The Southern Cross - 121226 by The Southern Cross

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December 26, 2012 to January 1, 2013

Where we find Mary in the Old Testament

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R6,00 (incl VAT RSA)

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 4806

Time to rebuild Africa, our continent

Jaffa: Where a dream changed the world

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Page 10

SA Church: Pray for Sudanese refugees BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

Mary and the infant Jesus are depicted in the painting “The Holy Mother & Child” by Stephen B Whatley, an expressionist artist based in London. January 1 marks the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. (Stephen B Whatley/CNS)

Pope: In social media age, values education is crucial BY CINDY WOODEN

ITH young people increasingly absorbed in online social networks and anxious for ways to make a living amid the global economic crisis, parents and governments have an ever greater obligation to educate the young in proper values, Pope Benedict has said. “Examining the many challenges of our day, education occupies a prominent place,” Pope Benedict told new ambassadors to the Holy See. The pope said the countries’ people and cultures are filled with human values that are important to the future of their societies, but which risk being totally ignored in an age marked by global communications and the new culture they are forming. Changing lifestyles and changing ways of obtaining information and gaining knowledge have created “unprecedented human, cultural, social and spiritual ruptures,” he said. “Social networks, another novelty, tend to take the place of natural social spaces and communications, often becoming the sole source of information

and knowledge.” True education, to which each child in the world has a right, is not simply a matter of transferring information and technical knowledge; education worthy of the name helps form a human person capable of thinking, judging right from wrong and acting on it, the pope said. Without human formation, young people, “worried about their future, are tempted by what takes the least effort, the minimum necessary, and by easy success, sometimes using improperly the possibilities offered by modern technology”, he said. “It is necessary to educate in truth and about truth,” he said. “Nowadays proclaiming truth has become suspect, wanting to live in truth seems outdated and promoting truth seems to be a futile effort, yet the future of humanity is at stake.” For the good of individuals and the future of their countries, Pope Benedict said, parents and other educators must recover an awareness of how important it is to teach the young the value of hard work, perseverance in difficulty and taking responsibility for their actions.—CNS

HRISTIANS and others in Sudan are facing persecution from a regime that is reacting to the secession of its southern region, South African Catholic leaders have said. “With the secession of Southern Sudan [in 2011], Sudan has been hurt, shamed and humiliated to the point they are hitting back—and people from South Sudan living in Sudan are the main targets. South Sudanese living in Sudan have gone from being citizens to foreigners, to refugees, to virtual prisoners.” The grim picture was painted by Fr Seán O'Leary of the Denis Hurley Peace Institute (DHPI) following a visit to Sudan with Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town, second vice-president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC). The archbishop called the trip a “solidarity visit”. Soon after the internationally-brokered partition, “South Sudanese living in Sudan began to feel threatened and wanted to move back south. The move has had a huge impact on the Church as 50% of the Catholics in Sudan have moved in the past 18 months,” Archbishop Brislin said. It would have been a much higher number, he added, but many are attacked by militia and prevented from returning to South Sudan. “There are now thousands of displaced people. These people sold their houses, gave up their jobs and wanted to return south, but have been prevented. They have nothing left,” Archbishop Brislin said. The majority of South Sudanese are African and Christian, mainly Catholic, while Sudan is predominantly Arabic and Muslim. The many refugees are being accommodated in camps without running water or toilets. The archbishop spoke of one of the smaller camps which accommodates 3 500 displaced people. “There are five camps being looked after by one parish. The people depend on the goodness of their neighbours, who are predominantly Muslim. There is great compassion, but there is also a great threat to the health of these people.” Recalling his visit to the camp, Archbishop Brislin said the people spoke of living with a hopelessness of ever getting home to the south, fearing that if they try to go, they will be killed on the road.

he archbishop said even if the South Sudanese were able to get to South Sudan, currently they would not be allowed to return to Sudan. “There is still only one bishops’ conference between the two countries, but the bishops are unable to meet because of access restrictions. Most of the bishops in Sudan are actually South Sudanese, but they cannot leave Sudan even if only for a visit as they won’t be able to return,” Archbishop Brislin told The Southern Cross. Fr O’Leary noted: “Many South Sudanese in Sudan are living is appalling conditions in transit camps, waiting to go home. However, the roads are no longer safe and they are afraid to go.” The DHPI is lobbying at all levels for a voluntary repatriation policy which would assure the security of South Sudanese. “All it would take is a bit of goodwill from

Refugees arrive at a camp in South Sudan. Many other South Sudanese are stuck in camps in Sudan with little hope of getting home. (Photo: Margaret Aguirre, International Medical Corps) the Khartoum government to arrange transport and protection. The South Sudanese want to go home and the Khartoum government wants them to go, so it ought to be easy to arrange that.” Archbishop Brislin also feels a compromise could be made. “There’s a lot of tension in the two countries. Most of the oil is in the South and all the refineries are in Sudan. It could be a win-win situation, but the politicians are spiting themselves and their people.” He added that there were huge amounts of frustration in Sudan. Asked about a potential uprising, he said that “really anything could happen”. However, Fr O’Leary said Khartoum accuses the Catholic Church in Sudan of campaigning for and encouraging the South Sudanese in Sudan to vote for independence. “Sudan is hurt, shamed and humiliated by the secession and like a wounded animal is hitting back but in a more covert than overt fashion. They declare Sudan to be a Muslim country with one language, one culture and one religion, with room for nothing else. Some argue that Sudan is on an Arabisation campaign and if you are not an Arab you are not welcome,” he said.

he DHPI estimates that about 60% of South Sudanese who lived in Sudan have left since the independence referendum in January 2011. “The number of those now living in appalling conditions in transition camps attest that many more want to go south, if it is safe to do so,” Fr O’Leary said. He predicted that the South Sudanese clergy will eventually be squeezed out of Sudan. All South Sudanese civil servants in Sudan lost their jobs after independence. The government is also taking over Church properties as the people from the South leave. Fr O’Leary said the DHPI intends to lobby the African Union to intervene on behalf of the South Sudanese in Sudan and “will also ask The Elders to intervene” through former Irish president Mary Robinson, a member of the group which also includes the likes of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former UN secretary-general Koffi Annan, ex-US President Jimmy Carter and Graça Machel, wife of Nelson Mandela. Fr O’Leary said Catholics in South Africa should “promote awareness around the plight of the South Sudanese in Sudan and support their wish to return home”. Archbishop Brislin said as South Africans Continued on page 3

LOCAL

The Southern Cross, December 26, 2012 to January 1, 2013

Young missionaries ordained as deacons BY HARRISON BANDA M.AFR

ISHOP Francisco Silota of Chimoio diocese in Mozambique, a member of the Society of the Missionaries of Africa, ordained three young Missionaries of Africa to the diaconate at Howick West in St Joseph’s parish. He was assisted by Bishop Jan de Groef of Bethlehem diocese. Among those present were Fr Christopher Chileshe, the provincial superior of the Missionaries of Africa’s Southern Africa area, St Joseph’s Theological Institute Rector Fr Raphael Gasimba, and the religious and academic staff of St Joseph’s, Cedara. It was a joyful cerebration as hundreds of Christians gathered from all over KwaZulu-Natal and beyond to witness this memorable event of three young missionaries committing their lives to the service of the Church and to the people of God. Ordained deacons were Afeku Pon Anthero from Uganda, Kalore Simeon Woldemichael from Ethiopia, and Amani Bulambo Dieudonne from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The first two have successfully completed their theological studies at St Joseph’s, while Deacon Dieudonne will be finishing next year. Prior to the day of deaconate

(From left) Deacon Afeku Pon Anthero, Bishop Francisco Silota, Deacon Amani Bulambo Dieudonne and Deacon Kalore Simeon Woldemichael on the occasion of the three young missionaries’ ordination to the diaconate. ordination, the three young men committed themselves to the missionary life by making their perpetual missionary oath before their provincial superior. In his homily, Bishop Silota urged the three deacons to live an exemplary life and above all be bearers of the Gospel. He encouraged them to be always in solidarity with the most vulnerable, the oppressed and marginalised while seeking paths to justice, peace and reconciliation. The bishop urged them to be receptive to the Holy Spirit so that in spite of difficulties and challenges, they may be able to find solace in St Paul’s second letter to

Timothy—“I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith”. In his vote of thanks, and speaking on behalf of the other two deacons, Deacon Anthero expressed a heartfelt gratitude to all who had taken part in their missionary vocation journey. He particularly thanked parents for having sown the seed of faith in their lives. He also expressed his gratitude to St Joseph’s staff and to all who had come to support them on this joyful occasion of their lives. Lastly, he thanked the bishop for coming all the way from Mozambique to ordain them.

New leadership elected at Mariannhill Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban with Suren Kooverjee, chairman of the Hindu Surat Association, on the occasion of Emmanuel cathedral’s taking over the Surat Building to accommodate all cathedral events and activities during the next two years during which the parish centre will be demolished and the Denis Hurley Centre erected on the same site. The Surat Building is at 137 Dr Goonam Street (formerly Prince Edward), within easy walking distance of the cathedral. Though the Surat Association had a number of potential tenants interested in using their building, the trustees decided to give first preference to the cathedral, in what is being welcomed as a fine example of interfaith cooperation. Those wanting to hire either of the two large halls and numerous classrooms are asked to phone Jean-Marie on 072 549 0338 or Kimoto on 072 821 2866. (Photo: Gcina Ndwalane, Independent Newspapers)

HE Mariannhill province of the Congregation of the Missionaries of Mariannhill has elected its new leadership. Fr Bheki Shabalala made history by becoming the first incumbent vicar-general and an administrator of the region of Mariannhill to be elected provincial superior of Mariannhill province. Prior to his election Fr Shabalala was the vicar-general of the con-

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to assist the provincial superior. In his acceptance speech, Fr Shabalala said he had never expected that he could be elected since his task was that of facilitating the smooth running of affairs in the then region of Mariannhill. “Since the confreres have spoken I will honour their wish and I will do my utmost to work and cooperate with every member, thus taking the province of Mariannhill forward,” he said.

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gregation. He had, however, been appointed early this year as administrator to run the affairs of the region of Mariannhill after the status of Mariannhill province had been temporarily changed from that of a province to a region. As part of the new leadership team at Mariannhill, the chapter elected Fr Vincent Mdabe as viceprovincial, and Fr Donatus Sibusiso Ndwalane and Mauricio Langa were elected provincial councillors

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LOCAL

The Southern Cross, December 26, 2012 to January 1, 2013

Scalabrinians reflect on 2012 BY CHARLES KASAMBI

ISSIONARIES of St Charles Borromeo, known as Scalabrinian missionaries, have celebrated the end of their vocational year as well as the 125th anniversary of their foundation as a religious congregation in the Catholic Church and are now looking to the new year. The celebration took place at Holy Cross parish in District Six, Cape Town, with a Mass concelebrated by Fr Giovanni Meneghetti;

Fr Mario Tessarotto, in charge of adult working refugees at Edmund House; Fr Roman Viveros, Portuguese chaplain and rector of the Scalabrini house of studies in Cape Town and Fr Jorge Guerra, in charge of vocations and responsible for the apostolate of the sea. The vocational year had been launched on November 28, 2011 with the theme “Stay with us Lord”. In his homily, Fr Meneghetti underlined the impact and effects of migration in today’s world as

well as the role of Scalabrinian missionaries, a congregation initially founded in 1887 to take care of Italian migrants leaving for North and South America in search of a better life. The congregation arrived in South Africa, particularly in Cape Town, in 1995 when invited by Archbishop Lawrence Henry. Scalabrinian missionaries whose charism is to work with migrants and refugees around the world are today present in 32 countries in all five continents.

In the spirit of promoting vocations, a vocational weekend, known as “Come and See” was held in November at the Scalabrini house of studies in Cape Town. It was an opportunity given to young men to deepen their knowledge of the Scalabrinian way of life. The year 2012 was also marked by the election of the congregation’s new general superior and the general council, with Fr Alessandro Gazzola given the task of leading the Scalabrinian congre-

Church restoration at Gansbaai STAFF REPORTER

HE parish of Hermanus, in the Western Cape, serves four communities, one of which is Gansbaai where the little church of St Peter the Fisherman stands. “The Gansbaai Catholic community is small in number and mainly comprises devout ageing retired folk,” said parishioner Ingrid Arbuthnot of the area, more commonly associated with ecotourism and shark cage diving. In the church grounds is an old heritage cottage that belonged to the parish. Ms Arbuthnot said the cottage was falling into disrepair but “thanks to the archdiocese of Cape Town, funds have been made available to initiate restoration work on the cottage”. The parishioner said the work being done on the cottage is the

“largest infrastructural project undertaken in the parish in recent years and should be viewed as a positive sign of a living Church particularly in this Year of Faith”. Ms Arbuthnot said once restored, the cottage is intended to become available not only to Gansbaai but also to the neighbouring communities of Blompark and Masakhane. “Both these communities can now be encouraged to attend St Peter the Fisherman and actively participate, particularly in this Year of Faith,” she said. Restoration work on the exterior is anticipated to be completed during the first quarter of 2013. Work will then be required to render the interior suitable. Fundraising continues. n For more information on how to contribute, please contact Ingrid Arbuthnot on 072 472 6178.

gation for the next six years. The document underlining the congregation’s priorities for the new general administration is expected to be published soon, marking an era of new expectations and hope, especially for Africa, as far as migration is concerned. In this spirit of celebration, and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, all Scalabrinians are united, looking forward to a bright future in their pastoral work with migrants and refugees around the world.

Mission to South Sudan

Restoration has begun on St Peter the Fisherman in Gansbaai, Western Cape. It is hoped the original fishermen’s cottage will better serve the greater community in the Year of Faith.

Continued from page 1 “we need to realise how blessed we are in South Africa without political interference. We also need to pray for the South Sudanese.” The archbishop said that prayers also need to be offered for those working on behalf of the people. “We need the people in Sudan to know that they are not a forgotten people,” he said. “We need to give hope in a place that cannot find any right now.” The South African delegation also visited the Comboni missionaries in the area. “Living conditions are poor and morale is very low among the clergy and religious,” said Fr O’Leary. “However, the Comboni were also at pains to point out that the Spirit is at work, the faith is alive.”

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The Southern Cross, December 26, 2012 to January 1, 2013

INTERNATIONAL

China revokes bishops’ appointment C

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HINA’S government-sanctioned Catholic bishops’ conference has revoked Shanghai Auxiliary Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin’s appointment, saying he violated their rules for episcopal ordinations, the Asian Catholic news agency UCA News had reported. Joseph Liu Yuanlong, a vicechair of the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, confirmed that the association and the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China had decided to revoke Bishop Ma’s approval letter as “coadjutor” bishop and dismiss him from all posts in the association and conference. They also called on the Shanghai diocese to “deal with Ma in a serious manner”. At his ordination on July 7, the Vatican-approved bishop became the first to publicly quit the patriotic association, saying he wanted to devote himself to his ministry. Since then, Bishop Ma has been in “retreat” at the Sheshan regional seminary in a Shanghai suburb. The patriotic association and the bishops’ conference—neither of which is approved by the Vatican—accused Bishop Ma of deliberately preventing an illegitimate bishop and two other participating bishops

Bishop Thaddeus Ma from laying hands on his head during his ordination and forbidding them from receiving Communion, sources said. “They also charged him with not publicly distinguishing whether he is coadjutor or auxiliary bishop, a title given by the pope,” and said his oath “was incomplete as a result of deliberate damage to the sound system”. In addition, they blamed him for the absence of many diocesan priests and nuns at the ordination and determined the declaration he made in his thanksgiving speech would have a damaging influence on others, the sources said.

nthony Lam Sui-ki, senior researcher at the Hong Kong diocese’s Holy Spirit Study Centre, said members of

the Bishops’ Conference of the Catholic Church in China risk the canonical consequences laid down in Canon 1375 of the Code of Canon Law for impeding a person from exercising ecclesiastical power or ministry. In a statement released at the Vatican, Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, said even legitimately established and Vatican-recognised bishops’ conferences “do not have the power to name or approve a bishop, to revoke his mandate or to impose sanctions on him”. The government-sanctioned bishops’ conference, which is not recognised by the Vatican, has even less power, and the decision regarding Bishop Ma “lacks any juridical value”. The only thing the decision does, Archbishop Hon said, is “create division”, adding that Bishop Ma “acted with laudatory fidelity to the Church and professed his sincere love for his country”. Archbishop Hon called on Catholics around the world to pray and join prayer services organised in their dioceses to demonstrate their solidarity “with Bishop Ma and those in China living in similar situations”.—CNS

Poll: US Catholics like new missal BY DENNIS SADOWSKI

A ALL AT THE VERY BEST PRICES!

FRANCISCAN NARDINI SISTERS I shall always strive for the one goal: For JESUS CHRIST to be my centre.

WIDE majority of Massgoers are satisfied with the new English translation of the Roman Missal introduced a year ago at Advent, a survey showed. According to results of the survey conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, Washington, 70% of Catholics responding agreed that the translation is a “good thing”. That still left three in 10 Catholics saying they disagreed with such an assessment, with 7% saying they strongly disagreed that the translations were good for the Catholic Church. Sulpician Father Anthony Pogorelc, a staff member of the Institute for Policy Research and Catholic Studies at The Catholic University of America, which commissioned the survey, said the findings were not surprising. “The [Mass] actions have not changed, the words are not as big a change to people,” he said. The institute conducted a similar survey in 2011 prior to the introduction of the new missal to establish a baseline on

how Catholics responded to the eucharistic liturgy and the results were similar then, Fr Pogorelc said. The latest survey revealed that the acceptance of the new language was higher among Catholics who attended Mass weekly or more often than those who worshipped less often. Worshippers who like the translations said the new wording inspired them to be more faithful in daily life, helped them feel closer to God and made it easier to participate in Mass.

he findings were based on responses from 1 047 selfidentified Catholic adults with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Mgr Richard Hilgartner, executive director of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ secretariat of Divine Worship, said

the survey results reflected the “positive feedback” his office had received in the year since the translations had been used. “What we’ve found...is that where catechesis was done well and preparation was done well, there’s been much more acceptance and embracing of it,” Mgr Hilgartner said. “I think now is the time to start asking questions about what people understand about the new texts. Now it’s not different and unfamiliar, but it’s starting to get a little bit comfortable on several levels.” US Catholic, a monthly magazine published by the Claretians, took a non-scientific survey of its readers, and their responses show both Catholics in the pews and clergy expressing dismay with the new wording. Two-thirds of respondents said they dislike or “don’t particularly like” the new translation. In contrast, 17% of respondents said they enjoyed the translation. In addition, 70% of US Catholic respondents disagreed that the new translation has had a positive effect on participation in the Mass and/or prayerfulness during Mass.— CNS

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HE Israeli government must be more attentive to incidents of vandalism against Christian institutions, said Auxiliary Bishop William Shomali, chancellor of the Jerusalem Latin patriarchate. In the fifth such incident this year, apparently by rightwing Israelis, vandals targeted Christian institutions, slashing the tyre of a car and writing anti-Christian graffiti on it and on the walls at the Greek Orthodox monastery of the Cross in central Jerusalem. The vandals also sprayed antiChristian graffiti on the gates of the entrance of the Armenian cemetery.

Following a meeting with representatives of the American Jewish Committee in Jerusalem, Bishop Shomali said the acts do not physically threaten the Christian community but are meant to harm them morally and psychologically. “These acts are a fact of being a minority, [but] the government has to be more attentive and try to find [the vandals’] footprints,” he said. He said the attacks also were detrimental to the government, which is meant to protect the rights of all the residents of Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the acts “revolting”.

The Monastery of the Cross has been a previous target of vandalism, as has the Catholic Latrun Monastery, west of Jerusalem, Dormition abbey on Mount Zion, and the Baptist Church in West Jerusalem. Two suspects have been arrested in connection with the vandalism at the Dormition abbey in October, which included a blasphemous insult of Jesus and his mother. “The government assured us they are doing their best to apprehend the vandals. I hope to hear soon” that they have caught them, said Bishop Shomali. “We trust the government is attentive, but in the future if this continues we will have to shout more.”—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, December 26, 2012 to January 1, 2013

British bishops: Not too late to stop ‘shambolic’ gay marriage Bill BY SIMON CALDWELL

ATHOLIC bishops in England and Wales have said they strongly oppose a bill to redefine marriage to include same-sex couples. Archbishops Vincent Nichols of Westminster and Peter Smith of Southwark—the president and vicepresident of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales—criticised moves to legalise gay marriage as “shambolic” and urged lawmak-

ers to vote against a forthcoming bill. “It is not too late to stop this bill,” they said in a statement. “The meaning of marriage matters,” the archbishops said. “The government has chosen to ignore the views of over 600 000 people who signed a petition calling for the current definition of marriage to stay, and we are told legislation to change the definition of marriage will now come to parliament. “We strongly oppose such a bill,”

they said. “Furthermore, the process by which this has happened can only be described as shambolic.” Scotland’s bishops echoed the opposition. The English archbishops argued that the government had circumvented all the normal legislative pathways. These include, they said, a failure to insert such controversial proposals in election manifestos, to announce them the latest legislative programme, and to hold up the legislation to public scrutiny through

Church can’t ‘shy away’ from Twitter’s Wild West BY CAROL GLATZ

ITH Pope Benedict’s new presence on Twitter, people from all over the world can now post papal messages with just the push of an on-screen button. While many have welcomed the pope’s foray into the virtual world, his @Pontifex handles and “reply-able” posts have also meant that rude and crude comments have come with the mix. Twitter is “an open communications platform”, and the Vatican has readily embraced what the full-fledged exercise of freedom of speech entails, said Mgr Paul Tighe, secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, which organised and runs the pope’s eight language-based Twitter accounts

which within days of their December 12 launch had millions of followers. “We knew there would be negative stuff,” but sifting through the feedback, “what stuck with me most was all the lovely stuff”, the positive and genuine comments and queries in the midst of the ugly, the Irish monsignor said. Just because there is a negative side to new media doesn’t mean the Church should shy away, he said. Social media has allowed people to be “very honest and even more than honest at times” in a very public way, he said. “But you can’t abandon it and leave it at that. We have to see its potential to do good” as a tool for evangelisation and as a global forum for respectful dialogue

and debate. Pope Benedict has called on Catholics to engage online with respect and with a genuine and earnest spirit, Mgr Tighe said. He said the pope has even called on priests to do the digital dive, saying, “Let’s give a soul to the Internet, not just content.” Mgr Tighe suggested priests, religious and other Catholics “jump right in and answer people’s questions” that have been submitted using the @Pontifex and #Pontifex tags. Sometimes, veiled under the sarcasm or criticism, are signs of “a genuine searching,” he said. “The Church is more than Rome and the pope,” he said, so people should feel free to pitch in, lend a hand with the outreach and help “raise the level of discussion”.—CNS

“Green” and “White” Papers. The archbishops said there had been “a constant shifting of policy” right up to the present moment. “We urge everyone who cares about upholding the meaning of marriage in civil law to make their views known to their Members of Parliament clearly, calmly and forcefully, and without impugning the motives of others”, they said, adding that all the political parties should allow there members to vote with their consciences.

Culture secretary Maria Miller has promised a “quadruple lock” to guarantee religious freedom for all the churches. This includes four steps, including a pledge on the face of the bill that no religious organisation or minister can be compelled to marry same-sex couples. Legislation to legalise same-sex marriage will be formally presented to parliament in the New Year with the aim of becoming law by 2014.—CNS

JOURNALISM INTERNSHIP offers the opportunity of a

The internship position will suit a young graduate with talent who wishes to gather hands-on experience in journalism in The Southern Cross’ Cape Town newsroom. The position is not paid, but a stipend may be paid at the editor’s discretion. Daily travel costs within Cape Town are covered.

The length of the internship is 3-4 months, starting on or before February 1. While a Catholic background is not a requirement for the position, knowledge of the Church and affinity for its mission will be a distinct advantage. e-mail applications with a covering letter and Cv to: editor@scross.co.za

Deadline: January 15, 2013

Interviews will be held in January. The Southern Cross reserves the right not to fill this vacancy.

Kids’ book ‘captures pope’s sensitve soul’ BY CINDY WOODEN

NEW children’s book, released by the Vatican publishing house, accurately reveals the “very sensitive soul” of Pope Benedict, according to his personal secretary, Archbishop-designate Georg Gänswein. The Italian-language book, The Mystery of a Little Pond, was written and illustrated by the Russian painter Natalia Tsarkova and was presented by the archbishop-designate and a panel of experts. The tale takes place in a pond guarded over by a statue of Mary in the gardens of the papal villa and features a little goldfish who—even in real life—is fed by Pope Benedict during his evening stroll. Archbishop-designate Gänswein, who will be ordained a bishop January 6, said the book accurately portrays a pope who “pays attention to the littlest creatures”. Young and old will “discover the mystery of the current pope who we all know is a great theologian with a very acute mind, but who has a very, very, very

Archbishop-designate Georg Gänswein, personal secretary of Pope Benedict and prefect of the papal household, stands next to a fish bowl during the presentation of the Italian-language children’s book The Mystery of a Little Pond. (Photo: Alessia Giuliani, Catholic Press Photo) sensitive soul”. The 56-year-old archbishopdesignate told those gathered for the book launch that during his years as a young assistant pastor in Germany’s Black Forest, he was in charge of the children’s liturgies. “It is never easy to prepare a

homily—sometimes you are able to do it well, sometimes less so— it depends on several things,” he said. “But preparing a homily for children is draining. They immediately see if you are being superficial and they are unforgiving if you are not sincere.”—CNS

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The Southern Cross, December 26, 2012 to January 1, 2013

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Our prayers for 2013

N his missionary prayer intention for August, Pope Benedict asks us that the churches of Africa, “faithful to the Gospel proclamation, may promote the building of peace and justice”. There is much hope on our continent. Many countries are experiencing economic growth and democratic principles are taking ever firmer roots in many places throughout the continent. At the same time, some African countries are resisting the greater freedoms which democratisation affords citizens. From the coup in Mali to the intractable war in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo to the supercilious monarchy in Swaziland, many Africans remain oppressed by those who exploit, demean and disdain them. Zimbabweans may go to the polls this year, under circumstances that do not dispel concerns about violence and vote rigging, and there are grave concerns that voting in Kenya might spark off violence, in an echo of 2008. We pray that Africa may be swept by a wave of peace and stability, guided by freely elected, transparent and accountable governments. South Africa itself has lived through a turbulent political year. The dust from the African National Congress’ leadership battle must now settle, and the governing party must show unity in purpose in meeting the mandate given to it by the majority of voters: to govern the country well. We pray that in doing so, those in the seats of power may sacrifice their selfish and often corrupt ways to serve the people, especially the poor. The Arab Spring, which started with so much promise two years ago, has also yielded some poisonous fruit. The civil war in Syria has not only ruined the country, but threatens to destabilise neighbouring countries, especially Lebanon, whose own civil war brought so much destruction and misery. We pray that peace may triumph in a region known for its combustible politics, and in doing so, we keep in mind especially our Christian brothers and sisters who are rightly feeling fearful about their future. Likewise, we pray that the light of peace may shine through the fog of politics in the Holy

Land. Israeli voters have the power in January to give their leaders a mandate to open the gates to peace, which have been kept locked to a great extent due to the actions of the present government and its predecessors. At the same time, Palestinians must feel encouraged by the diplomatic success of President Mahmoud Abbas, and reject the recalcitrance of his rivals, Hamas. The international community, the majority of which has shown that it favours the two-state solution advocated by the Vatican and others, must exercise severe pressure on all parties that stand in the way of peace in the region. In our prayers, we again keep in mind the Christians of the Holy Land, most of them Palestinians, that they may live in true liberty in the land of Our Lord. The Catholic Church’s focus lately has been on the means of evangelisation, especially in societies that once were Christian but have now abandoned God. We pray that the Year of Faith will bear abundant fruit in the endeavours of the New Evangelisation. May the Year of Faith also communicate the richness of Catholic teachings and tradition through persuasion, acknowledging that an enforced consensus represents no consensus at all. We also pray for the youth who will participate in the World Youth Day (WYD) event in Rio de Janeiro in August. Past WYDs have demonstrated that among many young people, even from westernised regions, there remains a thirst for Christ and his Church. In South America—as in Africa and Asia—the Catholic Church is facing competition for the attention of young people not from those who reject Christ, but from churches whose views of him do not always coincide with that of the church he founded. By holding WYD 2013 in Brazil, the Catholic Church has an opportunity to express itself as a vibrant community of God in whose sacraments and teachings our Lord truly lives. We pray that this message will be effectively delivered and heard. And finally, we pray that the readers, associates, friends and supporters of The Southern Cross may have a blessed and peaceful 2013.

Consider a just contraception

O practising Catholic would deny that your correspondents defending the principles of Humanae Vitae are correct— but are they helpful? There is no doubt that over the centuries the Church has changed its stand on certain aspects when it was found to be necessary in the interests of truth, compassion and simply good human relations. What would be helpful would be to explain why the laws against contraception are in the best interests of mankind. When considering this point it may be helpful to take the following points into consideration.

Palestinian issue

N response to Yvonne von Mayer’s letter (November 28) regarding Palestinian rights, the background should be spelt out. “Palestine” was a British mandate until 1948 when the United Nations declared Israel a state. Four Arab armies immediately attacked Israel, but Israel, without any meaningful weaponry, fought the armies off. In 1967, the Six Day War, initiated by Egypt, saw the Egyption army routed. This enabled Israel to expand its territory to include eastern Jerusalem, with the Western Wall, Israel’s most holy site. All succeeding efforts at making peace failed. The main point is that in 2005 Israel effectively created a Palestinian state by removing its army and citizens from Gaza. The rest is history. The PLO, founded in 1964, and later Hamas, have as their aim the destruction of Israel. Peter Onesta, Johannesburg Mr Onesta is mistaken in that the 2005 withdrawal from Gaza created effectively a Palestinian state. The West Bank is still illegally occupied. Fatah, the PLO’s political party, has excluded the call for Israel’s “destruction” since at least 2010. — Editor.

Catechism need

ERY often when our elders speak of anything pertaining to the Church and faith, the younger generation seems alienated. Common and traditional Catholic prayers and novenas are no longer useful (if known at all) or seem to be more irrelevant lately. Certain practices in the Church, its teachings and protocols, are not known at all. The awe of God in our lives and daily activities has also been lost. Not everyone gets the opportunity to go to a seminary or a ter-

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In many parts of the world (perhaps even our own) the decision to have sex is not necessarily the decision of two consenting adults. Is it God's will that the women in these situations must simply accept what befalls them and the children that come their way? How else would one explain how families of six-plus could come about among the poor and jobless? Poverty is simply because the person affected cannot find a job or perhaps the money earned is insufficient to support the family. Is it not unreasonable to expect that there will be an infinite number of jobs waiting for every tiary institution to study theology but the catechism is a taste thereof and should be taught and learnt in such a way that every person knows it and finds fulfilling answers to every question of faith they might have. It is therefore very important that catechists are well trained, equipped and well skilled to teach the catechism to the young. On an annual basis, bishops administer the sacrament of confirmation to numerous candidates but only a few flourish in the life of their parishes and the Church as a whole. Assessments, examinations and oral tests could be done to ensure that every candidate is keeping up with what they should know at their level. This is why a set syllabus or standard plan of teaching and learning of the catechism and traditional prayers is needed throughout so that everyone on the same level is on the same page. Simply giving out a catechism book and having discussions is great, but does not guarantee that every individual is fully participating and comprehends. If you're already confirmed and you still don't know the five precepts of the Catholic Church, how are you going to apply them to your life? Some don’t even know what a conclave or a consistory is. It’s a shocking fact that some still don’t even know what transubstantiation is. People enter and leave the Church simply because they find no interest or meaning in what is 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.

human being that is created? We cannot ignore that technology is reducing a huge number of jobs that used to be available. Is it right that mankind should proliferate at the expense of every other living creature? We see that in an ongoing basis people are destroying all sorts of ecosystems to meet their accommodation needs. Then there is the question of Aids that affects both the guilty and the innocent. Must even the innocents be condemned to a life of celibacy? Some time in the past the Church decided to define a “just war”. Is it out of the question that a “just contraception” could be considered? Derek Bayman, Durban happening—all of this is due to the lack of knowledge and insightful understanding of the Church and its faith. I challenge every youth group to at least have one Youth Catechism course which the Pope launched last year in Spain. In this Year of Faith, let's embrace our Catholicism and not perish due to lack of knowledge. Terrence Watson, Pietermaritzburg

Marriage key

G PITCHFORD is mistaken when he thinks that all sacraments are equal (December 5). Maybe that is why he does not understand why civilly remarried divorcees cannot receive communion. According to the catechism of the Catholic Church, “the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments...are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it.” The Eucharist is since ancient times linked to marriage. When Eve in her first marital embrace with Adam offered her body and blood to him, she unknowingly acted as a prototype of Christ, sacrificing his Body and Blood to us in the Eucharist. Because of this ancestral foreshadowing, John Paul II called marriage the primordial sacrament. The sexual union in marriage is the most fundamental way by which God reveals his love for us. In their union, husband and wife participate in Christ’s Eucharistic self-giving. Husband and wife in disunion cannot participate in Christ’s Eucharistic self-giving. JH Goossens, Dundee

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PERSPECTIVES

The Southern Cross, December 26, 2012 to January 1, 2013

Keeping the family traditions going

OW do you grow family traditions or instil family values in children when they can’t even sit still long enough to hear a Christmas carol being sung? As a bit of a musician I have been in groups performing carols in shopping malls and community village greens over the years. I’m sure I am not the only one who finds it very off-putting when shoppers just walk by or children are allowed to run riot instead of being contained by their parents to at least sit still but also be encouraged to join in. I hate to think we were just background noise. As one of our group remarked: “If this was a pop concert they would be paying attention.” My memories of carols by candlelight used to be a wonderful, spiritually uplifting experience, with great numbers of parents and children singing lustily by dimly flickering candles. Maybe I’ve been in the wrong places and should try again, but these experiences have almost completely put me off and I won’t do any more carols in shopping malls. Funny though, when I went to my granddaughter’s Christmas concert it was the parents and grandparents and older siblings who were all eyes and ears and smiles while the small ones were being contained by their teachers. We all thought: Aren’t they cute? Mary and Joseph, kings and shepherds and angels all singing and jiving along to “Jingle Bell Rock” on a backing track (it was just one of the selection of carols and Christmas songs). So, where does that leave us? There is so much talk in the Church about attracting the youth, but much should also be done for the even younger gener-

ation. How do families best transmit our faith to our children—one of objectives of the Year of Faith? How many families did Advent activities, making a Jesse tree, lighting the candles on the wreath, baking Christmas cookies, making crackers and homemade gifts? The adults are all so frenziedly shopping while kids complain about being dragged along, when they are not sent to the movies to be entertained. In how many families are Christmas carols being sung? Do children hear them in the malls before the marketing is about going “back to school”? For our children, is Christmas good only for presents? But let me not generalise. The tradition of shelter-seeking is still maintained at Schoenstatt, and there are families that carry on their Christmas traditions, even things like every family member having a turn to stir while the Christmas cake is mixed.

t is not the Church alone that is promoting the idea of family time together, to pray as well as to play, as I always stress. I am also involved with a govern-

Toni Rowland

Family Friendly

ment-sponsored project on family preservation that promotes exactly the same value of communication and sharing life experiences. So I am really happy to sit quietly at home composing short reflections on 2013’s “Family Moments and Faith Moments” theme. But as I do so, I wonder: who will take the time and trouble to use them in their homes? It is not only at Christmas time, but at all times of the year and in all kinds of situations that we can become more aware that Family Moments are really the Faith Moments of the domestic church. By now, many kids, young and old, will be playing with their new electronic toys, usually on their own. There will be others who are enjoying a holiday away from it all, possibly even from TV, hopefully spending quality time together. There will be others who will be pleased to see a square meal, with maybe a little homemade Christmas pudding of sorts. Again there will be others left at home, or waiting for someone to call or visit, or suffering the effects of holiday mishaps. That is Christmas for you. My New Year’s resolution could be to look on the brighter side, not gripe about the lost traditions or distracting and distracted kids, but take them by the hand, listen and try to figure what their idea of a family tradition could be. It’s worth a try, and a Happy New Year to all!

Dump the bad news. Let’s build a new Africa Anthony Gathambiri IMC

STORY is told of a certain zoo somewhere in Africa. In this zoo, there are many beautiful animals. The environment is wonderful. But as you enter the zoo, the first cage you see has a monkey in it—and as you look at that monkey, you see he is masturbating. And the monkey does it all day. So when visitors enter the zoo, the first thing they see is the monkey doing his business. And the visitors are engrossed by what they see—so much so that they don’t want to go any further. And so they never get to see the beautiful animals in that zoo. And they never get to see the wonderful environment in which these animals live. And when they go home, they tell their friends about the monkey and what he was doing. So their friends go to the zoo, and they don’t go any further either. They stop, they look at the monkey, they go home and tell their friends about the monkey. This story is in some ways a metaphor for Africa. It is a continent with a wealth of beauty, but this beauty is rarely highlighted by the media. Mostly, in fact, it is ignored, like the wonderful animals in that zoo. For many generations, Mother Africa has been misrepresented as a dark continent with a litany of evils. She has been stereotyped as a being synonymous with war, corruption, hunger, drugs, disease, incompetence and illiteracy. Some people even think of Africa as one country. A friend of mine working as a missionary in Bogotá, Colombia, told me that some people he met in that city considered Africa as one country, run by President Nelson Mandela! The continent of Africa is one of the richest in terms of natural resources.

Point of Reflection

Pope Benedict has called Africa a “spiritual lung of humanity”. (Photo: Nancy Wiechec) Mother Africa has platinum, gold, oil, gas, and fertile soil, rare breeds of wildlife, awesome weather, excellent brains and talents. She can take care of the whole world, if managed properly. Mother Africa is able to feed everyone, without harming herself. Unfortunately, pollution and exploitation of our environment in the name of building “better economies” is massive.

frica is a “Canaan, flowing with milk and honey”. She has water bodies that could generate large amounts of power. The Congo river alone could supply Africa with all the power that she needs. In fact, its surplus power could even be exported to the West (and wouldn’t that remodel Africa’s distorted image?). What about the Indian and Atlantic oceans? Their tides could be tapped to generate clean electricity. Oceans could be harnessed for the eco-friendly energy. It is already happening. Britain, Denmark, France and Germany get electricity from ocean tides and currents. And there are the wind and sunshine, waiting to be utilised. What is needed is to put politics aside

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and get to the business of making our Africa shine. If we don’t define ourselves, others will define us. All of us in Africa have a noble responsibility to fight the unjust stereotyping that has killed our self-esteem as Africans. It will not be easy to eradicate this mindset which the West has planted. We need to assure ourselves that there is no country that doesn’t have problems. We need to show others that Africans are not the sad, famished folks depicted in the media. We can do this if we live the philosophy of ubuntu. When famine struck the East Africa region, Kenyans organised Harambees (community self-help events for fundraising), and other countries— including South Africa—came in to give genuine help. Is this not the beauty of our continent which the West hardly sees? We need to rediscover African values that will reshape our Mother. Pope Benedict in his apostolic exhortation Africae Munus calls Africa a “spiritual lung of humanity”. True! It is indeed such a lung when it breathes African values that promote family unity, love of neighbour, and hospitality. The possibility of having healthy lungs breathing these African values will be determined by how well we raise our children, how well we form couples, and how well we form religious people. Together let us arise and build a new Africa, one that all will be proud of!

Michael Shackleton

Open Door

Stigmata: Sign from God or skin condition? Please comment on the phenomenon of stigmata. Is it an indication of God's grace or the medical condition of eczema? Some believe it indicates God's recognition of sainthood but as far as I know, no pope has ever elaborated on this. In the 2004 beatification of the stigmatic Katherine Emmerich and the 2002 canonisation of Padre Pio (pictured), no mention was made of their stigmata. Tadeusz Rosa

MAGINE yourself witnessing a person whose hands, feet and side are apparently bleeding in imitation of the wounds of Christ. It is unlikely that you will immediately decide this is a miraculous sign that the person is a very holy one. There could be other reasons for the condition of stigmata, and there is a lot of literature by the medical, psychological and other scientific professions that supports a non-miraculous explanation. In some documented cases, so-called stigmatics were found to be charlatans or mentally disturbed persons convinced of their own saintliness. So your doubt would not be misplaced. Now, bring in a Vatican official investigating an application for the stigmatic to be canonised a saint. He will have consulted the many files and documents relating to cases similar to this one, and he will approach this particular case with exactly the same mind as yourself and the scientific professionals, that is, doubt. The stigmatic could be a sham, someone with self-inflicted wounds, an unbalanced individual or, as you suggest, suffering from a form of severe eczema. The Church ignores such phenomena as personal stigmata, visions and other alleged marvellous events until it has examined whether the individual, who must have been dead for at least five years, had lived a holy life marked by heroic virtue. The examination is thoroughly researched and the process laborious. The stigmata, and possible visions that frequently occur among stigmatics, then become part of the material brought in evidence to establish the individual's sanctity or lack of it. If there is any suggestion of fraud, the attempt is abandoned. Put in a nutshell, the Church canonises Catholics who lived lives of exemplary virtue in imitation of Christ and service of others, or were martyred for his sake. The stigmata, coupled with evident holiness of life, may be a sign that the person was favoured by Christ to share in his suffering, but it is a sign that is not of itself sufficient to be one of the criteria for sainthood.

n Send your queries to Open Door, Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000; or e-mail: opendoor@scross.co.za; or fax (021) 465 3850. Anonymity can be preserved by arrangement, but questions must be signed, and may be edited for clarity. Only published questions will be answered.

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The Southern Cross, December 26, 2012 to January 1, 2013

COMMUNITY

Children from St Peter’s church in Christiana, Klerksdorp diocese, received their first Holy Communion. Behind the children are Fr Tom Maretlane (right) and their catechist Mpho Moselane (left).

The Catholic Women’s League and Reygerhof seniors in Brooklyn, Cape Town, handed over a donation of knitted goods for HIV-positive children, along with a cheque from Catholicare, to the Operation HOPE nurses from the Mfuleni Clinic in Cape Town at their annual welcome tea.

Sr Bernadette Mkhabela celebrated her golden jubilee and Srs Monica Mohlatlola and Margaret Maphanga their silver jubilee at the convent of the Daughters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Glen Cowie, Witbank diocese. They are pictured with Bishop Joe Sandri.

The Johannesburg archdiocese held a retreat for diocesan priests led by Fr Rogers Sihlobo OFM (left).

St Clare’s parish in Elsies River, Cape Town, held their annual church bazaar.

Brandon and Tara Roux made their first Holy Communion at Immaculate Conception parish in Kidds Beach, East London. They are pictured with Fr Peter Whitehead.

First holy communicants from Christ the King church in Worcester, Oudtshoorn diocese, are pictured with catechist Eunese Roberts and parish priest Fr Ashley Orgill. SACBC Aids Office staff conducted refresher HIV/TB training, and training in financial and monitoring requirements at a home-based care programme in Polokwane diocese.

Participants in an Education For Life workshop from the Eshowe diocese A youth Mass is celebrated at St Patrick’s church in East London were presented by Sr Immaculate every third Sunday evening of the month. Young people and their fam- Ndlovu FNS with T-shirts which the ilies from all the parishes in the Buffalo City region are welcome to youth designed themselves. attend.

34 children of Our Lady of Loreto in Kempton Park, Johannesburg, received first Holy Communion from parish priest Fr Peter Rebello (back right) and Deacon Keith MacKenzie (back centre).

FAITH

The Southern Cross, December 26, 2012 to January 1, 2013

Mary as Ark of the Covenant As we prepare for the solemnity of Our Lady on January 1, FR RALPH DE HAHN reflects on where we can locate the Blessed Virgin even in the Old Testament.

T is most unlikely that Bible readers will search for Jesus Christ in the Old Testament; and yet he is there; not only in prophecy but also in the figures who already display his basic characteristics and his mission as the incarnate God among us. Hebrews 10:1 clearly states that these images “are no more than reflections of these realities, and no perfect picture of them”. It would surprise many Bible readers that Mary, the mother of the Lord, is prefigured in the many types revealed in the Old Testament. Catholic tradition has robed Mary with many wonderful titles, above all, she is named as the Mother of God; yet another interesting and striking title, based on biblical sources, is Mary the Ark of the New Covenant. Exodus chapters 25 and 3640 tells of the divine instructions given to Moses as to the precise construction of the ark and its consecration; and also to the priests appointed to care for it. This was to be the ark of God, the tabernacle of the Most High, the sanctuary of the Holy of Holies with an assurance that his spirit would overshadow the ark and be ever present to the Hebrew people on their difficult journey to the land of promise. It was precious and highly revered not only because of its gold and acacia wood and the glorious ornaments, but more so because of its content, namely the word of God inscribed in stone, the urn filled with manna from heaven, and thirdly the Rod of Aaron which budded, testifying to his authentic priesthood.

hen we study the Mary of the New Testament we are amazed to find that within her womb is the word of God in the flesh, also the Bread of Life come down from heaven, and thirdly, one greater than Aaron, the eternal High Priest. She is the new Ark of the Covenant; she is the Ark of the New Covenant! And that is how John sees

her in his Revelation 11:19 “then the sanctuary of God in heaven opened and the Ark of the Covenant could be seen inside it” and then moving into chapter 12, ‘‘now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman adorned with the sun, standing on the moon and with twelve stars on her head for a crown”. There are scholars who assert that here is the image of the Church—persecuted and glorified. However, St Jerome and many of our modern popes see this as the Virgin Mary, the one to crush the head of Satan, and now in heaven assumed body and soul, sinless, immaculate, untouched by sinful man. The Genesis controversy continues as to whether he or she will crush the serpent’s head (Gen 3:15). Catholic traditional scholars are persuaded to favour Mary as the conqueror of the Evil One as was revealed in Juan Diego’s apparition in Guadalupe in 1531.

lso we find in the Old Testament the heroic women Jael who crushed the head of Sisera (Judges 4:20) and Judith who crushed the head of Holofernes (Judith 13:6-9). These we see as types of the women of Genesis: and it is Deborah in the case of Jael and Achior the Ammonite in the case of Judith who sing their praises: “Blessed are you among all women”. Now where have we heard that acclamation before? It is the cry of Elizabeth on hearing Mary’s voice (Luke 1:42). “Blessed are you among all women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” This is no coincidence. This is living scripture. And there is more. Further praise and honour is poured upon Judith by Joakim and his council of elders which so beautifully perfects the image of the Lord’s mother: “You are the glory of Jerusalem, the great pride of Israel, and the highest honour of your people.” We have learned from Exodus that God’s spirit overshadowed and then made its dwelling in the ark; Luke tells us that God’s spirit overshadowed and made his dwelling in Mary (Lk 1:35). In 2 Samuel chapter 6 we learn that the ark was taken to the hill country of Juda to the home of Obed-edom; again Luke mentions that Mary travelled to the hill country of Juda to the home of Elizaeth. This precious ark remained in the home of Obed-edom for three

months and we know that Mary travelled to Elizabeth who was then six months pregnant and stayed with her for three months (Lk 1:56). Let us look at King David’s reaction to the Ark of the Covenant. David was dressed in his priestly clothing when he dared to approach the ark and then leapt and danced for joy before it; another from the priestly family, John the Baptist, leapt for joy in the womb on hearing Mary’s greeting. In the same chapter of 2 Samuel we are told that David shouted for joy in the presence of God and humbly and loudly professed, “How is it that the Lord should come to me?” We remember another loud cry of joy, “Who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Lk 1:43). Elizabeth is acknowledging the presence of God in her young cousin; the Messiah has responded to the centuries-old cry. Then follows that glorious uplifting hymn, the Magnificat, which again recalls the hymn of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. William Barclay names the Magnificat “the most revolutionary document in the world”. Jesus did advise the Jews to “search the scriptures” if they were seeking truth; but then he is the Truth. Also in seeking the truth about Mary we need to search both the Old and New Testaments.

esus and Mary are indeed inseparable in salvation history. We have an interesting story in 1 Samuel 4:11 when the ark was captured by the Philistines, and how they feared the power of the ark because it brought disaster and death to all who touched it. It is recorded in Numbers 4:15 that the “Kohathites alone will carry the ark and all the holy accessories—without touching any of the holy things on pain of death”. In this mortal panic the Philistines sent the ark back to the Hebrews. God has never permitted the ever-Virgin Mother, the Ark of the Covenant, to be touched by sinful man. We know that the ark eventually entered the newly built temple; Mary returned home from her visit to Elizabeth, and after Christ’s birth, she and Joseph came to Jerusalem to present God’s Son to the temple and to the world (Lk 2:21-22).

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Mary’s meeting with Elizabeth is portrayed in a sculpture in the courtyard of the church of the Visitation in Ein Karem, west of Jerusalem, where ancient tradition places the encounter. On the walls are plaques that reproduce the Magnificat in different languages. (Photo: Günther Simmermacher)

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BOOKS

The Southern Cross, December 26, 2012 to January 1, 2013

Jaffa: Where a dream changed the world One of the most famous stories in the Old Testament is set in Jaffa—that of Jonah and the whale—but the town was the location of a decisive event in the spread of Christianity, as we see in this edited excerpt from GÜNTHER SIMMERMACHER’s book The Holy Land Trek.

ODAY Jaffa, or Joppa, is a suburb of Tel Aviv. It still has a considerable Arab population, as the mosques testify, whereas Tel Aviv is entirely Jewish, mostly of the secular variety. Before the 1940s, Jaffa was a bustling Arab port town. With Israel’s statehood in 1948, the Arab residents of the Old City, about 100 000 Muslims and Christians, were expelled or fled in the face of threats. Of Jaffa’s 46 000 residents today, about a third are Arabs. Jaffa’s Old City, which after the expulsion of Arabs was neglected for almost four decades, is now a chic artists’ colony—with no Arab presence. Some of the remaining Ottoman buildings are being restored to recapture the town as it was a hundred years ago, but the restorations will be only cosmetic without the original Arab presence and context. Still, Jaffa is more heterogeneous than neighbouring Tel Aviv, a city that was founded in 1909 by the Jewish community of Jaffa. There is nothing for the Christian pilgrim in Tel Aviv, except the airport by which most enter and leave the Holy Land. The city of 400 000 is an energetic conurbation whose hotellined beachfront exudes the ambience of Durban, while the Bauhaus-style buildings in the older part of the city recall the Central European roots of many Jews who found sanctuary here. The modern part, with its shiny skyscrapers and corporate neon signs could be any characterless capital of international finance.

Jaffa, on the other hand, has retained some of its soul, a memory which the ethnic cleansing/liberation of 1948 has not entirely erased. Archaeological evidence suggests that Jaffa was inhabited around 7 500 years BC. The town is believed to be the world’s oldest port; its harbour has been used continuously since the Bronze Age, some 3 600 to 1 200 years BC.

ne brief incident in Jaffa, during St Peter’s stay there, changed the world fundamentally. One moment the leader of the budding Jewish sect that followed the executed Jesus of Nazareth was a devout Jew, the next moment he went into a trance on the rooftop of a house owned by Simon the Tanner (see Acts 10:9-16). When he awoke from it, the Christian Church was reborn. It came to Peter in a vision from God that the Kingdom promised by Jesus should be open to all, Jews and Gentiles alike. And so the traditionalist Peter came to acquiesce in the notion that Gentiles should be allowed to join the nascent Church, as his colleague Paul and others had so forcefully argued. Next he went to Caesarea to receive the centurion Cornelius into the Church which, with that act, ceased to be a Jewish denomination. How might we read history today had the Christian sect remained exclusively Jewish? It seems appropriate that Jaffa’s lighthouse should have been operated for many years from the site of Simon the Tanner’s house: a lighthouse shining its illumination at the place where Peter had his moment of clarity, literally shining from above. Built in 1875, the lighthouse guided vessels, including pilgrim ships, safely to the shore—necessarily, because the coast around

Jaffa can be tricky to navigate. It was traditionally operated by an Armenian Christian family, the Zakarians. Jaffa is also the place where Peter is said to have resurrected the seamstress Tabitha, one of the leading Christians in the town (Acts 9:36-42). So it is right that two churches in Jaffa are dedicated to St Peter: a Greek Orthodox church on the site traditionally connected to the raising of Tabitha, and the Catholic church of St Peter, near Simon the Tanner’s house.

uilt in 1654, the Catholic church is Jaffa’s largest building. It incorporates the remains of a 13th-century citadel used by the Crusader King Louis IX of France. Two of the citadel’s rooms are said to have been occupied by Napoleon Bonaparte during his campaign in 1799. Since St Peter’s Church towers over the town, one has a magnificent view from there of Jaffa, of the Mediterranean, and of the skyscraper hotels that line Tel Aviv’s beachfront. For the pilgrims who arrived by boat via Jaffa, it was their first sight of the Holy Land—St Peter, the first among the disciples, metaphorically welcoming the followers of Christ to the land of salvation. For the modern pilgrim, the point of arrival in the Holy Land is the new, shiny Ben Gurion Airport. For most pilgrims it is also a point of departure. As the pilgrims put on their safety belts in the aircraft that will take them home, or perhaps when they are greeted by their loved ones at the airport back home, they might suppose that their pilgrimage has ended, that all there is left is to sort and caption the many photos they took and perhaps tell others about their journey. But the pilgrimage does not end with that; the Holy Land will flower in the pilgrims’ imagination

Above: The church of St Peter in Jaffa, which today is a suburb of Tel Aviv. The church, built in 1654, is Jaffa’s biggest building. For pilgrims who used to arrive by sea, St Peter’s church, with its huge belltower, used to be their first sight of the Holy Land. Left centre: Holy Land Trek author Günther Simmermacher in Jaffa, with the minaret of AlBahr mosque (Sea mosque) and the Mediterranean Sea in the background.

Left bottom: Jaffa’s harbour, which is said to be the world’s oldest continuously-used port, going back to the Bronze Age.

every time they read in the Scriptures about the places they visited, or when they follow the Stations of the Cross in their churches, or when they pray the mysteries of the Rosary. The pilgrims might have left the Holy Land, but the Holy Land and its places—Nazareth and Caper-

Attorneys • Notaries • Conveyancers

naum, Jericho and Bethlehem, Gethsemane, Mount Zion, Calvary—will reside within them eternally. n This is the final excerpt in the series. To order The Holy Land Trek at R150 (plus R15 p&p) visit www.holy landtrek.com or contact books @scross.co.za or phone 021 465 5007

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The Southern Cross, December 26, 2012 to January 1, 2013

Oil companies help fund Vatican’s Nativity scene to save money BY CAROL GLATZ

IL giants such as Total and Shell and other companies operating in southern Italy’s oil-rich Basilicata region have footed the expenses for this year’s Nativity scene in St Peter’s Square. The regional government offered to donate to the Vatican a 150 m2 artistic representation of Christ’s birth, resulting in “very significant savings” for the Holy See, said Bishop Giuseppe Sciacca, secretary-general of the Vatican governor’s office. Basilicata officials launched a fundraising appeal to the surrounding business community, which ended up covering “95%100%” of the project’s expenses, said Vito De Filippo, president of the Basilicata region. The total cost was about R1 million and included expenses such as the lighting system, transport costs, insurance coverage and “food and lodging” for the artist, Francesco Artese, before the December 24 unveiling. The Vatican was to spend about R246 000 in personnel and labour costs in assembling the scene, which will place Jesus, Mary and Joseph in an artistic recreation of the picturesque rocky setting of the ancient cave city of Matera, where sassi—stone houses carved into caves—are located. Matera is a UN World Heritage site. This was the first time the Vatican used a donated scene in the main square in front of St Peter’s Basilica. Since 1982, when a

crèche was first erected in the square at the request of Pope John Paul II, the Vatican covered the costs of creating and building a different scene each year while using the same 19th-century core figures of the Holy Family and the Magi. It often accepted donated figures to add to the main pieces. Bishop Sciacca said last year’s Nativity scene cost the Vatican about R2 million, resulting in “notable” savings this year of more than R1,7 million. In a response to questions from journalists, the bishop said accepting a significantly cheaper alternative to a Vatican-built scene was in no way connected to the VatiLeaks fallout, but that it was just “good sense” to take advantage of the offer and in order to cut costs. The VatiLeaks scandal began in January with the publication of letters written by Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò when he was secretary-general of the governor’s office and Bishop Sciacca’s predecessor. The archbishop, who now is apostolic nuncio to the United States, warned of corruption, “abuse of power long rooted in the various departments” of the governorate and a lack of transparency in awarding Vatican contracts, especially by the technical services department, which is in charge of the Nativity scene. In a letter to Pope Benedict dated April 4, 2011, Archbishop Viganò complained that contracted costs were “at least double those charged outside the Vati-

Liturgical Calendar Year C Weekdays Cycle Year 1

Sunday, December 30, The Holy Family Sirach 3:2-7, 12-14, Psalm 128:1-5, Colossians 3:12-21 or 3:12-17, Luke 2:22-40 or 2:22, 39-40

Monday, December 31, St Sylvester 1 John 2:18-21, Psalm 96:1-2, 11-13, John 1:1-18 Tuesday, January 1 Numbers 6:22-27, Psalm 67:2-3, 5-6, 8, Galatians 4:4-7, Luke 2:16-21 Wednesday, January 2, Ss Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen 1 John 2:22-28, Psalm 98:1-4, John 1:19-28, Thursday, January 3, The Most Holy Name of Jesus Philippians 2:5-11, Psalm 113:1-8, Matthew 1:1823 Friday, January 4, St Elizabeth Ann Seton 1 John 3:7-10, Psalm 98:1, 7-9, John 1:35-42 Saturday, January 5, St John Neumann 1 John 3:11-21, Psalm 100:1-5, John 1:43-51 Sunday, January 6, The Epiphany of the Lord Isaiah 60:1-6, Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13, Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6, Matthew 2:1-12

Community Calendar

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

CAPE TOWN: Mimosa Shrine, Bellville (Place of pilgrimage for the Year of Faith): Rosary, 7.30pm, Holy hour and Benediction every 2nd Saturday, from January 2013, 9.00-10.00am. Confession available during Holy hour. Tel: 076 323 8043 Padre Pio: Holy hour 3.30 pm every 3rd Sunday of the month at Holy Redeemer parish in Bergvliet. Helpers of God’s Precious Infants meet the last Saturday of the month except in December, starting with Mass at 9:30 am

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

can,” adding as examples the total expenses of R6,2 million in 2009 and R3,4 million in 2010 for the crèche in St Peter’s Square. Bishop Sciacca said he “would love other offers” of a donated scene in the future and has already received word from a potential private donor for next year. This year’s scene includes more than 100 terracotta figures and detailed scenery showing the simple and hardworking life of farmers and artisans. The scene reproduces Matera’s cliff-clinging churches, buildings, streets and grottos carved out of the mountainside. Antonio Paolucci, director of the Vatican museums, said the Nativity scene has lots of animals and “is full of chickens and sheep” and donkeys. The presence of people and animals gathered together around the baby Jesus teaches people the ideal of “fraternity that unites all living creatures on Earth,” he said. Although it won’t happen in St Peter’s Square, Mr Paolucci said he supported the frequent practice in Italy of placing well-known contemporary figures, like football stars and politicians, in the grotto with Jesus, Mary and Joseph. “Why shouldn’t they be there? The Lord was born for everyone even [former Italian Prime Minister Silvio] Berlusconi and [US President Barack] Obama,” he added.—CNS

Southern CrossWord solutions

SOLUTIONS TO 530. ACROSS: 1 Army, 3 Oracular, 9 Almanac, 10 Nicea, 11 Even-handedly, 13 Indoor, 15 Stayed, 17 Gloom and doom, 20 Patio, 21 Pianist, 22 Straying, 23 Ends. DOWN: 1 Academic, 2 Mamre, 4 Recant, 5 Contented man, 6 Locally, 7. Ream, 8 Anthropology, 12 Edomites, 14 Delator, 16 Dampen, 18 Orion, 19 Apes.

Word of the Week

DEUS MEUS ET OMNIA: “My God and My All”, motto of the Franciscan Order. DEUS VULT!: “God wills it!” Motto of the Crusades.

MR QU: Greek acronym for “Mater Theou” or “Mother of God”. Often seen in icons. SIC TRANSIT GLORIA MUNDI: “Thus passes the glory of the world.” A reminder of mortality and the importance of storing up treasure in Heaven rather than earth. This phrase is repeated to newly-elected popes just before their first papal Mass in order to keep them focused on what is important and to remind them that, though they are the vicars of Christ, they are just men.

REMEMBERING OUR DEAD

“It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins” (II Macc XII,46) Holy Mass will be celebrated on the first Sunday of each month in the All Souls’ chapel, Maitland, Cape Town at 2:30pm for all souls in purgatory and for all those buried in the Woltemade cemetery.

For further information, please contact St Jude Society, Box 22230, Fish Hoek, 7975 Telephone (021) 552-3850

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IN MEMORIAM

CARLISLE—Kathleen. Dearest mother, grandmother and great grandmother who died suddenly on December 24th, 2004 at the age of 94. Loved by all who knew you. Your magnificient devotion to God and family will never be forgotten. You are now joined in peace with your beloved husband for all eternity. Thank you for being such a wonderful example to all and for all the love you shared with everyone. Your loving children Francis, Phillip, John and Athalie and all grandchildren and great grandchildren. CERUTI—“Marg”, Mary Jean Margaret (née Kennedy) b:1931.11.08d:2011.12.19. In loving memory of our dear loving wife, mother and “Ninni” who left us last year to enjoy her eternal reward. Marg we miss you and you will always be loved by us Benito, David, Mark, Peter, Claire and grandchildren and families. COLEMAN—Bishop Michael. In loving memory our Bishop Mike who left us a year ago. Please continue interceding for the needs of your diocese and its people. We miss you and pray that you may rest in peace and joy with the Lord. The Diocesan Chancery Staff. MAYES—In memory of my darling family: My husband Steve, our sons Patrick and Kieran and our grandson Joshua. So very very close. We will never ever forget you. Maureen, Simon, Siobhan, Chris and all their families. VAN COLLER—In loving memory of Eve who passed away two years ago. Forever loved and remembered by your daughter Pat, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren.

and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. (Psalm 61:1-4). HAVE MERCY on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion

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blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Psalm 51:112. FOR YOU created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. Psalm 139. HOLY ST JUDE, apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, kinsman of Jesus Christ, faith-

PERSONAL

ABORTION WARNING: ‘The Pill’ can abort, swiftly and undetected. It clinically makes the womb inhospitable, and rejects those early ‘accidental’ conceptions (new lives) which sometimes occur while using it. (Medical facts stated in its pamphlet) HOUSESITTER/AUPAIR: Based at Benoni Parish, will travel/with references. Ph Therèse 076 206 0627. CRUCIFIXES FOR 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

HEAR MY cry, O God, listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever

heaven and earth I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. There is none who can withstand your power, O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands.

ful intercessor of all who invoke you, special patron in time of need. To you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg you to come to my assistance. Help me now in my urgent need and grant my petitions. In return I promise to make your name known and publish this prayer. Amen. MCD. O MOST beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendour of Heaven, blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me where you are, Mother of God. Queen of

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HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

BALLITO: Up-market penthouse on beach, selfcatering. 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 FISH HOEK: Self-catering accommodation, sleeps 4. Secure parking. Tel: 021 785 1247. KNYSNA: Self-catering accommodation for 2 in Old Belvidere with wonderful lagoon views. 044 387 1052. LONDON, Protea House: Single per night R300, twin R480. Self-catering, buses 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 STRAND: Beachfront flat to let. Stunning views, fully equipped. Garage, one bedroom, sleeps 3-4. R450 p/night for 2 peoplelow season. Phone Brenda 082 822 0607.

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Epiphany: January 6 Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6, Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13, Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6, Matthew 2:1-12

The Lord speaks to us in contrasts

Nicholas King SJ

EXT Sunday we end the first part of Christmas with the celebration of the Festival of Light, the Epiphany. That light, however, is invisible without the darkness that, oddly enough, reveals it. So we may look confidently for the contrast, between light and darkness, wealth and poverty, and even between foreigners and the home team, in the readings that the Church will be putting before us on the day. The first reading is a lovely poem intended to give courage to the Israelites who had returned from Israel, and found Jerusalem in darkness, with the power switched off. To those miserable returnees, the prophet sings: “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has shone upon you.” The prophet is well aware of the contrast with their experience, and he knows that there is “darkness...and thick cloud”, but still insists that “the Lord shall shine upon you”. Then, continuing the metaphor of light, the poet tells them that their light is going to radiate to others as well: “Nations shall walk in your light, and kings in the brightness of your dawn.” It is a lovely picture, and you might reflect on it this week, if your world is feeling a bit darkened.

Sunday Reflections

The psalm also has a contrast built into it, but it is between the king who is being inaugurated (it is probably a coronation song), and the “oppressed” (not normally people who figure very prominently on the royal radar) to whom he is to administer justice. You have all the normal prayers that you would expect for an incoming monarch: “May abundance flourish in his days...and peace until the moon fails.” There is a prayer for his dominion to cover the world “from sea to sea, from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth”, and a vision of visiting dignitaries coming to admire him, but always the contrast between the foreign potentates and the people whom he must serve: “For he delivers the poor when they call, and the marginalised who have no defender...he saves the lives of the poor.” You might pray, this week, for all of our political

leaders to be captivated by this vision of service. The contrast in the second reading is perhaps not so obvious, but it is between God’s plan “given to me for you” and the uncritical assumption that foreigners and people from other religions have no place in that plan. Very firmly, the author asserts that “the Gentiles are co-heirs and co-members of the body, and co-sharers in the Promise, in Christ Jesus through the Gospel”. That contrast should give us pause for thought this week. In the gospel the contrast is between Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, which we are still celebrating, and the reaction of Herod and his cabinet colleagues, which is murderous. There is a further element in the picture, in the shape of the “Magi”, a name which is slightly contemptuous, and might mean “conjurers”. They are foreigners, “from the East”, and not of the Jewish religion, we notice, and yet it is they who are the heroes of the story. They arrive and put the decidedly undiplomatic question about the “king of the Jews” whom they wish to worship. This was not perhaps their wisest possible move, since there is a king of the Jews happily reigning,

Marking an anniversary I N late November 1982, while a graduate student in Louvain, Belgium, I began writing a column. That makes for just over thirty years! When I began writing it, I had no idea as to where this would go, no grand plan. I was putting notes into milk-bottles and floating them out to sea, across an ocean in this case, hoping somebody might read them. The first person who actually pulled a note from one of those bottles was Glenn Argan, the editor of the Western Catholic Reporter in Edmonton, Canada. I will forever be in debt to him for being the first editor who took a chance on me. He is still editor at the Western Catholic today. It took some years for the column to attract any attention beyond that first newspaper, but eventually its audience began to widen. Here’s a brief history of its development: The Green Bay Compass picked up the column in the mid-1980s. Cardinal Adam Maida, now in Detroit, was bishop in Green Bay, Wisconsin, at the time. I met him at a conference several years ago and he reminded me that it was under his watch in Green Bay that my column was taken up by their diocesan paper, my first US readership. In the early 1990s, I received invitations to run the column from two national Canadian Catholic newspapers, the Prairie Messenger and the Catholic Register. That was a huge expansion: I was now in two countries, in four newspapers, and more than content with that as

Conrad

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

an audience. I’ve never had an agent, nor had the time or heart to actively try to solicit newspapers in terms of taking on the column and was content to simply let it find whatever life it might find on its own. I relied on providence and chance, and I got lucky, pure and simple. In 1987, I taught a summer course in theology at All Hallows College in Dublin and one of the students in the course was Delia Smith, famed in Britain for everything from theology to cooking to coowning the Norwich City football club. At that time I had published only one book, The Loneliness Factor, and had a modest portfolio of columns. Delia took the book to Hodder & Stoughton, a much-respected London publisher, and my portfolio of columns to Otto Herschan, the publisher then of the Catholic Herald in London. That one act forever changed the landscape of my writings. The Catholic Herald is a national newspaper in England, and is on newsstands as well in many cities worldwide. Moreover, at the time, Mr Herschan also published a national Catholic newspaper in both Ireland and Scotland. Hence the column was

now published nationally in those countries as well. That exposure led to other national audiences, in New Zealand, among other countries. And Delia Smith’s kindness in taking The Loneliness Factor to a major British publishing house also had a huge eventual impact on the column: In 1988, Hodder & Stoughton re-released the book under a new title, The Restless Heart, and it went on to win a major book award in Britain. That led to a publishing contract with Hodder & Stoughton and eventually that contract itself led to a contract with Doubleday in New York. After Doubleday published The Holy Longing, dozens of newspapers began to ask for the column, particularly in the United States, but in other English-speaking countries as well. After the release of The Holy Longing the number of newspapers that carried the column rose from around ten to around 70, where it stands today. (The Southern Cross used to carry occasional columns, and has run them weekly in this space as of October 2011). Part of that growth was also due to the efforts of the late Kay Lagried who, having brought the column to the diocesan newspaper in Seattle, Washington, began to solicit other newspapers to take it on. She became, until her untimely death two years ago, the agent I never had. Today the column is estimated to have a readership of well over one million readers. More recently the column has been translated in Spanish and Vietnamese and is now available in those languages. That’s its “legal” availability. The column is also widely distributed on the Internet and within numerous newspapers, newsletters, and church bulletins without any permission or authorisation from anyone. This is particularly true in some parts of Asia, where copyright laws are not as strict as they are elsewhere. Overall, I’m okay with this kind of pirating. I’m writing as a ministry and in most cases the people running the column without permission are doing so because they lack the financial resources to do so legally or because they feel they are so far down the rung of importance with anyone that it doesn’t make a difference. Hats off to them! Sitting at a desk in Belgium in 1982, pecking away on a typewriter, I had no thoughts about longevity or world-readership. I was putting notes into milk-bottles and hoping somebody would find them. Thirty years later, now with a laptop instead of a typewriter, the effort and the dream remain the same.

and his name is Herod, and his attitude to potential rivals borders on the psychopathic. No wonder he “and all Jerusalem were disturbed”. However, Herod does have the means of finding out where the Messiah is to be born (which means, of course, that he believes that this is indeed the Messiah), because his religious advisers know their Bible, and come up with a quotation from Micah. So Herod sends them off to Bethlehem, with “secret” instructions about letting him know where the “dear little child” is to be found. God continues to guide the Magi, however, and they eventually arrive in Bethlehem and pay their homage, and give their gifts, of gold and frankincense and myrrh, in contrast to what we know Herod is planning to give the child. Then, just as we nervously wonder if they are going to blow the whole thing out of the water by leaking the required information back to Jerusalem, God intervenes, and effortlessly they are sent home by an alternative route. Where are the contrasts in your life this week, and what is God saying to you in them?

Southern Crossword #530

ACROSS

1. Religious force of Salvation (4) 3. Cor, Laura turns to this kind of prediction (8) 9. Annual handbook of feast days (7) 10, A nice place for a Church council (5) 11. Not oddly, fairly and impartially from each side (4-8) 13. Kind of undercover sport? (6) 15. Resided steady (6) 17. The darkness and death of the pessimist (5,3,4) 20. Pio at the paved area (5) 21. Instrumentalist (7) 22. Wandering like a lost sheep (8) 23. At last, condescends and finishes (4)

DOWN

1. Aid Mecca turns to for scholar (8) 2. Where Abram settled (Gn 13) (5) 4. Renounce your belief (6) 5. He is perfectly happy (9,3) 6. How things happen in your parish or pub (7) 7. Batch of paper in the streamlining (4) 8. Human science features polygon or hat (12) 12. Some diet changes for people punished in Isaiah 34 (8) 14. The reporter can deal rot (7) 16. Moisten (6) 18. His belt may be seen overhead (5) 19. Primates (4) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

t was a cold and misty Christmas morning in the very depth of winter after a heavy fall of snow and only one farmer and the priest managed to arrive at the church for the morning Mass. “Well,” said the priest “I guess there’s no point in having a Mass today.” “Well that’s not how I see it,” said the farmer. “If only one cow turns up at feeding time, I still feed it.” Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.