- A personal
reflection by Fr. James Mulligan
He aha te mea nui o te ao? What is the most important thing in the
world?
He tangata, he tangata, he tangata. It is the people,
it is the people, it is the people.
When it comes to following the Holy Spirit’s call
through the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, to the foster the full,
conscious and active participation of all the baptised in the Church’s liturgy,
this Māori proverb speaks to me of the treasures that are to be drawn from the
use of Māori cultural elements in the Aotearoa-New Zealand liturgical/pastoral
context.
As a diocesan priest currently serving in the Catholic
Parish Community of St Mary’s in Papakura, and in the other Parishes where I’ve
been, my deliberate use of Te Reo whilst presiding at the Eucharist and on
other occasions (especially at Parish School liturgies) definitely has had its
blessings and its challenges!
What are the blessings? I believe it has given me an appreciation of certain
Māori cultural principles and practices that are contributing towards the development
of an authentically Kiwi Catholic spirituality that communicates our faith in a
way that speaks of what it means to be a part of this land that we all call
home. Key values such as Kaitiakitanga, stewardship of and
connection with the natural environment that must be regarded as a Taonga
(treasure) that is ours only for a time, to be passed on intact and enhanced with
future generations in mind and Manaakitanga, the extension of
welcome, hospitality and genuine care to attend to the spiritual and material
needs of all. The incorporation of such concepts in the liturgical and pastoral
life of the local church is not only part of the role, function or mission of
the church, but also a powerful reminder of the church’s commitment to
bi-culturalism. This in turn can be seen as the springboard for
embracing and fostering the riches of other cultural expressions of faith.
When I was welcomed into our School Whānau of St
Mary’s in Papakura in February this year, I participated in a Powhiri that our
school had arranged for newcomers, and I had the privilege of delivering the Mihi (speech)
to respond to the welcome on the behalf of the newcomers. This was a wonderful way to become acquainted
with and feel instantly at home in a new pastoral setting. The Manaaki extended
by the school drew the newcomers into its community.
I have also presided at funeral masses that included Māori
cultural protocols for honouring the dead.
They evoked a sense of what the Māori call Tapu - the sacredness of
the deceased as a unique individual in his/her own right and the sacredness of his/her
inter-personal relationships with the Whanau (extended family), Marae
(meeting place of the local tribe), the wider community and the Whenua
(the land itself), which
just goes to show that we pray with our whole beings, as a unity of mind, body
and spirit.
The biggest challenge is mindfulness of others’ sensitivities! How can we use Te Reo in a way that creates an
atmosphere of Kotahitanga (unity in a common purpose), where the differences we
bring to worship won’t cause division but a genuine appreciation of life and
faith through another’s eyes? How can Te
Reo be used in a way that brings out the intrinsic meaning of a liturgical
action to enhance the full, conscious and active participation of all, without
the taint of tokenism or a perception of excessive political correctness? How do we reach out with aroha, cultural and
pastoral sensitivity to our Māori brothers and sisters whose historical experience
of church has been rooted in the Marae rather than that of the Parish?
Such are the blessings and challenges that I
experience on a daily basis as an enthusiastic amateur participant in Te Ao
Māori, and such are the thoughts and questions that I pose for further
reflection and discussion by minds far wiser than my own...
Ki te tangi a te manu e karanga nei, "Tui, tui, tuituia!"
Tuia i runga, tuia i raro, tuia i roto
Tuia i waho, tuia i te here tangata.
Listen
to the cry of the bird calling, "Unite, unite, be one!"
“Unite
above, unite below, unite within, unite without, unite in the family of all
people...”
