The New Age Phenomenon Is With Us

Sr. Christine Kabumbu, SCI

     Throughout the centuries, heresies, doctrines or movements have sprouted and have swept away a number of good and unsuspecting Catholics. Of course some might have been carried away with full consent and intent to turn their backs on the Church. The Church has done its role to warn its people against any orthodoxy teachings once the theology is found to be dangerous to the faith.. Our Mother, the Church has a way of initiating its new adherents through teaching of the Catholic Doctrine which is the basic knowledge of our Catholic Faith. Each and every Catholic has a right to know the true teaching of the Church. Knowing the Catholic Doctrine will make one aware of what is not catholic in case one encounters a counter teaching. We really have to know what we believe and profess. In this era when things have gone up side down, the bad accepted as the light and light seen as darkness, hard to notice when the wolf comes in a sheep’s skin, when the devil comes like an a angel of light.. This implies that it is sometimes difficult to distinguish uncatholic theology/ doctrine or what is truly Catholic. In this era more than any other, we need the Holy Spirit to help us notice the distinction. The Church has still continued battling with very misleading teachings and it is necessary for us to be aware of the different beliefs which are contrary to our faith. It is not that we are drifting into error, but is just good to be aware of what other people are thinking or what is at stake in order to ‘choose life’. It usually starts from someone not being satisfied with what is, and so one goes in search of ‘alternatives.

     On Tuesday, 4^th February, 2003, BBC covered a news item that, the Vatican had sounded an alert on New Age. It stated that, "The Roman Catholic Church has warned Christians against resorting to New Age therapies to satisfy their spiritual needs". The Church is warning us against resorting to New Age activities, many may be aware of the New Age phenomenon but perhaps there are some of us laggards as often us we are, who may not even know what the Church is warning us against. Do we realise the danger we are in or are we just stepping into the pit without knowing?

     Monsignor Michael Fitzgerald on his launch of the report, ‘ …A Christian Reflection on New Age’, (Available in the Catholic Bookshop – Lusaka) states that, "The problem, is not that most people are consciously aware of these philosophical and theological undercurrents, but that they pick them up unconsciously, like a cold.". it is this idea of picking up New Age business without knowing which is of most concern. The New Age phenomenon is indeed gaining ground and our Mother the Church is concerned about loosing its members to this New Age. We may be entertaining New Age concepts, beliefs, doctrines, theologies, without knowing!

     What I would term as of great concern is the fact that some New Age practices have become popular in our Catholic circles. Opening ones eyes wide, one cannot fail to notice that a lot of New Age staff is very much present in many retreat houses as well as, seminaries and religious formation houses. It is possible that some of these ideas are finding their way into retreat houses, formation houses and seminaries without those who are being initiated knowing or the teachers or retreat masters themselves being aware that the ideas they are inculcating in the young are New Age staff. We often follow what is in fashion and popular. Some ideas of New Age are so well enveloped in such a way that one cannot easily know that there is a difference between what the church teaches traditionally and what is new.

     In an age like ours with so much material available, coupled with the perpetual restlessness, one can easily fall prey to whatever comes as long it appears to be exciting and combating boredom. The current age does not favour repetition it seeks variety. The nature of our era calls for a lot of discernment because "not all that glitters is gold". Sometimes we get attracted to things just to pass time not knowing that we are actually drifting into a wrong direction.

     It is very important that we make choices about things we follow in life with an informed mind. It very vital that we are enlightened just as New Agers would like to see Christians enlightened. The Catholic report has pointed out that this is not the first time the Vatican has set off alarms. In 1989, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a document titled "Some Aspects of Christian Meditation," warning against prayer and meditation methods inspired by New Age-style. In his criticism of New Age meditation styles, Church official Monsignor Michael Fitzgerald says that, " If prayer turns into just listening to music and falling asleep, it's no longer prayer. There are many styles of meditation in fashion now and we can justify them to say that they help or they have made a difference. The Church is not wrong in sounding a warning because some prayer methods which leaves someone’s mind empty hence making one susceptible to other forces other than God can be dangerous.

     In connection to New Age, in 1992, the new Catechism of the Catholic Church rejected "horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots and recourse to mediums," stating that such practices "contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone." But what is surprising is that many times Christians are involved in these things without any reservations. They see them as just one of those things one can do for leisure. But the Church has seen that these things are not good for its children who have to focus their minds on God who knows all. Evidence has it that in Italy, there are now more fortune-tellers than Catholic priests!! People apparently are being attracted to what can be experienced rather than what can only be believed.