A listening Church ... but listening to what?

It is nearly eleven years since I had the opportunity to hear Fr Raniero Cantalamessa speak at a Eucharistic Congress held in Birmingham. At the end of this talk, the audience showed their appreciation by applauding. Father turned towards the image of the Face of Christ that formed the backdrop to the stage and joined in the applause, re-directing it towards the person of Christ and, for the more reflective in the audience, through Christ to the Father in the Holy Spirit.

I recall Father's action from time to time as being a representation of what happens when a Christian offers a "testimony", a witness to the action of God in their life. In Catholic life, the range of movements in the Church which invite participants to offer such testimonies is more extensive than one might imagine. Some examples I am aware of: a session at the end of a "fundamental retreat" of the Foyers of Charity, at the end of a Youth 2000 retreat, in the magazine and on the website of the Focolare, the Charismatic Renewal. I am sure, in different ways, there are many others.

In all of these circumstances what we listen to may first and foremost be a person who shares their testimony. But most fundamentally, as Father Cantalamessa's action of turning towards the Face of Christ indicates, we seek to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking through the life and witness of the one who offers their testimony. This does make a significant demand on the person who offers the testimony, a demand that they be transparent to the Spirit and do not project themselves, that they recognise the mix of grace and failing in their story (the tares and the wheat of the Gospel story). But it also asks of the listener a certain discernment in order to hear what in that testimony is "of the Spirit". It isn't just anything that we listen to.

It is worth recalling that Pope Francis is very familiar with the Charismatic Renewal, so that, when he speaks of a "listening Church", we might expect the experience of testimonies to be at least a part of what he refers to.

A synodal Church is a Church which listens, which realizes that listening “is more than simply hearing”. It is a mutual listening in which everyone has something to learn. The faithful people, the college of bishops, the Bishop of Rome: all listening to each other, and all listening to the Holy Spirit, the “Spirit of truth” (Jn 14:17), in order to know what he “says to the Churches” (Rev 2:7).

I have my doubts as to whether listening exercises undertaken by questionnaire and survey response, or in the form of "consultations", actually deliver this ecclesial form of listening. I suspect that they produce a rather indiscriminate listening that gives equal weight to everything that is said, without that element of discernment necessary in order to genuinely hear what the Spirit is saying to the local and to the universal Church.

What Pope Francis calls us to recognise, though, is the real possibility that testimonies offered among the faithful of the local Churches and ecclesial movements can illuminate the Christian mystery in a way that has a universal significance. Testimonies can be an expression of the sensus fidei, in its properly understood sense, an expression deserving of our attention in order to hear the voice of the Spirit. This is true listening.

A different Ireland

As things have worked out, I will not be in Dublin for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress. But at a time when Ireland and Catholicism means Cardinal Sean Brady (here)and the Association of Catholic Priests of Ireland (here and here... but beware that call for "dialogue" which intends a very particular outcome) ....

If you explore the programme for the International Eucharistic Congress, I think you might find a different Ireland: here. Look out for the extent of the involvement of Focolare, Emanuel Community, Youth 2000 ....

Appleby Horse Fair

Appleby is a small (2 500 inhabitants) town in Cumbria (north of England, just before it becomes Scotland for overseas visitors). Every year, in early summer, the town hosts a horse fair. For the Traveller community in Britain, this is their biggest event of the year. It always makes it on to the radio, by stint of the traffic delays caused as the horse drawn wagons make their way to and from Appleby. Over the long weekend this year, an estimated 200 000 people visited or stayed in the area.

Why would I be interested in this? Firstly, because Appleby is the town where my father was born, and I can remember visiting his family there. Secondly, because I have just come across a 47 minute film about the horse fair. This I came across looking for resources to help prepare some course materials on citizenship and religious education for Maryvale Institute's initial teacher training course. The film comes from a website called TeachersTV, which provides video materials for teacher's professional development and classroom use here in the UK.

The film is called "Gypsy Fair - Krush on the Drom", and can be downloaded or watched from here. It features gypsy teenagers investigating the background and importance of the Appleby Fair for their own lifestyles. Their explanations of their way of life are very articulate. There is a lovely section where we are shown round a traditional, horse drawn "living wagon" - many families still bring these out for their trip to Appleby, even though most Travellers now live either in houses or on fixed caravan sites. My favourite bit is at 31:50 minutes in, where a gypsy teenager showing the viewer round her caravan points out that, if you have an argument living in a caravan, you do not have the option of going out of the room and into another room to get away from it. You have to say sorry pretty quickly.

At this year's Appleby Horse Fair, Youth 2000 were asked to provide a Catholic presence, and so ran a weekend prayer festival there for the first time. Bishop O'Donoghue visited and, I think, celebrated Mass there.