181212

The

S outher n C ross

December 12 to December 18, 2018

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 5113

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Fr Rolheiser’s different kind of bucket list

Going for big dreams with big faith

Page 12

Page 10

Three habits of effective evangelising

Page 9

DON’T MISS NEXT WEEK’S

28-PAGE CHRISTMAS ISSUE OUT ON DECEMBER 19!

Sacraments not for sale, bishop warns

BY CHRISTEN TORRES & STAFF REPORTER

T

HE sacraments are not for sale and priests must not demand payment for performing them if the recipient is indigent—but the faithful should pay stole fees if they can afford it, according to Bishop Victor Phalana of Klerksdorp.

He was commenting on Pope Francis’ recent criticism of priests and laity who turn their parishes into a “business” by charging for things such as baptisms, blessings and Mass intentions, calling it a scandal that's hard to forgive.

In a homily in the chapel of the Vatican’s St Martha guesthouse, the pope said that there are two things which the people of God cannot forgive: a priest attached to money and a priest who mistreats people.

Observing that many parishes have a price list readily available for baptisms, blessings and Mass intentions, Pope Francis said that when a church or a parish start doing business, it’s like saying that salvation is no longer free.

Bishop Phalana acknowledged that some Catholic faithful have complained that some priests “sell” sacraments and funeral services.

He said that in some parishes, priests refuse anointings, burials, baptisms, and weddings if those requesting these sacraments cannot pay.

The bishop noted that in some places, non-practising Catholics can be buried with

a proper Mass if their family “is able to give thousands of rands”, but “a saintly, devoted Catholic who is poor might be refused” a Requiem Mass “We should not give an impression that as a result of giving, you will receive church services, a special kind of blessing, divine favour, healing and a miraculous breakthrough,” Bishop Phalana said. “You cannot buy the grace of God. You cannot buy healings and miracles. They come as a free gift from God.” Stole fees are usually offerings given by free will by the laity to clergy for different rites or ceremonies associated with the Church, Bishop Phalana explained. Offerings for a Mass, which is governed by canon law, is usually called a Mass offering or stipend.

Stole fees include offerings for baptisms, weddings, funerals, house blessings and other associated blessings, such as car blessings, he explained.

“It is an ancient tradition of the Catholic Church and a provision of Canon Law (848) that the faithful should give an offering for the administration of the sacraments as determined by the competent authority,” Bishop Phalana said.

“The stole fee should be a meaningful and significant donation given according to the means of each parishioner and the nature of the particular celebration conducted,” the bishop said.

Continued on page 2

Cardinal Wilfrid Napier leads out the coffin of the late Paddy Kearney at the end of the funeral Mass at Emmanuel cathedral in Durban. Apart from the cardinal and many priests of the archdiocese, the funeral of the renowned ecumenical leader was attended by four Anglican bishops, one of whom, Bishop Michael Nuttall, delivered one of the eulogies. Mr Kearney’s coffin was carried into the cathedral by leaders from the Buddhist and Muslim communities. The cathedral was packed with religious and political dignitaries, including Minister Pravin Gordhan, but also with the homeless people and refugees for whom Mr Kearney had fought.

Raymond Perrier, director of the Denis Hurley Centre, pointed out that the centre’s co-founder exemplified a Vatican II Church in which lay people were empowered, partnership was built with other Christians and other faiths, and the Church was focused on the needs of the poor.

Earlier, the premier of KwaZulu-Natal and mayor of Durban led a civic memorial service for Mr Kearney at Durban City Hall. During the vigil for the funeral, an inter-faith ritual of keeping watch by the body was held at the offices of the Diakonia Council of Churches, which Mr Kearney had led for almost 30 years. (Photo: Val Adamson)

S outher n C ross Pilgrimage HOLY LAND & ROME Led by Fr Russell Pollitt SJ with

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2

The Southern Cross, December 12 to December 18, 2018

LOCAL

‘Beware e-mail scamsters’

T

HE archbishop of Cape Town has warned parishioners that scamsters are using his name or those of other clergy to defraud people.

Archbishop Stephen Brislin said that “an e-mail scam is being circulated to parishioners using my name or the parish priest’s name as the ‘sender’”.

“There have been instances when unsuspecting parishioners have forwarded money to the

scamsters, believing they are helping the parish priest,” the archbishop said in a letter addressed to clergy and religious, asking that it be circulated among parishioners.

Archbishop Brislin noted that the scam e-mails can be identified.

“If you look carefully at the e-mail address from which it is sent, under the priest’s name you will see the scamster’s original name and e-mail address.”

He advised people not to press

“reply” to e-mails which appear to be coming from him or priests but to “type out the correct e-mail address as you have it in your records”.

“Should you feel uncertain about any e-mail you or your parishioners receive from me or the chancery, or from any priest for that matter, please verify with the respective secretaries that such emails are genuine,” Archbishop Brislin wrote.

‘Carols by Candlelight’ in Durban

T

HE Durban Catholic Players’ Guild is again hosting two “Carols by Candlelight” events, in Mariannhill and at Durban’s racecourse.

Entrance to both events is free, but patrons are asked to bring a new toy, or a decent used toy, to be donated to underprivileged children.

The Durban event will be held on December 17 at Greyville Racecourse at 19:00. Safe parking is

available in the grounds, and the seating is sheltered, for all weathers.

The Mariannhill event will take place on December 15 at 15:00 at the Monastery. The tea garden will be open for lunch and tea.

As in every year, carols will be led by a local choir. Candles and the lyrics of favourite Christmas carols will be provided.

Both events are co-presented by the Knights of da Gama.

Bishop: Don’t sell sacraments Continued from page 1 “However, poor parishioners who genuinely cannot afford to give the stipulated amounts should be helped without insisting on the payment of stole fees,” he warned.

He noted that priests and deacons “need sufficient income to cover their living expenses. Canon 281.1 notes that the clergy deserve appropriate remuneration since they have dedicated their lives to spiritual ministry. They need to be compensated by the faithful in exchange for their spiritual ministration”.

According to Canon 945.1, every priest is allowed to accept a stipend for the celebration of a Mass. The suitable amount must be determined by the local bishop or metropolitan province.

“We must distinguish between money given as a gift to the priest and money given as an offering for the parish,” Bishop Phalana said.

“In some dioceses, stole fees are part of the parish income and do not go directly to the priest, while in others a percentage goes to the priest and the rest goes to the parish.

Diocesan directives are needed to determine such issues,” he said.

But, the bishop noted, Canon

848 says specifically that needy members of the faithful are not to be deprived of sacraments because of poverty.

“We must use the standard of mercy when we are faced with such situations,” Bishop Phalana said, adding that he has urged the clergy of his diocese: “Do not punish the poor for being poor.”

“There are times when our finance committees or funeral leaders will focus more on the law than on mercy. It is the role of the pastor to remind them of the requirement for mercy. If a person is genuinely poor, let them not be punished,” the bishop said.

“Where the team can prove that a particular family can afford to pay, but for some reasons do not want to pay, then you can use the law to remind them to pay the stole fee for a service,” Bishop Phalana said.

Priests can also accept stole fees or stipends below the required amount in diocesan policies, if the person cannot afford the set amount.

The question of mercy must go both ways, the bishop said.

“There are stories of people who refuse to pay a stole fee of R200 for a wedding, but will pay about

R60 000 for that wedding, with lots of flowers and champagne,” he noted, adding that he knows of cases of people refusing to pay a baptism stole fee of R50 but paying R1 500 for a child’s blessing in an Evangelical church.

“Do these people understand that Church law expects them to remunerate the Church or the pastor for services rendered? We support the upkeep of the church: rent, electricity, repairs and maintenance.”

The laity must realise they “have a fiduciary responsibility to make a sacrifice to support the good their parish does”, Bishop Phalana said.

But where priests commit abuses by overcharging for stole fees or stipends, the laity must challenge them, he said.

“Sadly, simony [the buying and selling of sacraments] is observed by many of the Church’s ministers. I have personally seen priests refuse to ‘book’ a Mass if the full stipend is not offered,” he said.

“Simony, especially expressed in the charging for sacraments and sacramentals, is the ugly side of the Church’s administration.

“Don’t be afraid to confront the abuse,” Bishop Phalana said.

A group of Southern African priests studying in Rome made a pilgrimage to the shrine of Padre Pio at San Giovanni Rotondo. (From left) Frs Tulani Gubula (Queenstown), Thabo Kenke (Bloemfontein), Kabelo Mahemo (Kimberley), Molefe Koloi (Kimberley), Tshepo Lekoko (Johannesburg) and Bhekokwakhe Gabela (Durban), a priest from Haiti, Frs Akofang Mantu (Gaborone) and Retaelisitsoe Khau (Maseru).

A NEW WAY OF HELPING THE SOUTHERN CROSS There is a NEW way to become part of The Southern Cross through a monthly contribution to the Associates’ Campaign. Our new Dorothy Day patron category is available for those who wish to make a monthly debit or credit card contribution of any amount.

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LOCAL

The Southern Cross, December 12 to December 18, 2018

3

Aussie youth ministry to cast its NET

BY CHRISTEN TORRES

A

N Australian-based Catholic peer-to-peer youth ministry will come to South Africa in

2019.

Missionaries aged 17-30 years from NET Australia will minister in Cape Town with the specific aim of supporting the archdiocese’s youth ministries—and perhaps establish a South African chapter of NET. The outreach mission will involve a number of NET alumni, as well as a South African missionary.

NET began in 1981 as a Catholic youth-based group in the United States and came to Australia in 1988.

NET Australia focuses on encouraging young people to love Jesus and to embrace the Church.

“The Cape Town mission team will engage students where they’re at, with the message of faith, and invite them to take the next step,” Mark Doyle, NET Australia executive director, told The Southern Cross.

The programmes are particularly effective, he said, because they present a model where young people minister to other young people.

“This makes them relevant and authentic, able to speak to young people in a way that often authority figures in their lives are not able to, in a language they understand,” Mr

Doyle explained.

Cape Town is thrilled about the missionary venture. “We are very excited about the prospect of NET starting in Cape Town next year.

And, God willing, this will enable NET to spread beyond Cape Town in future years,” said archdiocese youth chaplain Fr Charles Prince.

“NET will particularly be focusing on evangelisation and reaching more young people, and will go out to places like schools,” Fr Prince told The Southern Cross.

“Far too many young people have not really met Jesus, and what NET missionaries bring is their own stories and encounters with Jesus. They

show how that is the most important story in life,” he said.

NET engages the youth through a range of activities: facilitating retreat days, youth groups and rallying events for schools and parishes.

The missionaries also offer “dynamic, fun and relevant sessions” through the input of contemporary multimedia, drama, music and discussion. NET also creates spaces for “an atmosphere of prayer”, added Mr Doyle.

NET Australia’s website details its vision, to “see a Church full of young people alive and passionate about Jesus Christ and his Bride, the Church, who are not afraid to live as

joyful witnesses in the modern world—drawing others to him!’’

Mr Doyle hopes NET’s mission to Cape Town will lead to exploring the idea of a missionary team returning for nine months in 2020.

“To a large extent, the mission will rely on a generous local response on all levels—from the young people themselves up to the formal levels of the Church as they take ownership of it,” he said. n To book mission groups for sessions, contact Fr Prince at net missionCT@gmail.com. To donate to the mission: www.netministries.com. au/support. For more information on NET: www.netministries.com.au

45 years serving your Catholic newspaper

BY CHRISTEN TORRES

B S Peter’s choir from Witbank was one of the many taking part in the Interdiocese Catholic Church Choirs Music Association Festival at the Sydney Choma Community Hall in Middelburg, Mpumalanga.

Junior school pupils at De La Salle Holy Cross College in Victory Park, Johannesburg, produced an art mural of the ocean, using plastic waste.

The project aimed to increase the children’s awareness of the importance of recycling and the damaging effects of plastic.

USINESS manager Pamela Davids celebrated 45 years with The Southern Cross this month.

The longest-serving staff member in Southern Cross history—she has overtaken the record of 42 years set by former managing editor the late Gene Donnelly—Ms Davids joined the staff in December 1973.

She has worked with six different editors over the past 45 years, during which time she has taken on a variety of administrative roles, being appointed to her current position in 1995.

Ms Davids was encouraged to apply for a job at The Southern Cross by a friend from the Schoenstatt Family Movement, in which her family was active.

She was interviewed by Jean Pothier, then chairman of the board. Today, Mr Pothier’s granddaughter, Rosanne Shields, chairs the board of directors. Ms Shields’ father, the later Bernard Pothier, also served on the board.

“So I have served The Southern Cross with three generations of the Pothier family,” Ms Davids noted.

When she arrived at the paper as a teenager, a transition was taking place. “Fr Louis Stubbs, who had been the editor since 1948, was in the process of retiring and Fr Don-

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Southern Cross business manager Pamela Davids with a candle commemorating her 45 years at the newspaper. (Photo: Christen Torres) ald de Beer was taking over in December 1973,” Ms Davids recalled.

Her first task at the newspaper was in subscriptions, a job that included phoning up readers whose subscriptions were expiring. “That was long before there was e-mail,” Ms Davids said.

After that, she was exposed to a variety of roles in administration,

and in the newspaper industry.

The biggest change, she says, has been the technology, in terms of computers, printers and Internet.

“It’s been quite mind-boggling.

No more handwritten invoices and statements, no more typewriters, no more carbon paper for duplicate copies,” Ms Davids said. “It’s great that now we can send e-mails and get answers immediately.”

Over her 45 years, she has always enjoyed the working environment.

“Working at The Southern Cross means working with friendly, caring and encouraging people,” she said, adding that “the rules are also not as strict as in the corporate world”.

Ms Davids said she wishes “that our bishops and priests would encourage more parishioners to buy a copy of our paper. There used to be a slogan, ‘A Catholic newspaper in every Catholic home’. Imagine our circulation then!”

She also wishes more Catholic business people would be “encouraged to support us by advertising their products or companies.

Parishioners would then support those businesses, and their adverts would definitely be supporting us.”

In 2020 The Southern Cross will celebrate its 100th birthday. Ms David is determined to see that centenary, with the newspaper in good health: “Then I can happily retire.’’

4

The Southern Cross, December 12 to December 18, 2018

INTERNATIONAL

Pope: Actively gay clergy should leave priesthood

BY CINDY WOODEN

T

HE Catholic Church has been slow to recognise the presence of homosexual men in the priesthood, which is why superiors must exercise care in helping gay candidates prepare for a life of celibacy or leave the seminary, Pope Francis said.

“Homosexuality is a very serious matter, which must be discerned adequately from the beginning with candidates, if it is the case. We must be demanding,” the pope told Claretian Father Fernando Prado in the new book-interview The Strength of Vocation: Consecrated Life Today.

Excerpts of the pope’s interview with Fr Prado, which was conducted in August, were printed in newspapers ahead of the book’s release.

In 2013, Pope Francis had told reporters: “If someone is gay and is searching for the Lord and has goodwill, then who am I to judge him?”

Some media outlets contrasted that remark with what the pope told Fr Prado, even though Pope Francis made it clear in the new interview that he was talking about homosexual activity among priests and religious who make vows of chastity and celibacy.

“In consecrated life or that of the priesthood, there is no place for this type of affection. For that reason, the Church recommends that persons with this deep-seated tendency not be accepted for ministry or consecrated life,” the pope said.

“Homosexual priests, religious men and women should be urged to live celibacy wholly and, espe-

cially, to be perfectly responsible, trying to never create scandal in their communities or for the holy people of God by living a double life,” the pope said. “It would be better if they left the ministry or consecrated life rather than live a double life.”

Pope Francis told Fr Prado that today “in our societies it seems that homosexuality is fashionable, and this mentality has in a way also influenced the life of the Church”.

Seminary and religious formation programmes, he said, must be updated to take the issue seriously, help seminarians and aspirants understand themselves and the obligations of celibacy, promote maturity, and enable discernment about whether a candidate is ready and able to live a celibate life.— CNS

Pope Francis greets children receiving treatment at the Oncology Clinic of Wroclaw, Poland, during an audience at the Vatican. (Photo: Vatican Media/CNS)

Kids with cancer: ‘Talk to your guardian angel daily

BY CAROL GLATZ

Ethicist: Gene-editing human I embryos is 'a train wreck’ T

BY MARK PATTISON

HE revelation in late November that a Chinese researcher, He Jiankui, had edited genes in human embryos and then implanted them in a woman, was “a train wreck of a thing to do”, said an ethicist at the National Catholic Bioethics Centre in Philadelphia.

“Normally clinical research proceeds in phases. First, you verify it works in animals, etc. Second, you verify that it’s safe. In small things you verify it’s effective,” said John Brehany, the centre’s director of institutional relations.

“He skipped all that stuff.”

“He says, ‘I practided on animals and human embryos.’ Even the Chinese officials are saying he violated their standards,” Mr Brehany said. “He said he didn't want to be first, he wanted to set an example, but he’s toying with human health. He said he practised on human embryos, so that means he probably destroyed them. He practised in the context of experimentation.”

He (pronounced “hay”) Jiankui, first revealed his efforts during an international gene-editing conference in Hong Kong. He learned the gene-editing technique known as CRISPR while doing advanced research at Rice University in Texas.

His partner from Rice may face sanctions from the US-based National Institutes of Health, depending on the depth of his

Scientist He Jiankui with The Human Genome, a book he edited, in Shenzhen, China. An ethicist calls Mr Jiankui’s gene editing on a human embryo “a train wreck of a thing to do”. (Photo: Reuters/CNS) involvement in the scheme.

“CRISPR” stands for “clusters of regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats”. This is a specialised region of DNA having two distinct characteristics: the presence of nucleotide repeats and spacers.

Newsweek reported that Mr Jiankui has not been seen since participating at the International Summit on Human Genome Editing and may be under house arrest

by Chinese authorities.

“The couples were offered free fertility treatment if they participated in this, and that’s an uneth-

ical inducement,” Mr Brehany said. “They might have been told it was a vaccine for Aids,” as the babies’ father was HIV-positive, he added. He had said Mr Jiankui sought to remove the gene that triggers HIV infection. “In other words, there are multiple, multiple ways this was a hash. It really was a hash.”

Gene-editing is nothing new, Mr Brehany said. “There’s a lot of gene-editing that goes on in agriculture and in animals and there have been some experiments and attempts that have gone on in humans, very carefully done, that have gone on since the 1990s,” he added. “A lot of this has not been successful, in part because the human immune system tends to think that new genes that are introduced are foreign bodies.”

Tomatoes and animals are one thing. Humans, though, are another.

“There have been a number of attempts at gene-editing for things like cystic fibrosis, sickle-cell anemia, a number of conditions that shorten people’s life,” Mr Brehany said. “When you are introducing changes into somebody’s body, they don’t go any further. But if you introduce changes into a woman’s eggs, or a man’s sperm, or a human embryo within a very short period after conception, then those genes not only introduce genes into cells but into future generations”. —CNS

MONASTERY RETREAT HOUSE PO Box 11095, Mariannhill 3624

Individual, directed or private retreats can be arranged for periods of 2-8 days throughout the year. Diocesan, Parish and Church meetings and workshops should be booked well in advance

How ultranationalism threatens religious freedom

BY MARK PATTISON

U

LTRANATIONALISM is the chief reason behind the growing number of countries ranked worse than before on guaranteeing citizens their religious freedom, according to Thomas Heine-Geldern, executive president of Aid to the Church in Need.

One example was India’s “Hindu nationalist approach,” Mr HeineGeldern said, “which leads to condemning everyone who is a non-Hindu, a non-Indian. Then comes the discrimination”.

Aid to the Church in Need is an international papal charity that provides pastoral and humanitarian aid to persecuted and oppressed Christians and supports various Church projects in more than 140 countries.

The organisation’s report “Religious Freedom in the World 2018” cited the case of ten Muslims who were murdered by radical Hindus who are known as “cow vigilantes”.

Cows are considered sacred in Hin-

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Fr Sbusiso Mkhize Bro Crispin Graham

duism.

The report said that last year, there were 736 documented attacks against Christians in India, more than double 2016’s figure of 358.

Compared to Aid to the Church in Need’s 2016 report, the religious freedom outlook is worse in Brunei, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, the Maldives, Mauritania, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia, Somalia, Tajikistan, Turkey and Yemen. State and nonstate actors are cited in the report as the predominant violators of religious freedom.

The situation, the report said, is unchanged in Afghanistan, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Egypt, Eritrea, Laos, Nigeria, North Korea, the Palestinian Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

Countries where religious freedom improved included Kenya, Tanzania and, surprisingly, Iraq and Syria.—CNS

New ‘Report Heresy’ app spells trouble

H

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Reception: 031 700 2155 Fr Sbusiso Mkhize 031 700 2890 Fax 031 700 2738 Email: monretreat@saol.com

T is not easy living with cancer, but there is always some kind of victory that awaits each person on the horizon, Pope Francis told young oncology patients from Poland.

“Your journey in life is a bit difficult, dear children, because you have to get treated and overcome the disease or live with the disease.

This is not easy,” he told the children, their parents and health care specialists at the Vatican.

But with the support of family, friends and others, “there is no difficulty in life that cannot be over-

come”, he told his young guests who were being treated at an oncology clinic in Wroclaw, Poland.

God has given everyone a guardian angel so that “he may help us in life”, Pope Francis said.

“Become accustomed to talking to your angel so that he may take care of you, give you encouragement and always lead you to victory in life,” the pope told them.

“Victory is different for each person; everyone prevails in his or her way, but prevailing is always the ideal, it is the horizon for moving forward. Do not get discouraged,” he told them.—CNS

UMAN rights groups are criticising a smartphone app being rolled out by the Indonesian government which would allow citizens to file heresy reports against groups with unofficial or unorthodox religious practices.

The app, “Smart Pakem”, is available for download in the Google Play Store and was launched by Jakarta’s Prosecution Office, which said it aims to streamline the previously tedious and complicated written heresy reporting system.

Users can report from their phones the practice of any unrecognised religion, or unorthodox interpretations of the country’s six officially recognised religions: Islam, Catholicism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, and Protestantism.

“The objective...is to provide eas-

ier access to information about the spread of beliefs in Indonesia, to educate the public and to prevent them from following doctrines from an individual or a group that are not in line with the regulations,” Nirwan Nawawi, a spokesman for the prosecutor's office said.

The constitution of the country officially invokes “belief in the One and Only God” and guarantees religious freedom, but strict blasphemy laws embedded in its criminal code have been criticised by national and international human rights groups.

Critics worry that the new heresy app could further undermine religious tolerance and freedom in a country where discrimination and attacks against religious minorities, and even among different sects of Islam, are not uncommon.—CNA

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, December 12 to December 18, 2018

5

Women: How we were abused in the Church

BY PHILIPPA HITCHEN

T

Banners showing Ss Jacinta and Francisco Marto, two of the three Fatima seers, hang from the facade of the basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima as Pope Francis visits Portugal in May 2017. The pope has encouraged rectors and workers at shrines to make guests feel “at home”. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS)

Pilgrim shrines must give visitors warm welcome

BY CAROL GLATZ

P

EOPLE who visit Catholic shrines must find a place of warmth and welcome, as well as good priests who enjoy being with and listening to the faithful, Pope Francis said.

“It is sad,” he said, whenever visitors arrive and “there is no one there who gives them a word of welcome and receives them like pilgrims who have accomplished a journey, often a long one, to reach the shrine”, and it is even worse if they find the place is closed.

“It cannot happen that more attention is paid to material and financial demands, forgetting that the most important part is the pilgrim.

They are the ones who count,” he said.

The pope spoke to hundreds of priests, religious and laypeople attending the first International Convention of Rectors and Pastoral Worker of Shrines, sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation. The convention, held in Rome, focused on the way shrines are “an open door to the New Evangelisation”.

Pilgrimages and visits to shrines are a key part of popular traditions, and Pope Francis told the group that keeping such popular piety alive was very important.

“It is the immune system of the

Church. It protects us from many things,” he said.

Welcoming groups and visitors is very important, he said, so make sure they are made to feel “at home, like a family member who has been expected for a very long time and has finally come”.

Sometimes visitors are people who have distanced themselves from the Church, but they made the trip because they are attracted to the shrine’s artistic treasures or its beautiful natural surroundings, the pope said.

“When they are welcomed, these people will become more willing to open their hearts and let themselves be shaped by grace. A climate of friendship is the fertile seed our shrines can toss on pilgrim soil, allowing them to rediscover that trust in the Church” that might have been lost because of having been met with indifference, he said.

No one must ever feel like a stranger or an “outsider, above all when they get there with the burden of their own sins”, Pope Francis said.

He added that priests serving the shrine must be ministers who love being with and understand the people of God. If not, “the bishop should give him another mission, because he is not suitable for this, and he will suffer greatly, and he will make the people suffer”.—CNS

Advent: ‘Get up from the sofas of life’

BY HANNAH BROCKHAuS

T

HE Advent season is a good time to reflect on the Christian call to joyful expectancy, finding hope and consolation in waiting for Christ, Pope Francis has said.

“We Christians are called to safeguard and spread the joy of waiting: we await God who loves us infinitely and at the same time we are awaited by him. In this way, life becomes a great betrothal,” the pope said.

“Advent is a time of consolation and hope. A new liturgical year begins, which brings with it the novelty of our God, who is the ‘God of all consolation’.”

In his speech, the pope referenced Servant of God Fr Tonino Bello, who was the bishop of the diocese of Molfetta-Ruvo-Giovinazzo-Terlizzi from 1982-93.

Don Tonino once reflected, he said, on the fact that life is full of fear: “Fear of neighbour...fear of the other...fear of violence...fear of not making it. Fear of not being accepted...fear that it is useless to

work hard. Fear, much, that we cannot change the world...Fear of not finding a job.”

Pope Francis pointed out that Don Tonino would respond to this gloomy scenario by saying that “Advent responds with ‘the Gospel of anti-fear’.”

“If fear makes you lie on the ground, the Lord invites you to get up; if negativity pushes you to look down, Jesus invites us to turn our gaze to heaven, from where He will come. Because we are not children of fear, but children of God,” the pope said.

“Then we welcome the invitation of the Gospel, the invitation so often repeated by Don Tonino to stand up, to get up,” he continued. “From where? From the sofas of life: from the comfort that makes you lazy, from the mundanity that makes you sick inside, from the self-pity that darkens.”

“Stand up, let us look up to the sky,” Pope Francis instructed. “We would also advise of the need to open our hands to our neighbour.

And the consolation that we can give will heal our fears.”—CNA

HREE female survivors of sexual abuse by priests called on Church leaders preparing for a February summit at the Vatican to listen to the voices of victims and to end a “culture of cover-up” that has dragged on for decades.

The women, from the United States, Peru and Germany, spoke of their experiences of sexual, psychological and spiritual abuse during a Rome seminar, “Overcoming Silence: Women’s Voices in the Abuse Crisis”.

All three survivors urged victims of abuse to “go to the police”, saying that internal investigations by the Church have consistently failed to address the problem since the first cases were reported by journalists in the 1980s.

One of the speakers was Doris Wagner, a German former nun who joined The Spiritual Family The Work community when she was 19.

She explained how she was taught to obey her superiors unquestioningly and to cut off contact with family and friends outside the mixed-gender community.

She said that when the superior of the house came into her room and raped her in 2008, she felt confused and powerless to resist him.

She did not tell anyone about the assault because she feared the community would “blame me”.

Ms Wagner left the congregation in 2011 and published a book about her ordeal of being “controlled, manipulated and sexually abused”. She said she decided to speak out be-

cause, for many years, she believed she was “the only nun ever to have been raped in the Church”. Now she wanted to prevent other women from suffering similar experiences.

P

ope Francis has convened a summit on sex abuse from February 21-24 which will bring together heads of bishops’ conferences from across the globe to discuss the Church’s response to the abuse crisis. All three women who shared their stories said the February summit in the Vatican would be ineffective unless “victim-centred listening” was at the heart of the bishops’ discussions.

Another survivor who shared her story at the Voices of Faith event was Peruvian theologian Rocio Figueroa Alvear. She recounted her experience of joining the lay movement Sodalitium Christianae Vitae as a 15-year-old.

Ms Figueroa described how the former vicar-general of the movement, German Doig, began touching her during spiritual direction classes. She said she “felt guilty and knew it was wrong” but added she was very naive and “had no words to describe” the abuse.

In the late 1980s, Ms Figueroa was among a group of women tasked with setting up a female branch of the movement, known as the Marian Community of Reconciliation. When she complained about the way women were treated, Ms Figueroa was sent to Rome, and while working in the Vatican, was asked to help prepare the process of

beatification for Doig, who had died in 2001.

During investigations, she discovered other members of the movement who had also been abused by him.

Realising that he was “not a saint, but a serial perpetrator”, she confronted the founder of the movement, Luis Fernando Figari, who told her, “You are a liar, you seduced him,” adding, “We need a saint.”

In 2015, she published a book with other former member of Sodalitium, detailing allegations of abuse

by Doig, Figari and other leaders of the organisation.

B

arbara Dorris, former executive director of the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP), held up the cream-coloured dress she was wearing the first time she was raped by her parish priest as a 6-year-old.

She described how she had “spent my childhood looking for a safe place” to hide from her abuser.

He told her she was so evil that she could “make a priest sin”.

Ms Dorris described herself as “lucky” because as a victim, she was young enough not to be labelled “a sexual temptress” who had seduced her rapist.

She called on Pope Francis to “start naming bishops who have helped cover up abuse” and to turn over to the police all relevant documentation currently held by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.—CNS

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The Southern Cross, December 12 to December 18, 2018

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

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.

Paddy Kearney now with the ‘Great Man’

Calling back ex-Catholics H

I

N many Catholic parishes and families one hears the lament that young people abandon the Church, and even their faith, the moment they take off their confirmation outfits.

Especially in rapidly secularising regions, mostly Westernised, many good Catholic parents are puzzled as to why their children, brought up in the faith, no longer attend Mass or even identify as Catholic.

For many parents, this is devastating. Some may even blame themselves, even though such self-recrimination is pointless and unlikely to explain the cause for their children’s disaffection.

Addressing the problem is the business of the whole Church.

Where once the Church directed its evangelisation efforts at those who had never heard the Gospel, it is now becoming increasingly concerned with proposing the Gospel to those who have heard but rejected it.

This is the new mission field— or not so new, as young people have been leaving the Church in increasing numbers over the past few generations. But it is the socalled Millennial generation— young people who are still finding their way in life—that we must reach out to now.

Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI proposed a New Evangelisation to fertilise that mission field. Pope Francis gave that idea substance with his call to throw open the doors of the Church to welcome everybody, including the sinner and the apostate, to encounter Christ.

But it is one thing to issue an open invitation and another to understand why young people leave the Church. Increasingly, Catholic evangelisers are trying to figure out what prompts them to abandon the faith—and how to respond to that.

This week’s edition features one such worker in the new mission field. Curtis Martin, founder of the Fellowship of Catholic University Students in the United States, speaks from experience as he urges a change in evangelising methods.

Another evangeliser is Brandon Vogt. In a 2015 book titled The Catholic Church and New Media, he identified five categories of fallen-away Catholics.

Although each person’s journey away from the faith is unique, it is useful to know these categories, and find responses to them.

Mr Vogt identified the categories as follows:

• Cultural Catholics: People who still identify as Catholic but don’t really have a sacramental life. This may be the largest group of Catholics who don’t practise their faith, and the ones most likely to return to the pews—or drift away altogether.

• Shruggers: People who don’t particularly disagree with the tenets of the faith, the sacraments or the liturgy, and may even still have some attachment to God, but don’t care about the institution of the Church. These often define themselves as “spiritual but not religious”.

• Moral movers: People who leave the Catholic Church because they disagree with the Church’s moral teachings, such as on contraception, abortion, homosexuality, or divorce.

• Religious switchers: People who switch from one Church to another, usually to one of the evangelical or nondenominational Protestant traditions. In Southern Africa especially, many young people hold a dual association: they go to Mass but also attend the services of other groups.

• Sceptics: Atheists, agnostics and anyone sceptical of God and religion. In a traditionally religious country such as South Africa, their numbers are still relatively small, but especially in urban areas they are growing. Indeed, in the country’s mainstream media, they have assumed some cultural dominance.

According to Mr Vogt, the old wisdom that young people return to the faith once they are married and have children is outdated.

That gap in the time of spiritual exploration between confirmation and marriage is becoming longer, in an environment in which the Church plays a less significant social role than it did in the past.

A further obstacle to evangelisation is the Church’s never-ending abuse scandal, which causes a drain from the Church and deters the return of non-practising Catholics or converts.

What are parents to do? Mr Vogt suggests that they pray and not become confrontational.

They should equip themselves with resources to answer any questions their children might have. Keep the lines of communication open with children who have stopped practising the faith.

Crucially, all Catholics are called to witness Christ and help people re-encounter him and establish a personal relationship with him.

OW appropriate the Lord called Paddy Kearney home during his tour of the country launching his latest book on, who he and I always called in our correspondence the “Great Man”, the late Archbishop Denis Hurley OMI. Without doubt, the creation of the Denis Hurley Centre (DHC) in Durban and all that is achieved there among the poor and needy is owing to the indomitable spirit and dedicated work of Paddy Kearney.

I was privileged to witness in a unique way his determination to raise the necessary R32 million to realise his dream of perpetuating Archbishop Hurley’s dedication to the poor by creating the DHC. In the years that preceded the opening of the DHC, I often collected Paddy at the airport or Gautrain station when he travelled to Gauteng, and took him to meetings with wealthy individuals and organisations to elicit their financial

Short sermons get the thumbs up

P

OPE Francis has said that homilies should not be too long. One can only agree.

Often homilies are way too lengthy and lack substance—especially when they include settling scores from the pulpit, in which case respect for the house of God is gone.

Leonie Arries, George

Don’t blame men and capitalism

I

N Sr Angelika Laub’s letter (“Capitalism hurts women most”, October 24), I could not ignore the logical fallacy which feeds the prevailing platitude that “our societies are still patriarchal, and it is therefore women who are especially affected and humiliated by capitalism”.

This cliché can be compared to the false argument that the world’s vehicle manufacturing industry is to blame for all road deaths.

Would it be reasonable to assert that “feminism” is to blame for all the girls and boys—“the least powerful” in the womb—whose dignity of life are being destroyed by the thousands because of a woman’s right to choose to abort?

Does it also follow that we can blame historical male slavery and forced labour on patriarchy?

Is it considered “patriarchal” when a man accepts the responsibility that he is duty-bound to provide security and sustenance to his family? Is it a “patriarchal” scheme that women overwhelmingly seek to take up careers as nurses, child-carers and paediatricians and are willing to be

PRICE CHECK

Paddy Kearney, who died in late November, at the opening of the Denis Hurley Centre in 2015. (Photo: Günther Simmermacher)

support for the centre.

The eventual construction of the DHC was very much owing to Paddy’s personal efforts.

As I wrote in this column in February 2017, the very work at the 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.

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

in the hospitality or domestic industry at business entities and private homes?

Should men blame women for their accepted roles and responsibilities to defend even unto death the family and country?

What is absent in the skewed victimhood narrative presented by Sr Angelika is the destruction of the family unit which is caused by both men and women.

The world is certainly a better place in many respects, thanks to the genius of individuals and groups who capitalised on their God-given gifts of ingenuity and childlike wonderment to invent and then mass produce goods available to all humanity, which have transformed the way we live and work.

Heavy, back-breaking work chores are now made easier with all sorts of apparatuses, from medical to domestic appliances, from the humble pencil to a pair of shoes, from the cellphone and the aeroplane that can take us to distant places in a matter of hours.

Capitalism essentially means, “You work, you eat”, whereas socialism means, “You work, I eat!”

To be sure, capitalism is not an economic system without negative, destructive effects. There is no guarantee of fair and just applications, and the equitable distribution of resources.

Like all other economic systems,

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Colourful light is filtered through the stained glass windows of Johannesburg’s Christ the King cathedral as the entrance procession signals the beginning of a Mass of remembrance for deceased priests and deacons, which concluded a month of prayer for the faithful departed.

(Photo: Sheldon Reddiar)

Call for ‘God-fearing leaders’

BY CHRISTEN TORRES

A

N archbishop has called for “God-fearing leaders” to take the lead in uniting South Africa.

Delivering a prayer at the second annual National Day of Prayer at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, Archbishop Buti Tlhagale called for unity within South Africa, and asked God to “heal the wounds of this divided nation”.

“Give us clean leaders, caring leaders, God-fearing leaders. Leaders who truly seek not to be served, but to serve the people of South Africa and to free them from abject poverty,” the archbishop of Johannesburg prayed.

He prayed that the commissions of inquiry “that are underway in this country be thorough moments of the examination of the conscience of the nation. Let these commissions help ban the ills that are paralysing the nation and its people,” Archbishop Tlhagale said.

Around 100 000 people filled the Johannesburg stadium for the prayer event, which was organised by the Motsepe Foundation.

It was attended by major political figures, including President Cyril Ramaphosa and First Lady Dr Tshepo Motsepe, who is a Catholic.

The interfaith prayer service, which was broadcast on Radio Veritas, aimed to bring together 33 different religious and faithbased organizations to pray for leadership, divine guidance and for a brighter future for South Africans.

“It’s wonderful to see so many religious leaders and organisations, all combined, united in one thing… to pray for our nation, President Ramaphosa told the gathering.

Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe, who was the head of the Motsepe Family Foundation in 2017, said that the prayer event sought “to put everybody under one roof to focus on praying for unity, praying for an end to poverty, and [to] observe the Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence”.

“We have also been praying for an end to violence against women since last year, so all our religious organisations, all the church people, come here together to pray in unison.

We believe that faith moves mountains and you would know that from Matthew 22:21, where [Jesus] says: ‘If you pray to me, anything that you ask me in prayer you will receive’,” Dr Moloi-Motsepe said.

Patrice Motsepe, a Catholic and chair of the Motsepe Foundation, said in an interview Continued on page 3

P

OLITICS, Pope Francis has said, “is a noble activity” which is to be practised with vocation and dedication.

This is the idea behind a joint voter-awareness campaign being organised by the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office, the Jesuit Institute, and the Justice & Peace Commission.

With financial backing from the Hanns Seidel Foundation, 100 000 pamphlets have been printed, in six South African languages, encouraging people to make sure they are registered to vote.

The pamphlets provide details of the next registration weekend, January 26-27, 2019, as well as information on registration requirements and how to contact the Independent Electoral Commission of South Africa.

It includes a message from Bishop Sithembele Sipuka, incoming president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

The pamphlets will be distributed in early January through diocesan structures, sodalities and other Catholic networks. They will also be posted on Catholic websites and social media, and feature in The Southern Cross.

“The Church in South Africa has always taken voter education very seriously,” said Mike Pothier, CPLO programme manager.

“Casting an informed vote is a manifestation of our human dignity—we take responsibility for choosing who will govern us for the next five years. And if we don’t vote, we can hardly complain if things go wrong,” Mr Pothier said.

The pamphlet notes that “you cannot vote unless you are registered as a voter” and explains the process of registering to vote.

Parliament in Cape Town. The next general elections will be held in 2019, and the Church is calling on eligible voters to ensure they are registered to make their voices heard at the polls. (Photo: Nic Bothma, EPA/CNS) It also encourages those who have been registered previously to confirm that they are still on the voters’ roll, which can be done on the IEC website (www.elections.org.za/content) or by SMS (number 32810).

The pamphlet on voter registration will be followed-up with another one dealing with the factors to take into account when deciding which party to vote for.

The second pamphlet, to be distributed in April 2019, will also contain up-to-date information on the voting system, and on how to find the correct voting station.

The 2019 national and provincial elections are widely expected to be held in or before May, and must be held no later than August 6.

President Cyril Ramaphosa in a speech in New York in September hinted that the election “will be held next year, before May”.

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capitalism is managed by fallen human persons, who can misuse, abuse and destroy resources and human capital—without any moral responsibility for the rights of others!—in their quest to be enriched and increase their power base.

To place the blame of human trafficking on the capitalist system per se is to be ignorant of history, since this scourge predates the capitalist system and goes back to when tribal invasions and conquering expeditions included the willful capture, abuse and abduction of the “enemy” for sexual and labour “gains”.

It is the duty of elected governments to set in place legislative and public order systems, and appoint officials to combat and prevent abuses of any kind by employers or mafiastyle scoundrels.

It is also the duty of community members to report such abuses wherever manifested and to help bring about change through a Christ-like witness espoused in the beatitudes of the Gospel message.

Our Lord said that the poor will always be with us. The idea and recent announcement that our government wants to eradicate poverty by 2030 is a noble call; however, in context it is a utopian political propitiating dream!

Unemployment at this time is a psychologically wrenching experience for thousands of skilled men and women.

Yet many healthy individuals willfully choose to not do an honest day’s work while others languish in self-pity, blame the world for their failures, and cry for entitlement.

They demand compensation and retribution, and aim to take from industrious men and women.

Henry Sylvester, Cape Town

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Fr Kevin Reynolds, Pretoria

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PERSPECTIVES

The Southern Cross, December 12 to December 18, 2018

How moralism sabotages the Gospel Kelvin Banda OP M ORALISM and Christianity can never complement each other.

Being a Christian is not about necessarily following an ethical code or what one does as a Christian. It is about who we are: the personal encounter with Jesus Christ which makes us Christians.

Moralism is not the same as morality.

Briefly, morality refers to a set of ethics that guide a person's behaviour; moralism can be defined as the act of judging a person's morality.

Moralism takes for granted that a preset moral principle, or moral initiatives such as rules, precepts, the laws, and various dogmas, will create good Christians.

Laws or dogmas are good; however, they must never lead a person away from Christ.

It has been said, also by Pope Francis, that moralism is a sort of idolatry since it associates the meaning of life with the ordinary observance of the law instead of developing an intimate friendship with God. In this line of thought, moralism reduces the mystery of the faith to a list of do’s and don’ts. The question is this: do these do’s and don’ts bring about inner joy, peace, happiness and love for self as well as for the other? Do they lead to being moral or to being a good Christian?

Being Christian is the crucial test for discerning the authentic Gospel from counterfeits, while moralism has no place for proper discernment. It deceives humanity into thinking that God is more interested in our eagerness to achieve moral irreproachability than in achieving our union with him in Christ.

Jesus reminds us of that in the Gospel when he has a problem with the scribes and Pharisees concerning their moralism, condemning them for placing heavy burdens on others whom they then refuse to help (Lk 11:46).

The lure of moralism is the essence of its power. People are easily seduced into believing that they can gain all the ap-

proval they seek by way of a particular behaviour. This is true.

But, as the Baptist theologian Albert Mohler points out, in order to participate in this luring, humanity must negotiate a moral code that expresses acceptable behaviour with infinite loopholes.

For many people—laity or preachers— the theological temptation of moralism is hard to resist. Mohler explains that the danger is that one would want to converse both directly and indirectly about what God expects of fallen humanity, which is moral perfection. But in so doing, one sabotages the Gospel and communicates a false gospel to a fallen world.

T

he “patron saint” of moralism is the Pharisee in the temple who, with objectionable self-love, prays: “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous, fornicators…” (Lk 18:11).

The whim of moralism nowadays reduces the Bible to a codebook for human behaviour and substitutes moral instruction for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

A number of Evangelical pulpits are given over to moralistic messages rather than the authentic preaching the Gospel.

To agree with Mohler, who himself is an

Moral codes and their rules are good, but moralism is contrary to the Gospel, Kelvin Banda OP writes.

Point of Reflection

Evangelical, “moralism makes sense to sinners, for it is but an expansion of what we have been taught from our earliest days. But moralism is not Gospel, and it will not save”.

Understood that way, moralism is enjoining a moral code upon others without clearly indicating that the means for effective salvation is grace. It is through grace that God enables people to do what seems impossible to them; without clearly revealing how the given course of action is integral to the realisation of human happiness.

Hence, to eradicate moralism, the world needs people, priests, religious and scholastics who have, in the words of the spiritual author Fr Peter John Cameron OP, an “understanding of the Gospel of Christ that moves them to embrace that morality, not moralism is their way of life”.

Morality, Fr Cameron suggests, is not about harshly preaching against what one might consider terrible sins, “failing to realise that before a sick person is given bitter herbals, one needs to be prepared by being put into the right frame of mind really to benefit from it”.

Morality and being Christian complement one another when Christ becomes the source and cause of moral excellence for those who believe in him. The Law cannot impart life but, as Paul insists, it “has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith” (Gal 3:24).

The poisonous hazard of moralism has been a constant temptation to some as an ever-convenient substitute for the Gospel.

A pop classic was born in a church Günther O Simmermacher NE of the songs that gave the 1950s musical genre “doo wop” its name was recorded in the basement of a Catholic church.

This, I’m sure, was mentioned at the funeral of Vinny Mazzetta at St Bernadette’s church in New Haven, Connecticut, in October.

Mazzetta was an altar server at the church in 1956 when he arranged for an unknown vocal band named The Five Satins to cut two songs in the church’s basement. One of them was “In The Still Of The Nite”—and Mazzetta played the saxophone on it.

The song has made history: it’s the only record to have entered the US charts with the same version three times.

In 1987 it featured on the soundtrack of the movie Dirty Dancing; in 1992 a cover version of the song was a hit for Boyz II Men. In early 1956, all that was beyond the dreams of the teenage African-American singer Fred Parris, who had formed the group. Although it had only four singers, he gave the group the numerically misleading name Five Satins, since vocal groups that enumerated five members— The “5” Royales, The Five Crowns—were coming into fashion, while the Four Aces and Four Coins were on their way out.

As a US army recruit, Parris was travelling between New Haven and his army base in Philadelphia when he wrote “In The Still Of The Nite” for a former girlfriend whom he was hoping to win back.

He failed in that endeavour—she soon moved to California and Parris never saw her again—but he knew he had a good song in his hands.

And so did manager Marty Kugell, who ran his own small label, Standord Records, which had released The Five Satins’ debut single in 1955. But Kugell had no studio in which to cut his clients’ new record. A first attempt failed when traffic noise polluted the recording.

A solution arrived when Kugell bumped into his old high school pal Vinny Mazzetta. Remembering that the basement of St Bernadette’s church was secluded from traffic, he asked Mazzetta—himself still a teenager—to use his connections as as an altar server there to secure the premise as a makeshift recording studio.

Catholic Stories

The four Five Satins, plus a token Satin to make up numbers, on the cover of their debut LP in 1957.

Mazzetta duly asked the parish priest, Fr Charles Hewitt, if the basement could be used for a recording session after Sunday Mass. The priest agreed, with the casual response, “Sure, why not?” And that was not to be taken for granted: in 1956 the new-fangled rock & roll music which the young people listened to still attracted moral resistance from older people, including many a parish priest.

For Mazzetta, Fr Hewitt’s response was rooted in Catholicism. “That’s right in line with the Catholic philosophy of giving and of charity,” he told the New Haven newspaper The Courant 60 years later.

A

nd so, on February 19, 1956, the four Five Satins, four amateur musicians, a recording engineer, and Kugell as producer gathered in the basement of St Bernadette’s church to record “In The Still Of The Nite”, and another track, “The Jones Girl” (which was originally the Aside).

There was no bass, so a low-tuned cello was used instead. The piano was the property of St Bernadette’s. Mazzetta played the saxophone.

“I wasn't doing much on Sunday after-

noons in those days, so I said, ‘Sure, I’ll play for you’,” he later recalled. “Never in a million years did I think it’d be such a hit.”

The song quickly picked up fans, even if a local radio station responded to listeners’ requests by playing Ella Fitzgerald’s version of “In The Still Of The Night”—by Cole Porter.

By the time The Five Satins’ song was a hit, Fred Parris and fellow army recruit Al Denby had been shipped off to Japan, so other Satins were performing Parris’ song.

One day, Parris heard it on the US Army radio station in Japan.

Parris reclaimed The Satins in the 1960s, and has been performing with various iterations of it ever since, even for Richard Nixon on his 1968 election campaign and in the White House.

“In The Still Of The Nite” ended up selling 2 million copies. Rolling Stone magazine, in its 2011 list of 500 greatest songs, placed “In The Still Of The Nite” at number 90, one behind between the wonderful “California Dreamin’” by The Mamas & The Papas and one ahead of Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds”.

It’s “doo-wop, doo-wah” backing vocals helped give the genre doo wop its name.

Mazzetta never turned professional, but for much of the rest of his life performed with amateur bands for fun, while running a grocery store for a living. He remained at St Bernadette’s his whole life, serving as an usher for many years and being a Knight of Columbus (the US version of our Knights of da Gama).

On October 19 Mazzetta’s Requiem Mass was celebrated in St Bernadette’s church—above the basement where on that Sunday in the winter of 1956 he helped make rock & roll history.

7

Michael Shackleton

Open Door

Does the Creed contradict Jesus?

Jesus said: “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life” (Jn 5:24).

In light of these words of our Saviour, why does the Creed state: “He [Jesus] will come again to judge the living and the dead”? This clearly contradicts Jesus’ words quoted above.

Dave Bradshaw

T

HERE is no contradiction. When Jesus speaks of eternal life he is referring to the life that is given to us when we are baptised.

Think of our Lord’s words: “I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full” (Jn 10:10). And also: “The water that I shall give will turn into a spring inside him welling up to eternal life” (Jn 4:14).

It is not enough to believe that whoever hears Christ’s words and believes in him who sent him will have eternal life. Catholics believe that the sacrament of baptism is essential to belief: “Unless a man is born through water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (Jn 3:5).

The first converts were told: “Every one of you must be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

From these texts you can gather that faith and baptism produce a person who is now without sin, having crossed over from spiritual death to spiritual life. Such a person will not be judged simply because there is no sin to be accounted for, no case to be answered.

However, judgment is applicable in the case of sins committed after we have fallen and damaged the clean slate given us in baptism. Postbaptismal sins are known as actual sins. They are either grave (mortal sins) or less grave (venial sins).

Catholics can repent of these sins and turn to the sacrament of reconciliation (penance) to confess them and receive absolution according to Christ’s instruction (Jn 20:23).

Perfect contrition and reparation restore us to our baptismal purity because God is a merciful Father.

The Catechism (678-679) explains that by rejecting divine grace in this life, one already judges oneself by rejecting the Spirit of love.

When Christ returns to judge the living and the dead he will bring about the final triumph of good over evil. This will be done in a way that will reveal everyone’s conduct and secret thoughts, and particularly when he says: “Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.”

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

Oberammergau & Holy Land 2020

The Southern Cross will host a pilgrimage to the Passion Play in Oberammergau and the Holy Land in SEPTEMBER 2020, led by a very special Spiritual Director.

Put your name down now to be notified when bookings open to avoid disappointment!

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

8

The Southern Cross, December 12 to December 18, 2018

COMMUNITY

St Charles Lwanga parish in Botshabelo, Bloemfontein archdiocese, celebrated the First Communion of many young Catholics, with parish priest Fr Michael Mapulanga officiating. Fr Mapulanga wrote in last week’s Southern Cross about the joy of being a priest.

Catholic Women’s League members of Our Lady of Fatima parish in Durban North held a morning workshop making Advent wreaths. (Submitted

by Anna Accolla)

Young First Communion candidates from St John the Baptist parish in Rygersdal, Atlantis, Cape Town, after the Communion Mass.

The u10/u11 girls’ softball team at CBC St John’s Parkland in Cape Town took part in a softball tournament at Bloubergridge Primary. CBC won all their matches and took first prize.

Tony Wyllie & Co.

St Charles’ parish in Victory Park, Johannesburg, held a retreat for women at the Good Shepherd Retreat Centre at Hartbeespoort Dam. (Submitted by Bonny Pooley)

Young men and woman were confirmed in St Francis of Assisi parish in Eastwood, Durban archdiocese, by Cardinal Wilfrid Napier. Pictured with the group are parish priest Fr Sanil Michael SCJ and other members of the clergy.

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De La Salle Holy Cross College High School in Victory Park, Johannesburg, elected its 2019 leaders.

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Dr CW Zondo of St Martin de Porres parish in Esikhawini, Eshowe diocese, donated a range of musical instruments to the church choir for use in processions during services.

MISSION

The Southern Cross, December 12 to December 18, 2018

9

Three habits for effective evangelising A new book by an expert on evangelising suggests three habits that every Catholic can use to spread the faith, as JONAH McKEOWN explains.

I

N a new book, an American evangelist offers a plan to help equip the next “generation” of Christian disciples for evangelisation.

Curtis Martin, founder of the US Fellowship of Catholic University Students (Focus), has spent 21 years working to build an organisation that brings the message of the Gospel to students on university campuses.

Making Missionary Disciples: How to Live the Method Modeled by the Master offers the lessons which Mr Martin says he’s learned from Jesus Christ over those years.

“Really what we’re trying to do is to invite people to learn the art of spiritual conversations,” Mr Martin said.

“We hear homilies, but we seldom, as Catholics, discuss our faith over lunch. And I don’t mean discuss scandals...I mean [discuss] the great life of Jesus Christ, the great life of the saints, the great life of the heroes of the Old Testament,” he said.

“If we learn the art of that conversation, we will become infectious, radiant Catholics who will radiate love and joy and mercy into the culture.”

This model, presented in the book, he said, is not “novel” in the Church, but rather has been duplicated over and over again throughout the years, and is especially present in religious communities.

St Paul teaches in Corinthians that people were meant to learn by imitation, Mr Martin said, and people need a human person in front of them setting an example.

“The purpose in creating missionary disciples is the very thing we’ve been doing in Focus for the last 21 years; that we could share that with people in other organisations, in families, in businesses, in

The

Evangelisation expert Curtis Martin, who proposes three principles of evangelisation to reach young people in particular. parishes, in dioceses etc, because we think it’s going to bear great fruit there, and that’s what we’re seeing already,” Mr Martin said.

“We really believe that this book, and what we’re talking about, actually applies to [parents and professionals in dioceses] maybe even more than it does the college campus,” he said.

“The alumni are actually bearing more fruit than our full-time missionaries...We’re doing a second round of research to validate that.”

Mr Martin highlights three main habits in the book that are “simple, but hard”, because they involve changing behaviour to make evangelisation possible.

Be on fire to evangelise These three habits are “Divine Intimacy”, “Authentic Friendship”, and “Clarity and Conviction about Spiritual Multiplication”, which Mr Martin calls “The Method Modelled by the Master”.

• The first habit, “Divine Intimacy”, boils down to the fact that anyone who wants to teach others about the Catholic faith should have experienced the love of God in a personal way.

Love of others, Mr Martin said, should stem from a total love for

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God, as well as a foundation of the teachings of the Church, the sacraments, fellowship with other believers, and, of course, prayer.

“If I’m cold, or just lukewarm, I’m not going to be able to communicate fire. The only way I can do that is to be on fire,” he said.

“So ‘Divine Intimacy’ is the foundation stone for everything else.”

• The second habit, “Authentic Friendship”, comes when we cooperate with the grace God gives us for evangelisation, Mr Martin wrote in the book.

“I am willing to love you because I’ve already been loved infinitely by God,” he said. “I don’t need you to fill me up; God is already doing that.”

• The third habit is “Clarity and Conviction about Spiritual Multiplication”.

Faithful and fruitful “I’m going to work with a few people, get very intentional about knowing about Christ, following Christ, living for Christ, and then inviting them to go out and invite others to do the same,” Mr Martin explained as a strategy.

“You impart not only faithfulness, as essential as faithfulness is, you impart fruitfulness, which is exactly what Jesus did.”

On the theme of investing

deeply in a few close friends, Mr Martin again drew the conversation back to the methods Jesus used to proclaim God’s Kingdom.

He said Jesus taught his apostles, first and foremost, to love by investing deeply in them and sometimes only them.

Jesus’ “methodology was to find 12 guys and go camping for three years”, Mr Martin reflected. “He invested profoundly, deeply, in 12 guys in order to reach the whole world, but he imparted not just faithfulness; he imparted fruitfulness.

“And those 12 men, by the power of Christ, changed the world. And we can do the same by returning to the ‘Method Modelled by the Master’.”

Jesus, Mr Martin said, regularly rendered the extraordinary as ordinary, by performing miracles on a daily basis.

However, Jesus also rendered the ordinary extraordinary by “loving beautifully” in the Holy Family, with Mary and Joseph, for the first 30 years of his life. Martin said no one since Adam and Eve loved each other as much as Jesus, Mary and Joseph did.

Saints come in groups The Church has that capacity for love, Mr Martin said, and saints “come in groups”.

“It’s really hard to become a saint by yourself,” he said.

“To be able to walk towards Christ with others allows us to fulfil that great command to love God and love neighbour.”

Mr Martin said his organisation conducted research on alumni who are now no longer college students or full-time missionaries, but rather full-time parents or full-time professionals.

They are now living the “normal life”, Mr Martin said, but they’re “living the normal life extraordinarily well”.

In a certain sense, he said, this makes sense: students are at the height of frivolity in their lives while at univer-

sity. They are distracted by such things as video games, alcohol, and even recreational drugs. As a result, as a group, university campuses are often not receptive to the Gospel.

Students “also happen to be at one of the most pivotal times in their lives”, Mr Martin said. But “a few years down your life, and all of a sudden you’re a married [person], maybe you’ve got a few kids, and you meet someone who’s living for Christ”.

Mr Martin argued that a father or mother, or a husband and wife, who are struggling with communication, balancing their budget, raising their children, or praying, will be more likely to seek the advice and companionship of a radiant Christian person.

For this reason, the “ground is much more fertile”, Mr Martin said, in a parish than it is at a university.—CNA n Making Missionary Disciples: How to Live the Method Modeled by the Master is available from www.focus.org and from Amazon.

10

The Southern Cross, December 12 to December 18, 2018

PERSONALITY

Victoria reaches for dreams with faith Life has handed Victoria Giuricich her own challenges, but the young Catholic woman will not let them be obstacles to her dreams, as she tells CHRISTEN TORRES.

A

YOUNG Catholic is following her heart to achieve her big dreams, and places her trust in God. Victoria Giuricich, 20, wants to follow the path of her hero, Madeline Stuart, an Australian model with Down syndrome who has appeared on the catwalks of the London, New York and Paris fashion weeks.

Victoria, who herself has Down syndrome, believes that she will be able to achieve her dream of one

day becoming a professional model, through hard work and her faith and devotion to God. Ands she is already on her way.

Recently she was given the chance to design and star in her own fashion show at SA Fashion Week, in front of an enthusiastic audience which included family and friends.

Victoria was born in Johannesburg in 1998 and went to school at Brescia House School in Bryanston, where she completed her matric in 2018.

She recently successfully completed a six-months course in modelling, and has taken on an apprenticeship in hairdressing. She has also shown great promise in gymnastics.

“I decided that I wanted to become a model when I saw Madeline Stuart who is my role model,” Victoria told The Southern Cross. “I want to be a commercial model and I want to become a runway model.”

And God’s presence in her life helps Victoria in her everyday activities. She talks freely about the importance of the Catholic faith in her life.

Under God’s direction “I go a lot to Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Rivonia. I go there to see the priest whom I know very well, Fr Chaka Motanyane.”

Fr Motanyane was also in the audience at her fashion show.

“God helps me through my studying for the academy and to be a model. God helps me know what I need to do—and to have fun,” she said.

Victoria shares the Catholic faith with her agent, Lauren Winiecki, in daily life.

“Vicky and I read a prayer book every day. We do this every morning,” Ms Winiecki told The Southern Cross. “We listen to a lot of praise and worship songs on YouTube.

Vicky and I also visit the church of the Resurrection in Bryanston every Wednesday when we go to drama. Vicky and I go into the church and have quiet time and pray.”

Victoria’s other big dream has been to attend World Youth Day in Panama City.

To make that dream a reality, she has been selling cupcakes, baked by her mother, to raise the necessary funds for herself and her brother, Andrea.

“We are almost done selling cupcakes and have raised enough money,” she said. “The flights have been booked and we are ready to go.

We will be there for two weeks and I am very excited.”

She really wants to meet Pope Francis. “I want to take photos with the pope, if he’s not busy. If I meet him, they will probably say, ‘Are you looking for the pope?’

And we will say, ‘Hello, we are here; we are here to see the pope!’”

Victoria’s mother, Maria Giuricich, believes that her daughter’s will to succeed is a good example for others.

“I am immensely proud to say that she is my daughter. Her story may inspire those who believe that being born with this condition [Down syndrome] is a ‘life sentence’,” she said.

“Vicky’s story is one of self-belief and determination to follow one's dreams. The only person who can hold one back, is oneself,” explained Mrs Giuricich.

“She is not dis-abled, but differently-abled,” she emphasised.

“My hope is that someone will give Vicky the opportunity to

From paper and pencil to proudly posing in it: Victoria Giuricich models her own design at a fashion show during SA Fashion Week. The 20-year-old Catholic’s big dream is to make a career in fashion. prove herself and in the process allow her to become a role model for anyone who ever doubts their capabilities.”

The day of the fashion show was jam-packed with appointments and excitement.

“We first went to MAC Cosmetics in Sandton to have the make-up done,” Ms Winiecki said.

After the make-up was done, they went straight to the venue and were shown backstage.

“Backstage was intimidating because a bunch of models were practising for their own shows—so it was all very overwhelming, but exciting,” Ms Winiecki recalled.

Victoria and her team then prepped for the show, assisted by the SA Fashion Week lighting and technical crew.

“The whole SA Fashion Week team was very accommodating, and it was amazing to have stage and staff included to help us with the show,” said Ms Winiecki.

‘God helps me know what I need to do—and to have fun

Victoria Giuricich, who would love to see Pope Francis at World Youth Day in Panama City next month. Her mother believes Victoria can inspire those who are differently-abled.

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Name in lights A crowd of 70-80 people made up Victoria’s audience.

“The whole group of SA Fashion Week models actually came to sit in the audience to watch Victoria, and when she came out and walked, they went crazy for Vicky,” Ms Winiecki recalled.

“Victoria’s name was projected in lights on to the side of the stage for everyone to see,” she said, adding: “It exceeded all our expectations.”

Although it was her first time on a runway, Victoria suffered no

stagefright. “I do drama and I have been on stage, so I felt quite confident,” she said, noting that “the stage had my name and surname on it”.

She was also encouraged by the support of her family and friends in the audience.

“My cousins and family and friends were there. They didn’t go to work so that they could go to the fashion show. They said it was more important, and everyone was blown away!”

To Maria Giuricich, it was an eye-opener to see her daughter on the runway. “I was truly taken aback by how confident, capable and comfortable Vicky was in the field which she has chosen,” she told The Southern Cross.

“She was just as professional as the facilities which she was allowed to use. There was a warmth and enthusiasm that radiated from the audience who clearly were people who have been supportive of Vicky over the years.”

The fashion show was invaluable to Victoria, her agent noted.

“The fact that [SA Fashion Week] gave us that platform is amazing. It has put Vicky on their radar,” resulting in several invitations. “Everything’s moving ahead and Vicky’s becoming very popular.”

Victoria would like to model again, “if I have time, and I want to learn skills and keep on doing it.

I know the work and I want to be a professional model. I am looking forward to it!”

And with her faith and strong devotion to God, as well as with the support of her family and friends, Victoria is sure that she can achieve it all.

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CLASSIFIEDS

Fr Mzingaye Moyo F ATHER Mzingaye Moyo of Keimoes-Upington diocese died on the evening of October 29 when he crashed into the back of an unmarked stationary lorry 30km outside Pofadder.

Fr Moyo was born on August 8, 1976, at St Paul’s mission in the Lupane district in Zimbabwe and was educated at St Bernard’s High School in Bulawayo.

After completing his philosophical and theological studies at Cedara, he was recommended for the priesthood and opted to join the diocese of Keimoes-Upington as a diocesan priest.

Fr Moyo was ordained a priest at Keimoes on December 16, 2009.

He brought to our diocese the rich experience of his Christian upbringing. The influence of his parents, both teachers, marked his character and work ethic.

Fr Moyo pursued academic studies and was happy with the last exam he wrote for his psychology honours on the day before his fatal accident.

His death the next evening ended a very productive life, leaving a major gap in the ministry of the diocese, since he had been looking after three communities: the cathedral parish in Pella, plus Pofadder and Aggenys.

Fr Moyo was known for his thoroughness. He personally monitored those preparing parents for the baptism of their chil-

The Southern Cross, December 12 to December 18, 2018

YOUR CLASSIFIEDS

Anniversaries • Milestones • Prayers • Accommodation • Holiday accommodation Personal • Services • Employment • Property • Parish notices • Thanks • Others Please include payment (R1,80 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

IN MEMORIAM

DONNELLY—Eugene. In loving memory of our longstanding colleague, friend and loyal servant of The Southern Cross who left us December 18, 2011. Fondly remembered by the staff of The Southern Cross.

PERSONAL

Fr Mzingaye Moyo of Keimoes-upington with parishioners. Fr Moyo, who served the cathedral parish of Pella, Pofadder and Aggenys, died when his car hit an unmarked stationary lorry. dren and those preparing couples for marriage. He was involved in the formation and direction of parish catechists, and took a keen interest in the youth ministry.

People appreciated that in the cathedral parish, Mass was celebrated every day, even when Fr Moyo also celebrated Mass at one of the other centres. He did not spare himself in his ministry.

In the five years he worked in Pella, he initiated a number of projects for the improvement of the Diocesan Pastoral Centre and

the surroundings of “the cathedral in the desert”, with a view to presenting an experience of the local Church to the many tourists who visit each year.

Fr Moyo will be especially remembered for the beautiful grotto which was his first project on arriving at Pella.

We will miss his shy smile and the lively eyes which took in everything and led him to respond sometimes with sharpness and always with insight.

Bishop Edward Risi OMI

Your prayer to cut out and collect

Prayer for Third Advent Lord God, may we, your people, who look forward to the birthday of Christ experience the joy of salvation and celebrate that feast with love and thanksgiving.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.

Liturgical Calendar Year C – Weekdays Cycle Year 1

ABORTION WARNING: The truth will convict a silent Church. See www.valuelife abortionisevil.co.za ABORTION ON DEMAND: This is legalised daily murder in our nation. Our silence on this issue is the reason why it continues.

Avoid pro-abortion politicians.

PARISH NOTICES

NEW PARISH NOTICES MOST WELCOME: If any parish notices listed are no longer valid, call us on 021 465-5007 or e-mail us at m.leveson@scross.co.za so that we can remove them.

Also, we’d welcome new notices from parishes across Southern Africa to run free in the classifieds.

CAPE TOWN: Retreat day/quiet prayer last Saturday of each month except December, at Springfield Convent in Wynberg, Cape Town. Hosted by CLC, 10.00-15.30. Contact Jill on 083 282-6763 or Jane on 082 783-0331.

Perpetual Adoration Chapel at Good Shepherd parish, 1 Goede Hoop St, Bothasig, welcomes all visitors. Open 24 hours a day. Phone 021 558-1412.

Helpers of God’s Precious Infants. Mass on last Saturday of every month at 9:30 at Sacred Heart church in Somerset Road, Cape Town.

Followed by vigil at abortion clinic. Contact Colette Thomas on 083 412 4836 or 021 593-9875 or Br Daniel

SCP on 078 739-2988.

DURBAN: Holy Mass and Novena to St Anthony at St Anthony’s parish every Tuesday at 9:00. Holy Mass and Divine Mercy Devotion at 17:30 on first Friday of every month. Sunday Mass at 9:00. Phone 031309-3496 or 031 209-2536.

St Anthony’s rosary group.

Every Wednesday at 18:00 at St Anthony’s church opposite Greyville racecourse. All are welcome and lifts are available. Contact Keith Chetty on 083 372-9018.

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

PRAYERS

Zephaniah 3:14-18, Psalm: Isaiah 12:2-6, Philippians 4:4-7, Luke 3:10-18

O ETERNAL TRUTH, true love and beloved eternity.

You are my God. To You do I sigh day and night. When I first came to know You, you drew me to yourself so that I might see that there were things for me to see, but that I myself was not yet ready to see them. Meanwhile you overcame the weakness of my vision, sending forth most strongly the beams of your light, and I trembled at once with love and dread.

I sought a way to gain the strength which I needed to enjoy you. But I did not find it until I embraced "the medi-

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 841. ACROSS: 1 East, 3 Objector, 9 Inexact, 10 Patio, 11 Experiencing, 13 Canaan, 15 Salami, 17 Freely giving, 20 Plato, 21 Ornater, 22 No answer, 23 Trod. DOWN: 1 Evidence, 2 Sheep, 4 Butler, 5 Expectations, 6 Titania, 7 Rood, 8 Marriage vows, 12 Lingered, 14 Nirvana, 16 Bygone, 18 Inter, 19 Spin.

Monday December 17

This week we congratulate: December 23: Bishop Graham Rose of Dundee on his 67th birthday

Genesis 49:2, 8-10, Psalm 72:1-4, 7-8, 17, Matthew 1:1-17 Tuesday December 18 Jeremiah 23:5-8, Psalm 72:1-2, 12-13, 18-19, Matthew 1:18-24

OMI STAMPS

Wednesday December 19 Judges 13:2-7, 24-25, Psalm 71:3-6, 16-17, Luke 1:5-25

YOUR USED STAMPS

Thursday December 20 Isaiah 7:10-14, Psalm 24:1-6, Luke 1:26-38 Friday December 21, St Peter Canisius Song of Solomon 2:8-14 or Zephaniah 3:14-18, Psalm 33:2-3, 11-12, 20-21, Luke 1:39-45 Saturday December 22 1 Samuel 1:24-28, Responsorial psalm 1 Samuel 2:1, 4-8, Luke 1:46-56 Micah 5:1-4, Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19, Hebrews 10:5-10, Luke 1:39-45

St Peter Canisius

can help in the education of South Africans for the PRIESTHOOD at St Joseph’s Scholasticate, Cedara, KwaZulu-Natal.

Please send them to: OMI Stamps, Box 101352, Scottsville, 3209

ator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who is above all, God blessed for ever." He was calling me and saying: "I am the way of truth, I am the life."

Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you!

You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you.

In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created. You were with me, but I was not with you.

Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would have not been at all. You called, you shouted, and you broke through my deafness. You flashed, you shone, and you dispelled my blindness. You breathed you fragrance on me; I drew in breath and now I pant for you. I have tasted you, now I hunger and thirst for more. You touched me, and I burned for your peace.—St Augustine

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

Our bishops’ anniversaries

Sunday December 16, 3rd Sunday of Advent

Sunday December 23, 4th Sunday of Advent

11

Neighbourhood Old Age Homes

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

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

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

CAPE TOWN: Looking for reasonably priced accommodation over the December/January holiday period?

Come to Kolbe House, set in beautiful, spacious gardens in Rondebosch, nestled just under Devil’s Peak. Selfcatering, clean and peaceful, with spacious gardens.Safe parking. Close to all shops and public transport. Contact Pat 021 685-7370, 073 2632105 or kolbe.house@ telkomsa.net SIMON’S TOWN MARIANELLA GUEST HOUSE: “Come experience the peace and beauty of God with us.” Fully equipped with amazing sea views. Secure parking, ideal for rest and relaxation. Special rates for pensioners and clergy. Malcolm Salida 082 784-5675, mjsalida@gmail.com

The

Southern Cross

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Editor: Günther Simmermacher Business Manager: Pamela Davids Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000

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

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

Editor: Günther Simmermacher (editor@scross.co.za), Business Manager: Pamela Davids (admin@scross.co.za), Advisory Editor: Michael Shackleton, Local News: Erin Carelse (e.carelse@scross.co.za), Christen Torres (newsroom@scross.co.za), Editorial: Claire Allen (c.allen@scross.co.za), Mary Leveson (m.leveson@scross.co.za), Advertising: Yolanda Timm (advertising@scross.co.za), Subscriptions: Michelle Perry (subscriptions@scross.co.za),

Accounts: Desirée Chanquin (accounts@scross.co.za), Directors: R Shields (Chair), Archbishop S Brislin, S Duval, E Jackson, B Jordan, Sr H Makoro CPS, J Mathurine, R Riedlinger, G Stubbs, Z Tom,

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

the

Fourth Sunday of Advent: December 23 Readings: Micah 5:1-4, Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19, Hebrews 10:5-10, Luke 1:39-45

A

S we come nearer to the great feast of the Incarnation with which our Advent season will come to its end in just a few days’ time, we are invited by the readings for next Sunday to reflect on why what is going to happen then is Just Right.

The first reading has as its background the theme of the sinfulness of Jerusalem, the big city, in contrast to the relatively insignificant (and not very far away) village of Bethlehem, where David came from, and where, according to this text, the Messiah might be expected to come: “From you there shall come out for me one to be ruler in Israel; and his coming-forth is from the days of old.”

There is a very strong sense here that God is in charge, and that God’s will is going to be made manifest in a birth: “Therefore the Lord will give them up until the time when she who is to give birth shall give birth, and the rest of his brothers shall return to the children of Israel.”

As prophecies go, this is not the clearest of predictions, but it does at least speak of a birth in Bethlehem, and you can see why those early Christians fastened upon it.

Then the text goes on to speak of this child-to-be-born as a “shepherd” (“He shall

S outher n C ross

stand and feed his flock”), which is an image that Jesus often applied to himself, and concludes, aptly enough: “He shall be peace.”

That image of “shepherd” comes up again in the psalm, where God is addressed as “Shepherd of Israel, who guides Israel’s flock”.

Then the poet turns to another image of Israel, that of the vine, which of course was also used in the Gospel to refer to what God is doing in Jesus (have a look at John 15, if you want confirmation of that), and asks God to “return to us”, and then prays that “your hand be on the man at your right hand, on the son of man” (another phrase found in the gospels, of course).

The key idea is that with which our portion of the psalm ends: “And we shall not withdraw from you; give us life, and we shall call upon your name.”

That is indeed Just Right.

The second reading, from the distinguished theologian who is the author of the Letter to the Hebrews, likewise picks up Old Testament texts to show how the coming of Jesus into the world is Just Right.

He does this by quoting Psalm 40 (“You did not desire sacrifice and offering…”), and

reading that text as though it were Jesus who was uttering the words.

Now the key thing is that in coming into the world, Jesus has “come to do your will, O God”.

Then the author applies it to us, so that we may see that there are implications for us too: “We are made holy, through the offering of the body of Jesus, once and for all.”

This makes another important point, that the feeding-trough in which the infant Jesus lay is already overshadowed by the Cross, so our celebration of the feast in which Advent ends is not unmitigated eating and drinking.

But it is Just Right.

Just Right, too, is the lovely story that is next Sunday’s Gospel; it is the remarkable tale of what Mary does after she has been given her Annunciation.

Apparently totally on her own, and apparently simply because she has been told that her elderly relative Elisabeth is expecting a child, Mary, whom we must think of as a child of about 12, gets up and in haste makes the lonely three-day journey from Galilee down to the Judean hill-country, to Zachariah’s house; or so the evangelist tells

A different kind of bucket list W HAT’S still unfinished in your life? Well, there’s always a lot that’s unfinished in everyone’s life. Nothing is ever really finished.

Our lives, it seems, are simply interrupted by our dying. Most of us don’t complete our lives, we just run out of time. So, consciously or unconsciously, we make a bucket-list of things we still want to see, do, and finish before we die.

What do we still want to do? A number of things probably immediately come to the fore: We want to see our children grow up.

We want to see our daughter’s wedding. We want to see our grandchildren. We want to finish this last work of art, of writing, of building. We want to see our 80th birthday.

We want to reconcile with our family.

Beyond these, we generally have another list of things: We want to walk the Camino, travel to the Holy Land, backpack through parts of Asia, travel the country with our grandkids, enjoy our retirement.

But in fantasising about what’s unfinished in our lives there’s the danger of missing out on the richness of what’s actually going on in our lives and our real task in the moment. The better question is: How do I want to live now so as to be ready to die when it’s my time?

I

n a wonderful little book on contemplation, Biography of Silence, Spanish author Pablo d’Ors stares his mortality in the face and decides that this is what he wants to do in face of the inalienable fact that he’s one day going to die.

Here’s his bucket list: “I have decided to stand up and open my eyes. I have decided

Nicholas King SJ

Everything is Just Right

to eat and drink in moderation, to sleep as necessary, to write only what contributes towards improving those who read me, to abstain from greed, and never compare myself to others.

“I have also decided to water my plants and care for an animal. I will visit the sick, I will converse with the lonely, and I will not let much time go by before playing with a child.

“In the same manner I have decided to recite my prayers every day, to bow several times before the things I consider sacred, to celebrate the Eucharist, to listen to the Word, to break bread and share the wine, to give peace, to sing in unison.

“And to go for walks, which I find essential. And to light the fire, which is also essential. And to shop without hurry, to greet my neighbours even when I do not like seeing their faces, to subscribe to a newspaper, to regularly call my friends and siblings on the phone.

“And to take excursions, swim in the sea at least once a year, and to read only good books, or reread those that I have liked…

“I will live for those things according to an ethics of attention and care. And this is how I will arrive at a happy old age, when I will contemplate, humble and proud at the same time, the small but grand orchard that I have cultivated. Life as cult, culture, and cultivation.”

“Life as a cult, culture, and cultivation!”

I’m a two-time cancer survivor. When first diagnosed with cancer seven years ago, the prognosis was good. I had a scare, but time still stretched out endlessly before me.

Conrad

Sunday Reflections

us, but in fact it is not Zachariah, but his wife, who makes the occasion “just right”.

For Elisabeth, with a nudge from the foetus in her womb, is able to greet Mary as “the mother of my Lord”.

Now up to this point in the Gospel, “Lord” has been used exclusively as God, so this is Luke’s way of affirming that difficult doctrine of the divinity of Christ, from the very beginning of his life.

The evangelist explains that Elisabeth was (like Zachariah, Mary herself, John the Baptist and Jesus) “filled with the Holy Spirit”, and is able to say: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed the fruit of your womb.”

It is all Just Right, and after our long Advent journey, we are now able to turn to the great feast of the Incarnation for which we have been preparing all this while.

We will be ready to celebrate, not because we have finished that long list of jobs to be done, and got the Christmas cards out, but because God is in the story, and therefore it is Just Right.

Southern Crossword #841

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

But when the cancer returned four years ago, the doctors were less optimistic and told me, in unequivocal terms, that my time was probably short, no more endless days. That prognosis clarified my thoughts and feelings as nothing ever before.

S

tunned, I went home, sat down in prayer, and then wrote this mini-creed for myself, with a different kind of bucket-list: I am going to strive to be as productive as long as I can.

I am going to make every day and every activity as precious and enjoyable as possible.

I am going to strive to be as gracious, warm, and charitable as possible.

I am going to strive to be as healthy as long as I can.

I am going to strive to accept others’ love in a deeper way than I have up to now.

I am going to strive to live a more-fully “reconciled” life. No room for past hurts anymore.

I am going to strive to keep my sense of humour intact.

I am going to strive to be as courageous and brave as I can.

I am going to strive, always, to never look on what I am losing, but rather to look at how wonderful and full my life has been and is.

And, I am going to, daily, lay all of this at God’s feet through prayer.

Not incidentally, since then I have also begun to water plants, care for a feral cat, and feed all the neighbourhood birds. Life as cult, culture, and cultivation.

ACROSS

1. The point of the rising sun (4) 3. One who disapproves conscientiously (8) 9. A text that’s not quite accurate (7) 10. Courtyard where Irishman joins ten (5) 11. Feeling sensation (12) 13. Terah took his family to this land (Gn 11) (6) 15. Islam has a sausage for the Italian kitchen (6) 17. Being generous the Christian way (6,6) 20. Greek philosopher (5) 21. Ten roar about being more decorated (7) 22. The response that isn’t (2,6) 23. Walked inside at Rod’s place (4)

Solutions on page 11

DOWN

1. Information given in court (8) 2. Like ... we have gone astray (Is 53) (5) 4. Manservant (6) 5. Strong beliefs that something will happen (12) 6. I attain change for queen of the fairies (7) 7. Crucifix at the back door (4) 8. Solemn promises made at the match (8,4) 12. Was slow to leave after Mass (8) 14. Ivan ran to find Buddhist perfection (7) 16. It belongs in your past (6) 18. Put in the tomb (5) 19. A dizzy head may do it (4)

CHURCH CHUCKLE

A

DOG, a cat, and a horse all die on the same day. As it turns out, animals do get to heaven and so our trio present themselves before God on his throne.

The Almighty turns to the dog and asks: “Now, my dear doggie, how did you spend your life on earth?” “I was always obedient to my master, kept him company, and protected him from danger.” God is pleased and admits the dog to heaven.

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He then turns to the horse: “Now, my dear horse, how did you spend your life on earth?”“I let man sit on me to convey him from place to place. My life was one of loyal work.” God is pleased and admits the horse to heaven.

He then turns to the cat: “Now, my dear cat, how did you spend your life on earth?”

The cat responds: “Firstly, I am not your ‘dear cat’. Secondly, it’s none of you concern.

Thirdly, I believe you are sitting in my chair.”

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