150107

The

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January 7 to January 13, 2015

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No 4906

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Warning: Be sure before you frack

A young child named Alicia waits in her baptismal gown at Zanmi Beni, Haitian Creole for “Blessed Friends”, a home for 64 children abandoned or orphaned during the 2010 Haitian earthquake.

Seven Dominican priests travelled to Haiti to baptise the children of the home. The Church celebrates the Baptism of Our Lord on January 11. (Photo: Donis Tracy/CNS)

BY STAFF REPORTER

I

T is in South Africa’s best interests to “err on the side of caution” when it comes to fracking for shale gas, the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office has said.

The office said in a briefing paper compiled by researcher Palesa Ngwenya that it is important for the government to be sure about the fracking procedure and its effects in order to avoid any possible “environmental catastrophe”, especially in the Karoo, where fracking has been proposed.

“God has blessed this country with innumerable resources and shale gas could very well be one of them,” Ms Ngwenya said.

However, the paper added, “it is in the country’s best interest that we err on the side of caution by waiting to find out more about the procedure and its effects, lest we find ourselves with an environmental catastrophe generations after the fracking multinational corporations have made their money and left our shores”.

Ms Ngwenya said there are “countless issues” of concern related to the introduction of fracking to the South African landscape, ranging from environmental detriment to health and socio-economic factors.

“We can use the question of water to reveal the interlinked nature of such a huge undertaking and how there could be a monumental mess if hydraulic fracturing in South Africa goes awry,” she said.

“Of the potential environmental pitfalls, the most alarming one is the prospect of toxic water seeping through the soil and contaminating the local drinking water as a result of surface leaks or from improperly designed wellcasings,” Ms Ngwenya warned.

“Coupled with our history of toxic water management, the situation is not reassuring.

The resultant health consequences of poisonous water infiltrating our water system would be appalling,” she said.

“Fracking is a very water-intensive process, a disquieting factor when considering that the proposed area of the Karoo is one of the driest places in the country,” Ms Ngwenya said, adding that fears that water resources meant for the public will be steered towards industry interests have not been allayed.

“One of the main reasons for the scepticism is that, in reality, fracking companies have failed to identify a definitive water source for the fracking process without tapping into the water resources set aside for domestic and agricultural use,” Ms Ngwenya said.

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The look of fracking in the US state of Pennsylvania. The Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office has said that fracking in the Karoo for natural gas could benefit South Africa, but warned that this must not come at the expense of people’s health, a clean water supply or the environment. (Photo: Dennis Sadowski/CNS) “The Karoo is a very delicate landscape and it is difficult to predict the degree to which the invasive development tied to fracking will impact the area,” she said.

On the “flip side”, Ms Ngwenya said, fracking holds enormous possibilities for the people of the Karoo, many of whom are unemployed and live in poverty.

“Fracking in the area could alleviate some of these hardships if it brings jobs and development,” the paper said.

“Decision-makers are tasked with balancing the needs and rights of the communities with regard to being employed, and therefore bettering their living standards, while taking the relevant environmental concerns into consideration,” Ms Ngwenya said.

One other factor that “must be considered carefully” is that the return of load-shedding has refocused attention on the need for a secure energy source.

The country’s heavy reliance on coal is by no means sustainable and the possibility of there being a less carbon-intensive solution in our backyard is “no light matter”, Ms Ngwenya said.

“Ultimately, it cannot be denied that the country needs to create employment, and to secure a reliable and cleaner energy source.

Equally, it must responsibly utilise and protect its environmental resources.”

The Southern

Financial scandal hits Rome Franciscans T

BY STUART GRAHAM

HE South African province of the Order of Friars Minor (OFM) faces tough times after “questionable financial activities” at the general curia in Rome.

Brother Ashley Tillek, the Provincial Bursar of the Franciscans who is based at the La Verna Franciscan Retreat Centre in Vanderbijlpark, told The Southern Cross that the order expects to have the subsidy it pays to Rome increased in the coming year.

“It works very much from the top down to the bottom, so yes, this will affect us,” Br Tillek said.

“It will mean more subsidies...it is a difficult time for us. But we have to deal with it.”

Br Tillek said there was much uncertainty about what had caused the order’s financial difficulties at the curia. The Franciscans, he said, had been relying on “in-betweens” and news reports for information.

According to a report published shortly before Christmas on the Catholic News Service, ineffective budgetary oversight and “questionable” financial activities plunged the order into significant debt and an extremely serious financial situation.

Fr Michael Perry, the Franciscan superior,

said in an open letter on the order’s website on December 17 that the general curia “finds itself in grave, and I underscore ‘grave’, financial difficulty, with a significant burden of debt”.

The announcement came after an internal investigation into the Franciscans’ finances.

Fr Perry said the situation was the result of unapproved financial activity by some friars and non-Franciscans. He said the curia had retained lawyers and contacted civil authorities.

The Italian magazine Panorama reported in its latest edition that tens of millions of euros of the order’s funds had been invested in offshore companies. Some of the money apparently went missing in connection with the purchase and renovation of a hotel in central Rome.

Fr Perry’s letter said the order’s general treasurer, Giancarlo Lati, had resigned. It gave no further details.

Br Tillek said the South African province was not financially dependent on the curia and relied on the support of its congregations.

Continued on Page 11

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The Southern Cross, January 7 to January 13, 2015

Technology ‘a gift from God’

BY STUART GRAHAM

A

DVANCES in communications technology are a “gift from God” when it comes to bringing the Gospel into people’s homes, says the sister in charge of the Daughters of St Paul in Johannesburg.

Sr Christiana D’Aniso says the Pauline family has been embracing the rapidly evolving technology which has “opened the Church’s doors wider than ever” in the past decade.

“We can reach people very fast through websites, e-mail, Facebook and Twitter,” she says.

“A priest in a church is often lucky to have only 200 people attending a service. We can reach the ends of the world using technology.

“Pope Francis has more than 6 million people following his messages on Twitter. You can imagine the power of this media. These are the gifts of God.” The Pious Society of St Paul was started on the island of Elba by an Italian priest, Fr James Alberione, in 1914 as the First World War engulfed Europe.

The war was ripping society apart and people were abandoning the Church as a sense of hopelessness took root.

Fr Alberione’s philosophy was to use whatever “modern instruments

of communication” were available to bring hope to people.

Today Fr Alberione’s philosophy lives on and as technology evolves more rapidly than ever, the Pauline family are now reaching people in every corner of the globe.

“In 1914 Fr Alberione foresaw that in the course of the years ahead people would move away from the Church,” says Sr D’Aniso.

“He said we have to enter homes, using whatever media is available, because people are leaving the Church. That was a great vision and inspiration for us.

“We use DVDs, audio visual posters, radio and television and websites. We have about 50 websites all over the world...A large part of our work covers biblical topics.

We want to use technology to bring people closer to the Bible.”

Technology may be moving rapidly but it is still through the sale of books, CDs and DVDs at the Pauline bookshops that the order is at its most effective.

“Throughout our Church people take books, CDs, DVDs,” Sr D’Aniso says. “So we enter their houses. Our bookshops are churches where you preach constantly. They are an instrument to reach the people.”

The Paulines have editorial houses all over the world producing books with a Christian message.

Continued on Page 11

LOCAL

Knights of da Gama dig in for clean-up

BY DYLAN APPOLIS

T

HE Catholic Order of the Knights of da Gama is a brotherhood that has been recruiting people all over Cape Town to join them.

The brothers of St Lawrence, coordinated by Deputy Grand Knight Neville Meeth and second degree brothers embarked on a gardening and clean-up of St Stephen’s parish in Rocklands.

“It is truly amazing and honourable to have brothers that take up the initiative and move forward to bring about service to the parish

and parish priest,” Regional Councillor for the Knights of da Gama Malcolm Green said.

“The brothers are very active, not only in their own parishes, and they still make time to assist as and where required. This clean-up can be attached to our own way of cleaning up and making straight the path for Christ to come into our lives,” Mr Green added.

He told The Southern Cross: “Grand Knight Clive Berry is proud to have brothers that lead by example. May God richly bless them for all the efforts they have put in to help out.”

Williams Hunt donates car to HOPE

BY DYLAN APPOLIS

H

HOPE Cape Town donor relations manager Fahim Docrat with Jacques Fryer, new car sales manager of Williams Hunt Cape Town, during the handing over of the vehicle.

T

HESE are the names of the Associates of The Southern Cross, who have contributed to our Associates’ Campaign in 2014.

The Chairman of the Board and Editor of The Southern Cross thank the Associates and contributors for their generous support.

By becoming Associates or contributing otherwise, they have helped put The Southern Cross on a safer financial footing.

They have also assisted us in our apostolic outreach.

Thanks to our Associates, every seminarian in South Africa now has access to the weekly Catholic newspaper.

The newspaper is also sent to prisons for inmates who wish to follow a Christian way of life, and to the Catholic university chaplaincies.

These needs are on-going. Existing Associates will be invited to renew their support for The Southern Cross as their annual associateship expires.

Readers who have not yet done so may become Associates at any time.

Cardinal McCann Associates are those who contributed R1 500 or more to the Campaign; Maximilian Kolbe Associates between R500 and R1 500; St Francis de Sales Associates between R100 and R499.

An annual Mass is celebrated for the intentions of our Associates on January 24, feast day of St Francis de Sales, patron of journalists, and on All Soul’s Day for the deceased Associates and deceased family members of Associates.

DONATIONS All Anonymous Donations; II Bailey; Mrs Margaret Baxter, East London Stephen Flesch, Grassy Park; M C Garoes; F Lalor; Vincent Motabogi; Klerksdorp; Mrs Enid Pemberton, Fish Hoek; M Solan, Walmer; Mrs Jennifer Tory, Umbilo, Mr Peter van der Straaten, Lonehill.

ST FRANCIS DE SALES ASSOCIATES Mrs Monica Alson, Elsies River; Mr Brian Bailey, Elsies River; Vic & Maureen Blair, Boksburg; Dr Francis Diab, Tyger Valley; Mr Tony dos Santos, Bedfordview; Mrs Elizabeth Firmstone, Scottsville, PMB; Dr Elizabeth Fisher, Durban; Mr Laurence Gorman, Scottburgh; Mr Dennis Jenkinson, East London; John & Maureen Kilroe, Claremont; Brother Daniel Manuel SCP, Rocklands, Mitchells Plain; Mr Brian O'Reilly, Uitenhage; Mr Lawrence Osborne, Springbok; Mrs Bernadette Patterson, Red Hill, Durban; Wendy Pickstone, Franschoek; Mr Thomas Pupuma, Zastron; Mr Dominic Sam, Port Elizabeth; Mr Cornelis Segers, Lonehill; Mrs Rosa Mary Stacey, Vanderbijlpark; Mrs Joan Swanson, Durbanville; Mrs Faith Tasker, Kokstad; Mrs Agnes Wesson, Durbanville.

ST MAXIMILIAN KOLBE ASSOCIATES Mr Peter Attenborough, Fish Hoek; Mrs Lesley Bashkier, Monte Vista; David Brokensha, Fish Hoek; M G Chadinha; Catholic Chinese Welfare Assoc, Jeppestown; Mr Patrick Cosgrove, Simonstown; Miss A T Downs, Primrose; Mr Bernard Flynn, Hutten Heights; Maria Frade, Randfontein; Mervyn Gatcke East London; R Hawker; Victor January; Moore Family, Worcester West; F W Muller, Camps Bay; Our Lady of Peace Catholic Church, Roodepoort; Mr Mel Palmer, Rondebosch; Mr Michael Phillips, Fish Hoek; Evarista Phiri, Rustenburg; Dr

Second Degree Brother Emile Nicholson and Deputy Grand Knight Neville Meeth at work.

George Pillay, Bellville South; Mr Christopher Rasefako, Gaborone,Botswana; Mrs Lucy Rubin, Lynnwood Manor, Pretoria; Mr Henk Rubidge, Sea Point; Mr Peter Sangiorgio, Oranjezicht; Prof Mitchell Shackleton, Vredehoek; George & Pat Topp, Vredehoek; St James Catholic Church, St James; Mr Garth Towell, Honeydew; Mrs Michelle Trevor, Muizenberg; Mr Jan van der Mey, Amsterdamhoek,PE; Mr Hans Wagner, East London; Mr Ashley Williams, Malabar,PE; Mr Mark Yazbek, East London; Mr Peter Yazbek, Brandhof.

CARDINAL McCANN ASSOCIATES Mr Nigel Bands, Newton Park,PE; Mr Christopher Bradley, Somerset West; Athena & Malcolm Caldwell; Mr Louis P Chappel, Springs; Desmond Clark, Gonubie, EL; Fr Ralph de Hahn, Cape Town; Mr Michael Denoon, Durbanville; Peter & Dorothy Fewell, Simon’s Town; Prof Brian Figaji, Durbanville; Fowler Tours, Milnerton; Fr Alois Ganserer, Bloemfontein; Fr Stefan Hippler (HOPE), Vlaeberg; Ms Barbara Houghton, Sea Point; Daisy & Terry Kingston, King William’s Town; Knights of da Gama, Alberton; Adrian & Marie Laros, Somerset West; Marist Brothers & Community, Rondebosch; Christopher Moerdyk, Glencairn; Molly Molyneaux, Umbilo; Miss Sheila J Mullany, Vredehoek; E/L Peter Murray, Sun Valley; Mrs Cheryl Nolan,Meredale; Mr Gavin O’Connor, Durbanville; Mrs Melitza Oosthuizen, Polokwane; Mr Dante Parisi, Cape Town; Dr Mulimisi Ramavhuya, Musina; John R S Reid, Heidelberg; Miss Eileen Reynolds, Mowbray; Fr Kevin Reynolds, Groenkloof; Mr Henk Schoots, Edgemead; Paul Schwieger, Swakopmund, Namibia; St Michaels Catholic Church, Rondebosch; Sts Simon & Jude Parish, Simonstown; Mrs Sybil Stuurman, Jeffrey’s Bay; Mr Terence Walsh, Claremont; Mrs Lorna Wicks, Kokstad.

OPE Cape Town received a major boost with the generous sponsorship of a brand-new Chevrolet Aveo sedan from Williams Hunt Cape Town car dealership.

HOPE Cape Town is a nonprofit organisation focusing on HIV/Aids and TB in the Western Cape.

The group’s donor relations manager Fahim Docrat said: “We are thrilled with this sponsorship and are looking forward to putting this vehicle to good use, allowing us to continue to operate in the more than 20 communities

that we support.”

“We are very grateful to Williams Hunt Cape Town, who are based in Bellville, for acknowledging the work that we do and for their enthusiasm and dedication to making a positive difference in the community.”

“We have long been aware of the good work that HOPE Cape Town does,” Williams Hunt Cape Town new car sales manager Jacques Fryer said.

“We felt that we wanted to play our part and support their efforts.

“We are a community-focused dealership and always try to help where we can.”

The Mass for all Associates will be held on Saturday 24th January, 2015 at St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral, Cape Town at 6pm. All welcome.

Our Associates also help keep The Southern Cross alive!

The newspaper receives no subsidies and is entirely self-sufficient. This does mean, however, that one bad year too many could put The Southern Cross in danger of following the many titles worldwide that have already closed down.

Your contribution makes a difference!

Please become an Associate

The Southern Cross, Associates Campaign, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000 l Account details: Standard Bank, Thibault Square Branch (Code 020909), The Southern Cross, Acc No: 276876016 (please fax or e-mail deposit slip or confirmation) l Fax Number: 021 465-3850, Email: admin@scross.co.za

The Southern Cross, January 7 to January 13, 2015

LOCAL

3

ACTS’ annual leadership delegates meet

BY DYLAN APPOLIS

T

HE Association of Catholic Tertiary Students held their annual ACTS leadership conference at Ha Phororo youth retreat centre at Hartebeespoort north-west of Johannesburg.

The aim of the leadership conference was to sharpen the students’ leadership skills both in the Church and in their everyday lives.

During the conference, members of ACTS also decided where the next national conference will be held.

“Although this year’s conference was held at Ha Phororo youth retreat Centre in North West province—which is a different venue from the Koinonia conference centre in Johannesburg where

it has been held in the past—it was an overwhelming success,” ACTS media and publicity officer Boniswa Moto said.

“Having had morning prayers and Mass every day and a confession session on the second day, this conference, without fail, did amazingly well in executing its theme of equipping leaders to serve in the spirit of Christ,” Ms Moto added.

She told The Southern Cross that having had presentations on why leaders pray, how to use media and communication to market the ACTS movement, leadership workshops, and the breaking down of each portfolio in ACTS, the conference was productive.

“The decision as to where the next ACTS national conference will

be, during the June vacation next year, is the Western Cape,” Ms Moto said.

This was thrilling news to everyone, including the alumnae of the movement, because since its inception, the national conference has never gone to the Western Cape.

ACTS members are looking forward to welcoming new members as soon as next year starts. n To all those going to tertiary institutions next year, you can contact Boniswa Moto on 083 7745 275, 072 9522 648, boniswamoto@gmail. com and Boniswa Moto on Facebook to find out who to contact about ACTS in the institution you will be in (universities and universities of technology only).

Members of ACTS celebrate their annual leadership conference at Ha Phororo youth retreat centre in North West province.

Culture of easy money infects South Africans

BY STUART GRAHAM

A

Sr Mary Vincenza, who leads the Missionaries of Charity in Durban, says a culture of materialism is at the root off much pain in South Africa.

CULTURE of materialism and lack of respect for human beings is at the root of much of the suffering in South Africa, according to the nun who leads the Missionaries of Charity, founded by Mother Teresa, in the archdiocese of Durban.

Sr Mary Vincenza said it is the desire by people to make easy money that is causing widespread suffering in the country.

“People look for easy money and so they turn to things like prostitution,” said Sr Vincenza, who spoke to The Southern Cross at a project for the sick and disabled in Chatsworth.

“It is from this that the sicknesses come, and is often why there are so many orphans without families,” she said.

Poverty and a lack of employment have always existed, but the scale of violence, theft, drugs and prostitution was never like it is now, said Sr Vincenza.

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South Africa is a rich country, with a wealth of resources, yet poverty is rife and the wealthy live lavishly, she said. This example of consumerism filters to the people, who believe money must come easily.

“People are never satisfied. They want more and more. They want things to come easily. There is materialism,” she said.

“There is no respect for the human being. People do not respect their own bodies. They have forgotten that the body is temple of the Holy Spirit.”

Drugs are also causing enormous suffering, said Sr Vincenza, adding that drug addicts regularly come to the gate of the charity to ask for money.

“The people on drugs don’t want to stay to receive care from us. They like to be free. If we can help them, we help them, but we don’t ever give them money,” the nun said.

People should listen to their con-

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sciences when giving to beggars, said Sr Vincenza.

“If you see a mother and a child asking for money or food, then listen to your conscience—but always be wise,” she advised. “Many younger beggars will buy drugs” before they buy food.

The only way to change the culture is through children, said Sr Vincenza.

“Children need to be taught empathy at school and at home. They need an example from our leaders, but most importantly from their parents,” she said.

“Often children do not listen to their teachers. Parents must take responsibility for this. Parents have a responsibility to their children to teach them respect and love.

“Children so often get what they want, whenever they want it. This has to stop,” she said.

“When people have empathy, they will respect and love each other and treat their bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit,” Sr Vincenza said.

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The Southern Cross, January 7 to January 13, 2015

INTERNATIONAL

Church assists in Mallorca’s ancient graves study

BY ED LANGLOIS

A Adelie penguins gather at the base of a memorial at Mawson’s Hut in Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica. No word has emerged on what Pope Francis’ climate change and environmental degradation encyclical might say or when it would appear in 2015, but references by officials at the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace have pointed to a document that Catholics can apply in everyday life. (Photo: Dean Lewins, EPA/CNS)

Pope says all religious leaders must condemn Islamic State

BY FRANCIS X. ROCCA

P

OPE Francis deplored the “abuses and inhuman acts” of Islamic State militants, and called on all religious leaders to condemn them “unanimously and unambiguously”. He also said he hoped to travel to the Middle East to comfort persecuted Christians there.

The pope’s words appeared in a letter to Christians in the Middle East, released by the Vatican in December.

Pope Francis wrote that Christians in the region have experienced increasing “afflictions and tribulations” in recent months, “especially because of a newer and disturbing terrorist organisation, of previously unimaginable dimensions, which has perpetrated all kinds of abuses and inhuman acts”—an apparent reference to the Islamic State, which has killed or displaced thousands of Christians and other minorities in Syria and Iraq.

The group has “particularly affected a number of you, who have been brutally driven out of your native lands, where Christians have been present since apostolic times”, the pope wrote.

Pope Francis said Muslims in the region should be encouraged to “present with discernment a more authentic image of Islam, as so many of them desire, reiterating that Islam is a religion of peace, one which is compatible with respect for human rights and favours peaceful coexistence on the part of all”.

In particular, the pope wrote, the “tragic situation faced by our Christian brothers and sisters in Iraq, as well as by the Yazidi and members of other religious and ethnic communities, demands that all religious leaders clearly speak out to condemn these crimes unanimously and unambiguously, and to denounce the practice of invoking religion in order to justify them”.

The pope acknowledged that, for many Christians in the Middle East “Christmas hymns were accompanied by tears and sighs”. He noted the suffering of the “homeless and all refugees, the starving and those facing the prospect of a hard winter without adequate shelter”. He also mentioned “those who have been kidnapped, including several Orthodox bishops and priests of various rites”.

Reflecting on what he has often called the “ecumenism of blood,” Pope Francis wrote that the “sufferings which Christians endure contribute immensely to the cause of unity” between the region’s Orthodox and Eastern Catholics.

The pope urged Christians to act as “artisans of peace, reconciliation and development” in the Middle East, through dialogue with Jews and Muslims, and through continuing charitable and educational service to “anyone who asks, without discrimination”.—CNS

Do you feel called to the Franciscan way of life?

TEAM from the University of Portland laboured in the heat with archaeologists on the island of Mallorca, in the Mediterranean off the coast of Spain.

On an abandoned Mallorcan farm, crews had dug a trench just over 2m wide by 5m long.

On that morning, the scientists, theologians and workers were thrilled to find just what they were looking for—an ancient Christian grave. About 1 500 years ago, the quiet field was a burial ground for Christians from the Roman naval city of Pollentia.

The Oregon Catholic university’s team was led by Holy Cross Father Richard Rutherford, retired theology professor, and included chemists Ray and Ronda Bard, Holy Cross Father Ron Wasowski of the environmental studies department and six helpers.

They gathered with archaeologists from the University of Barcelona, Spain, to toast the successful survey and mapping of the cemetery, which had been led by Rachel Thurston, a surveyor and graduate of the University of Portland’s master of arts in pastoral ministry programme. The territorial governor of Mallorca congratulated the Oregon team on its work and invited the group to a reception at the palace in Palma.

Future trips will map out the rest of the graveyard—which could have hundreds of graves—and look for a long-buried church compound.

“Christians didn’t just bury their dead and run off,” said Fr Rutherford, an expert in early baptism and funeral practices. “If there is a cemetery, there is a church somewhere.”

Fr Rutherford has been researching ancient baptisteries for years and one trip took him to Mallorca, where he met the Spanish archeological team studying ancient Pollentia, which translated means “power”. The promise was great for locating unstudied graves and churches, so Fr Rutherford marshalled his group from Oregon.

The University of Portland team took a new survey to locate evidence of the graves then marked out a grid to pinpoint locations.

Ray Bard conducted chemical analysis on soil and artifacts, such as pottery shards, using a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer.

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Holy Cross Father Richard Rutherford, a retired theology professor from the University of Portland, Oregon, works on a trench at an ancient Christian burial ground on an abandoned farm on Mallorca Island, Spain. About 1 500 years ago, the quiet field was a burial ground for Christians from the ancient Roman naval city of Pollentia. (Photo: University of Portland/CNS) iron? How did they glaze their pottery?

Fr Wasowski took aerial images, using a helium balloon and a small University of Portland drone. He was looking for changes in vegetation that might indicate graves or even the ruins of a church. On future trips, he expects to use an infrared camera that will yield more evidence.

Phoenicians came to Mallorca as early as the eighth-century BC. The Romans assumed control after the Second Punic War and began settlements in 123 BC, founding Pollentia as a navy garrison.

When Christianity swept the Roman Empire in the fourth and fifth centuries AD, Pollentia’s Christian population grew. Vandals captured the island and held it for about 40 years, but Roman rule was re-established in 465. It was after the Byzantine conquest in 534 that Christianity flourished and many churches and graveyards were built.

Muslim forces from North Africa began attacking in the eighth century and by the 10th century had taken possession. By the 13th century, instability in the Moorish caliphate created an opening and a massive Spanish force besieged the island for almost a year, taking it in 1230. Old Pollentia was disassembled and re-

built and expanded nearby, creating the medieval walled city of Alcudia, which today is a popular tourist site.

In the turmoil, the old Christian cemetery of Pollentia was covered and lost. It became a farm.

About 30 graves had been excavated and studied in the 1920s but farmers covered them over at the start of the Spanish Civil War to create an arable field. Mallorca was a nationalist stronghold and amid the turmoil, no one did extensive research on the old Christian site.

It was not until this past July that the graves were seen again.

“There is so little known,” Fr Rutherford told the Catholic Sentinel, newspaper of the Portland archdiocese. For example, it is not clear what sort of Christians lived on Pollentia. Were they from the Roman tradition? Byzantines?

Arian heretics?

The priest, who taught at the University of Portland for more than 35 years, is building what he calls the Christian Antiquities Initiative, a partnership of scholars, students and supporters, to study ancient sites. Already, UP professors and students are beginning to plan projects at Pollentia. One biology professor and student will examine remains from the graves to see what kind of diseases hit the island city.—CNS

Pope: Good luck with 2024 Olympic bid, but I won’t see it

BY CINDY WOODEN

A

MID the chatter about the Vatican possibly hosting some Olympic events, Pope Francis wished Rome well in its bid to host the 2024 Summer Olympics, but he said with a smile, “I won’t be here.”

The 78-year-old Pope Francis made the comments during an audience with members of the Italian Olympic Committee and Italian Olympians and Paralympians celebrating the 100th anniversary of the committee.

Joining the sports enthusiasts in St Peter’s basilica after a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, Pope Francis encouraged the athletes and the Olympic committee to ensure access to sports for all people, including immigrants and the poor who live on the outskirts of Rome and other big cities.

Just like Olympic-class athletes, people with different abilities and from different backgrounds “need spaces to meet, socialise, share and play”, he said.

The Olympic motto, Citius, altius, fortius (Faster, higher, stronger), is not a call for one nation to dominate another or the criteria for excluding the weak, Pope Francis said, it is a call to all human beings to work hard and sacrifice “to reach important goals in life, accepting one’s limits without being blocked by them, but trying to overcome them”.

Many saints, he said, have used language more often used by athletes, terms like “passion, enthusiasm, constancy, determination, struggle and limits”, to describe the qualities needed to reach the ultimate finish line, heaven.

The pope quoted the First Letter of Timothy, “While physical training is of limited value, devotion is valuable in every respect, since it holds a promise of life both for the present and for the future.”—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, January 7 to January 13, 2015

5

Better music at Mass means a closer encounter with Christ

BY JOANNE FOX

D

URING a two-day mission in Sioux City, contemporary Christian musician John Michael Talbot was by turns a comedian, a guitarist and a theologian.

“All things are possible with God!” he exclaimed and urged those present to repeat after him.

It was those words, Talbot insisted, that would turn the tide against the bad news that just 17% of those who identify themselves as Catholics in the United States attend weekly Mass.

“Do you know what the second largest denomination in this country is?” he asked. “It’s the 30 million people who are fallen-away Catholics. And they are flocking to Pentecostal churches.”

To counter that exodus, he focused his mission message on two dynamics—better singing and better preaching.

“That will translate to a deeperengaged encounter, a personal relationship with Jesus,” said Talbot, who is the founder of the Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage in Berryville, Arkansas. Raised a Methodist, he joined the Catholic Church in the late 1970s.

The musician takes his message on the road to convalescent

Liturgical music composer John Michael Talbot gestures during a presentation in Sioux City, Iowa. Talbot, a Catholic, is founder of the Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage, in Berryville, Arkansas, and in the late 1960s and 1970s was a member of the country folk rock band Mason Profitt. (Photo: Jerry L Mennenga, Catholic Globe/CNS) homes, inviting residents to raise their hands and twitch their fingers.

“I call it praise-ercise,” Talbot proclaimed and then with perfect comedic timing, added an openmouthed grin.

Talbot took mission participants on a walk through the liturgy. The word itself, he ex-

Pope takes Curia to task on ‘spiritual Alzheimer’s’

BY FRANCIS X. ROCCA

P

OPE Francis’ message to the Vatican bureaucracy this year was an extended warning against a host of spiritual ills to which he said Vatican officials are prone, including “spiritual Alzheimer's,” “existential schizophrenia,” publicity-seeking, the “terrorism of gossip” and even a poor sense of humor.

The pope made his remarks, in a biting half-hour speech to heads of the Roman Curia, the church's central administration, and to cardinals resident in Rome.

Popes have often used their annual Christmas speech to review events of the previous year and lay out priorities for the next. Pope Francis’ nine-member Council of Cardinals is currently working on an overhaul of the Curia, but the pope’s speech did not address specific reforms. Instead, he spoke in general terms of virtues and values, saying he hoped his words might serve officials as a “support and stimulus to a true examination of conscience” in preparation for the sacrament of reconciliation.

The pope, who has made criticism of the Church’s leaders a common theme of his preaching, called the Curia a “dynamic body” naturally vulnerable to “maladies, to dysfunction, to infirmities”.

He offered what he called a “catalogue” of 15 such diseases. Most corresponded to vices for which he has frequently rebuked the hierarchy, including self-promotion, greed and a focus on bureaucratic efficiency over pastoral solicitude. But the pope’s rhetoric this time was especially impassioned and forceful.

Following a year in which Vatican officials and other bishops aired differences to a remarkable degree in the press, especially during the October Synod of Bishops on the family, Pope Francis warned against “exhibitionism”, the “malady of persons who seek insatiably to increase their power and to that end are capable of calumniating, defaming and discrediting others, even in newspapers and magazines”.

The pope denounced the “hypocrisy typical of the mediocre” and said an apostle who puts excessive faith in planning becomes a mere “bookkeeper or accountant” who would “confine and control the liberty of the Holy Spirit”. He said an official who forgets his personal relationship with Jesus becomes completely dependent on his “passions, whims and manias”, “incapable of carrying out any autonomous activity, living in a state of absolute dependence on his often imaginary views”.

Officials who idolise their bosses are “victims of careerism and opportunism”, “mean persons, unhappy and inspired only by their own fatal egoism”, the pope said, acknowledging that bosses often encourage such attitudes to obtain “submission, loyalty and psychological dependence” from their staff.

Deriding a “gruff and grim” manner he described as characteristic of the insecure, Pope Francis called for a “joyous spirit, full of humour and even self-mockery, that makes us amiable persons, even in difficult situations”. The pope said that every day he recites a prayer, which he attributed to St Thomas More, asking God for a sense of humour.

The pope wound up his remarks on a note of encouragement, saying that the failings of a few have discredited the virtuous majority of the Church’s ministers. He quoted an adage that “priests are like airplanes, they make news only when they fall, but there are so many that fly”.

After the speech in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall, the pope spent about half an hour exchanging Christmas greetings with individual cardinals and curial members.—CNS

plained, has its origins in the Greek word leitourgia, or “work of the people”.

“Liturgy is the work of God,” he acknowledged. “But I believe liturgy is the work of the people and the work of God—come together.”

“It’s not about learning how to say ‘consubstantial’,” he said, elic-

iting more laughter at the word, which means of the same essence.

It replaced the phrase “one in being with the Father” in the Nicene Creed in the revised edition of the Roman Missal.

Bringing the liturgy to life must include bringing liturgical music to life, Talbot said.

“Catholics are notoriously known for having the worst music anywhere,” he continued, as a couple of “Amens” were heard from the crowd. “We have to stir up the power of the Holy Spirit through our praise and worship and music.”

Talbot paired better music with better preaching.

“All preachers don’t have to be Fulton Sheen,” he said, referring to the famous New York archbishop and his TV evangelism. “You need doctrine, but you really need to share your faith.”

Talbot shared his music with the crowd. Clad in an unadorned monk’s robe, he had a high-tech receiver clamped to his rope-belt that reverberated songs through an equally impressive Bose sound system. His guitar riffs illustrated why the former Mason Proffit member could still rock with the best.

Talbot was part of that band with his brother, Terry, in the early

1970s. Then, both embraced an evangelical brand of Christianity and started releasing albums infused with Christian themes. John Michael Talbot became a Catholic in 1978.

Even with terrible music and boring preaching, Talbot said, there is one reason why Catholics need to be at Mass.

“Jesus is here,” he said, gesturing to the tabernacle. “Jesus comes from the eternal to the ‘now’ for each of us personally.”

“Get with the programme of good singing and good preaching!” Talbot’s voice rang out in a “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” reverberation.

The current situation could be summed up in a Dr Phil quote.

“How’s that workin’ for ya?” inquired Talbot—the only Catholic presence on Trinity Broadcasting Network—who began sharing his televised messages of hope and inspiration each week on “All Things Are Possible” last year.

Talbot’s prayer was that after his mission, Mass would never be the same again for those in attendance.

“We have to have a revival in America, in our parishes, in our lives,” he said.—CNS

6

The Southern Cross, January 7 to January 13, 2015

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher Acting editor: Fr Chris Chatteris SJ

Francis, the Dalai Lama and Raul Castro

D

ID the “turn towards the world” of the Second Vatican Council include a pivot in the direction of politics?

Two events towards the end of 2014 answered this question with a resounding “yes”.

In the first, Pope Francis found himself caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place when he had to choose between meeting the Dalai Lama and meeting the needs of the Church in China.

There were howls of disapproval around the world, when he appeared to cave in to the Chinese authorities, especially since the general policy of the Vatican is to meet all-comers and talk to everyone.

Here in South Africa there was the added unpleasant resonance due to the government’s recent refusal of a visa for the Dalai Lama to attend a gathering of Nobel Laureates in Cape Town.

Archbishop Tutu was outspoken in his criticism of Francis and said he would ask him to change his mind. No doubt Francis would dearly love to meet the Dalai Lama but it seems to be one of those situations where he had to sacrifice his own public image for the sake of vulnerable others, in this case Chinese Catholics. Whether Beijing will reciprocate remains to be seen.

T

he second event was the revelation that Francis had been instrumental in the détente which is breaking out between the United States and Cuba.

President Obama’s announcement of a new chapter in the relations between the two states came as a media bombshell. Obviously the quietest of diplomacy had been going on for some time, but Obama made it clear that the role of Francis was vital and the President went out of his way to thank him.

Obama has some persuading to do. Cuba and the Castros have been the great communist survivors in the Western hemisphere and the regime has seen out US president after US president despite over 50 years of US sanctions.

They were imposed in 1960 after the Castro revolution of 1959. Then came the debacle of the US-backed Bay of Pigs invasion followed closely by the terrifying crisis in 1962. Cuba installed Soviet ballistic missiles on its territory aimed at the US and President John F Kennedy risked a nuclear war to confront the Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev to have them removed.

Since then, Cuba has survived, standing as a constant reminder of the limits of US power, and for some Americans on the right, this thaw signals a final humiliating capitulation.

For some Cuban Americans, making an agreement with Cuba and the Castros is tantamount to a deal with the devil. Although they are Catholics, the role of the pope has drawn sharp criticism in this émigré community.

Marco Rubio, a Cuban American with pretensions to be a Republican presidential candidate, is clearly unhappy with developments. One Cuban leader in Miami is quoted as saying that he is a Catholic without a pope!

However, many Cuban Americans welcome the change and the opportunities it

promises—easier travel, business contacts and economic growth.

The younger generation, who did not experience the suffering of their elders who fled the Castro regime, seem generally more open to the change.

W

hereas Obama’s move may feel like a sudden and radical change in US geopolitics, the Church’s policy has been relatively consistent and part of a continuum going back to St John Paul II. As archbishop of Buenos Aires, Francis wrote a booklet entitled Dialogues between John Paul II and Castro, detailing the attempts of John Paul and Fidel Castro to find common ground.

The 1990s marked a definite thaw in Vatican-Cuban relations thanks to John Paul’s 1998 visit.

The country changed its official stance on religion in a very significant way by becoming a secular rather than an atheist state.

Restrictions on the Church were relaxed and in 1998 John Paul blessed a stone to inaugurate the building of a seminary which was finally opened in 2010. Christmas was restored as a national holiday.

In 2012 Pope Benedict XVI paid a three-day visit to the island, having asked Havana’s Cardinal Jaime Ortega to remain in office, despite being 75, because of his ability to work well with Raul Castro.

Today there is something of a Catholic revival happening in Cuba, though human and financial resources are sorely lacking.

A

s a general rule, the Vatican tries to maintain relationships with politicians and regimes of all stripes. Jesus made no apology about his contact with sinners. If we were only to talk to politicians who were saints, this would restrict our diplomatic activity severely!

Of course, this means talking to people with whom one does not necessarily always agree.

Many Catholics find it distasteful that pro-abortion politicians or dictators can be received at papal audiences.

History will pass judgment on the policy. There is a debate going on at the moment among historians about the role played

by John Paul in the fall of the Soviet Union.

He himself is reported to have modestly said that it was tottering and he only gave it a bit of a push.

Others say that his personal role and his de facto political alliance with the then US president Ronald Reagan (which irked some Catholics) was the winning combination that brought down a vast, oppressive empire.

History will say that John Paul was a moderating influence who kept hotheads on both sides in check at crucial moments and that this contributed to a peaceful transition.

These debates will continue, but the Church will persevere with its policy of “turning to the (political) world”. Patient, diplomatic work and dialogue, with the ultimate aim of peace rather than political point-scoring, will continue.

It’s often messy but it is a strong Catholic and papal suit, and the recent Cuba-US agreement seems to have vindicated it once again.

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.

Let’s look at Church self-insurance

I

S the Church making the most out of its resources? Are there ways that the Church could use its substantial assets to free up cash to help the poor?

We believe there is a way that is commonly used by large organisations. The procedure envisaged would be for the Church to “self-insure” rather than pay money over to middlemen such as insurance companies.

This is the process where rather than paying premiums to an insurance company to insure motor vehicles and buildings and their contents, the Church instead sets money aside to do this task for itself internally.

Climate change

Y

OUR article, “The Planet is Sad” (December 10), prompted me to initiate an informal survey of your readers’ attitudes to climate change.

By the time people see this request for responses, the 20th Conference of the Parties (COP 20) in Lima, Peru, will be over. Here, as with many other climate-related meetings of world leaders, there have been calls for action as scientists warn that, at more than 400 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, we are fast heading for tipping points when natural systems will respond to the situation in somewhat unpredictable, but generally not very humanfriendly, ways.

I invite people to write to me as briefly as possible about their levels of climate change concern or absence of it, with reasons and suggestions of what a large global institution (1.2 billion followers), like the Catholic Church, should or should not be doing about it.

I will summarise, as best and objectively as I can, the responses I receive in the two weeks following publication and communicate the result to The Southern Cross.

This is a random sampling of opinions and will not be used as a way of justifying a specific ideological position on the topic, but it might contribute usefully to the conversation around a big topic heading towards the COP 21 meeting in Paris in 2015.

Those who would like to respond can e-mail me at patrick@ tops.org.za Patrick Dowling, Kommetjie, W Cape

Viva organists

T

HANKS for the timely article by Prof NJ Basson (December 10) on the lack of appreciation for organists and, one can add, choirs.

The beautiful and uplifting

Experience of other parishes in Namibia and corporations that we have worked for, such as BP, indicate that large organisations with significant economies of scale and assets are better off saving on paying premiums, cutting out the middleman (short-term insurer) and using their financial muscle to set off this risk with their own resources. Insurance companies have large overheads which they must pay which the Church would save from paying.

A diocese, for instance, could set money aside each year to cover any potential losses and then pay for any damages out of this fund.

Its vicar for property already adMasses sung in the past now gather dust on the shelves, as does the Liber Usualis.

One priest told me he hated Latin—I think when he heard the word “declension”, he went into a decline.

Fr Thomas Plastow says: “A choir is unnecessary!” (Archdiocese News, Johannesburg, August 2, 2012). In the same paper he says that overseas a Sunday Eucharist “is like an experience from a concert hall. The music, vestments and processions might be very beautiful, but they belong in the movies or museums”.

Really?

Even St Augustine complained: “When it happens that I am more moved by the music than the words...I am guilty of a grave sin.”

But he “recognises that the listener may be more inclined to devotion when the music is well sung than when it is not”.

And I thought that the Puritans were killjoys!

Peter A Onesta, Johannesburg

Eyes on the DA

Y

OUR recent article, “Is President Zuma on borrowed time?” (December 3), refers.

That the Nkandla matter has almost been flogged to death should not detract from the purpose of the Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office, which is to hold all spheres of government to account.

One assumes that this includes the Democratic Alliance (DA), the Opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in Letters to the Editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy. The letters page in particular is a forum in which readers may exchange opinions on matters of debate.

Letters must not be understood to necessarily reflect the teachings, disciplines or policies of the Church accurately.

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

ministers maintenance and other property/asset issues, so that this could become an extension of that work.

There would be no administration of premium collections, negotiations with insurers and underwriters. Self-insurance would be an internal matter and the Church would earn interest on the money in the fund.

The larger the number of parishes that the fund covers, the bigger the fund would be, and consequently the greater the claims that it could cover. And more interest is earned, which could be used for worthy initiatives such as helping the poor.

Guy McGregor and Heinrich Leichner, Cape Town

current administration in the Cape Town metropole and the Western Cape province.

The “Parker” judgment in the Cape High Court by Justice Siraj Desai is a serious indictment of the DA-led administration in the province.

Judge Desai ruled against then MEC of Local Government Anton Bredell, who had wrongfully accused property owner Shaik Abdulla Parker, who had allowed 500 homeless people to squat on his private land, of using his property as an illegal “dumping” site (source: IOL).

This shocking court action was clearly frivolous and a complete waste of taxpayers’ money.

The DA has also failed to explain its irrational decision to award tenders exceeding R400 million to construction company Filcon. Several sub-contractors are still waiting for millions of rand to be paid to them, while work on some schools and renovations to council flats have come to a complete halt after Filcon was liquidated in the Cape High Court recently. There are enough red flags here to warrant a judicial commission of enquiry given that the exorbitant amount of the tenders in question is almost double that of the money allegedly spent on Nkandla.

Then recently, Premier Helen Zille refused to withdraw a remark claiming that ANC provincial leader Marius Fransman had deliberately distorted her words in the legislature. She initially disobeyed her own Speaker’s instruction to withdraw the remark but then eventually did so the following day, before walking out of the House while proceedings were still in progress.

The CPLO runs the risk of being regarded as just another anti-ANC front unless it also produces a briefing paper on the DA’s service delivery failures and its battle to deliver on its own mandate in the Western Cape.

Colin Arendse, Cape Town

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PERSPECTIVES

God save us from people who mean well A Gushwell Brooks S a St Vincent de Paul volunteer—a Vincentian—I am always burdened by the lingering question of whether our interventions with soup, bread, blankets, clothes, shoes and whatever other donations we receive for the marginalised poor people we serve are good enough.

Are we just providing a temporary solution which gives those who would ordinarily have nothing at all something alternative, or are we enablers?

Recently Bob Geldof and Bono took a lot of flak for their attempts to put together Band Aid. Band Aid has an extensive legacy, dating back to 1984 when Geldof, inspired by a BBC news report about the famine in Ethiopia, decided to get a bunch of musicians together to record the song, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”. The proceeds from sales were intended to feed starving people in Ethiopia.

Last month, 30 years later, Geldof wanted to replicate the success of the chart-topping hit with Band Aid 30. This time proceeds were intended for the people of West Africa impacted by ebola.

It is a much better response than Australia’s closure of its borders to people from countries in West Africa affected by ebola, but unfortunately it is no more than a band aid to treat the real social, economic and political issues that accompany the spread of ebola in the region.

This is what the world caught on to and many global organisations and individuals, some of whom are the very musicians approached by Geldof to participate in the cutting of the single. They have not only declined participation in the project, but very publicly criticised it.

Thirty years after the initial Band Aid, the world now realises that a bit of money thrown at a problem does not eradicate all the issues that accompany a particular crisis. The obvious reason for this is that money in itself does not address the cultural, social and political fertiliser that gives rise to the rapid spread of a crisis such as ebola or famine.

Recently I chatted to an ordinary civilian who figured that the best response to teenage pregnancy, gangsterism and drugs

on the Cape Flats of the Western Cape would be shipping a bunch of urban teenagers to farms to “open up” their world to work opportunities.

There is a self-righteousness in suggesting that a bunch of teenagers, living in conditions you only read about and could never understand, should go off to a farm to “expand their horizons”. This misguided need to save a community also stems from our historical and geographic separation.

If you did not grow up and live in the Cape Flats, then no number of newspaper articles can educate you on the social ills of those neighbourhoods, nor can it obviate the solutions that these communities need.

I was very privileged to have worked with people like former cabinet minister Jay Naidoo who taught me that solutions to improve the lives of people can come only from those communities themselves.

We, as outsiders, can only catalyse or facilitate these solutions.

P

eople in poor social and economic conditions are best placed to understand what it is that negatively impacts on their lives, so it stands to reason that it is for them to not only find these solutions, but to see these solutions through permanently.

Does this mean that middle-class people

Bob Geldof: Is he doing good or is he part of the problem? (Photo: Larry Downing, Reuters/CNS)

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Pushing the Boundaries

‘For silence’s companions, empty houses are heaven—at least until you get sick and can’t get around to organise things for yourself.’ (Photo: Karen Callaway, Catholic New World) inner being. Being alone provides an opportunity to let go of the façade, and works to still our disquiet.

There’s nothing wrong with that, but the truth is that, as social beings, our peace cannot be complete without the community of love we are called into by our nature.

God, the Trinity, is the first community of love. Our first experience of that community of love is within our own families.

Everything we do, however we do it, points to this community of love.

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI, in one his media sermons, says that too often silence speaks to us of loneliness, of missing out on life, of being disconnected, of being a tomb of

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should leave poor communities to their own devices? Of course not—but before we call in the cavalry to save the helpless poor, a little humility might do.

Many initiatives to assist marginalised society exist today. The most successful of these come from within the communities themselves, and most survive on very limited resources. Those with access to resources, those of us outside of these communities, sometimes sweep in with their preconceived ideas of what they think is needed—and make little, if no difference.

It is about time that we stepped back and asked the real question: “Am I intervening because it makes me feel good, or am I doing this to make a meaningful difference in the lives of a community?” The narrative that “even if I impact on the lives of five or ten out of an entire community…” can be ascribed to narcissistic selfservice.

All too often our implanted interventions tend to divert resources from projects and initiatives that are already well placed to solve these problems. Rather than giving resources to people on the ground, those who actually bury those who have succumbed to ebola, we would much rather buy a single asking questions about West African access to Christmas.

Why? It is easier; here you have the benefit of a song on your smartphone that sounds peppy and with it, and the money you paid, will in some convoluted way get to those that need it.

But is that not the perfect way to surrender utter and complete responsibility?

Worse yet, one could set up a project and when it fails dismally, one might always blame the beneficiaries—after all, they tend to be an ungrateful bunch anyway.

Mphuthumi Ntabeni

The language of silence T HE past year was, for me, a melancholic affair. I have a melancholy spirit, so I guess you can say I’ve been in my element.

Still, it does get a tad too much sometimes; the silent house from absent family, brushes with sickness twice in one year, and so on.

I have to reacquaint myself with silence—a guilty pleasure, knowing that my wife has to deal with the kids on her own on the other side of the ocean. Still, silent houses feel like monasteries in a way our modern lives dread and I love: no background noise, no constant activity, no distracting nothingness and so on.

For silence’s companions, empty houses are heaven—at least until you get sick and can’t get around to organise things for yourself. Still, even that is a valuable lesson in humility for those of advancing age.

I am learning to understand that as we grow older, solitude is one thing we are compelled to reckon with. Growing older is presenting itself as a lesson in stripping off facades.

Solitude, as we know, is not defined as being alone, but as being at peace with what you have or don’t have, with who you are. It is about being restful rather than restless.

Sometimes being in the company of others encourages us to maintain a facade, to promote the false self we present to the world. Socialising with others, paradoxically, serves to heighten the state of our

Talking about Faith

non-life. And so we cling to each other and look for conversations, amusements, and distractions that can fill in the silent spaces in our lives.

Ultimately this running away from silence is founded unconsciously on the fear that, deep down, something is missing, both inside the world and inside ourselves, and we cling to whatever can protect us from that painful truth.

But that fear is unfounded. As the Trappist mystic Thomas Merton put it, there is a hidden wholeness at the heart of things and that hidden wholeness can be discovered only if we get to the deepest level of things.

And the language we need to get there is the language of silence—the language of God and the language of intimacy.

I know at some stage I will lose all ability to communicate with the world outside myself, nothing much will be left for me but what I remember. My memories will be like a sandbar, cut off from the shore by the incoming tide. In time they too will submerge, become inaccessible to me.

The prospect terrifies me. For what is a person without memories? A ghost, trapped between worlds, without an identity, with no future, no past.

That is the scare I got during a recent sickness when my mind seemed to be misfiring. And yet, let his will be done!

O RFO R D

COnSTruCTiOn

The Southern Cross, January 7 to January 13, 2015

Tyler Tenbarge

Point of Vocation

Vocations: We are counting on you

B

EFORE I ever recall being asked about what I wanted to be when I grew up, my parents say I was already telling them and others: “I want to be a priest.” Many people expect a seminarian or religious sister to say that, but I think the opposite is often true.

I have so many early memories of making “hosts” with my siblings at home, using the cap of a spice container to flatten and cut out circles in slices of bread; and memories of holding our parish’s “Vocations Chalice” at the dinner table as our family prayed for vocations.

I also cherish memories of my late pastor, Fr Francis Schroering, and then-seminarian (now my pastor) Tony Ernst encouraging me with kind smiles and confident nudges in my desire to become a priest—just like them.

But as early as fourth and fifth grade, into high school and beyond, I began desiring other things.

I wanted a career that enabled me to “use my gifts” or to be able to share my life with a wonderful woman. And these are good desires. But they easily eclipsed a desire for priesthood. I just couldn’t see it any more.

All the while, my family, my parish and even some of my closest friends occasionally asked what I thought God’s plan was for my life. They didn’t push—well, some seemed to push.

And yet if it wasn’t for my pastor and good friend Anthony setting me up for a vocations retreat at our local seminary when I was in high school, or for my grandmother’s and mother’s constant, unknown prayers, or my religious education teacher and confirmation sponsor’s unconditional support and encouragement, I wonder whether my mind and heart would have been docile enough for God’s voice to be heard.

And the story doesn’t end there.

I cannot—and probably should not—enumerate my personal challenges discerning priesthood since applying to study for the diocese of Evansville, Indiana. Since 2008 so many other wonderful options have called my name ... even while I have been in seminary formation.

But there is a constant refrain.

People from my hometown, members of my family, various seminary and diocesan superiors, and my school friends have all been there, encouraging me to continue in my desire to serve as a priest, in my diocese. Without the letters and visits and invitations and especially the many, anonymous prayers, I wonder whether I would continue to see Jesus pointing to his flock nestled in southern Indiana.

God intervened during key moments on high school retreats, in my work with Future Farmers of America after high school, in conversations with friends and notes from home. And he called me. I heard his voice. I still do.

But amid so many other good things competing for one’s choice, I wonder how many others Christ may be calling—but who just aren’t disposed to hear him.

I count on the people in my life to help me hear God’s call. Likewise, the young and old men and women you know—in your family, in your parish, or even in your classes or at work—are counting on you to nudge or remind (and, maybe, occasionally, push) them to consider not just where they may see themselves, but to ask where God may be calling them to go. n Tyler Tenbarge, a third-year theology student. This article originally appeared in The Message, newspaper of the dioceses of Evansville, Indiana.

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The Southern Cross, January 7 to January 13, 2015

COMMUNITY

Twelve confirmands received confirmation at St Anne’s church in Chesterville/Cato Manor, archdiocese of Durban from Bishop Barry Wood OMI. (From left) Bishop Wood, parish priest Fr Peter Sodje CSSp, and religious are pictured with confirmands.

Confirmands of San Francesco church in Charlo, Port Elizabeth, are pictured with Fr Ashok Brahmane OFM Cap.

The children of St John the Baptist parish in Atlantis, Cape Town, received their first Holy Communion from Fr Ivanhoe Allies. Catechists Hazel Swartz and Carol are pictured back left.

Learners from Learn To Live School of Skills at Salesian Institute Youth Projects showcased their talents by demonstrating the true meaning of Christmas. The learners danced, acted and recited poems reflecting the various aspects of the Christmas story.

The Grade 1 and 2 catechism class of St Patrick’s parish in Kokstad took part in a Christmas play produced by catechist Leonalee Kelton.

(Photo: Andrea Ciro).

Children and teens from St Lawrence parish in Delft, Cape Town, went on a year-end outing as part of its catechism programme.

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Three new Salesian Cooperators made their promise at All Saints parish in Ennerdale, Gauteng. (From left) Lindiwe Vundla and husband and wife Jessica and Cedric Poley.

Seven children made their first Holy Communion at Ottery Chapel in Cape Town.

(Back from left) Matthew, Cleo, Mia and Ryan. (Front) Alex, Cole and Shema are pictured with parish priest Fr Marian Kulig SDB

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Children received their first Holy Communion at St John Bosco parish, in Robertsham, Johannesburg. They are pictured with Deacon Victor Ho, parish priest Fr John Thompson SDB and catechism teachers Claire Pillay and Kim van Ross.

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Chaplains, coordinators, mentors and animators of Umzimkulu diocese gathered at Emaus mission for the annual general meeting with Bishop Stanley Dziuba to work on the constitution of the youth commission of the diocese.

HISTORY

The Southern Cross, January 7 to January 13, 2015

9

Inchanga celebrates 90 years of mission The Catholic mission at Inchanga in KwaZulu-Natal celebrated its 90-year anniversary. FR PHUMLANI NDLOVU OMI recounts the history of the misssion, from its humble beginnings in 1924.

S

AINT Theresa’s Catholic mission at Inchanga, one of the oldest Oblate missions in the world, celebrated its 90-year anniversary with a church filled to capacity.

The Inchanga mission is halfway between Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Situated on the old main road, the mission fathers at Inchanga decided to erect a huge cross as a symbol of faith and the arrival of the Good News at Inchanga. Christ crucified remains the Christ whom the Oblates of Mary Immaculate preach following the charism of their founder St Eugene de Mazenod.

The mission was formally given to the care of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 1924, and Oblate Father Albert Hanon became the mission’s first parish priest.

Before the foundation of the mission, the Trappist Fathers had identified Monteseel along the old main road as a fitting place for the mission. However, the search for water and other basic facilities forced them to buy a farm at Inchanga because the mission could not survive without such things.

Fr Mthokozisi Mncwabe OMI, assistant parish priest at Inchanga, in collaboration with the community and previous parish priests of St Theresa’s church, has compiled a brief history of the mission which details the early days at the mission.

Fr Pius Schwark, Cyprian and Mansuet (Mariannhill Fathers) used to ride out on Sundays to celebrate the Eucharist with the people before 1924.

Once it was established, the mission served the whole of what is now called Mbava, Intshongweni, Ntweka, Hammarsdale, Camperdown, Hillcrest and Botha's Hill.

According to the history “A small thatched cottage was built and also living quarters for the boys studying for the priesthood. A temporary chapel, intended to be a school, was soon added and it was

used both as a church and a school.

This must have been around 1925.

An intermediate school for African children built in 1930, is now part of the Inchanga Primary School.”

In 1932, Inchanga’s first parish priest Fr Hanon’s dying wish was to build a Marian shrine in the area.

The shrine was erected a few years later at Intshongweni by Fr Wagner OMI who was a member of the community of priests at Inchanga.

Fr Wagner had promised our Mother Mary something great if she protected him during service in the war. He left for France, served and returned safely to South Africa. In honour of Our Lady, he then began the shrine at Intshongweni.

I

n his homily on the day of the anniversary celebration, Archbishop Jabulani Nxumalo OMI of Bloemfontein mentioned that all the missions and parishes around Inchanga today were a direct product of the existence St Theresa’s mission, especially Umndeni Oyingcwele in Hammarsdale, Intshongweni pilgrimage centre and Bethlehem.

“Inchanga is a fruitful mission.

The fruits are there to be seen. You see them. I see them. This is as a result of hard missionary work in and around Inchanga,” said Archbishop Nxumalo.

St Theresa’s mission has produced ten priests, the first of whom was the late Fr Johannes Ngubane and the tenth being the writer Fr Phumlani Ndlovu, currently working in the diocese of Keimoes-Upington.

In addition there are a number of young men in formation from Inchanga and many young women have found their vocation through the 90-year-old mission.

Archbishop Nxumalo was a parish priest at Inchanga and left the mission with the gift of the new church with glass windows allowing for a superb view into the valley of a Thousand Hills. The old original church still stands and is used for parish meetings and events of various sorts.

T

he current parish priest, Fr Jean Lambert Kalala, assisted by Fr Mncwabe, continue the legacy left behind by their fellow Oblates.

They “run the engine”: pray for and heal the sick through anointing, administer the Sacraments, preach and share their own gifts and talents with the Catholic community.

While the parish priest is involved with the Highway Deanery

Named after the modern martyr and heroic Catholic newspaper editor and publisher, for those who assist our apostolic efforts by means of an annual contribution of between R500 and R1 499.

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The crippling postal strike has caused the newspaper financial damage from which it cannot recover through its regular income.

The Associates Campaign is crucial in helping The Southern Cross rebuild its reserves, without which it might not survive.We therefore appeal to your

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Youth, Fr Mncwabe fulfils the school ministry and implements the Catholic ethos at Inchanga Primary and Sibong’umbovu at Cedara.

The old boys and girls of the school have become a strong pillar of support for the parish today.

The archbishop of Johannesburg, Buti Tlagale OMI, too is a product of the school at Inchanga.

As Inchanga gears up to celebrate the 200year anniversary of The Oblates of Mary Immaculate in 2016, special prayers are requested for the late legends of the mission who are resting in God’s arms, especially Frs Johannes Ngubane, Gervas Nzama, Patrick Xulu and Br Leo Gumede.

Help keep The Southern Cross alive!

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(Left) A large cross was erected at the site of the mission heralding the arrival of the Good News.

(Top right) The interior of St Theresa’s church (Bottom left) Inchanga’s first parish priest Oblate Fr Albert Hanon.

(Bottom right) The Marian shrine at Shongweni built in 1938 by Fr Wagner OMI

• • •

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The Southern Cross, January 7 to January 13, 2015

FOCUS

Stuttering with compassion Speech impediments might be difficult to deal with if public speaking is part of the job, as it is for priests, but it can also enhance a sense of compassion, as PHONG VINH NGUYEN reports.

W

ORLDWIDE 1% of all adults stutter, as do 4% of children at some point during development. Numerically, that is the entire South African population of 52 million people.

Among the many famous persons who stuttered was children’s fantasy author Lewis Carroll, whose real name was Charles Dodgson.

In writing his famous works such as The Adventures of Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Carroll could express himself with a fluency that he lacked in his real life.

Carroll’s father was as Anglican vicar and Carroll was expected to follow suit; he became a deacon in the Church of England but never took the initiative to study for the priesthood. Most biographies cite Carroll’s stuttering as the reason.

Unlike Carroll, countless priests and religious who struggle with stuttering have pursued their vocations in the Catholic Church and

have not let their speech impediment hold them back in living their ministry.

In 2011, when Archbishop Joseph Harris was consecrated as the coadjutor-archbishop of Port of Spain in the Caribbean nation of Trinidad & Tobago, he said that he almost didn’t become a priest because of his stammering.

“There was some doubt I would be ordained because of my stammer. Fifty years ago I could not put two words together without stammering,” he said.

Fr Luis Farinello, an Argentine priest who is famous throughout Latin America for helping the poor through social justice, did not let stuttering stand in the way of his vocation and ministry.

A few years ago, the Argentine Stuttering Association presented Fr Farinello with the Jorge Luis Borges Award, which is given to an important Argentine who stutters and is named after the Nobel prize-winning Argentine writer who himself was a PWS (person who stutters).

Until Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio was elected as Pope Francis in March 2013, “Padre Luis” was arguably the most famous cleric in Argentina.

Fr Michael Dunn, a priest in the US diocese of Bridgeport, Connecticut, struggles with stuttering every day.

He was counselling troubled teenagers and going for a graduate degree in counselling when he decided to enter the priesthood.

Famous stutterers: (top from left) James Rodriguez, Marilyn Monroe, James Earl Jones, Rowan Atkinson, (bottom from left) Fr Luis Farinello, Shaquille O’Neal, Emily Blunt, Winston Churchill

He was heartened during the application process and his seminary years that his superiors were so encouraging in terms of his stuttering.

Fr Dunn said of his superiors and professors: “They were always very supportive and helpful, and remained more confident than I was that my speech would not be an issue for me.”

This understanding and encouragement was far different from some poor treatment Fr Dunn received during his childhood, as is common for many children who stutter. Other children teased him or mocked his speech.

H

e cites as the most embarrassing moment of his life when he tried out for a part in the school play; when it was his turn to read, he could not get out the first word at all and eventually gave up and sat down.

Fr Dunn counts his speech problem as a blessing as it helps him in his ministry: people can relate to someone who is not perfect, he believes.

“I believe that my stuttering has made me a more compassionate, patient and understanding person in my dealings with others.”

He encourages young Catholics who stutter not to let their speech stand in the way of pursuing a vocation. “I think with God’s grace and help you can do or overcome anything so young people should not be afraid or think they can’t do it.”

Fr Dunn has come across fellow priests who stutter and they have exchanged helpful advice and techniques.

Fr Michael Skrocki, pastor of St Ann’s Melkite Catholic Church in Danbury, Connecticut, is the product of numerous failed speech therapy programmes, and cannot remember a time in which he did not stutter.

But saying Mass has never presented a problem for him.

“Most, if not all, of the divine liturgy in the Eastern Catholic Churches is sung, so I suspect I have less difficulty than if it were recited,” Fr Skrocki said.

“The primary ‘spoken’ part would be the homily. If I run into a problem, I simply pause and try

Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter star in the movie The King’s Speech, which dealt with the stuttering of King George VI. (Photo: The Weinstein Company) again. Perhaps that effort makes my congregation listen a little closer to what I’m saying,” he said.

When asked how he would advise people to look to their faith when dealing with this speech problem, Fr Skrocki answered: “Whether it’s a stutter, some other physical, emotional or psychological disability, I’ve always looked at it as the way God made us,” giving us challenges to overcome.

T

he verse in Exodus where Moses tries to “bow out” of doing God’s will to free the Israelites because he’s worried about his powers of speech is sometimes interpreted to mean that he stuttered (in the Muslim faith this is actually rather explicit). Yet, God chose Moses, with whatever flaws he had, to be the vehicle of God’s word and God’s will in the world.

As St Paul says: “I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13).

Sr Eileen Hogan, a New Yorkbased Sister of Mercy who has worked in prison ministry, credits her stuttering with putting inmates at ease because they realised from the start that she was not perfect.

Sr Hogan strongly believes that stuttering should not hold back people who are contemplating a life in Catholic ministry.

“I think the best they can do for people with whom they work is just to be themselves, and that will come across with people. Perhaps it’s good that the people don’t see

them as perfect.”

The list of famous people who stutter or stuttered is staggering.

The website of The Stuttering Foundation (www.stutteringhelp.org) provides a long list of these famous people.

They include actors James Earl Jones, Jimmy Stewart, Marilyn Monroe, Samuel L Jackson, Harvey Keitel, Nicole Kidman, Anthony Quinn, Sam Neill, Eric Roberts, Rowan Atkinson and Emily Blunt; musicians Carly Simon, Bill Withers, B.B. King, Mark Antony, John Lee Hooker, Paul Young and Oasis singer Noel Gallagher; writers John Updike, Nevile Shute, Budd Schulberg and Somerset Maugham; public figures Winston Churchill, Joe Biden, Prince Albert of Monaco, football star James Rodriguez, golfer Tiger Woods, basketball star Shaquille O’Neal, and, of course, King George VI, whose struggle with stuttering formed the plot of the Oscar-winning film The King's Speech.

Even Demosthenes, considered the greatest orator of ancient Greece, stuttered.

Actor Bruce Willis says he stammered badly until age 19 when the mix of acting and speech therapy put him on the road to fluency.

The Stuttering Foundation offers diverse help on stuttering in the form of free resources such as streaming videos, downloadable materials, and an international directory of qualified speech therapists.

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ON TAPE

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A group of readers is preparing audio tapes of excerpts from The Southern Cross for interested people who are blind, sight-impaired, unable to hold a newspaper or illiterate.

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CLASSIFIEDS Paulines see technology as ‘gift from God’ Continued from Page 2 Teams of experts analyse potential books to see if they convey Christian messages before they are put on sale. Many of the Pauline sisters are writers themselves.

Sr D’Aniso says the Church in South Africa still has to to champion technology as a way of reaching people.

“We don’t have well-prepared people when it comes to technology,” she says.

“We need people to champion and use this media more effec-

tively and we need to prepare people so they will be able to promote the media in the churches.

“Dioceses have websites, but we need to make the websites an instrument of formation for lay people.”

Sr D’Aniso says Pope Francis is a wonderful example of what can be achieved by using the power of the media, and others in the church should follow his example.

“Pope Francis speaks in a very common language and so people are more familiar with his think-

ing. The approach of Pope Francis is very pastoral and human. He is very close to the needs of the people.

“Even his books are requested because he speaks the language of the people and he knows the problems that people face.

“Pope Francis preaches mercy and love, which is a topic that is very much appreciated by people.

“He has opened wide the doors of the Church, which is what Fr Alberione always wanted to achieve,” Sr D’Aniso said.

Financial scandal hits Rome Franciscans Continued from Page 1 “We have to pay Rome a subsidy and because the situation in South Africa has developed, we have to pay First World subsidies.

“We are expecting a subsidy increase before Easter.”

Br Tillik said the order had been battling to send money to the curia in Rome for three years due to the SA Reserve Bank’s strict foreign exchange regulations.

“We had a lot of difficulty getting the money to Rome. It was a

fairly large amount and finally the Reserve Bank gave us permission.”

As with many other orders in the Church, each province of the Franciscans contributes a subsidy to the general curia.

Br Tillik said the curia has many properties in Rome which are “expensive to maintain”.

The money sent by the provinces is also sent as a subsidy to the Holy Land.

Much of the South African

Liturgical Calendar Year B Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday January 11, Baptism of the Lord Isaiah 55:1-11, Psalms Is 12:2-6, 1 John 5:1-9, Mark 1:7-11 Monday January 12, St Bernard Hebrews 1:1-6, Psalms 97:1-2, 6-7, 9, Mark 1:14-20 Tuesday January 13 Hebrews 2:5-12, Psalms 8:2, 5-9, Mark 1:21-28 Wednesday January 14 Hebrews 2:14-18, Psalms 105:1-4, 6-9, Mark 1:29-39 Thursday January 15 Hebrews 3:7-14, Psalms 95:6-11, Mark 1:40-45 Friday January 16, St Berard Hebrews 4:1-5, 11, Psalms 78:3, 4, 6-8, Mark 2:1-12 Saturday January 17, St Anthony Hebrews 4:12-16, Psalms 19:8-10, 15, Mark 2:13-17 Sunday January 18, Second Sunday 1 Samuel 3:3-10, 19, Psalms 40:2, 4, 7-10, 1 Corinthians 6:13-15, 17-20, John 1:35-42

province's money comes from the Good Friday collection.

“Those funds are administered separately. We don't know yet if those have been affected.”

The South African province of the Franciscans has 57 friars.

“We are a family and we look after each other. When we send our guys to Rome to study, the order will take care of them. We pay 10% of the fees. The curia will pay the rest.

“We truly hope that the civil authorities can resolve this.”

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 636. ACROSS: 1 Helm, 3 Scabbard, 9 Road map, 10 Cater, 11 Enshrinement, 13 Expose, 15 Escape, 17 Burning point, 20 Irene, 21 Wheedle, 22 Last term, 23 Laws. DOWN: 1 Horsemen, 2 Loans, 4 Coping, 5 Becomes upset, 6 Antonia, 7 Dark, 8 Imprisonment, 12 Settlers, 14 Paupers, 16 Answer, 18 India, 19 Pill.

Our bishops’ anniversaries This week we congratulate: January 6: Bishop Edward Risi of Keimoes-Upington on his 65th birthday.

January 7: Bishop Jan de Groef of Bethlehem on his 66th birthday.

January 11: Bishop Peter Holiday of Kroonstad on his 62nd birthday.

Word of the Week

Vespers: A portion of the Church’s divine office recited each day by priests. Also called Evening Prayer.

The Southern Cross, January 7 to January 13, 2015

CLASSiFiEDS

Births • First Communion • Confirmation • Engagement/Marriage • Wedding anniversary • Ordination jubilee • Congratulations • Deaths • In memoriam • Thanks • Prayers • Accommodation • Holiday Accommodation • Personal • Services • Employment • Property • Others Please include payment (R1,37 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

in MEMOriAM

CArLiSLE—Kathleen.

Dearest mother, grandmother and great-grandmother who died suddenly on December 24, 2004 at the age of 94. Loved by all who knew you, your magnificent devotion to God and family will never be forgotten. You are now joined in peace with your beloved husband for all eternity. Thank you for being such a wonderful example to all and for all the love you shared with everyone. Your loving children Francis, Philip, John and Athalie and all grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

HErDE—CE. In loving memory of Charlotte who died on January 13, 2013.

Sorely missed by her daughter Siobhan, son-inlaw Gary, grandsons Matthew and Stuart, sisters Margaret and Ursula and all members of the extended Kohler family.

MHDSRIP. HOrrOCKS: In loving memory of Peter John who passed away on January 11, 2014. Fondly remembered by Joan, John, Christopher and Catharine, also Fr Paul Horrocks OMI.

PrAYErS

HOLY ST JuDE, apostle and martyr, great in virtue and rich in miracles, kinsman of Jesus Christ, faithful intercessor of all who invoke you, special patron in time of need. To you I have recourse from the depth of my heart and humbly beg you to come to my assistance. Help me now in my urgent need and grant my petitions. In return I promise to make your name known and publish this prayer. Amen.

RC. HAVE mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment. Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me. You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit. Psalm 51

Our LADY OF FATiMA. O MOST Holy Virgin Mary, who chose to appear on the Sierra de Aire, in the Cova de Iria, to three young shepherds to reveal the treasures of grace held in the recitation of the Rosary, impress upon our souls a fervent love for this devotion. By meditating on the mysteries of our redemption, may we learn how to use the teachings which lie therein and obtain the graces we ask in this prayer. For the Glory of God and the redeeming of our souls. Amen. Photostat and distribute.

ST MiCHAEL the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the malice and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince

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of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all evil spirits who wander through the world for the ruin of souls.

Amen.

THAnKS be to thee, my Lord Jesus Christ, For all the benefits thou hast won for me, For all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me. O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother, May I know thee more clearly, Love thee more dearly, And follow thee more nearly, For ever and ever.

OMi STAMPS

Chris Moerdyk

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Second Sunday: January 18 Readings: 1 Samuel 3:3-10, 19, Psalm 40: 2, 4, 7-10, 1 Corinthians 6:13-15, 17-20, John 1:35-42

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Sunday Reflections

to read through the remainder of 1 Samuel 3); but the old prophet still knows a thing or two, so he tells the boy that the next time the call comes, he is to say: “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”

And so on the third occasion, we learn, “the Lord came and stood there”. So Samuel does what he has been told, with revolutionary consequences in his life, and in the history of God’s people. What will you do, when the call comes this week?

The psalm for next Sunday makes a suggestion; for we are to imitate the poet, who says: “I waited earnestly for the Lord, and he inclined to me, and heard my cry.”

This is a God who pays attention to us; but also a God without whose gift we cannot even communicate: “He put into my mouth a new song of praise to our God.” And the singer knows what God wants: it is not just “what the regulations say” (“sacrifice and meat-offering”), but listening, “you dug an ear for me”. Then the poet says what we must all say: “Look—I have come. I delight to do your will.”

The second reading, Paul dealing with his squabbling Corinthians, asks what our listening might imply. The answer he gives is that we must pay careful attention to what God has done: “God both raised the Lord and will raise us through his power—don’t you realise that you are Christ’s limbs?”

The point here is that listening to God’s invitation means that we have to “stick to the Lord”; and that in turn means recognising what the body is for: not “fornication” (he mentions this twice)—our task is to live out our identity as God’s Temple, and “glorify God in your body”.

In the gospel, we watch in fascination as for the first time in the gospel of John the In-

Know your true interior self G

Conrad

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Tune your ears to God’s word

EXT Sunday, we continue to follow Jesus’ mission throughout the year; and that must mean that, like him, we are to listen for the call that is coming to us.

The odd thing is that God, the creator of the billions of galaxies, can actually communicate with us, his insignificant creatures.

Odder still is the fact that God should take the trouble to do so. We for our part will do well to listen (and that means, of course, that we must learn to listen).

This is clear in the first reading, the wellknown story of the call of Samuel, which, like all good stories, has a threefold structure, the enthusiastic youngster ruining Eli’s sleep by time after time running to the old man and telling him: “Here I am—since you called me”.

The key phrase, however, is what the narrator tells us after the second time that the boy wakes poor old Eli: “Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the Lord’s word had not yet been revealed to him.”

The reader may reflect that Eli has not been doing his job very well, if that is the case (as indeed you will discover, if you would like

IVEN the speed and change in our world today, the oceans of information being given to us by the new technologies, the speed with which knowledge now passes through our lives, the increasing specialisation and fragmentation inside higher education, and the ever-increasing complexity of our lives, you occasionally hear someone say, usually just after offering an opinion on something: But what do I know anyway?

Good question: What do we know anyway?

On the surface this may sound humble and, if sincere, does depict a certain humility; but this kind of admission has a sad underside: What do I know anyway? Indeed, what can we know among all the sophistication of our world?

Well, we can know our own light, our own moral centre, our own heart, our own mystical centre. Ultimately we can know what’s most real and most precious to us and this is the most important knowledge of all.

Next to the inchoate knowledge we have of God, knowledge of our own light, of our own moral centre, is the most important thing we will ever know.

We know that our own centre is intimately intertwined with knowing God. This is something we need to highlight today because so many forces around us and inside us conspire to de-

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Final Reflection

flect us from being awake and attentive to our own deepest centre.

When we’re honest we admit how difficult it is to be genuinely sincere and how difficult it is for us to act out of our real centre rather than out of ideology, popular opinion, fashion, fad, or some prefabricated concept of ourselves that we have ingested from others around us.

Often our attitudes and actions do not really reflect who we are. Rather they reflect who our friends are, the newspapers and websites we read, and what newscasts and talk shows draw our attention.

L

ikewise we often understand ourselves more by a persona that was handed to us by our family, our classmates, our colleagues or our friends than by the reality that’s deepest inside us.

Beginning from infancy, we ingest various notions of who we are: “You’re the bright one! You’re the stupid one!

You’re a rebel! You’re timid! You’re self-

ish! You’re afraid! You’re slow! You’ve got a quick mind. You’re a loser! You’re bad!

You’re good! You’re destined for higher things! You’ll be a failure!”

And so the challenge is to be more attuned to our own light, to our own moral centre, to be more in touch with what’s ultimately most real and most precious.

No small part of that is the challenge to resist self-definition, to not picture ourselves and act out of an image we’ve ingested of ourselves as the bright one, the stupid one, the rebel, the timid one, the selfish one, the generous one, the bad one, the good one, the successful one, the failure, the one who needs to say: “But what do I know anyway?”

What’s the price we pay for doing that?

First, both our compassion and our indignation then become prescribed. We will praise certain people and things and be incensed by other people and other things not because these speak to or against what’s most precious inside us, but because they speak to or against our image of ourselves.

When that happens we not only lose our real selves, but also our individuality.

Ideology, popular opinion, fashion, fad, group-think, and hype, ironically, bury us in a sea of anonymity.

In the words of French philosopher René Girard: “In our desire to be different we all inevitably end up in the same ditch.” One needs only to look at any popular fad, such as wearing a baseball cap backwards, to see the truth of this.

How might we healthily define ourselves in a way that doesn’t deflect us from being awake to our own light?

What kind of self-definition might help free us from ideology?

How might we think of ourselves in a way so that the image of ourselves which we ingested in childhood might no longer hold us in adulthood; so that we are healthy enough to not let, as the American poet William Stafford says, a simple shrug or a small betrayal break our fragile health and send the horrible errors of childhood storming out to play through the broken dykes?

There’s no easy answer, but here’s a suggestion: Early on in his ministry, when people were still trying to figure out who he was, they came to John the Baptist and asked him to define himself.

“Who are you?” they asked. “Are you the Christ? Are you Elijah? Are you a prophet?”

John replied that he was none of these.

“Who are you then?” they persisted.

John’s answer: I am a voice crying out in the wilderness! Just that, no more!

Now that’s a healthy self-image and a true humility, with no sad underside.

carnate Word actually says something. Before that, it is necessary for his hearers to identify Jesus, with the help of John the Baptist, as “Lamb of God”, a title that has stuck with us, and which we use four times on each occasion that we attend Mass.

This identification is sufficient, it seems, to turn them into disciples, for they “followed”.

Then we hear what Jesus says (and you must get your answers ready): “what do you want?” and “Come and you will see”.

These two sentences leap off the page at us, as we start this new year. And why should we listen? Perhaps because of a startling recognition on Jesus’ part. You know the story: Andrew, Simon’s brother, tells him, “we’ve found the Messiah”, and takes him to Jesus. Jesus looks right through him, and gives him his present name, and a new title: “You are Simon, son of John; you will be called Kephas [or “Rock”].

You might reflect on this, as you follow Simon’s rather “unrocklike” career through the gospel. What is the Lord going to call you when he speaks to you this week?

Southern Crossword #636

ACROSS 1. The tiller (4) 3. In which the sword must stay (8) 9. Pam and Dora meet for direction (4,3) 10. Trace to provide food (5) 11. Her tennis men put holy relic in place (12) 13. Put the Sacred Host on view (6) 15. Get away! (6) 17. The moment when Moses saw the bush ignite (7,5) 20. Girl in dire need (5) 21. Wheeled out to flatter (7) 22. School year’s finale (4,4) 23. He leaves whales to the legislation (4)

DOWN 1. Apocalyptic riders (8) 2. Borrower gets them (5) 4. Managing (6) 5. Turns out to be unhappy about spilt milk (7,5) 6. Anoint a move to Roman fortress (7) 7. Night of the soul for John of the Cross (4) 8. Jailer’s responsible for it (12) 12. As colonists they pay their debts (8) 14. Jesus said they are always with us (7) 16. Respond to the call (6) 18. Home of the Malabar Rite (5) 19. The Contraceptive (4) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

A

N old gentleman was strolling through the park one beautiful day when he came upon a child sitting on a bench, busily saying his ABCs. The old man waited until the child was through, then said: “I see you’re practising your alphabet.”

“No,” replied the child. “I was praying. You see, I don’t know how to pray very well so I just give God the letters and he puts them into the right words!”

Send us your favourite Catholic joke, preferably clean and brief, to The Southern Cross, Church Chuckle, PO Box 2372, Cape Town, 8000.