Ministries, Charisms, Fruits - 15 Joy

Joy comes second in St Paul’s list of the ninefold fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22). And, indeed, joy should be the prevailing mood of Christians. The whole Gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of joy, for Christ announced and fulfilled what was promised in the Old Testament, the kingdom of God. In Rom 14:17 St Paul writes that the kingdom of God is “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”. Christians have therefore good reason to be joyful.

But we can ask whether every form of joy is really a fruit of the Spirit. Christ says “you will know them by their fruits”. Is joy therefore an unmistakable sign? The Book of Proverbs (14:13) states that laughter sometimes hides sadness; and we know also from our own experience that not every “joy” – as, for example, malicious joy (cf. Proverbs 24:17) – deserves this name.

For St Thomas Aquinas joy is something only human beings can experience. An animal can have delight but no joy, because “we do not speak of joy except when delight follows reason; and so we do not ascribe joy to irrational animals”. There is no joy in merely sensual matters. The object of joy, however, is an apprehended good. There is so much good around us and we are invited by God, the creator of all that is good, to enjoy it: the beauty of nature, art and music, but also science and our knowledge of it. All this can be grasped and enjoyed by a rational human mind and can impart to us a deep joy.

When St Paul writes about joy he has primarily another, even higher form in mind, namely a spiritual joy which comes from communion with God himself whose redeemed children we are. It brings about not only a delight but also peace in our hearts despite all difficulties and even sufferings in this world. St Paul writes to the Church in Corinth “I am overjoyed in all our affliction” (2 Cor 7:4). This is the kind of peace only God’s Spirit can give in the firm belief that there is another world of which this life is only a foretaste.

But we can assume that St Paul also had a natural human expression of joy in mind when he wrote “my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord” (Phil 3:1). As God’s beloved children we do not have to be afraid, because we know that we are redeemed through Christ’s death and resurrection. Therefore we should not feel gloomy but enjoy what God has given us and share this joy with others.

Pentecost Sunday

Readings: Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 103; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13; John 20:19-23 (alternative second reading and gospel reading: Galatians 5:16-24; John 15:26-27, 16:12-15)

The Holy Spirit is about speech. In the Creed we say of the Spirit that 'he has spoken through the prophets' and we read that the Spirit of the Lord 'fell on [Ezekiel, for example] saying ...'. Jesus taught his disciples that they were not to worry about what they should say when called to bear witness to their faith, for the Spirit would give them the words they needed. We read today in Acts 2 that the gift of speech was given to the disciples so that each person listening heard them in his own dialect telling about the mighty works of God. So the Holy Spirit is about speech.

But the Holy Spirit is also about depth. (So many of our words are superficial and glib.) St Paul says that the Spirit searches the depths of everything, even the depths of God. So the Spirit is radical. As one of the psalms puts it, 'the foundations of the world are laid bare at the blast of the breath of your nostrils'. The foundations of our lives are laid bare and so Jesus, in breathing the Holy Spirit on his disciples, says 'the sins you forgive are forgiven and the sins you retain are retained'. The Spirit reaches the place from which words come and in which they originate. He has to do with motivation, intention and the conception of words and deeds. He has to do with the thoughts that lie beneath words and deeds and omissions, and even with what lies beneath thoughts. We are given the Spirit to drink and so, just as we are immersed in the Spirit in baptism, the Spirit is immersed in us. Thus Paul says that 'the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God'.

The Holy Spirit is about speech and depth, and so He builds a new community. Communities are established on speech. In his commentary on Aristotle's Politics St Thomas Aquinas says communicatio facit civitatem, 'communication makes the city'.  Political work and community building are largely about this: getting people to talk, finding words on which parties in dispute can agree, publishing communiques and agreed statements, articulating laws to structure society and the relationships that hold it together. (I once managed to find a form of words on which a very conservative friar and a very liberal one could agree: 'things have not been the same since Vatican II'!)

The gift of the Spirit at Pentecost reverses the disunity and fragmentation of Babel. We read in Genesis 11 about the Tower of Babel, a story to explain the multiplicity of languages. Trying to reach heaven on the strength of human pride, the races of the earth fall into disunity and the human race fragments. Pentecost reverses this and undoes the effects of human pride. The language of the Spirit is a language everybody understands because it expresses the goal to which everybody aspires, for the language of the Spirit is the language of love.

So the new community is centred on 'the Word that breathes Love', Verbum spirans Amorem. Love is the depth of this Word. The people of Israel saw in the law given to Moses the formula of words that would one day unite all the peoples of the earth so that they would live together according to the wisdom and holiness of God. The 'new law' foretold by Jeremiah and other prophets is given on Pentecost Sunday to the new Israel, the Christian Church, and so the prophetic promise finds its fulfillment. The community of those who believe in Christ is the community of those who have received the Spirit. They live (or at least ought to live) by this new law written not on stone or paper but on human hearts, a law that searches the depths of everything, reaching not just to external behaviour but to motivation and intention and conception, to what lies at the root of deeds and omissions, words and thoughts.

Christ is the Spirit-filled One, the Anointed from the Father, our Messiah, 'the breath of our life' (Lamentations 4:20). A word needs breath if it is to be a living word. Breath needs a word if it is to have form and meaning. So the wonderful works of God which the Church preaches tell of a Father who has embraced the world and taken it to His heart by sending the Son and the Spirit. The Word of God unites all who come into the light of truth. The Spirit of God heals and strengthens so that even our human words become means by which God strengthens the civilization of love. It is often hidden, even in the Church, but we believe that this 'City of God' is under construction and that even now there are people who breathe its language.

Black and White Armies

After the final round of English premiership games, the sports pages were dominated by picture of tear-soaked, black and white Newcastle United shirts mourning the relegation of the Tyneside giant from England’s elite. Whilst I was generally indifferent to the magpies before joining the Order, it did seem a shame that a club that wears the colours of St. Dominic has fallen so far in such a short time.

Newcastle United was formed from a merger of Newcastle West End and Newcastle East End. For the first two years the newly formed team wore the red and white of East End. In 1894 it was decided that new colours should be adopted, firstly to appease former West End members but also because many clubs, such as Liverpool and Woolwich Arsenal ( now known as Arsenal) wore red, and kit clashes were common. One of the local league teams represented St. Dominic’s Priory and wore black and white stripes. The team was organised by Dalmatius Houtmann, a Dutch Dominican Friar. Dalmatius was also a keen supporter of United. He was often seen, in full habit, cheering on the team. He became something of a "lucky charm" for the club and so they adopted the black and white stripes, which they still wear today.

Newcastle are not the only team to sport the distinctive black and white of the Order of Preachers: in the Scottish first division, glamorous Ayr United wear black and white because of traditional associations with the friars as do League of Ireland Division One side Dundalk FC. A signed picture of former Dundalk star, Irish national manager, and St. Dominic’s old boy Steve Staunton, graces the friars' common room in the Dundalk priory.

Europe has other examples of Dominican influence on sporting colours. An obvious example is A.C Siena. The city’s arms are in honour of the great St. Catherine and it is very fitting that the city’s Serie A club should adopt the colours of their patron. In Spain too UD Salamanca wear black and white in honour of the Order’s prominence in the city.

The colours are of course not limited to football. Virtus Pallacanestro Bologna, one of Italy and Europe’s leading basketball teams, based in the city where St. Dominic is buried, wear black and white and have a the star of St. Dominic on their badge . It is worth noting that across the pond the athletic teams of Providence College, founded and run by friars of St Joseph (New York) Province, are nicknamed 'The Friars', wear black and white, and have a friar mascot. (Now who does he remind me of?)

The Church and the Order have been and still are great sponsors and organisers of sporting clubs, but alas in the age of "sport-products" many clubs have forgotten their Christian heritage. This has certainly been the case at Newcastle United, where greed and ego have dominated the boardroom for too long. Whilst not resorting to superstition, it is worth noting that the last major honour that Newcastle won, the FA Cup, was in 1955. Until the 1950’s a Dominican Friar was often present at St. James’ Park, (a stone’s throw from the medieval Blackfriars) as a guest of the board. As Newcastle embarks on life in the Championship, I urge all Newcastle fans to seek the intercession of St. Dominic (I am sure he helps Arsenal at times too though!) and to remember that the current superior of the local Dominican house is a life-long member of the Toon Army.

Ministries, Charisms, Fruits - 14 Discernment

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)

In St Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, in the course of a list of the gifts given believers by the Holy Spirit, he mentions the gift of the discernment of spirits. It is spoken of in the context of spiritual gifts. What exactly does he mean by discernment of spirits? The ability to discern is a very important ability. Every day we have to discern between various choices we are faced with: should I marry this person, should I support this person, what kind of life am I attracted to or feel called to, etc. There is a multiplicity of things we must discern every day, and as believers we often ask the Holy Spirit, that divine spirit of truth and wisdom, to help us. Indeed we pray that we are able to make wise choices.

But what exactly was St Paul speaking of in this particular passage when he refers to the gift of discernment of spirits? At the time Paul was writing to the Corinthians such charismatic gifts were very common in the church of Corinth, and indeed were seen as proof of God’s activity in the church. In the Hellenistic world at the time forms of ecstasy were highly esteemed. It seems that the faithful of Corinth were seeing such gifts as an end in themselves, rather than using them for the good of the church community, perhaps even regarding the possession of such a gift as something to boast about personally. Paul doesn’t dispute the divine origin of the gifts, but he does want the faithful to recognise that such gifts are supposed to work in harmony for the good of the entire church. The gift of discernment is a gift that enables us to see what is really from God, and for the good of the church, and what is not. As Christians we ought to put our gifts at the service of the church, and to work in harmony with other Christians and their gifts for the building up of the church.

Ministries, Charisms and Fruits - 13 Interpretation

Our last post spoke of the gift of tongues as a charismatic gift, which manifested itself in the early Church at the time of St. Paul, and was seen as an important way in which the Holy Spirit worked in the Church. Indeed, there are signs that this gift is still given in the Church today, especially amongst those who are part of the charismatic movements. It is a gift that is often regarded with much suspicion by onlookers. It expresses itself as people speaking a series of words that to our ears seem to make no sense. What possible use could this be?

This question is one which was very important also in the time of St Paul. The First Letter to the Corinthians, in speaking of the many gifts, names 'the interpretation of tongues' as an important part of the whole range of gifts (1 Cor 12:10). We see how the gift of tongues is of no use unless the words spoken can be interpreted. Words should never be empty and meaningless, because this is a misuse of language. After all, words are only of use as a way of communicating, and, as such, an individual who speaks in a way that cannot be understood is not communicating at all. The tongues must be interpreted, and this is a gift in itself. This is just one of many ways in which we see how firmly Paul believes that the Christian life is not simply about the individual, but individuals united in a common belief in Jesus Christ, and living a life shaped by that belief.

There are different opinions about the charismatic gifts in today's Church. Nevertheless, there is much that all of us can learn from Paul's writings on the subject. After naming the charismatic gifts, he goes on to show how important it is that, whatever our gifts are, they are used for the building up of the Church. All the members of the Church have a range of gifts, and no two individuals are the same. This reality shows both how important and valued each and every individual is to God and to the Church, yet also how the individual forms part of the whole, and is dependent on the others. As part of the whole which is the body of Christ, the Church, we find both our dignity as individuals and a way of self-transcendence which makes us capable of more than we could ever imagine.

Ministries, Charisms, Fruits - 12 Tongues

The gift of tongues is a supernatural gift that was given for the aid of the further preaching of the Gospel following Ascension and Pentecost. St Luke relates the events of that first Pentecost, telling us that one hundred and twenty disciples of Galilean origin were heard to speak in a variety of diverse tongues according as the Holy Spirit had given them to speak. Approximately three thousand people were brought together at that time, representing two religious classes, Jews and proselytes, from fifteen different nations, seen to be symbolic of every nation under Heaven. Those present were confounded in mind, for each heard the wonderful things of God spoken in his own tongue. Many thought the disciples were grossly inebriated but St Peter justified this anomaly by explaining it in the light of prophecy as a sign of the last times (cf. Acts 2:1-15)

St Paul was a witness to the operation of the same, or a related, gift at Ephesus. He directs the Corinthians to employ nothing but articulate and plain speech in their use of the gift of tongues, and also to refrain from its use in Church unless what is said can be grasped by the unlearned (cf. 1 Cor 14). No tongue is genuine without the voice of interpretation and to use tongues in this way Paul considers to be the act of a barbarian. He considers that the impulse to praise God in one or more strange tongues should come from the Holy Spirit and counts it as an inferior gift, granting it a penultimate place in a list of eight charismata. In effect Paul teaches that it is a mere sign, meant not for believers but only for unbelievers.

Ministries, Charisms, Fruits - 11 Miracles

St Paul’s inclusion of miracle-working among the gifts of the Holy Spirit which he lists in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 12: 10) might seem rather strange: it certainly seems rather less common than those of wisdom, knowledge and faith which he mentions in the same chapter of that letter. Indeed, some people find talk of miracles to be one of the factors which puts them off Christianity: it’s all pious mumbo-jumbo, they say, and anyone who takes modern science seriously just can’t believe in that sort of thing.

Of course, as Christians we should not be afraid of scientific progress: the more scientific discoveries can explain, the more we can wonder at the amazing complexities of the natural order which we believe to be established by God the Creator of all that is. To ignore or disregard that (and so to explain everything in terms of immediate divine intervention) is not only to downplay the truly miraculous, but also to reject the glory of the natural order which is no less the work of God. And yet at the same time it seems clear that some occurrences completely defy a natural explanation, and it it is to these that we rightly ascribe the term ‘miracle’, a source of wonder: if we truly believe that God creates and sustains in being all that exists, then it makes sense that He can determine how it all works not only in general, but also in particular cases.

Thus for St Paul, miracles are not a disincentive to belief, but rather a sign of God’s power (cf. Gal 3: 5). But how does wonder-working as a gift of the Holy Spirit fit into all this? Just because God can work wonders, that doesn’t explain why he might allow human beings to exercise this power. In Galatians 3: 5 it is clear that, as with all the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the gift of working miracles is a sign of a person’s living faith which allows God to work through them. This in turn reminds us of Our Lord’s teaching that faith the size of a mustard seed will move mountains (Matt 17: 20), and that whatever we ask of the Father in his name will be given us (John 16: 23): God wills that his power be exercised through human beings.

People might ask why, if this is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, there isn’t much evidence of wonder-working in your average Catholic parish. To this we might respond first of all, as St Paul does, that not all are called to fulfil the same function in the Church (cf. 1 Cor 12: 28). At the same time we might note saints throughout the Church’s history who have borne during their lifetime the name of 'Thaumaturge' (or 'wonder-worker') because of this particular gift of the Holy Spirit which has been given to them. Examples are St Nicholas in the 4^th century, St Andrew Corsini in the 14^th, and, in the last century, St Pius of Pietrelcina, better known as Padre Pio. Still, we should not all expect to be like them. St Paul teaches us in that same first letter to the Corinthians to appreciate the variety of gifts and ministries in the Church, not jealously seeking any of them, but gratefully receiving them as God’s gifts. What we should strive for most of all, as he reminds us, is that greatest gift of the Holy Spirit which surpasses even the gift of working miracles, namely the gift of love (1 Cor 12:31-13:13).

Ministries, Charisms, Fruits -10 Serving

Service is central to the Christian life. We are called to follow our Lord in a life of service to God and our fellow man. The gift of the Holy Spirit mentioned in Romans 12:7 is a specific type of service, which may not be obvious from the English translation. St. Paul uses the Greek work diakonia. This word refers to administration within the Church. In the context of the early Church this would concern the distribution of alms and material aid. As the Church grew, the application of this gift grew and diversified. Today the Roman Curia, the central governing body of the Roman Catholic Church, coordinates and provides the necessary central organization for the correct functioning of the Church and the achievement of its goals. But it is only the tip of an administrative colossus which consists of the curiae of the individual dioceses and orders, the episcopal conferences, parish councils, group coordinators and many more sub-divisions. Of course the original need for administrators - the distribution of aid, material, educational and spiritual - still exists and has grown. The Catholic Church is the oldest and largest provider of aid in the world. Every branch of the Church has need of administration to ensure an effective and successful mission.

Administrators and bureaucrats do not have the best reputation. They are often caricatured as faceless, legalistic bean-counters or at worst scheming, calculating, powers-behind-the-throne. It is a sad fact but all too often these stereotypes are realised in individuals, such as wily cardinals and corrupt parish treasurers. Bureaucrats are necessary for the organisation of a community. They are not however a necessary evil we must tolerate. They should benefit the society that they serve and promote the common good. The Christian administrator does not only serve a human community but the Body of Christ. The Christian administrator, strengthened by the Holy Spirit, must follow Christ’s example of humble and selfless service. The Holy Spirit bestows not only the talent for organising, maintaining and administrating but also a sense of duty to the people of God.

Ministries, Charisms, Fruits - 9 Administration

Administration is an inescapable part of most of our lives and one that is often likely to raise a grimace at the mere mention of the word. The phone calls that have to be returned, the emails that have to be sent, the meetings we have to attend, rotas to organise and budgets to complete are all part of everyday life for many of us. This, of course, all takes time, patience and organisation. It is easy for us to lose sight of the ‘bigger picture’ and feel overwhelmed by administrative affairs and forget the true purpose behind it all. We may even hark back to a time when everything seemed so much simpler …

In religious life there is a particular temptation is to see these day-to-day affairs not as simply taxing but as an actual impediment to the spiritual dimension of our lives. In 1 Corinthians 12:28, however, we learn that this is far from the view we should hold and that the spiritual gift of administration is indeed vital in building, strengthening and maintaining the Church on earth:

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.

It is clear from this passage that it is the Spirit that furnishes us with the ability to build up the Kingdom and that administration has been a vital component of the Church since its very inception. We must also recognise that there are those especially granted with the gift of being able to administer effectively. Whilst it is vital that we all play our part we must recognise those among us with special talents in this area, and ensure that they are encouraged and productively employed and supported, for without them the task of building the Body of Christ would suffer immeasurably. It is important, therefore, that we remember our duty to use our spiritual gifts to carry out Christ’s plans on earth.

Prudence, as a cardinal virtue, is essential for an effective administrator. As St Thomas makes clear in the Summa this virtue of the practical intellect is required to make the assessments that take us from the end desired through possible means of choice and thence to command or precept. In other words deliberation, judgement and command are vital in effective administration. If we can cultivate this virtue in particular we shall find, with God’s grace that we are ever more able to labour productively as Christ’s co-workers in helping to build the reality of his kingdom on earth.

Ministries, Charisms, Fruits - 8 Healing

Of all the charismatic gifts that St. Paul describes, the gift of healing is probably the one which might, at first, appear least relevant to our modern world.  Even prophecy seems less obscure, since we can probably think of Christians who seem to have a certain wisdom for discerning what will be the end result of a particular situation.  How many of us can say that we have witnessed someone being healed by another Christian? Well, it depends on what exactly we mean by healing.

While the most obvious form of the gift of healing is the ability to heal physical ailments, this need not be the only form that the gift of healing might take.  There are those within the Church, most of us have met one of them, who have a great gift for healing the psychological and emotional wounds of others.  Just getting one of these people to listen to our problems or hearing their advice can be like a balm to the soul, and we know then and there that the Holy Spirit is working through this graced individual.  However, we should not completely exclude the power to heal physically from our consideration.  Certainly in the Acts of the Apostles we read about an extraordinary outpouring of love personified, the Holy Spirit, where after Pentecost the disciples are able to heal the sick through the laying on of hands, the anointing with oil and perhaps most astonishingly, simply uttering the holy name of Our Lord and Saviour.

These miracles are recounted with a frequency that gives the impression that they became almost routine, an expected part of the life of the Church.  This certainly seems to be the case in St. Paul, since he includes the gift of healing in his list of the gifts given by the Spirit.  St. Paul had himself experienced the gift of healing when he was cured of his blindness by Ananias (Acts 9:12) when he laid his hands on him.  Furthermore, those who have been given the gift of healing, while they may be rare, are not unknown in our time.  There are many who claim to have been cured of various physical ailments through the prayers of healers at Catholic charismatic events, for example.

Thus while the reason why the gift of healing seems to occur much less frequently in our own day than in the time of the apostolic age may remain a mystery to us whilst we remain on this earth, we do know that prayer is an incredibly powerful force for good in this world.  It is therefore our job as Christians to intercede to our heavenly Father, who never neglects to answer our prayers, on behalf of those who suffer in body and soul.

A Game of Two Halves ...

W/T to When Saturday Comes: The Half Decent Football Magazine, available at all good newsagents

Dominican Pilgrimage to Walsingham 2009

On Sunday 17th May, Dominican friars, sisters and laity came together, along with friends and parishioners, to Walsingham for the annual Dominican Pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lady in the little Norfolk village where she appeared to Richeldis in 1061. The Pilgrimage is an opportunity for us to commend the work of the Order to the protection of Mary, our Patroness, and to seek her prayers for our families and friends. It is also a chance for Dominicans from around the country to spend time together as the Dominican family, and in the pilgrimage to engage in a common act of the praising, blessing and preaching to which we are all called.

The day began with Mass at the Catholic Shrine, situated outside the village and incorporating the mediaeval Slipper Chapel, where pilgrims traditionally removed their shoes to walk the last mile into Walsingham barefoot: some of our pilgrims kept up this tradition on the Rosary Procession into the village which followed a picnic lunch that we had enjoyed sharing together, despite the wet weather. The rain finished before the start of the procession, though, and the sun even came out as we walked the Holy Mile, led by the statue of Our Lady of Walsingham which was carried by teams of friars and university students from Leicester and Cambridge, where there are Dominican chaplains.


Vespers and Benediction in the Parish Church of the Annunciation concluded the day, after an opportunity for tea and time to explore the village, and its various churches and shrines, Catholic, Anglican and Orthodox. Those who would be interested in joining us next year can already put Sunday 16th May 2010 in their diaries: more details should be available from Dominican priories in April.

Ministries, Charisms, Fruits - 7 Love

In the book of Deuteronomy we hear the great commandment "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might" (Deut 6:4-7), and this is a commandment that Jesus himself repeats in all three Synoptic Gospels. Love is central to the Christian life, and St Paul is keen to emphasise this: "if I am without love, I am nothing. Though I should give away to the poor all that I possess, and even give up my body to be burned - if I am without love, it will do me no good whatever" (1 Cor 13:2).

This could be a source of worry for some of us - are we supposed to always act with a strong sense of affection and oneness with God. No doubt there are some Christians who do have these feelings, and it is surely a good thing if people have the sorts of emotions that make them delight in doing good works. But the kind of love St Paul describes sounds more like an attitude or outlook, than an emotion: love is always patient and kind; love is trusting, hopeful and enduring. If we can have a loving attitude like this, then it will provide the firm ground in which other spiritual gifts can take root.

Yet there are attitudes and emotions that prevent us from loving properly - boastfulness, jealousy, conceit, rudeness and delight in wrongdoing, are all incompatible with love. These negative emotions and attitudes need to be done away with, but how do we get rid of them? St Paul says ‘All who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified self with all its passions and desires’ (Gal 5:24). By turning to Christ crucified, we can be freed from all those selfish passions and desires that prevent us from truly loving God.

But true love isn’t just about getting rid of negative passions. St Paul also says love 'finds its joy in the truth' (1 Cor 13:6). Thus true love is located in the highest part of the human soul, the intellect. In our mental appreciation and in our voluntary resolve, God should stand above everything else. From this appreciation and resolve all other love flows. When we love goodness and truth in God then we can love all of His creation through Him.

Ministries, Charisms, Fruits - 6 Faith

One of the constant themes in the writings of St Paul is the central role of faith. In 1 Cor 12:9, he speaks of faith as one of the manifestations of the Spirit given for the common good. In his letter to the Romans, Paul insists that righteousness comes through faith in Jesus Christ from first to last. No one will be saved by works or by following the requirements of the law. In Romans, Paul certainly says that there is a value in the law. They are the very words of God. But what God truly wants is not merely outward or physical signs and actions but the total obedience of the heart. Faith is not just faith in God but about believing and trusting that the same God who raised Jesus from the dead and glorified him at his right hand, will raise us also to enjoy a glorious inheritance. Paul puts forward Abraham as the model of faith because he trusted that God would be utterly faithful to his promise to make him the father of many nations.

This faith, which is the free and loving gift of God’s grace, is the total obedience to God and not just intellectual assent. Thus this faith calls us to imitate Christ more closely who “humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). It is by the obedience of faith that we become truly free. Sin, which has its root in disobedience to God, makes us slaves and burdens us. Faith is our liberation: “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Faith must involve the total transformation of a person's life. It must transform what we do and say each day. We are to put on “the new self, created to be like God in holiness and righteousness”. (Eph 4:24).

But how are people to believe if others do not answer the call to go out and preach the good news of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ? “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Rom 10:14). What greater joy can someone share with another than the good news about their faith in Christ? “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news” (Rom 10:15).

Ministries, Charisms, Fruits - 5 Knowledge

The "word of knowledge" (logos gnoseos) is only mentioned once in St Paul's letters, in 1 Corinthians 12:8. Its context in this letter is important, for the Corinthian church was noted for being "enriched in [Christ] with all speech and all knowledge" (1 Cor 1:5). And yet, Corinth was a Christian community marked by quarrels, dissent and manifest disunity during the Eucharist. Clearly, the Corinthians' gifts of prophecy and knowledge were not enough to unite them in Christ. For knowledge, although a gift of the Spirit, is "imperfect" (1 Cor 13:9) because we do not, in this life, ever possess perfect knowledge. More importantly, we do not always possess those virtues that help us to use this knowledge well.

But what does Paul mean by 'knowledge'? He explains that knowledge is a gift of the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us in baptism, and who "searches everything, even the depths of God"(1 Cor 2:10). Thus the Holy Spirit, who alone comprehends the thoughts of God, teaches and makes comprehensible to the human mind the spiritual things of God. However, knowledge, which is only given to some, is meant to be used at the service of the Church, "for the common good" (1 Cor 12:7). Paul uses the analogy of the one body with many members, co-ordinating together and serving the whole. So, no one member can be more important than the other, and thus no spiritual gift ought to be used selfishly. Rather, we are called to work together, with a diversity of spiritual gifts, so as to aim together for love (see 1 Cor 13:14). For Paul warns that "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up" (1 Cor 8:1) just as knowledge comes to an end, but love does not. As such, without love, knowledge amounts to nothing.

The exercise of knowledge in love means that we need to look out for one another, especially those who are "weak". In 1 Cor 8, he cites the interesting example of someone who knows that "there is no God but one", and so, it is tolerable to eat food offered to idols, since these do not really exist. However, there might be other Christians who do not have this knowledge concerning the one God, and they are thus misled into thinking that it is acceptable to eat food offered to idols, whom he still thinks to be real. In such a case, the weaker are scandalised and misled by the knowledgeable, and all suffer. So Paul argues that it is better for those with knowledge to forego their 'rights' for the sake of the 'weaker'. For "if one member suffers, all suffer together" (1 Cor 12:26).

Therefore, in 1 Cor 14:6, Paul says that knowledge only benefits the Church if it is taught to others and exercised in love to build up the Church, rather than used for self-gratification. One is reminded of the Dominican ideal that study is always at the service of preaching, so that we do not become academics who pursue selfish and arcane interests, but always seek humbly to hand on the fruits of our contemplation. Sometimes theologians and scholars can fail to do this, and they may scorn the less knowledgeable, or behave in a manner that scandalises the faithful. Such knowledge, then, although it is correct, is useless. But if it is taught with the patience and kindness that characterises love, and the humility that comes from realising that all knowledge comes from God, then it will bear fruit and contribute to the good and growth of the Church.

Ministries, Charisms, Fruits - 4 Wisdom

St Paul obviously had an ambivalent attitude to “wisdom”. In 1 Cor 3:19 he writes that “the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God”. What Paul means here is a natural or “earthly” human wisdom. This kind of wisdom is indeed seen rather critically. Christ himself confirms in his prayer to the Father that the revelation of God’s kingdom remained hidden from the wise and understanding (cf. Matt 11:25; Luke 10:21).

Nevertheless, in 1 Cor 12:8 Paul praises the “utterance of wisdom which is given through the Spirit”. The wisdom which St Paul preaches is the Cross. He writes earlier in this first letter to the Corinthians (1:23-24) that “we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” This is the wisdom about which a Christian is called to speak: Christ crucified. St Paul himself does not try to convince his audience with “plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit”. All this might show us that the gift of which he speaks in 1 Cor 12:8 is, of course, not of the earthly, foolish kind of wisdom. It is exactly “a demonstration of the Spirit”.

But we must see that the wisdom in 1 Cor 12:8 is not a gift for everybody in the community. It is a special charisma only for a few. Therefore Paul does not write that through the Spirit is given “wisdom”, but the “utterance of wisdom”. He is here not talking about having or knowing wisdom. He talks about a gift of instruction. But such a gift of instruction is an extraordinary phenomenon. In the preceding verses St Paul makes it quite clear that the gifts he lists in his letter to the Church in Corinth are not for personal sanctification. Those to whom these gifts are granted are, rather, given a high responsibility. They are made instruments of God for the good of the community. These gifts are freely given for the service of others. St Thomas writes in his commentary on Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians: “the personal graces enable the Holy Spirit to dwell in us; the ministerial graces do not do this but only enable the Holy Spirit to be made manifest.”

But there is a diversity of ministries and no one has all of them. If these gifts were necessary for personal sanctification, it would be fitting that everybody should have all of them. But they are given “for some benefit”: the building up of the community. And it is not even Paul’s intention to present an exhaustive list of gifts or manifestations of God’s Spirit. He rather demonstrates to the recipients of his letter, the Church in Corinth, which is divided due to sundry quarrels, that there is a great diversity of manifestations of the Spirit. It is one and the same Spirit, as St Paul says, who is the source of all gifts, God’s Spirit. Therefore the gifts must not be a cause for conflicts and separation in the community, since it is God who acts through them.

Ministries, Charisms, Fruits - 3 Teachers

St Paul speaks of the place of church teachers within the context of different ministries’ or positions of service within the church community. From the outset this needs to be seen, that the position of teachers is one at the service of the community for the building up of the church and the affirmation of the belief of the faithful in Christ. In Romans 12:6-8 this is clearly shown, teaching is spoken of as one of a variety of church ministries:

We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; ministry, in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; the exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness.

The different ministries are described as gifts, charismata, grace-gifts given to the church by God. According to John Ziesler 'all Christian life is the result of divine grace and thus charismatic, but it must be seen within the mutuality and discipline of the whole body, the church' (Paul’s Letter to the Romans SCM Press London 1989).

How does Paul see the role of teaching as distinct, say, from prophecy? Probably in that teaching, unlike prophecy, does not claim a special divine inspiration. It is a faithful transmission of the tradition found in the Old Testament, in what was known about the life and teaching of Jesus, and in Christian catechetical material. Its purpose is the building up of the church. In 1 Corinthians 12:28 Paul writes:

God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership, various kinds of tongues.

In this section of 1 Corinthians Paul claims that such gifts do come from God and are therefore to be respected and accepted as such. They are given for the benefit of the church. In Ephesians 4:11 he writes:

The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.

Here Paul tells us that all such gifts are for the benefit of the church, and its mission, the building up of Christ’s Body. Teaching is a necessary ministry in the church, especially now when basic knowledge of the faith is on the decline. It is a ministry that is open to anyone within the church and indeed all the faithful have a responsibility for teaching and faithfully passing on the faith.

Saints This Month -16 May St. Brendan the Navigator

Saint Brendan had a boat,

They proved it could be done.

Sailed off to find America,

before it had begun......

-From St Brendan Had a Boat by The Elders

Saint Brendan of Clonfert was one of the great early Irish monastic saints. One of the twelve Apostles of Erin, who studied under St. Finian, he was born in County Kerry in 484. He was ordained Priest in 512 and began to construct monastic cells in Ardfert. In 530, it is believed he began his famous seven year voyage to the west, in search of Eden or the Isle of the Blessed.

It has been suggested that his voyage was prompted by an angel, after Brendan had doubted that God was the creator. He set sail with sixty pilgrims in a leather clad boat. During his voyage he encountered many strange and wonderful sights, the most famous being the Jasconius. On Easter Sunday the group spotted and landed on an island to say Mass. After Brendan had lit the Easter fire the island began to shake and it transpired that it was actually an enormous whale. As the pilgrims tried to escape the beast tried to encircle the boat by putting its tail in its mouth but Brendan, invoking the Lord, banished it to the depths.

One of the most interesting elements of the legend is their final destination. The Isle of the Blessed or as it came to be known, St. Brendan’s Island. It has been suggested that this island might have been America. Columbus used the manuscript Navigatio sancti Brendani abbatis when plotting his own voyage, remarking later "I am convinced that the terrestrial paradise is in the Island of Saint Brendan, which none can reach save by the Will of God". Recently this legend prompted the Irish explorer Tim Sherwin, to demonstrate that it was possible to cross the Atlantic in a leather clad boat.

However St. Brendan is not a saint because he had a marvellous journey. On his return to Ireland he attracted much interest and began a programme of building monasteries across the country. In 550, he made a less eventful journey across the Irish Sea, established a house in Wales and visited the holy island of Iona. He returned to Ireland and preached through the province of Leinster. He died in 577.

It is impossible to verify the events of St. Brendan’s life but there is an important message from the legend. Heaven is not, as Belinda Carlisle said, a place on earth, it is not a location we can find on a map or by exploring; and yet the kingdom is here, it is in the Gospel and in the person of Jesus Christ. In the Church we experience the Kingdom and through the Church we are led to the Kingdom.

Ministries, Charisms, Fruits - 2 Prophets

Throughout the history of Israel there were many prophets and the stories of their lives and their writings have been handed down to us in the Old Testament. These venerable figures were inspired by God to perform a task, namely to prepare the people of Israel for the coming of God in the person of Jesus Christ. We also have an account in the Gospel of the most important of all of them, John the Baptist, whose mission was to 'prepare the way of the Lord'. All the prophets had a common task: they were sent by God as messengers to the people, bringing God's message to them. In the writings of Paul, we see however that prophecy continued to have an important role. This role was different to that of the Old Testament prophets and John the Baptist. It is not one of preparing the people for the coming of God as man. That event has already happened.

Prophecy is, according to Paul, one of the charismata, gifts given through the grace of God. The grace that comes to us by the Holy Spirit justifies and sanctifies us, but also makes us useful in doing God's work. The exercise of this gift is spoken of as a specific role or ministry in the Church. Prophets have a role in building up the Church, the Body of Christ. Paul thinks that prophets are people who have a particularly strong faith, a close relationship with God. They are able to be responsive to the movement of the Holy Spirit, and are able to discern the will of God for the believing community, and proclaim it (Romans 12:6). Prophets were important in the early Church, precisely because they spoke words that came from God. This had a beneficial effect not only on the dynamics of the Christian community, but also in the development of mission and outreach to those who did not believe.

In today's Church, the need for the prophetic ministry is every bit as important as in the early Church. Listening to the voice of the Lord, speaking especially through those who proclaim and preach the Gospel, is essential in building up the Church, and helping its members to live as one body in the truth of Christ. It is also important in making sure that the message of the Gospel is heard by all those who do not believe, that they might come to Christ.

Ministries, Charisms, Fruits - 1 Apostles

The term apostolos in Greek is one that denotes a “sent one,” a messenger who comes with a message from another. But the word is applied in a particular way when it speaks of those who are “Apostles of Christ”. It refers to those who have received the gift of apostleship, personally chosen and sent by Christ Himself to bear witness to Him to people in a personal way. In this sense, all Christians may be said to be apostles, but the gift of Apostleship was one given only to a few.

Paul repeatedly identifies himself as an Apostle. In the First Letter to the Corinthians, Paul defends his apostleship, showing that he has the various qualities of an Apostle: “have I not seen the Lord,” he asks (1 Cor 9:1). A personal encounter with the Risen Lord was a criterion for the appointment of Judas’ replacement, as we read in Acts of the Apostles 1:21-22. When we read of the commissioning of the Apostles in Matthew’s Gospel, we learn that Jesus also gave them power to perform miracles in His name. In the same letter, Paul also claims this as a mark of the authenticity of his Apostleship: “truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds” (1 Cor 12:12).

When constructing an ecclesiology, Paul places the Apostles in a position of unique honour. In 1 Corinthians 12:28, they are listed as “first” in importance. This is in keeping with the prophecy made by the Lord when we read of the commissioning of the Apostles in Luke. Here the Lord says that in the coming Kingdom, they will “sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22:29-30). In the Book of Revelation their names are on the twelve foundation stones of the New Jerusalem.

Those who were granted the gift of Apostleship hold a prime place of honour in the new life we have in Christ. As the personal messengers of Christ, they share in his ministry of preaching and healing. In their ministry, conducted with the anointing of the Holy Spirit, they are the foundations of the Church.

A Lack of Moral Authority?

Over the last week the Daily Telegraph has revealed the details of the expense claims made by British Members of Parliament. The claims have ranged from the petty, such as 88p bath plugs, to the outrageous, such as the upkeep of a "pergola cross beam". It is an understatement but the public’s respect for our elected representatives has dissolved. The House of Commons is now perceived as being full of arrogant and detached individuals who, due to their position, feel that they are entitled to milk the tax-payer for as much as possible. In most cases, House rules have not been broken. It is quite obvious that whilst the letter of the law has been followed the spirit has certainly been ignored. Expenses are available so that citizens may be served as fully as possible by their representative to parliament. It is very difficult to see how having a sauna installed or a moat cleaned enables this.

Stephen Fry, commenting on the recent scandal, said "it's not that important, it really isn't." He argued that being imaginative with expenses is a reality of life and normal behaviour. The problem with this however is that Mr Fry forgets that our earthly authorities have to set a higher standard. Governing is a sacred duty. St Thomas, writing on kingship, compares the role of the authority in society to that of the soul in the body and of God in the universe. It is the head of a body and has a duty to lead it to its end. The end of human society, which our government should be leading us to, is the virtuous life. The higher end of the virtuous life is to attain the happiness of God which is the ultimate end. However, if the head of the body-politic is not leading by example, if it is rotten with greed and arrogance, this will pollute the whole society.

The vocation to public office is built on service; serving God, society and our fellow human beings. If our representatives lose sight of this and adopt a perverse self-serving attitude how can citizens find any moral authority in their leaders? How can an authority, lacking this moral authority, lead society?

The Year of Paul - Ministries, Charisms, Fruits of the Spirit

To mark the final weeks of the Year of Paul, Godzdogz will offer a series of reflections on the ministries, charisms and fruits of the Spirit identified by St Paul in his letters and frequently referred to by him. We will treat of the ministry of apostles, prophets, teachers, healers, administrators and 'servers'; of the charisms of wisdom, knowledge, faith, love, miracles, tongues, interpretation and discernment; and of the fruits of joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

In this way we will together recall the rich vision of the Christian community presented by St Paul, his understanding of the many parts that go to make up the one body, the many gifts of the one Spirit, the varieties of service to the one Lord, and the varieties of working inspired in every one by the one God. Each of us finds ourselves somewhere among these ministries, charisms and fruits. Our hope is that by meditating on them together we will gain a richer sense of our call and live it out more confidently from day to day.

Please post your comments to these reflections to ask for further clarification or to fill out what we say from your meditation on Paul's writings.

Studentate Trip to Mapledurham

On Saturday 25th April the Dominican students, accompanied by Fr David Goodill O.P., took a trip to Mapledurham, a Catholic recusant house just outside Reading. Built between 1588 and 1612, the house is very unusual in that, unlike most recusant house that were simply adapted. it was purpose-built to be a place where the Catholic Blount family could hide priests and where Mass could be celebrated in secret.


The owner, Mr John Eyston, a descendant of the Blount family, was kind enough to welcome us to celebrate Mass in the family chapel, built in the 18th century, and then proceeded to give us a fascinating and informative tour. The house has several hiding holes in which priests would hide from the authorities during penal times, and we were all most impressed at how cleverly constructed these hiding holes were. They boasted many ingenious features that allowed the priest, among other things, to look out into the grounds of the house and to escape when the coast was clear. The hiding holes must have served their purpose for there is no record of a priest ever being captured at Mapledurham!


The house boasts many other interesting features, including a bureau that hides an altar, complete with tabernacle and candlesticks inside. All of this made for a very enjoyable day, particularly as we were blessed with fine weather. The house is well worth a visit, it would interest anyone but is of particular interest for Catholics of course, being such a good reminder of how much our ancestors in the faith suffered and struggled to remain true to the faith of the Catholic Church during those dark years.


After we toured the house, we shared a meal together in a local pub. The fact that we could now openly enjoy our fraternal life together, and visibly as Catholic friars, was a sign of how times had changed. And so, we thanked God for the witness of those recusants who had gone before us, and pray that we will be faithful to their memory by bearing witness to the Gospel in these lands.

Mapledurham house is located in the village of Mapledurham, Reading and is open to the public from April to September on Weekends and Bank Holidays. More information can be found at www.mapledurham.co.uk

EUDONET Meeting

During Easter week the European Dominican Network (EUDONET) organised a weeklong conference on the institutions of the European Union in Brussels. The event aimed to demystify some of elements of the leviathan-like EU and explore how the Church can minister to it. The occasion also allowed members of the Dominican family, including student-brothers from Poland, England, Germany and the Spanish provinces, to meet and get to know each other.

Based in the International Priory in Brussels (a shining example of European co-operation), we were privileged to be located within walking distance of most of major offices of the Commission and the Brussels’ chamber of the European parliament. Over the week we had numerous meetings with high-ranking civil servants of the Directorates-General, including two serving Director-Generals. All our hosts were very welcoming and very willing to answer our questions as honestly and as fully as they could.

As well as meeting officials of the commission and parliament of the EU we were fortunate to meet with a Deputy Assistant Secretary General of another great example of European co-operation, NATO. One of the highlights of the week was a meeting with the Deputy-General Secretary of COMECE, the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community. This provided opportunity for a lively debate and discussion on how the Church should formally work with the EU and on the Christian roots of Europe.

The week was a great success. There was a marvellous sense of fraternity among the members of the group and many friendships were formed (as well as many fine Belgian beers tasted, especially in the Dominican-run pub The Blackfriars). At times it occurred to me that whilst the EU seems to struggle in its endeavour to increase European co-operation it forgets that the Church has allowed this type of relationship to flourish for over a millennium, not only in Europe but throughout the whole world. This certainly can be seen in the Order of Preachers, as this week itself demonstrated