Celebrate that we are alive

A friend in mid-north New South Wales is suffering the tragic misfortunes of one of those once in a generation floods.  In the midst of shock and awe, she raised a glass from her landing, looking down at a waterway, that was her street, to toast life and thank God.  Inspirational! 

She is surely not alone.  Solidarity in disaster and tribulation!  I think of those in Myanmar suffering from the earthquake, with little help and a continuing war.  The pictured quote is from a photographer who did a photo shoot of Mandalay, which has been devastated by the 28th March earthquake.  

Raising a glass, uttering a swear word, venting some anger, sharing a tear or a smile - all are signs of life in the midst of adversity.  Undoubtedly, our times are dark with our more than fair share of war and conflict, with mounting disasters, with the woes and troubles of life.  

We can choose.  We can stay in the quagmire and be overcome by the fear and "what ifs" of life, or be assured by a basic stance in life, which says:

"I am human.  Yes, I am weak and make mistakes.  That is who I am, but not totally who I am.  I am not defined by my weaknesses and mistakes.  Rather, I glory in my total human reality, where we find God, God who never abandons us, me; who never leaves us, me orphaned."  

So I don't wallow in self-pity, in my mistakes and fears.  So our world is not defined by disaster, war, conflict, suffering.  Instead, we are defined by remaining true to the pursuit of good and of the higher goals in life.  The challenge is ever before us to believe in life and build it up, no matter what, for life is good.  It is n life that we find God at the deepest level, the source of goodness, the source of our overcoming all fear and of our being able to reach out beyond the dark times.   Celebrate that we are alive.

Keep Moving

I must say that this is my pin-up picture of our new Pope LeoXIV.  He is truly the Pontiff, a great man, in a sacred ofice, but still a man all the same.  In Hebrews, we are told that the priest is first human. If you are not human, how can you be a priest?  This is assuring us that the sacred, while coming from above, firmly grounds itself in human experience. 

On learning that Bob Prevost was elected by the Conclave, I wrestled with my amazement that I now had a personal connection to the Pope.  "How can this be?" was my question.  Me?  

What I learnt that night was that a person, in such a respected and high office, comes from somewhere real in life.  This somewhere may be even shared by me.  Doesn't this say something about the dignity of our life?  This realization gave me a new lease of life.    

His life journey, rich in universal experience and learning, has prepared him to take on such a sacred role.  Like the rest of us, he comes from the midst of our shared reality.  He shares our journey.  He is one of us.  As he said, in quoting St Augustine, 

"With you, I am a Christian.  For you, I am a bishop."  

For me, this is humbling.  We are humbled to know that, out of our human origins and struggles, we are called to greatness.  So we keep moving towards our sacred goal to achieve our own greatness, knowing that we can do it, but never alone.   Vaya con Dios!  

  

Habemus Papam

 

We have a new Pope - Leo XIV.  This time, I can say I know the Pope.  I find that unbelievable, hard to compute.  So what's going on for me, in the midst of a world story?   

On Thursday, 8^th May, the Conclave elected a new Pope - Leo XIV.  Amazingly, I have known him since 1983, as Bob Prevost.  That is because we both belong to the Order of St Augustine.  We first met when we were both members of the Order’s student community, in Rome.  From my first meeting, I have known him as a most friendly and welcoming, fellow Augustinian.    

In 2012, when my parents died in the same week, Bob, then our Prior-General, sent me a personal email, telling me that he so felt for me in my loss.  I was so touched by his kindness and affection.  He is a genuinely personable and caring character, who always makes you feel at home, with his hearty laugh and enduring smile.  These are my lasting and personal memories of a man who is now our Pope.  

On hearing the news, at 12.30am, thanks to a call from a good friend, I could not go back to sleep.  It was not excitement but just pure amazement that I knew the Pope, but it goes even deeper for me.  I say that I know the Pope, but also I acknowledge that I am not his best friend, as I am careful not to overdo the connection as some sort of self-gratification trip.  

For me, this is a humbling experience.  To think that a fellow human being, you shared part of your life with, along the way, became Pope.  That speaks immensely to me of the beauty and grandeur of everyday life of which I am a part, as a fragile, vulnerable human being, lifted up by God.  That is what it is about for me.  And so, his coming onto the world stage gives me a lease of new life.

Viva Francesco!  Viva Leone!

  

It's Shared Leadership, Stupid!

I live in a world which is forever talking about, and pushing, "teamwork".  My experience of teamwork is not an overall positive one.  As a matter of fact, when I hear the word 'team', I shudder and hide.  Reading Pope Francis more intently following his death, I have become aware that what really matters is shared leadership, not teamwork.  Simply put, we are using the wrong word.  Push rather "shared leadership". 

As I see our world, and as I believe Pope Francis saw it, the leadership desired for a healthy future is held in the hands of all people, at the grassroots.  As the terminology says, it is better "to go from the bottom up, than from the top down".  

The basic truth is that our world power elites, acting from the top down, are failing us.  Their performance tells us they are either not fit for purpose or are focused on power grabs and self-aggrandisement, neither of which fits the category of responsible leadership for a healthy world. I see this unhealthy application of power applying at every level, in society and church, not just at the upper levels.   

I believe that the Charter of the UN begins with - "We the peoples of the world" - and not "We the governments of the world".  Our world is a complex, multi-layered reality.  In the words of Pope Francis, it is a poly-crisis world.  Surely then, it is beyond the scope of the few to deal fairly and adequately with the running of our world, which is just too challenging and precious.  This may be being kind as leadership may simply be an expression of human greed and selfishness, and I see this once again as possible at every level of society and church.    

The world is ours.  This is our shared and common home.  It is entrusted to all of us, not to a select few to rule and enjoy. So power is a shared responsibility, belonging to all.  We all have our power, which is shared for the good of all.  This brings us back to where I started.  The best leadership model for a healthy future is one allowing the grassroots to exercise their rightful power, this meaning shared leadership. 

My experience tells me that teamwork has become a euphemism for so much unwanted baggage.  It can become a clever leverage for individuals or select groups to grab and exercise power, for their own, whatever purpose.  In the church, it may be a cover for clericalism, the basic evil within the church, named by Francis, who offered us an alternative model, shared leadership.   

Pope Francis encapsulated his model of leadership for a healthy world and church within a process, named Synodality.  I wonder why many still do not grasp it or get it?  Do they want to?  Don't they understand - It is shared leadership, stupid!