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What you can do in the Year of Mercy

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New Year’s query: How was God with you in 2015?

A journey to the land of Jesus

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Bishops: Year of Mercy can help us in ‘difficult’ 2016

BY STUART GRAHAM

D A butterfly is seen in a light show on the facade and dome of St Peter’s basilica at the Vatican this month. The show was sponsored by a coalition of production companies and charitable foundations with the intent to raise awareness about climate change. The COP21 summit in Paris this month reached a deal which will see the phasing out of fossil fuels. Pope Francis has welcomed the agreement and urged its rapid implementation. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS)

Pope hails COP21 deal, but now wants action P OPE Francis has commended world leaders for reaching an agreement in the COP21 Paris climate talks, urging the international community to promptly put it into action.

Implementing the plan, which the pope said was “defined by many as historic”, will require “a concerted and generous commitment on the part of each one”. He expressed his hope that the agreement will give special attention to the most vulnerable.

The Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin was one of the leaders representing 150 nations present at the COP21 summit on climate change in Paris, aimed at finding legally binding reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and holding global average temperatures under a 2ºC increase over pre-industrial global temperatures.

The new deal holds that global greenhouse gas emissions will be cut by half of what is needed to prevent an increase in atmospheric temperatures by 2ºC. The agreement also requires that every country participate, putting forward their

own plan to cut carbon emissions from 202530. Countries will also be legally required to meet every five years beginning in 2023 in order to publicly report on their progress compared to their plans.

Pope Francis exhorted the entire international community “to promptly continue the path taken, as a sign of solidarity which becomes ever more active”.

Happy Khambule, coordinator of the South African Climate Action Network, also welcomed the deal. “We will be working hard to push South Africa to transition to a lowcarbon economy, and call on our leaders to reform fossil fuel subsidies and build more accessible renewable energy.”

However, Helen Szoke, executive director of the British aid agency Oxfam, warned: “This deal offers a frayed lifeline to the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.

Only the vague promise of a new future climate funding target has been made, while the deal does not force countries to cut emissions fast enough to forestall a climate change catastrophe.”

IFFICULT times lie ahead for South Africa and the world but by celebrating the coming year with faith and devotion, God will lift up our hearts and restore hope and joy, the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) said in a message for the new year.

The drought, rising food prices, crime, violence and the lure of materialism are testing the faith of many South Africans, said Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria, the spokesman of the SACBC. “These are difficult times in the world and in South Africa. Many have become weak in their faith and its practice, others have simply drifted away, and even the fervent find that their faith is tested by materialism, poverty, violence and suffering,” Archbishop Slattery said.

The Year of Mercy, which was launched by Pope Francis on December 8, is a call to return to the heart of the message of Jesus, Archbishop Slattery said.

“The coming year is an invitation to return to the Father who awaits the lost sheep,” the archbishop said.

The new year invites people to see the world in a broader context, Archbishop Slattery said.

“It is a world inhabited by God himself.

Sure, there is sorrow, but life is a journey and journeys involve leaving and arriving. This new year, it is my wish to allow ourselves to see what is taking place. To encounter the real Jesus.”

Bishop Jan De Groef of Bethlehem, Free State, said in a pastoral letter that the Year of Mercy is a time for renewal and will instill hope in our hearts.

“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, may this Jubilee Year of Mercy be a time of renewal for all of us, members of the one family of God, the Church, so that we, through our outreach especially to those brothers and sisters of ours who have fallen away, may become missionaries of God’s mercy in today’s world,” the pastoral letter said.

Mercy should mean much more than some almsgiving, some act of charity to a beggar, although all of this can be part of it, Bishop

Archbishop William Slattery (left) and Bishop Jan De Groef of Bethlehem de Groef said.

“We have to look at the source of true and everlasting mercy—God, the most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As Pope Francis writes in his letter of proclamation of the extraordinary jubilee of mercy: ‘Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy.’ It is this mercy which has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit,” Bishop de Groef said.

Pope Francis had opened the Holy Door at St Peter’s on December 8 so that it may become a “Door of Mercy through which anyone who enters will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instills hope”, he said.

“Being filled with the love and mercy of God we shall be stimulated to reach out to others in corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

“Pope Francis invites us to ‘rediscover these corporal works of mercy—to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned and bury the dead’,” Bishop de Groef said.

Pope Francis, the bishop noted, told us not to forget the spiritual works of mercy: “to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the afflicted, forgive offences, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead”.

Central to our celebration of the Jubilee Year of Mercy should be the sacrament of Reconciliation, which Bishop De Groef described as “a sacrament of mercy”, which he said should be celebrated, not “undergone”.

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The Southern Cross, December 23 to December 29, 2015

LOCAL

RENEW moves into Swaziland and Pretoria

BY STUART GRAHAM

T

HE RENEW movement, which encourages parishes to put their faith into action by forming small communities, has launched in Pretoria and Swaziland after enormous growth in two other South African cities.

The movement has flourished in Port Elizabeth and Johannesburg, where around 12 000 people in 120 parishes are involved, said Duncan Hyam, the Johannesburg archdiocesan coordinator of RENEW Africa.

“The idea is that you can make a parish work if you divide it into small communities, through groups like the Catholic Women’s League and the Knights of Da Gama,” Mr Hyam told The Southern Cross.

“Often a priest stands up and asks the parish to do something, but no one pays attention. Small groups however, can motivate people,” he said.

RENEW was started in the 1960s, shortly after the Second Vatican Council, when lay people were encouraged to become more active in their parishes.

It was first brought to Africa by the late Archbishop Denis Hurley of Durban in 1989, and was implemented in several South African dioceses in the 1990s.

RENEW was tailored for South Africa in the 21st century and launched in the Port Elizabeth diocese as RENEW Africa in 2008.

Following its success in Port Elizabeth and under the direction of Archbishop Buti Tlhagale, the arch-

Fr Thabo Motshegoa, administrator of the cathedral of Christ the King in Johannesburg, addresses a RENEW Africa parish mission at St John Bosco parish in Robertsham, Johannesburg. diocese of Johannesburg began the RENEW Africa process in October 2012 with a launch at the Standard Bank Arena. More than 5 000 people attended the event.

The RENEW Africa process initially takes three years and is followed by one season of “Lenten Longings” and several seasons of “Why Catholic?”

“Parents are often unable to tell their children why they are Catholic,” said Mr Hyam.

“When many children leave school they wonder what Catholicism is all about. Some of them move away from it and take up other religions.

“There is a desperate need for the

youth to understand why they are Catholic,” Mr Hyam said.

Franciscan Father Tony Thouard, vicar for evangelisation in the archdiocese of Johannesburg, said RENEW complements and strengthens what is already being done.

“Much too often we hear that all the work is done by a few. Here we have a process to help many more become involved in the life and ministry of the Church,” he said.

Those responsible for putting together the themes for RENEW Africa first listened to what people around South Africa were saying.

“The themes to be discussed in the small groups therefore reflect our concerns, for example healing and self-reliance,” said Fr Thouard.

“The most important reason for undertaking RENEW Africa is that it will help us to be evangelised and to evangelise—the very reasons for the existence of the Church and the reason each one of us was called by name by the Lord at our baptism.”

Fr Jerry Browne of Port Elizabeth, the coordinator of RENEW Africa, said small Christian communities transform parish life by bringing new energy and vibrancy.

“Every parish that has committed to the RENEW Africa process gives testimony to an increased involvement in parish ministry, a growth in outreach to the poor, and a greater awareness of the importance of the word of God in daily life,” he said.

RENEW Africa is also running in Anglican parishes in Cape Town and Johannesburg.

Archbishop Valentine Seane of Gaborone (seated centre) with Botswana’s Vice-President Mokgweetsi Masisi (seated left) and various aides.

Archbishop meets VP STAFF REPORTER

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OTSWANA’S Vice-President Mokgweetsi Masisi met Archbishop Bishop Valentine Seane of Gaborone to discuss the relationship between the Church and state.

The meeting was held “for the good of all citizens of the country”, the archdiocese of Gaborone said,

adding that “the Church has high responsibilities towards the state”.

The first of these is to pray for those in authority, “whether they’re godly or not”, he said.

“Second it is to counsel leaders on moral issues as the government fulfils its justice mandate to punish evil and encourage good.”

Funeral scheme launched

BY STUART GRAHAM

T

HE archdiocese of Johannesburg has formed a company to handle the distribution of a funeral scheme to its faithful.

The aim of the company, known as Catose, is to raise funds for the Church. “With each policy that is sold, the Church receives R25,” a spokesman said.

The Sanlam-run scheme has proved highly popular and has spread around the archdiocese.

Runners from each parish are charged with selling the scheme.

The scheme can be used by anyone, but is specifically aimed at Catholics and their extended family.

The cost of an instalment varies from R72 to R135 a month. In the event of a death, Sanlam will cover the cost of a funeral.

Those over the age of 69 can have someone take up the scheme for them at a cost of R30 a month.

Funerals cost anything up from R10 000 for the cheapest option.

Fond farewell for Zim chaplain

BY FARAYi MATONDO

A

Fr Lewis Tsuro, chaplain for the last six years to Zimbabweans living in South Africa, speaks at his farewell celebration in Pretoria.

FTER six years of service, the term of the chaplain to Zimbabwe’s Catholic community in South Africa has come to an end.

ZimCatholicSA bade farewell to Fr Lewis Tsuro OP with a lively Mass at Sacred Heart cathedral in Pretoria, attended by an estimated 500 Zimbabweans and locals, including Frs Mike Mwale, Jerome Nyati and Karabo Baloi.

The event was punctuated by dance, men’s drama, mimics by youths, ululations, clapping of hands and songs. There was also a raffle draw, cake-sharing and live music.

The event finished on a high note with various gifts and parting messages given to Fr Tsuro.

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Consultations are at an advanced stage for the announcement of the new chaplain in early 2016.

The ZimCatholicSA community falls uniquely to two countries: the Southern African Catholics Bishops’ Conference and the Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

Fr Tsuro has been credited by the community for working tirelessly, linking thousands of exiled immigrants to the local Church, celebrating Masses in vernacular languages, conferring sacraments, holding retreats, and building the current structures over the years.

“Fr Tsuro is very visionary, supportive, and instrumental in our formation,” said Shingirirai Mutanga, chairman of ZimCatholicSA. Fr Tsuro told the community:

“May you remain united. Soon we will have a new chaplain. Arrangements must not change, do not regress, and continue to participate fully in God’s community and long road we have together.”

He has been transferred by the Dominican order to minister in KwaZulu-Natal.

Under his wing, the ZimCatholicSA Choir recently participated in Mutare, Zimbabwe, at the annual St Cecilia music competition and, under the direction of choirmaster Tawanda Taruvinga, placed eighth out of 51 choirs.

Earlier in November, Zimbabwe’s ambassador to South Africa, lsaac Moyo, acknowledged the community’s efforts in bringing Zimbabweans together in South Africa.

Alpha course team meets to help with new evangelisation

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HE Alpha Western Cape team met with Archbishop Stephen Brislin and clergy and laity over brunch to discuss how Alpha could help the Church in the new evangelisation.

Alpha Africa development manager Tom Miles explained how the Alpha course can assist and benefit every parish in the Catholic Church.

In doing so, he used testimonies, video clips, powerpoint presentations and interviews with Alpha Western Cape members.

The Alpha course is a 15-session practical introduction to the Christian faith designed primarily for nonchurchgoers and new Christians. The course also serves as a refresher course for both practising Catholics and those who have moved away from their faith.

“Alpha for Catholics” situates the standard Alpha course within a Catholic parish or organisation.

“Alpha is a very effective initial presentation of the core of the Gospel, the Kerygma,” Mr Miles said.

Archbishop Stephen Brislin addresses the Alpha brunch.

“It is wholly compatible with Catholic teaching, but it does not address specific Catholic teachings and ecclesiology,” he said. “It does not seek to be a substitute for catechetical programmes. Rather, it works best as part of an overall parish programme of evangelisation or catechesis.”

There is a range of different follow-up materials and courses available to help people to grow in their faith, he said. n For more information about Alpha visit alphasa.co.za

The Southern Cross, December 23 to December 29, 2015

LOCAL

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Churchmen on mission to South Sudan STAFF REPORTER

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(From left) isaac Kenyi, Bishop Abel Gabuza, Bishop Emeritus Paride Taban, Archbishop Jabulani Nxumalo, Fr Charles Abbud, Mgr Thomas Oliya and Danisa Khumalo at the meeting in Juba, South Sudan, between South African and South Sudanese churchmen.

EFLECTING on his recent solidarity visit to South Sudan, Bishop Abel Gabuza of Kimberley said he was deeply touched by seeing students at the Catholic University in Juba who were preparing for a future which is full of darkness and uncertainty.

South Sudan, which gained independence in July 2011 after seceding from Sudan, has been embroiled in a civil war between soldiers loyal to President Salva Kiir and those loyal to former Vice-President Riek Machar.

“This conflict has taken a tribal route and it has become a fight largely between the Dinka and the Nuer tribes,” said Danisa Khumalo, director of the Denis Hurley Peace Institute (DHPI), an associate body of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, which facili-

tated the visit at the invitation from the Catholic Church in South Sudan.

Travelling with Bishop Gabuza was Archbishop Jabulani Nxumalo of Bloemfontein. For both bishops this was the first visit to South Sudan.

The DHPI has been involved in working for peace in South Sudan dating back to 2007, well before independence.

The Southern African delegation was met by John Ashworth, the DHPI’s contact person, who briefed them about the current situation in South Sudan.

They then visited the Anglican Archbishop Daniel Deng Bul; met with students at the Catholic University in Juba; and with Catholic Archbishop Paulino Lukudu Loro, his auxiliary bishop, priests and religious of the archdiocese of Juba.

During the latter meeting, many

priests shared their experiences of the war and said they believe they are currently at the ceasefire stage.

One priest explained how he left his mission area because of the war.

Since he left, the priest’s house has been taken over by the governor and the convent and church have been occupied by soldiers who have dug trenches around the church property.

While many had hoped for peace for the newly established state, now ordinary people are the casualties of the war, the meeting heard.

Bishop Gabuza said that the Southern African Church identifies itself with the Church of South Sudan, which is in distress.

He described the religious and priests of South Sudan as “foot soldiers in the difficult times, witnesses of Christ, beacons of hope for the people of South Sudan”.

Get traditional shweshwe cloth with Archbishop Hurley’s face STAFF REPORTER

I

N keeping with the Zulu tradition of commemorative fabrics, a shweshwe has been produced for the centenary of the late Archbishop Denis Hurley of Durban.

The fabric, in a strong red colour, features images of a younger and an older face of the archbishop, showing him across the decades.

It has the distinctive brand Three Cats printed on the back and was made at the Da Gama factory in Zwelitsha township in King William’s Town—the only factory left in the country where

original shweshwe is produced.

Helen Bester, chief designer, was delighted to be invited to work on the project. Da Gama had previously produced a Mandela shweshwe.

The cloth has been described as “the tartan of South Africa”. It has its origins in fabrics introduced in the 19th century to Sotho culture by German and French missionaries. The name derives from Moshoeshoe I (1822-70), the first king of Lesotho.

The Hurley shweshwe in heavy 100% cotton is available to buy at R80 per metre.

The shweshwe cloth is available in sewn items such as tablecloths and table runners, or by the metre.

In addition, Sewing for Africa at the Denis Hurley Centre—a group of women learning sewing skills as an empowerment initiative—has been making and marketing various products using the commemorative fabric.

These include a Hurley stole for priests, at R120, as well as items such as cushions, table runners and napkins, dresses, skirts and scarves. n For more information, or to order fabric or have products made to order, contact centenary@den ishurleycentre.org or call 031 301 2240 and speak to Raymond Perrier.

Catholics pray for rain on top of Qoqodala mountain in Queenstown diocese, Eastern Cape.

Nozipo Tembe of the sewing group at the Denis Hurley Centre with a traditional use of shweshwe. The South African print fabric was produced to mark the late archbishop of Durban’s centenary.

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The Southern Cross, December 23 to December 29, 2015

INTERNATIONAL

Christianity’s Jewish roots anchor salvation history

BY CiNDY WOODEN

BY ELiSE HARRiS & KEViN JONES

C

ATHOLICS are called to witness to their faith in Jesus before all people, including Jews, but the Catholic Church “neither conducts nor supports” any institutional missionary initiative directed toward Jews, says a new document from a Vatican commission.

How God will save the Jews if they do not explicitly believe in Christ is “an unfathomable divine mystery”, but one which must be affirmed since Catholics believe that God is faithful to his promises and therefore never revoked his covenant with the Jewish people, it says.

In the statement, “The Gifts and the Calling of God Are Irrevocable”, the Pontifical Commission for Religious Relations With the Jews gives thanks for 50 years of Catholic-Jewish dialogue and looks at some of the theological questions that have arisen in Catholic theology since the Second Vatican Council.

Like Nostra Aetate, the new document affirms that Christianity’s relationship with Judaism is unique because of the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. In addition to believing that the Jewish Scriptures are God’s revelation, Jesus and his disciples were practising Jews, and many elements of Catholic liturgy developed out of formal Jewish prayer.

“One cannot understand Jesus’ teaching or that of his disciples without situating it within the Jewish horizon in the context of the living tradition of Israel,” the document says. “One would understand his teachings even less so if they were seen in opposition to this tradition.”

The Jewish roots of Christianity, it says, give the Christian faith its necessary “anchoring in salvation history”, showing how the life, death and resurrection of Jesus are part of the story of God’s saving work since the beginning of time.

The first Jewish Christians continued to go to the synagogue and, the document said, historical evidence indicates the break between Christianity and Judaism—between the Church and synagogue—may not have been complete until the 3rd century or even the 4th century.

IS captive priest heads back to Middle East A

An illuminated Hanukkah menorah stands in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin. (Photo: Rainer Jensen, EPA/CNS) Within Catholic theology over the past 50 years, some scholars have hypothesised the existence and validity of two “covenants”, one that God made with the Jews and one made through Jesus.

The document says God’s covenant with humanity developed over time: it was first forged with Abraham, then the law was given to Moses, then new promises were given to Noah.

“Each of these covenants incorporates the previous covenant and interprets it in a new way,” the document says. “That is also true for the New Covenant which for Christians is the final eternal covenant and, therefore, the definitive interpretation of what was promised by the prophets.”

A week before the Vatican document was released, two dozen Orthodox rabbis signed a “statement on Christianity”.

“We acknowledge that Christianity is neither an accident nor an error, but the willed divine outcome and gift to the nations,” the statement said. In separating Judaism and Christianity, God “willed a separation between partners with significant theological differences, not a separation between enemies”.

In addition, the rabbis said, now that the Catholic Church has acknowledged the eternal covenant between God and Israel, “we Jews can acknowledge the ongoing constructive validity of Christianity as our partner in world redemption, without any fear that this will be exploited for missionary purposes”.—CNS

SYRIAN priest who spent more than four months as a captive of the Islamic State is headed back to the conflict zone— and he wants both Christians and Muslims to embrace mercy.

“I will return right away to the Middle East. It’s God who asks us to continue our mission,” said Fr Jacques Mourad, a Syriac Catholic priest of the Community of AlKhalil, based at Deir Mar Musa, the monastery of St Moses the Abyssinian in Al-Nabek, 80km north east of Damascus.

He spoke to a press conference in Rome organised by the pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need.

Fr Mourad said Christian outreach to Muslims can be part of the Church’s Year of Mercy.

“I ask first that Christians look with eyes and hearts of mercy, and carry out the mission of mercy for all Muslims. It’s a way of combating violence. In this way they are a witness, a true testimony for our brothers,” he said.

“I want to tell Muslims to remember that they are a religion of mercy,” he added.

“They understand Christians well, they accept them because they are mentioned in the Quran. They have nothing to do with religion and war. One can’t use religion to make war. Religion is a call to a righteous life, to peace, not to war.”

Since March 2011 Syria has been engulfed in civil war, which has produced some 4,1 million refugees. The rebel faction ISIS, with an extremist vision of Sunni Islam has targeted Christians, Yazidis, Shia Muslims and other religious minorities.

F

ather Mourad was prior of the monastery of Mar Elian near Al Qaryatayn, about 100km south east of Homs. This is where he was abducted on May 21, along with Deacon Boutros Hanna, three months before the monastery was destroyed

by ISIS. “They took us to Raqqa, what is considered the ISIS capital, into a prison and put us in a bathroom to humiliate us,” he said.

The priest said he considered this a blessing “because this is our vocation: to be humble even in the face of violence”.

“In these 84 days that I was a prisoner in that bathroom in Raqqa, one could say that it is one of the most difficult experiences for a person to undergo, to lose their freedom. But for me it was also a very intense experience from a spiri-

Fr Jacques Mourad, who escaped from iSiS and plans to return to the danger zone. (Photo: Terre Sainte Mag) tual point of view.”

He and his fellow captives suffered insults and worse. It was especially hard for him and Deacon Hanna when their captors told them “either become Muslim, or we will cut off your head”.

Two things helped him to maintain inner peace. He prayed the Rosary, entrusting himself to the Virgin Mary, “who always sustained me. Every time I prayed the Rosary I felt something strong inside of me, something indescribable,” he said. The priest has fulfilled his promise to the Virgin Mary to make a pilgrimage to the Marian shrine in Lourdes if he escaped captivity.

One day a hooded man entered the prison where Fr Mourad was being held. “I thought my moment had come, but instead this man came close to us and asked our names and asked if we were Christians.” Then the man extended his hand.

“We were shocked, because normally these people, fundamentalists, don’t extend their hand, they don’t touch Christians because they consider them inferior. Neither do they greet Muslims who think differently than they do,” the priest recounted.

The man started to create a more normal environment, and suggested the priest consider his captivity “a spiritual retreat”.

S

omething was happening. Early in August ISIS had taken control of Al Qaryatayn and kidnapped 250 Christians.

On August 11, several men took the priest and two other captives and drove them three or four hours away. They stopped in a tunnel and were directed to a door. I saw all of the 250 Christians who were kidnapped; children, elderly, disabled, women. It was really a very strong moment for me.”

A small group of people sent by ISIS caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi presented the captive Christians

four options: have the men killed and the women and children taken; slavery; ransom; or give them freedom if they agreed to 12 conditions, including a commitment not to leave Al Qaryatayn. They agreed to the last option.

September 1 became their “day of liberation”. They returned to Al Qaryatayn and tried to return to normal life.

Fr Mourad lived with a family in the parish, because Mar Elian monastery had been taken.

The Christians began to celebrate Mass underground so that they would not show that they were praying, and also to protect themselves from bombs.

But they lacked the basic necessities of life. They felt they had to leave.

“We didn’t have anything: there was no electricity, there was no food, no water, and to live in these conditions was difficult also because it was very dangerous to live in that area.”

A Muslim man and a Syriac Orthodox priest helped the Christians escape in small groups. The majority still have not been able to leave, and eight people have died.

“The result of violence is always violence, so it’s necessary to seek and strengthen ourselves in the good in man,” he said.

Fr Mourad also said journalists have a responsibility to be “messengers of peace”. He also thanked NGOs active in helping Syrians; he is convinced he is alive because of Aid to the Church in Need and its mission.

He asked for prayers for his fellow Christians. He also asked for prayers for a kidnapped Jesuit Father Paolo dall’Oglio, “that God can work a miracle so that he is freed”.

Fr dall’Oglio, an Italian native, is the founder of the Community of Al-Khalil. He had worked to restore Deir Mar Musa for more than 30 years, and was kidnapped in July 2013.—CNA

Two cardinals die on same day

C

ARDINAL Carlo Furno who specialised for 40 years in Vatican diplomacy primarily in the Middle East and in Latin America, died on December 9.

Born on December 2, 1921, near the northern Italian city of Turin in 1921, he was ordained in wartime in 1944.

He was elected bishop in 1978 and Pope John Paul named him apostolic nuncio to Lebanon, a country caught up in civil war. He was named nuncio to Brazil in 1982, remaining there for ten years.

He was appointed apostolic nuncio to Italy in 1992 and made a cardinal in 1994. Pope John Paul named Cardinal Furno grand master of the Knights of the Holy Sepulchre until his retirement in 2007.

C

ARDINAL Julio Terrazas Sandoval of Santa Cruz , who died on December 9, was the only member of the College of Cardinals who belonged to the Redemptorist order and also Bolivia’s only cardinal.

Appointed cardinal by Pope John Paul II in 2001, Cardinal Terrazas was born on March 7, 1936, in the Andean town of Vallegrande.

Ordained a priest in 1962, he worked in Chile until he was named an auxilliary bishop in the archdiocese of La Paz, then elected bishop of Oruro and archbishop of Santa Cruz in 1991. He retired in 2013.

The cardinal was elected president of the bishops’ conference for two consecutive terms in the 1980s and again in 2006 and 2009.

FOCUS

The Southern Cross, December 23 to December 29, 2015

5

The pope’s lasting call to Africa Pope Francis’ three-nation visit to Africa has left us with a lasting challenge: to work for reconciliation and peace, as GARTH ABRAHAM explains.

W

HEN Pope Francis visited three African countries in November, he addressed many issues of relevance in the at least 19 speeches he delivered—but there was one recurrent theme which for us on this continent must continue to resonate.

Given the prevailing context, the theme of peace and reconciliation was paramount.

“I come,” he advised the interim president of the Central African Republic, Catherine Samba-Panza, “as a pilgrim of peace and an apostle of hope.”

In his first general audience after returning to Rome, the pope held that the opening of the Holy Door of Bangui cathedral—in anticipation of the Year of Mercy which was launched in Rome on December 8—was his symbolic expression of “faith and hope” for the people of Africa, for all those in “need of rescue and comfort”.

The countries Pope Francis visited—Kenya, Uganda, Central African Republic—have much in common. All three are experiencing degrees of conflict and unrest.

Having suffered violent ethnic clashes in 2008, Kenya has more recently been targeted by the alShabaab terrorist group, the attacks on the Westgate Mall in September 2013 and the Garissa Campus on April 2 this year being particularly gruesome. In 2010, Uganda also suffered an al-Shabaab attack.

The Central African Republic, after two years of turmoil consequent to the toppling of President François Bozizé, is in a state of uneasy peace negotiated through a ceasefire agreement between the Muslim Séléka rebels and Christian militia groups.

Pope Francis arrives to celebrate Mass with priests, religious, catechists and youths at the cathedral in Bangui, Central African Republic. (All photos: Paul Haring/CNS)

Pope Francis embraces Winnie Nansumba, who was born with HiV, during a meeting with young people at the Kololo airstrip in Kampala, Uganda.

While ostensibly caused by ethnic or religious difference, the various conflicts are fuelled by other social ills. “Violence, conflict and terrorism,” noted the pope, “feed on fear, mistrust and despair born in poverty and frustration.”

During his visit, Pope Francis expanded on the dominant theme of peace and reconciliation through addressing four sub-themes, all core values within Catholic Social Teaching: solidarity, the preferential option for the poor, stewardship, and dignity of the human person.

Solidarity emphasises that which we have in common as human beings, as opposed to our divisions, whether ethnic, racial, religious or ideological.

In pursuit of the justice and peace to which all human beings aspire, in each of the countries visited, Pope Francis met with non-Catholics. His meeting with Muslim leaders was particularly significant.

In Kenya he charged Christian and Muslim alike to talk to each other; dialogue, he stressed, was not “an optional extra”. In Bangui he not only met with Muslim leaders but actually visited a mosque and had an imam seated beside him when travelling through a Muslim

panded on this theme during those occasions when he met with the youth.

He raised concerns about an inequitable social order, the unjust distribution of natural and human resources, rampant corruption (which he likened to sugar: “easy to enjoy but ultimately harmful”), poor educational systems that fail to sustain the aspirations of the youth, and consequent unemployment crises.

Perhaps most poignant was his visit to the Kangemi slum, home to over 100 000 people, and one of 11 such slums that circle Nairobi. Having regularly visited slum settlements while still archbishop of Buenos Aires, the pope spoke of the injustice of urban exclusion and the need for respectful urban integration from first-hand observation.

Finally, in appealing to traditional family values, Pope Francis emphasised Catholic teaching on the dignity of the human person.

In Nairobi, for example, he called on men to avoid arrogance, not to hurt or demean women, and not to threaten the life of “the innocent unborn”. Children, he said, are a blessing for all.

Having not raised the issue of contraception during his visit, on

neighbourhood known as PK5.

It was only the fourth time a pope has visited a mosque, after St John Paul II in Damascus, Syria, in 2001, and Benedict XVI in Istanbul in 2006 and Amman, Jordan, in 2009.

F

urther, during each leg of his African visit, Pope Francis met with leaders of various Protestant denominations. In Nairobi he spoke of the Church’s commitment to ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue. In Kampala, when visiting the Anglican shrine to the Christian martyrs of 1886, prior to saying Mass at the neighbouring Catholic shrine, he was visibly moved. He referred to the “ecumenism of blood”—the blood of martyrdom unites all Christians.

During his in-flight press conference back to Rome, the pope criticised fundamentalism of every kind, including that of Christians.

Pope Francis emphasised that the holy name of God can never be used to justify violence, saying: “We are all God’s children.”

The plight of the poor and vulnerable is a theme of particular importance to the pope—the simplicity of his own life exemplifies his concern. Pope Francis ex-

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Children cheer during Pope Francis’ visit to a Catholic parish in the Kangemi slum on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. his return flight he was pressed on the need for condom distribution.

The pope noted that moral theologians might debate the purpose of the condom in an HIV /Aids context: the prevention of death or a contraceptive.

For him, though, bigger issues are involved: poverty, clean water, adequate food and housing.

On his return flight, the pope noted that for him, “Africa was a surprise”. He added: “I thought God surprises, but Africa also surprises.”

Perhaps Africa surprised, but the pope did not. He displayed the humility that has become his trademark while maintaining traditional Catholic teaching.

Through his message of peace and reconciliation—“God loves us all, the law of charity has no limits ...especially not ethnic or religious ones”—Pope Francis honours his title “Pontifex”, a word that means “the bridge builder”.

And this is Pope Francis’ challenge to us all: be builders of bridges, “between North and South, between Muslim and Christian, and between Christians”. n Garth Abraham is the president and CEO of St Augustine College of South Africa, the Catholic university in Johannesburg.

6

The Southern Cross, December 23 to December 29, 2015

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Year of Mercy: Keep the doors open

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Our prayers for 2016

A

S we close a traumatic year, locally and worldwide, we enter 2016 with little hope that things may improve. But as believers we draw our courage from the Creator, that his will be done through people working towards justice and peace.

At the very basis of this are our prayers.

In South Africa we pray that the ineffective and ethically compromised presidency of Jacob Zuma will either reform itself or come to a swift end.

It is time that the many good people in the African National Congress wake up to the calamity of the Zuma presidency, and muster the unity and courage to effect changes in leadership, or they too must be held responsible for the lasting damage done to South Africa by an increasingly indefensible government.

We pray for a new culture of protest in South Africa. Even when grievances are valid, protests must not descend into a tyranny of bullying and intimidation, as happened with the student protests after the initially honourable campaign against university fee increases.

We pray for an end to the current drought and for wise action to counteract its effects.

While the current drought is due to the El Nino effect, we have an opportunity now to modify policy and lifestyles in anticipation of future water shortages caused by climate change.

We pray that nations will fully implement the agreement on carbon emissions reached this month at the COP21 summit in Paris, even if the powerful nations pulled back from making meaningful changes and instead keep us dancing on the edge of the abyss.

We pray that the war in Syria will find a quick and feasible resolution.

It is unprecedented in modern history that countries declare war on rebels in a civil war against the wishes of the government which is fighting these rebels.

The West clearly seeks to eliminate both ISIS and President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, but offers no plausible plan for the aftermath should they succeed in these aims.

It is a depressing reality when about the only voice of reason among world leaders is Russia’s

President Vladimir Putin, a man who has no credible record of being an agent of peace.

We pray that a genuine peace process will be initiated in Israel and Palestine.

The level of injustices visited upon Palestinians, and the rampant theft of their land, far exceeds those suffered by the oppressed during the darkest days of apartheid in South Africa, as does Israel’s disproportionate response to Palestinian reaction.

Our prayers must be for a resolution that will bring peace to angry and fearful people on both sides, with the end goal being a constitutional democracy in a unitary secular state which guarantees entrenched rights for religious groups and minorities.

Within the Church, we have just entered the Year of Mercy. It is a year that calls for our personal transformation, but it will also be a time for the Church to review whether it always reflects divine mercy.

There will be strong disagreements over what it means to be a merciful Church, and opinions on that question will not always be expressed in a merciful manner, nor will the response to these opinions.

We pray that Catholics will remind themselves that dialogue must be rooted in respect, not in discord. While it is permissible to hold contrary opinions on the application of theology and doctrine, it was not Our Lord’s commandment that we should sow disunity among ourselves.

We also pray for Pope Francis, who turned 79 on December 17.

The pope maintains a punishing schedule that would exhaust many people half his age. He also faces much resistance to his efforts to reform the Roman curia, a long overdue project which must cause the Holy Father considerable stress.

On top of that, terrorists have the pope in their crosshairs, as the recent arrest of three plotters in Italy showed.

Our prayers for the pope must therefore be for his health and strength to exercise his Petrine ministry, especially as he seeks to implement necessary reforms, as well as for his personal safety.

And as always, we pray that the readers, associates, promoters, pilgrims, contributors, friends and supporters of The Southern Cross may have a peaceful and grace-filled 2016.

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W

ITH respect and appreciation I applaud Pope Francis and his institution of the Year of Mercy.

The Holy Father has shown himself to be both urgent and consistent in his papal mission of reaching out to a broken Church and a broken world, and reminding us of the joy and richness of God’s love and mercy.

Get it right

B

OTH Fr Bheki Shabalala CMM and Stuart Graham (“Mariannhill buys retreat house as Sisters leave”, December 2) made a serious error in naming the Good Shepherd Sisters as putting Coolock House up for sale (which they did not do) and the Mercy Sisters who actually built it and ran it since 1965. The second paragraph mentions the Good Shepherd Sisters and the fifth gives credit to the Mercy Sisters.

Mr Graham was presumably working from the letter sent to religious by Fr Shabalala which contained the error. But he should have noted the discrepancy.

Some priests do not differentiate between the different religious congregations of sisters—a sister is a sister is a sister. But these priests would be very upset if they were named as a diocesan priest if they are a BCD priest or if an EFG priest is called a RST priest.

Let’s give full credit to the Mercy Sisters for those 50 years of wonderful Coolock hospitality.

Sr Sue Rakoczy IHM, Cedara

Marriage for gays

W

ITH reference to the letter from Chris Rawlins (December 2), I can’t speak for all Catholics in favour of marriage between homosexual couples of either sex, but I would support the sacrament of marriage being administered to committed homosexual couples.

What is the alternative—for them to live loveless, lonely, miserable lives, or alternatively a loveless promiscuous life with multiple sexual encounters?

As for their right to have children, why not; the few same-sex parents I’ve known are wonderful caring parents.

Mr Rawlins is correct in his obOpinions 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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The symbolism of the open door is also powerful and rich, an invitation to come in, come home.

My attempts to share this appreciation with non-Catholic friends and family have been met with varied responses.

Francis is widely appreciated.

However, my enthusiasm over the open doors has been tempered by

servation that some homosexual people enter into marriage with heterosexuals and these frequently end up in divorce. To my mind this is more of a threat to family life than blessing the marriage of two homosexuals.

As for some of the other propositions, such as the marriage of three persons, this is surely immoral, and perhaps Mr Rawlins is writing this “tongue in cheek”, or to make the concept of marriage between two homosexuals look ridiculous.

June Boyer, Johannesburg

Robust love

A

the obverse side of this symbolic coin. That, of course, is the (normally) 24-year span of brickwork.

Which image is symbolically more telling for the Church: its Jubilee Year of openness and welcome, or its 24 years of bricked-up defence work which seems necessary to highlight it?

Now, surely, is the time to say loudly: “Keep the doors open!”

Paul Traynor, Benoni read Colossians 2:20-23.

As Cardinal Leo Suenens wrote in A New Pentecost?: “Faith is a living encounter with a living God. It is formulated in the Church within the context of experience.”

To merely follow the rules will result in a dull and lifeless Christianity.

Christianity is not a system of laws, or ethical code, or philosophy, but a robust love.

John Lee, Johannesburg

Sign of Peace

J

LLOW me to shout a loud “Amen” in response to Pope Francis in the article “Rigid priests bite!” (December 2). Let me quote our Holy Father with another of the “nuggets of gold” he constantly gives us.

“Rigid priests—keep them far away from me. They bite. The words of St Ambrose come to mind: ‘Where there is mercy, there is the spirit of God. Where there is rigidity, there are only his ministers.

And a minister without the Lord becomes rigid.’ This is the danger for the people of God...When a young man (or woman—my addition) is too rigid, too fundamentalist, I do not trust him.”

Many years ago I once had to confess to my priest that my wife was “on the Pill” on our doctor’s advice, for health reasons. All heaven broke loose. He said I was to stop that sinful practice and have another child immediately. (I already had four; I was 28.)

Would that we had more priests like Pope Francis in those days. It is true that many of us in the Church can be baptised, confirmed and still never have the discernment that comes from having a real, vital commitment to Jesus Christ.

Our whole life in the Church can be based on external rules and rituals while the heart remains untouched because of a lack of a living relationship with Jesus and a genuine change of heart.

St Paul understood legalism. It too often breeds a piety set on doing things; saving ourselves. The heart isn’t really transformed. Just

OHN Lee’s letter (November 18) raises a number of points, one of which refers to the Sign of Peace.

Its placing just before Communion is hugely distracting. It should follow the homily, after a respectful interval.

Adrian Kettle, Cape Town

Hail Fr Danker

T

HANK you for your article on one of South Africa’s most illustrious priests, Father Albert Danker OMI, celebrating his 60th year in the priesthood (December 9).

As a young person growing up at St Anne’s parish in Sydenham, Durban, where he was parish priest for many years before his retirement, I can attest to his inspiring gift for liturgy.

I recall how ordinary Sunday Masses were filled to capacity, with congregants having to make use of the interleading church hall and the cry room. Worshippers even had to stand in the church foyer and veranda. I can never forget!

During apartheid Fr Danker himself must have experienced discrimination firsthand as a coloured person. As a priest, he strategically found ways to exercise his vocation with great effectiveness, despite the injustices of the time.

Many of us young students for the priesthood and many a young deacon or priest who worked with him over the years can attest to being inspired by his priesthood, and being sent out into Cato Manor, Mayville, Asherville, Sydenham and other areas to be among the people, with the instruction “Leave nothing undared in spreading the kingdom of God”.

Charles Vezasie, Johannesburg

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PERSPECTIVES

Good time to reflect on the past year A

COLUMN entitled “Faith & Society” is an attempt to counter the ideas that seeks to separate the sacred from the secular.

As I reflect on life, I try hard not to think in terms of two separate realms— with the Church confined to the religious world and having little to learn from or say to the “real world”.

Christmas is the annual reminder that this should not be the Christian view of the world: Emmanuel! God with us!

Nkosinathi! The cry of the angels is the reminder that the religious is not separate from our world but completely intertwined with it because the Son of God chose to be one like us.

Even if we can hold on to such an idea at this time of year, it is very hard to remember this all year round. In the middle of the busy-ness of our lives, with every day running into the next, and each year whizzing by, how can we possibly remember to seek out the presence of God in each part of our world?

But there is a practice that can help us to do just this. It was popularised by St Ignatius, the founder of the Society of Jesus, and has been used by all Jesuits, and many other people, over the past 450 years.

It is also a practice that Pope Francis will have used every day of his 60 years as a Jesuit; and he clearly is a man who steps boldly across any distinction between sacred and secular.

The practice is called the “Examen of Consciousness” (not to be confused with the examination of conscience). The underlying principle is that God is present throughout every aspect of our days, but that we are not always conscious of his presence at the time. (You can learn more about it at www.jesuitinstitute.org.za/pgt) Certainly, there are moments when God’s presence is very visible to us—at church, when we say our night prayers,

perhaps when sitting with someone who is sick or lonely—but what about all those other moments when God is there but we are too busy or too blinkered to notice?

The Examen invites us to look back across the day—slowly and meditatively—and ask not “when was God present?” but “how was God present?”.

How was God present when I was eating with my family? How was God present when I stopped at the robots? How was God present when I was in the supermarket? How was God present in that dull meeting?

Sometimes the Examen helps us to see things we did not notice at the time; sometimes it helps to see ordinary events in a whole new light. Just as this practice can help us to look back over each day, it can also be used to review a whole year.

T

he review of the day can help us in retrospect to see God in the small encounters and not just the big events; in the same way, the review of the year might help us to look beyond the thunder and the storms and, like Isaiah, find God also in the still small voices of the year.

For me, 2015 certainly had a lot of headlines. I moved city, started a new job,

As we prepare to toast the new year, we may also benefit from reflecting how God was with us throughout 2015.

Mercy or madness?

T HIS month the Supreme Court of Appeal changed Oscar Pistorius’ conviction from manslaughter to murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. In this story, two and more families suffer.

While acknowledging Oscar’s trespass, his family still stands by and supports him. Reeva’s family claims justice is done, as most people will agree. And yet, where is the closure?

In the past weeks there were more shootings to kill around the world, as well as many other acts of our inhumanity to our fellowmen. Have we gone mad?

Even if our cause is just, can we deny others their right to life? What is the message of Christmas, of life and hope and joy once again?

Looking back I find some of my little Advent reflections penned over the years as relevant as ever. Like this one from 2003.

The wise men had travelled far. They had come from the West, all the way from the US, across oceans and deserts they had come in their warships and tanks, their troop carriers and fighter planes. An anomaly. In the cause of peace they had come to fight a war, a war against terrorism, against fanaticism.

From the East other wise men had come bringing a message of non-violence, of quiet meditation and disciplined action. From the North had come wise men preaching prosperity as the answer to poverty and misery while from the South cries of misery and demands for rights and for justice and an end to wars resounded.

Who has the answers in this modern era? The wise men who came to a stable in Bethlehem brought only gifts. But their

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presence revealed a new king and a different kingdom. It roused King Herod’s burning jealousy and many innocent children were reportedly murdered.

Infants are still murdered for selfish reasons. More babies have died through abortion than in all the wars in human history.

Who has the answers? How will Jesus be revealed in the year ahead? Will it be in the churches, the temples, mosques and synagogues? Will it be in the democratic courts of justice or humbly in a home, a shack, a flat, any house that love has turned into a home?

Has he? Will Jesus be revealed in your home?

A

nother Advent story, from 2011, may be pertinent still, four years later.

As his birthday was coming closer he experienced the usual increasing sense of excitement, but anxiety too. He’d invited many to celebrate with him but would they come?

People seemed to have got into the habit of celebrating his birthday without him. They’d send a card or e-mail a greeting—often ready-made, downloaded from some free website.

They even used the occasion of HIS birthday to have a party of their own. That really got to him.

“It’s not just a party, it’s my birthday,” he complained to his mother.

Mary sighed: “Never mind, son. They’re getting into the spirit of it and you’re always going on about ‘the spirit’. There’s a lot of caring and sharing going on in small ways in homes and workplaces. Even at global, international level they’re concerned about fair trade, justice and univer-

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The Southern Cross, December 23 to December 29, 2015

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Pray with the Pope

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Faith and Society

organised a centenary, and lost a dear friend. But I know I need to take time to find not just the God of the headlines but also the “God of small things”. This is where we can sense the underlying movements of the Spirit in our lives.

So let me invite you to find time between mince pies and New Year bubbly to spend 20 minutes or so looking back over 2015. You cannot, of course, re-examine every day or even every major event. Instead, at the beginning of the prayer ask the Lord to keep your mind open to see what he wants you to see: and then sit back and watch.

It helps enormously to place yourself somewhere where you will not be disturbed, where you can shut yourself off from distracting noises or images, and so provide the blank canvas for the Lord to draw upon. Perhaps the ideal time is when the children are absorbed in their new Christmas toys, or when your loved one is snoozing after a satisfying lunch, or you are able to put your feet up for the first time that day.

A good way to begin is with a deep and sincere thank you to the Lord for all that the year contained: good, bad and confusing. Then imagine yourself like an eagle flying over the year—a God’s eye view—from which you can swoop down on particular events or locations or people or decisions to look at them again.

Some will be the expected standout moments; some will be chances for God to surprise you as he invites you to look again. But throughout the reflection, Continued on page 11

Toni Rowland

Family Friendly

sal peace” [and in 2015 I should add the environment and global warming}.

“Fat lot of good that seems to be doing, I must say,” Jesus retorted. “But in a way you’re right, I suppose. Here and there people are becoming more aware, more concerned. They’re doing something about Aids, even if it is knitting jerseys.

Some even shaved their heads or grew moustaches for cancer awareness or made speeches about abuse of women and children. But what I really mean is I want to share with them MY love, my joy, my peace— a peace the world cannot give.

“Will you open your heart and your home to him this Christmas, his love, his joy and peace?”

In the year ahead Pope Francis invites us to become more open to understanding, experiencing and practising his Father’s mercy. The 2016 Family Year Planner with its companion “Mercy Minutes”, gives ample suggestions month by month to reflect and share on the concept of mercy.

Mercy isn’t just kindness and sympathy but includes a willingness to take action as parents, youth, old and young so as to build homes of merciful love.

In developing the concept of mercy and forgiveness Pope Francis reminds us to pray for those who harm us. May they not “rot in jail”, as we too often want to say, while we, at the same time, may find ways for justice tempered by love to be done. n Visit www.marfam.org.za for information about Year of Mercy family resources.

7

Let’s talk peace General Intention: That sincere dialogue among men and women of different faiths may produce the fruits of peace and justice.

OPE Francis’ courageous trip to the Central African Republic last month shows once again how he walks the talk, even when the talk is looking a little unfashionable.

At a time when the world is despairing of talk in the face of fanatical movements and terrorist attacks, the pope keeps at it, seeking out responsible partners in dialogue and encouraging Christians to continue with the patient and unglamorous business of building mutual understanding with other faiths, especially a very troubled Islam.

Difficult as it is, dialogue is more necessary than ever. The rapid growth of neighbouring communities is a classic reason why people feel insecure, and Islam is growing at a faster rate than Christianity.

Many Muslim migrants are trekking into Europe. We have to reach out to one another so that these demographic strains do not burst out into violent competition for economic resources and political power or get exploited by political opportunists.

Trying to see the problem from the other’s point of view is an important stance of dialogue. Christians understandably feel threatened by the rise of groups like al-Qaeda and ISIS/Daesh. We should remember that most of their victims are themselves Muslims who are therefore also terrorised by and terrified of these movements.

And many Muslims feel very threatened by their own political world. Several Islamic countries are politically and economically unstable, Syria being an extreme example. Unfortunately, the interventions of secular/Christian Western countries have often been pretty clumsy and counter-productive.

Good political leadership is sadly lacking in the face of these human tragedies. We give thanks for the great moral leadership given by Francis and pray that his influence will prevail over the forces that threaten peace.

P

That we may be one Missionary Intention: That by means of dialogue and fraternal charity and with the grace of the Holy Spirit, Christians may overcome divisions. here’s nothing like a little historical perspective to convince us that although things could always be better, they most certainly could always be worse.

Fr Richard McBrien’s History of the Popes gives such a perspective. A great deal of papal history is about the struggle against division, a division which was sometimes mirrored even in the existence of anti-popes. In fact in the Middle Ages, anti-popes were a frequent phenomenon, shocking as this seems to us today.

Another major problem was the Church’s relationship to the secular power and vice versa.

Could princes, for example, appoint bishops?

This was the issue of “lay investiture”. If there were rival claimants for the title of Holy Roman emperor, which one should the pope support? Indeed, which one should he crown? And should the pope have military forces to protect the Papal States, which involved pitting Christian against Christian in the murderous melee of a medieval battle?

Today’s papacy of “soft power” and spiritualmoral authority seems like a far and much better cry from armour-clad popes riding into battle or directing sieges in the Middle Ages or excommunicating their rivals for the See of Peter.

So today, when we see how well popes are regarded by non-Catholics, even to the point of them being seen as having a de facto primacy of love, we must be grateful to God for the way in which the papacy has evolved.

And the modern popes’ outreach to our fellow Christians should be a cue eagerly taken. Ecumenical dialogue is not necessarily a specialist occupation of theologians. Fr Laurenti Magesa writes about the “dialogue of life”, that daily contact, association and conversation with people of other denominations which happens simply because we live and work side by side.

Specialist theologians must pursue their specialist theological dialogue, but the rest of us just need to speak with interest and charity to our neighbours, colleagues and friends.

We should not forget to do this within our own Catholic tradition. Sometimes it’s tougher to get on with the people in our own parish or even religious community than with our non-Catholic friends. This is unsurprising—the closer we are to people the more challenging are the relationships and the more potential for disagreement and division.

The history of popes and anti-popes suggests that it has been ever thus and that therefore we always need to pray and work for unity.

T

8

The Southern Cross, December 23 to December 29, 2015

Pupils of Star of the Sea Convent School, in St James, Cape Town, received first Holy Communion from Fr Mark Pothier (centre back). (Back) Zoe Mostert, Saskia Mampies, Thoriso Mpempe, Theresa Edwards, Amy Samuels and catechism teacher Nicole White. (Front) Keaton Abrahams, Tyra Hendricks, Casey James, Robbie Greenwood, Tyreece Carey and Aidan Swartz.

COMMUNITY

Nineteen children received first Holy Communion at St Francis of Assisi parish in Eastwood, Pietermaritzburg. They are pictured with the parish priest, Fr Sanil Michael SCJ, and catechist Clarissa Eddie.

St Dominic’s Priory Grade 11 and 12 Life Science students wrote the National BioScience Olympiad and were placed third in South Africa with a top ten average of 74.4%. (Back from left) Kyle de Beer, Jayden Skorbinski and Cody de Vos, (middle) Jody Young, Jordan Chan, Aidan Hilmer and Ken Mackenzie, (front) Kirsten Vieira, Lona Mapoma, Jade Allie and Caitlin Morgan.

Tebatjo George Manamela of St Joseph the Worker parish in Pretoria West was confirmed by Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria. Mr Manamela is pictured with his sponsor Leonard Moore.

Bishop Victor Phalana of Klerksdorp received a chasuble representing the Jubilee of Mercy from parishners of St Peter’s in Christiana in North West. (Photo: parish priest Fr Tom Maretlane)

Giselle Govinden, Seanqua, Ryan and Reece Sing of Our Lady of Good Help in Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal, received first Holy Communion from parish priest Fr Jude Fernando TOR (centre back), assisted by Deacons Ray Sampson (centre left) and Joseph Msomi (centre right). The children are pictured with parents Deon and irene Govinden (left) with Lina and Shannon Sing (right). Catechist indrand Naidoo is pictured second right.

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Fr Moss Tlhapi presented the new banner of St Anne’s Sodality in Wolmaransstad deanery in Klerksdorp. The banner was revealed during the sodality’s annual retreat which was held at Our Lady of Lourdes, Borobalo.

Eleven candidates received Confirmation at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Vereeniging from Archbishop Buti Tlhagale. (Front from left) Bokang Ntohla, ignatia Maphothoma, Patrick Gouws, Nicholas Baguma, Monique Faxelhas, Koketso Mabalane and Palesa Mbatha, (back) Fr Emmanuel Dim SMA, ignatius Maphothoma, Siyabonga Magagula, Archbishop Tlhagale, Kamohelo Lehobo and Marco Teixeira.

Deacons and aspirants of the archdiocese of Durban had a retreat at Mariannhill. They are pictured with spiritual advisor Fr Chris Neville OFM (front centre).

YEAR OF MERCY

The Southern Cross, December 23 to December 29, 2015

9

Medieval mercies brought to life Pope Francis’ voice echoed in the atrium of St Peter's basilica: “Open the gates of justice” , thereby beginning the Year of Mercy. The faithful have been asked to do works of mercy during this time as we are called to become bearers of Christ.

Corporal works of mercy

C

omforting our loved ones during times of sorrow may come naturally but stepping our of our comfort zones and offering comfort to people we don’t know well may not.

We may not be able to fix any of the problems but again a listening ear and practical help will go a long way to ease someone’s suffering.

D

ATING back to the 1100s, the corporal and spiritual works of mercy are a means of practising a living faith. Matthew tells us “let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”.

Spiritual works of mercy

P

ope Francis says in The Joy of the Gospel: “Goodness always tends to spread. If we wish to live a dignified and fulfilling life, we have to reach out to others and seek their good.” In this instance, be a good listener. Pray for wisdom and courage when helping others with their problems. Many times, though, simply genuine concern and a willing ear are all that is required.

‘A

Church which ‘goes forth’ is a Church whose doors are open.

Going out to others in order to reach the fringes of humanity does not mean rushing out aimlessly into the world” (The Joy of the Gospel). Be ready to share your faith.

Be ready to point others to resources which they can use to answer their questions. And always make sure you have the correct facts—simply reciting something you learned as a child is not sufficient and may in fact cause harm.

T

he best way to accomplish this work is by example. A Christian life lived honestly and joyfully is the greatest evangelisation tool that we have.

OR FO RD

CONSTRUCTION

aren’t getting cold every winter and in desperate need of clothing and blankets. And if we took an honest look at our wardrobes we’d see that we are able to give away many things we no longer wear.

Pope Francis opens the Holy Door of St Peter’s basilica. (Photo: Maurizio Brambatti, EPA/CNS)

F E

ven though it seems so hard to forgive, pardoning others is a powerful grace placed in “our fragile hands to attain serenity of heart. To let go of anger, wrath, violence, and revenge are necessary conditions to living joyfully”, the pope said as part of his World Youth Day message.

We need to forgive others because we have been forgiven—God extends his mercy and forgiveness to us at all times, so we are not in a position to withhold it from others.

eeding the hungry may seem straighforward in that you can donate food to charities or join a parish relief group, most of whom do wonderful work feeding the poor through soup kitchens and the like. Another aspect to this work of mercy is to educate ourselves on the problem of hunger worldwide and see if we can contribute towards change locally.

‘I

prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security” (The Joy of the Gospel). Probably the work of mercy that is least undertaken, visiting people in jail can be problematic but that doesn’t stop courageous people who make this part of their work. You can support prisoners in other ways such as writing to them and even praying for them.

V

isiting the sick is not restricted to visiting hospitals or sick beds. There are those who are lonely or abandoned and those who are in need of friendship.

Often the people in need are sitting next to us at Mass. Reach out to them.

‘L

ove your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you” (Lk 6:27-28).

This does not mean to stand by and accept evil, it means to not enter a cycle of revenge or allow yourself to be consumed by hatred.

Many people act thoughtlessly, perhaps even you, so don’t be quick to judge someone’s motives.

T

here is a wider social dimension to this work of mercy. Thirst may come in different forms, both physical and spiritual. Make sure you are providing both for your fellow man.

‘E

T

he pope said of prayer: “It is opening the door to the Lord, so that he can do something. If we close the door, God can do nothing!

“We must pray to Jesus to get to know him better.”

Our Lord may not answer straight away or he may say “wait” or “that is not my will” but either way your prayers for yourself and others are always heard.

For the Year of Mercy the pope suggested we pray: “Lord, I am a sinner. Come with your mercy.”

This is beautiful prayer and it’s very easy to say every day.

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That’s the list of the corporate and spiritual works of mercy and while they may seem daunting let’s take heart in the words of St Vincent de Paul: “Go to the poor: you will find God.”

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n medieval times it was up to relatives to bury family members.

While we don’t have to do this physically ourselves now, we may still assist others financially and emotionally with burial costs and preparations.

Offering Masses for the repose of souls is a very old tradition which brings much comfort for those left behind.

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very human being is the object of God’s infinite tenderness, Appearances notwithstanding every person is immensely holy and deserves our love.” Pope Francis here is telling us that if we realise that every person is worthy of our giving, we will be able to share our lives with others and generously give of ourselves.

The current refugee crisis worldwide requires us to see others as immensely valuable and offer them shelter. The Jesuit Refugee Serviceassists people who come into the country, often with nothing other than what they are carrying. Supporting a service like this can make a world of difference for those who have to flee their own countries.

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Email: evenieturner63@gmail.com

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Contact Vocation directress: ursuline PO Box 212 Libode, 5160, E Cape Tel 047 555 0018 Cell: 072 437 4244 or 078 354 2440

10

The Southern Cross, December 23 to December 29, 2015

TRAVEL

A pilgrim in Galilee After reading the book The Holy Land Trek, JOHN NURSE bought a ticket to Tel Aviv to explore the Holy Land. In the second of two parts he visits the place where Our Lady recited the Magnificat, and Galilee.

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E had done our tour of Jerusalem and Bethlehem, but there was one more place in Judea which my wife and I had to visit before we would go north to Galilee.

The village of Ein Kerem is just a short distance west of Jerusalem.

This is where Zachariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, lived. And this is where the man who prepared the way for the Lord was born.

Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth here when only a few months pregnant with Jesus, as was Elizabeth with John. On seeing Mary, Elizabeth exclaimed as the baby within her moved: “You are the most blessed of all women and blessed is the child you shall bear.”

Then, of course, came Mary’s beautiful response (Lk 1:46-56).

I read that response, the Magnificat, while sitting on a cool stone step, back against the iron gates, gazing out over the hills of Judea, at the church of the Visitation.

This was the same view Mary and Elizabeth must have gazed at every day. It gave me a feeling of timelessness and of oneness with God. John the Baptist’s birthplace is marked in the crypt of a church at the foot of the hill on which the church of the Visitation stands.

Moving north to Galilee, we set-

tled ourselves in Tiberias. Even though it is very near the places of his ministry around the Sea of Galilee, this is not a town Jesus would ever have visited, because it was Roman and pagan, and no Jew would set foot in it.

Here, in this city on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, I came across a small group of Hebrew Catholics—mostly immigrants— and had the good fortune of attending Sunday Mass with them in their small parish church of St Peter, on the water’s edge.

What a close-knit group of believers these people were. Almost all were under 40 years of age— moms, dads, toddlers and teenagers, all obviously close friends. The priest seemed to know everyone intimately.

The tiny tots crawled and played quietly on the floor while the older children imitated their parent’s participation of the Mass.

This could have been a gathering of the early Christians as we read about in the Acts of the Apostles.

Behind the altar was a large sketch-like drawing depicting Peter in a sail boat. The wind fills the sails on which is emblazoned the papal crest. Peter appears fearful and a bit confused as he looks skyward. His expression seems to say: “Why me, Lord?”

A

t nearby Tabgha we visited the basilica of the Multiplication, which marks the feeding of the multitudes, on the shores of the lake.

Inside are the mosaics from a fourth-century church that stood at this spot. This church was rebuilt in the past century by German Benedictines according to the plans of that first church.

Towering above Tabgha, high up on a hill, is the church that

The Sea of Galilee is seen as the sun rises over the city of Tiberias.

(Photo: Samira Makhlouf)

commemorates the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7).

We hiked up the Mount of Beatitudes. A kind man told us of a shortcut over the fence, along a path, across a paddock. Oh boy, what a pull—and when we at last made it, the church was closed.

Still, the view was great.

No one really knows where the sermon took place, or even if it was just one single sermon or a collection of sayings. But we know that Jesus preached on the slopes of a hill in this area. And we were here in the area where Our Lord and his friends worked and walked, ate and drank—and that was more than good enough for me.

It was just so splendid to wander down to the water’s edge and dip my hands into the clear waters of the Sea of Galilee and wash it over my hot face, knowing that Jesus and his friends had no doubt done the same thing many times before. he final church that we visited was the church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, which is approached past a small, insignificant-looking mosque.

You’d miss the mosque if it were not for the large sign that quotes from the Quran: “And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers.” Oh well, each to his own.

The church of the Annunciation itself is, I think, one of the most impressive in the Holy Land.

A huge yet simple, solid building with a vast interior, it really is quite beautiful.

It was completed in 1969 and built over the site of earlier churches in such a way that light can filter from the church above to the one below, right at the grotto in which tradition says the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary.

The upper church is used by the local Catholic Arab parishioners; Holy Mass for pilgrims is usually celebrated in the lower church.

As luck would have it, Mass had just started as we entered. A group of ten or so priests gathered behind the altar, and about the same number of younger men in front of it. I had the feeling that these younger men might have been seminarians.

The Mass was in German and we sat outside the closed-off area, following it from there. A female warden must have noticed that we were actually following the Mass and came over and offered us a place in the inner enclosure, which we took up. It was very special.

Outside the church, the courtyard is lined with mosaics depict-

An itinerary of the great holy sites of the Holy Land and Jordan by Günther Simmermacher.

‘Simmermacher has captured the essence of the pilgrim’s Holy Land.’

– Pat McCarthy, NZ Catholic

‘Simmermacher marshalls a mass of material, presenting it simply and vividly.’

– Paddy Kearney, The Southern Cross

‘Turning the pages of the book is a journey in itself.’

– Sydney Duval, Archdiocesan News, Cape Town

R150 (plus R 15 p&p in SA) from books@scross.co.za or www.holylandtrek.com or call 021 465-5007

Left: The church of St Peter’s, a working parish church in Tiberias in Galilee. Right: A windsurfer in front of a pilgrim boat on the Sea of Galilee. The boats are approximate replicas of 1st-century fishing boats.

T

THE HOLY LAND TREK

Also available as an eBook

Left: The church of the Visitation in Ein Kerem, which marks the place of the Blessed Virgin’s meeting with St Elizabeth. Right: The Magnificat is rendered in several languages on a wall in front of a sculpture of St Elizabeth and Our Lady, outside the church of the Visitation in Ein Kerem.

Left: The interior of the basilica of the Multiplication, rebuilt by German Benedictines to the plans of the church that stood there in the fourth century. Right: The church of the Beatitudes on top of the Mount of Beatitudes.

Left: The facade of the basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth. Right: The grotto in which the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Mary, in the lower basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

All photos by Günther Simmermacher, except St Peter’s in Tiberias: Custodia Terrae Sanctae

ing the annunciation donated by many countries from all continents. Of course we looked for South Africa’s contribution, and sure enough, there it was, opposite the side entrance, depicted with a protea at Our Lady’s feet.

We looked around at the other mosaics and saw Mary depicted as Native American, Vietnamese or Polynesian, among others.

I am so thankful that I was able to take a walk in the “footsteps of Our Lord”. The experience had a profound effect on my Christian faith, and I recommend to all believers that they do the same, if at all possible.

n John Nurse writes from Knysna.

The first part of his travelogue ran last week.

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CLASSIFIEDS

Fr Stephen Vitto CMM

F

ATHER Stephen Vitto CMM of Witbank died of a heart attack on November 15 at the age of 39.

Fr Vitto had a wonderful way with people, even in difficult times, Fr Bheki Shabalala, provincial of the Congregation of Mariannhill Missionaries, recalled.

“During the xenophobic attacks earlier this year we were all very upset about what was going on, but Fr Vitto made us laugh,” Fr Shabalala said. “He said we are all kwere kweres [a derogatory term for foreigners]—we are a very international community.”

Fr Shabalala said Fr Vitto “had a tremendous love for his congregation and they loved him”.

Fr Vitto was born into a Catholic family of four brothers and three sisters on January 6, 1976 in Zomba, Malawi.

He entered a seminary in Malawi and came into contact with a Mariannhill Missionaries priest. He started reading about Abbot Francis Pfanner, the founder of Mariannhill, which prompted him to apply to be ad-

mitted to the congregation.

Fr Vitto became a postulant at Mariannhill Mission in 1998.

The following year he was admitted for a canonical year of novitiate at Mariannhill which concluded with his first profession on February 2, 2000.

He was sent to St Joseph Theological Institute at Cedara near Pietermaritzburg for the study of philosophy and theology.

He was ordained a deacon by Bishop Pius Dlungwane of Mariannhill in 2005. Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, then administrator of the diocese of Umzimkulu, appointed Deacon Vitto to the parishes of Margate and Gamalakhe, to work closely with his senior confrere Fr Simon Rodenburg CMM. While serving at Gamalakhe, Cardinal Napier ordained him a priest on December 20, 2006.

In 2008 Fr Vitto was appointed assistant priest at St Anthony in Barberton, Witbank diocese. At the end of that year he was appointed assistant parish priest at St Peter’s parish in Nelspruit.

In 2011 the Mariannhill congregation appointed him assistant

Liturgical Calendar Year C – Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday December 27, Holy Family 1 Samuel 1:20-22.24-28, Psalms 84:2-3,5-6,9-10, 1 John 3:1-2.21-24, Luke 2:41-52 Monday December 28, Holy Innocents 1 John 1:5--2:2, Psalms 124:2-5, 7-8, Matthew 2:13-18 Tuesday December 29, St Thomas Becket 1 John 2:3-11, Psalms 96:1-3, 5-6, Luke 2:2235 Wednesday December 30 1 John 2:12-17, Psalms 96:7-10, Luke 2:36-40 Thursday December 31, St Sylvester 1 John 2:18-21, Psalms 96:1-2, 11-13, John 1:118 Friday January 1, Mary, Mother of God Numbers 6:22-27, Psalms 67:2-3, 5-6, 8, Galatians 4:4-7, Luke 2:16-21 Saturday January 2, Ss Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen 1 John 2:22-28, Psalms 98:1-4, John 1:19-28 Sunday January 3, Epiphany of the Lord Isaiah 60:1-6, Psalms 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13, Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6, Matthew 2:1-12

Community Calendar To place your event, call Mary Leveson at 021 465 5007 or e-mail m.leveson@scross.co.za (publication subject to space)

CAPE TOWN: Helpers of God’s Precious Infants. Mass on last Saturday of every month at 9:30 at Sacred Heart church in Somerset Road, Cape Town. Followed by vigil at Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Bree Street.

Contact Colette Thomas on 083 412 4836 or 021 593 9875 or Br Daniel SCP on 078 739 2988.

DURBAN: Holy Mass and Novena to St Anthony at St Anthony’s parish every Tuesday at 9am. Holy Mass and Divine Mercy

Devotion at 17:30pm on first Friday of every month. Sunday Mass at 9am. 031 309 3496.

9018 or 031 209 2536.

Overport rosary group.

At Emakhosini Hotel, 73 East Street every Wednesday at 6.30 pm.

Contact Keith at 083 372 NELSPRUIT: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at St Peter’s parish every Tuesday from 8:00 to 16:45, followed by Rosary, Divine Mercy prayers, then a Mass/Communion service at 17:30pm.

The Southern Cross, December 23 to December 29, 2015

CLASSIFIEDS

11

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 (R1,50 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

IN MEMORIAM

rector of Abbot Francis House of Formation in Merrivale, KwaZuluNatal. The following year he briefly served as acting rector.

In 2013 the last stage of his missionary journey took him to Holy Trinity parish in Elukwatini, diocese of Witbank, where he assisted Fr Thomas Maphosa before being appointed priest-incharge last year.

It was there that Fr Vitto suffered a fatal heart attack after celebrating Sunday Mass with the people of God on November 15.

Memorial services were held at Elukwatini, Nelspruit and Maria Trost in Witbank diocese before Fr Vitto was laid to rest at Mariannhill cemetery on November 27.

Stuart Graham

Time to reflect on our lives in 2015 Continued from page 7 stick with the thought that God was present even when you least expected him to be and let him gift you the present of seeing his Presence.

There will also be moments of regret as you look back over the year: Why did I do that? Why didn’t I make use of that opportunity? Why did I use those words?

We cannot change 2015, but we can use it to learn lessons before the start of 2016. What can I do differently this coming year and what graces do I need from God to help me grow?

Many companies are preparing their balance sheets at the end of the year and are required to carry forwards their debts and their credits.

The Examen is a kind of psycho-spiritual reckoning, but with a difference. God, in his mercy, the mercy that is the Church’s theme for 2016, allows us to carry forward our credits but permits us to cancel our debts so we start the year “in the black”.Now there is something to celebrate for New Year!

Thank you to you for accompanying me through the highs and lows of 2015—and may I wish you all God’s blessings and surprises for the year to come.

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 686. ACROSS: 2 Apocalypse, 8 Unscriptural, 10 Sweat, 11 Essenes, 12 Rating, 13 Choler, 16 Actable, 18 Titan, 19 Joins the team, 20 Pastorally. DOWN: 1 Equestrian, 3 Puritan, 4 Copper, 5 Lauds, 6 Plain clothes, 7 Ostentatious, 9 Astronomer, 14 Hot meal, 15 Bertha, 17 Bingo.

Prison Care and Support Network

MAHER—Herbert, died 6/12/2002, and Cicely Myrtle, died 11/12/2006. Dearly beloved parents of Joan, late Michael, James and Sharon. Rest in peace.

CONGRATULATIONS

MANCI—Rev Fr Paul Themba, Servants of Christ the Priest. We congratulate you on your appointment as rector of St John Vianney Major Seminary. We pray for you, for the strength of the Holy Spirit to guide and to lead those entrusted to your care with good example and sound judgment. We will always remember you in our daily prayers and Holy Mass. May you put your trust in Christ the priest, who gave his life as a ransom for many. From the priests and brother Servants of Christ the Priest

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. Leon and Karen.

FATHER in heaven, everliving source of all that is good, keep me faithful in serving you. Help me to drink of Christ's truth, and fill my heart with his love so that i may serve you in faith and love and reach eternal life. in the sacrament of the Eucharist you give me the joy of sharing your life. Keep me in your presence. Let me never be separated from you and help me to do your will.

ALMIGHTY eternal God, source of all compassion, the promise of your mercy and saving help fills our hearts with hope. Hear the cries of the people of Syria; bring healing to those suffering from the violence, and comfort to those mourning the dead. Empower and encourage Syria’s neighbours in their care and welcome for refugees. Convert the hearts of those who have taken up arms, and strengthen the resolve of those committed to peace. O God of hope and Father of mercy, your Holy Spirit inspires us to look beyond ourselves and our own needs. inspire leaders to choose peace over violence and to seek reconciliation with enemies. inspire the Church around the world with compassion for the people of Syria, and fill us with hope for a future of peace built on justice for all. We ask this through Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace and Light of the World, who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Amen. Prayer courtesy of the USCCB.

PERSONAL

ABORTION WARNING: The truth will convict a silent Church. See www.valuelifeabortion

Word of the Week

Breaking of the Bread: The celebrant recreates gestures of Christ at the Last Supper when he broke the bread to give to his disciples. The action signifies that in communion we who are many are made one in the one Bread of Life which is Christ.

REMEMBERING OUR DEAD

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

021 531 0550 086 628 4499

For further information, please contact St Jude Society, Box 22230, Fish Hoek, 7975, Telephone (021) 551-1747, dpaarman@mweb.co.za

isevil.co.za ABORTION is murder. Silence on this issue is not golden, it’s yellow! Avoid pro-abortion politicians.

See www.hli.co.za VISIT PIOUS KINTU’S official website http://avemaria832.simplesite.com this website has been set up to give glory to the Most Holy Trinity through the healing power of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. View amazing pictures of Pious Kintu’s work in Congo and various African countries since 2007. Also read about African Stigmatist Reverend Sister Josephine Sul and Padre Pio among others.

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

LONDON: Protea House.

Single ₤30(R540), twin ₤45(R810) per/night. Selfcatering, busses and underground nearby. Phone Peter 0044 208 7484834.

CAPE TOWN: Looking for reasonably priced accommodation over the December/January holiday period, come to Kolbe House. Set in beautiful gardens in Rondebosch. Self-catering, clean and peaceful. Safe parking. Close to all shops and public transport. Contact Pat 021 685 7370 or kolbe.house@telkomsa.net KNYSNA: Self-catering accommodation for 2 in Old Belvidere, with DStv and wonderful lagoon views.

044 387 1052.

MARIANELLA Guest House, Simon’s Town: “Come experience the peace and beauty of God with us.” Fully equipped with amazing sea views.

Secure parking, ideal for rest and relaxation. Special rates for pensioners and clergy. Malcolm Salida 082 784 5675, mjsalida@ gmail.com The

Southern Cross

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10 Tuin Plein, Cape Town, 8001 Tel: (021) 465 5007 Fax: (021) 465 3850

Editorial: editor@scross.co.za News editor: news@scross.co.za Business manager: admin@scross.co.za Advertising: advertising@scross.co.za Subs/Orders: subscriptions@scross.co.za Website: www.scross.co.za Digital edition: www.digital.scross.co.za Facebook: www.facebook.com/thescross

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Digital: R385 p.a. (anywhere in the world) Print by mail: R450 p.a.

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Published by the proprietors, The Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Co Ltd, at the company’s registered office, 10 Tuin Plein, Cape Town, 8001.

The Southern Cross is published independently by the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company Ltd. Address: PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000. Tel: (021) 465 5007 Fax: (021) 465 3850 www.scross.co.za

Editor: Günther Simmermacher (editor@scross.co.za), Business Manager: Pamela Davids (admin@scross.co.za), Advisory Editor: Michael Shackleton, News Editor: Stuart Graham (s.graham@scross.co.za), Editorial: Claire Allen (c.allen@scross.co.za), Mary Leveson (m.leveson@scross.co.za), Advertising: Elizabeth Hutton (advertising@scross.co.za), Subscriptions: Michelle Perry (subscriptions@scross.co.za), Accounts: Desirée Chanquin (accounts@scross.co.za) Directors: R Shields (Chair), J O’Leary (Vice-chair), Archbishop S Brislin, S Duval, E Jackson, B Jordan, Sr H Makoro CPS, C Moerdyk, R Riedlinger, Z Tom

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

the

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

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Hail the star in the East

E live in a darkened world, and it is perhaps as well that next Sunday we celebrate the feast of Epiphany, or “Appearance”.

The first reading meditates on the appearance of God to his people out of exile, returning to Jerusalem, and tells them: “Rise, shine—for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has shone upon you.”

At the same time, the poet recalls: “Look!

Darkness covered the earth, and thick cloud the peoples—but on you the Lord has risen and his glory has appeared upon you.”

Then there is a vision that might give us courage today, of outsiders recognising the appearance of God: “Nations shall come to your light, and politicians [well, kings, if you insist on a literal translation] to your shining radiance.”

This first reading presents a wonderful picture of a world transformed; our task may be to meditate, this week, on how to bring that about.

The psalm for the feast is a song for the coronation of a new king in Israel, and he is

told what every politician needs to hear: “Judge your people with justice and your poor with judgment.”

Our world would look very different if only the politicians could learn that integrity.

Only then can the poet pray “that he may rule from sea to sea, from the Euphrates to the ends of the earth”.

The list of all those who will pay him homage comes with a condition: “He delivers the poor when they cry out, the lowly who have no helper.” That is the real test of a politician’s integrity; that is how our darkened world is to be granted light.

Now contrast what the politicians do with what God does; that is what we are offered in the second reading, which speaks of the “plan of the grace of God which was given me for you”, and Paul also speaks of it as a “mystery”, one that “was not made known to previous generations…but is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets”.

And the effect covers the entire human race: “For the nations are to be fellow-heirs

and members of the same body, and sharers of the promise in Christ Jesus, through the gospel.” It is a remarkable picture of light dawning on our dark world.

The gospel for the feast is always the same: the aftermath of Jesus’ birth “in Bethlehem” (so the reader knows something that the Magi do not), in the days of Herod the King (so we know there will be trouble).

This is a dark world, and the Magi, for example, are not all that bright, even though they are the heroes of the story.

They reach Jerusalem “from the East”, and ask a dark question about “the one born King of the Jews”, whom they have come to worship.

This question does not spread light, but disturbance for Herod, and for “all Jerusalem with him”. So Herod (who, we notice, believes the message of these crazy Orientals) seeks illumination from his religious experts, and they come up with the answer: Bethlehem is the place for the Messiah to be born, and there is a scripture text to prove it.

When to speak the truth S

which it is spoken generally dictate whether it’s helpful or not to speak it at a given time or to a given person.

Simply put, it isn’t always helpful, or charitable, or mature, to throw a truth into someone’s face.

St Paul says as much in his epistle to the Romans in words to this effect: We who are strong must be considerate of those who are sensitive about things like this. We must not just please ourselves (15:1).

That can come across as patronising, as if Paul were telling a certain elite to tone down some of their enlightened views and actions for the sake of those who are less enlightened, but that’s not what’s at stake here.

Undergirding this kind of admonition is a fundamental distinction that’s critically important, namely the distinction between catechesis and theology, the distinction between nurturing and shoring up someone’s faith as opposed to stretching someone’s faith so as to make it more universally compassionate.

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atechesis is meant to teach doctrine, teach prayers, teach creeds, clarify biblical and Church teachings, and give people a solid, orthodox framework within which to understand their Christian faith.

Theology, on the other hand, presupposes that those studying it are already catechised, that they already know their creeds and prayers and have a solid, orthodox foundation.

Theology’s function, among other things, is then to stretch its students in giv-

Conrad

OME years ago I was challenged by a bishop regarding an article I had written. We were talking in his office and the tone eventually got a little testy: “How can you write something like that?” he asked. “Because it’s true,” was my blunt reply.

He already knew it was true, but now, realising that, he became more aware of his real agenda: “Yes, I know it’s true, but that doesn’t mean it should be said in that way in a Catholic newspaper like ours. This isn’t a university classroom or the New York Times. It’s a diocesan newspaper and that’s not the best context within which to say something like that. It will confuse readers.”

I’m not immune to pride and arrogance, and so my spontaneous reaction was defensive. Immediately there were certain voices in me saying: “I am only saying what’s true.

The truth needs to be spoken. Why are you afraid to hear the truth? Are we really doing people a favour by shielding them from things they’d rather not hear?”

But I’m glad I swallowed my pride, bit my tongue, muttered a half-sincere apology, and walked out of his office without saying any of those things out loud. After I’d had a more sober and prayerful reflection on our conversation, I realised he was right.

Having the truth is one thing, speaking it in a place and a manner that’s helpful is quite another. It’s not for nothing that Jesus challenged us to speak our truth in parables because truth, as TS Eliot once quipped, cannot always be swallowed whole, and the context and tone within

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

Then Herod darkly (“secretly” is Matthew’s sinister word for it) summons the Magi, sends them on their way, but with a request to enlighten him when they find “the dear little boy”. God’s illumination is still there, however, for: “Look! The star which they had seen in the East was going ahead of them, until it came and stood above where the little child was.”

We learn their love for the light: “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with a very great joy.” Then they see the child, and Mary, and give of their bright, shining treasures: gold and frankincense and myrrh.

But what of the forces of darkness? They cannot win, and so: “They were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and it was by another route that they returned to their own land.”

There is plenty of darkness in our world, but next Sunday’s feast reassures us that it will not conquer the light.

Southern Crossword #686

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

ing them the symbolic tools with which to understand their faith in a way that leaves no dark, hidden corners into which they are afraid to venture for fear of shaking their faith.

Catechesis and theology have different functions and must respect each other since both are needed: Young seedling plants need to be protected and gently nurtured; just as older, mature plants have to be given the wherewithal to live and thrive inside all the environmental challenges in which they find themselves.

Thus the challenge coming to me from the bishop was, in effect, to be more careful with my audience so as to distinguish theology classrooms and academic periodicals from catechetical situations and Church newspapers.

It carried too a special challenge to humility and charity, such as was, for example, shown by the scientist-philosopher Fr Pierre Teilhard de Chardin SJ. Elderly, retired and in declining health, he still found himself “silenced” by the Vatican in that he was forbidden to publish his theological thoughts. But, rather than reacting with anger and arrogance, he reacted with charity and humility.

Writing to his Jesuit provincial, he acknowledged needs beyond his own: “I fully recognise that Rome may have its own reasons for judging that, in its present form, my concept of Christianity may be premature or incomplete and that at the present moment its wider diffusion may therefore be inopportune.”

This letter, he wrote, “is to assure you that, in spite of any apparent evidence to the contrary, I am resolved to remain a child of obedience. Obviously, I cannot abandon my own personal search—that would involve me in an interior catastrophe and in disloyalty to my most cherished vocation; but I have ceased to propagate my ideas and am confining myself to achieving a deeper personal insight into them.”

Recognising the importance of sensitivity as to where and how we speak the truth, Jesus advises: “Speak your truth in parables.”

St John Paul II Pilgrimage to Poland Southern Cross

Nicholas King SJ

ACROSS

2. Scope a play contains of Revelation (10) 8. Non-biblical text (12) 10. Waste of perspiration (5) 11. Senses a point about Dead Sea sect (7) 12. Estimating a member of the crew? (6) 13. Anger when fifty disturb chore (6) 16. Capable of being performed as a Passion Play?

(7) 18. Taint of descendant of the gods (5) 19. Tithe on James who becomes a member (5,3,4) 20. In the way of a shepherd (10)

DOWn

1. To do with the horsemen (10) 3. Turn Pia into a morally strict person (7) 4. Kind of kettle for the constable (6) 5. Praises after Matins (5) 6. Simple outfit for the detective (5,7) 7. Use station to be pretentious (12) 9. Celestial scientist (10) 14. Heal Tom with warmth (3,4) 15. St Albert has hidden her (6) 17. Mr Crosby has nothing for the numbers game (5)

Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

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MAN visited the priest and told him of a local family’s problems.

“The father,” he sobbed, “is dead, the mother is too ill to work, and the nine children are going hungry.

“They are about to be evicted into the inclement winter weather unless someone pays their rent, which amounts to R3 000.”

“That’s awful,” the priest exclaimed. “But may I ask who you are?”

The sympathetic visitor wiped his eyes and, in between sobs, replied: “Father, I’m the landlord.”

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

Kraków | Wadowice (on St John Paul ii’s birthday) | Black Madonna of Częstochowa | niepokalanów (St Maximilan Kolbe) | Divine Mercy Sanctuary | Warsaw | Kalwaria Zebrzydowska (with miraculous icon) | Zakopane | Wieliczka Salt Mine (with Mass!)