The Southern Cross, May 22 to May 28, 2013
PERSPECTIVES
What does the peace greeting mean? Emmanuel Ngara L AST month we reflected on how God’s ways differ from ours by examining the life of Jesus. In this article, I will try to show how we can bridge the gap between God’s ways and our idea of things by surrendering ourselves to God in all situations. Let’s start with Abraham, our father in faith. In Genesis 15 we are told God said to him: “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them ... So shall your offspring be”. Abraham could not count the stars, and he and his wife were too old to have children. It was inconceivable that a man and a woman of that age could have children— let alone that number of children! But the Bible makes a point of telling us: “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness”. It was the same absolute faith in God which made Abraham obey the command to sacrifice his son (Genesis 22). Abraham did not have a full understanding of what God meant, but we now know that not only did he and Sarah have a son, Isaac, but the promise of children as numerous as the stars of heaven has been fulfilled. Today there are literally billions of people who acknowledge Abraham as their father in faith, in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. We, the children of Abraham, are, from generation to generation, as impossible to count as the stars of heaven! God’s meaning of children was clearly different from what Abraham understood, but Abraham had faith in God. The bulk of the Christian children of Abraham seem to be in a situation where they misunderstand an important dimension of their faith without the kind of
faith and surrender to God that Abraham had. After his resurrection, Jesus had a favourite expression which he used to greet his disciples: “Peace be with you!” Today in the Catholic Church and other Christian churches, the peace greeting is an important part of worship. We Catholics just love the peace greeting. It is a lively part of the Mass and songs have been composed about peace which we sing with great jubilation. We have done this over 2000 years, and yet we still live in a world of war, turmoil and tribulation. So, where is the peace that we make such song and dance about? Has Jesus failed, then, to give us the peace he promised? This is not to say that we should not pray for peace in our countries and the world; but we need to have a deeper understanding of what Jesus meant by peace. A key to an understanding of what Jesus meant is what he said to his disciples before he was arrested, tortured and cruci-
In search of Catholic celebrities
R
ECENTLY I learnt that one of the world’s most beautiful women is a devout Catholic who goes to Mass every week. In her line as one of the world’s top supermodels, Adriana Lima has revealed much skin, and yet the Brazilian preserved her virginity until she married basketball star Marko Jarić in 2009, when she was 27. Lima has told interviewers that “sex is for after marriage”. Men, she told the men’s magazine GQ in 2006 “have to respect that this is my choice. If there’s no respect, that means they don’t want me”. In a society which sees non-marital sexual activity as inevitable and even ridicules sexual abstinence as the state of the credulous or the frumpy, Lima showed great courage in so publicly proclaiming her virginity, and the set of ethics on which it rested. It is a courage which Catholics can take inspiration from. Celebrities influence the mores of society, though rarely for the better. They may not choose to be role-models—indeed, a fruitful debate can be had on whether celebrities, by virtue of being public figures, should be required to bear that responsibility—but many people do follow their lead. This, of course, is particularly true of young people who are still forming their identity. Some have non-celeb adults in their environment from whom they can draw inspiration, others have no such mentors and look to public figures (it could be Nelson Mandela or Paris Hilton, or even both). Most, I would suggest, look to both sources. This is where Catholic public figures are so necessary in providing leadership, as a service to their Saviour. Adriana Lima has provided a wonderful example of that. It is her kind of example that we need as a model for Catholicism, rather than that of Mel Gibson, an ultra-traditionalist
OR FOR D
CONSTRUCTION
Supermodel Adriana Lima is outspoken about the importance of the Catholic faith in her life—and she is not the only celebrity. who in drunken rages—in vino veritas est— yells misogynist, racist and anti-semitic abuse. The star of Gibson’s movie The Passion of the Christ, Jim Caviezel, is a devout Catholic of conservative views who seems to walk the line and who speaks very openly about his faith. He wasn’t speaking about his pal Mel, but he might as well have done so when he told BustedHalo.com: “I can’t sit on the other side and say I’m not going to be Christian because this guy did this and that guy did that.” It’s a very obvious point; so obvious that sometimes we forget to make it. Both ex-wives of the Scientologist Tom Cruise—who grew up a Catholic and once considered becoming a Franciscan priest— reverted to their Catholicism after leaving the actor. Nicole Kidman ascribed the end to their decade-long marriage to religious differences (though one would presume there
ESTABLISHED 1982
Professional Supervision
Project Management
Christian Leadership
fied: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (Jn 14:27). Jesus never promised us protection from the problems and challenges of this life. On the contrary, he said: “In this world you will have trouble” (Jn 16:33). The world will always have wars and all kinds of problems. Jesus also said: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.” What Jesus is talking about, therefore, is spiritual and psychological peace— the peace of mind that comes to us because we remain connected to him and we have faith in God and surrender ourselves to God in the face of all trials and tribulations. This absolute trust in God and surrender to God is the kind of faith that Abraham had. It is this faith in God that gives us the peace and joy that the apostle Paul refers to, the kind of peace that the world cannot give: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:4-7).
Günther Simmermacher
Point of Faith
were other reasons). The Australian actress has frequently spoken about her faith since rejoining the Catholic Church. Second wife Katie Holmes publicly returned to the Catholic faith after divorcing Cruise last year, and even defied the apostle of Scientology by enrolling their daughter in a Catholic school. Talking of divorcees, actress Denise Richards returned to her faith after the death of her mother. She was married to Charlie Sheen, who was raised Catholic but hasn’t done much to reflect the faith’s ethos, much to the pain of his father, the great actor Martin Sheen, who is a very devout and active Catholic. Actor/producer Mark Wahlberg has credited his Catholic faith from pulling him back from a life of iniquity. After walking out of prison, where he served a term for attempted murder, he immediately sought out a priest. Wahlberg still makes questionable choices, but believes his faith gives him the strength to fight his demons. “Being a Catholic is the most important aspect of my life,” he has said. Bradley Cooper, one of the brightest stars in Hollywood at the moment, would agree. He has said that he is “Catholic in my bones”. He regained his strong faith after a stint in rehab and has said that he prays daily. And, of course, there is the great American satirist Steven Colbert, who regularly refers to his Catholicism and even teaches catechism in his parish. Other (self-)reportedly practising Catholic celebrities include Steve Carell, Alec Baldwin, Lea Michele, Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Chris O’Donnell, Sylvester Stallone, Alexis Bledel, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mickey Rourke, Pierce Brosnan, Continued on page 11
Attorneys • Notaries • Conveyancers
New Houses • Renovations • Alterations • Additions • Painting • Plumbing
• Property Management and Care For Advice call Julian Orford B.Sc. (Civ.Eng) Tel: (021) 794 5552 Fax: (021) 794 7088 Cell: 082 493 0563 E-mail: julian@orfordconstruction.co.za www.orfordconstruction.co.za
Pregnant?
Help is as near as your telephone
Specialists in:
Call Shari on 011 029 6050
www.ohagan.co.za
079 742 8861 031 201 5471 072 148 8324
www.birthright.co.za Donations and volunteers and prayers always welcome
7
Chris Chatteris SJ
Pray with the Pope
Listen with respect General Intention: That a culture of dialogue, listening, and mutual respect may prevail among peoples. IALOGUE” sounds like something engaged in by divines and diplomats. I’m tempted to banish the word to my cliché list, but it’s hard to find an alternative! However, I notice that many writers are currently favouring the word “conversation”. This sounds less technical since ordinary mortals converse all the time. Diplomatic dialogue is essential and to be encouraged, of course. However, it often cloaks the exercise of brute and corrupting power. Its cover slips a bit in the phrase “diplomatic offensive”, or the use of diplomacy to gain the upper hand. Dialogue is clearly too important to be left to the diplomats and the divines. Ordinary Catholics have a current window of opportunity for engaging in dialogue, or conversation with others. The election of the new pope has sparked much interest. I believe this is because, in the last half-century, the popes have emerged as truly international religious figures. And not only religious. Ever since John XXIII addressed his encyclical Pacem in Terris to all people of good will, the papacy has continued to articulate many of the aspirations of the whole of humanity— for peace, a more just and equitable world and a humanity in balance with the natural environment. Today the pope has the influence of a kind of religious UN general-secretary. So when people ask us questions such as why Pope Francis chose that name, or why he comes from Argentina, or whether we will ever get an African pope, or why he wears white or why he washes and kisses the feet of young offenders, this is a wonderful opportunity to have a conversation (or dialogue if you prefer) in which we can help others to understand our faith. But, as I argue below, we have to do our homework in order to do this. Do we know why he wears white? Ask the Dominicans!
‘D
Evangelise anew! Missionary Intention: That where secularisation is strongest, Christian communities may effectively promote a New Evangelisation. N what ways is the “New Evangelisation” new? In traditionally Christian countries it’s new in that it is no longer a question of sending priests and sisters out to the “foreign” missions. Today traditionally Christian countries are the missions. It is also new in that here is a new kind of society to be evangelised in the “First World”—highly educated, scientifically sophisticated and materialistic. In the past, evangelisation was often carried out from a position of cultural, educational, economic and political dominance, often referred to as colonialism. In this new milieu there is no more talking down to the unconverted. It’s a dialogue of equality and one in which all of us, laypeople, religious and clergy, have to engage. My colleague Fr Peter-John Pearson thinks dialogue is a revival of the ancient art of rhetoric, the serious discipline and training in persuasion of someone schooled in civic virtues. It is far removed from a condescending “dialogue of complacency”. Fr Pearson likes to quote Dominican Father Timothy Radcliffe on the need to do some serious homework if we are to be worthy partners in the dialogue. The late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago was in agreement on the difficulties of dialogue, especially when trying to impress on the secular world the importance of the Church's view of human life. “It is a daunting task to build consensus in the Church and civil society around the vision of the consistent ethic of life,” he once said. Fr Pearson sums up what we might call “evangelical dialogue” in the “four Ls”: listening, learning, loving and leveraging. Quite a task. Quite an intention.
I