The Record Newspaper 26 May 1988

Archbish p's tip on ho to b better

988

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(Restore civil rights' ·

,RJ;CORIJ classifieds dose noon U""edm>sda.i•.

Post or delirer: No pl,011e ads. $5 nli11in111m

/or .l8 u-ords.

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athways of the KNOW YOUR FAITH

eas

When m} children were small, visits lo the dcnli t caused fear and trembling. I'd try lo c.alm the ,hal.irst of them with assurance that I would be praying to St Apollonius, patron of dentists and, I presume, o the dentists' patirnt,, or at lra,t of tN>th.

We invoked St Gene,iu, for help with school play • St JO',<•ph when fru•mh 111·re in need of a "''" hume, St rli,, around piano re< ital time. Of couNt', "r kept St \nthon, before uv " 11e .,.,an ht'<I f r lo,-t J..it· tcn-, I, I car lw , Jnd,

c:e.

occavionally. report cards.

lost

The saints ancl their "spt_'< talti "were part of rnv own growing up -a un• part - and I naturullv tried to inc or� purate lhts 'llCl I of lhe

lx•I} or Chml onlo m) Ot'\\

rJtnih,

Bui saonll) 1111, n soon ,,� onh on \idlu.1hlc ontl \ I urd pr.cl of I hr.

Calhohc lmcl1hon nf lhc r.ommun1on of �uni

Th, r I dJ of too hoh m n and \\11mcn re, red m th h·ndarn( Ih m prom I I m, gro"lng famah \\Ith marJ..crs Jon lh " \

important m the lives of , holdren.

Clear!) the great i � of Christmas and Ea.st r

are theanrhorsfora feast dJ\ frame of mind The

\\ hole world cclehral ut lhusc lorn Aul there ure nth r Jl<'dal d," , too.

M1 f mil, , I brutr-d th t t of the l'hrec

\\h1ch, ver r hrld found a ptnny or a inst th odd, all Ihm - had the h nour nf

Km

Most people. too. find 1hllt strength and courage would

at-· And, on a vanety of ways. people

are caled upon to pf'Olllde leadership ... 1he a�,ces of their own!,.,. - to bnng their i-t Ideas to l>Mr upon a t,o. � w-, ,e SltulltJon or s,mply to lead by their .-nple

- capture the imagination as sigr1S of the wry )JOIThe...,_ 1hllt to. own un

our We odentJfy With their courage or dedicatJoo They have � found

...to.gettable.

8

The Record, May 26, 1988

ODO

penru

mom nts to rt'mcmhr.r h rues and h rom so

8lUSt

\\i: dom

Kings with a peclal < k,· contamtng thre • him

People are such in resting creetJoos And they do the most confound ng things They un be v,rtually unforgettable S-about people un be endlealy faacina1lng. Wthe ommen. populanty of boogra end eutobiographies 1hllt captu"' • .-ler's a tJoo and omagn,tion Among the U1 ofOigeltable people of history 8'9 the saints They are ramemberad, however. to. a wide variety of raesons Some saints .,. remembered to. the leadership they prDVICled Thar capecity to .- to the challenge of their 11..- and to pursue the Chnstian kfe on their own "modern" age, With ell that was new about It. was not only rulfi mg to. them but onspmng to others.

Saints are memorable, too, becaUN of the chOic89 they made that stamped their 8JUSl8nce fo< good - that IS, ITT a lastmg way that was all to the good. The sa,nts exen»e of human fr-'<>m oo the face of so many chOic89 that m,ght have '-1 made IS defirvtaly unfOigeltable After an. 8Y8ryone reelaes that St Franas of Auisi had the opportunrty to chooN a more laVl9h llfestyla or that St Pl'19C8 and her husband St Aquila could haw� a lesa demanding role than that the New Testament '8lla us they fulfilled as utachists in the days of St Paul Some saints are remembered � of what they taught or wrote. To this day, their ideas are studied and put to UN, whether they are the ideas of a St llenedlCI on how to live IIS. community of Chnsbans, of. St Teresa of Avila on prayer Oi' a St AUQUSWM and St Thomas Aquinas on the theological Ul'lderslandong of God But dedicat,on and sacnfice are not the qualfl>N .-Mid to people of the past. NOi' is the exerase of human fTNdom sonoething 1hllt only heroic people are called upon to do well.

98MI them well

ocrn tonal orrginal poem, and SI Benedict, "ho " frecly q uoted because of his unfailing

mgmg

\\

ofOn nl

Three

re"

a

fmd om p ml of connecnon between m, mundane suburban life and the e pl us of John of lh Cross. Did John Jong for God? So did I. \\a he m undcrstOO(J• So was I. or I thought. �t,11. lay pmp/c oju-n /on� for saints "hosr. oul�\ord /1\.C ,nore , /usr·/1 n";r,inb/r thmr own. I\ here " re the hush,mds, 111, gm, mment worl.rrs, /m•J rs and mUSI tans n ha , g/ol') lo God through their nor.I. and rrlatwnsh1ps> Ourln lhr prep; r IOI') mnsultauon for th 1 87 I rid n tofll ho hnndth, of the oty man d hop, p

that the -nod would remmmrnd that ordln n lav pcupl "ho e emplified Go pel , al u be recognised

samt

Fhat hope " real �1 wh n -veral LI\ poople \\ re dded lo the non of the saints dunng the nod On October 25 1' 117, I attended the cannmsatlon

110

Co pedby C

rame o

who had a ular fo). lowing, SI Patric who called forth peoal food and sp" ial son ind n

pirit

or

(,IU•

ppc 1 au. lavman rrli doctor ond a panshioner m •P llaly Thr ccn-mon) " h Id m St Peter's Squ re II overflowed with f; mil, . with v ung and old w th peopl who heh d that le h " truly" th Cod I I on tho mo of poop) from 1 .ill

parish. The cxpcnu, " a mtxlureofpilgi1• a ports m nl d famtl picmc 1'111 i· n ntlv m evidence •-e

banner and pht,. graphs of the new I m mod m day short,d to , I king cv,-ry bu ,e

one" [ ,; unt uncle

ODO 11m la

n

The hOIV ties �, that bin

f'east da\. in the (,h urch' · calendar are ba d on t"'o Catholic beliefi,: that life is holv; and that tim is holy.

The Catholi tra, d ition does not segregate the holy.

We do not tn to sa that God and thing· of God are to b found only in s cred place away from normal life.

To the contrar,, " celebrate Chrbtma, as much m the dminK room and th1• li,ing room as in thl' p.imh churrh Catholor tratlillons cmph,1'os<' th'

Imo • h that hmd thr. fam,lv tab! \\llh the table of th 1.ord.

I J..nrm that for I'\ r, hnur I pend in tho • c ri,t} pr ·puring for the l·�"h'r liturgi , I prohahlv ,pend another in the J..itc hen conJ..in� the dinners thJt arc',() murh a purl of our entire f,astcr c t'lebrnlion.

II of I hich is to SJ} that the ordinar) thing, of hfc arc hoh.

But the Church abo ht·hc,c, thJt tim!' ,s

hol\ Th!' Churrh h,1' a r,1lenddr of samts' da, and Spt'C'.ial ,ea,;ons, like Advent and

Lent. that cowrs th entire car

say pp

Th" c,,ll'ncL,r Ls not s,mpl\ a lostmg of isol.itccl c\lmh R.ith r, it Irie, tn t'mph,1s1s<' th nn\\oftlw) or

do not stand a1\t true J.. t , d, tdnn•, Olt'r\\ helmed al the p nc or (:Od among . R.illlt'r "• c p}ebrattl th, fl encc. s 1 111.itler ot fact, " c lcbrnt11 it in lh normal mu • of Ii� ' m nts

In th<' C.1thnloc tra<f,. hon. th,• hoh i lied tn Ii� and to time. \nd om• more lhmg: Th hnl ts celchrate,I Cel bratonn imply famoloant . Th, SUR· g t th.it fam1li.irity with God I part of nur f.iilh. l nlike ,ome rehRious tr.ichtions thdt ket·p their dis· tJnlt' from an, thinR satrcd, Chri tianil\

I hat

ch bl

ha

it

sea ons. !'Jature's year bears another year, a spiritual year, on its robust shoulder .

We call that year the Church's year, a year celebrated in the liturgy. It al o i called the liturgical year.

Like nature, the Church ha ot eason , begmnmg 1th Ad,cnt and folio cd b) Chn,tma Of cour c, there , Lent and the eek of Ea ter eek·

brauon chmaxmg m Pcntcc'O,t.

Like the ,cason, of nature, those m the Church year celebrate life, gro" 1h, matunt}, death and rebirth.

There i a ondcrful harmon} bet\\ ecn the )ear of nature and the car of the Church That is a, 11 hould be a e ma>e throu!(h of longing, period fulfilment, uffcrmg and rc101cmg.

To tho c ho an: en uive to God' pre cnce on the hfc of

Chn 1, the ) car of the hun:b al o II for cclcbrat,on. It casons call for the cclcbrauon of ahauon.

The Church' car not only , m harmony "1th 1hc ear of n turc, but al o folio nature' rhHhm. At Ea tcr, hen 1hc re urrccuon and nc hfe of Jc u t cclcbra1cd, c dehgh1 m the spring warmth, !he 1ld flo\\crs, c,cn m the gentle rams. facn Ionic children n sec that n><."USC

Saints and their feast days remind Catholics "that each day Is an invitation to celebrate some aspects of life," writes Dolores Leckey. She tells how family observances of feast days - as well as praying to the "spe· cialty" saints when the situation warranted it - helped her children to know genuine heroes and heroines.

Sketch by (NC Michele Grandison Smith, April 25,

m erv e

!'he ancient tmdil on of our Church holds thal the date of d th he true "birthday") IS the d igrialcd i t day of sa onls. Per hap Im allraded lo St Jost ph \lo c 11 he ause he entered eternal hfc on m} birthd"y Apnl 12 Or porh.,ps It LS be use \1 II, pu lured In n ordiruory hlrt nd collar sa, lo m If I mn ht Cospcl Chr loan, soc.in inu Take up � ur ems, and follow lh Lord � I d ) arc lh C hurch oh lo w rrmmding u that ch da} IS In hon lo ccll'brnl so pc< I uf life, n aundm too that " bcl lo , ry rgc fam,I of he

1988)

Saints: Reminder of what's possible for people and ...

God,

\\c

l.iturgv "at th he ,rt or these c •lcbrations. 1t is a SJrred mr,111 that gi, us a pcr;fl('< ll\e on the \\orld. From th,11 pcr..(l('(h\t' 1t i, po<,.,ible to, , thdt 111 or life can mo\l' JO\· fulh tm,ard Go<l

Ren1embering the ...a.int; i, not jWtt a

ma"er of no..talgla.

People c nnot appre,

'

By

Father Eugen

La VERDI ERE

and nature', annual rcborth m the prong proclaim Jc u ' re urrecuon. Onl) the mo I jaded faol 10 perk up hen nature' gradual lode mto darknc rc\'erst ,t cou= at r tm , 1th the promise that no 1bc am ,ill hght of da lengthen, and c clcbratc the birth of the hght of the oriel

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A child cane helped to di cover the rythms and•easons of th Church's c lendar by•atching the patterns of ,.�re each year.

Salvation rnv111

, 'ature

By Dolores LECKEY

In the Soutrn of Hemisphere, cour e, e, en 1hl • dotlcrcm. [ onc't l'C· ncnccd earl ,prl in hole at the beg! ong of 'cptember Up north c, cryth1nf as turning to fall. facn m the • ·a,ern Jlcm1 pherc thi' are 1dc , anauon the world of nature >ng th Gulf of ,\I 0, ,inter , hetthe bird me h 10 ,i 11.

1 n the •h· e t, 111 when Can alk the mo:iion

ci te their identity part fnln1 their

1 he

a int,

arc

a

"'ho an: open to the "'ord of God '-t remarked

after contemplating the e"cmplary Chrh· ti.Im .,.1,0 preceded him, "lfthe,e men and l'-on1cn did it. �h) not

!?" '<1me people "'1} that t,rael in\.ented hi,

•••

tra,J, "1thout much of Je,u peak fear of n kc . In large re urrcct1on part of la ka, mntcr' In South America, os "hen the un disappears almo t ho ever, It , actually fall" hen.· orth Amer· altogether. toll, wbcrc1er )OU oc-a secs pnng. faery· go, there, a rh,1hm to thmg announces Good nature' year And, Fnda, and the eek· brauon of Jc u ' ,uf· even though m Wll) va,11 different fcnng and death. throughout the orld, Pcrhap It , good to nature' > car remain remember the south· in harmom 1th the ern part of the \\orld Church' �ar hen e celebrate In • 'orth Amen a, Ea tcr m the north. for example, prmg For there can be no and Ea tcr arc m par· Ea tcr 1thout Good able. faenthmg fndav.

c· .her

nation.,

v.en: tho,c, like the Greek.,, v. ho C\.t'ntu

root,. all}

rc;minder of v.h.it • po ible for people

ugu,tine

tor).

kept ,rnnah, record., of their c ploiL,, There around to v.Titing genuine hi, tury. But !,rad fi.r'SI ga"e u., the ,cicnce of ot

rcmen1bering

and

interpretin the past.

\ ou can ee hov.im(X)rtant it v. � for

the l\raelite, to remember the pa.st In their con,tant rcmcm

brance of the e"odu from ,la,·ery in Egypt.

Thq regarded the e odu, a, an ama,lng

inten·ention of (,od\

.a,ing love in their live,,. lt led to their fomtation a., a nation,

God's special people.

hery ear o,er the Jc"' still recall, celebrate and

reti,·e that nent. But it

is import.ult to under-

c,ta.nd \\ hat the notion

or "remembering" meant to the Israelite,;.

It involved not ,impl the mental recall of an ennt long ago. To .. remen1ber"' meant to

bring the pa, t ncnt into the present and

reli\.e

it.

..\nd

thit;

rene,.ed hope .

Take a look at the Old Testament book of �irach. Its author, Je,us hen �irach, dnoted his eight final chapte,.... to praising l raci' great ancestors. His recall of all the "greats" of Israel's hi,tory up to his o"'ll da) bc,peaks his ju.stiflable pride In bi,, people and their place In God', plan.

But it i,, more. It is a \'\-"3

to hang on to the

people' ldentit}, They have a histof} of

.. hiclt the) Gin be proud, a long line of ance,tor�

.. ho

r-esponded heroicall to God' all, and they arc In that same illus triou,, line.

Throughout the centuries the 1,raclite<, often

,..ere

on

the

brink of c Unction a people. The Tians era,ed the 10 northern tribe, In � ll B .. The Bab Ionian, eru hcd "hat "as left

of the nation in 58"' AD.

It looked like the end

ia

of the road. Bui -iron people like the Ezekiel prophet r-efused to ghe up hope. The people' glorious past .,.. ni· dence that God had a purpose for them.

The} must hang o.

It is this respect for the past and iL� contin uing importance th t led the author of th

e"' Testament letter

to the Heb""' to write a long pa.•sage remarkabl like the chapte,.... I died in �irach.

Heb� b, \\Ti.tten to

Chri,.tians app n:ntl in danger of lo.ing or

abandoning

The saints are unforgettable for a variety of reasons, depending on who they were, when they lived and how they lived. Often they are unforgettable because of a choice they made - the particular way they exercised their human freedom. People, who face difficult decisions with some regularity, Identify with this capacity of the saints to make good decisions that have an impact on the way life will be lived.

• What are some other qualities of the saints with which people today mi ht Identify?

• What reason does Dolores Leckey give for celebrating the feast days of the saints with her

children while they were growing up?

• Mrs Leckey discusses St Giuseppe Moscati. What was his profession? In the Offertory procession during his canonisation, why were the tools of his profession brought up to the altar?

• What is a feast day In the Church's liturgical year?

• What good reason Is there for people today to remember saints of another day and time?

What does it mean to say that the Church's liturgical year has a rhythm and flow that is similar to the rhythm and flow of nature's seasons?

their

identiry. The author begim .,.;th a son of definition of faith ""the

reali�atioo

of

.,.hat is hoped for and �idencc of thin� not cen" (11:1).

Then be proceed, to detail faith's po er in the lives or the key figures in sal,-ation hi tory, beginning .,.;th Abel and ending ith thos countl ho uffered people for their faith.

His cooclu ion i : ince e are ur-

"°

rounded b great a . let cloud or itn us . . . persevere In running the race th lies before us" (12,1· l).

The Record, May 26, 1988

9

from D

n John USLE, North m

,

Archdiocesan Calendar .

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