200701 by The Southern Cross

The

S outher n C ross

July 1 to July 7, 2020

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 5192

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Don’t ‘blackmail’ kids into coming to church

R12 (incl VAT RSA)

What St Benedict means to us today

Page 5

Page 9

Centenary Jubilee Year

KZN man’s crosses for students

Page 2

SACBC now run by two women BY ERIN CARELSE

N what may be a world-first, two women will be running the secretariat of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference (SACBC), as of July 1. This comes after Dominican Sister Tshifhiwa Munzhedzi was appointed the new associate secretary-general to succeed Stigmatine Father Patrick Rakeketsi, who after six years in office will be deployed back to his congregation. In her new role at the Pretoria-based secretariat, which coordinates the running of the SACBC, Sr Munzhedzi will work alongside Precious Blood Sister Hermenegild Makoro, the secretary-general since 2012. Sr Makoro had been associate-secretary general from 2005-12. She was the second woman to hold that position, after Holy Family Sister Brigid Flanagan in the 1980s. Before her appointment, Sr Munzhedzi served as the promoter for the cause of canonisation of Bl Benedict Daswa in Tzaneen. “At the moment, I am not sure that I can express what I am feeling. I have been busy with some projects in the Bl Daswa promotion work and have not yet had time to reflect or let it sink in what I am moving on to,” the King Williams Town Dominican told The Southern Cross. “At the moment, I am just looking forward to arriving [at the SACBC headquarters, Khanya House]. Maybe then I will be able to process what is happening,” Sr Munzhedzi said on Monday. She said that initially she had been approached by her congregational leader about the appointment to the SACBC position and was asked to pray about the request. “This is what I did, and I also asked my community to be in partnership with me in prayer. I also took time to consult with people about me leaving the work I was doing and taking this new proposed job,” Sr Munzhedzi explained. Although she is looking forward to her new position she will miss her work, and especially the people in Tzaneen. “I will miss their faith and deep trust in God. They taught me gratitude for simple things, being able to recognise God in everyday events, and express gratitude to God for

Sr Tshifhiwa Munzhedzi OP and her predecessor, Fr Patrick Rakeketsi CSS. that,” she said. For Fr Rakeketsi, it has been a “wonderful experience” to serve the Church in its central administration. “I have learnt a lot about the Catholic Church and its leadership, especially in these uncertain times,” he said. His biggest highlight is having helped bring the new Pastoral Plan to completion, with its launch in Soweto in January. “Upon the completion of consultation in the dioceses, the Council for Evangelisation worked hard to listen, study and discern the way forward for the Church. The work ahead is to implement the Pastoral Plan with pastoral programmes in the parishes,” said Fr Rakeketsi. He also recalled the establishment of Caritas as the ordered structure of charity in the local Church as a highlight. While still in the infant stage, Caritas will grow to complement the programmes of the new Pastoral Plan. “In the 1980s the Church was faced with the challenge of apartheid. In the 1990s and early 2000s the Church responded remarkably to the scourge of HIV/Aids,” Fr Rakeketsi said. “The challenge in the next decade is undoubtedly migration and human mobility. With the establishment of Migrants & Refugees Offices in the dioceses, the bishops are beginning to streamline migration as one of the major pastoral challenges of the conference,” he said “I wish Sr Tshifhiwa all the best, and that the Holy Spirit will grant her wisdom and fortitude in her new responsibility as the associate secretary-general,” Fr Rakeketsi said.

Pope Francis walks past a Marian image as he celebrates Mass marking the feast of Ss. Peter and Paul in St Peter's basilica at the Vatican on Monday.(Photo: Paul Haring/CNS)

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iD you know that The Southern Cross is entirely independent and unsubsidised, surviving on revenue from sales and advertising — and the kind support of our readers? The Southern Cross has survived for nearly 100 years on strength of tight financial management and the great sacrifices by its small, loyal staff. But now the survival of our only national Catholic weekly is in great danger. The closure of our churches in the national lockdown has robbed us of our main source of income: sales at the church door.

We have made the weekly edition available for FREE on our website, going online every Friday at 11:00. That way, all Catholics will have access to the Catholic weekly. Subscribers get their edition on Wednesdays, with premium content for the duration of the lockdown. We are asking those who take up our offer of the free newspaper to make a donation, or to subscribe. An encouraging number of people have already done so. We remain positive that by God’s grace we can survive this crisis. But that also requires YOUR help.

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The Southern Cross, July 1 to July 7, 2020

LOCAL

SACC: Israel’s annexation ‘worse than Bantustans’ STAFF REPORTER

HE South African Council of Churches (SACC) has condemned the proposed annexation, contravening international law, of parts of the West Bank by Israel. The annexation would “kill off any prospect for a just peace with Palestine”, warned the statement, signed by general-secretary Bishop Malusi Mpumlwana. “While the nations of the world are self-absorbed, battling Covid-19, the final chapter on the nightmare tale of Palestinian existence is being written…with a not-so-new but

bolder policy of the annexation of parts of the West Bank, already illegally occupied by Israel,” he said. The annexation would destroy the prospect of a Palestinian state in the two-state solution under UN Resolutions, also backed by the Vatican. The SACC noted that “illegal Israeli settlers on the West Bank are already executing acts of violence against Palestinian citizens and destroying their olives and livestock. This goes against the best prophetic tradition and teachings of both Judaism and Christianity.” Speaking on the planned annexation in the Israeli daily Haaretz last

KZN Catholic sells crosses to help fund seminarians STAFF REPORTER

HEN he learnt that Missionaries of Africa students were paying for their own studies, a KwaZulu-Natal Catholic decided to act. Eric Tate and his wife were introduced to the Missionaries of Africa students by Fr Allan Moss OMI, then parish priest at St Joseph’s in Cedara. “Fr Moss told us that some students had benefactors who assisted them,” Mr Tate recalled. At around the same time, he noticed that whenever he entered the lounge, he had to look around to see where the cross was hanging, which he then noticed above the exit door. “I immediately decided to start a project of making crosses on a stand, so they could be placed on the table in a visible area,” Mr Tate said. “A cross should not be hidden away, but be visible in every house, so that whoever visits the homes of parishioners or missionaries should see that these are Catholic homes or institutions,” he said. To make such crucifixes to raise funds for the students, Mr Tate turned to Fr Moss, now serving at Christ the King parish in Went-

The

KwaZulu-Natal Catholic Alan Tate has raised R10 000 selling crucifixes for Missionaries of Africa seminarians’ training. worth, Durban, who welcomed him and his wife. The parish was enthusiastic about the crosses. With the assistance of the parish’s repository, which promoted and sold the crosses, Mr Tate raised R10 000, which was then handed over to Missionaries of Africa Fathers Jones Kawisha and Luigi Morrell. There are still some crosses available from Christ the King parish.

month, Catholic Fr Jamal Khader and Lutheran Rev Munther Isaac, both of Bethlehem, said: “The plan transforms the Holy Land into a ‘Zionist fairyland’ for the enjoyment of extreme Christian evangelicals and Jews, while the local Christian population remains subjugated under Israel’s coercion.” All UN Resolutions affirm the necessary commitment to the two-state solution to the conflict. The latest Resolution (SC2334 of 2016) condemns “all measures aimed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, in-

cluding East Jerusalem, including, inter alia, the construction and expansion of settlements, transfer of Israeli settlers, confiscation of land, demolition of homes and displacement of Palestinian civilians, in violation of international humanitarian law and relevant resolutions”. “The annexation would leave the Palestinian people with even less rights than the disgraceful South African Bantustans,” said the SACC statement. “This cannot be countenanced in 2020, and it is morally reprehensible.” The SACC said that the state of Israel “should not be allowed to

continue acting as an exception in terms of international law. The international community must be required to treat Israel like all other members of the international community and compel it to respect international law and the rights of all of humanity.” It added: “The current crisis requires nothing less than a decisive international censure of the imminent annexation of more Palestinian lands. We call on the international community to consider comprehensive sanctions against Israel should they continue with the illegal annexation of Palestinian land.”

Corona prayer booklet free online STAFF REPORTER

WO educators have produced a Covid-19 prayer booklet which is being made freely available. Mark Potterton and Pam PatonMills of Sacred Heart School in Observatory, Johannesburg, have collated prayers from various religious traditions and put them together in one 27-page PDF booklet titled Corona Scatter, with a foreword by Bishop Kevin Dowling of Rustenburg. “We had collected a couple of prayers that we were using at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Most of them had come from a World Council of Churches website,” said Dr Potterton, principal of Sacred Heart’s primary school. “I had put a contemporary prayer book together a couple of years ago and began to use prayers

from the prayer book.” Pam Paton-Mills, director of Pastoral Care at Sacred Heart, also had collected prayers which she was using with groups. So the two began to combine their resources. The prayers are mostly Christian, including one by Pope Francis, but

there are also reflections from other faith perspectives. “I had read a beautiful piece on what the pandemic means for us today written by the Dalai Lama. I thought that this would be a perfect ending for a prayer book on Covid19,” Dr Potterton said. “I wrote to the Dalai Lama to ask for permission to use him article, and he responded within days giving us the go-ahead.” Bishop Dowling, who had published a short piece on the pandemic and what it meant for South Africa in the British Catholic journal The Tablet, was “delighted” to have this used, Dr Potterton said. Corona Scatter can be downloaded from the Southern Cross website at https://www.scross.co.za/2020 /06/corona-scatter-prayer-bookletfree-download/ (CLICK HERE) or directly (CLICK HERE).

Free July Alpha online conference open to all

OP international speakers will address a free online Alpha conferece on evangelisation from July 10-11. This will explore themes on “evangelisation on the digital frontier”. Speakers include Alpha pioneer

S outher n C ross

Jubilee Year Camino to Santiagode Compostela

Official 7-Day Camino From Lugo to Santiago de Compostela

September 2021 With spiritual director Fr Chris Townsend

Rev Nicky Gumbel; Fr James Mallon, author of Divine Renovation; and Rev Mahlatse Mashua of Durban. The conference will discuss the opportunities for evangelism, opening the digital front-door to our Church and creating an invitational

culture, empowering young people to lead, supporting marriages, and more, said the organisers. Attendance is free. See alphacon ference.org to secure a digital seat for the conference. For more information or help, e-mail africa@alpha.org

Bishops among CBC Kimberley alumni STAFF REPORTER

HEN Bishop-elect Noel Rucastle takes office as ordinary of Oudtshoorn diocese in the coming months, he will join a fellow alumnus of Christian Brothers’ College (CBC) in Kimberley in the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. The school in the former mining town also produced a leader in the episcopal field in Bishop Graham Rose of Dundee. “They are now part-members of a different CBC—Catholic Bishops’ Conference,” the school joked in a message. CBC Kimberley has also produced some well-known sportsmen, such as Tommy Bedford, known for standing up for his principles as a Springbok rugby

captain during apartheid. And Isaac Mophatlane and his late brother Benjamin started one of the most successful IT companies, BCX, which has since been sold to Telkom. The late Donald Woods, former editor of the Daily Dispatch, was an alumnus; the 1988 film Cry Freedom was made about his friendship with Steven Biko. Stage and screen artists such as Lionel Newton and Sean Taylor are also products of CBC. “These great contributors to South Africa and the world would not have been possible without the contribution by the Christian Brothers, many of whom were from Ireland,” the school’s message noted. “These brave young men had left their families and their

homes to provide world-class education with at times very limited resources. They contributed the human capital or equity on which the successful model was based. “The education provided was holistic—including Catholic social justice. One of the Brothers who encouraged critical thinking was Br Loftus who often shared his personal experiences of living in Northern Ireland,” the message said. “Let’s also remember to celebrate the great foundation that the Brothers have established for so many who had the privilege to attend CBC in Kimberley and elsewhere. “A great debt of gratitude is owed to the Brothers who had sacrificed so much.”

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The Southern Cross, July 1 to July 7, 2020

LOCAL

Catholic group welcomes govt aid for refugees BY ERIN CARELSE

LEADING Catholic commentator welcomed a court judgment that special-permit refugees and asylum seekers be included in the government’s Covid19 Social Relief of Distress grant of R350 a month. In June, the Pretoria High Court ruled that directions issued by Social Development minister Lindiwe Zulu on March 30 and amended on May 9, were unlawful, unconstitutional and invalid since they did not include these categories of people. The judgment means that asylum seekers and special-permit holders from Angola, Lesotho and Zimbabwe, as well as asylum seekers whose permits or visas were valid on March 15 but might not be now, can access the Covid-19 grant based on the South African Social Security Agency’s criteria.

Fr Peter-John Pearson, director of the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office, said that the timing of the judgment was “poignant”: coinciding with World Refugee Day, with its theme of “Every Action Counts”. “Small victories such as the judgment of the Pretoria High Court must count as limited but significant attempts to ensure that, in such challenging times, the very vulnerable are not relegated to the bottom of the national agenda,” the priest said. The extension will potentially apply to roughly 188 000 asylumseekers. Unverified numbers for the special permits holders are about 250 000 Zimbabweans, 90 000 from Lesotho and 2 000 Angolans. Those who are eligible for the grant would be deemed to have access as from the day of the judgment. The six-month grant runs

from May to October; claims for May have expired, rendering it available as from June. Fr Pearson pointed out would-be beneficiaries will have to comply with the existing eligibility tests, which include having no other income, and no access to any other social grants or to UIF benefits. They must also be 18 years of age or older. “It is clear that this measure is designed for those who have absolutely no other means of support,” he said. “It should be noted that on more than one occasion during the pandemic, the government has been compelled to adopt more inclusive definitions of those eligible to benefit from the various supports on offer for people adversely impacted by Covid-19,” Fr Pearson added. In a short statement marking World Refugee Day, the South

African government had praised the courage and resilience of refugees worldwide. Curiously, Fr Pearson noted, it made no reference to the impact of the pandemic on displaced persons even though it is such a huge contemporary contributing factor, especially in how refugees are being managed at a time of closed borders. Pope Francis picked up directly on this link, Fr Pearson noted. On June 20 the pope said: “The coronavirus crisis has highlighted the need to ensure the necessary protection for refugees too, in order to guarantee their dignity and safety.” A few weeks earlier Pope Francis said: “The severity of the global crisis caused by the pandemic has relegated to the bottom of national political agendas those urgent international efforts essential to saving lives.”

“This is a dire warning,” Fr Pearson said. The UN Secretary-General, in his statement on World Refugee Day, acknowledged that 79,5 million people have fled their homes from the ravages of conflict, persecution, terror or some other crisis. Ten million of these fled in the last year alone. About 65% of all refugees came from just five countries, the highest number recorded. Half the number affected are young people under the age of 18. The secretary-general indicated that the pandemic had seriously exacerbated the situation, with 20 people fleeing their homes every minute. He also mentioned that both the pandemic and the anti-racism protests around the world had underlined the urgent need to work for a more just, equitable world.

Mariannhill Missionary appointed new laity coordinator for SACBC

‘Violence against women needs attention 365 days of every year’

BY FR PAuL TATu CSS

FTER six years of service as the SACBC coordinating secretary in the Department for Formation, Life and Apostolate of the Laity, Fr Sakhie Simon Mofokeng has been reassigned back to his diocese of Bethlehem in the Free State. Fr Nkosingiphile Cyril Ngubane, a member of Congregation of the Missionaries of Mariannhill widely known as Fr Skhumbuzo, has taken over from Fr Mofokeng. Fr Ngubane was born in Ixopo and belonged to Mariathal mission before his family moved to Pietermaritzburg in the late 1980s. He joined the Mariannhill Missionaries in 1996, making his first profession in 1998. Fr Ngubane studied at St Joseph’s Theological Institute in Cedara in KwaZulu-Natal before his ordination to the priesthood on June 26, 2004, in St Joseph’s cathedral in Mariannhill. He has been involved in parish work ever since. The mandate of the Depart-

Fr Nkosingiphile Cyril Ngubane CMM is the new coordinating secretary of the bishops’ Department for Formation, Life and Apostolate of the Laity. ment for Formation, Life and Apostolate of the Laity is to serve dioceses by strengthening communion between the laity and the hierarchy, committed to the implementation of the vision of the SACBC as promoted by the Council for Evangelisation and other magisterial documents. The department is also entrusted with the responsibility of initiating and implementing

programmes for the ongoing formation of the laity, as envisaged by the teachings of Vatican Council II and other subsequent Church documents. In the processes, it has to ensure that it promotes the participation of the laity in the life of the Church, giving attention to all, professional and lay. It also coordinates sodalities, associations and lay movements.

St Augustine College makes move to ‘blended’ teaching

OUTH Africa’s Catholic university, St Augustine College, has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic—but the crisis has also empowered the institution to make an important development. The initial impact of the pandemic was negative for the university, with its undergraduate students being forced to return home, and, in some cases, the parents of students being adversely affected and thus unable to pay fees, said St Augustine’s president, Prof Garth Abrahams. But the crisis has enabled the college to move from exclusively contact teaching towards “blended” teaching. “Blended” teaching is offered primarily online but with a contact element, although in current circumstances, contact is not possible, Prof Abrahams said. “The blended format dramatically widens the pool of potential students. Thus, a potential student need not necessarily spend any significant amount of time on the St Augustine campus in

Johannesburg,” he explained. Provided the potential student has access to a computer or tablet and the Internet, they can study through St Augustine wherever they might be based, “whether it be De Aar or Durban”, said Prof Abrahams. Apart from its higher certificate in biblical studies, which is already offered by “distance”, St Augustine will be offering all its degree qualifications in “blended” format: the two undergraduate degrees (arts and theology), and all of the postgraduate qualifications (theology, philosophy, peace studies, applied ethics, business ethics, culture and education). Apart from the regular January intake, St Augustine also admits students to its degree programmes in July of each year. n Those interested in registering for a degree qualification may contact the registrar, Petru Harrison, on 011 3809000 or at p.harrison@ staugustine.ac.za. Additional information is available on the college website www.staugustine.ac.za.

BY ERIN CARELSE

HE Justice Desk is echoing calls to place issues of gender-based violence and femicide on the agenda 365 days a year. Jessica Dewhurst, the Catholic founder and CEO of The Justice Desk, said genderbased violence (GBV) is a present and consistent threat to women. Yet, she noted, our media, communities and government responses do not reflect this. “To defeat this national pandemic…we require a significant increase in the allocation of resources to non-governmental and community-based organisations, in order for them to develop and implement along with local law enforcement agencies,” Ms Dewhurst said. “These organisations must be assisted by the government as part of the national plan to address the issue of GBV,” she added. The rate of GBV, and specifically violence against women at the hands of men in South Africa, has infiltrated all aspects of the lived experiences of women, Ms Dewhurst said. It is present in the school, home, community and public sectors. ““A core focus is on policy change, yet GBV organisations on the ground are underfunded, understaffed and have to reduce operations or turn women and children away due to a lack of resources,” she said. “It is our moral and legal obligation as

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all sectors of society to hold our systems, leaders and male perpetrators of violence accountable,” Ms Dewhurst said. “We can no longer allow our country’s inadequate, underresourced and illequipped frameworks to fail our women and children,” she added. The Justice Desk is calling for: • The Emergency Response Action Plan’s five key intervention areas’ target-reach be strengthened and updates be made available to the public monthly. • The nationwide response to school-related GBV be strengthened through childprotection policies, protocols, and regular, practical training in schools for parents, students, teachers and staff. • Confidential and well-equipped school counselling systems be available in all schools. • The school-based curriculum be revised to strengthen individual understanding of the law, reporting and human rights. • A structure be established to coordinate and hold the government responsible for its inaction, to ensure the correct handling of the prosecution of perpetrators. • Government resources be allocated to relevant non-governmental and community-based organisations. “While policy and legislative change is necessary and welcomed, actual change at the community level is needed, and it requires a multisector approach that holds men accountable,” Ms Dewhurst said.

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The Southern Cross, July 1 to July 7, 2020

INTERNATIONAL

Vatican updates the directory for catechesis T HE Vatican has published a new directory for catechesis, emphasising both its continuity with two previous directories and its new content on contemporary issues such as sex and gender, and medical advancements. “The new Directory for Catechesis offers the fundamental theologicalpastoral principles and some general orientations which are relevant for the practice of catechesis in our time,” Archbishop Rino Fisichella wrote in the introduction to the directory. The directory will be published in the major global languages. Archbishop Fisichella is president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelisation, which is responsible for the new edition of the directory, a 300-page book intended as a guide to bishops,

Cover of the updated Directory for Catechesis. It is intended as a guide for those involved in transmission of the faith.

priests, religious, and lay Catholics involved in teaching the Catholic faith. The new directory follows editions published in 1971 and 1997.

The 1971 General Catechetical Directory was created in an effort to systematise the teachings of the Second Vatican Council for catechesis. According to Archbishop Fisichella, the guiding criterion for the writing of the new edition was deepening the Church’s understanding of the role of catechesis in the area of evangelisation. Catechesis “needs to take on the very characteristics of evangelisation”, but without substituting it, the archbishop said. “In this relationship, the primacy belongs to evangelisation not to catechesis.” The directory’s introduction states that each directory is in continuity with the Church’s teachings, especially the documents of Vatican II, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, papal encyclicals, and synods of bishops.—CNA

Cardinal Pell’s prison journal to be published BY CAROL GLATZ

GNATIUS Press will be publishing Australian Cardinal George Pell’s prison journal, and it is also appealing for donations it will give the cardinal for outstanding legal expenses incurred in defending himself against allegations of the sexual abuse of minors. Fr Joseph Fessio SJ, editor of the US-based Ignatius Press, said the complete journal is about 1 000 pages, “so we will print it in three or four volumes”, with the first volume expected to be out in 2021.

A unanimous jury in Australia had found Cardinal Pell guilty in December 2018 on five counts of abuse and the Victoria Court of Appeal upheld that verdict in a 2-1 decision. The 79-year-old cardinal had served nearly 14 months out of a sixyear sentence when in April the High Court of Australia unanimously dismissed his conviction on charges of abusing two choirboys in 1996. Cardinal Pell’s trial and appeal are estimated by lawyers to have cost millions of dollars, but he said in an interview with Sky News Australia in

mid-April that the Church did not pay for it. He said it was paid for by “a lot of very generous people”, some of whom were wealthy, and he dipped into his own retirement savings. Fr Fessio wrote that now the cardinal still had “the ongoing challenge of meeting the many legal expenses which were necessary to right the terrible injustice done to him”. “One way of doing this is to publish his story,” the Jesuit said. Ignatius Press has published books by the cardinal in the past. —CNS

YOUR GIFT OF ANY AMOUNT HELPS

Mass is celebrated in the grotto at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in France. Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, papal vicar of Rome, will lead a diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes in August. (Photo: Nancy Wiechec/CNS)

Rome to resume pilgrimage schedule, starting with Lourdes

ARDINAL Angelo De Donatis, the papal vicar of Rome who spent ten days in a hospital with Covid-19, will lead a diocesan pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, in August. The trip, from August 24-27, is scheduled to mark the resumption of diocesan-sponsored pilgrimages, which were halted because of the pandemic and its travel restrictions. With some exceptions and many precautions, travel among European countries resumed on June 15. Cardinal De Donatis and four of the diocese’s five auxiliary bishops will lead the group to the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes. An August pilgrimage to Lourdes is a Rome diocesan tradition; the 2020 edition will include, as usual, catechesis, Masses and processions. But it also will include everyone wearing facemasks and observing social distancing, Roma Sette, the diocesan newspaper, reported. Announcing that the pilgrimage was on, the diocese of Rome said it would be “a journey of thanksgiving and of trust in Mary, who accompa-

nied and inspired the prayers of the diocese from the beginning of the lockdown”. Fr Remo Chiavarini, administrator of the Rome diocesan pilgrimage and travel agency, said that there also will be a diocesan pilgrimage to the Holy Land from September 7-14 and one to Fatima, Portugal, from October 11-14. The pilgrimages, he said, will keep in mind what Pope Francis has said about people needing to learn from the pandemic and the lockdown about their relationship with God, with others and with the environment. “We have many reasons to take time for prayer in these special places close to the Lord,” the priest said. “We can thank him for protecting our lives, but also ask his help for all our needs as well as entrusting to his hands all those who are dear to us.” A pilgrimage, Fr Chiavarini said, is an opportunity to “reinforce our trust and hope, to feel comforted and reassured and to grow in a real sense of solidarity”.—CNS

Prisoner of 30 years takes vows of poverty, chastity and obedience

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N Italian prisoner, sentenced to 30 years for murder, made vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the presence of his bishop. Luigi (not his real name), 40, wanted to be a priest when he was young, according to Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference. Kids called him “Father Luigi” when he was growing up. But alcohol, drugs, and violence changed the path of his life. In fact, he was under the influence of alcohol and cocaine when, getting into a fistight, he took a life. Luigi was sentenced to prison. There, he became a lector for Mass. He began to study. He started to pray again. He prayed, especially, “for the salvation of the man I killed”, he wrote in a letter. That letter was to Bishop Massimo Camisasca of Reggio EmiliaGuastalla. The two began a correspondence last year. By then, Luigi had grown close to two priests who acted as chaplains to the prison—Frs Matteo Mioni and Daniele Simonazzi. Bishop Camisasca said that in 2016 he decided to spend time in prison ministry. “I didn’t know much about the reality of prison, I confess. But since then a path of presence, celebration and sharing has started that has enriched me greatly,” the bishop said. Luigi’s vows are not part of joining a religious order or other organisation. They are instead a promise to God to live poverty, chastity, and obedience, commonly called the evangelical counsels, exactly where he is—in prison.

The idea emerged from his conversation with prison chaplains. “Initially he wanted to wait for his release from prison. It was Fr Daniele who suggested a different path, which would allow him to make these solemn vows now,” Bishop Camisasca said. “None of us are masters of our own future, the bishops said, “and this is all the more true for a person deprived of his freedom. This is why I wanted Luigi to think first of all what these vows mean in his present condition.” “In the end I convinced myself that in his gesture of self-giving there is something luminous for him, for the other prisoners and for the Church itself,” the bishop said. In reflections on his vows, Luigi wrote that chastity will allow him to “mortify what is external, so that what is most important about us may emerge”. Poverty offers him the possibility of settling for “the perfection of Christ, who has become poor” by making poverty itself “go from misfortune to bliss”, he wrote. Luigi wrote that poverty is also the ability to share life generously with other prisoners like him. Obedience, he said, is the willingness to listen, even while knowing that “God also speaks through the mouth of the fool”. Bishop Camisasca told Avvenire: “It seemed to me a world of despair in which the prospect of resurrection was continually contradicted and denied. This story, like others I have known, shows that this is not the case.”—CNA

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, July 1 to July 7, 2020

Pope Francis donates 35 ventilators to needy T HE Vatican has announced that Pope Francis has donated 35 ventilators to overwhelmed hospitals in developing countries, including Zimbabwe, as the number of coronavirus cases worldwide nears 10 million. The pope donated four ventilators each to Haiti, Venezuela, and Brazil, a country which has suffered more than 50 000 deaths from Covid-19. Ventilators were also distributed to Zimbabwe, Mexico, Colombia, Honduras, Ecuador, Cameroon, Bangladesh, Ukraine, and the Dominican Republic through the

local apostolic nunciatures. Pope Francis “expresses his closeness to countries affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, especially those with more distressed healthcare systems”, the Office of Papal Charities reported in a statement. The pope has donated ventilators on several other occasions during the pandemic. Pope Francis, who was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, marked the feast of his namesake, St George, with a gift of ventilators delivered to hospitals in Romania, Spain, and Italy on April 23. Vatican News also reported that

the pope donated three ventilators to Zambia’s bishops’ conference in May. Archbishop Andrés Carrascosa Coso, the apostolic nuncio in Ecuador, said that the delivery of the two ventilators in Quito was “a very heartfelt moment”. “The two machines have been welcomed with great joy, because the pope’s paternal gesture and attention has been understood for this country that suffers from a very delicate situation,” Archbishop Carrascosa Coso said.— CNA

to a life lived visibly with Christian values, particularly through works of mercy and charity. The second “chokehold”, he said, “is the mentality by which catechesis becomes the condition for receiving a particular sacrament of initiation, with a consequent void opening up once initiation has ended”. Related to that, he said, “is the exploitation of a sacrament in the name of pastoral strategy, so that— for example—the time frame for confirmation is dictated by the need not to lose the small flock of young people remaining in the parish rather than by the significance which the sacrament possesses of itself in the economy of the Christian life”. Asked by a reporter to elaborate, Archbishop Fisichella said setting an age for confirmation is a decision the Vatican has left up to bishops and, besides, it is a “lost battle” that can never be won. The archbishop said he was confirmed at the age of seven; early in the morning he received his first Communion and later that morning

the bishop came to confirm his class. In addition, he noted, many of the Eastern Catholic churches have preserved the tradition of administering all the sacraments of initiation—baptism, confirmation and Eucharist— to infants all at once. While Archbishop Fisichella said there were valid reasons the Latinrite Church began administering the sacraments separately, “saying that the sacrament of confirmation is only for adults, to manifest maturity in the faith, does not correspond to the nature of the sacrament itself”. And while different practices are acceptable, “I don’t think it’s nice to exploit a sacrament for pastoral aims such as delaying the reception of confirmation for as long as possible, with the necessary catechesis, to keep within the parish a group of very faithful” young people. In other words, the archbishop said, some parishes seem to want to hold on to young Catholics “as long as possible under a kind of blackmail insofar as granting them the sacrament”.—CNS

The Holy Face of Lucca crucifix in the cathedral of St Martin in Lucca, Italy. (Photo: Federico Magonio/Shutterstock/CNA)

Scientists: Italian crucifix Don’t ‘blackmail’ kids to come to church is the oldest in Europe BY CINDY WOODEN

LTHOUGH he said, “I would never go to war” over the proper age to administer the sacrament of confirmation, Archbishop Rino Fisichella said too often it seems that the sacrament is delayed to “blackmail” young people into continuing to come to church. The archbishop, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelisation, made the comment at the Vatican presentation of the updated Directory for Catechesis. In his prepared remarks, he said the directory hoped to promote “a ‘pastoral conversion’ in order to free catechesis from some chokeholds that prevent its effectiveness”. The first “chokehold”, he said, was treating catechesis as if it were a school subject with information a teacher imparts to students according to a fixed calendar and with a fixed text. Instead, the directory insists catechesis is the process of leading a person to a personal relationship with Jesus in the Church community and

CIENTISTS confirmed this month that a crucifix in the Italian city of Lucca is the oldest wooden statue in Europe. A radiocarbon dating study conducted by the National Institute for Nuclear Physics in Florence dated the 2,4m wooden crucifix to between 770 and 880 AD. The study was commissioned by the cathedral of Lucca to coincide with the 950-year anniversary of the cathedral’s consecration, which took place in the late 12th century. Devotion to the crucifix, known as the “Holy Face of Lucca”, spread throughout Europe in the Middle Ages, as pilgrims stopped in the walled Tuscan city on their way along the Via Francigena pilgrimage route from Canterbury to Rome. Dante mentions the Holy Face of Lucca in his Inferno, and English King William II took a solemn vow in the name of the Holy Face in 1087. The scientific study confirmed the local Catholic tradition based on a historical document stating that the crucifix arrived in Lucca in the late 8th century, according to the arch-

diocese of Lucca. However, it does not lend evidence to the legend that it was carved from life by Nicodemus, a contemporary of Christ. “For centuries much has been written of the Holy Face, but always in terms of faith and piety,” Annamaria Giusti, scientific consultant for the Lucca cathedral, said. “Only in the 20th century did a large critical debate begin around its dating and style. The prevailing opinion was that it was a work to be dated in the second half of the 12th century. Finally the assessment of this antique has closed this age-old controversial problem,” Ms Giusti said. “We can now consider it the oldest wooden statue in the West that has been passed down to us.” In the carbon-14 study, three samples of the wood were taken from different parts of the crucifix and one of the linen fabric to be evaluated. Each piece dated to between the last decades of the eighth century and beginning of the ninth century.— CNA

Martin Luther King’s daughter: Refuse to turn a blind eye BY CAROL GLATZ

HE cause of greater justice for all will be best served when people unite with a focus on reaching strategic goals, Bernice King told Vatican News. Racism can be defeated “first by refusing to turn a blind eye, by gathering information on the issues and by educating ourselves on the root causes and outcomes of racism”, said Rev King, the youngest daughter of Martin Luther King Jr and CEO of the King Centre for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta. People have to start looking at what makes “systemic and institutional racism seem invisible. The more we want to see and the more we want to effectuate change, the more evident the destructive, dehumanising nature of racism becomes”, she said in an interview Education and information gathering are the first steps in bringing about nonviolent social change, Rev King said. Next, people must be committed “to doing what my father describes as ‘our nettlesome

Rev Bernice King, daughter of the Rev Martin Luther King with Fr Michael Pfleger of Chicago. (Photo: Tami Chappell, Reuters/CNS) task’” of organising their strength into “compelling power” so that government, institutions and other systems of power “cannot elude our demands”, she said, quoting her fa-

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ther. Asked what her father would do in the current situation unfolding in the United States, Rev King said he would still be guided by his philosophy of nonviolence, “which corresponded with his following of Jesus Christ”. The late-civil rights leader would remind people of the nation’s history of violence, racism and injustice, and he would help young people root their protests in strategies aimed at organised, active and sustainable nonviolent social change, she said. “He would put a demand on influencers in the sectors of politics, arts, media, entertainment, criminal justice, healthcare and education to ensure racial equity and justice,” she added. “He would also put a demand on Churches to align their professions of faith with works that create just and equitable circumstances for black and brown people, as well as for economically marginalised communities, not only in the US, but around the world.”

Rev King said: “I do believe that the reactions and responses this time are more widespread and passionate, with more white people than ever before joining in protest. If we unite further with a focus on strategic goals, we will prove to be more productive for the cause of justice.” Violence can never be remedied by more violence, she said. “We are facing a choice between chaos or community,” Rev King said. “If we embrace violence, we are thereby selecting chaos, which ultimately leads to self-destruction.” However, she said, “if we embrace nonviolence, we will advance in building a more just, equitable, humane and peaceful world”, which includes the eradication of the “triple evils of

racism, poverty and militarism”. Rev King, who met with Pope Francis twice in 2018, said the pope’s “revolution of tenderness” requires people to understand that revolutions involve lots of learning. “We have to learn more about each other, learn more about the condition of humanity, learn how to, as my father said, ‘live together as brothers and sisters, so that we don’t perish together as fools’, and learn a way of engaging and destroying injustice and inhumanity without destroying each other,” she said.—CNS

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The Southern Cross, July 1 to July 7, 2020

The

LEADER PAGE

S outher n C ross Editor: Günther Simmermacher

What colour Jesus?

T a time when all over the world statues of historical figures are falling, societies face their often painful histories and reconsider how the past— and other neglected histories— should be told. This iconoclasm—the destruction of icons and monuments—may be painful to some, but it challenges old certainties, not only about the subjects of these statues but also about societies that were shaped by these men (very few of them were women). It is inevitable that iconoclastic movements might also misdirect their anger at the wrong subjects—which serves to negate the argument that statues are useful signposts of history. One such wrong-headed target concerns images of Jesus Christ which are seen to be Eurocentric. Catholics need not be told that it would be sacrilegious to allow the destruction of images of Jesus in the pursuit of sociopolitical points. Any proposition to destroy religious art or icons must be strongly and unequivocally opposed, by people of faith and those of none. At the same time, however, our objections must be accompanied by an acknowledgment that certain common depictions of Jesus in the likeness of a European man have contributed to a normalisation of white chauvinism. The argument is summarised in this way: When the normative image of Jesus is that of a white man, it conveys the idea that the historical Jesus was white, with the subliminal message that whites are superior to other races. Colonialists and even some missionaries used European Christian art to communicate such notions of white superiority. Many more missionaries did so without even realising it. In South African churches, the image of a white Jesus still dominates. Here, as elsewhere, that provokes a counter-assertion that Jesus was, in fact, black. For our faith, it does not matter what Jesus looked like. Jesus is the Incarnation, God made Flesh. God has no colour, no race, no ethnicity, no caste, no gender. We all are made in his image, which means God has no image. And if God has no image,

then it is immaterial to our faith what colour, race or ethnicity one might ascribe to Jesus. But for the purposes of the Incarnation, Jesus had to occupy a body. In a society where women had no rights, he had to be a man. Physically, he had to have the DNA of the people into whose midst he was born. For the sake of history, it is safe to say that ethnically, Jesus was Caucasian, most probably with a dark skin, dark hair and brown eyes. The indigenous Palestinian people of the Holy Land give us a sense of how the people around Jesus looked. Those who believe that the Shroud of Turin was Jesus’ actual burial cloth even have a compelling image of Jesus’ physical characteristics. But because the Gospels don’t describe Jesus’ physical appearance, or that of his blessed Mother, artists throughout the centuries have had to use their imagination. And as Western European art became increasingly dominant, depictions of Jesus and Mary—and even their environment—reflected the characteristics of those people at whom these works of art were aimed. That was an act of inculturation—the process by which we adapt the symbols and certain practices of our faith to make it relevant to the local cultural contexts. But that art ceased to reflect local cultures when it was exported to missions in colonialised territories. The popularity of modern devotions that emanated from apparitions in Europe—the images of which reflected the visionaries’ particular local culture— might have further entrenched the idea of Jesus and Mary as “white”. Of course, there are famous inculturated exceptions, such as Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, Our Lady of Akita in Japan, or the “Jesus Mafa” art project in Cameroon from 1973. But these are few. “Jesus was black” should be seen not as a historical observation—it would be an incorrect one—but as an attempt to make him more universal than the general narrative suggests. It is a legitimate pursuit. Our task now must be to encourage inculturated religious art, and to have the courage to display it in our churches.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

The Editor reserves the right to shorten or edit published letters. Letters below 300 words receive preference. Pseudonyms are acceptable only under special circumstances and at the Editor’s discretion. Name and address of the writer must be supplied. No anonymous letter will be considered.

Whataboutism a fallacy on Black Lives Matter B RIAN Gouveia’s letter (June 17) headlined “White Lives Do Matter, Mr Editor!” is fallacious from beginning to end. The fallacy is that of “whataboutism”, closely related to the red herring. Editor Günther Simmermacher argued convincingly in his editorial of June 3 that there are clear, urgent reasons why black lives matter; Mr Gouveia says in reply, “What about white lives?” The editor pointed out that a number of people have died at the hands of security forces in South Africa during lockdown; Mr Gouveia says, “What about farm murders?” The editor noted that, here, in the US and in Israel, armed forces meant to serve and protect their citizens

Robust debate needed for truth

T is worrisome to have read Cardinal Wilfrid Napier’s criticism of The Southern Cross. This was an attack not only on the editor of the paper but also on what “freedom of the press” stands for. It is evident that Cardinal Napier subscribes to pre-Pope Francis times when our Church was quick to silence those learned Catholic men and women who had the temerity to challenge traditional Roman Catholic beliefs. The truth of the matter is the world needs robust debate, for which many of its advocates have died—Socrates, Jesus, Giordano Bruno, Steve Biko, St Oscar Romero, Jamal Khashoggi. The list is long. Closer to home and in my archdiocese of Johannesburg, is it not time to reevaluate our priorities? Is it necessary to spend R15 million on a shrine to Mary? Will this impress Jesus’ mother, who was a humble woman who in all likelihood had to be resourceful to make ends meet on a daily basis? Should we rather not be planting trees at the Magaliesberg venue in honour of Mother Mary which, besides offering shade, reduce greenhouse gases warming our planet. Pope Francis leads by example; as bishop in Buenos Aires he travelled by using public transport. After being elected as bishop of Rome (and leader of the worldwide Catholic Church), he opted for a second-hand car offered to him by a fellow clergyman. There is no doubt that the humble St John XXIII reset the Church on its ordained path in 1962, with the launch of the Second Vatican Council, and we owe Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI a vote of thanks for having the wisdom to step down.

A Baltimore priest in the US holds a Black Lives Matter sign. (Photo: Tim Swift, Catholic Review/CNS) have instead been killing them; Mr Gouveia says, “What about the murder of innocent, unarmed, white elderly people?”

For nine years we in South Africa lived with a president who continuously played the race card; we humbly ask Cardinal Napier to quit the “guilt-bashing”, too long a traditional Catholic habit which we can well do without. Patrick Dacey, Johannesburg

What’s up with no-mask bishops?

HE front page of the June 24 issue refers (see above). There is a photo of seven bishops at the installation of Archbishop Zolile Mpambani as archbishop of Bloemfontein. Seven bishops—not a mask in sight! And standing close together—where is social distancing? What were they thinking? And what a non-example to give! Sue Rakoczy IHM, Hilton, KZN

Let’s stand firm against abortion

AMIAN McLeish does not give up his fight against abortion, as his letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa (May 27) asking him to stop abortions in South Africa shows. Last year Mr McLeish sent an equivalent letter to Pope Francis, but the pope did not answer. Not surprisingly, as the pope didn’t even answer the “dubia” letter from four cardinals. More than 100 000 abortions take place every year in South Africa. Worldwide the number of

All these “what abouts” are intended to undermine the central point of the editor’s argument without actually refuting it—because, of course, it cannot be refuted. And then, to leave us in no doubt that, where Mr Gouveia is concerned, white lives and interests matter most, if not exclusively, he ends with the astonishing assertion that “it is time to view our planet realistically and without fear of intimidation by other races”. “Our” planet? “Other” races? For the likes of Mr Gouveia, it’s a white world. Which rather proves the thesis of the editorial: “All lives matter, but right now, it is necessary to point out that black lives matter.” Mike Pothier, Cape Town

abortions in the last 50 years is estimated at 1,5 billion. South Africa should wish to have a president like Donald Trump, whom abortion opponents in the US regard as their greatest convert and champion. Mr Trump became not only the first president to address the March for Life but also invited Down syndrome patients to the White House on World Down Syndrome Day in 2019. Preborn babies with Down syndrome are an endangered species. Some countries pride themselves already on being Down-free. No wonder the Lord’s wrath is provoked by the abortion holocaust. The Corona pandemic could be the expression of that wrath. And if we believe the messages from Our Lady of Fatima and Civitavecchia, possibly worse is still to come. JH Goossens, Pretoria

English view of gentleman God

HE English, it is said, have a view that God is an elderly English gentleman seated comfortably in a beautiful garden. The site of the Garden of Eden has never been found, although there have been many attempts. I like to think that once Adam and Eve had been given the order of the boot, together with that slimy serpent, The Angels took the garden to Heaven. Adrian Kettle, Cape Town 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

The Southern Cross, July 1 to July 7, 2020

PERSPECTIVES

Bad luck? Who knows? A STORY by Jesuit Father Anthony De Mello traces a series of events in the life of a Chinese farmer. It begins with the farmer losing his horse—but the horse returns with a herd of wild horses. Then his son breaks a leg while trying to break in the horses—but the broken leg prevents him from being recruited into the army. After each incident, the farmer receives commiserations on his bad luck or congratulations on his good luck. Every time, the farmer responds: “Good luck? Bad luck? Who knows?” This story reminds me of what we are experiencing this year. The Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis have disrupted every aspect of life. Some of us have lost loved ones. We live in fear of getting sick and endangering high-risk family members. So many are in financial distress and don’t know how long they can go on without their income. Looking at 2020, we may be tempted to write it off as a bad year, best forgotten as we wait for life to return to normal. Or we can take the attitude of the Chinese farmer. He recognises that events aren’t isolated. Everything is connected. If his horse hadn’t run off, then it is likely that his son would have been sent to fight a war in which he may have died. The initial bad luck resulted in an unforeseen blessing. However, the farmer is cautious enough to recognise that the last incident is not the end, and that we cannot see how things ultimately play out. Similarly, Covid-19 has destroyed everyone’s plans for this year, and some bank balances may not recover. This brings suffering, despair, and spiritual anguish. Our natural inclination is to avoid suffering, and our tendency is to react with anger, cynicism, and denial, as we’ve seen played out in the recent news cycle. Seen from this perspective, the effects of the pandemic can only be negative. The Christian author C.S. Lewis wrote:

“Everything is as good or as bad as our opinion makes it.” Can we really make this situation any better by changing our opinions? Time will tell. This is a time for inventors. By invention, I don’t mean the creation of revolutionary technology, or a medical cure that has eluded scientists for decades. An inventor is someone who identifies a problem and finds a solution to it. Our society isn’t working. A few have too much, while billions do not have enough. We work ourselves to death and miss the best years of our lives because we’re chasing professional success. We have separated our souls from our bodies to such an extent that we don’t even know who we are anymore, adding to the stress of navigating the modern world.

We are burnt-out And we’re burnt-out. The experts now tell us that we can overcome this separation from ourselves by practising mindfulness and taking up yoga. These things can help us to restore a sense of the bigger picture, but none of them solve the core problem: We have put humankind at the service of a global moneymaking system, which can only be sustained by producing more,

Nuns with protective masks travel on a bus in Rome. In her column, SarahLeah Pimentel suggests that the Covid19 pandemic may be not just bad news. (Photo: Yara Nardi, Reuters/CNS)

A truly essential service P RESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement in late May that places of worship may reopen for public worship during Level 3 of the nationwide lockdown was met with mixed emotions, but his declaration of religious leaders as essential frontline workers for the spiritual care of the people was welcomed by many. Of course, they always have provided a unique service to humanity. For the Catholic faithful, priests, who are obliged to pray for them daily, are particularly close to the people, even though this has been physically impossible for the past few months. A priest, one could say, is first and foremost, a shepherd who cares for the whole flock. More than a job, this is truly a vocation. We have all been particularly inspired by the manner in which the bishops of the Catholic Church in Southern Africa have provided spiritual accompaniment while reminding the people about their obligation to care for the common good of all and encouraging outreach to the poor. Priests, young and old, have tried in creative ways to reach out to the people they serve, mainly through social media platforms. They have done so through livestreaming of the liturgy and providing devotional literature, through reflections in videos or voice-notes. Some have tried to encourage the faithful through captivating short inspirational messages from the Scriptures or quotes from the saints.

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A priest wears a facemask as he stands outside a church in Manila, Philippines. (Photo: Eloisa Lopez, Reuters/CNS) All of this shows the concern of the priest for the spiritual wellbeing of the faithful which makes a difference through their entire lives. But the priest is also an intercessor, a role he can carry out in full view of the people or often in “secret”.

A consolation for the faithful At his ordination he resolves to celebrate the mysteries of Christ, especially the Blessed Eucharist, faithfully and reverently, for the glory of God and the sanctification of the Christian people. Even though it is desirable that at least some of the faithful be present, in certain cases, priests have been celebrating the Holy Mass without the physical presence of the people. Pastors of souls—our parish priests—

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working more, buying more, and wanting more. At some point that system has to collapse. Humanity can only be pushed so far, and the earth only has so many resources to give. Perhaps this pandemic has taught us that we don’t need more. What we need is a better quality of life. We’ve learnt this in small ways, such as deriving joy from making healthy homecooked meals. Travel is impossible, which has prompted us to rediscover our neighbourhoods. Communities are reaching out to one another. Informal food kitchens have popped up in response to the growing needs of hungry families. Even though money is in short supply everywhere, people share what little they have to help someone who has even less. Our spiritual lives have also evolved over the past three months. We have realised that Church is about more than attending Mass on Sunday. We miss it, and online Masses go only so far to satiate our physical hunger. However, we’ve also realised that the Mass makes most sense because of the presence of the communion of believers. We are missing the community, the connectedness, the need for a spiritual life that can sustain us in this time of uncertainty and fear. Many parishes have used the available media to reach out to their congregations. How much more can these means be used to continue to foster community beyond Sundays when we get back to Mass? Ecclesiastes reminds us that there is a time for every season (3:1-8). Perhaps the Covid-19 pandemic presents a unique opportunity that allows the Holy Spirit to work in the hearts of people to begin to invent a new world. This pandemic is terribly bad luck. Is it? Who knows?

Fr Runaine Radine

Paths of Vocation

have an obligation to offer the Eucharistic Sacrifice for all the people of their parishes every week and on holy days of obligation (technically called the Missa Pro Populo in canon law). Indeed, the Holy Mass is celebrated daily, from the rising of the sun to its setting (even if livestreaming is not made available), and this must be a consolation to the faithful during these uncertain times, when they cannot have access to the sacraments for now. Similarly, the priest resolves at his ordination, to implore (with the bishops) God’s mercy upon the people entrusted to his care by observing the command to pray without ceasing. One way he does this, already since the time of his diaconate ordination, is to celebrate every day the Liturgy of the Hours (also known as the Divine Office or Prayer of the Church), a prayer of intercession for the Church and the whole world at different hours of the day, particularly in the morning and evening. Priests, as essential workers, have been providing an essential service since time immemorial, a service of love, in imitation of Christ, the faithful and merciful High Priest (cf Hebrews 4:14-16). We all look forward to the day when we will be reunited in our churches. In the meantime, as always, your priests are praying for you; would you please pray for us, too?

Point of Reflection

Listen to God!

HE way people are living today has silently blocked out the concept and practice of listening to others and God. To talk about an experience of listening seems to be a bit bizarre because it gives the impression that one wants people to live as if they are in the medieval period. All this is because people today rarely listen to each other—and, even worse, they rarely listen to God. Listening is a challenge. However, God is always open to us, even when we believe we can live away from him. In the times of joys and crises, God welcomes us and helps us to be good listeners, to read the signs of the times. Look to heaven from where our help comes as humanity does not only live by bread alone. These are the possibilities. In our world today, one may easily follow the fashion of not listening to God because the media has brainwashed us. We have been moving from a world of a divine Guide to a world of relativism whereby each one feels comfortable with anything that is noisy in order to avoid silence. But that silence is a time to reflect upon oneself, a time to think about the Creator. Human beings are like passengers in a train who avoid the experience of listening either to others or to God. So the call to silence to a noisy humanity is a seemingly insurmountable challenge—but yet, there always is a possibility, because God is forever telling us: Do not be afraid. In the time of crisis, the grace of God is our comfort. We just need to listen to his Word.

Go to your room and listen to God The natural disaster of Covid-19 reminds us that there is a need for us to go into our rooms and experience the presence of God, and to listen to his Word. Listening to God is a challenge because we live in a world of opportunities, a world of forgetfulness due to the accelerated rhythm of life. Many times, we forget what is essential— the mystery of our existence. Globalisation has caused us to forget who we are. We are beings created in the image and likeness of God. Unfortunately, there are times when we behave like animals and we ignore the inner voice—the ontological conscience which reminds us to stop for a while, to be silent and experience God and the wonders he has done through his creation. Consequently, people forget that the truth of man and nature is far beyond what one can verify and experience. People have reduced everything to the positivism of reason. But there are limits which we cannot overcome because we live not only on physical food but also on every Word that proceeds from mouth of God (Mt 4:4; Lk 4:4). It is high time we stopped and listened to God and experienced his presence in the world. It is time to restore ourselves, breath afresh and listen to the Divine appeal and follow his laws and commandments. We have been moving away from him. That is why, ungrateful souls as we may be, we must turn to him, especially during this current situation, and dialogue with God in order to understand what God wants from us. We forget to read God’s signs because of the new lifestyle which the world has proposed to us. Nevertheless, God is still in our midst. God just wants us to lament and to amend our faults of ignoring his sign and Word. The possibility of restoring our dignity does not depend on us because only God can forgive our sins and give back human dignity. Only God is merciful and just. That is why only God is the Lord. Turn back to him, talk to him and listen to his Word; know that humans created false gods that lead us to perdition and death. It is possible to renew our covenant with God; listen, listen, listen to him because God cannot forget about us (Is 49:15).

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Extra for Subscribers: The Southern Cross, July 1 to July 7, 2020

CHURCHES

London’s lively Catholic history 6. St George’s Cathedral, Southwark

After the Reformation, Catholics in England suffered many persecutions and discrimination. And yet they never left. SIMON CALDWELL describes the city’s historic Catholic landmarks.

ISITORS to London might be surprised to discover the extent to which the British capital city has been marked by the Catholic faith over the centuries. Riding the trains of the London Underground they notice stations with names such as Temple, Blackfriars, Charing Cross and Covent Garden. Above ground, the traces of Catholicism are yet more noticeable: Whitefriars, Greyfriars, Ave Maria Lane and Paternoster Square all denote a rich Catholic heritage that precedes the Reformation. Catholics never left London, and during the 16th and 17th centuries they soaked the city with their blood, with 105 beatified and canonised martyrs dying on the Tyburn gallows, while many others were executed in other parts of the capital. However, the hope and new confidence that was ushered in with the “second spring” of the 19th century means that, today, stunning Catholic cathedrals and churches again adorn the city landscape. Here are a number of sites well worth a visit, not listed in order of importance or prominence:

Interior of Westminster cathedral (Photo: Diliff/Wikipedia)

3. Westminster Cathedral

ardinal Nicholas Wiseman was installed as the first archbishop of Westminster here when the hierarchy of the Catholic Church of England and Wales was restored in 1850, making it the first Catholic cathedral in England since the Reformation. Ironically, this gothic cathedral, now the seat of the archbishop of Southwark, was built on St George’s Fields, where Lord George Gordon in 1780 incited three days of rioting—the Gordon Riots—against plans to emancipate Catholics. www.southwark-rc-cathedral.org.uk

Byzantine-style structure designed by John Francis Bentley and opened in 1903, this is the mother church of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. It is not yet completed, and mosaics are being added all the time. It is the burial place of Cardinal George Basil Hume and the other archbishops of Westminster, and also of St John Southworth, a 17th-century martyr. Take the lift up the bell tower (the bell is named Edward after St Edward the Confessor, patron of the archdiocese) for a spectacular view across to Buckingham Palace. www.westminstercathedral.org.uk

Tomb of St Thomas More in the Tower of London (Photo: Marcin Mazur/CNS)

Temple church, once the Knights Templar’s English headquarters (Photo: John Salmon)

7. Temple Church

his historic gem is tucked away in the back lanes and courtyards off Fleet Street. A church of the Knights Templar, it was consecrated in 1185 by the patriarch of Jerusalem. It reflects a fashion in the Crusades era for circular naves in imitation of the Church of Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. King Henry VIII confiscated the church in 1540. It features in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. www.templechurch.com

Westminster Abbey is Britain’s pre-eminent Gothic church. (Photo: Marcin Mazur/CNS)

T Tyburn Martyrs’ shrine, altar with a replica of Tyburn Tree (Photo: John D Smith)

1. Tyburn Convent

his is the motherhouse of the Adorers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Montmartre, an order of cloistered Benedictine nuns. It stands just metres from the site of the infamous “Tyburn Tree” on which more than a hundred Catholics died for their faith during the Reformation. It houses the Martyrs’ Crypt, which contains bones, hair, scraps of bloodied shirts, fragments of rope and other such relics salvaged secretly by Catholics and preserved for generations. The nuns will show visitors around the ground. www.tyburnconvent.org.uk

4. Westminster Abbey

his is an Anglican church under the personal jurisdiction of the sovereign. This former Benedictine monastery founded by St Edward the Confessor is the place where English monarchs are crowned, sometimes marry, and often are buried. St Edward’s tomb survived the frenzied destruction of shrines during the Reformation, partly because it was a royal tomb. Nearly 1000 years after his death he is still there. His October 13 feast day is the only time when the abbey is open free of charge. Pope Benedict addressed Anglican leaders in the abbey during his 2010 visit. www.westminster-abbey.org

Westminster Hall. (Photo: parliament.uk)

T The church of the Immaculate Conception (Photo: David Banks)

2. Immaculate Conception church, Farm Street

O St Etheldreda’s church, London’s oldest Catholic church

8. St Etheldreda’s Church, Holborn

his is the oldest Catholic church in London, predating the Reformation. Built in 1290, it was formerly the chapel of the London palace of the bishop of Ely and was lost to the Catholic Church at the Reformation before being bought by the Rosminian order in 1874. It is beautifully preserved and oozes history. Its stained-glass windows are among the most beautiful in the city, and it has a collection of lifesize statues of the many Catholic martyrs who once lived in the vicinity. The church is within easy reach of the Ship Tavern, a pub where 18th-century Catholics secretly gathered to hear homilies by Bishop Richard Challoner. www.stetheldreda.com

St Bartholomew the Great priory in West Smithfield.

9. St Bartholomew the Great

T St George’s cathedral, Southwark (Photo: Danny Robinson)

10. The Tower of London

here is so much Catholic history associated with this one site that it is advisable to turn up early and spend the whole day there. Graffiti by such martyrs as Ss Philip Howard and Henry Walpole are etched into the walls of the Beauchamp and Salt towers respectively and is so well-preserved that it looks recent. Ss Thomas More and John Fisher were imprisoned there in 1535 before their executions on nearby Tower Hill. Their headless bodies, along with those of two Catholic martyrs. William Howard (Viscount Stafford) and Countess Margaret Pole, lie in the crypt of the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula. Other martyrs, such as St Edmund Campion, were racked in the Tower, and St Nicholas Owen was tortured to death there. www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/

More Catholic sites to see

5. Westminster Hall

his is where St Thomas More, St Edmund Campion and many other Catholic martyrs were tried and sentenced to death, commemorated by a plaque in the centre of the hall. It was the venue in which Pope Benedict XVI addressed British members of parliament during his 2010 visit. A worthy place of pilgrimage but book in advance. www.parliament.uk/about/livingheritage/building/palace/westminsterhall/

ecause of its proximity to the US embassy, the mother church of the English Jesuit province—to which South Africa’s Jesuits used to belong—is sometimes considered the “American church”. It is worth a visit because it’s the finest Catholic example of the Victorian Gothic Revival in London and one of the most beautiful churches in the city, the grandeur of its architecture exuding the joyful hope of English Catholics as they emerged from a long period of suffering. www.farmstreet.org.uk

William “Braveheart” Wallace was executed and where some Protestant—and Catholic— martyrs were burned for their faith. English artist William Hogarth was baptised there, and Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States, worked there for a time as a printer. www.greatstbarts.com

his former Augustinian priory—now an Anglican church—was built in the 12th century, survived the Great Fire of London and the World War II London Blitz. Its age and the solemnity of its Norman architecture make it one of the most atmospheric churches in London, and it is often sought as a location for filmmakers—Four Weddings and a Funeral was shot there, for example. It stands close to where the Scottish rebel

ther sites of interest might include a walk along Cheapside, the ancient thoroughfare off which Ss Thomas More (Milk Street) and Thomas Becket (Ironmonger Lane) were born. St John Henry Newman was born on nearby Old Broad Street. At London Charterhouse there are still the remains of the Carthusian priory where St John Houghton celebrated a Mass of the Holy Spirit before refusing to take the oath attached to the Act of Succession, resulting in him becoming the first martyr of the Reformation, on May 4, 1535. In London’s West End is the church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory, Warwick Street. This was formerly the chapel of first the Portuguese and then the Bavarian embassies. For a period of time,it was one of the few places in London where Catholics were free to attend Mass. It was destroyed in the Gordon Riots and rebuilt, but still offers good examples of English Baroque architecture. The present chapel was opened on the feast of St Gregory the Great in 1790. It is frequently used for classical and choral concerts. In Covent Garden is Corpus Christi church, Maiden Lane, dubbed the “Actors’ Church”. Watch for famous faces. Founded in 1873, it was the first London church dedicated to the Blessed Sacrament after the Reformation, and the famous hymn “Sweet Sacrament Divine” was written by its parish priest, Fr Francis Stanfield (1835-1914). Not far away is the Anglican church of St Giles in the Fields. Eleven Catholic martyrs are buried against its northern wall, including four Jesuits and their provincial who were executed on June 20, 1679, amid the hysteria of the fabricated “Popish Plot” of Titus Oates. Heading farther west to Knightsbridge, don’t miss the London Oratory (also known as Brompton Oratory), the Renaissance-style church near Harrods and home to the Oratorians. It is popular with wellheeled and fashionable London Catholics, and for many years was the place to go for the Latin Mass, alongside Corpus Christi in Covent Garden. London’s museums also include items of Catholic interest. The Museum of London, for instance, contains the plinth of the Monument to the Fire of London that falsely blames the disaster on Catholics, and the Clink Prison Museum on the south bank of the Thames River recreates the conditions under which Catholics were incarcerated during the Elizabethan persecution.—CNS

Extra for Subscribers: The Southern Cross, July 1 to July 7, 2020

HISTORY

Journalists put Church record straight Often the Catholic Church gets a bad rap for events in history. Two journalists set out to debunk the myths, as CAROL GLATZ reports.

HE Inquisition, the Crusades, the trial of the Knights Templar, the condemnation of Galileo Galilei and the role of Pope Pius XII during World War II are just a few “hot” historical events in the life of the Church that can still today ignite controversy and fiery debate. However, most people have only a vague notion of what those events were about, with facts coloured or clouded by political censorship, social biases and urban legends fuelled by fictionalised accounts made popular in film and other media. Two Polish journalists, Grzegorz Gorny and Janusz Rosikon, wanted to debunk some of the myths and fill in the gaps with their illustrated book, Vatican Secret Archives: Unknown Pages of Church History, which was published in English by Ignatius Press. After co-authoring a number of books on such themes as St Faustina Kowalska, the relics of Christ, and the events at Fatima, “we decided to familiarise people with the turbulent history of this extraordinary institution [the Vatican archives] and with various controversial episodes regarding the history of the Church as seen through the prism of the documents housed in the Vatican Secret Archives”, Mr Gorny said. To learn from and assess the past correctly, “one must first thoroughly and accurately ascertain the facts”, which is why the two journalists visited what are now called the Vatican Apostolic Archives and others. They also met with numerous historians to look at controversial figures and events from a different point of view, they said in the

The signature of astronomer Galileo Galilei from the records of his trial is seen on a document in the Vatican Apostolic Archives. A new book, Vatican Secret Archives: Unknown Pages of Church History, looks at various historical episodes in the history of the Church by consulting documents housed in the Vatican Apostolic Archives. (Photo: Vatican Apostolic Archives) book’s introduction. “We are against journalism of the Ctrl C-Ctrl V sort” that copies and pastes, Mr Gorny said. “We are doubting Thomases” who have to “touch everything” by spending years visiting the places they were writing about, talking to witnesses and scholars and spending time in archives, he said. Mr Rosikon, who took most of the photographs in the book, said they wanted to give the reader the feeling of “finding himself in the places we described”. The book’s release was timed to coincide with the March opening of the Vatican archival material relating to the wartime period under Pope Pius XII. The last chapter is de-

voted to how the pope became the centre of controversy with accusations he did not say enough publicly against Nazi atrocities and to what Jesuit historian Fr Peter Gumpel and others have found in available archives. “There’s just no question that [Pope Pius XII] has been terribly slandered,” said Vivian Dudro, senior editor at Ignatius Press. “But, how do you interpret his silence? How are you going to weigh the man’s actions when so many of them were deliberately kept secret for reasons of safety and security of the people he was trying to help? When someone’s been silent and his actions have been covered up, how are you supposed to know what he

did?” she asked. Historians expect that it will take years of combing through the Vatican’s newly available documents to get an even better and clearer understanding of what happened and why. “History teaches us that life is the art of making decisions,” Mr Gorny said, so the book describes the people “responsible for the fate of large communities, people who had to make decisions between, for example, security and freedom, between a greater and a lesser evil”. Ms Dudro said the authors aren’t engaged in “Church triumphalism”, but instead show “the good, the bad and the ugly on the part of players on the Church’s side or in the

Church’s interest”. “If you admit that sometimes things get done badly, that’s not an act of disloyalty against the Church,” she said. But the authors’ approach is, “if all you’ve heard about is terrible things done by the Church, there’s more to this story and let’s listen to some scholars who’ve uncovered some of these things”, Ms Dudro said. Mr Gorny said he finds inspiration from St Luke, whose Gospel and Acts of the Apostles “are classic reportages”. St Luke wrote that he wanted to depict events as faithfully as possible, on the basis of eyewitness accounts, supplemented with what he himself saw. “That is how a reporter works: he describes what he himself saw or what he had heard from reliable people,” Mr Gorny said. In fact, “journalism is an evangelical profession, as its mission is to bear witness to the truth”. Ms Dundro, who has also worked as a reporter for the Catholic press, said having an open mind is critical for journalists and readers, too. “Have the humility to accept that you don’t know as much as you think you do, be open to new information and weigh it”, look for people’s vested interests or motives, and “go out of your way to talk to people who think differently”, she said. People need accurate information to make good decisions and there is too much at stake today to be limited to one polarised side, she said. “If God didn’t want us to go to all this trouble to try to figure out what the truth is, he would have made us like the other animals and we would just be operating on instinct every day,” she said. “But no, he gave us brains so we are supposed to use them to try to apprehend the truth as best we can, to try to conform ourselves to the truth as best we can, and that is an ongoing process that takes your whole life.”—CNS

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The Southern Cross, July 1 to July 7, 2020

BOOK REVIEWS

A useful lexicon of Catholic lingo DO YOU SPEAK CATHOLIC? The Little Book of Catholic Words: Definitions, Explanations and Illustrations. Compiled by Frank Nunan. SA Catholic Online Books. 2020. 117pp Reviewed by Günther Simmermacher ATHOLIC jargon can be confusing, with all those words adapted from Latin, specific applications and distinctions of terminology, and the extraordinary versatility of the word “ordinary”. Frank Nunan’s book Do You Speak Catholic? offers relief to such confusion, and serves as a useful catechism even for those who speak Catholic pretty well. For example, we may instinctively take it for granted that candles are lit during Mass, but might not really know why, or what the liturgical requirements governing their use are. This little lexicon ex-

plains the why and how. Even this reviewer, whose job it is to be fluent in Catholic, had a couple of “aha!” moments. Who knew that the circular container in which the Blessed Sacrament is placed for exposition in a monstrance has a name: lunette (which I had known only as an architectural and artistic term). The book also offers some basic instructions which parishes might be unaware of. For example, the ambo may not be used for nonliturgical purposes, such as parish notices or an account of the funds raised at the bazaar (and if you’re not sure what an ambo is, you might need a book like this). The book may be useful in settling points of pedantry in the common use of terms, such as the difference between the Eucharist, Holy Communion and the Mass; or between feasts, solemnities and memorials; or between auxiliary

and coadjutor bishops (the former is an assistant bishop, the latter a co-bishop). That knowledge avoids misleading error, promotes precision of terminology, and helps avoid hair-splitting arguments.

unan presents his definitions in brief, accessible and clear terms, drawing the sting of intimidation from complicated words. Going through them is educating, edifying and entertaining. Some entries will surely move the reader to explore certain terms more fully. The author encourages that. The brief he set himself is to provide an overview rather than a comprehensive discussion of the terms he treats. With the Internet, it isn’t difficult to build on Nunan’s information. Readers will find some of the many illustrations helpful, such as photos of clerical dress, or the graph of the liturgical year, or the

layout of churches. However, I am not a great fan of decorative medieval fonts in headings; I must have misread the word “sacred” as “sacked” a few times. Future editions of the book, which surely there will be, might usefully add the correct pronunciation for some featured terms, such as kerygma. In his erudite introduction, Bishop Vincent Zungu of Port Elizabeth, the diocese Nunan lives in, expresses his hope that the book will help deepen the reader’s Catholic identity and “appreciation of our heritage and enhance your full, conscious, meaningful and active participation in the Eucharist, the source and summit of all our Christian life”. No doubt, Do You Speak Catholic? accomplishes that task as it reveals the wealth of our Church’s great traditions and the delightful quirks which underpin

the richness of our faith. n Do You Speak Catholic? is available at R175 (plus p&p) at w w w. s a c a t h o l i c o n l i n e . o r g / index.php/the-store

Writer decodes Pope Francis WOUNDED SHEPHERD: Pope Francis and His Struggle to Convert the Catholic Church, by Austen Ivereigh. Henry Holt and Company. New York, 2019. 401pp Reviewed By Agostino Bono HEN it comes to interpreting Pope Francis, Austen Ivereigh is often the go-to guy. After the pope’s election in 2013, Ivereigh was quick out of the gate with a 2014 biography, The Great Reformer. In Wounded Shepherd, Ivereigh chronicles the pope’s seven-year effort to make major changes in how the Church acts, thinks, and bureaucratically administers doctrine and practice. The Argentine pope’s reforms go way beyond rearranging the chairs, name plates, finances and priorities of the Church’s administrative offices. His reforms include rethinking divisive issues such as the priestly ordination of married men, the or-

dination of women—at least to the diaconate—and the reception of Communion by divorced and remarried Catholics whose first marriages were not annulled. And then there is his bold declaration that defending the environment from climate change is a pro-life issue, shaking up some conservative Catholic groups. The pope’s approach emphasises converting the mindset of the Church’s leadership: basically doing battle with centuries-old “clericalism”, the view that only priests and bishops can run the Church, as if this was an unwritten privilege of ordination. Ivereigh astutely realises that this means the pope wants to convert the Church’s thinking, approach and culture. It means putting pastoral reckoning over a doctrinal one; seeing people’s needs through emotional and psychological lenses, not just intellectual ones; and following Christ’s example of teaching more with actions, and even silence, than with words.

The author ties this to the pope’s stress on evangelising in times of diminishing active Church membership and the dwindling influence of religion in general in a secular Western world. But the book stresses that it’s been rough sledding for Latin America’s first pope.

vereigh, a British Catholic journalist and contemporary Church historian, chronicles how these efforts have been popular with some Catholics while strongly—and publicly—contested by conservative to right-wing Church officials, often supported by monied Catholics in the United States and Europe. Some progressives even complain he moves too slowly. Not everything in the book is a papal positive. Ivereigh drags out the dirty laundry of the Church’s sex abuse scandals and how the pope initially tarnished his credibility by backing a Chilean bishop despite pubic evidence that he covered up for a notorious childabusing priest.

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The pope later recanted his initial view after sending his own investigative team, which confirmed the allegations, and the bishop was removed. But the misstep was used by the pope’s opponents as a wedge against his overall agenda. As a contemporary Church historian, Ivereigh gives context. Issues such as priestly ordination of married men, women deacons, Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics, and human stewardship over the environment as a moral obligation are not unique to Pope Francis. They’ve been under the firmament for decades in the modern Church. Francis has just upped their priority. Ivereigh posits that the pope’s reforms are starting to take root, aided by his naming of likeminded bishops, a common tactic used by previous popes. He is optimistic—perhaps too optimistic— that they will be hard to derail. From the book’s beginning, it’s obvious the author sympathises

with the pope’s vision and approach, sometimes giving short shrift to his critics. Yet his analysis of the pope’s thinking is spot on. Whether one agrees or disagrees with Pope Francis, Wounded Shepherd provides an accurate view upon which to build an opinion.—CNS

Church history in a nutshell A NEW SHORT HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, by Norman Tanner SJ. Bloomsbury Continuum, New York/London. 2014. 260pp Reviewed by Rev Dr Alan Henriques OMI HIS book covers the history of the Catholic Church from the Pentecost until the present time. The hardcover edition published in 2011 is sold out, but a second edition in a paperback format is now available. Prof Tanner is a worldrenowned author who has written on the councils of the Church and many other topics, such as the Church and democracy, and the Second Vatican Council. He has lectured in Oxford and the Gregorian University in Rome, as well as in South Africa. The arrangement of the chapters is chronological and the periodisation follows the usual pattern of Church history over the ages. There are five chapters: Pentecost to the Fourth Century, Early Middle Ages (400-1054), Central and Late Middle Ages, Early Modern Catholicism (1500-1800) and then the 19th and 20th centuries. The two chapters on the Middle Ages cover 122 pages out of the 260 pages, just short of half of the entire book, high-

lighting the importance of this period. Much attention has been given to the development of religious life, as well as lay confraternities. The early 21st century is a good time to review and update how we see the history of the Catholic Church. The section on the Second Vatican Council and its reception within the Catholic Church is most enlightening. Tanner tells the story of God’s people over the centuries. It is about the human community seeking God through the ordinary events of life.

Surprisingly, there is a section on “Relaxation, sport and enjoyment” (pages 104-107). Yes, leisure is also part of the journey towards God. The Catholic Church consisted of 20 million in the 4th century and today makes up 17,4% of the world population, with 1,167 billion Catholics. Thus, the history of the world is intertwined with the history of the Catholic Church. However, the focus of the book is on the Catholic Church. The sustained interest on people is to be found throughout the book. The work includes detailed biographical information of various saints and characters in Church history over these 20 centuries. This history is very readable and broad in scope. There’s wit in the prose and tremendous clarity. It is very attractive as a narrative. In closing, Tanner points out: “Humbler than before yet still vigorous, the Catholic Church today faces the challenges of the 21st century with both optimism and caution.” The discerning reader will appreciate the attention to detail and lively pace of this onevolume edition of the history of the Catholic Church for the 21st century. n Fr Henriques teaches at St Joseph’s Theological Institute in Cedara, KZN.

The Southern Cross, July 1 to July 7, 2020

REFLECTION

What St Benedict means to us today July 11 marks the feast of St Benedict. DEACON KEITH FOURNIER reflects on the legacy of the saint who was born more than 1 500 years ago, and what it means today.

N July 11, the Catholic Church commemorates the great life and legacy of St Benedict of Nursia. Born around AD 480 in the Umbrian town of Norcia in central Italy, the founder of the Benedictine order is called the “Father of Western Monasticism”. He is also a co-patron of Europe, due to his extraordinary influence on establishing Christianity on the continent and thus securing the Christian foundations of European civilisation and the entirety of Western culture. As a young man, Benedict of Nursia fled a decadent and declining Rome for further studies and deep prayer and reflection. He gave his life entirely to God as a son of the Catholic Church. He travelled to Subiaco, about 50km east of Rome. The cave which became his dwelling, the place where he communed deeply with God, is now a shrine called “Sacro Speco” (The Holy Cave). Just before his papal election as Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger visited the holy cave for a period of prayer. In 2008 he called St Benedict the patron of his pontificate. Today, the pope emeritus lives as a monk on the grounds of the Vatican, praying for that renewal to continue under the leadership of his successor, Francis.

Rise of monasteries St Benedict of Nursia lived a life of prayer and solitude for three years and studied under a monk named Romanus. His holiness, and that of his twin sister St Scholastica, drew other men and women, and soon 12 small monasteries were founded. He later travelled to Monte Cassino, about 140km south-east of Rome, where he completed his rule for monks.

St Benedict and companions are represented at Monte Cassino monastery in Italy, the place where St Benedict died, as did St Scholastica. (All Photos: Günther Simmermacher) From those Benedictine monasteries, an entire movement was born. It led to the evangelisation of Europe and the emergence of an authentically Christian culture. And it can happen once again in the Third Christian Millennium. The ecclesial movement which we call Western monasticism led to the birth and flourishing of the academy, the arts, and the emergence of what later became known as Christendom. From its earliest appearance, the monastic movement was a lay movement. From the midst of the community, men were chosen for ordination in order to serve the members and the broader mission as it participated in the overall mission of the Church. In this sense, the early monastic movement bears similarities to the ecclesial movements of this millennium which Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI and now Francis promote with enthusiasm. Increasingly the members of these lay movements, and the clergy which have grown up in their midst to serve the mission, are becoming one of the key resources the Holy Spirit is using for the new missionary age of the Church.

Converting the barbarians In 1980 Pope John Paul II gave an address to mark the 15th centennial commemoration of the birth of St Benedict, in which he affirmed the extraordinary contributions of the great father of Western monasticism. He recalled St Benedict’s age as a time when “the Church, civil society and Christian culture itself were in great danger”. “Through his sanctity and singular accomplishments, St Benedict gave testimony of the perennial youth of the Church,” Pope John Paul said. “He and his followers drew the barbarians from paganism toward a civilised and truly enhanced way of life. The Benedictines guided them in building a peaceful, virtuous and productive society.” The contemporary West has rejected its Christian roots and embraced a new paganism. What Pope Benedict XVI called the “dictatorship of relativism” is the bad fruit of a rejection of the very existence of any objective truth. Given the current state of moral decline, we need to view the West as mission territory. Over the years, Pope Benedict regularly spoke of monks and their essential contribution to the Church.

A personal faith journey

The birthplace of St Benedict and St Scholastica in the crypt of St Benedict’s church in Norcia, Italy. The church was destroyed in an earthquake in 2016.

The

I am what is often called a “revert” to the Church in Catholic circles. I returned to the practice of the Catholic Christian faith after wandering away as a very young man. I spent 21 months in a Benedictine monastery shortly after “coming home” to the Church. There, I began what has become a lifelong journey of prayer and found my hunger for theology. I also studied the early Fathers of the Church. I was taught by a wonderful monk. He was the first of several monks who have graced my life with their gift of holy presence, making Christ so palpable by their interior life—one which overflows in a genuine transfigured humanity. From my encounters with monks, living im-

An icon of St Benedict and his twin sister St Scholastica, seen at the Benedictine Kylemore Abbey in Ireland. St Benedict’s feast day is on July 11; St Scholastica’s on February 10. mersed as they do in their unique and vital vocation in and with the Lord, I learned that no matter how much formal theological study they have, it is their depth of prayer which makes them the best of theologians. So it should be with all theologians—one cannot give away what one does not truly have. It is out of the storehouse of grace that monks and theologians are able to help the faithful in their pursuit of the longing of every human heart, communion and intimacy with the God who has revealed himself. We find, in the words of Pope Benedict, the “human face of God” in Jesus Christ. What is necessary is to encounter him, contemplate that beauty and be transformed by the encounter.

The monks’ way A part of monastic life and spirituality is also labour, immersed in prayer. Monks support themselves through hard work, dedicated to God and caught up in the ongoing redemptive work of Jesus Christ in and through his Church. They follow a “rule”, a way of life. Yet, even in that, they peel back the deeper mystery and remind us that all work done in the Lord participates in his ongoing work of redemption. Too often, people mistakenly believe that the monk retreats from the world because of its “corruption”. In fact, the monk retreats (in differing ways in accordance with their particular monastic response) precisely in order to transform the world by his prophetic witness and powerful prayer. The dedicated monk is an essential part of the Lord’s plan for the Church. The Church is what the early Fathers called the new world, being recreated in Christ. We who have been baptised never again leave the Church. We

actually live in the Church and go into the world to bring all men and women home.

In the new millennium In the first millennium, monasticism gave us the fountain of theological wisdom which still inspires the Church. Those who went into the desert became the great teachers, fathers, confessors and prophets. Their prayer and witness kept the Church in the divine embrace so that she could effectively continue the redemptive mission of the Lord. In the second millennium, their work and witness continued. Sadly, the Church had been torn in two with the first split, East and West. In the East, the monks continued to be a resource for the kind of theology which brings heaven to earth and earth to heaven. From their ranks the great bishops of the Church were chosen and the Church was continually renewed. In the West, the great monasteries of Europe became the beating heart of the emergence of Christendom. The extraordinary intellect exhibited in the emerging theological tradition birthed in the monasteries enabled the Church to contend with daunting challenges, welcome them without fear, contend for the faith and offer the claims of truth incarnate. Monks are a seed of the great renewals of the Church. That is because monks are prophetic seeds of the kingdom of God. They always seem to be around right when we need them the most. We need monks for the authentic renewal of the Church in this hour. Lord, send your Holy Spirit, send us monks for the renewal of your Church. And on July 11, the feast of St Benedict of Nursia, we are called to reflect on that.

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The Southern Cross, July 1 to July 7, 2020

HOLY LAND

From left: The remains of the harbour of Capernaum, once a significant fishing town • The Franciscan church of 1990 hovers above the house of St Peter • The 4th-century synagogue of Capernaum, built on the dark basalt foundation, still visible, of the synagogue in which Jesus preached and healed. (All photos: Günther Simmermacher)

We can say: Jesus was here In part 6 of our virtual pilgrimage to the Holy Land, we go with GünThEr SImmErmAChEr to Capernaum, Jesus’ HQ during his public ministry.

OR Jesus, who came from insignificant Nazareth, cosmopolitan Capernaum must have seemed a good choice for headquarters. But today his hometown is the bustling city, and Capernaum is in ruins. The disciples Peter, Andrew, John, James and Matthew all lived in Capernaum, then a hub of commerce in the area. Capernaum was a fishing town of some wealth, thanks to its location on the strategically important Via Maris trade route, which stretched from Egypt to Damascus. It had a significant harbour, stretching from about where the Franciscan church now stands to the level of the red-domed Russian Orthodox church. The town needed it: according to the first-century historian Josephus Flavius, who knew the area very well, there were 230 fishing boats working on the water. Peter, Andrew and Philip originally were from Bethsaida, for which Jesus anticipated a dire future with the words: “Woe to you, Bethsaida!” And woe it surely befell, because today it is not known with certainty where precisely Bethsaida was. Likewise, Jesus foretold woe to Chorazin. That town, too, is now destroyed; all that’s left there is the ruin of a synagogue, but pilgrims don’t go there. There isn’t much left of Capernaum, the third city Jesus warned of woe. But two most remarkable structures have been excavated— and at both we can locate the historical Jesus: at the spot of an ancient synagogue and in Peter’s house, both sites of miracles.

Rabbi Jesus in a synagogue Luke tells us that Jesus taught in a synagogue in Capernaum, and in the process cured the heckler of his demonic possession (4:31-36). It was the town’s only synagogue. Synagogues were not profuse in Galilee at the time, and a town of Capernaum’s population,

numbering maybe 1 500, had no great need for multiple synagogues. At the time, synagogues were not yet houses of liturgical worship, and didn’t even need to be buildings. Initially, the concept of synagogue referred to an assembly that could gather anywhere, and not necessarily in a custom-built structure. The primary purpose of these assemblies was to have public readings of the Torah, since most people were illiterate and few would have had the means to buy a copy, and to discuss these under the direction of a rabbi. In some translations of the New Testament we hear people address Jesus as “Rabbi”; we also hear Pharisees and the scribes referred to by the same title. At other times we may hear Jesus being addressed as “Teacher” or “Master”. These are all the same thing. In Jesus’ time, “Rabbi” was a term of respect, but it did not yet describe an ordained minister of the Jewish religion.

Discovery of Capernaum We may thank the Franciscans that there is anything left to see at all in Capernaum (or Kafr Nahum, as Jesus’ contemporaries knew it). In 1838, the American biblical geographer Edward Robinson, an anti-Catholic Presbyterian, found the first fragments of the synagogue in Capernaum. Robinson didn’t identify the site as ancient Kafr Nahum, but the British explorer Captain Charles Wilson did so in 1866. Over the next few decades sporadic excavations took place, but this invited looting by Bedouins on the hunt for ancient relics which they could sell on the thriving antiquities market, and by local builders who profited from the free supply of masonry. The Franciscans bought the site in 1894 to neutralise this vandalism. Initially the idea was just to preserve it from looters and any kind of development that might have compromised its integrity. To that end, the Franciscans actually reburied parts of the synagogue. Excavations of it resumed in 1921 and stopped again. Franciscan Fathers Virgilio Corbo and Stanislao Loffreda took over the archaeological dig at Capernaum in 1968. Fr Corbo had already made a name for himself with his literally

It might look like just old stones, but Our Lord was physically in there. The walls in the centre are from the house of St Peter where Jesus performed miracles. That was the house church described in the 4th century by the pilgrim Egeria. The walls around it are those of the octagonal church the Pilgrim of Piacenza reported seeing in the 6th century. groundbreaking excavations at the church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. He was so good, in fact, that the perennially bickering denominations that occupy that church put aside their long-standing policy to always disagree on everything and appointed the Franciscan as their joint principal archaeologist. Thirteen years after they first started digging in Capernaum, Frs Corbo and Loffreda made an astonishing announcement: the excavated limestone synagogue from the 4th century, which had been partially recovered in the 1920s, was built on the foundation of a 1st-century synagogue. The proof for that was pottery found in and under the floor of the black basalt foundation, which was laid around 20 AD. The implications of that are colossal: the foundation is definitely that of the synagogue in which Rabbi Yeshua of Nazareth preached. And this foundation can still be clearly seen. The 4th-century synagogue is quite splendid in its own right. Steps lead to three entrance gates facing in the direction of Jerusalem. Along the side of its main room are the stone benches on which the elders would sit while the rest of the people sat on the ground on mats. A side-room was used as a com-

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munity centre which at different times would have served the functions of a school, a dining hall, a court, and even as lodging for visitors. The synagogue was built in the Roman style, though in its outline it mirrors its predecessor exactly.

Peter’s house Located just 25m from the synagogue is Peter’s residence, where Jesus cured the disciple’s motherin-law. Archaeologists have identified these ruins as incorporating an early Christian house church, which means that the site has a tradition of veneration that goes back to earliest Christian times. In around 390 AD, the pilgrim Egeria noted that the building had already served for a long time as a house church, or domus ecclesiae. When she visited, its walls were still intact. In the 6th century the Pilgrim of Piacenza noted that an octagonal church covered the site. Today a modern Franciscan church, inaugurated in 1990, is suspended above the remaining walls, like a hovering spaceship. There is a reason for that design: through transparent panels in the church’s floor, one can survey the excavated walls of the old residence and the house church from above. Jesus stayed at Peter’s house. Mark’s Gospel reports Jesus’ return to Capernaum as the roof-raising scene-setter for the healing of the paralytic: “When he returned to Capernaum, some time later, word went round that he was in the house; and so many people collected that there was no room left, even in front of the door” (2:12). And that house was Peter’s place. The archaeologists found the house in stages. The first priority had been the excavation of the synagogue, but the Franciscans were aware of the octagonal shape just a stone’s throw away. Of course they also knew about

the ancient travelogues that mentioned Peter’s house: the domus ecclesiae which Egeria saw, and the church which the Pilgrim of Piacenza mentioned. The unusual octagonal shape of the church indicates that it commemorated a particularly special spot. But dating, as it was, to the 5th century, it could not have been what Egeria had visited two centuries earlier. So next the archaeologists broke through the church’s mosaic floor (lately recreated on the plaza in front of the church), and found the remains of an earlier church. Incredibly, that church was covered with hundreds of graffiti with exhortations such as “Christ have mercy” and “Lord Jesus help your servant …” (the name was, sadly, indecipherable), and references to St Peter. These inscriptions were in Greek, Syriac and Hebrew. The Hebrew graffiti are significant: their presence indicates that those who worshipped here were, or at least included, Jewish Christians— which is, of course, exactly what the first followers of Christ were. The central hall of the house church has been dated to around 63 AD. Before it was a church, it was a home. That residence was constructed of boulders with small stones jammed in gaps instead of mortar. This means that the wall could not have sustained a second floor, or even a masonry roof. The house would have been roofed with a mixture of straw and earth—easily removed for purposes such as, for example, lowering paralytics into a room for the attention of a miracle-working resident. It was not much different from other houses in the neighbourhood, but at some point in the second half of the first century somebody marked off the house from the others, and around the same time the central room of the house was plastered, suggesting that something special was associated with the building. The pottery found in successive layers of plaster on the floor of the house also changed around that time. Domestic items such as bowls found in the deeper layers gave way to oil lamps—clearly after a while people no longer lived here, going about their dayto-day business, and used the house for assembly. With the graffiti referring to Christ (and two to Peter; one of them probably saying “Peter, the helper of Rome”), it seems clear that this was a very early housechurch—the very domus ecclesiae which Egeria described in her journal: “And in Capernaum, what is more, the house of the Prince of the Apostles has been transformed into a church, with its original walls still standing. Here the Lord healed the paralytic.” n This is an edited extract from Günther Simmermacher’s The Holy Land Trek. Next week: Mount Tabor.

The Southern Cross, July 1 to July 7, 2020

YOUR CLASSIFIEDS

Fr Sizwe Nxasana

T 8:30am on Sunday, June 21, the vibrant Fr Sizwe Wiseman Nxasana of Mariannhill was called to rest at the age of 39 at the Westville Life Hospital, Durban, after a short illness with pulmonary oedema. Fr Sizwe grew up at St Alphonse parish in Umlazi under the mentorship of the late Fr Reginald Vezi who instilled in him a deep Marian spirituality. He was quoted as saying: “My wish after death is to see Our Lady.” Having completed a BA in social sciences at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2001, young Sizwe joined priestly formation. He studied at St John Vianney Seminary and was ordained a priest in 2009. Fr Sizwe served for a short time at Mhlabashane mission before being appointed priest-incharge of the small, rural Einsiedeln mission station. With fewer than 50 parishioners, he formed a vibrant community. On the occasion of the parish’s 125th anniversary celebrations in 2012, Bishop Mlungisi Dlungwane of Mariannhill publicly praised Fr Sizwe’s exceptional organisational skills. Remote as it was, Einsiedeln had become a resting place for many priests thanks to Fr Sizwe’s great hospitality and excellent

culinary skills. In 2018, he was moved to the more cosmopolitan Mariannridge. Within a short space of time, he had impacted on so many lives that a young man who had almost lapsed, reacting to the news of his death, said: “I had become so proud to say that I am Catholic even in public due to his inspiration.” A man of great creativity, Fr Sizwe last year organised a parish mission of a kind. Over and above the normal spiritual side, he invited speakers from different sectors to address socio-economic challenges and ills affecting the parishioners. A Facebook post on May 20, just a month before his death,

Our bishops’ anniversaries

This week we congratulate: July 2: Bishop Xolelo Thaddaeus Kumalo of Eshowe on his 66th birthday

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 922. ACROSS: 5 Ache, 7 Bishoprics, 8 Duce, 10 Ingrates, 11 Adrian, 12 Despot, 14 Urchin, 16 Gideon, 17 Misjudge, 19 Ewer, 21 Relentless, 22 Idly. DOWN: 1 Obed, 2 Sheepish, 3 Appian, 4 Tinged, 5 Asia, 6 Heretofore, 9 Underlined, 13 Suddenly, 15 Nodule, 16 Gleans, 18 Jury, 20 Rash.

puts this into perspective: “We need to work quickly and selflessly to change people’s lives, for the time is short.” Fr Sizwe was also involved with Justice & Peace work in the diocese. For years, he was a diocesan catechetical director going around forming catechists in parishes. Though generally a jovial and easygoing person, he was firm when it came to matters of Catholic faith and teaching. One prominent catechist said: “He never minced his words when it came to matters of faith which he knew so well but simply articulated.” He was also the diocesan chaplain of the Catholic Women’s League, which loved him dearly. On May 31, the feast of the Visitation, Fr Sizwe led a vehicle rosary procession with a hailspeaker around his whole parish, saying that he misses his parishioners. He blessed those who could not join him in their vehicles as they stood in their driveways. It was the last time he was to gather them in prayer. Fr Sizwe was laid to rest at Bishop Paul Themba Mngoma Clergy Home, Port Shepstone, on June 26 after a private funeral due to Covid-19 lockdown regulations. By Fr S’milo Mngadi

Word of the Week Magisterium: The teaching office of the universal Church, articulated by a pope. Papal statements which teach on a matter of faith and morals are called magisterial pronouncements and are binding on Catholics. Most statements and documents of popes are not magisterial.

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IN MEMORIAM

DE GOUVEIA—Maria Apresentação Mendes. Born 02-01-1927. Died 27-062019. In loving Memory of our dearest Mother, Gran and Avo on her first anniversary in Heaven. With tears we cry each day, in angel’s arms you were carried away; our memories of love and laughter shall not fade, for inside our hearts you will always stay. We shed our tears for you because we miss you so. From your daughters Maria, Celeste, Teresa and Hilda, son-in-laws Bruce and

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FROM OUR VAULTS 16 Years Ago: June 30, 2004

PRAYERS

TO ST JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO FOR SUCCESS IN EXAMS: O Great St Joseph of Cupertino who while on earth did obtain from God the grace to be asked at your examination only the questions you knew, obtain for me a like favour in the examinations for which I am now preparing. In return I promise to make you known and cause

you to be invoked. Through Christ our Lord. St Joseph of Cupertino, pray for us. Amen. O St Joseph of Cupertino who by your prayer obtained from God to be asked at your examination, the only preposition you knew. Grant that I may like you succeed in the (mention the name of examination, for example, history paper I) examination. In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked. O St Joseph of Cupertino pray for me. O Holy Ghost enlighten me. Our Lady of Good Studies pray for me. Sacred Head of Jesus, seat of divine wisdom, enlighten me. In return I promise to make you known and cause you to be invoked. O HOLY VIRGIN, in the midst of your days of glory, do not forget the sorrows of this earth. Cast a merciful glance upon those who are suffering, struggling against difficulties, with their lips constant pressed against life’s bitter cup. Have pity on those who love each other and are separated. Have pity on our rebellious hearts. Have pity on our weak faith. Have pity on those we love. Have pity on those who weep, on those who pray, on those who fear. Grant hope and peace to all. Amen.

Liturgical Calendar Year A – Weekdays Cycle Year 2 Sunday July 5, 14th Sunday of the Year Zechariah 9:9-10, Psalm 145:1-2, 8-11, 13-14, Romans 8:9, 11-13, Matthew 11:25-30 Monday July 6, Sr Maria Goretti Hosea 2:14-16, 19-20 (16-18, 21-22), Psalm 145:2-9, Matthew 9:18-26 Tuesday July 7 Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13, Psalm 115:3-10, Matthew 9:32-38 Wednesday July 8 Hosea 10:1-3, 7-8, 12, Psalm 105:2-7, Matthew 10:1-7

Thursday July 9, St Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions Hosea 11:1-4, 8-9, Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, Matthew 10:7-15 Friday July 10 Hosea 14:2-10, Psalm 51:3-4, 8-9, 12-14, 17, Matthew 10:16-23 Saturday July 11, St Benedict Isaiah 6:1-8, Psalm 93:1-2, 5, Matthew 10:24-33 Sunday July 12, 15th Sunday of the Year Isaiah 55:10-11, Psalm 65:10-14, Romans 8:18-23, Matthew 13:1-23

New Mass for SA South Africa has for the first time its own Missa Cantata (or sung Mass) in which all official languages are represented. The Messa de Boa Esperanza (Portuguese for “The Mass of Good Hope”) was composed by music academic Lungile Jacobs KaNyamezele.

Ex-Jo’burg priest now a bishop Fr Emmanuel “Senatla” Lafont, former parish priest of Moletsane in Soweto, has been appointed bishop of Cayenne in the South American country of French Guyana. Among several roles he played in South Africa, he was vice-rector of St Peter’s Seminary before he returned to his native France in 1997.

Sr Maria Goretti

Parish ‘found’ after 50 years

SEXUAL DEMONS AND CHILD ABUSE

A community of 5 000 lay Catholics who kept the faith for more than 40 years without a priest or contact with the universal Church, has been located in a remote part of China’s Yunnan province.

Editorial: Church and Inquisition

Google: Sine-glossa. blogspot.com

In his editorial, Günther Simmermacher writes that Pope John Paul II’s repeated apologies for the excesses of the Inquisition acknowledged that in the past the Church has been responsible for what the pope calls “errors committed in the service of truth”. These words are significant, the editorial notes, even if the Inquisition was not equally brutal everywhere, nor always a Church matter.

St Augustine Zhao Rong

Pray that AFRICA

and THE WORLD

may draw closer to the HEART OF CHRIST

2 Chron 7:14

Matthew 7:7-12

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the

15th Sunday: July 12 Readings: Isaiah 55:10-11; Psalm 65:10-14; Romans 8:18-23; Matthew 13:1-23

OES it ever occur to you that God takes a bit of a risk in making his invitation to us? That seems to be what the readings for next Sunday are telling us. The first reading is a reminder that God is inviting us to reform, and that he will succeed. He uses the brilliant image (immediately understandable in dry terrain like many of the desert parts of the Holy Land) that “rain and snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, and made it fertile and fruitful”. Then we realise that this is an image for the effectiveness of God’s word: “So shall my word be, which comes out from my mouth, and does not return there empty until it has done that which I sent it for.” So God is fairly determined, but that does not mean that it is not a risk. The psalm, probably composed for a time of drought (which underlines the sense of the risk that God takes), likewise celebrates God’s power with the image of water, “You visit the earth and water it and make it very fertile.” It continues with this lovely picture: “God’s stream is filled with water, and you supply the earth with grain.” Of course, the poet knew perfectly well that it was not always as simple as that; but God is in charge, as he goes on, “you adorn

S outher n C ross

God takes a risk on us

Nicholas King SJ

the year with your goodness, your paths drip with fruitful rain”. But basically the poet is optimistic about the outcome: “The meadows drip and the hills are robed with joy, the pastures are clothed with flocks, and the valleys are covered in grain; they make a joyful noise and sing.” In the second reading, Paul is coming towards the end of a long section where he is giving the Roman Christians grounds for the same sort of confidence as the psalmist shows. He admits that they may be suffering just at the moment, but powerfully asserts: “I do not think that the sufferings of the present time are anything like the glory that is going to be revealed to us.” Here we can see God’s risk, in that we might be put off by all this suffering; but to encourage us to keep going, Paul speaks of “the eager longing of creation, waiting for the revelation of God’s children”. Then he reveals the wager: “Creation was put under futility, not voluntarily, but because of the one who did the putting.” And he thinks that God is going to win the bet: “Creation itself is going to be free from slavery to destruction, so as to reach the freedom

quickly, because of having no depth of soil” but then dried up under the scorching heat of the noonday sun, “because of having no roots”. And he had obviously observed that other difficulty that he mentions, of the seed that “fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and suffocated them”. Then, finally the story comes to its climax, the annual miracle of the harvest: the seed that “fell on good soil and gave fruit, one a hundred, one sixty and one thirty” (all of these are immense yields, by the way). But that is not quite the end of the story, for, first, the disciples are puzzled that Jesus teaches by way of these rather obscure stories, and have to be told that his hearers don’t really understand: “The heart of this people is thickened.” Then Jesus gives an allegorical explanation of the parable. And the point is indeed the risk that God takes (as of course does Jesus himself), offering his loving revelation to people who, for a variety of reasons, might very well reject it. This week, are you prepared to make God’s risk pay off? It would be worth your while.

of the glory of the children of God.” Then he recognises that it is not easy: “The whole of creation is groaning together, and in labour-pains together, down to the present moment.” Now Paul takes it a step further, giving grounds for confidence about the risk that God has taken: “Not only that, but we who have the first fruits of the Spirit are groaning in ourselves, as we are waiting for our adoption-as-sons, which is the redemption of our bodies.” Will it all work out in the end? Well, God is in charge. The Gospel is the opening section of Matthew’s great parable discourse, and gives us one of Jesus’ best-known parables, that of the Sower. Jesus was a Galilean, and will frequently have seen the seed being sown in the fertile soil of the Galilee, and perhaps admired the bravery of Galilean farmers, scattering their seed each year, well aware of the threat to their crop from all the dire opponents that are mentioned in the story he tells. So he will have observed the birds gobbling up the seeds that “fell by the wayside”; he will have noticed what happens when seed falls “on rocky ground”, which “shot up

Using the Lord’s name in vain? ‘H

“Jesus Christ!” “For God’s sake!” These are prayers? Why not? If prayer is lifting mind and heart to God, isn’t this what’s in our mind and heart at that moment? Isn’t there a brutal honesty in this? Jacques Loew, one of the founders of the Worker-Priest movement in France, shares how, while working in a factory, he would sometimes be busy with a group men loading heavy bags onto a truck. Occasionally one of the men would accidently drop one of the bags which would split open, leaving a mess, and a mini-blasphemy would spring forth from the man’s lips. Loew, partly seriously and partly in jest, points out that while the man was not exactly saying the Lord’s Prayer, he was invoking the name of God in real honesty. So, is this in fact a genuine modality of prayer or is this taking the Lord’s name in vain? Is this something we should be confessing as a sin rather than claiming as a prayer?

he commandment to not take the name of God in vain has little to do with those mini-blasphemes that slip out between clenched teeth when we drop a bag of shopping, slam a finger painfully, or get caught in a frustrating traffic jam. What we utter then may well be aesthetically offensive, in bad taste, and disrespectful enough of others so that some sin lies within it—but it’s not taking the name of God in vain. Indeed, there’s nothing false about it at all. In some ways it’s the opposite of

Conrad

E taught us how to pray while not knowing how to pray.” That’s a comment sometimes made about the Dutch theologian Fr Henri Nouwen. It seems almost contradictory to say that. How can someone teach us to pray when he himself doesn’t know how? Well, two complexities conspired together here. Henri Nouwen (1932-96) was a unique mixture of weakness, honesty, complexity, and faith. That also describes prayer, this side of eternity. Nouwen simply shared, humbly and honestly, his own struggles with prayer, and in seeing his struggles, the rest of us learned a lot about how prayer is precisely this strange mixture of weakness, honesty, complexity, and faith. Prayer, as we know, has classically been defined as “the lifting of mind and heart to God”, and given that our minds and hearts are pathologically complex, so too will be our prayer. It will give voice not just to our faith but also to our doubt. Moreover, in the Epistle to the Romans, St Paul tells us that when we do not know how to pray, God’s Spirit—in groans too deep for words—prays through us. I suspect that we don’t always recognise all the forms that takes, how God sometimes prays through our groans and our weaknesses. The renowned preacher Frederick Buechner speaks of something he calls “crippled prayers that are hidden inside our minor blasphemies” and are uttered through clenched teeth: “God help us!”

“He says he’s here for the Driving Mass.”

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Sunday Reflections

Southern Crossword #922

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

what the commandment has in mind. We tend to think of prayer far too piously. It is rarely unadulterated altruistic praise issuing forth from a focused attention that’s grounded in gratitude and in an awareness of God. Most of the time our prayer is a very adulterated reality—and all the more honest and powerful because of that. For instance, one of our great struggles with prayer is that it’s not easy to trust that prayer makes a difference. We watch the news, see the entrenched polarisation, bitterness, hatred, self-interest, and hardness of heart that are seemingly everywhere, and we lose heart. How do we find the heart to pray in the face of this? What, inside our prayer, is going to change any of this? While it is normal to feel this way, we need this important reminder: Prayer is most important and most powerful precisely when we feel it is most hopeless—and we are most helpless. Why is this true? It’s true because it’s only when we are finally empty of ourselves, empty of our own plans and our own strength, that we’re in fact ready to let God’s vision and strength flow into the world through us. Prior to feeling this helplessness and hopelessness, we are still identifying God’s power too much with the power of health, politics and economics that we see in our world; and are identifying hope with the optimism we feel when the news look a little better on a given night. If the news look good, we have hope; if not, why pray? But we need to pray because we trust in God’s strength and promise, not because the news on a given night offer a bit more promise. Indeed, the less promise our news bulletins offer and the more they make us aware of our personal helplessness, the more urgent and honest is our prayer. We need to pray precisely because we are helpless and precisely because it does seem hopeless. Inside that we can pray with honesty, perhaps even through clenched teeth.

ACROSS

5. The hidden pain of treachery (4) 7. Episcopal oﬃces (10) 8. Italian dictator of World War II (4) 10. The cured lepers who did not say thank you (8) 11. Saintly martyr from a nadir position (6) 12. Posted around the one with absolute power (6) 14. Ragged child of the sea? (6) 16. I’d gone out to ﬁnd an Old Testament Judge (6) 17. Form an incorrect opinion (8) 19. A water pot among the brewery pots (4) 21. Be harsh in the lesser Lent (10) 22. Lazily (4)

DOWN

1. Boaz was his father (Mt 1) (4) 2. Why the shepherd shows shyness? (8) 3. Ancient way to Rome (6) 4. Stained (6) 5. Major or Minor land (4) 6. Before this hour (10) 9. Given emphasis by the printer (10) 13. All at once, it happens abruptly (8) 15. Louden the knob on the chalice (6) 16. Gathers leftovers from angels (6) 18. The panel that famously considers (4) 20. Reckless in spots (4)

Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

avid, all of four years old, tells his father he is going to get married. Dad replies: “Whom are you going to marry, David? “ David answers: “Granny. She loves me and I love Granny, and she is the best cook and the best storyteller” Dad says: “There’s one problem, David: you can’t marry Granny because she’s my mother.” “No,” says David, “That isn’t a problem, Daddy, because you’ve already married my mother!”

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