The Southern Cross - 121121 by The Southern Cross

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November 21 to November 27, 2012

Veteran priest turns 100 years old

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Graduate from Hope&Joy with our fun quiz

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R6,00 (incl VAT RSA)

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 4801

Fr Rolheiser on sexuality and faith

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Aids: It’s getting better, but... STAFF REPORTER

S numbers of those affected by HIV and Aids appear to be declining, an Aids care centre has warned the public to not be complacent in the fight against the disease, and has reminded Catholics why we should recognise World Aids Day on December 1. Sr Margaret Craig of Nazareth House in Cape Town has noted a “dramatic decrease in the number of HIV infected children and babies needing admission due to abandonment or becoming orphans”. From 1991 to 2003, almost 100 children died at Nazareth House of Aids-related infections. “During those earlier years there were up to 60 babies and young children at any given time, all infected with HIV and many of them very sick with stage four Aids. Sadly, death and loss became very much part of the children’s lives during those days, and most of their play activites revolved around hospitals and funerals,” recalls the Nazareth Sister. Then in 2003, the home’s children were started on antiretrovirals through Groote Schuur Hospital, and “the lives of the children in our care changed dramatically”. “Since then we have had very few Aidsrelated deaths. All those children who were started on treatment from 2003 onwards are now growing up, enjoying life, and are very healthy. Many of them have been happily reunited with family members. The oldest is now 21 years old,” said Sr Craig.

he nun attributes a greater understanding and increased education to the increase in support being given to mothers and families within their local communities and health care centres. “Another major change is the lessening of the stigma associated with HIV. While this sadly is still an issue in many smaller and rural communities, people are generally more open and accepting of family members and friends who are infected with the virus.” Sr Craig also noted that the Western Cape has the lowest overall incidence of HIV in the country. “Our provincial Department of Health was at the forefront in piloting the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission Programme, and the rollout of antiretroviral

Students from St Francis Xavier Orientation Seminary in Cape Town, led by formator and lecturer Fr Chris Chatteris SJ (back right) visited the offices of The Southern Cross to learn about the production of the newspaper. Editor Günther Simmermacher (back left) and news editor Claire Mathieson explained the processes of newsgathering, design and writing techniques to the students who, according to Fr Chatteris, were inspired by the visit. Second back row from left: Shaun Addinall (Cape Town), Jules Hirwa (Durban), Jason Lottering (Pretoria); second row from front: Bobbie Booyse (Pretoria), Aphelele Mzobotshi (Kokstad), Jimmy Mutuvera (Dundee); front: Reuben Mabe (Johannesburg), Charles Kasambi (Scalabrinian), Exalted Moloi (Bethlehem).

Antiretroviral medication has changed the situations of many children with HIV, but there is no room for complacency, according to a nun involved in Aids care. therapy in and around Cape Town has been very successful. Fewer HIV-positive babies are being born and those infants who are testing positive are now being started on ARVs as soon as possible, instead of waiting until their CD4 count drops.” However, despite encouraging statistics, Sr Craig pointed out that there are pockets in the province where statistics are higher than the national average. She also warned that because life-lengthening treatment is available, South Africans must not lower their guards. Sr Craig said while progress has been made, she is shocked that many young people—and not so young—say that they won’t catch the disease, that “condoms make it safe”, or do not worry because “I can get treatment”. “Let us not fool ourselves or become too complacent,” said Sr Craig. “During this Year of Faith, let us reach out to our communities and within our parishes by becoming living witnesses, living examples, to all, thanking God for our precious gift of life, asking for his help and strength to value and protect our gifts of sexuality, free will and responsibility, and to guide our young people along the true path and teachings of his Church.” The Church in Cape Town has called for Catholics to pray for those lost to the disease, to show solidarity and support those who are infected with HIV and to pray for families affected by the disease. A special Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop Stephen Brislin at St Agnes church in Woodstock, to commemorate World Aids Day on December 1 at 10:00.

Latinam loquemur! (Let us speak Latin) P BY CINDY WOODEN

OPE Benedict has established the Pontifical Academy of Latinity” to promote the study of the Latin language and culture, and not just within the Catholic Church. For more than 1 000 years, the Catholic Church has been the custodian and promoter of Latin “both in the theological and liturgical spheres as well as in the area of the formation and transmission of knowledge,” the pope wrote in the document establishing the Latin academy. “From Pentecost, the Church has spoken and prayed in all the languages of humanity,” the pope wrote, but the early Christian communities relied heavily on Latin and

Greek language and culture to proclaim and explain the newness of the Christian Gospel. The new academy, he said, should promote the study of Latin, particularly in Catholic schools, universities and seminaries, helping young generations learn Latin, “including through the use of modern means of communications”. Pope Benedict named as president of the new academy Ivano Dionigi, 64, a Latinist and rector of the Alma Mater Studiorum at the University of Bologna. The pope placed the new academy under the Pontifical Council for Culture and said the academy would work with the Salesian institute to design and support Latin courses and seminars.

Pope Benedict said that as studies in the general field of humanities expand, it is surprising how superficial Latin studies have become, even for seminarians and priests. But serious studies of theology, liturgy, the Church fathers and canon law require knowledge of Latin because most of the basic sources in all those fields were written in Latin. The new academy replaces the Latinitas Foundation, which Pope Paul VI established in 1976 and placed under the authority of the Vatican Secretariat of State. The seven members of the secretariat’s Office of Latin Letters—mainly responsible for translating papal documents and correspondence into Latin—carried out the bulk of the foundation’s activities.—CNS

A copy of the Borgianus Latinus, a missal for Christmas made for Pope Alexander VI (14921503). Pope Benedict has established the Pontifical Academy of Latinity to promote the study of the Latin language and culture. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS)

The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2012

LOCAL

Hurley launches in London STAFF REPORTER

STAFF REPORTER

O provide a platform for international fundraising for the Denis Hurley Centre in Durban, the Denis Hurley Association has been launched in London. The event, which took place in Westminster, was presided over by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, a patron of the organisation, together with Bishop David Konstant, retired emeritus of Leeds and chairman of the association, and Robina Rafferty, who for many years headed the Catholic Housing Association. The Denis Hurley Association is based at Hurley House in Quex Road, London, the headquarters of the Oblate Missions, which prepares young adults for voluntary overseas service in Africa, Asia and Latin America. It is hoped that some of these volunteers will come to work in the Denis Hurley Centre at Emmanuel Cathedral in Durban. The association will also provide a vehicle for donations that will receive grant aid from the British government. Among those attending the launch were South African deputy high commissioner Bongiwe Qwabe, administrator of Emmanuel cathedral Fr Stephen Tully, on a fundraising visit to Britain, and Fr Ted Rogers SJ, now living in England after 50 years’ service in Zim-

Mass to close Hope&Joy

Seen at the launch of the Denis Hurley Association (from left) Pierre Matate, a refugee from the DRC and former parishioner of Emmanuel cathedral, Durban; Baroness Shirley Williams, patron of the Denis Hurley Association and Bongiwe Qwabe, South African deputy high commissioner in London.

HE Hope&Joy campaign will come to a close on November 29, when Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria will celebrate a thanksgiving Mass in Johannesburg. “Hope&Joy’s objective was to prepare for the anniversary of Vatican II, and in so many ways the participating organisations and individuals have contributed to that,” said convenor Raymond Perrier. He said the spirit of Hope&Joy must now be transferred to the Year of Faith. The final Hope&Joy article will appear in the Catholic Link, the newsletter which is produced by the Redemptorists, on the feast of Christ the King. “To mark the end of Hope&Joy, Archbishop Slattery, who with other bishops has been a keen supporter, has agreed to say Mass to give thanks for what we have been graced to achieve,” Mr Perrier said. The thanksgiving Mass for the ending of Hope&Joy will be celebrated at St Augustine College in Linden, Johannesburg at 7pm on November 29. n See also page 10

Calling all musicians BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

USICIANS and vocalists are called to lend their services to the praise and worship teams envisaged for the archdiocese of Cape Town—to assist in church services around the archdiocese. According to Wayne de Smidt, five years ago, charismatic confirmation classes and Youth Alpha Masses would use praise and worship teams to help liven up services. “We had to stop due to financial issues, but it was awesome seeing the talent in the archdiocese and the youth enjoying themselves,” he said. Mr de Smidt said this was one of the reasons why the group was being reformed. The praise and worship ministry would also assist in the musical training of children, and helping to ensure that “children stay

off the streets”. Mr de Smidt, a member of Lansdowne’s music ministry, said the vision was to have teams of musicians and vocalists to offer their services around the archdiocese—at events and Masses. “Through invitations we would avail ourselves to any service or parish,” he said. He is also helping parishes form their own bands. Mr de Smidt said the ministry had made a big impact when it was active. The Year of Faith would be a suitable time to revive it again. All are welcome to apply. “Age is a number, all we want is people who are willing to use the talent God has given them, be able to travel and be likeminded and trust in God.” n Contact Wayne de Smidt on 071 218 3153, or email him on upfront.live123@gmail.com

The Catholic Women’s League in Boksburg hosted a Cancer Tea with guest speaker Mark Pilgrim who gave insight into to his life-changing battle with prostate cancer at the age of 18. Mr Pilgrim and 670 ladies (and some gentlemen!) celebrated CWL Boksburg’s fifth successful Cancer Tea with a toast to their hard work and dedication. (Inset) Mark Pilgrim with CWL branch president Sophia Dooley.

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LOCAL

The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2012

Proud decade for Life Teen BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

IFE Teen, the youth ministry movement which originated in the United States, celebrates ten years of leading teens closer to Christ in South Africa this year, with further growth expected for the ministry. Life Teen South Africa began in St Joseph’s parish in Durban ten years ago, having been brought here by Fr Desmond Royappen, parish priest of Morningside. Fr Royappen attended training in the US before starting the course in South Africa and has since trained many others in the successful running of the ministry. “I believed so much in the programme and saw what it did for the youth and how it can lead youth closer to Christ,” the priest said. Fr Royappen said the course remained exclusive to St Joseph’s for six years because “we wanted to get through any teething problems before sharing the programme”. In the last four years, the course has spread to parishes in Johannesburg and Cape Town; today many other dioceses are showing interest. Fr Royappen believes training is “absolutely important and an active, committed core team is essential” and conducts training for anyone interested. A key part of the ministry is the youth Mass, which highlights a welcoming atmosphere, relevant music and an engaging homily

that speaks to issues in teens’ lives. Most importantly, the Mass remains sacred, said Fr Royappen. “We are very Eucharistic-centred, but the faith is presented in a very dynamic way. Young people are attracted to the faith through Life Teen.” Established in 1985 in Mesa, Arizona, the ministry is used by 1 200 parishes worldwide. “It was not easy to begin a new programme and convince parishioners this is the way to go,” said Fr Royappen. “But once we got started everyone saw how dynamic the programme is and we knew this was the way forward.” Life Teen is approved by the Vatican and follows a four-year programme taking teens through their high school years. “It is evangelisation for the youth mixed with the catechism of the Church,” Fr Royappen said. Fr Royappen believes that Life Teen is a valuable asset for any parish wanting to deepen the faith of their youth. “It’s been wonderful to see the growth so far and I hope it will continue.” “The youth need to know the Church, but often they get tired or bored with what is being presented. Life Teen is dynamic and brings together a body of youth that can get closer to God.” The priest is willing to help and guide any parish looking to launch the ministry. n For more information contact Fr Desmond Royappen on 031 303 1890.

Mgr Anthony Seba celebrated his 100th birthday with the residents and staff of Nazareth House in Cape Town. Also in attendance was Archbishop Lawrence Henry (right) who told stories of the monsignor’s work in the archdiocese. Mgr Seba was parish priest of Pinelands for 28 years and was known for his outspoken action around the forced removals in Simon’s Town when serving that community. (Photo: Claire Mathieson)

Young Grade R learners get it write STAFF REPORTER

RADE R learners of St Benedict’s school in Pinetown, Durban, have ended their school year on a high note as they are now “successful authors” of a book which has raised funds for a local hospital. The book, titled A Time to Rhyme, was written with input from the Grade R learners and includes their pictures. The books were then sold at a cheese and

wine evening for the parents, where the authors autographed their books. “It was wonderful to work with such passionate young writers,” said Rob Riedlinger, managing director of Mariannhill Mission Press. The sale of the books raised R2 500 for the children’s ward at the nearby St Mary’s hospital. Barbara van Rensburg, Grade R teacher from St Benedict’s, said she was proud of the hard work the

learners had put into the book. “The children learn how a book is published and put together, from idea to layout to the printing of the book and the book launch,” she said. Mrs van Rensburg described it as a wonderful experience that was fun but also beneficial. “Published, successful authors at five and six years of age—the sky is the limit for them. I’d keep my eye on this lot,” said Mr Riedlinger.

Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference

St Joseph’s theological institute and SACBC AIDS OFFICE JOINT CONFERENCE

Catholic Responses to AIDS in Southern Africa, 30 years after the discovery of HIV 20 January 2013 (beginning 16hoo)-22 January 2013 (ending 17hoo)

THE INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE

KEYNOTE ADDRESSES

Monsignor Robert J. Vitillo, (Head of Delegation to the UN in Geneva and Special Advisor on HIV/AIDS for Caritas Internationalis):

THE WIDER AFRICAN RESPONSE.

Fr. Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator SJ, (Hekima College, Nairobi, Kenya):

THE SACBC AIDS OFFICE, CHALLENGES AND RESPONSES Sr Alison Munro OP, Director of the SACBC AIDS Office:

RESPONSES OF THE CHURCH IN AN URBAN CONTEXT Cardinal Wilfrid Napier OFM, Archbishop of Durban:

RESPONSES OF THE CHURCH IN A RURAL CONTEXT Bishop Kevin Dowling CSsR, Of Rustenburg:

OTHER PAPERS

Papers by staff of St Joseph’s Theological Institute and others will be presented On a number of themes including the following: Spiritual Direction, Historical perspectives, Moral teaching; theology OF hivprevention; Inter-faith collaboration, Feminism, HIV and theological education; a Theological responses to challenges to Catholic teaching, comparisons with Brazil

VENUE: St Joseph’s Theological Institute at Cedara, Kwa-Zulu Natal Midlands region. Conference Fee: R200 per person. This includes morning and afternoon tea. R300 per person (includes lunch and evening meal)

Applications to conference2013@sjti.ac.za Fax 086 657 0012 Tel.087 353 8940 (Shantel) Private Bag 6004, Hilton, 3245 KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. FOR INFORMATION, REGISTRATION AND ACCOMMODATION see Conference website www.sjti.ac.za/conference2013.html

The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2012

INTERNATIONAL

Cardinal warns SSPX: Church allows no anti-semitism BY CINDY WOODEN

HE effort to reintegrate the traditionalist Society of St Pius X (SSPX) into the Catholic Church “absolutely does not mean” that the Catholic Church will accept or support the anti-Jewish or anti-Semitic positions espoused by some members of the society, said Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews. The cardinal said many Jews “fear that through the eventual reintegration of a series of priests and faithful with anti-Jewish tendencies and who fundamentally reject Nostra Aetate [the Second Vatican Council document on relations with Jews and other religions], the Catholic Church could give a new direction to its dialogue with Judaism”. Addressing members of the commission, Cardinal Koch said: “The Holy Father has charged me with presenting the question in the correct way: Nostra Aetate is not being questioned in any way by the magisterium of the Church as the pope himself has demonstrated repeatedly in his speeches, his writings and his personal gestures regarding Judaism. “The Catholic Church is moving firmly on the basis of the principles affirmed in Nostra Aetate” and Pope Benedict intends to continue the church’s dialogue with the Jewish

people, the cardinal said in his speech. Nostra Aetate described Christians and Jews as having a common heritage and a profound spiritual bond; it denounced any form of contempt of the Jews; it said the Jews could not be held responsible for the death of Jesus; and “it explicitly highlighted the Jewish roots of Christianity”, Cardinal Koch said. In discussions about the SSPX and the Second Vatican Council, the cardinal said, questions also have been raised about the level of teaching authority in various council documents; the idea has been raised that because Nostra Aetate was a declaration and not a constitution, its content has less weight. “On a formal level, a distinction certainly can be made” between the council’s declarations and constitutions, he said. “Nevertheless, from the point of view of their content, they cannot be separated from each other or placed in opposition to each other.”

eacting to Cardinal Koch’s comments, the SSPX issued a statement in which it “completely rejects the false claim that it teaches or practises anti-Semitism, which is a racial hatred of the Jewish people whether on account of their ethnicity, culture or religious beliefs”. The statement, issued by the society’s US district superior, Fr

Arnaud Rostand, suggested that the cardinal might have defamed the SSPX. “Cardinal Koch’s false charge of anti-Semitism within our religious congregation casts the SSPX in a negative light and at a very sensitive time for the entire Church,” Fr Rostand said. “Furthermore, our legal counsel has suggested that His Eminence’s accusation is tantamount to defamation, since it insinuates that our society is a racist organisation.” In late October, the SSPX announced it had ousted British Bishop Richard Williamson, one of the four bishops ordained by SSPX founder Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre without papal approval in 1988. Bishop Williamson has publicly denied the extent of the Nazi Holocaust of the Jews. In 2009, shortly after an interview with Bishop Williamson aired on television, the society’s US website removed articles arguing that the “Jewish race brought upon themselves the curse that followed the crime of deicide”, and that the “Jewish people, if it has not converted to Christianity, will, even if it does not wish to, seek to ruin Christianity”. In his statement, Fr Rostand said the hopes that the Jews will convert “to the one true faith are motivated by supernatural charity, not hatred”.—CNS

VatiLeaks investigations to continue BY CINDY WOODEN

NVESTIGATIONS into the “VatiLeaks” scandal will continue even after a Vatican court found Claudio Sciarpelletti, a computer expert in the Secretariat of State, guilty of aiding and abetting the papal butler, who was convicted of stealing sensitive Vatican correspondence. Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi SJ told reporters that Vatican investigators had not closed their files on the “VatiLeaks” scandal. Further investigations and even

indictments are possible, he said. The three-judge panel hearing the case initially sentenced Mr Sciarpelletti to four months in jail but reduced the sentence to two months, saying Mr Sciarpelletti had never been in trouble with the law and previously had served the Vatican well. The judges suspended even the two-month sentence and said that if, over the next five years he commits no other crimes, the penalty would be lifted. The Vatican court indicted Mr Sciarpelletti in August, accusing

him of helping Paolo Gabriele, the papal butler, by obstructing the Vatican investigation of the butler’s role in stealing, photocopying and leaking private Vatican correspondence to an Italian journalist. The butler is serving an 18-month sentence in a cell in the Vatican police barracks. The court session was not without its lighter moments. When the court reporter’s computer stopped working at a certain point, Mr Sciarpelletti asked, “Do you need a technician?” Everyone in the courtroom burst out laughing.—CNS

HOT POT PAINT AND HARDWARE PTY LTD

A statue of Christ is seen in front of homes destroyed by Hurricane Sandy in Union Beach, New Jersey, as people in the United Statres, Cuba and Haiti recover from the destruction of one of the most destructive natural disasters to hit the north-east of the United States. (Photo: Eric Thayer, Reuters/CNS)

Church must minister to those on the streets BY GREG WATRY

HE Church must educate people about the dangers and exploitation that go with life on the streets, according to a final document of a conference in Tanzania sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travellers. Along with a commitment to educating young people, the participants also called for the reeducation of men’s views of and attitudes toward women “as a means of safeguarding the dignity of women, young girls and children”. The recommendations were made at a meeting focused on the pastoral care of people who live or work on the road or on the streets of Africa. The meeting was held in Dar es Salaam in September. The Vatican released the conference’s final document in midNovember. The conference covered how the Church can provide pastoral care and assistance to truck drivers, homeless people, prostitutes and street children. The final document called for the introduction of awareness programmes in Catholic schools to further educate young people

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of the dangers of life on the streets. Special attention must be given to the “integral formation of the youth with human and professional competence in order that they may live with responsibility towards themselves and society at large,” the final document said. The conference encouraged establishing “places of worship at bus and train stations, with a ministry of presence and counselling”. In addition, the conference encouraged the use of mobile chaplains and lay ministers to spread the word of God on the streets. Other recommendations included: seminary and religious formation programmes to prepare future priests and religious to work on the streets of Africa; and lobbying African governments to enforce law and order so as to protect the lives of innocent women and children. Conference participants said the Church’s mission is to evangelise, educate and liberate people “through spiritual renewal and human promotion in the spirit of Gospel values”.—CNS

Cardinal welcomes abuse inquiry BY SHARYN McCOWEN

USTRALIA’S royal commission into the sexual abuse of children, which will include investigations into Catholics, is an opportunity “to separate fact from fiction”, according to Cardinal George Pell of Sydney. The cardinal told the media that he and other Church leaders “are not interested in denying the extent of misdoing in the Catholic Church” and will cooperate fully with the royal commission. Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced the royal commission into institutional responsibility regarding child sexual abuse after repeated calls for an inquiry from politicians and victims groups. In early November, a senior police officer alleged that the Catholic Church had covered up evidence involving clergy sex abuse. Cardinal Pell said the Church acknowledged “with shame the extent of the problem”, but objected to allegations being “exaggerated” and the Catholic Church being singled out. “One of the good things about this royal commission is that it doesn’t focus exclusively on us,” he said. “I don’t think we should be scapegoated. We’ll answer for what we’ve done. We’re not trying to defend the indefensible.” The cardinal, who expected to be questioned at the royal commission, said he hoped the inquiry would bring victims “some peace, that they will feel that justice has been done”. “The pursuit of justice is an absolute entitlement for everyone,” he said. Cardinal Pell said he would welcome a review of Church protocols and guidelines. “We’re quite open to introducing further improvements,” he said.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2012

Eastern Catholics on married priesthood BY CINDY WOODEN

N Eastern Christianity—among both Catholics and Orthodox— a dual vocation to marriage and priesthood is seen as a call “to love more” and to broaden the boundaries of what a priest considers to be his family, said Russian Catholic Father Lawrence Cross. Fr Cross, a professor at the Australian Catholic University in Melbourne, was one of the speakers at the Chrysostom Seminar in Rome which focused on the history and present practice of married priests in the Eastern churches. The Code of Canons of the Eastern (Catholic) Churches insist that “in the way they lead their family life and educate their children, married clergy are to show an outstanding example to other Christian faithful”. Speakers at the Rome conference—sponsored by the Australian Catholic University and the Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies at St Paul University in Ottawa, Canada—insisted the vocation of married priests in the Eastern churches cannot be under-

stood apart from an understanding of the sacramental vocation of married couples. “Those who are called to the married priesthood are, in reality, called to a spiritual path that in the first place is characterised by a conjugal, family form of life,” Fr Cross said, and priestly ordination builds on the vocation they have as married men. He and other speakers at the conference urged participants to understand the dignity of the vocation of marriage in the way Pope John Paul II did: as a sacramental expression of God’s love and as a path to holiness made up of daily acts of self-giving and sacrifices made for the good of the other. “Married life and family life are not in contradiction with the priestly ministry,” Fr Cross said. A married man who is ordained is called “to love more, to widen his capacity to love, and the boundaries of his family are widened, his paternity is widened as he acquires more sons and daughters; the community becomes his family”.

Fr Basilio Petra, an expert in Eastern Christianity and professor of theology in Florence, told the conference: “God does not give one person two competing calls.” If the Church teaches—as it does—that marriage is more than a natural institution aimed at procreation because it is “a sign and continuation of God’s love in the world”, then the vocations of marriage and priesthood “have an internal harmony”, he said.

r Petra, who is a celibate priest, told the conference that in the last 30 or 40 years some theologians and researchers have been making a big push to “elaborate the idea that celibacy is the only way to fully configure oneself to Christ”, but such a position denies the tradition of married priests, configured to Christ, who have served the Church since the time of the apostles. Fr Thomas Loya, a Byzantine Catholic priest and member of the Tabor Life Institute in Chicago, told the conference it would be a betrayal of Eastern tradition

and spirituality to support the married priesthood simply as a practical solution to a priest shortage or to try to expand the married priesthood without, at the same time, trying to strengthen Eastern monasticism, which traditionally was the source of the celibate clergy. He called for a renewed look at what the creation of human beings as male and female and their vocations says about God to the world. Fr Peter Galadza of the Sheptytsky Institute told conference participants that the problem of “cafeteria Catholics” who pick and choose which Church teachings they accept is found not just among Catholics who reject the authority of the Church’s leaders; “those who believe they are faithful to the magisterium” also seem to pick and choose when it comes to the Church’s official recognition of and respect for the Eastern tradition of married priests. “We know we are only 1% of the world’s Catholics, but Eastern Catholics have a right to be themselves,” he said.

“As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, we hope the same Holy Spirit who guided the authors of its decrees would guide us in implementing them,” he said, referring specifically to Vatican II’s affirmation of the equality of the Latin and Eastern churches and its call that Eastern churches recover their traditions. “There has been a long history of confusing ‘Latin’ and ‘Catholic’,” he said, and that confusion has extended to an assumption that the Latin Church’s general discipline of having celibate priests is better or holier than the Eastern tradition of having both married and celibate priests. The speakers unanimously called for the universal revocation of a 1929 Vatican directive that banned the ordination and ministry of married Eastern Catholic priests outside the traditional territories of their churches. The directive, still technically in force, generally is upheld only when requested by local Latin-rite bishops.—CNS

New Anglican head influenced by Catholics BY SIMON CALDWELL

The newly appointed archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Justin Welby, leaves Lambeth Palace following a news conference. The 56-year-old, a former oil executive who has been influenced by both Benedictine and Ignatian spirituality, will be enthroned as the 105th archbishop of Canterbury, leader of the world’s 80 million Anglicans. (Photo: Dylan Martinez, Reuters/CNS)

HE newly appointed leader of the world’s Anglicans has revealed that his spiritual director was a Catholic monk. Bishop Justin Welby of Durham, who will become the new archbishop of Canterbury, did not name the monk, but said that he was influenced by both Benedictine and Ignatian spirituality. He also told reporters that he would be voting in favour of the ordination of women as bishops when the General Synod—the Church of England’s ruling body—would decide the matter at a two-day meeting beginning on November 19. The 56-year-old former oil executive will be enthroned as the 105th archbishop of Canterbury in Canterbury cathedral on March 21, 2013 in succession to Archbishop Rowan Williams, who

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leaves the post in December. Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Westminster, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, has welcomed the appointment of the father of five who gave up a six-figure salary to be an Anglican cleric. “I know that Bishop Welby will bring many personal gifts and experience to his new role,” said Archbishop Nichols. “In fidelity to our Lord Jesus Christ’s prayer that his followers may all be one, I hope that we will endeavour to strengthen the bonds of Christian friendship and mission already established between the Catholic Church and the Church of England,” the archbishop added. “I look forward to working closely with Bishop Welby in the service of the common good and in the common witness we can give to all the people in our land.”

Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, told Vatican Radio he hopes to attend the enthronement in March and that he will be inviting the new archbishop to Rome for an audience with the pope. Archbishop-designate Welby has been described as an Anglican evangelical with sympathy for the Catholic tradition. A press release by the Church of England said he has “frequently said that the Roman Catholic approach to Christian social teaching, beginning with the encyclical of Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, up to Pope Benedict XVI’s Caritas Veritate, has greatly influenced his social thinking.” Archbishop-designate Welby said that to be nominated to the post was “both astonishing and exciting” and something he “never expected”.—CNS

PO Box 11095, Mariannhill 3624

BOOK NOW FOR 2013 JANUARY 2 - FEBRUARY 1

Spiritual Exercises according to St Ignatius of Loyola. Thirty days of prayer and meditation. Led by Fr Urs Fischer

JANUARY 4 - JANUARY 12

7-day Directed Retreats by Fr Urs Fischer and Br Crispin Graham.

LENTEN LECTURES

Mondays 19h00: Feb 18, 25 March 4, 11 Archbishop Hurley: His Life & Vision given by Mgr Paul Nadal

MARCH 8 - MARCH 10

Weekend Retreat. Theme: Do Not Disappoint Us – Treat Us Gently. ‘The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night’ (Ps 121), by Fr Pierre Lavoipierre

HOLY WEEK MARCH 23-31

1. Preached Retreat by Fr Christopher Neville OFM 2. Year of Faith: Preached Retreat by Fr Urs Fischer. ‘This is the work of God that you believe on him whom he has sent’ (Jn 6:29).

JULY 5 - JULY 14

8-day Directed Retreats by Fr Urs Fischer and Br Crispin Graham.

NOvEMBER 22 - NOvEMBER 24

Weekend Retreat. Theme: Life Is A Banquet – Even With A Crust. ‘The jar of flour shall not give out nor the flask of oil fail’, by Fr Pierre Lavoipierre

DECEMBER 9 - DECEMBER 18

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LEADER PAGE

The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2012

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Preaching at Mass

HE complaint is often heard that the standard of preaching at Mass has declined; sometimes this is even cited as a sign that the Church supposedly has lost its way. It may well be that these complaints are born of a sense of nostalgia that readily recalls inspirational preachers but suppresses the memory of dull sermons delivered by droning priests. Perhaps future generations will regard our crop of homilists as a gold standard. Nevertheless, it is true that many Catholics perceive homilies at Sunday Mass to be boring, irrelevant and uninspiring. We live in an age when the voice of the preacher is competing with unprecedented pressure from other voices, while the faithful are less tolerant of mediocre preaching and more open to voicing their criticism of clergy. Often the homily is the only way Catholics receive information about their faith. A dull or deficiently delivered homily can therefore do greater harm than good. A good homily, on the other hand, helps the listener to connect their lives with the faith, shining the light of Christ on life’s events, as the Vatican proposed in the 2004 document Redemptionis Sacramentum. Preaching is a particular skill. Some priests—and deacons— have a natural talent for composing a homily and delivering it in a way that engages their congregations. Some can speak on any given theme off the cuff; others prepare their homily meticulously and rely on oratory skills to get their point across. Other priests’ aptitude may reside in other fields of the clerical ministry. But since delivering homilies is a crucial part of their function, such clergy should be offered— and, if necessary, seek out— ongoing training and guidance in the art of homiletics. Preparing a homily is not easy. It is an arduous and intimidating task to compose a substantive homily or sermon every week. A priest whose pastoral ministry has many distractions may not have the requisite time and quietude to reflect fruitfully on a subject for a sermon. There is no reason, however,

why priests should not share concepts and adapt these to suit their particular environments. In the age of the Internet, many homilies are posted online; these can serve as a resource for ideas, though without recycling them verbatim. Homilists might also solicit advice from suitable parishioners—especially when such lay people can complement the experiences of the homilist with their own. Surely a collaborative, advisory process could result in better homilies and ease the priest’s burden. Homilists should know their audience. What are the community’s daily concerns? What do they watch on television, read in the newspapers or consume on the Internet? And, crucially, what is their attention span? Priests must be sensitive to their congregation’s expectations and needs, as well as their ability to absorb the message that is being preached. Does the audience want a theologically sophisticated discourse of the Mass readings, or a pastoral application of the principles in the Gospel or a practical exposition of how to translate the biblical text into their daily Christian lives? A homily may fail to engage the congregation even when it is well planned. But a homilist who has no empathy with his listeners merely fulfils a liturgical obligation, to nobody’s benefit. At the same time, a responsibility resides with the congregation to first listen attentively to the readings, and then to allow the homilist to speak to them. This is particularly necessary when the preacher is a missionary priest with a strong accent, especially if he comes from other parts of Africa or from Asia. Parishioners must always make a special effort to absorb the homily—the dialogue on the mystery of the faith between the priest and the congregation’s mind and heart. Catholics should not be asked to accept deficient preaching. But even if the homilist appears to be unprepared, or his delivery is imperfect, his critics must apply charity in their judgment. There are many guidelines to good preaching, but there is no science to homiletics. A good homily, ultimately, is subject to God’s grace.

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.

Exercise your stewardship TEWARDSHIP. What a profound the community within which they SWhere word! What does it mean? reside, indeed the society within does it apply and to whom? which all individuals live! In our current selfish society, I doubt this word would ever enter the arena of debate, particularly in Southern Africa; and yet it is here where the defining origins of the word might be found. Ubuntu is an extraordinary African social philosophy that South Africa had but which appears to have been lost. This is a humanistic worldview which describes the individual as the sum of those around them, of

Head misleading

HE headline “German Church defends ‘no tax, no funeral’ “ (October 3) puts the Church in a bad, and even unjust, light. The context of the article states clearly that this refers to the very people who no longer want to be known as members of the Catholic Church, and have renounced their membership. It is precisely the renouncing of the faith that can no longer allow the Church to administer the sacraments to them. Mark 8:38 says: “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” Maria Kolbeck, Johannesburg

False ecumenism

HANK you, Franko Sokolic, for your letter (November 7) in which you state that the false ecumenism of today must be abandoned. I believe in our Roman Catholic faith, in complete trust without logical proof in God’s love, in a master Creator who wants to unfold his love in his godly personal image, in our freedom of mind, conscience and heart. A false ecumenism is to abandon the Catholic sacramental teaching. The greatest mystery in human history was when Jesus, the Son of God, unfolded the love of God and took on a human form. Jesus Christ introduced in his lifetime the prescence of himself in the seven sacraments. What is firstly needed for all Christians, priests, religious and faithful, Catholics and nonCatholics, is acknowledging that Jesus is longing for a relationship within our sinful nature. Only then can we search for

Stewardship can be as small as caring for the individual gifts given you through the grace of God or as large as humankind’s responsibility to the finite resources provided by the Earth. But big or small, the responsibility is the same. A topical subject is the recent US election which forced candidates to lay their policies bare for public scrutiny, and so it should. It also forced the individual US further real food for our sinful natures in receiving him in his real presence in the Holy Eucharist. Christians outside the seven sacraments do not believe in that real presence of Jesus. Here we must understand that they are not divorced from the body of Christ because they belong through baptism still to the body of Christ, but refuse the sacramental teaching of the Roman Catholic Church. Fr Ludwig Brunner, Merrivale, KZN

Ways of worship

RANKO Sokolic’s letter “Essentiality of Catholicism” (November 7) states that we have a “mancentred form of worship”. The sacraments, the Catholic way of worshipping God, are the same as they have always been, except that administered in the vernacular they are more easily understood. They are not mancentred. As we are responsible for our own souls, not the Church, we should use the sacraments and ask God humbly to help us trust him. Mr Sokolic writes of “false ecumenism”. Does he think that when a non-Catholic dies, God says to him, “Oh, what bad luck! Your parents brought you up in the wrong faith. As you have been a very good Christian, according to your faith, perhaps we can squeeze you into heaven.” There is no such thing as “luck” with God. One of the main reasons for believing in God is that he is the only being who can and will Opinions 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.

citizen to exercise stewardship over their country. A government’s stewardship is wide and varied and is intended to cover all citizenry and the land which is their heritage. In particular the government is responsible to those who are most vulnerable in society—the poor, the elderly, the young, the homeless. The government is, in the ethos of ubuntu, the sum of those around them, the result of the exercising of stewardship by all eligible citizens. How well are we exercising our stewardship? Tony Sturges, Johannesburg ensure perfect justice for every single human. When I was young some people arrogantly thought that merely being a Catholic made them automatically superior Christians, irrespective of how they behaved. Vatican II moved the Church forward in a totally Christian way which makes me proud to be a Catholic. A Haylett, Howick, KZN

History repeats

ISTORY insists on repeating itself, if only in different forms. Whenever politicians take over religion, religion becomes a dangerous tool. This was true from primitive times, right through the rise and fall of empires, and clearly visible through the reign of Henry VIII, the Inquisition, the French Revolution, to modern times in various Communist set-ups. Now we are faced with Islamic forces spread widely throughout the world, forces that do not hesitate to use violence in ruthless forms while claiming to be working for their Allah. Terrorism is now widespread in the names of Allah and Mohammed the Prophet. Ever since the United Nations decided to call terrorists “freedom fighters”, these violent people have caused pain and destruction across the world. Of one thing I am certain, that neither Allah nor his prophet Mohammed approve such evil and it being justified in their names. This truth will only spread and bring peace when people learn about and accept the loving Jesus. This will only come about when Christians live their faith with love for God and all mankind, a longterm and painful process Laughable? No, desirable and necessary. R Auret, Thornville, KZN

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PERSPECTIVES

Find time to be with God T HESE days it is almost unheard of to have spare time on our hands. Time is a luxury. Almost everyone I meet complains about being too busy and not having time for “other” things. It seems as though family duties, work responsibilities and church life take up all of our time. When I complained to an old lady once that I was so busy and that there is always something I have to do, she replied: “At least you can’t complain that you have nothing to do.” Although, at face value, this seems to say that being busy is better than having nothing to do, it is not always the case. Being too busy can rob us of a spiritual life. Because for a spiritual life we need solitude, and solitude begins with a time and place for God, and God alone. Being busy is the story of our lives. It is the story of the world. The world is full of busyness. As Christians, we are called to live in the world without being of the world. On a daily basis we are in the market place, in the factories, in the corporations and institutions where we work. After a day’s work we are involved in other associations and organisations such as sports clubs, community groups, church groups. Many times we just get home, grab something to eat, watch 7de Laan and off we go again. Or we have to attend to an elderly parent, or sit with little ones, feed them, help them with homework, get them to bed, then only prepare ourselves again for the next day’s work. Many people fall asleep in their armchairs while watching television.

Besides our own duties, there is always someone’s birthday we want to attend or we go to a wake service or visit someone in hospital. Saturday mornings we get time to do things around the house, go to the shops, attend funerals, take children to school events, visit with friends. And on Sunday we go to Mass, come back and have lunch, have a nap, get up and prepare for Monday morning. This is just how our weeks fly by. When will we have time to be alone, to be in solitude, to be with God and God alone? I recently spoke to a woman who went on a pilgrimage to Lourdes. She told me that although she was with a group of pilgrims, what she most enjoyed was the time she could spend on her own in a beautiful shrine. She told me it felt to her like she was alone with God and very close to God.

People form a “human clock” in Bethlehem, West Bank. In her article, Judith Turner urges us to find time to be alone with God.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen, America’s first TV priest, in preaching mode. (Photo: CNS) ing prayerfully with the location and creation of ideas and material for speech. He would always prepare in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, speaking out aloud from memory. Noonan relates that Sheen even practiced by addressing telephone poles and trees as he walked along at 5am to the orphanage where he was chaplain. Under the heading of Organisation, Sherwood explains, Sheen would consider “the structure and flow of argumentation, his unity of thought and interwoven arguments enabled his hearers or viewers to easily follow and assimilate his thought”. “His careful use of vivid figures of speech enabled him to connect with his hearers […] His Style, his ‘flare’was ‘keyed to the ear’, as he captured the imagination of the hearer.” On Delivery, one contemporary of Sheen remarked that his unique way of speaking was “very nearly poetry”. Regarding Memory, Sheen believed

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It is for this reason that it is important for us to create time and space—for us to be alone with God, because we are alone. You and I and all people are alone. I am unique; no one else feels and experiences the world the way I do: I am alone. It is precisely where we are most alone, most unique, most ourselves, that God is closest to us. That is where we experience God as the divine, loving Father who knows us better than we know ourselves. Time is time. There will always be 24 hours in a day and seven days in a week. We do not always have the opportunity to go on a pilgrimage to a holy place. So it is up to us to create time for solitude within our busy schedules. And although solitude is necessary, it is also a difficult discipline. We might have a deep desire to be alone, but we can also experience a certain uneasiness as soon as we enter our place of solitude. As soon as we have nothing to do, nobody to talk to, no books to read or TV to watch, we are confronted with what goes on inside of us. It is difficult for us to shut out our worries, our fears and anxieties, our unresolved conflicts or our angry feelings. And then we want to get back to our busyness. But we have to start somewhere. Even if we can only manage five or ten minutes at a time. This five or ten minutes will grow into 30 minutes or an hour. As the Gospel says: “Go to your private room and pray to your Father who is in that secret place” (Mt 6:6).

Point of Preaching

Tony Wyllie & Co.

On Faith and Life

Margaret Mollett

The ‘Microphone of God’ HE 20th century brought forth Fulton Sheen (1895-1979), a priest and later archbishop, who for a period of 30 years reached an audience of an estimated 30 million Americans in his programmes, on radio, The Catholic Hour, and on prime-time television, Life is Worth Living. His philosophy was: “If you want people to stay as they are, tell them what they want to hear. If you want to improve them, tell them what they should know.” It put no one off, it seems. In the 21st century, thanks to advances in technology, those who missed out can listen to and view Sheen’s deliveries on MP3 libraries and videos on the Internet. Archbishop Sheen, hailed as the first Catholic TV evangelist and often referred to as “the microphone of God”, distinguished between teaching and preaching. The first was directed to an audience from many perspectives not necessarily having faith, the second to believers who more or less shared a common level of faith. Borders, however, were crossed when on one Good Friday Sheen delivered his homily, “The Seven Last Words”, in St Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. Because thousands were left outside, the homily was broadcast via loudspeaker. Even traffic in Fifth Avenue stopped to accommodate the throngs. In his biography of Archbishop Sheen, Rev Timothy Sherwood looks closely at what made him such a popular and respected preacher. He notes that Sheen based himself on “pulpit, audience and truth”, a variation of Aristotle and Cicero’s message, speaker and audience formulation. From this flows Invention, Organisation, Style, Delivery and Memory (components of Logos). Sheen would start with Invention, deal-

Judith Turner

“you should never preach from a manuscript, but rather know your material inside and out so that you could preach extemporaneously”. In saying this he became an exception to Cardinal Fénélon’s rule that the preacher must always have “book in hand”. Sheen himself summarised his Delivery: “Talk naturally, plead vehemently, whisper confidentially, appeal plaintively, proclaim distinctly, and pray continually.” The preaching of Sheen, like that of Chrysostom, Augustine, Fénelon and Newman—all of whom have featured in this series—raises the bar for preachers; the higher the bar, the greater the motivation, and greater still the challenges, the most demanding being intense homily/sermon preparation—in exegesis, contemplation and attention to communicative skills, while preserving individuality. Skills are sometimes seen as being of secondary importance. Our five preachers would be the first to highlight divine inspiration and grace, yet so passionate were they about connecting with their listeners and carrying them through to the conclusion that they would not overlook the smallest practical detail to ensure this. The short profiles in this series do not answer all our questions about the preachers selected, but arouse our interest in further exploration, also of the many other exemplary preachers not mentioned—those today and down the ages. But why leave out St Paul and St Peter and, of course, the master preacher Jesus Christ? I leave these profiles for another telling.

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The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2012

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Pray with the Pope

Welcome the stranger General Intention: That migrants throughout the world may be welcomed with generosity and authentic love, especially by Christian communities HE Zimbabwean bishops recently wrote a pastoral letter to Zimbabweans in economic and political exile. They addressed the Zimbabwean “diaspora” scattered throughout the world, the majority of which lives in South Africa. This moving document expresses the bishops’ concern for those who have left their homes in an often desperate and dangerous search for some way of supporting their struggling families. The bishops express their understanding of why they have left but they also hope that one day they will be able to return. To get into South Africa many Zimbabwean migrants risk crossing the border illegally by wading through the crocodile-infested Limpopo River. Once across, their problems have only just begun. They then have to run the gauntlet of some of the more ruthless of South Africa’s criminals lying in wait to rape, rob and even kill them. Even if they manage to find a job and somewhere to stay, the migrants’ troubles are not necessarily at an end. There have been sporadic outbreaks of xenophobic violence against amakwerekwere (a derogatory term for African foreigners) over the past few years and they have been attacked and killed, being regarded as competitors for scarce employment. We pray for refugees and economic migrants and for the organisations who serve them. We pray for policy-makers in host countries and for the governments of countries which cause their citizens to emigrate. We remember the Lord’s word: “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

The face of Christ Missionary Intention: That Christ may reveal himself to all humanity with the light that shines forth from Bethlehem and is reflected in the face of his Church.

S it true that the light of Christ is reflected in the face of his Church at a time when the institutional Church is beset by scandals? It is certainly demoralising trying to give witness to people grown cynical of institutions in general and the institutional Church in particular. We, the People of God, are always a Church of sinners, of course, but we believe and hope that God works through it and us. We have to recall the Lord’s promise that what is impossible for sinful humanity remains possible for God. There will be no finding of faith unless the seeker finds Christ. Indeed, without faith in a divine person, faith in an institution makes little sense. The document on the recent synod on New Evangelisation opens with a meditation on the human encounter between Jesus and the woman at the well. In the same way that the Lord sat down beside the woman at the well, the document says that “the Church…sits beside today’s men and women”. To sit beside someone is to position oneself on their level. It is the body-language of dialogue, and the Gospel account relates that a dialogue is precisely what took place between Jesus and the woman. Finally, faith in Jesus Christ has to be lived out in a community. This community we call the Church, understood as the gathering of a very imperfect People of God in prayer and the love of Christ. The fact is that a churchless Christianity is a contradiction in terms. Therefore the Church, with all her shortcomings (to which we all contribute) is both the instrument of the proclamation and that to which the proclamation points.

•

The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2012

COMMUNITY

The Catholic Women’s League of Our Lady Queen of Peace in Margate, Umzimkulu diocese, celebrated the church’s 50th anniversary. The members are pictured with parish priest Fr Andrzej Pierzynski (front centre).

Children at St Benedict’s cathedral in Eshowe received First Holy Communion. They are pictured with vicar-general Fr David Mthiyane (back row, third from left).

The rosary group of St Boniface parish in Knysna, Oudtshoorn diocese, celebrated their 25th anniversary with a thanksgiving Mass conducted by Bishop Frank de Gouveia (not pictured). “Soldiers” of Christ the King parish in Mount Ayliff, Kokstad, are mentored by Fr Melese Tumato Shulla MCCJ (not pictured).

Send your photos to pics@scross.co.za

Youth from Sacred Heart parish in Mangethe, Eshowe, were confirmed by Bishop Xolelo Thaddeus Kumalo (back centre).

Youth and adults of Sacred Heart parish in Mahobe, Umzimkulu, received their First Holy Communion. They are pictured with their parish priest Fr Protas Mkhize (back centre).

FAITH

The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2012

Christ the King, the supreme ruler As we enter the last Sunday of the liturgical year, the Church celebrates the feast of Christ the King. FR EVANS CHAMA M.Afr reflects on the significance and history of this solemnity.

HE Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe. This is a grandiose claim, but it risks remaining just the name of the feast if it does not touch the way we live. Perhaps it is good to refresh ourselves on the context surrounding the institution of the feast of Christ the King—this year on November 25—to appreciate better its relevance for us today. Christ is King takes me back to the cry of Israel: “We need a king, give us a king” (I Samuel 8:5). Whatever biblical scholars may tell us about this attitude of Israel—and here we mean the ancient tribes, not the modern nation—and whatever sympathy one may have for Samuel who feels rejected by this demand, I feel that as individuals and society, we too need to recognise our vulnerability and thus be ready to cry for help: We need a king. One reaction to this call would be to ask: why does Israel want to be like other nations? She is not just like any other nation, she is a nation of the chosen people. However, we should not miss in this cry the truthfulness of Israel. She faces her fears vis-à-vis the surrounding tribes that are more pow-

erful and better organised. She feels a permanent king will ensure better security and organisation of the nation. In some way, is our society today not lacking a king? Is our society truthful enough to admit its insecurity? Courageous enough to call out for help, for a king around whom it will organise its life? Our society is making many rapid steps of progress, especially in science and technology, thereby making possible a high quality of material life for greater numbers of people than ever before. We want to study, excel in our career, make money, have a family. We can decide not only how many children we want, but with modern genetics also determine their sex, and soon even their looks and aptitude. Then we can talk about gadgets for this and that—everyone seems in a hurry to have one. But we are bombarded with technology so rapidly that just as one buys the latest gadget, there is already another latest model on the market. In the end, we get caught in this frenetic, endless cycle. We lack something stable to hang on to, something around which to build our lives. This is how we can be deceived by our accomplishment without realising how we are being weakened inside by this slavish pursuit of material things. We can be blinded by external grandiosity that we may hardly recognise our own vulnerability. It is a process that is dehumanising as we become toys in the hands of

material progress. However, with only a little scratch, we may discover, to our dismay, how beneath all the external greatness there is a deep-seated insecurity that cries: “We need a king”.

eading the history of the solemnity of Christ the King, we may appreciate a similar phenomenon. Pope Pius XI observed the European nations under the custody of dictators, such as Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, who claimed the supremacy of secularism over Christ. The violence perpetuated by those who wanted to affirm their authority and nations in their craving for supremacy caused misery to many millions of people. In his encyclical letter Quas Primas— issued in 1925, before the advent of Hitler and Stalin—the pope

remarked that as long as individuals and states refused to submit to the rule of Christ, there would be no real hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations. Fourteen years later World War II broke out. In the same encyclical the pope promulgated the institution of the feast of Christ the King, to be celebrated on the last Sunday of October, before All Saints. Although the Church had always celebrated the lordship of Christ at Epiphany, Easter and Ascension Day, Pius XI instituted the feast to emphasise spiritual teaching for a society invaded by atheism and secularism, in asserting the supreme authority of Christ by reminding Christians that their primary allegiance was to Christ and not earthly powers. Individuals, families and states are all under the dominion of Christ, Pius wrote. “In him is the

salvation of the individual, in him is the salvation of society.” So in the hymn Te saeculorum Principem we sing: “May the rulers of the world publicly honour and extol You; “May teachers and judges reverence You, “May the laws express Your order and the arts reflect Your beauty … “May kings find renown in their submission and dedication to You.” Pope Pius hoped that “once men recognise, both in private and in public life, that Christ is King, society will at last receive the great blessings of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony”. In 1969 Pope Paul VI changed the name and raised the feast to the solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe, to be celebrated on the last Sunday of the liturgical year, the date that brings out the faith that Christ is the final end to whom the entire universe tends for its fulfilment. The feast of Christ the King was instituted at the time when respect for Christ and the Church was waning—a situation that still confronts us today, though not so much by allegiance to earthly rulers as to material self-sufficiency. Perhaps the solemnity of our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, is just a reminder for all of us to recognise our deficiencies and therefore acknowledge Jesus the Lord as that permanent Rock and King on whom we should build our lives as individuals and as society.

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The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2012

CHURCH

And so Hope&Joy comes to an end... BY RAYMOND PERRIER

HE Hope&Joy network started 18 months ago to help the Church in Southern Africa prepare for the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, which we observed in October as Pope Benedict launched the Year of Faith. Now that the Year of Faith has begun, Hope&Joy’s main work is over and many dioceses are now pursuing particular renewal programmes, especially with Small Christian Communities. Hope&Joy happened and succeeded because of the tireless efforts of a whole range of Catholic organisations—not least this newspaper—working together under a common logo (see right) and a shared commitment

to deepening understanding of the faith. As convenor of the network and director of the Jesuit Institute, I want to pay tribute to the hard work and creative ideas of so many people and parishes who made this happen, and to

the cardinal and the many bishops who gave it their support. The bishop who oversees the work of evangelisation, Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria, celebrated Mass with members of the Hope&Joy network at St Augustine’s in Johannesburg this month to give thanks for all that has been achieved. So since this is the “end of term”—and many people around the country are doing exams or have just completed them—we offer you a multiple choice test, with the tongue firmly in cheek: a chance for you to recall some of the highlights of Hope&Joy and to see how much of the teaching of Vatican II you now know. As they say in Latin: Bonus Fortuna!

The BIG Hope&Joy Quiz 1. The Second Vatican Council lasted for: a. 2 years from 1869-70 b. 1 month in 1962 c. 4 years on and off from 1962 to 1965 d. 10 years from 1962 to 1972 2. Pope Benedict was present at the Second Vatican Council as: a. Pope b. Head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith c. Representative of the Anglican Church d. Theological advisor to the bishop of Cologne 3. Hope&Joy has been sending out SMSs with extracts from Vatican II documents. Since the beginning the number of SMS ssent has been a. 10,000 b. ¼ million c. ½ million d. ¾ million 4. The Redemptorist weekly bulletin has contained useful 500-word summaries of Vatican II themes and documents. If you missed them you can: a. Look at the back of the church to see if there are any old ones lying around b. Read the whole set on the website www.hopeandjoy.org.za c. Miss out on the teaching they contained d. Wait another 50 years

5. The name Hope&Joy is taken from the Latin name of the Vatican II document called a. Gaudium et Spes—the pastoral Constitution on the Church in the modern world b. Christus Domini—the decree concerning the pastoral office of bishops c. Dei Verbum—the dogmatic constitution on Divine Revelation d. Lumen Gentium—the dogmatic constitution on the Church 6. The year-long series of articles in The Southern Cross exploring how the Church in South Africa is a source of hope and joy to our society was written by a. Günther Simmermacher & Raymond Perrier b. Jacob Zuma & Helen Zille c. Claire Mathieson & Fr Anthony Egan SJ d. Lots of different writers 7. In Vatican II documents lay people are described as a. The People of God b. The Priesthood of the Faithful c. Leaven in the Dough d. All of the above (and more) 8. According to the Vatican II document Nostra Aetate, other faiths a. Reflect a ray of the Truth that enlightens all people

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Some of the Hope&Joy material which was printed by the Mariannhill Missionary Press, who also designed the distinctive Hope&Joy logo. The logo depicted two hands, clapping in joy and peace, symbolising cooperation. The dove symbolises hope, freedom, peace and, of course, the Holy Spirit. The colours have meaning as well: gold is the liturgical colour of light, a symbol of the presence of God; green is the liturgical colour of new life and hope, and rose is the liturgical colour of joy. (Photo: Mariannhill Mission Press)

b. Have nothing to recommend them and should be wiped out c. Are virtually interchangeable d. Should just be ignored 9. 2012-13 has been declared by Pope Benedict to be a Year of Faith. The last Year of Faith was called by a. Pope Pius XII in 1954 to celebrate Mary b. Pope John XXIII in 1961 to prepare for the beginning of the Council c. Pope Paul VI in 1967 just after the end of the Council d. Pope John Paul II in 2000 to mark the Millennium 10. According to the Vatican II document on ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio a. Protestants are to blame for the lack of unity in the Church b. Catholics are to blame for the lack of unity in the Church c. Catholics and Protestants are to blame for the lack of unity in the Church d. Jews are to blame for the lack of unity in the Church 11. Inter Mirifica, the Vatican II document on the means of social communication encourages Catholics to a. Have as little to do with modern media as possible b. Accept everything they read in the media without question c. Use the media that were available 50 years ago to spread the word of God d. Use both media that existed 50 years ago and those that were not even thought of then to spread the word of God 12. The Vatican II document Lumen Gentium contains a chapter about Mary. In it she is described as a. Just another human being b. Above the Church and outside of it c. The pre-eminent member of the Church and the example we should follow d. A figure made up by early Christian writers 13. The parish of Christ the King in Evander/Secunda has developed lots of ways to bring Hope&Joy alive to the community. The parish is in the diocese of a. Dundee b. Witbank c. Ingwavuma d. Kimberley 14. Before the Second Vatican Council, Mass was generally celebrated a. With the priest facing the people b. With full and active participation by the congregation c. In the local language of the area d. None of the above 15. The decrees of a Church Council can be overturned by

a. Only another Church Council b. A later pope c. A group of cardinals in Rome d. A regional conference of bishops 16. Hope&Joy happened because of a. A large group of full-time workers focusing just on this b. One person with a computer and a fertile mind c. A group of people in Europe telling South Africans what to do d. People from across a wide range of organisations fitting in with all the other great work they do 17. Features about Hope&Joy and Vatican II have appeared in a. Radio Veritas b. Trefoil and Worldwide magazines c. The Southern Cross and diocesan papers d. All of the above and more 18. Materials on the website www.hope andjoy.org.za are a. Available only to people who pay for them b. Available only to priests and religious c. Available to anyone who wants to download them for free d. No longer available 19. Examples of Hope&Joy initiatives have included a. A downloadable Stations of the Cross you can pray on your smartphone b. A film festival looking at the hidden theological themes in famous films c. An all-night vigil on a hillside in Zululand d. All of the above and more 20. Pope John XXIII in calling the Council wanted to open the windows of the Church so that a. We could look out b. The World could look in c. We could look at and the World could look in d. The flies could come in 21. The following words were said by whom: “May this greeting rise as a new spark of divine love in our hearts to produce in the Church and in the world a renewal of thoughts, activities, conduct, moral force and hope and joy which was the very scope of the Council.” a. Archbishop William Slattery at the Hope&Joy Festival b. Pope Paul VI in closing the Council c. Pope Benedict in announcing the Year of Faith d. The head of the Catholic Women’s League in launching the Hope&Joy cards

ANSWERS: 1. C; 2. D; 3. D; 4. B; 5. A; 6. C; 7. D; 8. A; 9. C; 10. C; 11. D; 12. C; 13. A; 14. D; 15. A; 16. D; 17. D; 18. D; 19. D; 20. C; 21. B

How did you do? 16-21: You are full of Hope&Joy. You are a child of Vatican II and ready to share your faith with others in the months to come. 11-15: You are filling up with Hope&Joy. Perhaps a bit blurry at the edges but doing well. 6-10: You have some Hope&Joy but perhaps you are more Vatican 1½ than Vatican II. 0-5: Where have you been for the past 18 months? What hopeless and joyless place? The Year of Faith now gives you a chance to start again in deepening your faith.

The Southern Cross, November 21 to November 27, 2012

Catherine Mantsabeng Mdhluli

ATHERINE Mantsabeng Mdhluli (née Masuku), a long-time parishioner of St Pius X church in Mofolo, Soweto, and mother of Fr Anthony Mdhluli CP of Pretoria, died on October 28 at the age of 86. Born on March 26, 1926 in Lydenburg-Mashishing, in what is now the diocese of Witbank, she was married to the late William Mdhluli, with whom she had eight children. Mrs Mdhluli was a devoted member of the Sacred Heart Sodality. The sodality unites the

members of the People of God who wish to honour the love and compassion of the Heart of

Word of the Week

AGGIORNAMENTO: Italian word meaning “bringing up to date” or modernising. It was one of the key words used by bishops and clergy at Vatican II and in that context means a spirit of change and open-mindedness. Pope Benedict has said that aggiornamento is the process of renewing tradition, not breaking with it. VATICANOLOGIST; VATICANIST: Journalists, academics and commentators whose area of expertise is studying and understanding the manner by which the Holy See and the Catholic Church operates.

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 525. ACROSS: 3 Tide, 9 Lettered, 10 Ember, 11 Scarlet fever, 13 Piping, 15 Prayer, 17 Concelebrant, 20 To err, 21 Bottler, 22 With sash, 23 Shun. DOWN: 1 Transept, 2 Drama, 4 Estate, 5 The reprobate, 6 Robbery, 7 Dire, 8 Calling cards, 12 Brethren, 14 Protect, 16 Alibis, 18 Allah, 19 Stow.

Little Eden Christmas Concert Elvira Rota village (Bapsfontein), Saturday 24 November, Holy Family Chapel ERv. Tel 011 609 7246, info@littleeden.org.za

MONK?

YES! If you are seeking God …And you desire to live a life of prayer and personal transformation …And you are able to live the common life… Perhaps you have the vocation to do so as a Benedictine Monk

For more information contact:

The Abbot Inkamana Abbey P/Bag X9333 Vryheid 3100

The Prior Benedictine Abbey Subiaco PO Box 2189 Pietersburg 0700

Jesus in a special way through a life of worship and service. Members are called to develop a deep personal relationship with the loving Christ, and to take Christ’s love and concern to all people, especially those in need, the poor and the oppressed. She is survived by four sons, a daughter, 12 grandchildren and three great grandchildren. She was laid to rest in Avalon cemetery after the requiem Mass at St Pius X on the Commemoration of All Souls. Mathibela Sebothoma

Liturgical Calendar Year B Weekdays Year 2

Sunday, November 25, Christ the King Daniel 7:13-14, Psalm 93:1-2, 5, Revelation 1:5-8, John 18:33-37 Monday, November 26, St Leonard of Port Maurice Revelation 14:1-5, Psalm 24:1-6, Luke 21:1-4 Tuesday, November 27, St Francis Anthony Fasani Revelation 14:14-19, Psalm 96:1013, Luke 21:5-11 Wednesday, November 28, St James of the Marsh Revelation 15:1-4, Psalm 98:1-3, 7-9, Luke 21:12-19 Thursday, November 29 Revelation 18:1-2, 21-23; 19:1-3, 9, Psalm 100:1-5, Luke 21:20-28 Friday, November 30, St Andrew Romans 10:9-18, Psalm 19:8-11, Matthew 4:18-22 Saturday, December 1, Bl Clementine Anuarite Revelation 22:1-7, Psalm 95:1-7, Luke 21:34-36 Sunday, December 2, First Sunday of Advent Jeremiah 33:14-16, Psalm 25:4-5, 8-10, 14, 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 4:2, Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

The St Anne’s Sodality of Southern Africa in the Roman Catholic Church would like to announce

their National Convention which will be held in Cape Town from the 2nd of December until the 7th of December 2012 at His People Church Hall, N1 City in Goodwood. For further details, people are invited to contact the St Annes Media Liaison

Officer, Mrs Wright, Cell 074 708 8368

MICASA TOURS

New Pilgrimages for 2013 Pilgrimage to Fatima & Lourdes 10-23 May 2013 Divine Mercy, Poland 2-15 June, 2013 Pilgrimage of Italy/St Anthony 8-21 June, 2013 Limited seats still available

Tel: 012 342 0179 / Fax: 086 676 9715 Email: info@micasatours.co.za Website: www.micasatours.co.za

CLASSIFIEDS

Births • First Communion • Confirmation • Engagement/Marriage • Wedding anniversary • Ordination jubilee • Congratulations • Deaths • In memoriam • Thanks • Prayers • Accommodation • Holiday Accommodation • Personal • Services • Employment • Property • Others Please include payment (R1,25 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

DEATH

SOKOLIC—Margrit Mathilde. Beloved wife, mother and grandmother, died on All Souls’ Day, 2nd November 2012, aged 76 years, after 55 years of wonderful marriage. Mourned by her husband Franko, her ten children and their families. True to her Catholic faith, she was fortified by the rites of the Holy Mother Church.

IN MEMORIAM

HEUVEL—Ninah Leigh-

AFRICA: Made in four complete sizes. Phone/Fax: 046 604 0401 for details and brochure. NOTHING is politically right if it is morally wrong. Abortion is evil. Value life!

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 depths 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 your name known and publish this prayer. Amen. KAD.

THANKS

Anne. 22nd September 1985–17th November 2006. Our only daughter and sister to Craig and Ryan, passed on to be with her Heavenly Father on Friday 17th November 2006. “Six years after your passing-on to our Heavenly Father still seems like yesterday, your treasured memories will be with the family until we are called by the Almighty to join you in His Kingdom”. As dawn brings a new day, and twilight shadows fill the night—we think of you. You will always be remembered by Mom Doreen, Dad Bev, Brothers Craig, Ryan and Daughters–in–law, Verna and Nicki and grandson Zack. LEBONA—Aaron David. In loving memory of my husband “AD”, our father and grandfather who passed away November 24, 2003. You will always be lovingly remembered and greatly missed by your wife Evelyn (55 years altogether), children, sons and daughtersin-law and grandchildren. Thank you for the gift of your love. Always in our thoughts and prayers. Eternally rest in peace.

PERSONAL

ABORTION is murder— Silence on this issue is not golden, it’s yellow! Avoid ‘Pro-abortion’ politicians. HOUSE-SITTER/AUPAIR: Based at Benoni Parish, will travel/with references. Ph Therèse 076 206 0627. CATHOLIC male 38 years old is looking for a Catholic lady partner or companion. I’m currently in prison. Please write to: Shane Swarts, K6—Cell 6, New Prison, Private Bag X6008, Kimberley, 8300. CRUCIFIXES FOR

IN GRATEFUL thanks to Sacred Heart of Jesus, the

Immaculate Heart of Mary, St Theresa the Little Flower and baby Infant Jesus of Prague. D.

ACCOMMODATION OFFERED

CAPE TOWN: Cape Peninsula beautiful homes to buy or rent. Maggi-Mae 082 892 4502, AIDA Cape Lifestyle Homes, 021 782 9263 maggimae@aidacapelife style.co.za

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

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. HERMANUS—PLEASANT GETAWAY: Self-catering double accommodation. Comfortable, fully equipped, in tranquil church garden. Five minute walk to the Village Centre and seafront.

Pray that AFRICA may draw closer to the HEART OF CHRIST 2 Chron 7:14 Matthew 7:7-12

R350 per day—minimum two days. Phone Caryn during office hours at 028 312 2315 (Mon/Wed/Fri 09:001pm) or on Cell 082 075 0033. HOLIDAY RENTAL: Port Elizabeth, Walmer. Large family 3 bed, 2 bath home with pool and garage. Available 21 Dec to 10 Jan. Private rental approx. R800 p/d. Contact Clare 082 582 2008. 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 self-catering 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. KZN—South Coast: Selfcatering garden cottage. Sleeps 4-5. Fully equipped, incl. DStv and lockup garage. Tranquil sea view. R 200 per person, children under 12 free. Call Jenny 039 684 6475 or 082 964 2110. 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 STELLENBOSCH: Five simple private suites (2 beds, fridge, micro-wave). Countryside vineyard/forest/mountain walks; beach 20 minute drive. Affordable. Christian Brothers Tel 021 880 0242, cbcstel@ gmail.com 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.

393 4344 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.

The Southern Cross is published independently by the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company Ltd. Address: PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000. Tel: (021) 465 5007 Fax: (021) 465 3850 www.scross.co.za Editor: Günther Simmermacher (editor@scross.co.za), Business Manager: Pamela Davids (admin@scross.co.za), Advisory Editor: Michael Shackleton, News Editor: Claire Mathieson (c.mathieson@scross.co.za), Editorial: Claire Allen (c.allen@scross.co.za), Mary Leveson (m.leveson@scross.co.za) Advertising: Elizabeth Hutton (advertising@scross.co.za), Subscriptions: Avril Hanslo (subscriptions@scross.co.za), Dispatch: Joan King (dispatch@scross.co.za), Accounts: Desirée Chanquin (accounts@scross.co.za). Directors: C Moerdyk (Chairman), C Brooke, P Davids, S Duval, E Jackson, B Jordan, M Lack (UK), Sr H Makoro CPS, M Salida, G Simmermacher, Archbishop B Tlhagale OMI, Z Tom

Opinions expressed in this newspaper do not necessarily reflect those of the editor, staff or directors of The Southern Cross.

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Website: www.scross.co.za 1st Sunday of Advent: December 2nd Readings: Jeremiah 33:14-16, Psalm 25:45, 8-10, 14, 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2, Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

T is a sure sign of advancing years that you find yourself exclaiming at the return of annual landmarks, but it is a sobering fact that next week sees us starting a new liturgical year, with the first Sunday of Advent, and our three-yearly gallop through the gospel of Luke. Now “Advent”, as all readers know, means “Coming”, and we are starting to look forward to the coming of Jesus at Christmas, but we should be alert also to those constant “comings” whereby Jesus meets us in unexpected moments of our lives, as well as that final moment, which we sometimes call Jesus’ “Second Coming”. The first reading speaks of “days that are coming”; now to get the context right, we should give this reading its proper place: it emerges from that terrible moment when Jerusalem had fallen to the invading Babylonian army, when the Davidic monarchy had gone, apparently for ever, and when the Temple in Jerusalem, God’s own dwellingplace, had been appallingly razed to the ground. All God’s promises seemed to have been broken, and yet we hear Jeremiah, saying, on God’s behalf, that “I am going to fulfil

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Prepare for the advent of Christ Nicholas King SJ

Sunday Reflections

my promise...I shall raise up for David a just shoot, and he shall establish righteousness and justice in the land”. And if you find yourself saying to God, as you look about the country in which you are reading these words, that you don’t at present see too much sign of the divine promise being fulfilled, then be quite sure that things were much worse in the early years of the 6th Century BC, when Jeremiah was uttering his prophecy. The psalm for next Sunday has a useful Advent message; it expresses what the poet wants from God in terms of “teaching”, “instruction”, “paths” and “ways” (you might count the number of times these terms appear in your translation of the psalms). The idea here is that all will be well if

only we can be firm about clinging to what God is asking of us; but there is a certain respectful note of urgency in the poem: “I have waited all the day long.” He is certain, though, that all will be well: “All the Lord’s paths are steadfast love and integrity.” There is a calm optimism here that we shall do well to imitate in the run-up to Christmas. In the second reading for this beginning of Advent, Paul has views on how the Christians in Thessalonica are to prepare for Jesus’ second coming; and his basic position is that the Lord, and not the Thessalonians, is to be in complete charge: “May the Lord fill you, and make you overflow in love for each other and for all.” In addition, though, a change has to take place in them: “To make your hearts firm, irreproachable in holiness before our God and Father.” Their task is to “walk and please God, as you received from us”, and it all comes back to Jesus: “You know”, he says (rather menacingly), “what precepts we gave you through the Lord Jesus”. But that living by the precepts of Jesus is the secret of living through a difficult time.

Sexuality: Its power and purpose W E are all powerfully, incurably, and wonderfully sexed; this is part of a conspiracy between God and nature. Sexuality lies right next to our instinct for breathing and it is everpresent in our lives. Spiritual literature tends to be naïve and in denial about the power of sexuality, as if it could be dismissed as some insignificant factor in the spiritual journey, and as if it could be dismissed at all. It cannot be. It will always make itself felt, consciously or unconsciously. Nature is almost cruel in this regard, particularly to the young. It fills youthful bodies with powerful hormones before those persons have the emotional and intellectual maturity to properly understand and creatively channel that energy. Nature’s cruelty, or anomaly, is that it gives someone an adult body before that same person is adult in his or her emotions and intellect. There are a lot of physical and moral dangers in a still-developing child walking around in a fully adult body. Further, today this is being exacerbated by the fact that we are reaching puberty at an ever-younger age and are marrying at an ever-later one. This makes for a situation, almost the norm in many cultures, where a young girl or boy reaches puberty at age 11 or 12 and will get married only about 20 years later. This begs the obvious question: How is his or her sexuality to be emotionally and

www.birthright.co.za

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

morally contained during all those years? Where does that leave him or her in the struggle to remain faithful to the commandments? Admittedly, nature seems almost cruel here, but it has its own angle. Its dominant concern is to get each of us into the gene pool and all those powerful hormones it begins pouring into our bodies at adolescence and all those myriad ways in which it heats up our emotions have the same intent, it wants us to be fruitful and multiply, to perpetuate ourselves and our own species. And nature is uncompromising here: At every level of our being (physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual) there is a pressure, a sexual one, to get us into the gene pool. So when you next see a young man or woman strutting his or her sexuality, be both sympathetic and understanding; you were once there, and nature is just trying to get him or her into the gene pool. Such are its ways and such are its propensities, and God is in on the conspiracy. Of course, getting into the gene pool means much more than physically having children, though that deep, deep impera-

…and what

about the

Faith of our

Mothers?

tive is written everywhere inside us that may be ignored only in the face of some major psychological and moral risks. There are other ways of having children, though nature all on its own does not easily accept that. It wants children in the flesh. But the full bloom of sexuality, generative living, takes on other life-giving forms. We have all heard the slogan: Have a child. Plant a tree. Write a book. There are different ways to get into the gene pool and all of us know persons who, while not having children of their own and neither writing a book nor planting a tree, are wonderfully generative women and men. Indeed the religious vow of celibacy is predicated on that truth. Sexuality also has a powerful spiritual dimension. But, with that being admitted, we may never be naïve to its sheer, blind power. Dealing with the brute and unrelenting power of our sexuality lies at the root of many of our deepest psychological and moral struggles. This takes on many guises, but the pressure always has the same intent: Nature and God keep an unrelenting pressure on us to get into the gene pool, that is, to always open our lives to something bigger than ourselves and to always remain cognisant of the fact that intimacy with others, the cosmos, and God is our real goal. It is no great surprise that our sexuality is so grandiose that it would have us want to make love to the whole world. Isn’t that our real goal? Also, sexuality wreaks havoc with many people’s church lives. It is no secret that today one of the major reasons why many young people, and indeed people of all ages, are no longer going regularly to their churches has to do, in one way or the other, with their struggles with sexuality and their perception of how their churches view their situation. My point here is not that we and the churches should change the commandments regarding sex, but that we should do a couple of things. First, we should more realistically acknowledge its brute power in our lives and integrate sexual complexity more honestly into our spiritualities. Second, we should be far more empathic and pastorally sensitive to the issues that beset people because of their sexuality. Sexuality is a sacred fire. It takes it origins in God and is everywhere, powerfully present inside creation. Denial is not our friend here.

The g ospel for next Sunday is likewise aware that things may be alarming, but reminds us that we have to keep a steady nerve: “There will be signs in the sun and the moon and the stars, and on earth a confusion of nations, with distress from the roaring of the sea and the ocean, people expiring from fear and expectation about what is coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken”. Then, just as our knees are knocking with fear, there is a hint of relief: “They shall see the Son of Man, coming on a cloud and with much glory.” And instead of diving for cover, we are supposed to take courage: “Stand erect; lift up your heads, for your redemption is drawing near.” As with the Thessalonians, however, there is a certain basic level of behaviour that is expected: “Hangovers, drunkenness and mundane worries” are ruled out, “otherwise that day may suddenly come upon you like a trap.” We are to “pray that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man”. Preparing for Christ’s coming, at Christmas or whenever it might be, is not something that we are encouraged to take lightly.

Southern Crossword #525

ACROSS

1. Diet changes for liturgical season (4) 3. Educated like a postman? (8) 9. Unyielding when insect follows the first man (7) 10. Glowing coal at the end of this month (5) 11. Sickness befitting a cardinal? (7,5) 13. Playing a tune with the windbag (6) 15. Request you address to God (6) 17. Priest who’s one of a group at the altar (12) 20. Doing so is human, not divine (2,3) 21. He fills the container with Mass wine (7) 22. This wash shows how the bishop may present himself (4,4) 23. Avoid (4)

DOWN

1. Patterns for part of the church (8) 2. Theatrical entertainment (5) 4. Landed property (6) 5. Pete, a brother, could become outcast (3,9) 6. This may have been the crime of the crucified thieves (7) 7. Ride around what is dreadful (4) 8. Does God leave them when visiting, to offer you a vocation? (7,5) 12. More than one of the brothers (8) 14. Shield from harm (7) 16. Excuses that you were not there (6) 18. A hall for God in Mecca (5) 19. Put away in store (4) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

HEN a young missionary brother in the heart of KwaZulu-Natal complained to his superior that it was hellish going to confession at the local mission because of the priest’s love of garlic, his superior advised him to have a good meal of raw onions before his next visit and give a “blow by blow” account of his sins. Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.