God, AIDS, Africa & HOPE

Reflections / Gedanken

12/06/2009 • 6:42 pm Comments Off on 06.12.2009 Tiger Woods or skeletons are always to find…

06.12.2009 Tiger Woods or skeletons are always to find…

I am amazed to read again and again stories about Tiger Wood, the golfer who is falling in the moment apart – at least when you believe the newspapers and all those, who have known always..  I personally find his story in the moment rather tragic – because I believe that everybody is a human being and only a human one – everybody has skeletons in his hidden cellar – some are lucky, other are less fortune and it is revealed still at lifetimes. It seems that the longing of people for “the hero”, the model who is superhuman – with no mistakes and no errors of judgement. Looking into politics, sports but also the church, how can one judge this often so overwhelming outcry, if a person of the public is caught red-handed in an affair or similar.

I have the impression that specially those, who are lucky for not being discovered yet are those who point fingers the most and the most vehement. And I also have the impression that one mistake or even a line of mistakes makes a whole life achievement invalid. Suddenly, the whole person is bad or not worthy to be on a pedestal Well, we, the audience, the spectators are puting people on the pedestal and we make people think that they deserve being up above us. It reminds me the “Hosianna” and “Crucify him” – the same screamers only days apart. We have not learned since 2000 years.

I believe that all life is trial and error, is achievement and failure – and that the last judgement is for God, nobody else. Life is always a struggle and nobody wins all battles in life. Or, as we Christians say: We are all saints and sinners at the same time.

I was attending the ordination to the diaconate today of Dominic – and obviously this is a moment where one reflects on all the promises done in this very moment of ordination, of all the goodwill , every ordained person has at the begin of his ministry. But life is long and many challenges are lying ahead. And also here I strongly believe one should never forget that also clergy is made of humans.  How often is such a “holy man” put on a pedestal in a community – whether he wants or not. I admit, some even like it – get used to it.. but every community or parish has also the duty to keep their priest on the carpet… And some helping hands after failure.

Reading about Tiger Woods the golfer and attending the ordination – I am more than ever convinced that more mercy – but also more privacy is deserved by each and everybody.

Filed under: Networking, Reflection, Society and living environment, , , ,

11/29/2009 • 10:59 pm Comments Off on 29.11.2009 A new week

29.11.2009 A new week

A new week starts – the 1st Advent is already gone and with big steps we are approaching Christmas. This year, my service on Christmas Day will be in the parish of Milnerton. This is after 12 years of German Christmas a new experience.

But until then many things must be done, this week I must finish a lot of paperwork and next Sunday, Dominik will be ordained deacon, as mentioned before another chapter is closed then and I have done my duty. In the last 13 years we had in the German-speaking Catholic Community one Primiz, the first mass of a new priest and now the ordination of a German, who will after one year also be ordained priest. Should nobody say that we German-speaking people abroad having not done our bid to keep the church going.  🙂

Otherwise it was a more of a quiet weekend – some relaxation and I must admit this was very much-needed and welcomed.  I slowly but surely get used to my new working rhythm and when I can occupy in February my office at Tygerberg Campus, then I guess I have once again a very much structured working life.  And that is needed, specially with such a broad portfolio as I do have in the moment.

Yesterday came the second invite to participate in a podium discussion during the 2nd ecumenical church day in Munich. So not only “children and AIDS” but also “global learning” is now on my radar for this big event in Germany. I am happy that I can bring in my expertise in both fields and looking forward to Munich. But also the POZ initiative, the pastoral work for HIV positive priests and religious should be a topic for Munich, but as it seems rather on the sideline. There is still a long way to go until I will have this topic in Rome, but I am working on it… 🙂

Filed under: General, , , , , , , ,

11/26/2009 • 11:04 pm Comments Off on 26.11.2009 news…

26.11.2009 news…

The news about the second report of child abuse in Ireland once can reminded us on the sins of our church and how difficult it is for an institution, to come to terms with its own past. Seeing the Archbishop of Dublin sitting there during a press conference and apologizing in his capacity as a bishop, but also as a human being, showed how stressful it is to deal with a now uncovered truth, nobody will really be able to repair the damage done. It teaches us as church a lesson and encourages us to be humble in all our duties to guide other people. It shows how deep even people who thought they were the guardians of the truth and the morals can fail in a way, only God can heal. Give God that we as a church learn out of it, but in a way that makes us better.  In the last years the church was tempted to put the guilt on some rotten apple, then it tried to connect homosexuality and pedophilia – at the end it showed that we as an institution are still not able simply to stand before God and men and acknowledge first and foremost our failure as people of God. Acknowledgement without any justification, just acknowledgement and deep shame should be first. And a clear understanding, that only honest reflection can lead the way forward to learn out of such a past. Such humbleness does not take away anything from the good things, the church has done also in the past, but it fits an organisation, calling itself the people of God.

Filed under: Reflection, Uncategorized, , , , ,

11/23/2009 • 12:01 am Comments Off on 22.11.2009 4 weeks and already he is gone again

22.11.2009 4 weeks and already he is gone again

Exactly four weeks has my successor as the new chaplain to the German-speaking Catholic Community lived in Cape Town before leaving again. Living behind “burglar bars” was not his dream, a mugging added to the anxiety. It is a pity as once again it has been proven that the transfer of priests is not a chess game or goes according to files from the human resource department. For me it was sad to see that an obvious wrong transfer knows only losers: the person who was transferred, the community who was looking forward to have another priest and obviously also the Kath. Auslandssekretariat, which has shown that they ignored the realities of the persons and communities concerned.

I wish my successor, who is now back in Germany awaiting his new assignment, all the best. Thanks God the pastoral community council found a retired German priest who is able to supply for the rest of the year. And for me amazing to see how people now take more ownership and responsibility to maintain a certain level of service until a new chaplain will arrive somewhere next year. Nevertheless, after 12,5 years of building up a community, it is somehow frustrating to see how careless my previous headquarters puts at risk the work of many years.

As mentioned yesterday in my blog, my last “spiritual seminarian” will be ordained deacon on the 6.12. This is the first time that I will be at Nazareth House again and meet with the German-speaking Catholic Community. I have to attend this event after years of accompanying Dominik towards priesthood. His diaconate will be the first step of ordination, end of next year should then follow the ordination to the priesthood.

Finally a good start into the week also for HOPE Cape Town. We will get new offices at pharmacology in February next year. Then all senior staff will work in close proximity at the University of Stellenbosch, Tygerberg Campus and also I will occupy an office there. But we still have to search for a new team secretary for the G7 Ithemba Ward. Also for February  next year – if you know a reliable person with secretarial knowledge and a lot of human values and a peoples person – let me know.

Filed under: HOPE Cape Town Association & Trust, Reflection, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

11/21/2009 • 11:39 pm Comments Off on 21.11.2009 A party, a future deacon and Konrad…

21.11.2009 A party, a future deacon and Konrad…

A long day draws to an end – ending with a party to celebrate the beginning of summer. Thanks to Monika & Bernd for a wonderful evening, even the wind and the clouds could not stop us drumming and eating and drinking and chatting a great eve long. It was good to see people again, catch up and simply make new friends. A perfect end of a day which began with meeting somebody who will be ordained to be a deacon in two weeks time. This will be a special occasion for me as it marks an end to a way I had the pleasure to accompany as a spiritual director for some years now. And amazingly, being a spiritual director does not mean a one-way-street; having done this now not only once it was and is always a sharing, which includes the spiritual director. I always learned in advising somebody in a big way myself  – giving is receiving; this is so true as I experienced again and again.

And then the email from Konrad, making me aware of a double negative I used in one sentence of  a one of my blogs and making so my sentence unknowingly to the opposite I really wanted to say. Thanks for that, you creme de la creme volunteer :-), and for all who will find the sentence with a “don’t” and a “not” in one sentence concerning my view on sexuality: please scrap the first “not” and the sentence is right!  🙂 Ach ja, Konrad, we are missing you also… very much so… 🙂

And there was another highlight today: I was invited to write about “Aids in Africa” for a publisher’s academic compilation (University of Trier) and today I could file the finished script after receiving confirmation that my writing was appropriate for the intention of the publisher. It feels good to file away what one has accomplished in the knowledge one has done well.. 🙂

So –  a good day, and a throughout the day working internet connection – what else does one need to go to bed as a happy chappy..:-) Good night

Filed under: Reflection, , , , , , ,

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