St Mary's

Terry’s homily 26-27 December, 2009

Marg Ortiz, in her infinite wisdom, called the summer edition of St Mary’s Matters “Original Blessing”. In it she writes, “As we come up to Christmas, how can we talk about the incarnation in a language that makes sense in today’s world?  If we have an image of God that is in no way the OUT THERE sort, then we need to consider what incarnation means. If God is an integral part of every part of every atom of matter in the earth – as Tillich said, the Ground of All Being – then we are as much in God as Jesus was”.
What a wonderful thought as opposed to that dreadful concept inspired by St Augustine of “Original Sin”, as most of us understood it from our Catechetical Instructions. In the beginning, all of life is in a state of “Original Sin”. Separated from God until Baptism when through some magic words Original Sin is removed. Unbelievable. If you think this concept of Original Sin is dead and buried / think again.
A story related to me after one of the Christmas masses by some people who had lost their certificate for their child who was Baptised at St Mary’s some years ago. They approached the Archdiocese main office, which now runs St Mary’s, and asked for a certificate in order to enrol their child in the local Catholic school. They received a note explaining that the child was invalidly baptised and would need to be baptised again. The father of the child was annoyed and rang and asked to speak to the priest in charge. When the child’s father spoke of his concern for what effect this would have on his child to tell her she needed to be baptised again, in order to go to school, the priest responded by saying that he should be more concerned that the child is still in a state of “Original Sin”. A concept alive and well in the hearts and minds  of people in high places within this diocese.
It was a concept concocted  by Saint Augustine to maintain the power and control of the patriarchal church. Put simply, you kick everyone out of union with God,  and you call this state of non union, Original Sin, and say that the only way to God is through Baptism, by the patriarchal correct formulae, by a Male celibate priest in the Roman Catholic  Church. Everyone else is excluded. A very important belief designed primarily to favour a celibate, male dominated Church which maintains the only way to God is through this Church.
Original Blessing is quite the opposite to Original Sin. In original blessing all of life is blessed, there is no exclusion, no saying this is sacred and this is profane/ you’re in, you’re out. God / the sacred infuses every atom of matter in the earth. Nothing anyone can say or do can bring this about. In Barbara Fiand’s book “From Religion Back to Faith: A Journey of the Heart”, she has a wonderful story that captures this concept of original blessing:

The story is told of an old monk who one night in a dream was visited by the risen Christ. They went on a walk together in quiet intimacy, enjoying each other’s presence. Finally the old man turned to Jesus and asked: “When you walked the hills of Palestine, you mentioned that one day you would come again in all your glory. Lord, it’s been so long: when will you return for good?”
After a few moments of silence the resurrected and living One said, “When my presence in nature all around you and my presence beneath the surface of your skin is as real to you as my presence right now, when this awareness becomes second nature to you, then will I have returned for good.”
The dream was very vivid and carried the monk into the next day when, deep in thought, he walked again, this time by himself – or so he thought. As he stopped and bent over a small pond to wash his face, he gazed “for a brief but eternal moment” at his reflection and at the images of the trees and the sky reflected in the water as well, and there he heard a gentle whisper: “You are my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.”

In this story, the old monk realises that he is Holy. He is sacred, infused with God, as much as all that surrounded him.
That the second coming is a realisation that there was no first coming. God has been present all along.
I wonder what state our planet would be in today if we had had a concept of Original Blessing instead of Original Sin. Would we have treated the earth as something to be used and exploited for humanity’s gain or would we have a deep reverence for the earth, avoiding the Environmental Mess we have made of our home? I would like to think the latter would have been the case.
The words of our opening song capture something of what I am trying to say, I would like to finish with them,
THE ORDINARY IS MARVELLOUS

“When we ponder on the advent story,
When we contemplate the wonderous birth, let us sing of miracle and glory
Bursting through our history here on earth.
Let us also prize the common
That which happens everywhere and often.

So we treasure all the common graces,
Live each day as precious and unique.
God is present at all times and places,
On the plains ,as on the peak.
Plain yet wonderous,every
hours,
God,within,enriches us with power.