161207 by The Southern Cross

The

S outher n C ross

December 7 to December 13, 2016

Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 5010

www.scross.co.za

Why we must build up the family

Long marriage began with The Southern Cross

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Bishop Wood on devotion to Our Lady

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Catholics extend care to seafarers StaFF RePoRteR

T Black is winning: Fr Samuel Setshedi (left) plays morabaraba—an indigenous game close to Nine Men’s Morris—with Fr thabiso ledwaba. the smiling Fr Setshedi beat the philosophy professor from St John Vianney Seminary several times during the successful Radio Veritas “Shepherds on the Green” fun day for priests at the Benoni Country Club. (Photo: Mathibela Sebothoma)

Priests had fun on the greens By Neo Motlhala

HE manicured lawns and top-class facilities of Gauteng’s Benoni Country Club were the perfect backdrop to a day of fun and festivity as 150 priests played games, cycled, walked, ran, ate and generally let it all hang out as part of “Shepherds on the Green Priest Appreciation Day”. Hosted by Radio Veritas through its volunteer group of Catholic men called the Veritas Warriors, the event was aimed at “showing some love” for the hardworking Catholic priesthood by sponsoring each padre to the tune of R1 000 each to participate, hang out and relax as Catholics await the coming of the Messiah. “Parish priests—indeed all the clergy—work and pray hard. In a world that could better value the role of priests, we believe it is time to show them some recognition, with love,” said Fr Brian Mhlanga OP, associate station manager of Radio Veritas and national coordinator of the event. Things got moving as early as 7am when the first priests arrived and soon had registration and other paperwork out of the way. Then it was time for runners, walkers and mountain biking enthusiasts to tackle a challenging 16km trail in the area, while the more reflective priests used the time revel in the peace and quiet of nature.

Besides golf, the priests also played five-aside soccer, tennis, squash, bowls, chess, morabaraba, draughts, and table-tennis. Others were just delighted at the opportunity to connect with old friends. Midday was punctuated by a Mass celebrated by Bishop Emeritus Patrick Mvemve of Klerksdorp and several priests, followed by a light lunch and health checks courtesy of retired Catholic nurses; head and shoulder massages; grooming by an onsite barber and cocktails. The evening ceremonies opened with a prayer by Archbishop William Slattery of Pretoria, after which the now-ravenous guests tucked into a three-course dinner to the musical accompaniment of the Mzansi Jazz Band. But the highlight of the day was the evening prize-giving ceremony, the culmination of a Radio Veritas listener voting campaign conducted on air and on the Radio Veritas Facebook page. Fr Ben Mahlangu, prison chaplain in the archdiocese of Johannesburg, and Fr Sakhi Mofokeng of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference jointly won the Best Singing Priests award, while listeners voted Fr S’milo Mngadi of Vosloorus as Best Preacher, and Fr Malesela Dikgale of Soweto as Most Stylish. The Man of the Moment award was won jointly by Frs Peter Nguyen of Walkerville, Continued on page 2

he Catholic ministry of the Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) is a “life-giving apostolate” to the many seafarers and fishers it supports, according to Archbishop Jabulani Nxumalo of Bloemfontein The archbishop, who is the AoS bishop promoter in South Africa, underlined the continuing importance of the ministry to seafarers which he said “blunted the axe so that the pain is not so sharp” of seafarers and fishers suffering in dramatic but not unknown cases of abandonment and physical abuse. He made the remarks during his opening address at AoS’ Indian Ocean regional heads conference held in Cape Town. The archbishop, who hails from the port city of Durban, noted how through the AoS ministry, we uniquely hear of the “agonies and hopes of many and also of what the grace of God can achieve”. Following the conference, AoS has drawnup a new regional plan to improve communications between its port chaplains and with the media to ensure the voice and conditions of exploited seafarers and fishers are heard. “Cases of abandonment and abuse are often overlooked, so AoS has come up with a new strategy to make sure these incidents are better referred from port to port. Often AoS port chaplains are the first welfare point of contact,” said Fr Jacques-Henri David, AoS regional coordinator. The regional heads are also working to encourage states to ratify International Labour Organisation’s Work in Fishing Convention of 2007 (No. 188). “We also agreed to look at providing support for particular seafarers centres, schooling for fishers’ children and enhancing the structure of AoS in South Africa,” Fr David said.

he conference—which included delegates from Kenya, Mauritius, Seychelles and South Africa—was held to review the work of AoS in the region, particularly in its support of fishing communities in the area. Delegates heard about a range of challenges and problems in the region, such as climate change affecting fishing seasons, and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing— particularly by industrialised countries fishing huge amounts and therefore dramatically affecting artisanal fishing communities.

archbishop Jabulani Nxumalo of Bloemfontein and a group of sea chaplains celebrate Mass during a regional conference of the apostleship of the Sea in Cape town. There were also cases of seafarers being abandoned. In some instances it took nearly two years before they were repatriated, sometimes without due wages being paid. The conference also heard tragic cases of seafarers being victims of human trafficking. “AoS is one of the oldest global fishers’ organisations in the world, doing impressive work in the region, such as the provision of schooling for fishers’ children in Madagascar, providing support with fishers’ wives’ associations and working alongside fishers, many of whom work as a means of survival in dugouts or boats with small motors,” said Fr David. “The challenge for fishers at this level is to have their voice heard, especially when fishing grounds are exploited by industrial fishing, and AoS works to get their concerns known,” he said. “There are still many places where seafarers work without valid employment contracts and seafarers in the region who cannot return to work having been traumatised after being captured by pirates.” The meeting also heard that there are plans to establish schools in South Africa and Kenya to train prosecutors on how to handle cases of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. A moving memorial Mass was celebrated by the conference delegates and seafarers in Cape Town port for recently deceased AoS national director Terry Whitfield, who had laboured for decades to ensure the work of AoS prospered in the region. n For more information visit www.apostleshipofthesea.org.za

S outher n C ross Pilgrimage HOLY LAND • ROME •ASSISI • CAIRO 25 Aug - 8 Sept 2017 • Led by Archbishop William Slattery OFM For more information or to book, please contact Gail info@fowlertours.co.za or 076 352-3809

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the Southern Cross, December 7 to December 13, 2016

LOCAL

Long marriage began with Southern Cross StaFF RePoRteR

HEY met through a classified advert in The Southern Cross— and on December 16, Edward and Diana Lensen will celebrate 40 years of marriage. Their story begins in the November 16, 1975 edition of The Southern Cross. In it, Mr Lensen placed a “Personals” ad, reading: “Bachelor, 36, would very much like to meet quiet girl in Cape Town with view to sincere friendship.” Mr Lensen, then a member of Wittebome parish in Cape Town, said he received “quite a few responses”. He went out with three of them for a short while and corresponded with two others, one in Johannesburg and the other in Zimbabwe. Diana Orpen, meanwhile, was a parishioner in Rondebosch in her late 20s. She was not in the habit of buying The Southern Cross, and when she did read it, she normally skipped over the classifieds—but Mr Lensen’s advert caught her eye. There was no young adult group at church, “and she thought how nice it would be to meet someone who shared her faith—something that was paramount in her life”, said daughter Robyn Lensen.

edward and Diana lensen, seen above on their wedding day on December 16, 1976 and this year on holiday, met through a classified advert in The Southern Cross of November 16, 1975 (left). She decided to respond to the ad, and the two went out a few times. Edward liked her relaxing man-

Stacey-leigh Gallant and eliphas Shihepo, both Grade 7 learners at St Joseph’s Marist College in Rondebosch, Cape town, serve lunch to (from left) Silulo Ngqobane, anathi Mcotana and Chumani Ndamase from Regina Coeli in athlone at an end-of-year party.

CATHOLIC DEVOTIONS

ner and honesty. Diana says he was very respectful, considerate, a patient listener with a wonderful

sense of humour and excellent manners. “Girls like to be treated well,” she says.

Partnership brings learner upliftment

WO Catholic schools in Cape Town have joined forces in offering learner upliftment. St Joseph’s Marist College in Rondebosch has for the last two years been partnering with Regina Coeli in Athlone around a weekly programme which is aimed at Grade 2 learners. It sees about 45 children, accompanied by two teachers from Regina Coeli, receiving maths and sports tuition at St Joseph’s. “Our former chaplain, Fr Jerome Aranes, started the project with our partners at Regina Coeli,” said

Shona Smith of St Joseph’s, who runs the programme for the school. “We are delighted to be able to share our facilities so that they may also benefit young children from the broader Catholic community.” Regina Coelis principal Hilton Alie said: “We have seen a marked improvement in our Grade 2 maths results, as well as significant progress in sports development as a result of this collaboration. We look forward to working with our colleagues at St Joseph’s into 2017 and beyond.” In the past year, the young learners from Regina Coeli also benefited

18-27 March 2017 Fr Brian Mhlanga OP of Radio Veritas

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No cent borrowed for new hall StaFF RePoRteR

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from a holiday programme which included trips to the Science Centre and the movies, as well as sharpening their indoor cricket skills. “Given that literacy is a national priority, we also focused on encouraging a culture of reading, and opened up our library to Regina Coeli’s children on Fridays,” said Ms Smith. “They were also treated to a wholesome meal each Friday “The success of such programmes lies in their sustainability; we hope to be able to help more children from Regina Coeli in such a positive way into the future,” she said.

the new hall and classrooms at our lady of Good help parish in Verulam were blessed by Bishop Barry Wood, auxiliary of Durban.

LENT IN THE

HOLY LAND Do you feel called to the Franciscan way of life?

Their romance quickly bloomed, and on December 16, 1976 they were married at St Michael’s in Rondebosch, with Frs Guy Ruffell and Jan Kavelaars officiating. “Neither of them wanted a big wedding and had only family and a few close friends attending,” said Robyn, their only daughter, born in 1979. After moving to Pretoria for a while, they are now retired in Somerset West, and attend Mass at St Peter’s church in Strand. They have an active life, with Mrs Lensen a keen gardener and cook, and Mr Lensen maintaining an interest in lapidary (cutting and polishing of gemstones). And the secret to their long married life? They do listen and usually act on one another’s advice. “It is the little things done for one another: the kindness and support when needed most which provides the groundwork to a solid marriage,” said Robyn. “Like all wonderful experiences in life, they have to be worked at continuously, and this is what provides stability in a relationship and the continuous appreciation between two people who deeply love each other.”

HE completion of the new hall and classrooms at Our Lady of Good Help parish in Verulam, KwaZulu-Natal, which has just been blessed by Bishop Barry Wood, was “a miracle”, say parishioners, and possible through the efforts of Fr Jude Fernando TOR. The new hall and classrooms will be used for teaching catechism, among other things. Teaching catechism inside the church or under trees was not ideal. Fr Fernando’s enthusiasm rubbed off on generous parishioners and well-wishers, who provided the much-needed materials and cash to complete the project. According to Fr Fernando, not a cent was borrowed. The original plan was to renovate a dilapidated building and add a few classrooms. Since this building had a poor foundation, it was decided to demolish it and build a completely new building.

Fr Fernando and Our Lady of Good Help parishioners put their heads together to work out how to finance the project. Firstly, they had voluntary contributions of building material and cash, mostly anonymous. They also sold raffle tickets with major prizes, such as a trip for two to Mauritius, a weekend at a local venue, and a big-screen TV. Next, the parish held cake sales, pickle sales and so on every Sunday. Then they economised, by getting volunteers to serve as parish secretary and staff, and reduced flower expenditure by getting parishioners to donate flowers. Finally, they used the skills and talents of parishioners. The services of contractor, supervisor, engineer, electrician, plumber and cabinet maker were all supplied gratis by parishioners. The parish is proud of its achievements and wishes to thank all those who came to its assistance.

Priests’ day awards handed out Continued from page 1 Tebogo Matseke of Spruitview, and Victor Tlholo of Kimberley. Priest of the Year went to Fr Richard Rathari of Mabopane in Pretoria, while the Lifetime Award was

shared by Frs Augustine Makhokolo, and Emil Blaser of Radio Veritas. “The support of our parishioners was overwhelming, and we really hope to make this even more exciting next year,” said Fr Mhlanga.

the Southern Cross, December 7 to December 13, 2016

LOCAL

Birthright volunteers were among those who gathered for its 40th anniversary. (From left) taren hall, afline odhiambo, Patty hall, Patience Noah, elizabeth Stiekema, angela Bailey, Isla Bolton and Doris Kumalo.

Bishops ‘must cooperate’ By MaNDla ZIBI

HE new president of the body that combines the bishops’ conferences of Southern Africa has called for more coordinated action between the various member countries. Addressing the 11th plenary session of the Inter-regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) in Maseru, Lesotho, Mozambican Bishop Lucio Andrice Muandula of XaiXai said: “Whenever a bishops’ conference chooses a certain theme or plan of actions, it will be very important to share this with each other. “We do not need to wait for head office in Harare to do it. There is material being produced in the different countries which could be of great help to each other.” Besides the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference region—South Africa, Botswana and Swaziland—IMBISA comprises the bishops’ conferences of Angola and São Tomé & Príncipe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe. “This is an institution of communion among the bishops which depends on the efforts of each one of us. We lived an extraordinary moment of communion during these days in which we communicated to each other with great freedom. This is a great foundation for the future,” said Bishop Muandula. Bishop Muandula is the new president of IMBISA and Archbishop Gerard Tlali Lerotholi OMI of Maseru, Lesotho, was elected vice-president. Archbishop Robert Ndlovu of Harare, Zimbabwe, was re-elected secretary-general. Bishop Frank Nubuasah SDV of Francistown, Botswana, was the outgoing president of the or-

Birthright celebrates its 40th

B Bishops greet the faithful after a Mass during an IMBISa meeting in Maseru, lesotho. (Photo courtesy of Bishop Stanislaw Dziuba) ganisation. He had served the last two terms. Three other members of the standing committee were appointed by the different bishops’ conferences of IMBISA: Bishop Mlungisi Dlungwane of Mariannhill, Archbishop Liborius Nashenda of Windhoek, and Bishop Joseph Sephamola of Qacha’s Nek in Lesotho. Bishop Muandula thanked Bishop Nubuasah for his six years of the leadership of IMBISA. He also expressed his gratitude to Bishop Sithembele Anton Sipuka of Mthatha, IMBISA’s delegate to the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), a continental structure aimed at bringing forth the African vision to the Church, and for keeping the Southern African region abreast of developments in the continent. Bishop Muandula welcomed the proposal made during the meeting that IMBISA statutes be revised in the coming three years. Under the theme “Empower-

ing the laity for effective engagement for social, political and environmental issues”, taking Pope Francis’ 2015 encyclical Laudato Si as a point of reference, the bishops analysed the capacity and limitations of the Church and explored ways and means of implementing the document. “We gave attention to those manifestations of environmental destruction that are of immediate concern in our region. These include pollution of the environment, harmful by-products in the production of some sources of energy, water pollution and wastage,” read a statement at the end of the meeting. “The consequences frequently result in diseases, corruption, consumerism, unemployment and inequality. “We identified practical ways of informing ourselves and lay people to adopt a caring and responsible attitude towards the gift of creation, which includes a celebration of creation around the feast of St Francis of Assisi.”

Nativity, carols by candlelight

Parishioners sell The Southern Cross at St therese’s parish in alberton, Johannesburg. tim lew holds a bunch of newspapers at left while Cecil Cullen raises newspapers for sale. The Southern Cross staff is delighted to see so many people selling and promoting the country’s national Catholic weekly. Please keep your photos of Southern Cross sellers coming. Send them to pics@scross.co.za

URBAN’S annual Nativity presentation and Carols by Candlelight will take place on December 11, with another performance a week later at Mariannhill Mission church. The December 11 event will be held at 19:00 at Greyville Racecourse, with gates opening at 18:00. Audience members are requested to bring a toy—new or used—for the underprivileged. Toys will be brought to the manger in a procession led by Cardinal Wilfrid Napier and Bishop Barry Wood at the end of the performance. There is no entrance fee and the carols will be led by a local choir. Candles and the lyrics of favourite Christmas carols will be provided so that everyone can join in the singing. Secure parking is available in the grounds. Seating is sheltered so the production will proceed under all weather conditions. There will be a second production on Sunday, December 18 at 15:00 in the Mariannhill Mission church (behind the tea garden). n For more information please contact Dawn Haynes at 083 564 2929.

IRTHRIGHT of South Africa celebrated its 40th anniversary with a champagne brunch at La Vie en Rose in Houghton, Johannesburg. The joyous occasion was attended by many, including Birthright volunteers from Johannesburg and Durban, Birthright SA board members, representatives from the Knights of Da Gama and the Catholic Women’s League, sisters from the Divine Mercy Homes for Pregnant Girls, and faithful Birthright supporters. Birthright is an independent, nonsectarian movement staffed by trained volunteers. “We offer a loving, caring, listening presence to anyone who is pregnant and distressed or those concerned

about someone who is pregnant,” said Birthright’s Isla Bolton. “Importantly, the father of the baby is often in as much need of a caring listener as the pregnant girl,” she said. “Abortion is often the first and even only option considered and even encouraged by society, friends and family. Birthright offers more constructive ways to address being unexpectedly and unhappily pregnant. “Because Birthright places a high value on discretion and confidentiality, we find those who approach us are more fully able to explore their emotions and questions concerning their pregnancy,” Ms Bolton said. n Contact Birthright on 081 418 5414 or see www.birthright.co.za

THE HOLY LAND TREK An itinerary of the great holy sites of the Holy Land and Jordan by Günther Simmermacher.

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the Southern Cross, December 7 to December 13, 2016

INTERNATIONAL

Christians’ lynching: Court convicts 13 F IVE men in Pakistan’s Punjab province have been sentenced to death for their leading role in the November 2014 murder of a Christian couple. Another eight were given two years in prison for their participation in the lynching. Judge Chaudhry Muhammad Azam of Lahore’s Anti-Terrorism Court handed down the sentences. On November 4, 2014, Shahzad Masih and his wife Shama, who was pregnant with the couple’s fourth child, were attacked by a lynch mob and their bodies burned after they were accused of desecrating the Quran. The couple lived in Kot Radha Kishan, about 60km from Lahore. The couple worked at a brick kiln, and it has been reported that the kiln owner noticed Shama—who was illiterate—burning some belongings of her deceased father-in-law, and charged that some pages she burnt were from the Quran. He then detained them. They owed him money, and he refused to release them without being paid. It was then announced from local mosques that the couple had desecrated the Quran, and a mob forced their way into the room where the Masihs were held, and beat them with bricks and shovels. Reports vary as to whether or not the couple’s bodies were thrown into the kiln before or after their deaths. According to the Pakistani English-language daily Dawn, the AntiTerrorism Court heard that the five men given the death penalty “gathered a large mob of hundreds by making announcements over a mosque loudspeaker and incited

Pope to scientists: Save the planet By CaRol GlatZ

H Shama and Shazad Masih, who were lynched by a mob in 2014. them to violence with incendiary speech”. Riaz Anjum, the lawyer representing the Masih family, told AFP that according to the judgement, “the five people awarded the death sentence were involved in dragging, beating and burning the couple while the other eight played a supportive role”. The chairman of the Pakistan Inter-faith League, Sajid Ishaq, told The News International that the guilty verdict has “revived [Christians’] confidence in the supremacy of judiciary and enhanced their faith in fair and free investigations conducted in this case. I would not say I support the death sentence but I would say that such a decision has become essential to prevent violence in the society amidst prevailing conditions in our country”. He added that “the crime was so gruesome that it plunged the whole Christian community in a shock”. “I sincerely hope and wish that the decision by the ATC in ‘Sajjad and Shama lynching case will serve as a strong preventive step against any such incident in future. —CNA

Holy Land prays for those hit by wildfires By JuDIth SuDIloVSKy

combination of negligence, accidents and dry, windy weather after a two-month drought. In a sign of rare regional cooperation with its Arab neighbours, Israel received assistance in the form of personnel and equipment from Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority in addition to other countries, including the US, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Azerbaijan, Italy and Russia. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to thank him for his assistance, and the Israeli press reported that Jewish settlers from Halamish, one of the hardesthit communities, came out to thank the Palestinian firefighters who had helped battle the flames.—CNS

ATHOLIC leaders in the Holy Land expressed solidarity with those affected by regional wildfires, which continued to burn after five days. “We thank God for the fact that the majority of human injuries were light; we express our solidarity with those who suffer from physical or material damage,” they said in a statement. “Our country needs the fire of love which unites people, expands hearts and thoughts and enables a safe life full of faith, justice and love,” they said. Security officials believe the 90 fires that broke out throughout Israel and the West Bank were due to a

UMANITY does not own God’s gift of creation and has no right to pillage it, Pope Francis said. “We are not custodians of a museum and its masterpieces that we have to dust off every morning, but rather collaborators in the conservation and development of the existence and biodiversity of the planet and human life,” he said. The pope addressed experts attending a plenary session of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences to discuss the impact of scientific knowledge and technology on people and the planet. People in the modern world have grown up “thinking we are the owners and masters of nature, authorised to plunder it without any consideration for its secret potential and evolutionary laws, as if it were an inert substance at our disposal, causing, among other things, a very serious loss of biodiversity”, he said. An “ecological conversion” is needed in which people recognise their responsibility for caring for creation and its resources, for trying to bring about social justice and for overcoming “an unfair system that produces misery, inequality and exclusion,” the pope said. The pope lamented how easily well-founded scientific counsel is “disregarded” and how politics tends to obey technology and finance instead. The proof of that, he said, is the way countries are still “distracted” or delayed in applying interna-

FTER meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny said the pope confirmed he will visit Ireland in 2018 and that trip organisers would look at the possibility of a stop in Northern Ireland. A Vatican statement said the two discussed the Catholic Church’s contributions to Ireland, particularly “in the social and educational fields”, and about how important it is for Christians to take an active role in public life, “especially in the promotion of respect for the dignity of every person, starting with the weakest and defenceless”. Migration, high levels of unemployment among youths and the political and institutional challenges faced by Europe also were on the agenda, the Vatican said.

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T The he

So oss outher u t h e r n C ross r os ou uther Reg No. 1920/002058/06

No 500 9

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Pope Francis: Church isn’t a soccer club

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Five great tips for a fruitful Advent season

Why Mary had to be born without sin

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Drug rehab: Durban shows way forward BY MANDLA ZIBI

C h i l d r e n a t t h e J o h a n n e s b u r g l a u n c h o f t h e J e s u i t I n s t i t u t e ’s A d v e n t b o o k f o r c h i l d r e n , Journ n e y t o J e s u s ’ B i r t h d a y . Wr i t e r P a u l i n a F r e n c h a n d t h e t r a n s l a t o r o f t h e Z u l u v e r s i o n , Moira Mazambar, answered questions posed by the children who attended. Each child was given a party pack box with a star or angel for their Christmas tree as a way of associating it w i t h t h e b o o k a n d C h r i s t ’s b i r t h . J o u r n e y t o J e s u s ’ B i r t h d a y i s a v a i l a b l e f o r R 6 0 p l u s p & p from admin@jesuitinstitute.org.za or as an eBook on Amazon.

Ex-Kimberley bishop dies at 83 BY MANDLA ZIBI

HE bishop who led Kimberley diocese for 36 years has died in Germany at the age of 83. Bishop Erwin Hecht OMI, who died on November 19, led Kimberley diocese from May 11, 1972, when he was ordained as its auxiliary, until December 15, 2009, when he retired. Born at Burgrieden in south-western Germany on October 13, 1933, he was ordained a priest for the Oblates of Mary Immaculate Rottenburg in July 1959. Fr Hecht arrived in South Africa as a missionary on November 9, 1961, and was assigned to St Boniface parish, in the Kimberley township of Galeshewe. When he was ordained as the auxiliary bishop of Kimberley on May 11, 1972, he effectively took over the running of the diocese. He took over the governance of the diocese of Kimberley on July 1, 1974, having also served as the provincial of the Oblates in Kimberley. In a 2010 Southern Cross article Bishop Hecht described his decision to become a priest as that of a “nau ughty boy”, but in reality, the bishop viewed his vocation as a gift from God. He voiced his concern at how vocations were progressively falling under the worldly spell of “rampant materialism and a culture of opportunism”, resulting in a growing lack of pastoral responsibility among young people. The main challenge for priests in South Africa, Bishop Hecht believed, was to bring the

races together, and as bishop, he saw his role as mediator and unifier of all people of goodwill in this country. Bishop Hecht returned to Germany after his retirement. “He had the heavy burden of taking over the governance of Kimberley diocese at a very difficult period, said his successor, Bishop Abel Gab buza. “The diocese had numerous challenges, materially and spiritually, but with the assistance of so many priests, religious and laity, Bishop Hecht left the diocese in a healthy state.” Bishop Gabuza described his predecessor as a “zealous and tenacious missionar y” who served the people of Kimberley with selflessness. “We are eternally grateful to him for sharing with us the many faces of courage, commitment, faith, hope and love. He challenged all of us in Kimberley priests, religious and laity—to adopt a progressive paradigm of ownership and embrace a life of consciousness and responsibility,” Bishop Gabuza said. Bishop Hecht’s funeral Mass was held at St. Bonifatiuskloster in Hünfeld, central Germany on November 24.

HE archdiocese of Durban is set to strike a major blow against drug addiction in the region with the launch early next year of a state of the art drug treatment and rehabilitation centre. The Nap pier Centre for Healing, named aftter Cardinal Wilfrid Nap pier of Durban for his energetic efforts against the scourge, is expected to open its doors to all drug addicts and alcoholics, irrespective of religious denomination, and is aimed primarily at “street level” abusers, meaning the poor and homeless. The archdiocese has commenced the establishment of the centre at Ekukhanyeni, north of Durban. “The centre will provide residential rehabilitation for those struggling with addiction to drugs and alcohol. It will demonstrate a practical, affordable and accessible model to address the crisis afflicting South Africa,” said Fr Stephen Tully. The project gives “expression to Pope Francis’ call for practical actions that carry forward the message of the Year of Mercy”, he said. “The centre will hav ve a faith-based ethos but will be open to anyone. It will follow a wholeperson approach to healing, implemented through a programme that will run over 12 months,” the priest explained. The archdiocese has allocated land and disused buildings to house the institution. Refurbishment of the buildings has already started, courtesy of an anonymous donor, and the centre should be opening within half a year.

he costs for the initial phases of construction are projected at R8-9 million. Among other costs, about R9 000 a month will be spent on each resident. “We can only be guided by our Lord Jesus who cared for the voiceless and those most in need. It is when the miracles of care happen from unexpected donors, and especially the little effo orts of the poor that one can only but feel God is in control as he cares for his lost sheep,” Fr Tully said. The Denis Hurley Centre (DHC) in Durban will assist the Napier Centre, said DHC director

Raymond Perrier. “The cardinal has shown a great heart for the plight of drug users in Durban, especially those who are on the streets and have little chance of receiving help,” Mr Perrier said. “With staff from the DHC, he has visited some of the most difficult areas where homeless drug users are to be found and where the DHC provides healthcare through its outreach clinic,” he said. Mr Perrier said the DHC would be deeply involved with the Nap pier Centre in various way ys, including helping in the selection of residents and other issues such as the staff component, which is expected to comprise a “healthy mix” of recovering addicts and trained personnel.

arlier this year, as part of a campaign titled “Support, Don’t Punish”, Cardinal Napier and Mr Perrier joined the Durban University of Technology for a rally, challenging government au uthorities to come up with a more creative response to drugs instead of the punishmentbased model that some experts have criticised as not working. Cardinal Napier also dedicated a Clergy Study Day to the subject of addiction to equip priests to be able to talk confidently about the subject and know where to turn when seeking help for affected families. “It is therefore very fitting that the cardinal has agreed that his name be used for this legacy project,” said Mr Perrier. “The intention is to create a residential centre that is on a par with expensive private clinics but is accessible to people living on the streets. While driven by a Catholic ethos, it will also work collaboratively and learn from the initiative of other faith groups,” he said. “The Napier Centre is a modern–day y version of the response of the Church in former years to the plight of education for the poor, providing a quality response that was accessible for all: a response by the Catholic community for the whole community,” Mr Perrier said. Cardinal Napier is expected to formally announce the project on the archdiocese’s patronal feast, Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, on December 8.

Feed your soul with The

tional agreements on the environment as well as the “continuous wars of dominance masquerading as noble declarations that cause increasingly serious harm to the environment and the moral and cultural wealth of peoples”.

ope Francis told the scientists that it was up to them to “build a cultural model to tackle the crisis of climate change and its social consequences so that enormous productive capacities are not reserved only to the few”. To do that, he said, the scientists would have to be free of political, economic and ideological interests, too.

Because scientists have been able to study and demonstrate many crises facing the planet, the pope called on them to be leaders in proposing solutions to the many problems, such as water, energy and food security. He said it would be “indispensable” for the world’s scientists to collaborate and create “a regulatory system that includes inviolable limits and guarantees the protection of ecosystems before new forms of power derived from the technological-economic paradigm produce irreversible damage not just to the environment but also to coexistence, democracy, justice and freedom”.—CNS

Pope to visit Ireland in 2018 A

PRICE CHECK November 30 to December 6, 2016

Pope Francis greets British physicist Stephen hawking during an audience with participants attending a plenary session of the Pontifical academy of Sciences at the Vatican. (Photo: l’osservatore Romano)

S outher n C ross

IT’S WORTH IT!

Pope Francis exchanges gifts with Irish Prime Minister enda Kenny. (Photo: alessandra tarantino, Reuters/CNS) After the meeting, Mr Kenny told reporters that Pope Francis confirmed his intention to attend the next World Meeting of Fami-

lies, which is scheduled for Dublin in 2018. According to the Irish Independent newspaper, Mr Kenny said he spoke to the pope about “a number of issues that would, in my view, help greatly his visit when it comes in 2018”, including the need to strongly condemn clerical sexual abuse as he did during his visit to the US in 2015. The prime minister, the newspaper said, “added that he would like to see the pope travel to Northern Ireland, to complete a journey that Pope John Paul II couldn’t do in 1979”. “I said to him that very point that John Paul couldn’t go because of “The Troubles” at the time,” the prime minister was quoted as saying.—CNS

INTERNATIONAL

Ex-Jesuit superior, 87, dies in Beirut By CINDy WooDeN

‘Follow drug supply chains to corrupt banks’ P

Fr Peter-hans Kolvenbach, former superior-general of the Jesuits, who has died. (Photo/Greg Walker, Spring hill College) Born on November 30, 1928, in the Netherlands, Fr Kolvenbach entered the Jesuits in 1948. In 1958, he was sent on a mission to Lebanon, where he was ordained to the priesthood in the Armenian Catholic rite in 1961 and where he earned his doctorate in theology from St Joseph University. An expert in linguistics, he taught in The Hague, Paris and Beirut, before being named rector of the Pontifical Oriental Institute in Rome, the position he held when he was elected superior of the order.—CNS

Sainthood inquest for murdered Indian nun

HE grave of a nun murdered in central India 21 years ago has been exhumed as part of a process that may eventually lead to her canonisation. The Franciscan Clarist nun, widely known as Sr Rani, was stabbed to death aboard a bus on February 25, 1995. Authorities said a hired assassin stabbed her at least 50 times. Her work among poor landless people had upset some landlords who did not like her helping locals become more selfreliant. The nun, then 41 years old, worked in Udainagar, a village in the Indore diocese. She was travelling to Indore and then to her home in Kerala, in southern India, when the attack occurred. Sr Rani Maria Vattalil was buried outside Sacred Heart church in Udainagar. Her grave was exhumed as part of the canonisation process, and her remains have been moved to a newly built tomb inside the church, Bishop Chacko Thottumarikal of Indore said. Prior to canonisation, the Church requires that the grave of a candidate for sainthood be verified to ensure that the person buried in the locale is properly identified. Traditionally, Catholics also open the grave to see if the body is uncorrupted, generally seen as a sign that the individual is worthy of canonisation. Hundreds of people have been flocking to Sr Rani’s new tomb seeking her intercession. Several people, including non-Christians, have accepted her as a saintly person who led a heroic life, Bishop Thottumarikal said. There is a demand to canonise Sr Rani as a martyr, he said, adding “it is a decision of the Vatican”. Sr Rani, who started working in a mission in northern India in 1975, arrived in Udainagar in 1992 where she confronted local moneylenders who were exploiting residents. Authorities said landlords and moneylenders hired Samandhar Singh to murder the nun. He was convicted of the crime and

By CaRol GlatZ

ESUIT Father Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, whose service as superior-general of the Society of Jesus marked a return to normal governance after a period of tension with the Vatican, died in Beirut on November 26, four days before his 88th birthday. After the Jesuit general congregation accepted his resignation as superior in 2008, he returned to Lebanon and served as an assistant librarian at the Jesuit-run St Joseph University in Beirut. In a message of condolence to Fr Arturo Sosa, the current superior, and his brother Jesuits, Pope Francis praised Fr Kolvenbach’s “complete fidelity to Christ and his Gospel” and his “generous commitment to exercising his office with a spirit of service for the good of the Church”. When Fr Kolvenbach was chosen as superior-general in 1983, his election marked the end of a twoyear period in which a papal delegate, Jesuit Father Paolo Dezza, led the society. Pope John Paul II had bypassed the Jesuits’ normal governing structure when he named Fr Dezza interim head of the society after Fr Pedro Arrupe, then-superior-general of the Jesuits, suffered a stroke. The pope’s action troubled many Jesuits, who saw it as a lack of papal trust in the order and its members’ ability to govern themselves.

the Southern Cross, December 7 to December 13, 2016

OPE Francis has called for protecting the dignity of substance abusers and condemned the corruption and incompetence that trap so many innocent people in the snares of addiction. The “vast, powerful networks” behind the drug trade kill not only those who become slaves to drugs, he said, they also kill those “who want to destroy this slavery”—such as judges or others who seek to stamp out criminal organisations. The pope spoke to dozens of experts in medicine, science, the judicial system, government and social policy and pastoral care, who attended a special study session at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Those gathered discussed solutions to drug use and abuse, and the most effective forms of prevention. The pope underlined the inherent dignity of all people who struggle with substance abuse, and asked that they be listened to and treated appropriately, not looked at as if they were some kind of “object or broken device”. Addicts not only destroy themselves, they bring down everyone around them, as well as cause other repercussions on society, he said. The networks behind the produc-

Boxes of cocaine are seen in hamburg, Germany. Pope Francis said that the “vast, powerful networks” behind the drug trade kill not only those who become slaves to drugs, but also those who want to destroy this slavery. (Photo: Christian Charisius, ePa/CNS) tion and distribution of illegal substances bring “physical, psychic and social death. The disposal of a person”, he said. Organised crime is responsible for a large part of these networks, “but one challenge is precisely that of finding a way to inspect the chains of corruption and the forms of money laundering”, he said. “To that end, there is no other path than that of moving up the supply chain that goes from the drug

Pope saddened by soccer team crash

OPE Francis sent a message to Bishop Fidel Leon Cadavid Marin of Sonson-Rionegro in response to the airplane crash in Colombia which killed 71 people, including most members of the Chapecoense football team. “The Holy Father, deeply distressed, knowing the painful news of the grave accident with numerous victims, lifts up his prayers for the eternal rest of the deceased,” read the message. He asked the bishop to transmit his condolences “to the family and to those who mourn such a great

loss, together with expression of affection, solidarity, and comfort to those wounded and affected by this tragic event”. The plane, flying from Brazil by way of Bolivia, was taking Associação Chapecoense de Futebol to play Atlético Nacional, a Medellin-based team, in the final of the 2016 Copa Sudamericana. Atlético Nacional has asked that the cup be awarded to Chapecoense. Chapecoense is a small team from Chapeco, in southern Brazil. It had been promoted to Brazil’s top soccer division in 2014, and had an excep-

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Franciscan Clarist Sister Rani Vattalil, who was murdered in 1995. served a 12-year prison sentence. Singh said in 2014 that he experienced a “rebirth” during a 2002 visit by Sr Rani’s younger sibling, Sr Selmy, also a member of the Franciscan Clarist Congregation. During the visit Sr Selmy tied a rahki —a thread that represents siblinghood—on Singh, accepting him into her family. Bishop George Anathil, who was then serving in Indore and died in 2009, initiated the sainthood cause for Sr Rani in 2001 by establishing two commissions— one theological and the other historical—to examine her life. The commissions submitted their findings to the three-member diocesan inquiry tribunal that was established in 2005 to carry forward the process. The theological commission verified from Sr Rani’s published writings that she had not contravened any Church teaching. The historical commission delved into unpublished write-ups and other events related to the late nun, and also ascertained that she had steadfastly upheld Church teachings. Sr Rani was named a servant of God by the Church in 2005.—CNS

market, up the small ladders to the more sophisticated forms of laundering that are hidden in the financial capitals and banks specialising in laundering dirty money,” he said. Recalling his own country’s struggle with drug traffickers and the threats one Argentine judge received because of his efforts to clamp down on the problem, the pope said whenever one inspects the distribution chain, one ends up running into the mafia.—CNS

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tional season this year. In addition to the team members, 21 journalists were aboard the flight. Three of the six survivors are Chapecoense players. “It’s a difficult time to speak,” Bishop Odelir José Magri of Chapeco said in a video message. “There are no words to express this event. We wish, in the first place, to manifest our communion and solidarity. We are suffering together, everyone.” A Mass was said at the Chapeco cathedral for the victims of the crash.—CNA

the Southern Cross, December 7 to Deecember 13, 2016

LEADER PAGE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Editor: Günther Simmermacher

Don’t fight over Mary

HE months of the year Catholics dedicate to the Blessed Virgin specifically are May and October, but our focus is on her throughout the year—every time, to begin with, when we pray the rosary. In December, we keep Mary in our sights: in the feast of the Immaculate Conception and as the mother of Our Lord in the Nativity narrative. Catholics have a great love for Our Lady, and devotion to her is a source of enormous strength and comfort on our pilgrim journey on earth. The rosary and the associated meditations are at the centre of our faith in Christ’s life, death and resurrection. Through the rosary and other prayers to Mary we find a shortcut to her Son Jesus, who mediates on our behalf with God. Her many feasts and titles allow us to form close personal relationships with her. These can be formal or intimate, based on a gospel passage or on the words attributed to her by those who report having received Marian apparitions. While Catholics are not required to accept any private revelations, which include Marian apparitions, as authentic—and the Church itself is selective about those it authorises for veneration—the messages that emerge from these can enrich our spiritual lives. But on occasion they can also be divisive. The so-called “third secret of Fatima” is the source of much rancour and suspicion in some quarters which allege what amounts to a conspiracy by Church authorities. In 2000, the Church finally released the third secret, which turned out to be, unspectacularly, about the 20th century persecution of Christians that culminated in the failed assassination attempt of Pope John Paul II on May 13, 1981, the 64th anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima. The conspiracy theories have not abated since and are still forcefully presented. Further division is caused by disputes concerning sites of reported apparitions that are not approved by the Holy See, such as Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina or Garabandal in Spain. In Medjugorje, various visionaries have reported ongoing apparitions of Our Lady since 1981.

The local diocese claims that these apparitions are not authentic, and the Vatican has not issued a final decision on the matter, although an investigation was concluded almost three years ago. In successive comments on the Medjugorje apparitions, it issued a non constat, meaning that the reports cannot be confirmed to be of supernatural origin. The issue remains sensitive. When Pope Francis, a man of great Marian devotion, visited Bosnia last year, he did not go to Medjugorje. Yet, even without Vatican approval, Medjugorje has become a hugely popular pilgrimage attraction. Clearly, the place and the messages have broad appeal. Indeed, the reported messages are simple and sound: to pray often, to fast, to do penance. Like all places of pilgrimage, Medjugorje is sanctified by the prayers of the people who come there and by the graces they have received there. Devotions based on Marian apparitions have very apparent faith-strengthening properties— and Medjugorje is no exception. Even when the Vatican releases the findings of its investigation into Medjugorje, the disputes will remain (which may explain why no report has been issued as yet). But little good is accomplished by intemperate debate between proponents and adversaries of Medjugorje. It most certainly cannot be the will of Our Lady that devotion to her be turned into a battleground. That must go also for our discourse with Protestants, some of whom misunderstand the Catholic (and Eastern Orthodox) devotion to Mary, or even mistake that devotion for worship. Such Protestants often do not explore Marian devotion beyond the dogma they reject (such as the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption), the apparitions for which they have no use, and what they feel is an undue emphasis on Mary in Catholic practice. There is, however, an awareness of Mary in Catholic thought that should resonate with all the followers of Christ. St Augustine reminds us that as the mother of Jesus, Mary is the mother of all Christians. Therefore a relationship with Christ surely is deficient if it understates or excludes his mother.

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

Prayer key to ending addiction WAS deeply touched as I read your I was always questioning my Iagainst article “Cardinal: Use prayer penance of three Hail Marys when addiction” (September 28), daily I prayed the full five decades. and would like to share my story as I feel it could benefit others. I was committing and confessing the same sin repeatedly until I reached a point where I felt fed up and sick of it. I then reflected on my sin and the emotions I endured. I decided I had to put an end to this.

Kudos to OPs

UDOS to the Dominican Order, whose intervention and complaint to the Public Protector resulted in the probe and the consequent damning State Of Capture Report, implicating among others President Jacob Zuma and Eskom CEO Brian Molefe in having maintained unethical relationships with the Gupta family. Your editorial on state corruption was very informative. When the Church takes a lead on social, economic and political issues in pursuance of Gospel values, it enhances its integrity, credibility and relevance to the laity. The Justice & Peace Commission played a significant role in the fight for social justice during apartheid. I believe it has a role to play today. The Catholic Parliamentary Liaison Office is doing very good work. Keep it up. Samuel Solomon, Johannesburg

Perrier praise

AYMOND Perrier’s article entitled “Wait For Christmas” (November 23) should be read aloud for all the world to hear. Since becoming Catholic my understanding of and appreciation for Christmas has changed. No longer do I follow the “commercial” calendar but rather the true Christian calendar, which means Christmas starts only at Christmas: December 25. Mr Perrier’s article cleverly draws our attention to the period(s) of festivities while highlighting the real reason we celebrate Christmas. This sort of Catholic journalism is much appreciated. Jaques Batista, Port Elizabeth

Rosary alive!

HANK you so much, John Lee, for your kind letter to the editor (November 23), recommending to its readers the use of my 88-page illustrated booklet The Living Rosary. Hopefully, this will lead to miniprayer groups of five persons in many parishes, sending up to our Father a “tsunami of prayer” so that humankind may find its way to him in our deeply troubled world.

I decided that in addition to the three Hail Marys I would give myself my own penance as well: 1. Pray my three Hail Marys after confession. 2. Reflect on Psalm 51 for a month. 3. Note the date of my confession. 4. Each day I did not commit that sin, say: “Thank you God for keepMr Lee mentions the Pauline Bookshop in Johannesburg. Readers and managers of parish repositories in the KwaZulu-Natal area can obtain the booklet also from the new, attractive Pauline bookshop in Durban. Bishop Herbert Bucher, Mariannhill

Salvation for all

WRITE in response to Fr Anthony Esposito’s letter (October 26) titled “Communion for Catholics only”, in which a fundamental truth, namely “Outside of the Catholic Church there is no salvation” (papal bull Unam Sanctam, 1301) was mentioned. This might have been the position in the year 1302. However, since then we have had the printing of the Bible and the Protestant Reformation (1517). As a result, we now have many Christian churches, not to mention other religions, such as Islam and Judaism. More recently we had the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council (1962) and the subsequent publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992). My reading and understanding of the catechism, the Bible, the views of clergy and religious, and Pope Francis’ ecumenical endeavours lead me to believe that this position is no longer relevant today. Our God of the Gospel has no favourites and he alone will judge all of us one day as described in Matthew 25:31-46. Our Catholic Church has evolved into a loving, merciful and understanding Church. Let us keep it this way. Terry Kingston, King William’s Town

Septuagint origins

ES, indeed, Alexander the Great has had a significant influence on the roots of our civilisation but did he “order the translation” of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek? Was the Septuagint not the result of King Ptolemy II Philadelphus calling together 72 elders to translate the Talmud from Hebrew into Greek for inclusion in the Great Library in Alexandria—a version confirmed by many including

ing me in your grace.” 5. On the monthly anniversary, say: “Thank you God that I did not have to confess that sin this past month.” 6. I also read and reflected on the Exodus. The Israelites had the Red Sea. Confession is our Red Sea. It is now more than a year since I last needed to confess that sin and it feels very good. Reflecting on Psalm 51 has become a habit and I thank God, because it is only through his grace that I could do this. Name withheld opinions expressed in The Southern Cross, especially in letters to the editor, do not necessarily reflect the views of the editor or staff of the newspaper, or of the Catholic hierarchy. the letters page in particular is a forum in which readers may exchange opinions on matters of debate. letters must not be understood to necessarily reflect the teachings, disciplines or policies of the Church accurately. Letters can be sent to PO Box 2372, Cape Town 8000 or editor@scross.co.za or faxed to 021 465-3850

Josephus, Augustine, Aristeas and Philo of Alexandria? So while we can concur with John Lee (November 16) regarding Alexander’s role in history, we seriously question his effect on Catholic Christianity, cobbled together and legalised by Constantine at Nicea and later made the official religion of the Roman Empire, some 600 years after Alexander. It should also be noted that the Septuagint Greek is much criticised as a poor translation of the Masoretic Aramaic and Hebrew texts. But then Catholics use the Vulgate, a Latin translation of the Septuagint by St Jerome! What we should be focusing on and don’t is the wealth of scholarship that deals with the authorship, history, cultural and political background of the Hebrew and Christian canons. Would it not help Catholicism to free itself from doctrines and practices that cannot be forced on educated Westerners today and allow the simple Christian message and the moral philosophy that follows to be the Catholic message that our educated and messed-up world is desperate to hear? The Church must free us from Middle Age mythology—we live in the 21st century and language and doctrines must reflect this. Alexander’s ambition was to Hellenise the known world. He knew that if you changed a people’s language you changed their whole view of life. Catholicism can do this for the world, but does the divisive thorny divorce, homosexual, contraception and now cremated ashes fiddling have to first be removed from the language of the Church? Michael Bouchier, Stanford, Western Cape

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PERSPECTIVES

What God wants from us G OD’S first call to us is to be human. Hence St Irenaeus could say: “The glory of God is man fully alive.” The 19th-century Danish theologian and philosopher Søren Kierkegaard said: “To need God is a human being’s highest perfection.” If man did not have absolute need of God, he could not (a) know himself, and (b) be immortal. In his book The Sickness Unto Death, he wrote: “The formula that describes the state of the self when despair is completely rooted out is this: in relating itself to itself and in willing to be itself, the self rests transparently in the power that established it.” To be fully alive is to love God with the strength of our lives, the light of our conscience, and the extension of the courtesy we allow ourselves to our neighbours. Sin—our desire for wrongful independence—makes us disobedient. At the very least, it disappropriates our passions, even good ones—especially good ones. Sin makes us serve only our egos, and not God and others. This puts us at risk of losing communion with God. When we lose communion with God we despair, a taste of which is temporal this side of heaven. Kierkegaard says when man—the synthesis of the finite and the infinite, the temporal and the eternal—becomes anxious due to the “dizziness of freedom”, looking down into his own possibility, laying hold of finiteness to try and support himself without the infinite, then this introduces despair in man. That is the “sickness unto death” of the book’s title. The Catholic Church, in contrast to other Christian religions, teaches it is God who seeks us in this despair, rather than the other way around. God calls us to holiness, communion with him. As such God came in the human form to give us life more abundantly. And as such, Yeshua the Christ is the only authentic man that ever has been. Encountering Christ is the crucial process of becoming fully human, thus the glory of God, which is the ultimate joy of Christmas. In Yeshua the Christ, God invites us to experience the communion of love that is the life of Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy

Spirit. This love is the only thing capable of saving us from the destructive force of egoism, hatred and falsehood. It points out to us the false gods that draw us into slavery: the love of self to the exclusion of God, the greed for money, power and pleasure that degrades our human dignity. It demands faith, which cannot be attended without humility. Humility is the acceptance of who we are, which gives a soul the ability to give self in trust to God with all its misery—what Kierkegaard calls being transparent to the Power that established it.

od incarnate came to rid us of the habits of slavery, to teach us not only to live right but also to avoid bad judgments. Thereby he gave us the power to worship God in a right manner also, so as not to fall for golden calves of false prophets and disgusting habits of superstition like eating snakes, drinking petrol, being sprayed with insecticide and all which demonstrates our false powers against evil. These are tendencies of prophets of Baal. In the manner by which evil doctrines in politics are now being cushioned with talk of humanism, the cleverest trick the devil has played in our times is to use the traditional Christian weapons of evangelisation, worship and prayer to mock goodness and subvert the Gospel. God allows this to expose our spiritual

“the cleverest trick the devil has played in our times is to use the traditional Christian weapons of evangelisation, worship and prayer to mock goodness and subvert the Gospel,” Mphuthumi Ntabeni writes.

Mphuthumi Ntabeni

Pushing the Boundaries

bankruptcy. It does not end with the fly-by night places of worship, or the windowdressed profiteering pastors who coast on glitzy charisma of the so-called prosperity gospel. It goes deeper, also to the traditional churches that have become formulaic, stuffy and lacking in the vitality of the living Word of God. Their failure is one reason why people opt to put their trust in these doom-spraying wolves in sheep’s clothing. People no longer feel the burn of the reviving Word like the disciples did on the road to Emmaus. The Church is alienated from them. Unlike God, they do not go out to seek them in their despair; to evangelise them about things that make for true freedom. The Christian Church is caught up in its own insecurities and scandals; leaving the flocks vulnerable to the wolves, the hyenas and the foxes who come down from the mountains to devour them. Indeed, the Catholic Church today tends to breathe too much with its Petrine lung and not enough with the evangelising Pauline one. But we must not absolve the wandering flock from blame. They too have the responsibility of seeking out their salvation. God does not liberate us into goodness without our cooperation. The faith required of us is not the suspension of reason. And God does not get blackmailed by emotions and desperation. It is not possible to sing yourself into salvation without first understanding the demands of grace. The attitude of “I bring my pain and desperation, God must take care of the rest” is not enough sometimes, even for mercy. God demands, for his glory, that a human be fully alive. This means making optimum use of our intelligence. Then the Holy Spirit, the Counsellor, will guide you in all things. The Mercy of God cannot be thwarted by anything except the sin against the Holy Spirit, that is, the refusal to act according to the light of your conscience. Come Lord Yeshua, the Christ!

Why we must build up the family Fr Anthony Ndang I Ndichia MHM N the past, families knew their neighbours and lived together, supporting and shaping one another. Today these virtues are slowly fading away. What is happening to families today? If nothing is done, what will happen to families in ten years’ time? Are we moving towards a society of single parents, single persons, single children and a single life? In South Africa and elsewhere there are increasing numbers of single parents, gay and lesbian families, child-headed families, divorced, separated families, adopted families, orphaned families, widowed families, childless families and many wounded families. One can only be grateful for Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation The Joy of Love, or Amoris Laetitia, which gives us hope for the future of the family, the cell of the Church. The family is the little Church of the home, the basic cell of society, the agent of evangelisation, open to serving God, receiving the sacraments and being the first school of love. Parents have a huge responsibility to respond to the spiritual needs of their children on their own faith journey. When Moses received God’s call, he readily accepted and journeyed with broken families and hopeful families to the Promised Land.

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Point of Family

Congregants at a family Mass in Sasolburg Today, we need ministers who will create and maintain healthy families in society. According to Fr Sakhi Mofokeng of the Department of Evangelisation in the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, if we have strong marriages, there will be strong families; if we have strong families, we will have a strong society; and if we have a strong society, we will have a strong nation.

arlier this year, Bishop Peter Holiday of Kroonstad addressed a family Mass in Sasolburg, acknowledging the increasing problems faced by families today. He urged parents to work hard and pro-

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mote unity among the people for unity starts in the family: “Families must live happily, together and persevere and build a better South Africa.” During the Mass, different categories of families were prayed over and blessed, such as married couples, divorced, single parents, child-headed families, orphans, widows and so on. This was a clear demonstration that the family of families, the Church, needs to support families through its prayers. Although we live in a throw-away culture, may families be encouraged and all married couples receive the accompaniment and support they need in their salvation story. We need a family-friendly Church, not an individually-friendly church. May God, who is the builder, protector and provider of our families, pour out his saving grace on parents to live in the love of God and bring up their children to know and love God. n Fr Anthony Ndang Ndichia is a Mill Hill Missionary working in the diocese of Kroonstad.

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advent Reflection

Advent is a time for spiritual housekeeping

HILE repentance is a constant theme of the Christian life, the Catholic Church gives the faithful two extended seasons of the liturgical year for the specific purpose of examining our lives and changing our ways. Lent may be better-known, but Advent is also a time for sacrifice and humility. The Advent period of four Sundays preceding Christmas is a time for fasting and repentance, an important part of preparation and anticipation. It makes sense from a liturgical perspective, even though the self-denial of Advent may clash with the secular season of shopping, planning and partying which now occupies November, December, and even October. The Church wisely anticipates the great feasts of Christmas and Easter with subdued seasons of penance, giving the faithful a chance to reflect on their need for the transforming grace that Christ offers. Before the celebration of Christmas, then, some spiritual housekeeping is often in order— for the Church at large and for her individual members. St John the Baptist announces this same need for purification in Matthew’s gospel, with his call to “prepare the way of the Lord” and “make straight the roads through the wilderness”. Chris Gilbert, a director of religious education in Charlottesville, Virginia, offers some advice for integrating Advent into parish life during the busy approach to the Christmas season. “Bring the Holy Family into your home during Advent,” he recommended. “Place visible reminders of their journey to Bethlehem around the house for your kids to see.” Mr Gilbert explained his family’s tradition of processing the Three Wise Men, represented by stuffed figurines, from one side of the house to the other as each day of Advent passes. “We let the kids move the Wise Men a little closer to the manger scene each day, until Epiphany—12 days after Christmas day—when they finally arrive at the baby Jesus’ cribside. It’s a tangible way to explain to them the hope we have in awaiting Christ.” “Expectation or waiting is a dimension that flows through our whole personal, family and social existence. One could say that man is alive as long as he waits, as long as hope is alive in his heart,” according to Pope Benedict XVI. “And from his expectations man recognises himself: our moral and spiritual ‘stature’ can be measured by what we wait for, by what we hope for,” he said. “Every one of us, therefore, especially in this season which prepares us for Christmas, can ask himself: What am I waiting for? What, at this moment of my life, does my heart long for? “And this same question can be posed at the level of the family, of the community, of the nation: What are we waiting for together? What unites our aspirations, what brings them together?” Pope Benedict said. He concluded by citing a “mysterious correspondence” between “the waiting of God” to fulfil his plan of salvation, and the patience of Mary, “the creature ‘full of grace’, totally transparent to the loving plan of the Most High”. And so he urged us: “Let us learn from her, the Woman of Advent, how to live our daily actions with a new spirit, with the feeling of profound expectation that only the coming of God can fulfill.” n Jennifer Uebbing writes the “Mama Needs Coffee” blog on Catholic News Agency.

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COMMUNITY

Brescia house School in Johannesburg held its First Communion Mass, well attended by friends and family.

St John Bosco parish in Robertsham, Johannesburg, celebrated the feast of Christ the King with an open-air Mass held at Booysens. Children who received their First Communion earlier in the year dressed up to take part in the entrance procession. those confirmed this year were also presented with a candle and their confirmation certificates.

our Mother of Perpetual help parish in Malabar, Port elizabeth, hosted its annual senior citizens’ day, attended by 450 people of many faiths. the event was opened in prayer by five different religious leaders, including the parish’s Fr Joslan Goji.

Bishop Frank de Gouveia closed the holy Door of Mercy at St Peter and Paul Catholic parish in George.

the Knights of Da Gama were among those at the Closing of the holy Door of Mercy Mass at the cathedral of Christ the King in Johannesburg. (Photo: alexis Callea)

CLOSING OF THE HOLY DOORS OF MERCY

St Peter Claver church in Pimville, Soweto, celebrated a Closing of the holy Door of Mercy Mass, with Fr Joseph Matsau as the main celebrant, parish priest Fr tom Segami, and five other priests. (Photo: Sello Mokoka)

lula Pam-Grant (above) and tariro Banganyani (below) of Sacred heart College in Johannesburg were selected for the Gauteng senior and junior debating provincial teams respectively.

a Renew-Why Catholic? retreat was held at Bosco Centre in Daleside, Vereeniging, organised by St John Bosco parish in Robertsham, Johannesburg, and led by Redemptorist Fr Cletus onwudiwe CSsR. Members of linmeyer and Mayfair parishes also joined the retreat.

a Closing of the holy Door of Mercy Mass was held at our lady of lebanon parish in Mulbarton, southern Johannesburg. Participating priests were (from left) Fr Charles uloko CSsr, Fr John thompson SDB, Fr Jean yammine, Fr luke okwaraudu CSsr and Fr Jorge Guerra CS.

the Grade 3 boys of St Benedict’s College in Bedfordview, Johannesburg, received their First Communion at a Mass at St therese parish in edenvale. Fr Joseph leathem was the celebrant, assisted by Fr thabo Modiba. Bishop Graham Rose of Dundee with members of the group confirmed at St Francis parish in the thusi Village suburb of ermelo.

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Fr tom Segami oMI of St Peter Claver parish in Pimville, Soweto, blessed Sacred heart members who were celebrating jubilees during Sunday Mass. 25 years: Winnie Mothlamme, Johanna Makhubela, Jane Zwane, Patricia hala, Christiana Skhosana, Monica Mlotshwa, Remigius Skhosana. Pinned completed one year: thembisile Mgebe, abel Vuso, Mongezi Dlali. Completed 47 years: anastatia lebetsa. (Photo: Sello Mokoka)

holy Cross high School in Maitland, Cape town, won big in the senior section of an art competition on mercy run by the CIe. First place went to Margo Sheppard (above), whose sketch is a rendition of the ethiopian eunuch. Second place went to Micaela arendse (left), whose lion and the lamb shows Christ’s dual nature.

DEVOTION

the Southern Cross, December 7 to December 13, 2016

Feeding the flock from the Upper Room

For more than 80 years, a Christian ministry has published devotional booklets written by and for every-day people. MaNDla ZIBI found out more about the upper Room.

T has been described as “where the world meets to pray”; a book which has raised prayer to a lifestyle. Born in 1935, during the last kicks of the American depression, the iconic daily devotional booklet The Upper Room is still thriving despite a world almost swamped by digital technology. And since 2000 it has produced an African edition, with future collaborations including one with a local Catholic organisation. From an initial print order of a 100 000 in St Antonio, Texas, the interdenominational booklet has spread to more than 100 countries across the globe—including South Africa. It is translated into 33 different languages and has a distribution of almost 3 million copies every two months. The editorial staff of the publication receives almost 4 000 devotions a year. After a rigorous process, 365 devotions are chosen, which explains why, from being received, discussed, accepted, and finally edited, a devotion can take up to two years before it is published. In fact, like the devotions themselves, the cover images of the booklet are also chosen at least two years in advance from the portfolios of Christian artists around the world, a process almost always the source of heated debate among the editorial team. The booklet is part of Upper Room Ministries, an ecumenical global entity dedicated to supporting the spiritual formation of Christians seeking to know and experience God more fully. The organisation now includes publications, programmes, prayer support, and other resources to help believers of all ages and denominations move to a deeper level of faith and service. It is published under the umbrella of Discipleship Ministries, a project of the United Methodist congregation. The Upper Room was founded more than 80 years ago by a small

group of women. “While these mothers were struggling to feed their families physically, they also recognised the important and inherent need to feed their families with ‘spiritual food’ on a regular basis,” explained Roland Rink, director of Africa Upper Room Ministries (AURM), the local arm of the organisation, which has offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban and Pretoria. “They began writing about where they saw God at work in their everyday lives—a difficult task given their circumstances” of the economic expression. The name of the booklet was a last-minute decision. “Mere hours before going to press, a name had yet to be found. Finally the first editor, Grover Eamons, almost in desperation, called the printer and named the magazine The Upper Room—the place where the disciples waited after the crucifixion of Jesus when Holy Spirit anointed them,” Mr Rink said. “After much discussion, persuasion and cajoling of the local church leadership by the women in San Antonio, 100 000 copies of the magazine were finally printed. The Upper Room magazine had been born.” Almost overnight, the magazine became a popular read, and demand soon came from around the world. That success led to a flourishing publishing business which has since produced a number of

popular Christian authors. These include some South Africans: Trevor Hudson, Peter Storey, Dion Foster and Wessel Bentley, to name a few.

frica Upper Room Ministries was established in South Africa in 2000. “It was born out of a sincere desire to feed the shepherds and thereby their flocks; to support and assist every African to spend time with God every day; and to tell the world the faith stories of Africans,” Mr Rink said. “The experience of AURM staff is that Jesus Christ changed their lives—they sincerely believe that there is absolutely no reason why Jesus Christ cannot change the life of every African, and thereby the entire continent of Africa.” Produced from Cape Town, the first South African print order of the magazine 16 years ago was 6 000 copies. Today, 20 000 copies of the African English and 12 000 copies of the African-Portuguese edition are printed and distributed in South Africa, Angola, Mozambique, Botswana, Swaziland, Zambia, Kenya, Namibia and Zimbabwe. A French edition is translated and edited in Cote d’Ivoire from where it serves the need of French speaking Christians.

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lenge, so using an informal network of retired clergy comes in handy when getting the magazine to many rural areas of South Africa. Mr Rink said AURM is always looking for agents and people “with entrepreneurial spirit to assist”. “More than 80 years later, the basic formula of The Upper Room magazine remains the same. The devotions are written by everyday people from many countries around the world, including Africa, in simple language,” said Mr Rink. “People tell their heart-felt personal faith stories about where they see God at work in their lives. Through the power of Holy Spirit, people connect and identify with the stories of their fellow humans. It truly is a living example of the story of the mustard seed,” he said. Plans for the future include, among others, the digital publication of various Upper Room magazines and books, expanding The Walk to Emmaus in more African countries. “We are excited about the release in 2017 of a new Lenten devotional book co-authored by Trevor Hudson and authors from the Jesuit Institute of South Africa,” said Mr Rink, adding that AURM will assist with the marketing and distribution of “this important resource”. n For more information, go to www.devotional.upperroom.org or contact rrink@aurm.co.za

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High on the priority list of AURM is the “ongoing, active promotion and support of local South African authors for books and devotions”, as is the use of local artists for book and magazine covers. “African Christian spirituality is a neglected area. The world wants to know more about it. At AURM we would like to provide Africans with a global platform to express themselves and their spiritual life,” Mr Rink said. In 2005, AURM began using the latest print-on-demand technology to publish and distribute Upper Room books in Southern Africa, in line with the institutional model of dealing directly with the end-user. “The result has been that African Christians have benefited enormously by not having to pay high prices for Christian books and The Upper Room magazine, all of which were previously imported and consequently subject to dramatic exchange rate fluctuations,” said Mr Rink. International, interdenominational and interracial, the Upper Room project remains completely self-funding through sales of the magazine, books and donations, which allow it to retain its own independence from its parent ministry, now based in Nashville, Tennessee. But distribution of the magazine and books is still often quite a chal-

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the Southern Cross, December 7 to December 13, 2016

FAITH

My devotion to Our Lady As the bicentenary of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate comes to an end, BIShoP BaRRy WooD oMI reflects on the Marian spirituality of his order, and the role of Our Lady in his own life.

HE founder of the Oblates, St Eugene de Mazenod, was heavily influenced by the rise in devotion to Our Lady in France in the early 19th century, in the wake of the tumultuous French Revolution. He was also very personally devoted to Mary, having been cut off from his own mother at a young age. When he founded his society of priests in 1816 they were originally called the Missionaries of Provence, after the area in south-east France from which St Eugene originated. Tensions with local priests caused him to wonder if the order should really continue so he prayed to Mary for guidance and, he said afterwards, “it was as if her statue smiled at me”. This inspired him to persevere. This sense of being under Mary’s protection was reinforced when Pope Leo XII in 1826 confirmed the new order under the title Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI). In the early 1800s in France there was a growing focus of devotion to Mary Immaculate, a title which has roots back in the earliest centuries of the Church. All Catholics today are inheritors of this tradition because of two im-

portant apparitions of Mary in France at that time. In 1830, in a small chapel in Paris, Our Lady gave the Miraculous Medal to Catherine Labouré which included the words, “conceived without sin”. And in 1858 a beautiful woman kept appearing in visions to the girl Bernadette Soubirous in a mountainous grotto in the south of France. When Bernadette asked her name, the woman replied: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” The first apparition strengthened the resolve of Pope Pius IX when he proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854; the second apparition confirmed his decision. Lourdes, the site of the 1858 apparitions, is for me “Holy Ground”. I was there only once before, 40 years ago, and I had prayed that I should be able to visit once again before I die. I am therefore so pleased to be leading a group of pilgrims next September to Lourdes and also to Paris which will include a visit to the chapel of the Miraculous Medal.

rom a young age our family’s habit of a daily rosary instilled in me a devotion to Our Lady—even my Methodist father joined in! When I was sent to the Jesuit St Aidan’s College in Grahamstown, it was the Sodality of Our Lady that I joined. This devotion, coupled with my desire to be a missionary to the poor, led to my joining the OMIs almost 60 years ago. I still try to say a daily rosary and I find that the pattern of walking, repeating the words, and fingering the beads is very calming and contemplative.

Through my priestly ministry, I have always felt that I have been accompanied by Mary, walking hand in hand with her, hearing her say to me, as she said to the wedding stewards at Cana: “Do whatever Jesus tells you!” When I was a young Oblate, I remember watching Archbishop Denis Hurley also walking around his garden saying his rosary. His devotion to Our Lady became very public when he organised the Marian Congress at Greyville Racecourse in Durban in 1952, and also when he promoted Our Lady’s shrine at Shongweni. Whenever he went to Rome, he stayed at the Oblate General House, where he would have seen the statue of Mary which “seemed to smile” at St Eugene de Mazenod. Our pilgrimage group will also see that on the Rome leg of our trip. I think that Archbishop Hurley, like me and like St Eugene de Mazenod, saw in Mary an inspiration for the mission to serve the poor.

A statue of Our Lady at the sanctuary in Lourdes, where she appeared to St Bernadette in 1858, announcing herself as “the Immaculate Conception”.

Inset below: Bishop Barry Wood OMI, author of this article

ur founder was clear that the name OMI did not mean that we were making sacrifices (“oblations”) for Mary. Rather, our sacrifices are to evangelise and serve the poor, under the protection of our Lady. The great hymn that St Luke records in Mary’s mouth, the Magnificat, remains a key text for me. The great South African theologian Fr Albert Nolan OP said that it showed Mary as a “Prophetess of Social Justice”. She talks about God’s desire to “pull down the mighty from their thrones and raise up the lowly”. Those were powerful, and poten-

tially treasonable, words in the Roman Empire 2 000 years ago, and in France 200 years ago. They are not less significant in South Africa, whether 40 years ago or today. As I prepare for the feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8—also the patronal feast of the archdiocese of Durban where so many OMIs have been trained and have served—I give thanks to Mary Immaculate for the inspiration that she has been.

And I pray that all OMIs—and all Christians—will have the courage to continue to fight for the poor under Mary’s protection. n Bishop Barry Wood OMI is the auxiliary in Durban and a former vicar-general of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate. The Denis Hurley memorial pilgrimage to Lourdes, Paris and Rome, which Bishop Wood will lead with Raymond Perrier, is scheduled for September 11-21, 2017. See www.fowlertours.co.za/hurley

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CLASSIFIEDS

Sr Margaret Mary O’Brien IBVM

ORETO Sister Margaret Mary O’Bruen died on November 14 at the age of 97, bringing to an end the life of a remarkable South African woman—even a legend, as some called her. Born in Kimberley on May 30, 1919 into a devout Catholic family of three brothers and four sisters, she went to the Holy Family convent school and then continued her education at the Afrikaans Huguenot University College. Her majors were maths and Latin. She taught in Loreto Convent school in Sea Point, Cape Town, and in 1942 she entered the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Pretoria, as the Loreto congregation is formally known. From the beginning of her convent life she was in positions of authority, either as principal or superior. She taught in Strand near Cape Town, Glen Cowie in

Limpopo and Pretoria. Her last school was Holy Trinity High School in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, during the times of greatest political unrest: 1977-89. She was an example of democracy: she made all her de-

Liturgical Calendar Year A – Weekdays Cycle Year 3 Sunday December 11, 3rd Sunday of Advent Isaiah 35:1-6, 10, Psalms 146:6-10, James 5:710, Matthew 11:2-11 Monday December 12, Our Lady of Guadalupe Numbers 24:2-7, 15-17, Psalms 25: 4-9, Matthew 21: 23-27 Tuesday December 13, St Lucy Zephaniah 3:1-2, 9-13, Psalms 34:2-3, 6-7, 1719, 23, Matthew 21:2832 Wednesday December 14, St John of the Cross Isaiah 45:6-8, 18, 21-25, Psalms 85:9-14, Luke 7:19-23 Thursday December 15 Isaiah 54:1-10, Psalms 30:2, 4-6, 11-13, Luke 7:24-30 Friday December 16 Isaiah 56:1-3, 6-8, St lucy Psalms 67:2-3, 5, 7-8, John 5:33-36 Saturday December 17 Genesis 49:2, 8-10, Psalms 72:1-4, 7-8, 17, Matthew 1:1-17 Sunday December 18, 4th Sunday of Advent Isaiah 7:10-14, Psalms 24:1-6, Romans 1:1-7, Matthew 1:18-24 Your prayer to cut and collect

cisions in collaboration with parents and staff. When necessary she dialogued with the Comrades so that Holy Trinity remained standing right through the times of turmoil. On one occasion the windows were smashed; Sr Margaret Mary calmly replaced the panes with transparent plastic and the classes continued. Hundreds of students went through her hands enriched by her example of dedication and respect for all. Due to failing health, she spent the last 11 years of her life at the Holy Cross Home at Suiderberg, Pretoria. This was the time of her deepest surrender to God, as she was no longer able to work with people and was confined to her room. She continued her mission of prayer for all in need and for South Africa. Sr Bernadette IBVM

Community Calendar

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

CAPE TOWN: Perpetual Adoration Chapel at Good Shepherd parish, Bothasig, welcomes all visitors. open 24 hours a day. the parish is at 1 Goede hoop St, Bothasig. Phone 021 558 1412. 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. DURBAN: Holy Mass and Novena to St Anthony at St anthony’s parish every tuesday at 9:00.

Holy Mass and Divine Mercy Devotion at 17:30 on first Friday of every month. Sunday Mass at 9:00. Phone 031 309 3496 or 031 209 2536. MARIANNHILL: Catholic youth pilgrimage at Kevelaer Mission in Donnybrook, Kwazulu-Natal. December 10-11 from 10:00 to Sunday. Call 031 700 2704. 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 17:30.

Southern CrossWord solutions SOLUTIONS TO 736. ACROSS: 3 Academies, 8 Ages, 9 Appellant, 10 Recipe, 11 Amice, 14 Curia, 15 Hail, 16 Logic, 18 Thai, 20 Eaten, 21 Loops, 24 Regret, 25 Leviticus, 26 Wand, 27 Atonement. DOWN: 1 Fabricate, 2 Mercurial, 4 Cope, 5 Dream, 6 Moloch, 7 Etna, 9 Appal, 11 Argus, 12 Easter Day, 13 Plenitude, 17 Ceres, 19 Ionian, 22 Priam, 23 West, 24 Ruin.

Advent Prayer For the desert places in which we walk, the streets we roam, the paths we cross: Guide our feet. Take us to places where you would go, Give us words that you would use, that in this Advent season of promise and preparation we might point the way with John the Baptist to the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! Amen.

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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 (R1,60 a word) with small advertisements for promptest publication.

IN MEMORIAM

PARIS—John albert. In loving memory of our grandfather and great-grandfather (oupa) who passed away on November 11, 1979. Many years may have passed but the wisdom you shared will remain with us forever. always in the thoughts and prayers of Gloria, Ruben and children Randall, Grant, Nadine and Robert.

sure justice for all. By sharing the good things you give us, may we secure an equality for all our brothers and sisters throughout the world. May there be an end to division, strife and war. May there be a dawning of a truly human society built on love and peace. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our lord. amen.

HOLIDAY ACCOMMODATION

PERSONAL

ABORTION WARNING: the truth will convict a silent Church. See www.valuelifeabortion isevil.co.za ABORTION WARNING: the Pill can abort. all Catholic users (married or cohabiting) must be told, to save their souls and their unborn infants. See www.epm.org/static/up loads/downloads/bcpill.pdf

PRAYERS

LORD GOD, this candle that I light here today reminds me of the light that you enkindled in me at my Baptism. Renew the flame of your love in me. let it burn away all my egotism, my jealousy, my pride and my failure to love. let me have a warm and generous heart. lord, I am not able to remain here in this church very much longer: I have to go. So, please accept this candle in my place. let it be like a part of me that I give to you. here, before the image of Blessed Mary, Mother of God, and imploring her powerful intercession, I ask you, as I offer you this humble candle, to allow my prayer to penetrate every activity and every facet of my life, so that everything will be shaped and formed by the burning flame of your love. I ask this for Jesus’ sake. amen. FATHER, you have given all peoples one common origin. It is your will that they be gathered together as one family in yourself. Fill the hearts of mankind with the fire of your love and with the desire to en-

whom all thoughts of truth and peace proceed, kindle in the hearts of all men the true love of peace, and guide with your pure and peaceable wisdom those who make decisions for the nations of the earth; that in tranquility your kingdom may go forward, till the earth be filled with the knowledge of your love; through Jesus Christ our lord. amen.

THANKS be to thee, my lord Jesus Christ, For all the benefits thou hast won for me, For all the pains and insults thou hast borne for me. o most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother, May I know thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, and follow thee more nearly, For ever and ever.

CAPE TOWN: looking for reasonably priced accommodation over the December/January holiday period, come to Kolbe house. Set in beautiful gardens in Rondebosch. Self-catering, clean and peaceful. Safe parking. Close to all shops and public transport. Contact Pat 021 685 7370 or kolbe.house@telkomsa.net GORDON’S BAY: harbour Park. Sleeps 2 adults and 2 children. Fully furnished. R2 100 per week. Phone alison on 084 577 1356 or Delton on 083 414 6534. MARIANELLA Guest house, Simon’s town: “Come experience the peace and beauty of God with us.” Fully equipped with amazing sea views. Secure parking, ideal for rest and relaxation. Special rates for pensioners and clergy. Malcolm Salida 082 784 5675, mjsalida@ gmail.com SCOTTBURGH: Self-catering garden cottage, sleeps four. Phone Margaret on 083 716 5161.

O MOST beautiful flower of Mount Carmel, fruitful vine, splendour of heaven, blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. o Star of the Sea, help me and show me herein that Traditional Latin you are my Mother, o holy Mary Mother of God, Queen Mass of heaven and earth, I Our Lady of the Blessed humbly beseech you from Sacrament Chapel the bottom of my heart to 36 Central Avenue, secure me in my necessity. Pinelands, Cape Town there are none who can Call 0712914501 for details. withstand your power, o Email:sspx.capetown@gmail.com show me that you are my mother. o Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who The have recourse to thee. thank you for your mercy Published independently by the Catholic Newspaper towards me and mine. and Publishing Co since 1920 amen. ALMIGHTY GOD, from editor: Günther Simmermacher Business Manager: Pamela Davids

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4th Sunday of Advent: December 18 Readings: Isaiah 7:10-14, Psalm 24:1-6, Romans 1:1-7, Matthew 1:18-24

OW do you feel about this Coming that is now just a week away? The readings for next Sunday may suggest that we might properly have mixed feelings; for God is utterly different from us. In the first reading, King Ahaz is resisting God’s offer of a sign, on the specious grounds that he does not wish to “ask the Lord or put the Lord to the test”, but in fact because (as Isaiah is well aware) he has in mind a particular course of action that God does not want him to pursue. He is told that he must not weary God as he wearies his fellow human beings. At this point, therefore, for all his pious refusal, he is given no choice at all about getting a sign, and it is one which he could not possibly understand: “Look! The young woman is pregnant; and she shall bear a son; and she shall call his name ‘Immanuel’.” Originally the sign appears to have referred to a princess in the royal household. But, as we shall see, we Christians read this oracle quite differently. The basic fact is, in Advent or outside it, that God is in charge; and God is utterly different, as the psalm for next Sunday makes

S outher n C ross

clear: “To the Lord belongs the earth and what fills it, the world and those who dwell in it, for he founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers.” But if God is God, then we too must be utterly different, for those who “will go up in the mountain for the Lord and stand in his Holy Temple”, have to be “those who are pure of hand and clean of heart, who do not lift up their souls to what is false”. Our Advent makes no sense unless we are, all the time, keeping our eyes open for the astonishing presence of God. Paul, in our second reading, the opening of the Letter to the Romans, is well aware that God is different. He starts by identifying himself: “Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus” (and there is no false humility here; for this is Paul’s proudest boast). He also knows that he is where he is because of a vocation: “called as an apostle, set apart for the Gospel of God, which [God] had promised in advance through his prophets in the holy writings”. And what is the nature of the promise? It is, says Paul, “about his Son, born of the seed of David in accordance with

live in vigilance, in high alert, ready, so that the end, whenever it would come, would not catch them asleep, unprepared, carousing and drunk. However, as the years moved on and Jesus did not return, their understanding began to evolve so that by the time John’s gospel is written, probably about 70 years after Jesus’ death, they had begun to understand things differently. They now understood Jesus’ promise that some of his contemporaries would not taste death until they had seen the kingdom of God as being fulfilled in the coming of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was, in fact, already back and the world had not ended. And so they began to believe that the end of the world was not necessarily imminent.

Conrad

ut that didn’t change their emphasis on vigilance, on staying awake, and on being ready for the end. But now that invitation to stay awake and live in vigilance was related more to not knowing the hour of one’s own death. Also, more deeply, the invitation to live in vigilance began to be understood as code for God’s invitation to enter into the fullness of life right now and not be lulled asleep by the pressures of ordinary life, wherein we are consumed with eating and drinking, buying and selling, marrying and giving in marriage. All of these ordinary things, while good in themselves, can lull us to sleep by keeping us from being truly attentive and grate-

“I think we forgot to tell the acolyte to light only the advent candle, not the entire wreath.”

Sunday Reflections

the flesh, the one who is appointed Son of God in power, in accordance with the Holy Spirit from the Resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord”. Do you see how all this is about what God has done in Christ? That is the key to the Letter to the Romans: “We have received the free gift, and a mission for the obedience of faith among all the nations, for the sake of his name.” Only then are his correspondents in Rome brought into the picture: “called by Jesus Christ… beloved of God, called to be saints”. Then once again he reminds them about God: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” There is no mistaking the priority of God here, and that will do for us as we await the Coming. Only once we get to the Gospel can we mention the word Christmas, and begin to look beyond Advent. For now Matthew tells us of the birth of Jesus. It is a slightly shocking story; for it starts with Jesus’ mother being engaged (not married) to Joseph; and she is pregnant, though Matthew calms our shock by indicating that the child is “from the Holy Spirit”.

Does the world have an end? EOPLE are forever predicting the end of the world. In Christian circles this is generally connected with speculation around the promise Jesus made at his ascension, namely, that he would be coming back—and soon—to bring history to its culmination and establish God’s eternal kingdom. There have been speculations about the end of the world ever since. This was rampant among the first generation of Christians. They lived inside a matrix of intense expectation, fully expecting that Jesus would return before many of them died. Indeed, in John’s gospel, Jesus assures his followers that some of them would not taste death until they had seen the kingdom of God. Initially this was interpreted to mean that some of them would not die before Jesus returned and the world ended. And so they lived with this expectation, believing that the world, at least as they knew it, would end before their deaths. Not surprisingly this led to apocalyptic musings: What signs would signal the end? Would there be massive alterations in the sun and the moon? Would there be great earthquakes and wars across the world that would help precipitate the end? Generally, though, the early Christians took Jesus’ advice and believed that it was useless and counterproductive to speculate about the end of the world and about what signs would accompany the end. The lesson rather, they believed, was to

Nicholas King SJ

Follow Joseph’s lead

Next he makes us anxious again, as we watch Joseph trying to work out what to do, and veering towards a quiet separation or divorce. Into that dilemma, God strides, in the shape of “the angel of the Lord”, who tells him: “Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” Then Matthew indicates that God is at work here by quoting from our first reading: “Look! The virgin shall conceive and shall bear a son; and they will call his name Emmanuel.” Then Matthew helpfully gives us a translation of this name, “God with us”. That is an idea to which we shall return in the very last words of this Gospel, when Jesus tells his eleven disciples: “Look—I am with you until the end of the age.” Then we shall know who Jesus is, and what God is doing. But what are we to do in this last week of Advent? Precisely what Joseph does: silently, and without arguing, obey whatever it is that God has asked us to do.

Southern Crossword #736

Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI

Final Reflection

ful within our own lives. And that’s the challenge that comes down to us: Our real worry should not be that the world might suddenly end or that we might unexpectedly die, but that we might live and then die—asleep, that is, without really loving, without properly expressing our love, and without tasting deeply the real joy of living because we are so consumed by the business and busy pressures of living that we never quite get around to fully living. Hence being alert, awake and vigilant in the biblical sense is not a matter of living in fear of the world ending or of our lives ending. Rather it is a question of having love and reconciliation as our chief concerns, of thanking, appreciating, affirming, forgiving, apologising and being more mindful of the joys of living in human community and within the sure embrace of God. Buddha warned against something he called “slouching”. We slouch physically when we let our posture break down and become slothful. Any combination of tiredness, laziness, depression, anxiety, tension, over-extension or excessive pressure can bring down our guard and make our bodies slouch. But that can also happen to us psychologically and morally. We can let a combination of busyness, pressure, anxiety, laziness, depression, tension and weariness break down our spiritual posture so that, in biblical terms, we “fall asleep”, we cease being vigilant, we are no longer alert. We need to be awake spiritually, not slouching. But the end of the world shouldn’t concern us, nor should we worry excessively about when we will die. What we should worry about is in what state our dying will find us. As Kathleen Dowling Singh puts in her book The Grace in Aging: “What a waste it would be to enter the time of dying with the same old petty and weary thoughts and reactions running through our mind.” But, still, what about the question of when the world will end? Perhaps, given the infinity of God, it will never end. Because when do infinite creativity and love reach their limit? When do they say: “Enough! That’s all! These are the limits of our creativity and love”?

ACROSS

3. Came aside to places of learning (9) 8. Long periods of history (4) 9. An appealing person (9) 10. Pierce your way in meal direction (6) 11. I came around to find priest wearing it (5) 14. Papal court (5) 15. Angelic greeting in bad weather (4) 16. Rational principles (5) 18. Neckwear said to be in Bangkok (4) 20. Consumed with hunger (5) 21.Turn spool at the circles (5) 24. Right bird you will rue (6) 25. Bible Book Three (9) 26. Wave it at dawn? (4) 27. The day of Yom Kippur (9)

Solutions on page 11

DOWN

1. Fat brace I make up a story about (9) 2. Like quicksilver (9) 4. Can the priest manage this vestment? (4) 5. Angel could appear in it (5) 6. God of the Ammonites (2 Kg 23) (6) 7. High spot in Sicily will up the ante (4) 9. Dismay about papal letters (5) 11. Fabulous creature with 100 eyes (5) 12. Year sated with major feast (6,3) 13. Dilute pen due to fullness (9) 17. Fruity Roman god in W Cape town (5) 19. Mention Ian inside. He’s an old Greek islander (6) 22. King of Troy (5) 23. Occident (4) 24. It’s all that remains (4)

CHURCH CHUCKLE

ARACK Obama, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are standing at the throne of heaven. God says: “Before granting you a place at my side, I must ask you what you believe in.” Obama says: “I believe in hard work, and in staying true to family and friends. I was lucky, but I always tried to do right by my countrymen.” God sees his goodness, and offers him a seat to his left. Clinton has her turn and says: “I believe passion, discipline, courage, honour and service are the fundamentals of life.” God nods and offers her a seat to his right. Finally, God turns to Trump and asks: “And you, Donald, what do you believe?” Trump replies: “I believe you are in my seat.”

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