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INFORM-A^CTION

Issue Number 47 - December 2002

At the Appointed Time

When considering the ten years that have elapsed since the establishment of the Social Action Office (SAO) in 1992, I am drawn to reflect on the nature of time and how we human beings construct and experience it. The last ten years have followed a linear progression of days, months and calendar years and, in anyone's lifetime, it is a considerable piece of time in which much has been achieved. As a society we tend mostly to think about and experience time in this way - the Greeks expressed this as kronos, the left-brained, analytical, real time. The Greeks also used the word kairos to express another understanding and dimension of time. This meaning has more to do with the breaking through of enlightenment and spirit into human events. For Christians, this has come to mean the sense of 'a time' set by God for a particular occurrence or experience that reveals something of the greater unfolding of life. The liturgical season of Advent, which we are now entering, is a reminder of events that happen 'at the appointed time'.

Kairos engages a person at the depths as they step beyond the limiting boundaries of kronos into the wide-open expansiveness and freedom of timeless, mystical moments. William Blake captures this well in the introduction to his Auguries of Innocence:

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.

While the last ten years of the SAO have unfolded linearly, in a kronos way, there have been some significant kairos times. These have been the moments of insight and growth for the organisation and for individuals associated with it. As my time at the SAO comes to an end, I have reflected on some special kairos moments.

At various times the presence of a person has ushered in special moments of insight. In particular, environmental activists who have dedicated themselves, in a single-minded way, to the protection of the natural world have had that impact. I have seen in such people something akin to the power and commitment of the mendicant preachers of the Middle Ages. They are on the move, carrying the message to the community, putting aside immediate concerns for careers, financial security, position, to get the word out about the state of the natural environment. The Pope has acknowledged that such people, and the social movements to which they belong, have given the lead in the 'ecological conversion'. Engagement with such dedicated people has inspired and assisted the SAO in making its eco-justice agenda more effective.

The Mabo and Wik High Court decisions were true kairos events. In these events the powerful were confounded by the powerless and the political landscape in Australia was transformed radically. Despite strong and entrenched resistance, the recognition of Native Title and the growth of the Reconciliation Movement across Australia have taken this country forward. Certainly deep fault-lines exist in the national psyche but things have changed for the better. Living with the truth far exceeds living a national lie.

Another kairos event occurred in East Timor during the vote for independence in 1999 when people-power resisted and overcame, by sheer courage and self-sacrifice, the onslaught of unimaginable terror and intimidation. This was a tremendous witness to the lengths people will go to secure political freedoms and democracy. This event also highlighted that intangible strength of the powerless which our Christian story affirms - especially exemplified in the Cross.

For me, discerning the intersection of kairos and kronos has been fundamental to the unfolding story of the SAO. This has been vital in sustaining hope and commitment in this ministry. In the end, it is a greater power than us that urges us on and sustains us and it is imperative that we be attuned to that and draw strength and direction from it. Without that, we can so easily fall prey to the ego's strident demands, to cynicism, to impatience and to stereotyping others. It has been a great strength of the SAO that spirituality has been the explicit foundation of all our work and that kairos moments have been recognised and celebrated.

Coralie Kingston

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		INFORM-A^CTION Issue Number 47 - December 2002 At the Appointed Time When considering the ten years that have elapsed since the establishment of the Social Action Office (SAO) in 1992, I am drawn to reflect on the nature of time and how we human beings construct and experience it. The last ten years have followed a linear progression of days, months and calendar years and, in anyone's lifetime, it is a considerable piece of time in which much has been achieved. As a society we tend mostly to think about and experience time in this way - the Greeks expressed this as kronos, the left-brained, analytical, real time. The Greeks also used the word kairos to express another understanding and dimension of time. This meaning has more to do with the breaking through of enlightenment and spirit into human events. For Christians, this has come to mean the sense of 'a time' set by God for a particular occurrence or experience that reveals something of the greater unfolding of life. The liturgical season of Advent, which we are now entering, is a reminder of events that happen 'at the appointed time'. Kairos engages a person at the depths as they step beyond the limiting boundaries of kronos into the wide-open expansiveness and freedom of timeless, mystical moments. William Blake captures this well in the introduction to his Auguries of Innocence: To see a World in a Grain of Sand And a Heaven in a Wild Flower Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand And Eternity in an hour. While the last ten years of the SAO have unfolded linearly, in a kronos way, there have been some significant kairos times. These have been the moments of insight and growth for the organisation and for individuals associated with it. As my time at the SAO comes to an end, I have reflected on some special kairos moments. At various times the presence of a person has ushered in special moments of insight. In particular, environmental activists who have dedicated themselves, in a single-minded way, to the protection of the natural world have had that impact. I have seen in such people something akin to the power and commitment of the mendicant preachers of the Middle Ages. They are on the move, carrying the message to the community, putting aside immediate concerns for careers, financial security, position, to get the word out about the state of the natural environment. The Pope has acknowledged that such people, and the social movements to which they belong, have given the lead in the 'ecological conversion'. Engagement with such dedicated people has inspired and assisted the SAO in making its eco-justice agenda more effective. The Mabo and Wik High Court decisions were true kairos events. In these events the powerful were confounded by the powerless and the political landscape in Australia was transformed radically. Despite strong and entrenched resistance, the recognition of Native Title and the growth of the Reconciliation Movement across Australia have taken this country forward. Certainly deep fault-lines exist in the national psyche but things have changed for the better. Living with the truth far exceeds living a national lie. Another kairos event occurred in East Timor during the vote for independence in 1999 when people-power resisted and overcame, by sheer courage and self-sacrifice, the onslaught of unimaginable terror and intimidation. This was a tremendous witness to the lengths people will go to secure political freedoms and democracy. This event also highlighted that intangible strength of the powerless which our Christian story affirms - especially exemplified in the Cross. For me, discerning the intersection of kairos and kronos has been fundamental to the unfolding story of the SAO. This has been vital in sustaining hope and commitment in this ministry. In the end, it is a greater power than us that urges us on and sustains us and it is imperative that we be attuned to that and draw strength and direction from it. Without that, we can so easily fall prey to the ego's strident demands, to cynicism, to impatience and to stereotyping others. It has been a great strength of the SAO that spirituality has been the explicit foundation of all our work and that kairos moments have been recognised and celebrated. *Coralie Kingston* Next Newsletter Article Newsletter Index