UNIT 4

MODULE 1:

Discuss the interplay between the life of one significant person, their context and religion?

Interplay or interaction between religion and socio-cultural contexts of a time can impact a person and this is no exception with Saint John Bosco. The legacy of Saint John Bosco remains an inherent part of today’s society. John was a devout Catholic priest amidst a conflicting anti-clericalist Italian society. John underwent great turmoil and persecution to achieve what he did in working with the poor and establishing his Salesian order. Thus by looking at John’s personal context and significant people in his life, his interaction with the Catholic Church and political and social attitudes, one can see the interplay of these factors and how they contributed to John in shaping him to do his significant works.

When looking at Saint John Bosco’s personal context, one can see the interplay between his upbringing and lifestyle and his vocation as a priest working with poor children. John was born in 1815 in Becchi, a small town in Piedmont, Italy to a poor working class family. John was raised a devout Catholic by his mother and thus from a young age, displayed a strong love for God. His mother set the foundation for his Catholic faith which he built upon throughout his life. Despite his close maternal relationship, John grew up in a dysfunctional family. His father had died when he was two years old leaving him, his mother and two step-brothers. His oldest brother, Anthony was particularly abusive towards him. Their relationship was so destructive that his mother sent John away to work at the age of 12 for fear their relationship may become violent. With an absent father and abusive other brothers, John had no male role model and thus was always on a constant search for affection and inspiration from a male figure. His search ended when he met a priest called Father Calosso. Calosso became very close with John and aided him with his studies, assisted him financially and educated him further in his Catechism. Father Calosso proved to be a very significant person in John’s life, “I idolised Fr Calosso, loved him as if he were my father, prayed for him, and tried to help him in every way I could … I would have died for him.” (Bosco, ND) thus when Calosso encouraged John to become a priest, John did not hesitate. John entered the seminary in 1835 in Chieri in the city of Turin. John met and interacted with many priests, none of which were like the father-figure he desired or like Father Calosso. He recognized there was a strained relationship between priests and the children of society. This deeply saddened him and he would often cry saying, “If I were a priest I would act differently. I would approach the children, say some kind words to them and give them good advice. How happy I would be if I could talk to my parish priest as I used to talk to Fr Calosso.” And this it was through his experiences as a priest in Turin witnessing the lifestyle of other priests and his close relationship with Father Calosso that set the foundation for his future vocation working with poor boys and desire to help children as Father Calosso helped him. When John was 9 years old, he had a dream where he was in the midst of brawling children. He made efforts to stop them by using violence but to no avail. A man appeared to him telling “not by blows but by gentleness and kindness”. Upon asking the man who he was, the man replied “I am the son of the woman your mother has taught you to greet three times a day”. This ‘greeting’ is the Angelus, a prayer dedicated to Mary that is said thrice daily, and thus the man in his dream is Jesus. The children turned to wild beasts then to sheep. Mary then appeared to John and said “make yourself humble, strong and energetic – what is happening to these animals you must do for my children.” She then said “In good time you will understand everything”. It was only years later that he realised the prophetic nature of the dream in that it foreshadowed his future vocation serving poor young boys with love and kindness, and he established the Salesian order to dedicate their lives to helping the poor. The Salesian order was met with much controversy in Italian society due to societal attitudes and values.

By looking at the interplay of Italian social context and John Bosco’s work, one can see that John was also influenced by this factor. The Industrial Revolution was a prevalent part of Italian society in the 1800s. The Industrial Revolution was built upon child labour. Turin, the city where John resided for a majority of his life was the centre of Northern Italy’s culture, economy and industrialisation. Many farmers and countrymen flocked to the city in desperation for work leading to a crowded and overpopulated city. Turin could not possibly cater for the newcomers. This resulted in the polarisation of classes where the lower classes resided in slums and the upper classes lived in the high society. A great deal of his discrimination in society was largely due to his involvement and affiliation with the poor. It went against societal norms that he, a priest would associate himself with slum boys. Homelessness rates, illiteracy rates and crime rates escalated as desperation to survive and work reached its climax. Young children were a large contributor to these rising statistics. John visited prisons in Turin and there he witnessed the many young children incarcerated, and he felt compelled to help them. Raised in a poor family himself, John understand the struggle to survive being a poor, low socio-economic class. He established an oratory which is a youth centre for poor boys with the purpose to educate them, teach them trades and build up their Catholic faith and did so with kindness and gentleness, something that was quite rare in society due to the exploitation of children and workers. “I always try to win them over with kindness and love” – (Bosco, ND). Over time, his oratory grew in numbers as did his resources and facilities and helpers both laypeople and religious. His religious helpers became later known as the Salesians and the Salesian Sisters and the laypeople established the Salesian Association. His system of education was founded and was subsequently named the Salesian Preventative System as John believed that through reason, religion and kindness, would bring out the best in people as so to prevent them from dysfunctional ways (Salesians.org.au, 2016). Society learned to respect him over time and he gained a reputable number of followers and members including politicians.

John Bosco was also greatly influenced by Italian politics and the actions of Italian politicians. During this time, there was also great political upheaval. Italy was a divided nation there was a drive for Italian unification labelled “Risorgimento” and free Italy of foreign imperalists. This idea of independence was precipitated by the French Revolution and its values continued to linger in society. Much of the values that were prevalent in the French Revolution continued to be present in Italian society during Risorgimento and were the catalyst of much tension between the Catholic Church and society. The government of Northern Italy had abolished the expression of any religion, and the Pope’s presence in Rome and theocratic rule of the Papal States meant much political tension. The Pope refused to join the Risorigmento movement because he did not believe in violent revolutions. This caused a rift between him and society as society believed the Pope was supporting foreign rule. This tension reached a climax when enemies of the Church infiltrated Rome, stabbed the prime minister and shot one of the Pope’s staff. The Pope then fled Rome and lived in Gaeta in exile until his death. John was often persecuted because thought that as a Catholic priest, John must also side with the Pope’s decisions in politics, however he said, “I side with the Pope in matters of religion. In politics, I side with no one…I am a priest. The only kingdom I serve is the Kingdom of God” – (Bosco, ND). Establishing new religious orders was forbidden under the Rattazzi Law in 1855, and John underwent great turmoil, tribulation and persecution to do so, however after 16 years of debate, the Pope gave formal approval with the encouragement of Urbano Rattazzi himself. Rattazzi often sought advice from John on how to govern Italy and gain respect from the citizens and John would say “The force we have is a moral force. The state only knows how to command and punish.” – (Bosco, ND). Despite Rattazzi’s respect for John, there was still a growing anti-clericalist attitude in society and through looking at John’s interaction with religion, one can more fully understand his significance in society.

Catholicism’s interplay with John Bosco’s life is paramount in analysing his significance. As a Catholic priest, John was morally bound by vows of poverty, chastity and obedience to the Church. Religion was a vital part of his life. Italy had many conflicting views in society concerning religion which affected the life of John Bosco and his work. There was a large anticlericalist movement that was precipitated by the French Revolution that had ended in 1799 and thus John Bosco, being a Catholic priest was persecuted. There was a suppression on the expression and involvement of religion in society. Church property was seized by the government and religious orders abolished. However, Turin’s ecclesiastical college encouraged the interaction between priests the society which John accepted on behalf of his priestly duties. Enemies of the Church and political foes attempted to kill him on multiple occasions but failed. Some of his associates also attempted to deliver him to a mental asylum because they could not come to terms with John’s vocation. Much of the Roman Curia and Vatican were very much intertwined with Italian culture. They also could not understand John’s reason to commit himself to the poor. They discouraged John from establishing the Salesian order and it took 16 years to finally convince and argue that the Salesian order was a necessity for him to carry out his work and dedicate their lives to the poor. The Archbishop of Turin accused John of taking all the vocations refused to support him which deeply saddened him. However, despite this, Catholicism remained the dominant religion of Italy. Priests still held a very high regard in society and thus John was admired by many just for being a priest. The aftermath of the Protestant Reformation was not an inherent part of Italy due to this religious predominance so sectarianism was not a major issue in Italian society. Catholic teachings also influenced John in his creation of the Preventive method which is based on Saint Paul’s letter to the Corinthians “Love is patient, love is kind ... it bears all things ... hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Cor. 13:4.7).”

Catholicism, as well as the social and political contexts of Italy and the personal context of Saint John Bosco have contributed to the interplay of John and his works. By analysing his Catholic upbringing, inspiration from Father Calosso and prophetic dream, one can identify that John indeed influenced by these factors as nurtured in the Catholic faith and felt compelled to reach out to the poor young children. Societal influences such as affects of the Industrial Revolution contributed to the interplay between John and his works such that he set up an oratory. The politics of Italy initiated a growing sense of anticlericalism but did not prevent John from carrying out his work despite the heavy persecution he received. However, it did prove a difficult journey to establish his Salesian order as religion was abolished from society and the Vatican discouraged the formation of new religious congregations. Thus, it can be considered that Saint John Bosco is a figure in society whose interplay between vocation and religion and context life has shaped him into becoming a legacy in today’s society.

MODULE 2A/2B:

a)Outline how freedom is understood by a religion:

In the Catholic denomination of Christianity, freedom is defined as “the power rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, to do this or that and so to perform deliberate actions on one’s own responsibility” (CCC 1731). The true state of freedom implies responsibility on behalf of the person such that “freedom makes a man responsible for his acts to the extent that they are voluntary” (CCC 1734). The true state of freedom that the Church promotes is one where “the more one does what is good, the freer one becomes” (CCC 1733). True freedom is only attained by having a close relationship with God, relating to him personally relating to the teachings and living in a Christ-like way. True freedom allows people to grow and mature in truth and goodness which is God. Christ won salvation for all people. In Him, one finds the truth that sets them free: “For freedom Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1).

b)Identify one religious belief, teaching, ritual or practice provided by religion to help people in their search for freedom

In the Catholic denomination of Christianity, pilgrimage is a religious practice that can help people in their search for freedom.

c)Describe the main features of the religious belief, teaching, ritual or practice.

In the Catholic denomination of Christianity, the main features of pilgrimage is that it is a spiritual or physical journey to a holy place in groups or individually that promotes development of inner spirituality. It can be ascetic meaning people may see it as a journey where people practice severe or harsh forms of self-disciplining to atone for their sins. Pilgrimage is also described as a penitential act where people may receive penance or set it as a journey on which they can heal and renew their relationship with God. Pilgrimages also have much prayer and worship involved, and in Catholic pilgrimages, often Mass is conducted at the end or beginning as well as the Sacrament of the Eucharist. Another feature is that pilgrimages have been around since Adam and Eve’s fall from grace. When God exiled them, it can bee seen as God sending them on a physical and spiritual pilgrimage. Pilgrimage is apostolic and members of the Church or those non-religious are able to partake in religious pilgrimages either for their own personal desires to discover more, deepen spiritually or find meaning and purpose in life.

MODULE 3:

Assess the role a religion you have studied plays in Australian public life

In the public life of Australia, the Catholic denomination of Christianity has played a negative and positive role. The Catholic Church has provided Australian society with an alternative viewpoint on modern issues such as abortion, euthanasia and gay marriage voicing their opinion against it as it contradicts Church teaching. This can be interpreted as a positive role as the Church is actively involving itself in the public debate. However it can also be interpreted as a negative role as people can interpret it as a form of religious extremism whereby Catholics are implementing their beliefs on a multi-cultural and pluralist Australian society. However religion can also play a positive role as they provide education, welfare, health, social services and financial aid to the disadvantaged of society including the homeless through organisations such as Caritas. Religion also provides people with a sense of spiritual meaning and purpose in life and helps them attain freedom according to Catholicism. Catholicism has also shaped the working week by discouraging work on Sundays, and the holiday calendar with celebrations such as Easter and Christmas. However, negative roles include that religion’s involvement can be forms of extremism, and that religion is supposedly the cause of most conflicts and that cases of sexual abuse within the Church have shown that the Church plays a negative role. Alternatively, Catholicism and religion is argued to not play a role at all in an increasing secular Australia. The plebiscite vote in parliament decreases the likelihood of religious implementation in the parliament thus decreasing the role religion has in the public sphere.

MODULE 4:

a)Describe the nature of an issue for a religion which existed in a particular historical context

In the Catholic denomination of Christianity, the Crusades were a very prominent issue that occurred in the Middle Ages that refers to the series of holy wars fought by Christian armies in order to regain the possession of the Holy Land from Islamic forces. Pope Urban II who responded to the call for help from the Byzantine Emperor decided to get involved in the crusades for two reasons, to regain the Holy Land, and to reinstate his position as the official leader of the Church. They were an integral part of the attempt to reform, defend and renew the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages. Crusaders came from mostly Western countries. The Crusades were seen as a both a meditative pilgrimage and penitential pilgrimage whereby crusaders were granted indulgences which are penitential remission of sins. These indulgences were a form of emotional bribery in persuading Crusaders to fight for their cause. Crusaders took a vow which included “taking the cross”. It was seen as a religious duty to be involved in the Crusades as it was an act of penance, self-sacrifice and charity. They hoped to store up spiritual treasure in heaven as they were well aware of their sinfulness and were eager to undertake the hardships of the Crusade as a penitential act of self-sacrifice, charity and love. The Crusades slowed the Muslim advance into the East and West. As a whole, the Crusades were a total failure. Jerusalem, the Holy Land, was lost forever to the Seljuk Turks who were Muslim as it eventually got involved into Byzantine politics and saw the downfall and capture of Constantinople by Crusaders instead of capturing the Holy Land. This saw further division of the Church as the Western Crusaders became involved in Byzantine politics and Venetian commercialism in the 4th crusade. The Crusades were very expensive which meant that they often had to borrow, sell and mortgage in order to fund their pilgrimage and the 4th crusade is an eptiomy of this. Crusade battles took place over many different cities in the Middle East, however Jerusalem was their primary target and this was so as the West wanted to protect the pilgrimage routes and holy sites.