150211

The

S outhern C ross

February 11 to February 17, 2015

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 4911

www.scross.co.za

Our Top 10 tips for a good Lent

New church goes up after ‘builder miracle’

Interview with Hurley Centre’s first director

Page 10

Page 2

R7,00 (incl VAT RSA)

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OR Tambo airport chapel to take off

BY STUART GRAHAM

T

South African cricket star JP Duminy donated a cricket bat signed by the 2009 Protea squad to Fr Syabonga Dube OMI and Betram Füscher of St Stephen’s parish in Rocklands, Cape Town, to be auctioned by the parish for much-needed funds. The Proteas begin the ODI World Cup campaign on February 15 against Zimbabwe in Hamilton, New Zealand.

(Photo: Phillip Randelhoff)

Bishops praise consecrated life

BY STUART GRAHAM

T

HE Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) has paid tribute to the religious and called on parishes to “celebrate the precious gift of consecrated life”.

SACBC president Archbishop Stephen Brislin said in a pastoral letter that the Church welcomed the invitation of Pope Francis to make 2015 a year of thanksgiving and of deeper reflection on the calling of consecrated men and women.

“We ask that in our dioceses and parishes we celebrate the precious gift of consecrated life together with the contemplative and active religious among us, also by visiting and supporting the sick and aged among them.”

Consecrated men and women established the local Church in South Africa's dioceses and most of its parishes, schools and hospitals, Archbishop Brislin said.

“Still today they minister in the local Church and outlying communities, serving people of every background in countless ways,” the archbishop said.

“We pay tribute to all deceased religious who have served in our countries [South

Africa, Botswana and Swaziland] and are buried in our soil, sometimes in obscure or forgotten graves. We appreciate all those religious who have grown old among us, who have given courageous witness and led exemplary lives.”

Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria, a Franciscan, also paid tribute to the religious, who had played a role in bringing Christianity to South Africa.

“It was religious in the main who brought Christianity to South Africa,” he said.

“It was they who built the parishes, the hospitals, the schools, the clinics, the homes for the deaf and blind, the aged all over South Africa.”

The pioneers in most of South Africa were the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate and the Mariannhill Missionaries.

Archbishop Slattery paid special tribute to religious women.

From the very beginning, the women religious played a major role in the life of the South African Church, starting with the Assumption sisters in Grahamstown, he said.

The first sisters in Pretoria, the Loreto Sisters, came in 1878. Other early groups were Continued on page 3

HE Catholic Church has stepped in to support the struggling chapel at OR Tambo airport in Johannesburg, which launched in February 1996 following a campaign in The Southern Cross.

Trish Lovell, the Methodist secretary of the chaplaincy, said “all churches” had been approached for help in restoring the chapel but only the Catholic Church has offered support.

“The chapel was revived in 2010 for the football World Cup but it has been struggling since then,” said Ms Lovell.

“We approached all churches. The only one that responded was the Catholic Church [which] has been a powerful force in getting the project moving,” she said, adding that “the other churches are not on board”.

Ms Lovell said the Catholic Church has asked for “clear proposals” on what needs to be done to revive the chapel. It had also indicated that it wanted the chapel to be an interfaith establishment.

“The Catholic Church wants other denominations to be involved. It was adamant that it does not want the chapel to be a Catholic chapel at the airport,” she said, adding that “we are also consulting with Buddhists and Hindus about their role in the chapel.”

Ms Lovell said the chapel needs repairs and maintenance, but that despite repeated requests, the Airports Company of SA (Acsa) has not approved the plans.

A builder is currently working on certain aspects of the chapel, she said.

“We have been fighting for Acsa and the Ekurhuleni municipality to approve the plans for years, but they are refusing to do it.”

Miss Lovell said representatives of the Catholic Church had met at the chapel and agreed that it had to revive it.

The chapel is currently run as a Section 21 company. Its monthly water and electricity costs are covered by its board, which includes the Methodist, Presbyterian and Anglican Churches, New Life Ministries and the Hatfield Christian Church in Pretoria.

The chapel, which is highly popular among airport staff and passengers, is open 24 hours a day, every day of the week.

“People come to the chapel 24/7. Because of shift work at the airport, people come at the most unusual hours. Pastors at the airport do shift work at the chapel, running a night vigil from 1-3 am when there are no flights.

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OR Tambo airport (Photo: Pretoria Travel) A problem is that the chapel is “out of the way” in Terminal B at the bottom end of a passage on a level between two floors.

“The airport won’t move us to a better location. This is the only space they have for us,” said Ms Lovell.

She noted that Muslims have four worship areas in the airport, two for men and two for women.

Ms Lovell said the chapel was started in 1996 as a result of articles in The Southern Cross.

“The Catholics put most of the capital down to develop the chapel,” she said. “Back then it was right in the middle of the airport.”

French Father André Fillon, was directly appointed by the Vatican to be permanently at the airport. He, an Anglican priest and a Dutch Reformed dominee took turns in running the chapel.

But the chapel became dormant in 2007 after the dominee relocated to Pretoria, the Anglican died and the Catholic priest was recalled.

It was revived in 2010 for the World Cup but has been struggling since then.

Ms Lovell said around R700 000 is needed to revive the chapel.

Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria said the bishops had agreed to support the chapel at their plenary in late January.

“We find airports to be a joyful, exciting and sorrowful place,” said Archbishop Slattery. “Many people are saying goodbye to people they will never see again. It is also a place where people are nervous and apprehensive. The chapel is a place where people can sit down quietly in the presence of God.” It is not yet certain when the chapel will be ready for use.

“The space is there. It is a matter of fittings,” said Archbishop Slattery.

Rome, Assisi, Florence, Siena, Padua, Milan, Venice and more 6 - 18 September 2015

2

The Southern Cross, February 11 to February 17, 2015

LOCAL

Builder saves the day Little Eden goes to Hollywood L A

BY DYLAN APPOLIS

BY STUART GRAHAM

GENEROUS gesture by a Pietermaritzburg building project manager has sped up the completion of a new church outside Howick in KwaZulu-Natal.

Fr Jude Fernando said he was shivering with nerves before his coffee meeting with manager Bill Middleton, to discuss the cost of placing a roof on St Anne’s church in Mphophomeni, in the archdiocese of Durban.

“I was very worried about costs and whether we would have the money to complete the church,” Fr Fernando told The Southern Cross. “When Mr Middleton arrived, I told him about the new church and that we were worried about costs. I was expecting him to present me with a very expensive quote,” the priest said.

Mr Middleton, 68, who became a Catholic after his son was born 31 years ago, recalled: “Fr Jude talked about money. I said: ‘Look, I am Catholic. I understand how these things are.’ I said I was prepared to help pro bono.

“He then jumped up and kissed me in the middle of the coffee shop.”

Mr Middleton, who is used to working 16-hour days, has altered his schedule after suffering a health scare last year. “Now I work eight hours a day and only four mornings a week,” he said.

Mr Middleton said he had built a number of churches before, including the Methodist church in Hilton. He also worked for priests in Umzimkulu and assisted in the construction of the Apostolic Church in Hillbrow, Johannesburg.

He said he had first heard

ITTLE Eden has hit the ground running preparing for its main fundraising event, the annual

Fr Jude Fernando (right) with building project manager Bill Middleton at the St Anne’s church building site. Mr Middleton is generously giving his time and expertise free. about the Mphophomeni church when he was home in Pietermaritzburg in 2012. A steelworks manager came to ask him for a design for a church building.

He completed the drawings for the steelwork, found prices, but heard nothing more.

Last August, one of the parishioners of his parish, St Mary’s, phoned to say he had been asked by some people in Mphophomeni to help build a church.

“That is how I came to be involved. By the time I met Fr Jude, he hadn’t realised that a lot of the work had already been done.”

Mr Middleton has been helping with the foundations and in the reconstruction of the floor.

“I have also helped with the design and tender of steelwork

fête.

It will take place on February 28 at Little Eden in Edenvale, Johannesburg, which cares for those with intellectual disability.

“With 300 special people relying on the home for all their needs, the organisation has to get the ball rolling with preparations,” Nichollette Muthige, public relations and communications officer said.

The purpose of the event is to raise funds to care for the residents at Little Eden.

Roughly 35% is received through the government, and the shortfall of about R18 million a year has to be raised through various activities and events.

“The success of the day relies on support from the community,” said

and overseeing erection of the steelwork. Another of my jobs is to look after the ordering of materials. I have fortunately found someone in Howick who can help far quicker and cheaper.”

Fr Fernando has since been transferred from Mphophomeni to Verulam, but is still deeply involved in the construction of St Anne’s.

“What he does now is get up at 5:30 and drive from Verulam to St Anne’s, which is some distance away,” says Mr Middleton. “Sometimes he is there before me.”

Brickwork for St Anne’s is 60% complete and Fr Fernando and Mr Middleton are expecting to have it ready for Easter Mass.

“It’s going to be a beautiful church,” Mr Middleton said.

Ms Muthige.

“Little Eden humbly requests its supporters to assist with donations in cash or kind. Contributions to the bottle tombola stall of any unopened item that comes in a bottle, such as bath salts, wine, chutney and toiletries, will be appreciated.

“Craft items, books, plants, knitting and needlework are also welcome and, of course, cakes.

“Supporters are asked to come dressed as their favourite stars to fit in with the 2015 theme, “Hollywood”.

There will be prizes for the best-dressed visitors.

Entrance is R5 which includes entry into the lucky draw. There will be food, entertainment and “loads of fun for everyone,” Ms Muthige added. n For more information on how you can get involved and help, contact Zama Zulu on 011 609 7246. Also, visit the Little Eden website at www. littleeden.org.za

Women called to prayer day STAFF REPORTER

W

The Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act Commemoration Mass was celebrated by Fr Peter-John Pearson (pictured during his homily) and Fr Charles Prince. It was organised by the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office, to mark the anniversary of the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act becoming law in 1997, and to pray for a change of heart on the part of all who disregard the rights of unborn children.

OMEN from all walks of life, sodalities and across religious spectrums are invited to take part in a day of prayer at Regina Mundi parish in Moroka, Soweto, on March 7, starting at 11:00.

The day, organised by Radio Veritas, is an ecumenical event where women from all areas will be united in prayer for God’s intervention on the social illnesses affecting people across the world, said Radio Veritas’ Mahadi Buthelezi.

The Women’s World Day of Prayer aims to show that prayer and action are an inseparable instrument that can change the world, she said.

This year’s theme is “Jesus said to them: ‘Do you know what I have done to you?’ ” (John 13:12) “Women are the nurturers of this world,” Ms Buthelezi said.

“It is fulfilling when we unite in prayer because not only do we provide each other with hope, but we believe that our prayers reach God who, in turn, showers our families and friends with blessings.” n For more information contact Mahadi Buthelezi on mahadi@radioveitas. co.za or 011 663 4700.

Cardinal’s book to be launched

A Guiding dreams; inspiring greatness Grade 8 2016 Entrance and Scholarship examinations Saturday 21 February 2015 08:00 - 12:00

BOOK by a leading cardinal will be launched in Johannesburg this month with a keynote address by Jesuit Father Anthony Egan.

Discussing German Cardinal Walter Kasper’s book Mercy: The Essence of the Gospel and the Key to Christian Life, Fr Egan will address questions such as what it means to believe in a merciful God, whether one can speak of a compassionate God, and how the cardinal’s book might influence Pope Francis’ papacy.

Fr Egan, who is based at the Jesuit Institute in Johannesburg, lectures in theology, ethics and adult faith formation.

The launch is hosted by the Pauline Books & Media Centre in Kensington on February 21 from 9:30 to 11:30, and includes a Q&A with Fr

Cardinal Walter Kasper, whose new book on mercy will be launched.

Egan, followed by refreshments. Parking is available.

The centre asks for a donation of R30. The book will be available at R425. n Contact Sr Glenda at fspjhb@ paulines.co.za or 011 6225189 to reserve a place.

To register or for further information, email admissions@brescia.co.za or visit www.brescia.co.za

Bishops praise consecrated life Continued from page 1 the Holy Family sisters, Holy Cross sisters and the Little Company of Mary, Archbishop Slattery said.

Among the male religious were the De la Salle, Marist and Christian brothers, all specialising in education.

The religious, Archbishop Slattery said, followed the life of Jesus, who had “lived a radical life”.

“Jesus’ whole desire was to do the will of his father. He was obedient.

The great love of the life of Jesus was God,” he said “Jesus lived an unmarried life. But he loved everybody. Jesus used material things. But he lived a poor and simple life,” he added.

“The religious seek to repeat the life of Jesus by living in obedience, celibacy and poverty.”

The Southern Cross, February 11 to February 17, 2015

LOCAL

3

De Kock release shows SA’s ‘big soul’ T

BY STUART GRAHAM

HE release of South Africa’s most notorious apartheid-era assassin, Eugene de Kock, has shown the country’s “big soul” and the generosity of spirit of its people, according to Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria.

“What [de Kock] did was abominable. One also feels that those who controlled de Kock and gave him his duties seemed never to have been brought to face justice,” Archbishop Slattery told The Southern Cross.

“The release of Eugene de Kock shows the big soul of South Africa and the generosity of spirit of its people,” he said.

“And so I say welcome, Eugene de Kock. Do what you can to respond to this generosity of spirit.”

Archbishop Stephen Brislin, president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, welcomed Mr de Kock’s parole, “considering that due process has been followed”.

Mr de Kock had sought “to make amends with families of his victims, not least by supplying information

as to what happened to loved ones,” Archbishop Brislin noted.

“The granting of parole indicates that vengeance is not the spirit of ubuntu, but that remorse, rehabilitation and forgiveness capture that spirit,” he said.

Mr De Kock, who commanded a death squad that kidnapped, tortured and killed anti-apartheid activists, spent nearly 20 years in prison for his crimes.

He was tried in 1996 and sentenced to two life sentences plus 212 years in prison.

Mr de Kock, who is now 66,

showed remorse by meeting with victims’ families and helping authorities locate bodies.

Justice Minister Michael Masutha said that Mr De Kock, who operated mostly from Vlakplaas outside Pretoria, would be released “in the interests of nation-building”.

Mr de Kock also cooperated with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), established in 1995 to achieve full disclosure of apartheid-era crimes. Its hearings started in 1996 under the chairmanship of Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

5-star lunch for gogos

Reapply for Fatima statues STAFF REPORTER

A

CRISIS has hit the Portuguese businessman who has donated more than 250 statues of Our Lady of Fatima to churches, convents and schools in South Africa and beyond: he has lost all correspondence in a computer crash.

“In one moment, every e-mail and every letter and every document stored on the computer was gone,” the businessman, who asks not to be named, told The Southern Cross from Portugal.

This means that all his accumulated contacts have disappeared, as well as all applications that he had received and was still attending to.

“If you have applied for a statue in the proper way, please get in touch with me again,” he said. “You might have to apply again.”

Recently he sent 16 statues to Port Elizabeth alone.

Altogether he has donated 245 of the delicate statues, which are made in Portugal.

Recipients are spread throughout South Africa, and he has also sent statues to Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Uganda and Madagascar.

The donor has even sent one to a prison in England.

He said that he needs be cautious when evaluating applications.

“The requests must come via parish priests on official letterheads, and only applications from priests listed in the Catholic Directory 2013/14 will be considered,” he said.

Applications must also include a recommendation from the diocesan bishop on his letterhead to avoid fraud. Statues will be delivered to the local diocesan chancery. n The donor can be contacted at jjv camara@gmail.com

Mr de Kock said before receiving his sentence that the unit he had commanded “was established with the full knowledge and approval of senior government officials and police generals”.

“The TRC was an example to the whole world of a country trying to find peace with itself,” Archbishop Slattery said.

“One of the most impressive motives for the TRC was to reconcile the offenders to bring them back into the family of the nation.”

STAFF REPORTER

R Brescia House School and St Ursula’s School celebrated the feast of St Angela Merici, the founder of the Ursulines, was quite a woman! Unlike her contemporaries, who either married or became nuns, Angela found herself so drawn to changing the plight of uneducated girls that she chose a third option. She defied the norm and formed an order of religious women who lived in their own homes, but worked for the glory of God, in educating young girls. The Ursulines, named after St Ursula, was the first teaching order of women. In celebration of her feast day, the girls at Brescia House, and the boys and girls at St Ursula’s, were reminded of St Angela’s fortitude and faith.

ADIO Veritas, in association with a generous, anonymous Methodist sponsor, will treat gogos and mkhulus to a memorable, 5-star lunch.

Every year, Radio Veritas, the only Catholic radio station in the country, celebrates its elderly for being a compass for good morals and values.

What makes this year’s lunch more special is that it will take place on the birthday of Fr Emil Blaser OP, managing director of Radio Veritas and presenter of its popular breakfast show.

The lunch is on February 21 at Christ the King cathedral in Johannesburg from 12:00.

“We would like to thank our grandparents for their support by celebrating the role they play in family life,” said Radio Veritas’ Mahadi Buthelezi. “We love to see them all dressed up, and what is more exciting is that our very own Father will celebrate his 73rd birthday with our grandparents.” n For details of the event, contact Mahadi Buthelezi on mahadi@radioveritas.co.za or 011 663 4700.

Grace & Truth: Church responses to Globalisation in Southern Africa subscribe today A Journal providing academic reflection upon contextual issues today

Globalisation: the church as an interlocutor in public Discussion Peter John Pearson

From Begging by the roadside to self sustainability: A contextual reading of luke 18:35-43.

Quinbert Kinunda M.Afr Enabled rather than (Dis)abled: Global Views of (Dis)ability Gloria Marsay

the catholic Encounter with muslims in south Africa in the changing socio-political situation and in times of Globalization Chris Grzelak SCJ Developing a theology curriculum in southern Africa: opportunities and challenges Raymond M Mwangala OMI the role of the laity in the post conciliar period: the church in a Globalized World Siphiwe F Mkhize

This edition of Grace & Truth has been supported by Southern Africa Trust in partnership with St Joseph’s Theological Institute if you would like a free copy of this edition of Grace & truth please email gracetruth@sjti.ac.za . offer available while stocks last.

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4

The Southern Cross, February 11 to February 17, 2015

INTERNATIONAL

Pope to visit Bosnia

BY CAROL GLATZ

I

N an effort to help bolster a minority Catholic population and encourage dialogue and friendship among once-warring ethnic and religious communities, Pope Francis announced he would be visiting Bosnia-Herzegovina.

The pope said he hoped the one-day trip on June 6 to Sarajevo, the capital, would help “be an encouragement for the Catholic faithful, give rise to the development of the good and contribute to strengthening fraternity, peace, interreligious dialogue and friendship”.

It will be Pope Francis’ eighth trip abroad and the 11th country he visits outside of Italy since his election two years ago.

The Balkan nation, which is struggling to rebuild itself after a devastating war marked by ethnic cleansing, is still largely divided along ethnic lines. Bosniaks make up 48% of the country’s nearly 4 million people, while Serbs make up 37% and Croats 14%. About 40% of all citizens are Muslim, 31% Orthodox and 15% Catholic.

More than 200 000 Muslims and tens of thousands of nonMuslims were killed after Bosnia-Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia in 1992.

The country is split into areas with one area administered by ethnic Serbs and another by a Muslim-Croat federation.

During their ad limina visit to the Vatican in 2006, the bishops told journalists that Catholics were slowly “becoming secondclass citizens in our own country”.

People place their hands at the bottom of a crucifix as they pray on Apparition Hill in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith restated in 2013 that the apparitions have not been approved by the Vatican. (Photo: Dado Ruvic, Reuters /CNS) Cardinal Vinko Puljic of Sarajevo said at the time that BosniaHerzegovina is “a confused country” whose complex political structure is unsustainable, unjust and must be changed.

It has the highest youth unemployment rate in the world with nearly 63% of 15- to 24-year-olds without work. The overall unemployment rate of about 44% and a

perceived sense of political inaction to address the country’s economic woes have led to a series of protests and demonstrations in some cities.

St John Paul II visited BosniaHerzegovina twice in his 26-yearlong pontificate: in 2003, and in 1997 when he celebrated Mass in a snowstorm in the war-ravaged capital Sarajevo. The nation, he said later, was “a symbol of the contradictions and hopes” of the 20th century.”

Pope Francis is expected to repeat the late pope’s calls for a change of heart and living one’s faith as the key to solving social and political problems, and building a culture of forgiveness, reconciliation and respect.

Pope Francis had been invited to Sarajevo last year to mark the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the First World War, which was triggered by the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914.

The pope’s visit will fall on the anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 1944—the Allied invasion of Normandy.

Bosnia-Herzegovina is also the nation where Medjugorje is located. A Vatican commission of cardinals, bishops, theologians and other experts, working under the auspices of the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation, is still studying the events at Medjugorje, where six village children said they first saw Mary in June 1981.

The visionaries have said they still see apparitions and that they have received more than 40 000 visits from Mary.—CNS

An Afghan farmer throws rice in the air to separate the grains and glumes in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province. (Photo: Ghulamullah Habibi, EPA/CNS)

Pope: ‘Reap, protect’ the earth

BY CAROL GLATZ

F

ARMERS must find a delicate balance between reaping the precious gifts of the earth and protecting them for future generations, especially given the threat of climate change, Pope Francis said.

At the same time, the ongoing problem of poverty and hunger affecting such “a vast part” of the world demands that today’s “system of food production and distribution be rethought”, he told delegates to a national conference of Italians who own or work on farms and in commercial fisheries.

Cultivating and caring for the earth go hand in hand, he said, but “every farmer knows well how much it has become more difficult to cultivate the earth at a time that

accelerated climate change and extreme weather events are ever more widespread”, he said.

He said the question was “how to continue to produce good food for everyone’s life when the stability of the climate is at risk” and when the air, water and the soil become polluted.

Nations need to realise how urgent it is to collaborate and take “prompt action” to take care of creation, he said.

The precedence given to “the rules of the market”, the culture of waste and other factors contribute to the suffering and misery of many families, he said.

The pope asked that people rediscover “love for the earth like a ‘mother’, as St Francis [of Assisi] would say”.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, February 11 to February 17, 2015

5

Romero: Why it took so long

BY CINDY WOODEN

S

ALVADORAN Archbishop Oscar Romero will be beatified in San Salvador “certainly within the year and not later, but possibly within a few months”, said Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the postulator or chief promoter of the archbishop’s sainthood cause.

After Pope Francis formally recognised that the slain Salvadoran archbishop was killed “in hatred of the faith”—and not for purely political reasons—Archbishop Paglia said the two decades it took to obtain the decree were the result of “misunderstandings and preconceptions”.

During Archbishop Romero’s time as archbishop of San Salvador —from 1977 to 1980—“kilos of letters against him arrived in Rome.

The accusations were simple: He’s political; he’s a follower of liberation theology”.

To the accusations that he supported liberation theology, Archbishop Paglia said, Archbishop Romero responded, “Yes, certainly.

But there are two theologies of liberation: one sees liberation only as material liberation; the other is that of Paul VI. I’m with Paul VI” in seeking the material and spiritual liberation of all people, including from the sins of injustice and oppression.

All of the complaints, Archbishop Paglia said, slowed the sainthood process and “strengthened his enemies”, who, he said, included the late Colombian Cardinal Alfonso López Trujillo, who believed the Salvadoran archbishop tended towards Marxism and thought his canonisation would be seen as a

People carry a banner of Archbishop Oscar Romero in San Salvador, El Salvador. Pope Francis formally recognised that Archbishop Romero was killed “in hatred of the faith”, clearing the way for his beatification.

(Photo: Roberto Escobar, EPA/CNS) canonisation of the materialistic, political form of liberation theology criticised by the Church.

“This mountain of paper, unfortunately, weighed down” the cause, the archbishop said. But the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith examined all his homilies and writings and cleared them.

Promoters of the cause, he said, collected “a mountain of testimony just as big” to counter the accusa-

tions and to prove that Archbishop Romero heroically lived the Christian faith and was killed out of hatred for his words and actions as a Catholic pastor.

In the end, Archbishop Paglia said, both a panel of theologians working for the Congregation for Saints’ Causes and the cardinals who are members of the congregation voted unanimously to recommend Pope Francis recognise Archbishop Romero as a martyr.

“He was killed at the altar,” Archbishop Paglia said, instead of when he was an easier target at home or on the street. “Through him, they wanted to strike the Church that flowed from the Second Vatican Council.”

Shooting him on March 24, 1980, as he celebrated Mass in a San Salvador hospital chapel, “was not caused by motives that were simply political”, Archbishop Paglia said, “but by hatred for a faith that, imbued with charity, would not be silent in the face of the injustices that relentlessly and cruelly slaughtered the poor and their defenders”.

Archbishop Paglia said that in December 2012, during his first and only private audience with Pope Benedict XVI, the pope informed him that he had decided to “unblock” the cause and allow it to move forward.

“The martyrdom of Romero has given meaning and strength to many Salvadoran families who lost relatives and friends during the civil war,” Archbishop Paglia said, and the Church in El Salvador is beginning to collect information and testimony about their faith with the idea of proposing more saints’ causes.—CNS

Catholic and Orthodox priests join other ministers for an inaugural ceremony for a church made entirely from ice at Balea Lac resort in the Fagaras mountains of Romania. Romanian Orthodox and Catholic priests, as well as Protestant ministers, took part in the ceremony. (Photo: Radu Sigheti, Reuters/CNS)

Pope: 15 minutes with the Gospel

BY CINDY WOODEN

T

URN off the television, tune out the neighbours, and spend 10 or 15 minutes reading a gospel passage and speaking to Jesus, Pope Francis has advised.

“Today find 10 minutes—15 at the most—and read the Gospel, imagine the scene and say something to Jesus. Nothing more. Your knowledge of Jesus will increase and your hope will grow,” the pope said at the Mass in the Domus Sanctae Marthae where he lives.

Reflecting on Mark 5:21-43, the pope said: “I see Jesus was in the midst of the crowd; there was a big crowd around him. “Didn’t Jesus ever rest? [...] Most of Jesus’ life was spent on the road, with the crowd.

Prof to lead Lenten retreat ‘Secret bishop’ is dead

BY CINDY WOODEN

B

P

OPE Francis has chosen an Italian Carmelite professor of spirituality to lead him and top members of the Roman curia on their Lenten retreat.

Carmelite Father Bruno Secondin, though listed as a “professor emeritus” at Rome’s Pontifical Gregorian University, is still teaching at the university’s Institute of Spirituality. He is the author of dozens of books, including a multivolume series of guides for lectio divina, the prayerful reading of the books of the New Testament and selected readings from the Old Testament.

The Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano reported that Fr Secondin will preach on the theme, “Servants and Prophets of the Living God”.

Pope Francis and some 80 Vatican officials will listen to Fr Secondin and reflect on his words at the Pauline Fathers’ retreat and conference centre in Ariccia, about 26km southeast

Fr Bruno Secondin. (Photo: courtesy of www.carmel.asso) of Rome.

Fr Secondin will give ten meditations during the week, which will have a special focus each day: “Journeys of authenticity”including “the courage to say no to ambiguity”, “paths of freedom”, subtitled “from vain idols to true piety”, “let yourself be surprised by God”, “justice and intercession”, and “accepting Elijah’s cloak”, looking at ways of becoming “prophets of fraternity”.—CNS

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Born in Hebei province, Bishop Shi was arrested on April 13, 2001, Good Friday, at his niece’s home in Beijing. He was held without charge in a secret location.

“My parents and the bishop’s other siblings had been unsuccessfully trying to discover his whereabouts for many years. Now the answer to their questions is that he is dead,” said Shi Chunyan, the bishop’s great-niece.

Bishop Shi was born in 1921 and ordained to the priesthood in 1947. He first was arrested in 1954 and experienced other periods of imprisonment between 1957 and 1980. He spent much of his detention performing hard labour, first at a labour camp in Heilongjiang province, then in coal mines in Shanxi province, ucanews.com reported.

After returning to Hebei, he was arrested and imprisoned briefly again in 1981 for practising his ministry.

He was secretly ordained auxiliary bishop of Yixian in 1982 and became the ordinary in 1995 after his predecessor, Bishop Liu Guandong, retired.

In 1989, Bishop Shi was arrested again and later released in 1993 after concerns about his detention were raised internationally. He was arrested for the final time in 2001.—CNS

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Was there no rest? Yes, once, the Gospel says he slept in the boat, but a storm came and the disciples woke him up. Jesus was always with the people. And looking at Jesus that way, contemplating Jesus there, I imagine him. And I tell Jesus whatever comes into my mind to tell him.”

The key to hope, the pope said, is to keep “one’s gaze fixed on Jesus”.

“In your house, for 15 minutes, take the Gospel, read a little passage, imagine what happened and talk to Jesus about it. In that way, your gaze will be fixed on Jesus and not on a television soap opera, for example.

And your listening will be focused on the words of Jesus and not so much on the gossip of your neighbours.”— CNS

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6

The Southern Cross, February 11 to February 17, 2015

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Girl altar servers among the best

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Mercy for de Kock

I

N trying to make sense of the release on parole of Eugene de Kock, a serial killer whose crimes against humanity earned him the moniker “Prime Evil”, we rightly invoke the terminology of forgiveness, but the key word really is mercy.

The release of de Kock is an act of charity and forgiveness in excess of what is required, the key characteristics of mercy. In the light of de Kock’s crimes, it is not unreasonable to hold the view that he should “rot in jail”.

But Jesus challenges us to rise above our rational understanding of justice.

He does so not only in general terms of offering unmitigated forgiveness, which itself is difficult. He does so by calling us to extend mercy—one of the watchwords of Pope Francis’ papacy.

But it isn’t just mercy. The Aramaic or Hebrew term which Jesus would have used, for example in the Sermon on the Mount, is chesed, a central tenet in Jewish ethics which refers to communal mercy and benevolence.

The late Scottish theologian William Barclay explained chesed as “the ability to get right inside other people until we can see things with their eyes, think things with their minds, and feel things with their feelings”.

Mercy, in that view, is expressed in acts of forgiveness that are rooted in empathy, in being able to see from the perspective of others, in giving the benefit of doubt, in seeing humanity in those who are cast aside.

Being merciful, as Jesus instructs us to be in his sermon, is a tremendous challenge. Humanity has always emphasised power and revenge over reconciliation—this is why South Africa’s peaceful transition from apartheid to democracy impressed the world so deeply. Humanity thrives on conflict; instead of collaborating for the greater good, there is ceaseless contest between people.

We see this also in the Church, where some of those most in need of compassion are frequently excluded, and mercy is withheld; where people are being judged by others who usurp what is God’s sole prerogative.

Even in many families there are deficiencies in mercy. When

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.

family members are estranged from one another, the cause might well be the absence of empathy, mercy and forgiveness.

There usually is little profit in showing mercy—chesed—as Jesus confirmed when he included the merciful in his litany of those who are to be happy (or be blessed) for their denigration.

The release from jail of Eugene de Kock is counterintuitive.

How can a man who has committed so much evil, who was sentenced to two terms of lifeimprisonment plus 212 years, be allowed to go free less than two decades into his sentence?

Justice Minister Michael Masutha (and those who advised him) applied, knowingly or not, the virtue of chesed. They examined de Kock’s interior state, and issued an act of mercy to aid communal healing.

The minister placed de Kock’s release within the context of national reconciliation—key to that is, of course, de Kock’s sincere contrition, which should also serve to inspire broader introspection in society—and the healing of wounds.

This echoes chesed as well as the related Catholic vision of mercy as an agent of healing, a notion which Pope Francis frequently speaks about.

Mercy is transformative. Pope Francis’ papal motto, which he used also as a bishop, serves to illustrate that point. “Miserando atque eligendo” means “because he saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him”.

It is based on a homily by St Bede the Venerable (673-735) on the calling of St Matthew, who as a tax collector would have been seen by the people of Capernaum as an enemy, a collaborator with the Romans in a profession that was generally corrupt.

In the homily, St Bede said: “He saw the tax collector and, because he saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him, he said to him: ‘Follow me.’ […]

This conversion of one tax collector gave many men, those from his own profession and other sinners, an example of repentance and pardon.”

We, who live in confident hope of God’s mercy, must ourselves be beacons of mercy, of chesed—in extending it to others and in seeking it from those whom we have wronged.

I

N response to Catherine Shields (January 28), I am so happy that a young person took on the challenge of responding to Cardinal Raymond Burke’s personal views.

The false association of female altar servers with the decline of vocations to the priesthood in the West needs to be challenged.

I grew up serving in a parish with mixed servers. The experience of serving was invaluable for me for

Try women’s lot

H

AVING read Franko Sokolic’s letter (January 28) I find myself wondering why, if other churches do not have the road map to salvation, as he suggests, he uses the same arguments as those good Protestants who, brandishing bibles open at strategic places and quoting verses out of context, ring the doorbell and ask, “Are you saved?”

When Jesus said, “He who is not with me is against me” (Mt 12:30 and Lk 11:23), he was talking about blasphemy and to the Pharisees— those pseudo exegetes who knew it all and refused to walk with Jesus along the path of change.

When Jesus said, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 7:21), he was talking about the obstacles to virtue and false prophets, not about whom to ordain or not.

I have scoured the New Testament to find anything that remotely implies, “Thou shalt not ordain women.” I found nothing.

So I suggest to all women who perform tasks in a parish served by the likes of Cardinal Raymond Burke—arranging flowers, looking after the altar linen, mending vestments, keeping the church clean, putting out leaflets, working as sacristans, ministers of the Eucharist or even secretaries, organising refreshments for church functions—to abdicate. Let the men do it! It might inspire them to become priests— and if not, it’ll make them better husbands.

As for Cardinal Burke and his disciples, let them look after themselves—cook their own food, clean the presbytery, mend their own clothes. It might inspire a different perspective on the story.

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

discipline, learning and mentoring by great priests. I also learned to sit still, something I still find difficult.

Yes, sometimes, the girl altar servers outnumber the boys. Girls sometimes are just more together than boys when they are the same age. The boys eventually come round. Boys, in my experience, also serve for a longer period than girls.

In the parishes where I have worked, if the boys were intimi-

And if it doesn’t, at least they’ll gain valuable insight into the lot that, for many years, has been imposed upon women.

Gabriella Broccardo, Roodepoort

Nuns as deacons

I

READ with interest the views of Sr Judith Coyle (“Jo’burg nun: Give women greater role in the Church”, January 28). I don't think boys would ever be turned away from being altar servers. In fact, it is probably because there weren’t enough male altar servers that girls were included.

I find it sad that there are so many women like Sr Judith who have dedicated their lives to the Catholic Church, and yet when the decision was made to allow deacons to preach and read the Gospel, it was offered to married lay men, but not to nuns.

Surely those who have dedicated their lives to the Lord, be they male or female, are the ones who are in the best position to preach sermons and read the Gospel.

I hope that views like those of Sr Judith reach the right ears so that one day women can play a greater role in the Catholic Church.

Aisling Foley, Cape Town

Prayer to Daswa

I

N his introduction to his interview with Bishop Hugh Slattery about the beatification of Benedict Daswa (January 28), Stuart Graham writes: “People will be able to pray to a South African martyr for the first time.”

I was taken aback by this phrase—I have been praying to Benedict Daswa for two years already!

Early in 2013 I was lent the DVD on his martyrdom and it impacted greatly on my spirit because he was stoned to death like the first Christian martyr St Stephen, and I had a brother Stephen who was “emotionally stoned to death”.

Shortly afterwards I reeled across the floor in my bedroom, struck my head on the bed and broke my arm.

I was rescued and then taken to hospital by the same sister who had lent me the DVD.

dated by the presence of girls, the solution that worked was to make teams of boys and teams of girls who serve at different Masses.

I believe God called me to the priesthood through my experience of the love of Christ and his Church I experienced serving and in many other God-moments in my life. I’m in my 15th year of ministry as a priest and I wouldn’t have servers other than mixed servers in the parishes I serve.

Fr Chris Townsend, Pretoria

In the hospital I had to have MRI and CT scans because of the bad bruising of my face, and these revealed abnormalities in my brain and spinal column. The prognosis did not seem good but I did not want to have a six- or seven-hour operation so I left and was taken to Nazareth House to recuperate. It was Good Friday.

A couple of nights later, the carer had just tucked me into bed and suddenly there was Jesus preceded by a cherub and behind him was a darker figure. He was unlike any holy pictures I had seen of him. I was comforted.

I started talking to Benedict Daswa, requesting him to ask Jesus to heal me. I have not followed up on medical procedures and in July I celebrated my 90th birthday. Now, 22 months later, I am mobile (with the assistance of a carer) and am functioning almost normally, playing mahjong and bridge.

Sheila Joan Mullany, Cape Town

Fr Stan’s assistant

I

READ with interest your article “As Aids crisis ease, new problems arise” (November 26) about St Francis Care Centre in Boksburg, and was a little disappointed that no mention was made of the person who assisted Fr Stan Brennan OFM in starting up the centre and actually did the nursing of the Aids patients. The name of the dedicated nurse/matron was Eileen Marshall (née Sheridan), my sister.

Fr Brennan and Eileen also started a home for the rehabilitation of alcoholics and drug addicts, known as The House of Mercy.

St Francis Care Centre was started in a small house in the old suburb of Boksburg North. The neighbours were not at all happy, issuing much verbal abuse and wanting the care centre closed down. St Francis soldiered on, and eventually was offered the present-day site.

Matron Eileen Marshall retired and died on November 2, 2012.

Fr Brennan has also since died.

May their souls rest peacefully after such sterling work.

Nell McKeen, Umhlanga Rocks

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PERSPECTIVES Judith Turner

Sow seeds of learning I F you love gardening will agree with me that there are many life lessons one can take from the garden.

A few years ago I decided to take on the task of planting and tending a garden. I could never have guessed all the lessons about life I would find myself pondering with my face in the sun and my hands in the earth.

Gardening is good for us in so many ways. If you grow an edible garden, there’s the most obvious way: it provides nutritional, delicious food.

There are also physical benefits to gardening. It has been shown to lower cholesterol and blood pressure, it helps us stay flexible through stretching and bending, and it burns calories. Gardening also provides emotional benefits. It eases stress, gives us a quiet place for reflection and contemplation, and it provides comfort, especially during difficult times.

Take any issue or relationship you are struggling with into the garden. Use your garden as an altar to lay these issues before the Lord. As you dig through the soil, clear out weeds and water the garden, reflect and contemplate on these issues and you will notice that you find inspiration to do something positive about them.

Another big lesson I have learnt is that you cannot control everything. No matter how much I learn about gardening, how many videos on YouTube I watch, how many books I read or consult, so that I do everything “right”, something can and will go wrong. And that is just like life: things just happen, we cannot control everything, no matter how much we might think we can.

Mistakes happen, but that doesn’t mean they are failures; it means we are supposed to learn something from them.

When I first started gardening, I had no idea that mint was so invasive and that it would eventually pop up everywhere, outgrowing and overtaking everything else in the herb garden. Now I know that I have to keep an eye on the mint or plant it in separate containers. If I had done nothing about it and still expected a different outcome, it would have been a failed lesson.

I have also learned that if you neglect or ignore things, they will not thrive and live a healthy life, and might even be killed off.

This is true for the important relationships in our lives. If we take them for granted by burying ourselves in work, or things, or other people, we hurt these relationships and they will not be healthy and happy, or might even die.

It is very difficult to resuscitate a dead

Judith Turner’s herb garden, with a sign that expresses our impatience with nature’s own time. Gardening, she writes, offers many excellent life lessons.

Faith and Life

plant. But while there is the slightest sign of life even in the most dormant of plants, there is hope to grow that plant again. It will take patience and a lot of tender love and care, but it will grow again.

And this brings me to another lesson gardening has taught me: to be more patient and to let things happen in their own time. You cannot rush nature’s rhythm and timing. A seed will grow only as fast as it can. Fruit and vegetables will ripen only when it is time for them to ripen. Trying to pressure them into being ready when they are not is futile. Likewise, have patience with the people whom you love and the relationships you want to restore.

Recently when I cleared out my spinach bed, I realised I had no seedlings to fill that empty patch with. No seeds were planted in seedling trays to be ready to be replanted in the big garden. No succession.

My spinach patch is empty—there is no spinach to plant.

This again is life, especially organisational life. Who will take over the task? Are young people being prepared to take over important roles in church, organisations and society? The greatest lesson I have learnt is the importance of preparing emerging leaders to take over from us. Because all the lessons we have learnt will be of no use if we do not pass them on to the next generation to continue to grow and prosper.

Sow your seeds wisely, tend them well and wait patiently while enjoying the process and the good things they yield.

Happy gardening!

The father of modern ecumenism Fr Evans P Chama M.Afr AUL Couturier was born in France in 1881 to a family of a Jewish background and grew up among Muslims in Algeria.

As a priest for the archdiocese of Lyon, Fr Couturier found his ecumenical vocation through his relief work among Russian Orthodox and Greek Catholics who were refugees following the First World War and the Russian Revolution.

Such encounter with non-Roman Catholics made a profound impression on him—soon it would give birth to his vocation for unity of all Christians.

Fr Couturier was further inspired by his visit to the monastery of Union at Amaysur-Meuse (now at Chevetogne) in Belgium, founded by Dom Lambert Beauduin (whom we featured in January). Here Couturier’s vision of reunion was shaped. It did not involve absorbing one church into another. The solution to the division lay not in amalgamating institutions but in growth in holiness.

On his return to Lyon, Fr Couturier encouraged prayer for unity in this spirit. He knew of the “Church Unity Octave” developed by Fr Paul Wattson (featured in October), but he did not embrace its return-to-Rome approach. For Fr Couturier the Prayer for Unity in the spirit of Christ —“that they all may be one” (Jn 17:21)— is for the unity of all Christians together, not one group prevailing over another.

So he proposed the “Universal Prayer for the Unity of Christians”. Members of each tradition, true to their own church life and without compromising the integrity of their respective churches, could nevertheless unite in spirit.

He emphasised growth in union with Christ, repentance for past wounds of division and mutual enrichment regarding the gifts of God which had hitherto been withheld within one church tradition or another, unavailable to the others because of separation.

In his vision of unity of humanity in Christ, Fr Couturier promoted prayer for

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different Christians and different faiths.

Hence a new name: “Octave of Universal Prayer for the Unity of Christians”. Later he would drop the word octave, which was seen to be too much of a Roman term—thus we talk of a “Week of Prayer”.

He dedicated Fr Paul Couturier each day of the Week of Prayer to pray for each of the major groupings within Christianity: Catholics, Anglicans, Orthodox, Reformed, Lutheran and others. It was not in the sense of seeking organisational reunion but for the sanctification of the members of each group in a foundation of unity as desired by Christ and “unity of all humanity in the charity and truth of Christ”.

Later, he extended to prayer for the sanctification of Jews, Muslims, Hindus and all believers in the one God. Fr Couturier did not rush for the fruits of his efforts. He believed the cause of disunity was not institutional, therefore the solution could not be sought by organisational means. At the root of division was sin, the solution was therefore penitence.

H

e observed: “Humility, the fruit of prayer, opens all barred roads.” Then Christians could know and love each other, ready to learn and receive from others.

If they grew into a unity of mind, then, that might mature into a unity of body.

And that is not just a human accomplishment but a gift of God himself, just as the incarnation is not “according to the will of the flesh [but] according to his will, according to his means”.

Even at the time when it was forbidden, Fr Couturier invited Christians of different denominations to “unite privately in

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Saints of Christian Unity

prayer beyond the Church divisions of the world in heaven, where from the Father's perspective there is only one Church and it is perfectly united: the walls of separation do not rise as far as heaven.” He called it the “Invisible Monastery”.

This prayer was done every Thursday, commemorating Jesus’ prayer for unity.

That gave rise to the tradition of a Thursday candle that was lit in many churches and homes.

Fr Couturier died in 1953. What is his legacy?

He is the father of spiritual ecumenism, the idea adopted in Vatican II’s “Decree on Ecumenism”, Unitatis Redintegratio.

Paul Wattson's community of the Friars of the Atonement and the Centre Unité Chrétienne founded in Lyon to continue Fr Couturier's work collaborate with the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches in preparing the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Fr Couturier is echoed in John Paul II’s encyclical letter on Christian Unity, Ut Unum Sint. Fr Couturier observed that humility opens the roads that are barred; no more would the Roman primacy seek to impose itself on other Christians.

Indeed, humility opened doors when St John Paul sought advice from other churches on how the Petrine ministry could be exercised as an instrument of communion.

Thanks to Fr Couturier, Christian unity is no longer just a matter of interdenominational meetings but a manner of living that permeates the way one interacts with others. n For past articles in this sreries visit scross.co.za/category/perspectives/chama/

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The Southern Cross, February 11 to February 17, 2015

Phiwokuhle Siyabonga Xulu

7

Year of Consecrated Life

A community of warmth and love

I

N 2011 I was fortunate enough to share in community with the Congregation of the Oratory of St Philip Neri in Port Elizabeth.

Before I went there I didn’t even know that there was a saint named Philip Neri, nor was I aware of an existence of an Oratory. But my stay in Port Elizabeth introduced me to a wonderful community of priests and brothers who ran the St Philip Neri Collegium to which my bishop had sent me during my seminary studies.

Although I was just a student from another province and diocese, I never felt out of place around the wonderful priests and brothers of the Oratory.

The Congregation of the Oratory of St Philip Neri was introduced in Oudtshoorn in the 1990s.

The community has done tremendous work for the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference in regard to the Afrikaans apostolate and the translation of the liturgical text of the Conference. Also in Oudtshoorn, a pre-seminary was established. Many priests and lay people have been touched by the efforts of the Oratorians, as they are called.

In November 2002, when the Oudtshoorn Oratory grew to such an extent that a second formation was necessary, three priests and five brothers moved to Port Elizabeth to form an Oratory in the city. The St Philip Neri Collegium pre-seminary also moved to Port Elizabeth.

The new community worked in various ministries in the diocese. They took over the pastoral charge of St Bernadette’s parish in Walmer, and the spiritual formation of the community of St Dominic’s Priory, a local high school.

The Holy See recognised the community in Port Elizabeth as an independent congregation of the Oratory of St Philip Neri. In August 2008, the Port Elizabeth community celebrated its inaugural Mass with three priests, three transitory deacons and three brothers as members.

L

ast year, Archbishop Jabulani Nxumalo of Bloemfontein invited the Port Elizabeth Oratory to consider forming another community in his archdiocese.

The PE Oratory reported in a blog that after praying about the invitation, they eventually accepted it. So on January 3 this year, the community of Port Elizabeth Oratory and diocese bade farewell to the priests and a brother who were selected to be sent to Bloemfontein to form what we prayerfully hope is the third Oratorian congregation in South Africa.

The day after, a Sunday, Fr Philip Vietri CO and Br Alan Commaille CO arrived at Bloemfontein’s Sacred Heart cathedral; on January 9 they began their pastoral duties at the cathedral.

The new Oratorian community in formation in Bloemfontein was formally launched at the cathedral as Archbishop Nxumalo introduced Oratorian Fathers John Johnson, Phillip Vietri, Xolisa Mafu, Cyriacus Okoro and Br Alan Commaille to the parishioners.

These four priests are now working in the cathedral, with Fr Johnson as the administrator and Frs Mafu and Okoro as his assistants; Fr Vietri is assisting in the cathedral pastorally along with following his second vocation as a Christian Brothers College teacher.

Br Commaille serves as the master of ceremonies in the cathedral, and at the same time continues with his studies.

We must wish the community in formation to blossom with new and sincere vocations, while engaging in many other apostolates in the archdiocese of Bloemfontein.

Fr Johnson has been a cathedral administrator before: at Emmanuel cathedral in Durban and at St Saviour’s cathedral in Oudtshoorn, a place where the very first South African Oratory was established. He and Fr Vietri have been the founding members of all the South African Oratorian congregations.

I believe that this community in formation will be no different from the Port Elizabeth Oratory, with its warmth and love.

It is the objective of the Oratorians to follow their founder’s footsteps in forming houses of prayer, preaching and the conferring of sacraments. St Philip Neri (1515-95), the founder, was known for his gentleness. He once said: “First let a little love find entrance into their hearts, and the rest will follow.”

In so saying, over 80 Oratories around the whole world have since been made up of members who commit themselves to a life of prayer, living and preaching Christ, and always striving to bring people to the Lord with love and joy in their hearts. n Phiwokuhle Siyabonga Xulu is a catechist and former seminarian. He currently studies law.

8

The Southern Cross, February 11 to February 17, 2015

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INTERVIEW

The Southern Cross, February 11 to February 17, 2015

9

Why Durban has ‘faith in the city’ Raymond Perrier, a Southern Cross columnist and former director of the Jesuit Institute, has taken over the running of Durban’s new Denis Hurley Centre.

GüNTHER SIMMERMACHER spoke to the British-born Catholic about his new challenge.

GS: In 2009 you came from England to take over the directorship of the Jesuit Institute, where you’ve been succeeded by Fr Russell Pollitt. Now you’ve been appointed director of the Denis Hurley Centre. Do you feel properly South African now?

RP: I wish I could now claim to be properly South Africa! I have certainly started adding ice cubes to my wine and driving through red lights!

I have been here five years which means that I can apply for permanent residence which I am delighted to do.

What do you like about South Africa?

When I first planned to move here, South Africans living in Britain were amazed that I was going in the other direction. They asked me why and I replied: “Endless sunshine, friendly people and good cheap wine.” After five years I would certainly confirm all of those, but also add the fascinating opportunity of living in such a complex society.

In so many ways South Africa is still working out how to live with itself and with the world, and it is a privilege to be part of that journey.

And also the joy of working in a Church which is so vibrant and full of hope and new life, perhaps in contrast to Church life in the UK. You started your appointment as director of the Denis Hurley Centre at Durban’s Emmanuel cathedral on February 1. What are your challenges and goals?

After I started at the beginning of February I was thrown immediately into a big public event with the anniversary of Archbishop Hurley’s death, which is being marked this weekend [February 13-15]. So one of my challenges is to “hit the ground running”.

In some ways the building itself sets the goals. Its landmark location between the cathedral and the mosque means we need to live up to its promise of close collaboration between people of different faiths— not just Catholics and Muslims, but Hindus, Jews, Protestants and all people of goodwill.

Raymond Perrier, the first director of the Denis Hurley Centre in Durban, takes some rare time-out in his new home city. In an interview he speaks about his vision for the centre, a new book he has co-written, life in South Africa, his spirituality and more.

The centre’s landmark design in such a tough part of the city signals that we take seriously the needs and hopes of the homeless, the refugees and the marginalised who are in its vicinity. I love the phrase “faith in the city” because in our case we need to be a place that brings faith into the city but also one that shows that we still have faith in our cities.

The scale of the five-storey building is an opportunity but also a challenge. It raises a lot of expectations—which is great—but we cannot meet all of those in Year 1, so I hope that the various communities will work with us as we work out as a team what the priorities are.

The other challenge will come from living in an “Indian city” for the first time in my life—despite having Indian parents. My fear is that with so much good food on tap I will end up enormously fat!

The programme you outlined is very much in the spirit of the late Archbishop Denis Hurley.

Of course we have to live up to the name above the door. Denis Hurley set us a vision of the Vatican II Church and we now have to make that real, day in and day out.

As I know, the archdiocese of Durban already tries to do this in so many ways.

Southern Cross readers will know you as a monthly columnist.

Lately you co-wrote with Frances Correia of the Jesuit Institute a book of daily Lenten reflections, titled Pilgrims in the Modern World. What are you aiming at with the book?

that and so stop asking whether you should work with other people and instead ask how you should work with them. And once you find common ground, you are able to make a start.

That is something I know that both Fr Stephen Tully [administrator at Emmanuel cathedral] and Paddy Kearney [chair of trustees of the DHC] have shown throughout their work in Durban and especially in building the Denis Hurley Centre. I have been looking forward to joining the collaborative ministry that they have established.

You received training as a Jesuit, and clearly you still have a close relationship with the Society of Jesus. How would you characterise your spirituality in general terms?

After a powerful experience in a Jesuit parish in New York, six years of formation as a Jesuit, and now five years working for and with Jesuits in South Africa, it is not surprising to say that my spirituality is totally Ignatian. For me, that shows itself in three principal phrases: l “God in all things”—God can be found in the every-day, often in the most unlikely places, so long as we are willing to open our eyes; l the magis, or greater good— never being satisfied because we can always to do more for Christ and for his Church; l “Action plus reflection”—whoever we meet, whatever we do, whatever mistakes we make, are all ways in which God is teaching us and helping us to grow, if only we would stop and reflect and listen to him.

Do you also have affection for the simple, more popular devotions?

One of the dangers of proximity to

Jesuits is becoming too taken up by an intellectual view of the Church.

But something I have always loved about being Catholic is the richness of popular Catholic culture and the resources that gives us—for me the tradition of rosaries, artworks, saints, special liturgies, Church music and pilgrimages is really important to my identity.

For example, I was honoured to be invited by Bishop Thaddaeus Kumalo of Eshowe to speak at the Empangeni pilgrimage a few years ago, and it brought back wonderful memories of my times in Lourdes.

When I was asked to do some work at the wonderful St Anthony’s School in Durban, I felt very strongly that it was because my patron saint, Anthony of Padua, who was leading me there.

One thing I admire about the cardinal [Wilfrid Napier] is the way he can help young people to connect with the older traditions of the Church and see how valuable they are.

You are known to be a very busy man. What do you do to relax?

Some of my former colleagues would claim that I never relax. It is true that often my relaxation takes the form simply of other kinds of activity—going to the theatre or a concert or to the gym.

But I am hoping that—even with all the work we need to do— Durban will help me relax. Even I can be persuaded to sit on the beach and do nothing from time to time... well, almost nothing. You might catch me lying on the beach but with a book on contextual theology or fundraising, just to keep me sane. n For more on the DHC visit www. denishurleycentre.org

With the book we want to give readers a chance to explore the themes of Lent with two helpful perspectives: the Second Vatican Council’s ongoing challenge to us 50 years after it closed; and Pope Francis who, like any good Jesuit, both challenges us and consoles us at the same time.

Reflecting on Denis Hurley, in the 100th year of his birth [on November 9 this year], adds an extra dimension since he is a bridge back to Vatican II in which he played such a great role and also, before his time, a very Pope Francis kind of bishop.

We are unashamed about the fact that we are writing a book of theological reflections as two lay people, and so throughout the book we have tried to link the Lenten themes to our own life experiences.

Is it easier to collaborate on such a project than to work alone on it?

It all depends on who you collaborate with! Frances and I were a perfect complement—we have very different skills, backgrounds, experiences and attitudes. ƚŚ And yet the spirituality of St Ignatius has greatly influenced both of us—and of course the Jesuit Pope Francis, on whom we are drawing.

But one thing I have learnt the hard way is that it EŽǁ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ ĨƌŽŵ ĂƚŚŽůŝĐ ŽŽŬƐŚŽƉ ĂƉĞ dŽǁŶ͕ is impossible in life to do R65 5 WĂƵůŝŶĞƐ ;:, Θ EͿ͕ Žƌ ĚŝƌĞĐƚ ĨƌŽŵ anything of consequence on H[FO your own. You have to realise

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10

The Southern Cross, February 11 to February 17, 2015

SPIRITUALITY

Time for a make-over Our Top 10 tips for a good Lent On TV we see programmes that show the transformation of people or homes. Likewise, Lent is a time for a spiritual make-over, as BURGIE IRELAND explains.

1. CUT OUT INDIFFERENCE This is Pope Francis’ challenge to us this Lent: that through prayer, charity and humility before God, people receive a heart “which is firm and merciful, attentive and generous, a heart which is not closed, indifferent or prey to the globalisation of indifference”. In short: Don’t be selfish but have empathy for the suffering, problems and needs of others.

R

EALITY TV make-over type programmes like Pimp My Ride, Style By Jury and more recently, Extreme Make-Over are entertaining and thought-provoking, but are they sustainable and do they really change people’s lives for good?

In case you’re not familiar with these programmes, let me explain.

Selected people have their car, themselves, or their home given a “complete make-over”. These are usually extreme to the point of breaking a car down to an empty shell or tearing a house down to the ground— and re-building these in one week!

There’s a lot of excited jumping around and screaming and shouting when the owner(s) see their new car or the family get to move into their new home, or the make-over’s subject reveals her (usually) new look!

Top-of-the range appliances and furniture replace the old and everything is brand-spanking-new and luxurious beyond the average person’s wildest dreams. When people have personal make-overs—with new hairstyles, teeth, skin, contactlenses and wardrobe—you hardly recognise the spunky-new-me that’s replaced the old!

Amazing! Wonderful! Everybody is so happy!

These programmes are amazing and maybe even very generous in their intentions, but it makes me wonder how long this “material” happiness will last?

In fact, it may even make some viewers feel hopeless because they are led to believe that only money can buy happiness.

And are the contestants able to maintain their jazzed-up car or house or the personal make-over that has changed their looks for the better?

I like to think of Lent and Easter as our annual “spiritual make-over”, but with some important differences:

2. DUMP THE SNACKS Lent is a time of fasting. It’s all very well giving up chocolate, but no good if we stuff our faces with potato chips instead. Our Lenten sacrifice allows for no substitutes. Put the money that you would have spent into a jar, and donate the savings to a charity.

3. TAKE ON A GOOD HABIT The Easter celebration eases the pain of Good Friday and Lent, writes Burgie Ireland (inset).

l Lent and Easter is not only for a selected few. There are no chosen contestants—everybody is invited! l We have more than a week to complete this the make-over. In fact, there are 40 days of Lent plus seven weeks of Easter, ending with Pentecost. l There’s no cost. The make-over is entirely free of charge. l Ongoing support is provided for “participants” by way of sacraments and prayer, alone or in community with their parish or congregation.

L

ent is a time to look into our spiritual lives and “demolish” old ways that might have become negative or self-destructive. This can be difficult and painful—especially when we have become set in our ways.

Just like the bulldozers that knock down walls when demolishing the make-over houses, we need powerful “equipment” to help us with our spiritual make-over. This comes by way of confession, Mass, prayer, the Stations of the Cross and self-sacrifice.

When people volunteer for a personal make-over they take risks and trust the hair-stylist, optometrist, dermatologist or orthodontist who makes decisions about “fixing” the imperfections. During Lent we can put our trust and confidence in God to help us make these difficult

changes.

Reliving the crucifixion and death of Jesus can leave us with the same empty feeling we had when losing parents, leaders, mentors or life-long friends, or had insecurities in areas of work, family or health.

Depression, loneliness and hopelessness can become overwhelming when you don’t have a friend or family to turn to. Feeling as lost as the disciples must have felt when Jesus was taken down from the cross, we too can feel drained and hopeless during services of the Passion and Crucifixion.

When Easter Sunday dawns we are called to meet our obligation to celebrate Holy Mass, and in the Eucharist we find hope, reconciliation, inner peace and joy. Spiritual, emotional and physical suffering is undoubtedly painful during Lent, but Easter celebrations can help to erase this pain.

Bl Mother Teresa lived all her life with spiritual darkness and suffering. She said the prayer dictated by Jesus to Visitation Sister Benigna Consolata Ferro (1885-1916): “O Jesus, only love of my heart, I wish to suffer what I suffer and all Thou wilt have me suffer, for Thy pure love not because of the merits I may acquire, nor for the rewards Thou has promised me but only to please Thee, to praise Thee, to bless Thee as well in sorrow as in joy.”

We are called not only to sacrifice bad habits and things we love, but also to take on good traits we don’t love. For example, instead of hooting at the driver who’s trying to cut in, create a gap for him.

4. SWITCH OFF THE TV FOR THE BIBLE Cut out a certain period of time every day—Pope Francis recommends 10-15 minutes—from your TV watching or gaming to spend time with God’s word. Don’t just read the Bible; try to understand it. But don’t look at the time: God doesn’t charge by the minute.

5. REPAIR DAMAGED RELATIONSHIPS We all have lingering hurts from some relationships. Pray over these and find forgiveness for those who have hurt you, and seek forgiveness from those whom you have wronged. Call that aunt you have not spoken to for six years!

6. NO GOSSIPING “I am convinced that if each one of us would purposely avoid gossip, at the end, we would become a saint,” Pope Francis said last year. This Lent, and beyond, follow that path.

7. GIVE PRAISE – TO GOD AND TO OTHERS We like to be praised for jobs well done, but do we issue praise to others?

Do we give thanks for things we take for granted? For the next forty days, make it a point to commend your family, friends, colleagues— even neighbours or service providers—for what they have done for you.

And thank God for them. Remember: To praise others is to praise God.

8. GIVE AWAY YOUR ‘JUNK’ As fleamarkets prove, your junk is another person’s treasure. Search your house every day to find things you don’t really need and donate them to a charity shop.

9. GO ON A CARBON FAST Cut down your carbon footprint during Lent—and beyond—by becoming aware of how your lifestyle affects the environment. Don’t drive when you don’t need to; don’t buy plastic bags when you go shopping; don’t leave lights on unnecessarily, and so on.

10. STOP MOANING It’s easy to complain and moan about all kinds of things. Yet there’s always somebody who’d rather be in your shoes. When you have an impulse to complain, turn your mind to God and thank him for what you have. “Do everything without arguing or complaining” (Phil 2:14).

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The Southern Cross, February 11 to February 17, 2015

CLASSIFIEDS Fr Robert Stewart OFM

F

ATHER Robert Stewart OFM, one of the founding fathers of the Franscicans’ South African province, died on January 23 at the age of 80. He would have been 60 years professed as a Franciscan in two months’ time, and 55 years a priest in September.

After ministering in England for nine years, he came to South Africa in 1969. He was a visionary.

He saw the need of establishing a Franciscan novitiate in South Africa.

Slowly the Franciscan friars in Southern Africa—from the Bavarian, English and Irish provinces— came together and a new province was established. Fr Robert, who had both English and Irish blood in him, played no small part in that. He became postulant, novice and student master, guiding the young friars who joined the province. One of his oft quotes, when older friars spoke of formation, was: “They will grow into it.”

A man of strong opinions, he served as vicar-provincial and later succeeded Fr Liam Mc Dermott as provincial, leaving his mark on the young South African province. He also succeeded Fr Liam as chaplain to the Poor Clare Sisters in sub-Saharan Africa. He was devoted to them.

For the last nine years of his life he was in parish work in Boksburg where his deep Franciscan spirituality, wisdom and prudence were appreciated.

The last year of his life saw him diagnosed with cancer. On hearing the news he was stoic and battled on with great courage and grit until the last two months when the cancer took charge of his life. Even then, he showed great determination, willpower and faith. I remember one morning his determination to attend Mass, walking up the corridors to the chapel of the home for the elderly sisters, causing some concern among the caring sisters.

I saw a little of what it must

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CONGRATULATIONS

have been for Jesus dying on the Cross on Calvary in Fr Robert’s last days. He believed in the Resurrection of the Body and life everlasting. May he rest with some of the other founding members of the Franciscan province: Bishop Paschal Rowland and Frs Bernardine Dore, Canisius Berch, Niall McGovern, Wilfrid Byrne, Ian Laurensen and Fergus Barrett.

He was buried at the Franciscan retreat centre at La Verna, Vanderbijlpark, after a beautiful funeral Mass celebrated by Fr David Bernard, the Franciscan provincial.

Fr Gerard O’Reilly OFM

Sr Wiltraud Engels CPS

P

RECIOUS Blood Sister Wiltraud Engels died on January 26 in Mariannhill convent, having reached the age of 101.

Sr Wiltraud derived great inner joy and contentment in good, as well as in difficult times, from Christ’s words: “I have come, O God, to do your will” (Hebrews: 10:7). Her cheerfulness and eagerness to serve made her a very loving and loveable person.

Born as Sybilla Engels on September 11, 1914 into a deeply religious family at Ginsterhahn in the diocese of Trier, Germany, she was the sixth of nine children.

She worked for two years with the sisters at Linz, Austria, where one of her sisters entered later. Sr Wiltraud, however, felt drawn to the missions.

After she had met Mother Ebba Tirpitz, general-superior of the

Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood at Mönchengladbach, her mind was made up to join the congregation in 1934. She made her first profession on August 15,1938. In January 1939 she was missioned to South Africa.

She worked in the kitchens at Mariannhill, Mariazell and St Gabriel’s. Sr Wiltraud was a very practical person, and there was hardly a task on which she did not lay her hands. She managed to repair the leaking roof of St Gabriel to the great delight of everyone.

Since she had great empathy for the sick, she was employed as a nurse’s aid at St Mary’s Hospital from 1947-48, and at Centocow from 1949 onwards.

She was a born nurse. Before her formal training she had already saved the leg of a boy from amputation by performing emergency surgery. From 1956-59 she did her nurse training and midwifery at St Mary’s Hospital and East pilgrimage to Fatima, Garabandal, London relourdes, Dozulé, lisieux and paris spectively.

During her led by Archbishop B Tlhagale OMI nearly 50 & Fr T Motshegwa years of nurs10 - 23 May 2015 ing she per-

pilgrimage to camino De santiago compostela in spain led by Fr David Rowles 10 – 21 September 2015 pilgrimage to rome, Assisi and san Giovanni rotondo led by Bishop Victor Phalana 20 – 30 September 2015 pilgrimage to medjugorje led by Fr Gavin Atkins 16 – 28 September 2015

pilgrimage to the holy land led by Fr Chris Townsend 31 August – 12 September 2015

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CLASSIFIEDS

11

PHALANA—Victor, Rt Rev Mgr bishop of the diocese of Klerksdorp. Peace and blessings to you on your appointment as bishop of the diocese of Klerksdorp.

May the good Lord grant you grace and strength to shepherd the flock entrusted to your care; may you have the guidance and strength of the Holy Spirit in your new ministry.

You will always be remembered in our daily prayers and Holy Mass. From Brs Daniel Ambrose Manuel and Victor Pather SCP.

DEATH

CIOLLI—Mary Anne (Dickie) née Dickson. In loving memory, the mother of my children, born June 15, 1941, passed away on January 23, 2015 after a long illness, loyal and faithful. Will be forever missed and remembered in our prayers by Remo, Catherine, Michael, David, Stephen and grandchildren. Rest in peace.

IN MEMORIAM

formed her duties with dedication and cheerfulness.

Sr Wiltraud loved gardening and became an authority on growing orchids. She loved sewing and carving artistic wooden tabernacles.

In 1996 Sr Wiltraud was transferred to the Sacred Heart Home, where she still grew orchids, had a little flower garden and did some sewing. She remained a kind and helpful person.

Sr Wiltraud had learnt the art of growing old graciously. She became increasingly weak, and when she had to rely on others for help, she remained appreciative of everything done for her.

She had been bedridden since November 2010. In March 2012 she was brought to Mariannhill convent’s infirmary.

She endured her suffering patiently, till she returned peacefully to her Creator. Her childlike trust in God’s abounding love and mercy had made her a very special person. She spread God’s loving kindness to all who came into contact with her.

Liturgical Calendar Year B Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday, February 15, Sixth Sunday Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46, Psalms 32:1-2, 5, 11, 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1, Mark 1:40-45 Monday, February 16 Genesis 4:1-15, 25, Psalms 50:1, 8, 16-17, 2021, Mark 8:11-13 Tuesday, February 17 Genesis 6:5-8; 7:1-5, 10, Psalms 29:1-4, 3, 910, Mark 8:14-21 Wednesday, February 18, Ash Wednesday Joel 2:12-18, Psalms 51:3-6, 12-14, 17, 2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 Thursday, February 19 Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalms 1:1-4, 6, Luke 9:22-25 Friday, February 20 Isaiah 58:1-9, Psalms 51:3-6, 18-19, Matthew 9:14-15 Saturday, February 21 Isaiah 58:9-14, Psalms 86:1-6, Luke 5:27-32 Sunday, February 22, First Sunday of Lent Genesis 9:8-15, Psalms 25:4-9, 1 Peter 3:18-22, Mark 1:12-15

GOUVEIA—In loving memory of Edwardo Gouveia 16/02/1944 to 30/7/2010. Although you cannot be with us, our love will never die, and your love is always guiding us from way up in the sky.

Missing you always, your loving wife, children, grandchildren and all the family.

PRAyERS

HOLy ST JUDE, apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke you, special patron in time of need. To you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg you to come

to my assistance. Help me now in my urgent need and grant my petitions. In return I promise to make your name known and publish this prayer. Amen.

Leon and Karen.

PRAyER for the release of a loved one from alcohol and drug addiction through the divine mercy and blood of Jesus. Lord Jesus, I put myself into your hands this day. I ask you with all my heart, to cure the terrible addiction to drugs and alcohol in Andre. Create in him intolerance for drugs and alcohol that will prevent him from ever offending those who love him again. And grant his loved ones the grace to forgive him for all the hurt he has caused. Through the divine mercy and blood of Jesus, I also pray that he will be healed of all withdrawal symptoms of this terrible affliction. I sincerely ask this, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

From; Colin, Mercia, Michelle, Vidal and Lemeez.

O GREAT St Joseph of Cupertino who, while on earth, did obtain from God the grace to be asked at your examination, only the questions you knew, please obtain for me a like favour in the examinations for which I am now preparing. In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked.

Through Christ our Lord.

St Joseph of Cupertino, please pray for me. Amen.

Thank you. From Lemeez, Michelle, Mercia and Colin.

Southern CrossWord solutions

SOLUTIONS TO 641. ACROSS: : 1 Inch, 3 Undevout, 9 Stephen, 10 Carer, 11 Roman Emperor, 13 Course, 15 Girdle, 17 Christ is Lord, 20 Swami, 21 America, 22 Indigent, 23 Herd. DOWN: 1 Instruct, 2 Cream, 4 No name, 5 Ecclesiastes, 6 Our Lord, 7 Turk, 8 Thanksgiving, 12 Headland, 14. Unheard, 16 Strain, 18 Olive, 19 Asti.

Our bishops’ anniversaries

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This week we congratulate: February 14: Bishop Kevin Dowling of Rustenburg on his 70th birthday.

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1st Sunday in Lent: February 22 Readings: Genesis 9: 8-15, Psalm 25:4-9, 1 Peter 3:18-22, Mark 1:12-15 EXT Wednesday we start our Lenten journey to Easter. If you are anything like me, you may view the approach of this apparently interminable period with a degree of gloom: “What is the Lord going to ask of me this time?” we mutter irritably. But this is to miss the point; the Lord, as the readings for next Sunday make clear, only wants the very best for us, and is always utterly faithful to us, whatever we may get up to.

So we are to start the forty days in confidence about the Lord. That is the message of next Sunday’s first reading, as God assures Noah and his offspring that “I am establishing my covenant with you”; and the thing about God’s covenant is that it is one-sided.

So the Lord is not saying to us, “Only if you keep your part of the bargain”; it is simply the case that God is on our side, whatever we do. And that makes a difference.

Then Noah is given a beautiful sign, that of the “bow”, and God says: “I shall put my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” God will “remember”, and “there shall never again be waters of the Flood to destroy all flesh”.

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OST of us worry about ageing, especially in how it affects our bodies. We worry about wrinkles, bags under our eyes, middle-age fat, and losing hair where we want it—and only to find it on places where we don’t want it.

So every now and then, when we look in a mirror or see a recent photograph of ourselves, we are shocked at our own faces and bodies, almost not recognising ourselves as we see an old face and old body where we are used to seeing a young one.

But examining ourselves for signs of ageing isn’t a bad practice, except that we should be looking for things other than wrinkles, loose skin, hair loss, and weight gain.

With these bodily things, nature eventually has its way. Where we should be looking for signs of ageing is in our eyes.

It’s there where the real signs of ageing and senility reveal themselves.

If we were to set up a mirror and stare straight into our own eyes, what would we see? Are our eyes tired, unenthusiastic, cynical, lifeless, dead? Do they radiate mostly anger and jealousy? Is there any fire there? Are they so deadened as to be incapable of being surprised? Have they lost their innocence? Is there still a child buried somewhere behind them?

The real signs of senility are betrayed by the eyes, not the body. Loose skin merely reveals that we are ageing physically,

Conrad

Contact Ian Veary on 021 447 6334 www.noah.org.za

God is faithful on Lenten journey Fr Nicholas King SJ

Sunday Reflections

In the psalm for next Sunday, this point is taken deeper. The singer asks the Lord to “make me know your way, teach me your paths”. But he also enumerates various qualities of God that are supposed to give us confidence: God’s “truth”, which the psalmist asks to be taught, and the fact that God is “God of my salvation”. Then there is the request that God should “remember” (the word is used three times).

And what is God to remember? His “mercy” and his “steadfast love”; and then his “goodness” (mentioned twice) and “uprightness”. So even if we are “sinners” God will “teach” us on the way. At this point, we

should be bracing ourselves, with some optimism, for the Lenten journey.

But can we trust this God of ours? That is a question never very far from our lips, even in Lent, and our second reading faces it; the reason we can trust God lies simply in what Jesus has done: “He suffered once for sins, a just person, on behalf of the unjust, that he might lead you to God.” Then he makes a (to us) slightly mysterious reference to “the spirits in prison” after which he refers to our first reading, in the allusion to “God’s patience in the days of Noah, when an ark was prepared”.

The author of the letter then links that saving act to baptism, which takes its potency from (and here is the thing) “the resurrection of Jesus Christ”. That resurrection should fill us with hope as we go down the road Jesus has trodden.

What is that road? The gospel for next Sunday takes up the story from the moment of Jesus’ baptism: “then immediately the Spirit hurls him out into the wilderness”. This is uncomfortable, with its echoes of Israel’s wandering for forty years in the desert, especially

See your eyes with new eyes M

We can use your old clothing, bric-a-brac, furniture and books for our 2nd hand shop.

Help us to create an avenue to generate much needed funds for our work with the elderly.

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

nothing more. Bodies age and die in a process as inevitable and natural as the changing of the seasons, but dead eyes signify a more deadly senility, something less natural, a fatigued spirit.

Spirits are meant to be forever young, forever childlike, forever innocent. They are not meant to deaden and die. But they can die through a lack of passion, through the illusion of familiarity, through a loss of innocence and wonder, through a fatigue of the spirit, and through practical despair.

Despair is a curious thing. Mostly we despair not because we grow weary of the shortcomings and sufferings in life and, at last, find life too much to take. Rather we despair for the opposite reason, namely, we grow cynical of joy.

Joy lies in experiencing life as fresh, as novel, as primal, as a child does, with a certain purity of spirit. This type of joy is not pleasure, though there’s pleasure in it.

Pleasure of course can be had without joy

when we read the next line, and its reference to “forty days”. Then we learn, more uncomfortable still, that Jesus was being “tempted by the Satan”. Nor does it stop there, for it goes on that “he was with the wild beasts”.

After that, however, the picture clears, for we find that “the angels were serving him” and we recall that later in the same chapter Simon Peter’s mother-in-law will do the same.

Mark does not give us the threefold temptation that we find in Matthew and Luke; instead, he starts Jesus on his mission, and gives it a date: “when John had been handed over”.

He also gives it content: “[Jesus] came into the Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God.” Finally we are given Jesus’ actual message: “The right time has been fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God has drawn near. Turn it around, and believe in the good news.” It is challenging, this journey on which we are now started; and we have to recognise that.

But on the other hand, there is Easter waiting for us at the end of the Lenten journey, and Jesus’ proclamation is, after all, “good news”. God is utterly faithful.

Southern Crossword #641

but that kind of pleasure is the product of a lack of wonder and reverence in experiencing.

That kind of pleasure is initially experienced as a victory, as a throwing off of naiveté, as liberation; but it soon turns into defeat, into dullness, boredom, and a deadened eros. Our palate loses its itch for tasting. Our enthusiasm dies and a certain fatigue of the soul sets in. There is nothing left in us that’s fresh and young, and our eyes begin to show this. They lose their sparkle, their childlikeness.

I

n her poignant novel Stone Angel, Margaret Laurence describes her heroine, a despairing lady named Hagar, looking into a mirror and saying to herself: “I stood for a long time, looking, wondering how a person could change so much…So gradually it happens. The face—a brown and leathery face that wasn’t mine. Only the eyes were mine, staring as though to pierce the lying glass and get beneath to some true image, infinitely distant.”

A good look in the mirror for most of us, sadly, reveals much the same: a lifeless face that’s not really ours and dull eyes, our own, but hidden beneath a lying glass.

Somewhere the fire has gone out; our eyes and face are devoid of wonder and innocence.

What’s to be done? We need to take a good long look at ourselves in a mirror and study our eyes, long and hard, and let what we see shock us enough to move us towards the road of unlearning, of post-sophistication, of wonder, or renewed innocence.

Here’s the counsel: Go to a mirror and stare into your eyes long enough until you see there again the boy or girl who once inhabited that space. In that, wonder will be born, a sparkle will return and, with it, a freshness that can make you young again.

Our eyes don’t grow tired; rather they get buried. That’s what causes the blank, passionless stare. Bodies tire, but eyes are windows to the soul and they are forever eager to see.

One of the contrasts between Christianity and Buddhism has to do with the eyes. The Buddhist saint is always depicted with his or her eyes shut, while the Christian saint always has them open.

The Buddhist saint has a sleek, harmonious body, but his or her eyes are heavy and sealed with sleep. The Christian saint’s body is wasted to the bone, but his or her eyes are alive, hungry, staring. The Buddhist’s eyes are focused inwardness.

The Christian’s eyes are staring outwards, hungry, full of wonder.

ACROSS 1. A short distance in church (4) 3. Irreverent (8) 9. Saint who comes after Christmas (7) 10. One who will mind you (5) 11. Error poem man made up for Nero (5,7) 13. Nothing in the curse of the path (6) 15. Liturgical waist-band (6) 17. Profession of the baptised (5,2,4) 20. South-western French friend is a Hindu (5) 21. Acre I am around in the country (7) 22. Destitute (8) 23. Your ear picked up the sound of cattle (4)

DOWN 1. Teach about tin crust (7) 2. Topping of the crop? (5) 4. Anonymous (2,4) 5. Elites’ access to Bible book (12) 6. Referring to Jesus (3,4) 7. He’s from old Constantinople (4) 8. Only one leper showed it (12) 12. And held a projection out to sea (8) 14. Inaudible (7) 16. Melody of over-exertion (6) 18. A branch of the peacemakers (5) 19. Wine from the bastions (4) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

F

ather was riding his bicycle with his hands folded in prayer when a traffic cop stopped him.

“Father,” the officer said, “it is dangerous to cycle without your hands on the steering bar. I must fine you R250.”

The priest tried to explain: “But, officer, it’s not dangerous for me, because Jesus is travelling with me.”

What?” the officer exclaimed. “Two on a bike!

That’s another R250 fine.”

Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.