150513 by The Southern Cross

The

S outhern C ross

May 13 to May 19, 2015

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 4924

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No more boring homilies!

What to expect from Jubilee Year of Mercy

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The glare of two miracles

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Church warns: Euthanasia will ‘poison society’ BY STUART GRAHAM

UTHANASIA will poison civilisation, debase humanity and destroy the boundary between healing and killing, according to the spokesman for the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC). Archbishop William Slattery, speaking after a landmark High Court ruling which allowed a doctor to assist terminally ill cancer patient Robin Stransham-Ford to die, said assisted suicide would place civilisation on the road to the elimination of anyone considered “a burden to society”. “One feels sincere sympathy for Mr Stransham-Ford, for his great suffering and hopelessness. But if we were to make assisted suicide legal it would place us on the road to the elimination of the elderly, the incompetent and anyone considered as a burden to society,” the Pretoria archbishop told The Southern Cross in an interview. “We must fight to preserve Christian values which coincide with African values to protect the elderly,” he said. “Euthanasia will poison our civilisation, debase our humanity and destroy the boundary between healing and killing.” Mr Stransham-Ford succumbed to cancer on April 30, shortly before winning his case in the High Court in Pretoria. Judge Hans Fabricius ruled that the doctor who would assist Mr Stransham-Ford to die would face no criminal sanction and would not lose his medical licence. The ruling would allow other terminally ill‚ mentally sound people to approach the courts if they wished to die. The National Prosecuting Authority is appealing the ruling. Justice ministry spokesman Mthunzi Mhaga said the court’s order had far-reaching implications and that there is no legislation in place to regulate the area of assisted suicide. Department of Health spokesman Joe Maila said the department would join the appeal of the court judgment. Mr Stransham-Ford and the late Inkatha

Freedom Party MP Mario Oriani-Ambrosini, who committed suicide last August after a long battle with lung cancer, played a crucial role in championing The Medical Innovation Bill, which Dr Ambrosini tabled in Parliament in February 2014. The proposed law aims to create a special legal dispensation whereby medical practitioners are granted greater professional discretion to administer “innovative and alternative medical treatment” with patients’ informed consent, including assisted suicide. Archbishop Slattery said if the state were to legalise euthanasia, it would leave many sick and elderly as vulnerable. “Relatives could easily put pressure on elderly parents for financial reasons to request euthanasia,” he warned. “Old people are made to feel it is their duty to die. Relatives could also put pressure on doctors to speed up the dying process.” “As Catholics we believe that life is the most basic gift of a loving God, a gift over which we have stewardship but not absolute dominion,” Archbishop Slattery said. The archbishop noted a call by Dutch academic Theo Boer, who had helped to formulate his country’s euthanasia law eight years ago, to immediately stop assisted suicide. Mr Boer has said that the existence of a euthanasia law turns assisted suicide from a last resort into a normal procedure. Legalising it is a slippery slope towards widespread killing of the sick. “Humanity in general has had great respect for the medical profession,. That respect will turn to fear if we see them as agents of death,” Archbishop Slattery said. “The Catholic Church has always held that no one can in any way permit the killing on an innocent being whether a foetus or an adult or an old person suffering an incurable disease,” he said. Catholics should make an effort to give ordinary care for the dying, such as giving water, food and nursing care, Archbishop Slattery said. One has tremendous sympathy for people, Continued on page 2

The Mariannhill tour guide team in front of the monastery: Br Albert Brazier, Br Michael Chungu Chasaya, Fr Henry Ratering and (front) Br Carlos D’Albertina Saimone.

Mariannhill monastery now has tour guide team BY DYLAN APPOLIS

ARIANNHILL monastery in KwaZuluNatal has appointed a guide team to give visitors an informative tour of the monastery and to illuminate its rich history. The monastery tour guide team consist of Br Michael Chungu Chasaya, Br Carlos D’Albertina Saimone, Br Albert Brazier and Fr Henry Ratering CMM. The team is already operating, with different groups coming to the monastery. “Visitors on a guided tour ask many questions concerning the Catholic faith, since Mariannhill is considered to be a foundation of faith in Southern Africa and the consecrated life,” Fr Ratering said. The questions are especially numerous when the visitors are school groups of “very mixed backgrounds”, he added. Fr Ratering noted that tourists from Europe, India, America and different parts of Africa often include Mariannhill monastery,

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which is located near Pinetown in Durban, in their plans. Fr Lawrence Mota, monastery superior, told The Southern Cross: “The monastery museum forms part of the Durban Local History Museums, but it is private and is not supported by the municipality—so a donation for the upkeep of the monastery building and museum is highly appreciated.” Visitors can receive handouts about the history of Mariannhill, “so that people who come to the monastery are given the right information”, he said. “We have a lot of people coming to the monastery because of its tranquillity and most of all many people cherish its historical treasure as a fountain of faith in Southern Africa,” Fr Mota said. Bookings for tours are handled by the tour guide team. To contact them, phone Br Michael Chungu Chasaya at 071 846 8103, Br Carlos D’Albertina Saimone at 071 832 5325, Br Albert Brazier at 072 716 8252 or Fr Henry Ratering at 031 700 4288.

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

The Southern Cross, May 13 to May 19, 2015

LOCAL

Bishop on unity: seek dialogue not debate BY STAFF REPORTER

HE theme of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in the southern hemisphere between Ascension Thursday on May 14 and Pentecost Sunday on May 24 is based on the dialogue of Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well (Jn 4:1-42). Bishop Graham Rose of Dundee, the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference’s bishop for ecumenism and interfaith dialogue, said in the encounter Jesus opens up a space for dialogue by first ask-

ing the woman to share her riches with him. “Even though he is God he puts himself in the position of someone who is not complete without receiving what the other has to give,” Bishop Rose noted. “In his commentary on this episode, St Augustine points out the ‘weakness’ of Jesus. He comes to the well weary from the journey he has undertaken, taking on our weakness so that he might give us his strength. In the same commentary he says that ‘Jesus thirsts for the faith of the woman’,” he said.

In a normal debate the participants usually follow a two-step process, the bishop pointed out: First, demonstrate how right I am. Second, demonstrate how wrong my opponent is. “My opponent has everything to learn from me. I have nothing to learn from my opponent. The debate goes ahead but dialogue never even gets off the ground,” he said. However, Bishop Rose noted, dialogue is not “some form of diplomatic negotiation” or the sort of bargaining that goes on between union leaders and employers in

which cases the parties are willing to compromise, but only as a last resort in getting what they want. “For the sake of saving face each party claims the outcome as a victory. Instead, dialogue is another word for love of the truth, a love so intense that one is willing to put aside any claim to ‘possess’ the truth,” he said. “For if Jesus is the truth, then it’s I who am possessed by the truth. Or rather, it is we who are taken up together by this truth which is realised on earth in the unity of his Mystical Body,” Bishop Rose said.

As long as this body lacks full unity we are all still on the journey towards the full truth, he noted. “The lack of unity means that we all need each other. If I go to the altar without my brother or sister, the Father will send me away telling me to come back only when we have been reconciled with one another.” The theme was jointly prepared by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches.

Euthanasia ruling condemned Continued from page 1 especially daughters, who have to care for an ageing and dying parent on their own, the archbishop noted. “Surely this is an area where the Church, if it is a living community that cares about its people, should render assistance,” he said. “Perhaps the state should provide family members who care for their elderly with a social welfare benefit,” Archbishop Slattery suggested. The Catechism of the Catholic Church rejects euthanasia. “Whatever its motives and means, direct euthanasia consists in putting an end to the lives of handicapped, sick, or dying persons. It is morally unacceptable,” the Catechism states.

“Thus an act or omission which, of itself or by intention, causes death in order to eliminate suffering constitutes a murder gravely contrary to the dignity of the human person and to the respect due to the living God, his Creator. The error of judgment into which one can fall in good faith does not change the nature of this murderous act, which must always be forbidden and excluded,” it says. “Discontinuing medical procedures that are burdensome, dangerous, extraordinary, or disproportionate to the expected outcome can be legitimate; it is the refusal of ‘over-zealous’ treatment. Here one does not will to cause death; one’s inability to impede it is merely accepted,” according to the Catechism. Archbishop Stephen Brislin of Cape Town picked up his new dog, named Pinky, at the SPCA in Cape Town. Animal rights activists are urging pet-lovers to adopt a rescue dog or cat rather than buying specially-bred animals. The SPCA says its animal centre “is full of hundreds of beautiful cats, dogs, kittens and puppies—as well as other animals such as horses, ducks, rabbits and budgies”. An animal behaviourist is on hand to see what kind of owner would suit each animal best. Before being handed to their new owners, pets are sterilised, vaccinated, dewormed, microchipped and given an ID disc. To find an SPCA in your area go to www.nspca.co.za/ page/spcas-in-southafrica

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Fr Wilfred Mfayela and Joe Simoes in front of the columbarium wall at Our Lady of the Angels parish in Mariannhill. The project to build the columbarium was spearheaded by Mr Simoes.

Mariannhill parish establishes wall BY GARY MORRIS

LMOST ten years ago the idea of building a columbarium wall at Our Lady of the Angels church in Park Rynie, Mariannhill diocese, was first mooted at a parish pastoral council meeting. The first estimates and basic plans for the wall were submitted, but as in many parishes, other items of greater importance kept taking priority. A short time ago, Joe Simoes, a member of the parish pastoral council, made a thoroughly researched presentation to the council members in support of the building of a columbarium. Not only was the wall a necessary

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church surroundings. Two statutes were donated to the church, beautifully painted by local artist Joan Ray. They are positioned on top of the wall, and the magnificent wooden cross refurbished and erected by Mr Simoes added the finishing touch. Fr Mfayela has consecrated the columbarium for parishioners when their day of final rest occurs. After receiving the highest accolades from Fr Mfayela and the congregation, Mr Simoes simply said that his inspiration and guidelines had come from above. The last phase is to surround the columbarium with a garden for prayer and contemplation.

Poor Clare sisters meet to share experiences BY STUART GRAHAM

OOR Clare abbesses from monasteries in 12 African countries met at the La Verna retreat centre in Vereeniging to share their experiences of contemplative life. The sisters, who live an enclosed life and do not engage in social work, met under the theme of “Giving Hope to a Tired World”. “The 30 sisters held the meeting to share their experiences of con-

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adjunct to the church but Mr Simoes had already raised in excess of 30% of the estimated cost of the project. The project was enthusiastically endorsed and supported by the parish priest, Fr Wilfred Mfayela. A committee was formed which looked at design, location fundraising, administration, legal and construction quantities and records, remembering that the columbarium had to be in keeping with the church as it is a protected building. Once agreement was reached Mr Simoes set about the hands-on work of building the project. Red brick was used to match the church building and grey granite sealing covers and sandstone steps helped it blend in well with the

templative life and to bear witness to the value of prayer as the foundation of Christian life,” said Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria, who attended the meeting. “The Church is the Body of Christ. The body has many parts: heads, legs and hands. But it also needs a heart, which drives everything. The contemplatives are the heart of the Church,” he said. The sisters emphasise faith and total surrender to God. They imitate

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Mary, who lived close to Jesus her son, the archbishop said. The Order of Saint Clare is said to have been founded by Ss Clare of Assisi and Francis of Assisi on Palm Sunday in 1212. The aim of the order is to bring prayer, simplicity, community and joy to the Church. The Poor Clare Sisters number over 20 000 sisters throughout the world in 16 federations and in more than 70 countries. Each community is autonomous.

PUBLIC LECTURE

“LET JUSTICE FLOW DOWN – GOD AND ECONOMICS” HOW DO WE MEET TODAY’S CHALLENGES OF DIMINISHING RESOURCES, INCREASING POVERTY AND GROSS ECONOMIC DISPARITIES?

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WE ARE ALL CHURCH SOUTH AFRICA

The Southern Cross, May 13 to May 19, 2015

LOCAL

Depression talk offers insights STAFF REPORTER

A Bishop Stanley Dziuba of Umzimkulu (second from left) with youth chaplains of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference region (South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland) at a strategic planning workshop at Lumko Centre in Benoni.

Road to recovery of Fr Mhlengi Ngcobo BY DYLAN APPOLIS

PRIEST from Midlands parish in Bergville was recently involved in a car accident in Durban and is recovering at St Anne’s Hospital. “Fr Mhlengi Ngcobo has had operations on his leg and on one hand,” Fr Justin Stirton, parish priest at the Church of Immaculate Conception in Pinetown, Durban, said. “St Anne’s ICU says that Fr Ngcobo’s condition remains the same, critical but stable, and he’s been conscious for two to three days. “In fact since he came off life support, he has been looking good,

Fr Mhlengi Ngcobo

but has been very exhausted,” Fr Stirton added. Fr Brett Williams, chancellor of the archdiocese, on his visit to Fr Ngcobo in hospital, said: “I have spoken to the nurse in ICU. “Fr Ngcobo is making good progress; he is regaining consciousness but is still on a ventilator and will remain so for another day or two (as a result he cannot talk). “He will have a second operation on his other leg if all goes well.” Fr Stirton said: “There was not much visible injury to his hand. His head was protected by the airbags. We keep praying. God bless.”

LMOST 130 people attended a workshop on depression and anxiety in a Pretoria parish. The Q&A workshop was presented by the family ministry group of Christ the King parish in Queenswood, under the leadership of Sheila Houghton. The panel comprised Fr Russell Pollitt SJ, director of the Jesuit Institute; Johan Mills of the Depression and Anxiety Support Group in Pretoria; Tracey Feinstein of the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG); and clinical psychotherapist and social worker Sandy McDonough. Ms Feinstein explained that depression is a deep sadness that changes your life so that you cannot focus or complete a task. It often has the side-effect of chronic illness. One in four workers suffer from depression and more men than women, she said, and untreated depression can lead to suicide. Four years ago SADAG dealt with one suicide attempt per month, she said. Now it is three or four attempts every day. Mr Mills said most members of the Depression and Anxiety Support Group are bipolar. In adults there is no cure and sufferers must take medication for life. He urged those affected, and their friends, family members and caregivers, to join support groups. “They help you to realise you are not alone, you can come out in the open and enjoy life. You will come

to realise that mood disorders are interconnected,” he said. Clinical psychotherapist Sandy McDonough noted that those who have deep depression “can be healed but not cured because it is part of one’s personality—we need anxiety otherwise we would not be able to protect ourselves”. “Panic is normal but how you deal with it is important,” she said. Fr Pollitt raised the point of a “theology of suffering”. “We don’t get a lot of help from the Bible,” he said. “Even Job does not come up with one answer.” Yet, “God can enter into any type of suffering,” Fr Pollitt said. “God does not take away the things we want him to, but enters into them with us.” The question we must ask is: “How is God here with me?” “God acts through other people—through support groups, psychiatrists, medication and so on. Prayer and faith don’t change reality but bring new meaning to it.” He noted that there is a stigma attached to people with psychological problems and the Church needs to deal with it. “The Church should be the first port of call and offer support mechanisms. How many parishes have support groups, and why not?” Fr Pollitt said. Queenswood parish priest Fr Chris Townsend in his closing remarks said that “struggle defines us as South Africans”. He thanked the panel for “taking care of us” and the people present for taking care of themselves.

Winter Living Theology 2015

“The Scandal of Christian Disunity - a Biblical Approach” Fr. Nicholas King, SJ

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The Southern Cross, May 13 to May 19, 2015

INTERNATIONAL

Child, 4, saved from Take the teachings of Pope Francis seriously cremation in Nepal BY LAURA IERACI

BY ANTO AKKARA

T was a smile worth millions. After 15 minutes of cajoling and prodding, the bruised angelic face of four-year-old Sujina lit up, bringing cheers to half a dozen people in the room. Soon the radiance spread like contagion to the pensive-looking face of Chaju Ghale, mother of Sujina, sitting on the edge of the bed holding the hand of her daughter who cheated certain death by a wicker. That radiant smile stood in stark contrast to the all-pervasive gloom and despair sweeping Nepal in the aftermath of the devastating April 25 earthquake. Sujina, whose family is Catholic, was presumed dead and was kept among dead bodies for cremation for hours after she was pulled out of the debris of her house in Tipling village, about 160km west of the capital Kathmandu. As she did every day, Chaju had gone to the jungle that morning to graze the cattle. She had to walk four hours home after she felt the strong quake at noon in the jungle. By the time she returned to Tipling, seven bodies were being prepared for creation—among them that of little Sujina. “When I reached Tipling, they were getting ready to take her [body] for cremation. I pleaded with [village health worker] Phullu Tamang to check on my daughter—and they found her body was warm,” re-

Little Sujina, 4, who was almost cremated when she was thought to be dead in the devastating Nepal earthquake, with her mother Chaju Ghale. (Photo: Anto Akkara) counted Chaju, sitting on the bed inside of a small house that withstood the killer quake at Banyatar, perched on a hilltop overlooking Kathmandu. Immediately, shocked villagers rushed the bruised girl to the village health centre and alerted Dharing district officials with the satellite phone that was the only link of the village with the world. Early the next morning, Sujina was airlifted by a helicopter along with the mother to the Neuro Hospital in Kathmandu. As the hospital was teeming with seriously injured people and Sujina’s condition was considered “safe”,

doctors asked the mother to suggest a nearby place to move the girl. Chaju took the child to her aunt’s house at Banyatar, 200m from the Catholic St Ignatius parish. “We were brought here by helicopter,” said the mother whose two elder children were in their village while her husband works in Dubai. As Bishop Paul Simick of Nepal and this writer prepared to leave, Chaju said that Sujina had a fever and could not sit up. A week later, Fr Anil Beck of St Ignatius parish said that the child had been taken to hospital for treatment for a cut and swelling behind her head.

Pope meets Swedish Lutheran head BY LAURA IERACI

HE dignity of human life, family, marriage and sexuality are “urgent” issues that “cannot be silenced or ignored for fear” of threatening ecumenical achievements, said Pope Francis during an audience with Lutheran Archbishop Antje Jackelen of Uppsala, Sweden. Archbishop Jackelen is the primate of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Sweden, also known as the Church of Sweden. She was accompanied to the meeting at the Vatican by a church delegation. “It would be a shame if, in these important issues, new confessional differences were consolidated,” the

pope told the delegation. Pope Francis also recalled the recent document “From Conflict to Communion: The LutheranCatholic Common Commemoration of the Reformation in 2017,” published by the Lutheran-Catholic Commission for Unity. Preparing for the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, the document encourages Catholics and Lutherans to acknowledge their common baptism in Christ, asks for continuing theological dialogue and asks for joint efforts to proclaim the Gospel and assist the poor. “We sincerely hope that this initiative may encourage, with God’s help and collaboration...further steps

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on the path of unity,” he said, although he recognised that much work still must be done to achieve full and visible unity between the Catholic and Lutheran Churches. The pope also said the call to unity includes a joint commitment to charitable work among those who suffer due to poverty and violence and who are in need of mercy. “The witness of our persecuted brothers and sisters impels us to grow in fraternal communion.” Addressing the archbishop as “my dear sister”, the pope concluded by thanking the Church of Sweden for welcoming many South American immigrants “during the time of the dictatorships”.—CNS

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AKE up and take action; Pope Francis makes this call in The Joy of the Gospel, but it seems people “are still sleeping, caught up in a million secondary things”, said Archbishop Victor Fernandez. In his short guide on how to apply the pope’s apostolic exhortation—Evangelii Gaudium in Latin— the Argentine archbishop said if the teachings in the document were taken seriously, Church communities would see significant changes, renewal, life and new energy. The archbishop is familiar with the thought and vision of the pope. He was a key collaborator in 2007 of then-Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio in drafting the Latin American bishops’ Aparecida document, which offers a pastoral vision and guidelines for the region’s Church. The rector of the Pontifical University of Argentina in Buenos Aires was named an archbishop by Pope Francis in May 2013. In his 64-page book, Archbishop Fernandez said the pope’s first apostolic exhortation is not just another document to study, comment on or take as inspiration. “It is a work plan for all Catholics and for all our communities,” said the archbishop. Evangelii Gaudium’s call “is not just about changing something”, he said. “The pope says we must ‘transform all things’ to evangelise the world today” and to “enter into a ‘permanent state of mission’”. Catholics and the Church as a whole must stop being self-referential and leave behind their self-centredness and egoism if they are to be close to and merciful towards the people, he said in the guide. “The risk is that many people love Francis but are unable to apply what he proposes, and everything stays the same,” he said. “It is very difficult to apply the documents of the Church because many people stop on the secondary details and are unable to grasp the fundamental message of a document,” he said. The result is that most of the teachings in a document are not applied concretely, he added. “The problem becomes all the more serious with Evangelii Gaudium because the pope pre-

Pope Francis kisses a sleeping baby at his general audience. The pope’s teachings require us to change our lives radically in response to Jesus’ call. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) sented it as the ‘programme’ of his pontificate,” he said. The archbishop said Pope Francis is one who “destabilises everyone”, even those who think like him, because “he demands a new lifestyle”, as Jesus does, that requires changes to “the way people employ their time and energy”. These changes include a shift in “one’s personal framework” and the capacity to put oneself in the shoes of those who are less fortunate, he said. The point, “as Pope Francis asks constantly, is to live more detached from our ego and from our personal interests, with more generosity, [and] to have courage to enter into contact with the various peripheries that are not part of our closed circle”, he said. “The big problem today is that of translating thought into coherent lifestyles,” he continued. “This is the tragedy of the Church today—that it is still unable to react.” Another problem, he said, is that “some people listen to a pope only if what he says coincides with their own ideas”. “While these people seem to appear conservative as regards doctrine, fundamentally they seem not to have faith in the special assistance of the Holy Spirit, which Jesus promised the pope,” he said. —CNS

Aid to Congo Church must not limit freedom

INANCIAL aid given to dioceses in need must not limit the freedom of bishops or of the Church, said Pope Francis in a message to the bishops of the Republic of Congo. In the message, given to the country’s 11 bishops at the end of their ad limina visits, Pope Francis noted the “great difficulties” some dioceses face due to “insufficient material and financial resources”. “For this reason,” he continued, “I encourage you to resolutely commit your dioceses to the path of self-sufficiency, increased self-management, and solidarity among dioceses in your country, according to the beautiful tradition of the first Christian communities.” “In this regard,” he said, “you will continue to see to it that the financial aid given to your dioceses in support of their specific mission does not limit your freedom as pastors nor hinder the freedom of the Church, which must always have the freedom to proclaim the Gospel with credibility.” Furthermore, “mutual aid and solidarity among dioceses” is needed to bring about “the promotion of the

missionary spirit first of all within Africa”, the pope said. Noting the growth of the Catholic Church in the republic—in the number of faithful as well as the numbers of priests and religious —he said the creation of three new dioceses between 2011 and 2013 was “witnesses to the vitality of the Catholic Church” in the country and the zeal of its pastors. The pope lauded the Congolese bishops for their reflection on the mission of the laity. Lay people must be accompanied and educated on how to witness in sociopolitical spheres, which “constitute their specific field for apostolate”, he continued. “Family ministry is an integral part of this accompaniment” and must be adapted to the “local realities”, he added. “The reluctance of the faithful regarding Christian marriage reveals the need for a deeper evangelisation, which implies not only the inculturation of the faith but also the evangelisation of the traditions and of the local culture.” According to Vatican statistics, about 55% of the Congo’s 5,2 million people are Catholic.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

Year of Mercy unveiled BY CAROL GLATz

HE Holy Year of Mercy will be an opportunity to encourage Christians to meet people’s “real needs” with concrete assistance, to experience a “true pilgrimage” on foot, and to send “missionaries of mercy” throughout the world to forgive even the most serious of sins, said Archbishop Rino Fisichella. The yearlong extraordinary jubilee also will include several individual jubilee days, such as for the Roman curia, catechists, teenagers and prisoners, said the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation, the office organising events for the Holy Year of Mercy. During a news conference at the Vatican, Archbishop Fisichella unveiled the official prayer, logo, calendar of events and other details of the special Holy Year, which will be celebrated from December 8, 2015, to November 20, 2016. The motto, “Merciful Like the Father”, he said, “serves as an invitation to follow the merciful example of the Father who asks us not to judge or condemn but to forgive and to give love and forgiveness without measure”. Pope Francis announced in March his intention to proclaim a holy year as a way for the Church to “make more evident its mission to be a witness of mercy”. One way the pope wants to show “the Church’s maternal solicitude” is to send out “missionaries of mercy”—that is, specially selected

priests who have been granted “the authority to pardon even those sins reserved to the Holy See”, the pope wrote in Misericordiae Vultus, “The Face of Mercy”, the document officially proclaiming the Holy Year. Archbishop Fisichella said the priests will be chosen on the basis

Trappist Father Thomas Merton is pictured with the Dalai Lama in 1968. Morgan Atkinson’s new documentary focuses on the last year of Fr Merton’s life. (Photo: Thomas Merton Centre at Bellarmine University)

Thomas Merton ‘Last Days’ centennial documentary BY MARK PATTISON

ORGAN Atkinson’s new documentary on Fr Thomas Merton, the famed Trappist monk from the Cistercian abbey in Gethsemani, Kentucky, was “40 years in the making”, he joked. Actually, it was closer to two, but it was Atkinson’s own pilgrimage to Gethsemani 40 years ago that not only broadened his exposure to Merton, but led him to become a Catholic himself. “I was aware of Merton growing up, but I wasn’t thinking about him, at least consciously. For some reason, I thought it would be interesting to read his book, The Seven Storey Mountain. I read it. A lot of it was offputting to me, frankly, but there was something about the man that was interesting to me.” From there, “I went to the abbey of Gethsemani, which is about 97km from Louisville. It had a profound impact on me. From that, I became a Catholic, and have been practising for the last 40 years.” “As I was developing as a filmmaker, I thought, gosh, there’s some interesting stories [at Gethsemani]. At that time, the abbot wanted no part of anyone doing any film there. Then in the 1990s, a new abbot came in and had a different mindset.

I had letters of recommendation, and so they let me do a documentary in the monastery itself, Gethsemani, which was well received by the monks and by viewers. I was trusted.” Eventually, he was asked by the abbey, “Why don’t you do one on Merton?” He is hopeful the new documentary, The Many Storeys and Last Days of Thomas Merton, will get a time slot sometime this year, the centennial of the monk’s birth. Mr Atkinson said he focused on 1968, the last year of Merton’s life, because in his first Merton documentary he felt he “didn’t do justice” to that year, which ended in Merton’s fateful sojourn to Asia during which he died of accidental electrocution. Mr Atkinson was able to combine historical footage of Merton with new interviews from people whose lives Merton touched. Such was the case with popular speaker Franciscan Father Richard Rohr, but even more so with the Dalai Lama, whom Merton met during his Asia trip. Atkinson was able to interview each of them last year. “I love the last thing said by the Dalai Lama in my current film,” Mr Atkinson added: “One does something, very good. Ten people, better. Do something.”—CNS

of their ability to preach well, especially on the theme of mercy, and be “good confessors”, meaning they are able to express God’s love and do not make the confessional, as Pope Francis says, like “a torture chamber”. The priests will also have to “be patient” and have “an understanding of human fragility”, the archbishop said. Bishops can recommend to the council priests from their own dioceses to serve as missionaries of mercy, he said, and priests themselves can submit their request to serve, he said. When a priest volunteers, however, the council will confer with his bishop to make sure he would be “suitable for this ministry” and has the bishop’s approval to serve temporarily as a missionary of mercy, he said. The archbishop emphasised the importance of living the Holy Year as “a true pilgrimage” with the proper elements of prayer and sacrifice. “We will ask pilgrims to make a journey on foot, preparing themselves to pass through the Holy Door in a spirit of faith and devotion,” he said. More than a dozen individual jubilee celebrations will be scheduled in 2016, such as a jubilee for conse-

The Southern Cross, May 13 to May 19, 2015

crated men and women on February 2 to close the Year of Consecrated Life; a jubilee for the Roman curia on February 22; a jubilee for those devoted to the spirituality of Divine Mercy on Divine Mercy Sunday, April 3; and separate jubilees for teenagers; for deacons; priests; the sick and disabled; and catechists. A jubilee for “workers and volunteers of mercy” will be celebrated on Blessed Mother Teresa of Kolkata’s feast day September 5 and a jubilee for prisoners will be celebrated on November 6. Archbishop Fisichella said the pope wants the jubilee for inmates to be celebrated not only in prisons, but also with him in St Peter’s basilica. He said the council is discussing the possibility with government authorities and is not yet sure if it can be done. The council distributed copies in several languages of the Holy Year prayer and logo, which features Jesus—the Good Shepherd—taking “upon his shoulders the lost soul, demonstrating that it is the love of Christ that brings to completion the mystery of his incarnation culminating in redemption”, the archbishop said. The image, created by Jesuit Father Marko Rupnik, also shows one of Jesus’ eyes merged with the man’s to show how “Christ sees with the eyes of Adam, and Adam with the eyes of Christ”. The council has joined with the United Bible Societies to distribute to pilgrims a million free copies of the Gospel of Mark; the texts will be available in seven languages. The Jubilee of Mercy has an official website in seven languages at www.im.va; a Twitter handle @Jubilee_va; a Facebook page; and accounts on Instagram, Flickr and Google+.—CNS

Pope: Read Dante for YOM BY ELLIOT WILLIAMS

ANTE Alighieri’s Divine Comedy is more than a literary masterpiece, it is an invitation “to rediscover the lost or obscured meaning of our human path,” Pope Francis said. As the Italian government formally celebrated the 750th anniversary of Dante’s birth, Pope Francis said that while the centuries have passed Dante “still has much to say and to offer through his immortal works to those who wish to follow the route of true knowledge”. The pope’s message was read at the celebration in the Italian Senate where Oscar-winning actor Roberto Benigni read from Dante’s “Paradise”. “Paradise” is the final portion of the Divine Comedy, an epic poem written between 1308-20, recounting Dante’s allegorical journey through hell, purgatory and heaven. “We are able to enrich ourselves with his experience in order to cross the many dark forests still scattered on our earth,” the pope said, “and to happily complete our pilgrim story, to reach the destination dreamed of and wished for by everyone: ‘The love that moves the sun and other stars.’” Pope Francis said he hoped that as Catholics prepare to celebrate the extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy they would pick up Dante’s work and allow it to be a spiritual guide. Dante, he said, is “a prophet of hope, herald of the possibility of redemption, liberation and the profound transformation of every man and woman, of all humanity”.

13 to 26 February 2016

The PILGRIMAGE OF THE PEACEMAKERS is a special journey to the land of Christ which will include the great sites of Our Lord in the Holy Land as well as encounters with Palestinian and Jewish organisations working for peace. We will explore the roots of the conflict and see the situation first-hand to enable us to pray for justice and peace. In Cairo we will honour the 21 Coptic Martyrs slain by ISIS terrorists by visiting Coptic churches and monasteries, and meeting with local Christians to learn from their experiences and offer them our solidarity. The PILGRIMAGE OF THE PEACEMAKERS is a journey of prayer for peace and of solidarity with our fellow Christians and all people of peace in the Holy Land and Egypt. Led by Archbishop Stephen Brislin, Catholic top guide Rimon Makhlouf, and Southern Cross editor and The Holy Land Trek author Günther Simmermacher, it will be a pilgrimage in the footsteps and in service of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Pilgrimage Highlights

• All the important sites of Our Lord’s life, death and resurrection in Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Cana, Jordan River, Sea of Galilee etc. • Encounters with peacemakers of the Holy Land, visits to abandoned village, refugee camp, Yad Vashem memorial, a Catholic school in the West Bank and more... • Visit to Coptic churches and monasteries, incl. Hanging Church of el Moallaqa. Encounter with Coptic Christians. Plus the Pyramids of Giza, Sphinx, Egyptian Museum, a Nile Cruise and much more...

The Southern Cross, May 13 to May 19, 2015

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Legalising euthanasia

HE ruling by Judge Hans Fabricius in the Pretoria High Court that a doctor who sought to assist a patient to die would face no criminal sanction and not lose his medical licence will have elicited much sympathy from those who regard “the right to die” as an issue of mercy and of personal liberty. At a time when a Bill intended to legalise euthanasia is tabled in Parliament, the ruling may well have far-reaching consequences. The attraction of the pro-euthanasia argument is self-evident. The fear of suffering helplessly or being in a vegetative state for an extended period of time is reasonable. Euthanasia may seem a sensible option especially for those who have witnessed loved ones in agony before death provides a release from suffering. Most of those who support legalising euthanasia are doubtless animated by good intentions; they might even regard their position as virtuous. However, the line between euthanasia as a noble ideal and as a pretext for cynical killing is very thin. Doctors warn that legalising euthanasia could produce widespread abuses, especially in countries such as South Africa, where there is a shortage of qualified physicians. There is a possibility that some medical practitioners might overstate the suffering and understate the prognosis of treatment in cases where patients are difficult or are unable to afford medical or palliative care. There is also the hazard that a legal right to die could be exercised for reasons other than illness by those who are suicidal, thereby making physicians party to their death. While most families are selflessly dedicated in their care and concern for their ill loved ones, some are not. There can be little doubt that euthanasia, should it be legal, would be used to get rid of family members whose illness represents a financial or emotional strain. In this way, euthanasia would not be a means to ease the patient’s suffering, but that of the family. Since many people, especially those who once were independent, wish not to be “a burden” to their relatives, there would be cases of patients consenting to

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

Women can secure voice in policy

OLLEEN Constable in her thought-provoking article “How women can solve the Church’s ministry crisis” (April 15), with which I substantially agree, makes two points which I would like to take further. She wrote: “There is overwhelming evidence that including women in key roles of leadership contributes to organisational effectiveness and good decision-making.” She also mentions a need for two commissions to investigate various aspect of possible women’s involvement in ministry. In neither case, however, does she say by whom and how they could be brought into existence. If we take these two issues together, the only competent body for making the necessary policy formulations is the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) in plenary session. I say

Where is the laity represented?

FREQUENTLY feel disappointed with The Southern Cross so I decided to do a mini-survey. I studied the first three issues in March 2015 and this is what I noted: clerics are the subject of the headings of all the articles on all three front pages, for example pope’s favourite dishes, priest’s burglary, bishop calls for priests (why not lay people?) to serve prisoners. Of the local news on pages 2 and 3, the headings of ten out of 18 articles are about clerics, for example the pope’s tour, a priest found dead, an archbishop blesses Little Eden (again). Even on the international pages, 14 of the 20 article headings are about clerics or religious, the Vatican, and “institutional” topics like the Holy Land collection on Good Friday, and St Gregory of Narek (is he important?). How relevant are these topics for lay Catholics whose daily lives are rather different? Does The Southern Cross help us to think critically about the particular challenges we face, or inspire us with examples of what lay people can achieve? Brian Robertson, Cape Town

Southern Cross is enduring delight

ONGRATULATIONS on the April 22 issue of The Southern Cross! I have enjoyed our paper for many years but this one was outstanding. In particular I enjoyed Fr Russell Pollitt’s article “What SA Catholics say on family issues”. We have heard that the questionnaire on this

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT has a vacancy for

to work full-time in its office in Cape Town

The successful candidate will be assigned the subscription, sales and circulation portfolio, though other tasks may be assigned later.

The successful candidate will have advanced knowledge of MS Office, be able to deal with the public, be service-oriented, have initiative, and work well in a small team under the direction of the business manager. While a Catholic background is not a requirement for the position, knowledge of the Church and affinity for its mission will be a distinct advantage.

The renumeration package includes a fair salary with medical contribution, pension, 18 days annual leave, free parking. Ideally, the successful candidate will start on June 17. e-mail applications with a covering letter and CV to: admin@scross.co.za

Deadline: May 20, 2015

The Southern Cross reserves the right not to fill this vacancy.

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.

designedly “policy formulations” and not “decisions”, because each bishop is the decision-maker for his own diocese, and cannot be overruled by the plenary session. The SACBC’s statutes, by-laws and standing orders (2005), which are in line with a decree of the Pontifical Commission for the Interpretation of the Decrees of Vatican II, state in number 5.6: “It shall be in order for the Conference, through its administrative board, to invite non-members to attend meetings of the plenary session”. The ordinary members, with voting rights, are the bishops. In terms of this provision, women have been invited in the past to attend plenary session meetings as a one-off when particular issues were under discussion. There is, however, nothing in the provision quoted above which imposes this restriction. As I read it,

matter was broadcast to all dioceses. With due respect to our local archbishop, parish priests and the editor of The Southern Cross, those of us who do not have access to computer technology saw neither “hide nor hair” of the document. When I tell others that I am “technologically marginalised”, most smile but never have I felt the lack so keenly. Thank you to Fr Pollitt. The articles “Shepherding as internship for Church leaders” and “The path to priesthood” were so practical and down to earth and very interesting, particularly the one on the priesthood. The stories “The joy of Benedictine life” and “Nuns’ take on trafficking” were equally attention holding, and both articles on the back page were as usual my favourites, while the editorial and letters lived up to their usual standard—long may The Southern Cross and the editor along with it. Carmen Smith, Somerset West

Jesus’ appearance

ENJOYED Günther Simmermacher’s article about Jesus’ physical appearance (April 15) very much. We don’t need to know how he looked, but it is tantalising to wonder. But John Lee’s letter on the same 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

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there is nothing to prevent the bishops deciding to invite a certain number of women to attend plenary session meetings on a permanent basis, with the right to take part fully in all discussions, but without voting rights, which are restricted to the bishops. This would meet Ms Constable’s concern about women having a voice in the leadership of the Church in South Africa. It would also mean that women would be able to have a say in any commissions of enquiry which may be considered useful by the plenary session, and how they are to be made up. Naturally this does not prevent women being involved in decisionmaking bodies in the diocese and parish, as is already happening in some places, but it does secure for women a voice in formulating policy for the whole country. Bonaventure Hinwood OFM, Pretoria subject (April 29) contains a small error. Mr Lee attributes the description of Jesus to an apocryphal letter by Pontius Pilate to the Emperor Tiberius, but the letter is actually credited to Publius Lentulus and addressed to the Roman Senate. According to Wikipedia, the letter, which was supposedly written during Jesus’ lifetime but “found” only in the 15th century, is undoubtedly apocryphal. Publius Lentulus is believed by some to have been one of Pontius Pilate’s predecessors as governor of Judea. There actually was a consul by that name from 27 BC-14 AD, but he was not in Judea during Jesus’ public ministry. The historians also reject the letter’s authenticity because it uses forms of address and usage of Hebrew terms which no Roman would have used. It also calls the Lord “Jesus Christ”, but that name was not in use during Jesus’ lifetime. Its first recorded use is in the gospels, which were written long after the alleged letter. Paul Collins, Johannesburg

Gospel stories

ICHAEL Bouchier avers that Christians today cannot treat the Gospel stories as historical accounts (April 22). I would advise him to read Lee Strobel’s book The Case for Christ. In this book the author, an American lawyer and journalist, retraces his own spiritual journey from atheism to faith. “By cross-examining a dozen experts, he probes with bulldog-like tenacity the evidence for the truth of biblical Christianity,” as the cover blurb promises. JH Goossens, Dundee

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PERSPECTIVES

In the eye of the storm T HE image of “the eye of the storm” is that when there is a storm going on it looks frightening from the outside and it is even more terrifying if you are inside it—but strangely, if you are right at the very heart of it, life is calm. The phrase was used as the title of the autobiography of Bishop Jeffrey Robinson, the Anglican bishop in America who found himself in the middle of an international controversy a few years ago. He comments on how for him life for the most part carried on as normal: leading prayers, visiting parishes, baptising, confirming, marrying, burying. I found myself using this phrase “the eye of the storm” when friends, from as far away as Australia or as close as the northern suburbs of Durban, expressed concern for the Denis Hurley Centre, of which I am the director, and its staff during the recent outbreak of xenophobic violence in and around the city. When events like this happen, for the most part we all have to rely on what the media shows us, and principally what we see on the TV news. The complexity of a situation has to be delivered in a digestible two-minute package that covers introducing the story, interviewing some people affected, showing images, having the opinion of an expert and ending with speculation on what might happen next. You have already spent almost two minutes reading this piece so far, so that gives you a sense of how immediate TV coverage has to be. Not surprisingly, the TV will focus on what is most dramatic, most sensational, most visual and most arresting. Whether what they show is in any way representative of the situation is another matter entirely. So I was intrigued to compare and contrast what I personally observed on the streets of Durban with what was being fed to the country (and eventually to the world) about the situation. Of course, what I observed was not representative either, but at least my version was not edited just because it would make good copy or punchy TV. As you read my comments below, please do not think that I am trying to diminish the very real suffering experienced by some people, nor the general sense of fear that prevailed. These incidents cannot be dismissed lightly. But what I am trying to do is put the TV pictures into the perspective of what I saw around me. I did see for myself a steady stream of people arriving at our centre over the first few days, having fled their homes. In the end, through the Refugee Pastoral Care of

the archdiocese of Durban, we provided emergency housing for 178 people. That is a distressing number, to which we need to add the thousands who were housed in camps in Isipingo and Chatsworth. But on a conservative estimate there are many hundreds of thousands of “foreign nationals”’ living in Durban who—though less comfortably than before—continued to live in their homes, talk to their neighbours and visit their local shops. And I did see at first hand the very difficult conditions that displaced people have had to live in, given the need to find emergency accommodation. None of us would willingly share such cramped quarters with people we do not know, fearful of stepping out of the door. But there are conditions of poverty that thousands of people—South African and non-South African—endure day in and day out in this country without prompting visits from high-level politicians, church leaders or NGO directors.

nd I also saw violence. When dropping off a family at one of the emergency shelters I found myself skirting the most serious outbreak in central Durban with crowds of people and gunshots and shuttered shops. And then on one occasion this came right to our front door as a group of men chased each other along Cathedral Road with sticks and pangas. There was screaming and shouting until the police moved in, very quickly, and calmed the situation. This was definitely too close for comfort. But the rest of the time on the streets of Durban it was “business as usual”. Not as much business—a number of shops, foreign-owned and locally-owned, were re-

The Denis Hurley Centre in Durban, which found itself in the eye of the storm. (Photo: Barker Sky Imaging)

Raymond Perrier

Faith and Society

luctant to re-open—and not as many customers, people inevitably avoided the city for a few days. But this was not the Durban war zone that was being projected to the viewing public. The reason why the media play out the extreme version of the story is understandable. If this were not what we viewers wanted, then they would not give it to us; so we have some responsibility too. When we hear about a story do we immediately want to see the violence and the gore—the old saying in TV newsrooms was: “If it bleeds, it leads.” Do we not then encourage the TV editors by consuming this version of events so avidly and switching off at boring stories of general misfortune? And when there is an incident on the street, or an accident on the road, do we feel the need to stand and stare and possibly make things worse by adding to the sense of chaos and panic? What exactly is the impulse that makes us take out our cellphones and take photos and videos to post them on the Internet? Is this going to help peace or reconciliation? I worry even more that—at some level and unintentionally—we were even encouraging these young bullies by providing an audience for them and giving them a justification for their violence. After all, they were not just mindless opportunistic hooligans; they were a social problem that warranted debate on TV and headline coverage in the media. The media coverage has achieved one good thing: it has triggered immense generosity from South Africans who—keen to show that such xenophobic violence is not the real spirit of the nation—have gone out of their way to deliver food and clothing and blankets for those in need. The mountain of gifts at our centre for distribution to those affected is just a part of the outpouring that we have seen from across the community. As human beings we often respond well to emergencies wherever they are. That generosity should not be taken for granted and should not go un-thanked. We respond because we are touched by the extreme suffering of a particular group. But I wonder if that makes it harder for us to be touched by the everyday suffering of many more. Charities that raise money for the poor (and I have worked for several) know that emergency appeals get a response that ordinary appeals rarely Continued on page 11

Lessons learnt on a fishing beach Toni Rowland V OCATIONS Sunday this year did not make an awful stir in the parish where I attended Mass but I did dwell on the short reflection in the Thoughts for the Day booklet for a bit about a religious sister and her vocation and her work. More meaningful in a way were experiences I had later. Vocations Sunday was followed immediately by Freedom Day and I wonder how symbolic that could be seen to be. On Freedom Day I drove down to the KwaZulu-Natal coast for a few days and listened to the radio, to keep me awake but for interest too. I heard Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria speaking to Fr Emil Blaser on Radio Veritas about the 21 years since 1994, how we have been and where we still need to go, especially with transformation along racial lines. It was a very eloquent young woman who stressed the need for women’s empowerment that got to me. I don’t have a problem with that in essence, of course, but the context needs to be kept in mind. Empowering a well educated woman to reach greater heights in the corporate world is not the same as empowering a woman who is little more than a slave to her husband or partner, motherin-law or even her boy children. It is the effect of women’s empowerment in families that needs greater exploration. But that’s not my theme today. On the first morning on my trip to the coast I took a walk to a popular fishing beach. Sometimes when one watches fishermen they seem to be sitting patiently by their rods, waiting hopefully for a bite. But

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Anglers hope for fish to bite. In her column, Toni Rowland reflects on her experiences of watching fishers on a beach. not these ones on that beach. It was a constant motion of throwing out, reeling in, checking the bait, throwing out, reeling in and so on. They weren’t too close to me but it seemed that, for a change, there was one fisherwoman, keeping up with the guys. Also intriguing was that there was a black man, obviously experienced, who was helping the whites get going. There were some mums pushing prams—but no dads. Some of the men were showing young boys the art of fishing. Some women were reading a book while waiting for the fishing to be done; maybe waiting for the sardines to cook for breakfast.

o how is all that for a sign of the times, and what lessons for vocations awareness. Fishing is busy work—it’s not just sitting back and waiting for the fish to bite. There are fewer priests and religious these days, many with sore backs from throwing

out and reeling in. Lay people fish too, men and women, very busily, as part of their activities like earning a living and providing for a family. Fishing is not just a holiday activity, as it is for some. For others it is the work that earns their living. Jesus told his disciples that they would be fishers of men. Presumably there could have been women among the fishers as well as among the “fished”. But the balance is still not what it should be—and let’s face it, it is clear that differences do matter. May, with its family theme of “Committed to Life and Parenting”, invites us to nurture those who will come after us to take up the job of fishing—literally and figuratively—not just as a hobby but as a commitment and a way of life (nevertheless one to enjoy). The International Day Of Families on May 15 has as its theme, “Men In Charge? Equal Rights for Women and Children”. PS. The other lesson I learned on the question of balance is that it is possible to be too brave and try to do too much. I went for a swim in the sea and got dumped, knocked over, half drowned and sprained my ankle. No more walks for me for a bit! n See MARFAM on Facebook or visit www. marfam.org.za.

The Southern Cross, May 13 to May 19, 2015

Michael Shackleton

Open Door

What happened to the apostles? What happened to the disciples of Jesus? There is nothing said about them. Thabiso Hlobo NE reason why there is little or nothing written about Jesus’ disciples after his Ascension, is to be found in the words of John the Baptist who said of Jesus: “He must increase but I must decrease” (John 3:30). The whole thrust of the disciples’ preaching is faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The writers of the New Testament books tell of Christ’s works and words. Christ is the central and pivotal figure. So, they give very few details about themselves. Like the Baptist, they recognised that they were to carry the Good News to others, and their own story was of no importance in comparison. St Paul wrote that preachers such as he and Apollos planted and watered the faith but they are nothing because only God can give the growth (1 Cor 3:7). There are lots of histories and strong traditions in the Western and Eastern Church that affirm that Jesus’ disciples set out on missionary journeys into places like Greece, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Persia and Armenia. Some of these have solid historical foundations and others are dubious and apocryphal. These traditions come from the writings of Church Fathers, folklore, legends and even fanciful stories, and this is why they often differ from one another in their details. For instance, the tradition that Peter and Paul were martyred in Rome in 66 AD is based on solid evidence. The story that Peter was crucified upside down and Paul was beheaded is on less solid ground but it remains a tradition. We know from Acts 12:1-5 that James the son of Zebedee was executed in Jerusalem on King Herod Agrippa’s orders, the only apostle whose martyrdom is recorded in the New Testament. Yet tradition holds that he preached in Spain and his remains lie in Santiago de Compostela, having arrived there by divine intervention. Here are some more examples of traditional history. Philip evangelised Carthage and other parts of north Africa where he converted the wife of a Roman official who had him killed for doing so. Andrew preached in Ukraine and Greece, where he was allegedly crucified on an X-shaped cross. Thomas ventured into Syria and crossed over to India where Christians revere him for planting the faith there. Based on patristic writings from the 2nd century, John was the bishop of Ephesus and he took care of Jesus’ mother Mary there. He was exiled to the island of Patmos, wrote the book of Revelation, and later returned to Ephesus where he died around 100 AD. Whatever the traditions and their relevance to the Church today, it is the Gospel of Christ that matters.

n Send your queries to Open Door, Box 2372, Cape Town,

8000; or e-mail: opendoor@scross.co.za; or fax (021) 465 3850. Anonymity can be preserved by arrangement, but questions must be signed, and may be edited for clarity. Only published questions will be answered.

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The Southern Cross, May 13 to May 19, 2015

COMMUNITY

Choir members from St Cecilia, St Peter Claver and St Albert the Great parish in Maokeng, Kroonstad diocese, celebrated Easter Saturday Mass together, embracing unity in liturgy. They are pictured with Fr Molula Mokhoamathe.

The Apostleship of the Sea unveiled two plaques on the wall of remembrance at Bay Head mission in Durban.The service was conducted by chaplain Fr Herman Giraldo IMC and attended by Bishop Barry Wood OMI.

Matthew Turner, a resident of Little Eden in Edenvale, Johannesburg, knitted Pope Francis a scarf which Cardinal Wilfrid Napier gave to the pope on behalf of Matthew during his recent visit to Rome. Matthew received a letter from the Holy Father thanking Matthew for knitting a scarf to keep him warm in winter. Matthew turned 41 this year; he was just five days old when he was handed over by his parGrade 4 pupils at Holy Rosary School in Edenvale, Johanents into the care of the late founders of nesburg, visited residents at St Anne’s old age home, where Little Eden, Danny and Domitilla Hyams. they sang and presented Easter gifts.

Sheldon Rabello and Nareen van der Merwe were married at Nazareth House in Cape Town in a ceremony conducted by Fr Abram Martijn.

St Dominic’s College in Welkom took a stand against xenophobia. The new intermediate building at Our Lady of Lebanon Maronite School in Mulbarton, Johannesburg, was blessed by Archbishop Buti Tlhagale with Fr Malek Tanous, superior-general of the congregation of Maronite Lebanese missionaries, and Mgr Simon Faddoul, Maronite apostolic exarch of Western and Central Africa.

ST. KIZITO CHILDREN’S PROGRAMME St. Kizito Children’s Programme (SKCP) is a community-based response to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children, established through the Good Hope Development Fund in 2004 in response to the Church’s call to reach out to those in need. Operating as a movement within the Archdiocese of Cape Town, SKCP empowers volunteers from the target communities to respond to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) living in their areas. The SKCP volunteers belong to Parish Groups that are established at Parishes in target communities. Through the St. Kizito Movement, the physical, intellectual, emotional and psycho-social needs of OVCs are met in an holistic way. Parish Groups provide children and families with a variety of essential services, while the SKCP office provides the groups with comprehensive training and on-going support. In order to continue its work, SKCP requires on-going support from generous donors. Funds are needed to cover costs such as volunteer training and support, emergency relief, school uniforms and children’s excursions. Grants and donations of any size are always appreciated. We are also grateful to receive donations of toys, clothes and blankets that can be distributed to needy children and families.

If you would like to find out more about St. Kizito Children’s Programme, or if you would like to make a donation, please contact Wayne Golding on (021) 782 7941 or 082 301 9385 Email info@stkizito.org.za. Donations can also be deposited into our bank account: ABSA Branch: Claremont, 632005; Account Name: Good Hope Development Fund; Account Number: 4059820320 This advertisement has been kindly sponsored

Catholic Welfare and Development, in conjunction with volunteers from NewKidz on the Block, revamped four of their Early Childhood Centres. Noma’s Baby Care in Samora Machel, Cape Town, is pictured before and after its revamp.

CHURCH

The Southern Cross, May 13 to May 19, 2015

No more boring sermons! Pope Francis has called on priests to make sure their homilies are “not boring”. STUART GRAHAM asked South African priests to reflect on their experience in listening to and preparing homilies in light of the Holy Father’s exhortation.

FREQUENT complaint among many Catholics around the world is that the sermons at the Masses they attend are often uninspiring. Pope Francis’ recent call for homilies that are “not boring”, one he had issued in the past, resonated with such Catholics. That the quality of homilies is a concern for the Catholic Church was illustrated by the publication in February of a new Homiletic Directory by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments which advised priests on how to construct a good sermon. A homily is not a speech about the needs of the community or society, but rather an action “to bring the word of God to the people and to bring the people to the word”, according to Comboni Father Jeremias Martins of Johannesburg. “The essential of a homily in the Eucharist or a celebration of the word is the reference to the word of God and to acknowledge the presence of the spirit of God in understanding, delivering and receiving the word,” he said. “A true homily is above all the work of the Spirit.” A priest, said Fr Martins, should explain the Mass reading in its context—when it was written, the situation of the people of God, the meaning for their life—so as to help people understand their lives and their struggles in their concrete reality. “The word of God always touches lives and brings meaning while it enlightens and empowers people to live a better life and build a better world,” he said. “Strengthened by the word, people are ready

to face the difficulties of daily life with hope and trust in God who keeps the world and our personal lives in his loving care.” A priest needs to reflect on the readings, pray the word, apply it to his own life and then apply it to the lives of the people, Fr Martins suggested. In delivering the homily each priest or preacher has his personal methodology, but he should bear certain factors in mind. One of these, Captatio benevolentiae, is to capture the attention of the congregation. “Personally, I try to capture the attention of the people to the Word, or to the particular celebration of the day—be it Mission Sunday or Good Shepherd Sunday—or to ask people if they heard well the readings and even asking for the Word or passage that may have struck them,” said Fr Martins. A homily should explain the readings in “a very brief and concise way”. It should tell a story or give an example of life that brings light to the explanation of the reading, leading people to see the message of the word in their own lives. “We are aware that the Word is like a well that never runs dry. We do not need to exhaust the topic of the readings. We need to help people to enter in the movement of the word, put them in tune with the word and leave space for them to explore the word by themselves.” The Word, said Fr Martins, has to touch the lives of the people in order to help them read the situation with the eyes of God and to give them direction in their words and deeds. A prayer at the end of the homily that will lead people to express their gratitude to the Lord for his presence in their lives should also be included, he suggested. “Finishing the homily with a short prayer helps the people to interiorise the content of the readings and Gospel,” said Fr Martins. Jesuit Father Pietro D’Oro said his “wise old spiritual director”, the late Fr Cedric Myerscough SJ, would preach for seven minutes, with ten minutes the absolute top limit. It is a rule which Fr D’Oro said he has mostly adhered to. “I feel certain, however, that

[some] situations may warrant longer homilies,’ he said. “For example, a charismatic audience would welcome a longer homily, one delivered in a charismatic style.” His view echoes that of Cardinal Robert Sarah, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, who told reporters in February that the length of a homily should depend on the people at the Mass, their culture and the occasion. “Clearly in the West, going over 20 minutes seems like too much,” the Guinean cardinal said, “but in Africa, 20 minutes isn’t enough because people travel a great distance to hear the word of God. If the priest speaks only for 10 or 15 minutes, it’s just not enough. How to nourish the people of God depends on the culture.”

he topic of a homily is usually set by the specific Sunday reading, but a priest or deacon may feel there is an important matter to preach about and not use the set readings from the Sunday Missal, said Fr D’Oro. “I find that each Sunday has a very definite and appropriate theme, so my approach is to read the first reading, psalm, second reading and Gospel. “This, however, presupposes that I have prayed—not only the Divine Office, but some personal prayer as well. Periods of silence in prayer give the Lord a chance to work on our minds and hearts and prepare the mind for some Spirit-inspired thinking,” the Jesuit said. After each reading, and at the end of all of them, Fr D’Oro jots down thoughts and ideas that spring to mind, hoping that the Spirit is guiding him. “I then read an exegesis of the Gospel, which sets out what the author intended to portray. I find that this is a learning experience, and that years of reading a good exegesis has improved my knowledge of the Bible considerably, especially from the point of view of Biblical theology,” Fr D’Oro said. “Again, I jot down ideas, phrases, sentences that stick out, in no particular order. I then read two or three commentaries, jotting down that which springs to mind.

A priest preaches at Mass. Pope Francis has called on priests to deliver sermons that are “not boring”. But what are the ingredients for a good homily? The next step is to study these points and categorise them.” Many individual points—say 20 to 30—will be placed in the appropriate categories. Fr D’Oro will then order the individual points in which he will preach them. There is much brainstorming and thinking at this stage, until a pattern eventually emerges. The target audience is of major importance and should influence the thinking, note-taking and writing at all stages, he said. There is also the category of “application” on how the message of the homily relates to the life of the congregation. This may be developed in the other categories, or may come at the end of the homily. Fr Masilo Selemela, vice-president of St John Vianney Seminary in Pretoria, speaking in his private capacity, said a large amount of work is done in preparing student priests to write and deliver sermons that will keep the attention of their flock. “We have practice sessions where the young men deliver their homilies. The students listen and criticise and give feedback. Constructive criticism is offered to them,” Fr Selemela explained. “When they begin their second year, we offer them an opportunity to preach in church during the week,” he added. Each candidate is mentored by a

priest and may take their sermon to him for corrections and guidance. “A sermon must cover all essentials. It must contain biblical background. It must cover life and the pastoral situation,” Fr Selemela said. “Priests are taught to understand that preaching is a skill that has to do with the basic tools of communicating.” Fr Selemela said the issue of unprepared homilies is part of the attitude of the priest himself. “I have listened to homilies that are dry and unprepared, which is a problem. It is not a problem of the formation of priests. It is a problem of negligence and respect.” A committed pastor who cares about his people will always prepare his homily. “It is an attitude and a value that one develops over time,” Fr Selemela said. “A priest today has many resources. Books and the Internet are tools and instruments to help him prepare,” he said. British Archbishop Arthur Roche, secretary of the Divine Worship congregation, has pointed to Pope Francis as an example of a good preacher. If one looks at the homilies of Pope Francis, he said, “there is nothing boring. There is always something that challenges people. This is the point.”

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The Southern Cross, May 13 to May 19, 2015

FAITH

Fátima, Hiroshima and the glare of miracles The miracle of the dancing sun in Fátima in 1917 can be seen to have a supernatural relationship with a miracle amidst the atomic devastation of Hiroshima in 1945, FR RALPH DE HAHN suggests.

TARTING in May 1917 three Portuguese children— Lucia dos Santos, Jacinta Marto and Francisco Marto—in the small town of Fátima, Portugal, reported six apparitions of the Blessed Virgin to them. It was at Fátima that Mary promised world peace only if her request was heeded by the Church. There were unbelievers and sceptics even among the officials and the faithful. It was then that Mary gave visible evidence of her presence: on October 13, 1917 more than 70 000 people gathered to witness an announced apparition of Mary to the three children. Some came in the expectation that their doubts would be confirmed, among them several reporters.

The crowd, and even people 18km away, witnessed the “Miracle of the Sun—O Milagre do Sol, as the Portuguese call it. Writing in the newspaper Ordem, one Dr Domingos Pinto Coelho described what thousands others saw: “The sun, at one moment surrounded with scarlet flame, at another aureoled in yellow and deep purple, seemed to be in an exceedingly swift and whirling movement, at times appearing to be loosened from the sky and to be approaching the earth, strongly radiating heat.” There was no denying Mary’s presence. The secular press produced pictures and articles on this incredible event, the news of which swept through Europe and the Catholic world. Mary, in answer to the children’s request, named herself “Lady of the Rosary”. We see the significance of this as we prepare for the 70th anniversary in August of a miracle amidst unspeakable tragedy and suffering. It took place in the Japanese city of Hiroshima, towards the end of World War II. Early on the morning of August 6—the feast of the Transfiguration of our Lord—a lone American B-29

The statue of Our Lady of Fátima is carried during a nightly procession at the Portuguese shrine. A page from Ilustração Portuguesa of October 29, 1917, showing the people looking at the Sun during the Fátima apparitions

superfortress bomber circled above the city. It seemed so normal in this time of war with America. Nobody suspected that the deadly load to be unleashed on them would usher in the atomic age, with unimaginable death and unbelievable devastation as it became the first unfortunate city ever to be attacked with an atomic bomb. Fr Hubert Schiffer was one of the company of eight German Jesuit priests who had just completed the Divine Office and the celebration of Holy Mass, and were now at the breakfast table. Suddenly a terrific explosion filled the air with a huge flash of light and the priests were flung through the air like leaves in the wind. They initially thought that perhaps the fuel tanks in the harbour had been hit.

he atomic explosion levelled a whole city within a radius of two kilometres; huge buildings and multitudes of innocent people simply evaporated in the immense ball of fire and the super-heated gas that bulged out of ground zero. The famous railway station and trains were no more! Those further afield who were exposed to the fierce radiation died within days. The death toll was beyond counting. The small Jesuit community survived the blast. Their home and chapel was intact. This was beyond belief as their home was situated only eight blocks from the centre of the atomic blast. The priests were practically unscathed except for the falls and the bruises. Most of them lived for another 30 years, to the astonishment of the army (who classified this as secret) and also to that of the many doctors and atomic scientists who declared that the eight Jesuits would inevitably experience the effects of radiation in time. The scientists had to accept the fact that the members of this community defied the laws of physics, and that their intact survival following the blast was unexplainable in scientific terms. No human being and no structure could possibly stand against the 235-uranium atomic bomb releasing a temperature in excess of 20,000 F and a heat wave with a hit

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Hiroshima’s church of the Assumption, in which eight German Jesuits survived the atomic bomb and the desolate area around it after the blast. at sonic velocity with pressures on buildings greater than 600 psi. The priests were examined about 200 times and left the scientists utterly baffled. Surely another, more powerful force was at work. Fr Schiffer, who died in 1982 at the age of 67, offered a possible explanation by referring to Scripture: Did something much like this not happen to Sidrach, Misach and Abdenago in the furiously burning furnace in defiance of the unbelieving king (Daniel 3:19-24)? Then there was the present-day explanation: the Jesuits were fully aware of the Fátima promise made by the Mother of God. The Rosary was devoutly said every day in that house by the community; they prayed it for Mary’s intentions. They felt they were always under her protective mantle, especially during the war years. The priests were ardent enthusiasts of the Fátima message. There was no other explanation. This the scientists could not accept; and we do not blame them. For those who do not believe no explanation is possible. Three days after Hiroshima, a second atomic bomb was dropped, this one on the city of Nagasaki. The city’s Franciscan friary, es-

tablished by the Polish martyr to Nazism St Maximilian Kolbe, was untouched by the mighty blast which levelled the city. They too were under the protection of the heavenly mother, and their church of the Assumption of Mary rejoiced when the United States ordered a ceasefire following Japan’s surrender on August 15 (Japan time)—the feast day of the Assumption. For those who truly believe, no explanation is necessary. View these three episodes together: the Miracle of the Sun, the survival of the Jesuits in Hiroshima on the feast of the Transfiguration, and the outbreak of peace on the feast of the Assumption. Can you discern a relationship? The gospels of Mark, Matthew and Luke describe Jesus’ face during the transfiguration as shining brilliantly like the sun. The enormous Fátima gathering witnessed the superpower of the brilliant descending and ascending sun, and the atomic blast was seen as the explosion of the sun with its overpowering heat. This month of May is dedicated to Our Lady. It is a good time to ponder again the message of the Lady of Fátima.

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CLASSIFIEDS

Being caught in the ‘eye of the storm’ Continued from page 7 match. So they have to dress up ordinary poverty and drudgery as if they were like an emergency, and that just desensitises us more. Let me close with an edifying tale, all the better for being true. A photocopier salesman from the suburbs was due to come in to see me but phoned anxiously, having seen the TV pictures of downtown Durban. I reassured him that all was safe and that, in fact, it was a good day to come in since it was

calm with so much less traffic. Within five minutes of his arrival, the incident that I described above erupted outside our front door. I instructed that we “lock down” the whole building, keeping staff, patients and visitors in the centre for their own safety, and also to make sure that we did not add to an already chaotic situation. So my fearful young, white photocopier man was locked inside too, for two hours, while he

anxiously phoned in reports to head office. I feared he would never want to have anything to do with church groups or the city again. But instead, the next weekend, he went to volunteer at the refugee camp set up in Chatsworth, “so inspired” was he by what he had seen in the Denis Hurley Centre that morning. Now, I wonder if we can persuade him and his friends to come every week and help us feed 400 homeless people…

Southern CrossWord solutions

SOLUTIONS TO 654. ACROSS: 1 Homage, 4 Wimple, 9 Bishops of Rome, 10 Therese, 11 Naive, 12 Agate, 14 Lydia, 18 Amnon, 19 Masonic, 21 Fortuneteller, 22 Silver, 23 Greyer. DOWN: 1 Habits, 2 Master General, 3 Glove, 5 Infancy, 6 Provisionally, 7 Eleven, 8 Asher, 13 Tonsure, 15 Gaffes, 16 Embed, 17 Scarer.

Stephen Jamali as Simon of Cyrene in this year’s Durban Passion Play, with Denzil Deane as the fallen Christ.

Farewell ... til we meet again The poem below was written by 17-year-old EMMANUELA JAMALI about the last day of the 2015 Passion Play, in which she participated and in which her father portrayed Simon of Cyrene. While The Southern Cross usually doesn’t publish poetry, we are running this as a tribute to the many volunteers who staged this year’s production. North, South, East, West From different directions, we came. Tall, short, strong and weak, From day 1, till now, it hasn’t been the same. “Cast members this is your final call” “Christus, oh Christus, today is your last fall.” Sitting on my bed, my head ringing with thoughts This wonderful journey together, will not be forgotten... As a big family, we grew together in faith. Our efforts, our time, they were never in vain, Filled with pain, I just have to say farewell... til we meet again The minor struggles we endured, had fun, oh yeah, we ensured. The hours we put in, the many blessings we received. The journey was long...oh that we know. The pressure, fun moments, sickness, we’ve been through it all. As we go our separate ways, My prayer to God is to bless us each and every day. It’s hard to say goodbye... But as the door finally closes behind... Farewell ... til we meet again.

Community Calendar

Liturgical Calendar Year B Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday, May 17, Ascension of the Lord, 7th Sunday of Easter Acts 1:1-11, Psalms 47:2-3, 6-9, Ephesians 1:1723, Mark 16:15-20 Monday, May 18, St Felix Porri Acts 2:44-47, Psalms 131:1-3, Luke 12:22-31 Tuesday, May 19, St Crispin Acts 20:17-27, Psalms 68:10-11, 20-21, John 17:1-11 Wednesday, May 20, St Bernardine of Siena Acts 20:28-38, Psalms 68:29-30, 33-36, John 17:11-19 Thursday, May 21 Acts 22:30; 23:6-11, Psalms 16:1-2, 5, 7-11, John 17:20-26 Friday, May 22, St Rita of Cascia Acts 25:13-21, Psalms 103:1-2, 11-12, 19-20, John 21:15-19 Saturday, May 23 Acts 28:16-20, 30-31, Psalms 11:4-5, 7, John 21:20-25 Sunday, May 24, Pentecost Sunday Acts 2:1-11, Psalms 104:1, 24, 29-31, 34, 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13, John 20:19-23

Our bishops’ anniversaries This week we congratulate: May 23: Bishop Dabula Mpako of Queenstown on the fourth anniversary of his episcopal ordination.

The Southern Cross, May 13 to May 19, 2015

CLASSIFIEDS

Births • First Communion • Confirmation • Engagement/Marriage • Wedding anniversary • Ordination jubilee • Congratulations • Deaths • In memoriam • Thanks • Prayers • Accommodation • Holiday Accommodation • Personal • Services • Employment • Property • Others Please include payment (R1,37 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

IN MEMORIAM

FERNANDES—Debbie. Our darling daughter, sister and Aunty. How time has flown, fourteen years since you left us that Sunday morning. Not a day goes by that we do not see you in the photos around us; we speak of you often sometimes with joy and sometimes with sadness, but you are always in our prayers and hearts. Till we meet again, your ever-loving Mom, sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews. FERNANDES—Deborah Freda. My beautiful darling Mom, I loved you Soooo much. Will always miss you. Your son Paulo Joseph. SETSUBI—Themba Eugene. 6/11/1966 – 11/5/2005. The fateful night when your elder brother and his wife were battling for your life in Cape Town, the fateful news filtered through to your parents at your eldest brother’s house during a weekly prayer meeting in Matatiele. Remembering you is easy, we do it daily. It’s the heartache of losing you that has stuck. The Lord gave, the Lord has taken. Blessed be his name. Your family.

PRAYERS

O MOST beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendour of Heaven, blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. O Star of the Sea, help me and show me where you are, Mother of God. Queen of heaven and earth I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succour me in my necessity. There is none who can withstand your power, O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Holy Mary, I place this cause in your hands. “Say this prayer for 3 consecutive days and then publish. Special thanks to Sacred Heart and St Jude. Ursula. 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. Thank you for prayers answered. Stenio Fabre.

PERSONAL

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To place your event, call Mary Leveson at 021 465 5007 or e-mail m.leveson@scross.co.za (publication subject to space) DURBAN: month. Sunday Mass at 9am. 031 309 3496 Holy Mass and Novena to St Anthony at St AnOverport rosary group. thony’s parish every At Emakhosini Hotel, 73 Tuesday at 9am. Holy East Street every Mass and Divine Mercy Wednesday at 6.30 pm. Devotion at 17:30pm on Contact Keith at 083 372 first Friday of every 9018 or 031 209 2536.

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ACCOMMODATION

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HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

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the

Pentecost Sunday: May 24 Readings: Acts 2:1-11, Psalm 104: 1, 24, 2931, 34, Galatians 5:16-25, John 15:26-27; 16:12-15

S outher n C ross

Celebrate birth of Church

EXT Sunday we celebrate the feast of the birth of the Church; and, as the pope has reminded us often enough, we are not to think of the Church in narcissistic, self-obsessed terms, but with our gaze on God and on Jesus Christ for whom the Church exists. The first reading is the familiar story of that first Pentecost; and what does it tell us about the Church? The first thing is that they were “together, on the same case”; and Luke has previously told us that they were at prayer. That is certainly a model for us: if you find yourself complaining about “the Church”, just make sure that you are, as they say, “singing from the same hymn-sheet” as your fellowChristians, and that you are praying. And how does the Spirit come to the Church? Luke offers two powerful signs: “the sound of a mighty wind” and “divided tongues, as it were of fire”. The point here is that when the Spirit comes, it is unmistakable; and there is more, for they speak in the language of all their hearers.

There is a sense, of course, in which the Church has always done that: the Bible has been translated into practically all the languages of the known world. But there is something else: all too often, when we Christians speak, it seems to be in a language that no one else understands, and if we are really to be Church, we must examine our speech, and make sure that it is language that the world can understand, just like those Galilean fishermen 2 000 year ago. Listen to the list of countries, from all over the known world, and think perhaps of how we are to communicate the Gospel in this multilingual country of South Africa; but, above all, keep your eyes on God, not on the Church, and look at the last words of the reading “we hear them speaking in our own language of the great things of God”. The eyes of the psalmist are always on God, of course, and this week we listen to him telling himself: “Bless the Lord, my soul: Lord my God, you are very great”; then he considers what God has done: “How many

are your works, O Lord; the earth is full of your creatures.” Then the poet emphasises how dependent we are on God: “You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust; you send forth your breath and they are created; you make new the face of the earth…I rejoice in the Lord.” The second reading is from the lovely passage where Paul reminds his readers of the difference between the effects of flesh and breath (“the works of the flesh…the fruits of the Spirit”). So our eyes must be on God who alone can give us the divine gifts of “love, joy, peace, patience, kindliness, goodness, faith, meekness, and continence”. And that is, he says, what will enable us to become “people of Jesus Christ”: that is what it means to be Church in our world. The Gospel is a combination of two beautiful texts from Jesus’ discourse to his disciples at the Last Supper, and both of them alert us to the coming of the “Paraclete” or the

Survival of the weakest E

starvation, despite its efforts to find its way back into the nest. Only one in ten second chicks survive. And here’s nature’s cruel logic in this: that second chick is hatched as an insurance policy, in case the first chick is weak or dies. Barring that, it is doomed to die, ostracised, blindly grasping for food and its mother’s attention as it starves to death. But this cruelty works as an evolutionary strategy. White pelicans have survived for 30 million years—but at the cost of millions of their own species dying cruelly. A certain intelligence is certainly evident in this, but where is the compassion? Did a compassionate God really design this? The intelligence in nature’s strategy of the survival of the fittest is clear. Each species, unless unnaturally interfered with from the outside, is forever producing healthier, more robust, more adaptable members. Such, it seems, is nature’s wisdom and design— up to a point.

ertain scientists, such as Fr Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, suggest that physical evolution has reached its apex, its highest degree of unity, complexity and consciousness, inside the central nervous system and brain of the human person. He believes that evolution has now taken a leap (just as it did when consciousness leapt out of raw biology and as it did when self- consciousness leapt out of simple consciousness) so that now meaningful evolution is no longer about gaining fur-

Conrad

VOLUTION, Charles Darwin famously stated, works through the “survival of the fittest”. Christianity, on the other hand, is committed to the “survival of the weakest”. But how do we square our Christian ideal of making a preferential option for the weak with evolution? Nature is evolutionary and we can perceive a wisdom that clearly manifests intelligence, intent, spirit, and design. And perhaps nowhere is this more evident than how in the process of evolution we see nature becoming ever-more unified, complex and conscious. However, how God’s intelligence and intent are reflected is not always evident because nature can be so cruel and brutal. In order to survive, every element in nature has to be cannibalistic and eat other parts of nature. Only the fittest get to survive. There’s a harsh cruelty in that. In highlighting how cruel and unfair nature can be, consider the example of the second pelican born to white pelicans. Here’s how cruel and unfair is its situation. Female white pelicans normally lay two eggs, but they lay them several days apart so that the first chick hatches before the second chick. This gives the first chick a headstart and by the time the second chick hatches, the first is bigger and stronger. It then acts aggressively towards the second chick, grabbing its food and pushing it out of the nest. There, ignored by its mother, the second chick normally dies of

For further info or to book contact Michael or Gail at 076 352 3809 or 021 551 3923 info@fowlertours.co.za www.fowlertours.co.za/ poland-2016/

Sunday Reflections

“Spirit” whose coming we ask for on this great solemnity. Notice that it is all about keeping our eyes on God: “The Paraclete which I am going to send you from the Father, the Spirit of Truth which proceeds from the Father.” So the Church is not about us, but about what God is doing in us and in our world; the task is the Spirit-given one of “bearing witness” which we can only do because “that one will bear witness about me”. None of us must do anything to point to ourselves or to our own organisation, but only to God: the Spirit, Jesus says, “will guide you in all truth; for he will not speak on his own account, but he will speak whatever he hears…he will glorify me, because he takes what is mine and will announce it to you”. We as Church must celebrate this feast by keeping our attention firmly away from ourselves, and firmly on God.

Southern Crossword #654

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

ther physical strength and adaptability. Rather, meaningful evolution is now concerned with the social and the spiritual, that is, with social and spiritual strength. And in a Christian understanding, this means that meaningful evolution is now about human beings using their self-consciousness to turn back and help nature to protect and nurture its second pelicans. Meaningful evolution now is no longer about having the strong grow stronger, but about having the weak grow strong. Why? What’s nature’s interest in the weak? Why shouldn’t nature be happy to have the weak weeded out? Does God have an interest in the weak that nature does not? No, nature too is very interested in the survival of the weak and is calling upon the help of human beings to bring this about. Nature is interested in the survival of the weak because vulnerability and weakness bring something to nature that is absent when it is only concerned with the survival of the fittest. What the weak add to nature are character and compassion, which are the central ingredients needed to bring about unity, complexity and consciousness at the social and spiritual level. When God created human beings at the beginning of time, God charged them with the responsibility of “dominion”, of ruling over nature. What’s contained in that mandate is not an order or permission to dominate over nature and use nature in whatever fashion we desire. The mandate is rather that of “watching over”, of tending the garden, of being wise stewards, and of helping nature do things that, in its unconscious state, it cannot do, namely, protect and nurture the weak. The second-century theologian Irenaeus once famously said: “The glory of God is the human being fully alive!” In our own time, the Dominican theologian Gustavo Gutiérrez, generally credited with being the father of liberation theology, recast that dictum to say: “The glory of God is the poor person fully alive!” And that is as well the ultimate glory of nature.

St John Paul II Pilgrimage to Poland Southern Cross

Nicholas King SJ

ACROSS

1. You pay it with respect (6) 4. This may go to the nun’s head (6) 9. They hold the Keys of the Kingdom (7,2,4) 10. Saint of Lisieux (7) 11. Artlessly simple (5) 12. Gemstone for a door (5) 14. Woman from Thyatira (Ac 16) (5) 18. Absalom’s elder bother (2 Sam 13) (5) 19. Kind of lodge of stone? (7) 21. She claims to make handy predictions (7-6) 22. Metal for the 25th year (6) 23. The appearance of ageing hair (6)

DOWN

1. Good virtues of the nuns (6) 2. He heads the Order of Preachers (6,7) 3. The boxer finds it on hand (5) 5. Imaginary babyhood? (7) 6. For the time being (13) 7. Time for tea (6) 8. One of Jacob’s sons (Gn 35) (5) 13. This may be on the monk’s head (7) 15. Embarrassing blunders from sage two fellows (6) 16. Implant in problem bedding (5) 17. He terrifies you (6) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

he elderly priest was going through an old filing cabinet when he came across three eggs and one hundred R10 notes. He asked his long-serving parish secretary what the meaning of all that was. “Well,” the secretary replied, “over the past 20 years I’ve served the parish, for every bad sermon I placed one egg in the cabinet.” The priest was quite delighted, because three bad sermons in 20 years is not bad at all. “And the money?” he asked. The secretary replied: “Every time I had collected a dozen eggs, I’d sell them for R10 to the neighbours.”

A journey to the places of St John Paul II’s life and devotions, led by a Bishop who knows Poland intimately.

Led by Bishop Stan Dziuba 13 - 21 May 2016