191030 by The Southern Cross

The

S outher n C ross

October 30 to November 5, 2019

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

Tlhagale: Don’t blame migrants for state failures

Page 3

No 5159

www.scross.co.za

Pilgrimage to Catholic France in pics and words

Pages 8-9

R12 (incl VAT RSA)

Centenary Jubilee Year

Nthabiseng Maphisa: This is the new world

Page 7

Why Lenten Appeal income went down By ERiN CARElSE

Pilgrimage 2020

S outher n C ross

A Swiss Guard kneels during the consecration of the Eucharist as Pope Francis celebrates a Mass in St Peter’s basilica. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS)

DECREASE of 15% in giving in this year’s Bishops’ Lenten Appeal collection has forced administrators to dip into an emergency donor fund to cover necessary allocations. This year’s Lenten Appeal raised just over R9,8 million, creating a deficit of R535 044 over the previous year, when more than R10,6 million was collected. “This is the first time in my five years [with the Lenten Appeal], that we have had to dip into the anonymous donor fund, said Br Ashley Tillek OFM, national director of the Lenten Appeal. “But some of our projects are in real need, and people won’t apply to the Lenten Appeal unless they have no other source of income.” Br Tillek noted that the decrease in giving was influenced by collections at the same time for relief for the devastating floods in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. Despite the shortfall, he said, parishioners have been faithful to the Lenten Appeal which has been going for 52 years. “We are fully aware that the cost of living is a daily challenge for all of us and therefore humble ourselves and say thank you for the generous contribution for which we are very grateful,” he said. “We have seen a lot of work being done on behalf of the Church this past year, a real level of commitment, which is a true witness to the parishioners’ compassion, love and concern for the plight of the poor and needy served through the many projects of the Church,” Br Tillek said. The money given to the Lenten Appeal is distributed for the support of the total mission of the Church in the Southern African pastoral region. This includes funding for projects serving the poor and needy, education, health, priestly and lay formation, peace initiatives, catechetical forma-

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tion, ecumenical projects, and so on. On a national level, funds are apportioned to, among others, the national seminaries, struggling schools, Radio Veritas, special religious development and the Denis Hurley Peace Institute, Br Tillek said. The Southern Cross does not apply for Lenten Appeal funding. Br Tillek pointed out that each diocese also has its needs and approximately 52 different organisations submit applications. These include the Daswa initiative, shelters and soup kitchens. In addition to being tasked with the responsibility of nurturing the spiritual wellbeing of people, the bishops are also concerned with the holistic development of the People of God. Their “generous contributions to the Lenten Appeal continue to make it possible for them to be with you in supporting your rights and spiritual insights”. The 2020 Lenten Appeal’s theme is based on the impending pastoral plan. Distribution of the posters, envelopes and mite boxes for next year has already begun.

Pray in Medjugorje and visit Rome, with papal audience, Assisi, the town of St Francis, Loreto with Mary’s House. Plus a tour of historic Split in Croatia. Three countries in one tour!

The Southern Cross, October 30 to November 5, 2019

LOCAL

Catholic educators seek new vision By ERiN CARElSE

NTERNATIONAL assessments suggest 78% of South African children in Grade 4 cannot read for meaning in any language. This inability to read for meaning has dire implications for learning, deputy director of the Catholic Institute of Education Anne Baker said. “Our children are unable to progress, not only in school but in life. Lack of learning also leads to half of the students dropping out in high school. For mathematics, international student assessments suggest some gains, but results are still weak,” Ms Baker said. She raised the problem at the third national congress of the Catholic Board of Education (CBE), on the theme “Towards Tomorrow, Together in Faith”. The congress, attended by 350 delegates, aimed to develop a new compelling vision for Catholic schools. This followed a year of regional conferences including school leaders, religious educators, teachers, parents, governors and owners of

Catholic schools, bishops, and leaders of religious congregations. The regional conferences focused on five themes: Catholic education today and tomorrow; religious education—educating the heart, mind and soul; liberating education for the 21st century; governing and leading schools towards tomorrow; and sustaining and growing schools today and tomorrow. Sizwe Nxasana, a past pupil of St Francis College, Mariannhill, was one of the keynote speakers at the national conference. He is the cofounder and chair of the National Education Collaboration Trust and founder of the Sifiso Learning Group. Mr Nxasana spoke of the urgency and importance of renewing and changing an education system that is failing the young. He said Africa needs a revolution to be able to meet 21st century needs with a curriculum that must focus not only on knowledge and skills but also on character in a holistic way. Dr Wayne Tinsey, executive director of Edmund Rice Education in Australia, said Catholic schools

Qwabe and Sr Kathy Gaylor OP outlined various themes after which delegates offered their own insights. “Owning, growing and sustaining Catholic schools was a key theme, especially given the challenging financial status of South Africa at present and the struggles some schools are facing,” Ms Baker said. She noted that with ageing religious congregations and the competing needs of bishops, the need for planning for succession is important. “There was a call for collaborative partnerships and the sharing of resources through the common structure of the CBE,” she said. “The need for strong advocacy with departments of education to obtain the quality education children deserve was another important aspect of this theme.” Sustainability in a depressed economy was also a major concern, Ms Baker added. Once the final vision and direction statements have been sent to and approved by delegates, the CBE will in consultation with regions develop a new plan for South Africa to give life to these statements.

The Catholic Board of Education’s national congress met to chart the way forward for Catholic schools. (Photo: Sheldon Reddiar) should respond to today’s social challenges by being prophetic and signs of hope in the world. Nontobeko Matlala, John McCormick and Ms Baker outlined the key aspects of child safeguarding, of the Building Peaceful Schools programme, and of Christian meditation in schools.

ince 2012 schools have held workshops on the Child Safeguarding Policy, with a revised ver-

sion put into place in 2018. In 2012, it was apparent that teachers were struggling with discipline and the loss of corporal punishment. This led to the Building Peaceful Schools programme based on conflict management and restorative justice. Ms Baker recommended the practice of Christian meditation as part of those processes. Guest speakers Evona Rebelo, Barbara Dale-Jones, Mduduzi

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hospitals and homes, comes with minimal maintenance costs, and makes bathtime safe and hygienic, offering dignity for the person being bathed while promoting the physical wellbeing of caregivers. Little Eden said it was grateful to the South African Breweries Foundation for the acknowledgement and the grant for the rollout of the shower bath across South Africa. Two teams took first place at the

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The Southern Cross, October 30 to November 5, 2019

LOCAL

Tlhagale: ‘Don’t blame migrants for govt failures’ By SHEilA PiRES

TTACKS on migrant communities and their businesses are likely to continue because they “are now inextricably linked to service delivery protests”, according to the archbishop of Johannesburg. “To disentangle the two will be a massive challenge. Service delivery protests and the anti-foreign sentiment do not belong together,” Archbishop Buti Tlhagale told a workshop on migration at Lumko in Benoni. Migrants should not be scapegoated for “the deep dissatisfaction of South Africans with the corruption and inefficiency of their own municipalities and their national government”, he said. While criminal activity played a part in the xenophobic violence, the archbishop said, it would be naive to underestimate the deep tensions between migrants and local people who falsely accuse foreigners of taking their jobs. “The truth of the matter is that the South African economy has virtually ground to a halt. A far more

lumko in Benoni, Johannesburg archdiocese, hosted a workshop on migration, which outlined a pastoral plan to combat xenophobia. convincing intervention by the state is desirable in order to quell the violence and deal decisively with those who commit crimes with impunity,” Archbishop Tlhagale said. However, he added, it is also necessary that migrants integrate into South African society. “It takes two to tango. Both migrants and local

people have to willingly find each other. Prejudice is overcome when both parties become involved in the same projects.” Over 45 diocesan coordinators met for the three-day workshop on migration, organised by the Migrants and Refugees Office of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference in partnership with the

Society of Jesus South Africa, the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office, the Scalabrini Institute for Human Mobility, and Lawyers for Human Rights. The workshop aimed at establishing a coordinated, sustainable response with regard to the welcoming and integration of migrants and refugees, and at dealing with xenophobia in local communities, in line with the bishops’ resolution at their February plenary session. Also present were Fr Lambert Tonamou and Mario Almeida from the Migrants and Refugees section of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development. Archbishop Tlhagale, as liaison bishop of the Migrants and Refugees Office, offered a pastoral vision, calling for each PPC to appoint a member whose functions would be to: • Coordinate migrants’ and refugees’ affairs within the parish community. • With the assistance of the PPC, facilitate, create and promote a welcoming and hospitable parish community. • Create a discussion forum on

issues of concern to both migrants and local communities. • Liaise with religious and NGO groups involved in migrant issues at parish level. • Plan and adopt best practices concerning assistance given to migrants and refugees. For example, Holy Trinity church in Braamfontein cooperates with faculty members of the medical and dentistry schools to assist migrants. • Cooperate with the St Vincent de Paul Society, the Catholic Women’s League and the Knights of Da Gama to collect second-hand clothing and shoes for the needy. • Facilitate the provision of English lessons, if needed. • Pay special attention to the needs of migrant children, and facilitate the integration of migrants into the local community. • Find ways and means of dissuading local communities from taking out their dissatisfactions on migrants. • Hold rituals of reconciliation. • Appoint a sub-committee with the help of the PPC.

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The philosophy and theology students of St John Vianney Seminary in Pretoria received their bachelors degrees from chancellor Bishop Vincent Zungu of Pretoria. Also present were Bishops João Rodrigues of Tzaneen and Stanislaw Dziuba of Umzimkulu.

East London parish celebrates milestone By UNiTy JEGElS

MMACULATE Conception Church in East London celebrated its landmark 125th anniversary with a special Mass. Bishop Vincent Mduduzi Zungu of Port Elizabeth presided over the jubilee celebration attended by 30 priests from around the Eastern Cape and from as far as Durban and Johannesburg. In his welcome address, Bishop Zungu said that the historic opening of the church in June 1894 was initiated and led by dedicated men and women of God who saw it necessary to build this church 125 years ago. The bishop noted that the church, situated in the inner city, was characterised by a multicultural, multinational and multi-generational cohort of parishioners, united in a Christ-like spirit. The theme of his homily was echoed in the words of the pilgrimage Psalm 122:1: “I rejoiced when I heard them say: Let us go to the house of the Lord.” Bishop Zungu said the 125th anniversary of the parish of Immaculate Conception was a significant moment of grace, in God’s perfect timing. “The jubilee of Immaculate Conception marks ‘God’s year of favour’ which challenges all of us to rekindle the wonderful gift of faith, received through baptism and the outpouring of

East london’s immaculate Conception parish celebrated its 125th anniversary. the Holy Spirit,” he said. The bishop challenged the congregation to respond to God’s call as individuals and as a community, through three spiritual exercises: Firstly, to remember, with profound gratitude, their past history of faith by discerning the tangible signs of God’s presence and work of salvation realised in the past 125 years. Regarding recent incidents of violence directed at mi-

grants and refugees, and the high rate of femicide and infanticide, Bishop Zungu observed that the “soul” of our nation is sick, and the healing power of God is much needed. “The citizens of this country need to be exorcised of their deep-seated anger, resentment and violence that has been internalised and nurtured for so many years,” he said. Secondly, to live the present times with renewed enthu-

siasm and commitment to God by listening attentively to the Holy Spirit and by living every single day to the full as if it was the last one. “God is not ‘I was’ or ‘I will be’, but the ‘eternal I am’,” Bishop Zungu said. “Therefore, as People of God, we are called to awaken the world to God’s abiding presence. Lastly, in crafting a legacy for future generations, the bishop said, “we are called to become prophets of hope and not doom”. “The vision of our Immaculate Conception parish in the next five or 50 years from now is that of a beacon of hope as our country faces many challenges due to a crisis of leadership on all levels,” he added. On the day, parishioners dressed according to their cultural heritage, liturgical dancers interpreted the lyrics of the hymn “Christ, Be our Light”, backed by the choir, and bidding prayers were offered in parishioners’ various languages. A special 125th anniversary brochure, presenting a history of the church, was launched after Mass. Crucifixes, bottled holy water and prayer cards were distributed to those in attendance as special souvenirs. A parish banquet is scheduled to take place on Saturday November 23, to round off the church’s jubilee year celebrations.

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The Southern Cross, October 30 to November 5, 2019

INTERNATIONAL

New book claims Vatican close to financial ruin By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES

A Pope Francis attends a session of the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon at the Vatican. (Photo: Paul Haring/CNS)

Synod on married priests, women deacons By JUNNO AROCHO ESTEVES

REATING an Amazonian Rite liturgy and new ministries for laypeople, including the ordination of women deacons, were some of the recurring proposals made by small groups at the Synod of Bishops for the Amazon which concluded on October 27. Such proposals, one group said, would increase as well as transform the Catholic Church’s presence in the Amazon. The group, identified as SpanishB, noted differences of opinion. Some synod members, it said, proposed asking the pope for the “the possibility of conferring the priesthood on married men in the Amazon on an exceptional basis, under specific circumstances and for certain specific peoples, clearly establishing the reasons that justify it”. The 12 small-group reports were the result of reflections in groups organised by language; each group summarised its members’ conclusions and offered proposals for the whole synod. Most of the groups cited the presence of women as a “decisive factor in the life and mission of the Church in the Amazon”, and one that must be recognised officially. Four of the groups explicitly called for the ordination of women deacons and three others said the Church should study the possibility. Recalling that the Second Vatican Council restored the permanent diaconate for men because “it was good and valuable to the Church, we believe that the same argument is valid to create a diaconate for women in the Church in the Amazon”, the Por-

tuguese-B group said. The Portuguese-C group, however, said the ordination of women deacons and of married viri probati, or men of proven virtue, “requires further development and study”. One Italian group proposed that new, official ministries—such as “community coordinator”—be created for both men and women in line with St. Paul VI’s document on ministries, Ministeria Quaedam (“Some Ministries”). The document, which was promulgated in 1972, reordered what were known as “minor orders” in the Catholic Church. The document opened the way for laypeople to be installed officially as lectors and acolytes, and it called for the institution of new ministries that might meet “modern needs”. While some groups supported a proposal to confer priestly ordination on older married men so that more remote communities can have access to the sacraments, others expressed reservations or were divided on the issue. One Italian group report said the idea of ordaining married men “could diminish the value of celibacy” or lessen the commitment of priests giving all for the mission. That group also suggested that a “universal synod” be held on the topic in order to receive the opinion of the whole Church. Several working groups also supported the creation of an Amazonian Rite liturgy, which would incorporate symbols and gestures familiar to indigenous people while maintaining the essential elements of the Eucharist.—CNS

N Italian author who was once tried and acquitted by a Vatican court for publishing leaked documents, is claiming in a new book that decades of mismanagement, shady deals and decreasing donations will leave the Vatican no choice but to default. Titled Giudizio Universale (“Universal Judgment”), the book by Gianluigi Nuzzi includes 3 000 pages of confidential documents he claims to have collected since 2013. In the book’s first chapter, Mr Nuzzi recounts a May 2018 meeting of members of the Secretariat for the Economy in which they are told that “the recurring and structural deficit has reached worrying levels and risks leading to default in the absence of urgent action”. Without radical change, Mr Nuzzi claims, the Vatican will be in default by 2023 and, as a result, Vatican employees will lose their pensions. Presenting his book, Mr Nuzzi said it is not an attack on the Catholic Church but is against the institutional corruption that has continuously impeded Pope Francis from enacting meaningful financial reforms within the world’s smallest state. The book claims the Vatican’s financial woes are due in part to the mismanagement of its investment portfolio and its real estate holdings by the Administration of the Patrimony of the Holy See, known by its

Italian acronym APSA. Mr Nuzzi said that documents he obtained prove that of the nearly 3 000 properties owned by APSA, 800 buildings are empty while some others are rented free of charge. The mismanagement of property, he added, resulted in a loss of 22,6 million euros (R366 million) in 2018. Bishop Nunzio Galantino, president of APSA, dismissed Mr Nuzzi’s claims, saying that while they make for a good book launch, the accusations are hardly an accurate description of “an articulated and complex reality like the Church”. In an interview with Avvenire, the daily newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference, Bishop Galantino said the allegations of mismanagement and claims that the Vatican is on the brink of financial collapse are “not true”. “The current financial situation of the Holy See is no different than that of any family or even states in different continents,” he said. “At a certain point, one must look at what is spent, what is brought in and try to rebalance the expenses.” Whether in surplus or deficit, he

added, APSA’s balance sheet “is not the result of stealing, cunning and misguided management”. The book also states that due to the sexual abuse crisis, donations sent to the Vatican have dropped to 51 million euros (R800 million), compared to 101 million euros (R1,6 billion) in 2006. The Vatican has two special sources of income to which Catholics contribute: the Peter’s Pence collection, which is used by the pope for charity and emergency assistance; and the contributions dioceses around the world make to support the work of the Vatican. Mr Nuzzi claims in his book that an estimated 58% of donations to the Peter’s Pence collection were used “not for works of charity, but to fill in the financial gaps of the Roman curia”. The Vatican amended its laws to making leaking “news and documents” a crime in the wake of the first so-called “VatiLeaks” trial in 2012 when Pope Benedict XVI’s butler was charged with “aggravated theft” for giving Vatican documents and papal correspondence to Mr Nuzzi.—CNS

French bishops to open plenary to laity By JONATHAN lUXMOORE

RANCE’S Catholic bishops plan to open their plenary assembly for the first time to lay participation following the passage of a controversial bioethics law despite mass church-backed opposition. Constance Pluviaud, media relations officer of the French Catholic bishops’ conference, said Archbishop Eric de Moulins-Beaufort of Reims, conference president, “wants to change how our plenaries function and highlight themes common to both Church and society”. “There’s a lot of discussion about

clericalism in today’s France, and when it comes to issues affecting everyone, the bishops have realised they need to reflect with laypeople, not just among themselves,” Ms Pluviaud said. Bishops plan to invite lay representatives to their November 5-10 assembly in Lourdes. Ms Pluviaud explained that lay Catholics would be asked to offer “experience and inspiration” at a debate on ecology before leaving the bishops to resume “normal plenary functions” and prepare their final message. “This is an experiment. We’ll see which ideas and conditions emerge

for more regular participation by baptised laypeople,” she said. In a message in France’s Catholic La Croix daily, the bishops’ permanent council described the move as an “exercise in synodality”, adding they had become “rapidly convinced” that social changes have challenged “habits of thought and life” and offered “a great opportunity to shine the light of God’s revelation”. La Croix said it was expected that laypeople would be invited to plenaries over the next three years “to promote mutual listening” and “bring the Church in France closer to citizens again”.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, October 30 to November 5, 2019

Communist-era Polish Cardinal: Ordination of married for further study archbishop to be beatified

ARDINAL Peter Turkson of Ghana said that the ordination of married men will likely be the subject of further study for the universal Church after the Amazon synod. “This issue will probably be made the subject matter of a more detailed study with a view to the Church taking a consistent position, not only in view of the Amazon, but of the universal Church,” Cardinal Turkson told EWTN. During the special assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the Church’s life and ministry in the Pan-Amazonian region, several bishops proposed the possibility of the ordination to the priesthood of so-called viri probati—a term used to refer to mature, married men— for ministry in remote areas of the Amazon. Cardinal Turkson, the prefect of the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, said the challenges in the Amazonian region are similar to challenges faced in other parts of the world. “The situations in the Amazon are pretty similar to those in the Congo. In both cases, accessibility is very difficult and reduced, communication is tough, and if you want to get to places either by road

Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana said that ordaining married men will be studied further after the Amazon Synod.(Photo: Daniel ibanez/CNA) or by river those challenges are there,” he said. He explained that in the Congo trained catechists are leaders in their local communities who preach the Word of God, baptise, bury the dead, and serve as extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist. The cardinal’s assessment was underscored during a synodal press conference by Cardinal

Fridolin Ambongo Besungu, archbishop of Kinshasa, in the Congo. Cardinal Besungu participated in the Amazon synod as a representative of the African Church, and especially of the Congo River basin, which, he said, shares several ecological, political, and pastoral problems with the Amazon region. He reiterated Cardinal Turkson’s assessment, saying that “the Amazon is very similar to the Congo basin”. Cardinal Besungu said that the African Church has organised REBAC, the Ecclesial Network of the Congo Basin Forest, a network similar to REPAM, the South American group that was a driving force behind the Amazon synod. The cardinal said that the Church in the Congo prioritised “inculturation of the Gospel” in response to a perception following the country’s independence that the Catholic Church was seen as an outside force in the immediate post-colonial era. In 1988 the bishops of the Democratic Republic of the Congo were granted permission to use the Zairian Rite at Mass. “In our country, the Eucharist is a real feast,” Cardinal Besungu said.—CNA

By COURTNEy MARES

ENERABLE Stefan Wyszynski, Archbishop of Gniezno and Warsaw from 1948-81, will be beatified in Warsaw on June 7, 2020. “We have to put the main emphasis on his spirituality, because we know a lot more about Cardinal Wyszynski as a statesman and someone who defended man, the Church, and his homeland,” Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz of Warsaw said. The beatification will take place in Warsaw’s Piłsudski Square. “Cardinal Wyszynski was the rock around which Polish Catholicism rallied during the worst periods of communist oppression,” St John Paul II biographer George Weigel said. He “also designed the ‘Great Novena’, the re-catechesis of the entire country between 1957 and 1966, which laid the religious and moral foundations on which the Solidarity movement was later built,” he said. Archbishop Wyszynski was instrumental in the appointment of Karol Wojtyla as archbishop of Krakow in 1964. “Wyszynski and Wojtyla had different visions of the Church—Wojtyla was much more the man of Vatican II—but as archbishop of Krakow Wojtyla was completely

Polish Archbishop Stefan Wyszynski, who fought communism, will be beatified next Une. (Photo: instytut Prymasowski/CNA) loyal to Wyszynski, never letting the communists play divide-and-conquer,” Mr Weigel said. “And there is no doubt that Wojtyla shared Wyszynski’s view that the Vatican Ostpolitik strategy of accommodating communist regimes was serious foolishness,” he added. Archbishop Wyszynski is credited with helping to conserve Christianity in Poland during communist rule. The Vatican announced approval of a miracle attributed to Archbishop Wyszynski’s intercession. Archbishop Wyszynski died 15 days after Pope John Paul II was shot in an assassination attempt in 1981.—CNA

Priest murdered in Kenya, latest in string of killings By FREDRiCK NZWili

CATHOLIC priest who disappeared from his family home was found dead in a shallow grave in south-eastern Kenya a week after he was reported missing. Police investigators and pathologists recovered the body of Fr Michael Maingi Kyengo, 43. They said his body had been stashed in a sack. Onlookers watched in shock as Fr Kyengo’s body was pulled from a seasonal riverbed. Police said he had been strangled and that his body had been disfigured. Fr Kyengo was a parish priest in Thatha in a parish in the diocese of Machakos. He had been staying with his parents at their home about 50km north of Nairobi before his family reported him missing. He had travelled there for his annual leave, said Fr Josephat Kyambuu, another priest at the parish. “I had not heard from him for

Fr Michael Kyengo who was found brutally murdered. two weeks. It hit me to hear of his death,” Fr Kyambuu said. “He never said he was facing any threats.” The death is among a string of clergy homicides in recent months. Fr Kyengo’s body was found after investigators traced his cellphone, car and credit card from a 25-year-old suspect, who was arrested and held in police custody. Police said the suspect took inves-

tigators to the shallow grave. A local newspaper reported that as many as four people may have participated in the killing. Fr Kyengo had served as a priest in Thatha since his ordination in 2012. Other Kenyan priests also have been killed during robberies as well as for their opposition to human rights abuses and strong stands against corruption. “Many bishops and priests have been targeted for exposing evil practices. They are being killed for standing for the truth,” said Fr Nicholas Mutua, Justice and Peace coordinator in the diocese of Garissa. In some cases, authorities said, the priests were likely targeted by people who think they may be carrying large amounts of Church funds. In December, Fr John Njoroge, a parish priest in Kiambu, 16km north of Nairobi, was shot dead by thugs who robbed him of the weekly church collection.—CNS

Lebanon’s patriarchs support economic reform protests

UNDREDS of thousands of Lebanese of various religions have sounded their voices in unison in streets and public squares throughout the country calling for government reforms. Fuelled by economic insecurity and deteriorating living conditions, protests were sparked by government plans to impose new taxes. Lebanon’s Catholic patriarchs—who have repeatedly raised their voices against political corruption, imploring the government to address the country’s dire economic situation—expressed their solidarity with the demonstrators. Cardinal Bechara Rai, Maronite patriarch, cut short a pastoral visit to Nigeria to return to Lebanon amid the unprecedented uprising.

Speaking from Lagos, Cardinal Rai said that Lebanon’s government officials “know that they are the ones who brought their country to this situation and they must find successful ways to reform”. The cardinal reiterated that more than one-third of Lebanese citizens are below the poverty line, the country’s unemployment rate stands at nearly 40%, and that “hunger and destitution threaten many citizens”. “We pray to God, through the intercession of our Mother Mary, Our Lady of Lebanon, and St Charbel, to touch the conscience of our political officials and inspire them to find the necessary, successful and quick solutions to the economic and social crisis, which has become a crisis of hunger,” he said. Cardinal Rai said this threatens the lives of

the Lebanese as did the famine in 1914. The crisis, “imposed from within”, he said, led elderly and youth alike to demonstrate their rejection of such political practices. “In so doing they have all shown that they are united from all spectrums demanding a decent living.” In an effort to quell the demonstrations, Lebanon’s coalition government approved a package of economic reforms that reportedly included a plan to overturn the new taxes and cut by half the salaries of top officials. Melkite Patriarch Joseph Absi also declared his solidarity with the people “who express today their pain and bitterness and loss of confidence in those who brought them to this bitter reality”.—CNS

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The Southern Cross, October 30 to November 5, 2019

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

When has Church prayed for those abused?

Editor: Günther Simmermacher Guest editorial: Michael Shackleton

We are saints

ELEBRATING the memory of the great saints of the Church is an annual time to be happy, as it is on All Saints Day, which in South Africa is transferred this year to November 3. We may be tempted occasionally to believe that we have no hope of ever being as holy and heroic as the exemplary men and women whose names adorn our liturgical calendar. But there is much reason to be happy. The feast of All Saints should set us thinking that there is indeed a solid hope for all of us to be saints. In his letters, St Paul frequently referred to his Christian converts as saints, for instance when he writes of taking a gift of money “to the saints in Jerusalem” (Rm 15:27). In Pauline terms we are filled with the Spirit of God and consequently we are holy because our destiny is the kingdom of God. We are saints, and we easily forget this. We and our family members, indeed our fellow parishioners, live hidden lives in comparison with the high-profile martyrs, confessors and outstanding teachers who have been assigned their own special liturgical celebrations through canonical recognition of their sainthood, and even sometimes have risen to becoming posthumous national and international celebrities. It is Christians such as us whom Jesus referred to when he taught the eight Beatitudes (Mt 5:1-10). There are many with whom we rub shoulders who, in their own quiet way, are poor in spirit, gentle, in mourning, hungry for justice, merciful, peacemakers, pure in heart and persecuted. Jesus promised that these unnoticed and nameless souls would be magnificently compensated.

GOD BLESS AFRICA

Guard our people, guide our leaders and give us peace. Luke 11:1-13

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.

They would be comforted, satisfied, inherit the earth, enter the heavenly kingdom and see God himself. And their reward is identical to that given to the Church’s celebrated saints. The Church canonises individuals like us, not superhuman heroes. On this All Saints Day we must know that because the Holy Spirit breathes the life of divine grace into all the baptised, many exemplary members of our own families are probably already living by the norms of the Beatitudes. In their seemingly unexceptional way they can be called happy, blessed and close to their Lord. We cannot lose hope on account of the blatant and ongoing public scandals in the institutional Church. The Church remains holy in its devout and faithful members. In honouring its great saints and praising God for their lives of virtue, the Church today asks for their prayers for us to remain loyal to the lessons in the texts and inspiration of the New Testament. We must also be happy that the Spirit gives us the opportunity to emulate the canonised and uncanonised saints whom we have learned to admire: “The Spirit of God has made his home in you. In fact, unless you possessed the Spirit of Christ, you would not belong to him” (Rm 8:9). Today should also jolt the lax and lazy among us into remembering that if we feel unholy, Christ is ready to enrich us with his love and forgiveness. Receiving the sacrament of reconciliation is something the saints do. They too have failed at times but have never let go of the love of Christ in himself and in his members. This is why theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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S an adult victim and survivor of clerical sexual abuse, I wish to reply to two letters in The Southern Cross (September 25), namely, “Pell: rape accusers not per se correct” by Adrian Collingwood and “Pell verdict: My key reservations” by Cardinal Wilfrid Napier. I found both letters to be most uncharitable and unjust towards victims and survivors of clerical abuse. It is this bias towards the clergy—and loveless, careless, unjust and judgmental attitude towards victims and survivors of clerical abuse by many of the hierarchy, clergy, religious and laity of the Church—that keeps many victims and survivors gagged; afraid to speak out about our abuse traumas. These two letters seem to show once again how many of those in positions of power in the Church are often all too ready, with that tragically pervasive clericalist and patriarchal attitude, to defend the powerful “accused” cleric and doubt the vulnerable and powerless “accuser”, the victim. This leaves victims to suffer further shame, blame and guilt that does not belong to them at all, and never did, but belongs totally to their abusers and abuse-enablers in the system. Mr Collingwood, a lawyer, says, “We try to find the truth and where there is doubt we give the benefit of it to the accused”, and labels as “biased and stupid” Günther Simmermacher’s comment (in “Why Pell should resign”, August 28) that “we must give the victim the benefit of a least some doubt”. Ironically, Mr Collingwood shows bias for the accused! His letter in general seems to show a total lack of empathy, understanding, and sense of care and justice for the victims and their traumas. As is known, abuse most often is perpetrated by the abuser against one victim, in private, behind closed doors where there are no witnesses. Abusers are often highly intelligent people who cover their

Newman most justly honoured

HANK you for your excellent article “Newman; A scholar and a saint” (October 9) by Fr Valentine Iheanacho MSP which shows the importance Newman attached to conscience, which is native to us. Fr Iheanacho also shows that Newman was well in advance of his time, in his insight into education and the importance of the classics, and the role the laity could play in the Church. The Apologia Pro Vita Sua came about because writer Charles Kings-

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crime-tracks very well, also by “charmingly” grooming the victims’ families and surrounding communities with a facade of utter “goodness” and “holiness”, so that when victims eventually do find the physical, spiritual, emotional and psychological strength and tremendous, unimaginable courage to speak out about the abuse, they are rarely believed by their communities, the Church, or even by their own families. Also, as an adult victim and survivor of clerical sexual abuse who has suffered profoundly at the hands of my priest-abuser and from the subsequent multiple injustices of the patriarchal and clericalist abuse-enabling system of the institutional Catholic Church, I find Mr Collingwood’s comment of “while children tend to tell the truth about such issues, adults sometimes lie” to be a deeply hurtful and totally unjust statement. It perpetuates the protection of perpetrators and of the institutional Church at the cost of victims and our pain and suffering. Such unjust comments revictimise the victims of clerical abuse. “If it takes a village to raise a human being, it takes a village to abuse a human being.” One of my key concerns with both Mr Collingwood and Cardinal Napier’s letters regarding the Pell case is their seemingly pro-the-accused and anti-the-accuser attitudes and biases.

any Church clergy and laity talk about victims of clerical abuse as if they are the problem. But we are not the problem. The problem is priests who bully, groom, abuse and rape, and the abuse-enabling clericalist, patriarchal system in the Catholic Church that has diabolically covered up the clerical abuse of many thousands of minors and adults! Victims and survivors of clerical abuse are invaluable gifts to the Church who can help the institu-

ley had attacked Newman in a pamphlet, saying that to be a “genuine Catholic, a man must be either a knave or a fool”. But Kingsley went further, saying Newman did not care for truth. The Apologia was a brilliant refutation of Kingsley’s attack—he should have stuck to his Water Babies! It also gives the cogent reasoning which led to Newman’s leaving Anglicanism. It was unfortunate that he was envied by Cardinal Henry Edward Manning. Newman is justly recognised for his great gifts, insight, and holiness. Peter Onesta, Johannesburg

My concerns over Catholic practices

WISH to voice concerns about some of our Catholic practices, regarding ancestor worship, relics and statues, some priestly considerations, and teaching the young. Regarding ancestor worship: “For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2-5). If we have the perfect mediator, why then do some Catholics pray to Mary and other dead human beings? A possible danger of relics and statues is that they can assume greater importance than they deserve. We worship Almighty God, not things. According to Matthew, the two Marys were the first to see the risen Lord and he told them to take a message to his disciples. Many Catholics pray to Mary, the woman who gave Jesus his humanity. Considering this, is it not strange that the Church in its wisdom does not allow women to take the message to others and to offer up Mass? What is so special about celibate

tion to find its way out of the horrific quagmire of non-love, abuse and corruption it has got itself into—if the Church hierarchy and clergy would but listen to our voices, our suffered lived experiences, and humble wisdom gained through horrific and unjust suffering endured at the hands of some “men of God”. I hope Cardinal Napier, as one of the servants of God and a shepherd of God’s flock, and Mr Collingwood, as a Catholic and a lawyer, listen with the “ears of their hearts” to victims and survivors of clerical abuse. I hope Cardinal Napier believes and supports them with the same solidarity he shows towards his fellow servant-priest Cardinal Pell.

o Mr Collingwood and Cardinal Napier, and the South African Catholic Church and its clergy and laity, ever pray, in private prayer or during weekday and weekend Masses, for the many thousands of victims and survivors, minors and adults, of clerical abuse worldwide? I have never heard a single bidding prayer for clerical abuse victims and survivors at any of the Masses I have attended throughout the years (both weekday and weekend Masses), but at nearly every Mass attended I have heard prayers for the pope, bishops and priests. We call ourselves survivors because many clerical abuse victims have found the often lifelong and daily unbearable pain and arduous healing journey from the abuse traumas to be too difficult to cope with and so they are no longer with us. After my clerical abuse traumas, I must make a daily decision to choose life. I ask Cardinal Napier and Mr Collingwood, and all the hierarchy, clergy and laity in the South African Church: Do you care at all about us victims and survivors of clerical abuse, minors and adults, and do you pray for us daily? Name withheld 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

and male priests who wear ludicrous attire when saying Mass? Our catechists might more profitably use their time teaching more interesting content such as the Bible and Christianity, and much less about the Mass. After all, Mass is usually a weekly event of short duration, while Christianity is part of our daily lives. Kevin Uren, Germiston n On a point of clarification, Catholics do not pray to Mary or the saints (though this is sometimes the linguistic shorthand), but invoke their intercession. In other words, when we “pray to” Mary or the saints, we actually ask them to pray on our behalf for our intentions.—Editor.

Get personal with silent bishops

N referring to reader Peter Hendricks’ observations (October 2), I would comment as follows. One should consider the possibility Mr Hendricks’ letter to a bishop may perhaps have not, in fact, reached him personally. For whatever reason. Where there has been no response, an appointment for a personal meeting with the bishop concerned is a suggested option. It is amazing, with a one-on-one encounter, what may be achieved; more often than not a win-win situation and satisfaction the result. Just a thought. N Gallichan, Gauteng

The Southern Cross, October 30 to November 5, 2019

PERSPECTIVES

This is the new world W HIZZ! Bang! Pew! Ching! No, I’m not sneezing and you’re not dreaming. Those are simply the sounds of the world around you. We live on a planet that is covered in sand, air and water—and yet nothing feels natural anymore. When we look to the sky there is the silhouette of pigeons, doves and hadedas, and as always trailing behind is the unmistakeable hard lines of a commercial aeroplane. When we look to the land in front of us there is the whisper of the wind in the trees violently interrupted by the buzz of police sirens and trucks. All around us the world is changing and no one quite knows how much aeroplanes will become like birds and skyscrapers like trees. When in 1908 Henry Ford launched the Model T automobile, it was the first vehicle to be mass-produced by an assembly line. In the subsequent century there have been numerous technological innovations in the car manufacturing industry. Tomorrow’s cars will look different, feel different and move differently. To make matters more unsettling, you won’t even have to drive them. You will enter the vehicle, and stare outside through the window as it glides to your destination. Upon your arrival, you will step out and it will proceed to park itself. Unusual, isn’t it? This idea of man being a creator who envisions an object and then applies his mind and efforts to bring it alive is the spring from which the fourth industrial revolution flows. Man is eager to place his print upon

the world and to save it from itself. He journeys along the road of his intellect and pulls from his imagination something great, something wonderful, and in some cases, something dangerous.

t is this creative nature that has given us cellphones, laptops, smartwatches and three-dimensional printers. The latter

‘All around us the world is changing and no one quite knows how much aeroplanes will become like birds and skyscrapers like trees,’ writes Nthabiseng Maphisa.

Let me speak boldly... B EFORE I started writing this article I was reading the October 16 issue of The Southern Cross. A few things in particular struck me as particularly interesting. The Southern Cross enters its centenary year; Radio Veritas turns 20; the allocations of the 2019 Lenten Appeal funds; and Archbishop Stephen Brislin in his article on mission stressing the important witness of family life. And then there was the snippet from an editorial from 50 years ago in the new “From our Vaults” section, warning of the danger of losing a traditional apostolate of home visits by clergy. Quite a bit of food for thought on the subject of being family-friendly, not only by the Church out there, but also by families as little domestic churches. Who cares for us in this area of family— or should we care for ourselves? My answer would be both, the formal Church structures but also, very importantly, families at home. That is what Marfam has been trying to do for the last 25 years, another anniversary which we hope to celebrate with a new injection of energy. Archbishop Brislin calls for a time for boldness. So boldly I’ll say that, in my view, too little is being done about building up family life. Issues such as clerical abuse, genderbased and domestic violence have received wider attention and resources from within and beyond the Church, but very little support is given to those of us on the ground preaching family enrichment, family communication, family spirituality. Look at the photo page in any diocesan newspaper and it is all about sodality meet-

The family ministry has received little support from the Church, writes Toni Rowland. (Photo: Kevin Delvecchio) ings and installations. First Communion and confirmation are marked mainly as “church” events. Speaking boldly, Marfam has received no support from the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference for years, and very few donations are received from dioceses and parishes. But we are not alone. Nor has much funding been granted to family movements or diocesan family offices. The Johannesburg archdiocese after its recent synod is planning to reopen its family desk. That is good news, but without a proper structure and competent people, where would that lead?

ut let’s come down to the family at home level. With the theme of “Baptised and Sent” for Extraordinary Mission Month, I suggested that families could have a little commemoration of their own baptisms—even with their “retired members”, and think about their godparents, maybe long gone to their rest. For the month of November the family focus on loss helps us to accompany those who have suffered a loss through death or

Nthabiseng Maphisa

Fr Pierre Goldie

Pop Culture Catholic

Christ in the World

have been used to create organs for transplants and guns. It is clear then that the print that will be left on the world will be telling of a coming age of darkness or an age of light. I wonder what God thinks as his creation goes on to create. Some will say these inventions are reminiscent of the days of those who tried to build the Tower of Babel. Are we trying to reach God with aeroplanes and rockets or are we trying to become like him by altering the existence of life in all forms? There are talks of transferring our consciousness into a robot, thus giving it immortality. This certainly screams of the desire to live forever, something undoubtedly human and something only God can do. If you could, would you? And is it right? These will be the questions that will determine the morality of how we use future inventions. We can do it all but should we? There will be oak trees and skyscrapers, birds and aeroplanes, submarines and sharks all in a strange coexistence. Whoosh! Vroom! Bizz! Ping! No I’m not sneezing and you’re not dreaming. Those are the sounds of the present and the future world. It is a world where creation creates and the living give new life. Lean in, listen closely to the harmony of humans in their digital habitat. It is fabulous and frightening; it is real and virtual—it is a whole new world.

The big rip-offs

HE mark of the beast in Revelation 13:16-17 referred to a certificate granted by the Roman authorities which permitted the holder to do business in the Roman Empire—provided they offered sacrifices to the Roman gods. Many would argue that there is unholy influence in the business world today. Dishonest business practices are built into the structures of the world economies, such as bribery and the manipulation of prices for goods and services. When Satan offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world (Matthew 4:8), the inference is that there is a considerable diabolic influence in these kingdoms and their economies. In the Gospel account of the cleansing of the Temple (Luke 19:45-46; Matthew 21:12-15), Jesus describes the sellers and coin-dealers as “bandits”, or thieves in modern terms. Jews who needed to purchase unblemished animals to offer as sacrifices, felt pressurised to buy from the Temple, at prices considerably higher than those outside the Temple. The Temple tax had to be paid in Jewish currency and dealers charged huge commissions to convert the people’s money to that currency. The Temple’s financial operations were oppressive for the Jewish masses, but beneficial for the Temple elite. We are reminded of the Seventh Commandment which orders us not to steal (Ex 20:15), by whatever means. A modern example of price manipulation is transfer pricing, when one company sends products across borders at inflated prices, to minimise tax in the sending company, to take advantage of lower tax rates in other countries, and to transfer funds overseas. Samancor, the second-largest world producer of chrome and related products, has been accused of transfer mispricing, or “profit shifting”, to the extent of hundreds of millions of rands, as Business Day reported on October 10.

Toni Rowland

Family Friendly

n the consumer field we see companies altering the weight and quantity of their products, disguising price increases, or complicating price comparisons. Certain professions which charge for services such as health care have been known to do unnecessary work simply to generate higher fees. In 2008 and 2009, two major bread producers were fined R99 million and R45 million respectively for price fixing. A national supplier of, for example, beer can force a small competitor out of business by heavy discounting of the price of its products in the small area where the competitor operates, since it can sustain a small loss offset by higher prices in other geographical areas. Amos warned about dishonesty in business, with the challenging (and chilling) warning: “Never will I forget a thing they have done” (8:4-7). It is interesting to note how Yahweh, in Exodus 3:22, instructs the people of Israel to “despoil” the Egyptians, that they may not leave Egypt emptyhanded. This provides a type of Biblical justification for “affirmative action”, for restoring the people of Israel financially, compensating for the unjust enrichment of the Egyptians and the enforced labour done by the people of Israel. A New Testament model of affirmative action is seen in Zacchaeus, who repays those he has defrauded, constituting a type of restorative justice (Luke 19:1-10). In his first letter to Timothy, St Paul warns us: “The love of money is the root of all evils, and there are some, who pursuing it, have wandered far from the faith and so given their souls any number of fatal wounds” (6:10). All people, it is said, have their price…? Matthew asks: “What, then, will anyone gain by winning the whole world and forfeiting their life?” (16:26). An interesting question was asked: Would we accept a guarantee that at our death bed there would be a priest available for confession and Holy Communion, or would we accept R10 million now and “work” out our salvation ourselves in cooperation with God’s graces, without that guarantee?

divorce or another sadness, in addition to praying for the repose of the souls of those who have died. Retreats for the bereaved are most appropriate, and a little home altar with mementoes of those whom we have loved and lost can be a centrepiece for a moment of family prayer. There has been a dramatic change in the relationship between Church and family in the last 50 years. A genuine familyfocused ministry that recognised family spirituality of the little church hardly existed. Those were the days when we genuinely believed only Catholics were saved and questioned whether our pets had souls. Today is it a good idea for priests to visit families at home? Pope Francis has led us into a new era (not an era of change, but a change of era, as he calls it) and we recognise God present in all of creation. We believe in “The World—A Family of Families” which will be the theme for Marfam’s 2020 family year planner. No doubt care of creation, rhino-poaching, extinction and climate change will capture attention and most likely some resources. Where does that leave the small human family, at all levels? There are marriages that need support, parents and children who are struggling with passing on the faith and their relationships in this new technological age. We can think big but act small. Let our motto be inspired by Pope Francis: “Whenever we encounter another person in love, we learn something new about God.”

“Here I am Lord”

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The Southern Cross, October 30 to November 5, 2019

Fr lawrence Mduduzi Ndlovu celebrates Mass in the Sacré-Cœur basilica in Paris, which resounded with the singing of the South African group.

PILGRIMAGE

The group sings after Mass at the tomb of St Eugène Mazenod (below the altar) in St Mary Major cathedral in Marseilles, led by Fr Bonga Majola OMi. The priest, who was born in Nkandla, KwaZuluNatal, is currently based in France. He guided the group in Marseilles, where St Eugène was bishop, and Aix-en-Provence, where the saint was born and founded the Oblates of Mary immaculate.

Pilgrims pray after Mass in the chapel where in the 17th century Jesus revealed his Sacred Heart to St MargaretMary Alacoque in the village of Paray-le-Monial.

Catholic France Pilgrimage in Pics I The group at Mass in an original chapel of St Pierre cathedral in Montpellier, which was consecrated in 1536.

N October, a group of Southern Cross pilgrims, led by Fr Lawrence Mduduzi Ndlovu of Johannesburg, travelled through France to explore the Catholic spirit of that country. The pilgrimage—which was dedicated to the late Bishop Joe Sandri of Witbank, who was the originally planned spiritual director—focused on God’s work through devotion to Our Lady and the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and the missionary activities of God’s servants, especially the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, who evangelised much of Southern Africa at the directive of the order’s founder, St Eugène de Mazenod. The group visited (in order) Lourdes, Carcassone, Montpellier, Marseilles, Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, Paray-le-Monial, Nevers, Orléans and Paris. They had Masses at or next to the tombs of St Bernadette, St Margaret-Mary Alacoque, St Eugène de Mazenod, and St Catherine Labouré. (Photos: Günther Simmermacher)

Fr Ndlovu prays at the tomb of St Vincent de Paul in the lazarist church in Paris’ rue de Sèvres. The tomb is reached by ascending a staircase on the side of The pilgrims are led by tour director Giorgio Osimani into the altar. the medieval hilltop fortress town of Carcassone.

Dr Fabien Mukendi and Dr Shane Rosenberg draw water from the miraculous spring in lourdes.

Pilgrims pray before the grotto of the apparitions of Our lady to St Bernadette at lourdes during a nighttime visit. Their hotel was two minutes’ walk from the sanctuary.

Pilgrims rest during a guided tour of the Papal Palace (or Palais des Papes) of Avignon, where the popes reigned between 1309 and 1377.

Pilgrims pray at the tomb of St Bernadette in the convent chapel of St Gilard’s in Nevers, where the saint was professed as a Sister of Charity.

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Pilgrims outside the cathedral of Orléans at night.

Marie-Eve inghliterra and Rethabile leanya read at the final Mass in the Miraculous Medal chapel in Paris, celebrated by Fr Ndlovu (right).

The pilgrims had the privilege of having Mass in the room at the table in Aix-enProvence where St Eugène de Mazenod founded the Oblates of Mary immaculate in 1816, using the paten and the chalice the saint had received at his ordination. The reliquary at the back holds half of St Eugène’s heart. The Mass was celebrated by Fr Bonga Majola OMi with Fr Ndlovu.

PILGRIMAGE

The Southern Cross, October 30 to November 5, 2019

God speaks to us in airports In October a group of Southern Cross pilgrims had a grace-filled journey through Catholic France — bookended by plane and train travails, GÜNTHER SiMMERMACHER writes.

ing phone calls between Paris, Cape Town and Rome—ensured that we caught the next train, but the delay was a test of our patience. We passed that test. Indeed, it built a community among pilgrims, with strangers from all over South Africa quickly striking up friendships, many of which will last long past the pilgrimage. At our first Mass in the St Anne’s chapel of Lourdes’ basilica of the Immaculate Conception, our spiritual director placed the previous day’s travails in a proper context. In his penetrating homily, Fr Lawrence Mduduzi Ndlovu of Johannesburg reminded the group that before the advent of easy mass transportation, pilgrims would endure many hardships to make their spiritual journeys. This would not detract from the fruits of their pilgrimage, for they knew that the journey to God invariably requires sacrifice—more than that, their cross animated the experience. Fr Ndlovu didn’t yet know the sacrifices we would still encounter in Rome, but his point stands. And this insight, too, applies to us in daily life: Do not let the hardships of this life blind us to God.

URSTS of lightning flashed through the Italian night sky, and above the drone of the aircraft engines we could hear the occasional crash of thunder. Our group of Southern Cross pilgrims (and the other passengers) were circling over Rome in bad weather as the pilot awaited clearance to land at Fiumicino airport. Eventually he took the plane for refuelling to Naples. None of our pilgrims was alarmed by the inclement flying weather and the turbulences which accompanied it. After all, in the cargo there was a large statue of Our Lady, bought by one of our pilgrims in Lourdes. We were worried, however, about missing our flight home to South Africa. And, it turned out, we had good reason to. That flight left without us, setThe saint for rain ting in motion a long day of frusBad weather interfered with our tration, confusion, boredom and exhaustion. These are the hazards transit to and from France, but durof air travel, though it was the first ing our journey, we were under the protection of St Scholastime such a thing had haptica, the patron for rainpened to me in my 19 years of leading pilgrim- It is always a related matters. All forecasts to the ages. But matters were aggra- good exercise contrary, we experienced no rain, or even vated by the incompeto discern cold weather. When it tence and—it must be did rain, we were safe said—duplicity of some what God is from the elements in staff of the major Italian airline we were travelling trying to tell the bus. In France in autumn, on (and the absurd reus in testing this is quite remarkable. quirement of transit visas Take the weather in imposed on South Africans moments Lourdes: the day before by its former colonist, our arrival it rained. Britain, which prevented a While were in Lourdes, the sun was timely rerouting). In all situations, especially those shining. As we left Lourdes, it was that test us, it is a good exercise to raining again. The good weather we had discern what God is trying to tell us at that moment. Being in an air- throughout was one of many port arguing with disdainful airline graces on this pilgrimage which staff might not be the most propi- had as its focus three main themes. Firstly, there was Our Lady, partious time to engage in such spiritual exercises. But what was God ticularly through our time in Lourdes and our Mass in the Miraculous saying to us? Perhaps God’s question to us Medal chapel at rue de Bac in Paris. pilgrims was this: “Will you let the Of course, Our Lady is ever-present troubles of the mundane darken in France, where she is known as the illumination of your pilgrim- Notre Dame. Secondly, we turned our focus age?” Indeed, God is challenging us all in our daily lives with that on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In Paray-le-Monial we had Mass kind of question. The feedback from the pilgrims in the chapel where Jesus revealed is that neither the ineptness of Al- his Sacred Heart to Sr Margaretitalia nor the bad weather which Mary Alacoque (the chapel now set in motion the chain of aggrava- also holds her tomb). And in Paris, we had Mass in tions would diminish the graces and memories of a beautiful pil- Sacré-Cœur (or Sacred Heart) basilica, which echoed with the pasgrimage. sionate singing of our group, A community is built attracting even secular tourists in The pilgrimage was bookended the famous church to spectate. Those Masses were special to Fr by unusual Roman thunderstorms. On our way to France, bad weather Ndlovu, who serves as the spiritual delayed the group’s flight to Paris, director to the Sacred Heart sodalcausing us to miss our train to ity in the archdiocese of Johannesburg. Lourdes. Literally, by one minute! Fr Ndlovu was also touched by Smooth organisation—involv-

Left: France-based South African Fr Bonga Majola OMi with the pilgrims in the room in Aix-en-Provence where St Eugène de Mazenod founded the Oblates of Mary immaculate in 1812. Right: Our lady in surprisingly good weather in lourdes. (All photos: Günther Simmermacher)

Left: Dr Shane Rosenberg of Pretoria reads at Mass in Paris’ Sacré-Cœur basilica as fellow reader Patricia Manyeli of Bloemfontein looks on. Right: A choir rehearses for a concert of sacred music in St Pierre cathedral in Montpellier just as the Southern Cross pilgrims arrive for Mass there. the third focus of the pilgrimage: St Eugène de Mazenod, founder of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI), whom we encountered in his hometown of Aix-en-Provence and in nearby Marseilles, where he served as bishop. Having grown up in an Oblate parish in Soweto, Fr Ndlovu had once intended to become a priest of the order, which did so much to evangelise huge parts of Southern Africa. God called Fr Ndlovu to the diocesan priesthood, but his affection for the OMIs remains strong. In those places we were guided by a South African Oblate priest who is based in Aix-en-Provence, Fr Bonga Majola. How wonderful it was to see items once owned by St Eugène; more so to have Mass in the room and at the table where he founded the OMIs in 1816, using the saint’s own paten and chalice. A day earlier, we’d had Mass at his tomb in Marseilles.

Unexpected graces There were many other unexpected graces. For example, as we entered Montpellier’s magnificent 16th-century St Pierre cathedral for our Mass, a choir backed by the cathedral’s grand organ began rehearsals for a concert of sacred music to be held later that evening. Those are the graces which one can capture on photos and videos. But a pilgrimage has so many intangible graces: the moments of spiritual illumination, the joy of a faith shared so intensely with oth-

ers, the love that develops between passenger ticket—in business class, people who just days before were to make sure—we might have strangers to one another... caught our flight home in time. The latter became evident on In the event, the group returned our penultimate day. As home with a delay of alwe were visiting Montmost 30 hours, after 47 If the statue hours in transit limbo martre and the SacréCœur basilica in Paris, of Mary had (counting from our deone of our couples reparture towards Paris’ travelled in airport). ceived news of the death of a parent. The comfort They were brought and support the be- business class, home by Ethiopian Airreaved couple received would we lines, which our pilgrims was a testimony to how, agreed is superior to Aliin just a few days, the have caught talia, and most European shared faith of people on airlines. our ﬂight a pilgrimage can create a As the organising community. team in Cape Town home in time? Was God’s hand at worked overtime to seplay here? Was it his plan cure domestic connectto have this couple on this pilgrim- ing flights for the pilgrims, my age at this particular time? What devoutly Catholic mother-in-law was God trying to tell them—and asked God for some guidance in us—at this moment? her prayers for the group to come Of course, the Mass in Sacré- home soon and safely. Next thing Cœur was dedicated to heaven’s she knew, she happened upon the new resident. following passage from Isaiah Our Lady in business class? (43:5-7): “Have no fear for I am with The Catholic France pilgrimage you; I shall bring your descendants was dedicated to the late Bishop from the East, and gather you from Joe Sandri, who was going to lead the West. To the North I shall say, it. How would the Italian-born bishop have handled the crises cre- ‘Give them up,’ and to the South, ated by Alitalia’s incompetence ‘Do not obstruct them.’ “Bring my sons and daughters and duplicity? No doubt, he’d have from afar, bring them back from delivered some witty one-liners. These were not in short supply, the ends of the earth: everyone even at times of frustration and ex- who bears my name, all whom I haustion. One wag offered the the- have created, whom I have formed, ory that while the statue of Mary whom I have made for my glory.” The Word of God! in the cargo hold might have protected us in the thunderstorm, had Next week: Getting close to a misthe statue’s owner bought her a sionary saint.

S outher n C ross Pilgrimage HOLY LAND & OBERAMMERGAU PASSION PLAY 21 Aug. - 2 Sept. 2020 Led by Archbishop William Slattery OFM For more information or to book, please contact Gail at info@fowlertours.co.za or phone/WhatsApp 076 352-3809

www.fowlertours.co.za/passion

The Southern Cross, October 30 to November 5, 2019

LIFE

We are called to care for creation

Pope Francis in his document laudato Si’ calls us to care for creation. In this article, HElEN GONSAlVES & SR ANGEliKA lAUB OP put the issues at stake for us in a nutshell.

ITHER we learn to live in harmony with God, one another and the natural world, or we shall perish. There are various environmental threats; these include the unjust economic systems caused by inequitable wage structures in our country which bring about extreme poverty, with two-thirds of the people of South Africa living in these conditions. There is an overconsumption of resources. Industrialised countries comprise 24% of the world yet consume over 75% of the world’s total energy and mineral resources while producing over 90% of the pollution and hazardous waste. Transnational companies operating in South Africa, and many other countries, contribute to the high levels of pollution and illnesses. Meanwhile, world military expenditure exceeds $1 038 trillion— a huge misuse of resources and human energy. Wars bring about only much suffering, and massive refugee problems The global environmental threats are well-known.

Ozone depletion The protective ozone layer in the

upper atmosphere is being destroyed by the production of polystyrene and aerosol propellants. The absence of the ozone layer is contributing to an increase in skin cancer and interferes with sensitive processes in plant and animal life.

Global warming This is caused by burning of fossil fuels by, for example, petrol and diesel motors, coal-powered power stations and so on. Carbon monoxide is a poison and carbon dioxide traps the heat thus produced. Our forests and grasslands, which used to convert carbon dioxide to life-giving oxygen, are being destroyed by the minute. Higher temperatures are changing the global climate and cause more violent storms. These in turn contribute to more desert areas. Ice caps are melting; this releases water which results in rising sea levels, which in turn causes flooding of coastal plains, ports and cities. Islands are already disappearing. Climate change has caused an increase in heatwaves during which people are collapsing and even dying due to abnormally high temperatures.

Snorkellers count and log the details of the plastic and other waste retrieved from the sea bed off Miller’s Point, between Simon’s Town and Cape Point in Cape Town. (Photo: Nic Bothma, EPA/CNS) (infertile seeds), hunting and slaughter, overconsumption, destruction of their living space, and global warming. Pollution from human activities, such as factories, causes acid to be released into our air. These acids are caught in rain which causes these poisons to be deposited on all of us.

Extinction of plants, animals

Destruction of natural resources

Biodiversity is the variety of life forms of the earth. All life is interdependent for its survival, and all life forms have a right to exist. Deforestation—the cutting down of forests—destroys the plants and animals which live there, causing thousands to become extinct. Plants and animals are destroyed by pollution, genetic modification

Our natural resources are being destroyed by the decline in the quality of water availability, caused by droughts, waste and pollution; the production of millions of tonnes of toxic waste which is deposited on land and in the air and water.; radioactive waste from nuclear power stations; toxic waste from old batteries and energy-sav-

ing globes and neon lights, and so on.

WHAT CAN WE DO? We are by nature self-centred, acquisitive and greedy people. We must learn to control and discipline this urge. We don’t always need all that we buy and get... It’s a waste. We have abused God’s mandate to care for the earth. Can we begin to care for our environment? We must take an interest in the natural environment around us, our homes and our surroundings and everywhere we go. It begins with the small things: throwing rubbish in the streets as we walk and from cars as we drive around is a lazy, dirty and universal problem. None of us is exempt from changing our behaviour.

We must plant trees wherever we go, and not be so quick to chop them down. Trees sometimes take hundreds of years to grow—and we take ten minutes to destroy them. We can reduce our consumption of unnecessary things and recycle or share whatever we can. We can reduce our use of plastic and resist endless production of waste. Some things can be bought by weight instead of pre-packs; would that inconvenience us? We have to stop poisoning plant and animal “pests” and use nature’s ways to deter them. Poisons do not discriminate between the good and bad; they harm bees and owls which help us tremendously. Poisons on our food make us sick, too! Do we love our earth? Are we aware of her suffering? Are we ready to change our selfish habits in order to care for her? Again, the change begins with us. Do we have a personal policy of not killing birds or animals by neglect or for sport? Do we buy or get animals for presents or whims and then discard them when caring for them becomes inconvenient or the fashion that prompted us to get these pets is over? Do we know the environmental policies of our government, province and municipality? Do we care enough to encourage them to have better management of our resources and our surroundings? Our question must be: How can we help to bring justice to our world? n Helen Gonsalves & Sr Angelika Laub OP are based in Walkerville, Johannesburg archdiocese.

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The Southern Cross, October 30 to November 5, 2019

Sr Regina Giwu OP

OMINICAN Sister Regina Giwu of King William’s Town died on September 19 at 90. Born on August 14, 1929, and named Elizabeth, she was the second-last of the eight children of Pearce and Wilhelmina Giwu at Elugangeni in Mount Frere, Eastern Cape. She was educated at Elugangeni and later at Mariazell in Matatiele, where she obtained her primary teacher’s certificate in 1948, and converted to Catholicism. Sr Regina started her teaching career at Bedford, Eastern Cape. In 1955 she entered the Dominican Congregation of King William’s Town and made her first vows in 1957. From 1957 she taught at St Theresa’s in Izeli, King William’s Town. There she got to know Fr Donal Cashman and they became lifelong friends. Sr Regina also taught at Sacred Heart Convent in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth, and at Maria Hilf in Woodlands, King William’s Town, where she was principal till 1991. Her passions were reading, education and travelling. She studied parttime to improve her qualifications, while continuing to teach. She completed her bachelor of arts degree in

1983. Sr Regina took a keen interest in the education of her family, especially her nephews and nieces. Fr Cashman was instrumental in her change in 1991 from teaching to catechism, taking responsibility for training the catechists of four parishes in Mdantsane and of Peter Claver, Duncan Village. She also managed the finances of these parishes. Sr Regina accompanied Fr Cashman, who died in 2011, on his home leave to Ireland on several occasions and became a family friend. Soon after her return from Ireland in 2010, she suffered a stroke, but recovered sufficiently to go to her family for Christmas 2012. It was then that she had a second stroke and was admitted to her congregation’s frail care at Emmaus. During her retirement she translated the catechism from English into Xhosa. After Sr Regina suffered a third stroke, she was unable to speak and had difficulty in swallowing. Her suffering was long and silent until she was called home on September 19. Her funeral was attended by priests, Sisters, family members and many parishioners.

This week we congratulate: November 7: Bishop Frank Nubuasah of Gaborone on the 21st anniversary of his episcopal ordination

PERSONAL

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

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

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. Self-catering, clean and peaceful, with spacious gardens.Safe parking. Close to all shops and public transport. Contact Pat 021 685-7370, 073 263-2105 or kolbe.house@telkomsa.net Visit our website www.kolbehouse.org.za MARIANELLA Guest House, Simon’s Town: “Come experience the peace and beauty of God with us.” Fully equipped, with amazing sea views. Secure parking, ideal for

rest and relaxation. Special rates for pensioners and clergy. Malcolm Salida 082 784-5675, mjsalida@ gmail.com

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: A Holy Hour Prayer for Priests is held on the second Saturday of every month at the Villa Maria shrine from 16:00 to 17:00. The shrine is at 1 Kloof Nek Road in Tamboerskloof. The group prays for priests in the archdiocese, and elsewhere by request.

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 7830331.

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 0313093496 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.

Year C – Weekdays Cycle Year 1

Our bishops’ anniversaries

Anniversaries • Milestones • Prayers • Accommodation • Holiday accommodation Personal • Services • Employment • Property • Parish notices • Thanks • Others Please include payment (R1,90 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

Liturgical Calendar

Peter Throp ATHOLIC pro-life activist Peter Throp of Cape Town died at 73 on October 19, having lived to see his dream: the closure of Cape Town’s biggest abortion clinic, Marie Stopes in Bree Street. Mr Throp’s mission was to be on the street defending unborn babies. He fought off three attempts by the City of Cape Town to stop him. In 2014, then-Mayor Patricia de Lille wrote an order to stop pro-life protests within 50m of the Marie Stopes clinic. While many others backed off, Mr Throp stood firm. Ms De Lille was forced to withdraw the order as it had no basis in law. The City of Cape Town then demanded that Mr Throp not park his car marked with a big “Abortion is evil” sticker outside the Marie Stopes clinic. Again, the demand was withdrawn for a lack of legal basis. Mr Throp got up at 4am every morning to secure a parking spot outside the abortion clinic. The City of Cape Town also brought criminal charges against Mr Throp for placing stickers with the slogan “Value Life” over illegal abortion advertising stickers on lampposts, so as to obscure the phone numbers of abortion providers. His conviction and sentence of a fine or three months’ imprisonment suspended for five years was overturned on appeal in the Cape High Court. Later Mr Throp and his wife Terry were asked to leave a Muizenberg restaurant for wearing clothing bearing pro-life slogans. While many pro-life activists called for a boycott of the restaurant, Mr Throp opposed this, arguing the principle that the owner had

YOUR CLASSIFIEDS

The late Peter Throp with baby Caiden Peter, who lived thanks to Mr Throp’s interventions, in 2012. the right to determine admission to his business. On at least one occasion, Mr Throp’s sticker campaign saved the life of an unborn baby. As he was putting stickers on abortion posters in Maitland on a Sunday in 2012, a young woman named Renitia Malan approached him, saying she was considering abortion to end a pregnancy from a man who had abandoned her. Mr Throp and his wife counselled the woman and persuaded her to seek help at the Claremont Mater Domini Home for abused women and those in crisis pregnancies. Ms Malan went on to have the baby, whom she named Cayden Peter. Mr Throp, who until his retirement worked as a rep for an instruments company, was born on June 8, 1946, in Britain. The parishioner of Immaculate Conception church in Parow was married to Terry for almost 54 years.

Sunday November 3, All Saints Revelation 7: 2-4, 9-14, Psalm 24: 1-6, 1 John 3: 1-3, Matthew 5:1-12 Monday November 4, St Charles Borromeo Romans 11:29-36, Psalm 69: 30-31, 3334, 36-3, Luke 14: 12-14 Tuesday November 5 Romans 12:5-16, Psalm 131, Luke 14: 15-24 Wednesday November 6, All Saints of Africa Sirach 44: 1, 10-15, Psalm 15: 2-5, Luke 6: 27-38 Thursday November 7

Romans 14: 7-12, Psalm 27: 1, 4, 13-14, Luke 15: 1-10 Friday November 8 Romans 15: 14-21, Psalm 98: 1-4, Luke 16: 1-8 Saturday November 9, Dedication of the Lateran Basilica Ezekiel 47: 1-2, 8-9, 12 or 1 Corinthians 3: 9-11, 16-17, Psalm 46: 2-3, 5-6, 8-9, John 2: 13-22 Sunday November 10, 32nd Sunday of the Year 2 Maccabees 7: 1-2, 9-14, Psalm 17: 1, 5-6, 8, 15, 2 Thessalonians 2: 16–3, 5, Luke 20: 27-38

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FROM OUR VAULTS 13 Years Ago: November 8, 2006

very week for the duration of our 100th year, we dig an old issue of The Southern Cross out of our vaults, and highlight a few stories from that edition, as well as reproducing its front-page.

Call to support Radio Veritas Radio Veritas, South Africa’s Catholic radio broadcaster, is calling on the country’s Catholic community to make a concerted show of support for its application for a permanent medium-wave frequency, to be presented to ICASA in April 2007.

Pope Benedict XVI on abuse Pope Benedict XVI tells Irish bishops that priestly sexual abuse of minors is a “heart-rending tragedy” that requires an effort of purification by the Church.

Owen Williams on Joan of Arc

Southern CrossWord solutions

In his weekly column, Owen Williams reflects on the military genius of St Joan of Arc, prompted by his reading of Fr James Martin’s book My Life With Saints.

SOLUTIONS TO 887. ACROSS: 3 Tombstone, 8 Tree, 9 Slanderer, 10 Ghetto, 11 Shelf, 14 Awful, 15 Eire, 16 Extra, 18 Ides, 20 Caste, 21 Raven, 24 Member, 25 Barsabbas, 26 Iron, 27 Downgrade. DOWN: 1 Stigmatic, 2 Hereafter, 4 Oslo, 5 Bench, 6 Treble, 7 Need, 9 Stile, 11 Satan, 12 Firstborn, 13 Celebrant, 17 Aches, 19 Samson, 22 Ember, 23 Halo, 24 Maid.

Editorial: Grants for burn survivors In his editorial, Günther Simmermacher writes that it is “perplexing that the government should not accord burns survivors with the option to apply for disability grants”, if the burns victim cannot secure employment because of their injuries or scarred appearance.

The Southern Cross is published independently by the Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Company Ltd.

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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) 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), Bishop S Sipuka, S Duval, E Jackson, B Jordan, Sr H Makoro CPS, C Mathieson*, J Mathurine, G Stubbs

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

The Southern Cross is a member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations of South Africa. Printed by Paarl Coldset (Pty) Ltd, 10 Freedom Way, Milnerton. Published by the proprietors, The Catholic Newspaper & Publishing Co Ltd, at the company’s registered office, 10 Tuin Plein, Cape Town, 8001.

the

32nd Sunday: November 10 Readings: 2 Maccabees 7:1-2, 9-14, Psalm 17:1, 5-6, 8, 15, 2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5, Luke 20:27-38

O you believe in the Resurrection? It is, you may care to reflect, at the heart of our faith, and the readings for next Sunday circle around it. The first reading is the splendid story of the mother and her seven sons arrested by King Antiochus, who is trying to destroy Judaism as a religion and as an identity; the aim is to persuade them to eat pork, forbidden for Jews, and a symbol of apostasy. The persecutors go through the sons, one by one; and, one by one, they refuse to eat: “We are ready to die rather than transgress our ancestral norms,” says Number 1 son, and as he breathes his last, we hear him say: “You accursed person; you are freeing us from this present life, when we know the King of the world will raise up us who died for God’s laws into an eternal new life.” Number 3 son mocks the oppressors and gives them “his tongue…and his hands”, saying: “From Heaven I received these, and because of God’s laws I disregard them, and from him I hope to get them back again.” Then comes Number 4 son who at the moment of death says: “I have chosen to expect the hope of being raised up again; but for you, there will be no resurrection into life.” What is absolutely clear here is that belief

S outher n C ross

in God’s afterlife enables people to perform extraordinary feats of courage. The story does not end here, of course, and you are encouraged to look at the rest of chapter 7 of 2 Maccabees, to see how the remainder of the family performed. The psalms belong, for the most part, to that period of Jewish history when Israel had not yet come to faith in life after death; but the psalm for next Sunday certainly points in the direction of Resurrection. It starts with a plea to God for “justice”; and God is therefore deemed to have power over all that assails us: “Pay heed to my cry, listen to my prayer.” Then he reminds God that he expects some fairness: “My steps kept to your paths; my feet never faltered.” If that is the case, might he not hope for God to look favourably upon him? So he asks to be hidden “in the shadow of your wings”. This kind of confidence in God is what eventually enabled Israel to continue in their journey towards a belief in the afterlife. The second reading, continuing our passage through Second Thessalonians, does not precisely mention Resurrection; but the author is absolutely clear about his faith in “our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father, who loves us and gave eternal comfort and good

strengthened those family bonds and graced all the others who witnessed her dying. “Those who took the opportunity to be with my mom during that journey have told me that their lives were forever changed. It was a remarkable time which I will always treasure. “Lessons of acceptance and courage were abundant as she struggled with the realities of a dying body. It was dramatic and intense, yet filled with peace and gratitude.”

lmost anyone who has ever sat in vigil around a loved one who was dying can share a similar story. There’s a lesson here and a mystery. The lesson is that we don’t just do important things for each other and impact on each other’s lives by what we actively do for each other; we also do life-changing things for each other in what we passively absorb in helplessness. This is the mystery of passivity which we see, paradigmatically, played out in what Jesus did for us. As Christians, we say that Jesus gave his life for us and that he gave his death for us, but we tend to think of this as one and the same thing. It’s not. Jesus gave his life for us through his activity; he gave his death for us through his passivity. These were two separate movements. Like the woman who tried for years to have her children reconcile through her activity, through her words and actions, and then eventually accomplished that through the helplessness and passivity of

Classic Conrad

Sunday Reflections

hope in grace”, and we know from the rest of Paul that this has to do with the basic fact that “God raised Jesus from the dead”, so that we can “comfort your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and good word”. This the “word of the Lord” which, he prays, “may run and be glorified just as it has with you”. Paul looks ahead to the possibility of being “delivered from displaced and evil people”. And, although he does not precisely mention Resurrection here, he knows that the Lord is in charge (which is one of the things that Resurrection means): “The Lord is reliable; and he will strengthen you and guard you from the Evil One.” And his prayer for the Thessalonians is that “the Lord will direct your hearts to the love of God and to endurance with Christ”. The idea of Resurrection is not very far away here. The Gospel, inevitably, is about Resurrection. In this story, the Sadducees who, unlike the Pharisees, do not believe in Resurrection, are interrogating Jesus. The intelligent reader is well aware that we are getting nearer to Jesus’ death, and this question is part of their attempt to bring it about. Their tactic here is to set up a story

The grace in passivity FRIEND of mine shares this story. She grew up with five siblings and an alcoholic father. The effect of her father’s alcoholism was devastating on her family. Here’s how she tells the story: “By the time my father died, his alcoholism had destroyed our family. None of us kids could talk to each other anymore. We’d drifted apart to different parts of the country and had nothing to do with each other. “My mother was a saint and kept trying through the years to have us reconcile with each other, inviting us to gather for Thanksgiving and Christmas and the like, but it never worked. All her efforts were for nothing. We hated each other. “Then as my mother was dying of cancer, in hospice, bedridden, and eventually in a coma, we, her kids, gathered by her bedside, watching her die, and she, helpless and unable to speak, was able to accomplish what she couldn’t achieve through all those years when she could speak. Watching her die, we reconciled.” We all know similar stories of someone in their dying, when they were too helpless to speak or act, powerfully impacting, more powerfully than they ever did in word or action, those around them, pouring out a grace that blessed their loved ones. Sometimes, of course, this isn’t a question of reconciling a family but of powerfully strengthening their existing unity. Such was the case in a family history shared by Carla Marie Carlson, in her book Everyday Grace. Her family was already closely-knit, but her mother’s dying

Nicholas King SJ

Resurrection at the heart

about a woman who gets widowed and who, in accordance with Mosaic law, has to become the wife of her brother-in-law and produce offspring. Using this as a platform, they ask a silly question involving no less than seven brothers (perhaps echoing the story of our first reading), each of whom marries her in turn. “In the ‘Resurrection’, whose wife is she going to be?” they ask, contemptuously. Jesus, as so often, responds without hesitation, and offers a very sharp piece of exegesis, based on Exodus 3, the story of Moses and the burning bush. It is clever, this, because Exodus was part of the Scriptures that the Sadducees accepted (they only allowed the first five books of the Old Testament). And what he does is to quote what God says to Moses, “as proof that the dead are raised…how he calls the Lord the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob”. And the conclusion, in favour of Resurrection, is devastating: “He is not the God of corpses, but the God of the living: for they are all alive to him.” Do you, today, believe in the Resurrection?

Southern Crossword #887

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

her deathbed, so too with Jesus. For three years he tried in every way to make us understand love, reconciliation and faith, without full effect. Then, in less than 24 hours, in helplessness, when he couldn’t speak, in dying, we got the lesson. Both Jesus and his mother were able, in their helplessness and passivity, to give the world something they were unable to give as effectively in their power and activity. Unfortunately, this is not something our present culture—with its emphasis on health, productivity, achievement, and power—very much understands. We no longer much understand or value the powerful grace given off by someone dying of a terminal illness; nor the powerful grace present in a person with a disability, or indeed the grace present in our own physical and personal disabilities. Nor do we much understand what we are giving to our families, friends and colleagues when we, in powerlessness, have to absorb neglect, slights and misunderstanding. When a culture starts to talk about euthanasia it’s an infallible indication that we no longer understand the grace within passivity. In his writings, Fr Henri Nouwen makes a distinction between what he terms our “achievements” and our “fruitfulness”. Achievements stem more directly from our activities: What have we positively accomplished? What have we actively done for others? And our achievements stop when we are no longer active. Fruitfulness, on the other hand, goes far beyond what we have actively accomplished and is sourced as much by what we have passively absorbed as by what we actively produced. The family described above reconciled not because of their mother’s achievements, but because of her fruitfulness. Such is the mystery of passivity. Fr Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, in his spiritual classic The Divine Milieu, tells us that we are meant to help the world through both what we actively give and through what we passively absorb.

ACROSS

3. Met Boston in the graveyard (9) 8. One standing in the Garden of Eden (4) 9. One guilty of calumny (9) 10. The old Jewish Quarter (6) 11. Unmarried woman is on it too long (5) 14. Some saw full moon. It was unpleasant (5) 15. Famed land of saints and scholars (4) 16. The mile that needs more eﬀort (5) 18. A day in the old Roman calendar (4) 20. Hindu class (5) 21. One that fed Elijah (1 Kg 17) (5) 24. One who belongs to the Church (6) 25. He did not replace Judas (Ac 1) (9) 26. He shall rule them with a rod of … (Rev 2) (4) 27. Reduce in importance (9)

DOWN

1. One on whom Christ has left his mark? (9) 2. It’s to come, not having been before (9) 4. Go slow inside the city (4) 5. Magistrate’s place in church? (5) 6. A little high voice in the choir (6) 7. Something required (4) 9. Does the shepherd climb it to the sheepfold? (5) 11. He wanted to sift Simon like wheat (Lk 22) (5) 12. God told Moses to dedicate this one to him (Ex 13) (9) 13. Minister who performs the rite (9) 17. Pains a bit when you reach especially (5) 19. The biblical Hercules? (6) 22. It glows warmly at the end of three months (5) 23. Light circle of saints? (4) 24. Sweet Mother, Sweet … (hymn) (4)

Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

NTRODUCING himself as a reformer, the new bishop thundered: “As I take charge of this diocese, I will drag it kicking and screaming into the 20th century.” The vicar-general coughed and quietly said: “Er, Your Lordship, surely you mean the 21st century?” The bishop replied: “Let’s take it one century at a time, Monsignor.”

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