Father Robin Koning

Two weeks ago, we had the very good opportunity to hear Father Robin Koning of the Jesuit Theological College speak at a session regarding discerning God's Word in the Bible. He was a thoroughly humorous and engaging speaker who delivered the topic brilliantly answered our quires concisely.

His profile on the Jesuit website featured this (last updated March 2005):

Robin Koning SJ, who spent some years at Balgo, has just been awarded a Doctorate for his work on the relationship between culture and theology. Robin will return to Australia in the year and will maintain his connections with indigenous ministry, while based at Jesuit Theological College.

Robin Koning's doctoral thesis focused on the work of anthropologist Clifford Geertz. Geertz' work has been influential in encouraging us to explore the important role that symbols have in the making of culture. This approach has interested many theologians, who are fascinated by the play of symbols in faith and theology. Robin brought to his thesis his personal experience of living within indigenous cultures and also a keen interest in Bernard Lonergan, the Jesuit philosopher whose approach he compares and ultimately prefers to that of Geertz.

Further piqued by one more burning question about the topic, he again kindly provided me with a thoroughly satisfying reply that has spurred me on to continue deeper research into understanding the work of God. With his permission, the question and answer has been reproduced here.

Question:

In the context of discerning God's Word in examples in the Bible, Jesus repudiated some traditions and affirmed others. In this aspect he acted as a check and balance in the religious order at that point of time. Does the Catholic Church in the present time have a mechanism of check and balance. If there isn't, should there be one?

Answer:

Firstly, Jesus of course did far more than provide checks and balances for the Jewish religious system - he completely revamped it by completely fulfilling it, bringing it to completion and fullness and healing. Thus, the Temple, which was the focal point of Israelite worship, was replaced by his very body (Jn 2:19-21); the Passover meal, the high point of Israelite religious life, was transformed into the Lord's supper; and the 12 apostles were established as the foundation of the new Jerusalem and the ones who are to judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Rev 21:14; Mt 19:28).

So it is a mistake to presume that all aspects of the people of God of the Old Testament will necessarily be aspects of the people of God, the Church, of the new covenant. Of course, there are numerous parallels. But there is also a very fundamental difference - the Law and the old Israel were provisional, always looking forward to fulfillment in a different, new reality, as part of the new creation. That new reality, that new creation, has been established by Christ, by his life, death and resurrection, and part of that new reality is his establishment of a community who would continue to be his presence in the world, his Body.

Now, however sinful that Church will always be, Jesus made various promises that it could not go astray in ways which mean it was not a sure source of God's grace and truth. For example, "the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. " (Mt 16:18); "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth." ( Jn. 16:13); "Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me." (Lk. 10:16) Moreover, St Paul confirms this when he speaks of the Church as the pillar of truth: "the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and bulwark of the truth." (1Tim. 3:15)

So ultimately the checks and balances remain the same - Jesus himself, and his promises and the assurance of his word. He has not set up another provisional entity, like the people of Israel - he has established the new and definitive covenant with a new and definitive Israel. And out of his love and desire for all to be saved, he has established this new Israel with guarantees and promises of his protection and guidance so that, in all that is essential the faith, essential to the salvation of people, it cannot go astray.

In relation to checks and balances within the church, I would suggest that in one way there cannot be institutionalised checks and balances for once anything is institutionalised, on a human level, it is itself open to corruption and misdirection. The checks and balances and challenges to the Church in its human dimension are provided by prophetic voices, and the Church has always been blessed with these – both people who speak out strongly, even to the highest authorities in the Church (eg St Catherine of Siena challenging the Pope, at that time resident in Avignon in France that is was time to return to where he should be, in Rome), or by their saintly lives and who they are (eg the constant challenge to structures of the church by those who live a very real and deep poverty - St Francis, Mother Teresa). Sometimes these checks and balances are in the highest authority themselves - eg Pope John XXIII challenging the Roman curia, who thought he would just be a caretaker Pope and would do very little, by calling a Council of the Church which brought about major changes, namely the Second Vatican Council.

Within the Catholic Church, there are also balances at structural levels - the basic hierarchical structure (priests, bishops, cardinals, pope etc) and the 'charismatic' structure (religious orders, with their own communities, rules, and often doing outreach and more missionary work, and therefore having a certain dynamism). Also the many new ecclesial movements - charismatic movement, Cursillo, Neo-catechumenal community, Christian Life Communities, Emmanuel, Sant' Egidio... - all are inspired by the Spirit at particular times to be a dynamic and missionary element in the church.

Anyway, that's enough for now. But I think the key point is that the Church is not provisional. Of course, its earthly structures will pass away at the Second Coming when all is completely fulfilled, but even then, the Church as the people of God will be praising God forever in heaven.

Hope this helps.

In Christ

Fr Robin