The Southern Cross - 120926 by The Southern Cross

September 26 to October 2, 2012

In search of the historical Jesus

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Fr Rolheiser: We can be wrong when we’re right

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Pope: Show esteem for Islam BY FRANCIS X ROCCA & DOREEN ABI RAAD

OPE Benedict has signed a major document calling on Catholics in the Middle East to engage in dialogue with Orthodox, Jewish and Muslim neighbours, but also to affirm and defend their right to live freely in the region where Christianity was born. In a ceremony at the Melkite Catholic basilica of St Paul in Harissa, Pope Benedict signed the 90-page document of his reflections on the 2010 special Synod of Bishops, which was dedicated to Christians in the Middle East. He formally presented the document at an outdoor Mass in Beirut. A section dedicated to interreligious dialogue encouraged Christians to “esteem” the region’s dominant religion, Islam, lamenting that “both sides have used doctrinal differences as a pretext for justifying, in the name of religion, acts of intolerance, discrimination, marginalisation and even of persecution”. Yet in a reflection on the precarious position of Christians in most of the region today, where they frequently experience negative legal and social discrimination, the pope called for Arab societies to “move beyond tolerance to religious freedom”. The “pinnacle of all other freedoms”— religious freedom—is a “sacred and inalienable right”, which includes the “freedom to choose the religion which one judges to be true and to manifest one’s beliefs in public”, the pope wrote. It is a civil crime in some Muslim countries for Muslims to convert to another faith and, in Saudi Arabia, Catholic priests have been arrested for celebrating Mass, even in private. The papal document, called an apostolic exhortation, denounced “religious fundamentalism” as the opposite extreme of the secularisation that Pope Benedict has often criticised in the context of contemporary Western society. Fundamentalism, which “afflicts all religious communities”, thrives on “economic and political instability, a readiness on the part of some to manipulate others, and a defective understanding of religion”, the pope wrote. “It wants to gain power, at times violently, over individual consciences, and

Young people hold up a sign that reads “We love Jesus” as they gather for an outdoor Mass with Pope Benedict on the waterfront in Beirut. For an analysis and more photos of the pope’s visit, see page 9. (Photo: Mohamed Azakir, Reuters/CNS) over religion itself, for political reasons.” Many Christians in the Middle East have expressed growing alarm at the rise of Islamist extremism, especially since the socalled Arab Spring democracy movement has toppled or threatened secular regimes that guaranteed religious minorities the freedom to practise their faith. Earlier, the pope told reporters accompanying him on the plane from Rome that the Continued on page 5

Anglican, Orthodox leaders for Vatican II jubilee BY CINDY WOODEN

HE Orthodox ecumenical patriarch of Constantinople and the Anglican archbishop of Canterbury will join Pope Benedict’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople and Archbishop Rowan Williams of Canterbury will attend the Mass that Pope Benedict will celebrate at the Vatican to mark the anniversary of the October 11, 1962 opening of the council, Vatican officials said. Representatives from the Orthodox Church and Anglican Communion were observers at the 1962-65 council, which officially embraced and promoted Catholic involvement in the ecumenical movement. During the January celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Benedict said the Second Vatican Council placed the search for Christian unity “at the centre of the life and work of the Church”, because it was Christ’s desire that his followers be united. In addition, the pope said, “the lack of unity among Christians impedes a more

Archbishop Rowan Williams and Patriarch Bartholomew will join Pope Benedict’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS) effective proclamation of Christ because it puts our credibility in danger...How can we give a convincing witness if we are divided?” Ecumenical cooperation in proclaiming the Christian message is expected to be a key topic at the world Synod of Bishops on New Evangelisation from October 7-28.— CNS

Eucharistic Youth Movement’s stop in Jo’burg turned into an encounter STAFF REPORTER

OME 25 Jesuits, religious and lay people from 12 countries across Africa and the Indian Ocean were in transit in Johannesburg when they had an unscheduled but fruitful encounter with the Jesuit Institute. The group was on its way to Buenos Aires to the first-ever Congress of the Eucharistic Youth Movement (EYM). EYM—or MEJ as is it is known in Frenchspeaking countries where it is better established—dates back almost a century. It encourages young people to conversion of life and dedication to Christ through Eucharistic adoration and is linked to the Jesuit-run Apostleship of Prayer. “In countries like Burundi and Burkina Faso, which were represented during the encounter, EYM counts tens of thousands of members,” said Raymond Perrier, director of the Jesuit Institute. Fr Rigobert Kyungu, a Congolese Jesuit and the pan-African co-ordinator, led the group. “Initially, coming to Johannesburg was purely a practicality,” he explained. “We had to get our Argentinian visas and our flight to Buenos Aires. But in the end it was an extra blessing. It gave us a chance to see the work that is being done in Ignatian spirituality here and to get to know South Africa.” Fr Chris Chatteris SJ, the South African promoter of the Apostleship of Prayer (see also pages 4 and 7) said: “It was a bit difficult because over half the group spoke French and not English: I had to say Mass and give

my homily in both languages. But we managed and we were able to really deepen their experience by introducing them to some of the lay people with whom we work here.” Sr Vivianne Rasoanirina, who is from Madagascar but now works in Ethiopia, was bowled over by the warmth and hospitality of the South Africans. “The visit to the Hector Pieterson Museum and meeting his sister was a highlight. I pray that young people across Africa will be inspired by the courage and the faith of the martyrs of Soweto,” she said. n For more information about EYM see www.apostleshipofprayer.net/eym/what-is-EYMen.aspx

Delegates light candles for each of the 12 countries of Africa represented during a visit of the Eucharistic Youth Movement to Johannesburg. (Photo: Jesuit Institute)

The Southern Cross, September 26 to October 2, 2012

LOCAL

Local order celebrates founder’s beatification BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

HE local Oblate Sisters of St Francis de Sales celebrated the beatification of their founder, Fr Louis Brisson (18171908), on September 22 in Troyes, France, his home diocese. Sr Anne-Dorothy Engelbrecht, regional superior of the Oblate sisters in Cape Town, said the event was exciting for the sisters. “For us it means so much, we can only thank and praise the Lord for the great favour he has done unto our congregation.” The founder of the order, St Leonie Aviat, was canonised in 2001. “Wherever St Leonie is known and loved, people come to value her mentor, Fr Louis Brisson. It is hard to imagine Mother Aviat without her devoted teacher and spiritual guide, the man who invited her to collaborate with him in founding homes and workplaces for young working girls in the 19th century in France. “Together, they founded the Congregation of the Oblate Sisters of St Francis de Sales in Troyes,

St Leonie Aviat statue at Saint Bernadette of Lourdes parish in Drexel Hill, PA France,” said Sr Engelbrecht. The beatification process started 73 years ago in Troyes, but was halted by World War II. The dioce-

san process was completed in 1949, and in the same year, was taken to Rome. “Exactly on the celebration of the 171st anniversary of the ordination of our founder, we received this wonderful news,” said Sr Engelbrecht. The first Oblate Sisters came from France to South Africa in 1883 and on July 3, 1931 the local novitiate was officially started. Today, 47 sisters work throughout South Africa and Namibia, predominantly in education, nursing and pastoral care. The order will have two thanksgiving Masses in November. “As most of our communities are in the diocese of KeimoesUpington, we will have a celebration with Bishop Edward Risi and congregations from the different parishes in the diocese on November 3 in Matjieskloof,” said Sr Engelbrecht. A second thanksgiving Mass will take place on November 17 in the Holy Spirit parish of Koelenhof in Cape Town. Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop Stephen Brislin.

Hall reclaimed as church STAFF REPORTER

FTER 20 years of renting their church hall to another denomination, the Catholic community of Olifantsfontein in the archdiocese of Pretoria has grown sufficiently and, accordingly, has reclaimed its building. The small church hall was rented out to the New Apostolic Church when Midrand developed and a bigger church was built at President Park—one that could accommodate both communities. “However,” explained parishioner Fikile Mayisela, “as other Catholics started to buy residential properties around Olifantsfontein they became aware of the existence of the local church and wanted to make use of it. To date Holy Trinity Olifantsfontein remains an outstation to Holy Trinity Midrand,” she said. For some time the two denominations shared the hall, but as the numbers of Catholics worshipping grew, so did the need to use the church more often. “In November 2011, parish priest Fr Charles Phiri and the Holy Trinity Olifantsfontein parish pastoral council requested the intervention of Archbishop William Slattery in cancelling the contract. The contract was terminated at the end of April,” said

Ms Mayisela. Despite the challenges faced by the newly restored parish, many positive strides were taken. Mass time was changed from 11am to 8am, followed immediately by catechism classes. “This situation is encouraging as there are no more disruptions and sufficient time is allocated to catechesis and other church-related activities. Also, the numbers of parishioners attending Mass is increasing steadily which is a positive sign for the growth of the parish,” said Ms Mayisela. Currently the parish has just over thirty active families. The parish has been working hard to raise funds. To date more than R60 000 has been raised and the project continues. A new altar plus other important church furniture has been tailor-made and bought for the church. “The aim is to convert the church into a fully functional Catholic church,” said Ms Mayisela. She said the parishioners of Holy Trinity Olifantsfontein are grateful for the support they continue to receive from their parish priest. “The church is where it is because he believed in the parishioners and never gave up on them.”

Bibles for schools project

HE Bible Society of South Africa has launched a project to distribute bibles to Grade 7 learners nationwide. Schools in which children cannot afford a bible of their own are the main focus. Thanks to contributions from donors, it was possible for the Bible Society to approve R1 million for this project. This puts it in a position to hand over about 50 000 bibles to children. Through various churches and Christian organisations, as well as through staff who work among the different communities, the society was made aware of the desperate hunger for bibles in schools—especially in poor communities. There are currently more than 950 000 Grade 7 learners in South African schools, a great number of whom come from communities where poverty prevails. Besides

problems with infrastructure, security and sometimes a lack of learning materials, these schools experience many social problems like teenage pregnancy and drug and alcohol abuse. These bibles are made available to Grade 7 learners because they are at an age where they are able to read with understanding and the Bible is therefore accessible to them. Children in this age group are also susceptible to peer pressure and are easily influenced. The biblical message can help them to make the right choices and anchor them in a positive value system. “The task of the Bible Society is community-oriented,” said Rev Gerrit Kritzinger, the chief executive officer of the society. “Although these 50 000 bibles are just a drop in the ocean, we believe that each bible given to a Grade 7 learner can have a positive influence on the life of that child.”

St Augustine in Germiston’s Renew Africa Mission took place recently, with the theme of the mission nights being Call to Service. Parish priest Father Rodney George OMI is shown lighting candles from the Easter candle.

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LOCAL

The Southern Cross, September 26 to October 2, 2012

Healings at Ngome

Join the leukaemia fight

‘T

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

BY VUSI TUKAKHOMO

HE sick were healed, the lame are walking, the blind can see,” (Matthew 11:5) and everybody who attended the weekend outing to Ngome in KwaZuluNatal went home happy. This was the experience of groups of people from the parishes of St Charles Lwanga, St Peter’s and St Mary’s in Kimberley who accompanied groups from Aliwal North, Bloemfontein, Botswana, Johannesburg, Lesotho, Swaziland and Welkom to the Marian shrine at Ngome, in the diocese of Eshowe. Ngome is the site of a series of apparitions to Benedictine Sister Reinolda May between 1955 and 1970. The late Bishop Mansuet Biyase of Eshowe officially declared Ngome a “place of prayer”. Fr Wayne Weldschidt OMI, the resident priest at Ngome, led a rosary procession service. This was followed by discussions on the Catholic faith. Nthabiseng Moleko, team leader of Kimberley’s St Charles’ parish, said: “Many visitors were healed, and different testimonies were given after a final Holy Mass service before everybody returned to their different homes.” She attributed healings of her now late mother and sister to the shrine, “after long periods of suffering and futile visits to medical and traditional doctors and hospitals”.

OME 75% of those needing a bone marrow transplant are under the age of 25, and the likelihood of finding a donor is 1 in 100 000. This is why the family of a Grade R learner at Springfield Convent in Cape Town is encouraging healthy South Africans to become donors, or to get involved in fundraising for a service that saved their daughter’s life. Akeira David had been sick for most of 2008, constantly having colds and chest infections. Doctors blamed the chest pains on asthma and attributed pain in her legs to growing pains. It was only at the end of 2008, when Xrays could not explain her inability to walk, that doctors sent for a blood test. It was confirmed, shortly before Christmas, that Akeira had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. She was two years and nine months old at the time. “Chemotherapy started immediately, only for us to find that it was not strong enough and she had to be placed on a high-risk treatment plan,” said Ruanne David, Akeira’s mother. “We spent Christmas and New Year at the hospital with Akeira having blood samples taken, and tubes and needles pushed into her at every turn as well as blood and platelet transfusions to replace dead or dying blood cells.” The treatment lasted two years and four months, with visits to the hospital three to four days a week at first to get injections or to have blood or platelet transfusions.

The Sunflower Fund works to increase the bone marrow donor registry. “We would sit at the hospital from 7am to 7pm some days with Akeira not having eaten for the most part of the day,” recalled Ms David. The treatment continued at home with a strict schedule, and Akeira lost her hair twice during the period. “I think the part that most got to Akeira was the loneliness and the ‘captivity’ that the illness placed on her and us as a family. “She was under ‘house arrest’ for more than a year and was not allowed to play with anyone let alone leave the house other than for her hospital visits for fear of infection. “She celebrated two birthdays at the hospital and thankfully got

through her treatment with very few hiccups and stays in hospital.” Thanks to the work of the South African Bone Marrow Registry and the Sunflower Fund, the organisation that works to raise funds, awareness and source donors for the registry that exists solely on public donations, Akeira has been in remission for a year and four months. Today, she is a healthy, active learner at school and is inspiring others with her remarkable strength and recovery. “We thank God every day for the doctor who finally diagnosed her, the wonderful people who took care of her at the Red Cross hospital, people from all Christian denominations and other religions

who prayed and helped us through the horrible ordeal, to our family who stuck by us and helped us every day to cope, to our daughter for her bravery and courage to fight back and to God for saving our daughter,” said Ms David. But the treatment would not have been possible without the bone marrow donation. “The Sunflower Fund has made a concerted effort over the past two years to increase the recruitment of donors,” said Chris Moir, public relations coordinator in the Western Cape. Treatment is ethnicity-specific and only 25% of recipients are related to their donors, making it very difficult to find a match. “It has been our target this year to recruit 80% new donors to be black, coloured and Asian, as these groups are still badly represented on the South African Bone Marrow Registry. “We are happy to report that so far 61% of new donors recruited have fallen into this group,” said Mrs Moir. Currently, the registry comprises 65 500 possible donors, but many more donors are needed. Each new donor recruited is tested to a HLA-A-B Molecular Typing, which costs the Sunflower Fund R2 000 per test. South Africans are encouraged to either join the donor registry or support it through one of the various fundraising events which will take place around the country in October, including National Bandana Day on October 12. n For details visit the website www.sunflowerfund.org.za

CWL retreat sees new members STAFF REPORTER

A Members of the Bloemfontein Catholic Women’s League gather at Sacred Heart cathedral with their banner.

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PRIEST has said that parents must be careful in choosing names for their children. Fr Maloisane Rakaki was addressing an annual retreat of the Catholic Women’s League (CWL) of Bloemfontein, which saw 148 members converge at the Sacred Heart cathedral. The retreat’s theme was “What makes us unique from others?”. “Fr Rakaki unfolded the theme by touching on the aspect of identity whereby the family environment and the Church can develop

or break the inner being of an individual. He said it is important for parents to choose names carefully as names [often] shape the behaviour of children,” said archdiocesan president Mantu Masoetsa. The priest also illustrated that our behaviour should be on a par with our faith—for faith without action is of no use (James 2:20). We must not be self-absorbed or too comfortable so that we neglect to see the needy, or the good, in others, Fr Rakaki told the CWL. “However, if everything fails we must always remember that we are children of God,” he said.

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The retreat saw the enrolment of 81 new members from parishes around the archdiocese, including three new branches in Emmaus, Our Lady of Fatima and St Mark. Three members were honoured for serving for more than ten years, namely Johanna Dingaan, Maria Mothai and Ellein Mdletye. A diocesan posthumous memorial honour was celebrated for the late Ntsoaki Lencoane. CWL diocesan spiritual director Fr Tshediso Moleko OMI hailed the work done by the CWL. He urged it to “touch lives just the way Jesus would have liked us to do”.

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The Southern Cross, September 26 to October 2, 2012

INTERNATIONAL

Christians are targets when Islam is insulted BY JAMES MARTONE

NGER over the US-produced film that depicts Mohammed as a sex-crazed simpleton has Egypt’s Christians—and others in predominantly Muslim countries— worried. They say the film’s association with the Christian West makes them possible targets of extremist behaviour. The film was apparently made by Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, a Coptic Christian living in California who has in the past been convicted of crimes relating to drugs and fraud. “What happens outside the country is very dangerous for us because it is perceived to be related to us inside,” said Bishop Adel Zaki of Alexandria, Egypt’s vicar for Latin-rite Catholics. The film was released in July but went almost completely unnoticed in the Middle East until a preview of it was translated into Arabic. In an interview at his Cairo resi-

dence, Bishop Zaki said that Egypt’s Catholics condemned defamation of other religions, in line with what he called “the Vatican decree which commands respect for those of other faiths”. But when products or policies deemed anti-Arab or anti-Muslim surface in the US and in other Western countries, Egypt’s Christians, who account for about 8 million of the country’s more than 82 million people, often feel the brunt, he said. People in other countries “should keep in mind that there are repercussions for Christians here. The level of fanaticism grows,” he said. Newly elected Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, a conservative Muslim, has decried the short film, saying “Egyptians reject any kind of insult against our Prophet,” but he also called for restraint and protection of the country’s “foreign guests” and embassies.

Liverpool lets laity preside at funerals BY SIMON CALDWELL

HE archdiocese of Liverpool has become the first diocese in England and Wales to commission laypeople to preside at funerals. Archbishop Patrick Kelly formally commissioned 22 lay ministers to celebrate funeral ceremonies in an effort to relieve pressure on priests who sometimes must celebrate seven or more funeral Masses a week. The move was announced through a brochure, “Planning a Catholic Funeral”, published recently by the archdiocese. The brochure described a funeral as the “community’s main celebration and prayer for the deceased”. “This could be a funeral Mass but...it may be a funeral service led by a lay funeral minister or a deacon,” it said. Vocations in Liverpool declined sharply in recent years, and the archdiocese projected that the number of priests will decline from 170 to 100 by 2015. Lay ministers already preside at funerals in some parts of the world

where no priest or deacon is available. The archdiocese’s Council of Priests supported the move after the archbishop consulted with its members and examined the 1990 Order of Christian Funerals. The document calls for the lay ministers to preside at funerals when clergy are unavailable. The document, he said, also recommends that a Mass “be celebrated for the deceased at the earliest convenient time”. “In some of our parishes in the diocese priests are being asked to celebrate over 120 funerals each year,” Archbishop Kelly wrote. “That does not neatly work out at two or three times a week,” he wrote. “Some weeks there can be six or seven.” Archbishop Kelly said that the lay ministers—some of whom are drawn from the roster of eucharistic ministers, catechists and religious sisters—would receive continuing support and training to ensure that the service they provide is “of the best quality” and was not seen by Catholics as “second-class”.—CNS

Mohammed Abdu, a 22-year-old Muslim taxi driver in Cairo, said he was angered by reports of the film but even more upset by the protests at the US embassy. He said he expected they would further damage Egypt’s economy, already facing huge challenges due to dramatic losses in tourism and other business since the 2011 overthrow of former President Hosni Mubarak’s authoritarian regime. “Had [the protesters] been quiet and ignored {the film}, it would have disappeared, but now it is famous. When people start climbing walls and attacking embassies, the people who made the film get the attention they wanted,” said Abdu, who drives a rented cab 12 hours a day to save enough money to get married. Leaders of the Coptic Orthodox archdiocese of North America have rejected allegations that the Coptic Orthodox community was involved in producing the film.—CNS

Sudanese demonstrators in Khartoum take part in state-backed protests against a film that insults the prophet Mohammed. Egypt’s Christians have said that anti-Islam sentiments put them at risk of retaliation by fundamentalist Muslims. (Photo: Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah, Reuters/CNS)

Jesuits to revamp prayer apostolate BY CINDY WOODEN

HE Apostleship of Prayer, the Jesuit-run outreach that has brought Catholics the pope’s monthly prayer intentions since 1890, is in the midst of a serious effort to re-create itself and broaden its outreach. Readers of The Southern Cross are familiar with the Apostleship of Prayer through the monthly “Pray With the Pope” columns by Fr Chris Chatteris SJ and before him by Fr James Fitzsimons SJ. The revamping is focused on three areas: making the apostleship a digital prayer network; working with dioceses and parishes to introduce the apostleship to more people; and developing the Eucharistic Youth Movement, which is the branch for children and teens. A working document outlining the history of the Apostleship of Prayer, its current status and specific goals and methods for re-creating the movement was posted online and publicised by the Jesuits’ press office. Too many people, including Jesuits, view the apostleship as “an obsolete ministry that belongs to the past” or one that is “just ‘a devotion for old ladies’ that

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Pope Benedict at prayer. The Jesuits’ prayer apostolate is currently being revamped to suit modern times. (Photo: Bob Haring, CNS) doesn’t speak to younger generations,” the document said. At the same time, millions of people around the world see the pope’s monthly prayer intentions, share them online and make them part of their prayer lives, the document said. Through the apostleship, it said, the Church can “reach the masses with a simple and profound spiritual message” which encourages them to open their hearts to the needs of the Church and the world and contribute to the Church’s mission through their prayers and daily interactions with others. Membership in the Apostleship of Prayer involves a commitment

to beginning each day with a prayer offering one’s life to God and praying for the needs of the universal Church and the intentions of the pope. The morning offering and prayers are the basic membership requirements, and in many countries the apostleship has no registration, no groups, no fees, and no special meetings. The Jesuits estimate that about 50 million people fulfil the membership requirements in the apostleship and its youth wing. The proposals for the apostleship include some modifications in the papal prayer intentions “to address matters of interest to everyone, not just Catholics, not even just believers. The general intentions would challenge humanity, aimed at themes of universal justice,” it said. The plan to re-launch the Apostleship of Prayer emphasises the use of websites and social networks to share the pope’s prayer intentions, notify people about emergency prayer intentions and create connections among people around the world, who are trying to follow Christ and are serving the Church by praying for its needs and the needs of the world.—CNS

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INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, September 26 to October 2, 2012

Doctor: Embrace suffering with God Two VatiLeaks accused to go on trial on Sept 29 BY CAROL GLATZ

AIN, suffering and human mortality shouldn’t be explained away, ignored or denied, but embraced by faith in God, according to an expert in the philosophy and ethics of science. In fact, only a concrete encounter with the Lord can provide solace for people grappling with the question of how there can be a God who is good when there is also agony and death, especially of innocent children, said Evandro Agazzi. Dr Agazzi is a member of the Italian National Committee for Bioethics and the Committee for the Ethics of Research and Bioethics of the Italian National Research Council. A philosopher, physicist and mathematician, he was the guest speaker at a lecture organised by the Ut Vitam Habeant Foundation—a Rome-based Catholic foundation. People’s faith and trust in a benevolent God have been challenged for millennia by the existence of death, pain and suffering, especially when such ills were not considered to be the direct result of moral evil, Dr Agazzi said. Ancient philosophers and other thinkers have proposed a wide variety of approaches: passive resignation; a cynical frustration that laments the burden of life; “death as liberation, so we need to get life over with as soon as possible”; or a naive belief in the harmony of nature, which will make sure all the bad will be balanced out by the good. “The real problem was the meaning of pain and suffering” and one’s response to it, he said.

Dr Agazzi said people won’t find consolation in being told that evil exists and they just have to deal with it, or “don’t worry, it will all balance out” in the end. In the same way, he said, modern science and technology’s “ultra-rationalism”. For example, a geneticist who explains the origins of cancer to the last chromosome offers no consolation by “explaining away and destroying the existence of the bad”. A correct use of reason doesn’t negate the presence of the unintelligible. “There is an undeniable reality that goes beyond every explanation. It’s real and beyond our ability to change,” Dr Agazzi said. However, he said, it is precisely that reality beyond what the

mind can grasp “that is capable of filling life with meaning”. “Christian faith has a response that goes beyond all the many possible responses that philosophy came up with,” he said. “We are called to collaborate with God” and work to ease suffering and right injustices, but “we don’t know if we will be successful because we know our success will always be limited”. Christianity teaches that “there’s no need to deny the negativity of pain or justify it. We have to accept it as it is, accept its negativity and accept that it may be opening up something more”, he said. “The first way to overcome the bad is with love, but it will not Continued on page 11

A bible is placed on the bed of a three-month old baby suffering from leukaemia at the paediatric cancer section of a hospital in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Pain, suffering and human mortality should not be explained away, ignored or denied, but embraced by faith in God, a speaker has said. (Photo: Jorge Cabrera, Reuters/CNS)

Bishop calls for reform on Communion for divorced Catholics, lay preaching BY JONATHAN LUXMOORE

SPOKESMAN for the Swiss bishops’ conference has defended its newly elected president, Bishop Markus Büchel of Sankt Gallen, after he called for local bishops to have a greater say on Church reforms. “Bishop Büchel has his colleagues’ confidence and his election has nothing to do with his views on such issues,” said Walter Müller, the conference’s information officer. “Each bishop is responsible for Church teaching and pastoral work, and this applies to issues such as lay preaching and Communion for remarried divorcees. The bishops’ conference has no competence of its own in these domains,” he said. Mr Müller’s comments came after Bishop Büchel suggested during a news conference that while he agreed with Church teaching, it would be “pragmatic” to consider allowing lay people to preach and remarried Catholics to receive Communion.

Mr Müller said that Bishop Büchel’s statements had been “simplified” and dismissed claims he also held liberal views on issues such as women priests. “Bishop Büchel has never supported demands for the ordination of women. He’s simply explained that women’s access to the diaconate could be a step towards women priests if one wanted to go that way,” said Mr Müller. In an interview with Switzerland’s Neue Züricher Zeitung daily, the bishop said clergy should follow Church teaching on controversial issues, but added that it was “an area of conflict” as to how teaching “should be implemented in pastoral practice”. “There are fundamental differences between dioceses as to how the Church should react to developments in society,” Bishop Büchel explained, “and over whether we should see increasing secularisation negatively and therefore follow a draconian course, or adopt a neutral stance

towards social developments and see pragmatically if we can make the best of it as a Church”. In a separate interview with the Tagblatt daily, Bishop Büchel said he feared a division in the Church on issues such as the role of women and obligatory celibacy, and hoped they would be debated at the October Synod of Bishops on new evangelisation. He added that he had sought to avoid “dogmatic and fundamentalist thinking” over “who is Catholic and who is not”, and said it was “up to individual bishops as to how they implement a decision”. “Everyone holds his office by divine right, so he’s ultimately responsible only to God and conscience,” the bishop said. “By nature, I’m a person who doesn’t suffer from things he cannot change. But that doesn’t not stop me hoping some things may change.” Ordained in 1976, Bishop Büchel was elected as conference president for three years starting on January 1.—CNS

BY CAROL GLATZ

VATICAN magistrate has set a trial date for two men formally indicted in connection with the so-called “VatiLeaks” scandal. The first day of the public trial, which will be held in a Vatican courtroom, is set for September 29. Paolo Gabriele, Pope Benedict’s former personal assistant, was indicted in August on charges of aggravated theft; Claudio Sciarpelletti, a computer technician from the Vatican Secretariat of State, was indicted on minor charges of aiding Mr Gabriele after he stole Vatican correspondence. Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said a small pool of print reporters will be permitted to attend the proceedings, but still and television cameras will not be allowed access. Mr Gabriele and Mr Sciarpelletti will face a panel of three Vatican judges, all of whom are laymen and professors at Italian universities. Vatican law, like Italian law, does not foresee the use of juries in criminal trials. Mr Gabriele, 46, faces a sentence of one to six years in prison. Under the terms of the Vatican’s 1929 treaty with Italy, a person found guilty and sentenced to jail time by a Vatican court would serve his term in an Italian prison. Fr Lombardi had said in August that the charge against Mr Sciarpelletti carried a “very light” sentence, which is unlikely to include jail time. Mr Gabriele was arrested on May 23 after confidential letters and documents addressed to the

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Paolo Gabriele, the pope’s former valet, who will be tried on charges of aggravated theft. (Photo: CNS) pope and other Vatican officials were found in his Vatican apartment. Many of the documents were the same as those featured in a January television programme by Italian journalist Gianluigi Nuzzi and later published in a book by him. Most of the documents dealt with allegations of corruption, abuse of power and a lack of financial transparency at the Vatican. A report released after a Vatican-led investigation of the affair said Mr Gabriele told Vatican investigators he acted after seeing “evil and corruption everywhere in the Church”. He said he had discussed with a spiritual adviser his concerns about the Church and what he was thinking when he took the documents. Mr Gabriele was questioned repeatedly over the two-month period he spent detained in a 3,7m by 3,7m room in the Vatican police barracks. He was allowed to return, under house arrest, to his Vatican apartment with his wife and family on July 21 and is to remain under house arrest until his trial ends.—CNS

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Pope’s exhortation to Middle East Continued from page 1 Arab Spring represented positive aspirations for democracy and liberty and hence a “renewed Arab identity”. But he warned against the danger of forgetting that “human liberty is always a shared reality”, and consequently failing to protect the rights of Christian minorities in Muslim countries. The apostolic exhortation criticised another aspect of social reality in the Middle East by denouncing the “wide variety of forms of discrimination” against

women in the region. “In recognition of their innate inclination to love and protect human life, and paying tribute to their specific contribution to education, health care, humanitarian work and the apostolic life,” Pope Benedict wrote, “I believe that women should play, and be allowed to play, a greater part in public and ecclesial life.” Bishop Joseph Mouawad, vicar of Lebanon’s Maronite patriarchate, said that the apostolic exhortation represents “a

roadmap for Christians of the Middle East to live their renewal at all levels, especially at the level of communion”. The exhortation will also be a call to dialogue, he said, especially between Christians and Muslims. Chaldean Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk, Iraq, said now Church leaders in each Middle East country must “work on how to translate the exhortation into real life in our communities and also in our Muslim and Christian relationships”.—CNS

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The Southern Cross, September 26 to October 2, 2012

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

The ‘right to die’

N South Africa and elsewhere there has been a recent groundswell proposing the legalisation of euthanasia, presenting assisted suicide as an act of mercy. The attraction of the argument is self-evident. The idea of suffering helplessly or being in a vegetative state for an extended period is too ghastly a thought for many people. Euthanasia must seem a reasonable option especially for those who have witnessed loved ones in agony before death provides a release from suffering. Most of those who support legalising euthanasia surely are animated by good intentions; they might even regard their position as virtuous. However, the line between euthanasia as a noble ideal and as a pretext for cynical killing is very thin. Doctors warn that legalising euthanasia could produce widespread abuses, especially in countries such as South Africa, where there is a shortage of qualified physicians. There is a possibility that some medical practitioners might overstate the suffering and understate the prognosis of treatment in cases where patients are difficult or are unable to afford medical or palliative care. There is also a potential that a legal right to die could be exercised for reasons other than illness by those who are suicidal, thereby making physicians party to suicide. While most families are selflessly dedicated in their care and concern for their ill loved ones, some are not. There can be little doubt that euthanasia, should it be legal, could be used to get rid of family members whose illness represents a financial or emotional strain. In this way, euthanasia would not be a means to ease the patient’s suffering, but that of the family. Since many people, especially those who once were independent, wish not to be “a burden” to their relatives, there doubtless would be cases of patients consenting to being euthanised only because they perceive themselves as an inconvenience. Legal euthanasia could also be exploited as a short-cut to

get to a lucrative inheritance, or to prevent a will being amended. Whatever the probability of such manipulations, a law should not provide loopholes for legalised murder. These practical concerns aside, there are also ethical considerations governing the sanctity of life. The Catechism of the Catholic Church points out that “an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator. The error of judgment into which one can fall in good faith does not change the nature of this murderous act, which must always be forbidden and excluded”. This does not mean that expensive treatments invariably must be persisted with. “Discontinuing medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary, or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be legitimate; it is the refusal of ‘over-zealous’ treatment. Here one does not will to cause death; one’s inability to impede it is merely accepted.” Church teaching allows for palliative care that might accelerate death, for example painkillers, but this must not be the intended outcome. The Church teaches that prolonging the life of a patient, even in a vegetative state, is beneficial as long as this is not a burden to the patient. All patients must always be given the right to be fed and hydrated in a safe, clean and warm environment. Only extraordinary artificial means of treatment to keep a patient alive may be withdrawn. The Church objects to interventions intended to bring about premature death. We must beware that often when a life ceases to be useful, some people will seek justification for its termination. However, when society usurps the will of God—or, if one doubts God, the way of nature—then human dignity is injured. And a law which injures human dignity, even if it appears to be reasonable and underpinned by noble intentions, is not just.

The Editor reserves the right to shorten or edit published letters. Letters below 300 words receive preference. Pseudonyms are acceptable only under special circumstances and at the Editor’s discretion. Name and address of the writer must be supplied. No anonymous letter will be considered.

Billings has had 100% success 3. All success statistics relate to HANK you so much, A Haylett T (September 5), for raising con- how the method was taught. An important point to remember cern over Natural Family Planning (NFP) statistics. There are many misconceptions surrounding NFP. The most important factors that need to be considered are: 1. Not all types of NFP are equally scientific, or successful. 2. To be accurate, each method’s success should be quoted individually according to the method trials specific to that method.

Anglican Communion

ICHAEL Shackleton’s Open Door comments on the Anglican Communion, “May we receive Holy Communion at an Anglican eucharistic service?” (September 12) states: “The Catholic Church’s discipline prevents you from accepting a sacrament…while it is celebrated outside the organic unity of the Catholic Church.” If the Catholic tradition of organic unity overrides the prayer of Our Lord “that they may be one”, then there is something here sadly amiss in our thinking. To make void the word of God by our tradition is an indictment of the custodians of the faith. John Davis, Kenton-on-Sea, Eastern Cape

Youth fall away

HERE was a time when Catholic schools were run by Catholic clergy, sisters, priests and brothers, and I believe more children were raised as Catholics and managed to survive the temptations of the world, to grow up and mature as Catholics, and again, I believe, produced more priests and sisters than do modern Catholic schools now often run by non-Catholics. As children we never heard the word “ethos”. We were Catholics or non-Catholics. Perhaps there is something to be learnt from the past. A fairly frequent complaint one hears from practising Catholics is that Catholic youngsters, once they have been confirmed, leave the Church for some other denomination, or give up their faith completely—a sad process. For those of us who have reached ripe old age and have managed to cling to our Catholic faith, we feel a sympathy for these youngsters who will go through later life devoid of the good guidance and contentment that they are throwing away,

Spreading the Good News We invite young men to apply

nancy rate among those she taught. Globally there is a big swing to a more holistic approach to life; overseas NFP is gaining in popularity from a health perspective alone. There are also amazing benefits to the couple. NFP greatly benefits understanding and develops a mutual respect. A fact the men love is that couples using NFP have intercourse more frequently than those using contraception, and it is far more satisfying! For more information, go to www.thebillingsovulationmethod.org Sam Russell, Johannesburg

is that there is a difference between “method effectiveness" and “user effectiveness”, ie if the couple chooses to push the boundaries, then any pregnancy cannot be attributed to the method failure. Speaking for the Billings method, it is very effective in teaching uneducated people. Mother Teresa taught Billings to many uneducated people, and had a virtual 0% preg-

ed by almost every scientist and huge sections of the Church to the extent that the myth of evolution theory is regarded as fact and the fact of Genesis, Almighty God’s word, is regarded as myth. Naturalistic teaching, arising from evolution theory, questions doctrines from baptism to redemption. The diabolical disorientation mentioned by Sr Lucia at Fatima, which so infests parts of the Church, manifests itself in the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. It is packed with atheists and evolutionists. They elect only their own kind. One of their members, Stephen Hawking (A Brief History of Time) declares that Almighty God played no part in the creation of the universe. Why has this academy not been disbanded? “Who knows the mind of God?” writes Mr Sturges, in this matter of creation. But Almighty God has given authority to the Church to speak in his name. His teaching, that his Son, true God and true man, is not descended from animals, is binding on earth, “as it is in heaven”. Evolution theory is now facing a new challenge from science itself. Supposed evolutionary process needs millions of years, but recent experimental and field data by French and Russian scientists shows the age of rocks as incorrectly calculated. Instead, there is rapid rock formation. Will evolutionists accept this? Stephen Jay Gould, former high priest of evolution theory, complained that fellow evolutionists were using data disproved by other evolutionsts. Science’s greatest deceit is in ignoring evidence which discredits scientific hypotheses. This happens in the entire creation story, both of man and the universe. The future of theory is aptly predicted by the titles of three publications, namely Evolution: A Theory in CRISIS, The Death of Evolution, and Creation Rediscovered. May it be so. Franko Sokolic, Cape Town

and the strength the Catholic faith can give them, not having to judge for themselves but having sound guidance to keep them out of trouble in the marriage and business fields, even when they might be called to make a terribly painful decision. Possibly their greatest loss is their failure to understand the beauty of the Mass and the majesty of the Eucharist. Priests may fail to enthral the congregation, or even antagonise some, but they say Mass for us and the content of the Mass is its beauty, not its presentation. Youngsters need to undertand this even when they find the moral teaching of the Church hard. This they will only understand in their old age when they cannot get to a Catholic church frequently. R Auret, Thornville, KZN

Evolution theory

EGARDING the Church’s teaching rejecting evolution theory, both Mr Sturges and Mr Bompas (August 29) attempt to negate that teaching because it comes from “distant councils… for an ancient audience” and “cannot be regarded as authoritative at this stage”. Their absurd opinion that truth changes over time is condemned by Pope St Pius X in Lamentabili. He condemns the proposition that “the progress of the sciences demands that the concept of Christian doctrine about creation be recast”. Mr Sturges decides, wrongly, that I do not understand Our Lord’s hypostatic nature, and his proposals of my irrationality and untruthfulness must be directed at the Church’s teaching I put forward. Darwin’s book has been acceptOpinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in Letters to the Editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy. The letters page in particular is a forum in which readers may exchange opinions on matters of debate. Letters must not be understood to necessarily reflect the teachings, disciplines or policies of the Church accurately.

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New evangelisation? General Intention: That the New Evangelisation may progress in the oldest Christian countries.

OME Catholics may still be puzzled by the term “New Evangelisation”, perhaps feeling that it sounds a little Protestant. Indeed, we may well be taking a leaf out of the Protestant Evangelical book as we note the phenomenal growth in the Evangelical and Pentecostal churches worldwide. Interestingly enough, as we move towards Evangelicals, some of them seem to be moving towards us through the discovery of the importance of Christian social teaching, in what some commentators call a “new evangelism”. Catholic evangelisation is an elaborately worked out theology of mission, going back to the apostolic exhortation of Pope Paul VI Evangelii Nuntiandi (On Evangelisation in the Modern World, 1975) and honed in Pope John Paul II’s Redemptoris Missio of 1990. The popes remind us that we must continue our missionary work ad gentes, that is to those who have not yet heard of Christ. But at the same time there is an urgency about re-proclaiming the message to “the oldest Christian countries”. There is nothing inherently new in all this. The Church has always existed for mission. She exists to evangelise today. Hence all believers are called to be evangelists, not just the “specialists” in the missionary congregations. Fifty years on from Vatican II this should not be news to Catholics. A third aspect of the “new” evangelisation is the call to evangelise cultures. Again this may seem new to Catholics, but is in fact something we have always been doing, although perhaps in not so conscious a manner as today. And here we see one of the real challenges of evangelising the “older Christian countries”, for it is precisely there that we find a serious cultural competitor with the Gospel—the “culture” of consumerism, the belief in salvation through material things. Our prayer is that we will all take our duty seriously. “No believer in Christ, no institution of the Church can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples” (Redemptoris Missio).

Commit anew Missionary Intention: That the celebration of World Mission Day may result in a renewed commitment to evangelisation.

OPE Benedict reminds us that World Mission Day has a triple significance this year—it marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, the beginning of the Year of Faith and of the Synod of Bishops on the theme of the New Evangelisation. Vatican II was a “luminous sign of the Church’s universality”, says the pope in his message for World Mission Day 2012. Evangelisation is a “fundamental dimension of being Church”. Benedict continues with the beautiful Augustine-inspired words: “His Message is ever timely, it falls into the very heart of history and can respond to the deepest restlessness of every human being.” All Christians are tasked with this proclamation of “God’s absolute and total love for every man and every woman, which culminated in his sending the eternal and Only-Begotten Son, the Lord Jesus”, and this proclamation becomes love in the lives of those who bear the message to others as evidenced by the many priests, religious and laypeople who “leave their countries and their local communities and go to other Churches to bear witness to and to proclaim the name of Christ, in which humanity finds salvation”. In both of these intentions we discover that we are praying for ourselves as evangelisers of our contemporary world.

The Southern Cross, September 26 to October 2, 2012

We have so much to celebrate

HEN my alarm clock would go off at six in the morning, I used to open my eyes and stretch out my hand to turn on the radio in time to listen to the six o ‘clock news. This was my morning wake-up routine for a long time until I realised that I was starting to anticipate the bad news that would come to me first thing in the morning. I then decided that I do not need this fix of bad news to represent the start of my day. I also realised that all the news bulletins for the rest of the day, and the evening news, are mainly about bad news with snippets of good news, usually right at the end. Sometimes it seems as though there are only bad things happening in the world and that there is nothing good to celebrate. That is surely what the media would have us believe, because they inundate us with messages that tell us what’s wrong with the world. But there is plenty to celebrate, there is much that is right with the world. Our family, together with many others, recently celebrated the silver jubilee of my brother’s priestly ordination in our home parish. It was a real experience of celebrating something that is right; something that we are all proud of and which stands out as an example of generous service to others; our prayers and songs expressed our thanksgiving and our hearts were full of joy. A real celebration. Many of us had the privilege of watching the recent Olympics in London on television. It was difficult not to feel a lump in one’s throat when watch-

ing the medal ceremony and feeling the joy of the winners. The bliss and elation on their faces spoke of success and achievement. Although we were thousands of miles away from the athletes, it was easy to get into the celebratory mood with them and to share in the joy of their success. Yes, there are many things wrong with the world: the economic crisis, wars and conflicts between and within countries, natural disasters and all the other tragedies that happen to people each day. It is easy for us to think that we are living under a curse, and that there is nothing to be happy about, nothing to celebrate. And although we do not celebrate silver jubilees or Olympic medals every day, there are many other things we can celebrate. And we should find ways to celebrate, because when we celebrate, we give thanks to God. A common definition of celebrating is to observe a day or event with cere-

US swimmer Alison Schmitt, a Catholic, celebrates winning one if her three gold medals at the London Olympics. (Photo: Toby Melvilley, Reuters/CNS)

A masterclass in public speaking

LTHOUGH François Fénelon (1651-1715), archbishop of Cambrai, France, has been discovered for his spiritual writings, his Dialogues in Eloquence appears to be unknown in Christian circles—but it holds pride of place in academic collections on rhetorical theory. Already as a young preacher, Fénelon encountered difficulties in preaching to the average congregation. He disliked the “ornamentation, epigrams, riddles and pomposity” that typified preaching in France at the time. The study of St Augustine’s On Christian Doctrine and writings of other Church Fathers acquainted him with ancient Greek rhetoric, and soon he was moved to revitalise and adapt it to pastoral needs. With a maestro’s touch Fénelon coupled audience differences with religious and moral truth in a way both natural and tasteful. A sermon had three purposes—“proof, portraiture, movement”. Fénelon regarded philosophers as working only to convince, “but the orator must go beyond, using every source capable of arousing sentiments; only then will the orator secure willful adherence to demonstrated truth”. In his Dialogues in Eloquence, he turned to Plato: “Any speech that leaves you cold, which only acts to amuse you and which does not affect your feelings, your heart, is not eloquent, however beautiful it may seem.” For Fénelon solid proof required inter-

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esting the listener, then using his passions for the purpose in mind. “One inspires him to anger at ingratitude, to horror of cruelty, to pity for misery, to love of virtue, and so on. There you have what Plato calls acting upon the soul of the listener and Archbishop Fénelon moving his feelings.” A few pages later, he wrote: “To portray is not only to describe things but to represent their surrounding features in so lively and so concrete a way that the listener imagines himself almost seeing them. And that painting ought to be a genuine likeness. It is necessary that everything in it represent vividly and naturally the sentiments of him who is speaking and the nature of the things he speaks of.” And later: “To succeed in painting the passions, one must study the movements which they produce—what the eyes do, what the hands do, what the whole body does, and what its posture is; what the voice does in a man wounded by grief or struck with surprise at the sight of a wondrous thing. “Nothing speaks so fully as the face. It expresses everything. But of the whole face, the eyes make the chief effect. A sin-

Judith Turner

On Faith and Life

monies of respect, festivity and rejoicing. The common days or events we celebrate are birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, graduations and achievements. It is good also to celebrate the not so common things, and in many communities people do this. For instance, when someone goes away on a long trip, or when someone comes back from a long trip, people would normally get together to say goodbye, asking God for a safe journey or welcome the person, thanking God for a journey free from harm. When an operation was successful people come together to give thanks to God. When people move into a new house, family and friends come together to bless the house, normally with a celebration to give thanks to God. When we think of our daily lives, we can celebrate almost anything. Because God is in the centre of our lives, in the centre of the world, there is always a reason to celebrate. There is always a reason to sing hymns and psalms and inspired songs and to make music to the Lord with our hearts. In this way we celebrate all the small things, all the things that are right with the world. There is a wonderful DVD by Dewitt Jones, a National Geographic photographer, titled Celebrating What’s Right With The World. Dewitt uses pictures of people and nature all over the world to depict the face of God. It is beautiful to see how easy it is to celebrate almost everything.

Margaret Mollett

Point of Preaching

gle glance thrown to good purpose will strike to the depths of the heart.” Fénelon observed that if the preacher closes his eyes, it is because he is in a hurry to speak and his memory is working too much. Preachers who learn their sermons by heart “can lose the thread of their discourse and keep repeating themselves like the schoolboy who doesn't know his lesson.” Fénelon insisted: stick to your notes, stick to your pulpit. Put differently: no winging, no walkabout. Grounded in Scripture, Fénelon criticised sermons that were “reasonings of philosophers”. “Sometimes we only cite the Scripture as an afterthought for the sake of appearance or ornament. Then it is no longer the word of God; it is the word and the contrivance of men.” A contemporary described Fénelon this way: “He possessed a natural eloquence, grace and finesse, and a most insinuating, yet noble and appropriate courtesy; an easy, clear, agreeable utterance; a wonderful power of explaining the hardest matter in a lucid, distinct manner. “He was a man who never sought to seem cleverer than those with whom he conversed, who brought himself insensibly to their level, putting them at their ease, and enthralling them so one could neither leave him, nor mistrust him, nor help seeking him again.” n Next month: Cardinal Newman aims at the bull’s eye

The Southern Cross, September 26 to October 2, 2012

COMMUNITY Youth from Christ the King parish in Worcester, Oudtshoorn diocese, were confirmed by Bishop Frank de Gouveia. (Back from left) Vaughan Royce Kildaire, Fr Emil Blaser OP, Bishop de Gouveia, Fr Enrico Parry, Sherwin Jeftha. (Front from left) Guido Fransman, Terry-Lee Williams, Sarah Pasierbek, Ivanca Noble, Terri-Ann de Jager, Yolande Clothier, catechist Gisele Velloza Kildaire.

Fr Pat Lonergan received recognition by the SA Scout Association for starting Don Bosco Sea Scouts in Hanover Park. Pictured at St Don Bosco church in Westridge, Mitchell’s Plain, Cape Town, are Fr Lonergan (centre), and behind him troop scouter, Shayn Parker.

A Mass of Thanksgiving for 50 years profession of Sisters Marie-Thérèse Kelly and Bernadette Moorhead was celebrated at Carmel, Benoni. Archbishop Buti Tlhagale was the main celebrant, assisted by Carmelite Fathers Peter Rebello and Boniface, Deacon Dick Scallan from Australia (a cousin of Sr Marie-Therese) and Deacon Isaac Thomas. Twelve priests were present, with Fr Chris Townsend as master of ceremonies. Relatives of both Sisters did the readings. In his homily, Archbishop Tlhagale appealed to the congregation to pray that young people would also be drawn to Carmel.

Fr Peter Chimombe of St Mary’s Mission in Nyika, Zimbabwe, went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land in July. He is seen here at the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth.

Our Lady of Loreto parish in Kempton Park, Johannesburg, celebrated a double 80th birthday with Jimmy Cressey and Crawford McGill. They are pictured after receiving a birthday blessing.

Children at Lesedi Centre of Hope received tracksuits, blankets, pillows and towels from the Aids Office of the SACBC. They are shown with home-based carers.

Four Sisters of the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM), celebrated their golden jubilee. (From left) Sr Peg O’Shea of St Joseph, Howick; Sr Annette St Amour of the archdiocese of Durban, Sr Marie-Esther Haflett, Sr Joan Mumaw of the Catholic Institute of Education, Johannesburg.

Learners from Holy Rosary School in Edenvale, Johannesburg, have fun in the snow.

Fr Peter Doherty, parish priest of Our Lady of Lourdes in Rivonia, Johannesburg, celebrated the golden jubilee of his ordination with a Mass which he concelebrated with 19 priests. Fr Duncan Tsoke, vicar-general of Johannesburg, and Fr Harry Wilkinson praised Fr Doherty for his dedication, wisdom, humour and total commitment to the priesthood and to the archdiocese. Fr Peter Doherty is seen with Lorraine and George Chadinha (right) and Dr Jim Murphy (to his left). Eldorado Park, Germiston and Turffontein parishes in Johannesburg attended a RCIA retreat held at De Mazenod Centre in Germiston, conducted by Fr Rodney George OMI.

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The bible-sharing group from St Paul mission in Taung, Kimberley performed a cultural afternoon show with different items, directed by the Missionaries of Christ Sisters.

The Sisters of Calvary and the diocese of Gabarone in Botswana, celebrated the perpetual profession of Sr Tebogo Ntsuape. The ceremony was held in her home village of Ramotswa, at St Condrad’s mission, preceded by celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

CHURCH

The Southern Cross, September 26 to October 2, 2012

In Lebanon, Pope Benedict’s presence was the message On his visit to Lebanon, Pope Benedict did not go into the details of his concerns for the Middle East—his presence alone spoke volumes, as FRANCIS X ROCCA found.

HEN Pope Benedict stepped off the plane in Beirut, he said he had come to Lebanon, and to the Middle East in general, as a “pilgrim of peace”. In five major talks over the next three days, the pope repeatedly called for peace and underscored the role of Christians in promoting it. Yet his most eloquent message of hope to the troubled region lay not in the diplomatic language of his public statements, but in his very presence and the response it evoked from his hosts. Throughout his trip, Pope Benedict limited himself to general statements of principle on the most contentious political issues, and he avoided some topics altogether. His insistence that religious freedom is a basic human right and a prerequisite for social har-

mony was a bold statement in the context of a region where most countries restrict and even prohibit the practice of any faith besides Islam. But like the document he came to Lebanon to present, a collection of his reflections on the 2010 special Synod of Bishops dedicated to Christians in the Middle East (see front page), the pope said nothing specific about where and how the region’s Christians are regularly deprived of that right. The pope twice deplored the human cost of the civil war in neighbouring Syria, and his practical recommendation for an end to the fighting there was a neutral call to end the importation of military arms, which he called a “grave sin”. With regard to religiously inspired violence, the pope made a single generic reference to terrorism and a possible allusion to the subject in the statement that “authentic faith does not lead to death”. Pope Benedict said nothing about the incendiary subject that dominated news coverage in the run-up to his trip: an Americanmade anti-Islamic film that had inspired often-violent protests in at least a dozen Muslim countries, including Lebanon. Awareness of that furore no doubt heightened the caution

with which the pope treated the most volatile topics during his trip. Ironically, the crisis may also have helped him to get his message across. With turmoil over the movie spreading across the Middle East, the papal visit suddenly became a much more dramatic and thus more appealing story to the secular press, which probably gave it more coverage as a result, observed Mgr John E Kozar, president of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, who attended the papal events. For the Lebanese, the pope’s willingness to travel in spite of security concerns—he told reporters on the plane from Rome that he had not considered cancelling the trip and that no one had advised him to do so—powerfully underscored his commitment to the country and the region. “The mere fact that the Holy Father came at this difficult moment is an indication that Christians here are not forgotten,” said Habib Malik, a professor of history at Lebanese American University. The pope’s visit served as a showcase for Lebanon, which for years was a model of peaceful coexistence and religious freedom in the Middle East. The show of

Pope to youth: Don’t flee! BY FRANCIS X ROCCA AND DOREEN ABI RAAD

over Lebanon. The Middle East’s young Christians, they said, “yearn for peace and dream of a future without OPE Benedict urged young Christians in the wars, a future where we will play an active role, Middle East not to flee violence and economic where we work with our brothers, the young peoinsecurity through emigration, but to draw ple of different religions to build a civilisation of strength from their faith and make peace in their love...homelands where human rights and freedom troubled region. are respected, where each one’s dignity is protectThe pope spoke to some 20 000 young people ed.” from several Middle Eastern countries gathered “We are looking for a culture of peace,” they outside the residence of the Maronite patriarch in said, calling for the condemnation of violence. Bkerke in a celebration that included fireworks, “We want to be living bridges, mediators of diaspotlights, singing and prayer. logue and cooperation.” As he spoke, a giant rosary fashioned from yelPope Benedict also offered a word of thanks to low and blue balloons hovered over the crowd, its the Muslims in attendance, urging them to work colours blending in with the cloudless sky and with Christians to build up the region. Mediterranean Sea below the hillside. “Muslims and Christians, Islam and ChristianiPope Benedict asked young Christians, whose ty, can live side by side without hatred, with population is diminishing across the Middle East, respect for the beliefs of each person, so as to build not to abandon their homelands. together a free and humane society,” the pope said. “Not even unemployment and uncertainty After young people presented the prayer intenshould lead you to tions, fireworks taste the bitter erupted from all corsweetness of emigraners of Bkerke, taktion, which involves ing the pope by suran uprooting and a prise. Sparklers casseparation for the caded from the roof sake of an uncertain of the outdoor future,” he said. chapel facing the “You are meant to stage, lighting up the be protagonists of sky. your country’s At the conclusion future and to take of the gathering, your place in society spotlights atop the and in the Church.” chapel illuminated Offering encourthe courtyard. The agement, the pope huge inflatable globe invoked the inspirathat had been placed tion of the first earlier under the Christians, inhabicross was sent airtants of the Middle borne, with young East who “lived in people bouncing it troubled times and like a volleyball. their faith was the A light show source of their flashed “take-home” courage and their reminders on the witness.” walls: “love”, “misA rosary formed of balloons floats above the crowd gathered “Courageously sionaries of peace”, for a youth encounter with Pope Benedict (Photo: Stefano resist everything “pray”. Rellandini, Reuters/CNS) opposed to life: Addressing a abortion, violence, crowd of at least rejection of and contempt for others, injustice and 350 000 at a sweltering outdoor Mass at Beirut’s war,” Pope Benedict said. “In this way you will Waterfront, Pope Benedict stressed the importance spread peace all around you.” of “serving the poor, the outcast and the sufferMaronite Patriarch Bechara Rai, in his welcom- ing”, and called on Christians to be “servants of ing speech, told the pope, “These youths suffer peace and reconciliation in the Middle East”. from social, political and economic crises that negDuring the homily, the only sound was the atively affect their faith and cause some of them to pope’s voice and its echo from the loudspeakers. lose the real meaning of their Christian identity.” Many people leaned over and bowed their heads Two youths spoke to the pope, basing their with eyes closed, so they could concentrate more remarks on input from young Christians from all deeply.—CNS

Pope Benedict celebrates an outdoor Mass on the waterfront in Beirut wrapping up his three-day visit to Lebanon. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS). enthusiasm across sectarian and political lines, in a nation still recovering from the 1975-90 civil war, was a dramatic statement of unity to the outside world and to the Lebanese themselves. Epitomising the welcome by Muslim leaders, Lebanon’s grand mufti gave Pope Benedict a written message stating that “any attack on any Christian citizen is an attack on Islam”. And as Lebanon’s Daily Star newspaper reported, Lebanon President Michel Suleiman cited the unanimity among political factions over the weekend in arguing that the “way to capitalise on the

Young women present a giant copy of the “YouCat” Catholic catechism for youth to Pope Benedict during a meeting with young people outside of the Maronite patriarch’s residence in Bkerke, Lebanon, (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS)

pope’s visit is via dialogue”. Pope Benedict would no doubt agree, while limiting his shortterm expectations. As he told the president in his arrival speech, Lebanese society’s “equilibrium, which is presented everywhere as an example, is extremely delicate. Sometimes it seems about to snap like a bow which is overstretched or submitted to pressures which are too often partisan, even selfish, contrary and extraneous to Lebanese harmony and gentleness.” What precisely those pressures might be, the pope prudently declined to say.—CNS

The Southern Cross, September 26 to October 2, 2012

BOOKS

In search of the historical Jesus WHO IS JESUS: Linking the Historical Jesus with the Christ of Faith, by Darrell L Bock. Simon & Schuster, 2012. 256pp. ISBN: 9781439190685 Reviewed by Günther Simmermacher LMOST every Easter a new television documentary, book or magazine article will purport to reveal findings which supposedly will change the way we understand Jesus. Most of them don’t. Still, the search for the historical Jesus continues, motivated by different objectives. Darrell L Bock, research professor of New Testament studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in Texas, seeks to help create the conditions by which people of faith (including himself) and non-believers can locate common ground in the discussion of Jesus’ historicity. The study of the historical Jesus requires a set of rules by which gospel passages and other sources can be evaluated. In applying these rules—which are used by the Insti-

tute for Biblical Research Jesus Group, to which the author belongs—Bock sees himself as a trial prosecutor who eliminates all evidence that fails to verify the truth. One of these rules is corroboration, the principle that testimony from a gospel must be supported by references elsewhere (including other gospels). This means that in historical Jesus scholarship almost all of John and half of Luke are out. This does not mean, however, that all eliminated material is therefore fictitious, but that these passages cannot be confirmed. For example, the controversy of Jesus’ healing ministry on the Sabbath is recorded by sources both supportive and antagonistic to Jesus. According to Bock, this substantiation suggests that some “exceptional acts” were being acknowledged as not having been made up. Further rules require the examination of “common objections” by weighing up the relevant background to a gospel passage, and

what it means to understanding the historical Jesus; and the principle of “embarrassment”. The latter refers to passages which portray Jesus or his disciples imperfectly and therefore would probably have been excised from evangelising texts had they not been true. Some events are accepted to be true by broad consensus. Even the most guarded Jesus scholars accept that the Temple act—the overturning of the tables—actually happened. The debate centres on how to interpret it: was it a symbolic, messianic or political act? Likewise, scholars agree that the Last Supper took place. Bock inspects the timing and nature of the meal as well as the naming of the betrayer, Judas (whom even the usually sceptical Jesus Seminar cochair Dominic Crossan has called “too bad to be false”). The author also discusses what was said at the Last Supper, a crucial question for Catholics in relation to the institution of the Eucharist. Alas, as a Protestant, Bock does not address the Catholic

understanding. Bock makes the debatable observation, shared by many Protestants, that the early Christians did not venerate the tomb of Christ. He correctly notes that there is no written record of any such site until three centuries after the crucifixion. Nevertheless, the Christian memory had preserved the perceived insult of the pagan temple which Emperor Hadrian built above Golgotha in the 130s. So Jerusalem’s Bishop Macharius knew exactly where to dig in 326 AD once he had obtained the go-ahead to build the church of the Holy Sepulchre. And archaeology there has confirmed the gospels’ description of Golgotha. Moreover, an inscription on the rock below the temple’s exterior found in 1971, probably from the second or third century, seems to indicate that the site was a place of pilgrimage long before the church of the Holy Sepulchre was built. This does not detract from the book’s erudite and fair examination of twelve events which Bock per-

suasively argues are authentic, and which he chose in a bid to create a coherent narrative on Jesus’ ministry, culminating in the empty tomb. There are more gospel passages that can be confirmed by using Bock’s method; knowing the rules, the challenge to do so now resides with the reader.

Priest takes on the inequality of women in African tradition A WOMAN LIKE MUM: How Customs and Popular Sayings Contribute to the Discrimination and Violence Against Women, by Evans K Chama. Montford Media, 2011. 96 pp. Reviewed by Mphuthumi Ntabeni AMBIAN-born Fr Evans Chama’s book, A Woman Like Mum: How Customs and Popular Sayings Contribute to the Discrimination and Violence Against Women, is apt for our country and times. What is tradition anyway? Fr Chama is of the view that it is just “modalities of expression of concepts or truths”, meaning that we are not bound by it if it does not make sense to the development of our knowledge. We are obliged to keep tradition as a guide only “if it expresses the message not contrary to what we know as true”. But when it becomes a tool of oppression, it deserves to be ditched. Who can argue that polygamy is not oppressive to women? Why

don’t polygamists accept polyandry if it is such a good thing? The book uses mostly data collected in sub-Saharan Africa. It starts by defining gender as a social construct before tracing the history of global gender struggle. It demonstrates how men have, throughout the years and still today, used gender discrimination as a means to dominate women. In almost all cultures of the world, Fr Chama argues, one’s sex determines one’s position in society in one way or another. The author offers many examples to argue his point persuasively. He also cautions against a parody of women’s rights that confuses an exchange of roles between male and female with gender equality; he instead advocates proper respect and dignity for the natural (biological) roles of both male and female. So long as the stereotype of the role of women as serving to benefit men in marriage has currency,

gender equality will remain an elusive wish. Marriage has to be a union of equals, but it cannot be like that if traditional practices such as paying lobola, bride dowry and so on persists. These practices objectify women as ornaments or merchandise to satisfy men’s whims. Fr Chama disapprovingly quotes a Chinese’s proverb: “A wife married is like a pony bought, I’ll ride her and whip her as I like to send its point home.” Unfortunately such an attitude is still very prevalent in most African societies. Fr Chama puts the practice of paying lobola at the heart of this. Men who pay lobala regard

their wives as p r o p e r t y , exchanged and paid for in monetary values. Fr Chama is not impressed with all the traditional explanations behind paying lobola: as a compensation for the upbringing of the girl (and who pays for the man’s upbringing?); for her virginity (when no value is attached to the man’s virginity); for the children she bears for the man (surely the children belong to both parents); as compensation since she is taken away from her family (is not the man taken away from his family too?); and so on. Fr Chama concludes that the bride price is no longer a fibre of

marriage but a tool of oppression. And it encourages women’s dependency on men. He finds even the idea of treating women as objects of beauty is demeaning to their dignity and stature since it defines and controls them through social expectation. “We learn to be men or women according to the school of our society,” he writes, and we need to educate our children according to proper evolution of our society towards absolute human dignity for all. The book cautions against seeking “refuge in traditions whose structures have collapsed”. It admonishes against the deception of political correctness and tokenism of “special favours, like enacted laws”. Fr Chama, an occasional contributor to The Southern Cross, arms us for the battle ahead that demands transformation of both men and women towards a thinking society rooted in the human dignity of all, female and male.

The solution to food shortages? THE LAST HUNGER SEASON: A Year in an African Farm Community on the Brink of Change, by Roger Thurow. PublicAffairs, New York, 2012. 265 pp. ISBN: 978-1610390675 Reviewed by Maureen Daly N western Kenya there are seven seasons, all named for their relation to farming activity. After harvest season in August and September comes second planting, then festival days of December, dry season of January, preparing the land in February, the rains of March and April, when seeds for the first harvest are planted, and then— each year—the hunger season. It seems absurd that farmers who grow more food than they can consume must each year go hungry in May, June and July as they wait for the first crop to grow, but so it goes in Kenya and much of Africa. The Last Hunger Season documents how annual starvation could become a thing of the past in Africa. In this hopeful book, subtitled “A Year in an African Farm Community on the Brink of Change”, Roger Thurow follows four smallholder farmers as they participate in the collective effort of One Acre Farm, a programme of agricultural training, small loans and shared resources. “Hungry farmers,” he writes, “should be an oxymoron.” But Thurow, who covered Africa’s

hunger zones as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, knows that phrase is “one of the continent’s saddest truisms”. Many Kenyans farming 2ha or less produce surplus, but they sell when prices are low because they cannot protect the grain from theft, mould and pests. A few months later, they must buy high or go hungry. One Acre Farm aims to break that cycle, buying at fairer prices and storing surplus, assuring farmers access to seed and fertiliser in the planting season. Farmers join the group with an annual fee in the form of a one-year loan. But Thurow’s greatest enthusiasm is expressed in the possibility of greatly increased yields, so that smallholder African farmers can produce enough to feed their continent and export to the rest of the world too. Can this be? Thurow believes so. He explains that Africa was bypassed when the Green Revolution of the 1960s and ’70s conquered famine in Asia by spreading knowledge of better farming techniques along with highyield seeds. In the 1980s and ’90s international funds for agricultural programmes shrank. Food-exporting countries directed their resources to food aid, an inefficient and perilous

use of the global food chain. The peril became clear, Thurow writes, when the worldwide food crisis of 2007 and 2008 “sent prices skyrocketing” and “ranks of the chronically hungry on the planet soared past 1 billion”. Thurow writes that world food production must double by 2050 to feed the anticipated 2,5 billion growth in world population. Thousands of farmers participating in One Acre Farm have doubled and tripled their yields. These successes could be much more widespread, he argues. “Because it is so far behind the rest of the world agriculturally, Africa now has the potential to record the biggest jump in food production of any region by applying technology, infrastructure and financial incentives that are common most everywhere else,” he writes. Carried along by moving personal stories, this book also includes the practical steps that explain how Africa can become a land of plenty. If your heart is moved by hunger, but your head is overwhelmed by the seeming futility of the struggle, read this book. Here you will find the facts you need to fuel the hope that brings change.—CNS

The Southern Cross, September 26 to October 2, 2012

Liturgical Calendar Year B

Embrace pain with God

Weekdays Year 2

Continued from page 5 resolve everything; the mystery remains—the mystery of why love should pass through pain.” “There is no reason for it,” yet Jesus showed it was true by giving up his life to redeem humanity, he said. The Old Testament figure Job, who was righteous and yet suffered without reason, overcomes his dilemma when he has a direct experience of God, Dr Agazzi said. “If you don’t meet God face-to-face your problems won’t be resolved,” he said. Dr Agazzi said he therefore tells people who think it’s impossible to believe in God after witnessing a child’s suffering and death that “only one who believes deeply in God is able to bear being at the side of a dying child without losing reason, without going mad in the pain”.—CNS

Sunday, September 30, 26th Sunday Numbers 11:25-29, Psalm 19:8, 10, 12-14, James 5:1-6, Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48 Monday, October 01, St Thérèse of the Child Jesus Job 1:6-22, Psalm 17:1-3, 6-7, Luke 9:46-50 Tuesday, October 02, Guardian Angels Exodus 23:20-23, Psalm 91:1-6, 10-11, Matthew 18:1-5, 10 Wednesday, October 03, feria Job 9:1-12, 14-16, Psalm 88:10-15, Luke 9:57-62 Thursday, October 04, St Francis of Assisi Sirach 50:1, 3-4, 6-7, Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 11, Galatians 6:14-18, Matthew 11:25-30 Friday, October 05, St Faustina Job 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5, Psalm 139:1-3, 7-10, 13-14, Luke 10:13-16 Saturday, October 06, Memorial of the BVM Job 42:1-3, 5-6, 12-17, Psalm 119:66, 71, 75, 91, 125, 130, Luke 10:17-24 Sunday, October 07, 27th Sunday Genesis 2:18-24, Psalm 128:1-6, Hebrews 2:911, Mark 10:2-16 or 10:2-12

Community Calendar

To place your event, call Claire Allen at 021 465 5007 or e-mail c.allen@scross.co.za (publication subject to space)

CAPE TOWN: Padre Pio: Holy hour 3.30 pm every 3rd Sunday of the month at Holy Redeemer parish in Bergvliet. Helpers of God’s Precious Infants meet every last Saturday of the month except in December, starting with Mass at 9:30 am at the Salesians Institue Community Chapel in Somerset Road, Cape Town. Mass will be followed by a vigil and procession to Marie Stopes

abortion clinic in Bree Street. For further information contact Colette Thomas on 083 412 4836 or 021 593 9875 or Br Daniel Manuel on 083 544 3375 NELSPRUIT: Adoration of the blessed sacrament at St Peter’s parish. Every Tuesday from 8am to 4:45pm followed by Rosary Divine Mercy prayers, then a Mass/Communion service at 5:30pm.

Word of the Week

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 517. ACROSS: 3 Stimulant, 8 Ivan, 9 Precedent, 10. Sermon, 11 Maker, 14 Basil, 15 Real, 16 Sired, 18 Roam, 20 Amens, 21 Noble, 24 Leaven, 25 Maronites, 26 Onus, 27 Sanhedrin. DOWN: 1 Firstborn, 2 Sacristan, 4 Torn, 5 Mecca, 6 Ladder, 7 Nine, 9 Pools, 11 Marie, 12 Reserving, 13 Closeness, 17 Dates, 19 Moloch, 22 Laird, 23 Lava, 24 Levi.

INERRANCY: The attribute of the books of scripture whereby they faithfully and without error teach that truth which God, for the sake of our salvation, wished to have confided through the sacred scriptures (CCC 107) JUSTIFICATION: The gracious action of God which frees us from sin and communicates the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ (Rom 3:22). Justification is not only the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of the interior man (CCC 1987-1989).

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IN MEMORIAM

ANTONIE—Maroonie. Passed away September 29, 1997. In loving memory of my beloved husband, our father, and grandpa. You are always in our thoughts and prayers. We love you and still miss you. Rest in Peace. Olive, Adie, Helen, Michael, Victor, Cecile and all your grandchildren. MATTHEE—Merlyn. In loving memory of Merlyn who passed away on October 5, 2010. Will always be remembered and loved by her family Desiree, Bryane and children and grandchildren. Ursula, Greg and children and grandson - Australia. Gary, Shireen and children and granddaughter.

your name known and publish this prayer. Amen. M C Chiya. O MOST beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendour of Heaven, blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me where you are, Mother of God. Queen of heaven and earth I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. There is none who can withstand your power, O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands. Say this prayer for 3 con-

PERSONAL

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PRAYERS

HOLY ST JUDE, apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke you, special patron in time of need. To you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg you to come to my assistance. Help me now in my urgent need and grant my petitions. In return I promise to make

secutive days and then publish. CF O HOLY SPIRIT, soul of my soul, I adore you. Enlighten, guide, strengthen and console me. Tell me what I ought to do and command me to do it. I promise to submit to everything that you ask of me and to accept all that you allow to happen to me. Just show me what is your will.

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BALLITO: Up-market penthouse on beach, self-catering. 084 790 6562. BETTY'S BAY: (Western Cape) Holiday home sleeps six, three bathrooms, close to beach, R800/night. 021 794 4293 marialouise@ mweb.co.za CAPE TOWN: Fully equipped self-catering, 2bedroom apartment with parking, in Strandfontein R400 or R480 (low/high season) (4 persons per night) Paul 021 393 2503, 083 553 9856, vivilla@ telkomsa.net FISH HOEK: Self-catering accommodation, sleeps 4. Secure parking. Tel: 021 785 1247. GORDON’S BAY: Beautiful en-suite rooms available at reasonable rates. Magnificent views, breakfast on request. Tel: 082 774 7140. bzhive@telkomsa.net KOLBE HOUSE is the Catholic Centre and residence for the University of Cape Town. Beautiful estate in Rondebosch near the university. From mid November, December and January, the students’ rooms are available for holiday guests. We offer selfcatering accommodation, parking in secure premises. Short walks to shops, transport etc. Contact Jock 021 685 7370, fax 021 686 2342 or 082 308 0080 or kolbe.house@telkomsa.net KNYSNA: Self-catering accommodation for 2 in Old Belvidere with wonderful lagoon views. 044 387 1052. LONDON, Protea House: Single per night R300, twin R480. Self-catering, busses and underground nearby. Phone Peter 0044 208 7484834. MARIANELLA: Guest House, Simon’s Town: “Come experience the peace and beauty of God with us.” Fully equipped with amazing sea views. Secure parking, ideal for rest and relaxation. Special rates for pensioners and clergy. Tel: Malcolm Salida 082 784 5675 or mjsalida@ mweb.co.za SEDGEFIELD: Beautiful self-catering garden flat sleeps four, two bedrooms, open-plan lounge, kitchen, fully equipped. 5min walk to lagoon. Contact 082 900 6282. STRAND: Beachfront flat to let. Stunning views, fully equipped. Garage, one bedroom, sleeps 3-4. R450 p/night for 2 people-low season. Phone Brenda 082 822 0607 The Southern Cross is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa. Printed by Paarl Coldset (Pty) Ltd, 10 Freedom Way, Milnerton. Published by the proprietors, The Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Co Ltd, at the company’s registered office, 10 Tuin Plein, Cape Town, 8001.

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27th Sunday: October 7 Readings: Genesis 2:18-24; Psalm 128:1-6; Hebrews 2:9-11; Mark 10:2-16 NE of the features of God’s dealing with us is the attentive generosity God shows; and that puts in its place the lack of generosity there can be in our response to God. Marriage is a beautiful metaphor for, and expression of, that generosity. Look at the first reading for next Sunday; God is concerned that “it is not good for the man to be alone; so I’ll make him a companion just like him”. Then we watch the process of creation “from the soil” of wild animals and birds, and, with touching humility, “God brought [them] to the man, to see what he would call them”. So “the man” gives them all their names, but nothing appears that is suitable to be his companion; therefore “the Lord God made a deep sleep fall on the man and took out one of his ribs”, and “built it up into a woman, and brought her to the man”. Then “the man” gives her a name, “woman”; and then God’s generosity turns out to be catching, as the narrator comments on the institution of marriage: “Therefore a man abandons his father and his mother, and clings to his

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Sunday Reflections

wife, and the two of them become one flesh.” Generosity instinctively expands. The psalm for next Sunday is a meditation on the generous gift that is family life; it is one of the “songs of ascent” they used to sing on pilgrimage up to Jerusalem, and starts where we must all start, “Happy are all those who revere the Lord”, before continuing into a meditation on marriage, comparing a wife to “a fruitful vine” (she will doubtless be flattered by this likeness) and children, more tenderly, to “shoots of the vine”. It ends with a lovely prayer “may you see your children’s children”, before concluding with the much-needed petition: “Peace be upon Israel.”

The second reading starts us on a sixweek journey through the Letter to the Hebrews, in which one of the most gifted theologians of the entire New Testament tries to teach us that Jesus is “the real thing”. In this reading we see the generosity of Jesus, “for a short time made lower than the angels, because of the experience of death”, but then “crowned with glory and honour, in order that he might by God’s grace taste death on behalf of all”. Hebrews has a very high doctrine of who Jesus is, “because of whom all things [were created] and through whom all things [were created]”, and who is generous enough “to call us brothers and sisters”, in order to “make perfect through sufferings”. We should dwell on this self-sacrificing generosity. The gospel is one of a series of ill-tempered confrontations between the religious authorities and Jesus. Here they ask about the legitimacy of divorce; he interrogates them about the state of the Law on this

We can be wrong when right T RUTH alone is not enough. It must be balanced by the other transcendental properties of God: oneness, goodness, and beauty. That might sound abstract, but what it means concretely is that sometimes we can have all the right answers and still be wrong. How? If we are acting in truth, how can we be wrong? The first pitfall is this: We may be acting out of truth and, in fact, doing all the right things, but our energy can be wrong. TS Eliot once famously said: “The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason.” We can see what is at stake here by looking at the older brother of the prodigal son. On the surface his devotion to his father lacks nothing. He rightly attests that his life is blameless and a paradigm of filial devotion. He has kept all the commandments, has never left his father’s house, and has done all the required work. The irony is that he fails to notice that he is not in fact inside his father’s house, but is standing outside of it and is being gently invited in by his father. What is keeping him outside, since after all he is doing everything correctly? Bitterness and anger. His actions are correct, but his heart is wrong. Bitterness and anger are not the right energy to fuel truth. We can be scrupulously faithful and still find ourselves standing outside God’s house and

Pregnant?

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

outside the circle of community and celebration because of a bitter heart. Gratitude is the energy that ultimately needs to fuel the truth. Like the older brother of the prodigal son, we can be doing everything right and still, somehow, be wrong. And where this is particularly important, in terms of a challenge, is in our efforts, both as individuals and as churches, to offer the truth, the right answers, to those around us, be that our own children who no longer go to church or society as a whole. If, inside of our speaking the truth, there are elements of elitism, arrogance, anger, lack of respect, lack of understanding, or worse still, embittered moralising, our truth will not be heard, not because our truth is wrong, but because our energy is. That is why Jesus warns us to “speak our truth in parables”. Truth is not a sledgehammer; it is an invitation that we must respectfully offer others. And there is still a second potential pitfall: We can have the right answers and the right energy, but have the wrong understanding of those answers. We see this, for example, in Mark’s gospel when

Jesus asks the disciples the question: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter answers, and answers correctly, by saying: “You are the Christ, the Messiah.” But he is immediately shut down by Jesus (“Don’t tell that to anyone!”) and is subsequently rebuked with the words: “Get behind me, Satan!” Why? Wasn’t he correct? Peter’s answer was correct—Jesus was the Christ—but his understanding of what that meant was mostly wrong. For Peter, the concept of a Messiah connoted earthly power and especially earthly privilege, whereas for Jesus it meant suffering and dying. Peter had the right answer, but the wrong understanding of that answer. Some scholars speculate that this is the real reason behind the so-called “messianic secret” in the gospels, where Jesus repeatedly asks his disciples to not reveal his identity. His reluctance to have his disciples broadcast publicly who he is was based upon his fear that they could not, before the resurrection and Pentecost, properly understand his identity and would invariably preach a false message. We can have the right answers and still be wrong because we have the wrong energy to go along with the answers or because we have a wrong understanding of the answers. It is good to take that to heart, especially when we step out prophetically either religiously or morally or socially. We may well have the water of life, the truth that sets people free, and the right cause, but nobody except our own kind will accept to receive it from us if our energy is wrong or our understanding of that truth is wrong. It is easy to rationalise that it is because we are prophetic, the faithful remnant, the last warriors of truth still standing, that we are not being heard and why we are hated. But, more often than not, we are not being listened to because we are misguided, elitist, nonempathic, or flat-out unloving—not because we are warriors for truth or justice. And so we need to be humble and heed Jesus’ warning to guard the “messianic secret” and “speak our truth in parables”. In brief, we need to be solicitous always lest a false energy behind our truth or a misunderstanding of that truth have us so fall out of discipleship that Jesus has to reprimand us with the words: “Get behind me, Satan!”

matter, and they cite it, accurately enough, indicating that Moses permitted divorce. Jesus’ retort is that this was permitted “because of your hardness of heart”, and indicates that the real teaching is that contained in our first reading. He then gives his final verdict: “What God has joined together, let no human being separate.” Not for the first (or last) time in Mark’s gospel, the disciples are scratching their heads, unable to understand; but Jesus is firm in his defence of women: “Divorcing your wife and marrying another is adultery.” The disciples then try to stop people from bringing children to Jesus, presumably because they think he is far too important to be bothered with such small beings. Jesus’ response is furious: “Let the little children come to me; don’t stop them, because the Kingdom of God consists of people like them.” Then, in a final generous gesture, “He took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands upon them.”

Southern Crossword #517

ACROSS 3. Medicine that excites? (9) 8. Vain Russian (4) 9. PE-centred example from the past (9) 10. It’s delivered in church (6) 11. Our God (5) 14. Herb has a saint’s name (5) 15. Not imagined (4) 16. Fathered (5) 18. Wander into a city sound (4) 20. They stop the prayers (5) 21. Bruno, blessed man, reveals high birth (5) 24. Moses forbade it before the Exodus (6) 25. Catholics of Lebanon (9) 26. Burden we have (4) 27. Supreme council of old Jerusalem (9)

DOWN 1. Eldest child (9) 2. Parish sexton (9) 4. Tear past (4) 5. Saudi Arabia’s holy city (5) 6. Jacob saw its steps (Gn 22) (6) 7. Novena days (4) 9. I will turn their rivers to... (Is 42) (5) 11. Mary in France (5) 12. Keeping Blessed Sacrament for later (9) 13. Proximity of scene loss (9) 17. Days of the month (5) 19. You carried the tent of ... (Ac 7) (6) 22. Mr Blair did hold a Scotsman (5) 23. Volcanic ooze (4) 24. One of Dinah’s brothers (Gn 34) (4) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

MAN and his ten-year-old son were on a fishing trip miles from home. At the boy’s insistence, they decided to attend Sunday Mass at a small rural church. The father forgot to bring any cash, so he reached in his pocket and gave his son a 5c piece to drop in the offering plate as it was passed. As they walked back to their car after the service, the father complained: “The service was too long,” he lamented. “The sermon was boring, and the singing was off key.” Finally the boy said, “Daddy, I thought it was pretty good for 5c.’’ Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.