1. Preface

    I remember reading, for the first time, a translation of St. John Chrysostom’s commentary on Ephesians. Only months after our wedding, my wife and I were encountering our first real conflict in married life. A foolish desire to find some saint who would take my side in our trivial dispute had me eagerly turning to the saint’s commentary on the great analogy, that of Christ the bridegroom and his bride, the Church. I do not know how long I read and re-read those passages (my wife tells me it can be measured in days) but I emerged with a sense of shame at my own selfishness, awe at the magnitude of Christ’s love for his bride, the Church, and a profound wonder that I should be called to imitate and participate in that love. This book represents one aspect of my search for understanding this mission. Its title “Redeeming Masculinity” attempts to present masculinity as something which — in light of certain ideologies — is in need of “redemption” and — when lived out in accordance with the example and mission of Christ — is itself redemptive. For its practice, I can only appeal to God’s mercy and grace.

    You can buy the book from the publisher, or from Amazon.

    ** I have some copies to sell at a large discount, only until I run out of copies! Amazon is selling at $57.20 plus postage. I am selling at $40, ONLY while I have copies. **

    In case you need some enticement, some people wrote nice things about the book:



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  2. I subscribe to The Pillar. A small Catholic news source set up by two investigative reporters who remain mostly impartial and determined to analyse and report the truth. 

    This excellent piece was sent to subscribers of the Pillar on July 4th this year. It is really about the death of modern democracy, why it is failing, and what we can do. I will link to the Pillar's subscription page at the bottom. Now, over to Ed.

    ***

    Having spent more than half of my adult 4ths living in another country, I’m not much of an authority on authentic Independence Day traditions. But I think it’s normal to reflect a little bit on the meaning of the day over the sunscreen glazed hot dogs. 

    The day is about freedom, I suppose. 

    Freedom is usually thought about as a freedom to choose. We tend to think of these choices on the 4th mostly in political terms, especially in an election year. 

    But, really, our political choices are just the sum of millions of other daily choices we’ve made, individually and collectively, for years, decades, generations even.

    A fair bit of the conversation these days has been on our “choice” for president, not one I personally fancy our options on.

    I’ve read a lot of worthy op-eds in recent days, especially after the candidates’ debate, asking how we got to this choice. The answer, as Hemingway put it, is two ways: gradually and all at once. 

    Gradually, we’ve numbed ourselves into the idea that choosing a lesser of two evils can be an acceptable way of shaping our society. 

    Gradually, we coarsened our discourse with and about each other, and thus coursened ourselves, as we gradually parted company with our desire to know, let alone love our neighbor.

    And we gradually allowed ourselves to look away from what was being chosen for us, in the name of political expediency or partisan vindication. Until we suddenly looked up and realized what these choices have brought us to, and now we lament what miserable choices we’ve been left with.

    All too often we choose — I choose — the easy, the comfortable, the convenient, the lesser. But choice is an act of the will. 

    And it’s always an act of affirmation. 

    We affirm something about who we are with every choice we make.

    The Church teaches us that freedom, rightly understood, is the freedom to choose the good. Hopefully, those thousands of daily choices amount to a single choice for the ultimate good, God. And, I think it is fair to say, the sum total of our collective choices in recent decades, perhaps longer, has trended the opposite direction.

    “Our constitution,” John Adams famously wrote, “was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Indeed, I believe our current circumstances tend to show us how right he was.  

    It is easy to look around our contemporary political landscape, roll our eyes and exclaim, as I often do, that “y’all need Jesus” — even, and perhaps especially, of those who invoke His name most publicly and often. 

    But to blame our sclerotic politics on public disaffiliation from institutional Christianity is, I think, an overly simplistic diagnosis which can lead — and for some people has led — to shallow attempts at a prescription.

    If the country needs more good old-fashioned Christian virtue, the theory goes, we need to get some good old-fashioned Christianity into our public institutions and stop giving everyone so many opportunities to choose the wrong things. 

    I think that rather misses the depth of Adams’ point, and the profundity of how Christianity reshaped Western culture and thought.

    You can make people behave, up to a certain point — or try to, anyway. And you can even pressure them to make a nominal confession of a creed. You can, by persuasion, or point of a sword, if it comes to that, compel people to live by the golden rule, treating others as they would wish to be treated themselves.

    But that kind of social contract of fairness is not what makes a “moral and religious people” suitable for constitutional democracy. Fairness and the rule of law is not what Christianity brought to transform “Western civilization” — it is something deeper. And that deeper something is what we have really chosen to leave behind, both gradually and all at once.

    The transformative message of Christianity, from a political perspective, is that we are called not just to treat our neighbor fairly but to love our enemy. 

    The confounding witness of the Incarnation is that to love the other is to serve them, even to the point of death. And, as Christ taught when he washed the feet of his disciples, the strong must serve the weak, not dominate them — the greatest among us must be the last. 

    We undervalue how revolutionary this premise was when it spread across the pagan West, and how it underpins Adams’ point about democracy, which is otherwise a mere mechanism for majoritarian tyranny, in which, as Thucydides put it, the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.

    To love our neighbor, or to seek to subjugate them — that is the real daily choice we all face. Our true fundamental freedom remains to affirm by our choices who we are by whom we choose to love — ourselves or the other, whoever they may be.

    That choice, the choice to love, won’t be reflected on any ballot come No
    vember, but it faces each of us daily. 

    So, happy Independence Day to you all, choose wisely. 

    See you next week,

    Ed. Condon
    Editor

    ***

    I strongly recommend the Pillar for all thinking Catholics who want to know what is happening in the Church around the world, without the sensationalist biases in most modern media. 

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  3. After much planning, a lot of hard work and the support of bishops in Sydney, I am happy to say that we are launching a new weekly podcast, beginning this week. "The Catholic Thing is a show about Ordinary Catholics having a relaxed, informal, and genuinely searching conversation about current issues, the challenges and hardships of life and what light “the Catholic thing” brings to these things.

    Each podcast would consist of a relaxed, informal conversation revolving around an item of interest (news, events, themes etc.). We will engage the audience (invite response, respond to contributors, answer questions). We would, of course, not promote or promulgate views explicitly opposed to Catholic teaching, but we would not be afraid to discuss such views in order to better understand and engage others in civil discussion. It will be an open and genuinely searching conversation about the challenges and hardships of life and what light “the Catholic thing” brings to each discussion


    You can find the episodes HERE, or look for them on iTunes, Spotify etc. The instructions for finding the podcast on iTunes are below.

    Instructions for finding "This Catholic Life" on iTunes on your smartphone.

    Click HERE

    Look for the icon below. Subscribe and Review us on iTunes!

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  4. I was recently asked if I would be posting a reflection on the candidates for the coming Federal election. To be honest, I was trying to avoid doing so. Not because there is nothing to say, but because people have become increasingly less able to engage rationally with discussion about politics (or religion, or even Marvel movies...) and I didn't want to become a lightening rod for the latest angry outbursts from irrational keyboard warriors.

    In some ways this post will be easy. I looked back at my post before the last federal election, and not much has changed. Most of what I wrote back then is still true. With, perhaps, the following additional comments.

    Regarding the 'big two', in spite of being slightly better on social policies,* Labor has become even more aggressively anti-Christian, actively promising legislation that will target Christian beliefs, target children in the womb and the elderly, the vulnerable and venerable in our community. They have not improved their social policies significantly. One significant difference seems to be their attempt to take a poke at negative gearing, which they claim will ... well, apart from some vague promises about affordable housing and removing tax breaks for the wealthy, it isn't clear what they think this will do, nor are economists confident in predicting the outcome.

    In spite of being slightly less aggressive towards the vulnerable in terms of actively killing them,* Liberal economic policies are slightly more mean to the economically vulnerable, perhaps they will be in a little less danger from active termination under Labor, only to suffer under economic conditions designed by Liberals to increase the wealth of the wealthy. One significant change is new Liberal leader Scott Morrison seems slightly less likely than his predecessor or the Labor caucus to push legislation actively prosecuting Christians ... for being Christian.

    I regret to speak of it, but Clive Palmer is back. Back spamming the electorate with a "best one-liners of Donald Trump" in the hope that there are enough gullible voters to allow him to exploit parliament for his personal gain. Possibly the most cynical vote grabbing stunt in this election. Yes, I considered the Pirate party and Sex Party in making that comment.

    Xenaphon has gone back to state parliament, reducing one of the less abhorrent possibilities, and there have been a number of significant political retirees, for good and bad reasons.

    Another development since the last federal election is the emergence of the Australian Conservative Party and its merge with Family First and other minor groups. I wrote a summary of their platform in my comments on the NSW state election, the relevant section as follows:

    The Australian Conservatives are Cory Bernardi's breakaway group (2017) which was formed to provide a 'more conservative' voice in politics. At first blush the Australian Conservatives seem compatible with Christian ideals, claiming to support families and the "Western values" based on our Judeo-Christian heritage. This includes advocating against "Safe Schools" programme, against same sex marriage, against abortion and for freedom of religion. The claim to support families, however, does not appear to impact on their tax, education or welfare policies, which seem to follow the usual fiscal conservative line. These policies may be conservative, but Christianity is not conservative (or liberal). Their "religious freedom" seems to be only for Christians, with policies mostly aimed at excluding or opposing Islamic influence. Specifically calling for legal, defence, and social policies that guard against such influences. While Christians may have some concerns over reports of bias against Christian immigrants, this party's opposition to helping refugees should be of concern to all Christians. 
    "We will withdraw from the UN Refugee Convention, and never resettle those who arrive here illegally"
    Christians... read the last half of that sentence again, then look up what the Bible says about refugees.

     They also advocate for cutting humanitarian aid to neighbouring countries in favour of an "Australia first" policy. The link to anti-Islamic movement is underlined by Cory Bernardi's connections with the Q Society of Australia, a specifically anti-Islamic group. In fact the Q Society's president joined the Australian Conservatives, along with Kirrilee Smith, who was with the Australian Liberty Alliance and has been suggested as a NSW candidate for the Australian Conservatives. UPDATE: The first candidate on their NSW Legislative Council list is Greg Walsh, who is a Catholic Lawyer, and a good man. Also, I have to acknowledge the Party's response to the recent horrific murders in New Zealand was appropriate.

     TLDR: Possibly good on marriage and life issues, not so good on welfare, dangerous fear-mongering regarding minorities, foreigners and refugees.

    One peculiar development has been the introduction of Mark Latham into One Nation. I should make it clear that Latham has been elected to the NSW Legislative Council (NSW state government upper house), but he has also been the party leader in NSW since 2018. It does not make One Nation any less whacky than it was, but his political and media experience have presented different face of One Nation, which may make it slightly more attractive to voters outside of Queensland. Anyone thinking seriously about placing them anywhere near the top half of a preference list should take a look at the string of disqualified candidates.

    In relation to the major parties I have used the cautious phrase "...slightly less [bad]" a few times. I do not think that either major party offers much that is good for us. I think that voting for the slightly less bad candidate is a bad idea for the long term. Voting for the less bad candidate will never achieve anything good, just a slower implementation of evil. Voting for minor candidates is a difficult solution because most of them are advocating unwise (if populist) policies and can barely hold enough candidates together to be effective in parliament. What we have seen in Australian politics, however, is that the major parties do react when enough voters choose a minority party. Liberal's move to the right on immigration is almost certainly an attempt to win back disgruntled voters who abandoned them in favour of One Nation. Labor's aggressive shift to active assault on Christian morals is almost certainly a bid to woo disgruntled voters who abandoned them for the Greens. To be clear, both of these are bad developments, but they demonstrate that we are able to send a message by voting for a minority.

    We should ask ourselves whether it is better to throw our weight behind a slightly less bad party in the hope of a slower implementation of bad policies, or to refuse to support anyone that does not offer a half decent platform, admittedly at the risk of having to endure the slightly worse of two bad options. A short term with a possibility of a slightly worse outcome, but with a strong message to all candidates that they owe us a better set of options.

    A relatively recent change to the way we vote for the upper house (Senate) means that it is easier than ever to vote for specific candidates without having to number every single box below the line. You can now choose a few as 15 candidates below the line for your vote to be valid. This allows voting for a candidate without handing all your preferences over to that candidate. This also makes the flow of preferences much less predictable, meaning that minority parties are slightly more likely to be elected by votes than back room preference deals.

    For those who disagree with me, feel free to post a rational rebuttal and counter argument. I welcome it. These are only a layman's opinions. Abuse and irrational rants will likely be ignored, but I may consider leaving them up as a warning to others. :)
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  5. The following is my reflection and a brief summary of the Apostolic Exhortation Christus Vivit promulgated 25 March 2019. I should provide fair warning that, while this document has much to offer, my reflection includes a slightly irreverent lament that Pope Francis does not seem to be a fan of brevity and clarity in magisterial documents.


    TLDR: Read Chapters 1, 3, 4, 6, 9.

    Prologue - Paragraph 1-4

    4 paragraphs of preamble, and paragraphs 1-2 set the tone for the exhortation. I am reproducing them here.
    Christ is alive! He is our hope, and in a wonderful way he brings youth to our world, and everything he touches becomes young, new, full of life. The very first words, then, that I would like to say to every young Christian are these: Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive! He is in you, he is with you and he never abandons you. However far you may wander, he is always there, the Risen One. He calls you and he waits for you to return to him and start over again. When you feel you are growing old out of sorrow, resentment or fear, doubt or failure, he will always be there to restore your strength and your hope.

     Chapter One - What does the word of God have to say about young people?

    (6-11) A short section recounting the various people in the Old Testament who were younger when they did something significant.

    (12-21) A short section recounting Our Lord's attitude, in the New Testament, towards and encouragement of young people.

    Chapter Two - Jesus, ever young.

    (22-33) Makes the point that, not only did Jesus experience youth just as we do/did, that he died well within the age group we often classify as 'young adult'. (It is worth noting that Jesus would have been eligible to attend iWitness, Hearts Aflame or any of the Catholic events for "young adults", being in the 18-35 age range.

    (34-38) This is where it gets interesting. I think this section is the heart of the document. Leaving aside truisms such as "Youth is more than simply a period of time; it is a state of mind", the document walks a very sensible middle line between the false glorification of either the past or the future. That is, the false teaching that everything good is in the past, or the equally false teaching that everything good is in the present or future.
    Let us ask the Lord to free the Church from those who would make her grow old, encase her in the past, hold her back or keep her at a standstill. But let us also ask him to free her from another temptation: that of thinking she is young because she accepts everything the world offers her, thinking that she is renewed because she sets her message aside and acts like everybody else. No! The Church is young when she is herself, when she receives ever anew the strength born of God’s word, the Eucharist, and the daily presence of Christ and the power of his Spirit in our lives. The Church is young when she shows herself capable of constantly returning to her source. (35)
    (39-42) Asks the question, what then doe young people want the Church to be?
    Although many young people are happy to see a Church that is humble yet confident in her gifts and capable of offering fair and fraternal criticism, others want a Church that listens more, that does more than simply condemn the world. They do not want to see a Church that is silent and afraid to speak, but neither one that is always battling obsessively over two or three issues. (41)
    In these few sentences he has wrapped up the problem our Church has in the Western world. Our society has become so politically and socially polarised that we have fallen into the trap of choosing to read, interpret, teach and live Church teaching according to our political tribe, not according to the whole. Either we are afraid to speak against the swell of what we are told is public opinion (but is actually the voice of a few controlling media outlets), or we choose to take notice only of those teachings which seem to match with our political tribe. The example cited is women calling for justice and equality, pointing out that the Church he "can support the call to respect women’s rights, and offer convinced support for greater reciprocity between males and females, while not agreeing with everything some feminist groups propose." (42)

    (43-48) A short reflection on Mary as a model for young Christians.

    (49-63) A list of young saints who might be held up as examples of Christian youth.

    Chapter Three - You are the "now" of God.

    (64-71) Mostly a rambling indication that the Pope has heard the young people speak up about the struggles they face. There is a timely reminder that the youth will not be helped by "pre-packaged" programmes but need to be listened to and their contribution to the community valued.

    (72-80) This is where things get interesting! Following a short list of the horrid elements that make up the world young people are growing up in, the document makes the point that young people often become "cannon fodder" for people pushing ideologies or power struggles. These groups often cynically exploit the ideological enthusiasm of youth for their own advantage.
    They become an easy target for the brutal and destructive strategies of political groups or economic powers (73)
    We are reminded that the role of the Church is analogous to motherhood, and that the compassionate empathy of a mother should be a part of the Church's approach to youth.
    As a Church, may we never fail to weep before these tragedies of our young. May we never become inured to them, for anyone incapable of tears cannot be a mother. (75)
    This section is a challenge to the Church not to define young people morally or in any other way by the tragedy of their circumstances, even if they seem to have participated in part with their tragedy.

    (81-85) A brief exploration of the volatile combination of young people's desire to explore and discover themselves and medical and electronic technology which assists and encourages them to do so without moral boundaries.

    (86-90) A very interesting section reflecting on digital media (especially as social media), recognising the possibilities and dangers of the new world. It dwells especially on the experience of young people in this new 'society', and offers this observation.
    For many people, immersion in the virtual world has brought about a kind of “digital migration”, involving withdrawal from their families and their cultural and religious values, and entrance into a world of loneliness and of self-invention, with the result that they feel rootless even while remaining physically in one place. (90)
    I think this section (86-90) would be a valuable study for a youth or young adults group.

    (91-94) A reflection on the vulnerabilities and struggles of young migrants and refugees

    (95-102) A fairly good section on various forms of clerical abuse, including financial, administrative and sexual abuses of ecclesial authority, a (fair) shot at clericism and praise for those who speak up against abuse.

    (103-110) An encouragement to young people to be creative and energetic in their efforts to listen to people in need and respond with pastoral care of their needs.

    Chapter Four - A Great message for all young people.

    (111-117) While this section is nothing new theologically, This is an excellent section, well worth reading in full! It is the heart and meat of the exhortation, and a much needed message for young people.
    The very first truth I would tell each of you is this: “God loves you”. It makes no difference whether you have already heard it or not. I want to remind you of it. God loves you. Never doubt this, whatever may happen to you in life. At every moment, you are infinitely loved. (112)
    It addresses people who have not experienced God's love, or have experienced very broken and flawed examples of love through broken and flawed parents and mentors. It describes this love as "steadfast and invincible", "eternal", "beautiful" and "not cheerless, but pure joy..."

    (118-123) continues the theme of love, reflecting on the self-sacrificial love of Christ for us, not only as an example of love for us to follow, but an assurance and guarantee of the depths and nature of God's love for us.
    Keep your eyes fixed on the outstretched arms of Christ crucified, let yourself be saved over and over again. And when you go to confess your sins, believe firmly in his mercy which frees you of your guilt. Contemplate his blood poured out with such great love, and let yourself be cleansed by it. In this way, you can be reborn ever anew. (123)
    (124-133) continues the theme of love as life giving. That is, that having faith is to have a living and life changing relationship with Our Lord.
    Christ is alive! We need to keep reminding ourselves of this, because we can risk seeing Jesus Christ simply as a fine model from the distant past, as a memory, as someone who saved us two thousand years ago. (124)
    The fact that Christ is alive means that "he can be present in your life at every moment", that you have a friend who beat death, that there is proof that goodness can win. He tells young people that "Every other solution will prove inadequate and temporary."

    Up until this point the document flows well, is reasonably easy to follow and offers some decent insights. It includes several turns of phrase and truisms that betray the era and theological bent of his ghost writer (My guess is that one of his writers composed most of the above). Had the pope stopped here, it would have been a reasonable document. Unfortunately Pope Francis was just warming up to his audience.


     Chapter Five - Paths of Youth.

    At this point the Pope seems to have thanked whatever harried editor helped with the opening paragraphs and firmly ushered him out the door.


    What follows has the feel of a fireside ramble from a dear, well meaning, but slightly tipsy priest.

    (132-149) A rambling dialogue about the experience of youth, interspersed with personal observations and banal encouragement and advice.

    (150-157) More rambling on the nature of "friendship" with Christ.

    (158-162) More rambling commentary on "growing in maturity".

    In case my classification of the above as "ramble" seems too irreverent or uncharitable, I hasten to add that I am not saying that anything the Pope says here is untrue or useless. I think there are a number of useful comments hidden in his fireside chat, such as this little gem:
    Becoming a saint means becoming more fully yourself, becoming what the Lord wished to dream and create, and not a photocopy. Your life ought to be a prophetic stimulus to others and leave a mark on this world, the unique mark that only you can leave. Whereas if you simply copy someone else, you will deprive this earth, and heaven too, of something that no one else can offer. (162)
    My point is that, while I find few things more enjoyable than a fireside chat with a wise old friend,  this is a magisterial document, not a fireside chat. Most of what he offers here is more on the level of personal reflection, which, if placed beside important teaching in this and similar documents, undermines the gravity and quality of such teaching documents. There is some good stuff in the ramble, but you could skip the whole of Chapter Five without missing much.

    (163-167) More rambling about fraternity, remaining connected and community.

    (168-174) A rambling section encouraging young people to get involved, maintain enthusiasm and keep contributing in various ways to the Church.

    (175-178) Some more about young people being missionaries at home and abroad. Including this gem:
    Young friends, don’t wait until tomorrow to contribute your energy, your audacity and your creativity to changing our world. Your youth is not an “in-between time”. You are the now of God, and he wants you to bear fruit.
    Chapter Six - Young people with roots

    OK, now it gets interesting again. While still maintaining the feel of a fireside chat, Pope Francis leans forward, looks the reader straight in the eye and starts laying it down.

    (179-186) The Pope revisits his passing comment above (35) about the balance between old and new, and warns about anyone who teaches young people to be distrustful or disparaging of the foundations of the faith, on the grounds that they are "in the past". In fact he does not stop at the warning that without roots the tree falls over, he explicitly warns that some people with evil intent deliberately teach and encourage youth to ignore, reject and even despise their roots in order to more easily manipulate the youth to participate in their evil agenda.

    Think about it: if someone tells young people to ignore their history, to reject the experiences of their elders, to look down on the past and to look forward to a future that he holds out, doesn’t it then become easy to draw them along so that they only do what he tells them? He needs the young to be shallow, uprooted and distrustful, so that they can trust only in his promises and act according to his plans. That is how various ideologies operate: they destroy (or deconstruct) all differences so that they can reign unopposed. (181)
    This is true of course, and seems to be at the heart of the great decline and disinterest of the youth in all things past, but it is rare and refreshing to see it called out so explicitly.

    He also calls out the false cult of youth which often replaces deep rooted cultural and religious foundations. Warning young people that, while this cult might be appealing because it seems to place their youth on a pedestal and worship them, it is inherently and dangerously exploitative, most of all to the youth themselves.
    These masters of manipulation also use another tactic: the cult of youth, which dismisses all that is not young as contemptible and outmoded. The youthful body becomes the symbol of this new cult; everything associated with that body is idolized and lusted after, while whatever is not young is despised. But this cult of youth is simply an expedient that ultimately proves degrading to the young; it strips them of any real value and uses them for personal, financial or political profit. (182)
    He also observes that this rejection of roots tends to “homogenize” young people. That is, it robs them of the unique nature of their respective heritage and history, mashing them into a bland and easily manipulable non-entity.

    (187-191) At this point the Pope leans back in his armchair and rambles a little about respect for elders and tradition.

    (192-197) ...and continues to speak of the value of listening to old peoples' stories. (Which, if you got this far you are already doing.)

    (198-201) ... and waxes lyrical about old and young people setting out on adventures and taking risks together. There is a Canoe. Seriously.

    Chapter Seven - Youth Ministry

    (202-208) The Pope advocates what he calls a "synodal youth ministry", though it is far from clear in this document what that means. He describes it as "a participatory and co-responsible Church" (206) which gratefully accepts the contributions of lay people. I have not known any parish that has not gratefully accepted the contributions of lay-people, so it seems possible that he is using "synodal" in the way aged nuns use the word, to mean "we are in charge, not priests."

    (209-215) The Pope identifies outreach and growth and the two aims of youth ministry. By 'outreach' he means a warm-hearted and welcoming example of God's love, projected via personal relationships and modern means of communication, which attracts people to the Christian community. In regards to 'growth' he explicitly says that if this "growth" is limited to "talks about doctrinal and moral issues" this will only bore the young people and put them off the faith. He says "let us first try to awaken and consolidate the great experiences that sustain the Christian life." (212)

    (216-220) More rambling about making a suitable 'home' for youth ministry. That places in which youth ministry is based are comfortable, welcoming and that youth experience forgiving and loving community.

    (221-223) Seeing schools as "such privileged places of personal development" the Pope urgese the schools to be self critical, specifically in relation to the fruits of their mission.

    Yet schools are in urgent need of self-criticism, if we consider the results of their pastoral outreach, which in many cases focuses on a kind of religious instruction that proves often incapable of nurturing lasting experiences of faith. (221)
    While he may be taking a pot-shot here at schools that are more fundamentalist than Catholic, the same critique could be applied to schools that have all but abandoned the idea of 'outreach'. Indeed, there is a fair amount of data that suggest that our schools provide a formation that is "incapable of nurturing lasting experiences of faith."

    (224-229) Some areas the Pope thinks we should develop in youth ministry include contemplative prayer. That's right, at the top of the list is Eucharistic adoration. Also included are works of Christian service, the arts, theater, painting, music, sports, nature and the environment. All centred on God's word, the Eucharist and Reconciliation.

    (230-238) Speaking of a "popular" youth ministry, by which he seems to mean "the good things young people get up to outside the organised youth ministry of the Church." He mentions a lot of different activities. It isn't clear what point he is making.

    (239-247) In discussing young people as missionaries, the Pope speaks of the need for "accompaniment" of young people, particularly youth leaders. By this he seems to mean a kind of formation by way of adult mentors, but which respects the independence and free will of the young person.

    Chapter Eight - Vocation

    Here we change gear into full ramble. After defining vocation as "in a broad sense as a calling from God, including the call to life, the call to friendship with him, the call to holiness, and so forth" the Pope proceeds to give general comments and advice regarding various areas of life under these categories.

    (248-252) The Call to friendship as being Christian and serving others.
    The salvation that God offers us is an invitation to be part of a love story interwoven with our personal stories; it is alive and wants to be born in our midst so that we can bear fruit just as we are, wherever we are and with everyone all around us. (252)
    (253-258) What the Pope calls "being there for others" seems to be an informal description of love that seeks the good of others before one's own good.

    (259-267) Encouraging young people to read chapters four and five of his Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, the pope addresses a topic which is well known but seldom spoken about openly in planning and administration of youth ministry. That young people are at the stage of life where finding a suitable spouse is very much on their mind. The Pope ecourages young people to be excited and courageous about marriage. He encourages them to see sex as a wonderful and beautiful thing, not taboo. He says:
    Here, we need to remember that God created us as sexual beings. He himself “created sexuality, which is a marvellous gift to his creatures”. Within the vocation to marriage we should acknowledge and appreciate that “sexuality, sex, is a gift from God. It is not taboo. It is a gift from God, a gift the Lord gives us. It has two purposes: to love and to generate life. It is passion, passionate love. True love is passionate. Love between a man and a woman, when it is passionate, always leads to giving life. Always. To give life with body and soul.
    He encourages young people to seek out parents and grandparents for advice and support in relationships, even if they are flawed. He reminds young people that they, too are flawed and that they need God's grace. In the midst of some very positive teaching on marriage, some young people can expect so much of marriage, and of themselves, that the gritty realty of married life sometimes causes them great distress, because they do not live up to this impossible ideal.

    (268-273) On work, he says that work is good. That young people should not expect to be sustained and provided for once they reach adulthood. That unemployment is a struggle and sometimes they are forced into work that is demeaning or unfulfilling. The Pope observes that finding an occupation we find fulfilling allows us to be able "to summon up our best capacities for sacrifice, generosity and dedication." (273)

    (274-277) He concludes this section with a challenge to young people to seriously consider religious life. "Why not?"

    Chapter Nine - Discernment.

    By this stage in our fireside chat, the coffee is long since drunk and even the effects of the caffeine a fading memory. But the Holy Father is on a roll, and when he refers to another thing he has written, Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate, you know this evening is not yet over.

    (278-282) Rambling about discernment in general, and that discerning a specific vocation takes place within a general development of habits of goodness (development of virtue) of a holy life.

    (283-286) Some practical advice on the spiritual side of discernment. Choices that will commit us to a vocation for life are deeply personal and thus should be made with a certain amount of solitude and silence, particularly the silence of prolonged prayer. This silence is not turned inward, but silence  which is attentive to God. He urges young people not to worry about material concerns, such as making money, personal recognition etc, but to ask self searching questions.
    We need to ask: Do I know myself, quite apart from my illusions and emotions? Do I know what brings joy or sorrow to my heart? What are my strengths and weaknesses? These questions immediately give rise to others: How can I serve people better and prove most helpful to our world and to the Church? What is my real place in this world? What can I offer to society? Even more realistic questions then follow: Do I have the abilities needed to offer this kind of service? Could I develop those abilities? (285) 
    (287-290) The Pope points out that the "call" to a vocation is not to a job, or to some great and courageous sacrifice (of marriage or other things) but a call from a person, to enter into a life deeply in love with that person. While it involves moving away from worldly things, it is a call TO that friendship, not away from others.

    (291-298) The last major section is directed to priests, parents and others who accompany young people in their discernment. It is a shame this is at the end of an exhausting ramble, because it contains some good practical advice. In sum, when accompanying a young person in discernment, be attentive to them as an individual. Everyone is different, and none fit the cookie cutter. Second, be involved in their discernment. Ask questions which help them discover themselves and assist their discernment. Be attentive to what is "driving" the person. What is their motivation? Realise that discernment is spiritual warfare. Know when to fade from the picture. This isn't about those helping, or achieving a particular result, but allowing them to discover how to align their own will to the will of God. But be patient. Accompaniment can be a long term, day by day process.

    (299) He concludes with a parting wish and blessing.
    May the Holy Spirit urge you on as you run this race. The Church needs your momentum, your intuitions, your faith. We need them! And when you arrive where we have not yet reached, have the patience to wait for us

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  6. Jordan Peterson is good – just not God

    (First published in the Catholic Weekly - March 2019)

    I am frequently sent articles, videos and news items by students and friends who seem to find Jordan Peterson inspiring and particularly good news for Catholics.
    I have not been as impressed with him as others seems to be. When The Catholic Weekly published an article on Jordan Peterson’s latest visit to Australia, I posted an offhand response as follows:
    “I am concerned that his (quite sensible) opposition to certain tyrannical impositions on personal and academic freedoms is tempting people to see him as a great teacher of Catholics. As Monica [Doumit’s] article points out, his content seems to be made up of something your grandma could tell you, without her good Catholic sense to balance the fluff.
    “Peterson’s refusal to bow to tyranny is admirable. His advice has some sense in it, but it isn’t much to write home about. Especially if your Catholic grandma is at home.”
    While my comment was an unfairly flippant dismissal of some of the excellent points in the article, I stand by my concern about any Catholics looking to Peterson as a modern guru or champion of Catholic values.


    We might admire him for his historical refusal to be cowed by authorities who demanded, even legislated that he must use certain words.
    We might thank him for pointing out some inherent problems with identity politics. We might see some common sense in his advice to sort out your personal life before worrying about global problems, if our family upbringing or education somehow failed to include those basic points.
    Jordan Peterson’s appearance on last week’s QandA programme was an excellent example.
    If the loud applause after each of his answers is any indication, the audience seemed mostly in favour of Peterson, but the friendly questions from the audience seemed to be begging Peterson to stand up against feminists, communists and political correctness in favour of traditional values.
    Listening as a Catholic to his responses, Peterson seems to have little of value to offer his audience apart from his stubborn but gentle opposition to some unhealthy forms of political correctness.
    I should make it clear that Peterson does not encourage religious followers to see him as their champion.
    Peterson is very honest about his credentials. He made it clear that he is a Psychologist and not an authority on metaphysical issues.
    Psychology is the study of what goes on in human minds. It is useful in understanding our minds and perhaps correcting some mental problems.
    A psychologist is unequipped to deal with the big questions in life, the meaning of life, the existence of God, moral norms, religion etc., and several of his answers demonstrated his ignorance of Catholic teaching (or even non-Christian Philosophers who share and defend some of our values).
    He was the only panel member who refused to claim some kind of faith. While he did attempt to quote the Bible, he seemed to think Jesus was from the Old Testament.
    Peterson clearly and explicitly denied any claim to be an expert on these matters, on moral matters or on anything other than specific, personal and very general psychological tips-for-life, which seem to be drawn from a mutually contradictory array of philosophies.
    His most useful contribution to the discussion was the suggestion that people should demonstrate their faith practically if they want any credit for being a person of faith, a view he credited to the Old Testament.
    Having said all this, the panel discussion revealed some possible reasons that Peterson is considered an ally of Catholics and Christians.
    The sneering contempt and obnoxious interruptions of the representative feminist on the panel, combined with the simpering truisms and partisan sniping from the politicians, made Peterson’s rather bland comments look positively glorious in comparison.
    Perhaps the reason Peterson is being hailed by some as a breath of fresh air is that most of us are sick and tired of social and political ‘experts’ who are out of touch with the daily struggles of the average person but seem to have the power to tell us all what to do, what to say and even what to think.
    People are happy to see someone take these ‘experts’ on and call their bluff.
    I suspect the ABC threw Catherine McGregor into the mix because they were trying to bait Peterson regarding the gender pronouns he refused to use back in Canada.
    The irony was that McGregor not only supported most of Peterson’s points (at least in part) but also provided the more interesting and nuanced arguments of the evening.
    I have nothing against Peterson. I applaud him for standing his ground on personal freedoms and responsibilities. I would very much like to sit down and ask him how he reconciles seemingly contradictory aspects of his advice.
    I hope that many more academics refuse to be cowed by the orthodoxy of the day and initiate such debates. But if we are looking for the next public champion for Christians, there is little to see here.
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  7. In the face of current legal cases that beggar belief, I returned to the words St Thomas Moore prayed after his unjust trial, as he was waiting to be executed.

    Give me Thy grace, good Lord, To think nothing of worldly things; to set my mind firmly upon Thee; and not to be concerned about the words men say against me. ... 
    To regard my worst enemies as my best friends; for the brothers of Joseph could never have done him so much good with their love and favour as they did him with their malice and hatred.

    The full prayer is much longer, but the lines above struck me today. The Joseph he refers to here is the Joseph of Genesis, who was unjustly beaten, imprisoned and sold into slavery by his brothers, but ended up saving the entire family from starvation, and establishing the prosperity of the people of Israel. St Thomas Moore was praying that the sufferings inflicted on him unjustly be used by God to help the very people oppressing him!


    In the coming days I will be praying a Novena asking St Thomas Moore, patron of lawyers, judges and statesmen, to pray that God grant that justice will be done, for the good of us all.


    Litany of St. Thomas More


    Lord, have mercy. Lord have mercy.
    Christ, have mercy. Christ have mercy.
    Lord, have mercy. Lord have mercy.
    Christ hear us. Christ, graciously hear us. 

    St. Thomas More, Patron of Statesmen, Politicians and Lawyers, Pray for us.

    St. Thomas More, Patron of Justices, Judges and Magistrates, Pray for us.

    St. Thomas More, Model of Integrity and Virtue in Public and Private Life, Pray for us.

    St. Thomas More, Servant of the Word of God and the Body and Blood of Christ, Pray for us.

    St. Thomas More, Model of Holiness in the Sacrament of Marriage, Pray for us.

    St. Thomas More, Teacher of his Children in the Catholic Faith, Pray for us.

    St. Thomas More, Defender of the Weak and the Poor, Pray for us.

    St. Thomas More, Promoter of Justice for all, Pray for us.

    Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; Spare us O Lord.
    Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; Graciously hear us O Lord.
    Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world; Have mercy on us.

    Let us pray: St. Thomas More, Patron of Statesmen, Politicians, Judges and Lawyers, your zeal for justice, integrity and firm principle in public and family life led you to the path of martyrdom and sainthood. Pray for our Politicians, Judges and Lawyers, that they may be courageous and effective in their defence of justice and the rights it defends. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

    Day One

    St. Thomas More, in your earthly life, you were a model of prudence. You never hurried rashly into any serious undertaking; instead, you worked hard and carefully discerned God's will in prayer and penance, then boldly carried it out without hesitation. Pray for us that we are given the virtues of patience, prudence, wisdom and courage when we listen to others.

    Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory Be...

    Pray for us, St. Thomas More. That we may faithfully follow you on the hard road that leads to eternal life.

    Day Two

    St. Thomas More, in your earthly life, you were a model of diligence. You avoided procrastination, applied yourself with diligence to your studies, and spared no effort in achieving mastery in any skill. Pray for us that we are not weighed down by troubles, and that God grant us the virtue of diligence and persistence in all our duty and service.

    Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory Be...

    Pray for us St. Thomas More, That we may faithfully follow you on the hard road that leads to eternal life.

    Day Three

    St. Thomas More, in your earthly life, you were a model of industriousness. You threw yourself wholeheartedly into everything you did, and you found enjoyment even in the most serious things. Pray for us that God grant us suitable employment, the grace to find joy in everything good, and the fortitude always to pursue excellence in whatever task God gives us to do.

    Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory Be...

    Pray for us, St. Thomas More. That we may faithfully follow you on the hard road that leads to  eternal life.  

    Day Four

    St. Thomas More, in your earthly life, you were a brilliant lawyer and a just and compassionate judge. You attended to the smallest details of your legal duties with the greatest care, and you never tired in your pursuit of justice tempered by mercy. Pray for us that God will overcome every temptation to laxity, arrogance, and rash judgement in those entrusted with our legal processes.

    Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory Be...

    Pray for us St. Thomas More, That we may faithfully follow you on the hard road that leads to eternal life.

    Day Five
    St. Thomas More, in your earthly life, you were a model of humility. You never allowed pride to lead you to take on tasks beyond your abilities; even in the midst of earthly wealth and honour, you never forgot your total dependence on your Heavenly Father. Pray for us that God grant us humility, even in the face of injustice, and the wisdom not to overestimate my own powers.

    Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory Be...

    Pray for us St. Thomas More, That we may faithfully follow you on the hard road that leads to eternal life.

    Day Six
    St. Thomas More, in your earthly life, you were a model husband and father. You were a loving and faithful husband, a diligent provider and an example of virtue for your children. Pray for us that God grant us the grace of a happy home, peace in my family, and the strength to persevere in chastity according to my state of life.

    Our Father    ... Hail Mary... Glory Be...

    Pray for us St. Thomas More, That we may faithfully follow you on the hard road that leads to eternal life.

    Day Seven
    St. Thomas More, in your earthly life, you were a model of Christian fortitude. You suffered bereavement, disgrace, poverty, imprisonment and a violent death; yet you bore all with the strength and good cheer for which you were known throughout your life. Pray for us that God grant us the grace to bear all the crosses that God sends me with patience and joy.

    Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory Be...

    Pray for us St. Thomas More, That we may faithfully follow you on the hard road that leads to eternal life.

    Day Eight
    St. Thomas More, in your earthly life, you were a loyal child of God and a steadfast son of the Church, never taking your eyes off the eternal goal. Even in the face of death, you trusted in God to give you the victory, and He rewarded you with the martyr's crown. pray for us that God grant us and our loved ones the grace of protection from sudden and unprovided death, and faithfulness to the end, so that we may one day enjoy your glorious company in heaven.

    Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory Be...

    Pray for us St. Thomas More, That we may faithfully follow you on the hard road that leads to eternal life.

    Day Nine
    St. Thomas More, you spent your whole earthly life preparing for the life to come. Everything you endured prepared you not only for heaven, but for your intercession as the patron of lawyers, judges and statesmen, and steadfast friend to all who call upon you. Through your prayers and intercession, obtain for us aid in all our necessities, both bodily and spiritual, and the grace to follow in your footsteps, until at last we are safely home with you in the mansions our Father has prepared for us in heaven

    Our Father... Hail Mary... Glory Be...

    Pray for us St. Thomas More, That we may faithfully follow you on the hard road that leads to eternal life.
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  8. This post is my comment on the candidates for the 2019 NSW State election. It is in no way exhaustive, nor do I claim to be the least bit impartial. These are my observations as a voter, who happens to be a Catholic Christian.

    For the benefit of those who prefer short answers, I offer a TLDR (Too Long: Didn't Read) after each entry. Even my full text is far too simplistic to be called a summary, so the TLDR is always going to be far too simplistic. Please read the rest.

    This list is taken from the parties currently registered for the NSW State election.

    The Animal Justice Party's policies include increasing the rights of animals, promotion of healthy diets
    i.e. "Our key dietary goal is to shift Australia’s food focus towards healthy plant-based wholefoods. This will greatly reduce the rates of many illnesses."
    and human population control (zero population growth). The AJP's other policies are a demonstration of the pitfalls of single issue parties. Their policy on Mental Health amounts to animal rescue, which does make you feel better, but probably won't cure many of the kinds of ailments that come under that label. Their Employment policy aims to phase out jobs that exploit animals and Education policy aims to change student values "starting at the canteen and extending into science classes." Mark Pearson is the only sitting (legislative council) member for the party, and his questions in the assembly perfectly match his single issue.

    TLDR:     Not a bad cause, but unbalanced in its approach to human issues.

    The Australian Conservatives are Cory Bernardi's breakaway group (2017) which was formed to provide a 'more conservative' voice in politics. At first blush the Australian Conservatives seem compatible with Christian ideals, claiming to support families and the "Western values" based on our Judeo-Christian heritage. This includes advocating against "Safe Schools" programme, against same sex marriage, against abortion and for freedom of religion. The claim to support families, however, does not appear to impact on their tax, education or welfare policies, which seem to follow the usual fiscal conservative line. These policies may be conservative, but Christianity is not conservative (or liberal). Their "religious freedom" seems to be only for Christians, with policies mostly aimed at excluding or opposing Islamic influence. Specifically calling for legal, defence, and social policies that guard against such influences. While Christians may have some concerns over reports of bias against Christian immigrants, this party's opposition to helping refugees should be of concern to all Christians.
    "We will withdraw from the UN Refugee Convention, and never resettle those who arrive here illegally"
    Christians... read the last half of that sentence again, then look up what the Bible says about refugees.
    They also advocate for cutting humanitarian aid to neighbouring countries in favour of an "Australia first" policy. The link to anti-Islamic movement is underlined by Cory Bernardi's connections with the Q Society of Australia, a specifically anti-Islamic group. In fact the Q Society's president joined the Australian Conservatives, along with Kirrilee Smith, who was with the Australian Liberty Alliance and has been suggested as a NSW candidate for the Australian Conservatives. UPDATE: The first candidate on their NSW Legislative Council list is Greg Walsh, who is a Catholic Lawyer, a and a good man. Also, I have to acknowledge the Party's response to the recent horrific murders in New Zealand was appropriate.

     TLDR: Possibly good on marriage and life issues, not so good on welfare, dangerous fear-mongering regarding minorities, foreigners and refugees.

    The Labor Party have been following a strong and blatant anti-Christian line for a few years now, insisting all candidates must be pro abortion, and pushing hard for "Safe Schools" and similar propaganda, while specifically targeting Catholics and other Christians. The pro-worker, stand-up-for-the-weak style policies that used to attract Catholic voters are a thing of the past. The best we can say of Labor in that department is that they are slightly less bad (in this area) than the alternative. About the only spark of interest is in their leader, Michael Daley, who seems to be far less keen to follow the party down the anti-Christian rabbit hole. Christians might like their policies to end wage theft from low paid workers and I personally have soft spot for their policy to prevent "no grounds" evictions, and they do seem to have a closer eye on environmental, education and hospital funding. Unfortunately the usual "spend-into-debt" pattern seems evident. While Labor policy is officially in favour of funding Catholic schools, they oppose almost all increases and there is an element in the Labor party pushing against funding for Catholic schools and charities. (Check out facts on Catholic school funding here) The Country Labor Party is effectively the Labor Party, trying to gain regional votes by adding "country" to their title.

    TLDR:     Some good ideas, but no love for Christians.

    The Building a better Australia Party is another one issue party focused on cheaper housing prices in Sydney. While they have touched on a hot topic, and even secured an upper house seat in 2011, their policies are more about freeing up red tape and making things easier for those in the industry than about making housing more affordable. TLDR: Not a bad idea, but single issue.

    The Christian Democratic Party has an impressive array of policies that seem in keeping with Christian values. They do nod in the direction of suspicion of immigrants, but the problem is largely with their effectiveness. The organisation itself suffers from low membership and lack of effective officers, meaning that their effectiveness is extremely limited. TLDR: In theory, not bad at all. In practice, embarrassingly ineffective.

    The Flux Party is advocating "Issue Based Direct Democracy." That is, the idea that we replace parliamentary decision makers with direct public polls on every issue. I don't need to spend time explaining why this is a bad idea. TLDR: This is lunacy.

    The Keep Sydney Open Party is another one issue party, in direct response to the laws shutting down Sydney's CBD to prevent violence and crime which stemmed from the early morning benders. Formed by the business interests who lost income from the closures, this is a self serving business group who are upset they can no longer make money on debauchery. TLDR: No.

    The Liberal Democratic Party has been consistent over better part of two decades. Their principles are about lifting of all government or legal restrictions over all aspects of life. This includes some issues Christians might sympathise with, such as freedom of speech, of religion and acknowledgement of Christian heritage, but far too many worrying policies, including to abolish the minimum wage, abolish unfair dismissal laws, allow commercial sale of guns, including military grade weapons, abolish government welfare and environmental programmes, legalise assisted suicide, legalise (or decriminalise) all drugs, and so on. TLDR: An ally in some things, but No.

    The National Party, ironically began as the Progressive Party (1922-1925) but is now seen as the slightly more conservative wing of the Liberal/National coalition. In modern Australia there is nothing particular conservative about country areas, and so the Nationals representatives have become more a voice for the regional voters, specifically around infrastructure and regional issues, which was supposed to be their function from the beginning. TLDR: Yes for rural interests, No for values.

    Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party has made something of a comeback recently, but is still beset with personality clashes, resignations and scandals that make them more a side show than a going concern. While she has a point that politicians have ignored or looked down their nose at the average voter for too long, she generally represents the knee jerk reaction of uninformed people looking for scapegoats. TLDR: No.

    The Shooters and Fishers Party are another one issue party, but one who have proved reasonably consistent and persistent in their approach. They want freedom to engage in recreational shooting and fishing (no surprises there). They have proven more conservative than the Nationals of late and have tended to vote with the other minority right wing groups. TLDR: Meh.

    The Socialist Alliance (Australia) is, as the name suggests, a branch of a worldwide socialist movement, promoting socialism as the best form of government. Allied with the Green left (the regular Greens are just a little too conservative for this bunch), they advocate for abolishing all funding to non government schools and organisations, giving total control to the (socialist) state. If those angry student protesters maintain their rage into adulthood, you can find them here. TLDR: No.

    The Sustainable Australia Party, are not a single issue party, but all their policies stem from the goal of keeping Australia at a manageable level of population. Their policies range between investment in infrastructure and food production, population control through policy and taxes, immigration control and education. This is more about protectionism than environmental policy. TLDR: No.

    The Greens of NSW are well known, and present many problems for Christians. While Christians would agree wholeheartedly with the need to care for the world God has made, and that pollution in the name of profits is immoral, but the persistently blatant and aggressively anti Christian rhetoric, agenda and policy of the Greens effectively rules them out. They have openly advocated for the removal of all funding to religious schools and organisations. The historical connection between the NSW Greens and communism is also of concern. TLDR: No.

    The Liberal Party in NSW are a slightly different animal to the national body, but not by much. The current leader Gladys Berejiklian has a modest record of getting things done, and has appointed Dominic Perrottet as treasurer. Perrottet is an interesting development in NSW politics. Some commentators observed that his first budget seemed more a Labor budget than a Liberal one, in that it was aimed to help families, education and health. Christians who are happy with Labor's (historic) advocacy of those in need but concerned about Labor's more recent lurch to the anti-Christian, and progressive social engineering will prefer Perrottet's moderate proposals. How much he is allowed to do in a party that is traditionally stacked with investors and business interests remains to be seen. TLDR: A soft, suspicious Maybe.

    The Voluntary Euthanasia Party is summed up in the name. A dangerous idea which should not receive any votes from Christians. TLDR: No.

    The Small Business Party is a small party pushing for various reforms that will allow smaller business to flourish. While the effectiveness of their specific policies may be debatable, allowing small businesses to thrive in a way that genuinely competes with big business is very much in keeping with Christian distributism. TLDR: A good idea, in spite of the limited scope of their policies.

    Who is missing from this list? I cannot find any reference to the Democratic Labour Party running candidates in this election. This is a little sad, given that the party has one of the best policy platforms I have seen. This seems to be a symptom of their struggle to get members and consistent support. Again, effectiveness is the issue.

    For what it is worth, I think that the main issues in this election will be whether the voters even remember who the Premier is, and what the Liberals have done in their 8 year term (good and bad), or whether they vote based on their impressions of national politics. If people vote locally, I predict a return of the Libs with a decreased margin. If the state politicians cannot catch the public eye and they vote based on Morrison and Shorten, it will be a much closer call, possibly a Labor/Green minority government.

    I do not hope for any particular candidate. There are none worth hoping in. For a general overview of the election, see Anthony Green's analysis.
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  9. The big news is that Albert has been accepted into a local school for children with special needs. The school itself has the training, facilities and experience to help Albert develop in skills which are essential to being as independent as possible in the long run. Today was his orientation day at the school, and school begins in earnest in February next year. The attitude, facilities, programme and general attitude of the staff was impressive and reassuring.

    Even so. We have been homeschooling all of our children for the last five years or so, and we have enjoyed the personal involvement in our children's education and development, their excellent company and the ability to tailor their education. The idea of handing our youngest and most vulnerable child over to strangers is a difficult one. Especially since he is non verbal and unable to clearly communicate to us if anything is wrong.

    We are still very positive about this step. We are excited about where this will take Albert, and looking forward to watching him grow.

    While his gag reflex is now much less, Albert still prefers not to have any solids in his mouth, and so still receives 100% of his daily sustenance through a gastric tube, through a valved "peg" surgically implanted in his belly. His gross motor skills are developing well, and he delights in throwing all kinds of objects, quite accurately, into inconvenient locations. This means fishing various objects out of our swimming pool, various household sinks, the washing machine and from behind furniture. We are hoping this is a sign of a budding career in basketball!

    Albert continues to develop his communication skills, using Key Word Sign (a 'pigeon' version of Auslan) to read books, communicate his observations and desires. He even corrects us sometimes when we use the incorrect sign. His music therapist has him forming shapes with his mouth in response to certain vocal sounds. Watching him mime to Whitney Houston's "I will always love you" is hilarious!

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  10. Listening to late night talk-back radio as I drive home late at night is almost always a bad idea. The presenters are usually so biased in their outlook that they ride roughshod over logic in order to promote their preferred opinion. So it was moderately amusing to hear one guest complain that politics was becoming more tribal than ever. Recent studies, and our experience of public 'debate' have shown that people care less than ever about what is true or just and more than ever about believing and echoing whatever spin their tribe is currently using to "win" the day.

    As I was listening to the (very) biased radio host complaining about his audience being very biased, I couldn't help remembering a certain comedian's take on political tribalism. (LANGUAGE WARNING.)



    For those who don't want to watch the video, the transcript runs a little like this (edited of course):

    "The whole country has a [messed] up mentality.
    We all have a gang mentality
    Republicans are idiots
    and Democrats are idiots
    and Conservatives are idiots
    and Liberals are idiots
    and anyone that makes up their mind before they hear the issue is a fool. OK?
    Everybody is so busy wanting to be down with the gang
    "I'm a conservative." "I'm a liberal" ... it is bull****
    Be a person.
    Listen!
    Let it swirl around your head...
    THEN form  your opinion.
    No normal, decent person is one thing. OK?

    The problem with the tribal approach is that it is anti reason and intellect, anti justice, anti Christian and anti human. I would like to say it is anti democracy too, but I am very much afraid that depends on what kind of democracy we are talking about. In the present practice of democracy it seems that a large enough majority can redefine all things to suit that majority. fundamental principles such as justice, basic human rights, or even who is counted as a person at all, seem changeable as long as we can get enough votes. Democracy in this model is simply an exercise of raw power of one group over others. It is always a bad idea when one group dominates another without reference to any other value than their own power. While it may seem that democracy at least prevents a minority from dominating the downtrodden majority, in reality the majority dominating minorities presents its own grave dangers. Defenseless minorities have always suffered the worst when the majority's power is unchecked and unaccountable to higher principles of justice and human rights. If all that matters is the vote, then this almost guarantees that minorities will be at least ignored, or possible mistreated with impunity.

    So what is the antidote to this tribalism? The key to democracy has always been the quality of the formation of the voters. If we place our hope in democracy to maintain justice, freedom, human rights and basic human decency in government, then we place our hope in each and every individual person voting according to those principles. The trouble is that we have stopped forming people in these values some time ago, and modern politics is an exercise of raw power, because that is all that is left in voters who have not been formed in virtue and values.

    Every one of us who voted for or against a candidate on the basis of which tribe they are from, on whether my tribe has decided they suck, or whether they failed to virtue signal in my tribe's current fetish issue, or the colour of their tie, or the sound of their voice, or whether I liked them on TV, or whether we personally stand to gain something from a candidate's election is a part of the problem. A democratic society will only be decent when its voters are voting for decency. A democracy will only be just if the voters are voting for justice. A democracy will only be a place that protects the vulnerable if the majority vote on the basis of the vulnerable being protected as a higher priority than some small gain of our own, or the satisfaction of my tribe winning.

    Imagine if we took the time and effort to actually look into the issues, and put serious thought into them. Imagine if we thought hard about the values we strive to uphold, that we want to define our communities and nation. Imagine if we started to form young voters to do the same. Imagine if we voted this way.

    Maybe if we start voting this way, potential candidates will get the message and start acting this way too. A good person knows that a good life is not about getting what we want for ourselves, but about being consistently just and good to all around us. A good voter knows that a good politician is not necessarily someone who does what I want them to, but someone who will hold these values consistently, even when they think people won't agree with them.
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Married with eight children, I read for work and recreation which results in the current combination of G.K. Chesterton, Orson Scott Card and Terry Pratchet in my backpack. I'm not always certain which is work and which is recreation!
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