COVID-19, social media disinformation, racism, climate change and major social inequities – how does a person of faith respond to these pressing kaupapa (issues)?
Through the word of God and returning to the teachings of the Gospel, says Te Pīhopa o Aotearoa, the most reverend Archbishop Don Tamihere.
Archbishop Tamihere articulated the Mihinare faith for a new generation in his kauwhau (sermon) at the recently-held Te Runanganui.
The biennial gathering, which normally brings together the five Hui Amorangi as Te Pīhopatanga o Aotearoa under the call of Te Pīhopa o Aotearoa, was held virtually via zoom as a result of ongoing COVID-19 restrictions.
The theme of Archbishop Tamihere’s kauwhau was ‘Te oranga ake o te ao’, an expression of The Kingdom of God which also means ‘the flourishing of the world’.
In his kauwhau, he commended the COVID-19 response of the government, Māori MPs, iwi leaders, frontline workers, hauora and Māori health providers to keep whānau safe but warned; “neither they, nor we can stop the inevitable”.
“COVID will soon be entering all of our communities,” warned Archbishop Tamihere.
“The best thing we can do to protect ourselves and our whānau is to get vaccinated. That’s why the Māori bishops and the members of runanga whaiti have come out strongly in support of vaccination.”
Archbishop Tamihere said a barrier to achieving this was social media, which had become “a global-sized megaphone for disinformation, toxicity and hatred, fuelled by endless amounts of outrage”.
“In response we may have to ask ourselves, what are we fuelled by? We can’t bring hope and healing if we are fuelled by hate and harm. We can’t bring restoration if we are fuelled by cynicism and resentment.”
“We can’t love our neighbour in the way that Jesus asked us to if we can’t lay down our own rights and interests for the sake of others.”
Archbishop Tamihere said God’s call was to his children to offer aroha, manaakitanga, kindness and hope in our response to the pandemic but posed the question “what if we are feeling tired and fatigued?”
“How do the wounded learn to heal? How do the exhausted imagine?”
He said compounding the realities of COVID-19 were the critical and urgent realities of climate change and massive inequities in society.
“Alongside injustices, poverty, disnfranchisement, and systemic racism that our people face every day, some of you, if not all of you, will be feeling tired and fatigued under the pressure of these times.”
“That’s to be expected, but we need to be kind to ourselves and others. Let us not become wary of doing good (because) the Bible tells us for at the proper time we will see harvest and reward if we do not give up. And we must not give up, we must keep doing good.”
He said the answer to these dilemas was a simple one; a return to the Christ and the basics of the Gospel that he taught us.
“We are not called to work in our own interests to honour ourselves …but to bless those who curse us and to lay down our lives for others – just like Jesus did.”
“Love, joy, peace, that’s the promise of our Gospel. That’s the taonga we can offer our people in these unprecedented and extraordinary times. That’s how we can live the abundant life that Jesus promised us.”
“Aroha, hari, rangimārie, koina ngā taonga tino nui o te rongopai. Koina te ngākau tuturu o te oranga ake. Love without hypocrisy, peace without politics. Joy without restraint, life abundant, te oranga ake o te iwi.”