Monday, January 31, 2011

Highlights from Bishop Joe's funeral

Funeral for Bishop Joe Grech, Sacred Heart Cathedral, Bendigo Australia. 6th January, 2011.

Words of comfort from Bishop Joe

By Bishop Joseph Grech
April 2009

This month we celebrate one of the great feasts in the church’s calendar – Easter. Easter Sunday is the culmination of the week that we call “Holy” because we remember the suffering, Passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Easter Sunday has been a source of hope for millions of people over the past two thousand years.

It is the feast that gives constant fresh impetus for all of us to proclaim that Jesus is the hope of every person at every age.

It marks an incredible reality that Jesus, who died on the cross, is no longer dead but he is alive – encouraging, healing and loving us at this very moment.

As I was reflecting on these realities, a question came across my mind: “But why did Jesus rise? Why make so much fuss about Easter?”

In the first letter that St Paul wrote to the Christian community of Corinth, a city that is still thriving today in Greece, he affirms: “In fact, however, Christ has been raised from the dead as the first fruits of all who have fallen asleep” (1 Cor 15:20).

What does it all mean? Those “who have fallen asleep” refers to those who have died. But what is the meaning of “first fruits”?

I am a city boy.  I have lived most of my life in the hustle and bustle of city life.

However, now that I have been in the diocese for eight years, I am getting more in tune with how our people who work the land feel and think.

The farmer is very keen to see how the first fruits of the harvest would turn out.
He or she is very much aware that if the first produce of the harvest is good then the whole harvest will be good.

However, if the first fruits do not reveal the expected promise and do not produce good fruits then the farmer will be worried because it is an indication that the whole harvest will not produce the expected good results.

The first fruits give an indication of what the whole harvest is going to be like.
What happens to the first fruits will also happen with the whole harvest.
We can now understand what Paul was trying to say to the people of Corinth as well as to us.
Jesus is the first fruits.

So what happened to Jesus is going to happen to all of us.

Jesus died and therefore we are all going to die.

Yet Jesus did not remain dead. He rose again and that is precisely what is going to happen to us.
What a great faith we have been privileged to embrace.

What a great promise for all of us as followers of Jesus.

I needed a big healing regarding death.

My father died very young and his death left me with a terrible hurt and dejection.

It is true I was brought up believing in the resurrection. However, this belief was only in the head. My heart could not experience the reality.

Some twenty years ago I spent some time in Assisi. About a 20-minute walk down the hill there is the church of San Damiano.

This church is very significant both for St Francis as well as for St Clare, the founder of the Poor Clares.

It was in this church that St Francis felt that Jesus was calling him to build his church in a spiritual manner.

It was also in this place that St Clare lived with her first sisters of the order that she founded.
Close to this church there is dormitory where Clare and her sisters slept.

Today, there is a bunch of flowers where her bed used to be, and on the wall there is a brass plaque commemorating her death.

I made my way to this place and I prayed in my heart: “Lord, heal me from this fear of death. Let me experience the power of your resurrection”.

As I entered the dormitory I stopped in front of the bunch of flowers and continued to pray the same prayer.

All of a sudden I felt surrounded by something that felt like a big sponge. I was totally enveloped in peace and total comfort.

I also felt separate from all the other people who, at that time, were also visiting that place.
Then I heard a voice deep within me saying these precise words: “Joe, I have taken care of you over the past forty years and I have not done a bad job, have I? Do you think that I will leave you alone at that moment when you need me most?”  I cried a lot that day.

They were tears of joy and relief as a result of meeting the resurrected Jesus.
However, Jesus rose from the dead not only to assure us of our own resurrection.
There is also another reason.  I have also often asked.

“Well, yes, Jesus is alive, but what is he doing now?”

Is he quite comfortably in heaven doing His own thing or simply twirling his thumbs?
I let St Paul talk about this once again.  In the letter to the Hebrews St Paul shares these words: “It follows then, that his (Jesus’s) power to save those who come to God through him is absolute, since he lives forever to intercede for them.” (Heb 7:25).

It expresses the same idea later on in the same letter: “It is not as though Christ had entered a man-made sanctuary which was merely a model of the real one; he entered heaven itself, so that he now appears in the presence of God, on our behalf. (Heb 9:24).

In plain English, what Paul is saying is that Jesus is alive today and that he is constantly praying for you and me.

Wow!

This is the reason we need to take our faith seriously and practise it.

In life there are times when things go well and we feel on top of the world.

There are also those times when we become more anxious and fearful.

Easter means that Jesus is constantly within us and protecting us.

So there is no room for panic.

We face what needs to be faced with courage and perseverance.

We do the best we can in a particular situation. We consult those who can provide authentic wisdom and care.

We also surround ourselves with good friends who will constantly support and encourage us and, most importantly, to hold steadfast knowing that our God is walking with us every single moment.

St Paul had many moments of difficulty.  He suffered physical and emotional stress at times from those who were closest to him.

However, he never panicked.  He kept saying: “I can do anything in Him (Jesus) who gives me strength” ( Phil 4:13).

Let us keep repeating this prayer. As believers in Jesus and in unity with our Christian community there is absolutely nothing that we cannot face and overcome.

– Happy Easter

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Sunday Snippets: A Catholic Carnival #9

I haven't been blogging very much for the second-half of 2010, and it has been a while since I posted my snippets, so here goes in one big mouthful!!!


  • Finally, in "Anglicanorum coetibus" I speak of the newest members of the Roman Church, the former Anglican's.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Anglicanorum coetibus

In November 2009, Pope Benedict XVI extended an invitation to members of the Anglican Church who want to be in full communion with Rome. Many Anglican's in the last two-decades are leaving their once traditional church for the Roman Church because of things they see as against original teaching, such as ordination of women and the progressiveness of many liberals calling for same-sex marriage rights.

January 2011 saw three former Anglican Bishops leave the Anglican Communion in favor of the Catholic Church, being ordained as Priests, not able to hold office as Catholic Bishops because they are married. There are not many big differences between Anglicans and Catholics, but one of these is the ability for Anglican clergy to marry. They will still be able to remain married, but not hold high-office as Bishops.

Furthur to the events of January 2011, the first Personal Ordinariate for former Anglican's was launched in England and Wales, called the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham under the patronage of another former Anglican turned Roman Catholic, Blessed John Henry Newman.

These Personal Ordinariates apparently work much like many others that are in existence, such as Opus Dei, a Roman Catholic Personal Prelature. They have a prefect which they are subject to, in this case, the former Anglican Bishops now turned Catholic Priests, with the ability to keep parts of their Anglican Liturgy and History, but are still ultimatelly subject to the Holy See.

It is an exciting time in Catholic and Anglican circles alike as we in Australia prepare for our own Personal Ordinariate. It won't involve me as I am already a Catholic, not an Anglican, but it does make me wonder how things will end up. Will there be former Anglican Churches given to the newly formed Anglican-Catholics, or will they need to build their own?

In some parts of the world, whole parishes are converting en-masse to Catholicism - clergy, parishioners - the lot. What happens then to their once Anglican Church? Does it then get reassigned a new Anglican Minister, or in the light of a whole parish going extinct, does the Anglican Church simply cut their losses and let them keep it?

There will be many of the above questions and many more to explore when the time comes! The Anglican Church has full support for this iniatiative of the Pope. The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams, "regretfully" accepted the resignation of his, now former, Bishops whom wished to be in full communion with Rome.

So what does the future hold? With so many Christians wanting unity instead of so many denominations dotted around the world, and now perhaps the second or third largest denomination in Christendom cracking at its foundations, could we see a Catholic Monarchy in Britain one day? Could be eventually see the merge of all Traditional Anglican Churches with the Roman Church, leaving just a small fragmented group of liberal Anglican's doing it on their own?

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Is this the end times?


Not a question new to anybody, by any means. Whether you are in the circles of science, religion, "conspiracy theories" or none at all, you would have heard plenty on the end of the world, in particular those in generation X,Y and Z.

Many signs will point to the time of our destruction, but when this will happen, no one knows. No amount of human technology will be able to predict the exact moment of our demise. Given recent natural disasters and death of animal life, it seems things are well and truly on its final spin.

Birds falling from the sky, fish dying in mass quantities - a map with international occurences can be found here

In the religious perspective, Jesus said He would not be coming back until the third temple of Jerusalem is built. We also have to have the antichrist, then finally, the world-wide-war on a scale previously unknown, at the center of the Holy Land - Israel. The largest natural gas reserve was also discovered. Where? Israel! Read about it here.

Recent devestation has taken over the Eastern board of Australia with the mass flooding in Queensland, Northern NSW, Victoria and Tasmania, while in Western Australia, they are experiencing a dry summer with the occurence of bush-fires. The State of Queensland has been devestated so much that 75% of that state has been declared a "natural disaster zone" and this state takes up the whole north-eastern-corner of Australia, much bigger than the USA State of Texas!

There has also been many warnings in the first half of the 20th century - visions such as in Fatima, visions experience by St. Faustina Maria Kowalska, the Saint of "Divine Mercy" as well as numerous other Holy See Authenticated and un-authenticated visions, sightings and miracles, mostly dealing with the end times - repentence, trust in Jesus, faith in Mary the Virgin Mother of God and miracles.

Now, more than ever, people should start analysing their lives - their personal spiritual convictions - because who knows when the world will end? Tomorrow? Next week? Next century? No one knows, but He, the Divine Architect of the Universe.

St. Mary of the Cross Mackillop, pray for us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
St. Michael the Archangel, pray for us.
Jesus' Heart of Divine Mercy, have mercy on us.

Islam: What was I thinking?

No matter where in this world you live, you spend time exploring "exotic" things - from fashion and food to lifestyles, cultures and religion. In the Western World for instance, Christianity is just the norm, not an exotic faith like the many Asian faiths that have become increasingly poplular with young Westerners, from Buddhism and Hinduism, even Judaism, Kabbalism and Islam.

If you have been a reader of my previous posts, then you will realise that a couple of months ago (my last post!) I was reading up on Islam and reviewing many different DVDs. I was starting to doubt certain doctrines that have been instilled in me from birth, such as the Trinity.

What of now? What has changed? Simply put, I realise I wasn't in search of the One True God, but in search for something more "exotic" and Islam has fascinated me on many different levels, from its misrepresentation in the media through to the very historical foundations of the faith.

I cannot however throw away nearly twenty-five years of Christianity just because some other faith is considered to be more exotic in this region of the world... If I were to fly to the Middle East, I'm sure Christianity would be somewhat classified as an exotic religion of the West!

I believe in Jesus. I believe in God. I believe in the Holy Spirit. How the Trinity works I cannot explain, nor can anyone else, it is purely a mystery of our Catholic faith. I like that we have so many great people down in the history books as Saints and Blesseds. I'm proud I can trace the lineage of Popes all the way back to St. Peter. I am proud that my faith is the largest single denomination out of all faiths.

So here I stay, perhaps not kool, exotic or fashionable... but is the truth ever?