Joseph Harris C.S.Sp.30th. January 2009

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Regenerating the Moral and Spiritual Values of our Society

The Splendour of Truth“Following Christ is the essential and primordial foundation of Christian morality,” and following him involves “holding fast to the very person of Jesus” (no. 19). It means “becoming conformed to him who became a servant even to giving himself on the cross (cf. Phil. 2:5-8) (no. 21). (Veritatis Splendor )

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The Splendour of TruthChrist’s giving himself on the cross is in fact the manifestation of the Father’s love for us, a love which is meant to be the model which we Christians are called to follow

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The Splendour of TruthThe Old Testament commandment to love our neighbour as ourselves, … had been given to the Chosen People of old (cf. Dt 6:5; Lv 19:18). But, as the Holy Father reminds us, Jesus has given us a new commandment. Commenting on this new commandment, the Pope writes: “Jesus’ way of acting and his words, his deeds and his precepts constitute the moral rule of Christian life.

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The Splendour of TruthMoreover, the vocation to perfect love “is not,” the Pope declares, “restricted to a small group. It is meant for everyone...”, and it is most certainly meant for all of us gathered here in Synod

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Signs of Moral DecadenceT&T Rank in Corruption Index: Higher= More Corrupt

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79 79

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Years 2001-2007

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Signs of Moral DecadenceThe growing disrespect for life, The increasing calls for pro-abortion

legislation The widening gap between the rich and the

poorHuman trafficking, incest and child abuseThe alarming divorce rate The discovery of examination papers for sale, The ethnic divisions, The total disrespect for the land

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Signs of Moral DecadenceThere is a profound and frightening breakdown of morality in our nation, with a corresponding breakdown of the harmony which is God’s plan for the world.

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Signs of Moral DecadenceWe forget however that corrupt institutions come out of a corrupt society which is made up of corrupt individuals.

In very subtle ways we began to think that what defines a person is the amount the person has rather than the quality of their souls. We have let the culture shape us instead of being the ones to shape the culture

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Signs of Moral DecadenceFor us gathered here in Synod the new reality must a Church which with humility and steadfastness is faithful to its mission of evangelizing both people and culture so that a new and morally revitalized Trinidad and Tobago comes into being.

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Signs of Moral DecadenceIt means answering the call to

holiness which is part and parcel of our baptismal anointing to be priests, living lives worthy of being offered to God; to be prophets proclaiming the message by our very lives and calling others through our very lives to the acceptance of the message; to be kings, ensuring the well-being of those who find themselves on the margins.

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Witness of LifeIn the midst of this period of moral decadence there are signs of hope which as Church we must highlight because they point the way to the renewed morality and call us to imitation.

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Witness of LifeUpright men and women who in spite of

great personal loss have remained faithful to Christian principles.

Accountants who have been black listed because they refused to falsify accounts

Teachers who have given lessons without charge to students who needed

Doctors who spend time with HIV patients and made them feel appreciated

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Witness of LifeThis witness to enduring Christian values is not enough. Witness must be accompanied by Catechesis; a catechesis which not only addresses the intellectual aspects of our faith but encourages and supports and celebrates the life long journey to an ever more joyful witness of our commitment to Christ.

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CatechesisThis new catechesis must be very clear in its content and its aims. The following of Christ is summed up in the eight beatitudes.

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CatechesisGod’s vision for the World is harmony. As members of Church and as belonging to a Eucharistic people we are called to be servants of this harmony

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CatechesisBecause of the name we bear, Trinidadians, We in T&T are called to create unity in diversity. The new catechesis must therefore empower us so that we live out the vocation to be priests, prophets and kings, proclaiming and living harmony so that we create a nation which is worthy of being offered to God.

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CatechesisThe new catechesis must also address our relationship with God.

The relationship with God is expressed in prayer, prayer which like St. Monica’s is lasting and enduring, and which is built on hope, the knowledge that God’s promises will come to fruition; prayer which expresses itself not simply in words but in an attitude to life.

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CatechesisThe new catechesis must also address itself to the problem of old paradigms which no longer hold and which have not been replaced. Heaven and Hell no longer affect the way in which we operate.

Accountability, both to the community and to God, as a value has been lost.

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CatechesisThe new catechesis must also promote the old value system of politeness and “broughtupsy” leading to a restored way of relating with each other which recognizes the other as being a child of God, a brother or a sister.

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CatechesisThis catechesis must begin in the family because the family is the first school of authentic Christian living

It is in the family that children must learn generosity of spirit and pureness of heart. It is in the home that children must learn to courageously accept the consequences of living the truth.

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Catholic EducationCatholic education…must regain its fundamental purpose and support or inculcate the value systems which the Gospel proposes

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Catholic EducationCatholic education is not about scholarships. It is about ensuring that our young men and women attain their eternal destiny and at the same time are not focussed only on the self but promote the common good of society

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Catholic EducationChildren and youth are therefore to be cared for in such a way that their physical moral and intellectual talents may develop in a harmonious manner so that they may attain a greater sense of responsibility and a right use of freedom and be formed to take an active role in social life (Canon 795).

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ImaginationImagination is a faculty which allows us to see beyond what meets the eye, beyond the established order of things in our world today. It allows us to see what might be, what could be. Imagination is a precursor to true liberty.

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Catholic EducationCatholic Education must foster a new moral imagination so that our young men and women dream of a new world in which power and money and pleasure are not the driving forces in their lives. Without moral imagination there will not be a morally revitalized Trinidad and Tobago.

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ConclusionCatholic moral life is in essence a following of Christ.

The crisis of morality in our land is partially due to our failure as individuals and communities to share the authentic relationship with God who first loved us in all spheres of our lives.

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ConclusionIf each catholic lives out the baptismal

vocation to martyrdom; if each family truly become a domestic church, evangelizing both itself and others; and if the Church and its institutions live out the moral imperatives of the Gospel i.e. make the beatitudes incarnate in its dealings both within itself and with the world, then all of us both within and outside of the Church will experience once again the totally free and unconditional love of God

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ConclusionThe imitation of Christ which, as we are reminded by Pope John Paul II is “the essential and primordial foundation of Christian morality,”

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