GOVERNOR GENERAL ADDRESSES NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST

The 18th National Prayer Breakfast was held in Parliament House, Canberra on Monday, 3 November 2003, attended by 500 participants, 120 more than the 2002 event. Those present included Parliamentarians, visiting dignitaries, members of the Diplomatic Corp and Church representatives from across Australia.

The Chairman of the National Prayer Breakfast, Hon. Bruce Baird, and Mrs Baird were present and Mr Baird served as the chairman for the Breakfast.

The Grace was presented by Senator Penny Wong of South Australia, followed by a Reflection by Senator Brian Harradine of Tasmania, both in the Federal Senate.

The first Scripture Reading, Psalm 67, was presented by the Hon. John Howard MP, Prime Minister of Australia, followed by a Prayer by the Hon. Kevin Andrews MP. The second Reading, Matthew 6:19-27, was read by the Hon. Edward Natapei, Prime Minister of Vanuatu, followed by a Prayer by Kate Barnett, a university student from Sydney. The Hon. Simon Crean MP, Leader of the Opposition read the Third Reading, Romans 12:9-21, followed by a Prayer led by Air Marshall Angus Houston.

The Guest Speaker was His Excellency, Major General Michael Jeffery AC CVO MC (retd), Governor-General of The Commonwealth Of Australia.

Following his opening remarks and acknowledgement of the distinguished guests, His Excellency presented his address for the occasion.

“It’s particularly pleasing to welcome so many participants to the National Prayer Breakfast.

What started as a small group of parliamentarians in 1986 under the leadership of Dr Harry Edwards, the former Federal Member for Berowra, is gratifyingly a much larger affair today.

It’s particularly pleasing to welcome so many participants to the National Prayer Breakfast.

What started as a small group of parliamentarians in 1986 under the leadership of Dr Harry Edwards, the former Federal Member for Berowra, is gratifyingly a much larger affair today.

I guess all of us at some stage in our lives have lain out under the stars on a really clear night and, looking up into the lovely constellations above, thought long and deeply about the universe, its size and complexity, how it all happened and why?

As we contemplate the total order, beauty and harmony of the universe, it seems to have all the hallmarks of some greater being or force responsible for, and in total control of it.

In his essay on the “Origin of the Universe”, Professor Stephen W Hawking concluded: “Although science may solve the problem of how the universe began, it can not answer the question: why does the universe bother to exist? Maybe only God can answer that.”

It was only in 1925 that Edwin Hubble was able to prove the existence of galaxies using the then new 100-inch telescope at Mount Wilson.

Now we know our galaxy is one of thousands of millions, all apparently rushing away from each other at tremendous speed.

About 1000 million galaxies can be photographed by the largest optical telescopes.

Others, much further away, can be observed by radio telescope.

As insignificant as earth appears in the size of the universe, it does have a uniqueness that is not readily apparent in any other part of the cosmos that we know of.

And that unique thing is the existence of living, breathing life.

And the wonder of our planet is that, notwithstanding the millions of different life forms on it, there is one group that dominates over all others, and that, of course, is the human species.

But unlike plants and animals, whose biological growth is guided and controlled by the laws of nature, man I suggest has been given something else – a special quality, a divine spark which makes us different, animates us and, I would suggest, underpins our values.

It is, in other words, our spirit.

So what is this thing that we call the spirit?

I asked a good clergyman friend to give me his interpretation and this is broadly what he said.

Within all people exists a basic inclination for good, a deep-seated sympathy for others, and a real concern for their wellbeing.

This fundamental orientation, or spirit, is shared by all, to a greater or lesser extent.

Put simply, it is as though we have been “wired up” with an innate potential to do good, so that we can be consistently available for others.

We have been programmed to respond positively to situations of human need.

We share a basic inclination to uphold the dignity and wellbeing of humanity.

But, of course, even though we are “wired-up” this way, we still have to decide to flick the switch!

Our natural orientation is to do good, not evil, and this spirit is within all of us.

It is a fundamental – perhaps the fundamental – characteristic of humanity.

Our challenge is to allow this natural instinct to speak.

For we are confronted always with situations, circumstances and pressures which will distort, or even entirely prevent this inner, fundamental human spirit from expressing itself.

We should strive to let this spirit “be itself”, and be the dominant influence of our lives.

However, the spirit is, I suspect a little bit like the small seed of a delicate flower, which when planted, requires careful nurturing of the soil, watering, and removal of weeds before it will germinate and develop into a beautiful bloom.

The existence of this distinct human spiritual dimension makes it impossible for me to believe that there can be anything other than a great force at work who endows us with this spirit and whom we call God.

But this spirit, like the flower seed, needs nurturing from birth.

In the spiritual context, whether as a people and a planet, we are a major part of some gigantic overall plan or a small experiment within God’s great scheme of things really doesn’t matter.

On earth we were given a Garden of Eden – well it certainly started that way – where everything was plentiful – food, water, clean air and importantly, the personal choice of how we live within this environment.

In other words, the creator hasn’t programmed us to do everything that is morally right.

He gave us instead the freedom of choice through which we become largely responsible for our own actions and the results thereof, hopefully weighted towards good through our unique spirituality.

But God does provide other practical assistance to help us.

The guidelines for a good or decent life are simply and clearly expressed in the Ten Commandments – those fundamental laws of personal and social cohesiveness given to Moses through God on Mount Sinai.

And when you think about it, their validity, their strength, their simplicity hold just as true today as they did over 2000 years ago.

It is in the obedience to these fundamental laws that in the end largely decide whether we will be truly happy or otherwise.

And, of course, being human, we fail sometimes and have to pick ourselves up and try again.

To assist us further in our willing obedience to God’s universal laws, is the example given us by his Son, Jesus Christ.

His humble entry into the human race, his early childhood in very ordinary circumstances preparing for his ministry.

And then just three short but incredible years of teaching, healing and leadership, embracing a tiny area, with a radius perhaps the distance from Sydney CBD to Campbelltown – followed by his trial in which he was found totally innocent by Pilate, by Herod and by Pilate again – yet he accepted without bitterness, without complaint, the mob’s demand that he suffer that most excruciating death of all, crucifixion as an innocent man, and in so doing to bear the sins forever of all of us on earth, no matter what we have said or done.

And then to rise from the dead and make himself known to his disciples as proof of his resurrection.

These are things – and in particular the resurrection – that do require a deep and fundamental faith, a faith encapsulating Christ’s life and word that has been told to us for 2000 years in the most popular book of all time, a faith that billions have believed in and continue so to do, a faith for which many thousands have given their lives.

But, notwithstanding our innate spirituality, Christ’s unparalleled example of human love and the simple guidelines given us for a fulfilling and enriched life, we are, I think, losing our way in some respects.

In today’s society, individual rights are emphasised while personal responsibility is down-played.

The result of this imbalance can be seen all around us: high family break-up rates, personal greed, drugs and violence.

Technology has enabled us to produce more and better goods, but it has not necessarily improved the mental wellbeing or the fundamental happiness of our families and communities.

Even though our knowledge of the physical world has increased tremendously, many people remain out of touch with life’s spiritual dimension.

For our young people, this can pose a fundamental problem of what it is they want to achieve on the magnificent planet that has been provided for them.

If asked, most would probably say they want a happy and fulfilling life.

But how is genuine happiness and fulfilment attained?

Some would say satisfaction of our material needs and wants will get us there.

But I suggest that something more is required – namely, that a strong spiritual base and faith is essential for real happiness.

No man is an island, and in times of deep trouble and stress human beings need to call on a well of deeper understanding and support than perhaps is available in the increasingly secular and material environment of today.

My sense of spirituality, my belief in God, began when I was quite young – at home, then at Sunday school, school and so on.

But it was a general belief, not a committed certainty.

That, I think, came when I was in Vietnam as a combat soldier commanding 120 fine young Australians.

It was in the daily situation for 13 months, of knowing that at any time one ‘s soldiers or oneself might die or be badly wounded, that one really thought seriously about the hereafter and genuinely prayed for help and guidance.

Some of my most intense moments spiritually have been in the steamy heat of the jungle in Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam, with the sentries posted, the cicadas chirruping, listening to the quiet voice of our padre – invariably standing on an ammunition box – before we went into action.

Then, after the violence and terror of battle, the quiet aftermath, praying with the padre over our dead, tending the wounded, and thanking God for our own survival.

Then writing to the parents, as a commander has to do, almost always sitting alone in a little tent at night, in the rain – wet, dirty, uncomfortable, tired and sad – to tell those good people at home that their son had just been killed or wounded and struggling to find the words to convey the sense of it all.

At that time, in particular, but also in other difficult times of my life, I desperately needed something beyond the presence and support of my soldiers to be with me, to help me – and invariably that presence was the Lord.

He never failed to be there to give me strength and hope.

And I’m sure that linkage to the Almighty in seeking comfort, solace and meaning to life, had its genesis through my spiritual experiences as a child in our home, at school, Sunday school and church.

From where else can it come?

This is why I have always admired those schools that teach, as part of a values or ethics component, the basic fundamentals of the world’s great religions.

Because, in so doing, it gives young people the opportunity to explore and develop their own sense of spirituality and perhaps decide on a religious philosophy that will meet their future needs.

Today, commitment to a religious ethos is increasingly less popular.

How can it be anything different, if the majority of our youngsters have had no consistent contact with any form of spiritual upbringing – be it in the home, in the school or the church.

Could it be that our society as a whole needs to re-invest in its spiritual and ethical values; that behind the pace, complexity and problems of modern life, lie fundamental questions concerning our innermost beliefs and values; that the answers to our concerns may in large part lie within the spirit of man.

Such re-investment will require a release of the spiritual resources and energy inherent in each of us.

It means rediscovering the joys and inspiration of our biblical traditions, including the simple moral imperatives contained therein.

It will mean that society, including the churches, may need to work harder to re-establish the fundamentals of our spiritual base – especially in the context of the rapidly changing and complex circumstances of the 21st century.

For if we do not, I see difficulties ahead, neatly summed up by Leon R Kass of the National Academy of Sciences when he said:

“Here, perhaps is the most pernicious result of technological progress – more dehumanising than any actual manipulation or technique present or future. We are witnessing the erosion, perhaps the final erosion of the idea of man as something splendid or divine, and its replacement with a view that sees man, no less than nature, as simply more raw material for manipulation and homogenisation.”

Or in the words of Leo Tolstoy:

“One of the most vulgar of all prejudices is that of the clever, who believe that one can live without faith. If you feel that you no longer have faith, you should know that you are in the most dangerous situation in which a man can find himself on earth.”

Powerful words, indeed!

But I do detect signs of change.

Within society, I detect a yearning, a crying out if you will, for a return to a sense of decency, honesty, mutual respect and compassion – all components of our Christian faith and values.

Although overseas circumstances may be different, it is of interest to note that, in the United Kingdom, they appear to have established a rejuvenation of interest in religious education in schools.

It is understood that the basic fundamentals of the five great religions are taught, with some emphasis on the Christian religion.

I noted, when Governor of Western Australia, the positive social impact of the teaching of religious studies in schools and the critical role the school chaplains played in those schools fortunate enough to have them, in dealing sympathetically and confidentially with the problems of young people.

It was interesting to note in an economic sense, that a school chaplain in any given year had only to prevent one young person from going to an institution or gaol for a year to save the taxpayer almost four times that chaplain’s annual salary.

In 1996, the Western Australian Education Department conducted a survey among high school principals and found that more than 93 per cent indicated the chaplain’s work was irreplaceable in their school’s environment.

Perhaps society should think about this.

Might I now summarise this address by reminding us all as Christian leaders, it is the faith of men and women that inspires hope and vision and the determination to bring a better way of life with justice, peace and security for all of us.

And our faith, I suggest, revolves around a strong belief in our individual spirituality, in essence our capacity to love our fellow man and our God; that a person’s spirit is something supremely precious and unique, above the birds, the trees and the animals.

It is a certainty of belief that the spirit of man has not derived, simply as a result of the big bang, or through evolution, but is essentially divine in nature; given to us at birth specially and specifically by God; and that our time on earth – a paltry 80 years in the mega light-year age of our universe, or the four billion years of our planet, is but a short stepping stone, a test place if you wish, for our spirituality to be nurtured, like the flower seed, and to then blossom fully towards a fulfilled life with the promise of an eternal dimension.

The Christian faith provides such succour and hope – but being a Christian can be hard work.

It demands time, resource and commitment and importantly parental, school and church direction in the childhood years.

But the rewards are great, and all of us, I believe, deserve the opportunity of coming to an understanding of our unique spirituality through the family, school and church learning processes, so that as life progresses, we can make our own judgements on spiritual values and religious faith based on a personal knowledge and understanding of the core tenets involved.

Thank you for letting me share my thoughts with you and may I wish you all the good health of body, mind and spirit which accompanies the faith of all God’s people.

Following the Governor General’s Speech, a Vote of Thanks was given by the Hon Harry Quick MP, Federal Member for Franklin, Tasmania. The Closing Prayer followed, presented by Mrs Sussan Ley, the Federal Member for Farrer NSW.

Following the National Prayer Breakfast, a Program of Seminars followed throughout the day.

The Seminar on “Nation Building” was led by Bernard Narokobi, the former Speaker of the New Guinea Parliament and Sitiveni Rabuka of Fiji. The “Faith in Media” Seminar was addressed by Mark Scott, Editor-in-Chief with the Sydney Morning Herald, while the “Business” Seminar was addressed by Andrew Tyndale and the Seminar on “Leadership” featured Jock Cameron.

Those who attended left with much to consider and work out in their own activities.

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Acknowledgment: MATERIAL SUPPLIED BY THE ORGANISERS, THOSE PRESENT AND OFFICIAL SOURCES

CORRECTION:

“SITI RAMBOOKA” SHOULD BE “SITIVENI RABUKA”:

(2nd LAST PARAGRAPH) The Seminar on “Nation Building” was led by Bernard Narokobi, the former Speaker of the New Guinea Parliament and Sitiveni Rabuka of Fiji.