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. THE ANCHOR:-Diocese of Fall River-Thurs., Oct. 24, f963
Prophets
•
In
Vatican Council
the World
In discussing the role of the Catholic lay person, Auxiliary Bishop Hannan of Washington reiterated what Church leaders - lay and clerical- have been asking for years: "The laity should be urged to join organizations which can influence daily life - associations of parents in:. terested in educational activities, and organizations with professional, charitable and civic aims, not excluding particpation in politics. Men cannot be led to Christ unless associations of this kind are marked with the spirit of Christ." By the fact of Baptism, people are marked with the prophetic character. This means that they are, like Christ, prophets in the world, and the meaning of that expression "prophet" is that they be witnesses to the truth. Christ came to present the truth of His Father, and His life was to make God better known and loved. Those whom He associates to Himself are called upon to do no less - to be prophets, to be -witnesses, to live as "other Christs" in whatever environment they are - in their fami lies, in their homes; in their factories and shops, in their neighborhoods. The Christian mission is not so weak that it must be lived in a ghetto or in a religious -hothouse where the dis turbing and challenging winds of secularism and indiffer ence to God cannot get at it. Men are weak but Christ is not and those who bear His name and are commissioned to carryon His work must take their strength from Him and Christianize these organizations, these associations, these political opportu C"(h.nOlA.Clh thL th£ nities. If there is failure, the failure exists not in the strength of Christ but in the persons who are by name Christian [ By REV. ROBERT W. HOVDA, Catholic University but in action anything but. . -And the Christian, according to the very words. of ~roDAY st. Raphael, Arch nal rule. "1t was God's good Christ, is one who is in the world but not overcome by aU!l'el. Those familiar "prefaces" pleasure to let all completeness the world. Christ prayed not that the Father take His which introduce the great prayer dwell in him." Or, as the Preface followers from the world but that He keep them from evil of the Mass sing our praise and states it: " * * * that, all creation With confidence in this promise, those who call them jo~, in the fact that in our sacra being subdued to his rule, he selves after Christ - Christians - must be active in the mental worship time is caught might hand over a universal end kingdom * •• world in order to restore it in Christ and through Christ up intO eternity. We transcend everlasting His rule (i.e.,. He Himself) Ja ourselves because Christ joins us and to Christ. 10 His eternal worship of the the ultimate form of creation
<W£d~
Not Backward Pope Paul has presented as' a guiding principle' a message that is the very epitome of good Christianity aDd good psychology. In speaking to the nop-Catholic observers at the Council he ·said that the best method. to obtain unity is "not to look backward to the past, but forward toward the present day and above all to the future." For too many centuries apologists on all sides nave sifted through the tragic events leading to the renting as under of the Christian community and have tried to assess blame with varying degrees of mathematical precision. Pope Paul, following the example of Pope John, b.as reminded men that this is a waste of time and serves only to keep alive the smoldering embers of old resentments and deep-rooted hostilities. The past must be left behind with only the expression of sorrow for whatever part Catholics had in the sad breaks. Non-Catholic Christians must have that same at titude. It is the present and the future that must be surveyed with mutual love and sincerity and with great reliance On the Providence of God and the Will of Christ "that aD may be one." The past can serve to point up the pitfalls that widened the chasm in centuries gone. But the emphasis must be on the present - that the Church of Christ may be seen and the voice of Christ heard now in the Catholic Church and in the Pope. And the future must contain the goal toward which all eyes look - the bringing together, under God, of men into the one Christian family.
@rheANCHOR
OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER OF THE DIOCESE OF FALL RIVER Published weekly by The Catholic Press of the Diocese of Fall River
410 Highland Avenue
fall River, Mass. OSborne 5-7151
PUBLISHER
Most Rev. James L. Connolly, D.O., PhD~
GENERAl MANAGER ASST. GENERAL MANAGER Rev. Daniel F. Shalloo, M.A. Rev. John P. DriscoH MANAGING EDITOR Hugh J•. Golden
CWith
ChWlCh
Continued from Page One of Faith, a gift which opens up to the faithful living under tbe guidance of the hierarchy all· even keener insight into bfI Faith and its application to the concrete problems of life. There are also duties from tbJIF special place in the Mysticatl Body. He is obliged to contribUte to the-sanctification and' growth of the Church. He is CQ-respon sible in the preaching of the Christian Message to the world. For this, he cannot devote himself only to his own profes sion. He has religious duties • well: 1) to give the example of • life f()unded on Christian values and ethics; 2) to beware of ~ tremes; a) the danger of im properly confusing religious anti profane interests; b) the danger 6f completely secularizing 'lU8 earthly profession. As it now stands, not all bish ops desire or seek the aid of the laity (Card. Gracias). It has happened that the laity intelloo fered with legitimate authoritJ:, However, the layman has the right to expect all due care and assistance of the clergy. He must, therefore, make his needs known f ran k 1 y and courageously through the regular Church channels. .The layman also has the dutv of respectful obedience to autho rity and to refrain from unjust criticism. Pray he 'must for biI religious superiors. The actual manner and degree of cooperation with the defined work of the hierarchy is a matter now under discussion.
Nuncios-Deacons / The practice of sending papal representatives to countries ancl governments was criticised. The presence of such "foreigners" can give the impression that the Church is simply another gOVl ernment or hUJIl8n society, _ that the particular Bishops can not be trusted. Suggestions Welle made that the episcopal C<Do ferences name such a represe~ ative from their own numb~ or that a qualified laymen be
so picked, or that the task be
given to a College of Bishops be
fore the Holy See.
The advisability of perman
ent deacons was again discussed.
Cardinal Ottaviani suggeste4 that acolytes be picked insteacl (no problem of marriage thereat but that would just create mOM problems retorted· another e:lDoo pert since their position is n. clear in the Sacred Scripture..
and partieularly of man. 'Before His coming in history, every thing prepared for Him. Since His coming in history, every thing is meant to grow in Him and toward Him. Since we end this week with emphasis on the community, family, fraternal, nature of the Church, it ill help ful to' begin it with this profes sion of faith in the source of our 'OOMORROW - Mass as on commune and out fraternity. Sunday. If time, in the Christian MONDAY - SSe Simon and vic~w, is purposeful, is moving toward a completion (and not Jude, Apost.les. T-he Apostles, as merely a matter. of "round and the first, prime bishops of the ro',md she goes"); then' Sunday Church, remind us, too, how Masses is also much more than deeply social and cosmic 881ve a kind of spiritual rhythm or uon ls. For we belong to a eom periodic return 10· the same munity of bread and book and SO'Jrce. We should find in it an bishop. Church-State The hold bread of the Eucba evolution, a progressive deep A reference to the "sometim. ening and "firming-up" of our rist and the holy book of revela unfortunate" s epa rat ion of tion require a minister and a Church and State came und_ re:lation to Christ and 10 one an preacher. And the men and fire by a Polish Bishop. "The i~ other as the Church. women who taste the bread and MASS OF ST. MARY ON !bear the book are persons whose terests of the Church are oftea SATURDAY. Our Lady.helps all unity in bread and book requires best served by the actual separa of \IS give time its place and an organization with a person tion of Church and State," lie stated. ml~aning by subjecting it to· at its head, the bishop, the suc Archbishop Hurley of SiD. eternity, by refusing 10 isolate cessor of the apostles we cele Africa urged that we not speak it from the infinite wisdom and brate today. so much of Church-State bl1& pllirpose of God. Even though the TUESDAY - Mass as on 21st rather of Church-Human S0 Infinite entered human history to save us through her body, Sunday afteT Pentecost. "All ciety. "The term 'state' indicated nevertheless the honor we give things, Lord, are subject to your a political unit. 'Human society' he-r is not limited to the physical power * * *" begins the refrain takes in all men wherever they and timely facts of conception of the Entrance Psalm. And the may be and whatever be their and of birth. "Shall we not say, Scripture lessons have basically form of government." Man's r& blessed are those who hear the but two things to declare. The ligion must prevade in all he word of GQd, and keep it?" First tells the Church that since does - even purely civil acti . "all completeness" is in Christ vities. (Gospel). and all the world belongs to , English Texts SUNDAY - Feast of Our Lord Him, we have not to look for the Since the'ICouncil has alrea~ Jesus Christ, King. "My king de ._- does not take its origin enemy of our salvation in the in principle, approved the use world. It does not exist there. It of modern languages in liturgical here" (Gospel). Today's feast, though we find it hard to fit is "in an order higher than ours." rites, plans are being drawn for WEDNESDAY - M~ u ~ a common English text for the it into the traditional pattern Yesterday. And the Second Les Mass and for the Sacraments. of the Church's feasts and sea son, the Gospel, links our whole Ten bishops are meeting re~ sons turns our minds to an as pect of our Lord that we are just hope of God's mercy' and His larly _to plan a uniform Englisll bEginning to comprehend: the grace with that fraternal, social, text. Of the ten; two are Ameri cans: Archbishop Paul J. Hld fact that in Jesus Christ we have cosmic dimension we have dis not only the key 10 our ~alvation cussed. "It is thus that Jl).Y linan of Atlanta, Ga., and AuxiJi,. but also the key to the whole heavenly Father will deal with Turn to Page Seven evolution of man and the world you, if brother does not forgive brother with all his heart" (Goa ship, it is evident. But we grasp hE: lives in toward a consumma pel). the message very slowly: thaIl tion. Every time we gather around salvation is a kingdom, a social His "kingship" is over "all things" (First Reading) and ia the altar, it is evident. Every order, a fraternal order, indivi time we read the Bible or hear sible from our relations with 8 much more mysterious and in it proclaimed in commOll. WOI'- a~other. tiJnate thing than a mere extu Father and a spirit wOl'ld above our own is present, too. . 'roday's Mass tells us God has mElSsengers who are no mangers 10 the human scene. Not only is tht~e no iron curtain between thi:s world and heaven, but a mlTsterious commerce assures us of an ultimately clear relation between the two.
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