EDITORIAL: WHERE WAS GOD?
Yuri Koszarcyz
The question "Where was God?" is nowhere more poignant than in response to the Shoah, or Holocaust. Speaking at a recent, short ceremony at the memorial to the victims, Pope Benedict XVI asked this question again. "In a place like this," he said, "words fail; in the end, there can only be a dread silence "a silence which is itself a heartfelt cry to God: Why, Lord, did you remain silent? How could you tolerate all this?"
The theological reality was, and still is, that God was there because God is centrally present in all of his creation. And yet…
Whether God was silent or not is, and still remains, the real question. My answer is that God was silent because those within whom God dwells were silent! Very few voices of protest were raised by the international as well as the German hierarchy to decry the depraved butchery of a whole people. Even less was said about the Gypsies, homosexuals, the infirm and the mentally-ill that were gassed in the ovens of the camps. God was silent because the people of God were silent and God can only speak through his own and those filled with the prophetic voice of the Spirit to confront such intolerable injustice.
Have matters changed? I doubt it very much that we have learnt anything from history. God is present in each of us, but overall we stay silent in the face of depravity, murder, and many forms of social, political, cultural and religious injustice. We turn away from the senseless slaughter of the innocent in many theatres of war. We become the whitened sepulchres of hypocrisy and deception as we ignore the plight of the hungry and the poor while feasting at the table of personal plenty. While we preach the gospel, so many practised abuse and self-aggrandisement. How will we all stand accountable to the question, "Why did you stay silent?"
While we preach freedom and democracy, we condone the unjustifiable torture of Guantanamo Bay. While we preach peace, we prepare to spend a trillion dollars on missile systems that assures the potential destruction of all life on earth. While three million people die of hunger this week around the globe, are we not equally confronted by the same question "Where is God?" and met with the same silence as was evidenced at Auschwitz? How many of the innocent (for they have not been tried and found guilty by any process to-date) at Guantanamo have asked the same question and God still remains silent.
On Pentecost Sunday we prayed: "Lord, renew the face of the earth." This may be read as a prayer for ecological sustainability and renewal. On this too, God appears silent. Greed and avarice continue to pollute and destroy the very planet that is our life-source, our earth-mother, the root of all known life-forms. We all collude in this by our consumer-lifestyles and our silences. A more poignant prayer may be: "Lord, renew the hearts of your people; break the silences of our tongues; give us the courage to confront all injustices, all evils, all wrongs, so that your Spirit may transform us into prophets for the kingdom of peace, justice and reconciliation. Through us, your silences can be broken and the earth renewed."
Yuri Koszarcyz
Senior Lecturer, School of Theology McAuley Campus,
Australian Catholic University
EDITOR'S NOTES
An Editorial Post-Script
"Where was God?" the editorial asks. This must surely have been the question on the lips and in the hearts of the disciples following the cruel death of Jesus. It is also a question in the hearts and minds of many people today in the post-Auschwitz era. For some, the incontrovertible conclusion is that God does not exist. Yet, Christian faith tells another story: it is the story of the "paschal paradox" in which God is actually most present where sin, evil and human depravity abound. Elie Weisel tells the following story about this God in the concentration camps of Auschwitz:
The SS hung two Jewish men and a boy before the assembled inhabitants of the camp. The men died quickly but the death struggle of the boy lasted half an hour. "Where is God? Where is he?" a man behind me asked. As the boy, after a long time was still in agony on the rope, I heard a man cry again, "Where is God now?" And I heard a voice within me answer, "There he is, he is hanging here on this gallows. . . " (Elie Weisel, Night [New York: Hill & Wang, 1960], 70-71.)
The simple reality is: if God was not at Auschwitz, God does not exist. But here, especially here 'hanging on this gallows,' God is profoundly present in the one who suffers and dies. This is a scandal to both political and moral correctness. It is a scandal that neither Easter nor Pentecost covers over. The scandal remains to confront us in our apathy and hardness of heart. We are called to be the hands, hearts and voices of this tender-loving God in the world; yet, so often we fail. It is not God who fails even if God appears to remain silent. As the editorial notes, if we remain silent, God is made speechless as humanity suffers and the earth is pillaged. The message of Easter and Pentecost is that we have a role to play in the world's transformation if we open our eyes to see the suffering-and-risen Christ in the poor, marginal and victims of this world and open our hearts to receive the gift of the Spirit who "renews the face of the earth."
Contributions
Feature Articles include internationally renowned scholars in a variety of fields: Johannes Van der Ven presents a human rights model for religious interaction in a multicultural world (Practical Theology);Brian Johnstone provides an approach to the self as 'receiver' and 'giver' versus the stultifying autonomous modern self and the self-making (and self-destructing) postmodern self (Moral Theology); Stephen Bevans and Roger Schroeder challenge us to reappraise our approach to evangelization by highlighting humility and dialogue "We were gentle among you" as well as prophecy (Mission Theology).
Another featured article by Matthew Ogilvie tackles the increasingly complex but crucially important area of evolutionary science and Catholic theology. Cullan Joyce finds in the second century apologist, Justin Martyr, principles pertinent to the interaction between Christianity and culture with ramifications for interfaith dialogue. Denis McLaughlin articulates the spiritual foundations of the Edmund Rice educational charism expressed in terms of presence, compassion and liberation.
This special Pentecost issue of the Journal presents some poignant reflections on The Easter Mystery. Although celebrated as separate feasts, Easter and Pentecost are integral aspects of the mystery of Christian faith: there is no Easter without the Spirit; and no Pentecost without the Risen Lord. Drasko Dizdar reflects on the "The Pascal Paradox of the Dead and Risen God-Man." Tony Kelly contemplates the relationship between "Easter and the Empty Tomb." Anne Hunt pays tribute to François-Xavier Durrwell CSsR for his ground-breaking work in reinstating the resurrection at the heart of Christian theology. Two artistic pieces included in this section, given their evident Easter focus, are Lindsay Farrell's Emmaus reflection and The Turkana Artists' representations of the Stations of the Cross and Resurrection in Lodwar Cathedral, Kenya . Three depictions of Easter Art from Malta is also presented. Elsewhere in this issue, you will also find Bet Green's Easter poems.
Given the number of contributions relating to The Church and Public Theology, these are provided in a separate category. Michael Warren is concerned to unmask the dynamics that operate in the local Church within the current framework of globalization. Mary Eastham writes of the relationship between the Church and the public forum according to the methodology of John Courtney Murray. Brian Gleeson reviews scriptural foundations for ordained ministries in the Church. Peter Devenish-Mears argues for a more participative ecclesiology that enhances redemptive intimacy.
Finally there is a selection of works that may be called "inspirational" as the category title suggests: Literature, Art, Pilgrimage, Miracles, Poetry. Greg Smith introduces us to yet another dimension of Judith Wright's nature poetry. Patrick McArdle reflects on the human person and passions in response to the artistic work of Bill Viola. Also highlighting the importance of the visual medium for theological reflection is the article by Lawrence Cross et al. on the Anastasis icon. Bet Green and Frank Gerry take us on a wonderful pilgrimage through India and beyond to that important "inner pilgrimage of the heart." Peter Blakey reflects on the reality and significance of miracles. Bet Green, Mary Kennan Herbert, Jade Ireland and Michael G. Michael complete this section with their inspirational words of poetry.
Finally, we have a number of Book Reviews and Book Notices of recently published works in Theology or on theologically-related topics.
Some Final Notes
The Australian Ejournal of Theology is registered as an accredited Journal. Where applicable, it is noted at the conclusion that "the article has been peer reviewed, and is deemed to meet the criteria for original research as set out by the Australian Government Department of Education, Science and Training." Some contributions, such as poetry, artwork, work in progress, book reviews, editorials and pastoral reflections are not eligible for peer-review status as important as these are for maintaining and developing the quality of the journal for both academic and more general readership.
Given this is an extra issue for 2006, Issue 8 will be assembled for publication in September and ready for publication in late September-early October. Submissions should be forwarded to the editor no later than 1st August 2006.
My appreciation to Yuri Koszarycz, Technical Editor, for yet another superb effort in preparing this issue for publication and for his challenging Editorial. The amount of work which goes into the preparation of each issue is certainly considerable. The positive feedback we receive certainly spurs us on. But we also welcome your critiques which enable us to improve the quality of the Journal. Thank you also to Professor Tony Kelly, Deputy Editor, Associate Professor Anne Hunt, Editor for Theology and the Arts, the Editorial Management Board and Editorial Consultants. Your contributions to the ongoing success of the Journal are greatly appreciated.
In particular, I wish to thank Professor Stephen Bevans, Louis J. Luzbatek SVD Professor of Mission and Culture, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, for his gracious acceptance of the invitation to be included among our already highly distinguished list of Editorial Consultants for AEJT.
May I express a final word of appreciation to the authors, book reviewers and referees. This reminds me to ask: if you read a book you think deserves a review in AEJT, please write and forward it.
Writing this on the Feast of Marist saint, Marcellin Champagnat, reminds us of the importance of education for the life of the Church. As a fellow Marist, if I can be excused a final excursis, may I suggest there is something of Champagnat's evangelizing spirit and educational approach evident in many of the articles in this issue: Johannes Van der Ven's emphasis on human rights and religious freedom; Brian Johnstone's notion of the inter-dependent self "who receives gifts from others and gives gifts to others"; and perhaps especially Stephen Bevans / Roger Schroeder's approach to evangelization as "being gentle among you." As Champagnat knew, Mary is true believer and first disciple who brings the Lord and the Church to birth in ever new and creative ways through her response to the Spirit on her journey from Nazareth to Pentecost.
Gerard Hall SM
Editor
6th June 2006
