Bishop Dominic writes
Thirty-five years ago I accompanied Bishop Mervyn Stockwood on an official visit to the Romanian Orthodox Church. We stayed in the Patriarchal Palace in Bucharest and in various monasteries and bishops’ palaces throughout the country. It was during the Ceausescu regime and the Church had managed to achieve a modus vivendi to survive in a Communist state.
We knew our visit would be carefully monitored. We were conscious of being followed by the secret police when we ventured out of the Patriarch’s palace to go for a walk, and we passed written notes to one another because we knew that we were being ‘bugged’ whenever we were indoors. Nevertheless, we were amazed at the faith and devotion of the people and the hospitality of the bishops, monks and nuns.
I remember one Sunday, after the Liturgy which lasted for hours, we were taken to have lunch with the Metropolitan (Archbishop) of Transylvania. As was his custom on a Sunday, he was joined by the Protestant leaders, the Rabbi and some Muslim leaders. When you live in an atheist and hostile State, the divisions between denominations and other religions are not so important – what unites you is your common belief in God.
There are many forces within society that seek power and control through division and hatred. We see it in racism, religious hatred, homophobia and sexual discrimination. We see it peddled by extreme political, social and religious groups and individuals. People seek to demonise and blame others and often their hatred is based on ignorance and misinformation. Today, Christians sometimes find themselves among the various groups that are targeted and we are also being called upon to stand alongside other groups who are victims of abuse. At a ‘peace and unity’ vigil in Newport with Christians and Muslims, I remembered that Sunday lunch in the hills of Transylvania, and as I contemplate the birth of the ‘Prince of peace’, I think of the world of political and religious turmoil into which he was born and which resulted in the Holy Family being refugees in Egypt.
Division and demonization is part of the human condition and perhaps we should not be so surprised when we find it in our churches or in our families, and yet the Christian message is one of love, forgiveness and unity. Advent is a time when we are called to prepare for the birth of Jesus. The all-powerful God chooses to save the world, not through a display of power and might, but through the innocence and vulnerability of a child. In his gospel, St Luke takes up the Greek theme of the ‘divine traveller’ who ‘visits and redeems his people’, and so the followers of Jesus are also called to travel through the world striving to spread the message of God’s love for all and calling us to live together in harmony.
May the Advent message of Christ’s coming fill your hearts with expectation and joy, and draw you into the mystery of God’s love for all people.
+ Dominic