In cooperation with Bishop Geoffrey Robinson and his publisher, John Garratt Publishing, we have pleasure in presenting the end chapter meditations from his book which has created so much interest around the world. Today the reflection comes from Chapter Three: Spiritual Discernment.

Spiritual Discernment

• I cannot hand on to others the person and story of Jesus Christ without at some point telling them about the many truths that flow from belief in Jesus, the many rules of living that are inherent in following him and the different forms of worship through which we might express our respect and love for him.
• On the other hand, it is all too easy for the truths, rules of living and worship to take the dominant place. It is easier to judge the presence and authenticity of Christian faith by these clear and measurable goals than by the unmeasurable criterion of a response of one's whole being to a person and a story. Particular traditions can dominate the Great Tradition.
• And yet it is the Great Tradition that contains all the dynamism of the church and its attractiveness to those outside it. The truths, rules of living and worship, separated from the Great Tradition or placed before it, will rarely attract people.
• The need to maintain order and coherence within the Church can be in conflict with the need to reach out to the whole world through the person and story of Jesus Christ. Regaining the spirit of Jesus always involves reminding ourselves daily where the priorities lie.
  

Credit: These meditations are taken from the end of chapter reflections in Bishop Geoffrey Robinson's book, Confronting Power and Sex in the Catholic Church — Reclaiming the Spirit of Jesus, published by John Garratt Publishing. We thank Bishop Robinson and John Garratt Publishing for permission to reproduce these meditations on Catholica Australia.

Bishop Geoffrey Robinson who has degrees in Philosophy, Theology and Church Law, was Auxiliary Bishop in the Archdiocese of Sydney from 1984 until his retirement in 2004. In 1994 he was elected by the Australian Bishops to the National Committee for Professional Standards, coordinating the response of the Catholic Church in Australia to revelations of sexual abuse, and from 1997 until 2003 he was co-chairman of this committee..

We welcome your thoughts in response to Bishop Robinson's reflection in our forum.

©2007 Geoffrey Robinson

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