Stormy Weather

There are many voices in the world-wide Catholic press and the blogosphere urgently seeking discussion and reform, looking for solutions to the problems that presently face us.

How far that noise reaches is a matter of conjecture. Certainly within the group of concerned individuals, both clerical and lay, there is a seriousness and honesty that cannot, should not, be ignored. They are asking real questions, looking for real solutions.

So many want, within the family of the Church, to resolve many of the current issues. Some can be moved forward quickly if there were a willingness to act. For others a solution, realistically, will take time to reach fruition. But all can be discussed and must be.

It is this central problem that is causing so much frustration. The feeling we perceive that by saying nothing, by not responding, the clouds will pass over and all will be fine again.

Here in the UK, the headline issue is the management of the BBC and the ensuing chaos from editorial decisions over two Newsnight programmes that cost the Director General his job last Saturday night. The internal structure of a big company, national or international, must have responsible chains of command that support efficient and effective management. Otherwise real problems arise and consequences follow.

But the Church is not an international company and it must not pretend to be so. The Christian community should be responsive to the needs of those within it and open to those who seek to know more, at the local level. Our way of seeking problem resolution must be Gospel led.

It is one thing to hear the noise of social and spiritual concern, it is quite another to actually listen to the voices raised and so seek a new way forward that actually meets local needs. The Bishop in Brazil, recently widely reported to have a diocese of 600,000 people and only 30 priests to serve them, must be allowed to seek a local solution that will enable the Eucharist to be shared.

The Jubilee Declaration, signed by 27 international theologians, published in early October, asks real questions and has met with responsive support from nearly 1250 further signatories.

Fine. It needs many, many more. And it ought to be given the respect it deserves by honest and open response from National Bishops’ Conferences. If you haven’t seen it, here is the link, check it out.

Turbulent seas give rise to sea-sickness and you long for the waters to settle after a storm and for your own body metabolism to return to something akin to normality. But the peril of taking to the water is the risk of storms. The Gospel account of Jesus and his disciples on the Sea of Galilee uses that graphic image. It also reflects that trust is integral to a difficult journey. So, however rough the passage gets, let’s hang on to that image, of the Lord being with us. Thomas Merton concluded his Journal Woods, Shore, Desert with the words “Hang on to the clear light”

Not a bad image for our present times.

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