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The

S outher n C ross

April 18 to April 24, 2018

Successful boxer punched for St Don Bosco

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Priest inside world’s largest open-air prison

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Brother, nun tell their vocation stories

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Pope asks Napier to stay on in Durban

BY ERIN CARELSE

Pilgrims at the church of St Peter’s Primacy at the Sea of Galilee. Tradition holds that the risen Christ stood on the boulders next to the church when he instructed the apostles to cast their nets on the other side. After feeding the disciples he issued the instruction: “Feed my sheep!” (Jn 21-1-17). Christ‘s instruction echoes especially on Vocations Sunday, this year on April 22, when the Church prays that more young people hear God’s call to the priesthood or consecrated life. (Photo: Günther Simmermacher)

Pope exhorts us to be holy

BY CINDY WooDEN

G

OD calls all Christians to be saints— not plastic statues of saints, but real people who make time for prayer and who show loving care for others in the simplest gestures, Pope Francis said in a new landmark document on holiness.

“Do not be afraid of holiness. It will take away none of your energy, vitality or joy,” the pope wrote in Gaudete et Exsultate (“Rejoice and Be Glad”), his apostolic exhortation on “the call to holiness in today’s world”.

Much of the document was written in the second person, speaking directly to the individual reading it.

Saying he was not writing a theological treatise on holiness, Pope Francis focused mainly on how the call to holiness is a personal call, something God asks of each Christian and which requires a personal response given one’s state in life, talents and circumstances.

“We are frequently tempted to think that holiness is only for those who can withdraw from ordinary affairs to spend much time in prayer,” he wrote. But “that is not the case”.

“We are all called to be holy by living our lives with love and by bearing witness in everything we do, wherever we find ourselves,” he said.

He wrote about “the saints next door” and said he likes “to contemplate the holiness present in the patience of God’s people: in those parents who raise their children with immense love, in those men and women who work hard to support their families, in the sick, in elderly religious who never lose their smile”.

Pope Francis also noted the challenges to holiness, writing at length and explicitly about the devil.

“We should not think of the devil as a myth, a representation, a symbol, a figure of speech or an idea. This mistake would lead us to let down our guard, to grow careless and end up more vulnerable” to the devil’s temptations.

The path to holiness, he wrote, is almost always gradual, made up of small steps in prayer, in sacrifice and in service to others.

Being part of a parish community and receiving the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and reconciliation, are essential supports for living a holy life, the pope wrote.

And so is finding time for silent prayer. “I do not believe in holiness without prayer— even though that prayer need not be lengthy or involve intense emotion,” he said.

“The holiness to which the Lord calls you Continued on page 4

P

OPE Francis has asked Cardinal Wilfrid Napier to continue serving indefinitely as archbishop of Durban, two years after the cardinal submitted his resignation on reaching the age of 75, as required by canon law.

Cardinal Napier said that the pope’s decision is surely a vote of confidence from the Holy Father, especially when it incurs greater and closer collaboration with him.

After Cardinal Napier submitted his resignation in March 2016, he was initially told to continue as archbishop for two years.

Just before Easter, Cardinal Napier received another instruction from the Holy Father that he should continue in his position until given further directive, which he said he is happy to do as long as he is still able.

Cardinal Napier served as bishop his home diocese of Kokstad from 1983 to 1992, when he was appointed archbishop of Durban. He was made a cardinal in 2001 and currently serves on the Council of Cardinals for the Study of Organisational and Economic Questions of the Apostolic See. Asked whether he still feels fit enough to run the archdiocese, Cardinal Napier said that Pope Francis, whom he meets almost every three months, seems to be of the opinion that he is.

“I am glad to take up the challenge to prove him right, by doing all that is necessary to remain physically and mentally as fit as possible,” Cardinal Napier told The Southern Cross.

“Of course, there are times and circumstances when advancing age does show itself, but that is somewhat compensated for by the wisdom that age and experience force upon us.”

Cardinal Napier expressed his gratitude for the high degree of cooperation and mutual support that has been evident among the bishops, priests, deacons and religious of the Metropolitan Province of Durban in his time as archbishop.

“I greatly appreciate the support received especially from the bishops of the suffragan

Pope Francis and Cardinal Wilfrid Napier in St Peter’s Square. The pope has asked the cardinal to stay on as archbishop of Durban indefinitely. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS) dioceses for common projects such as Caritas KZN, Joint Witness KZN, the Zulu Bible Translation Project, and so on,” he said.

The cardinal said that he isn’t sure what he will be able to accomplish in the future, but sees a challenge ahead for him, together with the priests and deacons of his archdiocese, in the area of renewing and, where necessary, reforming the Church. This, he added, is particularly true of the marriage and family life ministry as a direct result of the two synods of bishops on marriage and the family in 2014 and 2015.

“Amoris Laetitia, the final document of the synods on the family, in particular, calls on us to engage in more thorough and far-reaching preparation for marriage, not just the wedding day; accompany newly-wed couples for the first five to ten years of marriage; seek out and accompany those whose marriages have failed so they've divorced and ‘remarried’, and accompany families with special needs, single-parent families, cohabiting couples, and so on,” Cardinal Napier said.

“I believe patient listening, persevering prayer and gentle pursuit will bear the kind of fruits that Pope Francis and the Synod Fathers had in mind when they gave us the benefit of the prayer, reflection, and wisdom on the role of a concerned pastor today,” he said.

S outher n C ross Pilgrimage 2019 HOLY LAND & ROME • 5-17 May 2019

Led by Fr Russell Pollitt SJ with Günther Simmermacher, author of The Holy Land Trek For more information or to book, please contact Gail info@fowlertours.co.za or phone/WhatsApp 076 352-3809

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The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2018

LOCAL

Conference calls for holistic human formation

BY DENIS EKWERIKE

T

HE fifth academic conference at St Joseph’s Theological Institute, Cedara, with the theme, “Formation for Mission and Ministry in the Church”, ended with a call for greater focus on integral human formation.

The three-day meeting drew presenters and participants from both Catholic and Protestant circles.

Professor Stuart Bate OMI, director of research at St Joseph’s and head of the conference organising committee, said the theme and topics were chosen based on the expe-

riences of a collaborative research group at the institute and on challenges that need urgent attention.

“The purpose of our conference is new knowledge; the purpose of research is to bring new knowledge and it is very important in a Catholic higher institute of learning to do that,” he said.

Fr Bate was confident that the conference fulfilled that purpose.

“I think when you ask the people who came here, they’ll say they learned a lot. It provided us with a forum to bring new things, new knowledge.”

Academic conferences such as these provide answers to questions on the minds of many but also raise many new questions that can be answered only through research.

Professor Marilyn Naidoo of Unisa—who presented one of the keynote addresses from the Protestant perspective on building multicultural competence through ministerial identity formation— identified healthy social interaction as a fundamental ingredient in the process of identity development.

Stressing that the formation of identity is produced through both

individual cognition and socio-cultural processes, she called attention to the social structure of seminaries.

“In our religious institutions and seminaries we need to confront embedded systems of oppression, such as institutional racism and sexism,” she said.

Conference participants expressed optimism that the rich papers and robust discussions that ensued would go a long way in enhancing the process of formation for mission and ministry in the South African Church and beyond.

Among those who presented

conference papers were: • Dr Gloria Marsay • Sr Clementina Mokone • Martin Mostert • Professor Fr Rodney Moss • Professor Naidoo • Luigi Morell • Dr Kibombwe Freeborn • Professor Sue Rakoczy IHM • Professor Bate • Joseph Phiri • Charles Rensburg • Nhlanhla Mhlanga • Professor Paul Decock OMI • Professor Philippe Denis OP • Mfazo Madondo

Salesians Life Choices to offer new low-cost MBA

BY ERIN CARELSE

S

Tom Ryan co-designer of UCT Graduate School of Business’ MBA has teamed up with Salesian Life Choices to offer an MBA at a fraction of the normal cost.

ALESIAN Life Choices, in partnership with Tom Ryan, co-designer of the renowned UCT Graduate School of Business’ pioneering executive MBA, is offering a master’s degree in business administration—an MBA opportunity at a fraction of the cost of a standard MBA. Research shows that MBA graduates earn close to double that of their peers. However, the option of taking on an MBA seemed available only to the few who could afford it. Mr Ryan believes this can be changed.

“I was inspired by the story of Laurie Pickard. In 2013, Laurie needed a business education to move forward in her career, but after researching the options, she was unconvinced that an investment of her life savings in a traditional MBA would pay off,” he said.

“She thought there might be another way and with the help of free online courses from the world’s top universities, she began her selftaught journey. She documented her noble experience on her blog, NoPay MBA, so that others could learn from her—and the public quest went viral. When I read about her experience I knew it could be replicated and even improved in South Africa.”

Mr Ryan began conceptualising what a low-cost MBA would look like and soon approached Salesian Life Choices, a Catholic non-profit organisation, to partner with him.

Life Choices managing director Sofia Neves said when they heard of the concept of the No-Pay MBA, they knew they wanted to be part of it.

“Our mission as an organisation is to tackle inequality and this concept excited us. The fact that only a few can afford the exorbitant fees re-

quired to pursue an MBA feels unethical. Business skills are a scarcity, but they are essential to support South Africa’s economic growth—something we are in desperate need of.”

The No-Pay MBA uses blended learning. Students watch online lectures, collaborate in online discussions, carry out research at home, and then once a week engage in peer-learning in the classroom with the guidance of an expert.

“The programme welcomes people from different fields, and no background knowledge is required,” Mr Ryan said.

“However, preference is given to candidates with some management experience. The course is ideally suited to those looking to change careers, start a business or just get better in their profession.”

The 100-week programme demands ten hours of commitment

per week—seven hours of self-study and three hours in meet-ups. It will start in May. “We have begun our recruitment and anyone can join the open days before the closing date on May 14,” Ms Neves said.

“The programme will be piloted in Cape Town and the weekly meetups will happen after hours at our academy in the southern suburbs.

The aim is to accommodate working professionals as much as we can.”

The cost for the two-year programme is R38 000 and there are several payment options.

“Five scholarships will be offered.

The aim is to push boundaries and align the programme with how modern education should be: dynamic and equitable,” said Ms Neves. n For more information contact Matt Fisher 021 696 4157 or e-mail nopaymba@lifechoices.co.za

Harold and Noreen Maslamoney (left) are preparing to celebrate their golden wedding anniversary. They married (above) on April 27, 1968, at St Agnes’ church in Woodstock, Cape Town, with the ceremony officiated by cousin of the bride Fr (later archbishop) Stephen Naidoo SsR.

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The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2018

LOCAL

3

Lifetime boxing award for St John Bosco man

BY NEREESHA PATEL

F

OR the better part of his 86 years, Basil Brice has devoted his life to two passions: the sport of boxing, through which he became a celebrated figure; and supporting the mission of his favourite saint, St John Bosco, in a bid to help improve the lives of disadvantaged youth in South Africa.

So it was apt that on the saint’s feast day, Mr Brice learned that he was going to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Boxing South Africa awards ceremony at the Boardwalk Casino in Port Elizabeth.

The Cape Town resident had just completed his nine-day novena to St John Bosco when his son Emil gave him the news.

“I felt honoured, elated, on top of the world, when he told me,” recalled Mr Brice. “ I immediately gave thanks and praise to God.” Born in 1932, Mr Brice was adopted by an Irish-South African couple after losing his parents at a young age.

After completing his education at St Dominic’s Convent, he travelled up to Johannesburg where he joined the Booysens Boxing Club and received his training.

Boxer and dedicated supporter of St John Bosco’s youth mission Basil Brice (left) has been honoured by Boxing South Africa with a Lifetime Achievement Award. During the 1970s Mr Brice (standing far right) was the Western Province provincial youth coach.

He later returned to Cape Town, where his won his first fight, against local boxer Eddy Plant, at Giles Hall in Rondebosch.

In between participating in amateur bouts, Mr Brice was the Western Province provincial youth coach from 1974 until 2001. His duties in-

cluded advising on the selection of boxers, training prospective talents (particularly children living on the streets), and making sure they were in top physical form. For Mr Brice, this was a rewarding experience.

“Improving their lives meant they were given an opportunity to reach

their full potential, and to become strong role models to future generations,” he said.

Mr Brice also introduced boxing to Robben Island in 1972, a time when multiracial boxing was slowly being recognised during apartheid.

As a devotee of St John Bosco, Mr

Brice took the payments he received for his work as a qualified panelbeater and donated them to the youth foundation bearing the saint’s name. He encouraged his clients to place their donations in a biscuit tin that he kept in his workshop.

Mr Brice’s devotion to this cause even resulted in him rejecting pro boxing status. “If I had become pro, it would have meant relinquishing my amateur status and forgoing my ability to help children, which I simply couldn’t do,” he explained.

Since then, Mr Brice—a proud father of seven children and grandfather many times over—has gone on to co-establish Brice’s Boxing Academy in Ottery with his son Emil, a former professional boxer.

Notable boxing names that have emerged from the academy include former SA light-heavyweight champion Jimmy Murray, and latest prospect Lunga Stimela, who won his first African Boxing Union lightweight championship last year.

Whether it is through boxing or offering his support to the St John Bosco Youth Foundation, Mr Brice seeks to live up the saint’s philosophy to guide disadvantaged youths towards a brighter future.

Durban Catholic receives papal medal Little Eden fête in May

D

URBAN Catholic Paddy Kearney was presented by Cardinal Wilfrid Napier with the papal Bene Merenti medal at a Mass in Emmanuel cathedral.

Mr Kearney worked very closely with the late Archbishop Denis Hurley as well as with his successor, Cardinal Napier. He helped establish Diakonia Council of Churches, which he headed for many years.

In recent years he helped found and now chairs the Denis Hurley Centre, which brings together people of different faiths to help serve the poor in the centre of Durban.

Mr Kearney wrote the first full biography of Archbishop Hurley, Guardian of the Light, and edited books of writings by the archbishop.

He has received an honorary doctorate in theology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and the Bonum Com-

mune Award from St Augustine College, South Africa’s Catholic university.

He is currently a consultant to the KwaZulu-Natal Christian Council and chair of the Gandhi Development Trust.

The Bene Merenti medal was established 250 years ago as a military medal for papal army soldiers. For the past 100 years it has been awarded instead to priests and lay people whose service to the Church has been exemplary.

The medal is a gold Greek cross depicting Christ with his hand raised in blessing. On the left arm of the cross are the tiara and crossed keys, symbol of the papacy. On the right arm is the coat of arms of the current pope. The medal is suspended from a yellow and white ribbon, the colours of the papacy.

“I am very grateful to the parish pastoral council of Emmanuel cathedral and its administrator, Fr Nkosinathi Ngcobo, for nominating me to receive

T

Cardinal Wilfrid Napier presented Paddy Kearney with the papal Bene Merenti medal. this award, and to Cardinal Napier for making all the necessary arrangements,” Mr Kearney said.

Thanksgiving Pilgrimage Led by Fr Alfred Igwebuike Rome, Assisi, Monte San Angelo, San Giovanni Rotondo, Medjugorje 23 September – 07 October 2018 R35 995.00 incl. Airport taxes

Pilgrimage to Lourdes and Fatima Sister Gerard Connellan of the Newton Park, Port Elizabeth, convent has celebrated 75 years in religious life as a Little Company of Mary Sister. (Supplied by Fr Hugh Lagan SMA)

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HE annual Little Eden Society Fête will take place on Saturday, May 5, at the Domitilla & Danny Hyams Home (corner Harris Avenue & Wagenaar Road, Edenglen, Johannesburg) from 9:00-13:00.

This year’s theme is Rainbow Wings. Visitors are challenged to dress up for the theme, with a prize on offer.

For a R5 entry fee, they will have food, entertainment and bargains. Individuals will also stand a chance to win prizes in lucky draws and raffles.

For adults there will be cakes, books, plants, gifts, a tombola, and live entertainment; and for children sweet treats, toys, various fun-filled activities and games, a jumping castle, face painting and

target shooting.

There will also be an opportunity for tours of the home itself. The residents love interacting with visitors and some of them will be joining in the fun too. The Little Eden information stand will have staff waiting to assist visitors. n Please help by making a contribution towards the society’s fête. Contact Zama Zulu on 011 609 7246 or e-mail info@ littleeden.org.za for further information.

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The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2018

INTERNATIONAL

DRC priest slain after Mass A

BY GoDFREY oLUKYA

CATHOLIC priest was shot dead in the Democratic Republic of Congo shortly after celebrating Mass.

UN radio in DRC reported that Fr Etienne Nsengiunva, a priest in Kitchanga, was shot at point-blank range.

Fr Emmanuel Kapitula, vicar of the parish in Kitchanga, said an armed man entered the room where Fr Nsengiunva was eating with parishioners.

“An armed man entered his house, pointed a gun at him and shot several times, killing him instantly. Those who were sharing the meal...could not believe it,” said Fr Kapitula.

Fr Kapitula has asked the government to protect the people.

“We demand that investigations be done, that culprits be punished,” he added.

The murder occurred three days after abducted Fr Celestin Ngango of St Paul Karambi parish was found, unharmed, by villagers.

Fides, news agency of the Congregation of the Evangelisation of Peoples, reported that villagers from Bunyangula found Fr Ngango blindfolded, although he appeared otherwise unharmed. The Congolese bishops’ conference told Fides that he would receive standard medical tests as a precaution.

Local authorities said that ultimately Fr Ngango’s release was secured by pressure from the local villagers despite an initial search party turning up no evidence of the priest’s whereabouts.

Fr Ngango was the sixth priest abducted in the eastern DRC since 2012 and one of the few abductees in the region to be released. Civilians in eastern Congo have been brutalised by militias, rebels and military units.

Thousands of women have been raped by the armed groups. Analysts say competition for mineral resources is the key factor fueling the violence, but recently succession politics added to the troubles.

Challenging what they termed as an “illegal” third term for President Joseph Kabila and recently moving to broker a deal between the government and opposition parties, the Catholic Church has found itself targeted. Churches, convents and Catholic schools have been vandalised or looted by armed groups.— CNS

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A Christmas tree is seen illuminated in Vilnius, Lithuania. Vatican officials have confirmed that the pope will visit Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in September. (Photo: Ints Kalnins, Reuters/CNS)

Papal trip to Baltic states

BY JUNNo ARoCHo ESTEVES

T

HE Vatican has announced that Pope Francis will make a four-day trip to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in September.

Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said in a statement that the pope will visit five cities during the September 22-25 trip, including Vilnius and Kaunas in Lithuania; Riga and Aglona in Latvia; and Tallinn, Estonia.

The pope's visit coincides with

Pope exhorts us to holiness Continued from page 1 will grow through small gestures,” Pope Francis said, before citing the example of a woman who refuses to gossip with a neighbour, returns home and listens patiently to her child even though she is tired, prays the Rosary and later meets a poor person and offers him a kind word.

The title of the document was taken from Matthew 5:12 when Jesus says “rejoice and be glad” to those who are persecuted or humiliated for his sake.

The line concludes the Beatitudes, in which, Pope Francis said: “Jesus explained with great simplicity what it means to be holy”: living simply, putting God first, trusting him and not earthly wealth or power, being humble, mourning with and consoling others, being merciful and forgiving, working for justice and seeking peace with all.

The example of the saints officially recognised by the Church can be helpful, he said, but no one else’s path can be duplicated exactly.

Each person, he said, needs “to embrace that unique plan that God willed for each of us from eternity”.

T Follow the inspiration of our foundress St Angela Merici and discover the joy of a life given to Christ and to others

the 100th anniversary of all three Baltic countries declaring their independence from Russia in 1918.

Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia were incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1940 until 1991, shortly before the communist state was dissolved.

This will be the second visit from a pontiff to the three Baltic nations. Pope John Paul II visited Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia in September 1993.—CNS

he exhortation ends with a section on “discernment”, which is a gift to be requested of the Holy Spirit and developed through prayer, reflection, reading Scripture and seeking counsel from a trusted spiritual guide.

“A sincere daily ‘examination of conscience’” will help, he said, because holiness involves striving each day for “all that is great, better and more beautiful, while at the same time being concerned for the little things, for each day’s responsibilities and commitments”.

Pope Francis also included a list of cautions. For example, he said holiness involves finding balance in prayer time, time spent enjoying others’ company, and time dedicated to serving others in ways large or small. And, “needless to say, anything done out of anxiety, pride or the need to impress others will not lead to holiness”.

Being holy is not easy, he said, but if the attempt makes a person judgmental, always frustrated and surly, something is not right.

“The saints are not odd and aloof, unbearable because of their vanity, negativity and bitterness,”

he said. “The apostles of Christ were not like that.”

In fact, the pope said, “Christian joy is usually accompanied by a sense of humour.”

The exhortation included many of Pope Francis’ familiar refrains about attitudes that destroy the Christian community, like gossip, or that proclaim themselves to be Christian but are really forms of pride, like knowing all the rules and being quick to judge others for not following them.

H

oliness “is not about swooning in mystic rapture”, he wrote, but it is about recognising and serving the Lord in the hungry, the stranger, the naked, the poor and the sick.

Holiness is holistic, he said, and while each person has a special mission, no one should claim that their particular call or path is the only worthy one.

“Our defence of the innocent unborn, for example, needs to be clear, firm and passionate for at stake is the dignity of a human life, which is always sacred,” the pope wrote. “Equally sacred, however, are the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned and the underprivileged, the vulnerable infirm and elderly exposed to covert euthanasia....”

And, he said, one cannot claim that defending the life of a migrant is a “secondary issue” when compared to abortion or other bioethical questions.

“That a politician looking for votes might say such a thing is understandable—but not a Christian,” he said.

Pope Francis’ exhortation also included warnings about a clear lack of holiness demonstrated by some Catholics on Twitter or other social media, especially when commenting anonymously.

“It is striking at times,” he said, that “in claiming to uphold the other commandments, they completely ignore the eighth, which forbids bearing false witness or lying”.

Saints, on the other hand, “do not waste energy complaining about the failings of others; they can hold their tongues before the faults of their brothers and sisters, and avoid the verbal violence that demeans and mistreats others”. n Read the full document at www.bit.ly/2qm6f4C

The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2018

INTERNATIONAL

5

Priest on life in ‘world’s biggest open-air prison’

BY MARĂ­A XIMENA RoNDĂłN

I

N the past six years the number of Christians in the Gaza Strip has plummeted from 4 500 to just 1 000, due to the harsh conditions under which they are living, according to the pastor of the territory’s sole Catholic church.

Gazans “live like it’s an open air prison since we can’t leave. We can’t visit relatives, look for work, medicine or good hospitals on the outside,� Fr Mario da Silva told ACI Prensa.

The Gaza Strip, part of Palestine, is located to the west of Israel and home to 1,8 million persons. Since 2007, it has been ruled by the militant Hamas movement.

Since Hamas came to power there, Israel and Egypt have conducted an economic blockade of the Gaza Strip, restricting the flow of persons and goods in what Israel says is an effort to limit rocket attacks on Israel launched from the territory.

Fr da Silva, a priest of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, recalled that when he arrived in Gaza in 2012 “the situation was already very difficult. Over time, you would hope the situation would get better, but it’s only got worse�.

Fr Jorge Hernandez celebrates Mass in Holy Family Catholic church in Gaza City. (Photo: Paul Jeffrey/CNS) He related that inhabitants have only three hours of electricity a day, and there is a shortage of drinking water.

Most Gazans are unemployed and those who do work live on “about $150-200 (R1 800-2 400) a month�, he said. “It’s really a prison. People don’t have any money and the situation is terrible. There is widespread poverty.�

The harsh conditions imposed on Gaza has led to the exodus of Palestinian Christians. “Every year Christians have one permit to leave and visit the holy places on Easter and Christmas,� and many of them never return, explained Fr da Silva.

In order to stem the tide, the priest’s Holy Family parish is working with 12 religious sisters, of the Ser-

vants of the Lord and the Virgin of MatarĂĄ, the Missionaries of Charity, and the Sisters of the Rosary congregations. “We’re doing two things: first, preaching Christ and the importance of Christians in the Holy Land; preaching the importance of forgiveness and of carrying the cross is what we most try to do.â€?

The second form of aid is material assistance projects. “For example, with the help of institutions such as the Pontifical Mission or the Latin patriarchate of Jerusalem, the Church tries to give work to more than 30 young people so they won’t leave, because they are mainly the ones who leave.�

He noted that the parish also cares for adherents of other religions. “The Christian community is very small and there are 2 million Muslims. They are also in great need. We have always opened the doors of our schools or our church during times of war to take in those seeking refuge,� he said. “There is not a very great persecution of Christians,� the priest said.

“Though there is now a lot of fear with the news that ISIS has arrived, coming from the Sinai Peninsula, in Egypt‌There have already been threats. There is also fear of the Salafist groups who are coming in from the south,â€? he said. “In fact, when we have problems with Muslims who want to do something against the Church, we’ve asked the [Hamas] government to protect us and they have done so,â€? he added.

The joy of Easter was tinged this year by a decrease in the permits given by Israel for Palestinian Christians to visit holy places in its territory, Fr da Silva said.

This year Israel gave only 300 permits instead of the 700 they usually grant. These permits were “for children and the elderly, who are really the people who can’t go out by themselves. Very few people actually went,� the priest lamented. “Pray much for this, which is what we mainly ask for, because only God can change the situation we’re going through in these countries here in the Middle East.�—CNA

Pope sorry for mistakes

BY JUNNo ARoCHo ESTEVES

P

OPE Francis has apologised for underestimating the seriousness of the sexual abuse crisis in Chile following a recent investigation into allegations concerning Bishop Juan Barros of Osorno.

In a letter to the bishops of Chile, the pope said he made “serious mistakes in the assessment and perception of the situation, especially due to a lack of truthful and balanced information�. “I ask forgiveness of all those I have offended and I hope to be able to do it personally in the coming weeks,� the pope said in the letter. Several survivors apparently have been invited to the Vatican to meet the pope.

Abuse victims alleged that Bishop Barros—then a priest—

had witnessed their abuse by his mentor, Fr Fernando Karadima.

In 2011, Fr Karadima was sentenced to a life of prayer and penance by the Vatican after he was found guilty of sexually abusing boys.

Protesters and victims said Bishop Barros is guilty of protecting Fr Karadima and was physically present while some of the abuse was going on.

During his January visit to Chile, Pope Francis asked forgiveness for clerical sexual abuses committed in Chile.

However, speaking to reporters, he pledged his support for Bishop Barros and said: “The day they bring me proof against Bishop Barros, I will speak. There is not one piece of evidence against him. It is calumny.�

He later apologised to the vic-

tims and admitted that his choice of words wounded many.

A short time later, Pope Francis sent a trusted investigator, Archbishop Charles Scicluna of Malta, to Chile to listen to people with information about Bishop Barros.

Pope Francis said Archbishop Scicluna and his aide, Fr Jordi Bertomeu Farnos, heard the testimony of 64 people and presented him with more than 2 300 pages of documentation, some of it about alleged abuses at a Catholic school.

After a “careful reading� of the testimonies, the pope said, “I believe I can affirm that all the testimonies collected speak in a brutal way, without additives or sweeteners, of many crucified lives and, I confess, it has caused me pain and shame.�—CNS

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Cardinal Burke: Catholics must object if pope ‘misuses authority’

BY CINDY WooDEN

W

HILE the pope has the fullness of authority and power in the Catholic Church, he can exercise that authority only in obedience to Christ, and if he does not, it is up to the Catholic faithful to object, said US Cardinal Raymond Burke.

The pope’s power “was given

by Christ himself and not by any human authority or popular constitution and, therefore, can be exercised only in obedience to Christ,� said the cardinal, a canon lawyer and former head of the Vatican’s supreme court.

The cardinal spoke to several hundred Catholics concerned about what they see as growing confusion in the Catholic

Church, particularly because of the way Pope Francis opened the possibility for some divorced and civilly remarried Catholics to receive Communion.

Organisers released a statement saying: “Amidst the grave danger to the faith and unity of the Church that has arisen, we baptised and confirmed members of the people of God are called to reaffirm our Catholic faith.�

The statement went on to affirm their belief that under no circumstance can divorced and civilly remarried Catholics receive the Eucharist unless they first obtain an annulment of their sacramental marriage or promise to abstain from sexual relations with their new partner.

Cardinal Burke and German

Cardinal Walter BrandmĂźller, a Church historian, headlined the conference. Along with two cardinals now deceased, in 2016 they released a set of dubia or questions on which they asked Pope Francis for clarification.

Other bishops and bishops’ conferences who have issued pastoral guidelines for implementing Amoris Laetitia, the pope’s document on ministry to families, insist that while there is no easy and automatic path to the sacraments for divorced and civilly remarried couples, pastors must reach out to them, help the couple recognise their situation, understand Church teaching on the permanence of marriage, and take steps toward living a more Christian life.—CNS

Call to reflect God’s endless mercy

P

RIESTS must give hope to men and women seeking forgiveness, encouraging them in their struggle away from the slippery slope of sin, Pope Francis said.

Being merciful in the confessional helps penitents return to God without fear, even if they repeatedly stumble or slip on a path that “is filled with stones and banana peels�, the pope told 550

priests he designated as “missionaries of mercy�.

The missionaries of mercy, religious-order and diocesan priests from around the world, were among more than 1 000 who received a special papal mandate to preach and teach about God’s mercy during the 2015-16 Holy Year of Mercy.

"We must truly recognise that God’s mercy has no limits,� the

pope said, “and with your ministry, you are a concrete sign that the Church cannot, should not and does not want to create any barrier or difficulty that impedes access to the Father’s forgiveness�.

As missionaries of mercy, Pope Francis said, priests are called to be “interpreters and witnesses� of God’s mercy which “welcomes everyone and always without any distinction�.—CNS

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Brr. Clarence Watts [Y Youth Y outh Ministry] • Cell: +27 63 282 2 6981 • Phone: e: +27 11 680 1235 5 Email: vocations@salesians.org.za sians.org.za • www.salesians.org.za g.za

6

The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2018

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

The Pope of the Gospel

O

NE of the most profound episodes in the gospels is Jesus’ encounter with the woman of dubious repute at Jacob’s Well in Samaria (John 4:5-42).

There were many reasons why Jesus should not have engaged with that woman. For one thing, as she rightly noted, he was a Jew and she a Samaritan, members of groups who maintained a mutual hostility.

Moreover, as Jesus knew, the woman had been married five times and was now living with a man who was not her husband.

Her domestic circumstances seemed to marginalise her from the community, which explains her presence at the otherwise deserted well at noon, the least propitious time for venturing outdoors.

The disciples, had he not sent them to go shopping, doubtless would have been disturbed at this encounter (though they said nothing when they caught the end of it).

And yet, Jesus chose that woman, whose life exemplified what society rejected, to be his first non-Jewish missionary—unconditionally. He issues no instruction to reform her living situation; perhaps he was satisfied that her conversion would inevitably effect that change.

This passage offers many other lessons, especially about the lifegiving nature of Christ.

There is much in Pope Francis’ approach that we can recognise in this Gospel event, as we can in many others which communicate the virtue of personal conversion, the strength not to judge, and the mercy of God. Francis, more than any of his modern predecessors, is the “Pope of the Gospel”. Without diminishing the teachings of the Church Fathers, the many councils and previous popes, he always seems to place the primacy on the Jesus we encounter in the Gospel.

This also finds expression in his new apostolic exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate (“Rejoice and Be Glad”), his apostolic exhortation on “the call to holiness in today’s world”.

In it, he repeats his distaste for the tendency to judge and exclude others because they fail to meet the high standards of morality set by the doctrines of the Church.

“It is not good when we look down on others like heartless

judges, lording it over them and always trying to teach them lessons.

That is itself a subtle form of violence,” he writes in Gaudete et Exsultate.

Pope Francis reminds us that we are not expected be perfect, but rather to be “merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you’ (Luke 6:36-38).”

The Pope of the Gospel calls on us to place a priority on God’s mercy from which flows love, with the joy that brings but also the responsibilities.

The Holy Father firmly locates the manual for holiness in the Gospel, drawing from Jesus. But he also finds examples in real life. He mentions the saints who were holy because they chose to be, not because they were born that way.

He also reminds us to locate the unheralded saints in our lives who model holiness through “small gestures” that are seemingly unimportant but “make [God’s] grace more evident in our lives”—St Grandma, as one headline put it.

Holiness requires at its very core the virtue of charity. By this the pope means not only corporal acts of generosity—feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the lonely—but also a charity of spirit among one another, especially in moments of disagreement.

This goes to the heart of Jesus’ commandment that we love one another (which is different to having to like one another). When we love one another, we cannot tolerate cruelty. When we love one another, we give respect and are open to forgiveness.

It means that when we disagree, we do so with respectful civility, not the incensed rhetoric and lies that infest social media (the pope strongly rebukes those who spread fake news and discord on the Internet).

“Holiness is nothing other than charity lived to the full,” Pope Francis says. Consequently, “The measure of our holiness stems from the stature that Christ achieves in us, to the extent that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we model our whole life on his.”

Every saint, whether canonised or your grandma, Pope Francis says, “is a message which the Holy Spirit takes from the riches of Jesus Christ and gives to his people”.

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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.

Property rights a civil liberty Y OUR front-page article “What Church says on land redistribution” (March 28) opens with sentiments common among Catholic social thinkers: “The Catholic Church recognises the right to private property, but this right is subordinate to the common good and the needs of the wider community.” A nod at the right to private property, followed by a dismissal of it.

This is unfortunate. Church teaching regards the holding of private property as natural and positive. This is made clear in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and in Pope Leo XIII’s encyclical Rerum Novarum (1891).

The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church notes further that private property “constitutes one of the conditions for civil liberty”.

It is true that Church teaching does not view the right to property

Francis not my preferred pope

as absolute. The principle, however, needs to remain intact. The idea that property rights inhibit the common good is a pernicious one.

It is contrary to Church teaching, and invariably brings suffering.

Totalitarian regimes typically use the deprivation of property to cripple opposition, real or potential. The Church has often faced this in “revolutionary” societies in the past century.

It is also a mistake to assume that property rights are only valuable for the affluent. Poor people stand to suffer greatly when their small-scale holdings—a couple of acres of farmland, a small apartment, a few head of livestock—are not afforded protection.

The world over, governments dispossess poor folk in the name of development. The “relocation” of communities in Brazil and China from homes to which they lacked

I

F Antonio Tonin supposes in his angry letter (March 28) that I don’t like the present pope, he is right. I would have preferred Cardinal Wilfrid Napier as pope. We all have our predilections.

Take note, however, that I never wrote that I find this pope unworthy. That is for God to decide.

It is a pity that I cannot explain to Mr Tonin in The Southern Cross why I don’t like Pope Francis (picttured right), because the editor would surely not publish my letter. If Mr Tonin wants to know why I don’t like this pope, he should try to contact me personally via the editor.

Also, Fr S’milo Mngadi in his column in the same issue, “The Church has to be a home for all”, writes: ”I am not sure whether being gay or acting as such is or is not according to God’s plan.”

Let me give Fr Mngadi sureness about God’s plan and look it up in the Bible: Genesis 19:4-11, Leviticus 18: 22, 20:13, Romans 1:24-28, 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, 1 Timothy 1:9-10. Eureka. I found that being

gay or acting as such is not according to God’s plan.

I feel happy to have taken away Fr Mngadi’s unsureness about a problem that must have vexed him for some time. And that for free. It saved him fees for a refresher course in Christian morality.

Fr Mngadi’s uneasiness was probably caused by Building A Bridge, a book by a priest whom he calls the “current James”—and by this James he does not mean the Apostle St James, the Moor slayer, but Fr James Martin SJ, the homo-

formal, legal title, in preparation for large sporting events is a prime example.

There are lessons here for South Africa. Redress measures such as land reform and housing provision are important, and in line with Catholic doctrine.

But they need to empower their beneficiaries, granting ownership and title deeds, and bringing them into structures of ownership—consonant with Church teaching—and making social and economic sense.

At present, the trajectory of policy is to retain state ownership, making assets conditionally available to “beneficiaries”. This does little for real redistribution or the empowerment of ordinary people.

Rather than dismissing the value of property rights, the Church should affirm them, as intrinsic to people’s dignity and prospects for prosperity.

Terence Corrigan, Johannesburg

phobic-slayer.

This current James is a homolobbyist, who was appointed by Pope Francis last year as a Vatican adviser. This James asserts that God created two different orders of sexual behaviour, heterosexual and homosexual, and that both are good and right according to God’s will.

He maintains that in the last 2 000 years the Church has misunderstood God’s plan for sexuality, and that in our days, at last, it is time to switch to a new teaching.

So is homosexuality according to God’s plan or not? Depends which book you read: The Bible says no, Building A Bridge says yes.

But I and my family, we stick with the Bible.

JH Goossens, Pretoria 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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PERSPECTIVES himself against trumped-up charges in a highly politicised process.

As we listened again to the reading of the Passion a couple of weeks ago, we instinctively felt the injustice of Jesus being condemned.

T

he Church’s birth through injustice— condemning not only Jesus but many of the early Apostles—has given it a good basis on which to challenge corrupt policing, biased courts and inhumane laws. And, of course, she did so with great vigour during the apartheid years.

However, when she applauds a state for having a good rule of law, the Church needs to watch out for the tendency to still see herself above the law.

A banner on St Mary's cathedral in Cape Town in 2014 quotes St John’s gospel.

(Photo: Günther Simmermacher)

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counterparts, and brandishing his words like weapons. They’ve also found consolation, and claimed bragging rights, in the passages of the pope’s exhortation that call for solidarity with migrants, claiming penumbras of endorsement for the “seamless garment” approach to the Catholic social teaching.

Doubtless, on Twitter, Facebook, and in some blogs and journals, these two camps will volley fire with newfound ammunition in their battle over Francis, and their war for the Church. ut all of that misses the point. In fact, all of that defies the point. Pope Francis’ exhortation proposes that charity is the heart of holiness—a proposal that echoes his recent predecessors, and more importantly, echoes the words of Jesus.

If Catholic leaders and pundits can’t receive an exhortation in charity, and discuss it in charity, then the need for the document is more profound than most of us care to admit.

As with all of Francis’ documents, Gaudete et Exsultate contains ambiguous passages, which lend themselves to misinterpretation and misappropriation. It paints with a broad brush, and it is not systematic.

This is frustrating. And sometimes, it stings.

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The most unpleasant example of this, in recent years, has been the handling of child abuse cases. If any other institution tried to sort out matters internally when clear crimes had been committed, the Church would rightly join other activists in accusing it of a cover-up.

I once had a surreal conversation with a bishop about a personnel matter and I was trying to explain what actions were required under state law. To my surprise, given the horrific tales we had heard from other countries, the bishop kept insisting that we need only be concerned with Church law, not state law.

One of the Church’s justifications for handling problems internally has been the “avoidance of scandal”. Clearly, in the handling of child abuse cases, the scandal ultimately was not avoided but magnified.

Moreover, the “avoidance of scandal” approach effectively commits the Church to a strategy of silence and secrecy.

How often have we heard about suspicions of theft from parishes or Church projects—by priests and by others—which have not been reported to the police “to avoid scandal”. But since these are generally well known in the community already, the scandal is not avoided but compounded because now the suspect does not have a transparent trial and, when guilty, often faces little punishment and no restitution.

When I first arrived at the Denis Hurley Centre in Durban, I heard suspicions that one of our managers was stealing goods Continued on page 15

Point of Reflection

An image with a quote from Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation Gaudete et Exsultate. (Photo: Gregory A Shemitz/CNS)

B

Faith and Society

J D Flynn

Read the pope with love I N his first homily as pope, Francis quoted the French convert, author, and mystic Leon Bloy, who has influenced some of modernity’s most significant literary voices.

Gaudete et Exsultate, the pope's new apostolic exhortation, again turns to Bloy, invoking the writer’s famous observation that “the only great tragedy in life is not to become a saint”.

Bloy was right, of course, and most of the pope’s readers are likely disposed to agree with him. But there is another Bloy quote that readers of Gaudete et exsultate would do well to keep in mind: “Love does not make you weak, because it is the source of all strength.”

Gaudete et Exsultate was certainly written with love: whatever one thinks of Pope Francis, there is ample evidence that he loves the Church, and he loves her members. It ought to be read in love as well.

But before the document was even released, a predictable fractioning of the Lord’s body foretold the way the exhortation would likely be read: through the lenses of suspicion and criticism that have characterised much of the debate about Pope Francis. Unsurprisingly, responses to the exhortation have followed a familiar pattern.

Those who are sometimes critical of the pope have noted that the text lacks any mention of chastity, and complained that it seems to have an antinomian or anti-intellectual bent: criticising those with “a punctilious concern for the Church’s liturgy, doctrine and prestige”, and taking special pains to condemn intellectual arrogance.

Their response, in a few lamentable cases, has been the established refrain of Francis-bashing, which colours and discredits the legitimate questions being asked about many of the pope’s initiatives.

Some of the pope’s progressive defenders have snapped up those same passages, seeming to revel in certitude that the pope must be talking about their “conservative”

7

Raymond Perrier

Let the truth set us free ‘T

HE Truth shall set you Free.” These great words from St John’s gospel were for many months emblazoned on a banner hanging outside St Mary’s cathedral in Cape Town while Parliament— located directly opposite—was debating the Secrecy Bill.

A landmark case in the Tshwane High Court recently set a precedent, of great importance for those of us who seek to help the homeless.

It has established that municipalities do not have the right to confiscate homeless people’s belongings—in effect stealing their IDs, medicines and other valuables—under the guise of a “clean-up” operation. If such an operation is planned, it must be done in a way that respects the dignity of homeless people, no less protected by the Constitution than is the dignity of other citizens.

For all the difficulties, double-talking and compromises of South African politics, we can be proud that our legal system is a bastion of truth and justice. That does not mean that courts do not make mistakes, but we can generally trust them to defend us when otherss and even government forces undermine our rights and our property.

The Catholic Church generally speaks positively of such interventions by courts to defend individuals, especially the most marginalised. But at the same time, I fear, there can be a tendency to treat the legal system as something which is important for shining a light on other institutions, but not one to which the Church wants to be subjected herself.

You can see why. The story of the Church began with a whole evening of unjust trials: Jesus brought before the Sanhedrin and the Roman governor to defend

The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2018

But the document is an exhortation. It is written to exhort us.

“What follows is not meant to be a treatise on holiness, containing definitions and distinctions helpful for understanding this important subject, or a discussion of the various means of sanctification,” Pope Francis wrote. “My modest goal is to repropose the call to holiness in a practical way for our own time, with all its risks, challenges and opportunities. For the Lord has chosen each one of us ‘to be holy and blameless before him in love’.”

The document is meant to call us sinners to repentance and conversion. To call the lukewarm—most of us—to holiness.

Not all parts are relevant to all Catholics; it fails to mention some patterns of sinfulness altogether. It is written by a fellow sinner, and the author’s humanity, foibles and all, show through the text. But it’s written in love. Which means that we should receive it by examining our own hearts, to find the places where the exhortation exhorts us.

An exhortation like this should be received in quiet and penitential humility. If we’re second-guessing it, armchair-experting the things it should have said, we’ve missed the point. If we’re using it to smite our enemies, we’ve missed the point. If it leads us away from love, the biggest problem is with us, and not with the text.

“Let us ask the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us a fervent longing to be saints for God’s greater glory, and let us encourage one another in this effort,” Francis writes.

Let’s receive Gaudete et Exsultate as it’s written. Let’s be strengthened by love— from the pontiff, from one another, and from the Lord. Let’s put aside the arguments for the moment, and ask the Lord to help us be the saints he calls us to become. n JD Flynn is the editor of the Catholic News Agency.

1 Plein Street, Sidwell, Port Elizabeth

A maypole, the current source of frustration for our columnist’s son.

Julia Beacroft

Point of Reflection

Feeling a fool because of May

M

Y elder son is a teaching assistant in an English primary school. It’s a rewarding, demanding and often challenging role, but one which he gives his heart and soul to.

Yet he has been a bit fed up lately…

Some of the children at his school have been tasked with learning the maypole dance. The dance is performed by pairs of boys and girls who stand alternately around the base of the maypole— a painted pole, decorated with flowers, around which people traditionally dance on May Day— each holding the end of a ribbon.

They weave in and around each other, boys going one way and girls going the other, and the ribbons are woven together around the pole until the merry-makers meet at the base.

My son explained that this sounds so simple in theory, but the practice is a very different matter!

The children apparently, seemed unable to grasp the idea at all, going the wrong way and tangling the ribbons until it was impossible to continue. And there are no prizes for guessing who had the monumental task of unravelling them!

There was still worse to come! In despair, the class teacher nominated the long-suffering teaching assistant—my son—to be one of the maypole dancers, in a bid to “sort the children out”.

To say that my son was a reluctant maypoledancer and felt an absolute fool during the process would have been an understatement!

In May we honour the Virgin Mary as “the Queen of May”. And rightly so. And this is not only because she was born without spot or stain of sin—a perfect vessel to carry the Lord—but also because of her absolute obedience and faith in God. This great faith enabled her to give an unequivocal “Yes” to God, when asked if she would become the mother of Jesus Christ.

Mary must have wondered what would become of her when the news of her impending motherhood became known, as this would have been completely flying in the face of Jewish conventions at that time. Yet, despite that, her commitment to the Lord was absolute” “Let this be done to me.”

My son was reluctant and embarrassed about performing his allotted task—dancing around the maypole. In contrast, Our Lady, the Queen of May, did not for a moment hesitate to undertake the greatest commission of all time, and one which was to have the most far-reaching effects for mankind—ever.

And so during the coming month of May, may we celebrate the life and commitment of Mary our Mother, Queen of May. And as for my son, his advice regarding the May dancing is: “Don’t touch it with a barge or any other kind of pole!” n Julia Beacroft’s book Sanctifying The Spirit is published by Sancio Books. It is available on Amazon.

8

The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2018

EASTER COMMUNITY

A Stations of the Cross pilgrimage was held in Eshowe, KwaZulu-Natal, from St Benedict’s cathedral to opus Dei parish in Dinizulu, led by cathedral administrator Fr Victor Chavunga oSB and Dinizulu parish priest Fr Moruti Ntholeng.

Archbishop Buti Tlhagale celebrated Chrism Mass in the cathedral of Christ the King in Johannesburg with Auxillary Bishop Duncan Tsoke, retired Bishop Patrick Mvemve of Klerksdorp and Deacon John Rahme.

(Photo: Alexis Callea)

Maris Stella School in Berea, Durban, held an Easter penitential service.

Holy Rosary School in Edenvale, Johannesburg, received an Easter cross from St Benedict’s College in Bedfordview as part of a pilgrimage to unite youth. Seen here, with St Benedict’s Grade 11s, are Holy Rosary Grade 11s (from left) Takunda Chimusoro, Lara da Rocha, Mercedes James, Ashley de la Roche, Monica Grispan, and Chelsea Pelobello.

Young children in Esikhawini, Empangeni, in Eshowe diocese, hold up the Easter eggs they found hidden in a flower garden.

(Submitted

by Dr CW Zondo)

Members of St Theodore’s parish in Greytown, Durban archdiocese, gathered after an Easter service. (Submitted by Rosemary Mukuka)

A new set of Stations of the Cross was presented to St Benedict’s Junior Preparatory School in Bedfordview, Johannesburg, by the boys and parents of the Grade 3 class of 2017. They were blessed by Fr Thabo Mothiba at a special Mass dedicated to Hilary Esterhuizen in honour of her service to the St Benedict’s community.

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Marist Brothers Linmeyer Primary School in Johannesburg South hosted a paraliturgical ceremony of dressing of the Cross at the start of Holy Week.

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Through this way of life, we join our lives to Jesus’ redeeming love, praying for the people of the world and remaining hidden in the heart of Holy Mother Church

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LITURGY

The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2018

9

Good preaching needs listening and learning Homilies must be relevant to those who hear them, and there are ways to achieve that, as KELVIN BANDA oP explains.

R

ELIGIOUS orders or congregations tend not to train their members on how to give a good homily. It is the people whom we serve who aid us in preparing and giving our best homilies.

The service of religious ought to be full of God’s pure love. Consequently, as preachers, if we are not thinking of service and better ways to serve God in people, then that means we are not thinking about the mission of Christ: proclaiming to all the nations (Mt 28:9).

As a people chosen, set apart to serve, we need to have a standard—QSCV: quality, service, cleanliness and value—towards the people of God. People we serve must be valued, loved and cared for. The QSCV standard will encourage them to return and appreciate our services.

Service is not a matter of showing off; it is letting God work through you and me. Thus by being instruments of God, we become instruments of service.

This brings in a spirit of humility—a skill of listening to the divine voice of God and applying what the voice is entrusting to us.

In addition to service, preachers need to build a partnership with others. We need to interact with

Recently ordained Fr Pheto Matlala preaches at his ordination Mass in Pretoria archdiocese. (Photo: Mathibela Sebothoma) others in order to diversify our preaching.

This may be done through learning additional methods or techniques of preaching; how to develop a homily; or preach a retreat to different groups of people.

We need to build strong, mutually beneficial relationships among ourselves to enhance the preaching ministry. We always need to seek new ways to better our preaching alliances.

Preach ‘sign of the times’ Preaching is not all about searching for a homily saved on a computer that was preached four years previously and simply reading it to parishioners. Preaching, as Fr Albert Nolan OP has put it, must

move with “the signs of the times”.

This can be achieved through our alliances with other religious or priests.

It is not a sin to seek advice from our own brothers and sisters on how they manage to give wonderful and moving homilies or retreats that bring people closer to God. It is an attitude we need to develop, practise and appreciate. It is a strategy that has to be developed, and should continue to be developed, for as long as we remain preachers of God’s word.

Furthermore, the quality of an individual’s preaching is important. If a preacher always begins a homily with a story that is out of context, then it could indicate that he has not studied well the signs of

the times—the needs of the people being preached to.

Preaching must speak to the current situations people are facing or undergoing. It is indeed good to recount stories; however, stories or examples must be linked to the signs of the times—they must hit or touch and be able, if possible, to heal the wounds people are suffering from.

As ministers of God, we need to manage a parish-driven preaching strategy; a preacher needs to know the needs of the parishioners.

Parishioners stand in the centre of our preaching ministry. No one can be called to preach unless there is someone to be preached to. The goal must be to preach so that parishioners find value, happiness, peace, love and healing in what is being preached, and also helping them to build strong relationships with God, between family members, and with others.

context. The parishioners we hope to save or preach to have different needs.

The task of a preacher is to divide up the total of one’s reflection or homily, choose segments that are best suited to its strengths; to revamp, revive and empower the souls of people—empower people spiritually.

The word of God must be the natural environment that nourishes humanity.

Therefore, as preachers, we must win parishioners from the roaring lion, the devil; keep them by allowing God to be God of their lives through delivering greater and valued homilies that challenge, change, touch and heal them.

The change of an individual’s interior life is God’s work, not ours.

Our homilies must be nothing but the best, imparting messages that suit the signs of the times guiding our people to God. Preachers need to be wise enough to focus their efforts on meeting specific spiritual needs of individual parishioners.

Parishioners are interested in more than just a homily or a story told to them; they are interested in the full package of the homily that will help them find peace; that will uplift them; that will make them have the “aha-experience”.

They need a two-way communication—their spiritual expectations being met and nourished upon having listened to the word of God.

Our homilies must be nothing but the best, imparting messages that guide our people to God.

Parishioner-valued homilies Above all, preaching must be parishioner-valued. This means that, before a homilist preaches, he must have analysed and engaged with parishioners to find out what difficulties or problems they are encountering—economic, political, psychological-emotional, or social—and the sufferings as well as the joys they are encountering.

A preacher requires a careful parishioner analysis for a given

10

The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2018

VOCATIONS

‘My life as a religious Brother’ What is the vocation of a religious Brother?

NEREESHA PATEL spoke to a Redemptorist Brother.

I Do you Desire to grow in prayer, spirituality and to be of service to God’s people?

To find out more contact: The Congregation of the Sisters of Nazareth in your area. Sister Margaret at +27 021 461 1635 or 076 399 1015. www.sistersofnazareth.com

Dominican Sisters, Cabra

Rooted in prayer, study and community; Upholding the values of love and compassion in our search for Truth; Promoting right relationships with God, people and creation so that we widen our circle of mercy – We invite you to continue discerning whether God is calling you to the Dominican Religious Life.

You are welcome to contact us at: The Vocations Promoter cabdoms@mweb.co.za

Uniteed by the same passion: Passion ffo P or God Passion fo or Affrrica Passion fo or humanity

Fiilleed with w the joy y of the Gospel and guided d by the Sp pirit, we are an inteercu ultural missionary Society with a fa amily Spirit.

Voc cation Director:: P.O. Box 513, Merrrivale 3291/ Cell: +27713379448

Email: mavocsa@gmail.com/ / Facebook: MAfr SouthAfrrica Vocations

N Bergvliet, Cape Town, stands the parish of the Most Holy Redeemer, where the community of Redemptorist missionaries reside in the adjoining monastery.

When he was 18, in 1987, Gavin Stokoe visited the monastery for the first time as a member of a church group. Several stay-overs and regular visits later, he was able to experience the sense of community, prayer life and charism that these missionaries possessed.

Now, 31 years later, Br Gavin is a member of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, which was founded in 1732 in Italy by St Alphonsus Liguori.

With a bubbly demeanour, a great sense of humour and an ability to roll profound words off his tongue with the same ease that he uses for kind words, Br Stokoe embraced the call to enter the religious life.

“I entered the congregation as a response to my deepening relationship with God,” Br Stokoe explained. “Since then, my life as a Redemptorist has been a continuous journey in further deepening this relationship.”

Born on March 5, 1969, Br Stokoe grew up in Wynberg. Enjoying a happy childhood, his fondest memories included family outings, school holidays (“and not having to worry about homework”), shopping with his parents, and celebrating Christmas and Easter with family and friends.

His first experience of religious life came when he encountered the Cabra Dominican Sisters of Wittebome convent while he attended nearby St Augustine's Primary School.

“I became aware of these women wearing the same clothes, praying and working in the schools together,” recalled Br Stokoe. “The beauty in which they prayed and helped each other, especially the older members, made me realise that this was what I wanted to become a part of.”

Inspired by the members of the Redemptorist community at Holy Redeemer as a teenager, Br Stokoe began the journey towards discerning his vocation. He entered the novitiate at the village of Rookdale in Bergville, KwaZulu-Natal, where he lived for three years. Memories of a being a student there are still fresh in his mind.

“All my contemporaries were good guys,” he said. “We struggled and disagreed, but we also supported and encouraged each

THE SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME DE NAMUR, their Associates and co-workers, invite YOU to join us in showing God’s Goodness to our world.

For information contact sndsa@telkomsa.net, or Sr Gertrude: 056 218 1654, 078 718 3382

Redemptorist Brother Gavin Stokoe with a statue of St Alphonsus Liguori, the founder of his religious order. other. Together, we prayed as a community, studied, carried out pastoral work and indulged in recreation. All this added to my foundation over the years, very much a part of my formation and growth.”

Br Stokoe studied theology, philosophy and liturgy at St Joseph’s Theological Institute in Cedara, KwaZulu-Natal. Additionally, he enrolled in a homecare course that would allow him to assist the elderly, as well as completing lifeline and spiritual guidance courses.

I

n December 2010, Br Stokoe was appointed to the Redemptorist monastery in Bergvliet. His duties there see him “running the domestic side of their community” which includes cooking meals.

Other responsibilities include attending to the needs of the sick and/or elderly members of the community; assisting in formation and postulancy; and participating in parish missions.

These day-to-day tasks are “challenging, but very fulfilling”, helping him grow in his vocation, Br Stokoe explained.

“Our community life is not always easy. Difficulties will always be there. It's facing them and dealing with them that helps one to grow. I have learnt to grow through the difficulties I've encountered,” he said.

“I thank God every day for my formation, my formators, the community, and the support of my family, friends and spiritual directors. Also, being open and

living one's truth, knowing that one is part of a worldwide Redemptorist culture and tradition helps in this life of representing the face of the Redeemer,” said Br Stokoe.

Br Stokoe's advises those who aspire to join the religious life to keep in touch with the monastery they are interested in, and to visit other congregations and explore their charisms. He added that it’s also good to work or study first, and experience and enjoy life. He paused and added: “Not that they won't enjoy life here.”

Those who are interested in the religious life “must be open to formation and to God's grace as he calls you to a religious life, from which the missionary life will flow from. Our mission is diverse; even if a priest or Brother retires, the mission still continues until death”, he said.

“Our numbers are few. I pray that we receive vocations who are men willing to be open to formation and the call to community life,” he said.

He noted that the role of the religious Brother has changed a great deal. “We have Brothers who still farm and cook, but there are others who are social workers, iconographers, give retreats, help run our shrines and so on.”

Br Stokoe said he will leave the future “in God's hands”, but it's apparent that his desire to serve his fellow Redemptorists and the wider community of Holy Redeemer remains as strong as the day he set foot in the monastery.

VOCATIONS

The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2018

11

‘My journey as Precious Blood Sister’ As a girl, Sr Nokwanda Bam wanted to be a priest. Today she is a Precious Blood Sister.

She told NEREESHA PATEL about her vocational journey.

I

T was during her primary school years that Precious Blood Sister Nokwanda Bam of Tsomo in the Eastern Cape, part of Queenstown diocese, received her calling to the religious life.

Inspired by her parish priest, the late Fr Paul Rankel, a Pallottine Father who demonstrated his dedication and love for God and the people he served, the young girl wanted nothing more than to become a priest just like him—or rather a nun, as her mother later explained to her.

“I was afraid to express this desire to Fr Rankel until it grew stronger and stronger so that I couldn’t keep quiet anymore,” Sr Bam told The Southern Cross.

Ultimately, she made her decision: she could no longer ignore her calling to serve God and his people.

She approached Fr Rankel and revealed her intentions; he then directed her to the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood, an all-female congregation which was founded by Abbot Franz Pfanner in 1885.

There, her calling was realised.

“Through some accompaniment by my formator and prayer, I was inspired by John 15:16, which says, ‘You did not choose me, I chose you.’ From these words, I understood the message that God sends us people to act as instruments to draw us closer to him,” said Sr Bam.

B

orn in Tsomo in 1970, Sr Bam was like “any other girl”. The second eldest of seven children, she enjoyed carrying out household chores, tending to the family’s vegetable garden, playing a variety

of sports from netball to athletics, and being in the company of her friends.

She attended a local primary school which was 30 minutes away from home, and in 1990 she matriculated from St James Senior Secondary School in nearby Cofimvaba. Sr Bam shone academically, continuously striving to maintain her work ethic.

“My ambition was to excel in whatever I did at school academically. I remember being involved in a healthy competition with one boy in class: we each always held positions number one or two,” Sr Bam warmly recalled.

Initially baptised in the Anglican church, Sr Bam and her family converted to Catholicism because her mother “fell in love with the Catholic faith”—that, and she wanted the entire family to be able to attend church, as the local Anglican church was simply too far to get to.

The young Nokwanda was inspired by the likes of Fr Rankel and Precious Blood Sister Mechtild Biberauer, who became principal of St James.

“As I secretly watched her pray in church after lunch, I wondered to myself whether I would ever pray like she did.”.

N

ewly-matriculated, Nokwanda was received into the postulancy at Glen Avent convent in Mthatha for a year.

Afterwards, she proceeded into the novitiate in Macheke, Zimbabwe, from 1992-94, learning the charism and spirituality of the missionary Sisters.

During this time, Sr Bam found it difficult to learn another language and was slow to adjust to her surroundings.

She also questioned her vocation when fellow novitiates discontinued their training.

What’s more, Sr Bam’s decision to enter the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood “tore my family apart”.

“They could not understand where this all came from. Ini-

tially, I received no support from them, except from my mother who stood by me and said, ‘Let her pursue what is in her heart and if she can’t, she will come back home.’ Her words gave me a sense of freedom and in difficult times helped me to go on.

Lo and behold, when I made my first vows, my family were all there in full support,” she explained.

Sr Bam said: “The people who inspired me were not the end in themselves, but it was and still is God who calls and leads me forward. This has kept me firm and grounded in my religious life.”

H

er formation also enabled her to overcome her difficulties. “I learned what international and inter-cultural living is all about, the readiness to be sent to any country to serve.

The experience has also widened my horizon and has given me insight about different cultures, different ways of doing things, without feeling overwhelmed.”

As a missionary Sister, Sr Bam is a nurse as well as an educator, teaching student nurses in the field.

In addition, she is also part of a team that is involved in vocation promotion activities such as visiting parishes and addressing girls and young women about religious life within and outside South Africa.

For anyone who wishes to join the religious life, Sr Bam quoted Pope Benedict XVI: “There is hardness of hearing where God is concerned and this is something from which we particularly suffer in our own time.”

She added: “It is important to emphasise that it is only through silence and prayer that we can hear God speaking to us. As it says in Matthew 9:3738, ‘The harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few, ask the Lord of the harvest therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.’”

Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena of King Williams Town

We are a multi-cultural, prophetic community of Dominican women, Aware of the interconnectedness and sacramental dimension of all life in a dynamically evolving universe.

Precious Blood Sister Nokwanda Bam, inspired by her parish priest as a young girl, felt a calling to serve God as a nun. Her Catholic family was “torn apart” by her decision to enter convent training, yet were all there, “in full support”, when she made her first vows. (Photo: Kate-Lynn Fleshman)

Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception We Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception are an International Congregation

We try to deepen our relationship with Jesus and share our Joy of the Gospel with other people by serving them in various ministries, in the spirit of St Francis.

Is God perhaps calling you to do this?

Should you wish to know more about us, contact: The Vocation Directress, PO Box 773, Nelspruit/Mbombela, 1200.

Tel 076 692 8477 , or 013 741 4520 franciscansnelspruit@telkomsa.net

With God as our source, we respond creatively and compassionately to the cry of the world, witnessing to the unconditional loving-kindness of God.

“The spirit of our missionary vocation is to bring the whole world to Jesus Christ.”

Is God calling you to become a Vowed Religious sister, an Associate member, Lay Dominican or Volunteer?

For more information contact us at clt@kwtdominicans.org Sr Mary Tuck marytuck@kwtdominicans.org Sr Nobululi Bulurelo 076 365 0647

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Contacts:FRANCISCAN MISSIONARIES OF MARY FMM Vocations, P.O. Box 1816, 1716 FLORIDA HILLS, GAUTENG

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12

The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2018

BOOKS

Ordinary life in an extraordinary time A DARKER SHADE OF PALE, by Beryl Crosher-Segers. Torchflame Books, Durham NC, 2018. 243pp Reviewed by Günther Simmermacher HE rich body of literature on the subject of apartheid has rather neglected the experience of the coloured community, at least beyond the trauma of the ethnic cleansing of District Six. A Darker Shade of Pale offers some remedy to that.

Written by Beryl Crosher-Segers, a Catholic who left Cape Town for Australia in 1988, this memoir charts the author’s life from growing up in her hometown’s southern areas of Retreat and Steenberg in the 1960s, to experiencing the brutal might of apartheid socialisation in the 1970s, to having a young family in the 1980s.

There were many catalysts for the Segers family’s decision to emigrate to Australia—ironically, a country which not long before that applied racial rules to immigration—where the author felt the weight of apartheid’s oppression instantly lifted. Their common denominator in that decision was that the author did not want her children to grow up in a racist society.

Besides District Six, coloureds were forced out of many prestigious areas in Cape Town, including Claremont, Newlands, Constantia, Simon’s Town and Sea Point, to name a few. Many were displaced in ghettos far from their work, ex-

T

tended families and communities.

Many families are still fighting today for restitution for properties which were sold under duress well below market value and are now worth millions.

The author also had the experience of displacement by forced removal, from the house built by her Portuguese grandfather to council housing in Steenberg (the ghetto, not the wine estate). There, her neighbours and cousins were also displaced from elsewhere.

The author notes how the effects of that trauma resulted in high levels of alcoholism and attendant domestic abuse in the community.

This stood in stark contrast to the simultaneous nurturing and generous community spirit, which was evident even in areas where displaced people from disparate places were exiled to.

On the plus side, there was running water in the new council house. The author remembers which family member had the honour of being the first to flush the toilet, a whole new luxury.

And this is where her book is not only a lament for a community that suffered in different ways under apartheid but also a testament of life in that community at a particular period of time.

That life is not well-documented, but it is important that the names and places and lifestyles and mindsets be preserved in print.

Many of the book’s readers will recall with some nostalgia names like the Princess Bioscope, Cosy Corner or the Space Odyssey, and events like US soul legend Percy Sledge performing (not uncontroversially, as the author notes) at the Luxurama in 1970.

A Darker Shade of Pale offers little snapshots of times now long past: small stories of the opening of one of those new-fangled supermarkets (across the tracks on the white side, of course), listening to favourite radio programmes, seeing the Klopse preparing for Tweede Nuwe Jaar, and so on.

It also touches on sensitive issues, such as class prejudice within the coloured community, and the grotesque procedure of racial reclassification by dint of running pencils through an applicant’s hair.

T

he Catholic Church plays a recurrent role in the book. St Mary’s parish in Retreat provided a social outlet. Crosher-Segers recalls a well-meaning but awkward attempt by the parish priest to bring together young people from different race groups for a dance in the 1970s.

The Church also stirred the author’s political spirit through the Young Christian Workers movement, where she first encountered whites who also opposed apartheid.

Covert cafés which sold anything but coffee were another such venue.

But the Church was also the cause for sadness in the family.

Beryl’s father, Ben, had been briefly married before he wed the author’s devoutly Catholic mother, Sarah— which excluded both from receiving Communion. Embittered, Ben regarded the Catholic Church with hostility.

On the day of Ben’s funeral, Sarah finally presented herself for Communion. Crosher-Segers notes that her father “had to die first before she could receive the full sacraments as a widow”.

The Crosher parents’ different reactions to apartheid are revealing: Ben was angry and powerless, refusing to speak Afrikaans and supporting the Lions in tests against the Springboks by way of protest. Sarah brushed politics aside and got on with life. Her maxim was: “Fight back with a good education and create your own life.”

And Crosher-Segers did just that, even while suffering many racial humiliations along the way.

“Our community, forever held back by the colour of our skin, continued to forge a life for themselves. Most people had no chance of reaching their potential. But they carried on living. Some barely existing. This injustice infuriated me,” she writes.

A Darker Shade of Pale is extraordinary not so much for its story— though Crosher-Segers has an interesting one to tell and does it

well—but because of the context in which it is set: under the oppression of a depraved, blasphemous and relentlessly dehumanising system.

The passage of time is blunting the memory of apartheid’s terror.

Crosher-Segers reminds us just how evil this system was, even when it was not at its worst.

The book is an important contribution to the body of literature on life under apartheid because it records the personal experience of coloureds under that depraved regime. It may be a memoir, but more than that, it is a historical document. n A Darker Shade of Pale is available from bookshops or as an eBook on talkalot.com and Amazon.

Book on missionaries killed in Zim war tells untold story MISSIONARY MARTYRS OF RHODESIA AND ZIMBABWE 1976-1988, by Fr Ted Rogers SJ. Cluster Publications, 2017. 215pp Reviewed by Danisa Khumalo HE late Fr Ted Rogers deserves credit for having taken a bold step to acknowledge the missionaries who were killed during the Rhodesian/Zimbabwean war of independence.

The Catholic Church paid a heavy price when its priests, Sisters, Brothers, doctors and laypeople were killed while serving the Church in the midst of a war.

Fr Rogers narrates the 1964-79 war that killed around 40 000 people, mostly civilians. Most of the killings of missionaries took place from 1976 to December 1979 when the war was at its highest intensity.

Most of these were committed by the guerrilla forces whose primary target was the “white race”.

The missionaries who had decided

T

to stay in the rural missions were easily targeted.

Fr Rogers also raises the important point that some missionaries might have been killed by the Selous Scouts, the Rhodesian special force which used to enter the rural areas and pretend to be guerrillas to extract information from the locals.

Fr Rogers makes it clear that the debate about who actually killed some of the missionaries is still open.

The missionaries found themselves as “people in the middle”.

They were blamed by the guerrillas for being “white” and their religion was seen as the “opium of the people”. On the other side, the white regime blamed them for supporting the guerrillas, and for being the “lovers of African people” and “betrayers of the white supremacy thinking and values”.

Fr Rogers’ book documents the contribution of the Catholic Church to the armed struggle. It acknowledges the spirit of the mis-

sionaries of yesteryear: “Those who chose to stay with their people and to be there in their suffering.” The book presents a Church in the site of the struggle, not as a commentator but as a participant.

In writing this book, the author has acknowledged the contributions of many religious, priests, lay missionaries, doctors and catechists to the growing of the faith of Zimbabwe. This book underscores the faithfulness of the Catholic Church to offer one’s life for others fully.

Debatable as it may be, this book breaks down the barriers of monopolising the liberation struggle which seem to suggest that the only heroes are those armed men and

Congregation of Christian Brothers

women who died in war. It puts the Church, especially the martyrs on the same rank as the honoured war veterans of the Zimbabwean liberation war.

Fr Rogers gives a fair analysis of the Church. He points out in his book that there were two kinds of the Catholic Church in the colonial days: The settlers’ Church and the mission Church The martyrs belonged to the mission Church which was prophetic and at times challenged white privilege. We had religious, lay missionaries and priests who were found on both sides of the fence. The image of the divided Church of Zimbabwe needs to be further interrogated in the present situation.

Possible new insights and debates that can be drawn: What was the contribution of the Catholic Church in the struggle for liberation of Zimbabwe?

How has the Church handled itself after independence? Has it been faithful to the spirit of the martyrs?

What was the role of ordinary Catholics in the preservation of the churches and its missionaries during the war? Why is there a lack of honouring the Zimbabwean martyrs in today’s Church in the country?

The Zimbabwean story of liberation has many facets and many stories are still to be told. The martyrs of Rhodesia/Zimbabwe should be accorded a special place in the history of Zimbabwe and in Zimbabwe Church history.

Fr Rogers’ book opens up a conversation about how Zimbabwean history has been told and how the Catholic Church’s role has been negated to the periphery.

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The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2018

CHURCH

13

Francis, China, and the art of the deal Pope Francis’ foreign policy is shaped by a pragmatic approach that sees something better than nothing, as ELISE HARRIS explains.

I

F Vatican-brokered agreements negotiated under his leadership are any indication, it seems clear that when a deal is on the table, Pope Francis usually tries to take it.

In Colombia, with the United States and Cuba, and in China, it seems that Pope Francis generally prefers to take an imperfect patch job that might at least begin to restore broken ties—even if it faces opposition—rather than waiting for perfect diplomatic agreement to arise.

A clear example of this is the Vatican’s pending agreement with China on the appointment of bishops, which many sources, including the Vatican's own Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, have said is “imminent”.

In negotiations with China, the Vatican is reportedly using an approach similar to the one that led to a 1996 accord which then-Fr Parolin brokered with Vietnam.

In China, the Holy See would apparently have the final say in appointing bishops, choosing from a selection of candidates put forward by the government-backed Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, the legally recognised Catholic body in the nation.

The proposal has been harshly criticised by some, including Cardinal Joseph Zen, retired bishop of Hong Kong.

However, many others, including Cardinal Zen's successor Cardinal John Tong Hon, have supported an accord, saying the situation for religion in China has generally improved, and that while there might be problems in some areas, China is a large nation, and incidents of arrest or imprisonment are generally rare and limited to certain regions.

The Colombian deal Similar conversations happened when the Vatican helped the

Colombian government and leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) reach a peace agreement in September 2016, intended to end five decades of violent armed conflict that left some 260 000 people dead and millions displaced.

The Vatican helped to broker the agreement, which allowed the incorporation of some FARC leaders into the government, in exchange for the group’s disarmament and renunciation of kidnapping and drug trafficking.

The deal marked a breakthrough in what had been a longtime stalemate in which neither side was willing to budge.

However, it was met with mixed reactions from Colombian citizens and Church leaders, with some priests, bishops and cardinals voicing dissatisfaction, arguing that the deal’s stipulations were too lenient on the guerrilla fighters.

Though voters rejected the deal in an October 2016 referendum, the Colombian government and FARC renegotiated its terms, implementing a plan in November 2016.

Colombian president Juan Manuel Santos Calderón was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in the peace process.

Despite debate on the ground, Cardinal Parolin travelled to Colombia for the official signing of the accord in a show of support, and last September Pope Francis visited Colombia himself, making a six-day trip to the South American nation to recognise steps made in the peace process.

The peace deal remains controversial, and critics note that 250 activists and political leaders have been murdered in Colombia since the agreement was struck. But there remain opportunities to build on the groundwork laid by the accord.

The US-Cuba deal Francis was also an active player in helping broker the 2015 restoration of ties between the United States and Cuba, bringing an end to a freeze in diplomatic relations severed in 1961.

Secret talks between diplomats from each side began in 2013, and were aided by support from the Vatican.

on the Holy See’s foreign policy, Pope Francis is willing to hear out other perspectives on these matters, and talk things through, even if he chooses to move forward anyway. Inset: Hong Kong Cardinals Zen (top), who opposes a deal with China, and Tong, who supports a deal. (Photos: CNS) The Vatican's role was largely unknown until the process had already been mostly formalised, but its role in helping broker the deal was significant.

Pope Francis showed just how invested the Holy See was in restoring relations between the two nations that he added a stop in Cuba ahead of his visit to the United States in September 2015.

For the China deal currently being discussed, the biggest concern is how much religious freedom Catholics will actually have if it is signed and implemented.

Opponents such as Cardinal Zen have questioned whether it's possible to have genuine dialogue with the Chinese government, and whether Beijing will in fact allow Catholics to have a longer leash should a deal come to fruition.

However, others, such as Cardinal Tong, have argued that China is a large country where incidents of arrests or imprisonments are largely isolated to certain areas.

Cardinal Zen has often said that “no deal is better than a bad deal”, and in a recent blog-post called the proposal an act of “suicide” and a “shameless surrender” to the communist government.

On the other hand, Cardinal

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Tong said opposing the deal was “unreasonable”. He argued that the Chinese government has generally become more tolerant, and called the deal “far-sighted”, saying that at times, sacrifice is necessary in order for Catholics to become “members of one family”.

Compounding the debate is the recent arrest of Bishop Vincent Guo Xijin of Mindong, who is recognised by the Vatican but not the government, and who was taken into custody by police alongside the diocesan chancellor. He was held overnight but was later released, and was barred from celebrating any Mass as a bishop, including Holy Week liturgies.

Bishop detained According to Asia News, Bishop Guo was detained for refusing to concelebrate a Chrism Mass with Bishop Vincent Zhan Silu, one of seven illicit bishops backed by the Chinese government.

Asia News reports that after refusing to concelebrate the Chrism Mass, Bishop Guo organised a separate, earlier Chrism Mass for the “underground” faithful in Mindong, who form the majority of the local Church, and was seized in order to prevent him from mov-

ing forward with the liturgy.

In January, Asia News reported that a Vatican delegation asked Bishop Guo voluntarily to accept a position as auxiliary bishop, serving under Bishop Zhan. The request was made as one of the conditions of an eventual agreement between the Vatican and the Chinese government.

Details or an official timeline for a deal in China have not been made public, and no declaration has been made on the seven illicit bishops, meaning that for the moment, they are still excommunicated. Under the terms of the proposed deal, the Vatican would reportedly regularise each of the seven illicit bishops, bringing them into communion with Rome.

Though it is unknown what impact, if any, Bishop Guo's overnight detention will have on an agreement between China and the Vatican, many who are close to the situation, including Cardinal Parolin, have in recent weeks said things are moving forward, and it may only be a matter of months before a deal is made.

Cardinal Zen recently met with Pope Francis during a last-minute trip to Rome in January, after Bishop Guo and another bishop were asked to step down in favour of bishops backed by the Chinese government.

The pope’s willingness to meet with Cardinal Zen, just as he met with many Colombian prelates ahead of the 2016 peace deal, some of whom shared reservations, indicates that he is willing to hear out other perspectives on these matters, and talk things through, even if he chooses to move forward anyway.

So while a deal with China, if it is made, will certainly be met with mixed reactions, one thing is certain: there is likely not much that will stop the pope from going after it, as long as he sees the potential of real change for the better.

For Pope Francis, something is always better than nothing, and if there’s a shot—even with problems unresolved—he prefers to try.

We can probably expect to Pope Francis to have a similar approach moving forward.—CNA

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14

The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2018

SA CHURCH 200

How first SA-founded order came to be Last week. NICKI VoN DER HEYDE told the story of how Abbot Franz Pfanner and his Trappists came to Mariannhill near Durban.

This week we read how the monastery and its monks became a whole new religious congregation.

I

N only three years Francis Pfanner had become world-famous.

In 1885 Mariannhill was given the status of an abbey, and Pfanner was consecrated its first mitred abbot.

The abbot was passionate about spreading the benefits of education and Christianity further afield. Soon a network of mission churches sprang up through southern Natal, each on farmland that was sufficient to feed its congregants.

Pfanner’s education policies were controversial at the time, as he believed firmly that schooling should be completely non-racial. “All boys in our institute receive free bed, board, and instruction, regardless of whether they are pagan, Muslim, Protestant, or Catholic, white, black, or coloured, English, Dutch, German, Italian, Indian, or local African,� he said.

And in his 1890 Principles for Mission he declared that Mariannhill’s aim was “to pursue and bring about an equal status for black and white people�.

In 1887 he sent the first young men to Rome to study for the priest-

hood and the very first Zulu Catholic priest came from Mariannhill.

All these achievements were publicised in regular newsletters, diaries and pamphlets, illustrated with high-quality photographs.

The European recipients of these bulletins responded with generous donations that were used to extend Mariannhill’s missionary activities.

However, within his very successes were seeds of tragedy, as the noble ideals of Christian outreach and education proved increasingly incompatible with the equally noble ideals of prayer and contemplation, intrinsic to the Trappist order.

Mariannhill monastery, near Durban, today. It was founded by Abbot Franz Pfanner (inset; bust in the monastery’s provincial house)

Pfanner’s missionary goal Pfanner had always rejected the idea that monks should not take on mission work, saying that the first monks in Europe were all evangelists who built monasteries and created stable social structures, essential for a viable Church.

However, the Trappists found it increasingly difficult to reconcile missionary activity with the strict monastic rules of the Trappist order.

For one thing, the hours of contemplation and the meagre vegetarian diet reduced the ability of working Brothers to accomplish the necessary physical tasks.

For another, the monks were not allowed any contact with women and so religious Sisters had to be brought in to help in the schools.

Produce from Mariannhill was used to support them in contravention of the rules. Abbot Pfanner requested in vain for the rules to be changed, arguing that “there is

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greater joy in heaven over one converted and baptised Zulugirl [sic] than over 99 Trappists assembled in the monastery chapel, having no need of baptism�.

Another disobedience to the rule was the growing number of novices teaching at the outlying missions.

This was necessary as there were not enough Brothers who could speak Zulu. But the Trappist rule forbade novices to lodge away from the mother house.

Pfanner had also granted an everincreasing number of dispensations to the Brothers, so that more work could be done. Amidst growing disapproval from contemplative monks, he resorted to saying that Mariannhill—by now one of the

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largest Christian monasteries in the world—was not a mission but merely a base for missionary activity.

Complaints against Abbot Pfanner were received by the order in Rome. In 1891, Pfanner was called to Rome to answer accusations of money-wasting, granting dispensations without permission, insufficient care for Trappist spiritual welfare, and for neglecting to insist on modest behaviour of the Sisters.

He responded by urging the capitulars to come and view his operations at Mariannhill and at the outlying stations, so that they could understand why such dispensations had been unavoidable.

An inspection was arranged, and Abbot Pfanner told to remove himself during the visit, either to Rome or to an outstation; he was strictly forbidden any involvement in any of the monasteries during his suspension. This banishment was intended as a penance, and he was supposed to repent during his absence.

The suspension lasted for a year, during which time Abbot Amandus Scholzig administered the abbey.

Pfanner banished Pfanner had stated that he would either move to Lourdes monastery in south-eastern KwaZulu-Natal, or to Lebanon. The authorities forbade the latter choice, fearing many

monks would go with him, and so Pfanner saw his year out at Lourdes, visiting the missions of Einsiedeln and Reichenau on his way there. He wrote a letter of resignation, but it was not accepted by the order.

The visitator, Franciscus Strunk, the abbot of the Trappist monastery of Oelenberg in Alsace, meanwhile reversed all the dispensations that had been granted at Mariannhill, put a stop to outreach, and created bitter strife between the opposing factions at the Mariannhill.

After his year’s suspension was over, Pfanner heard nothing further from the authorities and, after consideration, assumed that his resignation had been accepted.

He requested part of Lourdes’ huge estate on which to live and grow his own food. His request was granted and, in 1893, he moved from Lourdes to this piece of land, where he carved out a productive farm. He was nearly 70.

Four years before his death he drafted a statute for a new missionary society that would be directly responsible to Rome and would adopt from the Trappist Order only the rules that were compatible with mission work.

The draft was initially put on hold, although the Mariannhill community was strongly in favour of it.

Eventually, in February 1909, the separation of the Mariannhill Missions from the Trappist Order was approved by Pope Pius X (who in 1906 had approved the constitutions of the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood, which Pfanner had founded in 1885), and this ensured that Pfanner’s missionary work could continue.

Abbot Pfanner died in peace, in May of that year at Emaus mission, at the age of 84.

Today, there are missions established by Mariannhill throughout the world, true to Franz Pfanner’s declaration that his work should belike Christ’s kingdom, and have no frontiers. n Nicki von der Heyde’s book Triumph and Tragedy: Trappist Monasteries in South Africa, with more than 200 historic and modern photographs, will be published later this month. To order, contact the author at nicki@campaigntrails.co.za

´7KH 6SLULW , ZRXOG OLNH WR VHH HQJUDYHG LQ P\ 6LVWHUV LV WKH 6SLULW RI IULHQGOLQHVV DQG FKHHUIXOQHVV¾ Abbot Franciis Pfanner Our Contact Dettail ails Vocation Promoter Vocation Promoter Glen Avent Convent Convent M Mar arriannhill P.O. Box 261 Private Bag g 15232 MTHATHA 5099 Ashwood 3605 Eaasterrn Cape / SA KZN / S SA A Cell.: +277 83 602 8413 Cell.: +277 83 814 4632 ZZZ SUHFLRXVEORRGVLVWHUVPWKDWKD FR ]D ZZZ FSVPDULDQQKLOO RUJ ]D

The Southern Cross, April 18 to April 24, 2018

CLASSIFIEDS

Sr Benedict Wurm OP

K

ING Williams Town Dominican Sister Benedict Wurm died on March 26 at the age of 105.

She was born Walburga Wurm on December 28, 1912, in Gilching, near Munich in Bavaria, the oldest of five children, with eight more siblings from her widowed father’s second marriage.

Walburga and her siblings assisted their father in his plant nursery from early childhood, so work was not foreign to her.

Once she left school, she worked as a domestic in a family with three children. One day she read to them about a group of Dominican Sisters who had left the convent in nearby Schlehdorf to become missionaries in South Africa. “I decided at that moment that I wanted to become a missionary Sister,” she would later recall.

She entered Schlehdorf convent on August 1, 1936. “I knocked at the door. The prioress, Mother Athanasius Zech, herself opened the door and welcomed me with the words: ‘Come in, child. With you, our

new group is complete—there are now 13 candidates!’”

In June 1937 she and fellow novices sailed to South Africa, and made their first profession the following year.

Having taken the religious name Sr Benedict, she spent many years working in the convents at Graaff-Reinet, as well as nursing at Umlamli Mission Hospital in Sterkspruit, Eastern Cape, and the Mater Infirmorum in King Williams Town. For the last 26 years she lived in Emmaus Convent, East London, having formally retired only in 2007.

Sr Benedict was very practical

and intelligent, able to “put her hand” to anything: from gardening, shoe-repairs, painting, sewing, cooking, laundry, sacristan work, building, to nursing.

She was always happy in her work, no matter how difficult or heavy it was. When asked: “What is the secret of your long life?”, she said: “I was always happy in all I did and wherever I was sent, because I believed that was what God wanted of me.”

Sr Benedict was fond of people and had many friends, always with an interest in their families.

Though she had poor vision, due to macular degeneration, she did not allow her almost total blindness of the last ten years or so get her down.

Sr Benedict had a marvellous memory and could recite long prayers and poems in German almost to the very end.

Her life wound down slowly, and on March 26 after Mass her fellow Sisters realised that her long life was drawing to a close.

The Sisters and some of the parishioners sang the “Salve Regina” and a few hours later she peacefully passed away.

Let the truth set us free Continued from page 7 intended for the homeless. Horrified by this, I insisted that we investigate, and an appropriate hearing with a lawyer was held.

The individual was found guilty and fired.

When I asked why nothing had been done about it before, I was told it was to avoid damaging his reputation or that of the Church. It seems to me that he had already damaged his own reputation by his transgression, and that the reputation of the

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Church was enhanced by being seen to take action against those who steal. (And if he hadn’t been stealing, he could have cleared his reputation.)

Those who draw attention to bad behaviour within organisations—whether crimes or simply negligence—get called “whistleblowers”. This unfortunately implies the person, like a referee, is outside the fray. That leaves them open to being treated as an outsider and vilified by the very organisation whose real reputation

SOLUTIONS TO 807. ACROSS: 3 Mousetrap, 8 Epic, 9 Devotions, 10 Tender, 11 Appal, 14 Rated, 15 Lido, 16 Silks, 18 Euro, 20 Truly, 21 Epoch, 24 Bright, 25 Stoically, 26 Melt, 27 Saint Mark.

DOWN: 1 Centuries, 2 Signature, 4 Over, 5 Stoup, 6 Tribal, 7 Anna, 9 Deeds, 11 Allah, 12 Liturgies, 13 Holy state, 17 Story, 19 Option, 22 Charm, 23 Etna, 24 Blur.

Liturgical Calendar

IN MEMORIAM

HOUGHTON—Agnes.

Beloved wife of the late Bill and mom of the late Mary, passed away on April 23, 2014. Lovingly remembered and missed by her daughters Margaret, Bridget, Barbara, sons-in-law Walter, Derick, Ben, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

May Her Dear Soul Rest In Peace.

SEARLE—Muriel.

8/04/2013. Five years have passed. Sadly missed and remembered by your family: Bill and Annabelle, John, Wendy and Brendan, Linda, Christopher and Jennifer, Shannon, Justin and Kai, Garrick and Cyndy. RIP. SEARLE—Tony.

18/04/2013. Five years have passed. Sadly missed and remembered by your wife Linda, son Christopher, daughter Jennifer, and your family Bill and Annabelle, John, Wendy and Brendan, Shannon, Justin and Kai, Garrick and Cyndy. RIP. ELDERLY LADY but young of heart is looking for friendship from Langebaan and surrounding areas. Tel 022 772 2385 ext 176.

ABORTION WARNING: The truth will convict a silent Church. See www.valuelife abortionisevil.co.za ABORTION WARNING: The Pill can abort. All Catholic users (married or cohabiting) must be told, to save their souls and their unborn infants. See www.epm.org/

static/uploads/downloads/ bcpill.pdf

PRAYERS

HOLY ST JUDE, Apostle and Martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke you, special patron in time of need. To you I have recourse from the depths of my heart and humbly beg you to come to my assistance. Please help me now in my urgent need and grant my petition. In return I promise to make your name known in distribution of this prayer that never fails. May the Sacred Heart of Jesus be forever blessed and glorified. Holy Mary Mother of God, Pray for us and grant my request (name your request). our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be. Dermot PE. ALMIGHTY GOD, from whom all thoughts of truth 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 na-

tions 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.

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

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

We congratulate: April 15: Auxiliary Bishop Duncan Tsoke of Johannesburg, on his 55th birthday April 18: Bishop José Ponce de León of Manzini, Swaziland, on the 9th anniversary of his episcopal ordination (as vicar-general of Ingwavuma) April 18: Bishop João Rodrigues of Tzaneen on the 8th anniversary of his episcopal ordination April 27: Bishop Stanley Dziuba of Umzimkulu on his 58th birthday April 27: Bishop Sithembele Sipuka of Mthatha on his 58th birthday

GOD BLESS AFRICA Guard our people, guide our leaders and give us peace.

Luke 11:1-13

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Our bishops’ anniversaries

Year B – Weekdays Cycle Year 2 Sunday April 22, 4th Sunday of Easter, Vocations Sunday Acts 4:8-12, Psalm 118:1, 8-9, 21-23, 26, 28-29, 1 John 3:1-2, John 10:11-18 Monday April 23, St George, St Adelbert Acts 11:1-18, Psalm 42:2-3; 43:3-4, John 10:1-10 Tuesday April 24, St Fidelis of Sigmaringen Acts 11:19-26, Psalm 87:1-7, John 10:22-30 Wednesday April 25, St Mark the Evangelist 1 Peter 5:5-14, Psalm 89:2-3, 6-7, 16-17, Mark 16:15-20 Thursday April 26 Acts 13:13-25, Psalm 89:2-3, 21-22, 25, 27, John 13:16-20 Friday April 27 Acts 13:26-33, Psalm 2:6-11, John 14:1-6 Saturday April 28, St Pius, St Peter Chanel, St Louis Grignon de Montfort Acts 13:44-52, Psalm 98:1-4, John 14:7-14 Sunday April 29, 5th Sunday of Easter Acts 9:26-31, Psalm 22:26-28, 30-32, St Mark the Evangelist 1 John 3:18-24, John 15:1-8

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PERSONAL

they are trying to defend.

It becomes much easier to “shoot the messenger” rather than listen to the message. If we believe that the truth will set us free, we need to have the courage to ask questions about all organisations in which we are involved, the Church and NGOs no less than businesses or government.

And as people of faith we should welcome those who force us to answer hard questions.

Southern CrossWord solutions

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15

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

the

5th Sunday of Easter: April 29 Readings: Acts 9:26-31, Psalm 22:26-38, 3032, 1 John 3:18-24, John 15:1-8

O

NE thing that we human beings long for is to feel that we belong. Our readings for next Sunday give expression to that longing.

In the first reading, and because of his encounter with Jesus, Paul has come to belong to the young group of Christians, having only recently been determined to persecute them into extinction.

Not surprisingly, they are not at all sure that he really belongs, so when “he came to Jerusalem and tried to stick to the disciples, they were afraid of him, because they did not believe that he was a disciple”.

So he needs a testimonial from Barnabas, who unmistakably did belong, and “brought Paul to the apostles and explained to them how he had seen the Lord on the way, and how he had spoken freely in Damascus in Jesus’ name”.

So Paul then shows his true colours: “He was with them, going in and coming out into Jerusalem, and speaking freely in the Lord’s name, and he was speaking and arguing with the Hellenists—and they tried to destroy him.” (Which is what happens when you belong to one group rather than another.)

S outher n C ross

So “the brothers” [now Paul clearly does belong] led him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus [Paul’s birthplace, of course].

Then the narrator stands back and looks at the picture as a whole: “And so the church had peace in the whole of Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and grew in size, being built up and journeying in the fear of the Lord.” You can feel that this group has an increased sense of belonging.

There is no mistaking this in the psalm for next Sunday, a great cry of confidence after lamentation; the poet singing to the whole liturgical assembly: “My vows I shall fulfil before those who fear the Lord; the poor shall eat and be satisfied; they shall praise the Lord, those who seek him. They shall remember and return to the Lord, all the ends of the earth.”

The psalms are very much a community activity, performed by those who belong; and they are able to look ahead, down the generations yet to come: “They shall come and proclaim God’s justice to a people yet to be born.” Easter is a feast that we celebrate together, not as individuals.

You can see this sense of belonging in the

second reading, by counting the number of times the author uses the word “we” (I make it eleven in six verses).

The author is able to address them as family: “children”, he says, as he invites them to “love not just in words but also in deeds”, which is how they are to know that “we are of the Truth”.

What clinches it is that “we have freedom of speech” (like Peter in the first reading), and that as a group “we keep his commands and perform what is pleasing in his presence”.

And indeed, “belonging” is one of the signs that we are of the Easter people: “This is his command, that we believe in the name of his son Jesus Messiah, and that we love one another.”

Then comes the lovely idea of “mutual indwelling”, a real sense of belonging: “The one who keeps his commands remains in him, and he in that person. And this is how we know that he remains in us, from the Spirit which he gave us.” The Spirit above all gives a sense of belonging.

That “mutual indwelling” is expressed above all in the Gospel, by way of the powerful

Why I believe in God T

meet love. If we breathe out hate and anger, we will soon enough find ourselves surrounded by hatred and anger. Reality is so structured that goodness brings goodness and sin brings sin.

I believe in God because blind chaos could not have designed things this way, to be innately moral. Only an intelligent Goodness could have built reality this way.

My next reason for believing in God is the existence of soul, intelligence, love, altruism, and art. These could not have emerged simply from blind chaos, from billions and billions of cosmic bingo chips coming out of nothing, endlessly churning through billions of years.

Random chaos, empty of all intelligence and love from its origins, could not have eventually produced soul and all that’s highest inside it: intelligence, love, altruism, spirituality, and art.

Can our own hearts and all that’s noble and precious within them really be just the result of billions of fluke chances colliding within a brute, mindless process?

I believe in God because if our hearts are real, then so is God.

N

ext, I believe in God because the Gospel works—if we work it. What Jesus incarnated and taught ultimately resonates with what’s most precious, most noble, and most meaningful inside life and inside each of us.

Moreover, this checks out in life. Whenever I have the faith and courage to actually live out the Gospel, to roll the dice on

Conrad

ODAY belief in God is often seen as a naiveté. For many, believing in God is like believing in Father Christmas and the Easter Bunny—nice, something for the kids, a warm nostalgia or a bitter memory, but not something that’s real, that stands up to hard scrutiny and indeed stands up to the dark doubts that sometimes linger below the surface of our faith.

Where, they ask, is there evidence that God exists?

A true apologetics, I believe, needs at a point to be personal. So here are my own reasons why I continue to believe in God in the face of the agnosticism of our overly-adult world, and despite the dark nights that sometimes beset me.

First, I believe in God because I sense, at the deepest level of my being, that there’s an inalienable moral structure to things.

Life, love, and meaning are morally contoured. There’s an inalienable “law of karma” that’s experienced everywhere and in everything: good behaviour is its own happiness, just as bad behaviour is its own sorrow.

Different religions word it differently but the concept is at the heart of all religion and is in essence the very definition of morality: “The measure you measure out will be the measure that’s measured back to you.” That’s Jesus’ version of it, and can be translate it this way: “The air you breathe out is the air you will re-inhale.”

Simply put: If we cut down too many trees we will soon be breathing in carbon monoxide. If we breathe out love, we will

‘I’m not sure if young people today, with all the noise from the social media, can even hear a vocation call.’

The

Nicholas King SJ

We do indeed belong

Sunday Reflections

image of the “True Vine”. Once again, there is a link between Jesus and his Father (“my Father is the vine-dresser”), and Jesus’ hearers.

It is important to remember that the context is Jesus’ speech to his disciples, in the Upper Room, on the night before he died.

They are huddled together against the darkness, trying to make sense of his absence.

Here the idea is that they very much belong, but they must not expect that it will be comfortable; because the vine-dresser “prunes every branch that does not bear fruit”.

And pruning, of course, is uncomfortable, even though it is a sign that we belong. Then, once again, there is the invitation to “mutual indwelling” (“remain in me, and I shall remain in you … I am the vine, and you are the branches”).

And it is (we know this already) a privilege to belong: “In this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and become my disciples.” That is where we shall find ourselves, and where we belong.

Southern Crossword #807

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

its truth, it always proves to be true—the loaves multiply and feed the thousands and David defeats Goliath. But it doesn’t work unless I risk it. The Gospel works, if we work it.

The objection could be raised here, of course, that many sincere, faith-filled people risk their lives and truth on the Gospel and, from all appearances in this world, it doesn’t work for them. They end up poor, as victims, on the losing side of things.

But again, that’s a judgment we make from the standards of this world, from the Gospel of Prosperity where whoever has the most worldly success wins.

The Gospel of Jesus undercuts this. Anyone who lives it out as faithfully as he or she is able will be blessed with something beyond worldly success—namely, the deeper joy of a life well-lived, a joy which Jesus assures us is deeper, less ephemeral, and more lasting that any other joy.

I believe in God because the Gospel works! As does prayer!

Finally, though certainly not least, I believe in God because of the community of faith that stretches back to the beginning of time, that stretches back to the life and resurrection of Jesus, and that baptised me into the faith.

Throughout all of history, virtually all human communities have been also communities of faith, of belief in God, of worship, and of sacred ritual and sacrament.

I believe in God because of the existence of families of faith and the existence of Church and sacrament.

I wrote my doctoral thesis on the classical proofs for the existence of God, arguments for God’s existence taken from some of the great intellectuals in history: Anselm, Thomas Aquinas, Descartes, Leibnitz, Spinoza, and Alfred North Whitehead. I rambled through nearly 500 pages of articulating and evaluating these proofs, and then ended with this conclusion.

We don’t come to believe in God because of the compelling power of some mathematical equation or logical syllogism. God’s existence becomes real to us when we live an honest, sincere life.

CATHOLIC Feast day at shrine of IRELAND OUR LADY OF KNOCK,

ACROSS

3. It may entice a poor church rodent (9) 8. Long story is back in the recipes (4) 9. Acts of piety (9) 10. Offer that’s gentle (6) 11. Dismay in papal confusion (5) 14. Trade about having valued something (5) 15. Valid orders let you see inside pool (4) 16. Fine fabrics for top lawyers (5) 18. It’s Vatican currency (4) 20. The honest ending of the letter is yours (5) 21. A hundred hope about a time period (5) 24. All Things ... and Beautiful (hymn) (6) 25. Loyalist turns 100 uncomplainingly (9) 26. Liquefy (4) 27. Evangelist who comes second (5,4)

DOWN

1. More than ten decades for successful cricketers (9) 2. Autograph (9) 4. Finished and above you (4) 5. Holy water basin (5) 6. Kind of relationships among the Israelites (6) 7. Prophetess (Lk 2) (4) 9. Legal documents that could be morally good (5) 11. Everyone with an exclamation for God’s name (5) 12. Ritual ceremonies (9) 13. Condition of being in God’s favour (4,5) 17. Account of events (5) 19. Freedom to choose (6) 22. It’s lucky and brings luck (5) 23. It has a crater in Sicily (4) 24. Become less distinct (4)

Solutions on page 15

CHURCH CHUCKLE

A

teacher asked her catechism class to draw pictures of their favourite Bible stories.

She was puzzled by a boy’s picture which showed four people on an aircraft, so she asked him which story it was meant to represent.

“The flight to Egypt,” he replied.

“I see... and that must be Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus,” she said. “But who’s the fourth person?”

“Oh, that’s Pontius—the pilot!”

S outher n C ross

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A pilgrimage with Bishop Victor Phalana 19-28 August 2018

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