Catholic Social Teaching: Stewardship of Creation and the Enviroment

When the Catholic Church discusses environmental questions she often speaks about the Stewardship of Creation, God has put man over the word to govern it in his name. What this stewardship entails is fairly obvious: humanity should use the earth’s resources responsibly to facilitate the flourishing of peoples whilst respecting creation in light of its Creator.

The Dodo paid the price
for irresponsible stewardship.

But unpacking this basic common sense principle is like opening Pandora’s Box. Environmental questions aren’t all as simple as whether or not we should bother about saving tigers from extinction. Questions like ‘what is the acceptable impact of international food production upon the environment at local and global levels?’, are a bit more tricky. Indeed environmental question can appear fearsome. This can put many of us off giving much thought to the environment, besides, isn’t it all for eco-warriors and tree huggers? What does the environment really have to do with a Catholic’s journey to heaven? Perhaps if we see caring for the environment through a more personal lens, rather than in its literally global scale, we can come to appreciate the importance of being good stewards.

When we let people into our homes we do so with an expectation that they will behave a certain way. We expect people to keep their feet of the couch, to not break the fine china and leave things more or less as they found them; though it would be nice if they cleaned the dishes. When we look around us we should remember what the Psalmist says ‘The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.’ (Psalm 24:1)

Not only does the world belong to God but it speaks to us about him. As St Paul said, the existence of God, his power and nature are clearly perceived in the things that have been made. (Romans 1:20)

Gregory XVI

However, the world doesn’t only communicate God’s existence and goodness; it also speaks of man’s relationship with the Almighty. In his 1832 encyclical Mirari Vos Pope Gregory XVI decried the moral and social decline of society and quoted the prophet Isaiah as saying: ‘the earth mourns and wastes away… infected by its inhabitants for they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.’ (Isaiah 24: 4-6) How we act towards God is, partly, reflected in how the world responds to our presence in it. This isn’t to say that all environmental change has miraculous causation; God grants us the dignity of letting the effects of our actions reflect the nature of our behaviour.

So, considering the environment pushes us to think about our Creator and about everything he has made. We see ourselves as not merely individual agents but as being intimately connected, through God, to all that is around us.

For Catholics environmental questions strike at the core of what it means to be a creature. By contemplating creation we are forced to examine where we place God place in our lives and in our societies. The respect owed to creation comes from the dignity of the one who made it, and thus, when Catholics think about the environment seriously they fall upon the core principle of Catholic Social Teaching:  that Jesus Christ is the Creator-King of all that is. As the Catechism puts it: ‘The beauty of creation reflects the infinite beauty of the Creator and ought to inspire the respect and submission of man's intellect and will.’ (CCC: 341)

Vocations Sunday: Testimony from Br Nicholas Crowe OP

Today is known as Good Shepherd Sunday, thanks to the Gospel reading from John 10, which means it is also a good time to pray for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

If you want to find out more about such vocations in the UK today, have a look here:

http://www.ukvocation.org/hear-about-vocations

What's more, you can hear the personal testimony of our own Br Nicholas Crowe OP, recorded specially for the National Office for Vocation:

http://www.ukvocation.org/files/VS2014/testimony-br-nicholas.mp3

Catholic Social Teaching: Education

Education is one of the most important human rights. Given that one of its basic aims is the full development of the human person it has a huge significance especially for children. For them their first and primary teachers are always their parents and the family is the first school. Nevertheless education should also have a great priority in society to whom belong some rights and duties and whose role is to direct what is required for the common temporal goods. Its function is to promote education and to cooperate with parents. In this cooperation between parents and social institutions the rights of parents should be respected and institutions should create the conditions which would help in the personal development of each person. It cannot be only intellectual progress, because man needs integral education that respects also other aspects of human being's life: physical, social, cultural, moral and religious as well. Education cannot be only regarded as a way of the development knowledge, but also skills, habits, moral values and interpersonal communication. It seems to be extremaly important, because education has influence not only on people who are educated, but it makes a significant contribution as well as ensures future benefits to the community life.

Very essential statments about education can be found at the beginning of Declaration on Christian Education Gravissimum Educationis where we read: "All men of every race, condition and age, since they enjoy the dignity of a human being, have an inalienable right to an education that is in keeping with their ultimate goal, their ability, their sex, and the culture and tradition of their country, and also in harmony with their fraternal association with other peoples in the fostering of true unity and peace on earth. For a true education aims at the formation of the human person in the pursuit of his ultimate end and of the good of the societies of which, as man, he is a member, and in whose obligations, as an adult, he will share. Therefore children and young people must be helped, with the aid of the latest  advances in psychology and the arts and science of teaching, to develop harmoniuosly their physical, moral and intellectual endowments so that they may gradually acquire a mature sense of responsibility in striving endlessly to form their own lives properly and in pursuing true freedom as they surmount the vicissitudes of life with courage and constancy. Let them be given also, as they advance in years, a positive and prudent sexual education. Moreover they should be also so trained to take their part in social life that properly instructed in the necessary and opportune skills they can become actively involved in various community organizations, open to discourse with others and willing to do their best to promote the common good" (Gravissimum Educationis 1).

To the Church, in a special way, belongs the duty of educating, because she has the responsibility of announcing the Gospel of salavtion to all men. By this reason one of the most important educational tasks for the Church is the development of the knowledge and love of God. In this special vocation the Church preaches to people the complete perfection of the human person and she shapes their minds and hearts in the building of a world that is more human. The influence of the Church in the field of education is shown by many different types of Catholics schools, colleges and universities. They create a special atmosphere animated by the spirit of Gospel and charity to help youth develop their own personalities.

In the same document we can read: "In fulfilling its educational role, the Church, eager to employ all suitable aids, is concerned especially about those which are her very own. Foremost among these is catechetical instruction, which enlightens and strenghtens the faith, nourishes life according to the spirit of Christ, leads to intelligent and active participation in the liturgical mystery and gives motivation for apostolic activity. The Church esteems highly and seeks to penetrate and ennoble with her own spirit also other aids which belong to the general heritage of man and which are of great influence in forming souls and molding men, such as the media of communication, various groups for mental and physical development, youth associations, and, in particular, schools" (Gravissimum Educationis 4).

Blackfriars Overseas Aid Trust (BOAT) – AGM 2014

The Christian gospel is not just something which affects our personal and family lives. It also sends us out into the world to bring healing and hope. Charitable giving should be a central plank in our spiritual lives as a 'corporal work of mercy' (along with prayer and fasting). As Pope Francis never ceases to remind us, we are in solidarity with the poor; we cannot stand aloof and think that another person's suffering is not our problem. Of course, we cannot help everyone all the time, but we must do what we can.

Last Sunday, 4th May, we held the 2014 AGM of the Blackfriars Overseas Aid Trust – or BOAT, as everyone calls it. BOAT is the charity run by the 9:30 Family Mass congregation at Blackfriars, Oxford, and supports nearly 20 projects around the world. These projects cover many areas of need, including (a) healthcare, especially primary healthcare and preventive medicine; (b) welfare, especially for children, people with disabilities, refugees, and victims of war or poverty; and (c) education, with special attention given to practical skills, women's education, and basic education for children.

Some of the BOAT committee and 9:30 Family Mass congregation at the 2014 AGM

Our principles of giving require that we find projects where our small donations will go a long way, where the injection of financial support will lead to sustainable development, and where we have very good communication links. I think this emphasis on good communication is one of the best distinctive attributes of BOAT. The South African Dominican, Albert Nolan OP, once described four stages of development in our service of the poor. (These stages need not follow sequentially; they may strike us all at once!) We begin with compassion. We are then motivated to effect structural change, without indulging in our anger against 'the system'. Thirdly, we proceed with humility when we discover the poor are often more aware and more capable of the solutions than us, though we must avoid romanticising poverty. Finally, there is true solidarity, no longer seeing the poor and the oppressed as a separate class, but identifying with their problems, struggles, weaknesses and hopes. "Real solidarity", says Fr Nolan, "begins when it is no longer a matter of we and they."

At BOAT, we keep regular communication with our projects to ensure the money is spent wisely and productively. We receive reports and photographs, which we feed back to the congregation (see especially the display at the back of the church), and sometimes a BOAT member is even able to visit a project in person. A few projects happen to be run by Dominicans in their respective countries (Grenada, East Timor, etc.), but this is not a requirement. The BOAT committee are all volunteers and we keep costs to a minimum (just bank transfer fees and the printing of the annual report), so that a full 99% of our income goes straight to the people who are in need.

This recent AGM saw some changes in the composition of the committee. We are sad to see some members move on, but warmly welcome the new members, who bring their own distinctive talents and energy.

You can read more about BOAT here: http://www.bfriars.ox.ac.uk/priory/groups/boat/

Catholic Social Teaching: Health

“Sharing in the joys and hopes, sorrows and anxieties of the people of every age, the Church has constantly accompanied and sustained humanity in its struggle against pain and its commitment to improve health. At the same time, she has striven to reveal to mankind the meaning of suffering and the riches of the Redemption brought by Christ the Saviour.” (WDS 2000). Whilst in many countries the vast majority of healthcare is now provided by ‘secular’ institutions, the structures and pattern of Western medical and nursing care nonetheless remain imprinted by this legacy of centuries of Christian healthcare ministry.

A sustained theological treatment of health, suffering, and forms of healthcare composed a central feature of St. John Paul II’s Papal Magisterium. This was reflected particularly in his apostolic letter Salvifici Doloris (on the Christian Meaning of Suffering) and the establishment of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers (by the letter Dolentium Hominum), not to mention the Pope’s personal witness to the dignity of life and suffering reflected in his own personal illness and exemplary Christian death. From John Paul II’s reflections on the Catholic healthcare tradition, three clear and related themes can be discerned:

1. the duty of care for the sick is a matter of natural justice; 
2. that healthcare must take account of the transcendental meaning of suffering; and
3. that Christian theology implies a particular ‘theology of health’ that is not always compatible with secular approaches to treatment and care. 

As well as flowing from imitation of Our Lord Jesus Christ’s concern for the sick and suffering, the Christian healthcare ministry reflects natural human solidarity. Importantly, the adequate provision of properly dignified healthcare to all is a matter of natural justice: each person receives life as a precious gift from God; all human beings are created in the Image of God and possess an inalienable dignity, which is properly respected by the promotion and nurturing of health and by the alleviation of suffering. It is a solemn obligation placed on us by our natural constitution as social creatures—as well as by God’s positive law as revealed in the Holy Scriptures—to steward our resources so as to ensure proper care is available for all. This stewardship extends to include our intellectual resources, demanding that scientific endeavour be ordered toward the promotion of global human well-being, placing the cultural capital of the intellectual elite at the service of the poorest and most needy of our brothers and sisters.

Although the importance of the macroscopic policy-level cannot be overestimated, the heart of the Catholic tradition of healthcare is the uniquely blessed personal relationship between the sick person and their individual carers. This relationship between the sick and their carers, whether professional or non-professional, is a communion of persons coequal in dignity, and as such constitutes a shrine to the dignity of the human person: those who have care of the sick stand on God’s holy ground, invited to see the presence of God in the sick person and to reflect the love of God and the goodness of creation to the vulnerable. It is not that carers might be ‘ministering to angels unawares’, but that they are definitely ministering to particular human persons, irreducible in their uniqueness as a child of God. “Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed. Each of us is loved. Each of us is necessary.” (Benedict XVI).

The essentially personal nature of care gives it its definitive character. Despite the emphasis placed on ‘choice’ as a central principle of modern care, healthcare workers are not merchants of an arbitrary product, but find their ministry patterned by the object of their care (the holistic reality of the human person as divinely willed and cherished). Whilst all those involved in healthcare are entitled to just remuneration and proper legal protections, their role is not merely a job. Healthcare workers must remain ever mindful of the dignity of the gift and obligation of their vocation to be “guardians and servants of human life” (WDS, 1999). Christian approaches to healthcare resist the fragmentation of the human person that divides the ‘biological’ from the ‘emotional’ and ‘spiritual’: we care not for the ‘liver disease in bed three’, but for a person with a name. No person is reducible to a pathology.

“It is only in the mystery of the incarnate Word that the mystery of man takes on light” (GS §22): notwithstanding the natural obligation to care for the sick, the full meaning of sickness is comprehensible only in the Easter light shed by the resurrection; the incarnation and Paschal mystery is the “supreme and surest point of reference” that enables us to make sense of human sufferings (SD §31). Although suffering is never to be desired per se, and always to be alleviated when possible, Christ’s suffering bestows a certain relative dignity on human sufferings: by uniting their sufferings to Christ, the Christian’s suffering takes on a salvific value, the sickbed “becoming like a shrine where people participate in Christ's paschal mystery” (WDS §9). This does not mean that the Church is glad that people suffer, nor that that those wracked with the sorrows of suffering should simply put up with them:t he Church continues to look forward in certain hope to the new creation, in which suffering and pain will have no place. Suffering and pain remain a scandal, but cannot obliterate human dignity.

An authentically Christian approach to healthcare, however, must take account of this transcendental meaning of suffering. The Christian presence in healthcare is an essential witness to the dignity of Christ and a component of the New Evangelisation: confronted with suffering, illness and the possibility of death the human person is stripped of all false attachments, and forced to confront the reality of their situation. “Even the most heedless person is prompted [at the bed of a dying person] to wonder about his own life and its meaning, about the reason for evil, suffering and death.” For this reason, Christians must always be present to witness—occasionally by words—to the true value and meaning of human life.

As a result of this transcendental dimension, health per se does not become an ultimate end and absolute obligation. In a society in which there is a risk of making health an idol to which every other value is forced to be subservient, Christians are involved in the “promotion of a health worthy of the human being” (WDS 1999). A Christian understanding of health does not equate well-being with self-satisfaction or the exuberant vitality of youth, nor does it seek to preserve bodily life at all costs. Our duty to preserve bodily health is, therefore, not strictly absolute: the art of living well is also the art of dying well, and—when all reasonable life-preserving treatments are exhausted—each of us must (God-willing at length) make our final journey into the next life. Palliative care, ordered towards the alleviation of suffering, should bestow upon these hallowed final moments of life a quiet and peaceful dignity, in which the individual is cherished as a member of the Christian community.

Much Catholic Social Teaching related to healthcare stresses our relationship to others, but an essential feature of the Catholic tradition is its emphasis on self-care, including not only physical health (avoiding intemperate relationships with food, confronting addictions, taking regular exercises) but also emotional and psychological well-being (taking rest, observing the third commandment consolidating friendships, finding creative opportunities for recreation). Whilst Christ sought out the leper—the icon of exclusion and fear in his own day—we too must seek out the modern equivalent, those who hide themselves away, ashamed of their affliction. We must greet them with the Good New of Christ: in their weakness, they will strengthen the Church, that they are for us a blessing, for whom we thank God.

Our Lady of Częstochowa, Queen of Poland

Our Lady of Częstochowa

Devotion to Mary, the Mother of God has had a special place in the Catholic faith in Poland. The most important Polish Marian shrine, where is the famous icon of Our Lady, is Częstochowa, called also Jasna Góra (Bright Mountain). The origin of this image is unknown with absolute certainty. It is a typical painting of Byzantine tradtion dating from 6th - 9th century. Nevertheless according to legend the icon was painted by St. Luke on a cedar table top from the house of the Holy Family. It was brought from Jerusalem to Constantinople and then from Constantinople to Red Ruthenia (Western Ukraine). The icon came to Jasna Góra in 1382 when Władysław (Ladislaus), Duke of Opole, had seen it at the castle of Bełz and acquired it. The image was already treated with great reverence and honoured. The Prince left the icon under the protection of the Pauline Fathers (Order of Saint Paul the First Hermit) whom he had brought to Częstochowa from Hungary. In 1430 took place a sacrilegious attack and the icon was demaged. It was carefully restored and repaired, but the marks left by the sword slashes could not be completely removed and two scars can still be seen on the right check of the Madonna.

The chapel with the image of the Madonna

The portrait of Our Lady is black because of soot residue that discolors the painting. The soot is the result of votive candles and lights burning in front of the painting. For public view the holy icon is always presented in the chapel covered with a special and richly ornamented dress.

At the beginning the image was placed in the small chapel, but because of many pilgrims visiting this place, the chapel became very quickly too small. Therefore it was enlarged and became three-nave chapel. Since 1644 has remained like that today. There were built also a new church that became basilica as well as monastery and fortification. At the beginning of the eighteenth century was built the tower.

The icon is regarded as being miraculous and some of these many miracles have been associated with very important events in the Polish history when Poles in a special way solemnly dedicated themselves to Mary. Therefore Jasna Góra is also a very significant treasury of Polish history.

A view of the monastery at Jasna Góra

One of the greatest victories took place in 1655. A Swedish invasion, called the Deluge, moved through Poland and their first defeat was at Jasna Góra when they were unable to take possession of the mountain and its buildings and they were forced to retreat. Next year following the victory the king of Poland, Jan Kazimierz (John Casimir) made a vow in the Cathedral in Lwów (Lvov) putting his country under the protection of Our Lady and declaring Her to be "Queen of the Polish Crown".

In 1683 the defeat of the Turkish army at Vienna saved the Christianity in Europe. It was due to the intervention of the Polish army that was leading by king Jan III Sobieski (John III Sobieski) who went into battle in the name of Our Lady of Częstochowa at whose shrine he prayed before.

In 1920 Bolshevik invaders moved on Warsaw with the aim of taking the whole country that was on his way to make and spread the communist revolution in Europe. The people in Poland prayed fervently to their Queen and Mother. On 15 August, the Solemnity of the Assumption, the enemy retreated and this victory is called "The Miracle on the River Vistula".

The avenue leading to the shrine

After Second World War Poland had been almost for fifty years under Communist system. Primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, who was interned for three years (1953-1956), wrote the text of the national vows that were to be a kind of renewal of the royal vows made by Polish king, on its three hundreth anniversary. On 26 August 1956 the acting president of the Polish Episcopate proclaimed the vows, known as Jasna Góra, Vows of the Polish Nation, together with pilgrims (about one million) gathered at Jasna Góra Sanctuary.

Next year started the Great Novena, a nine years of fast and prayer, that was the preparations for the celebration of the Millenium of Polish Christianity in 1966. At that time the copy of the miraculous picture of Jasna Góra visited all Polish parishes. The communist authorities were very afraid, because people gathered and prayed together. To prevent and stop it they decided "to arrest" the picture, but it didn't work at all. However the image of the Madonna could not visit next places, nevertheless during this difficult time people were gathered together by empty frame of the picture that still visited Polish parishes.

The basilica at Jasna Góra

Jasna Góra is not only a place of pilgrimage, but also the custodian and protector of the nation's treasures. The kings and princes who honoured the shrine came bearing gifts, piligrims too in their own way have done likewise, also artists' skills are reflected in the decoration of the shrine and its surroundings. The shrine of Częstochowa demonstrates how devotion to Our Lady is part of the life of the Polish people. The invaders of Poland have long been aware that the strength of the Polish people lies in their faith expressed in their devotion to their queen. It is indeed fortunate that two recent world wars, a Nazi occupation and more recently a Communist government have left the shrine and its treasures unscathed.

Pope John Paul II said: "This sign of Mary, Poland's Queen, Our Lady of Jasna Góra, has been interpreted anew: We know the significance of this picture for us [...], what it became in our struggles for the nation's soul. [...] I think that this sign is meaningful for the future, too. Mary is the Queen of the Polish Crown. Mary is the Queen of the Polish matters, Polish efforts, Polish sufferings and Polish victories. [...] The past experiences teach us in whom we should seek support, who is the biggest ally of the Church and the nation. The relationship between the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, the Queen of Poland, and the Church and nation in Poland is a kind of covenant."

The shrine and the monastery at Jasna Góra

In the recognition of the miraculous image Pope Clement  XI donated a crown and the holy icon was crowned in 1717. Pope Pius XI designated 3 May Solemnity of Our Lady of Częstochowa, Queen of Poland. This day has also a special importance and significance in the history of Poland. This is a Polish national feast and public holiday because of the declaration of the Constitution of 3 May that took place in 1791 and it was the first constitution in Europe and the second in the world.

Almost in all Polish churches and in homes of Polish people scattered throughout the world can be found the icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa and Mary is honoured as the Queen of country and of its people. In Poland Częstochowa is regarded the national shrine and the spiritual capital. Many Polish Catholics make a pilgrimage there every year. The shrine at Jasna Góra is also one of the most frequented Marian shrines in Europe.

Our Lady of Częstochowa, Queen of Poland, pray for us.

Mary, Queen of Poland, I am near you, I remember you, I watch.

Installation of Archbishop Malcolm McMahon OP as Archbishop of Liverpool

Yesterday, on the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, Dominican Friars from across the Province flocked to Liverpool to join our brother, +Malcolm McMahon OP, for his installation as the ninth Archbishop of Liverpool. It was a very happy occasion for the Dominican family to celebrate his appointment and offer prayers for him and the Archdiocese of Liverpool as they embark upon a new mission.

Archbishop Malcolm joined the Order of Preachers in 1976, following studies in Engineering and a period working in the transport industry. He studied at Blackfriars, Oxford, and Heythrop College, London before being ordained a priest by Cardinal Basil Hume at St. Dominic's Church in Haverstock Hill, London, in 1982.

His early ministry as a Dominican Friar took him all over the English Province, including time at Holy Cross Priory, Leicester; St. Dominic's, Haverstock Hill; and St. Dominic's, Newcastle-upon-Tyne. In 1992, he was elected Prior Provincial of the English Province of the Order of Preachers and continued in that office for two terms until 2000.

In that same year, Pope John Paul II appointed him as the ninth Bishop of Nottingham. After 13 years as Bishop of Nottingham, Pope Francis appointed him as Archbishop of Liverpool. In addition to his pastoral responsibilities, Archbishop Malcolm serves as Chair of the Bishops' Conference Department of Education and Formation, the Catholic Education Service (CES), the Catholic Trust for England and Wales (CATEW). He is also National President of Pax Christi, the International Movement for Peace, and the Ecclesiastical Advisor to the Knights of St. Columba.

Details of the Mass of installation can be found here. They included some elements which reflected Archbishop Malcolm's Dominican character, such as the "Summae Trinitati" by Lay Dominican, James Macmillan and the communion hymn "Godhead here in hiding", a translation of Adoro Te Devote by St. Thomas Aquinas. 

In his homily, Archbishop Malcolm quoted St. John XXIII: "The secret of everything is to let yourself be carried by the Lord and to carry the Lord." In St. Joseph we have a wonderful example; he was carried in that he accepted God's plan for him, and "he literally carried the Lord as guardian teacher and guide of Jesus." The full text of his homily can be found here.

Please join us in praying for our brother, Archbishop Malcolm, and the Archdiocese of Liverpool in the days and weeks ahead.