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S outher n C ross www.scross.co.za

April 4 to April 10, 2018

Way of the Light now in Afrikaans

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reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 5078

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Kolping Society: Catholics serving through Christ

‘Four Seasons’ composer was a priest

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African youths at the Vatican: Give us a voice I

F the Catholic Church at every level— and governments, too—would listen to young people and give them a voice in decision-making, they could unleash great potential, African young adults told Catholic media in the Vatican. Tinyiko Joan Ndaba of Pretoria was one of the 305 young adults participating in a weeklong meeting designed to allow young people—involved Catholics and others—to provide input for Pope Francis and the world’s bishops, who will meet in a synod in October to discuss “young people, faith and vocational discernment”. “I hope that young people can be given a chance to change society because I think we have so much potential,” she told Catholic News Service. “But we can’t do it on our own,” she said. “We need support from the people who have been there before and who can give us direction [on] where to go.” Ms Ndaba was chosen to attend the meeting by Talitha Kum, the anti-human trafficking organisation where she works. The organisation is an international network of consecrated men and women in 75 countries promoting initiatives against human trafficking. While the Catholic Church in South Africa is doing its best to prevent future cases of human trafficking, she said, the Church also must warn young people of the harm inflicted by those who exploit women, especially when “the demand is coming from Catholics”.

ddressing the meeting, Pope Francis used strong words to condemn prostitution. “One who goes to a prostitute is a criminal—a criminal,” Pope Francis told the young people. “This is not making love. This is torturing a woman. Let’s not confuse the terms. This is criminal.” As one of many men and women working to prevent human trafficking in Africa, Ms Ndaba said she was happy to hear the pope speaking frankly about a “hidden crime”

that is “not talked about so much”. Human trafficking is an important topic for a youth gathering, she said, “because most victims of human trafficking are young people who are trying to find better jobs, a better life, so they migrate and traffickers take advantage of that, most especially with young people.”

endai Karombo, a 26-year-old from Zimbabwe, said she wants the Church in her country to have greater appreciation for young people, many of whom become caregivers for their elderly parents as early as 1215 years old. “When we come to Church, we do not get that respect…We are then sidelined to minor things, we cannot do a lot, we are viewed as weak, [so] we cannot do so many things,” she told Catholic News Agency. “I [would] hope and appreciate if the Church can also see that strength in us, make us responsible, and we can save so many souls,” she said. Vincent Paul Nneji from Nigeria said that the preparatory meeting offers a chance for young Catholics in his country who are considered “a minority voice” to speak out on important issues. “When the pope sent a letter on this meeting, we said, ‘Finally, the Church in Rome has decided to give us a platform; they decided to give us a listening ear,’” Mr Nneji said. African youths today have “so many things in our hearts we want to express and want to say”, yet they often feel disregarded. Too many, he said, then resort to violence in the hopes of provoking change. Mr Nneji hopes that, through the presynod meeting, the whole world “may see a reason for allowing youths to be heard, for allowing [young people] to be part of decision-making, even in society.” “If we were allowed to express ourselves, we would have less violence, we would have more peace in our society and in our world,” he said.

tinyiko Joan Ndaba, an anti-human trafficking activist from Pretoria and delegate to the presynod meeting at the Vatican, speaks during a media opportunity. youths from all over the world met at the Vatican in preparation for the Synod of Bishops on young people, the faith and vocational discernment this october at the Vatican. (Photo: robert Duncan/CNS)

Pope Francis in numbers I By Carol Glatz

N just five years as leader of the universal Church, Pope Francis has made 22 international trips, travelling 250 000km—the equivalent of six times around the world. He also has declared 80 new saints, plus 800 more in the form of Italian laymen killed by Ottoman soldiers in the 15th century. Those numbers and more were released by the Vatican, detailing the many papal events, documents, travels and accomplishments of the past five years. The numbers cover the period starting from March 19, 2013—the solemnity of St Joseph, the day officially inaugurating the start of his pontificate. According to the Vatican statistics, the 81year-old pope has: • Created 61 new cardinals. • Led 219 general audiences, with catechetical series that include reflections on the sacraments, the Church, the family, mercy, and the Mass. • Issued 41 major documents, including the encyclicals Lumen fidei and Laudato Si’, and the apostolic exhortations Evangelii Gaudium and Amoris Laetitia. • Prayed the Angelus and “Regina Coeli” with visitors 286 times. • Completed 22 trips abroad, 18 pastoral

visits within Italy and 16 visits to parishes in Rome—the diocese of the pope as bishop of Rome. • Made nine other visits to churches for special events and places of worship in Rome, including the city’s synagogue and Rome’s Evangelical Five years of Pope Lutheran and AngliFrancis. (Photo: Paul can churches, and the Haring/CNS) Ukrainian Catholic basilica. • Called four synods of bishops: two on the family, this year’s synod on young people and a synod on the Amazon in 2019. • Declared two special years: on consecrated life and the Year of Mercy. • Established or proclaimed seven special days, including World Day of the Poor, 24 Hours for the Lord, the annual September 1 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, and a day of prayer and fasting for peace in Syria, South Sudan and Congo. • Attended two World Youth Days (in Brazil and Poland), with the one in Panama planned for 2019.—CNS

Imagine a Church without The Southern Cross

he past few years have been rough on The Southern Cross, as it has been on most newspapers throughout the world. This is especially so since The Southern Cross is entirely independent and unsubsidised. We survive solely on revenue and the kind support of our readers. The changing face of media, the economic crisis, and spiralling costs of production have hit us hard. Our loyal staff have had to make sacrifices just so this newspaper can continue publishing every

week, as it has done for more than 5 000 consecutive weeks since 1920. The Post Office’s chronic unreliability and periodic strikes have affected our income to such an extent that we have had to draw from our reserves just to continue operation. We have recovered only partially from the effects of the crippling postal strike in late 2014. For the past couple of years we managed to avoid making a loss, but we know that one or two really bad years could destroy The Southern Cross.

Due to various factors out of our control, we are facing such a bad year at the moment — and we need to take action. One such action will be to raise the cover price again next month, after we found that the 50c increase in January will not help us — and even less so with the postal, printing and VAT increases! This is a necessary intervention to ensure that you will keep receiving your weekly Catholic newspaper every week in your preferred format: paper or digital. By remaining loyal to The Southern

Cross, YOU are helping it to survive. There are other ways you can help. Firstly, you can promote The Southern Cross in your parish and among your Catholic friends. Parishes which have a dedicated team of Southern Cross promoters do better than parishes that don’t. And those where the priest talks about interesting items in that week’s issue record better sales. Those who can afford it, can support The Southern Cross by contributing the Associates Campaign, which has already

helped us navigate stormy seas. Launched in 2002 to help us build up reserves and undertake important outreach work, The Associates’ Campaign is crucial in keeping TThe Southern Cross alive. To find out more, please e-mail admin@scross.co.za or call 021 465-5007 or visit scross.co.za/associates-campaign for details. In the meantime, imagine a South African Church without The Southern Cross! And please pray for us!

the Southern Cross, april 4 to april 10, 2018

LOCAL

Bishops issue special prayer for rain By EriN CarElSE

HE Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC) has asked all the faithful of South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland and other neighbouring countries to unite together in prayer for rain. Due to the drought that South Africa has been encountering lately, especially in the Western Cape, the SACBC has provided a prayer for rain in different languages so that all are able to take part in this initiative. Fr Paul Tatu, communications officer for the SACBC, stressed the importance of the prayer: “It is, first of

all, to thank God for the blessings of rain we have been receiving in some parts of our nation, but also to pray for more rain, especially in those areas where the drought has hit hard and many are suffering due to the shortage of water. “Everyone is invited to make sure that this prayer is said individually, in families, parishes and any other gatherings of the people of God. Through their different novenas and journeys of faith, the faithful are requested to continue to pray for peaceful rain to water the earth which will provide food for us,” Fr Tatu said.

Prayer for Rain O God, our Creator, you are the source of all life. It is through your divine providence and infinite power that the wonder and splendour of all creation surround us: “How majestic is your name in all the earth.” We pray to you who calms the raging waters and commands the wind, to provide us with sufficient rain to meet our needs. During this time of drought, we are mindful of our dependence on you for all that sustains us, body and soul. We pray for the cooling, gentle

The SACBC has started the prayer initiative as part of its campaign for the care of creation, and appeals to all to make sure that through the actions under their power, they make sure that “care for our home” is a daily concern. With its campaign, the SACBC also adheres to the call of Pope Francis, through this encyclical Laudato Si’, in which he calls people around the globe to make care for creation one of their major priorities. The prayer for rain is available in English, Afrikaans, and isiXhosa, and more translations will be made available in the near future.

rain that will once again bring life to the fields and crops that feed us, restore the colourful rainbow of flowers and the shade of trees. We also pray for all those who are suffering from other natural disasters. May they look to you for the strength to restore their lives and heal their wounded lands. Help us to always be good stewards of your creation and care for the many resources of this earth. May your grace refresh our souls. We ask for these blessings through the intercession of Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth. Amen.

Inkamana votes in its first African abbot By EriN CarElSE

HE monks of Inkamana Benedictine abbey in KwaZuluNatal have elected their third—and first African—abbot and his abbatial blessing will take place this month. Fr John Paul Mwaniki was confirmed in office and installed on the same day by the abbot-president of the Congregation of the Missionary

Benedictines of St Ottilien, Abbot Jeremias Schröder. The announcement took place in the abbey church, where students, workers, Sisters, and neighbours gathered after hearing the bell to see and meet their new abbot. Born in 1967 in Kitale, Nairobi, Fr Mwaniki studied at the University of Nairobi and St Joseph’s Theological Institute in Cedara, KwaZulu-Natal.

In 2000 he made his solemn profession and was ordained a deacon in the abbey church of Inkamana. He was ordained a priest on December 15, 2001, in Tigoni, Kenya. From 2002-05, Fr Mwaniki served as novice master of the Benedictine monastery, and from 200508 as a parish priest and the superior of Ruaraka Benedictine community in Kenya. In 2010 he served as rector/supe-

rior of the Benedictine Study House in Cedara and from 2011-15 as cellarer (or bursar) of Inkamana abbey. Under Abbot Godfrey Sieber, he served as prior of Inkamana, and in February 2015 he was elected prior administrator. Fr Mwaniki’s abbatial blessing will be on April 21 at 10:00 in the abbey church of Inkamana, by Bishop Thaddeus Kumalo of Eshowe.

Fr John Paul Mwaniki

Parish took it to the mountain Correction: WLT 2018 lecturer By Ezzy SEaBElo

N the day before Palm Sunday, the community of St Peter’s church in Tlhabane, led by parish priest Fr Peter Ackappady, braved the boiling heat and walked for 6km from the church to the nearby mountain ridge on the road to Phokeng as part of an annual Easter pilgrimage. Initiated by Fr Ackappady in 2016, the numbers of people joining has grown over the three years from 60 to 115. The congregation carry their crosses from their homes and recite the Rosary along the way until the foot of the mountain. Then, going uphill, they begin with the 14 Stations of the Cross,

pausing at each station, kneeling on the rocky stones, and praying. The day before Palm Sunday is chosen as an opportunity for the priest to prepare the congregation for Holy Week. The other objective is to educate parishioners on “salvation through suffering”, as Jesus suffered on his way to Calvary. St Peter’s parish is very proud of this experience offered by Fr Ackappady, and the many gifts it brings. The congregation believes Rustenburg diocese under Bishop Kevin Dowling is blessed to have such an inspiring priest. They encourage other parishes and dioceses to initiate similar pilgrimages. There’s no cost—all one needs is a cross and a rosary.

Fr Peter ackappady of St Peter’s in tlhabane, rustenburg diocese, with parishioners on an annual mountain pilgrimage.

S outher n C ross PILGRIMAGE TO

N our issue of March 21, we incorrectly stated that this year’s Winter Living Theology series will be presented by Fr James Mallon, whose book Divine Renovation: From a Maintenance to a Missional Parish will be launched at the Jesuit Institute on April 19. The Winter Living Theology 2018 will in fact be presented by US Professor Fr Bryan Massingale on the theme “Racial Justice and the Demands of Discipleship”. We apologise for the error and any confusion it may have caused. Fr Massingale, from the archdiocese of Milwaukee, is a noted authority on issues of social and racial justice, having addressed numerous national Catholic conferences and lectured at colleges and universities across the US.. The Winter Theology series—pre-

sented by the Jesuit Institute with the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the department of theology at Fordham University, New York—will be held in Johannesburg (June 26-28), Port Elizabeth (July 3-5), Durban (July 10-12), and Cape Town (July 17-18). The launch for Fr Mallon’s book will be on April 19 at 18:30 at the Jesuit Institute, 15 Molesey Avenue, Auckland Park, Johannesburg. To attend the launch, e-mail invitations@ jesuitinstitute.org.za by April 16. Fr Mallon will visit South Africa in August to speak in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town. Further details will be announced later. n For more information on Fr Massingale’s Winter Living Theology series, contact admin@jesuitinstitute.org.za or 011 482 4237.

Dutch moral theologian to speak on organ donation at St Augustine By EriN CarElSE

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POPULAR Dutch moral theologian will deliver a lecture on organ donation at South Africa’s Catholic university in April. St Augustine College in Victory Park, Johannesburg, will host the open lecture by Professor Jan Jans, associate professor of ethics at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, entitled “Opting-in or Opting-out: That’s the Question!” on the ethics of legislation with regard to organ donation. Prof Jans, since 2002 a visiting professor at the university, has pointed out that half a century ago, the first successful heart transplant was conducted by Dr Christiaan Barnard and his team at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town. Since then, transplant medicine has moved from being “experimental” to a normal medical procedure. He has noted, however, that it quickly became clear that this progress came with a shadow side: the demand for transplantable organs exceeds the number of available organs, resulting in waiting lists and patients dying before a suitable organ becomes available. “This tension can be approached in two ways: leave it to the market to bridge the gap between demand and supply, or enact legislation with regard to

Dutch theologian Professor Jan Jans will be lecturing on organ transplants at St augustine’s. donation and transplants,” Prof Jans said. “In rejecting the commercialisation of donation/transplants, two main legal approaches have developed: a system of ‘optingin’—meaning that the decision to donate is up to each individual citizen—or a system of ‘optingout’—meaning that by law every citizen is a potential donor unless s/he registers her/his objection.”

nderneath these different approaches, according to Prof Jans, are not only questions of “efficacy”, but also different ethical choices. These will be un-

packed in his lecture, and attention will also be paid to the shifting position of the Church and its reasoning in favouring Catholics becoming potential donors. From 1985-90 Prof Jans worked as an assistant in medical ethics in the faculties of medicine and theology at the Catholic University of Leuven. He then moved to Tilburg University in 1991, and worked in various senior posts. From 2006-2010 he was a director of the centre for intercultural ethics, and a director of education at the department of religious studies and theology from 2007-2012. Prof Jans was made an associate professor in 2009. He is currently the secretary of the research ethics committee while keeping the status of associate professor. He is also an active member of the European Society for Catholic Theology, the Internationale Vereinigung für Moraltheologie und Sozialethik, Societas Ethica, the Association of Teachers of Moral Theology in the UK, and the Society of Christian Ethics in the US. n The public lecture will be held on Wednesday, April 11, at 19:00 at St Augustine’s auditorium, 53 Ley Road, Victory Park, Johannesburg. Entry is free but a cash donation to the college would be appreciated.

the Southern Cross, april 4 to april 10, 2018

LOCAL

SVP’s worldwide head visits Graduation celebrates South Africa on continent trip academic excellence By DENiS EkwErikE

By NErEESHa PatEl

HE head of the Society of St Vincent de Paul worldwide has visited South Africa. Br Renato Lima de Oliveira of Brazil, the 16th president-general of the SVP, visited seven African countries where the society’s presence is strong: Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana and South Africa. Accompanied by vice-president Br Joseph Makwinja of Botswana, and Br Peter Keshwa, the president of the organisation in South Africa, Br De Oliveira was interviewed on Fr Emil Blaser’s breakfast show on Radio Veritas. “To be a Vincentian is like a vocation—it’s our mission to carry out works of charity,” he said. The SVP’s activities, Br De Oliveira explained, include conducting visits to houses of those in need, hospitals and prisons; running children’s day-care centres and orphanages; offering assistance to the elderly; and, through funding by donations, providing emergency aid and rehabilitation for victims of natural or humanitarian disasters. “As Vincentians, we see people

Br renato lima de oliveira (front right), head of the Society of St Vincent de Paul worldwide, with Fr Emil Blaser (left) and (back from left) Brs Joseph Makwinja and Peter kwesha. (Photo: radio Veritas) equally, try to solve their problems and try to make the world a better place,” he said. There are over 800 000 members of the society in 153 countries. Br

De Oliveira described these members as an “army of love that wants to build a better society” in accordance with the principles of the organisation’s co-founder, Bl Frédéric Ozanam. “I want to be very close to my dear Vincentian Brothers of Africa, and feel the reality of each country,” Br De Oliveira said in a statement before he embarked on the tour. “I recognise the difficulties afflicting the African continent, and I value the Vincentian work carried out there.” The president-general took part in local conferences, councils and Vincentian works, as well as meetings with leaders of different dioceses, young people and clergy, the latter whom he always looked forward to meeting during his visits. “I like to go to the parishes, talk to the priests directly and thank them for their support,” he said. “Without them, it’s impossible to be a good Vincentian. We are the right hands of the priests when it comes to carrying out acts of charity.” During his visit, Br De Oliveira also had the opportunity to meet Bishop Duncan Tsoke, auxiliary of Johannesburg archdiocese.

HE 13th graduation ceremony at St Joseph’s Theological Institute (SJTI) in Cedara saw 15 students receive bachelor of arts degrees and higher and advanced certificates with first-class and distinction across the departments of theology, philosophy and development studies. SJTI president Fr Dr Neil Frank attributed the high-level academic achievement at the institute to its multinational and multicultural composition, and personal attention. “We have smaller classes, therefore we can give personal help to students struggling and also challenge those who are more intellectually gifted with even more demanding work,” he said. He said SJTI is also committed to promoting education in its community, with scholarships for four local young men. In the keynote address, lawyer Jennifer Anthoo of Pietermaritzburg urged the graduates to consider their achievement a deed for humanity. “Your educational success must be able to bring joy and enlightenment to those you will minister to. It must not be a source of your own arrogance and attempts at demonstrating to ‘lesser mortals’ or ‘sinful

mortals’ how they are in the wrong; how they stand judged and accused by your erudition,” she said. “This education must be aimed at protecting those who need your protection, those who are frail, and those whose ways can be changed by their encounters with yourself,” Ms Anthoo said. “Be humble and open to possibilities in your pastoral work and in all your endeavours. True humility is staying teachable, regardless of how much you already know. Seek that which is beneficial to humankind and avoid that which causes harm.” Giving the vote of thanks on behalf of other graduating students, Br Malusi Mazibuko expressed the readiness of all of them to be good ambassadors for the institute. The event was officially opened and closed by Archbishop Buti Tlhagale of Johannesburg, who is also the grand chancellor of St Joseph’s. Present too were Cardinal Wilfrid Napier of Durban, and representatives from St John Vianney Seminary in Pretoria and the University of KwaZulu- Natal. The graduation featured music from the St Joseph’s choir and band.

Via Lucis Stations booklet now out in Afrikaans By EriN CarElSE

HE Via Lucis (Way of Light), consisting of the 14 Stations of the Resurrection, is now available in an Afrikaans edition. The easy-to-use booklet for praying the devotion has been available in Sesotho, siSwati, isiZulu and English, with 3 000 copies distributed by the Salesians last year. Sr Edith Raidt, Val Drift and Salesian seminarian Michael DeanJackson produced the Afrikaans translation. “Each season of Lent we remind ourselves of the suffering and death of Jesus by walking the Stations of the Cross. Then Easter comes and we are left without a

complementary devotion to continue our walk with Jesus after his resurrection,” said Fr Francois Dufour, Salesian provincial in Southern Africa. This gap has been filled with the Way of Light: the 14 Stations of the Resurrection which capture the moments of Christ’s life beyond his crucifixion; from the empty tomb to Pentecost. Last year The Southern Cross ran an illustrated series of the Via Lucis which is also available on www. scross.co.za/category/via-lucis/ “It is the ideal devotion for the Easter season, and it also helps to promote the fact that we are to be an Easter people, not just Good Fri-

day people,” Fr Dufour said. This devotion appeals particularly to young people and is very relevant for confirmation candidates making their journey from the Easter of their baptism to the Pentecost of their confirmation, he said. “Catholics are familiar with the Via Crucis (Way of the Cross), which is displayed in practically every Catholic church, but there are still very few Stations of the Resurrection to contemplate in our churches,” Fr Dufour said. “There is no reason why we cannot create them and, hopefully, every new church from now on will plan space for all 28 stations.” The Vatican Directory of Popu-

Pilgrimage to Poland and Medjugorje

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lar Piety and the Liturgy (2001) has endorsed the Via Lucis: “The Via Lucis, when celebrated in fidelity to the Gospel text, can effectively convey a living understanding to the faithful of the second moment of the Paschal event, namely the Lord’s Resurrection.” The Afrikaans edition of the Way of Light Devotion is available from the Salesian provincial headquarters at R15 a copy, with discounts for bulk orders. n For orders, contact Gail at 011 680 1680 during office hours, or e-mail DonBosco@salesians.org.za. The text and pictures can also be downloaded for free from the Salesians website at www.salesians.org.za

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the Southern Cross, april 4 to april 10, 2018

INTERNATIONAL

Pope Francis set for August trip to Ireland By Carol Glatz

ECEIVING a delegation from Ireland and blessing an icon of the Holy Family, Pope Francis confirmed his intention to visit Dublin for the final days of the World Meeting of Families. “On the occasion of the next World Meeting of Families, I plan on going to Dublin from August 25-26 this year. I thank the civil authorities, the bishops, the archbishop of Dublin and all those who are helping prepare this trip. Thank you,” he said. The delegation, led by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, president of the world meeting, included two families from Ireland: the Tobin family from Newbridge in County Kildare; and the Bushell family, who moved to Rome in 2016 from Knocklyon, outside Dublin.

Pope Francis meets members of an irish delegation led by archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) Cardinal Kevin Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life, was also part of the group meeting the pope. The Holy Family icon, which has been carried across Ireland to help parishes prepare for the August 21-26 world meeting, was brought to Rome

for the pope’s blessing during his weekly general audience in St Peter’s Square. When the pope greeted the iconographer, Romanian artist Mihai Cucu, the pope gave him an approving thumbs-up and later gave him a special blessing. Pope Francis chose the city of Dublin to host the world meeting, which will reflect on the theme, “The Gospel of the Family: Joy for the World”. Held every three years, the event brings families from around the world to celebrate, pray and reflect upon the importance of marriage and the family as the cornerstone of people’s lives, society and the Church.—CNS n Join the Southern Cross pilgrimage to Ireland in August with Archbishop Victor Phalana. See www.fowlertours /ireland.co.za

Communications prefect resigns over letter furore

FTER a very public controversy involving the use of a letter by retired Pope Benedict XVI, Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Mgr Dario Vigano as prefect of the Vatican Secretariat for Communication. Announcing the move, the Vatican published Mgr Vigano’s letter to Pope Francis asking to resign and Pope Francis’ reply accepting it. However, Pope Francis asked Mgr Vigano, 55, to remain at the secretariat as “assessor” to “make your human and professional con-

tribution” in assisting whoever is named the new prefect. The controversy began on March 12 at the presentation of a 11-volume series of books, The Theology of Pope Francis. Mgr Vigano had asked the retired pope for a theological reflection on the series. At the book presentation, Mgr Vigano read selected sentences from Pope Benedict’s letter declining to write the reflection. The Secretariat for Communications also published a photograph showing the first page of the letter, with several lines

purposefully blurred, and the second page, except for the signature, covered by a book. An uproar ensued over the intentional blurring of the photograph and questions were raised in the media about what exactly the letter said. In the end, the Vatican released the full text. It showed that not only had Pope Benedict said he was unable to read the full series, but that he objected to one of the authors chosen to write one of the volumes.—CNS

‘Aborting Down’s syndrome babies is genocide’ By BEtH GriFFiN

BORTING a child with a prenatal diagnosis of Down’s syndrome is a gross violation of human rights and anti-discriminatory commitments, and can be considered genocide, according to speakers at a panel at the UN. “Here at the UN there is much sincere talk and normally passionate action to fight against unjust discrimination,” said Archbishop Bernardito Auza, Vatican nuncio to the United Nations. “But as firm as these commitments are in principle, many delegations, UN agencies and active members of civil society tolerate gross violations of these commitments in practice.” For example, groups that claim to advance the rights and equality of vulnerable women and girls are notably silent when pre-genetic screening followed by sex-selection abortion ends the lives of those they claim to defend, Archbishop Auza said. “Such tacit cooperation in this lethal form of discrimination against girls is, at least, inconsistent,” and the inconsistency is even more pronounced in what is happening with those prenatally diagnosed with Down’s syndrome, he said. “Despite the commitments made in the Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights, including that of the right to life, by all persons with disabilities,” he continued,

lucas warren, the 2018 “Gerber baby”, is the first child with Down’s syndrome selected by the Gerber baby food company. (Photo: warren family, Gerber/CNS) “so many members of the international community stand on the sidelines as the vast majority of those diagnosed with Trisomy 21 have their lives ended before they’re even born.” Down’s syndrome is a genetic condition caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of the 21st chromosome. Down’s syndrome causes a distinct facial appearance, developmental delays and mild to moderate intellectual disability. Archbishop Auza said children with Down’s syndrome “and their families are simply among the happiest groups of people alive, and the world is happier because of them”.—CNS

Ousted Scottish cardinal dies S COTTISH Cardinal Keith O’Brien, who resigned five years ago as archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh after admitting to sexual misconduct, died on March 19 at the age of 80. He had been receiving care at a hospital in Newcastle-uponTyne, England, after suffering injuries from a fall in February. The cardinal stepped down as archbishop in February 2013, after the British Observer newspaper carried a story detailing complaints of three priests and one former priest who alleged Cardinal O’Brien had made sexual advances towards them more than 20 years earlier. The cardinal initially denied the allegations but, less than a week later, he issued a public apology for his actions. He decided not to attend the 2013 conclave that elected Pope Francis and declared he was retiring from public life. After his resignation, Cardinal O’Brien had been living in northeast England in a home pur-

Cardinal keith o’Brien, who died on March 19. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) chased by the archdiocese; he led a strictly private life with no participation in any public, religious or civil events. Born on March 17, 1938, in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland, the cardinal’s family later moved to Scotland. He was ordained a priest in 1965, and served as parish priest and chaplain of St Columba Secondary School in Cowdenbeath, where he taught maths. He was ordained archbishop of St Andrews and Edinburgh in 1985 and served as president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference

of Scotland from 2002-12. He was an outspoken supporter of the Church and human rights in Latin America, particularly the plight of indigenous people. Once, speaking at the Church of Scotland’s general assembly, he told of his frustration at not being able to share Communion with other churches and expressed hope that closer cooperation between the churches would progress more quickly. Before leaving for Rome to be inducted into the College of Cardinals by Pope John Paul II in 2003, the cardinal made a public profession of faith and affirmed his adherence to Church teaching on celibacy, homosexuality and birth control. The profession came about a week after the then-cardinal-designate had made remarks to reporters indicating he was open to discussion and change on Church disciplines regarding celibacy for Latin-rite priests, homosexuality and the use of contraceptives.—CNS

Brazilian bishop charged with stealing money from diocese By liSE alVES

ISHOP Jose Ronaldo Ribeiro of Formosa, Brazil, was arrested and charged, along with four diocesan priests, of stealing about $606,000 (R7 million) of diocesan money. Two days after the arrest, Pope Francis named Archbishop Paulo Mendes Peixoto of Uberaba to serve as apostolic administrator of the diocese. The pope did not remove Bishop Ribeiro from his post. Prosecutors in the state of Goias allege Bishop Ribeiro and the priests purchased a cattle ranch and a lottery shop with the diverted money. The courts au-

thorised prosecutors to wiretap the telephones of the accused. Officials who issued the warrants and searched the bishop’s home said they found money hidden in a secret compartment in a cupboard. The prosecutor in charge of the case, Douglas Chegury said that the bishop is also suspected of stealing from parishioners in another diocese, in the state of Minas Gerais, where he served from 2007-14. “The bishop faced this same type of problem in the diocese of Janauba. He was transferred from there to here, where he implemented a similar scheme,” Mr Chegury said.

Prosecutors are now said to be looking into allegations that priests paid Bishop Ribeiro monthly “allowances” so that they could be placed in more profitable parishes. The Brazilian bishops’ conference issued a statement expressing solidarity with the parishioners of the Formosa diocese. The bishops reminded Bishop Ribeiro “that justice is to abandon oneself to the merciful will of God. The truth of the facts must be determined with justice and transparency, for the good of the individual Church and the bishop”.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

the Southern Cross, april 4 to april 10, 2018

Pope’s guide: How to make the world better By Carol Glatz

NEW book-length interview with Pope Francis, titled “God is Young”, represents a kind of “how-to” guide for creating a “revolution of tenderness” in which young people and the elderly—both “thrown away” by society—band together to help change the world. Written by 32-year-old Italian author Thomas Leoncini, the book was released in Italian, German and French. The English edition, published by Penguin Random House, is due to be released in time for October’s world Synod of Bishops on young people. The pope hopes the book, which is a series of interviews in question-and-answer format, will be a way to get an “unfiltered” message to young adults and those closest to them around the world, Mr Leoncini says in the book’s introduction. The courage, energy and creativity of young people, together with the wisdom and experience of older generations, “are the necessary ingredients of the gentle revolution we all deeply need”, Mr Leoncini wrote.

the new book-length interview with Pope Francis, God is Young. The interviews—between an 81year-old and a man 50 years younger—reflect the exact process the pope would like to see worldwide: young and old sharing their dreams and concerns with the aim of making the world a better place by helping others. The pope shares personal details of his life growing up and addresses a broad range of issues, like

climate change, leadership, social cern for the environment is the cannot be rigid, but like society, media and technology, bullying, same mindset that throws away proudly multicoloured.” cosmetic surgery and “purse dogs”. the most fragile”. • “When I was young I was Some excerpts translated from • “It seems the shame of sin- greatly afraid of not being loved.” the Italian: ning no longer exists, and this is a When asked how he overcame that • God “is young because he terrible sin.” fear, the pope said he sought to be makes all things new and loves • “Diversity allows us to dig authentic because “if people renewness, because he amazes and deep into the soul and heart: black spect you for what you truly are, loves amazement, because he or white doesn’t exist; black, then you will see that you will feel knows how to dream and desires white, grey and then all shades of loved”. our dreams, because he is strong grey exist. We are all children of • “Old dreamers and young and enthusiastic, because he builds the same God, we have to recog- prophets are the way of salvation relationships and asks us to do the nise this and be ready to welcome of our rootless society—two same. He is social.” • So-called “purse dogs” that every young person. Life itself is thrown-away generations who can grey, it is a quest towards which we save everyone.”—CNS can be carried around in a handbag have become “a slave of the owner, who relishes this artificial relationship in order to replace human social relationships, which require dialogue and mutual exchange”. • “Why don’t we love R385 a year ourselves and the way God made us? Why are human beings, men and women, increasingly becoming slaves to appearances and Go to www.scross.co.za/subscribe to having, forgetting how R450 a year essential being is?” Or e-mail subscriptions@scross.co.za (SA rate) • The mindset “that or telephone 021 465-5007 holds no particular con-

Priest: Vatican-China deal imminent By BarB FrazE

S rumours fly of an imminent Vatican-China deal on the appointment of bishops, a Belgian priest known as an expert on China said he thinks an agreement might really happen. “I’ve never seen a more serious attempt to enter into a dialogue and to continue the dialogue,” said Missionhurst Father Jeroom Heyndrickx, a member of the Vatican Commission on China, which has not met under Pope Francis. The Vatican and China, which severed diplomatic ties in 1951, have had on-again, off-again talks since the 1980s. Fr Heyndrickx noted that the Vatican was not considering diplomatic ties, but only the appointment of bishops. He said Pope Francis restarted negotiations with China in 2014, and “it has been clear from the beginning...it was a serious attempt on both sides”. What is “remarkable”, he said, is that both sides have continued to talk for four years. “They haven’t given up.” One of the reasons Fr Heyndrickx believes China is negotiating in good faith is that the Chinese know Cardinal Pietro

Pope Francis holds a letter presented by Cardinal Joseph zen ze-kiun, retired bishop of Hong kong. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) Parolin, Vatican secretary of state. “Chinese authorities, to my knowledge, have full trust in Cardinal Parolin, who came to China in 2009 and negotiated the first draft of an agreement when Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone was Vatican secretary of state,” he said. The Vatican did not sign that draft and, in 2009, China again began ordaining bishops illegally, without Vatican approval. Fr Heyndrickx also said another key player is retired Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, 76, who served in the Secretariat of State under Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, beginning in the 1980s.

From 1990-95, Archbishop Celli was undersecretary of state for relations with states. In the past, most bishops ordained illegally have applied in writing to the Vatican, sought forgiveness, and received Vatican approval. All this was done in secret, yet Chinese officials acknowledged they knew what was going on. 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. Hong Kong Cardinal John Tong Hon said the Sino-Vatican dialogue indicates that China now will “let the pope play a role in the nomination and ordination of Chinese bishops”. “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 self-ordination” of bishops, but if the agreement on papal approval of bishops is reached, that principle will become history, he said.—CNS

Archbishop: Polish govt is lying about refugees By JoNatHaN luxMoorE

PROMINENT Polish archbishop accused his country’s government of falsifying its data on refugees, while also fuelling a crisis with Germany over new demands for war reparations. Retired Archbishop Henryk Muszynski of Gniezno said the Polish government “still relentlessly insists it won’t accept a single one”[refugees]. He said the government often states that it would not take refugees from Africa because it helped Ukrainians and Middle East refugees. He spoke amid controversy over the Polish government’s refusal to offer shelter to refugees and asylum-seekers from Syria, Iraq and other war-torn countries. In an interview published on the website of Catholic Wiez quarterly, he said he “read the

hard data with horror”. Archbishop Muszynski said government claims that more than a million Ukrainian war refugees had been accepted by Poland were false, because virtually all had come as temporary workers. In reality, he said, Poland had granted refugee or protected status to just 140 Ukrainians during 2017, according to its Office for Foreigners. “Is this our Christian humanitarianism, our sense of European unity, our respect for international accords?” Archbishop Muszynski said. “This has been accompanied by a harsh campaign, using blatant fear-mongering, which doesn’t respect the basic differences between war-threatened refugees, economic migrants and terrorists. What’s even worse, it ignores the dramatic, frequently repeated appeals by

Pope Francis.” The European Union has threatened to withdraw structural development funds from Poland for its refusal to accept a share of refugees fleeing conflict and hunger in the Middle East, Africa and Asia since 2015. Speaking at a Vienna conference, the chairman of the Polish bishops’ migration commission, Auxiliary Bishop Krzysztof Zadarko of KoszalinKolobrzeg, said the government had rejected a proposal for “humanitarian corridors”, and cautioned that Poles had “virtually no experience of living with Muslims” and viewed Islam through “media images of fundamentalism and extremism”. “I fear Poland is condemning itself, by its own choice, to total isolation, while the foundation of social and international solidarity is now largely impaired,” the archbishop said.—CNS

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the Southern Cross, april 4 to april 10, 2018

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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.

Forge ahead with love of God SA’s big land problem I Editor: Günther Simmermacher

HE question of land is putting South Africa’s prospects for peace and economic growth at risk, and needs to be solved with urgency and wisdom. Since parliament voted in February to place on the discussion table the option of expropriating privately-owned land without compensation, polemic on the issue has intensified, too often taking on racist dimensions. President Cyril Ramaphosa’s assurances to the contrary notwithstanding, the memory of Zimbabwe’s disastrous land redistribution programme looms large in the concerns of many people—and international investors. The debate is complicated by the ongoing incidence of farm murders. There can be nothing but utter condemnation for the robbery and murder of farmers and farm workers, and for the sadism that frequently accompanies these crimes. Government must be held accountable for its failure to protect farms from crime. However, the fact is that farms— be they commercial or smallholdings—make easy targets because they are so difficult to protect. These criminal acts do not constitute a “white genocide”, as some claim, neither statistically nor in the proper sense of the word. The numbers on farm attacks that are being circulated are problematic for the methodologies of their calculation and cannot be seen as accurate. Moreover, the victims of farm attacks cover all population groups. Genocides are orchestrated campaigns against particular ethnic or race groups. In South Africa, whites are still much safer from violent attack than other population groups, and the suggestion that there is a systematic persecution of whites is self-evidently preposterous. Farm attacks must not be used to spread racial discord, neither by those who trivialise them nor by those who claim a genocide to spread fear and conflict. Indeed, both forms of propaganda—the frenzied claims of genocide and the false narrative which suggests that all white land ownership is intrinsically lacking in moral legitimacy—serve only those who seek to sow racial conflict. Reasonable people who disseminate these forms of propaganda must consider carefully their role in those reprehensible agendas. We must beware that the land question does not serve as a catchall pretext for verbal and physical violence—including xenophobic attacks. Nor must it serve as a valve

for venting frustrations about other issues. Here politicians like Economic Freedom Front leader Julius Malema bear a responsibility to provide leadership that promotes peace, even at the cost of potential votes. For all his dangerous rhetoric, however, Mr Malema must also be taken seriously as somebody who articulates the disaffection of many people. He must form part of the public discourse. Mr Malema is correct to point out that in almost 25 years of government, the ANC (which he served for nearly 18 of those years) has dismally failed to deal with South Africa’s unequal distribution of land ownership. Moreover, President Ramaphosa’s sober assurances that land redistribution will take place justly within the constitutional framework and without harming the country’s food security are undercut by the long record of incompetence and industrial-scale corruption in government under his party’s leadership. As the Catholic Church in South Africa has long said—and practically implemented—fair land reform is an imperative for the country. Colonial land grabs and, more crucially, the 1913 Land Act have created an intolerably unjust distribution of land. Finding a solution will be difficult, especially where there are equally legitimate claims of ownership, for example where land expropriated from black ownership under colonial or apartheid regimes has since been sold on to new owners, who bought it in accordance with the law. This will be an issue also in the rather neglected question of restitution for forced removals, also in urban areas, under apartheid’s Group Areas Act. By some calculations, around 3,5 million South Africans were at some point forcibly removed from their homes, many from prestigious suburbs. Of those who were removed from the land they owned, very few received fair compensation. To this day, many families are still seeking proper restitution and justice. The land issue is exceptionally complex, and the polemic around it is becoming an obstacle to the social cohesion which South Africa so desperately needs. The time is now to spell out clearly how land reform will be executed; for the sake of our economy—which suffers in conditions of uncertainty—and, above all, for the sake of peace.

T’S all about the attitude, the power of being positive. One can see, or perhaps experience it, in sport: you don’t score runs at cricket if you play defensively; you can’t win at rugby or soccer if you spend all your time defending your own line. It’s very difficult to win at tennis if you concentrate only on returning your opponent’s shots. One has to be positive, even aggressive in trying to hit boundaries, score goals, hit winners. And the same philosophy is applicable to everyday life—–in work,

Here’s to an amazing guy!

N response to the article on Fr Ralph de Hahn, “60 years a priest”, (January 24), I must write that I was more than lucky to meet Fr de Hahn at a Mass in Brick, New Jersey, in the United States about 20 years ago. I count that chance meeting as one of the greatest events of my life. His passion and zeal for the poor of South Africa from the pulpit was, I can say without hyperbole, life-changing for me. I was again lucky to meet Fr Ralph briefly after the Mass, and I’ve been blessed to keep in close touch with him ever since. He’s a truly amazing guy and has taught me more than I can say about charity and faith, simply through his incredible example (and also through many treasured letters, e-mails, and phone calls). Congratulations Fr Ralph! To an all-round amazing guy! I hope Cape Town knows how lucky it is to have him. Warren Corson, Bristow, Virginia, US

Church must act on election 2019

EXT year we will once again be called on to vote for a new government for South Africa. The incumbent ANC government has been an absolute disaster: from the leaders at the top, sinking way down into a seemingly bottomless pit of corruption and cronyism; and by association, all their party members supporting the rot. Even those few who were not on the take are also guilty of collusion and omission in the face of such wrongdoings. However, all is not lost and, thankfully, we have the power to vote in a new and clean administration. The Catholic Church is not a

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relationships, marriage. All the goals we desire need to be pursued with determination, with passion, if we are to stand a chance of achieving them. And most of us know this in our hearts. Why then do we not follow the same formula in our practice of our religion? Why do we concentrate more on avoiding the forbidden things, complying with rules, instead of being positive, giving our attention to our God, accepting the love he has shown us and making the effort to return that love? Jesus has given us two com-

political body and has no wish to be seen as such but, along with civil society and other groups, it is morally obliged to monitor and disdain actions by those who commit horrendous sins against mostly the poorest of the poor and the millions of unemployed. Condemnation is good and commendable, but it’s time to take up the whip and turn over the tables. In order to assist in redeeming our wounded country, the Church has a duty to launch a “missionary” campaign of reconciliation from greed to goodness. According to the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, at least 8% of the South African population is Catholic. In 2016 the population of South Africa was calculated at 55,91 million, of which 4,47 million were Catholic. So, the Church has the numbers and therefore lots of voting clout. I would suggest that the SACBC draft a “manifesto”, which should be circulated to all parties participating in the election next year. A first proposal, to which any political party interested in a Catholic vote must subscribe and agree to adopt, could be that corruption of any sort, by those in positions of power, should attract a jail sentence without the option of a fine. Secondly, the parties must agree to repeal the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act and to replace it with “The Murder of the Unborn by their Mothers Bill”, or something similar, the contravention of which should be a life sentence, or more. All churches and the faithful could be canvassed for further input into this all-important campaign. Never again must we allow criminals to rule our country and its precious people. When a Catholic, or any voter, places their mark on that voting paper, it should be a cross for Christ and not a star for the devil! Tony Meehan, Cape Town

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mandments: love of God and love of neighbour, and we know who is our neighbour. Were we to practise these, we would not need to give any attention to any of the other commandments or rules—we would not be capable of breaking them! What is the goal in our lives, the negative one of the avoidance of eternal punishment, or the positive desire for the attainment of heaven? And which do we consider is the right choice in the eyes of our Lord? Walk on the pavement instead of trying to avoid the puddles in the road. It’s easier! Tom Drake, Gauteng

Cartoon on ‘bad popes’ not good’

WOULD respectfully like to suggest that the Conrad cartoon (and also the Church Chuckle) on your back page be more carefully screened/monitored. The Conrad cartoon (March 14) was a “joke” about bad popes. A sweetly naïve, cute comment—“I bet it’s easier to be a saint if you’re a pope!”—is met with a cynical, singularly unfunny retort— “I don’t know about that! Have you ever read the history of the popes?” Most of our popes have been good, often saintly, men. Why bring up and remind us of the shamefulness and decadence of a few past popes? My nine-year-old grandson didn’t “get” the joke (why would he?) and I was forced to explain as best I could—trying not to go into any specific details. If this has piqued his interest, I am very aware of the fact that Google can tell him horrific stories about popes of the dim and distant past. He is far too young to remain unaffected and shocked if he did go and google “bad popes”. Also, there have been several times that I have considered the back-page jokes to be slightly “off” (in my opinion of course), so please try to make them innocent, funny and suitable for all. Having said that, we love The Southern Cross. It is read from cover to cover, and I never miss doing the crossword! Liz Blunden Gunter, George opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in letters to the Editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy. the letters page in particular is a forum in which readers may exchange opinions on matters of debate. letters must not be understood to necessarily reflect the teachings, disciplines or policies of the Church accurately. Letters can be sent to PO Box 2372, Cape Town 8000 or editor@scross.co.za or faxed to 021 465-3850

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the Southern Cross, april 4 to april 10, 2018

PERSPECTIVES

Fruits of our Family Mission Statement

HEN our children were small, we tried to show them who they were from the inside by being godly on the outside. Our parents instilled in us great principles and values and we wanted to do the same for our children so that they could be responsible citizens of the world. We encouraged them to be strong on the inside and at peace on the outside. Most parents have goals and ambitions for their children, such as financial, physical, spiritual, good careers, and so on. Unfortunately, these goals and ambitions very rarely translate into reality. Unless one makes a firm commitment and prioritises what needs to be done, it will never happen. One fine day we decided to sit down as a family and come up with a “Middleton Family Mission Statement”. Each one of us took a piece of paper and jotted down what we thought should go into a mission statement. Once we had our list ready, we sat down, prayed for guidance and discernment, and then exchanged notes. We then decided to create three lists, headed “most important”, “important” and “least important”. Then we started to draw up the “Middleton Family Mission Statement”. We added, deleted, and added and deleted again, till we all reached consensus. Our Family Mission Statement was signed, sealed and delivered on June 6, 1995—on my wife June’s birthday. My daughter was 16 years old at the time, and my son was 12. We held each other accountable to the mission statement and adhered to it constantly. While we might not have devel-

oped one new proficiency each year, we continued to adhere to all of our mission statement, which helped lay a strong foundation for our children.

y children have since moved out and are married with their own kids, but they continue to value and adhere to the mission statement. They are very compassionate about taking care of the poor and needy. They pray regularly and go to church, which to us is important. Due to their busy work life, they have not been able to involve themselves in parish activities, but they continue to

the Middleton Family Mission Statement of 1995.

Deacon Walter Middleton

Point of Family

make life better for others through charitable giving. Some tips for developing a family mission statement: l Commitment is a first step. l Every family member needs to be on the same page. l The family needs to consider what it holds as important. l Know what the family’s goals are, based on their passions, dreams and aptitudes. l It needs to spiritual and based on Scripture—love for God, loved for one’s parents, brothers and sisters, love for your neighbour and love for fellow human beings. The beauty of putting a family mission statement in writing is that as you identify where you are right now, you'll start to see a glimmer of where God wants to take you and your family in the years to come. You may even find decisions easier to make, activities more enjoyable and family life more satisfying. More important, you will help fulfil God's purposes for your family now—and intentionally prepare your children for the work God has for them. As the famous saying goes: “A family that prays together, stays together.” We as a family have prayed the Rosary daily, come what may. n Deacon Middleton serves in Johannesburg.

In God’s hands, all is as it must be Judith Turner A LOVELY experience of walking in snow recently reminded me of a spiritual retreat I once attended on the four principles of Indian spirituality. The single most important insight I took from that retreat was that “not a single snowflake accidently falls in the wrong place”. It is an insight that is at the root of the retreat’s lessons, which I believe can help us deal with life’s happenings. The First Principle states: “Whomsoever you encounter is the right one.” This means that no one comes into our life by chance. Everyone who is around us, anyone with whom we interact, represents something, whether to teach us something or to help us improve a current situation. Even the neighbour who annoys us sometimes, or the colleague at work who does not play his part, or the uncle or aunt who always embarrasses us—all of these people come into our lives to teach us something. As St Teresa of Calcutta said: “Some people come in our life as blessings. Some come in your life as lessons.” And Mother Teresa’s lesson for us is to be kind to people who come on our way, and to love them. The Second Principle states: “Whatever happened is the only thing that could have happened.” Nothing, absolutely nothing, of what we experienced could have been any other way. Not even in the least important detail. There is no, “If only I had done that differently…, then it would have been different…”. No. What happened is the only thing that could have taken place and must have taken place for us to learn our lesson in order to move forward. Every single situation in life which we encounter is absolutely perfect, even

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Faith and life

“Just as not one single snowflake falls accidentally in the wrong place, so too the happenings in our lives are exactly as they are supposed to be,” writes Judith turner. when it defies our understanding and our ego. Sometimes parents might say, “If only I raised my children differently...”, or a businessman might say, “If only I had made that deal differently...”, and so on. But when we look in the rearview mirror of our lives, then we see how God’s hand was at work. This lesson teaches us that today we have to always give of our best and we should be content that the decisions we make and actions we do every day are our best. St Teresa of Calcutta said that we are not expected to be perfect, but that we should simply try our best.

he Third Principle states: “Each moment in which something begins is the right moment.” Everything begins at exactly the right moment, neither earlier nor later. When we are ready for it, for that

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something new in our life, it is there, ready to begin. God has a plan for our life and we believe that God has his own time. But how hard it can be to trust in God's timing! We are a people who want what we want and would prefer it right now. Sometimes it seems as if we are not even on God's clock. Yet, there is never a time in which he is not aware of the desires of our hearts. He does, however, know better than we do, and therefore we need only to trust God and to be ready and open for what he asks of us. The Fourth Principle: “What is over, is over.” It is that simple. When something in our life ends, it helps to move us to the next step. Taking next steps evolves us into better people. That is why, enriched by the recent experience, it is better to let go and move on. St Paul says to the Philippians: “Brethren, one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead” (Phil 3:13). How wonderful it is to know that our life is in God’s hands and just as not one single snowflake falls accidentally in the wrong place, so too the happenings in our lives are exactly as they are supposed to be. n Read more articles by Judith Turner at www.scross.co.za/category/perspectives/ turner/

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Michael Shackleton

open Door

When is collecting money simony? Why is it not considered simony when priests and religious organisations collect money for Masses and novenas to be offered for an intention, but it would be considered simony if I were to collect money for praying for people? JoAnn Claussen

HE use of the term “collect money” is ambiguous here. You collect money when you sell something and are paid money for it in proportion to its cost. You can also collect money when you accept a donation to support some charitable cause. In the first example, there is the proportionate exchange of two material things: the object that is sold and the money that is paid for it. In the second, there is no proportion. The value of the money offered is a donation, a freely given gift having no exchange value for the good cause. Buying or selling anything of sacred value means that one person obliges another to exchange a spiritual thing for a temporal price. This is simony. For a priest to sell the offering of the Mass to someone is an act of simony because there is no possible proportion between the two objects. Money belongs to this earth and its material things, and it would be absurd to think that it could compensate for the infinite and supernatural value of Christ’s sacrificial death for us. The same applies in all similar cases, including sacramentals, novenas, ordinations, admission to a religious community, and so on. These are all undeserved graces generously given to us by God and the Church. So, if you say you’ll pray for me if I pay you directly for doing so, you are tempting me to join you in a simoniacal act. But if you ask me to contribute to your expenses to visit Lourdes where you will pray for me there, I may do so on the understanding that the gift is to help you on your way and not to offer you money for your prayers. An offering to have a Mass said, or some other organised prayer service, is handed over to pay for the use of such elements entailed, as bread, wine, candles, lighting and general expenses, and also to give you the opportunity to sacrifice some of your cash in a good spiritual cause. It may never be given as payment for what is a sacred act or thing that has no exchange value in material terms. I know a priest who was questioned for returning from Rome and selling a mound of rosaries blessed by the pope at a fee higher than normal. When accused of charging extra for the fact that the rosaries had a papal blessing, he said the extra was to defray his travelling expenses to Rome, and decidedly not for the pope’s input. He hammered this point home and no one doubted him.

n Send your queries to Open Door, Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000; or e-mail: opendoor@scross.co.za; or fax (021) 465 3850. Anonymity can be preserved by arrangement, but questions must be signed, and may be edited for clarity. Only published questions will be answered.

the Southern Cross, april 4 to april 10, 2018

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the Southern Cross, april 4 to april 10, 2018

CHURCH

Lay Catholics serving through Christ As part of our ongoing serries of profiles of Catholic organisations that are active in the Southern African Church, NErEESHaâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;PatEl looks at the history, activities and charism of the Kolping Society. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The signs of the times will teach you what to do.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

HESE are the words of Bl Adolph Kolping, a Catholic priest who set up a series of journeymenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s associations in Germany during the Industrial Revolution in the 19th century. Responding to the needs of the time in which he lived, Fr Kolping (1818-63), the son of a poor shepherd, was able to offer refuge, spiritual education and support to people who had flocked into the cities seeking work but instead found themselves living in poor working conditions and far away from their familiesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;a situation many South Africans would suffer even a century later. Over 165 years later, the Kolping Society of South Africa (KSA) lives by the philosophies of its founder. Established in Johannesburg by German immigrants in 1952, the KSAâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;which is affiliated with the International Kolping Society and the Africa Kolping Associationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;has since spread across the country. As a non-political lay-membership association, Kolpingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mission is to serve the needs of its members and society as a whole. Kolping is currently active in five dioceses in the country: Johannesburg, Cape Town, Oudtshoorn, Kimberley and Port Elizabeth. To become a member, one should be at least 14 years of age and must adhere to, and be pre-

pared to implement, the objectives of the Kolping Society. Christians of other denominations who accept and support these objectives are also welcome to join Kolping. Membership fees per annum are R30 for students/pensioners, R40 for single persons and R50 for households. Kolping groups are formed at parish levels and are called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Familiesâ&#x20AC;?, which make up the basic units of the KSA. These groups consist of at least ten members who are expected to support and promote one another in various areas of their lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;educational, emotional, material and spiritualâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;in accordance with the teachings of Jesus Christ, the social teachings of the Church and the philosophies of Fr Kolping.

What Kolping does The key objectives of Kolping SA include: â&#x20AC;˘ Promoting the common good in a Christian spirit through the active participation of individual members and the Kolping Families they belong to; â&#x20AC;˘ Continuously participating in the renewal and humanisation of society; â&#x20AC;˘ Promoting justice at all levels for all people, which includes human rights, gender equality, cultural diversity, childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rights, and the rights of all marginalised groups; â&#x20AC;˘ Acknowledging that each person is created in the image of God, and therefore needs to be treated with dignity and respect. Judith Turner, Kolpingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s national coordinator (and long-standing Southern Cross columnist), said that becoming a member enables one to use Christian beliefs to take practical actions to transform and improve oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life, family and community. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Through the formation of selfhelp groups, Families can develop themselves personally and improve

youths of the kolping Family in langa, Cape town, welcome visiting members of a German kolping youth group. the kolping Society was founded by Bl adolph kolping (right) in Germany in 1850. it has since spread around the world. in South africa, the kolping Society is active in five dioceses. upon their livelihoods. They then reach out to each other and to the communities around them in order to do the same,â&#x20AC;? said Ms Turner. Kolping organises and participates in a wide array of activities, which include: â&#x20AC;˘ The Work Opportunity Programme, which targets and prepares unemployed youth from marginalised and disadvantaged areas to find employment in the workplace through personal development and vocational skills training; â&#x20AC;˘ The SPARK Project, which focuses on assisting young women and mothers residing in low socioeconomic communities to make healthy decisions for themselves and their children, increase their awareness towards their rights, discover their true potential, and strengthen their parenting and working skills; â&#x20AC;˘ Offering a ten-day life skills training course to adults aged 18 and over at the Kolping Teaching Centre in Cape Town; â&#x20AC;˘ Participating in meetings, seminars and conferences organised by the International Kolping Society and Africa Kolping Association;

â&#x20AC;˘ Holding the Augsburg Youth Exchange, in which Johannesburg and Cape Town Kolping Families hosted 14 young people from Augsburg, Germany; â&#x20AC;˘ Project Trash Is Cash, whereby Kolping Families from around Cape Town work alongside communitybased organisationsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;namely the Coalition for the Urban Poorâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;became involved in the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recycling network, collecting glass, paper and plastic on a daily basis; â&#x20AC;˘ Supporting four early-childhood development centres in South Africa: Orange Farm in Johannesburg archdiocese, Ikhwezi in rural Grabouw (Cape Town archdiocese), St Blaize in Mossel Bay, and St Konrad in Dysselsdorp (both Oudtshoorn diocese); â&#x20AC;˘ Collecting school shoes/bags, clothing, used furniture and household goods for underprivileged families.

Rousing Christians to action â&#x20AC;&#x153;By being a part of the Kolping Society of South Africa, you are helping participants to become aware of the importance of prayer, work ethic, social cohesion and economics,â&#x20AC;? said Ms Turner.

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Four young men participating in the kolping Societyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work opportunity Programme in Johannesburg. this programme prepares unemployed youth from marginalised and disadvantaged areas to find employment in the workplace.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;You foster a willingness to take on responsibility, and actualise you and your fellow membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Christian principles into reality.â&#x20AC;? She referred to Pope John Paul IIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s homily during Fr Kolpingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s beatification. The pope said that Bl Kolping tried to â&#x20AC;&#x153;rouse the Christians from their inactivity and wanted to remind them of their responsibility for the world. For him, Christianity was not only â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;for oratoriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2DC;, but for daily life and the shaping of the social realityâ&#x20AC;?. Ms Turner added: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today in our families, communities, country and the world, the signs of the times are very clear as to where the Kolping Society should get involved.â&#x20AC;? To join the Kolping Society of South Africa, approach your local parishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s KSA group or visit www.kolpingsa.co.za/kolping-families/join-now/ and download the membership form. Completed applications can be faxed to 021 972-9723 for the attention of the membership department, or scanned and e-mailed to membership@kolpingsa.co.za. Someone from the national office will direct applicants to the nearest Kolping group.

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Reg No. 1920/002058/06

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BYâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;ERINâ&#x20AC;&#x2C6;CARELSE

The risen Christ is depicted in this 16th-century painting titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Resurrection of Christâ&#x20AC;?, from the Isenheim Altarpiece by Mattias GrĂźnewald, d created between 1512-16. 6 It is on disp l a y a t t h e U n t e r l i n d e n M u s e u m a t C o l m a r i n F r a n c e â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s A l s a c e r e g i o n . T h i s y e a r E a s t e r â&#x20AC;&#x201D; t h e f e a s t o f C h r i s t â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s R e s u r r e c t i o n â&#x20AC;&#x201D; i s c e l e b r a t e d o n A p r i l 1 , b e g i n n i n g t h e 5 0 - d a y E a s t e r s e a s o n . (Photo: Bridgeman Images/CNS)

Page 10

What Church says on land redistribution T

H E C a t h o l i c C h u rc h r e c o g n i s e s t h e right to private property, but this right is subordinate to the common good and the needs of the wider community. The manner of land redistribution will have to be carefully considered and implem e n t e d , a C h u rc h a n a l y s t h a s s a i d . â&#x20AC;&#x153; We a l l n e ed to co ns i d er v e r y ca re fu l l y what the various pros and cons are of land expropriation without compensation,â&#x20AC;? said M i ke Po th i e r, pr o g r am m e m an a ge r o f th e Catholic Parliamentar y Liaison Office (CPLO). â&#x20AC;&#x153;Throughout our countr yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s histor y land was expropriatedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;stolen, in factâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;by various settlers from its previous holders,â&#x20AC;? he pointed out. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There may well be cases where expropriation without compensation ought to happen. Some of those who benefited by getting land cheaply or free of charge as a r e s u l t o f a p a r t h e i d - e r a f o rc e d r e m o v a l s , f o r example, can hardly demand to be â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;compensatedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; now if that land is expropriated and returned to its former owners,â&#x20AC;? Mr P o t h i e r t o l d T h e S o u t h e r n C ro s s . â&#x20AC;&#x153;On the other hand, we must also be careful not to swallow the populist rhetoric,â&#x20AC;? he warned. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Large-scale expropriation without compensation would have serious economic consequences, and these consequencesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; unemployment, lack of investment, erosion of the tax base and thus reduced government revenueâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;would hurt the poor more than the rich. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The land question in South Africa is a social challenge that needs to be app r o a c h e d w i t h g r e a t c i rc u m s p e c t i o n a n d calmness. It should not be turned into a political football,â&#x20AC;? Mr Pothier said. The Catholic Churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s position on land reform starts from the understanding that l a nd â&#x20AC;&#x201D; l ik e a i r, w at e r, a n d f o o d â&#x20AC;&#x201D;i s o ne o f those things that ever y human needs for life, he explained. Therefore ever yone must have access to

CASA SERENA

HE IS RISEN!

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Page 9

The editor and staff of Th he South hern n Crro oss wish all readers, advertisers, Associates, pilgrims, supporters, contributors and friends a blessed Easter filled with the hope and joy of our Risen Lord.

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sufficient land to be able to live in dignity. T h e y d o n â&#x20AC;&#x2122;t n e c e s s a r i l y h a v e t o o w n i t â&#x20AC;&#x201D; i t can be leased, or it can belong to the state (the community) and be shared out equitably, Mr Pothier said. Expropriation without compensation was endorsed as policy at the 54th conference of the African National Congress in December. In Februar y, Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema proposed a parliamentar y motion to deliberate a law which would allow for expropriation of land without compensation. The motion was adopted following a vote where 241 MPs voted for the amended motion, with 83 MPs voting against it. President Cyril Ramaphosa, who supports land expropriation without compensation, committed to escalating the pace of redistributing land as long as it is used to increase food production and improves the c o unt r y â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fo o d s ec ur i ty i n a m a n n er th at doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t harm the economy. He warned that land grabs will not be tolerated. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We cannot have a situation of anarchy w h er e w e a l l o w l a n d g r ab s, â&#x20AC;? he s ai d . â&#x20AC;&#x153; We will not allow land invasions when we have proper constitutional means through which we can work to give land to our people,â&#x20AC;? he said. The same was said in a 2012 document e n t i t l e d â&#x20AC;&#x153; C a t h o l i c C h u r c h Vi s i o n f o r L a n d Reform in South Africaâ&#x20AC;? issued by the Southern African Catholic Bishopsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Conference (the PDF of it is available at bit.ly/2tOMAze). In it, the SACBC pointed out that the question of land had become a â&#x20AC;&#x153;bitter terrain of struggleâ&#x20AC;? worldwide and in South Africa. If a way to just land distribution and efficient land productivity is not found, not only is there a great danger of violent conflict erupting in our midst, but the food security of our nation and our region is threatened, the bishops warned. The Constitutional Review Committee has to report back to Parliament by August 31 to report back to the National Assembly.

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the Southern Cross, april 4 to april 10, 2018

PERSONALITY

Great composer was a Catholic priest One of the greatest composers in music history was also a Catholic priest, as EliSE HarriS learned from an authority on the life of the Italian musician.

HILE Antonio Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” echoes in concert halls and lifts around the world, for some, his greatest masterpieces are not the scores resonating spring, summer, autumn and winter, but rather his sacred music. Although less known, Vivaldi’s 18th-century sacred music compositions, according to a researcher and expert on the musician’s life, are probably his greatest contribution to music—featuring an altogether unprecedented combination of deep spirituality and the contemporary trends of the time. And this profound personal spirituality was rooted in what is likely a little-known fact for many: Antonio Vivaldi was a Catholic priest. “I’m going to give you the most bizarre idea. Think of the pope,

who represents priests, spiritual things, and then you’ve got Jimi Hendrix, a superb guitarist. You put them together and you’ve got Vivaldi,” said British researcher Micky White. “Vivaldi the priest, deeply spiritual, comes out in his music. ‘Jimi Hendrix Vivaldi’, you’ve heard in the ‘Four Seasons’; it’s the most bizarre piece of music,” she said. “It’s timely, a priest wrote it,” and it’s meshed with the modern style of the day—a combination of two things that are essentially “poles apart”, she said. “That’s what makes him stand out among anybody. Bach wasn’t a priest, Mozart wasn’t a priest, nor was Beethoven—but Vivaldi was.” In listening to Vivaldi, it’s obvious that he was a very faith-filled man, she said. “You hear it in his music; you listen to it.” Ms White, who left a thriving greeting card company in England and moved to Venice to pursue an increasing interest in researching Vivaldi’s life, has become an expert and point of reference on the composer. She has published a book, Antonio Vivaldi: A Life in Documents, as the fruit of her research, and was a

the baptismal font of antonio Vivaldi in the church of Giovanni Battista in Bragora in Venice, italy. it was also the baptismal font of Pietro Barbo, who became Pope Paul ii in 1464. Vivaldi, who would later be known as the “red Priest” for the colour of his hair, was baptised in the church on March 4, 1678. (Photo: Günther Simmermacher)

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consultant for a display on his life called “Viva Vivaldi: The Four Seasons Mystery”. The exhibit, located just behind St Mark’s basilica in Venice, provides visitors with an indoor videomapping show done with immersive HD images, surround sound and special effects such as scent and wind. It opened to the public last May at the Diocesan Museum, and is staying open during 2018. One of the most famous Baroque composers, Antonio Lucio Vivaldi, affectionately known by many in his time as “the Red Priest” due to his auburn locks, was born in Venice in 1678. His father, who was an instrumental figure in his life (pun intended), was a professional violinist, and taught his son how to play as a young child. The two then went on tour together throughout Venice, giving Vivaldi an extensive knowledge and even mastery of the violin from a young age.

Vivaldi the priest In 1693, at the age of 15, he began studying for the priesthood. He was ordained in 1703 at the age of 25, and shortly after was appointed chaplain and violin master at a local orphanage called the Pio Ospedale della Pieta (Devout Hospital of Mercy). The orphanage, called in short the “Pieta”, was founded in 1492 by a poor friar as a home for abandoned babies. Young children were typically raised by older girls already at the centre, and while the boys were taught a specific trade and ousted at the age of 15, the girls were trained as musicians if they had the ability. If not, they were taught a different trade, such as reading or sewing. The most talented of the girls stayed on and became members of the hospital’s renowned orchestra and choir. Vivaldi worked at the hospital from 1703-15, when he was voted off the faculty. He was voted back in 1723, and remained until 1740, composing some of his most famous works during that time. However, after just a year of being a priest, Vivaldi requested a dispensation from celebrating Mass due to his poor health. From birth he had been afflicted with a serious, then unknown, health condition thought to be a form of asthma. All that is known about the mysterious illness comes from the letter Vivaldi wrote asking for the dispensation, in which he referred to it as a “tightness of the chest”. According to Ms White, “it would have been very hard for Vivaldi to give up saying Mass. It

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a portrait of composer antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741). it is a little-known fact that the musician, who is most famous for writing the “Four Seasons”, was a Catholic priest. would have been his own decision, a decision of nobody but himself, and he also gave up a good salary.” Rumours that he had been kicked out of the priesthood or even excommunicated are “so ignorant and so stupid”, she said. She also addressed rumours that Vivaldi had abused the choir girls as the reason he was kicked off the Pieta faculty in 1715. These rumours, Ms White said, are not only untrue but also impossible. Vivaldi never would have been welcomed back in 1723 had he been previously dismissed at the institution, but many of the girls who remained in the orchestra stayed until they were 70 or even 80 years old. The hospital was also overseen by several governors, so had there been abuse, Vivaldi would have been kicked out right away. When Ms White first started digging into her research on Vivaldi and putting the information into context, “everything made sense”, she said, because “research is a matter of fact—it’s not a matter of opinion, and it’s not a matter of ideas, it’s fact”. She insisted that his priesthood was likely an essential element of his music. Even after stepping down from his liturgical duties, Vivaldi never stopped being a priest, Ms White said, adding: “Once a priest always a priest.” “He was ordained, he was a priest his whole life [and] his spirituality comes out in his music. All you have to do is listen and you’ll hear it.” Although in poor health, Vivaldi made great strides in his musical career. He wrote a variety of compositions, and received many commissions from all over Italy and Europe, for which he travelled frequently. During one jaunt in 1722, Vivaldi moved to Rome—where he was invited to play for Pope Benedict XIII—before returning to Venice three years later.

Giant of sacred music The various pieces he wrote throughout his career include several different types of concertos— from violin to orchestra—arias, sonatas, operas and sacred music. But, Ms White pointed out, while the “Four Seasons”, written around 1721, and his many operas are what made Vivaldi rise to fame, his “sacred music is on another plane compared to all the other

compositions. It’s the empire of composition itself that comes from faith.” Among the sacred scores written by Vivaldi are the Gloria, the Credo, the Stabat Mater, the Magnificat, Dixit Dominus and Laetatus sum, among others. The “Laetatus sum”, specifically, was written by Vivaldi at the age of 13 in 1691. Ms White said that while these are the known liturgical and sacred works, “there’s a lot, lot missing”. Given his 38-year career at the hospital, there are likely many works of Vivaldi that have never been discovered, she said. For example, “I’m sure that he wrote full Masses, absolutely positive”, but they are likely all lost. Despite the success he enjoyed during his career, Vivaldi died in poverty in Vienna on July 28, 1741. He had moved to the Austrian capital after meeting Emperor Charles VI, to whom he had dedicated his Opus 9 work, in 1728. The emperor was so impressed with Vivaldi’s work that he gave the musician the title of knight, a gold medal and an invitation to Vienna. However, the emperor died shortly after Vivaldi’s arrival several years later, and with no royal connection or steady income, Vivaldi became impoverished and died from an infection at the age of 63. According to Ms White, the greatest legacy that Vivaldi left can be summed up in one word: music. “Music comes out of him; it doesn’t come out of his brain, it just pours out of him. It’s like a waterfall,” she said. While his sacred and classical music might seem outdated in a society enthralled with artists such as Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber, Ms White said, Vivaldi is so versatile in his style that he can mesh well with contemporary music as well as the older “Vivaldi could do a rock concert quite easily, and Vivaldi can appeal to everyone,” she said. “Vivaldi— he’s alone, he’s absolutely unique,” Ms White said. “You talk about the Baroque style, and the romantic style...Vivaldi cuts that whole swathe.” With the “tremendous energy” present in his music, Vivaldi is truly one of a kind and is difficult to imitate, she said. “He doesn’t fit anywhere, and he fits everywhere.”—CNA

the Southern Cross, april 4 to april 10, 2018

CLASSIFIEDS

Mary Magdalene inspires Galilee women’s institute By JoSEPHiNE VoN DoHlEN

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 (R1,80 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

PERSONAL

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HEN Amoun Sleem was eight, after her mother’s death, she dropped out of school and took to the streets as a beggar in Jerusalem’s Old City, trying to help her father support her family. “After running after tourists selling postcards and begging on the streets for two years, I didn’t feel any better about myself,” she said. “I decided to go back to school. I wanted to make something of my life.” In 2005, Ms Sleem, along with others in her Domari (or Gypsy) community, established a Domari centre in the Palestinian Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem. There, Domari women and children come together for community and comfort, also selling their handiwork to visitors. Today, Ms Sleem, in her 30s, has shared her story with women around the world, particularly at a seminar sponsored by the Magdalena Institute, a community dedicated to issues of human dignity, especially women’s. The institute devotes itself to helping women realise their “feminine genius”, a term coined by Pope John Paul II. “In its essence, the feminine genius is when a woman is sincerely giving the gift of herself to others; striving to be what she is called to be by God; and adds a humanising touch to society,” said Jennifer Ristine, director of the institute. “No matter what your past is, you still possess dignity.” Magdala (or Migdal) is traditionally known as the hometown of Mary Magdalene and a place where Christ most likely spent time, along the Sea of Galilee.

CLASSIFIEDS

a mosaic of Christ and Mary Magdalene is seen in the Duc in altum in Magdala, at the Sea of Galilee. (Photo: Josephine von Dohlen/CNS) In the Gospels, Mary Magdalene followed Christ and his disciples throughout Jesus’ public ministry. Three days after his crucifixion, she arrived at his tomb, only to see it empty. Tradition holds that Mary Magdalene was the first person to see the resurrected Christ. Her story is seen as one of redemption, from a great sinner to a great saint. “This is a woman who—for whatever reasons, life circumstances, and choices—is named as the one from whom Jesus expelled seven demons,” Ms Ristine said.

s Ristine moved to Magdala in October 2015, splitting her time between ministry and Magdala itself, which includes a recently excavated firstcentury synagogue, as well as a Catholic guesthouse and church. As a consecrated woman of lay movement Regnum Christi, she and three others dedicate their lives to living in community and bearing witness to Christ. “Jesus’ public ministry was

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)

JOHANNESBURG: Public theology lecture: Dutch theologian Professor Jan Jans will deliver a lecture on organ donation on wednesday, april 11, at 19:00 at the auditorium of St augustine College, 53 ley road, Victory Park. Entry is free but a cash donation to the college would be appreciated. Book launch: american Fr James Mallon’s new book Divine Renovation: From a Maintenance to a Missional Parish will be launched in South arica on april 19 at 18:30 at the Jesuit institute, 15 Molesey avenue, auckland Park. E-mail invitations@jesuitin stitute.org.za by april 16 to attend. CAPE TOWN: Retreat day/quiet prayer last Saturday of each month except December, at Springfield Convent in wynberg, Cape town. Hosted by ClC, 10.00-15.30. Contact Jill on 083 282 6763 or Jane on 082 783 0331. Perpetual Adoration Chapel at Good Shepherd parish, 1 Goede Hoop St, Bothasig, welcomes all visitors. open 24 hours a day. Phone 021 558 1412. 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. St Anthony’s rosary group. Every wednesday at 18:00 at St anthony’s church opposite Greyville racecourse. all are welcome and lifts are available. Contact keith Chetty on 083 372 9018.

one of healing and of teaching,” Ms Ristine said. “He heals the woman with the curved back ... we see many layers of healing, physical, emotional, psychological, spiritual, and so we continue to ask the question, what role could we play as the Magdalena Institute in this?” In 2015, the institute hosted a symposium around International Women’s Day. Each year since, it has sponsored such a symposium for women of all religious backgrounds. Ms Ristine recounts the story of a Jewish woman who attended one symposium and was impressed by the women she met, from various walks of life and different religions, coming together to share their stories. “I think that is especially important when you’re living in a country like Israel, where there is a lot of tension among peoples and cultures,” Ms Ristine said. “She could experience that in the same room as Arab Christians, Israeli Jews, Muslims, international Christians and Buddhists.”—CNS

Liturgical Calendar Year B – Weekdays Cycle Year 2 Sunday April 8, 2nd Sunday of Easter, Divine Mercy Sunday Acts 4:32-35, Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24, 1 John 5:1-6, John 20:19-31 Monday April 9, Annunciation of the Lord Isaiah 7:10-14; 8:10, Psalm 40:7-11, Hebrews 10:4-10, Luke 1:26-38 Tuesday April 10 Acts 4:32-37, Psalm 93:1-2, 5, John 3:7-15 Wednesday April 11, St Stanislaus Acts 5:17-26, Psalm 34:2-9, John 3:16-21 Thursday April 12, St Zeno of Verona Acts 5:27-33, Psalm 34:2, 9, 17-20, John 3:31-36 Friday April 13, St Martin 1 Acts 5:34-42, Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14, John 6:1-15 Saturday April 14 Acts 6:1-7, Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19, John 6:16-21 Sunday April 15, 3rd Sunday of Easter Acts 3:13-15, 17-19, Psalm 4:2, 4, 7, 9, 1 John 2:1-5, Luke 24:35-48

and peace proceed, kindle in the hearts of all men the true love of peace, and guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom those who make decisions for the nations of the earth; that in tranquility your kingdom may go forward, till the earth be filled with the knowledge of your love; through Jesus Christ our lord. amen.

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PRAYERS

ALMIGHTY GOD, from whom all thoughts of truth

PRAYER FOR RAIN: o God, our Creator, you are the source of all life. it is through your divine providence and infinite power, that the wonder and splendour of all creation surround us. “How majestic is your name in all the earth”. we pray to you who calms the raging waters and commands the wind, to provide us sufficient rain to meet our needs. During this time of drought, we are mindful of our dependence on you for all that sustains our body and soul. we pray for the

cooling, gentle rain that will once again bring life to the fields and crops that feed us, restore the colourful rainbow of flowers and the cooling shade of the trees. we also pray for all those who are suffering from other natural disasters. May they look to you for the strength to restore their lives and heal their wounded land. Help us to always be good stewards of your creation and care for the many resources of this earth. May your grace refresh our souls. we ask for these blessings through the intercession of Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth. amen

THANKS be to thee, my lord Jesus Christ, For all the benefits thou hast won for me, For all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me. o most merciful redeemer, Friend, and Brother, May i know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly, For ever and ever. .

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 805. ACROSS: 1 Change, 4 Imbued, 9 On the third day, 10 Crowned, 11 Curio, 12 Apish, 14 Death, 18 Inner, 19 Repiner, 21 Wonderworking, 22 Guests, 23 Flagon. DOWN: 1 Choice, 2 Acts of penance, 3 Green, 5 Miracle, 6 Understanding, 7 Dry rot, 8 Chide, 13 Surfeit, 15 Big wig, 16 Drawn, 17 Dragon, 20 Peril.

Word of the Week

Censer: A container in which incense is burned, its rising smoke symbolising prayer rising to God in heaven. (Also called a thurible.) Liturgy: The prayers and rituals that make up the Church’s communal worship (from the Greek for “public duty or work”). Sanctuary lamp: A candle that, when lit, indicates the presence of the Blessed Sacrament in a church.

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the

Third Sunday of Easter: April 15 Readings: Acts 3:13-15, 17-19, Psalm 4:2, 4, 7, 9, 1 John 2:1-5a, Luke 24:25-48

T this stage of the Easter season it is important for us to ask ourselves what we believe about the Resurrection, and what difference it is going to make to our lives. In next Sunday’s first reading, Peter is telling a stunned audience in Jerusalem about a cure that has just happened to a man “lame from birth”: “The God of your ancestors glorified his son Jesus.” But it is not just the Resurrection that he is talking about, for the Jerusalemites have to recognise that Jesus’ death was their fault: “You handed him over, and denied him in the presence of Pilate … you denied the Holy and Just One … you killed the Ruler of Life.” But God is in charge, and “God raised him from the dead, as we are witnesses”. However, they are not to be too decisively condemned: “You and your rulers did it out of ignorance.” So there is hope for them: “You are to repent and have your sins wiped away.” The psalm for next Sunday is well aware of the need to turn to God: “When I call, answer me, God of my righteousness, in my anguish you cleared a way for me. “Have mercy on me, and listen to my

S outher n C ross

prayer” (we note that the prayer looks both backwards and forwards, in anxiety and in confidence). “Know … that the Lord hears me when I call to him.” But he still has to pray: “Show us the light of your face, Lord.” And the prayer ends in confidence (we might imagine Jesus saying this to himself when facing death): “In peace I shall lie down and sleep, because you alone, Lord, make me secure.” In the second reading, we continue our journey through the first letter of John, working out the implications of the Resurrection. The essential thing is “not to sin”, but even if we do have that misfortune, “We have another Paraclete with the Father, namely Jesus Christ the Just One.” Then he tries to explain: “He is the expiation for our sins, not just ours, but also the whole world’s.” And Jesus is still (because of the Resurrection) a living being: “This is how we know that we know him—if we keep his commandments.” And, in the end, it is all about the love of God: “Whoever keeps Jesus’ word, truly the

in the garden”. Jesus, himself, had to struggle mightily at times to ground himself in God, as we see from his prayer in Gethsemane. His struggle there is described as an “agony”, and this needs to be carefully understood. “Agony” was a technical term used at the time for athletes. Before entering the stadium or arena for a contest, athletes would first work their bodies into a sweat, a warm lather, an agony, to make their muscles warm and ready for the contest. The Gospels tell us that Jesus also worked himself into a sweat, except in his case he sweated blood as he readied himself in his heart for the contest, the test, he was about to enter, his passion.

Conrad

nd what was that contest? The test he was readying himself for wasn’t as it is commonly believed an agonising over the decision whether to let himself be crucified or whether to invoke divine power and save himself from this humiliation and death. That was never the issue in his struggle in Gethsemane. He had long before accepted that he was going to die. The question was how, how would he die, in love or in bitterness? In the end, it was a struggle to strengthen his will so that he would die with a loving, warm, forgiving heart. And it was a struggle; a positive outcome was in doubt. Amid all the darkness, hatred, bitterness, injustice, and misunderstanding that

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Sunday reflections

love of God is made perfect in that person.” The Gospel comes almost at the very end of Luke; it starts just as Cleopas and that other one finished their account of the walk to Emmaus (“how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread”). And, suddenly, there is Jesus again, saying: “Peace be with you.” Rather than delight at the confirmation that the Resurrection has indeed happened, their reaction is panic: “They thought they were seeing a spirit.” Jesus rebukes them for their panic: “Why are you disturbed and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” It is evidence they need, apparently (and do you have some sympathy with them?): “Look at my hands and my feet—it’s me! Touch me, and see: because a spirit does not have flesh and bones, as you can see that I have.” That does not answer the situation, however (Luke charitably says that “they disbelieved out of joy”!), and so more evidence is required: “Do you have anything to eat here?” And before their astonished gaze he eats a bit of grilled fish.

Our critical need to pray HE late Fr Daniel Berrigan wrote: “Unless you somehow have a foot outside your culture, the culture will swallow you whole.” Fr Berrigan’s profound statement is true too in this sense: Unless you can drink in strength from a source outside yourself, your natural proclivities for paranoia, bitterness, and hatred will invariably swallow you whole. The disciples in Luke’s gospel understood this. They approached Jesus and asked him to teach them how to pray because they saw him doing things that they did not see anyone else doing. He was able to meet hatred with love, to genuinely forgive others, to endure misunderstanding and opposition without giving in to self-pity and bitterness, and to retain within himself a centre of peace and non-violence. This, they knew, was as extraordinary as walking on water, and they sensed that he was drawing the strength to do this from a source outside him, through prayer. They knew they themselves were incapable of resisting bitterness and hatred, and they wanted to be as strong as Jesus. So they asked him: “Lord, teach us to pray.” No doubt they imagined that this would simply be a question of learning a certain technique; but as the Gospels make clear, linking to a divine source outside ourselves isn’t always easy or automatic, even for Jesus, as we see from his struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane, his “agony

Nicholas King SJ

Rebirth asked of us too

Then they have to be given the real message: “It was necessary for everything written in the Torah of Moses and in the Prophets and Psalms about me to be fulfilled.” (This, by the way, is the first evidence of a tripartite division of the Old Testament.) “Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures … it was written that the Messiah should suffer and rise from the dead on the third day.” But it does not stop there, for they (and we, for that matter) have a mission: “For repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be preached to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” And, just in case we thought this might not mean us, the Gospel ends with a firm indication: “You are witnesses of this.” So let us, today, reflect on what the implications of Jesus’ Resurrection in our lives are; if God has done that to Jesus, what is he in this time, and in this place, asking of us?

Southern Crossword #805

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final reflection

surrounded him, amid everything that stood unfairly against him and was antithetical to his person and message, Jesus struggled mightily to cling to a source that could give him the strength to resist the hatred and violence around him, that could give him the heart to forgive his enemies, that could give him the graciousness to forgive the good thief, and that could give him the inner strength to turn humiliation, pain, and injustice into compassion rather than bitterness. The Gospels put this metaphorically as a struggle to “stay awake”, namely, to stay awake to his inner identity as God’s Beloved, an identity that he appropriated at his baptism and which shaped his very consciousness during all the years of his ministry. In Gethsemane, amid everything that invites him (and us) into moral amnesia, Jesus manages to stay awake to his deeper reality and to his identity as God’s Beloved. His disciples don’t. As the Gospels tell us, during Jesus’ great struggle they fell asleep and their sleep (“out of sheer sorrow”) was more than physical fatigue. This is evident when, immediately after Jesus has managed to ground himself against hatred and violence, Peter succumbs to both and cuts off the ear of the high priest’s servant. Peter was asleep, in more ways than one, in a sleep that signifies the absence of prayer in one’s life. Prayer is meant to keep us awake, which means it’s meant to keep us connected to a source outside our natural instincts and proclivities which can keep us grounded in love, forgiveness, non-retaliation, and non-violence when everything inside us and around us screams for bitterness, hatred, and retaliation. And if Jesus had to sweat blood in trying to stay connected to that source when he was tested, we can expect that the cost for us will be the same, struggle, agony, wanting in every fibre of our being to give in, clinging to love precariously by the skin of our teeth, and then having God’s angel strengthen us only when we’ve been writhing long enough in the struggle so that we can let God’s strength do for us what our own strength cannot do. Lord, teach us to pray!

ACROSS

1. It’s small in the collection plate (6) 4. Instilled, that is dumb change (6) 9. Calendar record of the Resurrection? (2,3,5,3) 10. Invested as monarch (7) 11. Unusual collector’s piece (5) 12. Looking like a primate? (5) 14. Paul asks where its victory is (1 Cor 15) (5) 18. Kind of circle that’s in the know (5) 19. One who is regretful about tree on the right (7) 21. Performing miracles (6-7) 22. They are invited to the feast (6) 23. It holds the wine, having ﬂying colours (6)

DOWN

1. hobson gave you only one (6) 2. You do them after a good confession (4,2,7) 3. Naturally, a vestment colour (5) 5. Reclaim a supernatural event (7) 6. Gift of the holy Spirit (13) 7. Does it decay wood in a drought? (3,3) 8. each ideal contains an attempt to scold (5) 13. Sure ﬁt may show excess (7) 15. An important person with hairstyle (3,3) 16. One looking strained is sketched (5) 17. St George’s monstrous enemy (6) 20. Danger (5) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

HE newly ordained junior priest was really nervous about hearing confessions at his new parish. So he asked the older priest to listen in. After several parishioners finished with their confessions, the older priest offered him a little advice. “Just cross your arms over your chest, rub your chin and try saying things like, ‘I see, yes, go on. I understand. How did you feel about that?’” The new priest tried out the gestures and words. The older priest said: “Good, now don’t you think that sounds a lot better than slapping your knee and saying, ‘No way! You did what?’”

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