The Catholic Archbishop of Canberra and Goulburn, Christopher Prowse, delivered a Homily at Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest, on Tuesday 2 February 2016, marking the Opening of the Federal Parliamentary Year.

In attendance were the Prime Minister, Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP and the Opposition Leader, Hon Bill Shorten MP.

Archbishop Prowse spoke about “the Golden Rule” which states, “In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you”.

“In a world of galloping diversity, to find the gold nugget of a universal solidarity ethic, is indeed, a Eureka moment!” the Archbishop said.

“Religious fundamentalism of any kind, is a breeding ground for unspeakable violence – it is the total absence of the Golden Rule. But when embraced, the Golden Rule acts as the glue of fraternal solidarity in communities. It can breed invincible bridges of justice and mercy”.

The Archbishop ended in prayer quoting from one of Australia’s great Christian poets, James McAuley.

“Incarnate word,
In whom all nature lives,
Cast flame upon the earth:
raise up contemplatives among us,
those who walk within the fire of ceaseless prayer, impetuous desire.
Set pools of silence in this thirsty land.”

Please find below Archbishop Prowse’s homily, “The Golden Rule – A Solidarity Ethic We Can All Share”.

OPENING OF THE PARLIAMENTARY YEAR, WESLEY UNITING CHURCH, FORREST
2 FEBRUARY 2016 

The Gospel today, as we gather on the first morning of the Federal Parliamentary Year 2016, is commonly called “the Golden Rule.” “In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you.” In one form or another it is found in every major religion on the earth. It is a kind of universal ethic that people of any religion, or perhaps even no religion at all, might well agree upon.

In a world of galloping diversity, to find the gold nugget of a universal solidarity ethic, is indeed, a “Eureka” moment!

Regarding world religions today, this “Golden Rule” is something we can all sign up to. It is a universal ethic we all must commit to. Religious fundamentalism of any kind, is a breeding ground for unspeakable violence – it is the total absence of the Golden Rule. But when embraced, the Golden Rule acts as the glue of fraternal solidarity in communities. It can breed invincible bridges of justice and mercy. Each religion would espouse a particular transcendent dimension that would give motivation and intentionality to the daily living out practically of this Golden Rule.

Both these dimensions are surely needed. An exaggerated horizontalism without a vertical transcendence reduces the Golden Rule to a mere philosophical utopian concept. Sadly, it is unable to weather the storm of humanity’s self-absorption and inner chaos. It threatens peace.

Likewise, an excessive transcendent idealism without sufficient attention to the practical necessities of the daily cries of humanity, places us too, on a dead end street. Religion now becomes pietistic and cult-like. It removes itself from the urgent needs of the poor and oppressed. Likewise, it becomes a threat to peace.

For the People of God in the Old Testament, God guides them along the perilous journey of life to ensure that these priorities and right paths are protected. God’s loving kindness ensures that the people, as indicated in the first reading from Exodus, are led by Him alone. “The Lord went in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night, to give them light, so that they might travel by day and by night.”

Jesus describes himself as “the Way, and the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). Christians, by virtue of their Baptism, immerse themselves in the very life of Jesus. This encounter with the life of Jesus is internalised in them. They externalise this Christ-life within by exhibiting, as Pope Francis would phrase it, the Revolution of Mercy and Tenderness in their actions.

All this presents particular challenges for leadership in Australia today, especially for our elected parliamentarians.

How can these motivating religious and ethical anchorages, presumed self-evident in Australia until relatively recently, be lived out today when an increasing percentage of Australians formally indicate NO RELIGION as their “religious” preference? Does NO RELIGION mean what the category implies – no religious transcendence of any kind? Or is it something else? Is this a victory of an aggressive secularism, either consciously or unconsciously, desiring the peripherisation of the “religious sense” in Australian decision making? What might this mean for Australia’s future? From where, will a shared transcendence therefore arise, if not from a religious sense? Could other non-religious attempts at transcendence answer the perennial questions of the human spirit – who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going? From what wells do hope, forgiveness, mercy, joy and love arise? What implications are there for freedom of speech and freedom of religious expression?

Gathered this morning for our annual Christian prayer service for the opening of the 2016 Parliamentary Year, we carry these momentous challenges facing us in this fabulous new, but ancient land of Australia.

All of us have a role to play in Australia’s future, especially in relation to the first Australians, our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

In a most particular way, however, our parliamentarians must carry special burdens of responsibilities. Hence our gathering now to pray for them, humbly and with respectful encouragement. In this regard, we apply to them, the wise counsel of St Paul to the Philippians, in today’s 2^nd reading:

“Let your minds be filled with everything that is true, everything that is honourable, everything that is upright and pure, everything that we love and admire.”

Let our prayer to God be also for Australia in general. Let us conclude by referring to the profound prayer of one of Australia’s great Christian poets, James McAuley (1917-1976).

“Incarnate word,
In whom all nature lives,
Cast flame upon the earth:
raise up contemplatives among us,
those who walk within the fire of ceaseless prayer, impetuous desire.
Set pools of silence in this thirsty land.”