150715

The

S outhern C ross

July 15 to July 21, 2015

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 4933

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A pilgrim in Bethlehem and Jerusalem

What’s the role of the deacon today?

Page 7

Page 9

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The remarkable life of Sr Nirmala

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Benedict Daswa beatification will be open to all

BY STUART GRAHAM

T

HE beatification of South Africa’s first recognised Catholic martyr, Benedict Daswa, will be held in a field near a village outside Thohoyandou and is open to anyone who would like to attend.

The beatification, the country’s first, was initially planned to be held in a stadium, but because of safety concerns the site was moved to a field at Tshitanini village, about 17km from Thohoyandou.

Bishop João Rodrigues of Tzaneen told The Southern Cross that the ceremony will start around 7:30am on September 13 and continue until lunch time.

“The beatification will be held on one big site that we have been clearing up,” Bishop Rodrigues said. “It is difficult for us to have a good expectation in terms of attendance numbers, but we expect 20 000 people.”

He noted that the number could vary, because anyone may attend.

“The area is large and the invitation is out to anyone who wants to come,” the bishop said.

Daswa, a headmaster and father of eight, was killed by a mob in his home village on February 2, 1990 after he refused to pay R5 to sponsor a witch hunt in his home village of Mbahe, outside of Thohoyandou.

Pope Francis approved his beatification earlier this year.

Bishop Rodrigues said much of the preparations, including the liturgy for the day, is complete.

A letter from Pope Francis will be included in the beatification booklet. The programme will include an opening ceremony with the youth of the Tzaneen diocese, who will present Daswa’s story in a traditional dance format and praise songs of his life.

A special prayer before the beatification Mass will be led by Bishop Emeritus Hugh Slattery of Tzaneen, who initiated the sainthood cause for Benedict Daswa.

Bishop Rodrigues said prayers will start at 8:30. The beatification Mass, to be lead by Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, is due to run from 10:00 to lunchtime.

It is hoped the municipality will help with some of the preparations as there is little infrastructure in the area.

There is a possibility that the municipality will help, Bishop Rodrigues said. “It is a huge task as there is no infrastructure in the area where the ceremony will be held.”

The bishop said many pilgrims are expected to arrive for the ceremony on the day before the beatification.

Many accommodation venues are available, but it is up to people to try to find accommodation, the bishop said. Many may want to camp, too.

Meanwhile, Bishop Victor Phalana of Klerksdorp has called on South Africa’s Catholics to spread Daswa’s story, saying the martyr needs special veneration as a father, husband and catechist.

“Let us try, as believers, to make the story of Tshimangadzo Benedict Daswa known to all people,” Bishop Phalana said. “Let us encourage public veneration of this special man: a father, a husband, a catechist, a school principal and a convinced Catholic.”

People in the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference area have been asked to donate a R5 coin in memory of Daswa. The collected coins will be sent to Tzaneen, where the diocese is building a shrine for Daswa.

(R5 collections can be paid into Standard Bank account “Diocese of Tzaneen-Benedict Daswa”, number 0330911538).

“The most important thing is that all Catholics and people of goodwill should be there,” Bishop Phalana said.

“This is a special moment, a moment of truth and grace. This is an acknowledgement of the hard work of all missionaries. They brought the faith—and people like Daswa embraced it and died for it.”

Bishop Phalana said the beatification is a sign that “we are now a maturing Church”.

“We are starting to produce our own saints. This is the Church of Africa, coming of age. It is an acknowledgement that there are many other saints in our Church and community cemeteries who are still to be recognised by the whole Church,” he said, adding: “This is just a beginning.”

Jesuit Fathers Russell Pollitt, Nicholas King, Graham Pugin and Anthony Egan concelebrate Mass at St Patrick’s church in Grahamstown during the National Festival of the Arts.

How Jesuits brought faith and art together F

BY DYLAN APPOLIS

OR the second year running, the Jesuit Institute took part in “Spiritfest” at the National Festival of the Arts in Grahamstown.

“Spiritfest” celebrates the arts in the context of faith.

For the Jesuits, going to Grahamstown was a sort of homecoming. Members of the Society of Jesus first begun to work in South Africa when they opened and ran St Aidan’s College, at the request of Bishop Ricards, in 1876. The school was closed in 1973.

“In a sense coming back to Grahamstown is coming back to our roots in South Africa,” said Jesuit historian Fr Anthony Egan.

Since the mid 1800s Jesuits have worked in many different parts of South Africa. The Johannesburg-based Jesuit Institute is today a major work of the Society of Jesus in South Africa.

Four Jesuits concelebrated a Mass at St Patrick’s church to mark the start of the Arts Festival. Fr Russell Pollitt, director of the Jesuit Institute, presided at the Mass; Fr Nicholas King, who was in South Africa to present the Winter Living Theology, delivered the homily.

Frs Graham Pugin and Anthony Egan, who both presented an extensive programme at the festival, also concelebrated.

For the duration of the festival the Jesuits celebrated daily Mass at St Patrick’s.

“Finding God in the arts is important,” said Fr Pollitt. “God created human beings and gifted them in many different ways. St Paul speaks of our giftedness; we must use our gifts and through them see how God speaks to us through the various arts we create.”

Fr Pugin presented a series of lectures on “Artisans and Poets”.

“Finding God in everything is what we do best—and where better than in beauty, imagination and creativity?” Fr Pugin asked.

He spoke about Jesuits from five centuries—martyr Robert Southwell, missionary Matteo Ricci, astronomer Guy Tachard, poet Gerald Manley Hopkins and paleontologist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin—discussing why they were significant for South Africa and looking at their contribution to the arts.

Rev Michelle Pilet, an Anglican priest from St Paul’s in Parkview, Johannesburg, joined the Jesuit Institute team in presenting Continued on page 2

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The Southern Cross, July 15 to July 21, 2015

LOCAL Members of a team of cyclists who will be cycling from Cape Town to Springbok, to raise funds for the classroom building project of St Martha’s parish in Steinkopf in Namaqualnd.

Cycling for a rural church

BY DYLAN APPOLIS

A

GROUP of family and friends from Namaqualand and the central Karoo area have teamed up for a mountain bike ride from Cape Town to Springbok to raise funds for St Martha’s Catholic church in Steinkopf in Namaqualand.

The funds are intended for the building of classrooms for the church’s catechetical programme.

The “Cape Namib St Martha’s Ride” will be taking place from August 1-6.

The team consist of eight riders: Gay-Lynn Herman, Inge Herman, Oswald Herman, Anlerle van Wyk, Done van Wyk, Anzar de Klerk, Adeleen Cloete and Rudene van Heerden. The team also consist of a three-member support unit: Walter Herman, Goretti Herman and Philippe Gavalda.

Gay-Lynn Herman told The Southern Cross: “I started cycling about four years ago and none of my friends or

family was really into it”, but over time she got some friends and family members to start cycling.

“One day a cousin came up with the idea of us cycling from Cape Town to Namaqualand, the area where we all grew up,” Mrs Herman said. “We decided to try it, for a good cause.”

They chose to raise funds for St Martha’s parish. All funds will go to the building project: the riders bear the costs of their trip themselves.

The group hopes to raise R10 000.

So far they have raised just over a third of that. “This is our very first fundraiser,” Mrs Herman said, but “we would like to do it annually for a needy cause”. To support cancer awareness is their next ride, cycling from Cape Town to Beaufort West. n For more information contact Gay-Lynn Herman (team leader) at 082 418 0398 or e-mail gay-lynn.herman@dole.com or contact Goretti Herman on 082 805 8496/ 072 213 2904.

Drug patent laws hurt poor

P

ATENT laws in South Africa are “severely” diminishing the financial capacity of the health department to buy more effective drugs for public health care, according to the Justice & Peace Commission (J&P) of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

Commission chairman Bishop Abel Gabuza said of particular concern is that some effective drugs for cancer and tuberculosis are priced beyond the reach of government hospitals.

“As a country we need an innovative approach that effectively balances protection of the poor and the ability of pharmaceutical companies to recover costs and make reasonable profit off the medical products they make,” Bishop Gabuza said.

“Intellectual property protection‚ as it currently prevails in South Africa‚ fails to achieve this balance. It makes new and more effective medicine financially unaffordable for the health department and therefore unavailable to the millions of poor in South Africa.”

The bishop said various cancer drugs

are patented and priced out of reach, including Trastuzumab for HER2- positive breast cancer‚ Bortezomib for multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma, and Sorafenib for kidney cancer.

J&P has called on the Department of Trade and Industry to urgently finalise the National Policy on Intellectual Property for approval by the cabinet.

“It is regrettable that the process of finalising patent reforms seems to be hijacked by the narrow interests of multinational pharmaceutical companies,” Bishop Gabuza said.

“We strongly appeal to the minister of trade and industry to take the bold stance of prioritising the lives of our people over the profit-making interests of powerful pharmaceutical companies.”

Bishop Gabuza said J&P had signed on to support the Fix the Patent Laws campaign, which was started in November 2011 by the Treatment Action Campaign‚ Doctors without Borders and SECTION27.

The campaign aims to ensure access to affordable medicines for all‚ including those affected by cancer.

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Hindu and Methodist peacemakers honoured STAFF REPORTER

T

WO global peacemakers were honoured when the main hall in the new Denis Hurley Centre in inner-city Durban was formally named the Gandhi-Luthuli Peace Hall.

The proceedings began with a loud procession as Burundian drummers led the dignitaries into the packed hall. Among these were a number of the patrons of the Denis Hurley Centre: Ela Gandhi, Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, Mikaela York (Denis Hurley’s niece), Mgr Paul Nadal, Dr May Mkhize, AV Mohamed of the Grey Street mosque, Rabbi Hillel Avidan, Anglican Bishop Rubin Phillip and Methodist Bishop Mike Vorster.

Cardinal Napier gave an opening prayer and blessing, then Ela Gandhi spoke about her grandfather. She reminded the audience that he was not only a political activist but also a community organiser.

The programmes he was involved in India—for financial self-reliance, women’s empowerment and skills training—were offered as an inspiration for the Denis Hurley Centre where, she said, “Gandhi-ji would feel very much at home.”

The Luthuli family was represented by the Nobel peace laureate’s younger daughter, Jane Ngobese.

She gave some insights into the private side of Chief Luthuli, including the Methodist’s great dedication to regular prayer.

Dancers from the Suriyalanga Dance Company at the opening of the Gandhi-Luthuli Hall at the Denis Hurley Centre in Durban. (Photo: Helene Grung/Light.Capture.Create) The chief’s own words were heard later when ANC treasurer general, Dr Zweli Mkhize, read from the 1960 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. Dr Mkhize added his own heartfelt tribute to Denis Hurley and the work of the centre.

To celebrate the cultural roots of Gandhi and Luthuli and to show how they blended together, the Durban-based Surialanga Dance Company presented a fusion of Indian and Zulu dance.

The honour of officially naming the centre went to Belinda Scott, MEC for finance.

The KwaZulu-Natal provincial government’s R4,2 million contribution had helped fund the hall.

Ms Scott spoke about the role of religious groups in helping to bring about transformation in

South Africa and encouraged faith leaders to work with the government, and also to lead the government in areas like moral regeneration.

The event was co-hosted with the consul-general of India, Raj Raganathan, who said that his frequent visits to the Denis Hurley Centre were one of the joys of being in Durban.

In offering a closing vote of thanks, Fr Stephen Tully, administrator of Emmanuel cathedral, spoke of the great heart of the two named peacemakers, of their families, of the province, and of the patrons, trustees, staff and supporters of the Denis Hurley Centre.

“It is through the work of the heart that we are able to achieve so much for the poor,” he said.

Faith and art at G’Town fest

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Continued from page 1 a series of workshops on “Praying with Art”. Rev Pilet was also available daily for festival revellers who wanted individual spiritual direction.

Fr Egan presented a play, which he had himself scripted, on recently beatified Salvadorian Archbishop Oscar Romero. He also gave a lecture entitled “Turbulent Priests: Oscar Romero and Denis Hurley”.

He noted that this year the Church in South Africa celebrates the centenary of the birth of Archbishop Denis Hurley.

Fr Egan will be presenting his play again in Johannesburg at the annual Ignatian Day on July 18 at McAuley House School.

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The Southern Cross, July 15 to July 21, 2015

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Big change for South African Jesuits STAFF REPORTER

N

EXT year will mark a major change for the Jesuits in South Africa: they will no longer be a region of the British Province of the Society of Jesus but will become a region of the newly created Zimbabwe-Mozambique Province.

It is anticipated that, in a few years’ time, there will be a new Jesuit Province in Southern Africa which will include Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa.

Jesuit missionaries from Britain first came to South Africa in the mid-1800s.

At this year’s regional meeting of the Jesuits of the South African re-

gion, held at the Padre Pio Centre in Pretoria, regional superior Fr David Rowan explained that the Jesuit general, Fr Adolfo Nicola , has been working with provincials and regional superiors to amalgamate and create new provinces so that the Society of Jesus can adapt to changing contexts and smaller numbers.

In the United States, for example, ten provinces have now become five.

The East African Province, created a few years ago, saw five countries being amalgamated so that one province was formed.

“In Southern Africa, Father General also wants us to see beyond current structures and work together so that we can be more effective and coordinated in this part of the world,” Fr Rowan told the Jesuits.

Also present at the meeting was the president of the Conference of Provincials of Africa and Madagascar, Fr Michael Lewis.

During the meeting Fr Anthony Egan led the Jesuits in a time of study on Pope Francis’ new encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’.

“There was time for discussion and reflection after his presentation, mostly looking at how the encyclical can be applied and lived practically,” said Fr Russell Pollitt, director of the Jesuit Institute.

Jesuits from various works in South Africa, such as Jesuit Refugee Service, were given the opportunity to report on the work they are engaged in. Representatives also gave reports from Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Jesuits working in South Africa gathered for their annual regional meeting at Padre Pio Centre in Pretoria.

An epic Ecuador desert journey for good A MANAGER of a business systems company will be competing in the Ecuador leg in the Roving Race of the global 4Deserts series later this month to raise awareness and much-needed funds for the St Joseph’s Home for Chronically Ill Children in Montana, Cape Town.

Andrew Espin of Decision Inc, who lives in Parow, Cape Town, has been running six times a week with alternating weights and boxing classes to build strength and endurance.

The Racing the Planet: Ecuador 2015 event covers six stages, translating to roughly 250km that need to be completed in seven days.

Carrying his own supplies, Mr Espin will run through mixed terrain, climbing to almost 4 000m.

Temperatures are expected to vary between 30°C in the day and 5° in the evening.

“While the race takes place in some of the most beautiful terrain in the world, it is expected to be incredibly challenging,” Mr Espin said. “Being a fully self-supported race means that I have to train in such a way that I can overcome the difficulties in carrying all my gear with me.

Andrew Espin, who will be competing in the Ecuador leg of the Roving Race to save funds for St Joseph’s home in Cape Town, with one of the home’s toddlers.

“I want to take the opportunity to raise awareness for a South African charity that is dealing with very serious shortfalls in funding. St Joseph’s is about ‘changing lives one small step at a time’ and I hope that the steps I take will assist in giving some children a second chance,” he said.

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“I’ll be one of roughly 250 competitors competing from more than 40 countries. While the majority will be men, almost 20% of the competitors are women. While there are those racers who run the entire course, the majority of us will combine running with walking,” he explained.

“To give you an idea of the length of the event, the winning time is expected to be around 26 hours, with the slowest time estimated to be around 70 hours.

“That is a lot of walking and running, no matter how you look at it.

Factor in that your average backpack weighs 9kg, then you have a gruelling event to look forward to,” he said.

Started in 1935, St Joseph’s Home for Chronically Ill Children gives nearly 300 children a second chance at childhood annually.

Children diagnosed with lifethreatening or limiting conditions are referred here from state hospitals to continue their care programme.

Prevalent illnesses include HIV/Aids, cancer, diabetes, respiratory, heart-lung-kidney failures, congenital abnormalities, and neurological impairments. n For more information, visit www.st josephshome.org.za To make a donation and assist in the “Adopt a Bed” project of St Joseph’s Home: name of bank: Standard Bank, account name: St Joseph´s Home, account number: 271166614, branch name: Pinelands, branch code: 036309, swift code: SBZAZAJJ, reference: Four Deserts.

Science talks aim to inform people of faith

P

ROFESSOR Delia Haynes and Dr Mags Blackie from Stellenbosch University’s department of chemistry and polymer science presented a series of four talks in Durban on the theme “Science for People of Faith”, hosted by Catholics Awake.

Both believe that if Catholics understand the basics of science, they will enhance their faith and be in a better position to make informed decisions on scientific principles.

The talks covered the topics origins of the universe (Big Bang theory), the age of the earth and the origins of biomolecules, quantum theory, and evolution.

“These talks are aimed at allowing people with no particular science background to gain a basic knowledge of some of the latest theories and experiments in these fields,” a release from Catholics Awake said.

A lively discussion followed each talk with the audience actively giving ideas and comments.

The talks referred frequently to Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ new encyclical on the environment.

4

The Southern Cross, July 15 to July 21, 2015

INTERNATIONAL

Mideast leaders denounce terrorism funding L Children paddle in water in Navotas City, Philippines. Climate change leaders have revealed a need to make alliances based on a shared goal of addressing the crisis of poverty and global warming. (Photo: Ritchie Tongo, EPA/CNS)

Alliances needed to fight global warming

BY CAROL GLATz

D

EMOCRACY must return to politics and unusual alliances must form in order to get the world to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle poverty, said a panel of speakers attending a Vatican conference.

But as people band together for change, world leaders will have to commit to real binding action at upcoming global summits on climate change and development because “there is zero tolerance for yet another failure being dressed up as a success for the cameras”, said Naomi Klein, a Canadian social activist, author and filmmaker, who was invited to speak at the Vatican.

The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, together with the international alliance of Catholic development agencies, CIDSE, presented the aims of a jointly sponsored meeting titled “People and Planet First: the Imperative to Change Course”. The meeting aimed to offer alternatives to current economic models that damage creation by bringing together 200 active leaders in the Church, science and society for debate.

The gathering used Pope Francis’ recent encyclical, Laudato Si’ to guide reflection and a plan of action.

The papal document is “courageous”, said Ms Klein, because it

challenges the “dominance-based worldview” in an age that “lacks political courage”.

“We’re all used to politicians just backing down at the first sign of controversy”, but there will be controversy when there are such powerful interests supporting the status quo, said Ms Klein, who has been outspoken against unregulated capitalism and worker exploitation.

Describing herself as a “secular Jewish feminist”, she said the encyclical deeply resonated with her, yet “it was a complete surprise” the Vatican invited her to speak at its gathering Seeking to engage activists and experts who agree with the Church on certain aspects of social justice, but not on other key life issues, the Vatican made “a particularly courageous decision to invite me here”.

“I think it indicates that the Holy See is not being intimidated and knows that when you say powerful truths, you make some powerful enemies,” she said.

“When you are faced with a crisis of this magnitude”, concerning poverty and global warming, “people have to get out of their comfort zones” to join forces, she said.

Ms Klein said everyone, especially world leaders, should read the pope’s entire encyclical, not just summaries and “listicles”.—CNS

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EBANESE Cardinal Bechara Rai denounced the “immorality of international politics” which he said provides the opportunity for terrorist groups to reproduce the genocide committed in the last century against the Christian minorities of the Ottoman Empire.

Speaking at a “Faith and Martyrdom” conference at Holy Spirit University in Kaslik, Lebanon, Cardinal Rai, patriarch of Maronite Catholics, referred to the “fundamentalist-terrorist organisations” currently operating as “instruments in the hands of great powers who provide weapons and money for political, economic and strategic” gain.

The conference, spearheaded by the Syriac Catholic and Orthodox patriarchates, focused on the parallels of the 1915 genocide—which affected hundreds of thousands of Armenians, Syriacs, Chaldeans and Assyrians—and the ongoing conflict in the region today, particularly in Syria.

“What happened in 1915 is not a simple persecution, but genocide in the fullest sense,” stressed Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II of Antioch.

“Here we are, a hundred years later, we remember, in the hope that this time memory contains a lesson,” Patriarch Aphrem said. “We believe

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But forgiving does not mean forgetting. This is why we ask our brothers in Turkey to recognise this heinous crime to allow us to link ourselves to them by the bonds of love and cordiality.”

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Meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, Patriarch Aphrem told him

that about 500 000 Syriac Orthodox died in the 1915 genocide, for which the community continues to seek healing and reconciliation.

At the “Faith and Martyrdom” conference, the Vatican’s nuncio to Lebanon, Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, urged Eastern Churches to stand firm and continue to witness to their Christian faith to martyrdom.

“Otherwise,” he stressed, “the sacrifice of the first martyrs will be in vain.”—CNS

Benedict XVI credits witness of John Paul II A

BY ELISE HARRIS

FTER receiving honorary doctorates from both the Pontifical John Paul II University of Krakow and the Krakow Academy of Music, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI credited the saintly example of his predecessor for his spiritual and theological achievements.

Pope Benedict said he received a “special joy” in receiving the doctorates, because “in this way my bond with Poland, with Krakow, with the home of our great St John Paul II, has become even deeper”.

He added: “Without him OMI STAMPS my spiritual and theological journey would not be imagiyour used nable.” stamps The retired pontiff received can help in the his two honorary doctorates education in Sacred Music, one from the of South Africans for the Pontifical John Paul II Univerpriesthood at sity of Krakow and one from St Joseph’s Scholasticate, the Krakow Academy of Cedara, KwaZulu-Natal.

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wisz, archbishop of Krakow and former secretary of St John Paul II, conferred the degrees. The ceremony took place in the Italian town of Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence.

The doctorates were conferred due to the great contributions Pope Benedict has made to both knowledge and culture, specifically his attention to truth, beauty, faith and the presence of sacred music in the liturgy.

St John Paul II was a “living example” of how “the joy of sacred music and the task of common participation in the sacred liturgy, the solemn joy and the simplicity of the humble celebration of the faith” can go hand in hand, Pope Benedict said.

Speaking about the origins of music, he said that it first of all stems from one’s personal experience of love, sadness and death, and a true encounter with God. One of music’s first expressions “is the experience of love”, he said.

“When men were seized by love, an-

other dimension of being burst within them, another greatness and another breadth of reality. And it also led them to express themselves in new ways.”

Poetry, song and music in general were all born “from this being affected, from this unfolding of a new dimension of life”, he said.

Another origin he pointed to was the experience of sadness, death, pain and “the abyss of existence”, which he said also opens up, in the opposite way, “new dimensions of reality” which can “no longer find an answer in mere speeches.”

The third origin Benedict indicated was “the encounter with the divine, which from the beginning is part of what defines man”.

He mentioned German composer Johann Sebastian Bach (16851750) as an example of where the glory of God is represented.

Whenever music is developed based on an encounter with God, he said, “you encounter the truth, with the true creator of the world”.— CNA

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OLICE in Pakistan saved a Christian couple from a mob that attempted to kill them for allegedly committing blasphemy, the latest such violent incident in the country.

The mob in the village of Makki in Punjab province “dragged the poor couple who didn’t know what they had done.

They were being beaten to death”, local police chief Sohail Zafar Chattha said, according to Agence France Presse.

The couple, who are both illiterate, used as a sleeping mat an advertisement awning that bore college slogans. These slogans allegedly included Arabic inscriptions from the Quran. A local barber and two clerics accused the couple of committing blasphemy, and a mob gathered in an attempt to lynch them.

After being rescued from the mob, the two were moved to Lahore and placed with a Christian community.

One of the clerics has been arrested. Some residents told police that the barber might have been interested in acquiring the accused couple’s house.

Christian human rights lawyer Nadeem Anthony praised the police intervention, saying continued enforcement would discourage “the elements who take the law into their own hands”.

The Legal Evangelical Association Department, an interdenominational Pakistan-based Christian human rights NGO, described Pakistan’s anti-blasphemy laws as “continually misused” against “the poor and defenceless Christians of Pakistan”.

Blasphemy accusations have prompted several other violent incidents.

Over 100 people have been charged for the November 2014 murders of a Christian couple in Kot Radha Kishan, a city about 60km southwest of Lahore. The

couple were accused of desecrating the Quran and killed. Their burned bodies were discovered in a kiln. Reports differed over whether they had been burned alive.

In Lahore in May a mob attempted to attack a young mentally ill Christian man following claims he burned newspapers with pages containing verses of the Koran. Police protected him, but the mob then attacked Christian homes and places of worship, including a church.

Around 97% of Pakistan’s population is Muslim. The nation’s blasphemy laws impose strict punishment on those who desecrate the Quran or who defame or insult the Prophet Muhammad.

The blasphemy laws are said to be often used to settle scores or to persecute religious minorities.

Many of those accused of blasphemy are murdered, and advocates of changing the law are also targeted by violence.—CNA

INTERNATIONAL

The Southern Cross, July 15 to July 21, 2015

5

What the pope told South America O

N his visit to Latin America, Pope Francis addressed issues such as evangelisation, democracy and the consecrated life, and also talked about education, society and the environment.

Evangelisation Catholics will never be effective evangelisers if they are squabbling among themselves, and they cannot show the world how faith in Christ responds to the human yearning for freedom and peace if they are divided, Pope Francis said.

He insisted Christians would convince no one of the power of the Gospel if they could not demonstrate in their lives and behaviours that faith pushes a person beyond self-interest to concern for others.

Christians do not look at the world through rose-coloured glasses, the pope said, but they can dream. Like Jesus, they see the world’s flaws, but also like Jesus, they love the world God created.

“It is precisely into this troubled world that Jesus sends us,” he said.

“We must not pretend not to see or claim we do not have the needed resources or that the problems are too big,” he said.

“Instead we must respond by taking up the cry of Jesus and accepting the grace and challenge of being builders of unity.”

To evangelise is to live as brothers and sisters with all people, he said. “This is the new revolution— for our faith is always revolutionary—this is our deepest and most enduring cry.”

Democracy Pope Francis called for inclusiveness, dialogue and mutual respect in civic life in Latin America.

In a democracy, all social groups must have a voice. The Church contributes to the “quest for the common good” through education and social activities that promote “ethical and spiritual values”.

Pope Francis said the basic values of love, fraternity and mutual respect, which are learned at home, “translate into essential values for society as a whole: giving freely, solidarity and subsidiarity”.

Just as children learn to share what they have received freely from their families, justice requires the sharing of goods and natural resources to ensure that all have a decent life, the pope said.

Mercy and faith, he said, have shaped Latin American culture for centuries, contributing to democracy and improving the lives of countless millions of people.

“In our own time, too, we can find in the Gospel a key to meeting contemporary challenges,” the

A floral hummingbird is seen as Pope Francis celebrates Mass in Bicentennial Park in Quito, Ecuador. (Photos: Paul Haring/CNS) pope said, including respecting national, ethnic, religious and cultural differences and fostering dialogue.

Christian values, the pope said, should motivate citizens to promote the full participation of all people in their nation’s social, political and economic life “so that the growth in progress and development already registered will ensure a better future for everyone, with particular concern for the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters to whom Latin America still owes a debt”.

Consecrated Life Clergy and religious must remember that all they have is freely given

by God and they must never forget where they came from, Pope Francis told sisters, priests, seminarians and bishops.

Following those principles allows ministers to serve with joy, even when one is fed up with people, he said.

The role of priests and religious is “to serve, and nothing else—and to serve when we are tired, when we are fed up with people,” the pope said. “Those who serve must let themselves get fed up without losing patience.”

Service also must be given freely, he said.”What you received for free, please give it freely. Please do not charge for grace.”

He advised his listeners: “Every day, perhaps before you go to sleep, turn your gaze to Jesus and say, ‘You have given me everything for free’, and get yourself back on track.”

Education Education is a right and a privilege that should impart not only knowledge and skills, but also a sense of responsibility for others and for the earth, Pope Francis said.

“We would do well to ask our-

selves: What kind of world do we want to leave behind? What meaning or direction do we want to give to our lives? Why have we been put here?”

Those questions should be part of the educational process.

“How do we help our young people not to see a university degree as synonymous with higher status, money and social prestige?” he asked. “How can we help make their education a sign of greater responsibility in the face of today’s problems,” especially responding to "the needs of the poor, concern for the environment?”

Environment Quoting from and explaining some of the principles in his encyclical letter on the environment, Laudato Si’, the pope said that selfishness, consumerism, a desire for money and power, a lack of respect for God’s design for all of creation— human beings included—have a negative impact on people and on the environment.

“Just as both can ‘deteriorate’, we can also say that they can support one another and can be changed for the better,” he said, adding: “May you never lose the ability to thank God for what he has done and is doing for you.

“May you never lose the ability to protect what is small and simple, to care for your children and your elderly, to have confidence in the young and to be constantly struck by the nobility of your people and the singular beauty of your country[ies].”

He said “God gives us not only life, he gives us the earth, he gives us all of creation.”

“God created man and woman for each other and gave them huge potential, but he also gave them— and gives each person—a mission

English, Welsh bishops to launch missionary parishes

BY SIMON CALDWELL

B

ISHOPS in England and Wales hope to establish evangelisation teams to transform about 5 000 churches into “missionary parishes”.

However, there will be no place for proselytising, “door-stepping” or “cold calling” in an attempt to win converts, said Cardinal Vincent Nichols of Westminster, president of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.

“Proselytising is a one-way street,” Cardinal Nichols said. “It is saying, ‘I have got something you must have, and I’m going to make you receive it whether you like it or not.’ Evangelisation is essentially an invitation, and it is an invitation which will draw people closer together in their humanity, in their human experience.

“What we want is to do is show something of our own life and to let that speak for itself,” Cardinal Nichols said.

The invitation to parishes to set up the teams was made formally at the National Catholic Evangelisation Conference in Birmingham. Some 850 delegates from English and Welsh dioceses attended workshops focusing on the questions of how to create a vision and strategy for parish evangelisation, how to evangelise young people, how to reach out to those who have no experience of the Church, how to share testimony in one-to-one evangelisation, how to reach out to Catholics who do not attend Mass, and how to make prayer the foundation of the missionary parish.

“The call is for every single parish to do this,” Auxiliary Bishop

Nicholas Hudson of Westminster said. “We envisage every parish coming together and beginning to access what is available online, coming together...for a series of evenings when they sit down and look at one of the videos and see what it says to them about their evangelisation initiative in the parish.”

Cardinal Nichols added that the success of the initiative, “Proclaim 15”, would not be measured by “quick returns” or a sudden increase in the numbers of people attending Mass.

“This is not a managerial exercise to get people into pews,” Cardinal Nichols said, “this is genuinely a deep, deep desire to share something immensely precious, immensely lifegiving and what I believe is very much needed in our world today”.— CNS

A man holds an image of Pope Francis as he waits for the pontiff to arrive for a papal Mass. to be part of his creative work.

“I am giving you seeds, soil, water and sun,” the pope said God tells human beings. God gave people hands and gave them one another; he gave everything as a gift,” the pope said.

Poverty and Society The pope warned that economic growth “must reach everyone, and not remain merely a matter of statistics,” adding: “Without solidarity, that is not possible.”

Problems common to many of the region’s countries—including migration, urban growth, consumerism, the crisis of the family, unemployment and persistent pockets of poverty—must be addressed jointly by governments and the wider society, Pope Francis said.

Both legislation and civic actions must “promote inclusion, open avenues for dialogue, and leave behind the painful memory of any type of repression, disproportionate control and the erosion of freedoms,” he said.

Society as a whole must mirror the family, where members share their joys and sorrows and love each other as they are, despite their faults, he said.

Pope Francis said people cannot ignore what is happening around them or pretend that it has no impact on them. Rather, he said, “it is urgent that we keep reflecting on and talking about our current situation” and take action.

Without action, the pope said, people are like the Old Testament Cain, who killed his brother Abel, and when God asked Cain where Abel was, he replied, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Family Encouraging and celebrating family life, the pope said that even if a pastoral proposal for helping a Catholic family with problems seems scandalous at first, it is possible God could use that proposal to bring healing and holiness.

Asking people to pray for the Synod on the Family, the pope asked the faithful to “pray fervently for this intention, so that Christ can take even what might seem to us impure, scandalous or threatening, and turn it—by making it part of his ‘hour’—into a miracle. Families today need this miracle!”

Pope Francis acknowledged the suffering and hope of young people who do not experience happiness and love at home, the “many women, sad and lonely”, who wonder how their love “slipped away”, and the elderly who feel cast aside.

In a family, “no one is rejected; all have the same value”, he said, telling the crowd that when he asked his own mother which of her five children she loved best, she would say that they were like her five fingers: all were important and if one finger was hurt, the pain would be the same as if another finger was hurt.

NO W WITH A DAY IN PARIS!

6

The Southern Cross, July 15 to July 21, 2015

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

An economic revolution?

W

HEN the global financial crisis of 2008 hit, the politicians’ promise was that economic policy would change for the better, that the bankers and speculators whose machinations created the crisis would be held to account.

As we now know, nothing of the sort happened. While around the world financial institutions were bailed out with taxpayers’ money, those whose reckless greed had caused the economic meltdown paid themselves handsome bonuses. And then they set to work to pressure governments, or collude with them, to introduce “austerity” regimes.

Austerity policies mean that public spending on social services (such as health, unemployment, welfare, pensions) be reduced, state employees be laid off, salaries be cut, taxes be increased, state assets and even services be privatised (to the benefit of business), and commerce be deregulated.

Greece complied with the austerity measures prescribed by its creditors; still its banking sector has effectively collapsed and unemployment has soared. Incredibly, 40% of children in Greece now live below the poverty line.

Austerity policies punish those who are economically vulnerable, but richly benefit the wealthy oligarchs.

This month the people of Greece were asked to vote on whether to accept more austerity measures. In the referendum, which presented voters with two appalling choices, 61% rejected international creditors’ conditions for further bailout aid, which would require further austerity measures.

The Greek people voted against the fiction that ordinary people should have to pay for the reckless greed and corruption of a select few. The referendum was a rebuke of the unregulated free market. It used democratic means to rise up against the dictatorship of capital.

Time will tell what the effects of the referendum will have on Greece and on the rest of Europe.

It could well be that the people of other struggling countries in the Eurozone—especially Italy, Spain, Portugal and Ireland—will likewise reject austerity regimes.

If they do, these traditionally Catholic countries will likely have an ally in Pope Francis, whose position on economics follows closely those of his predecessors, especially Popes Benedict XVI and John Paul II.

In his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), Pope Francis in a heading even formulated a potential motto in the campaign to reject austerity: “No to a financial system which rules rather than serves”.

In the same document, which can be described as the manifesto for Francis’ papacy, the pope rejects “an economy of exclusion and inequality”, saying that “such an economy kills”.

Indeed, in Christian ethics the demands of finance cannot assume primacy over the welfare of people. Our solidarity must be with the 40% of Greek children who now live below the poverty line, not with the banks and politicians.

Pope Francis dismisses the myth that the free market “will inevitably succeed in bringing about greater justice and inclusiveness in the world”, an idea which “expresses a crude and naïve trust in the goodness of those wielding economic power and in the sacralised workings of the prevailing economic system”.

Pope Benedict XVI also regularly criticised neo-liberal economics. In his message for World Peace Day 2013, he attacked “unregulated financial capitalism”.

“Peacemakers must also bear in mind that, in growing sectors of public opinion, the ideologies of radical liberalism and technocracy are spreading the conviction that economic growth should be pursued even to the detriment of the state’s social responsibilities and civil society’s networks of solidarity, together with social rights and duties,” Pope Benedict wrote.

He therefore counselled: “It should be remembered that these rights and duties are fundamental for the full realisation of other rights and duties, starting with those which are civil and political.”

Pope Benedict called for a “new economic approach” to counter “the predominant model of recent decades [which] called for seeking maximum profit and consumption, on the basis of an individualistic and selfish mindset, aimed at considering individuals solely in terms of their ability to meet the demands of competitiveness.”

The question now is not whether we need such a “new economic approach”—clearly we do—but what this approach should be and what it will take to attain it.

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Pray for ‘third wisdom’ at synod

F

OR some time, I have been praying for a particular outcome to emerge from the upcoming Synod on the Family.

I have my own aspirations (as I expect many have) in terms of what might constitute a favourable outcome. However, that is not where my particular prayer focus lies.

The Catholic Link of June 14 advised: “Parishes need to listen. Parish priests need to listen, parish councils need to listen and parishioners need to listen to one another.”

The whole issue—highly complex—is intrinsically polarised, and it does seem to me that we, as the Church, have fallen into the old trap of “the binary choice”. The question hanging in the air seems to be “Who is going to win?” Is it going to be the conservatives/traditionalists or the

No to Communion for the remarried

T

HE Catholic Church teaches unambiguously that Catholics who divorce and remarry are living in a state of adultery, and thus cannot receive Holy Communion.

Yet the international media are predicting that, in the final report in October 2015, the Synod on the Family will strike down this crucial Catholic principle.

Further, the media reports are that this event will have been motivated

by Cardinal Walter Kasper, whom the pope supports, and will be despite the vigorous opposition thereto

by Cardinal Raymond Burke, whom the pope has sidelined.

Hopefully these media reports are based only on surmise. If, however, they are based on fact, such a change in Catholic teaching would: 1. Strike at the heart of the vital Catholic principle of the absolute permanence of marriage.

2. Give rise to the suspicion that the said synod did not consider sacrosanct any of the other vital Catholic principles, such as the Church’s present condemnation of abortifacient birth control and same-sex marriages.

3. Raise serious concerns among Catholics about the direction in which our beloved Church is actually headed.

The report by Fr Pollitt SJ (April 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.

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liberals/progressives?

Jesus has much to teach us about how to address binary questions.

They were constantly thrown in his face, such as: Stone the woman or not? Give to Caesar or not? Welcome sinners or obey the clear injunction of Psalm 1?

Jesus’ response was never to seek a compromise. He did not attempt to please all (which pleases nobody) in responding to these binary questions.

What Jesus did was to challenge his accusers—and also sincere people who were confused by genuine dilemmas—to look at each issue through a “third window”.

He did this frequently by challenging the assumptions which lay behind the binary questions, and that he was obligated to choose one

2) that, according to a survey, 80% of South African Catholics would support the above change indicates that these persons reject a crucial part of Catholic teaching, and may well also reject others, a further cause for concern about the Church’s future direction.

Damian McLeish, Johannesburg n Those who advocate that some divorced and civilly remarried Catholics be allowed access to Holy Communion, and only under certain conditions, are not seeking a change to the Church’s teachings on divorce, but a pastoral application of these teachings which they believe is founded on God’s mercy.—Editor.

Prayer wording smacks of heresy

I

WAS shocked by the wording of the opening prayer (Collect) in the Roman missal of 2011 on the day within the octave of the Nativity of the Lord.

It says: ‘’Almighty ever-living God, who in the Nativity of your Son established the beginning and fulfilment of all religion, grant, we pray...’’ (Italics are mine).

In theology there exists the abbreviated statement found in the Indiculus de gratia Dei (D.139) which says Lex Orandi-Lex Credendi, literally translated as ‘’the law of prayer is the law of belief’’, meaning that the liturgy is a norm of faith, a witness to the infallible belief of the praying Church (Karl Rahner).

When one looks at the above prayer, one must conclude that there has been no Old Testament, no covenant of God with his people Israel, as preparation for the coming Messiah.

Even much earlier, right from the beginning of humanity, we read in the Bible “...it was then that people

of the two choices.

Jesus had the wisdom to approach each issue from a different perspective. He brought God’s insight to bear on resolution of the issue.

Accordingly, my particular prayer focus for this synod is that the Holy Spirit will grace Pope Francis and the synod Fathers with “the mind of Christ”, a “third window”.

There is ample encouragement from the scriptures that this is feasible (such as 1 Cor 2:16 & Jn 15:15; Phil 2:5; 1 Pt 4:1; Col 3:1-2), that God is more than willing to provide such wisdom.

If the perception after the synod is that one faction has “won” and another has “lost”, we will all have lost, irrespective of the outcome.

I encourage others to pray along the same lines.

Michael Mahoney, Johannesburg began using the Lord’s name in worship’’ (Gen 4:26).

About the continuity of the Old Testament and the New, St Augustine has this to say: “The New is in the Old Concealed; the Old is in the New revealed.”

My question is: Is there any theologian who can explain the meaning of this Roman prayer, which to me smacks of heresy?

Fr Henry Ratering CMM, Mariannhill, KZN

Act for animals

D

O you believe that God created everything, that God values and loves his whole creation, and that his love and mercy are infinite?

Do you, as God does, love all our fellow living beings? Does the suffering of animals at the hands of humans pain you?

The One Web of Life (OWL) programme of the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute aims: 1. To raise awareness and challenge people of faith to consider how our religious belief systems guide us in our relationships with and treatment of other beings.

2. To encourage, facilitate and support people of faith to live in benign and compassionate relationships with other beings.

3. To mobilise people of faith in exercising our democratic rights to support compassionate and humane treatment of animals, as well as to oppose and bring to an end all cruel and inhumane treatment of animals.

Are you willing to join a Christian team tasked with taking the work of OWL forward among our fellow Christians?

For more information or to offer your help, e-mail owl@safcei.org.za or call me on 082 790 8948.

Frank Molteno, Cape Town

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The Southern Cross, July 15 to July 21, 2015

PERSPECTIVES

How can we respond to the pope’s call?

Sarah-Leah W Pimentel HAT is your carbon footprint?

That’s a popular question that pops up sometimes when we speak about the environment.

We are regularly encouraged to reduce our carbon emissions and there are frequent campaigns that encourage us to use public transport to travel to work, ride a bicycle or car pool with neighbours or colleagues.

But what about all the other ways in which we daily add to gradual wearing down of the environment?

Pope Francis’ new encyclical Laudato Si’ (Praise be to you) urges us to take greater care for our “common home”, this planet that we share with seven billion other people.

The first section is quite discouraging.

The Holy Father reminds us that we are abusing the earth’s resources by using them wastefully, and it is the poor who are most affected.

Pope Francis highlights that “international political responses have been weak” in addressing the adverse effects of climate change and the disproportionate use of the earth’s resources.

He therefore calls on world leaders to find solutions towards an “environmental, economic and social ecology” that takes into account the fine “relationship between nature and the society that lives in it”.

Many climate conferences have been held, and governments seem unwilling to implement solutions in which the most developed countries take greater responsibility for the rampant abuse of the environment, often at the cost of less developed countries.

Clearly the pope is calling on the leaders who will gather in Paris in December for the 21st climate change conference to “think of one world with a common plan”

in order to find “enforceable” policies that can be applied at local or regional level, rather than a global solution to the problem of climate change.

As a natural cynic, I feel that too many vested international economic and political interests would make finding such a solution very difficult. Yet, the last part of the encyclical heartens me. Pope Francis encourages a “change in lifestyle [which] could bring healthy pressure to bear on those who wield political, economic and social power”.

With this, he is putting some of this power for change into our hands, the hands of ordinary people. If each of us changes our patterns of consumption, we can place pressure on the greater economy that governs relationships between international interests and power plays.

P

erhaps we can live the spirit of Laudato Si’ by reflecting on our own consumption patterns, perhaps by looking at the very simple things we do in our daily lives, from the moment we turn the kettle on in

Copies of Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’, are stacked on a table prior to a presentation at UN headquarters in New York City.

(Photo: Gregory A Shemitz/CNS)

The Mustard Seeds

the morning.

Do I fill the entire kettle, have a mug of coffee and throw out the rest of the water when I come home again in the evening?

Or do I boil just enough for what I need now? Do I take long showers where litres of clean water just flow down the drain, while there are people on this planet clamouring for just a few drops of water?

Do I buy processed foods or do I cook my food from scratch? Think of the amount of packaging that goes into a preprepared meal and compare that with the reduced amounts of plastic and cardboard used to package fresh ingredients.

Do I buy those little yoghurt tubs, where I throw away a small piece plastic every day or do I choose rather to buy a larger tub that I spoon a little yoghurt out of every day? Better yet, am I like my mother, who used to make her own yoghurt, occasionally buying a small tub of yogurt as live culture to make litres and litres of yoghurt?

Do I need a new cellphone every two years and am I caught in the cycle of upgrades offered by service providers? Similarly, do I really require every technological device to conduct my daily activities? Is it really necessary for me to own a home PC, laptop, tablet, and Kindle, all of which perform slightly different functions, but ultimately do the same thing?

If each one of us changes even one element in our pattern of consumption, we Continued on page 11

To be in Bethlehem and Jerusalem Emmanuel Ngara L AST month I reflected on my impressions as a pilgrim in Galilee, which I visited as part of The Southern Cross’ pilgrimage with Archbishop William Slattery. This month my focus is on Jerusalem and Bethlehem.

It can be argued that these two cities constitute the heart of the roots of Christianity. Bethlehem is the birthplace of the Saviour, while Jerusalem is the place of Jesus’ crucifixion, death and resurrection.

In Bethlehem God became a human, reconciling heaven and earth; in Jerusalem Jesus won salvation for all humanity by dying on the cross and also rose from the dead. Thus, in Jerusalem he destroyed our death and restored our life.

The question that comes to mind as I reflect on these sites and others is whether we can say with certainty that all these are the actual places where the events associated with Christ’s life and death occurred.

I answer myself by arguing that the fact that the majority of Christians for the past two thousand years have believed the sites to be authentic is in itself a vindication of the veracity of what we and our ancestors have believed to be true.

So we begin with Bethlehem. My comments are limited to two sites: the basilica of the Nativity and Shepherds’ Field.

The ancient basilica is the birthplace of Jesus, and there you see with your own eyes and touch with your own fingers the place where Mary gave birth to the Son of God, and you also see the place where Baby Jesus lay in a manger.

And when you see the place you realise that the Son of God was born in a cave—a much worse and humbler place than the picture you get when you read the gospel narrative!

At Shepherds’ Field, which is the village of Beit Sahour, just outside Bethlehem, you

Christian Leadership

Archbishop William Slattery celebrates Mass in the church of All Nations in Jerusalem during The Southern Cross’ pilgrimage in May. The Rock of the Agony of Gethsemane is in front of the altar. learn that there was historically a place where shepherds used to look after their sheep at night. This is where the angels announced the birth of the Messiah to the shepherds.

Your eyes are opened to the fact that the gospel narrative of the shepherds and the angels is not a fairytale, but a true story that took place on Mother Earth.

M

y brief comment on Jerusalem starts with a visit to the Mount of Olives.

At the foot of the mount is the Garden of Gethsemane. There you enter the magnificent church of All Nations, a Catholic church also called the church of the Agony, where we had Mass.

Inside is the spot where Jesus knelt and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Lk 22:42). You can touch and feel the rock on which he knelt and have a sense of the agony he went through between the Last Supper and his arrest.

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The next place we shall visit is the church of St Peter in Gallicantu, on Mount Zion, which stands where the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, stood.

Deep down below the church is a dark and eerie place. This is where Jesus was imprisoned that terrible night. You then get to know that Jesus was kept prisoner in a dark dungeon.

This too is the place where Peter denied Jesus three times. The name Gallicantu means “cock crow”, and at the top of the church is a symbol of the cock, to remind us of this sad and shameful event.

In our churches we follow the Stations of the Cross, especially during Lent. In Jerusalem pilgrims follow the Stations along the Via Dolorosa, “the Way of Sorrows”, along which Jesus dragged his cross to Calvary. Pilgrims stop at the places where Jesus fell, where Veronica wiped his face and so on.

The stations conclude at the church of the Holy Sepulchre, which was first built in the 4th century and rebuilt in the early 1100s.

Inside this church is Calvary. You have the privilege of touching the place where the Cross of Jesus stood; you can touch the spot where his body was prepared for burial, and you can enter the tomb from which he rose from the dead.

I will defer the conclusion to my pilgrimage account to next month’s column.

What I can say here is this: A pilgrimage to the Holy Land makes the Gospel more alive and the historical Jesus more real.

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7

Michael Shackleton

Open Door

Mary fallen into eternal sleep: a life-size wood and ivory carving in Dormition Abbey, Jerusalem.

Why Mary was assumed into heaven The Ascension of Our Lord into heaven I accept as a mystery of the faith. I struggle to understand why we believe that Mary also ascended into heaven at her Assumption. Why is this also an article of faith? What next, the assumption of St Joseph?

Pen Evans

I

N the creeds we profess that Jesus rose from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. He is the one at whose name “every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:10).

We also profess our belief in the forgiveness of sin, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Like Jesus and because of his resurrection, with our sins forgiven, we too shall rise from death and ascend to heaven to be with him everlastingly.

Because she was to become the mother of God, Mary was privileged to be conceived without sin.

She was also privileged to be taken into heaven in her glorified body, ahead of the rest of the redeemed.

The sinless Mary is the first of the redeemed now glorified in heaven. The rest of humanity is still on life’s pilgrimage, but will be like her, without sin (because our sins are forgiven), risen in glory and forever with Christ.

St Joseph was the most privileged of men. His holy calling was to be Jesus’ protector and teacher and to endure many trials, including the shock to find that Mary was pregnant, the hardships of fleeing from Herod’s massacre, and the anguished search for Jesus when he went missing. Yet God did not honour him with the same sort of high favour as given to Mary.

The intriguing quality of Christ’s risen and glorified body is that it could pass through solid walls and locked doors (Jn 20:19). Our risen bodies will be glorified in the same way. St Paul says that we shall rise with imperishable “spiritual bodies” (1 Cor 15).

Remember, now, this is all to do with, as you point out, a mystery of the faith. It has nothing to do with physics or other scientific disciplines. It cannot be demonstrated but it is a belief grounded in the word of God, permitting us to speculate that the bodies of Jesus and his mother exist in a condition that is beyond the kind of physicality that we experience here below.

Our hope is to live that kind of life with them forever.

n Send your queries to Open Door, Box 2372, Cape Town,

8000; or e-mail: opendoor@scross.co.za; or fax (021) 465 3850. Anonymity can be preserved by arrangement, but questions must be signed, and may be edited for clarity. Only published questions will be answered.

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8

The Southern Cross, July 15 to July 21, 2015

COMMUNITY

The members of the Sacred Heart Sodality of St Francis of Assisi parish in Eastwood, Pietermaritzburg, renewed their promises and are pictured with parish priest Fr Sanil Michael and Sacred Heart priests Frs Kazimierz (Angel) Gabryel and Jean-Claude Nkuka.

The catechism children of Our Lady of Good Help in Verulam, archdiocese of Durban, conducted a childrens Mass for our mother Mary.

Radio Veritas visited Kimberley for the ordination of Fr Lebogang Seane. Desiree Langely is pictured with Fr Victor Tlholo at St Boniface parish during a live broadcast to the youth.

St Ephraim’s parish in Potchefstroom, Klerksdorp diocese, held a men’s day.

St Peter’s parish in Klippan, Tshwane, celebrated the feast of Ss Peter and Paul.

The De La Salle Holy Cross College First Aid team comprises of learners from Grade 8 to Matric. All members of the team have qualified either with a Level 1 or Level 3 first aid from the training done at the school by an outside service provider. (Photo: Andrea Lawless)

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St Joseph’s parish in Morningside, Johannesburg, held a LifeTeen football tournament.

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Members of the St Vincent de Paul Society of the Cape Town parishes of St Catherine of Siena in Kleinvlei, St Clare’s in Elsies River, St Lawrence in Delft and St Paul’s in Somerset West, took part in a retreat at St Anthony in the Valley on the Nagenoeg wine farm near Stellenbosch.

The Southern Cross, July 15 to July 21, 2015

CHURCH

9

What is the role of the deacon today?

Fifty years after the restoration of the permanent diaconate, the Church is still grappling with the question what the role of the deacon is, as REV GREG GARNIE discusses in his second of two articles on the diaconate.

O

VER the past 50 years, the International Diaconate Centre (IDC) has conducted study conferences every four years and carried out research, among other things, on the restoration and development of the permanent diaconate in Europe, South America, Africa and Asia.

In almost all instances from the late 1960s, into the ‘70s and ‘80s, the initial restoration gave rise to largely liturgically-focused permanent deacons.

These were similar to the existing order of transitory deacons—those who are ordained to the diaconate as a step before their ordination to the priesthood.

Their ministry, since its introduction in the 4th century, has been largely liturgy-centred due to the temporary nature of the order, usually held for 12 months followed by ordination to the priesthood.

This, understandably, was a default response to the interpretation of the Vatican II document Lumen Gentium (1964), which placed the restored order of permanent deacon in the same grade as the order of transitory deacon.

Nevertheless, the spirit of discernment has guided the Church to an increasingly deeper, broader and fuller understanding of the restoration of the “Deacon to the Apostles” (Acts 6: 1-6); his original identity, spirituality and stable ministry in unity with the episcopate and presbyterate (St Ignatius of Antioch’s Didaché).

Pope Paul VI’s 1967 apostolic letter Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem states: “Beginning already in the early days of the Apostles, the Catholic Church has held in great veneration the sacred order of the diaconate, as the Apostle of the Gentiles [meaning St Paul] himself bears witness.”

In his letters, St Paul “expressly sends his greeting to the deacons together with the bishops and instructs Timothy which virtues and qualities are to be sought in them in order that they may be regarded as

worthy of their ministry”, Pope Paul noted.

The IDC, since its inception in 1965, collaborates with the Vatican and is currently working on the Pro Diaconia Project. This project, in due course, will present an even more comprehensive understanding of the restored permanent diaconate today.

This research, once completed, will be presented to the Holy See, which has sanctioned the project. A component of the Pro Diaconia Project will be the question of relationship between the three orders of the clergy: bishop, priest and deacon.

It is widely acknowledged today that the Church documents compiled during Vatican II—Lumen Gentium and Ad Gentes (1965)—did not fully address the scope (intent) of the restoration of the permanent deacon or other pertinent issues, for various reasons, but left space for this fulfilment in due course through objective discernment.

In 1997, Bishop (now Cardinal) Walter Kasper stated: “When the Council Fathers considered the renewal of the permanent diaconate, they were, as we know, driven by very different interests [...] For a long time now the diaconate has not necessarily been firmly established in all local churches. This is demonstrated by a lack of precise terminology.”

Today the Church is more aware that what has been restored was indeed missing from the Church, and that Vatican II was not simply discerning the renewal or rejuvenating of an existing or tandem ministry— such as the existing order of transitory deacon, the priesthood or the episcopate—but that which had been missing for some 1 500 years from the life of the Church.

Therefore, following the restoration, there was a need to differentiate between the restored order of deacon, according to that most ancient tradition and the later order of deacon (4th century), with the use of the prefixes “permanent” and “transitory or transitional” respectively.

There remains the urgency of developing a concrete profile of the permanent deacon when, in retrospect, the first 50 years of restoration appears to have had a “mixed bag” reception and application, as evidenced by the support for and adversity to the restored order at diocesan, conference, regional and universal Church levels.

The catalytic elements—the Holy See, the various bishops’ conferences, and particular bishops, the IDC and the diaconate bodies in dio-

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ceses—need to engage proactively with each other to meet this urgency.

Territorial and proprietary attitudes certainly have not helped but hindered cooperation and development of the order, with the result that the diaconate is left floundering, not reaching its full and proper potential.

W

ithin the Church, the view that the deacon must be where the bishop and the priest cannot be is gaining ground and contributing to building the necessary profile of this ministry: the deacon in the basic church (the family unit), in the secular environment (work and social forums), in community life (including parish/diocesan community work).

Pope John Paul II in 2004, during a meeting with the bishops of France, reinforced this view; “Permanent deacons present a characteristic face of the Church, which likes to be close to the people and their daily reality, to root in their lives the proclamation of Christ’s message”. He further requested that “permanent

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deacons be thanked for the mission they carry out for the Church as servants of the Gospel, frequently supporting the Christian people in a professional framework, which is the first context of their ministry”.

Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Mumbai, in a meeting with the IDC in September 2012, put it succinctly when he said the decision of Vatican II to restore the diaconate has given the bishop both his arms where before he only had one: one arm is his priests and the other arm is his deacons.

In the archdiocese of Mumbai, the social teachings and action of the Church are seen as a key area for permanent deacons to effectively fulfil their ministry.

The permanent deacons of Mumbai work with the people of the slums, complementing and supporting the lay religious communities such as the Sisters of Charity, empowering especially women in these desperate communities. They are “the ear, the eye, the mouth, the heart, the soul of the bishop” (Christian Antiquities).

In October 2013, the IDC board

met with the Vatican’s Congregation for the Clergy during which the vision of a “diaconal Church” was shared by the congregation’s prefect, Cardinal Beniamino Cardinal Stella. It is the hope that permanent deacons will take ownership of this vision and that vocations to the permanent diaconate will be encouraged at all levels of the Church, for the greater good of the Body of Christ and of the world.

The image of a diaconal Church draws the faithful back to the Christological roots of the early Church and gives focus to the mission ahead. Already at Vatican II, the concept of a diaconal Church was implied with the understanding that we are a Pilgrim Church and not a Triumphant Church.

A Church triumphant was the long-held image by the hierarchy and it was communicated as such in teaching, visual depictions, liturgical traditions, rules, rituals and expectations.

Pope Francis in May 2013 stated that “the triumphalism of the Church stops the Church”. In essence, Vatican II took the Church back to her roots and it is from this position that the new and re-evangelisation mission of the Pilgrim Church has come into focus.

The error of triumphalism is replaced by the authentic reality; we are still journeying towards the Promised Land as the “whole people of God”. On this journey the Church must embrace the humility of Christ which, in turn, embraces Christ’s diaconia, or service. Hence the over-arching diaconal spirit of Christ must find expression in his diaconal body, the Church today as it did in the nascent Church of the 1st and 2nd centuries.

The 1998 instruction from the Congregation for the Clergy on diaconal spirituality aptly states; “The spirituality of service (diaconia) is a spirituality of the whole Church, insofar as the whole Church, in the same way as Mary, is the “handmaid of the Lord” (Lk 1:28), at the service of the salvation of the world.

“And so that the whole Church may better live out this spirituality of service, the Lord gives her a living and personal sign of his very being as servant (diakonos).

“In a specific way, this is the spirituality of the deacon. In fact, with sacred ordination, he is constituted a living icon of Christ the servant within the Church.”

n Deacon Garnie is the vice-president of the International Diaconate Centre.

He is based in Boksburg.

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10

The Southern Cross, July 15 to July 21, 2015

CONSECRATED LIFE

The remarkable life of Sr Nirmala The death last month of Sr Nirmala Joshi, a convert to the faith who succeeded Mother Teresa in 1997, brought an end to a remarkable life, as ANTO AKKARA explains.

M

OTHER Teresa founded and shaped the Missionaries of Charity congregation, but a convert to Catholicism played a crucial role in maintaining the founding vision, and building on it.

The unique role which Sr Nirmala Joshi, the successor of Mother Teresa, played in the congregation’s “post-Mother” period came into the spotlight with her death last month.

“There were a lot of fears and anxieties about the future of the Missionaries of Charity congregation after the Mother. Sr Nirmala ensured a smooth transition…and took them forward without any hiccup,” Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Kolkata told me.

He pointed out that Sr Nirmala was “Mother’s choice and she even

took her to the pope”, St John Paul II, to introduce her.

On March 13, 1997, six months before Mother Teresa’s death, Sr Nirmala was elected the superior-general of the congregation, and it was Mother Teresa who made the choice of her successor public by introducing the diminutive Sr Nirmala from the balcony of the spartan “Mother House”, the Missionaries of Charity’s headquarters in Kolkata.

It was a culmination of a long journey for the convert from Hinduism who was of Nepali origin.

The eldest of the ten children of an ethnic Nepali Brahmin (Hindu priestly class) family, Sr Nirmala was born as Kusum Joshi on July 23, 1934 in Ranchi in eastern India where her father, Mahananda Joshi, was in military service.

Kusum, which means “flower”, had the first experience of God’s call while in college at the age of 17.

“Sr Nirmala was strongly moved from her early childhood to love God and his poor,” the Missionaries of Charity said in a rare press release on Sr Nirmala’s death.

“While at Patna Women’s College in 1951, she had a deep interior experience of Jesus who captured her heart. From that moment on-

Missionaries of Charity sisters gather around the body of Sr Nirmala Joshi, 80, inside a church in Kolkata. (CNS photo/Rupak De Chowdhuri, Reuters/CNS)

ward, she had a deep desire to know him and follow him,” the press release noted.

After completing her masters degree in political science in Patna, Kusum went to Calcutta, as Kolkata was known then. She was baptised during the Easter vigil of 1958 and was given the name Nirmala, meaning “pure”. It was Mother Teresa herself who gave her that name.

Sr Nirmala was one of the Missionaries of Charity nuns who have pursued studies after joining the congregation. She earned a law degree and supervised the work of congregation’s houses in Europe and the United States.

Besides heading the contemplative wing, which she co-founded with Mother Teresa in 1976, the diminutive nun with a disarming smile also accompanied the Mother on several trips abroad.

S

he led the congregation for 12 years. In 2009 she was elected for a third term of six years as superiorgeneral. Sr Nirmala declined the honour, citing old age and ill health.

Current superior-general Sr Mary Prema, a German, was elected to succeed her.

Sr Nirmala’s decision brought to an end a crucial period in the life of the Missionaries of Charity.

"Nobody could guess Sr Nirmala—a Hindu convert—would be so efficient in her leadership of the Missionaries of Charity,” said Archbishop D’Souza.

“God chooses special people at critical times. It’s providence. Looking back, that’s all that I can say now," he said.

In his homily during the funeral Mass, the archbishop said: "Her life was her message. She practised the Sermon on the Mount with love and served the poorest of the poor.

Sr Nirmala was a symbol of patience: compassionate and [with] ever-enduring love."

The Missionaries of Charity, in their press release, revealed the secret of Sr Nirmala’s success: “Blessed with a listening heart and intelligence, [she] generously shared with everyone the fruit of her contemplation in her gentleness, kindness, simplicity and joyfulness. She was

One Church

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Sr Nirmala Joshi (right) releases doves as her successor, Sr Mary Prema, looks on as the Missionaries of Charity celebrate the 100th birth anniversary their founder, Bl Teresa of Calcutta, in 2010. Sr Nirmala died in June. (Photo: Deshakalayan Chowdhur, Reuters/CNS) sought as a guide by the Sisters and the people who trusted in her advice.”

When I interviewed Sr Nirmala in September 2006 at the Mother House in Kolkata, she spelt out what she had been trying to do: “We are trying to improve our prayer and work, and continue in the path the Mother has shown us.

God has helped us in this."

Mother Teresa’s spirit found an echo in Sr Nirmala when she added: “Little acts [of] love have the power to touch the most hardened hearts and generate love in return. We have been able to remain faithful so far to the vision of our Mother.”

The congregation grew under Sr Nirmala’s leadership: the number of Missionaries of Charity homes increased steadily from 594 in 1997, when Mother Teresa died, to 766 by the time of Sr Nirmala’s retirement as superior-general. In the same timespan, the number of nuns increased from about 4 000 to exactly 5 001.

Presently, the Missionaries of Charity have 768 houses with 5 160 nuns.

A senior member of the congregation, Sr Nicole, told the mourners at Sr Nirmala’s funeral: “Her presence radiated gentleness. Sister sent us to the school of nursery of love.”

Quoting Sr Nirmala’s own words—“My vocation is mercy”—Sr Nicole pointed out that Sr Nirmala rushed to areas of natural calamities and conflicts worldwide and displayed a “prophetic role for the suffering Christians of Orissa and spending several days with them” at a time when thousands of Christians were brutally persecuted in the Kandhamal jungles of Orissa

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state in 2008.

Even after she declined a third term as superior-general, Sr Nirmala remained active in the service of the congregation amid her life of prayer in the contemplative branch.

Sr Nirmala had just completed writing the formation programme for the congregation when her kidney ailment worsened after Easter, requiring lengthy hospitaliation, Sr Nicole noted.

“Sr Nirmala expressed a desire to return home from hospital. On June 19, her condition turned worse and she slipped into a coma on the 21st. She went home to Jesus at 12:05.”

The funeral service was preceded by an extraordinary “civic homage” at the Mother House chapel, with the body of Sister Nirmala lying in state in the middle.

The mourners were not only Christians.

“Sr Nirmala’s death is a loss not only for Kolkata but for the whole world. We have lost a loving and compassionate mother," extolled Mamata Bannerji, the Hindu chief minister of West Bengal state, of which Kolkata is the capital.

“She always cared for the poor people. Physically we have lost her but she will be with us. Sr Nirmala cannot die,” Ms Bannerji said.

The Hindu chief minister stayed throughout the three-hour funeral and stood in silence when the coffin was taken out from the Mother House in a flower-decked hearse for the private burial at the cemetery of St John’s church, just 1,5km away from the Mother House.

St John’s church: this is where Sr Nirmala had been baptised during that Easter vigil of 1958.

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The Southern Cross, July 15 to July 21, 2015

CLASSIFIEDS Revised Afrikaans Missal now available

BY STAFF REPORTER

T

HE revised up-to-date edition of the Afrikaans Sondagsmissaal en Gebedeboek has been reprinted following the revision of the Roman Missal.

The first part of this book, Die Sondagsmissaal, covers the three liturgical years, containing all the prayers and readings pertinent to all Sundays, major solemnities, feasts and holy days as well as the

revised Afrikaans Order of Mass and Eucharistic Prayers I to IV. Afrikaans Sondagsmissaal guides the reader in reflection on the readings and prayers of the liturgy throughout the year.

The second part of the publication, Die Gebedeboek, includes prayers that cover the rich traditions of the Catholic faith.

Time-honoured prayers like the Angelus and the morning and evening offerings are found

alongside devotional prayers to Mary, the rosary, and the intercessional prayers to the saints and angels.

It also includes prayers to the Holy Trinity, Eucharistic devotions, the chaplet of Divine Mercy, adoration and benediction, novenas, litanies and a selection of prayer services. n Afrikaans Sondagsmissaal en Gebedeboek is available at www.sondagsmissaal.co.za

Responding to the pope’s call Continued from page 7 already make a small difference to the amount of waste that we generate. Now imagine what happens if 53 million South Africans use up a little less of the world’s resources.

Better yet, imagine the impact if every single Catholic in the world consciously took a little better care of the planet that God made us the custodians of.

That would be one billion people making better individual deci-

sions about the future of our common home.

If one seventh of the world’s population consumed differently, then world leaders would have no choice but to reassess economic, environmental and political policies.

God chose one man, Noah, to preserve the earth’s resources when the great flood came.

This Bible story may be an allegory passed down in biblical

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 663. ACROSS: 5 Feed, 7 Apocalypse, 8 Ahab, 10 Vicarage, 11 Abbots, 12 Secret, 14 Stasis, 16 Cretan, 17 Latitude, 18 Reef, 21 Instituted, 22 Odes. DOWN: 1 Cana, 2 Scabrous, 3 Slaves, 4 Spices, 5 Fear, 6 Exaggerate, 9 Habituated, 13 Cheerful, 15 Squash, 16 Credit, 18 Iris, 20 Fade.

Liturgical Calendar Year B Weekdays Cycle Year 1 Sunday July 19 Jeremiah 23:1-6, Psalms 23:1-6, Ephesians 2:1318, Mark 6:30-34 Monday July 20 Exodus 14:5-18, Exodus 15:1-6, Matthew 12:3842 Tuesday July 21, St Lawrence of Brindisi Wisdom 8:9-16, Psalms 67:2-5, 7-8, Luke 9:1-6 Wednesday, July 22, St Mary Magdalen Exodus 16:1-5, 9-15, Psalms 78:18-19, 23-28, John 20:1-2, 11-18 Thursday July 23 Exodus 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20, Daniel 3:52-56, Matthew 13:10-17 Friday July 24, St Sharbel Makhluf Exodus 20:1-17, Psalms 19:8-11, Matthew 13:1823 Saturday July 25, St James 2 Corinthians 4:7-15, Psalms 126:1-6, Matthew 20:20-28 Sunday July 26 2 Kings 4:42-44, Psalms 145:10-11, 15-18, Ephesians 4:1-6, John 6:1-15

history for the God-given task that humanity has in caring for the planet, but it is a wonderful reminder that we can change our world, one person at a time, one less yoghurt tub at a time.

As Pope Francis says at the end of his encyclical, we are all called to “ come together to take charge of this home which has been entrusted to us, knowing that all the good which exists here will be taken up into the heavenly feast”.

Word of the Week

Encyclical: A pastoral letter addressed by the pope to the whole Church.

Community Calendar

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 (R1,50 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

DEATH

KOURY—Cedric. Passed away peacefully 5/07/2015. Will always be remembered in our prayers. From cousins Elizabeth (Lilly) McClelland and Dr George Koury.

DURBAN: Holy Mass and Novena to St Anthony at St Anthony’s parish every Tuesday at 9am. Holy Mass and Divine Mercy Devotion at 17:30pm on first Friday of every month. Sunday Mass at 9am. 031 309 3496 Overport rosary group.

At Emakhosini Hotel, 73 East Street every Wednesday at 6.30 pm.

Contact Keith at 083 372 9018 or 031 209 2536.

NELSPRUIT: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament at St Peter’s parish every Tuesday from 8:00 to 16:45, followed by Rosary, Divine Mercy prayers, then a Mass/Communion service at 17:30pm.

ST. KIZITO CHILDREN’S PROGRAMME St. Kizito Children’s Programme (SKCP) is a community-based response to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children, established through the Good Hope Development Fund in 2004 in response to the Church’s call to reach out to those in need. Operating as a movement within the Archdiocese of Cape Town, SKCP empowers volunteers from the target communities to respond to the needs of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) living in their areas.

The SKCP volunteers belong to Parish Groups that are established at Parishes in target communities. Through the St. Kizito Movement, the physical, intellectual, emotional and psycho-social needs of OVCs are met in an holistic way. Parish Groups provide children and families with a variety of essential services, while the SKCP office provides the groups with comprehensive training and on-going support.

In order to continue its work, SKCP requires on-going support from generous donors. Funds are needed to cover costs such as volunteer training and support, emergency relief, school uniforms and children’s excursions. Grants and donations of any size are always appreciated. We are also grateful to receive donations of toys, clothes and blankets that can be distributed to needy children and families.

If you would like to find out more about St. Kizito Children’s Programme, or if you would like to make a donation, please contact Wayne Golding on (021) 782 7941 or 082 301 9385 Email info@stkizito.org.za. Donations can also be deposited into our bank account: ABSA Branch: Claremont, 632005; Account Name: Good Hope Development Fund; Account Number: 4059820320 This advertisement has been kindly sponsored

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.

MB.

IN MEMORIAM

LETORD—Roger. In loving memory of Deacon Roger of Durbanville, who passed away six years ago on July 19, 2009, aged 96. Will always be remembered by his family Helen, Stephen, Matthew, Thérèse and Kieran, Janet, Dean, Michael and Kyle, Anne, Basil, Sarah, Warren and Jessica and Joan Swanson. May his soul rest in peace.

LINDSELL—Richard. Died July 21, 2004. My dear son and our brother will always be remembered in our prayers. Rest in peace. John and family.

WILLIAMS—Owen. In loving memory of our former contributor to The Southern Cross, who died on July 20, 2007.

PRAYER

To place your event, call Mary Leveson at 021 465 5007 or e-mail m.leveson@scross.co.za (publication subject to space)

JOHANNESBURG: Holy Rosary School’s 75th Birthday Bash Carnival Day & Concert: August 1, 10:00-18:00.

Entrance: R50 for adults; R100 for 18 years old and under (all-day access to Kids’ zone, games and rides). Contact Deidre on 011 457 0900, or deidre @holyrosaryschool.co.za CAPE TOWN: Helpers of God’s Precious Infants. Mass on last Saturday of every month at 9:30 at Sacred Heart church in Somerset Road, Cape Town. Followed by vigil at Marie Stopes abortion clinic in Bree Street.

Contact Colette Thomas on 083 412 4836 or 021 593 9875 or Br Daniel SCP on 078 739 2988.

11

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

NOAH OLD AGE HOMES

ALMIGHTY eternal God, source of all compassion, the promise of your mercy and saving help fills our hearts with hope. Hear the cries of the people of Syria; bring healing to those suffering from the violence, and comfort to those mourning the dead. Empower and encourage Syria’s neighbours in their care and welcome for refugees. Convert the hearts of those who have taken up arms, and strengthen the resolve of those committed to peace.

O God of hope and Father of mercy, your Holy Spirit inspires us to look beyond ourselves and our own needs. Inspire leaders to choose peace over violence and to seek reconciliation with enemies. Inspire the Church around the world with compassion for the people of Syria, and fill us with hope for a future of peace built on justice for all.

We ask this through Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace and Light of the World, who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Amen. Prayer courtesy of the USCCB. 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

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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

PERSONAL

ABORTION is murder. Silence on this issue is not golden, it’s yellow! Avoid pro-abortion politicians.

See www.hli.co.za CAN YOU be silent on abortion and walk with God? Matthew 7:21 See www.180movie.com THE DIVINE MERCY Pregnancy Crisis Houses would like cyclists to join "Ride for a Purpose" at the 94.7 cycle race on November 15. Cut-off date August 31. Contact Marilyn on 084 461 2592.

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Secure parking, ideal for rest and relaxation. Special rates for pensioners and clergy. Malcolm Salida 082 784 5675, mjsalida@ gmail.com The

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the

17th Sunday: July 26 Readings: 2 Kings 4:42-44, Psalm 145: 1011, 15-18, Ephesians 4:1-6, John 6:1-15

T

HE quality that defines God is precisely the quality that makes us who we are as human beings, namely unselfish generosity. That is the message of next Sunday’s readings.

The first reading is one of the many tales about the prophet Elisha; here the generosity starts with a man from Baal-Shalishah, who brings a gift of twenty barley loaves. Not to be outdone in generosity, Elisha gives orders: “Give it to the people, and let them eat.”

His servant is not made of the same stuff, however, and asks: “How am I to put this before a hundred people?” Elisha insists: “Give it to the people, and they shall eat, for (thus says the Lord) ‘They are to eat, and there will be surplus’.” Naturally it happens, just like that, as we rub our eyes.

The psalm for next Sunday is well aware of this principle of generosity that runs through all creation: “All your works praise you, O Lord”, the poet sings, “and your friends shall bless you; they speak of the glory of your reign.”

Then he recalls God’s special friends, “All those who fall down…all those who are bowed”, and the general rule that the animal

S outher n C ross

Call to selfless generosity kingdom can teach us: “The eyes of all look to you…you open your hand; you grant the desire of all who live.” And in case we start to doubt God’s generosity, we are reminded that “the Lord is near to all who call upon him, to those who call upon him with integrity”.

The second reading shows another aspect of the generosity to which we are called, namely preserving the unity that Paul thought was essential to the body of Christ.

The author reminds his hearers that he is “a prisoner in the Lord”, and that what is essential to their calling is “all humility and gentleness with patience putting up with one another in love”.

That is exactly what generosity looks like, the profound unity of God: “One body and one spirit…one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all”. That is a dramatic presentation of the effect of generosity.

The gospel for next Sunday is the first of no less than five weeks of reading through chapter 6 of John’s gospel. Here we are invited to be present at the spectacular act of generosity with which the chapter begins.

As always, Jesus is followed by “a great crowd, because they were seeing the signs which he was doing on those who were sick”.

At first it looks as though he is simply going to teach them: “Jesus went up into the mountain and sat there with his disciples”; instead, however, “seeing that a big crowd was coming”, he tested the disciples to see how generous they might be, and asked Philip (one of the two Greek names among the Twelve): “From where are we to buy loaves of bread that these people may eat?”

Philip is not up for generosity, and calculates that the best part of a year’s wages would be insufficient to feed the crowd. Andrew (the other apostle with a Greek name), does slightly better, and points to “a small boy with five barley loaves and two fish”.

Like Philip, Andrew also does his sums and reckons that is not enough. Jesus, however, is all generosity, and gets the disciples to make all five thousand of them lie down on the green grass (which gives the charming air of a picnic); then, as though it were the most natural thing in the world (which, in a way, it is), the evangelist tells us that “Jesus took the loaves, and

Ritual of love and prayer T

Indeed these questions are often expressed as an accusation: People are just going through the motions of church and prayer, parroting words that aren’t really meaningful to them, going through an empty ritual! What’s the value in that?

The value is that the ritual itself can hold and sustain our hearts in something deeper than the emotions of the moment.

T

he culture scholar Matthew Crawford, in his recent book The World Beyond Your Head, suggests that ritual acts positively even when our feelings are negative.

“Consider as an example someone who suffers not from some ragging emotion of lust, resentment, or jealous…but rather sadness, discontent, boredom, or annoyance. A wife, let us say, feels this way about her husband. But she observes a certain ritual: she says ‘I love you’ upon retiring at night. She says this not as a report about her feelings— it is not sincere—but neither is it a lie.

“What it is, is a kind of prayer. She invokes something that she values—the marital bond—and in doing so turns away from her present discontent and towards this bond, however elusive it may be as an actual experience,” Crawford writes.

He continues: “It has been said that ritual (as opposed to sincerity) has a ‘subjunctive’ quality to it: one acts as if some state of affairs were true, or could be. It relieves one of the burden of ‘authenticity’.

“The ritual of saying ‘I love you’ alters somewhat the marital scene; it may not ex-

Conrad

ODAY we no longer understand the value and power of ritual. This is more than an individual failing. It’s the cultural air we breathe.

In the words of the noted psychoanalyst Robert L Moore, we’ve gone “ritually tonedeaf”. The effects of this can be seen everywhere. Allow me two examples.

First, we see this today in the failure by so many couples to grasp the need to formalise their relationship in a ceremony of marriage. They make a private commitment to live together but feel no need to formalise this before a civil authority or inside a church.

Their belief is that their love and private commitment to each other is all that’s needed. The prevalent feeling is that a formal ceremony, ideally even in a church, is nice as a celebration and as something to please others, but, beyond that, it adds little or nothing in terms of anything important.

What does ritual contribute to actual life?

We see this same view in many current attitudes towards churchgoing, prayer and the sacraments. What’s the value of participating in something when seemingly our hearts aren’t in it? What’s the value of going to church when we feel it’s meaningless? What’s the value of praying formally when, today, our hearts are a million miles away from what our words are saying?

Further still, what’s the value in going to church or in saying prayers at those times when we feel a certain positive repugnance to what we’re doing?

‘’It’s not really reading… he’s installing new software into his brain.’’

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Sunday Reflections

gave thanks, and distributed it to those who lay down; and it was just the same with the fish—as much as they wanted!”

Then, in case we had not got the message about generosity, Jesus tells his disciples after they had eaten: “Gather up the leftover fragments—we don’t want anything to be wasted.”

Once again a calculator is taken out, and we are told that the surplus (in the generosity of God) was no less than “twelve baskets of fragments”.

However, the lesson does not end there, for Jesus is not in it for himself (otherwise it would not be generosity), and when they deduce (correctly, so far as it goes) that “this one is truly the prophet who is coming into the world”, he “went up alone back into the mountain”.

And the reason? “He knew they were about to come and kidnap him and make him king.” Personal self-aggrandisement is not on the agenda of those who are generous.

What demands is God making on your generosity, this week?

Southern Crossword #663

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

press love so much as to invoke it, by incantation. One spouse invites the other to join with her in honouring the marriage, something one could honour. It is an act of faith: in one another, but also in a third thing, which is the marriage itself.”

What Crawford highlights here is precisely “a third thing”, that is, something beyond the emotions of a given moment and our faith in each other, namely, the institution of marriage itself as a ritual container, as a sacrament that can hold and sustain a relationship beyond the emotions and feelings of the moment.

Marriage, as an institution, human and divine, is designed to sustain love inside of and beyond the emotional and affective fluctuations that inevitably occur inside of every intimate relationship. Marriage allows two people to continue to love each other despite boredom, irritation, anger, bitterness, wound, and, in some cases, even infidelity. The ritual act of getting married places one inside that container.

The German Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, when preaching at marriage ceremonies, would frequently give this counsel to couples: “Today you are much in love and you feel that love will sustain your marriage. It won’t. But marriage can sustain your love.”

Being ritually tone-deaf, we struggle to understand that.

The same holds true for churchgoing, the sacraments, and private prayer. It’s not a question of going through the motions on days when the feelings aren’t there. Rather it’s going through the ritual as an incantation, as an honouring of our relationship to God, and as an act of faith in prayer.

If we said “I love you” only when we actually felt that emotion and if we prayed only when we actually felt like it, we wouldn’t express love or pray very often.

When we say “I love you” and when we do formal prayer at those times when our feelings seem to belie our words, we aren’t being hypocritical or simply going through the motions—we’re actually expressing some deeper truths.

St John Paul II Pilgrimage to Poland Southern Cross

Nicholas King SJ

ACROSS

5. What Christ told Peter to do for the flock (4) 7. Bible’s revelation (10) 8. Son of Omri (1 Kg 16) (4) 10. Give a car for the rector’s residence (8) 11. Heads for the abbey (6) 12. Unknown to others, it’s kept (6) 14. Constant state sits as such (6) 16. One of those that heard in their own language (Ac 2) (6) 17. Dilute at readjusted width (8) 18. Vein of gold (4) 21. Established diet stunt I change (10) 22. Poems found in flood especially (4)

DOWN

1. Where Mary saw no wine (4) 2. Our scabs can look sordid (8) 3. They are held in bondage (6) 4. They were used in burial custom (Jn 19) (6) 5. Dread (4) 6. Overrate, e g, great axe (10) 9. Became accustomed to (10) 13. Light-hearted (8) 15. Fruit juice at the rackets game (6) 16. Kind of card to bank on (6) 18. Chair is holding her eye (4) 20. Grow faint (4) Solutions on page 11

CHURCH CHUCKLE

O

NE Sunday morning the congregation is waiting for Mass to start when suddenly Satan appears on the altar. Everybody runs screaming out of the church, except for one man who just remains calmly seated.

“What,” the devil roars, “you are not scared of me, the Prince of Darkness?”

“Scared of you, Satan?” the man replies. “Why would I be scared? Haven’t I been married to your sister for 25 years?”

A journey to the places of St John Paul II’s life and devotions, led by a Bishop who knows Poland intimately.

Led by Bishop Stan Dziuba 13 - 21 May 2016

Kraków | Wadowice (on St John Paul II’s birthday) | Black Madonna of Częstochowa | Niepokalanów (St Maxmilan Kolbe) | Divine Mercy Sanctuary | Warsaw | Kalwaria Zebrzydowska (with miraculous icon) | Zakopane | Wieliczka Salt Mine (with Mass!)