The Road to Emmaus - Sem 1, 2015

2015 – Sem 1 Issue

The Road to Emmaus – Sem 1 2015

A UWA Catholic Society Publication

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Inside this issue Page 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Contents Editorial Letters to the Editor 3 ways the general public can help reverse the train etiquette decline in Perth Thinking again about Palliative Care Facebook: more and more than just another post on the wall Twain’s Joan of Arc C.S. Lewis on the effects of prayer Called to Greatness: The Virtue of Magnanimity

The Mandate of The Road to Emmaus is to be a platform for the UCS and friends to express themselves; to be a witness to truth, beauty and goodness; to be a promoter of Catholic identity, teaching and practice.

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Why is abortion still occurring?

President’s Piece The Heart of the Matter

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Confession: overcoming grey and gouty

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Homeschoolers and all those other hippie heretics

And it came to pass, whilst he was at table with them, he took bread, and blessed, and brake, and gave to them.

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The Rosary

And their eyes were opened, and they knew him: and he vanished out of their sight.

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Good Reads

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Down Syndrome: the West Australian solution

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Words from the Chaplain Have Faith Promoting thought about reverence and the Real Presence Baptism – the Way to Freedom Man does not live by bread alone

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The Quinessential

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Prostitution: Demoralising, dehumanizing, yet legal The UCS

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And they said one to the other: Was not our heart burning within us, whilst he spoke in this way, and opened to us the scriptures?

And rising up, the same hour, they went back to Jerusalem: and they found the eleven gathered together, and those that were staying with them, Saying: The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.

And they told what things were done in the way; and how they knew him in the breaking of the bread.

FRONT COVER St Jean de Arc in Battle

BACK COVER Our Lady of Guadalupe, protecting children from the snares of the devil.

She is the Patroness of the Unborn. << Previous Issues of The Road to Emmaus. Available online at www.issuu.com/u wacatholicsociety or in hard copy – contact the editor!

The Road to Emmaus – Sem 1 2015

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Editorial – A Moment’s Grace* I read once that the torture of hell is not fire or burning, but the horrific, terrifying, despairing realisation that God is real and you have chosen to reject Him – and only because of your choice you are separated from Him for eternity.

That’s enough to keep you up at night. Enough to make you want to be better. How, though? How can we work on being better when it is really really easy to just feel good in the moment? YOLO, they/I say. Actually I haven’t heard that for a while, thank goodness. But nevertheless, the sentiment is still there in different forms: live while you’re young, if it feels good it’s right… Fickle is the word that comes to mind when I hear these things. Fickle: changing frequently, especially as regards one's loyalties or affections (thanks Google). That’s a pretty gross thing to be, I think. Where’s the assurance?

Grace is not fickle. The Catechism gives us this beautiful description of sanctifying grace: “[It] is an habitual gift, a stable and supernatural disposition that perfects the soul itself to enable it to live with God, to act by his love.” You know, there’s something about stability – the kind of love that is stable is endlessly beautiful. Think of the love between a mother and her child. It never ends. How much freedom there is, how much respect and honour. My eyes start to tear up just thinking about it. Stability is beautiful in bridges too, come to think of it – no one likes an unstable bridge.

But, back to how we can be better (that was getting too much). Honesty is the first step. Honesty with ourselves – question yourself. ‘Am I doing good?’ ‘What do I do that I am not happy with?’ Then, with this knowledge comes the conviction that something needs to change, followed by a commitment to the action of changing. So, three steps – easy!? Not so easy if I actually try and do it. That’s why we need help from God. We need grace.

In its natural state the soul is full of sanctifying grace. Mortal sins damage and reduce sanctifying grace, and it can only be regained by us making a choice (see the 3 steps) to examine our lives and ask forgiveness for our sins through reconciliation. The beautiful thing here is that sanctifying grace is always available if we seek it – because it’s not fickle.

It is full of assurance and hope.

Knowing this, we can be joyful! What is there to be afraid of when you know that whatever happens, God is there, God is constant, stable, and His forgiving and renewing grace is always there if we look for it? Joyful all ye nations rise!!! With joy comes peace of mind, optimism, unselfishness. These are the ingredients for goodness in the world. So, let us begin from now. Romans 5 puts it well “We are full of joy even when we suffer. We know that our suffering gives us the strength to go on. The strength to go on produces character. Character produces hope. And hope will never bring us shame.” (NIRV) So we have a chain reaction, from suffering to strength of character (what a thing to attain!), to hope and then to joy,

The Road to Emmaus – Sem 1 2015

and all the while there is purifying grace, stable and everlasting. All it needs is for us to make the choice to ask for forgiveness and commit to being better. I hope that in this issue you can find some inspiration which will spark that chain reaction.

In editing this magazine, reading all the articles that came in for this issue, I noticed that many writers were calling for action or giving advice. Not only this – they were unable to disguise their joy and hope for the world and for people. Hope is the antithesis to despair, as our previous editor so eloquently put it, and so with hope and joy and the assurance of grace we can move our lives forward and help others around us to do the same.

Thank you for buying or freely obtaining this magazine via the internet!! I hope you bought it – think of the starving children in the UCS. Here’s to the goodness that exists in every single person. Here’s to everlasting grace!

Rachel *very good song by Boy & Bear

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR To Zam's editor,

Thank you very much for your latest edition of "The Road to Emmaus". Again, I thoroughly enjoyed it and was again very heartened at this worthy endeavour.

I also thank you for including my humble (/awesome) letter to the editor; it read quite well wouldn't you say?

One article in particular stood out to me: "5 Ways the Catholic leadership Can Help Reverse the Catholic Decline in Perth" by Joseph Devitt. I thought the ideas presented were very sound, well written and well backed up/researched; most of all though, the five "ways" he presented were very pure, simple, honest and courageous ideas that I believe would go a long way to helping the Catholic Church.

In fact, some of the points seem like they should be the norm/regular practice already. However, on reflection that you realise some of these simple fundamentals are not so widely practised. It is quite saddening to realise the straying that has taken place within some parts/people of the church. We must pray! (Leadership recommendation 5, and Young Catholic recommendation 1 [how convenient/pertinent]).

PS - I also enjoyed the follow-up accounting joke under recommendation 3 - multiple references to assets and liabilities within a couple of lines -very nice!

Yours sincerely, A Dev

Send letters to: uwacatholicsociety @yahoo.com Page 2

To the concerned, If this letter was an article it would be titled ‘3 ways the general public can help reverse the train etiquette decline in Perth’. Unfortunately it’s not an article though as the editor is slowly removing my contribution to this magazine, one step at a time (you go Lady Grey Coco!).

3 ways the general public can help reverse the train etiquette decline in Sucked in Perth – Editor.

Who am I to be making these recommendations? Some young catholic punk with a few high distinctions? No ma’am, I’m afraid I have some slightly more legitimate and relevant credibility. I catch four trains, five days a week.

You might be thinking why, Jacob, why? Why four trains? Why not drive instead? Well, being a full time bread winner (how good would life be if money was bread – that Cadbury commercial has it all wrong) I must find a way to commute to work each day. Now I personally prefer to read/listen to some tunes/chat with some Italian bloke/stare out the window with a blank expression wondering how funny it would be to see a younger version of myself driving on the freeway rather than driving in peak hour traffic bumper to bumper for an hour. It really sounds quite pleasant when you/I put it that way and that’s because it is, my concerned readers, it really is, and I love it. Catching the train is the best part of my day. Seeing hundreds of new fresh characters each day, each with their own unique appearance, mannerisms, attitudes and general vibe makes it all worth it. Observing others on the train is quite simply great fun. But don’t let all this joy and enthusiasm fool you – some things need to change.

One of my faults is that I continue to write without realising that I should have finished a long time ago. I’m not going to beg your forgiveness. Instead, I’m going to announce that you have reached the end of my piece and then continue to write at least hundred plus words– Hooray! While we’re on the cheap shot regression line to not getting asked to write anything at all next year, here’s a quote from the book of Genesis (just in case you didn’t get your fill from Emanuele’s article in last year’s edition): “What wrong have I done against you, what sin have I committed that you should pursue me?

You have searched my belongings, but what have you found that was yours?” Consider this before giving me the boot dear editor.

manage standing for the duration of the train ride. It’s not just about offering your seat to someone who needs it more than you; it’s about never taking the seat in the first place. Person X who gets on the train at Station Y has a greater chance of sitting down in a free seat than accepting the offer that you may give them. At the end of the day, it just really drives me mad if I see some young able looking individual sitting down when there’s at least fifty others who need the seat more than they do. So if you’re able, try not to sit at all. Or if you are sitting and see someone who needs it more than you do, don’t just put in the token offer, get up and stay standing.

2. Please Please Me – By the way if you haven’t just noticed, these headings are all from the Beatles Album – Please Please Me, great album, check it out some time. Anyway, the next way we can all lift train etiquette is by making the effort to use our best manners. No matter how nice an individual can appear to be at first glance, a bump and a silent stare can go a long way to making you feel like they just dropped a few notches on your nice person scale. So if you accidently bump into someone or you need to get past them saying sorry, please and excuse me can go a long way.

3. Misery – I’m guilty of this one sometimes. Monday morning can be a real kick in the enthusiastic face. This creates a general negative mood in the air and it really really sucks. Apart from sucking, it makes people grumpy, impatient and selfish. It’s not just Mondayitis that gets you though. You might be having a bad day, lacking sleep or someone might have just thrown a pie in your face. Have a think about everyone else on the train and their hardships, battles and misfortunes.

Whatever it is next time you’re on the train and you just don’t feel that great, make sure you don’t let your standards slip.

Hopefully that all didn’t sound like me standing on my pedestal on top of my high horse. I mean I’m not perfect, I’m guilty of contributing to the decline, I can admit that. I’m just sharing with you the standard I’m trying to reach/will hopefully get close to one day (gees, now I’m really starting to sound like I’m riding my high horse).

Cheers Jacob Copley

Righto, I best get to the crux of this letter before I have a go at someone else’s article from last year’s edition. “Oi Jacob, nice tea summary. Last time I checked you were drinking two coffees a day. Where’s your loyalty to your article mate?” Ok I promise no more.

3 ways the general public can help reverse the train etiquette decline in Perth:

1. I saw her standing there - You might call me a hero or think I should star in the next Avengers film but I have a policy where I never sit on the train (during the peak hour commuting period anyway). Being 21 years of age and capable of walking by myself, I feel as though I can

The Road to Emmaus – Sem 1 2015

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Thinking again about palliative care Before I started studying medicine, my grandmother was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. I had no idea what that was. “Scarring of the lungs,” she said. When I announced my plan to become a doctor, she was ecstatic with pride. She’d tell anyone who listened. Like the person scanning our groceries at the supermarket. She’d look at him, then at me, then back at him, and I’d know it was coming.

“This is my granddaughter.” He’d look up, his face all like, And? She’d lean in and say, “She’s going to be a doctor.”

I’d roll my eyes and go, “Nan, jeez …”

When I visited, the first thing she’d say to me as I walked in the door was “Stop. Stand over there. Now turn around.” I’d roll my eyes. “I just want to look at you,” she’d say. “Now come here, and bring that comb.” She’d been a hairdresser.

My hair didn’t often live up to her standards.

In second year I bought my first stethoscope. When Nan said, “Stand over there,” I said, “Wait!” I pulled it from my backpack, looped it around my neck and turned around. You should have seen her face.

By the time I was in third year, she was 81 and permanently attached to a tube that went from her nostrils to an oxygen concentrator. The tube was long enough for her to move all around the house. When we went out, she took a small oxygen cylinder on a trolley. She said, “My lungs are ‘diseased’ – what a terrible word … listen to them if you wish.” I pressed my stethoscope against her soft, pink skin, and caught my breath. By then I knew what the sounds meant. During her afternoon naps, I’d get into bed next to her with my textbook and she’d quietly watch me from her side of the 20 or so pillows.

One time she said, “I have a really bad pain here on my right side.” “What’s it like?” I asked. “When did it start? Does anything make it go away? Turn around.” I gently pressed the spot and she winced. “I think you’ve broken a rib.” We looked at each other with our eyes open wide. Her doctor sent her for an X-ray, held it up to the light and said, “You’ve broken a rib.” She beamed at him. “I know. My granddaughter already told me.”

Just before my fourth-year clinical exams, she fell in the bathroom one night and lay on the cold tiles until morning. At the hospital they said she’d had a heart attack and things looked bad. She was too weak to drink. She gripped my hand, hard as steel, and whispered, “I don’t want to die yet.” The physician said, “We should perhaps consider palliation …” I begged him, “Please keep trying.”

In hospital she told me halting, dreamy stories about how her husband developed a brain tumour in the 1950s. They knew it was a brain tumour because he was fixing his car one day and his right arm rose straight above his head all by itself. They stood there by the car, both staring at his risen arm as if it were a stranger. After the operation, she cared for him at home. The doctor taught her how to inject morphine.

The Road to Emmaus – Sem 1 2015

One evening Nan’s IV drip blocked and a junior doctor came to find a site for a new one. I don’t know what the drip was for – fluids, diuretics or antibiotics. He said to me authoritatively, “You realise this is futile, to torture her like this?” I tried to explain – that, for her, being in hospital and the pain of a thin needle was worth the chance for a little more life – but it came out as a stutter. I just stood there under his accusatory stare, gripped with deep shame. He told me to wait in the corridor. I heard him croon to my nan as she winced with each of his failed attempts: “I’m sorry, you poor thing. This is cruel.

We know it’s unfair.” There was silence for a moment. “Let’s try the cubital fossa,” he said to the nurse.

When they were done, they walked out and past me without a word. I went back in, pressed my cheek against her cool forehead and said I was sorry. She whispered, “Don’t worry.

I’m OK.” She came home for a few months. She couldn’t get herself to the shops anymore and was in a lot of pain from her breaking bones. “What do you do all day?” I asked her. “I remember,” she said, smiling mightily. “I play in my memories.” She was happy to be alive. But slowly her breathing deteriorated, her fingers turned purple and then she couldn’t get out of bed.

She couldn’t think about anything except her next breath, and it was never quite enough. We talked about it. I called the palliative care service and they admitted her to the hospice, where she was given drugs to relieve the torture of slowly drowning. I’d bring a book to the ward and climb into bed with her. She’d rest her head on my shoulder and close her eyes.

There is a push for palliative care “pathways”, for treating the old in their nursing homes, for withholding treatment that is “futile”. We seek ways to make things in the last months and years neat and pre-determined and (dare I say it) costeffective. But no algorithm or flow chart can accommodate the messy intricacies of dying. Who decides what life is worth living? We cannot know in advance what we will find tolerable. If you had asked my grandmother if she would have been happy to live housebound, attached to an oxygen machine, even a year before it happened, she would have said no thank you. She would have chosen death. The resident attending to my grandmother’s IV drip was filled with a sense of moral righteousness. He was disgusted by the attempt to pump life back into a damaged and dying old body; he couldn’t believe she would choose that, or should even be offered the choice. It was failure of empathy disguised as empathy. A failure of imagination.

Karen Hitchcock This article originally appeared in The Monthly, July 2014 Karen Hitchcock is a doctor and writer. She is the author of a collection of short fiction, Little White Slips *Editor’s Note: Thanks to The Monthly and Karen for allowing us to reprint this excellent article and help reform the way people think of the elderly.

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Facebook: more and more than just another post on the wall Every so often the world obtains a new method of communication. The 1500’s gave the Royal Mail; you no longer have to ride your horse seventy miles in order to tell Kevin something. The 1900’s gave the telephone; you no longer have to leave the house to speak with Kevin. The 80’s gave the mobile phone; you can talk to Kevin from wherever you want except the outback. The 90’s brought better mobile service; you don’t even have to talk to Kevin, the bloody dropkick, you can send him an SMS. Each new development involves one less element of communication than its predecessor. American philosopher Robert Bly claims “technology has destroyed interrelations in the 1 human community that have taken centuries to develop”.

We have gone from the thorough involvement of face-toface contact to the sensually barren SMS. In his book Why Don’t People Listen?, author Hugh Mackay describes faceto-face personal contact as “the most comprehensive medium of communication”. He writes further that we must “make sure we have a reason to justify not being faceto-face with someone when we need to communicate (using technology)”.

Problems arise when modes of communication are used in ways beyond their intended function. An everyday illustration of this is the lengthy discussions often had via SMS. In light of Mackay’s view, these would usually be hard to justify. On the other hand, a “seeya in 2 mins” would probably be fine. Since SMS doesn’t dress itself up to be more than what it is: a short message service, its misuse is in the hands of the user. Similar arguments can be made for the telephone, the post, the email, the slave and most other methods of communication.

Then the 2000’s gave facebook.

According to Chow, some people use facebook “to connect and communicate with others, to organise events and to 2 facilitate more real life social interactions”. Seems fair enough. Mackay supports this but inserts a caveat, saying “it’s good when we use (facebook) to augment our active personal relationships; bad when we let it erode or replace them”. Et voilà. facebook’s capacity to “erode or replace” our relationships springs from its unclear intended use, its undefined place in the Kevin story.

With most other modes of communication the missing elements of face-to-face contact are easily identifiable thus ensuring there is no pretence about their capacity.

Facebook does pretend. It constructs multiple façades intended to mimic and replace the face-to-face world.

The aspect of ‘facebook-friends’ sets up the illusion of belonging. Safety is “sought in the ability to manipulate 2 settings”. It’s particularly evident in the control that one has over their friend group through accepting or blocking friends, the ability to inspect event attendance, or the capacity to delete comments. When does real life offer the chance to erase words already spoken? All are too easily implemented substitutes for legitimate real life actions. A facebook community may indeed be a community, but it is one that fails to mimic Community in the real world. The horizontal glance of a facebook community contradicts the upward looking necessity of a real world community. That is, all members occupy the same level causing a decreased social accountability and decreased sense of responsibility.

Relationships of mentor/parent/teacher in the face-to-face world are unpreserved on facebook. It is a society of siblings, as described by Bly. The role of the profile picture is to replace the physical aspect of real life communication. It is the face of the identity presented by the user. Since a facebook identity generally attempts to resemble that of the real life user, can it really be said that having the capacity to control the profile picture is appropriate? Supplementary to the profile picture are the albums attached to most facebook accounts; serving as further ‘evidence’ of the identity.

By setting up multiple edifices that mimic real life, facebook attempts to replace face-to-face communication with a false substitute. Although facebook’s fruits may be in its capacity to “augment our active personal relationships”, its undefined position in your relationship with Kevin renders it an inappropriate mode of communication.

Where do facebook and other forms of social media fit into the Kevin narrative outlined above? Which elements of face-to-face personal contact does facebook possess and which are missing? How can one be clear on the communicative purpose of facebook so to avoid its misuse?

The Road to Emmaus – Sem 1 2015

Patrick van der Moezel References 1. Bly, Robert. (1997). The Sibling Society: Vintage.

2. Chow, Stanley. (2014). Why people use facebook: A comprehensive review of the current literature and psychodynamic perspective. Ann Arbor.

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Twain’s Joan of Arc When we think of heroic characters we mostly think of male protagonists. One could argue that these male heroes dominate our childhood stories as a result of our patriarchal society; if this is so then it is exactly these fables that define our heroic vision. What do I mean by heroic vision? Take a child growing up reading Batman comics for example, it is easy to picture him dressing up as Batman and trying to embody the character's traits. As far as the child is concerned, this fictional character exists in his reality, along with the character's strengths, weaknesses, insights and morals. When encountering obstacles this child might unconsciously draw some inspiration from his heroes who have been in relatable situations, and ultimately these stories become a guiding force. So it is the stories we hear growing up which shape our definition of what a hero is. The more we hear about the virtue of Robin Hood or the chivalry of knights, the more these qualities becomes infused with our notion of an ideal hero. This is all good and well for masculine heroes for boys to relate to, but with a lack of tales of heroines; there isn’t as much substance for the influencing of the construction of our ideal female hero.

This brings us to the story of Joan of Arc, which was revealed to me by Mark

Twain in his novel Recollections of Joan of Arc':

'Personal

"I like Joan of Arc best of all my books; and it is the best; I know it perfectly well. And besides, it furnished me seven times the pleasure afforded me by any of the others; twelve years of preparation, and two years of writing.

The others needed no preparation and got none." - Twain on the subject of his novel.

Twain's fascination for Joan of Arc began in his 20s, and after reading a leaf from her autobiography he asked his brother if she had been real. This prompted his eventual investment of 14 years into the creation of her biography.

Published when he was 61 years old, it was the last book he wrote before his death. However whether Joan of Arc was real or not shouldn't deter us from the inspiring nature of her character, much in the same way that a child’s inspiration from the heroism of a comic book character shouldn’t be lessened by its fiction; for it is the personification of those heroic qualities that truly touch us - not the person endowed with them.

‘Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc’ accounts her journey in three parts; first, from her village in Domrémy, where her mission is revealed to her by God to win back France and return the King to his proper glory. Her mission is mocked by those around her, yet she

stays adamant in her trust in God’s plan.

Book two narrates her journey to the Commandant of Vaucouleurs where she demands an escort of soldiers to march with her to the help of the King. She succeeds and at her arrival is tested to prove that she is commissioned of God and not of Satan, and wins the august company’s admiration with her simple and honest heart. She is made Commander-in-Chief at the age of 17 and proceeds to lead the French army to a series of victories over the British.

Finally, book three tells the story of her fall and eventual martyrdom, her capture and trial at the hands of the British who aim to demonise her and remove her from her inspiring legend.

There are many insights to be gained from the reading of such an account, however for all the victories accredited to Joan of Arc over the English, what has stayed with me after reading this novel is her qualities, namely her wisdom, bravery and virtue. And with the realisation of these do the borders of my ideal female hero expand (and all heroic visions for that matter). To keep this terse in the fear of spoiling the magnetism of Twain’s Joan of Arc, this novel is truly worth the read for it is characters like Saint Joan of Arc that inspire us to venture down noble paths.

L. Peric

C. S. Lewis on the effects of Prayer “A man who knew empirically that an event had been caused by his prayer would feel like a magician. His head would turn and his heart would be corrupted. The Christian is not to ask whether this or that event happened because of a prayer. He is rather to believe that all events without exception are answers to prayer in the sense that whether they are grantings or refusals the prayers of all concerned and their needs have all been taken into account.” (underline added – Editor.)

CS Lewis; Photo credit www.religionnews.com

The Road to Emmaus – Sem 1 2015

“All prayers are heard, though not all prayers are granted. We must not picture destiny as a film unrolling for the most part on its own, but in which our prayers are sometimes allowed to insert additional items. On the contrary; what the film displays to us as it unrolls already contains the results of our prayers and of all our other acts.

There is no question whether an event has happened because of your prayer. When the event you prayed for occurs your prayer has always contributed to it. When the opposite event occurs your prayer has never been ignored; it has been considered and refused, for your ultimate good and the good of the whole universe. (For example, because it is better for you and for everyone else in the long run that other people, including wicked ones, should exercise free will than that you should be protected from cruelty or treachery by turning the human race into automata.) But this is, and must remain, a matter of faith. You will, I think, only deceive yourself by trying to find special evidence for it in some cases more than in others.“ From ‘Miracles’ by C. S. Lewis

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Called to Greatness: The Virtue of Magnanimity “The World offers you comfort, but you were not created for comfort. You were made for greatness” This quote from Pope Benedict XVI Emeritus captures the essence of the virtue of magnanimity. Magnanimity. (Try saying that ten times). But, as question to reflect upon, do you strive for the most noble path in life? Do you choose the path that forms you in excellence and that will benefit others? Thomas Aquinas, a great mind of the 13th century, states in his Summa Theologica “magnanimity makes a man [woman] deem himself [herself] worthy of great things in consideration of the gifts he [she] hold from God.” Which I believe is a beautiful way to confidently present the call to sanctity; the call we as Christians are called upon to seek. To have the confidence and the fortitude to take hold of our blessings and go for greatness even though it might be difficult— for the benefit of others. But this virtue can be extended to those with or without a faith. Because if you choose a life of charity and greatness, how could your life go wrong?

But magnanimity is not just for the 19 year old girls who are willing to lead an army to defend her country. No magnanimity can be lived in quiet, simple ways off the radar screen of most of the world. It is through the simple and ordinary things that we do in our everyday life that we can live out a life of greatness. Yes, St Joan of Arc lived an extraordinary life, leading an army of French soldiers at the age of 17, dying as a soldier for her country but as a martyr for her faith, and then being canonised by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1920. But her life was extraordinary not because she has so many great achievements, but because she chose the greater path in life; the path that demanded of her strength of mind and will. She was great because when the world offered her a cheap and easy escape from death, she chose the heroic act of dying for her love for Our Lord.

Ok. Maybe we are not being asked to lead the Australian Army into Middle East to end ISIS, but imagine what we are capable of doing if we say ‘yes’ to greatness? But we are just ordinary Jo’s- what impact would we make on the world?

Firstly, how little you know yourself and secondly, how can being an ordinary Jo mean that we are incapable of changing the world? Being an ordinary Jo really just means that our resources are limited… for now.

Due to her many more resources (an entire French army), St Joan of Arc was able to create a change on larger public platform. So what platform do we have, as ordinary Jo’s?

Our platform is in our ordinary moments of everyday–from the people we talk to, to the movies we watch. It is by the simple and ordinary things that we do that will eventually change the world. It is like the saying that if everybody put their rubbish in the bin, the world would start to be a cleaner place.

By choosing to do the good in every ordinary moment, not only are we living by example but we are changing our ordinary moments into extraordinary moments. And this is how we change the world in the small ways that we can.

Whether it is in eating, fitness, shopping, conversations, relationships, or personal character development; we are always have the opportunity to change the world through these smaller and private platforms.

The person who daily endeavours to be a better spouse, parent, friend, or child of God is truly seeking “greatness of soul.” I urge you, challenge you to choose the more noble path, choose greatness, choose to be extraordinary.

Chantelle Bertino-Clarke

Unwatch'd, the garden bough shall sway, The tender blossom flutter down, Unloved, that beech will gather brown, This maple burn itself away;

Unloved, the sun-flower, shining fair, Ray round with flames her disk of seed, And many a rose-carnation feed With summer spice the humming air; Till from the garden and the wild A fresh association blow, And year by year the landscape grow Familiar to the stranger's child; As year by year the labourer tills His wonted glebe, or lops the glades; And year by year our memory fades From all the circle of the hills.

From In Memoriam, Alfred Lord Tennyson ------Want to try and write your own poetry? Enter our competition! Details Pg. 22

The Road to Emmaus – Sem 1 2015

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Why is abortion still occurring?

The Oxford Dictionary defines abortion as “the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks”. Up until the full term of a pregnancy, between 37 and 40 weeks, a foetus needs either the natural support of the womb and its mother or advanced medical aid to survive. As scientifically proven through the DNA of a foetus, this living organism is human.

Through terminating the pregnancy, this human is being denied its future.

caesarean operation except that there is no attempt made to help the child survive after the procedure has taken place, even though with great medical attention it is possible for a child to survive after 21 weeks of gestation. In 2008, the child of a Miami couple as born at 21 weeks and 6 days into the pregnancy. The baby girl survived due to the expert help of doctors even though they didnʼt believe it was possible.

How is it possible to save a child born at 21 weeks gestation and allow it to continue its growth as a human being, and yet still abort babies up to 3 weeks after this gestation time 24 weeks?

Looking at abortion through the eyes of the Catholic Church, we see it as a grave evil. The Bible tells us that that the child growing inside a pregnant woman has a soul. “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” (Psalms 51:5) And as sin is harmful to the soul, it is only achievable by those with souls. We are able to see then that even unborn children have souls, since the moment of conception. Through the act of abortion on an embryo or a foetus, murder of an innocent human soul has been committed.

The most common forms of medical abortion are by taking a pill or via surgery. Birth control pills – which can also induce an abortion – or abortion medications are usually taken up to 7 weeks after conception. The chemicals in these pills kill the growing foetus, denying it any chance of life, before expelling it from the womb.

Surgical methods of abortion occur legally up to 24 weeks after conception. It has been scientifically proven that from 20 weeks of gestation onwards, a foetus is able to feel pain.

Even though this is widely accepted, there are still many abortions that occur after 20 weeks without use of anaesthesia. The most common surgical method of abortion, used when the foetus is older than 20 weeks, is called “Dilation and Extraction”. This method is similar to a

Miami baby Amillia Taylor after being prematurely born and saved at only 21 weeks gestation. From Daily Mail Australia: The Tiniest Survivor.

Abortion, with or without a spiritual context, is taking away the future of a human being. These unborn children were given a chance of life at conception, but this life was taken from them at their most innocent stage, the stage where the natural inclination of the mother’s body is to nurture and protect them, to help them grow. Through committing an abortion, we are going against nature and human instincts to protect our vulnerable young. Why is it still occurring?

Rachel Hicks

President’s Piece Welcome to another issue of our magazine and to the last President’s Piece written by this president – what a shock, has it been almost a year already?! (Perhaps this might be a cue for cheering – but I hope not!) It seems like it was only the other day that I was entrusted to ensure the success and vitality of the UCS for the coming year, and what an interesting year it has been! The members of our committee, especially our Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary, have settled into their respective roles and have been of enormous help to keep the Society going, and soon it will be time for me to move on and entrust the running of the UCS to the very capable hands of our future leaders.

There has been a major change for the UCS since last year with the official retirement of Fr Armando as the UWA Chaplain and the great news that a permanent replacement had been appointed. Fr Cyprian has become our new chaplain and is providing stability, great support and plenty of fun for the UCS and all its members. We hope he stays with UWA for many years to come.

Reflecting upon the last year, I hope to say that the Society has achieved many things: we have held retreats, BBQs and Mass with the Bishop in addition to all our regular events last year and so far this year we have continued strongly. O-Day was a success with many new member sign ups and offered an opportunity to remind the university of the presence of Catholics on campus. Faith Week, which has just passed, was another great way to highlight the contribution that faith based clubs such as the UCS make to campus life and it was great to see the university embrace Faith Week. The UCS has many things planned for the rest of semester (such as regular Mass, attending rallies and forums and the Mid-Year Camp to name but a few) so please keep in touch with us so you don’t miss out.

It has been a great privilege leading such a fantastic club for the last 9 months or so and, as my presidential term slowly draws to a close, I would like to thank all of our members and our Chaplain for all the support that the Society and I have received over the past year.

Let us remember that the Society is an expression of our faith and is founded on our Catholic faith, and best way to ensure the UCS’s success is to keep the light of faith alive in our hearts and, as one of the best Popes in history told us (St. JPII of course!): “Do not be afraid!”.

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Alexander

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The Heart of the Matter Cor ad Cor Loquitur – “Heart speaks unto heart” The above, derived from the writings of St. Francis de Sales, was the motto of Blessed Cardinal Newman, and the official motto of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s 2010 Papal Visit to the UK. John Henry Newman’s beatification was proclaimed th by the Pope during that visit on the 19 of September, 2010.

His canonisation awaits the required documented attributed miracles.

An Englishman, Blessed Cardinal Newman was born in 1801 and lived for most of the nineteenth century. He was an Anglican priest, who was involved in the Oxford Movement – The movement, whose original members were mostly associated with the University of Oxford, argued for the reinstatement of some older Christian traditions of faith and i their inclusion into Anglican liturgy and theology. A contributor of writing and preaching in the Oxford Movement, he gradually found his previous positions untenable and was received into the Catholic Church in 1845. He would later be ordained a Catholic priest and be made a cardinal by Pope Leo XII in 1879.

A priest and theologian, Bl. Newman was also an accomplished writer. One of his more renowned poems, The Dream of Gerontius, was written in 1865. It’s quite long, and details the dream of his character Gerontius in which he encounters angels and demons. The poem reaches a climatic point as the character’s soul is taken by his guardian angel to the Throne of Judgement.

Jesu! by that innocence which girdled Thee; Jesu! by that sanctity which reigned in Thee; Jesu! by that Godhead which was one with Thee; Jesu! spare these souls which are so dear to Thee, Who in prison, calm and patient, wait for Thee; Hasten, Lord, their hour, and bid them come to Thee, To that glorious Home, where they shall ever gaze on Thee.

(I must pause to note, that as I read over these words, “Jesu! by that pang of heart which thrilled in Thee;” having only just copied them in, they are sung to me in a deep pitch, from Edward Elgar’s 1900 choral composition of the poem – as it plays its extremely long self out in the background) Emboldened therefore, I present this as the heart of Bl. Newman’s poem, and indeed, the heart of our lives – all our lives; Jesus at the Throne of Judgement. Merciful Jesu! Bid us come to Thee! To that glorious Home, where we shall ever gaze on Thee.

The heart of the matter – Getting Home to Heaven. The Beatific Vision.

Eternal Salvation.

How pure, how real, how lovely a thing to be at the centre of all life and meaning – to be with the Angels and Saints, in the embrace of our Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and to look upon and be with Jesus in the Glory of God forever Amen.

ANGEL: THY judgment now is near, for we are come Into the veiled presence of our God. SOUL: I HEAR the voices that I left on earth.

ANGEL: IT is the voice of friends around thy bed, Who say the “Subvenite;” with the priest.

Hither the echoes come; before the Throne Stands the great Angel of the Agony, The same who strengthened Him, what time He knelt Lone in the garden shade, bedewed with blood.

That Angel best can plead with Him for all Tormented souls, the dying and the dead.

And straight after this, I feel, dear Blessed Cardinal Newman, gets to the heart of the matter.

ANGEL OF THE AGONY: JESU! by that shuddering dread which fell on Thee; Jesu! by that cold dismay which sickened Thee; Jesu! by that pang of heart which thrilled in Thee;

The underlying goal of every Catholic, every person, should therefore be to get home to heaven. The Holy Catholic Church exists to help save souls. That is the mission of the Church. Naturally, that then culminates in many expressions of aid – but the Church, as the Barque of Peter, is always a vessel of Christ’s salvation. Christ founded His Church to continue His holy work – the salvation of mankind. As the Catechism says:

Jesu! by that mount of sins which crippled Thee; Jesul by that sense of guilt which stifled Thee;

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845 To reunite all his children, scattered and led astray by sin, the Father willed to call the whole of humanity together into his Son's Church. The Church is the place where humanity must rediscover its unity and salvation. The Church is "the world reconciled." She is that bark which "in the full sail of the Lord's cross, by the breath of the Holy Spirit, navigates safely in this world." According to another image dear to the Church Fathers, she is prefigured by Noah's ark, which alone saves from the flood.

"Outside the Church there is no salvation" 846 How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers? Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body: 847 This affirmation is not aimed at those who, through no fault of their own, do not know Christ and his Church:

heavenly kingdom – the kingdom of God. By Christ, we have been won for the kingdom of light, so we should no longer practice, behave, or reside in the ways of darkness. His Grace spoke about purity and chastity; and indeed, the Epistle mentioned directly that we should avoid fornication and covetousness. What struck me was the very sincere and simple way in which His Grace outlined the two choices; the two kingdoms. There is a stark contrast between evil and good; and the Church, in her generosity, has given very clear teaching on the moral life and the kingdom of light. When we falter to walk as children of the light, the Church offers us the Sacrament of Penance, so we can once again bask in the light of the Lord. Confession! Where Christ, through the priest in persona Christi, forgives us our sins. With our hearts set on the Beatific Vision, and constant Confession and Holy Communion, we stand ourselves in good stead to choose the kingdom of light, and reject Satan, and walk then as children of the light.

848 "Although in ways known to himself God can lead those who, through no fault of their own, are ignorant of the Gospel, to that faith without which it is impossible to please him, the Church still has the obligation and also the sacred right to evangelize all men In short; we should agree that the mission of the Church is to help save souls. Eternal salvation, the kingdom of God. This is the source and end of the activities of the Church.

Naturally, it should be the source and end of the activities of all the ministers and officers of the Church and its institutions. Naturally, it should be the source and end of our activities; of the Pope, priests, principals, parish council members, lay people, you, me and John Smith of 15 Summers Avenue. We will fail, of course, to always act in regards to this eternal calling – BUT – we should regardless, always seeks to affirm it. If that is our true source and end, if we take eternal salvation as our raison d'être, we will start to see transformations in our Church, our communities and ourselves.

On the Third Sunday in Lent, I went with my sister to St. Anne’s in Belmont, where they offer the Mass in the Extraordinary Form (Traditional Latin Mass). As the organ started the first hymn, and the processional crucifix came by, we were very honoured to see the amaranth (a colour like magenta, but redder) biretta of a bishop, and that of his His Grace, Archbishop Emeritus Barry Hickey. It was a very special privilege to have Mass offered by His Grace in the beauty and reverence of the Extraordinary Form. The ii epistle for that Sunday was from Ephesians , and St. Paul warned of worldliness and the temptation of sin. He reminds us “For you were heretofore darkness: but now light in the Lord. Walk then as children of the light: for the fruit of the iii light is in all goodness and justice, and truth.” The Gospel was of Jesus casting out a devil from a woman and people accusing Him of doing it in the name of Beelzebub, a demon.

Not wanting to do injustice to His Grace’s homily, but not having a written copy, allow me to paraphrase the central message of his homily. His Grace outlined that there were two kingdoms – the kingdom of darkness, that is, the kingdom of Satan, and the kingdom of light, that is, the

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There is then, the beautiful reality of the salvation of mankind, through Jesus Christ, and the sacraments and prayers of Holy Mother Church – and here, my point – where is the profession of it? We have been given the treasures of a trillion chests, to be transported in the Barque of Peter – but where are they? Why is our society so desperately poor? Where is the good news that the kingdom of darkness has been overcome? I must stress now, that some would say that it is as it has always been – but I would reject this. There is a singular crisis in the Church today, and there is a singular crisis in society today. The relationship and interplay between the two, I do not precisely know – but I do believe that when the Church is professing Christ in true faith, hope and charity – that mankind cannot help but be lifted away from the kingdom of darkness.

What is my evidence that the Church and society are in crisis? The Church: Number of practicing Catholics in iv Australia is very low, and getting lower. Australian ordinations have been in decline for fifty years. Church teaching and practice is ignored and even disdained by many practicing and non-practicing Catholics. Drop in devotional life. Poor, if any, catechesis. Hermeneutic of rupture and v discontinuity prevalent as an incorrect interpretation of Vatican II. Infidelity to the Magisterium. Loss of Catholic ‘world-view’ among adherents. The Church is in crisis because there is clash of hermeneutics, or interpretations, as Pope Benedict XVI outlined throughout his pontificate.

One interpretation of Vatican II is one of continuity, or as St. Pope John Paul II said, interpretation “as seen in the light of

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tradition”. This, as expressed by the two former Supreme Pontiffs, is the correct interpretation.

The other interpretation is one of rupture and discontinuity.

This had led to a suppression of the idea that the Catholic faith IS the one true faith. Instead of providing an alternative to the kingdom of darkness, many in the Church wish to embrace the world, embrace, as St. Pope Pius X the “synthesis of all heresies” – modernism. ‘Progressive’ theology also has a creeping syncretism/indifferentism (all religions are the same), which was reaffirmed as erroneous in Vatican II. Pope John Paul II, in the same address in 1978, continues “Fidelity too implies the observance of the liturgical norms laid down by ecclesiastical Authority and therefore has nothing to do with the practice either of introducing innovations of one's own accord and without approval or of obstinately refusing to carry out what has been lawfully laid down and introduced into the sacred rites.” Just recently, at the start of Lent, a rather shocked friend of mine recounted how he had walked into a church for Mass on Sunday, and went to bless himself, only to find sand in the font, instead of holy water. I was myself not so much shocked, as saddened by his discovery – as banal innovations are common when a hermeneutic of rupture is adopted. I came across a response to this ‘innovation’ from the Vatican.

“This Congregation for Divine Worship has received your letter sent by fax in which you ask whether it is in accord with liturgical law to remove the Holy Water from the fonts for the duration of the season of Lent.

This Dicastery is able to respond that the removing of Holy Water from the fonts during the season of Lent is not vii permitted” St. Joseph, pray for us and all the clergy and officials of the Church.

Society also, is in crisis. The widespread normalisation of intrinsic objective evils – evils undeniable if faithful to the Magisterium – such as abortion, pornography and perversions of sexuality, attest to this. Furthermore, the state is now active in many cases in the provision and promotion of intrinsic evil. I have no way of testing this, but I’d also affirm that we are more broken, disconnected, and lonely. There have always been broken hearts, but under the false lustre of consumerism and platitudes, it would appear,

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in my limited understanding, that so many more hearts are so much more broken. Blessed Mother Teresa wrote in 1995 “There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty -- it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There's a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.” A society of broken hearts, yearning for love and God is perhaps nothing new – but the crisis, is that the Church, who alone can provide for this yearning – is not professing, in a unified and effective manner (at least in the West) the beauty of itself, redemption, and eternal salvation.

But – we are the Church. You and me, and dear John Smith.

We are members of the Body of Christ, and we are part of viii the People of God. We can point to the crisis in the Church, and we find ourselves pointing at us. We can point to the brokenness of society, and we find exposed our own broken hearts. The Church hierarchy and leadership, who are very integral members of the Body of Christ, have a particular power, obligation and authority, it is true; but it is just as much true that in Christ, you and me have power, obligation and an authority derived from truth in love – to profess the kingdom of God and to walk with others as children of light, unto salvation, sweet heavenly home, and the Beatific Vision.

It was the day after hearing Mass offered by Archbishop Emeritus Barry Hickey, that I found myself watching Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI offer Mass in Westminster Cathedral.

I can’t quite recall how I came to be watching the 2010 Westminster Cathedral Mass of His Holiness’ UK Papal Visit on YouTube, but it definitely alludes to how much free time I have. At the end of the Mass, His Holiness processed outside, to where a whole heap of youth were gathered.

There was a somewhat awkward presentation of a gift and another somewhat awkward minor greeting and photo opportunity – and then our dear Holy Father Benedict ix delivered his ‘message to young people’. Pope Benedict begins, “Heart Speaks unto heart, as you know I chose these words so dear to Cardinal Newman as the theme of my visit.

In these few moments that we are together I wish to speak to you from my own heart, and I ask to open your hearts to what I have to say. I ask each of you first and foremost to look into your own heart, think of all the love that your heart was made to receive, and also love it is meant to give, after all we were made for love.” And here, when hearing our beloved Benedict speak, I really did feel his heart speak unto my heart, and was so overwhelmingly thankful for all the love I have received. His sonorous German accent is well worth finding on YouTube, if you have the free time. He continues to outline the need to give and receive love, heart unto heart, and to commit and ask for help daily from Christ, to give love, even in moments that threaten a hardening of heart. In the silence of prayer, he says, Jesus is quietly waiting in our hearts, the source of all true love. He continues “it is in silence that we find God. And in silence that we discover our true self.

And in discovering our true self we discover the particular vocation which God has given us for the building up of his church and the redemption of our world.” And so, Pope Benedict gives us young people, indeed everyone, a particular reminder. “Heart speaks unto heart.” And our

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hearts are made to give and receive love. In this way, we can best profess the beautiful truth of the Christ, the Church, and eternal salvation. Heart speaks unto heart about the kingdom of light, heart speaks unto heart about the mercy of Jesus, and heart speaks unto heart about the perfect eternal happiness; the Beatific Vision.

the same time, as we cling to the Barque of Peter, we are calling out to all those around us “quick, come aboard, this ship is of true build, it will surely get us home!” The treasures don’t stop us from welcoming others aboard, and our hearts can give and receive love, just the same, if not more, with the treasures once again distributed amongst the sailors.

The final lines of the Dream of Gerontius is the farewell of the character’s guardian angel, as he enters purgatory.

Farewell, but not forever! Brother dear, Be brave and patient on thy bed of sorrow; Swiftly shall pass thy night of trial here, And I will come and wake thee on the morrow.

There is a great overcoming of self to be had here on this earth, and after. There is a great struggle. There is death. All though, in the great hope of heaven eternal – heaven with the Angels and the Saints, our family and friends, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven, and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

It is with great privilege and edification then, that your President and Editor Emeritus encountered the Pope and Archbishop Emeritus.

Heart speaks unto heart; and I am taken to a recent episode in my life, where a young girl, a world, perhaps, away, from the ecclesiastical authority of the aforementioned men – did so qualify their expressions to me.

In this encounter, there was a very special, humble giving of love – which penetrated the turmoil of the kingdom of darkness and was received by a broken heart. It brings to mind a story of Dickens’ - with Martin Chuzzlewit, and his experience in the malarial swamp. It brings to mind Mark Tapley, his loyal friend, who so yanked him out of said malarial swamp. If you have enough free time, read Martin Chuzzlewit and at the very least, you’ll get a full understanding of what I’m getting at in this paragraph.

So then, if nothing else, a sincere thank you to those three actors, two ecclesiastical, one decidedly not.

I wrote earlier about the Barque of Peter and the trillion treasure chests. Those treasures are still in the holds of the Barque of Peter – a ship that can never sink, as the gates of hell cannot prevail against her. The treasures in a similar way cannot be thrown overboard, just stowed away and hidden. So we have our ship, and we have extremely tumultuous seas. Sailors run around and bustle each other, some trying to bring these treasures to the fore, others trying to stuff them to the lowest reaches where they are inaccessible. What good are these treasures, many sailors ask? They do not understand that they are not just simple trinkets, with no use on the wild and raging seas. These treasures are entirely useful! They are golden ladders that we can hang over the side, to help others get aboard. They are silken ropes that hold the sails taught. They are finely crafted spyglasses, which all of us sailors can use to detect hazards and those adrift. These treasures are useful! And at

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May the Most Sacred and Immaculate Hearts of Jesus and Mary be ever in our contemplation.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, intercede for us.

Jesus and Mary, I love you, save souls.

Ex umbris et imaginibus in veritatem - “Out of shadows and images into truth” (the epitaph of Bl. Cardinal Newman) Joseph Devitt

i Wikipedia ‘Oxford Movement’

ii Epistle from the Letter of Blessed Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians, 5. 1-9 (Douay-Rheims Bible) iii Continuation of the holy Gospel according to St. Luke, 11. 14-28. (DouayRheims Bible) iv Mass attendance in Australia: A critical moment – Pastoral Research Office – December 2013 “Between 2006 and 2011, the number of dioceses with attendance rates below ten per cent rose from two to fourteen. It is not improbable that the number could increase by another nine by the time of the next national count in 2016, and several dioceses could drop to as low as five per cent.

The age profile of current attenders makes it almost certain that we have not yet seen the end of the decline in total attendances” v Christmas address of His Holiness Benedict XVI to the Roman Curia Thursday, 22 December 2005 vi First Radio Message "Urbi et Orbi" Address of His Holiness John Paul II Tuesday, 17 October 1978 vii

March 14, 2000. Undersecretary Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, Mons. Marini. viii Lumen Gentium – Chapter 1 (66) He continually distributes in His body, that is, in the Church, gifts of ministries in which, by His own power, we serve each other unto salvation so that, carrying out the truth in love, we might through all things grow unto Him who is our Head. ix Pope Benedict's Message to Young People – 18th September, 2010 X Images used are; Gustave Dore’s 1892 Divine Comedy and his 1870 Red Riding Hood. Picture of 1949 Holyrood School Holy Communion and Pope Benedict XVI’s 2010 Papal Visit.

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Confession: Overcoming Grey and Gouty “When a Catholic comes from Confession, he does truly, by definition, step out into that dawn of his own beginning... in that brief ritual God has really remade him in His own image… He may be grey and gouty; but 1 he is only five minutes old”

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venial sins is strongly recommended, but not essential. When you read that guideline, think not of your Uni reading list with “Essential Textbooks” and ‘Recommended Textbooks,’ where if you’re anything like me the recommendeds don’t get a second glance. P’s get degrees at Universities, but P’s do not 7 get eternal life, the old eye of the needle being small, and the 8 door being narrow. Generally the recommendation you hear is to go to Confession monthly, as sins can be forgotten.

So this all seemed fairly standard to me: don’t have Communion if you’ve committed a mortal sin; you need the I was asked a question about Reconciliation the other day, by Sacrament of Reconciliation first. But then a friend of mine someone at work. Being a Christian she wanted to know the threw a spanner in the works. “You have Communion to get biblical basis of Confession. “Why don’t you just ask God for healed, forgiven, helped by God,” she said. “The prayer at the forgiveness directly?” she asked. And being your average start of Mass (I confess, to cradle-Catholic, I naturally did Almighty God, etc.) allows Different sins: Mortal and Venial not have the answer you to receive Communion Mortal sin: 3 conditions together need to be present. immediately, but needed to do in a state of sin, to get the some research so that I could 1. Grave matter: look at the Ten Commandments, or healing you need.” explain to someone else why I seven deadly sins for examples. Do not kill, steal, take believe what I do. I am learning This sent me again to my the Lord’s name in vain, etc. more and more that it’s not research, where I 2. Full knowledge: if you’re ignorant of the gravity of the enough to just believe, you have sin, it’s not Mortal. discovered that while God, 3. Complete consent: obviously if you’re forced to do to be able to justify your beliefs who is not bound by any something grave, you yourself are not committing a to a (usually sceptical) third sacraments, can of course Mortal sin.

Also, if prevented in other ways, e.g. by party. Luckily my colleague was forgive any sins if someone mental illness, drunkenness, etc. the patient and understanding has made a perfect Act of 9 *If you are unsure of the gravity of your sins, talk to the type who waited for me to get Contrition.

So imagine priest during your confession* back to her. you’re standing in Mass.

(CCC, 1857-1860) The “I confess,” prayer Which leads me to this article.

Venial sin: could be one of two situations. Either: begins. You think of the sins My colleague’s question is you’ve committed, you are  The matter is a minor violation of moral law, or, answered in the book of John, truly and sincerely sorry  The matter is grave, but done without full knowledge when Jesus tells the disciples, and/or complete consent and through the prayer “Whose sins you forgive are (CCC, 1862) resolve to do better. God forgiven them, and whose sins could forgive you there and 2 you retain are retained.” Jesus is then. But the issue is that you never know for sure whether sending the disciples out to continue his mission, which you’re forgiven! The other way is the Sacrament of 3 includes forgiving sins on God’s behalf. This gift is passed on Reconciliation, through which God has given us a sure way of 4 to the lawful successors of the disciples: priests. Now, don’t knowing when our sins have been absolved. Yes, Communion forget that priests are human. They can’t read feelings or heals. But you need Confession for forgiveness. And when thoughts like God can, therefore you need to tell them your you’re contemplating eternal damnation vs. eternal life, you sins. Hence: confessing your sins to a priest. (For other biblical stick with the safe way. Secondly, auricular (spoken into the references supporting Confession, see James 5:14-16, Romans ear) confession is necessary because as humans we are weak, 10:10 and 2 Corinthians 5:18). and will often try to fool ourselves about the gravity of a My trusty Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) says that particular sin, or justify something we’ve done. Even the most every faithful person needs to confess serious sins at least earnest thoughts or internal prayers to God are clouded by annually. It states, “Anyone who is aware of having committed that weakness. But you can overcome this unconscious filter a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even if he by getting a trained perspective from a priest. 10 And thirdly, experiences deep contrition, without having first received the very act of going to confession and speaking aloud our 5 sacramental absolution.” There is an exception for those who most shameful deeds is incredibly humbling. It helps a lot with can’t get to Confession in time. Think living rurally; being feeling true contrition for our sins, and complete repentance snowed/flooded; or dying; for that exception, but you also is vital for being forgiven.11 have to have a genuine intention to confess at the earliest The next day, I was able to tell my colleague the biblical basis available opportunity. The CCC also says that Confession of of Confession, and why Catholics tell their sins to a priest

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rather than praying “directly” to God. I had also resolved the question raised by my friend. My only problem now is making myself follow all the rules of Confession, being genuinely sorry for my sins, being disciplined in bettering myself, and striving continuously for holiness. Wish me luck. “For in much wisdom 12 there is much sorrow.” but as Pope Francis told a young boy in a Jesuit school: “There are dark days, even days when we fail, even days when we fall … but always think of this: Don't be afraid of failures … What matters in the art of journeying isn't not falling but not staying down .... This is what's beautiful: … this is journeying as humans. But also, it's bad walking alone: It's bad and boring. Walking in community, 13 with friends, with those who love us, that helps us.”

If you have questions about Reconciliation, obscure or otherwise, I recommend Catholic Answers online. They have answers for everything from, “Is it necessary to confess how many times one has sinned?” to “If I show up for Confession but the priest isn’t there, will my sins be forgiven if I am 14 immediately killed?”

Otherwise, go forth! Make Acts of Contrition, confess your sins and be forgiven.

Lucy Tuson

How to make an Act of Contrition 1) Humbly ask God to help you by His grace to love Him and He should be loved 2) Try to understand how hateful mortal sin must be to Him, since He has to punish it, with eternal torments 3) Reflect that it was to save you from Hell and to give you a happiness greater than the mind of man can conceive, that He sent His own beloved Son into the world 4) Think of Jesus and what He did for you: He died on the Cross to make up for your sins and to gain your love 5) Remember that Jesus who lived and died for you is God Himself, and ask yourself, is He not worthy to be loved for His own sake?

6) Conclude by making an act of Perfect Contrition in some simple form, e.g., “Jesus, true God, You died on the Cross for me. Jesus, true God, Your Heart is full of love for me. I love You for Your own sake and above all things.

Archbishop Sheehan, M. Apologetics and Catholic Doctrine. London: Baronius Press Ltd; 2009. P. 564-5.

REFERENCES 1 Chesterton, G. K. Autobiography [internet]. London: Hutchinson & Co.; 1936. Chapter XV, The Incomplete Traveler. [Cited 2015 Apr 6]. Available from Gutenberg.net.au/ebooks13/1301201h.html 2 The Bible, New American Bible Ed. New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co.; 1970. John 20:23. (All biblical references in this article are from this Ed. 3 Catholic Church. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Ed. New South Wales: St Pauls Publications; 2000.

Paragraph 1442. (All references from the CCC in this article are from this Ed.) 4 Archbishop Sheehan, M. Apologetics and Catholic Doctrine. London: Baronius Press Ltd; 2009. P. 565. 5CCC, 1457. 6CCC, 1457. 7Matthew 19:23-24 8Matthew 7:13-14.

9 Archdiocese of Boston, Frequently Asked Questions about the Sacrament of Penance/ Reconciliation/ Confession [Internet]. 2009. [Cited 2015 Apr 6]. Available from http://www.thelightisonforyou.org/confession/faq/ 10 Keating, K. What Catholics really believe. San Francisco: Ignatius Press; 1992. P.64-65.

11 Keating, K. Catholicism and Fundamentalism: The Attack on “Romanism” by “Bible Christians.” San Francisco: Ignatius Press; 1988. P.188-189. 12Ecclesiastes 1:18.

13 Coday, D., National Catholic Reporter. Pope’s Quotes: Faith as a journey [Internet]. 2013 [updated 2013 Oct 22; cited 2015 Apr 6]. Available from http://ncronline.org/blogs/francis-chronicles/popes-quotes-faith-journey 14 Catholic Answers [Internet]. [Updated 2015; cited 2015 Mar-Apr]. Available from http://www.catholic.com/quickquestions

The Road to Emmaus – Sem 1 2015

"In failing to confess, Lord, I would only hide You from myself, not myself from You." Saint Augustine Page 14

Homeschoolers and all those other hippie heretics…

Credentials: Husband and father of 6, soon to be 7 little miracles of chaos, love and many things icky (Kids; for the un-initiated). My eldest is 9 years old. All homeschooled. No, we don’t have a TV (We prefer it that way), and yes; we are a little crazy – but not entirely for those reasons! (There are so many, many more).

Why am I, the breadwinner, writing this, and not the school board Chair/ Principal/ Teacher/ PE instructor/ Nurse/ Department Head/In house Chaplain/Janitor/Canteen Manager – otherwise known as ‘Mum’? Partly indicated above: Mum’s a little busy at the moment homeschooling, growing miracle number 7 (requiring efforts keeping food down and sleep up) and preparing for relocating on an extended camp to the other side of Australia. In addition to the above, people find it hard to shut me up – so good luck with reading the following.

The 3 Biggest Myths of Homeschooling: The first time I heard it mentioned by my uncle, a highly intelligent (Don’t tell him I said that) ‘Queens Council’ lawyer in South Africa, my first reaction was – how incredibly irresponsible!! What possible irrational fear could have driven him to isolate and disadvantage his lovely 6 (at the time) children. After patiently listening to my vehement and authoritative ranting, he quietly disabused me of some basic objections. I only discuss the top few in a semblance of an attempt to be concise; but on any Google search/ concerted research you’ll find a reasonable number of comprehensive expositions.

1.

“Socialisation” – Mostly, research points to equal if not more productive social interactions and interpersonal skill outcomes in homeschooling, due to it providing a broader and more diverse age group and varied settings.

2.

“I’m not qualified” – Again research indicates that the qualifications/ level of education has no significant (as in statistical significance) impact on the learning outcomes. Interestingly, it observes similar findings to those in ‘normal’ schools: the more money spent, the better the outcomes – and seriously, you wouldn’t believe the amount of resources/ experiences you could buy for the entire schooling lifetime from the amount you would potentially spend in 1 year for a family in a private school…

3.

“You can’t get into Uni” – In Western Australia, in the last couple of years, this has been a little more of an issue (Due to the governments’ non-evidence based wisdom) with changes in regards to the required standardised testing (eg. Naplan). This has created the need for a little more creativity for paths into uni. But basically, it’s doable. Common routes are: 

Bridging from TAFE (in the Eastern states this is becoming an issue)



Going to school for year 11 & 12



Using online universities, or



Waiting a year and applying as a mature age student with relevant skills/ experience (eg. IT Skills demonstrated etc.)

When we first started looking into this; the ‘mature age’ (read: any alternative path into uni) placements for uni versus the standard school entry was something like 3:1 in favour of ‘mature age’. I’m not sure if that’s still the case, and again, depending on what career is aspired to it may require a creative path.

4.

“It’ll be too intense/ long hours” Now this one has a little more merit. The decision to homeschool is definitely a lifestyle choice, which I believe both parents need to be behind. In saying that though, the actual raw time spent on ‘focused’ schooling to achieve the same outcomes is much less. Also, you have complete control on the gas… except for the fact that in my experience the mothers (Anecdotally, the primary role is usually mum’s) who choose to homeschool sometimes forget they’ve got a brake pedal.

1

Below is a hit from a Google search that touches on each of these, giving evidence based research backing to dispel them. While walking through the kitchen, my wife has also listed a number of talks with people who give a lot more depth to the research than that presented at first glance. If you’re actually interested in evidence based research and willing to overcome your bias… look into it.

Why did we do it?

When you start asking the ‘why’ question for any conscious act, in my experience if you dig deep enough, you arrive sooner or later at the bigger questions in life; namely, what is the meaning of life? And if 42 or hedonism doesn’t quite cut it for you, well then the search becomes a little more complicated. And the more significant the action, the quicker you arrive at that door.

Now, the action of nurturing/ forming/ educating your children – well, it rates above brushing your teeth on most days. Aptly,

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the Catechism of the Catholic Church addresses this in its first item (Look it up! :P). In addition, there is the well-worn part of John 10:10 which states: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly”. So, the ultimate end game is heaven. You’re trying to bring as many people with you as possible, and the best way to do this is to follow God’s will and the path He perfectly created for you, to match perfectly all your strengths and weaknesses, your personality and experiences, etc. Flowing from that basis, our hierarchy of rationale is as follows: 1.

How can we best help their soul? Help them know their faith (Better than from grade 2 at Sunday school), expose them to vocations, give frequent and encouraged access to sacraments and a curriculum that explores and examines truth from a Catholic perspective.

2.

What is best for their character formation/ personality moulding? Developing a passion for learning. For me, this point is so apparent and easily observed. It throws into stark relief the opinion of the ‘norm’ with regards to attitudes to learning, compared to homeschooled children in general.

3.

What is good parenting? It’s the first and foremost responsibility of parents to nurture and educate our kids; in school you are effectively paying an organisation that employs strangers you have no control over to influence and educate. In addition, the incredible milestones of childhood – smiles, sounds, crawling – don’t stop at age 5. Daily, you get to witness and be a part of your child’s ongoing milestones – it truly is a privilege to witness. Even if you have to remind yourself of that while cleaning off their name, written on the wall… in permanent marker.

4.

What will help them academically? Critical Thinking, a broader knowledge base, wide frames of reference and application to real life. All of these are broad topics, and I’m already 2 pages over the limit our generous editor gave – but suffice to say, many of these skills are best developed when the children are given the time and space to reflect, question, debate and argue (Deep breaths… yes, it is part of their education – deep breaths). How much opportunity is there for this in a class of 30 kids?

For all of the above, we decided this wasn’t demonstrated effectively through the Catholic or other School system, and we had a better shot at it by homeschooling.

What and how?

One of the first major minefields that parents encounter when embarking on this journey is the depth, breadth and variety of homeschool curriculums, tools and games. Suffice to say if you have a particular inclination, or think your child would learn from a particular style, there are a range of curriculums, or bits of them, that fit the bill. If you’re interested, talk to other homeschool parents or read up about them.

Slowly, in growing as a parent and talking to other seasoned and not so seasoned parents, I’ve started to notice something.

Generally, the more children the parents have, the less advice they give out unsolicited. I think it’s because of the massive differences in dynamics between Mum, Dad and any said child, in the context of fluctuating personalities, environments, strengths and weaknesses. Now mathematically, put those variables to the power of the broad spectrum of homeschool options, and you begin to understand why I have not said “Now, THIS is how you should homeschool”.

In saying that, a pattern that seems to emerge for me looking at other families that homeschool is that the more experience the parents get with homeschooling, the less the schooling looks like school and the more it just looks like life learning with periods of focused attention for functionally applicable knowledge scattered in-between.

Honestly though, don’t worry – you’re going to stuff it up. But as long as each time you learn from your mistakes, keep an observant eye on what’s working or not, and be charitable to yourself and your kids, you’ll do better than fine. Don’t kid yourself, the ‘National Curriculum’ doesn’t have it perfect yet either – that’s been continually changing for the last x decades too. Their review cycle just takes a little more time. On average 4-8 years longer than your own review cycle – and it’s not uniquely designed for your kids either. *Disclaimer: We’re not veterans, not quite n00bs, but not far off – the boss levels are still to come (13- 35ish… Yrs old).*

Not convinced?

Neither was I. I had an experienced barrister refuting my ill formed arguments, and still didn’t really ‘believe’ the evidence based and philosophical rationale he provided for me. The whole phrase “They can prove just about anything with research now days” played on loud speaker in my head continuously while he was speaking – see I’m such a good listener. So I’ve got very, very little expectations that you would be moved after perusing a fragmented, comically written piece (No matter what the skills of our wonderful editor are… sorry but ‘Silk purse out of sow’s ear” comes to mind).

You may ask: why, then, are we actually homeschooling now? Good question. Other than the fact that I’m pretty sure the sun and stars would obey my lovely wife’s ‘gentle guidance’, and if she told them that it was not their day to rise, they in all likelihood would agree with her and take the day off, because after all she would be right…. You see, I have learnt some things since marrying her. Other than that small insignificant detail, it’s because of what I witnessed.

In the earlier years of our first couple of little miracles, my wife ‘gently guided’ me into seeing that spending a weekend at a homeschool camp was really far, far superior to playing computer games with my friends. At the camp, there were many

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eloquent speakers, curriculums on display and learning activities, and all manner of educational/ promotional materials. But what really struck me was what I saw in between (And sometimes under and/or on top or in) these things; namely, the children.

What I experienced, on the whole, was an impression of maturity, confidence and critical thinking, within beautifully nurtured human beings that were more the rule than the exception. Not only that, I didn’t just see a classroom of kids. I saw the full spectrum of the family – 1 year to early 20’s – who had been through this process. It was like being able to see the finished products of a process that (previously) was so unknown, unpredictable and downright ‘dangerous’. It truly was a ‘light bulb’ moment – the penny dropped (And trust me, it echoed; there’s a bit of space between these ears). I considered that just maybe, I’d formed my opinion based on a possibly/ somewhat ill-formed viewpoint. That was the turning point. The rest is just a biological growth from there for my wife and I, of learning how much we didn’t actually learn in school. Well, that – and my kids teaching me grammar. Feel for them, it’s truly a special form of torture.

So to finally conclude (If you’ve stuck it out to here, you should be given a medal.. come on, not far to go, you can crawl across the line… just 60 more pages… sometimes, particularly as a father who spends almost 40% of my waking hours at or travelling to and from work, I at times forget that the biggest influence on the world or ultimately the kingdom of God that I will contribute to, is unlikely to be through my efforts in my job (Nobel peace prize or not). It is rather the legacy that is left in the souls of my children and their children that follow, through the merits of Christ and under the truly gentle guiding embrace of His Mother.

Worth thinking about? I know it is for me.

Mark Langlois 1

https://www.homeschool-life.com/sysfiles/member/custom/custom.cfm?memberid=1002&customid=18259

The Rosary In 1917 at Fatima, Portugal, The Virgin Mary, sent by God, appeared to three shepherd children presenting them a fiery image of hell where shrieks and groans of pain and despair from the souls of poor sinners could be heard. After having presented this image to the children, Our Lady of Fatima stated that God wishes to establish in the world devotion to Her Immaculate Heart and if people pray the rosary, many souls will be saved and Heaven will grant peace on earth. On March 17, 2013, Pope Francis delivered a weekly Angelus address in which he referred to the rosary as a “spiritual medicine” that is good for your heart, for your soul and for your whole life. He emphasized the importance of praying the rosary regularly and outlined its benefits as a spiritual aid for spreading love, forgiveness and brotherhood. Blessed Pope John Paul II stated that the rosary was his favourite prayer and urged all Christians to rediscover it. In his Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae (Rosary of the Virgin Mary) Pope John Paul reiterates Our Lady of Fatima’s message that the rosary is our most effective instrument for bring peace on earth by saying “The Rosary is by its nature a prayer for peace, since it consists in the contemplation of Christ, the Prince of Peace, the one who is our peace… (it) allows us to hope that, even today, the difficult “battle” for peace can be won”.

The Road to Emmaus – Sem 1 2015

I started praying the rosary regularly about one year ago with the UCS and it has been one of the most important things I have ever done. I suggest that everyone endeavours to recite the rosary at least once a week and has the intention of reciting it progressively more frequently – until the point it becomes a daily thing. Teach the prayers of the rosary to children so that when they are older they will be able to remember and recite the rosary more freely. If you are not so comfortable with saying the entire rosary, start by praying a decade before you go to sleep, making sure you recite the Memorare, the Hail Holy Queen and the Prayer to Saint Michael because these prayers, in my opinion, are particularly inspiring.

The month of May is known as the Month of the Blessed Virgin Mary so start praying the rosary this month. Saint Padre Pio was devoted to rosary and recited it frequently. He said, “Some people are so foolish that they think they can go through life without the help of the Blessed Mother.

Love the Madonna and pray the rosary, for her Rosary is the weapon against the evils of the world today. All graces given

by God pass through the Blessed Mother.” Acknowledge that in our lives we all require the assistance of the Blessed Virgin Mary and that prayer, like Saint Padre Pio outlined, is not something that we can do without.

Emanuele Graziani

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Good Reads Fish, Flesh and Good Red Herring Alice Thomas Ellis, 2004 Twelve course French recipes, chickens blown across the Atlantic, and caustic references to domestic commentators of yesteryear; by the fire, with a sarcastic grandma – sherry in hand. That’s what this book is.

In short, it’s a marriage between hopeless recipes and cooking history – that somehow, although being incredibly irritating at times (see twelve course French recipe), is amusing, broadening, and ultimately – satisfying. The injection of Ellis’ anecdotes, as well as her general story telling accompanied by a very dry but warm wit, leave you receptive to the subtler reflections on the good life that are made throughout.

Responsible for a renewed vigour in my own domestic life; not to mention enhanced affection for custard and gravy – it’s hard not to be slightly moved by such a down to earth, but warm, collection of odds and ends relating to food and drink and dining and cooking the perfect live goose.

Charming, real, and somehow not overly British, it’s a quick and cost-effective way to lift your spirits. Throw in the old-time warm feeling you get from it, and it’s really not that dissimilar from sherry.

For all those who are into cooking, who want to get into cooking, or who have absolutely no plans to ever get into cooking – this gallimaufry (a confused jumble or medley of things) is for you. Rated 3.5/5.

J. Devitt

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Down Syndrome: the West Australian ‘solution’ On the 14th of March 2015 the Hon Nick Goiran MLC gave a very significant speech in the Legislative Council: “I rise to recognise three significant days that have been or will be celebrated this week. This past Saturday, 21 March was World Down Syndrome Day, a global awareness day which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012.

According to th e WDSD website – Down Syndrome International encourages our friends all over the world … to help raise awareness of what Down syndrome is, what it means to have Down syndrome, and how people with Down syndrome play a vital role in our lives and communities. Today is the “International Day for the Right to the Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims”, and tomorrow is the “Day of the Unborn Child”. These three very poignant days should make us stop and think and share a common, intricate link, and are of prime significance in Western Australia.

“Since the initial work of Hon Ed Dermer in 2010, honourable members are aware that I have been seeking to uncover the truth concerning the gross human rights violations being committed against unborn children in our state. As I detailed in my budget in reply speech last year, we know that children with Down syndrome have been among those who have been aborted for merely being different.

“This week in my electorate at Curtin University, the John Curtin Institute of Public Policy is hosting a free seminar by renowned feminist disability scholar Rosemarie GarlandThomson who is Professor of English and Women’s Studies at Emory University. Her work develops the field of critical disability studies in the health humanities to promote disability access, inclusion and identity. She is the author of numerous articles and books including Staring: How We Look and Extraordinary Bodies: Figuring Physical Disability in American Culture and Literature in which Professor GarlandThomson states: “Scientists search scrupulously for defective genes; the “health” of foetuses is monitored rigorously; bodies that depart from rigid functional and formal standards are surgically normalized in a process called reconstruction, as if all bodies somehow originally conformed to these narrow norms. The professor then recalls how such individuals were once upon a time referred to as monsters and freaks, before making this very telling conclusion that ought to speak to us all – [They] are now confined to medical institutions, reconstructed surgically, or detected before birth by sonograms and amniocentesis so they can be eliminated by therapeutic abortion. They have been edited out of the human community like textual errors in the path of automatic spell checkers.

The Road to Emmaus – Sem 1 2015

As it is coming up to the sixth anniversary of me being sworn in as a member of this chamber, an observation I make is how much we allow ourselves collectively to operate in an environment of fear. Indeed, I would say we are marinated in fear. Members of one party fear giving members of an opposing party a foothold from which to launch an attack. We fear the media in that in their quest for a story they will expose, print and often skew what we have done or said. We fear lobby groups and their threats. We fear not being able to please our constituents. We fear pre-selections and elections.

We fear not being considered for a promotion. We fear falling out of favour with our colleagues. Probably our greatest fear is our own inadequacy. There is no training program for members of Parliament. Usually when someone applies for a position requiring a high degree of accountability they have undergone a significant amount of training and/or supervised hours that qualifies them for that position. But there is no training program for MPs; that is the way our democracy works. A side effect of that process is that we learn on the job, and part of learning is making mistakes. Unfortunately, this learning is done under the microscope of mass critique. So, what is the result? A culture of criticism that breeds fear that then results in inertia. It could almost be written out like a physics equation: criticism plus fear equals inertia.

“My fear is that it becomes easier to do nothing in this place than to do something and be criticised for it. A poster I saw recently read “Don’t let your fear of what could happen make nothing happen”. The eighteenth century Irish statesman, philosopher and political theorist, Edmund Burke, is credited with the wellknown remark that “evil prevails when good men do nothing”.

My fear is that the most vulnerable in our society, like the unborn – particularly the unborn with disabilities – bear the deadly consequence of our fear. As with most things, there is a ripple effect – the tormented post-abortive mother, or the father who has always wanted to be a father but was never given a choice. They also become victims of our fear. Because we fear upsetting the applecart, because we fear all the things I mentioned earlier, we let this tragedy continue on and on and on. In conclusion, I ask members to reflect on the three significant days being recognised this week: World Down Syndrome Day; International Day for the Right to Truth Concerning Gross Human Rights Violations and for the Dignity of Victims; and, Day of the Unborn Child. Since we all know that there have been dozens and dozens of late-term abortions of children with Down syndrome, I wonder what it will take for us to put aside our fear and instead be courageous so that we may leave a lasting legacy having confronted the gross human rights violations that are happening right here in our own backyard.”

Editor: to protest abortion and protect human life join us at the Walk and Rally for life, info Pg. 17.

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Words from the Chaplain It is coming to about three months now since I was appointed the visiting Catholic Chaplain here at UWA. It has and continues to be an exciting experience as I get to know people here at UWA and they getting to know me. My most sincere thanks to all of you; students and staff alike who have made me feel welcome. I must mention in particular, my fellow chaplains, Fr Michael Wood of the Anglican Church, Dr Ian Robinson of the Uniting Church, UCS leadership team and fellow staff from the Students' Support office with whom I work. I am most grateful to my predecessor, Fr Armando Caradang for what he has done and achieved over the years as the Catholic Chaplain here at UWA. I wish Fr Armando a great retirement and the very best in whatever other paths God leads him on.

So, who am I? My names are Father Cyprian Malongo Shikokoti - but most people around Perth know me as Father Cyp (pronounced as sip). I am happy with that. I am originally from Kenya. I arrived in Perth as a clerical student at the invitation of Emeritus Catholic Archbishop of Perth, Barry James Hickey. I completed my training at Saint Charles Seminary here in Perth; studying at The University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle Campus. Since my priestly Ordination in March 2011, I have worked in Parish ministry as an assistant priest, high school chaplain and now into full time University Chaplaincy here at UWA and at Murdoch University - South Street Campus.

As I am only new here at UWA, I see my first duty as observing and learning. I can't do this on my own. I need all the support I can get. I am keen to know people's names, keen to know what guys are interested in, keen to know what guys expect of their new Catholic Chaplain and keen to know everything I need to know. I hope I can then share my faith and talents in making UCS a place of welcome to each and every member of the UWA community. Through UCS, I hope we can passionately witness to the Gospel on campus in a respectful and dignified manner that leads all who encounter us to sense of wonder and awe. This I see as your responsibility, my responsibility and our responsibility.

I am on campus on Mondays and Wednesdays from about 9.00am to 3.00pm. We have since commencing at UWA, a weekly Mass on Wednesdays at 12.00pm in the chapel situated on the ground floor of the Law Link Building. My office is in the same place down the corridor. You're most welcome to our weekly Mass or just pop by my office to say hello and or have a chat. For other activities, I will keep guys informed by email and or UCS Facebook page which I encourage you to like and join. If I don't have your e-mail and you'd like me to add you on my emailing list, please provide me yours at cyprian.shikokoti@uwa.edu.au I am sincerely grateful for your availability and support of the UCS. We are a family!

Fr Cyprian M Shikokoti (BT, MATS) UWA Catholic Chaplain.

Have Faith I am Emanueleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s older sister. I was raised as a Catholic. I started going back to church regularly in 2009 with my brother and my daughter. I found that going to church and praying and having faith helped me through a difficult time as a single mother.

I was immensely lucky to have had my parents take me back home and support me financially and also to have all their emotional support. I am immensely grateful to my parents, especially my father who is now 62 and continued to work even after all his injuries and operations. Also my mother, who helped look after my daughter while I was working. My brother was a great uncle and still is to my daughter. He would show her a lot of love and affection. My daughter is extremely close to my parents and brother.

While going to church I would pray to God, Jesus and Mary for help through my emotional and financial difficulties. Also, I prayed for a better career. I was a hairdresser but wanted to get into medical administration. I had my prayers answered. I did get through my emotional and financial difficulties. I did end up getting an amazing job as a medical receptionist at a medical centre that I thoroughly enjoy working at.

I encourage all who are Catholic to go to church regularly. I encourage anyone who is not Catholic and would like to become a Catholic to do so. I continue to feel a closeness to God every time I go to mass. My message is to have faith in God, Jesus and Mary. Ask for what you need in your life and God will fulfil your needs. Remember to always thank God for all the things that you are grateful for and appreciate in your life. Jesus is always watching over us, as we are all his children. Treat others with love and respect and help others less fortunate.

And we look forward to entering the kingdom of God. With God, Jesus and Mary and all the angels and saints we sing a song of Joy. Anita Graziani

The Road to Emmaus â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sem 1 2015

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Promoting thought about Reverence and the Real Presence: A brief commentary The following is a copy of one of a series of articles written by Father John, of Perth, Western Australia, to try and crystallise/summarise certain issues. Father John agreed to let this article on "The Real Presence" be published in the Road to Emmaus; let us know what you think and we might try and get some of his other articles for future editions.

THE REAL PRESENCE What is it?

What has happened to belief in the real presence?

Has familiarity dulled our Faith? For example, taking communion in the hand; using Acolytes and Ministers of the Eucharist, ergo, anybody handling the sacred vessels, and so on. The lack of teaching and emphasis in schools (and homes).

We look at the promise of Jesus in John 6:32-58. We look at the fulfilment of that promise at the Last Supper (Mat: 26:26-29). Having looked at the promise and the fulfilment of that promise, we need to look at our reaction – i.e. Faith and practice. Many could not accept and walked no more with Him (John 6:60 & 66-68).

I think the problem with those followers who could not accept it is that they were trying to rationalise this teaching, trying to get their heads around it, instead of accepting it in faith. The faithful disciples could not understand it either but the accepted it in faith because Jesus said so and therefore it must be possible.

We can’t understand it either, we can only accept it in faith. Our Faith is strengthened when we exercise it and continually pray for it to increase. “Lord I do believe, help my unbelief”.

Externals can demonstrate the depth, or quality, of our Faith. For example, the kind of genuflection we make, and the demeanour of our body whilst before the Blessed Sacrament.

REVERENCE: What has happened to it? Talking out loud in Church; no thought for others who might be trying to pray.

Fr. John

What is the Real Presence?

The presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist (the consecrated bread and wine). The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist, “Christ is truly, really and substantially contained”. By the conversion of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ, Christ becomes “wholly and entirely present” in this sacrament. As such, “the church and the world have great need for Eucharistic worship”. We can express our faith in the real presence of Christ through genuflecting, or bowing deeply, and placing the host in the tabernacle (“an especially worthy place in the church”), as a sign of adoration of the Lord, to emphasise the truth of the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

“That in this sacrament are the true Body of Christ and his true Blood is something that ‘cannot be apprehended by the senses,’ says St. Thomas, ‘but only by faith, which relies on divine authority’”. This divine authority comes from the words Jesus spoke at the last supper (This is my body).

“Let our adoration never cease”!

Baptism, the Way to Freedom When parents have their children baptized they indicate their desire to have their children grow up and live as children of God and brothers or sisters of Jesus, and be guided by the Holy Spirit.

Through birth a child is given to parents; through baptism a child is given to God. At baptism the parents acknowledge that their parenthood is a participation in God’s parenthood, that all fatherhood and motherhood comes from God. Thus, baptism frees the parents from a sense of owning their children. Children belong to God and are given to the parents to love and care for in God’s name. It is the parents’ vocation to welcome their children as honoured guests in their home and bring them to the physical, emotional, and spiritual freedom that enable them to leave the home and become parents themselves [italics added]. Baptism reminds parents of this vocation and sets children on the path of freedom.

From ‘Bread for the Journey’, Henri J M Nouwen

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Enter our UCS Competition to

WIN $30 and be published in Issue 6 of RtE Send submissions to uwacatholicsociety@yahoo.com by the 31st July 2015 USE SUBJECT TITLE POETRY COMPETITION NOTE: DOES NOT NEED TO HAVE A RELIGIOUS THEME (BUT OBVIOUSLY NO HERETICAL MATERIAL)

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Man does not live by bread alone St. Augustine once said that there is a God shaped hole in every person which only Jesus can fill. “Our Hearts are restless until the rest in God”. Blaise Paschal, the famous Philosopher said, “We are created with a God sized vacuum in our souls”. In the old catechism, the very first question was why did God make us? The response or answer was, “God made us to know him, to love him and to serve him in this world and to be happy with him in the next.” If God made us to know him, then we hunger in our minds for knowledge of him; if we are made to love him then we hunger in our hearts to love him; if we are made to serve him then we hunger in our wills to serve him and if we are made to be with him for ever then we hunger in our souls for the grace to be with him. And so only God can fill this God shaped hole or this God sized vacuum within each and every one of us.

Man does not live by bread alone, he also lives by every word that comes from the mouth of God. God has revealed his word or his Truth to us through both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, which are of equal authority and claim from us equal respect. Sacred Scripture is the written word of God and Sacred Tradition is the unwritten word of God. St. Jerome once said , “that ignorance of the Scriptures is an ignorance of Jesus Christ”. We could also say then, ‘ignorance of Sacred Tradition is also an ignorance of Jesus Christ who is the word of God.’ The word of God in both Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition has been entrusted to and safeguarded by the teaching Magisterium of the Church.

Jesus the Word of God once said, “He who hears you hears me”. And so to put St. Jerome’s quote truly into context we can say: ‘Ignorance of the teachings of the Church or the Truth’s of Our Catholic Faith is an ignorance of Jesus Christ.’

With the great gift of the universal Catechism of the Catholic Church, none of us should have any excuses for being ignorant of the Truths of the Catholic Church, which is the word of God revealed to us. All of us have a moral obligation to inform our consciences correctly in accordance with the truth because we are made by the Truth and for the Truth.

Jesus once said, “Thank you Father for hiding these truths from the wise and the learned but revealing them to little children”. To be fertile soil for the truth or the word of God we must accept it with the simplicity, the littleness, the docility and with the humility of a little child.

Man does not live by bread alone, he also lives by the living bread, come down from Heaven in order to nourish the hunger of his heart. We are made by Love and we are made for Love and thus we are made to love. And that love comprises of loving God with all our mind, with all our heart, with all our soul and with our whole being, and loving our neighbor as He has loved us. Jesus in the Eucharist, who is the source of all love, gives us the capacity to love as he has commanded and nourishes the hunger in our hearts. There’s an old saying: “You become what you eat” and thus if the Eucharist is love itself then by receiving the Eucharist, we become love. In a world today that is living beneath the terrible slavery of pride, unbridled egoism, avarice, hatred,

The Road to Emmaus – Sem 1 2015

violence and a great lack of capacity to love, frequent communion in the state of grace is necessary in order to nourish the hunger of our hearts which are made to love God and our neighbor.

Man does not live by bread alone, he also lives by prayer in order to nourish the hunger of his spirit by fulfilling the Holy will of God. Prayer enables us to know the will of God in our lives, love the will of God in our lives and will obtain for us the graces necessary to serve the will of God in our lives for our sanctification. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states clearly that prayer is necessary for salvation. St. Alphonsus Liguori is quoted in the catechism as saying, “ those who pray are certainly saved; those who do not pray are certainly damned”. The greatest of all prayers is of course the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We should always rejoice as Catholics in the great privilege of participating at the Mass. No other prayer or worship can be compared to it.

The prayers of all the Bishops, priests, religious and laity, the souls in purgatory, all the angels and saints united with our Blessed Mother is as nothing compared with the efficacy of one single Mass. At Mass, we offer ourselves in union with Jesus the Son of God in this sublime act of worship which is of infinite value to God and to us. After the Mass, the greatest prayer is that of the Rosary, so much so that the Irish refer to it as the dry Mass. The name Rosary means, “Crown of Roses”. The Rose is the Queen of all flowers and so the Rosary is the Queen of all prayers or devotions. The Rosary is Mary’s prayer and when we pray the Rosary with her, our prayer becomes efficacious because Our Heavenly Mother is omnipotent, and all-powerful at prayer.

Man does not live by bread alone, he also lives by Divine Grace that comes to us from Jesus through the Sacraments to nourish the hunger of his soul which is made for union with God. One must live and die in the state of Sanctifying Grace which we first received at our Baptism if we are to have union with God for time and for all eternity. The Church teaches us that all it takes to destroy the life of Grace in our Souls, and thus our union with God is one Mortal sin. In order to nourish the hunger in our souls for God, we must keep the life of sanctifying grace dwelling in our souls by frequenting the Sacrament of Reconciliation as often as possible. Today, there are many souls living in moral poverty and are spiritually dead because they no longer go to confession and end up living habitually in mortal sin.

My dear people man cannot live on bread alone, but lives by every word that comes from the mouth of God in order to nourish the hunger of his mind that is made know God. Man does not live by bread alone, he also lives by the living bread come down from Heaven to nourish the hunger of his heart that is made to love God and his neighbor. Man does not live by bread alone, he also lives by prayer to nourish the hunger of his spirit that is made to serve God and lastly man does not live by bread alone , he also lives by Divine Grace to nourish the hunger of his soul that is made for union with God for time and all eternity. Man is is made to know God, love God and serve God in this life so as to be happy with him in the next.

Fr. Ronan Murphy

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The Quinnessential In a recent question and answer session with Italy’s Christian Life Community Pope Francis has called for Catholics to get involved and “embroiled” in politics. The Holy Father clarified his position further by adding that this “does not mean forming a Catholic political party” and that it would be hard to get involved “without getting your hands or heart a little dirty”.

And this is precisely what Joe De Bruyn (Labor Party National Executive Committee Member and National President of the nation’s largest trade union the SDA-Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees Association) was doing at the same time here in Australia.

With the Labor Party’s National Conference looming in July, the Left Faction are pushing to make gay marriage a binding vote on Labor members of parliament. Currently the policy platform supports gay marriage but allows a conscience vote to be granted for Labor members of parliament.

The Left’s Tanya Plibersek used the opportunity as Acting Opposition Leader (with Bill Shorten abroad to attend ANZAC commemorations) to call for a binding vote, "Conscience votes in the Labor Party are reserved for issues of life or death ... I don't think this is an issue in that category”.

This is grossly misleading on Plibersek’s part. Conscience voting has been extended to issues other than life or death, such as previous changes to the Marriage Act in 1961 and 1975 and gambling and prostitution reform. But what has this got to do with Joe De Bryun?

In another interview he offered his personal views on the subject; "Marriage started with Adam and Eve. It is an objective truth that same-sex couples cannot marry.”

Hear, hear, indeed it is Mr De Bruyn.

Joe has bravely argued for life and families for over 30 years as leader of the SDA and has demonstrated what getting your “hands or heart a little dirty” means. The conscience vote compromise brokered at the last National Conference in 2011 on gay marriage was no small part due to Joe and others in the Party who believe marriage is between a man and a women. This allowed Labor members to vote against the legalisation of gay marriage when a move was made in 2012 and in turn see off its defeat.

And that’s the lesson for us all, we must either be active in our political parties or support those who are. Voting isn’t enough.

This requires actual involvement, whether that be as little as being members of the Labor or Liberal parties (these are the parties of Government ie. where change is made), becoming elected officials in the organs of these parties or their affiliated organisations, or seeking preselection to become members of parliament. There are people on both sides who need your help and we should help them.

Some are already helping fight the good fight and these efforts must be kept up.

Well on such issues debated in the Labor Party where do the media turn to seek an alternative response? You guessed, Catholic Joe. In his eloquent style, "While the cat's away the mice will play.

Why would you create this sort of conflict when you don't need to?"

Michael Quinn is an active member of the Labor Party and is training to become a qualified accountant.

My challenge to those who haven’t become involved is to step up, be adults and join, support and remain active.

Because if you don’t then there will be a binding vote on gay marriage and there will be a binding vote on euthanasia and there will be a binding vote on abortion.

And if that happens then I guess the Channel 7 chopper really will send chills to our feet.

Michael Quinn

Joe De Bruyn

The Road to Emmaus – Sem 1 2015

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Still from the 'A Team' music video by Ed Sheeran

Prostitution: Demoralising, dehumanizing, yet legal If there was a profession in which 70% of workers experienced post-traumatic stress after 2 months of work, 90% of workers 1 used drugs to deal with the physical pain experienced in their job, and life expectancy of workers was decreased by 60% , you would think this industry would undergo either great reform or immediate closure.

This, however, is not the case.

Prostitution is this profession, and our government has even legalised it.

Melissa Farley, a clinical psychologist who has studied the immediate and long-term effects of prostitution for many years, 1 states: “Prostitution is sexual harassment, sexual exploitation, often worse”.

No young girl aspires to become a prostitute, to sell her body, to make minimal money doing something so personal with a stranger. Prostitution is the result of desperation and the need to survive, “They are coerced into prostitution by sex inequality, 2 race/ethic inequality, and economic inequality”.

Peter Abetz, a pastor and representative for the electorate of Southern River in the Western Australian Parliament, has, since 1984, been very concerned with the negative effects of prostitution. Abetz has argued for over two decades that the legalisation of prostitution in Victoria has not achieved any of its aims, but has instead legitimised over one hundred brothels, leading, for 1 example, to a total of over 60,000 men in Victoria buying women’s bodies for their own pleasure. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “prostitution does injury to the dignity of the person who engages in it, reducing the person to an instrument of sexual pleasure.” (CCC 2355.) One would expect that modern society would have progressed enough to not allow our desire for sexual pleasure to result in the endorsement of an industry so degrading.

Western Australia is threatening to become such a backward state, unless we do something fundamental to protect not only our women but also our men.

So what can we do? The Nordic Model, developed in Sweden, declares that the attempt to purchase or actual purchase of sexual services is illegal. Through legally accepting this model, Sweden has seen the closure of five hundred brothels and a 50% decrease in street prostitution. ‘Adopt Nordic WA Inc.’ is one way to support the Nordic approach in our state in order to decrease prostitution in Western Australia and protect our young girls from viewing prostitution as a viable profession. By providing women with alternative options, we not only encourage gender equality but we show society that we will not accept the sex industry and that we are going to do something about it.

Rebecca Hicks 1.

2.

Abetz, P, Prostitution Law Reform and Human Trafficking Farley, M, The Real Harms of Prostitution

The Road to Emmaus – Sem 1 2015

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The UWA

Mass Wednesday

12 PM

Rosary Thursday

12.15 PM

The end of Issue 5 of The Road to Emmaus! Thank you to contributors, purchasers, supporters, all!!! I do think that this magazine is excellent (as in, its existence not the editing â&#x20AC;&#x201C; though some say the editing has improved markedly in the last two editions. (Joke.) Think of the goodness that people have, and here it is being shared. I look forward to #6!

All contributions are welcome and encouraged.

We are witnesses to the truth, God be with us.

Chapel located on the Ground Floor of the Law Link Building ^

- Rachel/Editor *Please note, views expressed in articles are those of individuals, not of the UCS as a whole.* The Road to Emmaus â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sem 1 2015

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The Road to Emmaus â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Sem 1 2015

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