" PAST " RARE COMBINATION OF GENIAL GOOD HUMOUR AND POWERFUL CORRECTION OF ERROR

Cardinal Pell in 2009 Preaching in Cork,Ireland

  

He is a no nonsense sort of Prelate - I have heard him say :"All I do, is do what the Catholic Church does, and teach what the Catholic Church teaches, and let the chips fall where they may." He is of course Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney.

Last Sunday, in typical good form and with even more of his genial good humour than usual, he delivered this powerful Homily, which is a classic - starting with gentle humour and steadily winding up with forceful teaching, before delivering a knockout blow at some post- Conciliar nonsense.:

"9th Sunday in Ordinary Time


St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydney

Deut 11:18, 26-28, 32; Mt 7:21-27

By + Cardinal George Pell

Archbishop of Sydney

6 March 2011

This year it seems that the Feast of Easter is celebrated as late in the year as is possible. We know that the date of Easter is still controverted with Western and Eastern Churches celebrating on different days.

Our situation is not as bad as it was in 387 when St. Augustine observed that Easter was celebrated in Gaul on March 21st, in Italy on April 18th and at Alexandria on April 25th. The earliest dispute was between those who followed the Jewish method of dating the Passover, celebrating the Paschal (or full) moon, on a fixed day of the lunar month and those who believed the celebration should be on the following Sunday. The ancient Church opted for a Sunday.

The two major schools of Christian theology in ancient times were at Antioch and Alexandria and they moved in different directions after this initial clarification. Antioch accepted the Jewish reckoning, while Alexandria developed their own system always placing Easter after the vernal equinox i.e. the spring date when night and day all over the earth are of equal length. Rome came to follow Alexandria.

There was trouble when the Roman missionaries came to England in the 590s, where the established Celtic Churches followed a different dating practice. As late as 651 Queen Eanfleda of Northumbria, following the Roman rule, celebrated Palm Sunday on the day her husband King Oswy was celebrating Easter! In the fourth and fifth centuries the Church of Rome would have forbade us to celebrate Easter on April 24th, as we do this year, because for them April 21st was the cut-off date!

I am not sure that this is of any particular use for your spiritual or moral development, but it helps explain why I could not find any evidence that I had preached on this gospel text on any earlier occasion.

Today's passage is almost at the end of a long section of particular instructions, which Our Lord gave to his inner circle of disciples rather than to the general public, often known as the Great Instruction. It runs through chapters five to seven and concludes with Matthew noting that the crowds were deeply impressed, because Jesus taught authoritatively, not like their scribes.

One characteristic of much of the Great Instruction is the prominence Jesus gives to reward and punishment. Some high minded commentators, well formed in the Christian tradition and perhaps influenced, even unknowingly, by the eighteenth century German philosopher Immanuel Kant, teach that virtue should be its own reward and that acting for a reward makes an act less good or moral.

Our Lord did not follow that line at all, promising men and women the salvation that comes from God alone (which is offered to those who enter the Kingdom, purchased by Jesus' blood). This is an immense blessing which requires an appropriate response from us; a turning to God or a conversion.

No one is claiming that we merit the prize of heaven, although our good works do merit some reward, because the happiness of heaven is far beyond anything we might attain through our own efforts.

I like this gospel passage, because Our Lord is saying that doers rather than talkers will enter the kingdom of heaven. As someone who has to do a lot of talking, the message is not entirely reassuring, but I am happy to endorse the priority of deeds over words. As a child I was told that talk can be cheap and that personal integrity is needed, a congruence between what we are and what we say.

Popular wisdom takes up this theme too. "You can talk the talk, but can you walk the walk?" it asks. An Irish friend claimed that the next saying was Chinese, but it sounds Irish to me: "There's a lot of noise on the stairs, but no one coming down"! By a coincidence this passage about the doers rather than the sayers entering the Kingdom has some relevance for a discussion which took place at a recent clergy meeting.

You all know that later this year the entire English-speaking world will adopt a single new translation of the third edition of the Roman Missal.

The peoples' parts are not much changed, but the priests' parts have more important changes. One controversial point is the translation of the words of consecration where Jesus' blood is described as being poured out "for you and for all for the forgiveness of sins".

The Latin words are "pro vobis et pro multis" which we now translate as "for you and for all". Often language groups translate this, following the Latin more closely, as "for many". What should the new translation say?

The presidents of bishops' conferences were consulted, opinion was divided, but eventually the decision was that in future the priest will say "for you and for many".

One priest was upset by this (and he is not alone) and has asked who were excluded and why they were excluded. It is not a bad question and the answer is in today's gospel.

Jesus died for everyone in the sense that salvation is offered to all, but Our Lord was also very clear that some refuse that offer. In fact he also seems to suggest that only a few enter and that most miss the cut. Let us hope this is not the case. The people who are excluded are excluded by their own refusal to enter the narrow gate, by being merely talkers rather than doers and refusing to build their lives on the sure foundations of faith and good works. Solid foundations will ensure that our houses will not fall over in the floods and storms. Jesus did not promise salvation to everyone.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.  "


Lucky the Archdiocese that has such a Bishop!

" PAST " CARDINAL PELL HITS THE NAIL ON THE HEAD

 

Technical problems with Google indexing have made it desirable to re-post all of our material. I hope you will find interest in reflecting with me, on the history of the Church over the centuries and during the life of the Blog which began on 14th December 2009. This post first appeared on 9th March 2011. 

 Cardinal Pell preaching in Sydney's magnificent Saint Mary's Basilica

 

In his Homily the Sunday before last Cardinal George Pell got to speaking about commitment in the context of the dearth of vocations in the recent past and the growth of young unmarried couples living together, read what His Eminence said:

"It is fascinating to ponder whether the increasing level of prosperity in Australia over the last fifty years is connected with the decline in the number of seminarians and young religious and with the increasing number of young people who live together and are reluctant to commit to each other permanently and exclusively in the institution of marriage. Is our example, our easier life style (at least physically) encouraging a materialism and selfishness, which make it harder for young people to make commitments which involve explicit sacrifices? We have something to ponder and pray about here."

As so often, and in his characteristically laconic style, he hits the nail on the head.

Happily, in more recent years, and under His Eminence's leadership, the Archdiocese of Sydney has enjoyed a continuing growth in the number of Seminarians, so that it now has a total of 45 at its two seminaries and studying in Rome. It takes inspiring leadership and the Grace of the Holy Spirit to get young men to commit their lives to Christ, especially in this self-centred, materialistic society.

The "preserving of one's options"was much spoken of in military circles and political circles during Lyndon Johnson's Presidency, mired in the Vietnam war, where the concept had some validity. Unhappily it spilled over into the fields of everyday discourse where it became poisonous. In an era of abandonment of principles and ideals its effect was greatly destructive.

The return to ideals and commitment, and foregoing self-indulgence on that account , is essential to re-building the ranks of the clergy and re-establishing a flourishing Christian society.

Beautiful St. Marys Cathedral, flanked by statues of earlier Archbishops - Cardinal Moran (left) and Archbishop Kelly (right).

 

 

 I had the privilege of assisting at the Solemn Mass at 10.30 am on that Sunday in St. Mary’s Cathedral Sydney. It is always an impressive and deeply affecting experience. On this occasion it was even more so, for the assembled Parish Vocations Co-Ordinators were to be commissioned, and the Archdiocesan Vocations Director the inspiring Father Michael De Stoop, the Rector of the Good Shepherd Seminary Father Tony Percy and a number of other Seminary Professorial Staff concelebrated with His Eminence Cardinal George Pell


The entrance procession was long, being augmented by the Seminarians among the Altar Servers, and proceeded with due deliberation, from the Sacristy along the side aisle, turned and approached the Altar down the centre aisle, preceded by two thurifers and the great Processional Cross and followed by a majestic banner. The choir sang “Lord of All Hopefulness”to the Traditional Irish melody “Slane” and the fine Canadian organ over the College Street entrance complemented them perfectly. When this was completed the Choir sang the Introit “Factus est Dominus protector meus…’All were vested perfectly with hands properly joined palm to palm in front of them (no anxious old lady clutching of fingers) and lastly came His Eminence .No irregularity to distract, just precise order and obvious devotion on the part of those processing along, drew together and inspired the congregation, one could not have better created the atmosphere for a devout celebration of Holy Mass.

And that was exactly what we assisted at – everything just as it should be. Cardinal Pell’s homily was characteristically succinct and to the point, as we have seen above. The Vocations Co-ordinators were commissioned without any undue distraction – it was the Mass that mattered. I have seen it appear to be otherwise on some occasions in another place. But, the reader might say, “That’s OK in the biggest Cathedral in the Southern Hemisphere with scads of Priests and Seminarians and a huge choir….what is your point for the rest of us?”Just this – whether it is in St. Patrick’s in Melbourne or in St.Peter Chanel’s in Berala(Sydney) or St. Ignatius’ in Toowong (Brisbane)) – wherever, large or small , or on the bonnet of a Jeep in a far distant battlefield, it is always possible to do our very best: Bishop, Priest, Acolytes, people to produce the atmosphere of devotion.
I have seen the good Jesuit Father Greg Jordan at a temporary Altar in a School Hall with a small but devout group celebrate Holy Mass in such a way that the memory of it is with me years later and particularly the recitation of the Sequence for the Feast of Corpus Christi with its wonderful and noble evocation of the mystery of our redemption.

This very issue of the character of our celebrations of the Sacred Liturgy is very much at the heart of the life and teachings of the Holy Father and that fact becomes ever more clear. The great mistake of the false “spirit of the Council” folk now shuffling out of the sanctuaries, was to think that it was all about “us”. Whereas it is, and always has been in truth, all about HIM. Please pray for a true inspiration of devotion in all who prepare and celebrate the Sacred Liturgy, and that they may use the coming of the corrected texts for the Order of Mass as an opportunity to reform and enhance their celebration remembering just that – “its not about us , it’s about HIM”

Pope Benedict XVI concelebrates Holy Mass with Cardinal Pell and others after consecrating the new High Altar of St, Marys Cathedral Sydney in 2008.

*NEW* HAPPY BIRTHDAY CARDINAL PELL

            His Eminence George Cardinal Pell Seen here preaching in Cork, Ireland some years ago.

Today is one of mixed emotions for many of us. 

We happily wish Cardinal Pell a very HAPPY 80TH BIRTHDAY! May Our Loving God reward your life's faithful service , giving you a truly joyful day, and bringing you continuing growth in holiness and joy.

At the same time, we cannot avoid reflecting that having reached this landmark in life, you can no longer be a member of the next Conclave. We hope that , nevertheless, your voice will be heard in the Preparatory Commissions for the Conclave - you have much wisdom to impart to your brother Cardinals and especially to the Cardinal Electors.

You have certainly "taken up your cross daily" and followed Him - no more so than in the last two years. But God has not forgotten His faithful servant.

Ad Multos Annos!