Growth

GROW H

Christmas Rome 2019

Christ was Born in Bethlehem to be Re-Born in Us Christmas reminds us of the greatest event in history. The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, God the Son, took on a human nature in a human person, Mary. The important question arises: “Why would the Son of God do this?” Humankind had alienated itself from God and lost its way to true happiness and ultimate fulfilment. Isaiah (1:4) describes it beautifully: “A sinful nation, a people weighed down with guilt, a breed of wrongdoers, perverted sons. They have abandoned Yahweh, despised the holy one of Israel, they have turned from him.”

In the next verses Isaiah (1:5-6) gives us a clear picture of the effects on our body for not living the way God wants us to live: ”The whole head is sick, the whole heart grown faint; from the sole of the foot to the head there is no sound spot: wounds, bruises, open sores not dressed, not bandaged, not soothed with oil.” Isaiah uses powerful images to describe what happens to us when we turn away from God. It reminds me of the psycho-somatic illnesses of which we become more and more aware. It also reminds me of the many books which describe the body language of illness.

God the Son came to bring us back to God by showing us in his human life how to find real peace and lasting joy. In Him are two natures: the divine and the human. In the human nature He showed us how to bring to birth the divine nature in us. This is the reason why He became a human being.

What does all this mean concretely? Right from conception his human nature developed in connection and in harmony with his divine nature. This process of integration and growth continued until his death. We have to foster our divine nature following Christ’s example and integrate it more and more into our human nature, so that our human dimension can be healed as we grow and mature. This process of psycho-spiritual growth and integration needs to carry on until we die.

For example, let us take our emotion of anger. As we grew up, we learnt to deal with it in certain ways. We may even bring much anger with us due to certain negative circumstances during our stay in the womb of our mother. During the birth process or after birth we may express this anger or anger due to difficult birth. More anger will develop according to the way we are welcomed or not, treated well or not, cared for or not, neglected or not. Soon we pick up messages what to do with this anger. None of the messages are clear and perfect. Thus, we develop positive and negative ways of dealing with our anger. We may learn to repress our anger and become passive aggressive; or we may learn to express our anger by constantly throwing temper tantrums; or we may learn partly to express it and partly to repress it.

To allow our divine nature to purify these imperfect ways and model them on Christ’s example, means that we become more Christ-like, more divine, more according to God’s plan, happier, more fulfilled and more peaceful. In other words, allow Christ to be born in us, in one area of our being.

The same can be done with other emotions and with our sexuality. We are called to find ways to develop them according to God’s plan which Jesus showed us in his life. Suffering will be part of our life as it was in Jesus’ life. However, this suffering had deep meaning and brought about healing, redemption and psycho-spiritual growth. The same can be true of our own suffering.

Isaiah (1:17) encourages us to work on ourselves: “Cease to do evil. Learn to do good, search for justice, help the oppressed, be just to the orphan, plead for the widow”.

Some of the work needs to be done within ourselves and some with others.

Christmas inspires us to turn our whole life into a psycho-spiritual journey towards union with Christ. As we do this, Isaiah (1:18) gives us enormous hope: “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” In this way, we gain inner freedom, joy, peace and happiness. This is my wish for each one of you.

Happy Christmas, Len Kofler.

Homily Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State Diamond Jubilee Mass – Fr Len Kofler MHM, Institute of Saint Anselm, Wednesday 8 May 2019 Dear Father Len, Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I am delighted to be with you this afternoon to share in this double celebration: the inauguration of the Institute of Saint Anselm at its new home in Rome, and thanksgiving for Father Len Kofler’s sixtieth anniversary of ordination to the priesthood.

Thank you to Father Len and to all the staff and supporters of the Saint Anselm Institute for the invitation to be with you to share the Eucharist and give thanks for the abundant gifts of the Lord. I don’t come empty-handed, but bring with me warm greetings from the Holy Father, Pope Francis, and extend his blessing to all of you here present.

We come together in this holy season of Eastertide when we bask in the glow of Easter light, that light which is the symbol of our new life in the Risen Christ. The Preface of the Easter liturgy speaks of being “overcome with Paschal joy”, and that is our prayer as we listen to the Word of God and receive his body and blood. That joy of the present instant is held in tension between the past and the future in this moment of anamnesis, the liturgical celebration that allows us to enter into the Paschal Mystery. In fact, this joyful occasion brings together the two poles of our Christian experience: thanksgiving for the past, and hope in fresh beginnings. This is the reality of Easter, when we pass from what has gone before and are called to walk in the path of new life.

The Apostle Paul, addressing his favoured community in Philippi, speaks of joy, or rather he speaks with joy, for he recognizes in the nascent Philippian church God’s grace working through the community. His joy, however, is not a static or closed sentiment, a mere experience of satisfaction. No, this joy is in fact a catalyst, or as Pope Francis would say, a centrifugal force pushing outwards from the centre, so as to draw others into the centre of God’s loving heart. Paul, then, is not content to remain in a state of mere sentimental appreciation, but instead, inspired by the Holy Spirit, he goes on to pray that their “love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment” (Phil 1:9).

Saint Paul’s desire for the wellbeing of his spiritual children, and that extends also to us, is that they – that we – be people who discern. Discernment is an indispensable gift for those seeking to follow the Lord; without it, our discipleship would be little more than a fantasy, running the constant risk of becoming gushy, unchecked sentimentality, which favours personal choices over the will of the Lord in our lives.

Pope Francis speaks with characteristic clarity of the importance of discerning in the Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate: “Discernment is necessary not only at extraordinary times, when we need to resolve grave problems and make crucial decisions. It is a means of spiritual combat for helping us to follow the Lord more faithfully. We need it at all times, to help us recognize God’s timetable, lest we fail to heed the promptings of his grace and disregard his invitation to grow” (n. 169).

Pope Francis has a habit of expressing himself in ways that chime on a deep level, making us prick up the ears of our heart, if you will. As you heard that short passage from the Apostolic Exhortation, I would venture that you were thinking of the apostolate of the Saint Anselm Institute and, more particularly, the long and fruitful ministry of Father Len, who has walked with generations of “discerners”.

The Holy Father spoke of “heeding the promptings” of God’s grace and responding to “his invitation to grow”. Wherever we are on our personal journey of faith – there is never an age for complacency – we should take those callings to heart, as we seek to grow into what Saint Paul describes as the “fullness of the stature of Christ” (Eph 4:13). As we try to respond, we should remember that the Christian life is not a solitary endeavour; we walk together, accompanying each other along the way, with guides who, being sensitive to the promptings of the Spirit, help us to discern on their journey of “formation”. I have no doubt we can all picture the person who, in a special way, prompted and guided us on our journey of vocation: Kitakyushu, Japan religious, who – drawing on a wellspring of prayer – offered spiritual wisdom, human kindness and an example of charity. In so doing, almost unconsciously, they will have helped us discover the reality of God’s love and the call he addresses to each of us.

Extract from Homily of Cardinal Parolin. The whole homily can be found on our website. ‘Latest News’

Celebration of Fr. Len’s Diamond Jubilee and opening of the Institute in Rome.

It was a wonderful week and a special and moving multi-cultural celebration. The album to which many of you contributed was brought up at the offertory procession. Len enjoyed reading it later and was touched by all you said. Thank you. A coach full of family and friends including the Mayor came from Len’s village and the surrounding area in Austria and spent a few days here enjoying Rome and this beautiful celebration. The Austrian Ambassador to the Holy see also graced us with her presence. Cardinal Parolin was most gracious as our main celebrant at the Eucharist and afterwards blessed all the buildings used by St. Anselm’s. He then arranged for Len to meet Pope Francis the following week.

This was another very special occasion and the first time Len had met a Pope. It was a blessed opportunity. Pope Francis spoke to us in English and Len presented a copy of his books to him. It was a great privilege.

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