Editorial

Markus van Alphen

Perhaps the most difficult part of being an editor, especially for a magazine like The Liberal Catholic, is to be able to put aside one’s own opinions and objectively read and publish the opinions of others, often quite opposed to one’s own. So perhaps you, as the reader of this magazine, might understand my situation, of not only being appointed (as an interim measure) as Executive Editor but at the same time bound by links familial and karmic, to the Presiding Bishop, under whose auspices this magazine is published. It is often the case that children of priests and bishops of our Liberal Catholic Church are presumed to be direct extensions of their fathers. I would contend that the opposite is equally true: My own experience is that for about 20 years I would have as little as possible to do with this Church. My reason for returning is the conviction that the ceremonial work we perform together really does bring about the most fantastic and wonderful results: The earthly Liturgy truly is interwoven in the heavenly Liturgy.

With all due respect to the Presiding Bishop, I do not always agree with his viewpoint. I do understand and can accept his point of view, without making it my own. Some of the issues we agree to hold different viewpoints on are current and fundamental: The role of women in the Church to mention but one. I do not profess to have the answers either and feel that this is not the proper place for me to expound my opinions and views. The point I am trying to make is that despite (and not because of) the familial link between the Presiding Bishop and myself, he has seen fit to appoint me in this position. This decision was made on the basis of the work I do as Executive Editor of the magazine for the Province of the Netherlands, VKVisie. Until such time as a new Executive Editor is appointed, I will do my best to serve you, as the readers of this magazine, with integrity and to the best of my abilities.

As you no doubt have noticed, the format and frequency of The Liberal Catholic have changed. I am grateful for the wonderful work done by my predecessor, the Rev. Bill Keidan. He has definitely blown new life into the magazine. One certainty about life is, however, change. In order to bring the magazine closer to the readership and to be able to use it as a public relations tool as well, we have had to devise ways to cut the costs. It has also been a conscious decision to limit the thickness of the magazine, which has been partially realised, by limiting the length of articles to an absolute maximum of 2500 words. A positive side effect is that authors are enticed to be to the point, thereby improving readability. To compensate, the number of issues per year has been increased to three.

Advent is the start of a new church year. A period of preparation, hence the prevailing purple colour of purification used in this season. We prepare, in our hearts, the manger wherein we can lay and cherish the newly born Christ. Every year we repeat this celebration, every year we are expected to build on the experiences of the previous year and open our hearts and our minds more and more, so that the light may shine ever stronger as the years pass by. The preparation is to bring to perfection, within the limits of our current capabilities, the same four virtues as various religions explain as being the qualifications required to place one’s feet on the path: Discrimination, Self-forgetfulness, Love and Right action. As written in the book At the Feet of the Master, Love is the greatest of all these virtues, as without Love, all the rest is in vain. Let us therefore, during this season of Advent, prepare our hearts with Love, not only for our beloved, but also for all the creatures of this world, for all humanity, our adversaries included.

May this season of Advent prepare you for the wondrous Christmas mystery, the allegory of the first initiation, that the Light may be born in your hearts and that you may shine as veritable lighthouses in the stormy sea of contemporary life.