Veritas - From the APRIM

Living Life to the Full

The personal experiences of my summer months were rich and varied. I attended two funerals in December, travelled with my wife and twin 9-year-olds to Tasmania, attended a third funeral, then on the cusp of returning to school, I attended the Live, Learn, Lead – Together conference along with the other 5,500 employees of Catholic schools in South Australia. Last week I attended another funeral, and the following day my best friend’s mother passed away, so I’ll soon be attending my fifth funeral in eight weeks.

Funerals are profound experiences. They combine the extremities of sadness with the sharpening of focus on the departed and the gift they were to the world as an extreme celebration.

The two funerals I attended in December were for people I did not personally know, but I think I’ll be eternally affected by the ritual of the funeral Mass of these two dedicated Catholics, and what I learned of them through the eulogies. Both were dedicated family people, of families that are bigger than is typical today, and having families of their own that are bigger than is typical today. They both endured extreme difficulties including war and loss. They lived through times that did not offer the same level of luxury we experience today. They worked hard and sacrificed themselves for the greater good. They were dedicated to their communities, both earning life memberships in their respective local football/sporting clubs. They made their lives very meaningful. Their families spoke of their love and devotion to their marriages, spouses, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Their personal touch was noted – the attentiveness to others that is so often interrupted today through electronic gadgets. It was also apparent that fun was mingled in with the seriousness that must be present in the attitude of someone driven to do well, and to live life to the full. And it is this that stood out: they lived life to the full. I wonder if the contemporary world will produce many of these selfless, family and community-focused people.

Perhaps it is a personal bias, but I love the ritual of the Catholic funeral Mass. It does not matter who you are, Pope or criminal, the ritual of the funeral Mass is the same, except for the eulogies. This is because our Christian anthropological understanding of the human person is that we are all equal in the eyes of God, and the funeral Mass marks the united effort of the faithful to pray for the deceased’s journey to our merciful God. There is a focus on the transcendent and on the afterlife of the deceased, as well as the earthly life they led. There is the faith and hope of being united again with the deceased in the afterlife. God is love, hence love is the focus, and as St Paul identified (1 Corrinthians 13), it is love that endures beyond death.

The third funeral was of a friend whose recent years were significantly impacted through depression. She was a beautiful person – a cherished presence at a party for the fun she would have, the conversations she would have, and again, the attentiveness she gave to others. She would take photos at parties, such as my 40th, and then a few days later a photo-album would appear on the doorstep. Her funeral highlighted the beauty of her life, but sadly, also the absence of family (apart from her grieving husband and his family). No-one knew the demons of her past, but they robbed her of the ability to live the latter part of her life to the full, and as a result, all who loved her are now deprived of the further blessings of her presence. This is surely the feeling of anyone who loses a loved one at a youngish age.

The fourth funeral was that of my wife’s close family friend – close enough to be known as “uncle”. He was very humorous, intelligent and practical. He enjoyed making toys with wood, so my children were lucky to have received these high-quality personalised presents. He was also dedicated to his wife, children and grandchildren. Incredibly, his wife claims their crush on each other began when she was 7, although they started dating at 14. He passed away after an 18-month battle with cancer, about 70 years after that crush began, with the love of his life beside him. He also lived his life to the full.

I will be attending the funeral of my best friend’s mother next week. She battled illness for the last 3 ½ years but it only really incapacitated her in the last month. She was a wife, mother and grandmother. Her relationships with her children and grandchildren were very close. She started dating her husband during their teen years, so they had been together happily for about 60 years. Incredibly, on top of overseas trips, this couple went on a grand total of 52 cruises! She definitely lived her life to the full.

Just after Christmas I travelled to Tasmania with my wife and twin 9-year-olds. I was amazed at the incredible natural beauty throughout this island. It made me appreciate the gift of life God has given us, and the natural beauty that God has given us. I also thoroughly enjoyed my experiences in human-constructed activities. Appreciation is an attitude that puts one in a heavenly state. However, the history of the island was punctuated by the malevolence that humans can inflict. The profound acts of brutality perpetrated on convicts and Aborigines were substantial affronts to human dignity. They deprived people of the opportunity to live life to the full. There were also the affronts to natural beauty. I understand that natural resources are an essential requirement for the economy and serve humankind well, so the careful management of this is important. I pray that the right balance can be found between serving the economic necessities of people and the responsible stewardship of mother-Earth. Through the experiences I had, I feel as if I was living my life to the full.

The day before most staff were expected to return to school, we attended an event called Live, Learn, Lead – Together (for a World that God Desires). It was an occasion for celebration, renewal and commissioning for those in schools and parishes. The day began with a spectacular liturgical component that was spiritually moving. There were a series of speakers who directed our focus on our enabling capacity as educators to lead students to live their lives to the full. There were numerous moving stories that had many in tears, and many moments of laughter. Virtually all stories highlighted the value of human connection – the type that can only be achieved through giving, and giving attentively.

The phrase “a World that God desires” is one that could be considered contentious, or at least mysterious. To know what God desires is somewhat elusive, and accurately reflects our human pursuit for the truth. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6), so coming to know Jesus will also lead to the truth. The best way to know Jesus is through the Gospels. The Catholic Church also has traditions that emerged from the time of Christ that are not explicitly in the Gospels, but align with Gospel teachings. This pursuit of truth is itself a component of living life to the full, and it is our privilege as educators to help our students pursue the truth. Interpreting scripture and its many layers of truth accurately is essential for ourselves and is also our mandate as educators in a Catholic school. Similarly, our commitment to ritual and tradition enhances our spiritual lives and sets an example and standard for our students.

The Church teaches Natural Law as informed through the Gospels and defines this law as being written in our hearts at the deepest of levels. This is where the truth lies, and we must seek it. Interestingly, virtually all human cultures across time seem to collectively understand this Natural Law and this is reflected in the written laws of state legal systems. (There are variations, but the sovereignty of human life is common.) Living life to the full requires that we abide by the truth written in our hearts. It demands that we face the truth, rather than bend it. Living life to the full must incorporate living life in reality, not spending your life trying to bend it. This is the highest application of the term “integrity”.

St Dominic founded the Dominican Order of Preachers with the motto Veritas (or Truth). He observed Albigensian people living a heresy that branded our physical existence – life itself – as evil. This belief prevented them from living life to the full. This was heart-breaking for St Dominic as he was determined to bring souls to God. He knew that bringing Jesus to the people would also lead them to live their lives to the full. He knew that they must be taught the truth as revealed in Jesus Christ and conveyed through the Gospels. He was a teacher in the loving, humble, present and attentive, style exemplified by Jesus. He was full of truth. For those he encountered, his message was undeniable, and they learned. His ways were so effective that the Dominican Order was formed and still thrives today, some 803 years later. It is amazing how fundamentally aligned St Dominic’s ways were, and hence the Dominican Order is, with the title of the Catholic event: Live, Learn, Lead.

Apart from the celebrations of life and our hope in the afte