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February 22 to February 28, 2017

How water could spark future wars

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Are you ready for Ash Wednesday?

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What are you Giving Back for Lent?

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State of Nation: Worrying times

By MAndLA ZiBi

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A pre-schooler receives ashes on Ash Wednesday, which this year falls on March 1. the day marks the beginning of the Lenten period. the ashes symbolise the dust from which God made us, and our grief for the sins that have caused division from God. the tradition of receiving ashes at the beginning of Lent goes back to at least the 2nd century, when the bishop would sprinkle ashes over the penitential hairshirts which christians would wear for the duration of Lent.

Fatima nun’s cause to Vatican

By Junno Arocho EstEvEs

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HE diocese of Coimbra has concluded its phase of the sainthood cause of Carmelite Sister Lucia dos Santos, one of the three children who saw Our Lady of Fatima in 1917.

Bishop Virgilio Antunes of Coimbra formally closed the local period of investigation into her life and holiness in the Carmelite convent of St Teresa in Coimbra, where she resided until her death at 97 in 2005.

The 50 volumes—15 000 pages—of evidence and witness testimonies were to be shipped to the Congregation for Saints’ Causes at the Vatican.

Sr Lucia’s cause still would require the recognition of two miracles, one for beatification and another for canonisation.

The Marian apparitions at Fatima began on May 13, 1917, when 10-year-old Lucia, along with her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto, reported seeing the Virgin Mary.

The apparitions continued once a month until October 13, 1917, and later were declared worthy of belief by the Church.

Fr Romano Gambalunga, postulator of the visionary’s cause, said while “Lucia is already a saint in the eyes” of many people, “the prudent path of the Church is that she is proposed to all, not just those who believe”.

Lucia became holy over the years, not because of the apparitions, Fr Gambalunga said.

Without providing details, he said she had a “spiritual experience” in the convent.

Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Fatima on May 12 and 13, and many people hope he will use the occasion to canonise Sr Lucia’s cousins, Francisco and Jacinta, who were beatified by St John Paul II in 2000.

Bishop Antonio Marto of Leiria-Fatima said that while nothing is certain, he is “deeply hopeful” the canonisation will take place this year, the centenary of the apparitions. “We are waiting and continue to pray to the Lord,” he said.

Bishop Marto also admitted that “he is a convert”, who, as a priest, was initially sceptical of the Marian apparitions in Fatima.

“I didn’t care; I did not take an interest nor did I take a position. I understood it as something for children,” he said.

The scepticism changed into belief after attending a conference on the apparitions and reading Sr Lucia’s memoirs, the bishop said.

“I was deeply impressed, both by the authenticity of the testimony she gave and by the seriousness of the problems she dealt with. I read her memoirs three times to find the historical and ecclesial context of the apparitions.”—CNS

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HE violent removal of the Economic Freedom Front from the National Assembly during this year’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) by President Jacob Zuma was more talked about than the actual content of the president’s speech, a noted Catholic political commentator told The Southern Cross after the event.

Fr Russel Pollitt, director of the Jesuit Institute South Africa (JISA), was speaking a day after the event, at a round-table discussion organised jointly by his institute, the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office (CPLO), and South African online daily the Daily Maverick.

Titled “Post Truth, Post SONA debate”, the event was moderated by Fr Peter-John Pearson, director of the CPLO. “All the panelists expressed their concern—and even dismay—at the securitisation that was a major feature of this year’s SONA,” Fr Pollitt noted.

The debate panel included 702/EWN’s Stephen Grootes, and the Daily Maverick’s Marianne Thamm, Richard Poplak and Ranjeni Munusamy.

International singing star Annie Lennox was also present.

Mr Poplak said he was more and more concerned about the militarisation of the state.

He said it was quite clear that President Zuma and his allies were becoming increasingly paranoid.

He warned that paranoia and the use of the military did not bode well, and suggested that the country could be heading towards a constitutional crisis.

“We must not normalise the abnormal.

This kind of securitisation is abnormal,” he said. “Are you willing to accept that the horror of last night’s SONA has become the norm?” Mr Poplak asked.

Mr Grootes was more optimistic. He thought Zuma was further weakened by the events that played out at SONA this year. “Opposition parties had left, he was speaking only to the ANC and, really, only his constituency in the ANC. The unenthusiastic applause during the speech was very telling,” he said.

Mr Grootes also argued that we should not forget how damaging last year’s local government elections were for Zuma and the ANC. He believed that this was a good sign for SA’s democracy. “What we see is a very divided ANC, that disunity is costing them on every level,” he said.

Ms Munusamy remarked that the president’s speech was dull and “said nothing new

S outher n C ross &

in over 5 000 words”. She said: “It is quite clear that, over the past eight years, Zuma’s administration cannot implement policies.

There were no surprises, we have heard this all before. Their biggest failure has been a failure of implementation.”

Ms Munusamy noted that Zuma had made no mention of the government’s controversial nuclear power plans. She said Zuma was “out of touch” and that one could see this when he claimed that his government had responded “caringly and appropriately” to students requesting free education in 2016 in the #FeesMustFall protest.

“This charade and the parade at SONA is just a manifestation of the bigger, ugly problems of deep corruption,” Ms Munusamy said.

Ms Thamm spoke about what she called “the state behind the state”. She called attention to the impending showdown between acting police commissioner Lieutenant-General Kgomotso Phahlane and the Independent Police Investigative Directorate.

Ms Thamm said this was reminiscent of the Jackie Selebi case, which, in this new round of rivalries “has the country’s law enforcement agencies in the grip of a political fog as factions in the ruling party come face to face with the rule of law”.

According to her, we should always be aware of the “backstories that are not in the public domain that have a major impact on how things, like SONA, play out”.

Section27, a public interest law centre, also participated in the debate.

Its executive director, Mark Heywood, said although he had called for Zuma to go, he also noted that “we know that not all the country’s problems will be solved by removing one man, but Zuma is a big part of the problem. Zuma has presided over things like Marikana and Esidimeni. We cannot allow him to continue.”

Mr Heywood went on to say that “Jacob Zuma created a culture of impunity that led to Esidimeni”.

JISA’s Fr Pollitt said: “The Church must make her voice heard, as we have much to offer, in civil and political issues.”

This is not the first time that the Jesuit Institute and CPLO have collaborated on events.

They have hosted round-table discussions on other issues such as xenophobia and racism.

Fr Pollitt added: “In future we [the institute and CPLO] will continue to work together, ensuring that important engagement and discussion on issues of national interest and policy continue to take place.”

Radio Veritas

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the southern cross, February 22 to February 28, 2017

LOCAL

Catholic refugee group: SA policy echoes Trump’s

By MAndLA ZiBi

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OUTH Africa’s policy proposals on refugees drew fire from an international Catholic refugee organisation recently when its local representative warned against emulating the “protectionism and isolationism” of US President Donald Trump’s controversial ban on Muslim refugees.

The Jesuit Refugee Service’s (JRS) country advocacy officer for South Africa, Johan Viljoen, spoke following an international joint statement between the JRS and the Italian Religious Muslim Community (COREIS), in which the two organisations condemned President Trump’s executive order on immigration and refugees as “an affront” on interfaith values.

“In our own country, protectionism and isolationism also appear to be the direction of the future. This is clear from the Green Paper on International Migration and the proposed Refugee Amendment Bill, that propose “refugee reception centres” where asylum seekers are to stay until their status has been determined,” Mr Viljoen said.

Also of concern was the Green Paper’s proposal that the refugees’ automatic right to work be withdrawn. “We urge our government to continue to “welcome the stranger”, and to treat each refugee and asylum seeker with the dignity and compassion that they are entitled to, as people created in the image of God,” Mr Viljoen said.

Commenting specifically on President Trump’s executive order

A group protests against President donald trump’s executive memorandum suspending admission of any refugees to the us for 120 days and banning entry for 90 days of people from seven predominantly Muslim nations. (Photo: Jaclyn Lippelmann/cns) and its relevance for Africa, Mr Viljoen said it had “long-term implications” for the continent.

“There are large numbers of Somali refugees in the Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya who were due to be resettled in the USA. According to reports we have received, these resettlements have been placed on hold. Presumably, many of them will find their way to South Africa,” he said.

In their joint interfaith statement, Fr Thomas Smolich SJ, international director of JRS, and his

Muslim counterpart, Imam Yahya Sergio Yahe Pallavicini, president of COREIS, said President Trump’s order was discriminatory, imperilled Christian-Muslim relations and violated the “fundamental obligation of our religious traditions” of caring for strangers and respecting different people and nationalities.

“We acknowledge the duty of national governments to protect their citizens from dangers, and to regulate their borders in the pursuit of national security,” the statement said.

“There are ethical demands, however, that transcend the limits of national borders, and these include the protection of members of the human family who are in grave danger. In a world that is wounded daily by violence and injustice, terror and tyranny, our Muslim and Christian traditions invite us to show courage and generosity, not to give in to fear or selfishness.”

The statement continued: “Given that the seven countries whose citizens have been banned from entering the US for the next three months are all Muslim-majority countries, the executive order clearly signals the intention to place Muslim refugees from these countries at the bottom of the priority list. A de facto ban on many Muslim refugees may feed sectarian resentment, fuel radicalism, and exacerbate religious tensions.”

The two leaders called on “all governments to oppose the US ban, and to ensure that the architecture of refugee protection is strengthened in their own countries”.

Frs harrison Banda, simon Mphana oMi and Michael Mapulanga welcome the vestments they were presented with by the different sodalities of the Bloemfontein archdiocese at their ordination at Botshabelo arena.

Andrew hofmeyer is a regular Southern Cross seller at st theresa’s parish in Welcome Estate, cape town. (Photo: stephen selbourne) We love receiving your photos of parishioners selling The Southern Cross—and so do our readers!

Please keep them coming. send photos to pics@scross.co.za

the southern cross, February 22 to February 28, 2017

LOCAL

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Homeless Jesus unveiled at Holy Trinity

By MAndLA ZiBi

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UNDREDS of homeless people from around Johannesburg, and friends and parishioners of Holy Trinity church in Braamfontein, witnessed the unveiling of a sculpture of Jesus as a homeless person sleeping on a park bench, barefoot and covered by a blanket.

The work of art was made by Timothy Schmalz, a world-renowned sculptor of Christian-themed works from Canada, who “honours God through art” according to a statement from Holy Trinity.

“He creates sculptures, which he describes as being visual prayers.

While others may produce art to be appreciated for its beauty and emotional power, Timothy believes his purpose is to create art that has the power to convert, and sculptures that deepen spirituality,” the statement said.

The work is known as Homeless Jesus, and was inspired by Matthew 25:35-40.

It is a bronze metal figure of Jesus as homeless, sleeping on a bench, covered in a blanket with

only his pierced feet showing–—that being the only indication that it is indeed Jesus.

“The sculpture is meant to suggest that Christ is with the marginalised in society. Its primary purpose is to raise awareness of the marginalised, challenge and inspire society to be more compassionate and charitable, and to act upon that inspiration,” Holy Trinity said.

Last year the church became the focus of international news headlines when violence between Wits University protesting students and police spilled over its precincts.

The parish priest, Fr Graham Pugin, was shot in the face by police rubber bullets as he refused to let police enter the church premises in pursuit of students during a #FeesMustFall confrontation.

Every morning the church provides soup for between 80 to 200 homeless people, and a hot meal in the evening.

A Society of St Vincent de Paul group also organises clothing, blankets, shoes, soap and showers for the homeless. All this is interspersed

homeless Jesus, a bronze metal sculpture by canadian artist timothy schmalz, was unveiled at holy trinity church in Braamfontein, Johannesburg. the church said the prime purpose of the sculpture is to raise awarebess of the marginalised. with weekly Bible-sharing meetings.

There is also a free lunch for hungry students daily from Monday to Friday.

Holy Trinity hosts a fortnightly clinic run by Wits University medical students too, to provide patients with primary healthcare

check-ups, examinations and diagnoses. The clinic was used as a makeshift trauma unit for those injured during the student protests.

Napier speaks on Hurley canonisation Little Eden book published to mark 50th anniversary H UNDREDS of people gathered in Durban to mark the 13th anniversary of the death of the late Archbishop Denis Hurley OMI. And at the first of the memorial Masses in Emmanuel cathedral, Cardinal Wilfrid Napier OFM, Hurley’s immediate successor as archbishop of Durban, talked positively about the prospect of Hurley as a future saint for South Africa.

At the end of the Mass, just before the candlelight procession to Hurley’s tomb, the cardinal encouraged more of these kinds of public acts. He explained that people’s desire to show devotion to the late archbishop, for example by praying at his grave and lighting candles, was just the evidence the archdiocese needed in order to open the cause for Hurley.

This could in time lead to him being declared a blessed and then a saint.

A cardinal Wilfrid napier, right, at the events marking the 13th anniversary of the death of Archbishop denis hurley. With him is Fr John Paterson oMi, 93, a close colleague of hurley’s. (Photo: sithembiso shoba) The path to sainthood is generally a long one but it begins with the bishop of the place where the man or woman died giving permission for the cause to be opened.

Reaction was immediate and positive from people in the congregation. Paddy Kearney, biographer

of the late archbishop, commented: “This is the first time that the cardinal has spoken publicly about Hurley’s cause. He even indicated that it would be appropriate to create a proper shrine in the cathedral.

What a wonderful way to mark the anniversary!”

Polokwane church groups step out against human trafficking

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ACH year around the feast of St Josephine Bakhita, the patron saint of victims of human trafficking—herself trafficked at the age of nine from South Sudan by traders in the late 1800s— the South African Council of Churches holds events to explain that slavery still exists today and in fact in our own backyards.

This year, the SACC and Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference organised church communities and organisations from Polokwane in

Limpopo to gather with banners and slogans and march through town to the police station, where they read out and handed over a memorandum to the station commander.

The memorandum requested that the police make every effort to seek out and arrest perpetrators of human trafficking, which affects victims, their families, communities and the nation.

The march then proceeded to Sacred Heart cathedral, where participants joined a prayer service.

OUR GIFT TO YOU!

RENOWNED Gauteng home for persons with intellectual disabilities is marking its 50th anniversary with a book that records its joys and pains.

Little Eden started in 1967 with three daycare children and grew into a society with two homes, accommodating 300 live-in people of all ages.

The book, titled Little Eden: 50 years of Love & Care (1967 to 2017), “not only describes the past 50 years of Little Eden’s existence, but also relays the emotions, motives and prayers involved in founding, growing and maintaining this home”, communications officer Nichollette Muthige said.

“It is a story of two women, Domitilla Hyams—who together with her husband, Danny, founded

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Little Eden—and their daughter Lucy Slaviero who ran Little Eden for over 19 years,” she explained.

The author of the book, Luigi Slaviero, is Lucy’s husband. In telling the Little Eden story he drew from the late Domitilla’s diaries and from several speeches which Lucy had delivered through the years.

“This is a good read for someone interested in serving our communities and its vulnerable people. It also provides a fresh understanding and view on persons with intellectual disability,” said Ms Muthige.

The book, which costs R180, was launched at a thanksgiving Mass at Little Eden’s Elvira Rota Village. n Little Eden is available at the society’s head office at 79 Wagenaar Road, Edenglen, Edenvale, or by contacting 011 609 7246.

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the southern cross, February 22 to February 28, 2017

INTERNATIONAL

Pope’s Lenten message: Don’t ignore God’s word W By cAroL GLAtZ

ITHOUT making room for God’s word in their hearts, people will never be able to welcome and love all human life, Pope Francis said.

“Each life that we encounter is a gift deserving acceptance, respect and love,” the pope said in his message for Lent, which begins on March 1 for Latin-rite Catholics.

“The word of God helps us to open our eyes to welcome and love life, especially when it is weak and vulnerable,” he wrote.

The text of the pope’s Lenten message—titled “The Word is a gift.

Other persons are a gift”—focused on the parable of the rich man and Lazarus in the gospel of Luke (16:1931).

The parable calls for sincere conversion, the pope said, and it “provides a key to understanding what we need to do in order to attain true happiness and eternal life”.

In the Gospel account, Lazarus and his suffering are described in great detail. While he is “practically invisible to the rich man”, the Gospel gives him a name and a face, upholding him as worthy, as “a gift, a priceless treasure, a human being whom God loves and cares for, despite his concrete condition as an outcast”, the pope wrote.

The parable shows that “a right

relationship with people consists in gratefully recognising their value”, he said. “A poor person at the door of the rich is not a nuisance, but a summons to conversion and to change.”

I

n order to understand how to open one’s heart and see the other as a gift, a person must see how the word of God operates.

One way to do that, he said, is to be aware of the temptations and traps the rich man fell victim to, derailing his search for true happiness.

The nameless “rich man” lives an opulent, ostentatious life, the pope wrote, and his love of money leads to vanity and pride—“the lowest rung of this moral degradation”.

“The rich man dresses like a king and acts like a god, forgetting that he is merely mortal,” he said. “For those corrupted by love of riches, nothing exists beyond their own ego. Those around them do not come into their line of sight. The result of attachment to money is a sort of blindness.”

Love of money, St Paul warned, “is the root of all evils”, and the pope said, it is also “the main cause of corruption and a source of envy, strife and suspicion”.

“Instead of being an instrument at our service for doing good and showing solidarity towards others, money can chain us and the entire

world to a selfish logic that leaves no room for love and hinders peace,” he added.

The rich man’s eyes are finally opened after he and Lazarus are dead; Lazarus finds comfort in heaven and the rich man finds torment in “the netherworld”, because, as Abraham explains, “a kind of fairness is restored” in the afterlife and “life’s evils are balanced by good”, the pope said.

The rich man then asks for an extraordinary sign—Lazarus coming back from the dead—to be given to his family members so they will repent and not make the same mistake as he.

But, Abraham said, the people have plenty of teachings with “Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them,” the pope said.

This explains what the real problem is for the rich man and those like him: “At the root of all his ills was the failure to heed God’s word. As a result, he no longer loved God and grew to despise his neighbour,” the pope said.

“May the Holy Spirit lead us on a true journey of conversion this Lent, so that we can rediscover the gift of God’s word, be purified of the sin that blinds us, and serve Christ present in our brothers and sisters in need,” he said, especially by taking part in the various Lenten campaigns sponsored by local churches.—CNS

Holy Land church opens after fire

By Judith sudiLovsky

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WENTY months after having suffered serious damage from an arson attack, the atrium of the Benedictine church of the Loaves and Fishes was reopened. German Cardinal Rainer Woelki of Cologne, president of the German Association of the Holy Land, celebrating a Mass to mark the event.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, who visited the church in Tabgha immediately following the attack in June 2015, was also among the official guests after the Mass.

“We are bound together. We are all equal before God, and equal before the law,” Mr Rivlin said. “The last time I was here, we stood together and looked at the burned walls and the terrible graffiti,” the president said. “Today, I visit here again, and see the renewal of this historic, special, and holy place. I want to thank all the people who worked hard to restore this place, and to say clearly; that hate cannot win.”

“Today is a time of great joy and friendship,” said Cardinal Woelki. “It

A clergyman walks through the rubble of the church of Loaves and Fishes following a 2015 fire in tabgha, israel. (Photo: Atef safadi, EPA) was very warming to hear from the local people how, after the arson attack, so many people across many religions in the Holy Land came to show their solidarity.”

Noting the importance of preventing such attacks in the future, the guests spoke of the need to create connections among people of different faiths and to learn about one another.

Two suspects have been held under administrative detention since

July 2015 for involvement in the arson, which police are treating as a hate crime.

Also known as the church of the Multiplication, the church located on the shore of the Sea of Galilee is traditionally believed to be the site of Jesus’ miracle of the fish and loaves, where he was able to feed a multitude of people with only five loaves of bread and two fish.

Israel contributed $394 000 toward the reconstruction of the church.

Ultimately the work was completed through the help of private donations from both institutions and individuals, Heinz Thiel, secretary-general of the German Association of the Holy Land, said.

The total cost of the reconstruction, including loss of earnings and goods from their gift shop and the new security measures that had to be installed, was $1,38 million, said Benedictine Father Basilius Schiel, prior of the Tabgha monastery.— CNS

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CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS

Pilgrims pray around a statue of Mary on Apparition hill in Medjugorje, Bosnia-herzegovina. Archbishop henryk hoser of Warsaw-Praga, Poland, has been appointed special envoy to Medjugorje. (Photo: Paul haring/cns)

Vatican sends envoy to Medjugorje By cindy WoodEn

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ITHOUT commenting on the authenticity of alleged Marian apparitions in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Pope Francis has appointed a Polish archbishop to study the pastoral needs of the townspeople and the thousands of pilgrims who flock to the town each year.

The pope chose Archbishop Henryk Hoser of Warsaw-Praga as his special envoy to Medjugorje.

“The mission has the aim of acquiring a deeper knowledge of the pastoral situation there and, above all, of the needs of the faithful who go there on pilgrimage, and on the basis of this, to suggest possible pastoral initiatives for the future,” the Vatican said.

Archbishop Hoser’s assignment has “an exclusively pastoral character”, the Vatican said, making it clear his task is separate from the work of a commission set up in 2010 by Pope Benedict XVI to investigate the claims of six young people who said Mary had appeared to them daily beginning in 1981. Some of the six say Mary still appears to them and gives

them messages each day, while others say they see her only once a year now.

Pope Benedict had named retired Italian Cardinal Camillo Ruini to chair the group studying the apparitions. In June 2015, Pope Francis told reporters that Cardinal Ruini had given him the group’s report and that it would be studied by the cardinals and bishops who are members of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. At the time, Pope Francis said, “We’re close to making decisions,” although nothing was announced until the appointment of Archbishop Hoser about 20 months later.

Thousands of pilgrims travel to the small town each month to meet the alleged seers and to pray. Because the apparitions have not been approved, the Vatican has said dioceses should not organise official pilgrimages to Medjugorje. However, it also has said Catholics are free to visit the town and pray there, and that the diocese of Mostar-Duvno and the Franciscans who minister in the town should organise pastoral care for them.—CNS

China and the Vatican consensus on bishops

By BArB FrAZE

C

HINA and the Vatican have reached consensus on the appointment of bishops, which will lead to the resolution of other outstanding problems, said Hong Kong Cardinal John Tong.

“From now on, there will be no more the crisis of a division between the open and underground communities in the Church in China,” the cardinal said. “On the contrary, these two communities will gradually move toward reconciliation and communion on the aspects of law, pastoral care and relationships. The Church in China will work together to preach the gospel of Jesus on the soil of China.”

Cardinal Tong noted that China and the Vatican have different interests, so they will prioritise remaining problems differently.

“The Chinese government is concerned with problems on the political level, while for the Holy See, the problems are on the religious and pastoral levels,” he said.

The Vatican and China, which severed diplomatic ties in 1951, have had on-again, off-again talks since the 1980s. Under Pope Francis, the two restarted a formal dialogue in 2014.

In recent years, because of government requirements, the priests, nuns and laypeople of Chinese dioceses have elected their new bishops.

Most of those elected have applied to the Holy See for approval.

Cardinal Tong said the Sino-Vatican dialogue indicates that China now will “let the pope play a role in

Archbishop Joseph Li shan of Beijing at the cathedral of the immaculate conception. china and the vatican have reached consensus on the appointment of bishops.

(Photo: Wu hong, EPA/cns) the nomination and ordination of Chinese bishops”. Since, under Church law, the pope has the final say in the appointment of bishops, this would solve several problems, he said.

“Beijing will also recognise the pope’s right of veto and that the pope is the highest and final authority in deciding on candidates for bishops in China,” he said. The Catholic Patriotic Association advocates the “self-nomination and selfordination” of bishops, but if the agreement on papal approval of bishops is reached, that principle will become history, he said.

“If the pope has the final word about the worthiness and suitability of an episcopal candidate, the elections of local churches and the recommendations of the Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church in China will simply be a way to express recommendations,” Cardinal Tong said. —CNS

INTERNATIONAL

the southern cross, February 22 to February 28, 2017

5

Pope praises abuse survivor for breaking his silence By cAroL GLAtZ

T People in historical uniforms take part in the military parade in Moscow’s red square. As preparations get underway for this year's 100th anniversary of the russian revolution, the country's small catholic church is keeping a low profile. (Photo: Maxim shipenkov, EPA/cns)

Russia’s Catholics neutral on revolution anniversary

By JonAthAn LuxMoorE

A

S preparations get underway for this year’s 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution, the country’s small Catholic Church is keeping a low profile.

However, because some Russian Catholics support the policies of President Vladimir Putin, the Church is looking to remain neutral and focus on prayer services and discussions of the Church’s history of the last century.

“Although we won’t be commemorating the revolution, our Church communities will naturally reflect on what happened," said Mgr Igor Kovalevsky, secretary-general of the Russian bishops’ conference.

“We’ll pray for Russia, and for all those who died for their faith during those dreadful years. But the Catholic faithful hold various political views, so the Church won’t try to promote any one position,” he said.

Russia’s observance will include the 1917 overthrow of Czar Nicholas II, which occurred in March under the country’s modern calendar, and the seizure of power by Bolsheviks under Vladimir Lenin the following November, which ended hopes of democratic rule.

In early January, Putin appointed a governmental commission for preparations. Russia’s predominant Orthodox Church, which is represented on the commission, debated

the centenary during a late-January symposium.

Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow urged citizens to mark the anniversary with “deep reflection and sincere prayer” rather than “inappropriate celebrations”.

That will be the Catholic approach as well, said Mgr Sergei Timashov, vicar-general of the Moscow archdiocese.

“We won’t be planning any particular events to commemorate the revolution,” he said. “Instead, we’ll focus attention on the 1917 apparitions at Fatima, which foresaw Russia’s eventual return to God.” Father Kirill Gorbunov, spokesman for the Russian bishops’ conference, suggested that small religious denominations could face pressure to acknowledge the revolution’s “positive achievements” in health, education and other areas, rather than “concentrating on the repression”.

“While there are Catholics who join anti-government protests today, we also have parishioners in the riot police preventing them. As pastors, we have to be open to all sides, including those who may see the revolution as an instance in which God brought something good out of terrible deeds,” the priest said.

At least 21 million people are believed to have died in purges, acts of repression and “terror famines” after the revolution.—CNS

he sexual abuse of children by those who have vowed to serve Christ and the Church is a horrendous monstrosity that represents “a diabolical sacrifice” of innocent, defenceless lives, Pope Francis said.

The Church, which must protect the weakest, has a duty “to act with extreme severity with priests who betray their mission and with the hierarchy—bishops and cardinals—who protect them”, the pope wrote in the preface to a new book written by a man raped as a child by a Capuchin priest.

The book, My Father, I Forgive You ("Mon Pere, Je Vous Pardonne"), was written by Daniel Pittet, 57, in an effort to describe how he fell victim to a predator abuser when he was eight years old growing up in Fribourg, Switzerland, and the challenges he faced when he came forward two decades later with the accusations.

Mr Pittet—who had been a monk, but later married and had six children—had met the pope at the Vatican during the Year of Consecrated Life in 2015.

In the course of their conversation, Mr Pittet said he told the pope he had been raped as a child by a

“devour them” in “a diabolical sacrifice that destroys both the victim and the life of the Church”.

The abuse of children at the hands of religious, Pope Francis said, is “an absolute monstrosity, a horrendous sin, radically contrary to everything Christ teaches us”.

The Church must take care of and lovingly protect the weakest and most defenceless, he said, and act with “extreme severity” toward abusers and towards bishops and cardinals who protect them, “as it has already happened in the past”.

The pope wrote that he was also moved by the fact that Mr Pittet had forgiven his abuser, Capuchin Father Joel Allaz, even meeting with him face-to-face 44 years later.

“The wounded child is today a man standing on his feet, fragile, but standing,” the pope said.

“I thank Daniel because all testimony like his breaks down the wall of silence that hushes up scandals and suffering, sheds light on a terrible area of darkness in the Church’s life. They open a path to a just reparation and the grace of reconciliation and also help paedophiles become aware of the terrible consequences of their actions,” he wrote.—CNS

Bishops seek food relief as Kenya declares drought

By FrAncis nJuGunA

T

he Kenyan government declared the country’s drought a national disaster, three days after Catholic bishops requested such an action.

The bishops appealed for food relief in an effort to get help from other countries. Reliefweb, a service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said in the last year, Kenya’s food insecurity had nearly doubled, so that now 1,25 million people are affected. The drought has also affected livestock and wildlife in 23 of Kenya’s 47 counties.

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta declared the drought a national disaster and said the government had allocated $105 million to fight it.

Observing that all purchases of food

Council of Cardinals express support of pope By cindy WoodEn

A woman scoops water from a hand-dug well in a dry riverbed near Matinyani, kenya. (Photo: dai kurokawa, EPA/cns) and other items would be made in a transparent way, he said he would “not tolerate anybody who would try to take advantage of this situation to defraud public funds”.

The bishops said they were receiv-

ing reports from diocesan and parish officials with “tales of suffering, desperation, hopelessness and in some cases, imminent loss of life”. They said as many as 2,4 million Kenyans were in dire need of food; the Kenyan Red Cross says 2,7 million people face starvation if more help is not provided.

The bishops encouraged contributions through Caritas, the Church’s charitable agency.

Most of the countries in East Africa have been badly affected by the drought, which officials say was exacerbated by last year’s El Nino weather phenomenon.

In Somalia, for example, nearly half the population is suffering from food shortages, and the UN says there is a risk of famine in several parts of the country.—CNS

100th ANNIVER RSARY OF THE APPARITIONS 11-2 24 SEPTEMBER

PILGRImAGe To FATImA/SAnTIAGo/ LouRdeS/ PARIS

R37,995.00 (estimated Cost) Price, per person, based on a group of 20 Pilgrims (sharing) Pope Francis leads the 18th meeting of his council of cardinals at the vatican. (Photo: L’osservatore romano, cns) tired cardinals publicly questioned Pope Francis on the teaching in his document on the family, Amoris Laetitia.

Cardinal Maradiaga, speaking on behalf of the Council of Cardinals, also thanked Pope Francis for the way he explained the council’s work on the reform of the Roman curia to Vatican officials.

Meeting with members of the curia just before Christmas, Pope Francis said the reform was motivated by a desire to ensure the central offices of the Church are focused on sharing the Gospel, better meeting people’s needs and assisting the pope in his ministry of service to the

Church and the world.

“We cannot be content simply with changing personnel; we need to encourage spiritual, human and professional renewal among the members of the curia,” the pope had said.

“The reform of the curia is in no way implemented with a change of personnel—something that certainly is happening and will continue to happen—but with a conversion in persons. Continuing formation is not enough; what we need also and above all is continuing conversion and purification. Without a change of mentality, efforts at practical improvement will be in vain.”— CNS

2017

LED BY FR TE EBOHO MATSEKE

Led by Fr Teboho matseke 11 – 24 September 2017

A

FTER a handful of public challenges to Pope Francis' teaching and authority, the members of the pope’s international Council of Cardinals began their February meeting expressing their “full support” for his work.

Honduran Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga, coordinator of the council, began the meeting assuring the pope of the cardinals' “full support for his person and his magisterium”, according to a statement published by the Vatican press office.

The statement said the cardinals' support was offered “in relation to recent events”.

No specific events were mentioned, but the statement came just a few days after a fake version of the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano, was emailed to Vatican officials and a week after posters were put up around Rome questioning the pope’s mercy in dealing with the Sovereign Military Order of Malta and other groups over which the pope had placed special delegates. It also came several months after US Cardinal Raymond Burke and three re-

priest. Tears welled up in the pope’s eyes, and the two embraced, Mr Pittet said in an interview with the Italian daily La Repubblica.

Pope Francis said in his preface that Mr Pittet’s personal testimony about his abuse “is necessary, invaluable and courageous” because often it is very difficult for survivors to talk about what happened and the trauma that lingers for years.

“His suffering moved me. I saw once again the frightful damage caused by sexual abuse and the long and painful journey that awaits the victim,” the pope wrote.

The suffering and suicides of people who were abused by clergy and religious “weigh on my heart, on my conscience and on that of the whole Church. To their families, I offer my feelings of love and pain, and humbly ask forgiveness,” Pope Francis wrote.

It is good for people to read Mr Pittet’s testimony and see how “evil can enter the heart of a servant of the Church,” the pope said. “How can a priest, at the service of Christ and his Church, end up causing so much pain?"

Instead of leading children to God, the pope said, abusive priests

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the southern cross, February 22 to February 28, 2017

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher Guest editorial: Michael Shackleton

Hope in Lent

O

NE of the most fascinating tales in Greek mythology is that of Pandora, the first woman. The gods gave her a box which she was forbidden to open. Curiosity got the better of her and, as she lifted the lid, every ill and calamity that can afflict human life escaped to plague the world and its peoples.

The only item in the box that did not surge out was hope. The human race, in spite of life’s evils and dangers, has clung to hope ever since.

Hope is the desire for something good or better to happen with some expectation of success.

As we plan how best to observe the coming season of Lenten penance, we find that our world assuredly is in need of some hope for better things than the fearsome chaos unfolding around us.

Under present circumstances we are staring at universal corruption, exploitation of peoples and resources, wars, human trafficking, terrorism, religious persecution and whatever else Pandora’s box has unleashed.

Can hope survive, hoping against hope?

The human heart will always hope and long for something better to come. There is the will to live, and this presupposes that life is somehow worthwhile, despite everything to the contrary.

South Africans are well aware of the corruption and mismanagement bedevilling our own social and political landscape. But hope has not fled. There is always the desire to put things right, even if this will take a long time.

Now that we are about to observe the season of Lent, we can see this as a good opportunity to put the virtue of hope into practice as a theological virtue, a gift of God together with faith and charity.

The virtue of hope is easily summed up in the invocation repeated in the Angelus prayer: “That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ”.

Christ has promised his Church that there is a resurrection, a new life, and we have the real and strong hope that he will keep his promises.

It does not matter how we

decide to do some penance during Lent, but we can make it an expression of our confidence in Christ’s assurances and put our hope in him into action.

This could mean that we do something positive for others.

We do not need to preach that Christ’s promises will be finally kept in the next life. We can show our confidence in him in this life in the way we do acts of mercy, kindness and compassion to those in need.

In this week’s issue, Raymond Perrier, in his column Faith and Society (page 7), presents a very commendable way of doing our Lenten duties. Instead of “giving up” our little pleasures during Lent in a rather private manner, he proposes that we “give back” to our communities by volunteering to reach out to the needy.

He provides clear and inspiring examples of giving back, which can be demanding but highly fulfilling spiritually. To see the effect of Christ’s compassion and love for others on those who receive it is a magnificent blessing and well worth the effort.

We can never be too generous with our time and energy.

God cannot be outdone in generosity and this is very much part of our hope in him.

God knows that there is so much poverty and misery around almost every corner. Not everyone is physically or psychologically capable of mixing among the poor and unfortunate and giving them a helping hand. The bishops’ Lenten Appeal may be one way of showing our hope in Christ when we offer some of our income to support its causes. Prayer and the sacraments, the Mass in particular, are another fine way to keep Lent appropriately.

In his Essay on Man, the poet Alexander Pope wrote the familiar verse: “Hope springs eternal in the human breast; Man never is, but always to be blest.

The soul, uneasy and confin’d from home, rests and expatiates in a life to come”.

While we confidently hope in the life to come, this Lent could be the perfect time to renew our faith, hope and charity and put them into practice in the time and place we find ourselves right now.

The Editor reserves the right to shorten or edit published letters. Letters below 300 words receive preference. Pseudonyms are acceptable only under special circumstances and at the Editor’s discretion.

Name and address of the writer must be supplied. No anonymous letter will be considered.

Saving water protects God’s creation

I

APPLAUD José Scalabrino (January 18) for his simple but clear suggestions on how to save water.

Water is life and we need to show good stewardship of this Godgiven resource.

I have travelled to some of the remotest parts of Asia and Africa and have seen people, mostly women and children, walking for miles and miles to fetch a bucket of water. For them, water is more precious than gold. Some collect water from most unhygienic outlets.

As such, I am also passionate about saving water. Even if we have a quick shower, we can waste up to

Laity Council decades too late

R

EGARDING the new SACBC Laity Council (February 1), I wish Malatsi Leonard Kope, the chair, well in his new function.

But, my dear fellow Catholics, let us not be fooled: Mr Kope’s grandfather and father should have been appointed before him for this task.

His appointment comes at least 40 years too late.

But let us remain merciful, it is never too late for good actions from both sides: the ordained members of the Church and the laity alike. It takes two to tango!

Luckily all the sodalities, parish pastoral councils and other lay organisations have not been waiting for the Laity Council to come to life to do all the good work they do.

Marie-Chantal Peeters, Pietermaritzburg

Our silent Church

M

OTHER Teresa of Kolkata was one of the most vocal critics on the evil of abortion and often stated publicly that there cannot be peace in the world while there is violence in the womb.

However, this statement was not mentioned in her recent canonisation ceremony.

A fact which, together with a dearth in Rome for several years now of any anti-abortion sermons and encyclicals, indicates a worldwide decline in Catholic pro-life events and activities.

Recently, a Mass at St Mary’s cathedral in Cape Town was said with regard to the 20th year of the signing of the abortion act.

On the Sunday prior to it, not a word was said in any Catholic parish regarding it.

They will not stand up and say, go and show your concern, go be a witness to life, go walk in the light.

The result? A handful of people at the service.

Will a priest stand up on a Sun-

12 to 15 litres of water.

As such, I use a large basin in which I stand and shower, and the water collected is used to flush the toilets. We also have a plastic basin, large enough to fit in the sink, and all water used to wash our plates and utensils is collected in buckets and used to water the garden.

Only if you start collecting water do you realise how much of the water could have gone down the drain.

In addition, I have installed a Jojo tank (1 000-litre capacity) and have connected it to one of the gutters of the roof. It is amazing to see

day and after explaining the sermon of the day, with Lent coming up, suggest married couples live celibate lives for the full duration of Lent, starting a week before Ash Wednesday to prepare both soul and mind?

(In a sex-soaked culture, it is living celibate priests and religious who give eloquence to the truth that no one ever died from lack of sex.)

What about a call to take neither liquids nor solids on Good Friday, if your health allows?

No, you will get a long sermon on the Lenten Appeal—we need your money and not your soul.

The Southern Cross is a wonderful, spiritual, thought-provoking paper.

The letters by the laity hit the nail on the head. The sad part is how few buy the paper, how few of our youth read the good news.

Also, if sermons on Sunday at least took a few moments to relate to current affairs and stop going through the motions, we the laity would go home happy, with a week ahead to look into our lives.

Peter Hendricks, Cape Town

End archaic Church terms

J

H GOOSSENS (January 11) replied to my letter by stating that we needed to go to confession to a priest. I earlier said we did not, we could confess our sins to Jesus.

Perhaps all the king’s men should rewrite the liturgy, then the priest can say: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of Catholics of the world.” opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in Letters to the Editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the catholic hierarchy. the letters page in particular is a forum in which readers may exchange opinions on matters of debate.

Letters must not be understood to necessarily reflect the teachings, disciplines or policies of the church accurately.

Letters can be sent to PO Box 2372, Cape Town 8000 or editor@scross.co.za or faxed to 021 465-3850

how the tank gets filled so quickly with one to two good showers of rain.

I use it to water my garden, top up the water in the pool, wash my car and fill up 15 (20-litre) buckets which I keep in reserve.

The Jojo tanks are not that expensive and they come in different capacities. To do it cheaply, one could also use a few old 200-litre drums and connect them together.

These measures save not only precious water, but also significant amounts of money. Like Jose, I have also saved a ton of money on my municipal accounts.

As the saying goes, “ Many a little makes a mickle.”

Walter Middleton, Johannesburg At the same time, they might rewrite the Our Father, we no longer say thee and thou, not since Pa fell off the bus.

When I recite the rosary, which I do every day, I omit Hail Mary and replace it with Mother Mary. I also don’t refer to Our Lady’s anatomy, but rather say in place thereof Your firstborn Jesus. I also replace Our Father who art in heaven with Our heavenly Father, omitting all the thees and thous.

Maybe it will take the Church another 2 000 years to get the celebration right.

I noticed when I watched Midnight Mass broadcast from Rome that the cardinals had the opportunity to at least dip the Eucharist into the chalice of wine, while everyone else (the plebs) only received the host.

John Driver, Daveyton

Marriages not what they were

A

SHORT insight—when we look back at the previous generation, we see marriages that lasted for decades; my parents were married for 56 years.

The reason is simple. There was mutual respect for the Word of God and the Ten Commandments. Just as there was order in church and sacredness.

Society has changed, and morals and values continue to decline.

Yet nowhere in scripture did Our Lord say that we may alter his Word or add an addendum or appendix as we go along, as society and human beings lose their faith and trust in God. We are still recovering from climate change that turned out to be a hoax and now we have an Amoris Laetitia that can be described as making divorce look good.

Pope Francis should really concentrate on uniting instead of dividing the faithful, and leave politics to the politicians.

Leonie Arries, George

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September 7 to September 13, 2016

Pope Benedict on resigning, favourite saints

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Daswa: Pray for his intercession

BY MANDLA ZIBI

A

S the first anniversary of Bl Benedict Daswa’s beatification approaches, the promoter of his cause for canonisation has called for a “groundswell of prayer” to provide the one irrefutable miracle needed for the Vatican to declare him a saint.

“I have been urging people to pray with great confidence to God for the favours they need through the intercession of Bl Benedict Daswa. The first anniversary of his historic beatification is an opportune time to highlight his story and encourage prayer through his intercession,” said Sr Claudette Hiosan.

Bl Daswa was beatified by Cardinal Angelo Amato as a martyr before 30 000 people at Tshitanini village near Tzaneen on September 13, 2015, five years after the cause for his beatification began. He is the only person born in the Southern African region to be beatified.

Born in 1946, the school principal was bludgeoned to death by fellow villagers on February 2, 1990 for resisting witchcraft. His feast day is on September 1.

The Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) at its plenary meeting in Botswana last month approved a special Prayer for Canonisation which will be coming out in print soon through Mariannhill Media.

Sr Hiosan’s previous meeting with the bishops in Pretoria had been “very fruitful, enthusiastic and encouraging”.

“It was suggested that we make an effort to refresh people’s memories of last year’s wonderful celebration of the beatification and recapture some of the enthusiasm and joy which was so evident in the country at that time,” she told The Southern Cross.

The bishops also gave the green light for a Blessed Daswa Novena for the nine days preceding the anniversary, beginning on September 4. Generally, a novena is a devotion consisting of prayers said on nine consecutive days, appealing for the granting of special graces.

“In my correspondence with people, both the novena and official Prayer to Obtain Favours have been used very efficaciously by many, and I’m receiving many reports of answers to prayer, including some healings,” Sr Hiosan said.

The Church requires only one inexplicable healing miracle for Bl Daswa to be canonised a saint of the Universal Church, “so it is important that we encourage a groundswell of prayer”, she said.

A majority of answered prayers came from

The martyr Bl Benedict Daswa was beatified a year ago on September 13. around South Africa, and mostly involved areas of peoples’ lives which Bl Daswa would have been quite interested in, Sr Hiosan said.

This ranged from people who had found jobs after having been retrenched, to small businesses which had revived after closing due to hard economic times.

“People need to know that Bl Daswa is receiving our prayers of intercession. We therefore have to take the huge energy and passion of last year and fan it into a flame for healing and an avenue for the obtaining of our favours from God,” Sr Hiosan urged.

The next step will be canonisation, for which a miracle is required—none was needed for the beatification because Daswa was declared a martyr for the faith.

After a report of a miracle is forwarded to the Vatican, it is investigated by independent experts who must declare it inexplicable, spontaneous and permanent. Once the pope is satisfied that the miracle can be approved and that there are no impediments to sainthood, he may issue a decree of canonisation.

Novena booklets and prayer cards with the Prayer to Obtain Favours are available in Venda, Tsonga, Sepedi, IsiZulu, IsiXhosa, Afrikaans and English from the diocesan office in Tzaneen and also online. Novena booklets are R5 each and prayer cards R3 each. For supplies, contact Sr Hiosan at 076 570 8843 or e-mail bendaswa@mweb.co.za To report favours obtained and to get further details about the Servant of God, Benedict Daswa, you can write to the e-mail above or to: Sister Claudette Hiosan FDNSC, Diocese of Tzaneen, PO Box 261, Tzaneen, 0850, or visit benedictdaswa.org.za See also page 11 for the prayer for Bl Daswa’s intercession, for you to cut out and keep.

Bishop Edward Risi of Keimoes-Upington presides over Mass to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Kamieskroon parish near Springbok in the Northern Cape. See report on page 3.

Hair row an ‘opportunity for overdue dialogue’

BY MANDLA ZIBI

T

HE head of one of South Africa’s oldest racially integrated Catholic schools welcomed last week‘s “hair protests” by black girls at former white schools as a “fantastic, wonderful opportunity for dialogue and change”.

Colin Northmore, head of Johannesburg’s Sacred Heart College, spoke after protests broke out at Pretoria Girls High School and spread to at least three more schools in Gauteng, Free State and the Western Cape, where black girl learners demonstrated against policies on hair, claiming that these are racially discriminatory.

The protests provide an opportunity for a long-delayed conversation on many issues that still plague the education sector in South Africa, Mr Northmore told The Southern Cross.

“One of these is the difference between tolerance and diversity. As a school, you have to understand that diversity means you give up your most cherished traditions and embrace a new shared identity,” he said.

“Tolerance means: yes, you can be with us at our school but you must do everything our own way. [But] that does not work in a country like ours. We should do away with an ‘Us versus Them’ attitude in our schools.”

Girls’ hair has become a topic of controversy—and of opportunity, according to a Catholic school principal. (Photo: Ulrike May) Mr Northmore agreed that rules, on issues like hair and dress, are important, but he maintained that the key consideration should be “the educational value or purpose of any such rule or policy code”.

“It is a sensitive balancing act but you can’t just be arbitrary about making rules. There must be a clear relation between the rule and its practical value for the learner’s life after Continued on page 3

Feed your soul with The

S outher n C ross

IT’S WORTH IT!

PERSPECTIVES

What are you Giving Back for Lent?

L Raymond Perrier ENT will soon be upon us—that period of penance, fasting and almsgiving to prepare ourselves for the joys of Easter.

It is an interesting twist of Catholic tradition that Ash Wednesday, which is not a holy day of obligation, generally attracts considerably more people to church than most real days of obligation (when they used to fall mid-week).

Lent is a season which is seared on the hearts of Catholics, even ones who are not regular Mass-goers. A few years ago when I was in England, we did some research on the religious practices of young people who were at least nominally Catholic. Whereas fewer than 5% went to church even once a month, over 30% said that they gave something up for Lent. The practice had remained an important part of how these young people defined themselves as Catholic.

So the question “What are you giving up for Lent?” is one that many of us will ask, and will be asked, this week. We can go through the modern-day litany of penitential acts—no alcohol, no cigarettes, no chocolate, no bread, no swearing, no Facebook. And then inevitably the discussion will come to the relative merits of “giving up” versus “taking up”—doing something extra rather than doing something less.

This is a commendable variation since it perhaps avoids us using Lent as a way of resuscitating our failed New Year’s Resolutions. “I tried to give up smoking in January and failed so now I can try again.” I am not saying that giving up smoking is a bad thing. But the whole point about Lent is that I should be looking out not looking inwards. The African theologian Augustine defined sin as being incurvatus in se “turned in on oneself”.

Let me therefore encourage a different Lenten practice and one which is also enshrined in Catholic tradition—not “giving

up” but “giving back”. Lent is a chance to do some volunteering, something which we all plan to do but many of us fail to get round to. It can make such a difference.

I have just been reviewing the work of the Denis Hurley Centre over the past year and looking at our volunteering. We run a kitchen that serves over 300 meals, five days a week, and we run it with just one social worker and one cook. That means almost all the work is done by volunteers. In fact, when I added it up it came to 2 238 volunteering sessions over the year or 8-9 people each day we served. If you use the new R20 per hour minimum wage, and assume that most volunteers did a three/four-hour session, that means they contributed the equivalent of between R135 000 and R180 000 of labour to the project. An unbelievable amount!

S

o part of the power of the volunteering is in the work that it delivers. We certainly could not feed as many people as we do if we did not have volunteers. We also could not treat as many sick as we do—almost 3 000 a month—if our paid team were not supplemented by trained volunteer doctors

volunteers at the denis hurley centre in durban. Lent is a great opportunity to start giving back by way of giving of your time to help others.

and nurses. And that is replicated all round the country in different NGOs, parish-based projects, community groups and formal organisations like SVDP, Rotary and CWL. Armies of volunteers make a tangible difference to the lives of some of the most needy people in our midst: the elderly, the sick, the housebound, the youth. But, as is so often in the Church, the Pareto principle applies: that 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. So if you are one of the 20% who do the bulk of the volunteering— many thanks and keep it up. If you are among the 80% who do very little: what a great opportunity you have now in Lent to make a start.

There are two further benefits of volunteering which should not be overlooked.

One is the witness it gives. A few years ago during the outbreak of xenophobic violence, an anxious young photocopier repair man was locked inside our building because of the problems on the streets outside.

When it was finally safe for him to leave, I was sure we would not see him again but instead he returned the following week to finish the job. He also told me something quite surprising: that over the weekend instead of going surfing or “chilling with his mates”, he had gone to volunteer at a refugee shelter near the city. Why? Because he had been so impressed by the work of the Denis Hurley staff and volunteers, and the fact that they carried on in the midst of all the problems, that he was moved to go and do his bit.

Continued on page 11

Family Friendly

toni rowland welcomes the bishops’ pastoral letter on marriage and the family. she is also conscious of the frailty of many of her children (291).”

In noting the way forward for our region, the bishops state that attention needs to be given to the needs of marriage preparation, accompaniment of newly-weds and situations of cohabitation where there is no intention of marrying. They referred to parenting skills, traditional marriages, polygamy and “difficult situations in which a number of the faithful live”.

In the pastoral letter the bishops did not make reference to the other big issues that were hotly debated at the Synods, namely contraception and same-sex unions.

Likely these are not seen as such big issues locally but should be seen to be part of “the difficult situations” to which attention should be given. Both contraception and sexual orientation are dealt with in the wider context of human sexuality where abortion also finds its place.

We in South Africa have just marked 20 years since the legalisation of abortion and apart from a Mass at the cathedral in Cape

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Pray with the Pope

Faith and society

Life-giving in every social role Toni Rowland I N true family-friendly fashion of course ,I cannot but comment on the newly issued bishops’ pastoral letter on marriage and family life. As a columnist I do so independently and not as a member of either the working group of the SACBC Marriage and Family Desk or of the MARFAM Board of which I am the chairman.

We all in the local Church should welcome this response to Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love) which gives us some guidelines for the future and an insight into the bishops’ thinking.

Personally I find that making reference to chapters in the document that I think are rather unlikely to be read is not very helpful. I do particularly welcome the sentiments behind the quoted comment from Pope Francis’ The Joy of Love. “It is my hope that in reading this (whole) text all will feel called to love and cherish family life, for ‘families are not a problem; they are first and foremost an opportunity’ (JL7).”

Sounds good, but there is more to it than that. It is widely recognised that there are very many problems in families and with family life in the Church and society.

A number of them are discussed at length in Amoris Laetitia. In this document Pope Francis’ approach is of merciful accompaniment and careful discernment in problem situations such as receiving communion by divorced and remarried Catholics.

In some countries this issue is being widely debated. Our bishops quote from the document without any comments.

“The Synod Fathers stated that although the Church realises that any breach of the marriage bond is against the will of God

the southern cross, February 22 to February 28, 2017

Town I have not heard of much attention being given to this.

There is clearly much to be done, as Pope Francis writes, in loving and cherishing family life but let me add loving and cherishing “life”. For me and my late husband Chris the concept of “life-giving” used by the late Fr Chuck Gallagher was a key to our vision for family ministry and has always remained of value for me. We are called to be life-giving as couples, parents, widows, divorced, same-sex, or singles who still belong to a family.

The SACBC recognises that family teams should be put in place at diocesan level and ideally also at parish level. Such teams, of mentor couples, as well as singles, widowed and divorced people and older youth, can promote a general (life-giving) family focus in a parish. They can offer resources for families of all types and ages for promoting a spirituality of the family as the little church of the home. But it is no good putting structures in place without offering content.

MARFAM is one of the organisations focusing on this. The annual family year planner, daily family faith focus reflections, magazine articles and various other materials for family prayer and faith sharing for liturgical seasons or around family issues are also available. A weekly e-newsletter comments on current affairs. Visit www.marfam.org.za for more information.

Hurley Memorial Pilgrimage Presented by the Denis Hurley Centre

Lourdes • Paris • Rome 11 to 21 September 2017

led by Bishop Barry Wood with Raymond Perrier

Contact Gail now at info@fowlertours.co.za or phone 076 352-3809

www.fowlertours.co.za/hurley

Neighbourhood Old Age Homes

We can use your old clothing, bric-a-brac, furniture and books for our second-hand shop in Woodstock, Cape Town.

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

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

Pray for persecuted Christians General Intention: That persecuted Christians may be supported by the prayers and material help of the whole Church.

HE martyrdom of St Maurice and the Legion of Thebes happened a long time ago but the issues it raised are still with us today. This military unit of the Roman army, which happened to be made up of Egyptian Christians, was ordered to Europe to put down a rebellion in France. Because they were Christians, the legion refused to offer incense to the Emperor Diocletian and the order was given to decimate it, that is, to kill one in every ten soldiers. According to the story, the decimation process was repeated until Maurice and his men were all dead.

The core issue, as with all martyrdom, is that there is always a point at which loyalty to the state is limited by the martyr’s ultimate loyalty to God. Maurice and his men, along with many other martyrs of the time, felt that they could not participate in a ritual which made a man into a god: it was a line they could not and would not cross.

It’s difficult to avoid persecution when you have rulers with serious god-complexes. Such people are usually monsters whose all-consuming need is to control everything and everyone, even how others think.

These power-addicts need absolute loyalty from their followers. Surprisingly for a democratic age, we still have some survivors. Kim Jong-Un of North Korea would be a good candidate. This creepy young man with the bad haircuts behaves like a savage god who capriciously takes life at the slightest slight.

The North Korean equivalent to burning incense to the emperor is the hysterical adulation that people are expected to express whenever Kim Jong-Un appears in public. Clearly people are terrified that they will be noticed for not cheering lustily enough. It’s quite hard to get reliable data on the state of Christianity in North Korea because of the extent to which the state is cut off from the rest of the world. However, Christians obviously have to be very discreet about their faith, unsurprisingly when you’re dealing with a leader who is perfectly happy to have officials summarily executed with anti-aircraft guns!

Often the persecution of Christians in authoritarian states, whether religious or secularist, serves a political purpose—to distract attention from the shortcomings of governments or to pull an unstable and fractious society together against an imagined common enemy.

At the same time, there are clearly also groups of religious fanatics who feel it their religious duty to suppress Christianity by violence, including killing. They too have a partly political goal, which is to establish “pure” religious societies in which everyone lives their public and private lives according to a strict interpretation of the faith.

Where does this violence come from? It seems that most religions are prone to this from time to time—that fanatical puritanism which will not tolerate difference or otherness.

Sadly, we can see that this violent zeal is doing huge damage to societies in the Middle East and elsewhere. It is like an echo of the devastation of the Thirty Years War in Europe in the 17th century.

Extremism like this is never satisfied.

Once it has dealt with Christian or Jewish minorities, it then turns on those elements which are not zealous enough among the majority. The logic of such extreme zealotry is an unending jihad or crusade.

We pray for Christians in such situations and we support them through our international agencies and diplomatic reach.

We pray for the whole Church too. It seems that this grim sign of the times places a historic responsibility on Christians and particularly Catholics to give witness to the possibility of living one’s faith in a multi-religious world and holding fast to the belief in religious pluralism.

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the southern cross, February 22 to February 28, 2017

COMMUNITY

CORRECTION We are sorry for any confusion or distress experienced by our error on the Community page of February 8. We mistakenly used an old photograph and caption of Catholic Women’s League members Vera Crowther and Netty Commins. We apologise for our subediting error.

de La salle holy cross college high school in Johannesburg’s learners and staff paid tribute to springbok legend Joost van der Westhuizen, following his death. the college lowered its sA and school flags to halfmast and learners gathered on the school field, holding up a south African flag as well as the school badge, and stood in a ‘J9’ formation. the J9 Foundation was started by van der Westhuizen to help others with motor neuron disease to never give up.

Fr Anthony ndang ndichia MhM blesses south African Police service officials on the celebration of Police sunday at st Francis of Assisi parish in sasolburg in the diocese of kroonstad.

Qoqodala parish community in the Queenstown diocese has drawn up a three-year pastoral programme and elected leaders who will help to realise its vision and mission. Parish priest Fr Matthias nsamba is pictured with the parish team.

For the feast day of don Bosco, the parish of don Bosco in robertsham, Johannesburg, held an outdoor Mass with a family fun day consisting of games for children and tea and cake for parishioners. Pictured at the day are don Bosco catechists.

nande tabata was the top learner in 2016 at Marian rc high school in Matroosfontein, cape town. she obtained seven distinctions and was placed second in the province for isixhosa first additional language.

holy rosary convent in Edenvale, Johannesburg’s Grade 11 geography class recently went on a tour to Zingela safari and river company, in Weenen, kZn. seen here are the group before they went water rafting.

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ENVIRONMENT

the southern cross, February 22 to February 28, 2017

9

It’s all about water Experts warn that water will become the scarce resource over which conflicts will be fought. Antonio tonin urges strong action to prevent wars over water.

I

N the Book of Genesis we learn that our Creator decided that after he had formed the planet, life-supporting water would be the first mandatory resource to be provided, one that would then sustain all living plants, animals, insects and human beings. The rest of creation followed thereafter.

So the ultimate importance of water to sustain life was established forever, and it is still so today, and will be many years into the future.

Therefore it is not unreasonable to state that our standard of valuing everything on this earth should be based on this priceless, precious commodity which is second only to human life in importance.

To accept this standard means that we then have to completely overturn our perceptions of what is of real value in life.

The world recognises such values as power, wealth, economic growth, the constant manipulation of the value of money, but denies the rights of ordinary people and ignores the demands of the environment.

The world values natural resources that don’t sustain life, such as gold, diamonds and silver.

In the preamble to his encyclical Laudato Si’, Pope Francis warns: “Some studies warn that an acute water shortage may occur within a few decades unless urgent action is taken. The environmental repercussions could affect billions of people; it is also conceivable that the control of water by large multinational businesses may become a major source of conflict in this century.”

According to the UN Charter of Human Rights, every human being should have a right to access the resources of the world for survival.

Because the planet and all its resources are, and forever will be limited, it will be necessary for every region to establish how much water—part of its Environmental Capital—it has at its disposal.

Given the modern technology available, this should not be very onerous.

Since the economy of any country is entirely dependent on a constantly available water supply, it is necessary to prioritise the use to which water is put. In any one year, the economy will need to be adjusted according to the amount of water available.

What is indisputable is that the total quantity of available fresh water on this planet is forever limited.

Already there are serious signs worldwide that water shortages are becoming more and more common and this will inevitably lead to dramatic conflicts between communities, regions and countries over access to fresh water.

According to the World Health Organisation, the human body

In tribute to Fr XA Kondlo (1978-2016) register today to be an Organ Donor It’s easy at www.odf.org.za

needs about 3 litres a day to stay alive. How do we start to manage the increasingly important task of assuring that each member of the human race will have access to the daily quantity of water needed for survival?

Once each region has established how much of the water component of its Environmental Capital is available, it then needs to determine whether it has enough to sustain the necessary constant/survival economy within the limits of water supply. Some regions will not have the constant, minimum sustainable amount of water necessary for ongoing survival, in which case it will be necessary for regions with a surplus to assist in making up the shortfall.

System change A planet with limited resources, both renewable and non-renewable, can no longer support the neoliberal, capitalist, free market philosophy. To avoid the current competing interests over the ownership and usage of resources, there needs to be a dismantling of the current concentration of wealth in the hands of 1% of the human race, resulting in a much more equitable spread amongst all people.

This leads to a discussion of the state of our world right now.

Water is the most precious, priceless part of the Environmental Capital of the planet. The other major components are the oceans and their depths, rivers, mountains, forests, savannahs, the Arctic and Antarctica and all the animals that inhabit them, including us humans.

Therefore, as we are supposed to be the most “intelligent” species on this earth, of necessity we need to exercise due care and husbandry of our Environmental Capital, keeping it always at a sustainable level.

We have not being very good at this at all, over the past 60 years or so. By the end of 2016 we had consumed 1,6 times the amount of renewable resources that Mother Nature can provide in any one year. It is clear that if we continue in this pattern, we will exhaust our Environmental Capital in very short order, thereby precipitating a cataclysmic disaster.

To avoid this we have to subscribe to the idea that the total environment is the real economy, and ordinary people really do matter.

Because it should really be our basic concern, we, the ordinary people, need to take command of our Environmental Capital and treat our resources accordingly, starting right now.

We, the people, need to use our civic power to force our governments into immediate action in as short a time as possible.

To start this process immediately under the current forms of government worldwide requires a very strong call by ordinary people to overcome the bureaucratic inertia and lethargy of the “party political” governing pattern.

However, if we, the people, really want government “of the people, by the people, for the people”, then we must create pressure for a change from the current forms of

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government worldwide, which have been corrupted by power-hungry party politics and venality.

There is an urgent need for all world governments to immediately put in place the necessary laws, rules and regulations to enforce the mandatory raising of the process of recycling all possible materials for further use, and to encourage the financing of research into the latest techniques of doing so.

New innovation needed Another very important factor would be the implementation of the design philosophy that all products be designed and manufactured to last as long as possible, for the use they are meant for. The world no longer has space available for landfill sites, so we must find technological and scientific ways of identifying and extracting all recyclable materials from such sites.

On September 25, 2015, the United Nations adopted a new sustainable development agenda consisting of 17 Sustainable Development Goals to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity for all. Each goal has specific target benchmarks to be achieved over the next 15 years.

For the attainment of these goals everyone needs to do their part: governments, the private sector, civil society and all people like us. Do you want to get involved?

You can start by telling everyone about them.

The details of each goal are presented at www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/news/communications -material These 17 Sustainable Development Goals have been signed and agreed to by 184 of the world’s countries, and now come into force. It is significant that all these goals are completely and entirely forever dependent on water for successful implementation.

What was an amazing announcement at the COP 22 in Marrekesh in November 2016, was the alerting of the world community by the UN Environmental Group that the CO2 emission levels agreed to in December 2015 at COP 21 need to be immediately reduced by a further 25%.

This dramatic announcement was commented on by the UN secretary general, Pope Francis and the Patriarch Bartholomew, primate of the Greek Orthodox Church. No other world leaders made any mention of this, nor did major media sources.

It should at least have provoked an alarming reaction from world leaders that all their Sustainable Development Goals objectives over the next 14 years need to be immediately, seriously recalculated. And at the same time the importance of this requirement must be conveyed to every living human being—which clearly did

PILGRIMAGE TO THE PROMISED LAND 2017 21-29 oct 2017

A wonderful spiritual and informative journey to where Christianity began, Israel. Walk in the footsteps of Jesus and Mary. Christian sites to include Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Nazareth, Galilee to name but a few. Well known Bible stories will become clear.

Short stop in Old Constantinople (Istanbul) en route.

Organised and led by Rev Fr Stephen Tully.

Cost from R25465 Tel: (031) 266 7702 Fax: (031) 266 8982 Email: judyeichhorst@telkomsa.net

Life-giving fresh and clean water is a precious resource which must not be squandered nor privatised for profit. competition for this increasingly rare commodity may well cause future wars. (Photo: catholic Welfare & development) not happen.

Even given the urgency to make the environmental changes, we must still pressure our governments to take immediate action, if this planet is to be left in a peaceful, sustainable state for future generations. Is it also about time that all Christians took seriously Christ’s New Testament commandments: Love God with your whole mind, body and soul; and love your neighbour as you love yourself.

We all need to develop a state of mind in which we first of all respect ourselves, and every other member of the human race, as equals and cohabitees of our world, as well as respecting our beautiful and mysterious, sustaining environment.

We need to take the time to give ourselves the opportunity to ponder the wonders of our world and the myriad interrelating, interde-

pendent ecosystems that keep us alive every day, in spite of the neglect and abuse we hurl at them.

If instead, we promoted and encouraged the study of the deeper meaning of life through the humanities—such as the various practices of meditation as espoused by the major religions of the world, the intense scrutiny of the fine art of the past centuries, the unbelievable descriptions of the human mind found in the great literature of the world, and the emotional display of incredibly beautiful music by the classical composers—we may just be able to plumb the innermost depths of our souls and head towards a more peaceful life.

What would it profit a man/woman if he/she gained the whole world, but suffered the loss of his/her soul? n Antonio Tonin writes from East London

10

the southern cross, February 22 to February 28, 2017

FAITH

Ready for Ash Wednesday?

Ash Wednesday, which this year is on March 1, is a day on which we begin our Lenten journey. As such it is a day of conversion, as kELvin BAndA oP explains.

O

NE of the days that never ceases to surprise me is Ash Wednesday. This is because on that day the casual church-goer and even some non-believers come to church to receive their ashes.

Last year I asked one person who claims not to be a believer why he came to the Ash Wednesday service.

His answer was very simple: “From dust I came, and to dust shall I return.” This is indeed the teaching of the Church.

Ash Wednesday marks the opening of the Christian penitential season of Lent. For many people that day is a reminder of death, of the sorrow they should feel for their sins, and of the necessity of changing their lives.

It is intended to be a solemn, soul-searching day when we face our personal and communal failure to live out Jesuss’ teachings, and humbly open our hearts to conversion, charity, penance and reconciliation.

Ash Wednesday is also supposed to be a holy day of fasting—fasting in solidarity with the poor, vulnerable, those suffering for the sake of the kingdom of God so that justice and equity can be established, widows and orphans who have been denied rights to inheritance.

“From dust you came and to dust you shall return.” Ashes are seen on an Ash Wednesday service.

Ash Wednesday is again a day of unconditional love—agape. It is a love which invites all and calls us to repent for and disown selfishness, hatred and hate, fear and apathy.

It is a time that allows God to reign in our hearts and among us.

Letting God be God of us all—total surrender to God so that we can be renewed and be charged with compassion and mercy for all humanity.

A

sh Wednesday is a day of conversion, a day that challenges us to perfect our lives during the Lenten season. This can be done by stripping off our hot tempers, pride or self-hatred, and embracing the love of God given to us through Christ Jesus.

On Ash Wednesday we are called to fast not only from food, but also from our own misery—the misery that has accumulated in our hearts as a result of selfishness and failure to do God’s will.

We need to fast so that we can humble ourselves before God, turn-

ing away from evil and a return to God. This involves total metanonia —believing in the God of mercy, love and compassion.

Ash Wednesday calls us to internally look into ourselves and be aware of the presence of God in our lives, and in the world around us— and to build on that throughout Lent (and then throughout the year).

Ash Wednesday helps us realise the good within us which can make us prosper by being people of service to one another.

Ash Wednesday summons us to heed to the word of God’s healing when the priest or acolyte puts the ashes on our foreheads and says: “From dust you came and to dust you shall return.”

Healing comes into us when we pour out all our sins before God and ask for liberation from all the burdens of the world that put us down.

Ash Wednesday is a day to be real Christians and challenge the injustices around the world, a day for deciding that we are all equal before God, regardless of race or sex or equity.

It is a day and a season for forgiving those whom we have failed to forgive and also ask for their forgiveness, even if we were once bruised or rejected by them.

As we begion our Lenten journey, God asks us to lay down all of this at the Holy Cross of Christ Jesus our Saviour and Redeemer.

God only asks us to walk in mercy, justice, kindness and in love.

As my non-believer friend rightly noted, “From dust I came, and to dust shall I return.” What counts is what we do in between.

Papal audience

S outher n C ross Pilgrimage

HOLY LAND • ROME ASSISI • CAIRO

Led by Archbishop William Slattery OFM Pilgrimage Highlights Holy Land: Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, Sea of Galilee, Jordan River, Cana (with renewal of wedding vows) and much more...

Rome: Papal Audience, St Peter’s Basilica, Major Basilicas, Ancient and Baroque Rome, and much more...

Assisi: The places associated with the lives of St Francis and St Clare, including their tombs, and much more...

Greccio: A special excursion to the place where St Francis and companions stayed. It is here where St Francis invented the Nativity Scene.

Cairo: Pyramids, Sphinx, Hanging Church and more...

In Lent, remember the gift of tears Do not be afraid to cry, for our tears can be translated as a message from the heart, advises Fr rALPh dE hAhn in this Lenten reflection.

T

Jerusalem

Assisi

A pilgrim kisses the rock of the Agony in the church of All nations at Gethsemane in Jerusalem. it is on this rock that Jesus made his tearful prayer before his arrest.

25 Aug - 8 Sept 2017 St Peter’s

Sea of Galilee

For more information or to book, please contact Gail info@fowlertours.co.za or 076 352-3809

www.fowlertours.co.za/slattery

EARS flow when there is sadness; they also flow when there is joy and a deep happi-

ness.

There are natural tears from our own emotional makeup, as well as artificial tears, not only in theatre, but also by insincere humanity.

There are plenty of tears shed in Shakespearean and Greek drama as well as in hilarious comedy.

Moving through the pages of sacred scripture we can certainly imagine the tears spent by the great prophets, as also with kings Saul and David and the women— Eve, Sara, Ruth, Rahab, Miriam, Rachel, Mary and Martha, Elizabeth, Mary of Magdala, and so many more.

In his life on earth, Jesus wept on many occasions: when at prayer on the hills, when his friend Lazarus died, when he looked upon Jerusalem and foretold its destruction, and certainly as he suffered the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane before his arrest.

Crying is not a sign of weakness, cowboys may shed tears. It is not unmanly to weep.

Tears can be translated as a message from the heart, even from the very soul of one crying in the wilderness. Listen to the cry of the stubborn Peter, seeing his master being led to the torture chambers—when the cock crowed, “and he wept bitterly”.

The loud cries of triumph from the brave women—like Deborah, Jael, Esther, Abigail and Hannah— did not come about without much pain and weeping.

The women of Jerusalem wept for the Lord, so did the wife of

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Pontius Pilate.

The young girl caught in the act of committing adultery was in tears, ashamed and fearful, and there was also a cry for pity.

T

he one leper of the ten who found himself healed returned to the Lord with tears of thanksgiving. The man born lame who was suddenly healed by Peter and John at the Temple’s gate must have danced that first dance with joyful tears.

And what of Mary, the mother of the suffering and abused Son; was there ever such sorrow as experienced by such a mother, because of such a Son? And what joyful tears when he appeared to his mother after his glorious resurrection!

When the holy women came to the tomb that Sunday morning with the ointments, they were greeted with the words: “Why are you weeping?” And their deep sorrow was eventually turned into an inexplicable joy.

And all through scripture we find this play between tears of sorrow and those of ecstatic joy; both undeniably present in the fulfilling of our human vocation.

How beautiful to confess one’s sins before the whole Church, in that humble act of reconciliation, when the lips are pleading, the heart is opening and the eyes are moist!

We can hear the ancient poets still sing in praise of our tears—for “we are thankful that you run, though you trickle in the darkness, you shall glitter in the sun”.

We often do not see the richness of our sad moments, when those dark clouds enfold us, and the cross of Jesus beckons us; we are called to persevere in faith and with undying hope, for the sun is always alive behind those ugly clouds.

For see, the rainbow would not shine if rain refused to fall, and the eyes that cannot weep are the saddest eyes of all.

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the southern cross, February 22 to February 28, 2017

CLASSIFIEDS

Value of giving and of receiving Continued from page 7 You never know who is watching you and who might be inspired by you.

The other reason is captured beautifully in a document that you will hear me referring to often this year. It is called Populorum Progressio and was published by Blessed Pope Paul VI 50 years ago next month. The title translates as “On the Development of Peoples” and is a key manifesto for the Church’s work with the poor.

The document recognises that “effort and sacrifice”—which would include volunteering—are needed on “the road towards greater humanity”. It focuses on “the complete development of each human being”.

It struck me that in our work, for example, when a volunteer prepares and serves a meal for a

homeless person, it is not just the poor person who is developing but also the volunteer.

Because, in the words of Pope Paul, the encounter between the person who gives and the person who receives can “open the paths which lead to mutual assistance among peoples, to a deepening of human knowledge, to an enlargement of heart, to a more brotherly [or sisterly] way of living within a truly universal human society”.

So through volunteering, our hearts are changed. We see that in the young people who come from schools and universities and confirmation groups: often discovering for the first time the joy that we receive when we give.

We see that in the corporate groups of lawyers and accountants who come in; they learn

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 747. ACROSS: 5 Park, 7 Presbytery, 8 Work, 10 Tridents, 11 Stella, 12 Scream, 14 Stings, 16 Patent, 17 Stagnant, 19 Rude, 21 Inevitable, 22 Snap. DOWN: 1 Spew, 2 Ashkelon, 3 Lystra, 4 Perils, 5 Pyre, 6 Restrained, 9 Outstation, 13 Rotarian, 15 Scales, 16 Patria, 18 Grip, 20 Eyes.

Our bishops’ anniversaries This week we congratulate: February 24: Bishop Barry Wood OMI, Auxiliary Bishop of Durban, on the 11th anniversary of his episcopal ordination February 28: Cardinal Wilfrid Napier OFM on the 36th anniversary of his episcopal ordination

Word of the Week

Apocrypha: The Apocrypha consists of a set of books written between 400BC and the time of Christ. Many of the books are accepted by the Church, such as Tobit, Judith, 1 and 2 Maccabees, Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach (also known as Ecclesiasticus), and Baruch.

that their city is so much more complex and varied than they realised living in their bubbles.

We see that in the older people who come in, many of whom are initially scared of the city centre and who then after some time find themselves at home.

And we see that in the homeless people who volunteer (about one-quarter of our “workforce”) who discover that they can be the ones who give as well as the ones who receive.

Again to quote Pope Paul: “When work is done in common, when hope, hardship, ambition and joy are shared, it brings together and firmly unites the wills, minds and hearts of people: in its accomplishment, we find ourselves to be children of the same God.” That’s not a bad ambition for Lent.

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: Retreat day/quiet prayer last saturday of each month except december, at springfield convent in Wynberg, cape town. hosted by cLc, 10.00-3.30. contact Jill on 083 282 6763 or Jane on 082 783 0331.

Perpetual Adoration Chapel at Good shepherd parish, Bothasig, welcomes all visitors. open 24 hours a day. the parish is at 1 Goede hoop st, Bothasig.

Phone 021 558 1412.

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

Your prayer to cut out and collect

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 9:00. Holy Mass and Divine Mercy Devotion at 17:30 on first Friday of every month.

Sunday Mass at 9:00.

Phone 031 309 3496 or 031 209 2536.

Overport rosary group.

At Emakhosini hotel, 73 East street every Wednesday at 18.30.

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 17:30.

A Lenten Prayer God, heavenly Father, look upon me and hear my prayer during this holy Season of Lent. By the good works You inspire, help me to discipline my body and to be renewed in spirit.

Without You I can do nothing. By Your Spirit help me to know what is right and to be eager in doing Your will. Teach me to find new life through penance. Keep me from sin, and help me live by Your commandment of love.

God of love, bring me back to You. Send Your Spirit to make me strong in faith and active in good works.

May my acts of penance bring me Your forgiveness, open my heart to Your love, and prepare me for the coming feast of the Resurrection of Jesus.

Lord, during this Lenten Season,

nourish me with Your Word of life and make me one with You in love and prayer.

Fill my heart with Your love and keep me faithful to the Gospel of Christ. Give me the grace to rise above my human weakness. Give me new life by Your Sacraments, especially the Mass.

Father, our source of life, I reach out with joy to grasp Your hand; let me walk more readily in Your ways.

Guide me in Your gentle mercy, for left to myself I cannot do Your Will.

Father of love, source of all blessings, help me to pass from my old life of sin to the new life of grace.

Prepare me for the glory of Your Kingdom. I ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever. Amen.

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Births • First communion • confirmation • Engagement/Marriage • Wedding anniversary • ordination jubilee • congratulations • deaths • in memoriam • thanks • Prayers • Accommodation • holiday Accommodation • Personal • services • Employment • Property • others Please include payment (R1,70 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

IN MEMORIAM

MCNAMARA—kerry séan. in loving memory of a wonderful husband, father and grandfather who passed away in swakopmund on January 16, 2017. he will always remain in our hearts and is lovingly remembered by shelagh, kevan, nicky, rowan, tarryn, Bevinn, Mike and nine grandchildren.

PRAYERS

FATHER, you have given all peoples one common origin. it is your will that they be gathered together as one family in yourself.

Fill the hearts of mankind with the fire of your love and with the desire to ensure justice for all. By sharing the good things you give us, may we secure an equality for all our brothers and sisters throughout the world. May there be an end to division, strife and war.

May there be a dawning of a truly human society built on love and peace. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

LORD GOD, this candle that i light here today reminds me of the light that you enkindled in me at my Baptism. renew the flame

of your Love in me. Let it burn away all my egotism, my jealousy, my pride and my failure to love. Let me have a warm and generous heart. Lord, i am not able to remain here in this church very much longer: i have to go. so, please accept this candle in my place. Let it be like a part of me that i give to you. here, before the image of Blessed Mary, Mother of God, and imploring her powerful intercession, i ask you, as i offer you this humble candle, to allow my prayer to penetrate every activity and every facet of my life, so that everything will be shaped and formed by the burning flame of your Love. i ask this for Jesus’ sake.

Amen.

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.

PERSONAL

ABORTION WARNING: the truth will convict a silent church. see www.valuelifeabortion isevil.co.za ABORTION WARNING: the Pill can abort. All catholic users (married or cohabiting) must be told, to save their souls and their unborn infants. see www. epm.org/static/uploads/ downloads/bcpill.pdf

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

GORDON’S BAY: harbour Park. sleeps 2 adults and 2 children. Fully furnished. r2 100 per week. Phone Alison on 084 577 1356 or delton on 083 414 6534.

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

O VIRGIN Mother, in the depths of your heart you pondered the life of the son you brought into the world.

Give us your vision of Jesus and ask the Father to open our hearts, that we may always see his presence in our lives, and in the power of the holy spirit, bring us into the joy and peace of the kingdom, where Jesus is Lord forever and ever. Amen.

FATHER in heaven, everliving source of all that is

Traditional Latin Mass

Liturgical Calendar

Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel 36 Central Avenue, Pinelands, Cape Town

Year A – Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday February 26, 8th Sunday of the Year Isaiah 49:14-15, Psalms 62:2-3, 6-9, 1 Corinthians 4:1-5, Matthew 6:24-34 Monday February 27 Sirach 17:24-29 (20-28), Psalms 32:1-2, 5-7, Mark 10:17-27 Tuesday February 28 Sirach 35:1-12 (1-15), Psalms 50:5-8, 14, 23, Mark 10:28-31 Wednesday March 1, Ash Wednesday Joel 2:12-18, Psalms 51:3-6, 12-14, 17, 2 Corinthians 5:20--6:2, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18 Thursday March 2 Deuteronomy 30:15-20, Psalms 1:1-4, 6, Luke 9:22-25 Friday March 3 Isaiah 58:1-9, Psalms 51:3-6, 18-19, Matthew 9:14-15 Saturday March 4, St Casimir Isaiah 58:9-14, Psalms 86:1-6, Luke 5:27-32 Sunday March 5, 1st Sunday of Lent Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7, Psalms 51:3-6, 12-14, 17, Romans 5:12-19, st casimir Matthew 4:1-11

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the

1st Sunday in Lent: March 5 Readings: Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7, Psalm 51:36, 12-14, 17, Romans 5:12-19, Matthew 4:1-11

N

EXT Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, and we start the long journey to Easter.

The heart of the matter here is that we have to place God at the centre of our existence; nothing else works, and it will be our Lenten task to see what are the created things that we turn hopefully into “gods”, only to discover that they bring us not the freedom that they seemed to promise, but slavery.

So in Sunday’s first reading we watch in awe as humanity is lovingly created by God, who breathes into the nostrils of the “Adam” (there is a Hebrew pun here on the “clay” from which the “Adam” was manufactured), who then becomes “a living being”; and God then generously gives beautiful trees “lovely to look at”.

That, however, is not the end of the matter, and another of God’s creatures, “the snake”, comes into the picture, and directly invites the Woman to taste the lovely fruit of the tree that they have been ordered by God not to eat, arguing that God is jealous, and “the moment you eat it, you will be like God, knowing good and bad”.

S outher n C ross

So the story goes its sad way, and the attractiveness of the plant makes her (and then her husband) suppose that they know better than God (indeed that they are “gods”), and tragically they eat it.

With what result? They make the utterly useless discovery that they are naked, and have to sew loincloths from fig leaves to cover their embarrassment.

This is the model for the way we human beings get things wrong. All we have to do is to place God firmly at the centre of our lives.

The psalm for next Sunday is one we shall often hear during Lent: “Have mercy on me, O God, in accordance with your steadfast love.”

It recognises that we have put things other than God at the centre of our lives, and begs the Lord to put things right: “Create a clean heart for me, O God…do not send me from your presence.”

The final petition is important for us, recognising that God is after all the centre of everything: “Lord—open my lips, and my mouth shall make known your praise.”

Our focus, this Lent and always, has to be on the God who gave us this wonderful world, not on ourselves and not on God’s gifts to us.

But we get things wrong, and God has to put it right. That is what Paul is reflecting on in Sunday’s second reading: Sin has come into the world, and through Sin, Death. We human beings were unable to do anything to cope with the result, so God had to do it; and God does it by way of a free gift!

God’s gift simply overflows to all of us, through the obedience of Christ. That is an awesome thought.

The Gospel for the first Sunday of Lent is always the story of Jesus’ temptations before he starts his mission. This is Matthew’s year, so we hear how Matthew tells the story.

Matthew is clear that the Spirit is driving the story: “Jesus was led up into the desert by the Spirit, to be tempted by the Devil.” Then we are invited to eavesdrop on how the temptation goes, and how to resist.

All the temptations invite Jesus to put him-

Welcoming the stranger I

prophets. For him, God not only makes a preferential option for the poor, but God is in the poor. How we treat the poor is how we treat God. Moreover, the prophets’ mantra, that we will be judged religiously by how we treat the poor, is given a normative expression in Jesus’ discourse on the final judgment in the gospel of Matthew, Chapter 25.

We are all familiar, perhaps too familiar, with that text. Jesus, in effect, was answering a question: What will the last judgment be like? What will be the test? How will we be judged?

His answer is stunning and, taken baldly, is perhaps the most challenging text in the Gospels. He tells us that we will be judged, seemingly solely, on the basis of how we treated the poor, that is, on how we have treated the most vulnerable among us. Moreover, at one point, he singles out “the stranger”, the foreigner, the refugee: “I was a stranger and you made me welcome … or … you never made me welcome.” We end up on the right or wrong side of God on the basis of how we treat the stranger.

What also needs to be highlighted in this text about the last judgment is that neither group, those who got it right and those who got it wrong, knew what they were doing.

Both initially protest: the first by saying: “We didn’t know it was you we were serving” and the second by saying: “Had we known it was you we would have responded.”

Conrad

N the Hebrew scriptures, that part of the Bible we call the Old Testament, we find a strong religious challenge to always welcome the stranger, the foreigner.

This was emphasised for two reasons: first, because the Jewish people themselves had once been foreigners and immigrants.

Their scriptures kept reminding them not to forget that. Second, they believed that God’s revelation, most often, comes to us through the stranger, in what’s foreign to us. That belief was integral to their faith.

The great prophets developed this much further. They taught that God favours the poor preferentially and that consequently we will be judged, judged religiously, by how we treat the poor.

The prophets coined this mantra (still worth memorising): The quality of your faith will be judged by the quality of justice in the land; and the quality of justice in the land will always be judged by how orphans, widows, and strangers fare while you are alive.

Orphans, widows, and strangers! That’s scriptural code for who, at any given time, are the three most vulnerable groups in society.

And the prophets’ message didn’t go down easy. Rather it was a religious affront to many of the pious at the time who strongly believed that we will be judged religiously and morally by the rigour and strictness of our religious observance.

Then, like now, social justice was often religiously marginalised.

But Jesus sides with the Hebrew

Nicholas King SJ

Put God at centre of life

omI STAmPS YouR uSed STAmPS

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sunday reflections

self at the centre of it all: “If you are the Son of God” is how the first two temptations begin; and they are temptations to use his power in his own self-interest, to feed himself by turning stones into bread, and to make a spectacular, eye-catching gesture of throwing himself down from the “pinnacle of the Temple”.

This second temptation even has the Devil quoting Scripture, to give Jesus a bit of incentive to place himself at the centre. Finally the third temptation is the invitation to view “all the kingdoms, and their glory”; and all he has to do is put the Devil where God should be: “I’ll give you this, if you’ll fall down and worship me.”

But only God can be put at the centre and worshipped, as Jesus rebuts him: “Away you go, Satan. For Scripture says: ‘The Lord your God shall you worship—and him alone shall you adore’.”

That must be our watchword on the Lenten journey that we are now starting.

Southern Crossword #747

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final reflection

Both protests, it would seem, are beside the point. In Matthew’s gospel, mature discipleship doesn’t depend upon on us believing that we have it right, it depends only upon us doing it right.

These scriptural principles, I believe, are very apropos today in the face of the refugee and immigrant issues we are facing in the Western world.

Today, without doubt, we are facing the biggest humanitarian crisis since the end of World War II. Millions upon millions of people, under unjust persecution and the threat of death, are being driven from their homes and homelands with no place to go and no country or community to receive them.

As Christians, we may not turn our backs on them or turn them away. If Jesus is to be believed, we will be judged religiously more by how we treat refugees than by whether or not we are going to church.

When we stand before God in judgment and say in protest: “When did I see you a stranger and not welcome you?”, our generation is likely to hear: “I was a Syrian refugee, and you did not welcome me.”

This, no doubt, might sound naïve, over-idealistic, and fundamentalist. The issue of refugees and immigrants is both highly sensitive and very complex. Countries have borders that need to be respected and defended, just as its citizens have a right to be protected.

Admittedly, there are very real political, social, economic, and security issues that have to be addressed. But, as we, our churches, and our governments, address them, we must remain clear on what the scriptures, Jesus, and the social teachings of the Church uncompromisingly teach: We are to welcome the stranger, irrespective of inconvenience and even if there are some dangers.

For all sorts of pragmatic reasons, political, social, economic, and security, we can perhaps justify not welcoming the stranger; but we can never justify this on Christian grounds.

Not welcoming the stranger is antithetical to the very heart of Jesus’ message and makes us too-easily forget that we too once were the outsider.

ACRoSS

5. Leave your car in a public place (4) 7. Body of church elders where priest is found? (10) 8. If one will not ..., neither let him eat (2 Thess 3) (4) 10. Rid tents of these spears (8) 11. All set for the star (6) 12. Yell (6) 14. Bees have them to give them (6) 16. Licence that is obvious?

(6) 17. Still like water without life (8) 19. Heard you regretted being impolite (4) 21. As certain as death (10) 22. Kind of dragon in the garden (4) Solutions on page 11

doWn

1. Spray around the pews (4) 2. Samson killed the men of this town (Jg 14) (8) 3. Town where the cripple was cured (Ac 14) (6) 4. Serious situations for fifty in the spire (6) 5. The fire is in happy remembrance (4) 6. Prevented from being unemotional? (10) 9. Mission spot that’s remote (10) 13. Does he go in circles to do good? (8) 15. They weigh matters of justice (6) 16. Roman fatherland (6) 18. Take hold (4) 20. They take in the sight (4)

CHURCH CHUCKLE

A

JESUIT, a Dominican, and a Trappist were marooned on a desert island. They found a magic lamp, and after some discussion decided to rub it.

Lo and behold, a genie appeared and offered them three wishes. They decided it was only fair that they should each have one wish.

The Jesuit said he wanted to teach at the world’s most famous university, and poof, he was gone!

The Dominican wished to preach in the world’s largest church, and poof, he was gone!

Then the Trappist said: “Gee, I already got my wish!”

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