Catholic TLIG
Saturday, March 31, 2001 10:38 PM
Fr. John Abberton is the priest who Vassula specifically requested guide the TLIG group in England. A reflection from Fr John was sent to this list on 24th August last year.
He has just written a letter to the English group with some thoughts concerning TLIG retreats and days of prayer.
The resulting letter, however, discusses important matters of universal concern for True Life in God supporters and so is forwarded here to the full mailing list.
Retreats and Days of Prayer.
I have been thinking and praying about these things. I am reminded of something Vassula said some time ago about the danger of being “too Catholic” in the sense that we focus too readily on the needs and wishes of Catholic members of TLIG and not enough on the non-Catholics. This happens in England because most of us are “RC’s”.
In the retreats there has been an understandable emphasis on the Mass. For Catholics this is obviously praiseworthy – even essential. We need to ask ourselves what we should do in the event of a truly ecumenical retreat. Similarly with Days of Prayer. They tend to be centred on the Prayer Group and the Mass (in my limited experience at any rate). Nothing wrong with that, but we do need to ask questions about the ecumenical aspects.
I have been rather unsure about the retreat this year and I have not been able to say exactly why, but I think it has something to do with this. The same goes for the Days of Prayer.
I need to say something else. In the present climate (especially since the latest document – on the publication of ‘the Eucharist’ – produced by the Anglican bishops) it is not right to assume that non-Catholics will be able to receive Holy Communion at Catholic Masses. In the Catholic bishops document, “One Bread, One Body”, it is clear that special permission can be given in certain circumstances, but we must apply for it. It is unfair to place Catholic priests in the predicament of having to administer Holy Communion to non-Catholics, “on the spot” as it were, and unfair to expect priests to disobey their bishops. We may want to disagree with the Bishops’ rules, but they are not just the “Bishops’ rules”, but are regulations ultimately coming from the Vatican.
Whilst some Anglicans say that French Catholics (and perhaps Spanish for all I know) are not so strict, there has been a long-standing problem of misunderstanding regarding the actual “status” of Anglicans in some parts of the continent. Added to this is the confusion between the Anglican’s status vis-a-vis the Orthodox as opposed to his/her status (eucharistically speaking) with the Catholic Church. This may seem a little complicated, but these things need to be said – especially now.
We know from the messages that Our Lord is impatient with our inability to move towards complete union, but He does not advocate anything like disobedience to the Catholic bishops. Ignoring rules is not the answer. If anything, that is dishonest. We may be frustrated by them or want to protest, but we cannot ignore them. In actual fact, if we want to protest we had better get our theology right. The regulations are there because of basic differences in belief – differences which need to be dealt with before we can all share the eucharistic table.
In certain circumstances Anglicans and others who accept the basic doctrine of the Real Presence can be admitted to Holy Communion at the Catholic Mass, but, as I say, permission must be sought. Anglicans have a different approach and offer “eucharistic hospitality” as a matter of course. Catholics are not able to accept it.
All of this means that we should pray about the Lord’s will with regard to TLIG retreats and Days of Prayer. My own suggestion would be that we consider various alternatives. In the case of Catholics and non-Catholics at a Day of Prayer we could;
- Have two separate celebrations but attend each other’s celebration (obviously without receiving Communion)
- Not have the Eucharist at all (unless privately in another setting)
- In either case, have an Agape meal (sharing of blessed bread and wine) which would symbolise the unity we long for and – painfully – lack.
The pain felt at disunity is actually of intercessory value. We link it with Our Lord’s own pain.
I would like to know what people think about all this. I have discussed some of it with Fr. Tony so it is not just my point of view. We did not share ideas as to how we could formulate a Day of Prayer, and he may have his own views, which I would be grateful to hear or see.
It is obviously very important to tread a careful path where we respect each other but also respect each other’s traditions to the extent that these impinge on our consciences. Our own retreats and Days of Prayer are not, and cannot be seen as, smaller repeats of the Holy Land experience. There we were expressly given permission (the priests were) to distribute Holy Communion to non-Catholics, just as special permission was granted for everyone to receive Communion at the Orthodox liturgies. That was really a “Tabor experience”, but having come down from the mountain, we must deal with present reality, and this means facing the Cross of disunity.
I would like to hear views about times and places for Days of Prayer, but we should also not shy away from the attempt to make them truly ecumenical. Similarly with the retreat. My feeling would be that, since we have an Anglican member at Cardigan, we should try to have a retreat or Day of Prayer there so that we can have some experience of an ecumenical meeting. It will be difficult to work out the details, but with sensitivity and courage we could actually have a wonderful event. Holywell, I feel, tends to be dominated by Catholics. I am not saying this is a bad thing (nothing in this is actually “bad”) but I simply ask the question (I do not claim to have all the answers) about these things.
Another matter with regard to days of Prayer etc is that it is obviously important to make sure that people in the North (i.e. Newcastle and Leeds) can get to the venue without having to travel very much further than people in the Midlands or in the South. Holywell is probably the most central – and welcoming! – place we know, but we need to open this up to the Holy Spirit, especially with regard to the ecumenical aspect.
I am not making rules here or simply stating what “must” be done. The rules I have mentioned are not mine in that sense (although I accept them). I am also asking questions, and would be grateful to know your thoughts. I have held back from suggesting dates (as regards my own availability) because I have been unsure about where we are going. It is really not up to me to call either retreats or Days of Prayer; this is for the Association (I am the spiritual guide not the spiritual dictator).
If you feel that you want to call either event at a certain time or place, please do not wait for me. If I or Fr. Tony can be available, I’m sure we will try to help. If you want to suggest dates, please do. I only ask that we seriously consider the points I have made.
To those reading this who are not Catholics, I apologise if my language seems clumsy. It is certainly not my intention to cause any heartache or anxiety. I write this with a deepening respect and love for all my brothers and sisters in other denominations. We are on the road together and share each other’s pain at disunity. We must share as much as we can whilst respecting each other’s traditions. We must also keep in mind the vision of the iron bars which must bend towards each other. We have a lot of work to do still, but we ARE brothers and sisters in the Lord. Let’s all work together. The Association should not be seen as a Catholic group. TLIG is for all Christians. I am still learning. I need you; we all need each other.
God Bless. Fr. John Abberton
