the results of the heelers enquiry into father anthony de mello
1. Father Anthony De Mello, a Jesuit priest, was a native of India. His family came from Goa where many of the people have European names as a consequence of their colonial history. Goa was formerly ruled by Portugal and native Goans took Portuguese names.
2. Father De Mello's religious writings often focus on the mind, and on the search for mental healing.
3. In the aftermath of his death there have been formal pronouncements from the Catholic church suggesting to its followers that the writings of Father De Mello are not to be regarded as official church teaching or as necessarily in keeping with that teaching.
4. Those who appreciate and support the work of Father De Mello, many of whom are not Catholic or Christian or indeed religious at all, have nonetheless been anxious to retain the official sanction of the church for his writings and work.
5. Some of these proponents of his work, (who regard Father De Mello almost as a guru and might be expected not to care what the Catholic church thinks of him), nonetheless take serious umbrage at the Catholic church for daring through its teaching authority to express reservations about his work. They perceive a slight on Father De Mello and on his work.
6. Some of Father De Mello's proponents consider it necessary to seek to overturn the church's assessment of his work.
7. My familiarity with Father De Mello's writing relates to his book on faith, meditation and mental healing called Sadhana a way to God.
8. In my view the book offers innovative perspectives and methodologies which have a useful application to mental healing.
9. In my view the approaches contained in the book have a very real potential to bring about mental healing for people who have faced a range of mental traumas, oppressions, and difficulties. The book offers concrete hope and not pie in the sky wishful thinking.
10. I believe Father De Mello's methodology and compassion may have a scientific validity in the search for human healing.
11. I believe Father De Mello's advice on meditation if properly followed may offer a new prospect for dealing with and healing mental suffering.
12. I do not believe Father De Mello's approach is specifically Catholic.
13. Seeking to label Father De Mello's writings on meditation as Catholic is in my opinion like seeking to label Nells Bohr's model of the atom as Catholic. In the church we believe anything that is ultimately true will be seen to fit into God's plan. But we do not rush to accord church endorsement to scientific, medical or philosophical theories. It usually is not necessary to do so.
14. In my opinion, the Catholicity or not, of Father De Mello's views is demonstrated most clearly when he writes of visions in which Saint Francis and Saint Anthony encountered Jesus at different stages of Jesus' life. While in prayer, Saint Francis is supposed to have found himself helping the Lord down from the cross. Saint Anthony similarly in prayer is said to have found himself cradling the infant Jesus in his arms. Father De Mello notes that Jesus was no longer on the cross or an infant when these visions took place. If I understand him correctly, he concludes that the visions therefore were imaginary. I would contend his understanding of Saint Francis and Saint Anthony's mystical visions is not a Catholic one. My own understanding of the Catholic position (which I submit to the faithful for their assessment) would be that if the mystical experiences were genuine, then Saint Francis was in actuality, reality and truth, helping Jesus down from the cross, while Saint Anthony was in actuality, reality and truth, cradling the infant Jesus. In no measure would the actuality of these events be limited by human understanding. In no measure could they be called works of the imagination. In no measure were they dreams.
15. Father De Mello's writings in Sadhana are valid, life affirming, englightening and bold.
16. Father De Mello's writings draw freely on the Bible and the Catholic tradition.
17. Father De Mello's teaching is at its best when he is advocating and indeed demonstrating the possibility of mental peace.
18. His teachings have broader applications in Psychology and Psychiatry and may even surpass those two disciplines.
19. Father De Mello in his heart of hearts seems to believe that the mystical reality of Jesus is a work of the imagination.
20. His writings are not specifically Catholic.
21. We preach Christ crucified. If he did not die and rise again, there is no reason for our hope.
2. Father De Mello's religious writings often focus on the mind, and on the search for mental healing.
3. In the aftermath of his death there have been formal pronouncements from the Catholic church suggesting to its followers that the writings of Father De Mello are not to be regarded as official church teaching or as necessarily in keeping with that teaching.
4. Those who appreciate and support the work of Father De Mello, many of whom are not Catholic or Christian or indeed religious at all, have nonetheless been anxious to retain the official sanction of the church for his writings and work.
5. Some of these proponents of his work, (who regard Father De Mello almost as a guru and might be expected not to care what the Catholic church thinks of him), nonetheless take serious umbrage at the Catholic church for daring through its teaching authority to express reservations about his work. They perceive a slight on Father De Mello and on his work.
6. Some of Father De Mello's proponents consider it necessary to seek to overturn the church's assessment of his work.
7. My familiarity with Father De Mello's writing relates to his book on faith, meditation and mental healing called Sadhana a way to God.
8. In my view the book offers innovative perspectives and methodologies which have a useful application to mental healing.
9. In my view the approaches contained in the book have a very real potential to bring about mental healing for people who have faced a range of mental traumas, oppressions, and difficulties. The book offers concrete hope and not pie in the sky wishful thinking.
10. I believe Father De Mello's methodology and compassion may have a scientific validity in the search for human healing.
11. I believe Father De Mello's advice on meditation if properly followed may offer a new prospect for dealing with and healing mental suffering.
12. I do not believe Father De Mello's approach is specifically Catholic.
13. Seeking to label Father De Mello's writings on meditation as Catholic is in my opinion like seeking to label Nells Bohr's model of the atom as Catholic. In the church we believe anything that is ultimately true will be seen to fit into God's plan. But we do not rush to accord church endorsement to scientific, medical or philosophical theories. It usually is not necessary to do so.
14. In my opinion, the Catholicity or not, of Father De Mello's views is demonstrated most clearly when he writes of visions in which Saint Francis and Saint Anthony encountered Jesus at different stages of Jesus' life. While in prayer, Saint Francis is supposed to have found himself helping the Lord down from the cross. Saint Anthony similarly in prayer is said to have found himself cradling the infant Jesus in his arms. Father De Mello notes that Jesus was no longer on the cross or an infant when these visions took place. If I understand him correctly, he concludes that the visions therefore were imaginary. I would contend his understanding of Saint Francis and Saint Anthony's mystical visions is not a Catholic one. My own understanding of the Catholic position (which I submit to the faithful for their assessment) would be that if the mystical experiences were genuine, then Saint Francis was in actuality, reality and truth, helping Jesus down from the cross, while Saint Anthony was in actuality, reality and truth, cradling the infant Jesus. In no measure would the actuality of these events be limited by human understanding. In no measure could they be called works of the imagination. In no measure were they dreams.
15. Father De Mello's writings in Sadhana are valid, life affirming, englightening and bold.
16. Father De Mello's writings draw freely on the Bible and the Catholic tradition.
17. Father De Mello's teaching is at its best when he is advocating and indeed demonstrating the possibility of mental peace.
18. His teachings have broader applications in Psychology and Psychiatry and may even surpass those two disciplines.
19. Father De Mello in his heart of hearts seems to believe that the mystical reality of Jesus is a work of the imagination.
20. His writings are not specifically Catholic.
21. We preach Christ crucified. If he did not die and rise again, there is no reason for our hope.
posted by heelers | 4:05 AM
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