Letters

Leaving it to God (letter)

Errol P. Duke

Contents - Aug 2002 - Buy a copy now Editorial: The Assumption of Our Lady: 15 August - Michael Gilchrist Liturgy: New English Missal: Vatican sets guidelines for ICEL - Michael Gilchrist News: The Church Around the World - AD2000 Education: Beliefs and practices of Catholic students: the decline continues - Michael Gilchrist New program to apply Papal teachings in Melbourne Archdiocese - Michael Gilchrist Sexual abuse, celibacy and vocations: a response to the Church's critics - Fr Paul Stuart Events: Thomas More 2002 Winter School in Bendigo Helping Catholic school students to love the Church - Br John Moylan CFC New study of US seminary formation exposes fundamental flaws - John S. Webster Letters: Experts? (letter) - Jerome Gonzalez Letters: Church architecture (letter) - Tom King Letters: Women and the Church (letter) - Maureen Federico Letters: Sex abuse crisis (letter) - Mark Reidy Letters: Sexual sin (letter) - John H. Cooney Letters: Value for money? (letter) - L.L. Booth Letters: Dissent (letter) - Clair Tieppo Letters: 'New Catholicism' (letter) - Richard Congram Letters: Beyond 2000? (letter) - Mrs Peg Santamaria Letters: God's masculinity (letter) - John Davis Letters: Theological accuracy (letter) - Jan Chalmers Letters: Leaving it to God (letter) - Errol P. Duke Letters: Shakespeare (letter) - John A. Rayner Books: Dynamics Of World History, by Christopher Dawson - Michael Lynch (reviewer) Books: Abortion And Martyrdom, edited by Aidan Nichols - Tracey Rowland (reviewer) Music: 'Live Worship: Lifted', by Emmanuel Worship - Anthony Cappello (reviewer) Books: New Titles from AD Books Reflection: What Catholics should expect of their priests: men 'clothed in holiness' - Fr Fabian Duggan OSB

I now firmly believe that many of us Catholics - certainly with good intentions - spend too much time running round in circles trying to 'organise' God in our worry about the future of the Church.

Perhaps a backward step needs to be taken more often - with far more prayer, reflection, love and calmness, allowing God to 'organise' us.

We say "Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, we place our trust in Thee." But, in reality, do we?

The serious ills and woes now confronting our times basically result from a collective lack of sincere, ongoing prayer.

This prayer opens hearts to an infusion of faith, hope and love. Open, humble hearts then become instruments of God's mysterious plans - not us trying to 'control' these plans - so that they can unfold more consistently and productively.

In summing up, it's called "let go"!

ERROL P. DUKE
Elizabeth East, SA

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 15 No 7 (August 2002), p. 15