era has ended.

To his sons David and Christopher, his sister Margaret, and other members of his family we offer our sympathy and our thanks for this splendid and long-lived colleague. May he rest in peace.

<Bishop Peter Moran

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Making sense of suicide

The author of this harrowing account has expressed the hope that by sharing their story they may provide some degree of comfort for others who have experienced such tragic loss. In effect, it is an Easter story for, as the writer says, “the one who died and those who remain are uniquely caught up in the mystery of the Crucifixion. Easter Sunday did not remove the agony of Good Friday. The Cross only made sense in hindsight”.

“H

e’d only returned home the previous day.

Someone accidentally bumped into him in Tesco’s. His nerves were so shot to pieces that he didn’t have time to think. He reacted automatically, spun around and delivered a karate chop that killed the shopper. We gave him a six-month suspended sentence. What else could we do?”

The killer was a young soldier, home on leave from Northern Ireland at the height of the ‘Troubles’. Nobody knew that the soldier had reached breaking-point. The very next day, he accidentally killed a fellow shopper in the days before Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder was recognised.

Also, before anybody knew of PTSD, my brother, a 19 year-old Military Policeman, was sent to Northern Ireland, a posting which led to his suicide and made him one of the invisible, uncounted statistics of military fatalities.

I am writing this so that you might see what it is like for the family left behind and perhaps see the story from a different perspective.

You see, only weeks after my brother committed suicide, I nursed a soldier, an officer, who, one evening, informed me that when he left hospital he planned to kill himself.

“My family will be better off without me”, he said. “The army will help them and they won’t be saddled with me and my problems. They can make new lives for themselves.”

My family was proud of Peter, who looked wonderful in his uniform and loved his work with the Military Police. Things changed when he went to Northern Ireland. He found that there were real guns and real bullets. Haunted by the naked hatred in the eyes, even of fellow Catholics, he never learned to cope with that hatred or the realisation that, as a member of the British army, complete strangers wanted to kill him, unconcerned about him, his hopes, dreams, family or future.

Of course, Peter wasn’t the only one who suffered. One night at the barracks, a friend suddenly shot himself in the mouth as he lay on his bed. Another friend was captured, tortured, mutilated and killed. Two others, driving in a white van, were shot at and murdered. Storyhungry journalists paid youngsters to throw stones at the soldiers. On guard duty at the home of a prominent politician, the wife would bring cups of tea to the Redcaps and then her husband would curse and swear at them… and so the story continued...

I think that the tipping point came after Peter had left the army, still haunted by his experiences, but because PTSD was unknown, he received no help. Some close friends of his played a cruel ‘joke’, pretending that they had been killed in a road accident and that their four small children had been orphaned. Less than one month later, my brother was dead. I still believe that their cruelty was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Had they not been so cruel, I am sure Peter would be alive today.

Suicide is not a ‘spur of the moment’ decision. It has a history, probably of many small, cumulative, events. At any point in that journey, things can be different. Often, what makes the difference is talking.

I once met a young paraplegic, aged about 19. To shorten the story, he was heading down the hospital garden to find a quiet spot where he could kill himself, unable to cope with a wheelchair-confined future. My stroll had providentially interrupted his plan. By the time we finished talking, he had begun to see that his life still held hope. He opted for life.

It is impossible to truly come to terms with a family suicide. There is always the question, “Why?” and the feeling of rejected love. There is always pain.

Many years passed before I shed the bottled-up tears and forgave my brother for the suffering that had been needlessly inflicted on our innocent family. Now, instead of praying for Peter, I pray to him.

So what are some of the lessons I learned?

I think that the biggest lesson was to look more deeply than the mere fact of suicide. There is meaning. There is comfort. There is hope.

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Peter died with my telephone number in his pocket on a weekend when I was available to go to his help. He didn’t ask for my support. Today I comfort myself knowing that, as my phone number was in his pocket, even in his last moment and even though it was in such a tiny, seemingly irrelevant way, the family was with him and he did not die alone. Even then, he was part of a family that cared for and loved him, who were there for him right until the end.

Whatever the motive for suicide, the family never fully gets over the tragedy, the pain or the questions. Each family member spends a lifetime wondering what could have been said or done to prevent such a death. All too often, in spite of the queries, the answer is that probably nothing would have made a difference. Until the very last moment, the one who died knew that there was a place where, regardless of everything, those who loved him or her would have given their all to protect and defend him.

Why that fact was blocked out is part of the lifelong agony for those left behind, who learn to live with their loss but never fully come to terms with it. The family will always be in pain, knowing their inability to soothe the hurt of one of their own. They will experience an initial grief, disbelief, anger, resentment, questions, confusion and, often, an unwillingness to forgive the one who has died.

Gradually, they realise that life must continue, although understanding and forgiveness may take a lifetime to appear. Many questions remain unanswered. There is always an ‘if only’. Peter’s death is an unhealed wound.

The family is not ‘better off’ without him. He is missed at every family gathering, every celebration and at so many unexpected moments. I know that, these days, there is help available that was never there for Peter and, yes, it hurts. Although we realise that he is at peace, as someone said, “You learn to live with it, but you never get over it.”

Nobody simply wakes up one morning and decides to commit suicide. We all hang on to life, even when it is painful. At the very root of suicide is suffering that seems to take hold and mask everything else. Perhaps there are times when suicide might almost be an act of hope that there is something beyond this life, somewhere free from pain, beautiful, forgiving, understanding and peaceful.

Thus an apparent act of despair might be a misguided act of hope on the part of someone who no longer saw life and love clearly.

God never, ever, rejects someone who is suffering.

Suicide is an act of someone who is suffering, but perhaps their very last thought was one of total and utter abandonment into God’s arms. God would never ignore such a complete self-giving even if onlookers might decide otherwise. God sees the heart. We don’t.

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The tale is told of a quick-tempered monk who died during one of his outbursts. His community decided that even God could not forgive such fury and so they didn’t pray for him. One night, God demanded an explanation.

The abbot blustered out his answer. “Ah yes”, replied God. “You thought he died because he lost his temper. I know he died because he tried so hard to keep it.”

Perhaps, God might give the one who commits suicide the possibility of ‘doing good upon earth’, thereby atoning for the family’s pain.

I personally decided to use the experience of my brother’s death to help families in a similar situation to mine.

Three times, I was also able to use my family’s experience to help people not to kill themselves. Couldn’t that have been a combined effort of God and my brother working through me? If, as I truly believe, my brother is succeeding in ‘doing good upon earth’, then that means only one thing: he HAS to be in Heaven with God. There is no other possibility for exercising goodness after death.

God drew goodness from the horror of suicide in yet another way. In not understanding the tragedy forced upon us, my family drew even closer together. We became less judgemental, more understanding and compassionate towards those who had done as my brother because we had also ‘been there, done that’. We became better people.

There are no easy answers. The one who died and those who remain are uniquely caught up in the mystery of the Crucifixion. Easter Sunday did not remove the agony of Good Friday. The Cross only made sense in hindsight.

Mary could never, ever, forget standing at the foot of the Cross, but her despair led to joy. It was Calvary that made Mary truly our Mother.

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lliturgy ittur turgy gy

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Catholicity

Abbot Ab bot Hugh Hugh G Gilbert ilber t O O.S.B. .S.B.

W

hen h en C Christianity hristianity bbegan egan ttoo sspread, pread, iitt ttook ook hold first poor, h old fi rst ooff tthe he p oor, tthe he sslaves, laves, tthe he But ooppressed. ppressed. B ut in in ttime ime iitt won won tthe he and aacceptance cceptance of of aallll ““sorts sorts an nd cconditions onditions ooff men”.

Thee G Gospel proclaimed poor first m en”. Th ospel iiss p roclaimed ttoo tthe he p oor fi rst ooff aall, ll, bbut ut not Thee G Gospel whole iitt iiss n ot rrestricted estricted ttoo tthem. hem. Th ospel is is ffor or ““the the w hole world”, Church Catholic mother w orld”, aand nd tthe he C hurch iiss a C atholic m other rready eady ttoo her eembrace mbrace aanyone nyone aand nd eeveryone veryone iin nh er heart. heart. Christianity Christianity iis, s, nature, ooff iits ts n ature, eexpansive, xpan ansive, iinclusive. nclusive.

Th hurch’s ccatholicity atholicity is is oone ne of of h er inalienable inalienable Thee C Church’s her properties.

Pentecost p roperties. IIt’s t’s a ssign ign tthat hat P entecost iiss iindeed ndeed tthe he rreversal eversal ooff B abel, tthat hat tthe he bblessing lessing ggiven iven A braham h as n ow eembraced mbraced Babel, Abraham has now pagans, Prophets’ picture new tthe he p agans, tthat hat tthe he P rophets’ p icture of of tthe he n ew Jerusalem Jerusalem w as n elusive vvision. ision. Th table has has been been set set u p, tthe he was noo d delusive Thee table up, many west, north bbanquet anquet bbrought rought iin, n, aand nd m any ffrom rom eeast ast aand nd w est, n orth aand nd ssouth outh h ave ttaken aken ttheir heir p lace with with A braham m, Isaac Isaac aand nd have place Abraham, Thee sseed Kingdom mighty JJacob. acob. Th eed ooff tthe he K ingdom has has bbecome ecome a m ighty ttree ree aand nd tthe he birds birds ooff tthe he aair ir h ave settled settled in in its its branches. branches. Jesus Jesus has has have died, not people d ied, n ot ffor or tthe he p eople oonly, nly, bbut ut to to ggather ather iinto nto oone ne tthe he sscattered cattered cchildren hildren ooff G od.

God. This wonderful make Th is iiss ssomething, omething, lliterally, iterally, w onderful – that that should should m ake u ull ooff w onder, r, aand nd ggive ive u ssurance iin n oour ur ffaith. aith. IItt iiss uss ffull wonder, uss aassurance miraculous. ssomething omething ssupernatural upernatural aand nd m iraculous. IItt rrepresents epresents the the vvictory ictory ooff C hrist aand nd tthe he C hurch oover ver tthe he w orld, tthe he vvictory ictory Christ Church world,

ver the ver (fallen) ooff tthe he sspirit pirit oover the flesh, flesh, of of ggrace race oover (fallen) nature. nature. IItt iiss ssomething omething qquite uite n ew iin n tthe he h istory ooff tthe he h uman rrace. ace. SSin in new history human h as n ot eeradicated radicated tthe he iinsuppressible nsuppressible ssocial-ness ocial-ness ooff h uman not human has n ature. W till ggather: ather: tthe he ffamily, amily, tthe he ttribe, ribe, tthe he nature.

Wee d doo sstill p rofession, tthe he ccity, ity, tthe he n ation, tthe he cculture. ulture. B ut ssomehow omehow profession, nation, But w ather oonly nly ttoo sscatter. catter. E ven w hen w ot fi ght aamong mong wee ggather Even when wee d doo n not fight oour ur oown wn ggroup, roup, tthe he u nity w ill ttend end ttoo bbee eexclusive. xclusive. W ill unity will Wee w will h ave n ommerce w ith tthe he p eople ooff tthe he n ext vvillage; illage; w have noo ccommerce with people next wee w ill bbee aatt w ar w ith tthe he n eighbouring ttribe; ribe; w ill eengage ngage will war with neighbouring wee w will iin n a cclass lass sstruggle. truggle. Th evels ooff ssophistication ophistication vvary, ary, bbut ut tthe he Thee llevels p attern, tthe he sstructure tructure iiss aalways lways tthe he ssame: ame: tthem hem aand nd u s. O h pattern, us.

Oh yyes, es, d espite C ain aand nd A bel, w till as ssociate. W annot llive ive despite Cain Abel, wee sstill associate.

Wee ccannot w ithout oothers. thers. W annot llive ive w ithout ffriends. riends. B ut w without Wee ccannot without But wee kkeep eep vvery ery firmly firmly ttoo oour ur oown. wn. T acitly oorr vvociferously, ociferously, w Tacitly wee eexclude. xclude.

A nd oover ver u s, tthere here tthunders hunders tthe he w ord ooff tthe he L ord: ““if if yyou ou And us, word Lord: llove ove tthose hose w ho llove ove yyou, ou, w hat rreward eward d ou h ave? D ot who what doo yyou have?

Doo n not eeven ven tthe he ttax ax ccollectors ollectors d he ssame? ame? A nd iiff yyou ou ggreet reet oonly nly doo tthe And yyour our brothers, brothers, w hat m ore aare re yyou ou d oing tthan han oothers? thers? D what more doing Doo n ot eeven ven tthe he G entiles d he ssame? ame? B erfect, ttherefore, herefore, aass not Gentiles doo tthe Bee p perfect, yyour our heavenly heavenly F ather iiss p erfect.” ((Mt Mt 55:46-48) :46-48) Father perfect.”

D ully rrealise ealise tthe he rradical adical n ewness, tthe he ccomplete omplete Doo w wee ffully newness, ootherness therness ooff tthe he C hristian w ay? Th at tthere here iis, s, eever ver ssince ince tthe he Christian way?

That SSermon ermon oon n tthe he M ount, a w ay ooff d eath aand nd a w ay ooff llife, ife, aand nd Mount, way death way tthat hat tthey hey h ave n othing iin n ccommon ommon w hatsoever? ““Live Live bbyy have nothing whatsoever? tthe he SSpirit, pirit, I ssay, ay, aand nd d ot ggratify ratify tthe he d esires ooff tthe he fl esh. doo n not desires flesh.

F or w hat tthe he fl esh d esires iiss oopposed pposed ttoo tthe he SSpirit, pirit, aand nd w hat For what flesh desires what tthe he SSpirit pirit d esires iiss oopposed pposed ttoo tthe he fl esh; ffor or tthese hese aare re desires flesh; oopposed pposed ttoo eeach ach oother” ther” ((Gal Gal 55:16-17). :16-17).

C hrist ccame ame ttoo aabolish bolish eenmity nmity aand nd m ake p eace, aand nd tthe he Christ make peace, C attholic C hurch iiss tthe he p lace ooff tthis his aachievement. chievement. IIts ts fi rst Catholic Church place first rreconciliation econciliation iiss ooff G entile aand nd JJew, ew, aand nd ffrom rom tthat hat fl ow tthe he Gentile flow oothers: thers: ooff m an aand nd w oman, rrich ich aand nd p oor, oold ld aand nd yyoung, oung, man woman, poor, G entile aand nd G entile. Th hurch iis, s, aass A ugustine ssaid, aid, tthe he Gentile Gentile.

Thee C Church Augustine ““world world rreconciled”: econciled”: ssomething omething qquite uite n ew, qquite uite oother, ther, qquite uite new, ssupernatural, upernatural, qquite uite m iraculous. A nd iiff w ook aatt miraculous.

And wee llook C hristendom aass a w hole, iitt d oes sseem eem tthat hat oonly nly iin n Christendom whole, does C attholicism iiss tthe he m iracle ssubstantially ubstantially ssecure, ecure, aand nd llasting. asting.

Catholicism miracle G od kknows, nows, tthe he m iraculous ggift ift – iinalienable nalienable tthough hough iitt iiss God miraculous – iiss given given iinto nto vvery ery ffrail rail h ands. IIt’s t’s n ot jjust ust tthat hat C atholicism hands. not Catholicism h as bbeen een ffor or ssoo llong ong ssoo p redominan ntly L atin. IIt’s t’s tthat hat has predominantly Latin.

C attholics ssoo ooften ften p refer ttheir heir cclass lass oorr ttheir heir ccause ause oorr ttheir heir Catholics prefer n ationality ttoo ttheir heir C atholicity. I rremember emember ssomeone omeone ssaying aying nationality Catholicity. iin nL ourdes, ““Couldn’t Couldn’t aallll tthese hese p eople ooff ssoo m any d ifferent Lourdes, people many different n ationalities, yyet et ooff tthe he ssame ame ffaith, aith, bbee m ore ooff a ssource ource ooff nationalities, more p eace iin n tthe he w orld?” IIss tthere here aany ny aanswer nswer bbut ut ““yes” yes” ttoo tthat? hat? peace world?”

B ut tthen hen oone ne ccan an ggoo ttoo aalmost lmost aany ny p arish aanywhere nywhere aand nd But parish fi nd... find...

Th upernat atural ggift ift iiss ggiven. iven. B ut tthere here aare re d egrees – ssuch uch Thee ssupernatural But degrees d egrees! – ooff rreceptivity. eceptivity. A nd tthe he w arfare bbetween etween tthe he sspirit pirit degrees!

And warfare ooff tthe he w orld aand nd tthe he sspirit pirit tthat hat ccomes omes ffrom rom G od, tthe he w arfare world God, warfare bbetween etween fl esh aand nd sspirit, pirit, n ature aand nd ggrace, race, iiss rreally eally aatt iits ts flesh nature h eight iin n tthe he C hurch. Th ift iiss ggiven. iven. Th econciliation height Church.

Thee ggift Thee rreconciliation iiss aaccomplished, ccomplished, aand nd iiss aalways lways ssufficiently ufficiently ssignified ignified ttoo tthose hose

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who have eyes to see. And perhaps, by way of paradox, the scandalous intensity of the counter-signs do prove, to faith, the irrevocable depth of the Gift. The forces of division are forever being unleashed, and forever failing to prevail.

Doesn’t it all turn around the Mass, the Eucharist? It is round the Mass that the people gather. It’s there Catholic unity becomes visible. And every Mass, re-presenting Christ’s sacrifice, is a prayer for the Spirit, guaranteeing the perpetuity of Pentecost. “And the bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ?”(1 Cor 10:16) It’s here that Catholic unity, unified Catholicity are assured. This is the Gift at its sacramental source. But the mouth and the heart need to open, so that the Gift isn’t simply in the Church but conquers in us.

And isn’t the miracle – the Gift, the supernatural Gift – being verified and meant to be verified in us? We are ordinary and selfish and weak. In each one of us there is a real capacity to love ourselves to the contempt of God and everyone else. But our vocation, and our life, are quite other.

We continue with the third instalment of David Meiklejohn’s exploration of an American publication, ‘Why Catholics Can’t Sing’ by Thomas Day, chair of the music department at Salve Regina University in Newport Rhode Island. These articles may go some way to identifying the nature of this problem, but more importantly, it may result in debate which leads to providing solutions.

homas Day believes that Catholic congregations in the United States are somewhat hesitant on the subject of liturgical music because they have not experienced enough options to formulate what they want. The faithful are starving for spiritual

T

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We must never forget the miraculous, the supernatural character of what we are by baptism. “What is not possible to us by nature” (RB) is made possible by the Spirit, by the Eucharist.

The Eucharist is, really, the great ethical norm of our life.

From the Body comes the Body. Every Christian act must be a following through of the meaning and grace of the Eucharist. If we separate ourselves from the common acts or denigrate each other, the energies of the Eucharist are being thwarted and we’re not being true to ourselves. On the other hand, if we respect one another, assume good will in each other, communicate reasonably and charitably with one another, then those energies have free course and we will be at one with ourselves, and in the truth. And when the angels look they will see the world reconciled; they will see the Church, a miracle; they will see a body of people, not at all carbon copies of one another, but one in preferring nothing to the love of Christ.

nourishment symbolised in music. What happens? Day’s rather uncharitable response is “somebody says let them eat dog biscuits”!

What the Second Vatican Council called the “treasures of sacred music (Gregorian chant, the glorious choral works, organ music, etc) was, in many ways, part of a complex programme to deal with an extremely complex situation; the heterogeneous congregation of the people, who come to church in different social layers and who refuse to be homogenised. The music reminds the congregation that their spiritual values originate in a source that is higher and more important than their particular tribal “layer” in the world.

Day examines this by citing a personal recollection of attending in the 1950s a sombre Tenebrae service during Holy Week in Philadelphia’s Catholic cathedral. A choir of seminarians elegantly chanted one Latin psalm after another, without accompaniment. Now and then a priest would appear, beautifully chant one of the readings (again, in Latin) and them disappear in the sacristy. Aside from the seminarians, there was a total of about six members of the laity in the congregation. The time of day was inconvenient for most people, the cathedral had made almost no effort to publicise Tenebrae or explain it, and nobody worried about the small “turnout”. Nobody was embarrassed.

Liturgy of all sorts just “was” whether two people were there or two hundred. Day believes that we should try to recapture the “essence” of this situation where an event “takes place” rather than “being presented” to a congregation.

Orthodox Christians, Anglicans, and indeed the majority of Christians go to their churches and know what to expect there. The service will unfold. It will have its own life and logic, its own dynamic power. The worshipper and the clergy and the musicians will, in a “horizontal” relationship, work to move that religious event forward. Day compares this with alternative experiences, which resemble a talent

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show with instrumentalists and vocalists vying for attention.

Here the “unfolding” consists of individual, sometimes unrelated things which seem to require audience participation. The whole situation is “vertical” with celebrities on top and the congregation down below.

Day expresses a concern that Roman Catholicism appears to be in the process of dividing its forms of worship into smaller liturgical boutiques, each of which caters to a select clientele. There is really no other choice today. But the church, if it continues to show the kind of shrewdness it had in the past, will resist the temptation to fragment itself totally and will hold on to some forms of worship for “the people”. And what will be the artistic criteria for this kind of non-boutique liturgy? The church which has good choral music and the ceremonies which just “take place”, without the over-eager- hospitality. This type of liturgical ambience is “for the people”, especially the independent, those who know that a Renaissance motet or a Gregorian chant Kyrie is appropriate for the rich and the wretched of the earth, for the wise and the foolish, but maybe not for those who see the church as the elect organised into small cells.

In 1982 the I.T. Verdin Company of Cincinnati announced the invention of a remarkable device, which allows a parish to dispense with the services of a musician whenever it wants. For a few thousand dollars the company will install a stereo system that will play taped organ accompaniments of hymns over loud speakers. The celebrant can control the hymns – turn them on or off at the touch of a button from the altar. Organists in Protestant churches laughed; they thought it was a hoax. They knew from years of experience that accompanying a hymn is a live, human experience and a tape recording simply does not have the elasticity necessary to lead a congregation in song. Catholic journals praised this new invention. This pushbutton appliance seemed to be the ideal “pastoral musician”. It does not have to be paid, it has no ideas of its own, and is totally under the control of the clergy.

Congregational singing was not a success but nobody seemed to worry. Some twenty years later, we hear of those advocating an MP3 player to carry out a similar humiliation!

Different priests may have markedly different ideas in this area; therefore why invest your time and emotions in participating in a choir that may not continue when a less enlightened successor may eagerly eradicate the choir altogether?

Day maintains that trained musicians within the Catholic Church are not well treated. Many, particularly young musicians in the United States can feel disillusioned that the church has sold out on them and their art. They experience incredible frustration because their training is not taken seriously. Most, as far as can be ascertained, are very open to the full and active participation of the people and wish to practice their art in a thoroughly professional and pastoral manner. They worry, with good cause, that the ministerial conception of liturgical music often involves bias against professional excellence. Day maintains that anyone who has worked as a musician for the Catholic Church will develop calluses, in order to survive. Abuse

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and failure come with the job. There is an interesting link here with Day’s views and those of the contemporary Scottish composer, James MacMillan, who indicates that trained Catholic musicians often transfer themselves to other Christian churches where their training and skills are valued and appreciated.

There are clearly a plethora of reasons why Catholics don’t (as opposed to can’t) sing as well as they might. What then does the future hold for those who ardently want to experience enthusiastic and committed singing as an integral part of our liturgy in Catholic parishes in Scotland?

In responding to such a challenge it is important to recognise that there are no quick fixes. Inspirational leadership, vision and the inclusion of well-educated liturgical musicians are all essential ingredients in reversing this regrettable tendency.

Despite Day’s stark, but often accurate analysis, there are strong indicators that we may be approaching something of a renaissance in liturgical music in the not too distant future. The constructive dynamics and deep commitment evident during the Symposium on Scottish Sacred Music held at Pluscarden Abbey in September 2009, provided a great focus in recognising that we are in a strong position to create and implement a new narrative in this regard.

Additionally, the forthcoming New English Translation of the Mass has the potential to act as a catalyst for ensuring a higher level of liturgical musical experience for the people of God. Why Catholics Can’t Sing, The Culture of Catholicism and the Triumph of Bad Taste, is written by Thomas Day. Published

by Crossroad, New York. ISBN 0-8245-1153-0 David Meiklejohn is Course Director for the Post Graduate Certificate of Education in RE at the Maryvale Institute, Birmingham.

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Good G ood Ne News ews on a String: Strin ng: M Meditations editations for for Everyday Everyday Living A sseries eries of of m meditations editations o on n tthe he R Rosary osary b byy P Peter eter M Morris orris aand nd w with ith illustrations illustrations b byy M Margaret argaret B Bradley radley

Second Joyful Mystery: The Visitation (Luke 1:39-56) (see also Romans 12: 9-21)

I

t is fitting that the Visitation follows on from the Annunciation in the scripture text and in the series that is handed down in the practice of meditation with the rosary. They are intimately linked. The Annunciation was an experience of calling and the Visitation is a response to it. The shift is from the personal (or perhaps private) to the interpersonal – from inwardness to outwardness.

too pious can lead me to joke about a serious topic and to make light of something where a kind word (even one from scripture!) might have worked wonders.

Elizabeth, having been “filled with the Holy Spirit”, declares “Blessed are you among women”. When I am acting under the influence of the Spirit, I can recognise the giftedness of others in a positive way.

How often can we spend our life doing the exact opposite? We can see something good in others and we become jealous of them and can react destructively. We can either sabotage this person’s activities in an attempt to bring them down a peg or two or make jokes at their expense in the company of others.

Whoever says, “I am in the light”, while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness...walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness. (1 John 2: 9, 11)

Encounter We experience, at some level, the same dynamic when we gather to worship. We listen to the Word; reflect on it; offer to God the fruits of that reflection; submit to God’s will in receiving the food he gives for the journey; and then are sent out on that journey. In a sense, this mystery is about what happens out there in the world, having been sent out there after Mass.

I am struck by the immediacy of Mary’s action in the text. Perhaps it reminds me of the contrast at times between her swift willingness to carry out the will of God and my own hesitancy in similar circumstances. Feelings arise in me that ultimately prevent me from doing the right thing: feelings of inadequacy to measure up to the task in hand; fear of speaking up for the truth; or sticking up for someone in need of verbal support; fear of sounding

Notice that when it comes to dealing with other people, it is so easy to fall into the trap of frequently pointing the finger. If we bear in mind that this is an action that we observe in humanity following the fall (when asked, Adam points to Eve, who, in turn, points to the serpent) we may begin to recognise actions of that kind as something completely undesirable, unChristian. I suppose this is where use of the ‘Jesus Prayer’ can be fruitful. The finger will be consistently pointing to myself rather than anybody else.

Elizabeth’s reaction to Mary’s voice is one of joy springing from her very innards. The child she carries leaps in her womb. I’ll not pretend to know what that physically feels like. However, it does resemble a certain sensation of joy rising up in myself at times – hopefully it will be experienced when I am with someone who is very special to me: a loved one.

On another level, Elizabeth’s reaction is to the Christ-child inside Mary. We may hope to have a similar reaction to those whom we meet daily. We hope to react with joy to perceiving, in some way, the inner Christ nestling in the other. So in that sense the challenge is to get to a certain awareness that each person is very special to me. In other words, to

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see each person I meet as God does. On another level, this mystery is one of the encounter between old and young. Sometimes generational gaps can act as a boundary between people. We can sometimes wonder if we really understand each other, talking completely different languages – coming from very different perspectives. It can be quite a useful task to reflect on this when we find difficulty in our relationships with the older or younger people in our life. Notice, however, that Mary and Elizabeth are in the same boat - they are experiencing the same momentous life-event of being pregnant for the first time. Perhaps we might do well to wonder at the truth that the generational gap doesn’t fully divide us. Part of being Christian is being with each other in solidarity – sharing each other’s burdens. This mystery also raises the point that all people, both old and young have a valuable place in the Christian community. Elizabeth thought she was ‘over the hill’, that if she had any part to play in God’s plan, she’d missed her opportunity. She was mistaken. She would give birth to a prophet who would pave the way for Christ. Likewise, Mary was just an inexperienced youth, what could she offer the world?

Nothing less than the Son of God. Our Christian calling can include both Elizabeth’s and Mary’s role.

It is common to take this mystery as an important reminder to visit people. This activity can often be held dear to priests who see it as an essential part of their ministry. Does it hold as true for those of us who are not ministerial priests? On the other side of things we can imitate Elizabeth’s perspective of being Christian by offering hospitality. Is our dwelling place one of welcome? And is it more welcome to some than to others? However, let us also note that Mary did not arrive, sing the Magnificat, have a cup of tea and bid Elizabeth adieu. Mary stayed for three months. This mystery reveals something to us about TThe he mission to to bring ab about out G God’s od d’’s kkingdom ingdo om on earth earth belongs every person there are b elongs tto o ev verry baptized baptized p erson but ther re ar re those among the laity laitty who feel especially especially called called d to to a more morre ccontemplative onteemplativve way way of life. life. These These thoughts thou ughts were werre submitt submitted ed to to thee EEditor ditor on this subject sub bject and we we thought thought stimulate they might stim u e reflection. ulat reflection.

I

n this ar article ticcle I wish to draw the atten attention ntion of the contemplative communityy to the vvocation ocation to the co ontemplative lif and life d in i par ticular i l the h vvocation ocation i to th h lay he l secular l particular the contemplative contemplat tive life. As this vvocation ocation is little known known and as this seem seems ms to be the case with the co contemplative ontemplative life ooverall, thought well verall, I tho ought it w ell to begin bbyy making m same comments on the th he contemplative contemplative vvocation ocation in general.

Thee contemplative within wide Th contemplative vvocation ocation ccontains ontains w ithin iitt a w ide

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living with one another too. How often can family or community homes be places where people spend time avoiding each other? The challenge of this mystery is to be open to the kind of encounter spoken about above, in the home from day to day.

The challenge is to spend time together. Watching television together can end up being just another way of avoiding each other.

Questions for reflection on this mystery: > Have I resisted the urge to do the right thing recently? > Am I prompted to help others (in whatever way I can) as a result of prayer and worship? > Am I jealous of someone I know? > Do I often point the finger at others? Why? > Do I appreciate the goodness of people I spend time with? > Have I struggled to see Christ in people I meet daily? > Am I a hospitable person? > When was the last time I took the initiative to visit someone? > Am I spending quality time with others in my home? > In what way do I offer Christ to the world around me?

Vocations Story Examples rrange ange ooff rresponses esponses ttoo tthe he ccalling. alling. E xamples ooff tthe he vvarious arious ways which may w ays iin nw hich tthe he ccontemplative ontemplative llife ife m ay be be llived ived iinclude nclude hermits, pilgrim tthe he eenclosed nclosed rreligious eligious oorders, rders, rrecluses, ecluses, h ermits, tthe he p ilgrim who within vvocation ocation and and tthose hose w ho llive ive w ithin tthe he ssecular ecular eenviornment. nviornment.

Yet different ways Y et aallll tthese hese d ifferent w ays sshare hare a ccommon ommon ccore ore — tthat hat ooff prayer praise God Creator p rayer aand nd p raise ttoo G od our our C reator tthough hough each each in in iits ts tturn urn may place particular worship. m ay p lace a ccertain ertain eemphasis mphasis oon nap articular sstyle tyle ooff w orship.

ffaithandculture a i tth han nd d ccu u l ttu u re re

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For example, some enclosed orders are characterised by the singing of the Divine Office. But whatever the emphasis these religious contemplatives serve to remind us that we are all called to contemplative prayer.

There are however, within the laity those to whom the call to a more contemplative life is particularly strong and, by their presence, actions and solidarity can be used by God to help others spiritually, their position strengthened by their full identification with the laity.

But what in practice does the lay secular contemplative do? In the world they are a witness with all their fellow Christians to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Within the church, being full members of the parish the lay contemplatives are a sign and perhaps sometimes a reminder that the church belongs to God and that each of us are a vital part of the Christian community fully involved in its prayer, praise, joy, activities, attitudes and aspirations.

The practice of the prayer of intercession is particularly suited to those who are called to the contemplative vocation as this form of life is lived in the midst of others, many of whom are in distress, need or difficulty.

The secular contemplative has a presence in the pivotal events of life. They may attend baptisms, marriages and funerals - in particular those funerals with a “problematic element “ eg deaths of young people, suicides etc. The times designated for the Sacrament of Reconciliation provide these contemplatives with the opportunity of praying for God‘s mercy and for the priests in the exercise of their ministry.

Through the contemplative’s prayer and penance grace is won for others to overcome difficulties in their spiritual lives and a help given to those who are unsure how to pray.

The lay secular contemplative has the privilege of being available for others, to give a “ word from the Lord “ or perhaps to share something they have understood during their meditation and prayer. Little by little, by grace and fidelity, life itself becomes a unity - a gift to others of love and joy....

These are some of the basic elements within the vocation of the lay secular contemplative. Like all vocations it is individualised to some extent. As each one of us has a unique relationship to God, this will naturally be reflected in the way in which we live out our vocation.

The following article is a testimony written by a lay contemplative containing some of her thoughts and personal experiences of prayer.

A Few Thoughts on Prayer A Testimony The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes prayer as “the raising up of the mind and heart to God”. Very true — that is prayer. But how to pray ?

There are many different ways of praying: the Office of the Church; meditation and praying of the Psalms; the Rosary and the “Our Father”. Ejaculatory prayers sometimes described as “darts to God”, for example, “My Jesus” “Mercy” “Mary, help” etc. and turning to God interiorly in the prayer of adoration.

We can use different forms of prayer during the day in the diverse situations we find ourselves. No prayer is wasted, whatever the circumstances.

Of course the greatest sources are the Mass, the sacraments, and the Word of God in scripture. We can adapt these for our own personal prayer — a certain word or phrase that has penetrated our mind, heart and soul and deepened our realisation of who God is - that great gift from Him to us.

Then there is Intercessory prayer — a prayer pleasing to God as when one is asked to pray for another’s intentions, a diligent response to that request is in fact “loving one’s neighbour as oneself” [Mt. 22:59]. Interceding for others is also a way of following Jesus, who interceded for His disciples [Jn. I7] and responded to the pleas of the blind, lepers and many others in need.

Many people can be in great suffering, physically or emotionally. Is God listening ? Yes, sometimes the answer is instantaneous, at other times we have to wait. So what can we do with all the suffering and heartache just now ?

Endeavour to take the Lord at His word, sincerely pray the way we feel drawn to. Try to be childlike and realise He knows best, even when it is difficult to understand. We have the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to help us. Look at what Jesus went through.

Sometimes our pain may be so bad we become wordless.

When that happens to me I place myself either exteriorly or interiorly at the foot of the cross, at His feet - pondering on how Jesus dealt with people, situations and His own suffering.

To me this is contemplative prayer. I hope some of these thoughts will help someone, as Jesus has done and still does for me.

Deo Gratias

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Salvation Sa S alvatiio on H History Hist istory ry Part P rt 2 E Eileen Grant

A

t ssome ome point point iin n human human history, history, G God od bbegins egins reveal His ttoo re veal ttoo human human bbeings eings ssomething omething ooff H is redemptive rre d e m p t i ve p plan lan ffor or tthem: hem: tthis his w wee ccall all D Divine ivine Revelation.

R evelaation. God God singles out certain certaiin tribes and tells them that they t will be His His chosen people peoople and He He will be their God. God. From From amongst them, He He chooses Abraham and promises promises o more Abraham that his descendents will be more numerous than the t stars in the heavens heavens or the t grains of numerous shoore. When w thiis ““friend friend of sand on the shore. wee first meet this God”, he is named nam med Abram Abram and his wife is named n Sarai.

God”, Sarai.

God tells Abram Abram m to take his family and go to the land God God will show sh how him. This expects a great g eat deal of gr that God Abram: the journey journ ney will be long and hazardous, hazardoous, thr ough Abram: through the lands of possibly poossibly hostile tribes; all hiss household goods, goods tents, tents herds heerds and servants servants must to be gathered gathered together; and all all with no idea where where they are are actually going or what they there. th hey will find when they get th here. Abram, Abram, however, however, despite natural fears, trusts trusts his God God d and obeys.

Eventually Eventually theyy arrive arrive in Canaan, where where Abram Abram builds near Bethel to the Lord Bethel an altar a Lord who again n appears to him, promising promising him this land. To To escape famine, faamine, for a short moves short time, Abram Abram m mo ves on into Egypt, Egypt, but soon returns returns to Bethel.

Bethel. There There is not enough land to support supp port both his and for d Lot’s L ’s households, Lot h househ h ld so they holds, h separate: Lot L chooses h f himself the fertile fertille JJordan ordan valley valley and dwells dwells in in the city of Sodom, Sodom, near thee Dead Dead Sea. Sea. Abram Abram remains remainss in Canaan where where the Lord Lord promises promises him all the land he h can see to north, north, south, east eaast and west. west. Abram Abram settless in the hill

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country country nearr Hebron, Hebron, at a place known known n as the Oaks Oaks of Mamre.

Mamre. Laterr God God makes a solemn covenant covenaant with Abram, Abram, binding on both sides, prophesying b prophesying slavery slavvery in a strange land for hiss descendants but also many m lands and innumerable descendants.

When Wh Lot L and d his hi family f il are are captured captured d by by neighbouring i hbouring kings, Abram Abram m comes to their rescue. rescue. On On his return return to Canaan, he is greeted greeted by by the mysterious mysteriou us Melchizedek, Melchizedek, king of Salem Salem m and “priest “priest of God God Most Most High”.

High h”. Melchizkdek Melchizkdek shares shares “bread “bread d and wine” wine” with Abram, Abram, blessing blessing him in the name of the Lord.

Lord. This incident is seen as affirming the existence of the One One True True God God and thee significance of Israel Israel in His His plan; Melchizedek Melchizedek is also seen seeen as a ‘type’ ‘type’ of Christ and the th he sharing of bread bread and winee as a prefiguring prefiguring of the Eucharist.

Eucharrist.

A grief thatt Abram sharee is th that Abram and Sarai Sarai shar hat they have have no children, children, so Sarai Sarai gives gives Hagar, Hagar, her handmaid, handm maid, to Abram Abram that he may have her.. SSuch have a child bbyy her uch h a practice was standard standard at the t time and is referred referred to in in legal codes of the period. Hagar Abram Hagar bears A bram a son whom w he names Ishmael Ishmael (“lett God God hear”). hear”). When Abram Abram m is an old man, God God tells him m that from from now now on he will be called Abraham, Abraham, a sign g of his new n w role ne role in God’s God’s plan: p “Behold, “Behold, my m covenant covenant is with you, you, and you you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No m No longer loonger shall your your name be Abram, Abram, brram, but your your name shall bee Abraham; Abraham; for I have have made you you o the father of a multitude of o nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; you ex c ceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, you, and kings kin ngs shall come forth forth from from you. you. And I will establish my covenant covenant between between me and d you you and your your descendants after you you throughout throughout their generations for an everlasting God everlastingg covenant, covenant, enant to be G od to yyou ou and to yyour our descendants.” descendants.”

God havee a son now God tells him h also that he will hav soon bbyy Sarai, Sarai, no w to be known known as Sarah.

Sarah. At At the idea of having havin ng a son in their extreme extreme old age, a Abraham Abraham laughs. When Sarah Sarah hears this ‘news’ ‘news’ she too too laughs. The promise promise is solemnly sollemnly made to them at Mamre three suddenly Mam mre by by thr ee men who sudden nly appear: “And “And the Lord Lord appeared appeared to him bbyy the door of his tent.” tent.” This is one of the most Scripture: m fascinating passages in n Scriptur e: the ‘men’ ‘men’ are are three th ee thr e and d they th are are one; is i it a first firstt suggestion fir ti off the Holy Holy Trinity?

Trinity? riinity? Christian painting and an nd iconography have have frequently frequen ntly interpreted interpreted the incident incident as such, most famously by by the Russian Russian Rublev.

Rublev.

Before Before that thaat longed-for son is born God God decides to destroy destroy the city ciity of Sodom Sodom where where Lot lives lives e because of the extreme extreme wickedness wickkedness of its people. Abraham Abraham m pleads that all should be spared spaared if 50 just men can be found foound there; there; God God agrees. agrees. But But then th hen Abraham Abraham worries aboutt finding 50 and suggests instead insteead 45, then 40, then 35 and so s on, eventually eventually reaching reaching 10.

10. Each time, God God agrees. agrees. Persistence Persiistence in prayer prayyer works! people works! Unfortunately, Unforrtunatelyy, there there are are no other righteous r in the city and an nd only Lot and his family are arre saved. saved.

As God God has haas promised, promised, Sarah Sarah conceives conceivess in her old age

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nation. IIshmael shm mael becomes the ancestor of o many Arabian woman tribes; IIsaac’s saac’s son Esau marries a woma an from from one of bought them and IIsaac’s saaac’s grandson JJoseph oseph is boug ght bbyy IIshmaelite shmaelite merchants Egypt.

God nomad mer c chants and sold into slavery slavery in E gypt. G od workk in mysterious ways! Tradition does indeed wor Tradition has it that IIshmael shmael is in fact the ‘father’ ‘father’ of the Islamic Islamic peoples.

A braham iiss called ““our our father in faith h” because of his Abraham faith” great trust promises.

Having gr eat tr ust in God God and His His pr omises. H avving obeyed obeyyed God God in ev erythingg H en sets out o to obey when everything Hee has asked, he ev even G od asks him m to sacrifice his beloved beloved son n Isaac.

Isaac. A braham God Abraham lo ves his son and does not understand God’s God’s plan but he loves tr usts God God and a knows knows that someho w ev verything will be trusts somehow everything w ell. Isaac Isaac too tooo trusts trusts his father and goe es willingly with well. goes him. This account a was nev er meant as a a tale of an never c uel father but as an illustration cr illustrattion of complete unnaturally cruel trust in God’s God d’s promises promises and is seen as a prefiguring prefiguring of trust Christ’s willing williing self-sacrifice for us: “God “God o Himself Himself will Christ’s provide the lamb.” lamb.” When God God sees Abraham’s Abrah ham’’s great great faith provide He provides providess a ram for the sacrifice and a repeats H is He repeats His promise to Abraham Abraham to make him the father fatther of countless promise descendants.

“B ecause yyou ou have have done this, and hav ve not withheld “Because have ‘‘descendants descendants as as numerous numerous as as tthe he sstars tars in in tthe he ssky ky a and nd y our y o our b you, and I your son, your only son, I will indeed bless you, the the grains grains of of sand sand on on the the seashore seashore ... ... ‘ Genesis Genesis 22:15-19 22:15-19 your descendants as the stars starrs of heav en and will multiplyy your heaven and bears a son, naming him, as God God has decr d decreed, eed, Isaac Isaac as the sand wh hich is on the seashor our descendants which seashoree … bbyy yyour – “he laughs laughs”! ”! For, For, as SSarah arah rrejoices: ejoices: “God “God o has made shall all the nations n of the ear th bless themselv mselves, because earth themselves, laughter for me me.” e.” Sadly, Sadlyy, jealous of H Hagar agar and her son you you have have obeyed obeeyyed my voice.” voice.”

Ishmael, Ishmael, SSarah arah prevails p evails upon Abraham pr Abraham to banish b them.

Reluctantly agrees, trusting God’s promise Reluctantly he agr ees, tr usting in G od’s pr p omise that To To be be continued. continued.

Ishmael prosper father great Ishmael too will pr osper and become the fath her of a gr eat

when Hee ggives uss aanother wee sshould w hen H ives u nother cchance hance ttoo llive ive aass w hould bbee when wee ccan make Christlliving; iving; w hen w an m ake eextra xtra eefforts fforts ttoo llive ive tthe he C hristhis disciplining llife, ife, cconforming onforming oour ur llives ives ttoo h is bbyy d isciplining oour ur bbodies odies minds; prayer, more aand nd m inds; by by more more ffervent ervent p rayer, listening listening m ore eeagerly agerly God us; more ffor or G od ttoo sspeak peak ttoo u s; bbyy ggiving iving m ore ggenerously enerously ooff Byy tthese means wee m make whole oourselves urselves ttoo oothers. thers. B hese m eans w ake oour ur w hole mind fitt ttoo ggreet Risen Lord sselves elves – bbody, ody, m ind and and ssoul oul – fi reet tthe he R isen L ord Easter. aatt E aster.

Fasting: wee ssee God F asting: IIff w ee ffood ood aass a ggift ift ffrom rom G od ((Give Give uuss eeach ach depriving dday…), ay…), d epriving oourselves urselves ooff ssome ome ffood ood ccan an bbecome ecome a dependence God. Think rreligious eligious aact, ct, ssignifying ignifying oour ur d ependence oon nG od. Th ink ooff wilderness: wasn’t motivated desire JJesus’ esus’ ffast ast iin n tthe he w ilderness: iitt w asn’t m otivated bbyy a d esire prepare him his ttoo ggain ain ssome ome sspiritual piritual ‘‘goody’ goody’ bbut ut ttoo p repare h im ffor or h is mission willing his m ission bbyy aan n aact ct ooff cconfident, onfident, w illing ssurrender urrender ttoo h is Father. his wilderness was prayer, F ather. SSo, o, h is ttime ime iin n tthe he w ilderness w as sspent pent iin np rayer, dialogue with his Father, his d ialogue w ith h is F ather, rresisting esisting tthe he ttemptations emptations ooff h is humanity, disciplining what h umanity, d isciplining bboth oth bbody ody aand nd ssoul oul ffor or w hat llay ay Clare C lare B Benedict enedic t Lent wilderness. aahead. head. L ent iiss oour ur ttime ime iin n tthe he w ilderness.

When wee ““give up Lent, W hen w give u p ssomething” omething” ffor or L ent, iitt sshouldn’t houldn’t bbee a mere we’ll m ere ttoken, oken, iin n tthe he kknowledge nowledge tthat hat w e’ll bbee aable ble ttoo iindulge ndulge ““Welcome, Welcome, d dear ear ffeast east ooff L Lent” ent” ((G. G. H Herbert). erbert). L Lent ent iiss a Easter nor oourselves urselves oon nE aster SSunday; unday; n or aan n ““ascetical ascetical aadventure”, dventure”, God’s us: ffeast east ffor or tthe he ssoul, oul, oone ne ooff G od’s ggifts ifts ttoo u s: a sspecial pecial ttime ime hope not way iin n tthe he h ope ooff rreligious eligious eexaltation. xaltation. IIt’s t’s n ot a w ay ooff

SEA EEASON ASOON OFF GRRACE

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punishing ourselves, but a means of “humbling one’s soul” healing ourselves as well as our troubled relationships.

“When you pray, go to your private room and, when (Lev 16), disciplining one’s body, joined to prayer, expressing our creaturely humility before God. Any you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in that sacrifice must be offered willingly and joyfully. If it makes secret place” (Mt 6:6).

We can also set aside time to listen to God, by prayerful you ‘crabbit’ don’t do it! Charity should always prevail.

‘When you fast, put oil on your hair and wash your face, reading of Scripture or other spiritual writings.

We draw nearer to Jesus by travelling the Stations of the so that no one will know that you are fasting except your Father in heaven who sees all that is done in secret’ (Mt Cross with him, either in church with others or individually, accompanying him on that last lonely walk towards 6:17-18).

We can give up other pleasures: a TV programme, a Calvary, to ‘help’ him carry his Cross as he helps us carry social outing, “pointless conversation”, sleep – get up an ours, looking forward to sharing the Supper in the Upper hour earlier for prayer. What about switching off our Room; to waiting silently at the foot of the Cross; and to mobile phones in public? There’s a real deprivation! Lent is his glorious Resurrection, when we can relive once again our own resurrection from darkness to light. a time when we can exercise our imaginations.

Conversion: “Come back to me with all your heart, Almsgiving: Christian almsgiving is about more than fasting, weeping, mourning!” says our just “giving to charity”; we should desire God. Our prayer, almsgiving and fasting to help the poor and needy in relation to “Hello, should all be done in love, for love of God, God’s love for all, revealed especially on Bishop known only to God, for He looks at the Calvary. When we help our needy - any heart and will not spurn “a humbled, neighbour because we see Christ in him, chance contrite heart”. Lent is a time of we draw closer to Christ and become of an conversion, of turning back fully towards more like him. Our almsgiving should be increase God; of making peace; of forgiving others disinterested, “without expecting in my anything in return”: “your almsgiving stipend?” as we are forgiven by our Father. “Beloved, remove the causes of discord and the must be secret and your Father who sees thorns of enmity. Let hatred cease and all that is done will reward you in secret” rivalries disappear, and let all the members (Mt 6:4). We should “give to the weak of Christ meet in loving unity” (St Leo). and the poor what we refuse to spend on Lent is a time of caring for our souls, of our own pleasures” (St Leo) for almsgiving ‘spring-cleaning’ the temple of the and fasting “are the two wings on which indwelling God. It is the time when we prayer mounts up to God” (St are given a chance to repair breaches in Augustine). love, to build bridges, to ‘put things right’ Almsgiving doesn’t have to involve with God and neighbour. “Catechumens money; we give what we can: more need it in order to receive what they do generously of ourselves to others, especially not have as yet; the baptized need it in those more deprived than we are, more Noel Ford order to preserve what they have received unhappy, more alone – not just in ... Let us therefore make good use, material ways, but really giving of ourselves: “Above all, we should not be beloved, of this most propitious of seasons our time, our prayers, our love. Spending miserable” to polish the mirror of our hearts with time with the lonely or reaching out to the outcast are just two ways of imitating Christ in this greater care” (St Leo) Above all, we should not be miserable, but should think season.

Prayer: we should, of course, be people of prayer at all always of Lent (even in the darkness of Good Friday) in times but, during Lent, we can try to make our prayer the light of Easter. It should not be thought of as a gloomy more fervent. We are given this chance to come even closer time, when we ‘punish’ ourselves or feel that God expects to the Lord, by setting aside additional periods of prayer more than we are able to give. It is a time of hope, of faith, time – for ourselves, that we may be more able to do the and of joy as we look forward, ever more eagerly, more Father’s will; for those in need, physically and spiritually, breathlessly, to that wonderful moment when we can cry that their sufferings may be eased or that they too may again: Christ is risen!

‘Let us then add something … that each one, of his own grow closer to God; for those we actually dislike or find difficult, that we may come to see Christ in them more free will and with the joy of the Holy Spirit, may offer God clearly; for those who do not believe, that the light of something over and above the measure appointed for him Christ may shine in their hearts. Praying for our ‘enemies’ … and look forward to holy Easter with joy and spiritual is a sure way of imitating Christ and can be a path to longing’ (St Benedict).

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Fr Bernard O’Connor’s

Vatican Brief

A

rrticle ticle 408 of The Catechism of the t Catholic Chur C c refers ch refers to the ““negative negativve influence Church eex erteed on people bbyy communa al situations exerted communal aand social s str uctures that ar t fr uit of structures aree the fruit humanity’ negative influence o deriv es humanity’s’s sins. sins.”” That ““negative influence”” often derives fr om denial and “ignorance of the fact that mankind m has from a wounded natu re.” The result result becomes con nspicuous in nature.” conspicuous those ““serious serious er rrors” per vading ““the the ar eas of o education, errors” pervading areas politics, social action acction and morals (art. 407). B morals”” (art.

Byy contrast, Catholic doctrin ne maintains that fidelity too Christ and doctrine H is Chur ch rrenders enders possible not only the t positiv His Church positivee transformation of o individuals, but also enab bles that our enables collectiv utions and organizations an nd attitudes collectivee institu institutions and mayy be p placed on o a footingg comprised p off norms and principles capab le of rreversing eversing the damage traceable to capable tr uth’s distor tion and to self-inter est’s exaggeration. e truth’s distortion self-interest’s Lessening the im mpact of that ‘‘wound’ wound’ inherent inheerent in our impact vvery ery being deman nds steadfast vigilance. W m be ev er demands Wee must ever mindful that ourr baptismal vvocation ocation requires requires us to engage in ““struggle struggle to do d what is right, te the ““great great right,”” and despit despite cost om us. Althoug gh ““aided aided bbyy cost”” habitually exacted fr from Although G od’s grace, taining our ““own own inner inte egrityy” rrelies elies God’s grace,”” att attaining integrity” upon our hones sty in terms of motiv es; ourr consent as honesty motives; rregards egards rresponse esponse to the discernment of the D ivine will, Divine and our coopera ation in bringing for th the eq quity pr oper cooperation forth equity proper to G od’s Kingdo om (cf f. V atican II’ audium m et SSpes, pes, no God’s Kingdom (cf.

Vatican II’ss G Gaudium no..

37, § 2).

W equentlyy hear that ‘‘actions actions speak louder than Wee fr frequently wor ds’. While I concur hat common words’. concur,, in Christian life th that adage might be some ssomewhat what rrevised. evised. A ctions speak s loudly Actions pr ecisely becausee their accompanying wor ds aspir precisely words aspiree to be united with the W ord M ade F lesh What w lesh.

Word Made Flesh. wee do then is meant to rreflect eflect who w e, disciple-shar errs in Christ wee ar are, disciple-sharers Christ’s’s incarnate SSpirit. pirit. And as disciples w m to wee ar aree mandated witness befor elievers and non-believ ers ali ke that all of beforee be believers non-believers alike ear th’s pr ogeny ar aaree endo wed with the poten ntial to mo ve earth’s progeny endowed potential move

THE EARTH AS HYMN OF PRAISE cr eation to w d the fulfilment of its p war urpose and the creation toward purpose actualization of its rresources. esources.

IIn n two rrecent ecent documents, P ope B enedict XVI Pope Benedict emphasiz ed tthe he necessity of concern for th he envir onment. emphasized the environment.

Both his 201 0M essage for W orld P eace D ay ((January January 1) 2010 Message World Peace Day and d his h A ddr ddress to diplomats d l accr edited d d to the h H oly l SSee ee Address accredited Holy ((January January 11)) str essed that any quest too disco ver what stressed discover rrespect espect for cr e eation entails commences wit th the admission creation with that this is a ta ask which is primarily ethical ur behaviour task ethical.. O Our in rrelationship elationsh hip to cr eation is pr emised upon morality y. creation premised morality.

B ecause said d behaviour is go verned bbyy choices which Because governed confr ont us habitually h y. And those choicess either rreinforce einforce confront habitually. the aspect off ‘‘wound’ wound’ or they assist to heal that same wound at its cor eadth of it ts scope. coree and in the br breadth its What mora al choices would the P ope hav h eassess? moral Pope havee us rreassess?

Among them m ar aree included that: (a) “I mportant that mankind rrenew enew and str engthen “Itt is im important strengthen the co venant betw een human beings and th he envir onment, covenant between the environment, which shoul d mirr or the cr eative lo ve of G od, fr om should mirror creative love God, from whom w ome and to wards whom w or wee co come towards wee ar aree going. going.”” F For the ev eryday Christian, this first paragra aph of the P eace everyday paragraph Peace D ay M essagge might be constr ued as theological Day Message construed speculation, p , and ther efore of min nimal p practical therefore minimal consequence.. Y et what it implies is a ch hoice of ho ww Yet choice how wee opt to charac cterize and tr eat our envir onm ment. F or if one characterize treat environment.

For concludes th at the ear th and its contentt ar that earth aree a sufficient final end in themselv es, then it can bee expected that themselves, thermostats iin n homes will not be lo wered d, fossil fuels will lowered, not be rreduced educced bbyy our pur chase of vvehicles ehiccles designed to purchase lessen their fu uel consumption and emissio on of pollutants, fuel emission and a comm itment to rrecycle ecyycle will be dis smissed as mer commitment dismissed meree fad-ism P fad-ism. errhaps worse is when adults conv ey such an Perhaps convey outlook to th ral dev elopment thee next generation, whose mo moral development sho ws scant ttendency endency for critical and obje ective formation. shows objective Childr en per rpetuate what they obser ve. I am rreminded eminded Children perpetuate observe. of an inciden nt at H eathrow Airpor hen a yyoungster oungster incident Heathrow Airportt wh when

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once noticed me in clerical attire. He queried his mother, ďŹ nally asking: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do we believe in God in our family?â&#x20AC;?

Her answer: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ignore his kind, dear, your father and I are the only god you will ever need.â&#x20AC;? To teach our youth that what they see and touch is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;all there isâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, is almost certain to deprive them of the essential ideal of altruism and of familiarity with transcendent values. (b) Similarly, we cannot â&#x20AC;&#x153;remain passive in the face of â&#x20AC;? conďŹ&#x201A;icts â&#x20AC;&#x153;involving access to natural resources.â&#x20AC;? For these shape the â&#x20AC;&#x153;exercise of human rights, such as the right to life, food (and) health.â&#x20AC;? Our voice, especially when contributed to the political process, is anything but insigniďŹ cant. A Christianâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s civic responsibility requires that we join in solidarity to express our stance on â&#x20AC;&#x153;such realities as climate change, desertiďŹ cation (â&#x20AC;Ś), the loss of biodiversity and the deforestation of equatorial and tropical regions.â&#x20AC;? Then, too, we are reminded of the plight of those â&#x20AC;&#x153;who are forced by the degradation of their natural habitat to forsake itâ&#x20AC;? (Peace, no. 4). Indeed, history records ample evidence when landlords evicted tenants in preference to sheep and cattle, or when the same deviant obsession with monetary proďŹ t yielded Industrial Revolutions and their subsequent social dilemmas. Those instances may be removed from our own time, but a comparable contempt for human dignity and welfare persists. Today said mentality simply assumes alternative rhetoric: unwanted pregnancy, the means of

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% ,- % .. $ '*/0- 1$#1 ,$ - ! % !!!,- 1$#1 ,$ -

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economic recovery, safeguarding employment from â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;outsidersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, restricting foreign aid because of domestic need, etc.. Society can condone whatever threatens its comfort zone, excluding contrary evidence and even basic rationality. (c) Let us not underestimate the danger which arises when we â&#x20AC;&#x153;absolutise technology and human powerâ&#x20AC;? and empirical science (Peace, no. 13). To presume that our own eraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s accomplishments epitomize the optimal degree of progress is tantamount to ideological arrogance.

Civilizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s patrimony recognizes that there is a â&#x20AC;&#x153;natural moral law;â&#x20AC;? that articulated and veriďŹ ed throughout the ages and which continues to constitute â&#x20AC;&#x153;the foundation for the human person and creationâ&#x20AC;? (idem, no. 12). To wilfully disqualify that past is to curtail the present and impoverish the future. (d) Here in Italy, if you buy a package of cigarettes it will display the warning that â&#x20AC;&#x153;Smoking Kills.â&#x20AC;? The words cover a full third of the packet. Still, the number of new smokers, notably among teens, escalates annually. A pulmonary cancer specialist at Romeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gemelli Hospital informed me recently that people have deceived themselves into thinking that they are immune to health hazard. They persuade themselves that others might be aďŹ&#x20AC;ected, but not them. Medical statistics attest to the opposite.

Delusion is never a moral preference. But resistance to delusion is. Pope Benedictâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s counsel to diplomats is that they should promote a â&#x20AC;&#x153;rechannelingâ&#x20AC;? of speciďŹ c â&#x20AC;&#x153;activitiesâ&#x20AC;?. For example, he urges that they evaluate how the illicit â&#x20AC;&#x153;production of narcoticsâ&#x20AC;? provides a major part of â&#x20AC;&#x153;employment and incomeâ&#x20AC;? for some in Afghanistan and Latin America. The â&#x20AC;&#x153;drug tradeâ&#x20AC;? generates a grave problem (para. 6). However, it thrives because of market favourability. There is no shortage of clients among those who judge their desire to be a strictly private matter. (e) The media, whether local or national, print or online, radio or televised, is a dominant phenomenon in contemporary culture. How do we react when that same media exhibits â&#x20AC;&#x153;hostility, if not scornâ&#x20AC;? towards religion in general and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Christianity in particular?â&#x20AC;? An acceptable and â&#x20AC;&#x153;open secularityâ&#x20AC;? integrates the dimension of faith.

It does not seek to obliterate â&#x20AC;&#x153;the social importance of religionâ&#x20AC;? (para. 9). The world, if left to relativism, becomes perilously vulnerable to exploitation. The Christian dares not endorse this kind of path which leads creation to its ruin. For our destiny upon the earth is to sing its hymn of praise.

Fr Bernard Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor is a priest of the Diocese of Antigonish, Nova Scotia and an official with the Vaticanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Congregation for Eastern Churches.

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simply bbee ttaken aken ffor or ggranted ranted but but sshould hould bbee m ade eexplicit. xplicit. simply made As a Catholic Catholic community community we we need need to to work work ttogether ogether ttoo As promote p riesthood. IIn n the the face face of of a society society tthat hat iiss ooften ften promote priesthood. more tthan han a little little sskeptical keptical of of those those w ho are are w illing ttoo more who willing dedicate tthemselves hemselves to to something something oother ther than than personal personal ggain, ain, dedicate we n eed to to promote promote what what iiss good good in in p riesthood. W eed we need priesthood.

Wee n need to fface ace tthe he cchallenge hallenge ooff a vvery ery ssecular ecular w orld tthat hat pokes pokes fun fun to world at religion religion aand nd marginalises marginalises believers, believers, by by aactively ctively p romoting at promoting our faith faith aand nd tthose hose who who rrepresent epresent tthat hat faith faith aass oordained rdained our ministers. When When considering considering our our need need for for priests priests w ministers. wee should aabandon bandon aany ny d iscussion ooff crisis crisis ssince ince iitt iiss ssimply imply should discussion unhelpful and and u nattractive ttoo tthose hose w ho m ight cconsider onsider unhelpful unattractive who might becoming p riests. W eed ttoo pray pray ffor or vvocations. ocations. becoming priests.

Wee n need Today’s seminarians seminarians are are a gifted gifted group group who who have have much much to to Today’s offer the the Church.

Church. Once Once again again we we need need to to eencourage ncourage tthem hem offer with our our ssupport upport and and oour ur prayers. prayers. To To bbee a p riest iin n SScotland cotland with priest or elsewhere elsewhere iiss ccertainly ertainly a llife ife w orth lliving. iving. O ur aapplicants pplicants or worth Our and seminarians seminarians rrecognize ecognize this this and and step step fforward orward w ith and with courage aand nd vision. vision. We We sshould hould rejoice rejoice iin n them them and and iinvite nvite courage others ttoo join join tthem. hem. others

np promoting romoting vocations vocations to to tthe he p priesthood riesthood I aam m often often aasked sked ttoo ssay ay eexactly xactly w why hy I d decided ecided ttoo become become a p priest. riest.

Thee aanswer Th nswer ttoo tthe he question question aalways lways ffeels eels rrather ather mundane perhaps oordinary, rdinary, eeven ven m undane aand nd p erhaps a llittle ittle disappointing Noo spectacular d isappointing ffor or tthe he eenquirer. nquirer. N spectacular rrevelations evelations mee ttoo cconsider diocesan priest lled ed m onsider llife ife aass a d iocesan p riest only only a ffeeling eeling tthat hat I ccould ould m ake a difference difference w orking aass a p riest, tthat hat make working priest, G od m ight bbee lleading eading m n tthat hat d irection aand nd tthat hat I God might mee iin direction w ould bbee h appy iiff I ffollowed ollowed tthat hat llead. ead. I gguess uess tthat hat iitt iiss tthe he would happy ssame ame ffor or aany ny vvocation; ocation; m arried, single single oorr religious religious - jjust ust a married, ffeeling eeling tthat hat in in tthe he oordinariness rdinariness ooff eeveryday veryday llife ife G od m ay God may h ave a p lan ffor or u nd iiff w listen carefully carefully w ay bbee aable ble have plan uss aand wee listen wee m may ttoo d iscern w hat tthat hat p lan iis. s. discern what plan G od does does n ot often often vvisit isit us us in in tthe he unusual unusual or or sspectacular. pectacular.

God not G od vvisits isits iin n tthe he oordinary rdinary ccircumstances ircumstances ooff eeveryday veryday llife. ife. IIff God yyou ou are are cconsidering onsidering llife ife aass a d iocesan p riest d ot w ait ffor or diocesan priest doo n not wait tthe he d ramatic bbut ut ssearch earch oout ut G od’s p lan ffor or yyou ou by by llistening istening The dramatic God’s plan The Rev. Rev. Andrew Andrew McKenzie McKenzie is is the the National National Director Director ttoo G od iin n tthe he oordinary rdinary eexperiences xperiences ooff yyour our life. life.

God of Priests Priests ffor or Scotland Scotland www.priestsforscotland.org.uk www.priestsfo orscotland.org.uk of P rayerful llistening istening and and p rudent d iscernment should should be be Prayerful prudent discernment aatt tthe he h eart ooff aany ny jjourney ourney ttoo p riesthood bbecause ecause heart priesthood rresponding esponding ttoo tthe he L ord’s ccall all d emands ccourage ourage aand nd ffaith. aith. IItt Lord’s demands rrequires equires the the ssetting etting aaside side ooff other other ggoals, oals, ttreasured reasured aass tthey hey might m ight h have ave bbeen, een, aand nd tthe he single single m minded inded d desire esire to to sseek eek out out what w hat G God od w wills. ills. Th This is rresponse, esponse, aass P Pope ope B Benedict enedict ssays ays iin nh his is Throughout our lives we make plans for lletter etter ffor or tthe he 66th th World World of of Prayer Prayer ffor or Vocations, Vocations, iiss n never ever the future. So it makes sense to plan for the one patterned worthless p atterned aafter fter tthe he ttimid imid sself elf iinterest nterest ooff tthe he w orthless thing that none of us can avoid. who, hid him sservant ervant w ho, oout ut ooff ffear, ear, h id tthe he ttalent alent eentrusted ntrusted ttoo h im iin n tthe he gground round ((Matthew Matthew 225:14-30), 5:14-30), bbut ut rrather ather expresses expresses iitself tself By choosing a Fairways Funeral Plan Lord’s iin n tthe he rready eady aadherence dherence ttoo tthe he L ord’s iinvitation, nvitation, aass iin n tthe he from William Gilchrist, you can spare Peter who, Lord’s word, did not ccase ase of of P eter w ho, ttrusting rusting iin n tthe he L ord’s w ord, d id n ot your family the extra worry and expense hesitate h esitate ttoo llet et d down own tthe he n net et oonce nce m more ore eeven ven aafter fter h having aving at a difficult time. ttoiled oiled aallll n ight ccatching atching n othing. night nothing.

F or m ost priests priests tthe he rroad oad to to oordained rdained m inistry h as bbeen een For most ministry has For more information gradual and and perhaps perhaps in in some some respects respects unremarkable. unremarkable. Th gradual Thee and a free Fairways Plan brochure priest’s own own rrelationship elationship w ith God God and and his his aawareness wareness that that priest’s with God m ay bbee leading leading h im ttoo cconsider onsider life life aass a priest priest iiss of of God may him please contact: course fundamental, fundamental, bbut ut ssoo ttoo oo iiss a ssupportive upportive aand nd prayerful prayerful course Aberdeen Bucksburn environment w here tthe he call call ttoo oordained rdained service service ccan an bbee environment where 01224 627272 01224 715320 heard and and understood. understood. heard 46 Rose Street 10 Oldmeldrum Road Th aintenance of of tthis his environment environment ccan an iitself tself be be a Thee m maintenance challenge. It It ccan an sometimes sometimes be be difficult difficult for for young young m en ttoo challenge. men Kaimhill Mastrick respond to to tthe he L ord’s iinvitation nvitation when when they they have have llittle ittle respond Lord’s 01224 313800 01224 680189 encouragement ffrom rom tthose hose aaround round them. them. A vocation vocation to to encouragement Kaimhill Road Shopping Centre the p riesthood is is n ot simply simply the the responsibility responsibility of of tthe he the priesthood not individual bbut ut it it is is also also the the responsibility responsibility ooff tthe he w ider individual wider The Fairways Funeral Plan is only available community in in ccreating reating a culture culture w hich iiss characterised characterised by by community which from carefully selected funeral homes which meet the highest standards of care and quality. its willingness willingness ttoo llisten isten ttoo G od’s Spirit Spirit and and ttoo rrespond espond in in its God’s faith. SSupport upport ffor or tthe he p riesthood aand nd ffor or p riests cannot cannot faith. priesthood priests

William Gilchrist

Macintosh M acintosh h & G Gilbert ilb rt ilber 1/4

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Margo’s b Margo’s bill ill threatens threatens universal universal right right to to life life JJohn ohn D Deighan eighan

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he right he right ttoo llife ife has has been been the the precious precious foundation foundation ffor or guaranteeing guaranteeing human human rights rights ssince ince tthe he eend nd ooff World W orld W War ar II. II. IIn n the the w wake ake ooff tthe he Nuremberg Nuremberg ttrials rials the the United United N Nations ations proposed proposed a p pivotal ivotal n new ew document document for for tthe he whole whole w world orld which which set set fforth orth iinalienable nalienabble rights rights ttoo bbee protected protected for for all all p people eople iin n aallll p places laces aand nd ffor or aallll time.

Thee rright document, time. Th ight to to life life iiss the the first first rright ight in in tthat hat d ocument, tthe he Universal Human Rights. has Universal Declaration Declaration of of H uman R ights. It It h as sspawned pawned numerous more numerous treaties treaties aand nd cconventions onventions ssince ince its its ccreation reation m ore than than 60 60 yyears ears ago. ago. upholding IIn n the the years years bbetween, etween, u pholding tthese hese rights rights has has not not always always been been easy; easy; slowly slowly but but surely surely iinternational nternational law law has has ggrown rown aand nd attempted human attempted ttoo ccement ement tthe he strength strength of of h uman rrights ights protections. protections.

In Europe wee h have In E urope for for example, example, w ave witnessed witnessed the the growth growth of of what what are positive are ccalled alled p ositive oobligations bligations to to support support rrights. ights. This This means means that that governments governments have have bbeen een obliged obliged ttoo ttake ake measures measures ttoo ensure not ensure that that rrights ights aare re n ot tthreatened hreatened even even iin n iindirect ndirect ways. ways.

The has The rright ight to to llife ife h as sseen een cconsiderable onsiderable expansion expansion aass a result. result.

Governments Governments need need to to ttake ake great great ccare are ooff eensuring nsuring tthat hat they they have protected. have done done aallll possible possible to to ensure ensure tthat hat llife ife is is p rotected. This This has has even even led led ttoo ggovernments overnments bbeing eing in in bbreach reach ooff human human rights rights ffor or not persons not taking taking aadequate dequat ate precautions precautions ttoo ensure ensure prisoners prisoners oorr p ersons in hospital Thee rrespect in h ospital do do not not ttake ake ttheir heir oown wn llives. ives. Th espect ffor or all all llife ife has prompted has p rompted ggreat reat eefforts fforts to to overturn overturn llaws aws which which have have permitted penalty. permitted the the death death p enalty. Even Even tthose hose who who aaccept ccept tthe he principle dangerous principle of of defending defending tthe he rrest est ooff ssociety ociety from from a d angerous murderer murderer aare re often often cconcerned oncerned tthat hat a mistake mistake ccan an bbee made made aand nd in death in Europe Europe tthe he d eat ath penalty penalty is is now now ooverwhelmingly verwhelmingly rrejected. ejected.

But modern nations B ut ttoday oday iin n prosperous prosperous m odern n ations we we fface ace a new new aand nd unsuspected unsuspected tthreat hreat to to llife. ife. It It ccomes omes in in the the fform orm of of those those who who claim claim we we should should be be able able ttoo end end oour ur own own lives lives or or have have ssomeone omeone else doo iitt for Thus Margo MacDonald else d for us. us. Th us M argo M acDonald has has introduced introduced a bill doo eexactly passed, bill in in tthe he SScottish cottish Parliament Parliament ttoo d xactly tthat. hat. IIff p assed, her will her bill bill w ill allow allow eeven ven children children ooff 1166 yyears ears ooff aage ge ttoo bbee llegally egally killed disability killed iiff tthey hey meet meet tthe he ccriteria riteria ooff illness illness or or d isability sset et oout ut iin n the would the bill. bill. IInitially nitially iitt appeared appeared tthat hat tthis his bbill ill w ould bbee llooked ooked aatt by Health Committee people were by tthe he H ealth C ommittee as as if if killing killing p eople w ere a suitable suitable health Thee bbill does health issue. issue. Th ill iin n ffact act d oes not not rrestrict estrict the the aauthorised uthorised executioners nor executioners ttoo bbee doctors doctors n or does does iitt restrict restrict kkilling illing ttoo medical worded medical means. means. The The bill bill is is w orded vaguely vaguely eenough nough tthat hat a noose may deemed means noose oorr ggun un m ay bbee d eemed the the ssuitable uitable m eans ooff eending nding life; which death penalty. life; w hich ttakes akes us us bback ack iinto nto the the rrealms ealms of of the the d eath p enaltyy.

It permits uss to making It iiss ssome ome iirony rony that that p ermits u to bbee ssolicitous olicitous ffor or not not m aking mistakes who may have mistakes in in eending nding the the lives lives ooff those those w ho m ay h ave ccommitted ommitted heinous media widely heinous crimes crimes yet yet tthe he m edia has has bbeen een w idely ssympathetic ympathetic ttoo calls have flimsy calls for for eeuthanasia uthanasia which which would would h ave the the most most fl imsy ooff safeguards weak One doctor safeguards to to protect protect tthe he w eakk and and vulnerable. vulnerable. O ne d octor

would w ould be be able able ttoo qquickly uickly provide provide tthe he eequivalent quivalent ooff a death death warrant w arrrant ffor or aan n eelderly lderly patient who may p atient w ho m ay have h ave ttheir heir nearest nearest rrelative elative bbenefit enefit handsomely h andsomely ffrom rom ttheir heir death. death.

Thee m media have pretty prominence Th edia h ave p retty cconsistently onsistently ggiven iven p rominence ttoo tthe he ‘‘heroics’ heroics’ ooff ‘‘loved loved ones’ ones’ eending nding the the life life ooff a family family member member have aand nd ttherefore herefore h avvee permitted permitted strong strong ccalls alls for for eeuthanasia uthanasia ffrom rom Terry Kay Gilderdale. tthe he likes likes of of T erry Pratchett Pratchett and and K ay G ilderdale. But But oour ur laws laws not aare re ggenerally enerally to to protect protect us us ffrom rom tthe he malicious malicious n ot ffrom rom loved loved way who oones. nes. What What will will stand stand in in tthe he w ay ooff those those w ho view view with with perceived rresentment esentment the the cconsumption onsumption ooff ttheir heir p erceived iinheritance nheritance home Oregon doctor iin n care care h ome bbills? ills? IIn nO regon one one d octor has has testified testified of of patient whom rrefusing efusing to to ssanction anction tthe he aassisted ssisted ssuicide uicide ooff a p atient ffor or w hom hee was daughter his patient h was convinced convinced tthe he d aughter accompanying accompanying h is p atient was Thee w ass tthe he real real oone ne iintent ntent oon n bbringing ringing tthat hat llife ife ttoo aan n eend. nd. Th undeterred was able find doctor u ndeterred daughter daughter w ass ssimply imply ab ble ttoo fi nd a d octor who who had noo ssimilar way. h ad n imilar rreservations eservations aand nd sshe he ggot ot her her w ay. wee sstart person IIff w tart ttoo ssanction anction tthe he kkilling illing ooff aany ny iinnocent nnocent p erson iin n doubted oour ur society society it it can can be be little little d oubted that that tthe he life life of of some some would would mindset bbecome ecome ccheap. heap. Once Once iin nam indset tthat hat tthe he kkilling illing ooff some some iiss will ookk tthen hen tthose hose iin n a ssimilar imilar ccondition ondition w ill ccome ome ttoo bbee eexpected xpected well.

Wee h have ttoo choose choose death death as as w ell. W ave bbeen een able able ttoo witness witness ssuch uch a Holland where have cchange hange in in H olland w here ttheir heir ggovernment overnment oofficials fficials h ave people aaccepted ccepted that that aaround round 11000 000 p eople a yyear ear aare re euthanized euthanized without w ithout eever ver asking asking ffor or ttheir heir llife ife ttoo bbee ended. ended. Doctors Doctors simply simply tthink hink tthey hey are are providing proviiding tthem hem with with the the same same bbenefit enefit tthat hat patients who have die. tthey hey have have given given to to their their p atients w ho h ave rrequested equested ttoo d ie.

Holland’s death has progressed H olland’s sspiral piral iinto nto a cculture ulture ooff d eath h as p rogressed from from kkilling illing tthe he terminally terminally iill, ll, ttoo tthe he chronically chronically ill; ill; ffrom rom tthose hose who have w ho h ave been been suffering suffering physically physicallly ttoo those those who who are are ssuffering uffering mentally. m entally. Now Now it it has has even even permitted permitted those those ‘tired ‘tired ooff llife’ ife’ to to be be newly with disabilities. kkilled illed as as well well aass n ewly bborn orn babies babies w ith d isabilities.

Margo MacDonald’s new M argo M acDonald’s bbill ill tthreatens hreatens ttoo iintroduce ntroduce a n ew eera ra with ooff aatrocity trocity cloaked cloaked w ith tthe he rrespectability espectability ooff bbeing eing llegal. egal. IItt is is has aalarming larming tthat hat society societyy h as llargely argely bbeen een disposed disposed to to ggoo along along with w ith such such plans plans aand nd ttherefore herefore tthere here iiss a burden burden on on tthose hose who who make determined rrespect espect life life ttoo m ake a d etermined eeffort ffort ttoo ex eexpose xpose tthe he serious serious misinformation misconceptions m isinformation aand nd m isconceptions ooff tthe he pro-euthanasia pro-euthanasia her llobby. obby. The The coming coming months months aass h er bbill ill iiss cconsidered onsidered in in Parliament provide uss aallll ttoo ttake up P arliament p rovide tthe he oopportunity pportunity ffor or u ake u p tthat hat ttask. ask. www.rcpolitics.org more how ((See See w ww.rcpolitics.org ffor or m ore iinformation nformation oon nh ow ttoo ooppose ppose eeuthanasia) uthanasia)) Deighan Catholic JJohn ohn D eighan iiss the the Scottish Scottish C atholic Parliamentary P arliamentary Officer Officer

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eegular gular rreaders eaders of of the the column column (if (if such such there there be) be) may have noticed Rev m ay h ave n oticed frequent frequent references references ttoo R ev George G eorge Gordon Gordon ooff D Dufftown, ufftown, an an important important fi gure in in tthe he rreintroduction eintroduction of of music music iinto nto the the figure lliturgy iturgy aafter fter tthe he eenforced nforced silence silence of of the the penal penal times. times. In In the the eearly arrly 19th 19th century century George George G ordon was was active active in in training training Gordon oorganists rganists aand nd choirs, choirs, and and composing composing and and arranging arranging music. music.

B ut oone ne must must n ot aassume ssume that that M Gordon was was an an isolated isolated But not Mrr Gordon fi gure; many many oother ther N orth East East priests priests were were also also enthusiastic enthusiastic figure; North aand nd committed committed to to the the cause cause of of music music in in Catholic Catholic w orship. worship.

O ne ssuch uch was was R ev G eorge M athison, w ho, llike ike Mr Mr One Rev George Mathison, who, G ordon, w as a native native of of Banffshire.

Banffshire. Born Born in in Bellie Bellie in in 1756 1756 Gordon, was h preceded M Gordon at at the the Royal Royal Scots Scots College College in in hee preceded Mrr Gordon V alladolid, w here he he w as one one of of the the first first students students to to attend attend Valladolid, where was tthe he C ollege aafter fter it it was was rreopened eopened by

by Rev Rev John, John, later later Bishop, Bishop, College G eddes. After After oordination rdination Mr Mr Mathison Mathison was was given given charge charge Geddes. ooff St St N inian’s, Tynet, Tynet, the the little little church church built built in in 1755 1755 to to Ninian’s, rresemble esemble a sheepcote, sheepcote, and and later later he he moved moved to to Fochabers, Fochabers, w here h uperintended the the building building of of the the present present church church where hee ssuperintended tthere here iin n 11826.

826.

H was a p assionate m usician. He He p layed tthe he bass bass fi ddle, Hee was passionate musician. played fiddle, aand nd went went ttoo tthe he lengths lengths of of making making himself himself one, one, on on which which ttoo accompany accompany h is n ewly-formed church church choir. choir. The The his newly-formed iinstrument nstrument acquired acquired a certain certain fame, fame, or or perhaps perhaps one one should should ssay ay notoriety. notoriety. Writing Writing iin n 1820, 1820, Rev Rev Alexander Alexander Badenoch Badenoch Gregory’s, ooff nearby nearby St St G regory’s, Preshome, Preshome, commented, commented, “his “his famous famous Fiddle has F iddle h as llost ost much much of of her her renown renown due due to to the the superior superior powers Organ.” p owers ooff oour ur O rgan.”

Perhaps Perhaps sspurred purred oon n bbyy this, this, Mr Mr Mathison Mathison proceeded proceeded to to which hee ooffered bbuild uild aan n oorgan rgan n w hich h ffered to to Priest Priest Gordon Gordon of of Aberdeen, was A berdeen, but but iitt w as politely politely declined, declined, so so he he kept kept it it for for use use Ass sheet iin n his his own own church. church. A sheet music music was was scarce scarce and and expensive expensive hee also aatt the the time, time, h also experimented experimented with with printing printing his his own. own.

Hee tried H tried out out engraving engraving on on stone, stone, wood wood and and copper copper in in an an aattempt ttempt ttoo find find tthe he bbest est and and cheapest cheapest method. method. Unfortunately Unfortunately his tthe he rresults esults ooff h is experiments experiments have have not not survived. survived.

Mr was Mr Mathison Mathison w as one one of of the the first first in in the the country country to to form form Vicar a cchoir, hoir, bbut ut iinevitably nevitably tthis his iincurred ncurred tthe he ccensure ensure ooff tthe he V icar

Apostolic, Bishop who A postolic, B ishop Hay, Hay, w ho refused refused to to ggive ive permission permission ffor or had Disappointed, aany ny ssinging inging iin n cchurch, hurch, ssoo iitt h ad ttoo bbee sstopped. topped. D isappointed, Mrr M Mathison find M athison protested: protested: ““II fi nd aalso lso tthat hat since since ssinging inging ttook ook place Holy p lace on on H oly Days Days the the chapel chapel iiss crowded……Why crowded……Why sshould hould wee not which Providence puts w not embrace embrace tthe he means means w hich Divine Divine P rovidence p uts power Holy iin n oour ur p ower to to rrender ender oour ur H oly Religion Religion rrespectable espectable iin n tthe he eeyes yes of of its its eenemies nemies aass of of its its ffriends?” riends?” was not until Bishop Hay’s SSadly adly iitt w as n ot u ntil 11815, 815, ffour our yyears ears aafter fter B ishop H ay’s death, d eath, that that Tynet Tynet officially officially ggot ot its its cchoir. hoir.

Much Mrr M Mathison’s deals M uch ooff M athison’s ssurviving urviving ccorrespondence orrespondence d eals with dismissed w ith aaspects spects of of cchurch hurch music. music. He He d ismissed tthe he oobjection bjection discouraged might not tthat hat choirs choirs sshould hould bbee d iscouraged bbecause ecause they they m ight n ot perform well, wryly, not hard p erform w ell, ccommenting ommenting w ryly, ““It It will will n ot bbee a h ard well ttask ask ttoo perform perform as as w ell aass our our neighbours neighbours of of the the Church Church ooff Hee went make possibly SScotland.” cotland.” H went oon n ttoo m ake tthe he pragmatic, pragmatic, aand nd p ossibly perfection rrather ather cynical, cynical, point, point, ““Less Less p erfection will will please please aand nd eedify dify heard ssuch uch aass never never h eard aanything nything better.” better.”

After Mrr M Mathison A fter ssinging inging eeventually ventually ggot ot tthe he ggo-ahead o-ahead M athison jjoined oined iin n tthe he eensuing nsuing llively ively debates debates aabout bout how how iitt sshould hould bbee done. d one. Some Some cclergymen lergymen ffelt elt that that the the cchoirs hoirs sshould hould be be aallllmale, Mathison m ale, bbut ut George George M athison was was a cchampion hampion of of women’s women’s participation, Embassy p articipation, citing citing tthe he example example of of tthe he London London E mbassy Chapels, which C hapels, w hich had had mixed mixed cchoirs. hoirs. He He was was aalso lso iin n ffavour avour ooff Latin, ssinging inging iin n English English rather rather tthan han eentirely ntirely in in L atin, pointing pointing oout ut people tthat hat as as p eople were were accustomed accustomed to to rread ead prayers prayers in in English English during Mass was days d uring M ass (this (this w as bbefore efore the the d ays of of ccongregational ongregational participation) not English p articipation) tthen hen why why sshould hould n ot E nglish hymns hymns be be sung? sung?

IIn n bboth oth these these areas areas he he showed showed himself himself to to be be ttruly ruly progressive, progressive, his aand nd bboth oth h is recommendations recommendations were were upheld. upheld.

Hee aappreciated Gregorian H ppreciated G regorian cchant hant bbut ut cconsidered onsidered tthat hat iits ts use Gregorian u se should should not not be be exclusive. exclusive. ““II tthink hink bboth oth tthe he G regorian Note modern used N ote aand nd m odern ccompositions ompositions may may be be u sed to to advantage. ad dvantage.

There Th ere ccertainly ertainly is is a particular particular ssolemnity olemnity and and bbecoming ecoming parts Gregorian Chant ggrandeur randeur in in tthose hose p arts ooff the the G regorian C hant tthat hat rremain emain without w ithout ccorruption.” orruption.”

Although hee aadmired Webbe’s music, hee w was A lthough h dmired SSamuel am muel W ebbe’s m usic, h as modern ccritical ritical ooff ssome ome m odern compositions, compositions, remarking remarking ((and and ssome ome present-day musicians with him p resent-day cchurch hurch m usicians might might ssympathise ympathise w ith h im here), melody h ere), ““Neither Neither elegance, elegance, m elody oorr common common sense sense can can be be discovered many have procured.” d iscovered in in ttoo oo m any pieces pieces that that I h ave p rocured.”

Nevertheless hee went modern N evertheless h went on on ttoo concede concede that that tthe he m odern were what most ccompositions ompositions w ere w hat m ost of of his his ccongregation ongregation preferred. p referred.

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Perhaps Perhaps because because of of the the shortcomings shortcomings of of some some contemporary hee suggested, not contemporary church church music music h suggested, “Why “Why n ot compose compose some some tthings hings ffor or ourselves, ourselves, for for example, example, such such hymns music hymns as as are are not not yet yet set set to to m usic in in English?”

English?” He He even even went went on on to to propose propose tthat hat “a “a musical musical Seminary Seminary would would be be an an excellent exccellent thing.” thing.”

George George Mathison, Mathison, as as he he has has come come down down to to us us in in his his letters, devoted letters, is is an an aappealing ppealing character—passionately character—passionately d evoted to to his his music, music, sometimes sometimes ooutspoken, utspoken, but but always always aanxious nxious tthat hat music music should should occupy occupy its its proper proper place place in in the the service service of of the the Church.

Church.

Last Last year year an an exciting exciting discovery discovery was was made mad de in in his his church church at at Fochabers. plastic was Fochabers. In In a p lastic bag bag in in the the organ organ lloft oft w as found found an an 18th 18th century century printed printed copy copy of of Tessarini’s Tessarini’s Twelve Twelve Sonatas Sonatas for for flute/oboe/violin with flute/oboe/violin w ith keyboard keyboard and and ccello ello aaccompaniment. ccompaniment.

ALittle AL Little t le Food od od Forr Thought Thought ught

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Margaret M argaret B Bradley radley

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This This music, music, which which is is thought thought to to be be one one of of only only three three copies copies in in existence, existence, could could well well be be a link link with with George George Mathison Mathison and his his colleague, colleague, George George Gordon.

Gordon. It It is is tempting tempting to to think think and of Mr Mr Gordon Gordon on on keyboard, keyboard, Mr Mr Mathison Mathison on on bass bass fiddle, fiddle, of with with their their friend friend William William Marshall, Marshall, the the well-known well-known Scots Scots violinist, performing performing these these pieces pieces together. together. Last Last September September violinist, the first first of of these these sonatas sonatas was was played played at at Pluscarden Pluscarden Abbey Abbey as as the part of of the the Symposium Symposium on on Sacred Sacred Music, Music, and and the the second second part formed part part of of the the Diocesan Diocesan Choir’s Choir’s Christmas Christmas concert concert in in formed St Mary’s Mary’s Cathedral.

Cathedral. One One feels feels sure sure that that Mr Mr Mathison Mathison St would have have approved. approved. would If you you have have any any musical musical memories memories of of the the North-East Nor th-East If you’d like like to to share share you you can can get get in in touch touch with with Shelagh Shelagh you’d at: s.noden@abdn.ac.uk s.noden@abdn.ac.uk at:

w hich w ould ssell ell ssoup oup ttoo tthe he p oor aatt a lloss. oss. A ttrust rust w as which would poor was up which was public five sset et u pw hich w as ffunded unded bbyy p ublic ssubscriptions ubscriptions ooff fi ve sshillings. hillings. A ssmall mall ccommittee ommittee w as fformed ormed ttoo rrun un tthe he SSoup oup was Kitchen with paid K itchen w ith a p aid ssuperintendent uperintendent iin n ooverall verall ccharge harge aand nd w eekly ttransactions ransactions we ere p ublished iin n tthe he n ewspaper.. weekly were published newspaper.

Th im w as ttoo ssupply upply aanyone nyone w ho tturned urned u pw ith a Thee aaim was who up with ssolid olid m eal ooff ggood ood qquality uality bbroth roth m ade w ith m eatt ((skink skink meal made with meat oorr sshoulder) houlder) p eas, bbarley arley aand nd vvegetables egetables aand nd sserved erved w ith peas, with a llarge arge cchunk hunk ooff tthe he m eat aand nd a llarge arge rroll oll ffor or a p enny. meat penny.

Th eal ccould ould bbee bbought ought d irectly oorr w ith a ffree ree tticket icket Thee m meal directly with oobtained btained ffrom rom aany ny ccharitable haritable iinstitution. nstitution. O pen iin n 11827 827 Open ffor or 223 3w eeks iitt sserved erved 777,180 7,180 m eals. weeks meals.

SSupport upport ffor or tthe he p roject w as ggenerous. enerous. Th ere we ere project was There were d onations ooff m oney aand nd ffood, ood, aass we ell aass tthe he p roceeds donations money well proceeds ffrom rom performances, performances, ssuch uch aass aan nO ratorio p erformed aatt SStt Oratorio performed P eter’s Chapel.

Chapel. P riest Gordon Gordon took took a ggreat reeat iinterest nterest iin n tthe he Peter’s Priest kkitchen itchen aand nd ccould ould ffrequently rreequently bbee ffound ound lladling adling oout ut tthe he

estling rrather estling atther iincongruously ncongruously iin n a fforgotten orgotten ccorner orner bbeside eside tthe he L Loch och SStreet treeet eentrance ntrance to to JJohn ohn L Lewis, ewis, iin nA Aberdeen, berdeen, iiss tthe he bbuilding uilding which w hich oonce nce h housed oused tthe he Aberdeen Aberdeen P Public ublic Soup Kitchen Kitchen aand nd w here, ffor or 1160 60 yyears, ears, food food and and refuge reefuge Soup where, were were provided provided for for the the needy. needy.

Established Established in in 11827, 827, and and housed originally originally iin n SStt Mary’s Mary’s housed Chapel Chapel at at St St Nicholas Nicholas K Kirk, irk, it it moved moved ttoo its its present preesent site site in in 1838.

1838.

In In 1894 1894 the the building building had had to to be be demolished demolished and and it it was was replaced replaced by the the present present building, building, a llarger arger by and and purpose-built purpose-built Soup Soup Kitchen, Kitchen, with kitchens, kitchens, a llarge arge d ining with dining room, store store rooms, rooms, pantries pantries aand nd a room, superintendent’s room. room. superintendent’s In the the early early part part of of tthe he 19 19tthh In ccentury entury food food w was as sscarce, carce, w wages ages were w ere low, low, there theree was waas n noo w welfare elfare sstate tate aand nd tthere here w was as a ggreat reat d deal eal ooff ssuffering uffering aamongst mongst tthe he p poor. oor.. IIn n 11827, 827, a public public m meeting eeting w was as cconvened onvened bbyy the the L Lord ord d P Provost, rovost, TThe he purp purpose-built ose-built Public Public SSoup oup K Kitchen itcheen in 1994 beside beside the LLoch och Str SStreet reet entr entrance rance ttoo eestablish stablish a SSoup oup K Kitchen itchen to Photo Express. to JJohn ohn Lewis, Lewiss, in Aberdeen.

Aberrdeen. P hoto courtesy cour o tesy of The The Aberdeen Aberrdeen EEvening vening e Expr ress.

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soup. A story recounted in an article in the Aberdeen certainly cost you more than a penny!

Press & Journal, 9th April, 1927, describes how, one day Why not warm yourself up with a plate of good oldwhen stirring the soup, his ladle struck something at the fashioned vegetable broth! bottom of the pot. “Fat’s this?” he shouted, as he fished out of the broth a pot containing a piece of meat. “Oh” said the cook, “That’s a piece for oor ain dinner.” “ There’s to be nae twa pots here,” replied the priest. “What’s good enough for the folks that come here is good enough for you. There‘ll be nae mair o’ that or I’ll get you dismissed.”

On Queen Victoria’s wedding day in 1840 soup, with beef and bread, were supplied free to anyone who wanted it which proved so popular that fights broke out and the Ingredients: police had to be called to keep the peace. The Skink, Brisket, Hough or other Superintendent of the Soup Kitchen gave the police meat suitable for long cooking. sergeant three shillings and the watchmen a shilling each 1 marrow bone for their efforts.

6pts cold water In the depression of the 1930s there was a steady 2oz (50g) pearl barley increase in the number of meals served, a very large 20z (50g) dries peas, soaked percentage of which were free: in 1934-35, 39,213 meals of which 32,370 meals were free, in 1936-37, overnight 44,330 meals of which 38,760 were free and in 1939, 1 whole onion 55,213 meals of which 49,881 were free.

Sprigs of fresh herbs, parsley, When in 1939 there was a fire at Nazareth House the thyme and a bay leaf tied together Soup Kitchen was used to supply meals to the orphan in a bundle with celery or leek boys who lived there and who were temporarily housed 3 medium carrots, finely chopped at Constitution Street School. During the Second 1 head of celery, chopped World War the Soup Kitchen was opened for the first 2 leeks, finely chopped time on Sundays, so that meals could be provided for Salt and pepper people made homeless by the bombing and for the crews of non-enemy ships berthed in Aberdeen.

Put the meat and bones into a In late 1960s with the building of the new Co-op it large pot, add the water, barley, was thought that the Soup Kitchen should be peas and onion. Bring slowly to demolished. But new premises couldn’t be found and, a simmer and skim. Turn down as the Soup Kitchen Trust owned the right of way the heat, add the herbs and cook between George Street and Loch Street, the building was saved. On 11thJanuary, 1968 the Evening Express very slowly till the meat is tender. reported in its article Still a Souper Day that despite Remove the meat and set aside. shops and tenements being torn down around it, the Discard the bones.

Soup Kitchen would not be demolished but would continue to provide a warm meal and a refuge for the Add the onions, carrots, turnip, needy. celery, white of leek and cook slowly By the 1980s however, numbers were declining and till the vegetables are just tender. in 1988 after 160 years, it closed. In 1989, when the Remove the bundle of herbs and Co-op became the John Lewis store, the architect of just before serving season and add the new ultra-modern glass entrance and link building the green leek and parsley. Slice for the store was faced with the problem of how to some of the meat thinly into bitemarry the old with the new. In 1993 the building was size pieces and put in the centre of sold, renovated and turned into a restaurant. the plate or serve separately.

Today, the Soup Kitchen is still there but is empty, awaiting a new purpose. The needy are still with us but are looked after in different ways. And yes, you can still get a bowl of soup nearby, though it may have been made using a more modern recipe, but it will most

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Historical H istorical Curiosities Curiosities from from m the Diocese Diocese off A Aberdeen berdeen

James B James Byres yres o off T Tonley onley A ntiquarian a nd A rchitect Antiquarian and Architect

Peter P eter D Davidson avidson

A

llthough thouggh the idea of ‘The G Grand rand T Tour’, our’, the aristoccratic journey ar ound eighteenthe aristocratic around many, ccentury enturry IItaly, talyy, is familiar to many y, tthe he name of t Aberdeenshire the Aber b deenshire Catholic who was w a piv otal pivotal figure Rome period figur g e in the artistic artiistic life of R ome in the p pe riod is less familiar ames B yres was the son of the JJacobite a acobite familiar.. JJames Byres and Laird Tonley, Patrick Byres, Catholic Lair d off T onleyy, P atrick B yres, who fled to the Continent with his h family after the disastr ouss end of the disastrous Culloden.

Byy 1758, B Byres was 1745 Rising at C ulloden. B yres wa as studying painting in R ome om me but, bbyy 1768, he had been n elected to Rome Roman Luca, the R oman artists’ artistts’ guild, the Accademia Accademia di San San a L uca, as an ar chitect. Thr roughout his life he made ar rchitectural architect.

Throughout architectural although, few were designs, althoug gh, as we we will see, fe w of them t w ere carried out. out From Byres F rom the earlyy 1760s, B yres was one of the t leading figur es in the ar ome as experienced experien nced bbyy the figures artt world of R Rome tourist’.’. H Hee acted as an antiquarian guide, ‘‘grand grand tourist g most notably to the famous historian E dward G ibbon, Edward Gibbon, showing monuments modern Rome sho wing the mon numents of ancient and mod dern R ome

in learned detail d and obtaining access for f his clients to priv ate palaces palaaces and museums. H a private Hee also acted as an agent intr oducingg potential patr ons to painters, pain nters, arranging introducing patrons sittings wit h the leading por trait pain nter of the day y, with portrait painter day, P ompeo B a attoni (1708-87), for the most moost affluent, but Pompeo Battoni also lo yally promoting promoting the inter ests of SScottish cottish ar tists in loyally interests artists R ome, espe ecially David David Allan and thee young young H enry Rome, especially Henry Raeburn, oone ne of whose earliest wor ks is a por trait of works portrait B yres’s nephew neph hew and buisness partner partner Patrick Pattrick Moir.

Moir.

Byres’s Byres B yres also acted as a dealer both in Roman Roman o antiquities Throughout ough hout his R Roman oman and in mor moree rrecent ecent paintings. Thr career, Byres career, B yress promoted promoted the superb printss of monuments and antiquities antiqu uities made by by the antiquarian antiqu uarian Giovanni Giovanni Battista were Battista Piranesi Piraanesi (1720-1778), and theyy w ere associated together in more more than one excavation excavation off an ancient site,

Month StMay St P Pat’s a-tMary's ’s M Mission is ssion Soc. S occ. 1/4 St Patrick’s Missionary Society is a missionary society of priests dedicated to bringing the gospel message of God’s love to people in Africa, Latin America and the West Indies.

We invite you to be a partner in mission with us by praying the Rosary during the month of May for the success of our missionary work.

To assist you we will send you, free of charge, our little pocket rosary guide.

For your personal guide please contact us at: St Patrick’s Missionary Society, 8 Abercromby Place, STIRLING FK8 2QP Phone: 01786 447 722 Email: stpatsbuch@aol.com We do not “sell” the rosary guide so if you would like to receive extra guides for your family and friends, we would appreciate if you could make an offering to cover the production and distribution costs and in support of the society and its work.

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and possibly thereafter in the sale of excavated antiquities.

Piranesi recognised this friendship and business association by dedicating to Byres two plates of his last collections of prints, a series of representations of urns and other ancient artefacts. Byres was also instrumental in the sale of such notable objects as the Portland Vase, now in the British Museum.

As an art dealer he handled such fine paintings as Poussin’s Seven Sacraments, now in the National Galleries of Scotland. This was a shady transaction, involving the substitution of copies for the originals and a considerable element of secrecy. In fairness, though, the standards of the art-market of the eighteenth century were not those of today: export licences could be circumvented, attributions were a matter of personal judgement, excavated pieces were usually heavily restored before being offered for sale.

In Rome Byres lived in some state in the Strada Paolina with a household which included at various times his parents, his nephew and the engraver Christopher Norton (c.1740-99) as well as his fellow-artist and antiquary Colin Morison (1732-1810). Byres returned to Scotland in 1790 and lived out a long retirement on his Aberdeenshire estates.

What might have been ... Byres’s plans for King’s College Aberdeen courtesy of Library and Historic Collections, University of Aberdeen.

Amongst Byres’s unbuilt designs are a set of drawings for a rebuilding of King’s College, Aberdeen in the manner of the university buildings (the ‘Sapienza’) at Rome, probably dating from 1776. Funds were never available for the construction of this fine building. Byres’s plan would have clothed the inner quadrangle at King’s with two storey cloisters and would have concealed the crown spire behind a palace front, with a block advancing to the street-line of the High Street.

One of the sections through Byres’s projected front block indicates a library room looking inwards to the courtyard, triple height, with two ranges of galleries, ornamented with a statue of Atlas bearing the world. A large and

Byres’s mausoleum for Miss Eliza Fraser of Castle Fraser in the churchyard at Cluny magnificent room with a dome is allowed for a museum, on the scale of the Tribuna of the Uffizi in Florence.

Byres’s associate Colin Morison, a graduate of Marischal College, intended his substantial collection of 300 Italian paintings ‘of all the great Italian masters, from the invention of oil-painting down to the perfection of the art by Raphael’ to come to King’s College. Had this happened, it would have formed one of the earliest public picture-galleries in Britain, contemporary with the Dulwich Gallery. Morison’s collection was seized, after his death in 1810, by the French as enemy property and dispersed. His and Byres’s ambitions for Aberdeen may, however, explain the sumptuous museum room which is at the centre of these unbuilt plans.

A few of Byres’s architectural works were executed: he designed the two end bays of the seminary building at Aquahorthies near Inverurie for Bishop Hay. This is now altered, but was thought to have contained a doubleheight chapel. There is an elegant fireplace by Byres in the upstairs drawing room at Fyvie Castle, and his austere and beautifully detailed mausoleum for Miss Eliza Fraser of Castle Fraser can be seen in the Churchyard at Cluny in Aberdeenshire.

Byres made a particular study of Etruscan painted tombs. His book on this subject was printed posthumously in 1842, the plates for its illustrations having remained on the continent for the duration of the Napoleonic wars. Byres was fascinated by the achievements of these ‘first people of Italy’ and regarded their subjugation by their southern neighbours, the Romans, as barbaric. It is not unlikely, given the eighteenth-century taste for drawing contemporary parallels with ancient history, that Byres thought of the Etruscans as comparable to the Jacobite northern Scots.

Professor Peter Davidson holds the Chair in Renaissance Studies in the School of Divinity, History & Philosophy at the University of Aberdeen.

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On a wing and a prayer Canon Peter Barry explores the bird life of Scotland and other exotic climes!

A bir bird d tha that t t appears tto ow walk alk water and another that th hat on water t sttes like tas like mutton! mutt tton!! tastes

O

n a recent recent trip to N New ew Z Zealand, e ealand, bird bird wa tchers fr om B ritain hir ed a small craft, watchers from Britain hired set out some 20 kilometr es fr o land, and om kilometres from beg gan to bait the water rowing tasty began water,, thr throwing morsels of food ooverboard verboard to entice the birds birdss closer. closer.

They w ere asto onished to lur birds vvery ery close to were astonished luree some birds the boat which had not been seen for many man ny yyears, ears, and w ere simply cons sidered extinct. extinct These w ere N ew Zealand Zealand were considered were New SSooty ootty Shearwaters, She Shear earwaterss, known known locally locally as Mutton Mutto on Birds.

Birrds.

SStormy tormy Petrel, Petrel, and a photographic evidence proved p oved them pr right. The Petrel Petrell is named after Saint Saint P eter, as it tr eads excellent Peter, treads excellent forr bringing many bir ds within w touching birds water constantlyy and appears to walk on the waves. waves. a andering Albatross with their ir 11 F oot wing distance: W Wandering Albatross Foot On a rrecent ecent visit v outh Island, Island, the tactic taactic pr oved span, SShearwaters On to SSouth proved hearwaters w gliding and dancing over over the surface, surface, Petrels squabbling squabbbling among themselves themselves for the tastiest Petrels morsels.

37 Fallowfields Bicester Oxfordshire OX26 6QT. U.K. The fate of o the Albatross Albatross causes con ncern, as many concern, Tel: 01869 327535 Fax: 01869 322680 hooks str etching for fishing boats let out lines with baited hooks stretching Email: richard@luzarvestments.co.uk several several kilometres. kilom metres. The bir ds take the bait, baiit, and dr own in birds drown www.luzarvestments.co.uk the waters.

Among th he bir ds in the photogra aph ar ooty the birds photograph aree SSooty Established supplier of Vestments and other SShearwaters, hearwaters, known known locally as M utton B irds. F ishermen Mutton Birds.

Fishermen Ecclesiastical items including: * New embroidered & braided Vestments in both Gothic and Latin ate them and d consider ed them as tasty ass sheep considered sheep.. shapes, and in many different designs. Prices from £150 O ne pecul iarity bir ding N e w Z eala and One peculiarity of birding New Zealand is the large * Albs and Cottas, Copes, Stoles, Dalmatics number of B ritish bir ds which hav een successfully British birds havee be been * Large selection of second-hand & antique Vestments * Ecclesiastical plate & Church brass, and much more intr oduced: ther ushes and skylar ks, introduced: theree ar aree song thr thrushes skylarks, ggoldfinch and d yyellowhammers ellowhammers ev eryywherre. everywhere.

As a small bo y, in the boyy I collected eggs, until one day day, ploughed fiel lds outside Kir kwall, a moth her lapwing lapwing was fields Kirkwall, mother dragging herr wing along the gr ound, tr y ying to lur ground, trying luree me away y. I looke ed do wn at her yyoung, oung, little bundles of fluff away. looked down and felt I cou uldn’t continue. H er plaintiv ve cr tcouldn’t Her plaintive cryy was hear heartpier cing. As a bo vernight I switched from from piercing. boyy of ten, oovernight poacher to gamekeeper amekeeper. gamekeeper.

R efrain: H ow great great is yyour our name, O lor d our G od, Refrain: How lord God, thr ough all th he ear th th. through the earth.

V erse: All of o them, sheep and cattle, Yes, Yes,, even even the sav age Verse: savage GL005 - £315 GL254 - £320 beasts, B ir ds of the air and fish, that m make their way Birds 5 piece Gothic Low Mass 4 piece Gothic Low Mass thr ough the waters. w ( fr om the Psalms Psalms ) through from Set available from stock in all Set; machine embroidered

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liturgical colours including rose and purple for Lent

panels. Available from stock in white, red, purple, green.

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Poeooetic etic Lic L Li Licence cence “The Whyness of Wasps” Writing about his childhood days in Wales, Dylan Thomas avers that among his reading material were “books that told me everything about the wasp, except why.” Yes, the whyness of wasps, like that of scorpions and crocodiles, remains a puzzle. The following verses focus on the wasp first pictorially and then spiritually. The author is Edward Taylor (1644—l729), whose work remained in manuscript for fully two centuries and was first published only in 1927. This poem is at once full of attractive images and whimsically Franciscan in approach.

Canon Ca anon anon on Billlll Anderson derson rson soson on delves on lveses intoto som into soomme off hisis favourite some f vourite vovourite ourite rite itete inspirational nspirational sppirational spi piirational rational ational tional tional nalall verse veerse ersesee.

Upon a Wasp Chilled with Cold The Bear that breathes the northern blast Did numb, torpedo-like, a wasp Whose stiffened limbs encramped lay bathing In Sol’s warm breath and shine as saving, Which with her hands she chafes, and stands Rubbing her legs, shanks, thighs and hands, Her petty toes and fingers’ ends Nipped with this breath, she out extends Unto the sun, in great desire To warm her digits at that fire; Doth hold her temples in this state Where pulse doth beat, and head doth ache; Doth turn and stretch her body small; Doth comb her velvet capital, As if her little brain-pan were A volume of choice precepts clear; As if her satin racket hot Contained apothecary’s shop Of Nature’s receipts, that prevails To remedy all her sad ails; As if her velvet helmet high Did turret rationality.

She fans her wing up to the wind As if her petticoat were lined With reason’s fleece, and hoises sails And humming flies in thankful gales Unto her dun-curled palace hall, Her warm thanks offering for all.

Lord, clear my misted sight that l May hence view thy Divinity; Some sparks whereof thou up dost hasp Within this little downy wasp, In whose small corporation we A school and a schoolmaster see, Where we may learn, and easily find A nimble spirit bravely mind Her work in every limb, and lace It up neat with a vital grace, Acting each part though ne’er so small Here of this fustian animal; Till I enravish’d climb into The Godhead on this ladder do, Where all my pipes inspir’d upraise An Heavenly music furred with praise.

Light of the North To win a copy of ‘Lent and Easter Wisdom’

by Henri J.M. Nouwen send your completed entry, together with your name, address and telephone number to the Light of the North, Ogilvie Centre, 16 Huntly Street, Aberdeen AB10 1SH. First correct entry drawn out of the hat is the winner. Closing date: 1st May, 2010.

Crossword 12

Congratulations to our last competition winner, Mrs J Henderson from Inverness

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Last issue’s solution Across 1. Shekel 4. Appeared 10. Ephesians 11. Cubit 12. Rare 12. Meditation 15.Raisins 16.Nathan 19.Agreed 21.Torches 23.Atonements 25.Baal 27.Glean 28.Millstone 29.Teachers 30.Rashly

Down 1.Shearers 2.Exhorting 3.East 5.Passion 6.Enchanters 7.Rabbi 8.Doting 9.Bakers 14.Nineteenth 17.Ashtaroth 18. Psaltery 20.Dreamer 21.Tittle 22.Taught 24.Omega 26.Asia

Little Horror Sudoku No. 1 If you prefer sudoku to crosswords then you still have a chance to win a copy of ‘Lent and Easter Wisdom’ by Henri J.M. Nouwen with our super tough ‘Little Horror’ sudoku puzzle.

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Across 1. Correct (8) 5. Charge (6) 9. Wet (8) 10. Season of growth (6) 12. Come alive (5) 13. Compensation for wrong (9) 14. Messiah (6) 16. Short story (7) 19. Judas Iscariot, for example (7) 21. Innocence (6) 23. Religious writing (9) 25. Word frequently found in the Psalms (5) 26. Assemble (6) 27. A high priest (8) 28. God did this on the 7th day (6) 29. Master of Onesimus (8) Down 1. Percussion instrument (6) 2. Home town of the man

who buried Jesus (9) 3. A one-tenth offering (5) 4. Low ranking worker (7) 6. Nehemiah’s service to the king (9) 7. Bind (5) 8. Number killed by Tower of Siloam (8) 11. Substance used to cleanse or purify (4) 15. Mediate (9) 17. Burial place of Rachel (9) 18. Unknown person (8) 20. Cord (4) 21. Egyptian ruler during the exodus (7) 22. Preferred (6) 24. Promises (5) 25. Creature forbidden as food by the law (5)

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The Dornoch Bookshop 1/8 page

FOR A WIDE RANGE OF ADULT AND CHILDREN’S READING ● Talking

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Westminster

Page 35

Light Light of of the the North North

Page 35

Sister Janet’s Westminster Blog Sister Janet Fearns FMDM is the Communications Coordinator for the Pontifical Mission Societies.

You can visit her website, ‘Pause for Prayer’ at http://pauseforprayer.blogspot.com

Who is your Teacher?

T

he wise man was dying. His disciples were desperate to learn from him, even to his very end, so much so that one young man bravely stepped forward. ‘Master’, he said, who was your teacher? The old man turned towards him. ‘Son’, he whispered, ‘I had thousands of teachers. I do not have enough time left to me to tell you all their names, but about three, I will certainly tell you.’

One teacher was a thief. Once I was lost in the desert, and only reached a village late at night, when everything was closed. At last I found one man who was trying to make a hole in the wall of a house. I asked him where I could stay and he said ‘At this time of night it will be difficult, but you can say with me – if you can stay with a thief ’. His hospitality was so great that I stayed for one month! Each night he would say to me, ‘Now I am going to my work. You rest. You pray.’ When he came back I would ask ‘Were you successful?’ He would say, ‘Not tonight. But tomorrow I will try again, God willing.’ He never despaired. He was always happy. Yet in my own life, I was often discouraged almost to the point of giving up. Then I would remember the thief who would say every night, ‘God willing, tomorrow it is going to happen.’ Somehow, his words gave me the courage to continue.

My second teacher was a dog. I was heading towards the river for a drink of water, when a thirsty dog appeared.

He looked into the river and saw another dog there. Not understanding that it was his own reflection, he was afraid. He barked and ran away, but his thirst was so great that he returned to the river bank. Finally, despite his fear, he jumped into the water, and the other dog disappeared. I knew that God used to dog to teach me an important lesson: one has to jump in spite of being afraid.

My third teacher was a small child. I entered a town and a child was carrying a lighted candle which he intended to put in the church. I asked the boy, ‘Have you lit the candle yourself?’ He said, ‘Yes sir.’ I continued my enquiry. ‘There was a moment when the candle was unlit, and then there was a moment when the candle was lit.

Can you show me the source from which the light came?’

He laughed, blew out the candle, and said, ‘Now you have seen the light going. Where has it gone? You tell

me!’ My ego was shattered. My whole knowledge was shattered. At that moment I felt my own stupidity and learned not to be a know-it-all.

It is true that I had no teacher. That does not mean that I was not a disciple – I accepted the whole of life as my teacher. I trusted the clouds, the trees. I trusted all that exists. I had no teacher because I had millions of teachers.

I learned from every possible source. What does it mean to be a disciple? It means to be able to learn, to be open to learn from everybody and everything. With a teacher you start learning to learn.

The teacher is a swimming pool where you can learn how to swim. Once you have learned, all the oceans are yours.’

Lent give us many opportunities for learning. We have many teachers.

St Peter, in his pride, thought he could defend Jesus from attack. The reality was that his cowardice led him to deny Jesus at the very moment when he needed a friend’s support. Peter teaches us that being sorry for stupidity and ‘being a wimp’ allows us to make a fresh start and hold our heads high. He had to learn, both, to ask for forgiveness from Jesus, but also to forgive himself for the biggest blunder of his entire life. We don’t need to stay away from church because of some silly mistake. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a welcome home.

Mary teaches us that real love and suffering often go hand-in-hand. Suffering has an end: approaching it with faith, hope and love makes sense of the pain. Mary could have curled herself in a little corner and protected herself from further hurt. She didn’t. She stood upright with Jesus, knew the agony of his death, but, thanks to her courage and perseverance, is now Mother to the whole world. She shows us that willingness to stand at the foot of the Cross also brings the joy of the Resurrection. She teaches us that although we’ll probably never forget the tough times we’ve experienced, they don’t need to destroy us. There is new life. There is Resurrection.

Lent is the gateway to Easter. What lessons can I learn?

How might I be a disciple?

Your WEE BOX changes lives

ry hungry “We were ve we have before. Now system an irrigation water. and we have crops We can grow reakfast, b and we have ner. lunch and din er life.”

We have bett The Gebrese Ethiopia

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