Homilies

HOMILY FOR LOURDES DAY MASS WITH ORDER OF MALTA – ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL

03 Dec 2016

In a speech in Doha billed as a critique of the foreign policy failures of the Bush and Obama eras, veteran New Yorker journalist Seymour Hersh alleged that the US military’s joint special operations command had been infiltrated by members of the Order of Malta and that these fanatics are modern-day crusaders who “aim to turn mosques into cathedrals”. Apparently confusing the ancient Order with the more recent Opus Dei organisation, Hersh alleged that members have secret handshakes and pass each other crusader coins while plotting the takeover of governments and militias.1 If only Donald Trump had heard this rumour, he would have had even more ammunition against the political, diplomatic and military establishments of the United States for his recent election campaign – though nobody ever accused Hillary Clinton of being a Dame of the Order of Malta!

Hersh’s speech elicited a response by Joshua Keating in the magazine Foreign Policy entitled “Who are the Knights of Malta and what do they want?” The subtitle of the article explained rather melodramatically that “They’re a secretive religious order with a long and bloody history and a unique status in international law, but that doesn’t mean they run the world.”2 The article went on to explain that there’s little evidence of a secret cabal of Maltesers in the American military, but their somewhat anomalous presence in international politics naturally provokes conspiracy theories. And so the Order of Malta has been accused of complicity in everything from the Kennedy assassination to the spread of AIDS in Africa. While most such accusations are bogus, some Knights have indeed engaged in political intrigues, even in modernity: recent events in Cuba remind us that back in 1988 the charge d’affaires at the Order’s embassy in Havana was exposed as a triple agent, reporting not only to the Order but to the CIA and to Cuban intelligence. But Keating disabuses readers of the worst rumours about the Order, explaining something of its history, current medical missions in more than 120 countries, postage stamps and coins, diplomatic relations with over 100 countries, and special observer status alongside entities like the Red Cross at the United Nations.

So to echo Hersh’s question “Who are these Knights of Malta and what do they really want?” Amidst the mists of time and mythology, we know the Order’s origins go back nearly a thousand years to Blessed Gerard, the Hospital of St. John in Jerusalem, and subsequent hospices established along the pilgrim route from Europe to the Holy Land. The members of the Order sometimes became embroiled in defending those pilgrims and the Christian citizens of the Holy Land, but they were never truly crusaders and indeed made the sick and poor their special care right from the beginning. Still, their motto was not merely obsequium pauperum – care for the poor – but Tuitio fidei et obsequium pauperum – ‘Defence of the faith and assistance to the poor.’ In putting much of its effort into ambulances and hospices the Order never lost sight of its Christian inspiration and the need to promote that faith, at the very least amongst its own members. Indeed, there are times and places when the Order must be even more active in defending its faith and ideals if it is to care not merely for the physical but also the spiritual health of individuals and communities.

The last few months have seen a renewed push for euthanasia in Australia. A Bill to legalise it was defeated by the narrowest of margins – a casting vote – in the South Australian Parliament last month and a similar Bill is now being considered in Victoria. An important strategy of euthanasia advocates is to silence Catholics and other people of faith on the subject. Like the conspiracy theorist Seymour Hersh, Andrew Denton has spoken darkly of “subterranean Catholic forces” who supposedly hold our politicians and citizens to ransom and has called for us to ‘butt out’ of this debate. But surely, rather than pretend those who disagree with us don’t exist, we need a serious and respectful discussion where all sides are heard and reasonable disagreement, and perhaps even agreement, is possible…

That’s where we come in. In their double dedication to defending the faith and serving the sick members of the Order of Malta are uniquely positioned to advance the cause of the sanctity of life and compassionate care for those who suffer. As in former times so again today they are confronted by forces that would kill those deemed unworthy of life and seek to silence all dissent. Christians may well sympathise with those driven to consider euthanasia as a last resort in the face of unrelieved suffering or repeated autonomous request; but they know in their heart of hearts that such state-sanctioned killing will only make the vulnerable more vulnerable and the suffering suffer more. We’ve seen the bracket creep that occurs once some people are placed in the ‘better off dead’ category at law. For all the talk of ‘voluntary’ euthanasia as a last resort for the suffering adult, just two months ago Belgium granted euthanasia to a 10-month-old baby and the Netherlands has now extended it to children as young as 12; unconscious and other non-consenting people are also increasingly the victims of supposedly ‘voluntary’ euthanasia in such places.

As a one-time military Order we are all too aware of the dangers of confiding state-sanctioned lethal force even to soldiers and policemen; as an hospitaller order we find the proposal to expand such lethal force to medical and nursing professionals a truly frightening one. As our own Order had to choose at one time in history whether it would, always and everywhere, be about saving, healing and caring or would sometimes yield lethal power over others, so now our community must decide: do we want our health professionals and hospitals assessing which patients should live and which ones should die? Do we want our professional healers gradually desensitised to harming and killing? Do we want medical students trained to administer lethal doses?

The Order of Malta and its friends stand as models of unconditional respect for the life of every human being as the image of God and compassionate care for them even when they are at a very low ebb. Mary, “the daughter of Zion” (Zech 2:14-17), wrapt the newly conceived son of God in her womb, ran to the aid of her pregnant kinswoman Elizabeth, nurtured the newborn Prince of Peace at her breast, interceded for newlyweds in our Gospel today (Jn 2:1-11), attended to the needs of Christ and His disciples all the way to the cross and beyond; so, too, must the members of the Order throw themselves heart and soul into a mission of reverencing life and love. And even before Elizabeth got to proclaim Mary “Blessed among women” and “Mother of my Lord”, our Order’s patron had leapt in the womb in joyful praise and pointed as he would all his life to the Christ-child among us; so, too, must the Knights and Dames of John the Baptist point to Christ through their works of mercy. Though our Jubilee Year of Mercy has wound to a close, we are more aware than ever of the connection between an active faith and a vital love. And so we commit ourselves to being agents of mercy not just for a year but for all our lives.

INTRODUCTION FOR LOURDES DAY MASS FOR THE ORDER OF MALTA
ST MARY’S CATHEDRAL

Welcome to today’s special Lourdes Day Mass for the Australian Association of the Sovereign Military and Hospitaler Order of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta. I acknowledge the presence of Magistral Chaplains of the Order: the Vicar-General of the Archdiocese of Sydney, Fr Gerry Gleeson, with Msgrs Tony Doherty and Vince Redden. To all the Knights and Dames of the Order of Malta, my confreres and consouers, all volunteers and friends of the Association, of the Venerable Order of St John and of St John’s Ambulance, a warm welcome. Above all I welcome our lords the poor and sick, especially the malades who have come today to be blessed.