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May 15 to May 21, 2013

New bishop gets ready for tasks in diocese

Pentecost: Let the first Christians lead us today

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Pretoria square is Mission Central STAFF REPORTER

ED by Archbishop William Slattery, Catholics of Pretoria took the Word of God into Church Square. Oom Paul gazed down upon the Roomse gevaar as they sang and danced and proclaimed God's Word from the Bible. Thus Church Square has become the scene of a mission that is taking place in more than 10 000 squares throughout the world. The Mission in the Squares is intended to bring the Good News to the public through singing, dancing and many signs of hope and joy that invite passers-by to stop and listen. Pretoria’s “Mission in the Square” will be held every Saturday morning until the first week of June. The project will be followed in Cape Town. Both Archbishops Slattery and Stephen Brislin of Cape Town are supportive of the project, said Dino Furgione, who is responsible for the Neocatechumenal Way in Southern Africa, which organised the event. “This is part of the contribution that the Neocatechumenal Way is giving to the Church for the Year of Faith,” Mr Furgione said. “This same mission is being carried out in more than 10 000 squares all over the world, to bring to those who are far away a testimony that the Catholic Church is alive, and reaching out to them.” Pope Francis, then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, welcomed the mission in his archdiocese just before leaving for the conclave. After becoming pope, he spoke about the mission on April 7 when he invited the Neocatechumenal communities and all faithful of the diocese of Rome gathered in St Peter’s “to bring the Good News in every environment of life, with sweetness and respect! Go into the squares and announce Jesus Christ, our Saviour!” “Pope Francis is truly the great inspirer of this mission,” said Fr Lorenzo Ricci, missionary priest in South Africa for the Neocatechumenal Way.

Bishops take to Twitter

ISHOPS from the Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) have taken to the social networking medium Twitter to spread the word of peace ahead of Zimbabwe’s elections planned for later this year. In a two-day “Get Media-Wise” workshop in Johannesburg, the bishops learnt, among other media tools, how to use Twitter as a means of communicating their messages. ”This is a brilliant opportunity for the bishops to take the good news of peace and reconciliation beyond the pulpit and into people’s lives and homes,” said IMBISA director Fr Richard Menatsi. Bishops attending the workshops agreed that all too often the Church can seem out of touch. Learning the new communication skills brings them up to date and enables them to bring their messages to the faithful, the South African priest said. “We draw inspiration from Pope Francis’ commitment to the poor and to peace,” Fr Menatsi said. “In collaboration and in solidarity we will look to use the media more widely in urging our messages of peace.” IMBISA is made up of bishops from Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Sao Tomé e Principe, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. Follow IMBISA at @imbisa; Bishop Giuseppe Sandri at @sandrijoe, Bishop José Luis Ponce de León at @bpbhubesi

A group of dancers from Hamanskraal spontaneously joined the “Mission in the Square” in Pretoria’s Church Square. Right: Archbishop Slattery addresses the crowd in Church Square. Pope Francis has been “inviting us continuously to go out, to seek new methods of evangelisation, because, he says, the Church needs to come out of herself, to reach out to the outskirts of existence”, Fr Ricci said. “We cannot wait for the people who are out there suffering because they never heard of the love of Christ to come to us. We have to go out and bring the risen Christ to them”. On the first Mission in the Square event, Archbishop Slattery commented on the

gospel reading of the blind man of Jericho: “Are we like this man? Are we saying to Jesus: ‘Son of David, have mercy upon me?’ We

should ask the Lord for the grace to fall in love with him!” The mission has an archdiocesan imprint, Mr Furgione said. All the faithful have been invited throughout all parishes, and a “sending” celebration was held in the cathedral, led by Archbishop Slattery. “Preach, and if necessary, use words,” the Franciscan archbishop said, quoting St Francis. “Pope Francis by word and example has urged the Church to speak up in the world. Many people no longer enter churches, but they need to hear God's word,” Archbishop Slattery said. The archbishop pointed to the historic site of the gathering and invited all Catholics to be in no way defensive but to speak their truth with joy and hope. “May the proclamation of God’s Word in this historic place ignite a new spirit in the corridors of power around Pretoria and reach out to every village and humble home in South Africa,” the archbishop told the crowd. “Calls to faith are not just the words of those giving a catechesis to the crowd gathered in the square, but especially the presence of all the joyful youth, singing and dancing to testify their joy at having met the Risen Christ in their lives,” Mr Furgione said. Gigy, a Congolese woman in the Church Square crowd, said: “I came from a troubled family, my parents were always fighting. I couldn’t take it anymore and wanted to commit suicide. I told myself that I would never get married because of what I saw in my parent’s marriage. “One day after the funeral of my younger sister, one of my aunties saw that I was struggling and told me that I would one day get married to a wonderful man and I would be very happy in my marriage. God has fulfilled that promise that he made through my aunt. I am married to a wonderful man and God has blessed us with a lovely daughter”. The mission in Pretoria will be in Church Square on Saturday mornings at 11am, ending on June 1.

Hope&Joy to send out millionth SMS BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

N May 16, the millionth Hope&Joy SMS will be sent to one of the thousands of subscribers to the service. Over the past two years, Catholics have been receiving messages filled with “nuggets of hope and joy” from Vatican II documents, papal documents, and this year messages of inspiration from the catechism, Raymond Perrier, director of the Jesuit Institute South Africa, told The Southern Cross. The SMS project was initiated as part of Hope&Joy campaign. Mr Perrier, the project’s convenor, said it was a way to spread the inspiration and wisdom of Vatican II in a way that responded to the documents of the council. “We noted that e-mail and Facebook had limited penetration, but almost everybody in South Africa has access to cellphones. There are more cellphones than people in this country,” he said. Using new media to evangelise was a response to the Vatican II document, Inter Mirifica, the council’s decree on the media of social communications, he said. “We realised that most Catholics will never read the documents of Vatican II. This service teaches them the key points in bite-size chunks, so the demand is definitely there.” The SMS campaign ran alongside various

other Hope&Joy projects, including a series of articles in The Southern Cross and in the Redemptorists’ Catholic Link. “I didn’t think it would last as long as it did,” said Mr Perrier. A total of 5 452 people signed up for the service over the two-year timeframe. “The service definitely went through peaks and troughs, but there has been a solid base all the way through. [But] throughout the service we have had positive feedback. People have responded positively and have been happy receiving Church teachings in 160 characters,” Mr Perrier said. Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria said the one millionth SMS is a “very notable achievement”. The messages “have enriched the lives of many people. The SMSs have been spread like seeds to germinate in the good ground of people’s hearts. Your achievement is something our Church in South Africa is proud of”. National youth chaplain Fr Sammy Mabusela CSS said he was “very impressed” with the service. “I love it to bits because it reaches so many in such a short space of time. This is precisely the language that the youth of today are familiar with and respond promptly to.” Fr Emil Blaser OP, director of Radio Veritas,

described the SMS service as “a bright jewel in the crown of the Hope&Joy project”. “This series has been an informative, inspiring and innovative idea which has brought the depths of the Church’s teaching, not only of Vatican II, to ordinary people,” the Dominican priest said. Mr Perrier said the supply aspect of the campaign was “surprisingly easy”. Between Mr Perrier, Frances Correa and Fr Peter Knox SJ of the Jesuit Institute, plenty of helpful and insightful content was found and condensed for the campaign, which has sent 691 messages since its inception. “And when we had to abbreviate anything in the message, we always put the content on our website (www.jesuitinstitute.org.za) so that people could see the meaning was not changed.” The SMS campaign is set to continue in its current capacity until the end of November; the end of the Year of Faith. Mr Perrier said it would continue thereafter with new themes. To acknowledge the achievement, subscribers will receive one week of SMSs free of charge. Any new subscribers who sign up between May 19-25 will also receive the service free for one week. To sign up, send “JOY” to 31222. The service costs R4 per week thereafter.

The Southern Cross, May 15 to May 21, 2013

LOCAL

Kolping plans ahead Health care workers’ STAFF REPORTER

association expands

HE annual general meeting of the Kolping Society brought together members from Port Elizabeth, Oudtshoorn, Johannesburg and Cape Town to forge the way forward for the lay organisation. The Catholic-founded society works for the promotion of the common good in a Christian spirit through active participation of its individual members and their groups, the promotion of justice at all levels for all people, which includes human rights, gender equality, cultural diversity, children’s rights, and rights of all marginalised groups. Fr Peter-John Pearson, vicar-general of Cape Town, addressed the meeting on the importance of faithbased movements like the Kolping Society. He pointed out that only faith-based organisations could offer a sense of meaning, togetherness and life-giving spirituality. “No other type of organisation is able to do so,” he said, adding that the work of the Kolping Society should “enable people to make their voices heard by encouraging people to actively participate in society and re-moralising politics through their participation”. Currently the Kolping Society focuses on two main programmes, namely vocational training, which targets life and technical skills for young people, and self-help groups within parishes. “The vocational training is offered at training centres in each of the four dioceses the society operates in,” said board member Judith Turner. National praeses Fr Christian Frantz outlined plans of the society

BY STAFF REPORTER

Kolping leaders: (back fromleft) board members Fr Emil Blaser and Jeanette Albertus, Volker Greulichof the International Kolping Society, national secretary Elisabeth Blank, national praeses Fr Christian Frantz, (front) national chairwoman Charmelle Chinnian, board members Judith Turner and Nozipho Galo, and national treasurer Rosemary Muller. to bring the life skills part of the vocational training closer to communities, by offering it at parish centres where youth can access it more easily. He said the society is also planning the formation of savings groups, which is an effective strategy to assist people to gain control over their economic future. The International Kolping Society representative for Africa, Volker Greulich, was also present at the AGM. Mr Greulich shared his experience of savings groups in other countries where he works and explained that savings and the rotation of credit of members’ own money amongst themselves is one of the most effective ways to give

people a sense of dignity and get them out of poverty. The Kolping Society is a lay social movement, based on the Gospel teachings of Jesus Christ, the Social Teachings of the Catholic Church and the principles of founder Bl Adolph Kolping. The society encourages its members to be grounded in all of these teachings while actively participating in creating a better society. Four new members were elected to the board: Elisabeth Blank and Fr Emil Blaser OP from Johannesburg, and Charmelle Chinnian and Rosemary Muller from Cape Town. They join the existing members Fr Christian Frantz, Nozipho Galo, Jeanette Albertus and Judith Turner.

HE effort to rejuvenate a group for health care workers in the archdiocese of Cape Town has borne fruit as more than 40 nurses, medical professionals and health care workers attended their third gathering at Nazareth House in May. The programme began with a special Mass celebrated by Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town, assisted by Fr Mark Foster, chaplain to the archdiocese of Cape Town Health Care Association (ACHCA). The Mass concluded with a special ceremony of washing and blessing of hands, “acknowledging the privileged role that our hands play in bringing healing, comfort and compassion to those who are sick and in pain”, said Sr Margaret Craig PSN. In his sermon, Fr Foster stressed the importance of “always being ready to serve, reaching out and doing all in our power to help others”. The Mass was followed by a “bring and share” after which Archbishop Brislin addressed the group on the vision of the Church in the context of the New Evangelisation. “He concluded by outlining the specific role and relevance of all those working in the field of medicine, nursing and health care,” said Sr Craig. The archbishop said that because of our baptism, each member of the Church is responsible for evangeli-

sation, for bringing Christ to others. “Previously, evangelisation was traditionally the role of priests and religious brothers and sisters to be ‘missionaries’. Today we are all to be involved in this task,” he said. The archbishop then specifically focused on how those working in the health care sector have a crucial role in this New Evangelisation, to preserve and promote the value and dignity of life and health. “Sadly many people working in these facilities have forgotten about the love, the compassion and the care of God. They have forgotten that this is a calling, a vocation, to heal and care for those who are suffering. It merely becomes another ‘job’ when the sense of the healing Christ is missing,” he said. Sr Craig said a lively discussion followed during which members strongly identified with the archbishop’s message. Members of the steering committee of the ACHCA were then introduced to the group, and the morning ended with Benediction given by Mgr Jock Baird. “The ACHCA is open to all Catholic men and women in the archdiocese who are involved in any of the medical, nursing and caring professions,” Sr Craig said. “ We welcome and encourage new members.” n The next gathering of the ACHCA is due to take place on Saturday, August 3 at Nazareth House in Vredehoek, commencing at 9.30am. For information contact secretary Estelle Groenewald on gestelle@telkomsa.net

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The Southern Cross, May 15 to May 21, 2013

LOCAL

New bishop: ‘I’ll be brave’

Men ministry is growing

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

HE newly appointed bishop of Kokstad has expressed “great hope” for his new diocese, saying he will be “brave” and accept God’s call to this new role. “It was a shock to me. I didn’t expect it at all,” Bishop-elect Zolile Peter Mpambani told The Southern Cross. “God has pointed me in this direction and he will carry me there. I will face this new challenge with courage.” The news has been met with much excitement from Catholics in the diocese which had been without a bishop since December 2012, when Bishop William Slattery was transferred and appointed archbishop of Pretoria. The country’s bishops have also shown their support and enthusiasm for the appointment. “He is a very pastoral man and the people will welcome him,” said Archbishop Slattery of his successor. Archbishop Slattery was bishop of Kokstad for nearly 17 years. “The people of Kokstad are very close to the Church and the Church is very close to the people.” “I have been given lots of support and promised assistance anytime,” said Bishop-elect Mpambani. “Archbishop Slattery has assured me the people of Kokstad are kind and responsive. I have great hope for Kokstad.” The diocese consists of 150 parishes and outstations, predominantly rural. “I am familiar with rural work, but I will have to sit down and learn about the diocese before I can make any long-term or short-term plans,” he said. The bishop-elect said he had done some work in Kokstad and

Bishop-elect Zolile Peter Mpambani (right) stands with Bishop Michael Wüstenberg of Aliwal North after he was appointed the new bishop of Kokstad. knew some people but would take time to familiarise himself first. “The people will welcome him and bless him,” said Archbishop Slattery. Up until his appointment, Bishop-elect Mpambani served as parish priest of St Francis in Aliwal North. He also served as the provin-

cial superior of the Priests of the Sacred Heart and was a member of the college of consultors for the diocese of Aliwal North. “Aliwal rejoices,” said Bishop Michael Wüstenberg of Aliwal on Twitter as the news was announced. The appointment represents the first local priest from Aliwal to be

appointed bishop. The 56-year-old was born in Umlali in KwaZulu-Natal and was ordained a priest on April 25, 1987. He has worked in various parishes in the diocese of Aliwal and served in various positions of responsibility in his congregation, especially in formation and leadership.

Maronite festival for Johannesburg BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

OR the 11th consecutive year, Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite parish in Mulbarton, Johannesburg, will be hosting its annual fundraising festival and anniversary celebrations on May 26. It is the parish’s only fundraiser for the year. “The festival is organised by the members of the Lebanese, Portuguese and other communities to show their appreciation for the new place of worship for Catholics of the ‘new and deep’ south,” said the

parish’s Dallas Webster. “The shrine and the church have become a unifying element for all who come to worship there and have brought people together as members of God’s family,” said Ms Webster of the 11-year-old church. “The festival is a showcase of the cultures and traditions of all the people who make up our wonderful church community. It is family- and community-orientated and has proved to be such an attraction for all the people of the area that, each year, since its inception, the attendances keep growing.”

Ms Webster said the festival was also a way of expressing thanks and appreciation to the Maronite missionary priests who serve the community. Funds raised from the event will go to St Charbel’s Helping Hand, an organisation which distributes income to the underprivileged and needy in Johannesburg. “Funds will also be used towards our school, Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite Catholic School, a primary school from Grade 00 to Grade 3. The school was opened in January 2011 and grows a grade each year, so

WO years after its institution, the men’s ministry of the archdiocese of Cape Town has continued to grow across all areas of society. “A group of young, excited and spiritual men from Durbanville and the surrounding areas saw an opportunity to bring men back into the Church, both spiritually and to take their rightful place within the Church structures,” said the ministry’s Wayne de Smidt. From the original weekend of fellowship, meeting of new friends and even getting to know and share with fellow parishioners, came the need for smaller men’s faith-sharing prayer cell groups, support groups for each other and the bigger monthly gatherings of men’s ministry groups. Since the original gathering, deaneries across the archdiocese have embraced the ministry. Men of Faith meet in Paarl, and groups from Delft, Durbanville, Kraaifontein and Belhar have followed suit. In the south of Cape Town, the eastern deanery, southern deanery, Mitchell’s Plain and surrounding areas, the groups called Men for Change in Christ are “growing all the time”, with the newest member to the movement, Holy Trinity in Matroosfontein, introduced in April, said Mr de Smidt. “Presently, the Catholic Men’s Institute acts as the umbrella group and we are proud and grateful to have Fr Paul Taylor as our chaplain. His insight and ideas always conform to Catholic teaching but also to how we as men live in the world.” Mr de Smidt said the group had been blessed to have many priests offering their services. “We pray God continues to bless us with their special assistance, and we are truly grateful and thankful to them all.” Mr de Smidt said it was hoped every parish in the archdiocese would develop a men’s ministry. Those parishes with a men’s ministry already established are invited to connect with the archdiocesan group. Any parishes interested in starting a ministry can contact Alan Bruyns on 073 353 3464 or on alanbruyns@gmail.com. The next men’s weekend away for the diocese will take place on November 16 at Bergkroon. Men for Change in Christ also hosts a monthly Saturday morning of worship and discussions. Contact Wayne de Smidt on 071 218 3153 or on upfront.live123@gmail.com

HOLY LAND • ROME PADRE PIO

HOLY LAND & CAIRO YOUTH PILGRIMAGE

11 – 23 May 2014 with ARCHBISHOP STEPHEN BRISLIN

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and Holy Land Trek author Günther Simmermacher

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next year we’ll have a Grade 4 class and so on. Soon we are going to be building the next phase of the school for Grades 5, 6 and 7 and a school hall and other facilities,” Ms Webster explained. The festival, which features entertainment from Amor Vittone, is suitable for the whole family and includes food stalls, a flea market and fireworks. The day starts with Mass at 10am. n The festival takes place at 48 Blougom Crescent, Liefde-en-Vrede, Mulbarton. Contact 011 432 5331 for more information.

BY CLAIRE MATHIESON

Join The Southern Cross and the Archbishop of Cape Town (right) on a special pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Meet with local Christians before travelling to Italy to see the Pope in Rome and to pray at the places of Padre Pio.

with

FATHER SAMMY MABUSELA

and Claire Mathieson of The Southern Cross A special pilgrimage designed specifically for young Catholics from 16-36, with Fr Sammy Mabusela, national youth chaplain, as spiritual director. The programme includes holy sites, outdoor Masses, hikes in the footsteps of Jesus, encounters with local Christians and much more. A time of faith, friendship and fun!

HOLY LAND: Jerusalem (with Via Dolorosa, church of the Holy Sepulchre, Mary’s tomb). Bethlehem. Nazareth. Cana (with an opportunity to renew marriage vows). Mount of Beatitudes. CaperHOLY LAND: Jerusalem (with Via Dolorosa, church of the Holy naum. Boatride on the Sea of Galilee. Mount Tabor. Jordan River Sepulchre, Mary’s tomb). Bethlehem. Nazareth (with visit to a Baptismal Site. Ein Kerem. Dead Sea. And much more. recreation of 1st century life). Cana. Mount of Beatitudes. ITALY: Rome with PAPAL AUDIENCE, the Capernaum. Boatride on the Sea of Galilee. Mount Tabor. Jordan four major basilicas (including Mass in St River Baptismal Site. Armageddon. Caesarea. Mt Carmel. Dead Peter’s), catacombs, ancient sites. Monte Sea. And much more. Cassino. San Giovanni Rotondo (where Padre CAIRO: as a bonus, enjoy a visit to Cairo with the pyramids, Pio spent almost all of his life). Lanciano (site sphinx and a Nile Cruise. of the first Eucharistic Miracle recognised by the Catholic Church). ISTANBUL: as a bonus, enjoy a day-long exPhone Gail at 076 352 3809 or 021 551 3923 or cursion of sightseeing in the capital of Turkey, e-mail info@fowlertours.co.za www.fowlertours.co.za the ancient Constantinople.

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The Southern Cross, May 15 to May 21, 2013

INTERNATIONAL

‘No German split’ over women deacons remarks A BY JONATHAN LUXMOORE

GERMAN Church spokesman has denied the country’s Catholic bishops are divided after the bishops’ conference president, Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, provoked controversy by advocating a form of diaconate for women. “There are no new facts—Archbishop Zollitsch has declared himself in favour of a specific deaconry for women, which means without ordination,” said Robert Eberle, spokesman for Germany’s southern Freiburg archdiocese, which Archbishop Zollitsch heads. “The bishops want more women in positions of responsibility in the Church on the basis of Catholic doctrine. So there’s no division over reform issues like this,” Mr Eberle said. Archbishop Zollitsch made his proposal on April 28 at the close of a Freiburg archdiocesan assembly on Church reforms, at which 33 separate recommendations were debated by 300 participants. He said he supported “a further deepening of the common priesthood of all baptised persons”, and would promote “a variety of services and ministries”. He also said both men and women “should be respected and taken seriously in the Church”, adding that he believed work posts should also be offered to people with “different lifestyles”. The archbishop added that he was also “committed to new ecclesiastical services and ministries open to women”, including “a specific deaconry for women.” Mr Eberle said Archbishop Zol-

Archbishop Robert Zollitsch litsch was speaking only “in his capacity as local archbishop” and referred to a similar February 20 proposal by Cardinal Walter Kasper, former president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, during the German bishops’ spring plenary at Trier. The German bishops’ conference press office declined to answer questions about Archbishop Zollitsch’s remarks. The archbishop’s remarks generated reaction in Germany. Ute Hucker, spokeswoman for the German Catholic Women’s Association, said a “specific deaconry” would “not be enough” when women made up 80% of the country’s “engaged Catholics”. “It’s good he said something about women—but Catholic women’s organisations want more than just a special, second-rank position,” Ms Hucker said. “We don’t want women as priests, since we recognise this isn’t possible theologically. But we want women to have the same rights as male deacons, to be trained and or-

dained for work in the same office.” The Catholic Church permits only men to be ordained as deacons. Permanent deacons can preach and preside at baptisms, funerals and weddings, but may not celebrate Mass or hear confessions. Some historians say women deacons existed as a special category in the early Church. However, in a general audience talk in February 2007, Pope Benedict XVI said the New Testament reference to Phoebe as a “deacon” was an indication of her important responsibility in the community at a time before the title took on a “hierarchical” meaning, implying ordination. A 2002 study by the International Theological Commission concluded that the role of women deacons in the early Church cannot be considered equivalent to that of ordained male deacons. It also concluded that the permanent diaconate belongs to the sacrament of orders—which the Church says is limited to men only. Archbishop Zollitsch’s suggestion was not to go against that opinion, but rather to open up a new role in the Church, a form of diaconate for which women would be blessed, but not ordained. At their February plenary, the German bishops’ conference approved a report setting targets for women to be better represented in Church “management positions,” while Cardinal Kasper also called for a sacramental office for women “with its own profile”, which would be distinct from the ordained diaconate.—CNS

A priest sprinkles holy water on a car during an “Auto-sacrum” blessing in front of a church in Podkowa Lesna, Poland. “Auto-sacrum” was first practised in the 1930s and has remained an annual tradition in which vehicles are blessed in May. (Photo: Kacper Pempel, Reuters/CNS)

Pope: Christians must tolerate all others BY CINDY WOODEN

ATIENCE in the midst of trials and patiently putting up with other people are marks of Christian maturity, Pope Francis said in a homily at a morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, where he lives. Jesus calls his disciples to follow “the path of love, of patience, of putting up with tribulations and— if I may say so—of putting up with each other. We must do this with charity and love because if I have to put up with you, I am sure you will put up with me and we’ll walk together on the path of Jesus,” the pope said. In his Mass for ushers and other staff members of the office that cleans and repairs St Peter’s Basilica and watches over the millions of people who visit it each year, Pope Francis was joined by Cardinal Angelo Comastri, the archpriest of St Peter’s basilica. Looking at the Acts of Apostles’ account of the persecution of Ss Paul and Silas, Pope Francis said their patience and joy in the midst of tribulation are signs of Christian maturity that every follower of Jesus must learn.

Learning how to patiently carry “the weight of difficulties, the weight of contradictions” is something people learn gradually, he said. It’s a process of maturation that lasts a lifetime. “It’s like fine wine.” “When difficulties occur, temptations arrive,” he said. One of the most frequent temptations is that of complaining, saying, “’Look what’s happening to me.’ A Christian who continually complains, neglects being a good Christian and becomes Mr or Mrs Whiner, no?” Patiently accepting trials and continuing to thank God for the gifts one is given “is not a masochistic attitude, but an attitude that leads you to the path of Jesus”. Continuing to pray and to be at peace, even in the midst of difficulties, the pope said, is a mature Christian attitude that actually keeps a person young. Pope Francis asked those at the Mass to think about the elderly people they know who have put up with trials patiently; “look at their eyes, young eyes, they have a youthful spirit and a renewed youth”.—CNS

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INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, May 15 to May 21, 2013

Why Rome’s Mary Major basilica is special to pope BY FRANCIS X ROCCA & CINDY WOODEN

HE first of Rome’s four major basilicas to receive a visit from Pope Francis after his election on March 13 was not the closest one, St Peter’s, which sits under the “Loggia of the Blessings” from which the new pontiff first appeared to the world. Instead, at 8am the next morning, in a gesture not indicated by papal protocol, Pope Francis rode 4km across town from the Vatican to the basilica of St Mary Major, the oldest church in the West dedicated to the mother of Jesus. The pope returned to the basilica this month, to pray the rosary in observance of May as the traditional month of Mary. The first church on this site on the Esquiline hill was built during the pontificate of Pope Liberius (352-366). According to legend, its construction was inspired by a miraculous snowfall here in the early morning hours of August 5. That event is commemorated every year on the same date when, during Mass, white rose petals fall like snow from an opening in the coffered ceiling. St Mary Major’s most famous relic, under the main altar, is wood believed to come from the “Holy Crib” that held the infant Jesus. St Ignatius of Loyola, frustrated in his plan to travel to the actual site of the Nativity in Bethlehem,

celebrated his first Mass in the basilica in 1538. For Pope Francis, the first Jesuit pope, that connection with the founder of his order gives St Mary Major great personal significance. The basilica also has a link with the pope’s namesake, St Francis of Assisi, who is believed to have invented the Christmas manger scene as an aid to prayer. Fragments of one of the oldest extant Nativity scenes, by the 13th-century sculptor Arnolfo di Cambio, are preserved here. The focus of the pope’s first visit to St Mary Major was the icon of Mary “Salus Populi Romani”, which is literally translated as “health or salvation) of the Roman people”. According to tradition, this image of Mary embracing Jesus as a young boy was the work of the evangelist St Luke, who painted it on a tabletop made by Jesus himself in St Joseph’s carpentry shop. Many centuries later, Jesuit missionaries distributed reproductions of the image to promote Marian devotion around the world. The ancient icon in St Mary Major has been used by several popes to invoke the saint’s protection for Rome. St Gregory the Great, pope from 590 to 604, is said to have carried it through the city to pray for an end to an outbreak of plague. On his first morning as pope, Pope Francis knelt and prayed be-

Pope Francis burns incense before the icon of Our Lady “Salus Populi Romani” (health of the Roman people) after praying the rosary during a service at the basilica of St Mary Major in Rome to mark May as the month of Mary. (Photo: Paul Haring, CNS) fore the icon for several minutes and left behind a bouquet of flowers. Since then, he has affirmed his devotion to Mary in other ways.

is visit to Brazil in July will feature a pilgrimage to the shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, the principal patron saint of Brazil. The pope also has asked the bishops of Portugal to consecrate

Tanzania bomb blast followed months of tension

HE deadly bombing of a new Catholic church in northern Tanzania, which left at least five people dead and more than 60 injured, follows months of tension between Christians and Muslims in the country. Archbishop Francisco Padilla, apostolic nuncio to Tanzania, was among those attending the inauguration of a new church, dedicated to St Joseph, in the city of Arusha. He was unharmed in the attack Eyewitnesses reported a bomb was thrown from a motorcycle into the church. Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete called it “a terrorist act”. The president also urged Christians to continue attending church services on Sundays. “If we don’t do so, we will have given victory to those who carried out the attack.” He pledged that his government would provide security around all places of worship. Police have arrested several people—including citizens of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Tanzania—in relation to the attack.

Tanzania’s Vice-President Mohamed Gharib Bilal consoles a man injured during an explosion at St Joseph Mfanyakazi church in Arusha. (Photo: Reuters/CNS) About 30% of mainland Tanzanians are Christian, 35% are Muslim and 35% profess traditional African beliefs. On Tanzania’s predominantly Muslim island of Zanzibar, where some elements are fighting for secession, a priest and a Protestant pastor were killed in separate incidents in February and another priest was injured in a Christmas Day attack; a Muslim cleric also was attacked with acid last November. More than five churches on the island were set alight in arson

WE ARE ALL CHURCH

attacks last year. In February, Bishop Augustine Shao said clergy were living in fear. In March, 52 followers of controversial Muslim cleric Sheikh Issa Ponda were jailed for a year over October riots in Dar es Salaam, sparked by rumours that a 12-yearold boy at a Christian school had urinated on a copy of the Qur’an. Archbishop Padilla told Vatican Radio that an attack on a church was completely unexpected. “Similar things have happened in Kenya, but not in Tanzania. It’s the first time a bomb exploded during a liturgical celebration,” he said. The pre-inauguration ceremony for the new church had begun with a blessing outside. “Before going inside, I heard an explosion then I saw bodies of people injured on the ground,” he said. “I was in shock and the police immediately took me someplace safe,” he said. He said his prayers and thoughts were with all those hurt by the blast. “I feel very badly for them, innocent victims attending a celebration.”—CISA/CNS

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his pontificate to Our Lady of Fatima, which the bishops were scheduled to do on the feast of Fatima, May 13. “I wish to go and pray to Our Lady, that she may watch over all of Rome,” Pope Francis told the world on his election night. Returning to the “Salus Populi Romani” icon this month, Pope Francis led a crowd that was un-

Papal plans for Brazil trip BY FRANCIS X ROCCA

OPE Francis will meet slumdwellers and powerful politicians, pay homage at a Marian shrine and celebrate with participants at World Youth Day when he visits Brazil in late July. The Argentine pope’s first international trip was planned under his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI. Pope Francis will fly to Rio de Janeiro on July 22 and spend his six-day visit in or around the city, except for half a day in Aparecida, an hour and 15 minutes to the west by helicopter, where he will pray in the basilica of the national shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, Brazil’s principal patron saint. In Rio, the pope will visit a hospital and the notorious Varginha favela slum, meet Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff, Latin American bishops and juvenile offenders, and address what the Vatican’s official itinerary describes as the “ruling class of Brazil”. The largest part of Pope Francis’ time will be devoted to World Youth Day events, starting with a welcome ceremony on Rio’s Co-

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able to get into the basilica in chanting “Viva la Madonna” (Long live the mother of God) In a reflection after the recitation of the glorious mysteries of the Rosary, Pope Francis said there are three primary ways in which Mary, as a mother with “great and tender love”, promotes the healthy growth of Christians. Like a good mother, he said, Mary “wants her children to grow and to grow well; for that reason she teaches them not to give in to laziness”, but to take responsibility for their actions, to commit themselves to projects and tasks, and to hold on to their ideals. “She helps us to grow humanly and in the faith, to be strong and not give in to the temptation of being men and Christians in a superficial way, but to live with responsibility, always reaching upward,” the pope said. Also like a good mother, he said, Mary does not try to shield believers from every difficulty, but gradually teaches them how to face and overcome problems. “A life without challenges does not exist; and a young man or woman who does not know how to face challenges” simply will be “spineless”. “Like a good mother, she is close to us so that we never lose the courage to face the adversities of life, to face our own weaknesses, our own sins,” Pope Francis said.— CNS

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pacabana beach—where he will later lead the Stations of the Cross— and culminating in an outdoor Mass 50km away in Guaratiba.

eanwhile, thousands of worshippers filled the streets of the town of Baependi for the beatification of the first lay, black Brazilian woman, Francisca de Paula de Jesus. Known to most Brazilians as Nha Chica, Paula de Jesus was the daughter of a former slave. She died in 1895 after a lifetime of service that earned her the name “Mother of the Poor”. Her canonisation process started in 1993, but in 1995 gained strength with the revelation that a schoolteacher was cured of a congenital heart defect after praying to Nha Chica. The miracle was sent for review to the Vatican in 1998, and in 2011 Pope Benedict XVI approved her heroic virtues. Last June, the Vatican approved the miracle. Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregations for Saints’ Causes, celebrated the beatification Mass.—CNS

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LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Making new saints

ECENT reports of the approval of a new miracle attributed to Bl John Paul II gave rise to overexcited announcements on the social media that the Polish-born pontiff would be canonised on October 20. No official announcement to that effect had been made and reports of the date of a canonisation were premature. However, the enthusiastic reception which the rumour received on the social media does suggest that among Catholics there remains a thirst for the public celebration of models of sanctity. There is no doubt that Bl John Paul II merits his seat in the College of Saints; his personal holiness is not in dispute. Though his friendship with the disgraced abuser and fraud Fr Marcial Maciel would surely be picked up in the secular media and cast an unwelcome shadow over a canonisation ceremony, most Catholics will rejoice at the sound of the title “Saint John Paul II”, fulfilling the wish of the people at his funeral who chanted, “Santo Subito” (“Make him a saint now”). This call echoed the ancient practice of sainthood by acclamation, when all that was required was the people’s consensus on the sanctity of a holy person who had died. The practice of sainthood by acclamation also gave rise to abuses, and the calendar became filled with saints whose sanctity, or even existence, was not beyond doubt. In 1170 the Holy See began instituting a formal process by which official recognition of sanctity would be granted only after due investigation. In time, this would require the performance of medically inexplicable miracles that could be attributed to a candidate’s intercession. The process remains imperfect, however. The speed with which Bl John Paul’s sainthood cause has proceeded stands in stark contrast to those that seem to have stalled. When we mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Bl John XXIII next month, the question will arise how this saintly pope has so far eluded canonisation (never mind by what curious po-

litical device his cause became twinned with that of Bl Pius IX). The election of Pope Francis has reportedly unblocked another stalled cause: that of Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was assassinated by agents of El Salvador’s military regime on March 24, 1980 while saying Mass. Unlike Bl John’s course, Archbishop Romero’s sainthood cause should require no miracles to proceed, if he is recognised a martyr. However, there remains disagreement over whether he actually was martyred. The recognition of martyrdom requires that the candidate was killed for his faith by people who acted in hatred of the faith (odium fidei). Surely Romero was murdered because of his prophetic witness, demanded by the Gospel, in standing with the poor and victimised. And the murder of an archbishop while he was saying Mass ought to suffice as evidence that his killers were acting in odium fidei. Pope Francis reportedly is an admirer of Romero, so the archbishop’s cause may now be accelerated. In South Africa, in the diocese of Tzaneen, there is a sainthood cause which should also qualify as a case of martyrdom: that of Benedict Daswa, who was horrifically murdered in 1990 because he would not betray his faith. There is no dispute of Daswa’s exemplary personal holiness, and there can be little prevarication over his martyrdom. But sainthood causes, with their bloated bureaucratic requirements, are prohibitively expensive, and the diocese of Tzaneen, like most dioceses in South Africa, has limited funds. In a contest for resources, programmes for the poor invariably trump expenditure on bureaucratic processes. And yet, a beatification and eventual canonisation of Benedict Daswa—and, indeed, of Abbot Franz Pfanner—would have an enormous impact on the South African Church and its evangelising mission, more so even than the potential canonisation of Popes John Paul II or John XXIII. Is that not a good reason to review the protocols that govern sainthood causes?

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

Challenge to engage in debate WAS favourably impressed by from the ‘omniscient’ and ‘omnipoaccount in the April 24 issue tent’ state towards a state that seeks Iofyour the pastoral letter issued by the to facilitate the public space in Symposium of Episcopal Conferences in Africa and Madagascar (SECAM). The challenges the document poses to the states and political institutions of the continent are timely and pertinent, and it is good to see the Church bearing witness and challenging the world in which we live and struggle. I could not help, however, asking myself if the Church is willing or able to submit its own structures to the same criteria. The document states: “It is important therefore to move away

Closed doors

UR churches once were places of peace and refuge with doors wide open welcoming anyone who wished to pray and meditate, at any time of day or night. Now they are locked and armed with security alarms which not only keep the thieves and burglars out, but, sadly, the rest of us as well. I miss being able to visit the Blessed Eucharist, the soft glow of the sanctuary lamp indicating that Jesus in the Eucharist is present. How we all wish to hear God calling us as he called Samuel (1 Sam 3) as the boy lay sleeping in the sanctuary where the Ark of God was housed, and the lamp still burning. Parishioners used to enter the house of God in silence and with deep reverence. They acknowledged and exalted our Lord our God in silent prayer in preparation for the sacrifice and celebration of the Mass. I miss the ever-open church doors, the silence and reverence, and yes, I do miss the lyrical and poetic Latin, and the “old” hymns. How can we not miss the soultouching, heartfelt “Sweet Sacrament Divine”? June Jansen, St Francis Bay

Violence victim

HE claim by James Matondo (April 24) that President Robert Mugabe has been “repeatedly reelected by the people of Zimbabwe” is insulting to a victim of political violence, like myself. As a missionary who was working in one of the rural missions under the diocese of Mutare I witnessed people dying, being tortured, beaten and so on, because Mr Mugabe's militia terrorises the rural folk mostly in any build-up to an election. I personally feel pained by people who still try to defend and hide the naked truth and defend crimes

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favour of positive interactions of its citizens, so that there would be only one society for all.” I find it difficult to square this challenge with my experience of a Church which seems to cling so tightly to its own omniscience and omnipotence and circumscribes the public space of its citizens to the extent that it forbids their discussion of matters of significant importance to the life of the Church, such as married clergy, the place of women in the ministry, and so on. Its response to such discussions is invariably one of silencing and against humanity which I personally witnessed. This no longer is a time when we continue with the cheap talk of pointing to the West for Zimbabwe’s problems. Let’s face reality. A president’s legacy, in my opinion, is judged on the value he puts on respecting humanity. The truth will set us free. George Kasiyandima, Cape Town

Mugabe no hero

WAS surprised to read the letter from Mike Maidment (April 3) regarding the visit of Robert Mugabe to Rome because at the time the media in general reported the Vatican’s statement that nobody is invited to the inauguration of a pope but that any head of state is welcomed and all are treated equally. It was also reported that when Mugabe landed at Rome’s airport a car from the Vatican drove up to it where it had stopped on the runway so that he had only to walk on Italian soil from the plane to the car, presumably thus not violating the EU's sanction. With regard to James Matondo’s response to Mr Maidment (April 24), it is no doubt hard for him to turn against someone who was recognised by most Zimbabweans as a hero, equivalent to Nelson Mandela in South Africa. But if he looks at the facts he will realise that the regard he felt for the man in 1980 is not justified now. How does one explain Gukurahundi, Murambatsvina? Mr Matondo, why are there so many Zimbabweans in South Africa? Any I have spoken to say they are just waiting for a change so that they can go home. I’m sure that even those members of our Church who smuggled Mugabe out in 1975 have lost their regard for him. Because I still have family in Zimbabwe I have asked that my name not be revealed. Name withheld

Zimbabwe now

HANK you for publishing my letter and James Matondo’s reply (April 24). My question was not about Robert Mugabe or the pope, but the reasons behind Vatican diplomacy. My loyalty to the pope is unshakeable. I used the word “alleged” in describing Mr Mugabe’s behaviour, because it has been the subject of many books, newscasts, and TV interviews. It is a perception widely held, and it is not flattering. I have spoken with many former Zimbabweans, black and white, and they have confirmed the perception. Some Zimbabweans no longer 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. Letters can be sent to PO Box 2372, Cape Town 8000 or editor@scross.co.za or faxed to 021 465-3850

excluding those who speak. And what of its pastoral response to its already many citizens who find themselves excluded, such as divorced and remarried people, practising homosexuals, and so on? The Church’s view of the family of God seems to be: “You are welcome to sit at table with us but, sorry, you may not eat.” Will the hierarchies of Africa lead the way in saying: “We do not have all the answers so let’s struggle together till we find them, drawing strength from the sacramental life to strengthen and enrich us”? Such action would lend credence to its political challenges and be a powerful force for the edification of the African and the universal Church. Paul Traynor, Johannesburg attend Mass because they cannot reconcile such behaviour with worship. But perhaps all these perceptions are false. I have no direct knowledge of the man, so I don’t know whether the perceptions match the reality. Does the Vatican take a much wider view? Is it a case of rebutting the perceptions, or is it a case of the Vatican obeying Jesus, as expressed in Matthew 9:9: “It is kindness that I want. I have not come to call respectable people, but outcasts”. Mike Maidment, Durban

Charismatic case

HILE I am glad to learn that the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the Western Cape is offering a Life in the Spirit seminar in May (April 24), I am disappointed that their advert indicates that all the teachings will be given by priests and the archbishop. The renewal began as a lay movement in the 1960s and in the years when I did leadership formation, we helped lay men and women learn how to give teachings on the various themes of the seminar. Their witness and sharing was often very striking and powerful, much more so than that of priests and religious, since it was a ministry of laity to laity. So I wonder: what has happened to lay formation in the renewal in the Western Cape and throughout South Africa? Sue Rakoczy, Cedara, KZN

Deacons issue

T is a fact that we don’t have many callings to the priesthood which is a great concern for the Church, but for religious life there are callings. I know of people who have applied for the diaconate but today are still waiting. Why, if they are not fit, can they not get an answer. In the archdiocese of Cape Town there are many who have finished their studies and left the Church and gone to various churches where they were accepted and ordained. On Good Shepherd Sunday the Southern Cross was full of advertisements for the priesthood and nuns, which is good and we pray for young men and women to enter the religious life—but what of the deacons? Some parishes have no deacons and I believe there are men to help the priest in that capacity. Many priests are getting old. What is the Church going to do to address the problem? John Damons, Cape Town

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The Southern Cross, May 15 to May 21, 2013

PERSPECTIVES

Let first Christians lead us

OMMUNION is the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially when the exchange is on a mental or spiritual level. The word “communion” is defined as the act of sharing, or holding in common; participation (1 Corinthians 10:16). Acts 4:32-37 shows us what true Christian community is like. Why is it that we do not experience such generous love today within the Church? We have become very private in our faith. Historically speaking, this privacy began when the people’s language evolved beyond Latin and they could no longer understand what the priests were saying during Mass. The laity began quietly to say the Rosary and other devotions to connect them with God while the priest went ahead with the liturgy. In some of the larger churches, every side altar had a priest saying his own Mass at the same time. Although everyone came together to worship the Lord, the sense of sharing in as a community was lost. Community and generosity are closely linked. Preaching in a homily in February, Fr Paul Decock of St Joseph’s Theological Institute in Cedara, KwaZulu-Natal, put it like this: “[The Book of] Acts shows a community where there is the gift of self, acceptance of others, solidarity, generosity and genuine sharing”. He continued: “One crucial aspect of love is self-giving and on the cross this self-giving has been revealed in a tragic way.” The generous spirit that the early Christians felt is a natural outgrowth of first noticing a need in someone else and then caring enough to get involved. What they did for each other was not all that amazing. When they sold their property to help others, they did not make themselves homeless; they distributed what they could according to what was needed. Today we often do that for family members, but often we do not even know what

our parishioners need, never mind feeling connected to them enough to make sacrifices for them. Experiencing the Spirit of Communion should be not just in the religious communities or within our homes with only family members; it is far more than that. We need to open our inner selves to allow others to experience and feel the love and generosity of God in us. Generosity grows from love. The more we love people, the more we want to be generous with them. Look again at how the first Christians

The Pentecost depicted in stained glass.

The Holy Spirit in the family

HE United Nations International Day of Families 2013 is an annual commemoration conveniently celebrated worldwide in whatever way on May 15. This year the official theme is “Advancing Social Integration and Intergenerational Solidarity”. That’s quite a mouthful, so I simplify it here by calling it “Keeping families together across the generations”—because that is what it really means. It applies to young, old and in betweeners, and so can also fit in with our focus of the month of “Family First”! There is a great social need for respect for life at all stages, from pre-birth right through to natural death. The abuse and exploitation of older people, even within their families, is becoming a social problem. Neglecting them and leaving them in homes or institutions without regular contact with their families is a sad reality, too. There is a social dimension as well as a spiritual dimension to this. The New York archdiocesan catechetical office website informs us: “In family catechesis all family members, adults as well as children, work, learn and pray together.” I believe that for some of us, family catechesis has been understood as more to do with parents teaching simple things to young children. Once they are old enough they go to catechism class for a while, probably until First Communion and possibly after a few years for confirmation. While ideally parish catechesis should be ongoing throughout the school years, that is not always the case. Religious education in Catholic schools is something

The first place of catechesis is in the family. different again. Family catechesis, however, is a practice that is very undeveloped in our local Church and yet was in a way how their religious culture was passed on in African families, with elders playing an important role with the younger generations. There is awareness of this in the Church too, as I found when attending the big World Meetings of Families, which had special sessions for grandparents. It was said that the grandparents are often the ones who speak about God and religion to children, but that is because parents are not doing it themselves. So that leaves us with a new possibility and quite a challenge for family catechesis as a way of faith and life sharing in families as units across the generations. The feast of Pentecost lends itself to that possibility. In MARFAM’s Family Matters magazine, there is a pull-out section which has an activity for families around the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, ideally to be done over a number of occasions.

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Point of Reflection

related to one another. See how they were of “one heart and one mind”. This does not mean they always agreed on everything. Their unity came from caring about each other. Their caring started in the communal worship experience and continued outside of Mass through ongoing interaction. In John 3:7-15, Jesus tells us that to understand the things of heaven; we have to be “begotten of the Holy Spirit”. It is one thing to know Jesus personally, but God wants more than that for us, because heaven is so much more. On Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended upon a community—upon a group of people whose lives were intertwined. Generosity is a sign of a vibrant, healthy community. In heaven, love is everywhere. We call this the communion of saints. Yet we think of “communion” as a private experience of receiving the Eucharist. It is not! It is a coming together, becoming one in community through Christ. We walk up to the minister of the Eucharist as individuals and we return to our pews as a community, that is, as the community of saints singing the Communion song together. Really we ought to sing, not kneel in silent, private prayer after receiving Communion. Fr Decock ended his homily by stating that “the picture of the early Christian community has been an inspiration for so many renewal Christian movements in the world; it was an inspiration for the establishment of religious communities; it was also an inspiration for socialists and communist political programmes”. Hence, in heaven, we will care about everyone equally and we will be loved fully by everyone without prejudice. On earth, we cannot attain this love unless we rely on the Spirit of God within us (the Church)—the Spirit of Love, the Spirit of Communion.

Toni Rowland

Family Friendly

A priest looked at it and liked it. He commented that it is something youth groups could do. Maybe so, but that isn’t the primary purpose; it is really more intimately aimed at families. There are little observations or stories on each of the gifts and fruits, and an invitation to look for such a quality in ourselves and in different family members. Who has the wisdom, the knowledge, the patience, the self-control? Who wants to ask for the gift of fortitude or should be asking for humility and faithfulness? Which family would not want the fruits of joy and love to be manifest and visible? One could ask: “Is the Holy Spirit a family spirit, or is our family spirit a holy spirit?” As we communicate and share and show one another how we appreciate some of these qualities we see in one another, and in all honesty address our needs, the Holy Spirit can truly become a family spirit. It won’t necessarily be easy if your family is not used to this kind of thing. It is what I have been promoting as “Family Hour”, a regular time set aside—perhaps once a week, or more often, if possible— for families to spend time on their own issues, sharing their concerns, thoughts and feelings. But around this time of Pentecost—the birthday of the Church—it could be a particularly meaningful growth experience, one that can in a small way begin to promote the social integration and intergenerational solidarity that the United Nations calls for too.

Michael Shackleton

Open Door

How can we explain Spanish Inquisition? My blood ran cold to see on television some of the devilishly sadistic instruments of torture applied by Christians on Christians during the Spanish Inquisition? How can the Church possibly defend this iniquity? P Evans

HE Church today cannot and does not defend the iniquity of torture, not even that committed in her name in past centuries. Prosecutions for heresy in the early centuries are a far cry from today’s awareness of human rights. In those times, as in earlier and later times, there was no such thing as freedom of conscience. If you read the 1948 United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights, you will understand how far we have come in recognising the dignity of the human person. Western Europe was a unity of religious and secular authorities, Church and State. Any undermining of religious teachings or values was deemed a serious offence against public order. As heretical sects arose in various parts of Europe they were treated as a threat to the Christian faith. It was on this faith, we can say, that public order ultimately rested. In this way, the Inquisition was both a religious and a secular means of preserving public order. There was no real uniformity in the way punishments were meted out. Penalties varied according to area and local authority. The Church did not apply the death penalty, preferring to coax heretics to a more orthodox view. Only in severe cases was the state brought in to execute people. Gradually, the number of dissidents increased and Pope Gregory IX decreed in 1234 that the Dominicans and Franciscans be appointed as inquisitors to seek out heretics. After a due process of investigation, those who confessed their heresy were given acts of penance, while the stubborn were executed by the state. In 1478 the monarchs of Spain, Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, established their own Inquisition to replace the tribunal that was under the authority of the pope. Historians still debate their motives for that. Their theories include the assertion of Catholic orthodoxy, persecution of Jews and Muslims (who were eventually expelled), the exercise of political power and suppression of opposition, profiteering from confiscated property and other reasons. By all accounts, as you have observed, nonconformists were severely punished. The authorities argued that applying torture to people was simply to make them confess their errors. Once that was done, the torture ceased. Seen in the context of the time, the absolute value of religious truth overrode the individual’s human rights. Yet, the abuses and scandals brought about by the Inquisition are something neither the Church nor the state can be proud of.

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.

NEW FOR 2013 21 SEP TO 4 OCT

THE ACTS PILGRIMAGE Now visiting Rome, the Vatican City (Papal Audience), Assisi and where Jesus walked in the Holy Land, Israel. Including a visit to the Giza Pyramids Egypt.

Organised and led by Rev Fr Allan Moss OMI Cost from R32 000 Tel: (031) 266 7702 Fax: (031) 266 8982 Email: judyeichhorst@telkomsa.net

The Southern Cross, May 15 to May 21, 2013

FAITH

Charismatics on the way with Holy Spirit The Charismatic Catholic Renewal came into being on Pentecost 1967 and has been present in South Africa for nearly four decades. STEPH JORDAN looks at where the Renewal is now.

N August 16 the Charismatic Catholic Renewal will enter the 40th year of its presence in South Africa, having started in 1974 at Nazareth House in Cape Town with only seven people. Fr Ralph de Hahn, now a retired but still very active priest of the archdiocese of Cape Town, has been involved with the Charismatic Renewal since its early stages in the US, where it was founded in 1967. “The charismatic explosion in the Catholic Church has been remarkable and encouraging,” Fr de Hahn said. “There was a time when it was realised that dogma and law were not enough; something was missing from our traditional worship. We were not giving full recognition to the power and operations of God’s Holy Spirit,” the priest recalled. “It has to be understood that this is not another movement or society in the Church; this is the Church of Christ alive, rejoicing in the risen Lord of all creation. It is entirely scriptural, seeking a deeper knowledge and relationship with the Master, and recognising the Father’s love for all his children. It is a response to his call to discipleship, a path to true freedom of spirit, where one is worshipping with mind, heart, lips and body,” Fr de Hahn said. The Charismatic Catholic Renewal started in February 1967 when several faculty members and students from Duquesne University, a Catholic college in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, run by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, attended a retreat in celebration of the feast of Pentecost. At the retreat many of the students, albeit not all, claimed to have experienced a movement of God’s Spirit, of “being baptised in the Holy Spirit”.

The news of the event spread quickly across other US campuses. By 1972, the movement received the endorsement by the highly influential Belgian Cardinal Leo Suenens, who had served as one of the four moderators of the Second Vatican Council. Two years later the movement came to South Africa. Although the Renewal spread fairly quickly across the country, it was still met with prejudice and resistance, mainly from priests in parishes, Fr de Hahn recalled. While many of them supported the Renewal, he said, there seemed to be a residing fear of the movement—a fear of the way in which “the Spirit was moving the people to rejoice”. They were still much attached to the old ways of the Church, Fr de Hahn said, even though the ways of the Renewal are evident in the Bible. Critics also suggest that the Charismatic Renewal and its ways divert attention from the Eucharist and other gifts received during the Mass. Fr de Hahn disagrees: “Although the music, clapping, demonstrations and healing form a large part of the Renewal, the centre of all charismatic Masses is the same as any other Mass—focus is always the Eucharist and to honour it.” He explained: “The community is formed and joined through the Eucharist, and all the music and trimmings are manifestations of the joy of being with the Eucharist.” Another area of criticism concerns the effect of the Charismatic Renewal on Mass attendance in parishes where it has a presence. Some critics have said that while a charismatic Mass might help attract younger people to church, it puts off older Catholics who prefer the more reserved, conventional Mass. Fr de Hahn said that this was not his experience. “It is clear in Cape Town that the older generation love coming to church and seeing how involved the youth is with the Church.” Besides, both needs can be accommodated, he said. Even the Holy Spirit Centre in Maitland offers two options on Sundays: the conventional Mass and then the charis-

Catholics pray during a charismatic renewal gathering. The movement came to South Africa in 1974, seven years after being launched in the United States. matic (or youth) Mass. At the latter Mass, “the youth band not only chooses and plays all the music, but the readings collections and prayers of the faithful are all done by the youth”, said Fr de Hahn. “And the benches are filled to capacity during this Mass. The youth, as with other generations, want to live their faith, not have a simple ‘priest speaks, clergy replies’ dialogue.”

n Johannesburg, four areas run Life in the Spirit seminars, said Marieke Vrugtman, who is the head

of department of the Marriage Tribunal in the archdiocese of Johannesburg. The Renewal’s initiative is “basically to evangelise Christians, or anyone really, to have a personal encounter with Jesus Christ. It is not so much about belonging to a charismatic group specifically than to rather come to a Life in the Spirit seminar and learn how to have a personal relationship through the Holy Spirit, and to use that as a guide to what the person is capable of doing with their lives”, she said. “Although many people come

only to one or two of the seminars, many of them stay and become more involved by either helping out or running the smaller groups who meet regularly after the seminars to talk and share about their spiritual journey so far,” Mrs Vrugtman said. She has been involved with the Charismatic Renewal for 22 years. “We were very few people running the seminars at the time,” she recalled. Although bigger seminars had been more popular previously in the movements, as it became better known and “more people are discovered the power it holds”, smaller groups in parishes emerged, with more people “willing to learn how to lead the seminars”, Mrs Vrugtman said. In response to this, a Central Service Community with a leadership council was created in the archdiocese, “so that seminar or prayer group leaders could meet regularly”, she said. In Durban the Charismatic Renewal has seen a recent revival. Fr Stephen Tully, administrator of Emmanuel cathedral, said that in his parish specifically the charismatic group has been a recent occurrence, mainly among the Congolese parishioners. It also seems to have sparked a revival among Nigerian parishioners. “The group seems to be fairly popular in church, growing steadily and being involved with various things in the church,” Fr Tully said. “They have regular prayer meetings every week, they run prayer groups within the greater parish and have all-night vigils every third Friday of the month which anyone can attend. The group is also very willing to help and were completely in charge of the New Year’s vigil celebration this year.” For Cape Town’s Fr de Hahn, the Charismatic Catholic Renewal also has an ecumenical function. Through the movement, he said, “the Church has, in essence, ‘caught up’ with other churches or faiths who are always emphasising the Bible and the Holy Spirit.” And as a result, he said, the Catholic Church can now “integrate itself better with the other churches”.

ON TAPE

A group of readers is preparing audio tapes of excerpts from The Southern Cross for interested people who are blind, sight-impaired, unable to hold a newspaper or illiterate.

Anyone wanting to receive tapes as part of this service, available for an annual subscription fee of only r50, may contact mr len Pothier, 8 The Spinney retirement village, main rd, Hout Bay, 7806 or phone 021-790 1317.

The Post Office will deliver and return tapes without charge. Should you know of any interested blind or otherwise reading-impaired person, please inform them of this service.

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The Southern Cross, May 15 to May 21, 2013

PERSONALITY

Sr Victoria Sibisi CPS visited the diocese of Gaborone, Botswana, and met with the Education for Life youth.

Send your photos to

Grade 1 and 2 catechism groups of St Bernard’s parish in Newlands, Cape Town, are pictured with the gardens they created.

pics@ scross.co.za or post to Community Pics, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000 We endeavour to publish all photos of adequate quality, but due to the volume of contributions we receive, we ask for your patience.

Members of Cape Town Justice & Peace met with Bishop Stephan Ackermann of Trier, Germany, and his delegation at the archdiocesan chancery. (From left) Biddy Greene, Teresa Omodeo, Archbishop Ackermann, Fr Wim Lindeque, Ronald Romon, Bernadette Daries and (front) Patsy Benjamin. Association of Catholic Tertiary Students (ACTS) members from the University of Pretoria, seen here with national chaplain Fr Sammy Mabusela CSS, went on a weekend retreat at the Sanctuary in Cullinan, east of Pretoria. The theme for the retreat was “Faith in Action” in celebration of the Year of Faith.

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Maryvale parish in Johannesburg has lost its conductor, Francesca Bortolotti; who conducted the choir for 32 years. Her role involved the selection of suitable hymns, with the assistance of Monica Robinson, a and preparing all the music to be sung for a month ahead. Fran had professional training as her father was the chief oboist in the SABC Orchestra and her mother had sung in an Italian opera company and was a singing teacher. From these parents she inherited a splendid voice and perfect pitch and an unerring sense of time. She also had good musical taste, as reflected in Latin and English Masses and beautiful motets by Palestrina, Mozart, Stainer, Franck and O’Donnel. (Submitted by Pietro Onesta)

The Legion of Mary sodality of Matjieskloof in Keimoes-Upington diocese met with their newly appointed representative, Sr Febana from the senatus in Cape Town. Pictured are (back from left) Legion Sister Bostander and Brother van Schalkwyk, (front) Sisters Febana, Slimmert, Theunis and Stuurman.

The Catholic Women’s League members of Klerksdorp diocese attended their annual retreat at Rabbuni Centre in Klerksdorp. The CWL members are pictured with their spiritual director Fr Bongani Sithole.

The Southern Cross, May 15 to May 21, 2013

Fr Alfred Herschenroder

ATHER Alfred Herschenroder of Durban archdiocese died on March 1 at the age of 80 Born in Mauritius on April 6, 1932, he came to South Africa as a child with his mother, older brother and sister. He qualified as a chartered accountant and spent time in Europe. He returned to South Africa and became a lecturer at the Uni-

Word of the Week

versity of Natal. Fr Alfred entered the seminary as a late vocation in 1971 and was ordained on December 12, 1976. He spent most of his years as a priest serving the community in almost all parishes on the North Coast of KwaZulu-Natal, namely, Oakford, Verulam, Tongaat, Ballito, Stanger and Shaka’s Kraal.

The last few years of his life were spent as assistant priest at Our Lady, Star of the Sea, Amanzimtoti. He will be remembered for his love of music, great knowledge in many fields and his sense of humour, for he loved a good joke. He will be lovingly remembered by all the clergy and laity in the archdiocese of Durban.

Faith: our graduation prize EFLECTING on John 16:12—“I faith in God. R have so much more to tell Life is a series of courses we go you, but you cannot bear it on. We cannot get to graduation LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Chancery: the secretarial office of a king or bishop. Postulant: a person seeking admission to a religious order. Reliquary: shrine or casket in which relics of saints were kept. Pelagian: relating to the heresy of Pelagius (354-419), who denied original sin and saw human endeavour achieving salvation. Sodality: A group of laity, established for the promotion of Christian life and worship, or some other religious purpose.

now”—I see how God has never given me more information than I need to know. If he did, I would be apprehensive to continue on my journey. If we were informed of the losses we’d have to endure, the struggles and illnesses and so on, we’d be moving forward without faith. It’s in enduring through these, one step at a time, and experiencing God’s faithfulness every time, that we grow in our trust and

Liturgical Calendar Year C Weekdays Cycle Year 1

Sunday, May 19, Pentecost Sunday Acts 2:1-11, Psalm 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34, 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13 or Romans 8:8-17, John 20:19-23 Monday, May 20, St Bernardine of Siena Sirach 1:1-10, Psalm 93:1-2, 5, Mark 9:14-29 Tuesday, May 21 Sirach 2:1-11, Psalm 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40, Mark 9:30-37 Wednesday, May 22, St Rita of Cascia Sirach 4:11-19, Psalm 119:165, 168, 171-172, 174-175, Mark 9:38-40 Thursday, May 23 Sirach 5:1-8, Psalm 1:1-4, 6, Mark 9:41-50 Friday, May 24, Dedication of the basilica of St Francis of Assisi Revelation 21:1-5, Psalm 95:1-7, John 10:22-30 Saturday, May 25, Memorial of the BVM Sirach 17:1-15, Psalm 103:13-18, Mark 10:13-16 Sunday, May 26, Holy Trinity Proverbs 8:22-31, Psalm 8:4-9, Romans 5:1-5, John 16:12-15

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without first having completed each course. Each lesson we learn through our experiences helps us to face our next steps in faith, knowing what to expect and also knowing that God is in the midst of it all. The more courses we go through, the more faith we achieve, until faith becomes our graduation prize, and God’s grace becomes our trophy. Catherine de Valence, Cape Town

Southern CrossWord solutions

SOLUTIONS TO 550. ACROSS: 5 Cock, 7 Encyclical, 8 Lama, 10 Good Book, 11 Alpine, 12 Tragic, 14 Acts up, 16 Ronald, 17 Stipends, 19 Rise, 21 Blind faith, 22 Onus. DOWN: 1 Cell, 2 Pyramids, 3 Plague, 4 Accost, 5 Club, 6 Chronicles, 9 Allocution, 13 Abnormal, 15 Pundit, 16 Reside, 18 Pubs, 20 Echo

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) Tel: 076 323-8043. May 30: Vigil of the Feast of the Visitation -7.00pm Rosary, 7.30pm Holy Mass 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 Sacred Heart church

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 June 6: Vigil of the Feast of the Sacred Heart, 7pm Rosary, .30pm Holy Mass June 8: Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, 9 to 10am, Holy Hour and Benediction. Confessions available during Holy Hour

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

IN MEMORIAM

POTHIER—Bernard. Died May 24, 2011. Always in our thoughts and with us in spirit, his presence has not faded. Greatly loved and sorely missed by his wife Margaret, children Dominic & Siobhain, Nicholas & Heide, Rosanne & Tiernan, his grandchildren Luke, Jamie, Sam, Jodie, Catherine & Julian, his siblings and extended family. Let your light shine upon your servant, O Lord. May he rest in peace. POTHIER—Bernard. Former director of the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company, manager of the Associates’ Campaign and good friend to all at The Southern Cross. Still deeply missed two years after his passing by the directors, editor, manager and staff of The Southern Cross. SEMPER (BLAND)— Tracy. In loving memory of a wonderful daughter, mother, sister and friend who was called to her heavenly home 6 years ago on May 14, 2007. Always in our hearts and remembered daily by Ken, Kirsty, Carol, Jennifer, Mathew, Paul, extended family and friends. Rest in peace with Mom and Our Lady and her beloved Son, Jesus.

DONATIONS NEEDED

WINTER is knocking. Please help our brothers and sisters, homeless and destitute. We need warm clothing, shoes, blankets and food. Please contact Childhood Roads Institute offices at 011 850 1008 during office hours or 071 958 6639 after hours.

PERSONAL

ABORTION WARNING: ‘The Pill’ can abort, swiftly and undetected. It clinically makes the womb in-

hospitable, and reject those early ‘accidental’ conceptions (new lives) which sometimes occur while using it. (Medical facts stated in its pamphlet) HOUSE-SITTER/PETLOVER: Based at Benoni Parish, will travel/with references. Phone Therèse 076 206 0627. NOTHING is politically right if it is morally wrong. Abortion is evil. Value life! REBINDING of Altar Missals and other books. Visit www.langebergbookbinding.com or phone 084 530 5234.

PRAYERS

INFANT OF PRAGUE— (This Novena is to be said at the same time every hour for nine consecutive hours – just one day). O Jesus, Who has said, ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you, through the intercession of Mary. Thy Most Holy Mother, I knock, I seek, I ask that my prayer be granted (Make your request) O Jesus, Who hast said, all that you ask of the Father in My name, He will grant you through the intercession of Mary, Thy Most Holy Mother, I humbly and urgently ask Thy Father in Thy name that my prayer be granted. (Make your request) O Jesus, Who has said “Heaven and earth shall pass away but my word shall not pass” through the intercession of Mary, Thy Most Holy Mother, I feel confident that my

prayer will be granted. (Make your request). In thanksgiving for prayers answered. CGBDFI.

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

LONDON: Protea House: Single per/night R300, twin R480. Selfcatering, busses and underground nearby. Phone Peter 0044 208 7484834. BALLITO: Up-market penthouse on beach, self-catering. 084 790 6562. 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. 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. Malcolm Salida 082 784 5675, mjsalida@gmail.com SEDGEFIELD: Beautiful self-catering garden holiday flat, sleeps four, two bedrooms, open-plan lounge, kitchen, fully equipped. 5min walk to lagoon. Out of season specials. Contact Les or Bernadette 044 343 3242, 082 900 6282. STELLENBOSCH: Five simple private suites (2 beds, fridge, microwave). Countryside vineyard/forest/mountain walks; beach 20 minute drive. Affordable. Christian Brothers Tel 021 880 0242, cbcstel@gmail.com STRAND: Beachfront flat to let. Stunning views, fully equipped. One bedroom, sleeps 3. Seasonal rates. From R525 p/night for 2 people—low season. Garage. Ph Brenda 082 822 0607.

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

NOAH OLD AGE HOMES

We can use your old clothing, bric-a-brac, furniture and books for our shop which is opening soon. Help us to create an avenue to generate much needed funds for our work with the elderly. Contact Ian Veary on 021 447 6334 www.noah.org.za

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Trinity Sunday: May 26 Readings: Proverbs 8:22-31, Psalm 8:49, Romans 5:1-5, John 16:12-15

Hear Holy Trinity message

Nicholas King SJ

EXT Sunday is the feast of the Holy Trinity; now sometimes people’s hearts sink at that thought, because they feel that they have to engage in all kinds of impossible mathematics about three-into-onewon’t-go. Try looking at it this way, however: all those early Christians, including Jesus himself, were good Jews, and for them there was one and only one God. Nevertheless, they found that if they were to do justice to their experience of God, if they were to say all that they wanted to say about Jesus, and if they were to take seriously that powerful experience of the early Church, to which they gave the name of the “Holy Spirit”, then they were driven to say that the One God had a richness, almost a community, while remaining firmly One. So they quarried what we call the “Old Testament” for clues about how this could possibly be so; and one of the divine activities that they focused upon was that of creation. Look at the first reading for next Sunday, from Proverbs; and notice how the figure of Wisdom is turned almost into another agent, at God’s side during the creation, and very close to God, yet not quite the same as God; texts like this may well have given the early Christians clues about how to speak of the

Sunday Reflections

richness of God. Wisdom is clearly different from God, “the Lord fashioned me at the beginning of his way...from of old I was poured forth, from the beginning, before the land”. So Wisdom pre-existed creation; but, deeper than that, Wisdom also helped God in the act of creation: “When he established the heavens I was there”; then the meditation runs through all the stages of creation, and concludes “I was beside him as a craftsman, day by day I was [his] delight, always at play in his presence, delighting in the sons of men”. You can see that there is still only one God, but there is a “something else” that is with God and not quite identical with God, and that may have given the early Christians some ideas about how to speak of God in terms of what they had experienced of Jesus and of the Holy Spirit.

OME years ago, a woman shared this story at a workshop. She had a six-yearold son whom she had conscientiously schooled in prayer. Among other things, she made him kneel beside his bed every night and say aloud a number of prayers, ending with an invocation to “bless Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, and Grandpa”. One night, shortly after he had started school, she took him to his room to hear his prayers and to tuck him in for the night. But when it came time for him to kneel by his bedside and recite his prayers, he refused and crawled into bed instead. His mother asked him: “What’s the matter? Don’t you pray anymore?” There was remarkable calm in his reply: “No,” he said, “I don’t pray anymore. The sister teaching us at school told us that we are not supposed to pray, she said that we are supposed to talk to God ... and tonight I am tired and have nothing to say!” This is reminiscent of a scriptural story about King David. One morning, returning from battle with some of his soldiers, he arrived at the temple, tired and hungry, but the only food available consisted of consecrated loaves of bread in the temple, which by Jewish religious law were to be eaten only by the priests in sacred ritual. David asked the high priest for the loaves and was met by the objection that these loaves were not to be eaten as ordinary food.

Conrad

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

David replied that he was aware of that, but, given the situation and given that as king he was empowered to make decisions for God on earth, he ordered the priest to give him the loaves. Biblical tradition commends David for that. He is praised for doing a good thing, for knowing God well enough to know that God would want that bread to be used for exceptional purposes in that situation. He is praised for having a mature faith, for not being unduly legalistic, for not abdicating sound judgment because of fear and piety, and for knowing God well enough to know that God is not a law to be obeyed but rather a loving presence that counsels us and imbues us with life and energy. Jesus, too, praises David for this action when his own disciples are chastised for shelling corn on the Sabbath. He refers to David’s action of feeding his hungry soldiers with the consecrated loaves as an act of deeper understanding; that is, in doing this seemingly sacrilegious act, David was in fact demonstrating an inti-

And what God has done in Jesus is to give us “access to this grace in which we take our stand and boast, in the hope of the glory of God”. And then Paul traces a path through the experiences that await Christians: “tribulations...stamina...calibre...hope...love”, and triumphantly concludes now with the role of the third member of this extraordinary Trinity: “the love of God is poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given us”. The gospel, from Jesus’ famous discourse at the Last Supper, neatly brings together Father, Son (who is the speaker, of course) and Holy Spirit. Jesus tells the sad disciples, “I have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now”, but they are not to worry, because of what the Holy Spirit will do: “When he comes, the Spirit of Truth, he will guide you in all truth” and, as with all the members of this divine community, “he does not speak on his own account...he will glorify me, for he will take from what is mine, and announce it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine”. We hardly have language to describe this community of love that is at the very heart of creation, and at the very heart of our Christian believing; but without this unfathomable threeness of God we should not have access to what the One God has done for us in Christ and in the Spirit.

There is something of the same in the psalm for next Sunday; once again there is a meditation on God’s creation, but here no agent of creation. Instead, there is a meditation of the insignificance of human beings: “what are humans, that you should remember them?”, but then a shout of joy at the status God has given us: “you have made him [and we need to say ‘him’ here] little less than God, with glory and honour you have crowned him, you have given him rule over the works of your hands”. The reason why we have to translate all those “hims” there is that the early Christians used that psalm as a way of thinking about Jesus’ relationship to God, and it gave them some helpful ideas for understanding that God remained One, but that Jesus was somewhere in there. The second reading for next Sunday starts a new section of Paul’s letter to the Romans; he has got through the difficult arguments about what God has done in Christ, and is now settling down to give us a clue about the grounds for our confidence, and he continues, “so we have peace with God, through Our Lord Jesus Christ” (God is, you see, the same as, and different from Jesus).

Don’t be fooled by fear and piety macy with God that his critics, because of fear, betrayed themselves as lacking. One of the things that characterises mature friendship is a familiarity and intimacy that makes for a robust relationship rather than a fearful one. In a mature relationship there is no place for fearful piety or false reverence. Rather with a close friend we are bold because we know the other’s mind, fully trust the other, and are at a level of relationship where we are unafraid to ask for things, can be shamelessly self-disclosing, are given to playfulness and teasing, and are (like King David) able to responsibly interpret the other’s mind. When we are in a mature relationship with someone, we are comfortable and at ease with that person. That is also one of the qualities of a mature faith and a mature relationship with God. According to John of the Cross, the deeper we move into a relationship with God and the more mature our faith becomes, the more bold we will become with God. Like King David and like the young boy just described, fearful piety will be replaced by a healthy familiarity. And this will not be the kind of familiarity that breeds contempt; that takes the other for granted. Rather it will be the kind of familiarity that is grounded in intimacy which, while remaining respectful and never taking the other for granted, is more at ease and playful than fearful and pious in that other’s presence. But, if that is true, then what are we to make of the fact that Scripture tells us “the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom” and the fact that religious tradition has always deemed piety a virtue? Do fear and piety militate against “boldness” with God? Was King David wrong in his bold interpretation of God’s will? There is a religious fear that is healthy and there is a piety that is healthy, but neither of these is exhibited in a relationship that is fearful, legalistic, scrupulous, overpious, or over-serious. Healthy religious fear and healthy piety manifest themselves in a relationship that is robust. We should not let ourselves be fooled by fear and piety. Fear easily masks itself as religious reverence. Piety can easily pass itself off as religious depth. But genuine intimacy unmasks both. A healthy relationship is robust, bold, and is characterised by lack of fear, ease, playfulness, and humuor. And that is particularly true of our relationship with God.

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Southern Crossword #550

ACROSS 5. Peter wept at its sound (Mt 22) (4) 7. Papal circular (10) 8. Holy man seen in Mala Mala (4) 10. A fine novel, or is it sacred? (4,4) 11. Leap in high mountain (6) 12. Very distressing letter about cigar (6) 14. Behaves badly with catsup (4,2) 16. Roland changes his name (6) 17. They support the clergy (8) 19. Go up riotously? (4) 21. Belief in the sightless? (5,5) 22. Our burden? (4)

DOWN 1. Kind of phone for the monk (4) 2. Joseph and Mary may have seen them en route (8) 3. One that struck the Egyptians (6) 4. Confront (6) 5. Golfer may be in it and use it (4) 6. OT book of records (10) 9. Unto local I saunter for solemn speech (10) 13. This is unusual (8) 15. He has strong opinions about nut dip (6) 16. Desire a place to live (6) 18. Publicans own them (4) 20. Sound of reflection (4)

Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

HE archbishop was commending the young parish priest’s innovations which had brought people back to the church—with one excep-

tion. “All of these ideas have been well and good,” said the archbishop, “but I’m afraid you’ve gone too far with the drive-through confessional.” ''But Your Grace,” protested the young priest, “my confessions and the donations have nearly doubled since I began that!” “Yes,” replied the archbishop, “and I appreciate that. But the flashing neon sign ‘Hoot ’n Tell or Go to Hell’, cannot stay on the church roof!” Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.