Registered by Australia Post Publication No. WAR 0202
POST ADDRESS: PO Box 50, Northbridge, 60CX) W.A. LOCATION: 26 John St, Northbridge (east off Fitzgerald St).
TELEPHO E: (09) 328 1388
FAX (09) 328 7307
PRICE 60¢
Cami Hans mar silver joy in Australia - Page 10
are arranging travel to
Information 11 b fo erded a gre s deteits com
e ard's goe eigh o r y
h
y
2
y
Ne{,(J + New
people
ll/e , / /
•
rig
e
•
•
again
18 By Bish p Barry HICKEY of Geraldton
REFLECTIO S ON (HUMA AE VITAE'
$100,000 fore erge cy ow
n
ur
\\ ith
Thi n t n t
F
ur
(Est. 1888)
id
P ri h pri t of t Ju
'
3
Guest editorial
The Catholic Weekly
e•
e of prayer
Prayer is no burden. We can pray at any time, in any place and in any posture. Today's urban Catholic family is finding the going tough. Indeed, for a long time now, penal taxation has made the financial going rugged for those relying on a single pay packet to raise children. Where to turn? asks the beleaguered family. Where can we find $200 for school bus fares? It is important that we do not leave our Creator out of our search for where to turn. In turning to God we do not abandon action. As Catholics who belong to the family of the People of God we should be united against injustice and working together towards a fairer Australia. We need to struggle for a potiticet climate more favourable to our hidden national resource - our children. A plea must be made, however, for people not to become so immersed in the world's anxieties and their own personal worries that prayer is frequently forgotten and eventually lost. This would be a great tragedy. Prayer is essential, even for the most-burdened of families. Prayers open the parliamentary budget session,· why should we not pray about our own family budgets? Prayer, hich is a co scious relationship with God, is effective. It can hift mountains. It empowers us, through God's pr, sence, to work for what is right. We change what we can nd accept with God's grace what cannot be changed. God gives us, hrough prayer, the wisdom to choose when to act and when to leave ft be. It has b n said that there are two crosses: the Cros of Christ through which we here in Ourl.ord's hum nness snd sutterinq, ndthe cro s of the Devil which le ds us to despair nd bewilderment. The first is never oo he vy, but the second should be hur d
'
e
•
n e'
and in
th
Or
bis ques
t at er David
of fema e oc a co ci iation
r
n? in
avid
r
Add TIGE a d VALU o yourhom
e ca te 328
8
Cast of the Pieta by Michelangelo in St Peter's Basilica.
TB
e
O
OP
L
10
OUR A
O
rt
E
.
DDRE ..................................................... 0 TCODE G
.
SBA E EX O 88
'
ters t e gap NEW TWIST TO PRIESTLESS PARISHES
e
s
t fo
Sist
•
isa D
•
gy
By
Father John CASTE LOT '
Jacob and Esau were twins, but physically and emotionally they were poles apart_ Jacob was handy inside the house. Esau was the rugged, outdoor type. They grew up to dislike each other so notoriously that the biblical authors pi tured them as having fought with each other even before birth. Esau won and became the firstborn: "His brother came out next. gripping Esau's heel" (Genesis 25:26). Jacob's stealthy theft later on of Esau's birthright made them implacable enemies, In the course of time Jacob went off to find a wife and to start a family among his relatives in Upper Mesopotamia.
His later return home was marked by serious about apprehension what Esau might have in store for him. Jacob took elaborate measures to ensure safety for himself and his now large family. When Jacob saw Esau coming toward him, accompanied by 400 men, he was fearful. "So he divided his children among Leah. Rachel and the two maidservants . . . He himself went on ahead of them, bowing to the ground seven times until he reached his brother. Esau ran to meet him. embraced him and, flinging himself on his neck, kissed him as he wept" (Genesis 33:1-4). It is true that Jacob was motivated by concern for his safety, and we are not told what Esau's motives were. Whatever the
lion was dramatic and moving. It must have brought deep relief to both parties and a profound peace: "shalom". This peace is much more than just the ending of hostilities. It is much more positive than that, suggesting fulfilment, satisfaction, well-being. Someone has remarked that the opposite of " halom" is not war but chaos. The earlier relationship of the two brothers was truly chaotic, an almost unnatural mutual alienation. Reconciliation brought "shalom", a restoration of peace, of order. In the Bible the work of creation itself is described as God's conquest of chaos.
It is the establishment of order in the universe (Genesis 1:1-2:4). Whatever the nature of what we call original sin, it threatened to undo the divinely established order and to plunge the universe bark into chaos. The biblical authors portray the effects of that sin in terms of human alienation from the Creator and from each other alienation between the man and the woman:
between humans and animals; between Cain and Abel; between whole peoples, as symbolised by the Tower of Babel story. Its effects are seen in the brutal retaliation Lamech takes for a minor insult (Genesis: 4:23-24). All of this points to the fundamental evil of alie-
nation, of mutual aversion. It points, too, to the only possible remedy: reconciliation. In a sense. all of Scripture is a story of attempted and often successful reconciliation. David is exalted as a hero, in large part because of his persistent attempts to reconcile Saul to himself - in spite of Saul's insistence on trying to kill him. The ew Testament also is full of pleas for reconciliation. In the early chapters of the second letter to the Corinthians, Paul is jubilant over his reconciliation with his converts
with whom he had a potentially disastrous disagreement. In the same letter Paul gets right down to basics, alluding to God's own work of reconciliation: "Whoever is in Christ is a new creation; the old things have passed away, behold new things have oome. "And all this is from
God, "ho has reconciled us to himself through
Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their transgressions against
lhem md entrusting to us !�message of reconciliat.,1 (2 Corinthians 5:17-1!1. Perb, ,s nowhere is the imllOJlnce of reconciliation rxpressed more impruively than in these verses of tbe Senne, on the Mount: 1™, ,fore. if you bring your�l to the altar, and ther, recall that your broth, has anything agauw you. leave your gift tl,re at the altar. go first nd be reconciled with our brother and thenome and offer your gift" tthew 5:23-24).
• Reconciliation means more than just a cessation of hostilities. From a biblical perspective, reconcilia· tion implies restoration of peace, right relationships, order "shalom".
of the
By
Katharine
BIRD
Ugly look of unforgiveness
By Father Herbert WEBER
concerns.
In addition plans called for the opportunity to talk about any hurts or fears people have; about feeling tell out or wondering if all eyes in church will be on them when they do come back..
Time also was planned for those who need to talk about the pain th y experienced when the church or its ministers
8
Accept one another
seemed too impersonal or cold.
Always there needs to be time for expressions of sorrow that separations took place. What our group discovered in planning this process is that we not
When the homily concluded 35 minutes later and with the feel of the summer heat upon me, I found I was much less enthusiastic. Then, just before Mass ended. the celebrant looked out at the wilted congregation and apolo-
When it comes to �iW!lless and reconcilia· tion, there is no separat111g life from sacrament, writes Blessed Sacrament Father Eugene LaVerdiere. In other words, the sacrament of reconciliation is reflected in a thousand ways in the daily liwis of the church's people, who have a mission to be reconcilers and forciW!rS; the sacrament of forciveness tells us something about what kind of people Christians are. Christians are called by Jesus to be a people of reconciliation. What does this mean to you? What makes it difficult ID forciwi? Do you think people need to leam loow to lorciwi? What are some steps to learning this? What hints does Jesus provide on what a reconciler is supposed to do? Father John Castelot and Blessed Sacrament Father Eugene La'lenliere take a look at what happens when people are reconciled with each other? only had to seek reconciliation, we had to become reconciling people. To be reconcilers means, first, to have a deeply ingrained willingness to accept others, even in their weaknesses. ot long ago, on summer vacation, stopped at a parish church on Sunday. From m} place in the fifth pew. I became excited when the pastor began his homily with an interesting anecdote.
The Record, July 21, 1988
gised for his long delivery. I could tell from people's reactions that he was forgiven. At that point I also recognised that something was right about that parish. It knew how to accept imperfection. That quality probably was applied in their homes as well. If reconcilers accept one another, they also have to be hon t about their failures. Denying an offence prevents
forgiveness. One woman told me her husband never admitted he was disappointed when she had to work late and missed the ev ning meal. She wondered whether he cared. The woman felt such a great need to know where she stood that she brought up the subject when I visited her and her husband. Cautiously he admitted he felt lell out because of her late work but didn't want to interfere with her career. The honest statements that both persons were hurt provided them the opportunity to forgive each other. Finally. reconciliation means a willingness to work with the other person th rough the rebuilding process. As a parish we are attempting to walk with others as they again become active Catholics. The same process is needed when anyone wants to make peace with another. Two feuding college roommates decided to bury the hatchet. Aller making up their respective lists of what needed to improve, th y made a game of supporting each other in the changes. They not only survived the semester. but they became more knowledgeable about how to live with others
The leadinc character in the film "Manon of the Spring" is a young goatherd fuelled by a single passion: to cet revenge on the villacers she blames for the death almost 10 years earlier of her father, Jean de Florette. He died, crushed by worry end overwork from trying to grow crops with insuffi ent water. Though the villagers knew that Jean's property contained a spring, no one was willing to tell the newcomer where the blocked spring's source was,
fOl'JiW!lless and reconc�iation are at the centre of all close relationships. Becominc a rtt111Ciler requires a willingness to accept others, weaknesses and all, honest admission of hurts an41iltres, and a willincness to -11 toeether thn> gh the rebuilding process.
Manon is immobilised by her father's death, unable to let go of the anger and pain caused by it. Manon serves here as an example of what can happen to a person who doesn't develop the ability to forgive. People can get stuck in a "cvcle of nonforgiveness" which can produce physical. emotional and spiritual effects, Dr Doris Donnelly said in an interview. She is a pastoral theologian and writer.
For instance. people who can't forgive may relate to others in destructive ways, she said. the Remembering betrayal keenly, they may find it impossible to enter a trusting relationship again. "Any time there is a sense of estrangement. walls are built up." said Father Lawrence Mick, a liturgist.
Unforgiving people look on the person who hurt them as an enemy. he explained. They fear that the person who hurt them once will hurt them again. Christians who have been hurt by another person need "to recognise that the call of God is to reconciliation." said Father Mick. The Gospel they hear on Sunday and the community they worship in celebrates the call to reconciliation. But forgiving someone can be hard. Father Mick said. When the pain runs deep, it may take years to get to the point where people can really forgive. He told of a couple who
wanted to repair their relationship following an episode of infidelity. The couple worked with the priest and with a professional counsellor for many months to reconcile. "Today the marriage is stronger than before. but it took real commitment to each other to work through the pain," he said. Forgiveness is "remain· ing open and loving and giving even when hurt .., said Ms Donnelly. It IS making a decision to put the pain of a betrayal behind somehow and choosing not to be directed by resentment any longer. She told of a woman who grew up wounded because her sister clearly was loved more by their mother. In helping the woman, �Is Donnelly said that the first step in learning to forgive was admitting how hurt she had felt by the mother's treatment. The next step was making an act of the will to forgive her mother.
By
Father Eugene
LaVERDIERE
The Christian mission of reconciliation sounds simple but it has many facets. First, the act of reconciliation presupposes that a relationship has been injured or perhaps broken off. Reconciliation restores what had once been a good relationship. Second, the purpose of reconciliahon is that people live in harmony with one another and with God. From this point of view, reconciliation is best summed up by the word "peace" or "shalom", a Hebrew word that has become popular in many languages. Third, the heart of reconciliation is forgiveness. When reconciliation takes place God forgives us and people forgive one another. When it comes to reconciliation with God. forgiveness is a one-way
THAT'S THE BEST WORD FOR RECONCILIATION
gill. We do not forgive God. God forgives us. In reconciliation among human beings, forgiveness goes in two directions. When a relationship is broken or injured, for reconciliation to occur both parties are involved. one to ask forgiveness, the other to forgive. Matthew's Gospel (18:1-
2) refers to a time when
Peter went up to Jesus and asked how often he should forgive someone. Thinking himself generous Peter asks whether he should forgive as often as seven times. Jesus' answer must have been staggering for Peter. Seven times was far too little. He needed to forgive 77 times, that is. as often as he was offended. There is no limit to Christian forgiveness. In some cultures forgiving someone 77 times
may not appear extraordinary, at least at first glance. We Amencans tend to forgive quite easily. We even pride ourselves in our ability to "forgive and forget". But it may be that many of our relationships are fairly shallow. It is easy to forgive a stranger, even one with whom we have just had a friendly conversation. It is much harder to forgive someone we really care about. When someone \VP love offends us we really feel it. 'ow, Jesus expected his followers to love one another as he loved them Uohn 15:12). And when someone loves as deeply as Jesus did, being offended really hurts and forgiving even once is not so easy. There are many cultures where personal relationships are what
matter most and where they usually are quite deep. I remember being struck in the Philippines by people saying: "I can forgive, but I can never forget." I would say the} understood the exchange between Jesus and Peter in Matthew 18 very well, I suspect Peter also would understand the saying. Forgiveness without limits is at the heart of Christian reconciliation. Christians are asked to forgive whenever and wherever they are offended. When people a pp roach the sacrament of reconciliation. they accept God's forgiveness and join Christ and other Christians in his great work of reconciliation. When it comes to forgiveness and reconciliation there is no separlife from ating sacrament.
Why most people find it so difficult to forgive Pw:ople often do not want
111 comm icate the false messaee that the pain c.iuse dthe m bY- 's
h rtful actions wasn't strongly felt. This is reason why people can find it dlffocu It to'..._., -• �. .
Because a mber ol people had asked me about becoming ructimed acain in the Catholic Church, I c.illed -ai actiwi parishioners and asked them to join me tor a licht lunch at our parish centre. During I unch I told Lucy. Veronica. Jean and Suzanne that I hoped to hold a special gathering for people who wanted to talk about what the church means today and about coming back to unday fass on a regular basis. I asked my guests if they would help me with the venture. But the four women Joining me that day each had colleagues and friends who no longer were practicing Catholics - responded that one big meeting would not answer people's needs. Aller several months of fermentation. a different of program type emerged: a series of sessions. almost like a support group. Part of the sessions entail instruction on what Catholics are saying about Scripture, the Eucharist, morcl issues, the papacy and other
There 15 a fear that to forgi e readily is to be
naive about other people and to set the stage for them to act in hurtful ways again. At hm
the virtue of
,forgiveness is virtua II v
under suspicion in o rd ihuman nary relationships.
People wonder whether they are bringing the very best of their knowledge about human beings to bear on their relationshins when the) practice folWven
realistic in their human dealings. If
You take a close look at the church's sacraments and how they are , �lrteb_ratehd. you discover am r_ ythms in thlnes �· -certampatterns The} worry· that the cal I to forgivenes is an You might say that invitation to he I " than sacramental celebrations
tell a story.
It 15 a story of God's powerful love.of'untty in the human family, of sacrifice for the sake of others. of turning life in a new direction, of the eoodn of creation. of
"'��
forgiven s [ow, the sacraments
and the story they tell are not boxed in by the time and the place in which I h ey are ce J e b rated.
lions become patterns for all of life. · The sacrament 15 meant to be mirrored in human
The reach of the sacraments is lonhg. Thelsacradments tour. poop e an make an impact on them.
relationships. You can tell something -a bo ut forgiveness b y pondering what it is like to be forgiven by someone you have hurt. The
As a result, the patterns of sacramental celebra-
forgiveness yields a feeling of relief. But there is more.
It is as though the forgiveness opens a door. giving a relationship a new future. Forgiveness is liberating, making it impossible for past hurts to control the future.
It is as though forgiveness tills the ground for growth in a relationship. It can be creative - like the powerful creative action of God that is always motivated by love. To be creative m this way is not to be less realistic, but more so.
about human dealings. The call to forgive is a call to be more reflective about human relationships and why they matter, not less so. Forgiveness is an effort to bring the best and the most possible to the life one pursues together with others.
The Record, July 21, 1988
9
ver
•
II
CAMILLIANS MARK 25 YEA S OF THE R WORK I Ho pital Chaplaincy Departments.
cGUINES HO RD
xec tive xecutive
Send cheque and advertiseme t o:
O Si . anted O Sits. vacant
D Help anted D Teacher wan ed D Teacher a aila le D Building trades O For al O ante to buy
O Aecom. wanted O Aecom. available O Wan ed to rent O House to let O Flat to let O Hou e for sale
O Hou e wanted
O Holiday accom
Clo es noon edne d ys. $5 min. for Ii t 28 words. Post or d. liver. No phone calls.
O Baptism (free O Engagement O arriage O Silver edding O Golden wedding O Diamond edding O Ju ilee O Anniversary
O Oea h O eath: Than s O In memoriam O Than O Wanted O Public otice O Personal O Information FOR
SELLERS GET BEST
L: 10 cents for each 4 words or less
0 0
AUST ALIA
main thru t of the C millian , who work a nur es, hospital chaplain , health-care pa toral mini try wor e ·, dodo . in publi h pit I , in their own in titution , and w 'thin thei m 'Il pari h .
J COLLEEN
•
Ho pital a olyte \ ho mmuni n at Sir Char} · Gairdner and Gng Edward served along with 12 a tar bo drawn from th ubia o and 'henton P r pari he. give
, :.
'{ .:
a
Yo
Y to e •
a ce
ac l •
•
TEACHER AVAILABLE
BUILDING TRADES
Pri ry hool tuition, from qu Iif d experien ed prim ry t a hi r. pe i Ii in language and mathemati . Phone
450 41 3.
or
at in
or
or
on
NOTICE
I
Helen McGurk, Fred Preshaw and Rod Me/vile look through some of the many books available.
THANKS
1 ter Colum ant to sa th t de pite h r many years teaching in chool hrough t the S ate and her S ate School catec etical ministry in the 'bu h', he had developed a pa icular affection for the maritime apo tolate. It must be granted that Sister Colum as not lone in this. During the many year that I as privileged to mini ter to the maritime community through the Fremantle Stella
8
to them publicly rchbi hop Foley recen ly reminded u of the man hie m s enJoyed by the Church of P rth I heartily concur, and I go on to say that I rega d the of the Apostleship of the Sea m Fremantle to be among those hie ing Being pri ileged to erve for the time being at the centre of the Universal Church, I appreciate ho important u 1s for the local Church to be also truly univer al. This is inh rent n a 'Church in I n' Let us ater all th flo r I the Church of P rth.
itati
0
f r
r
e
ts an Program
.
r Oct 9 - r turn iC
i(
S
ay, A gust 2
·ng 328 9878 Give us a couple of hours of your time.
7 13
Re
rd Kids Club •_
hildren 's Story Hour
.
._
SPOT THE DIFFERE CE
Power of prayer clo ed
th
and wa ord ined a pri ·t in 1815.
�
'{oU sPoT t e �IX D FFeReNces serweeN the.se two;,RaWl 4S?
o'fj QUICkLY C
.9
II
•
e
13
• 7
j
t
12.
•
1;
2.
l.O
2
.i
q.
lb
�·
•
I
".
�
5
3
SJ
•
5(4.
2.1
'+7 5"3
0
2
29
4-3
17
37
3,
s
38
'+
't2.
A look at books
\
.t'
Australia: The tpirit of a Nation. A Bicentenary album by lUicbael Cannon. Published by Viking 0 � »u: bb. 5.
--
• --art music
Bible guide
The Australian Microu aue Cookbook. Published by Angus & Roberton. bb $24.95.
MARIAN CALENDAR I
by TOM BRANCH B
10
02 P4
4
c
6
L
5 1
A GRADE
The Jud '
l h
OSBORNE PARK: The soemn novena which wi I be ce ebrated ·n honour of Our B essed lady, in the Parsh of St Kieran's commencing Sunday August 7 at 4.30pm. Each day (except Sunday) the ceremony will con ist of Ma and novena prayers. On Sunday August 7 and 14, at 4.30pm there wi I be Benediction and novena prayers.
Send items for ' arian Year Calendar' in writing to: 38 Great orthern Highway M"dland WA 6056. •
VINCENTIA
I
JUBILEE
NEWMA
BULLSBROOK PILGRI
SOCIETY
AGE
Rosary a d Be edictio will be he d on Su day July 31 at the Bu lsbrook church at 2pm. For further · form tion and bus reserva ions please co tact M. Va ente on 294 2122 for Perth, Highgate, FremantJe a d Midland buses. The church ''Virg·n e Church" ·s Mary Mother of avai a e for par· h pi im (by appoi tm nt). SACRI Assoc Inc PO Box 311 Tuart Hil 6060. Te : 571 1699.
The Law Reform Commission of WA has been asked to report on the civil a d crimi a law relating to medica treatment for the dyi g. To help its i vestigations th Commission has iss ed a discussion paper on Medical Treatm t fo the Dying and will vve come comments from those interested. A copy of t e paper may be obtained by r·nging 325 6022. Father Watter B ack SC will disc ss the grave moral pro ems con ected with this subject, on Thursday, Ju y 28, at 8pm, in the Senior Common Room, St Tho as ore Co ege. Cra ey. Them ti g · open to all interested and Catho ics are exhorted to inform t mse ves about thi important matter. For further information ring 446 7340.
Archdiocesan Calendar Ju 2
3 7
0 11
u
d
13
S n ay 21st August, 1 88 - pm Sorrento Quay Function Centr RSVP Jenny Danby, 448 4622 by Friday 2 th July 1 88 15
7
·,
O
T
U
A DTEACHER