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PAGE; -iiTj.il. iijM r e.Oj ua,. JOSEPH BREIG OUR PART HI Hin Pope John in due time will announce the details of the world council of the Church which he has called for the ed ification of all Christians and the reunion of s eparated Christ ians. Mean w h ij 1 e, comment must remain in large part ten tative. This much, h o w e v er, is unquestionable — sincere and humble prayer for a great out pouring of God’s grace upon the troubled human race is the chief contribution which each of us can make. The obstacles in the way of full and perfect Christian unity are great. Not to face that fact would be unrealistic. But there is a balancing fact. It remains true, as always, that whatever we ask of the Father truly in Christ’s name — that is, in ac cord with Christ’s will — will be granted in God’s time. OUR PRAYER however, must be honest. It must be without reservations or hypocrisies. We must be prepared to face up to divine truth. We must seek not our own wills and self-servings, but the will of Christ which is the will of God. The most poignant of the prayers of Christ was His pray er the night before His death, when He appealed to the heav enly Father that He and His followers might be one. I have taken the following passage from Msgr. Knox’s translation in the 17th chapter of St. John’s Gospel: “Keep them holy, then, through the truth; it is thy word : that is true. Thou hast sent me into the world on thy errand, and I have sent them into the world on my errand; and I ded icate myself for their sakes, that they too may be dedicated through the truth. “It is not only for them that I pray; I pray for those who are to find faith in me through their word; that they all may be one; that they too may be one in us, as thou Father, art in me. and I in thee; so that the world may come to believe that it is thou who has sent me.” We who are to be one in Christ must be one through the holiness that comes of truth— the truth that is the word of God. “Keep them holy through the truth,” Jesus prayed. Our prayer for unity must be a prayer of holiness and truth. We are not honest with Christ, and our prayer is not honest, if we water down some aspect of the word of God to excuse our selves for not living up to it. What we ought to do, in this period preceding Pope John’s world council, is ruthlessly to uproot from our hearts every attachment to falsehood or wrong which prevents our pray er from being what it ought to be. THE PRAYERS THAT will flood the earth with God’s bless ings and prepare mankind for a real movement toward unity in Christ are the prayers that pro ceed from clean and pure cou rage. If we want unity, we must pray with Christ: “Keep us holy then, through the truth.” It is true, for example, that the Mass is the perfect prayer, worthy of God because it is God the Son, made man for us, sacri ficing Himself for our Theology For The Layman F. J. SHEED The question bow God created falls naturally into two ques tions — what the creative act meant in terms of God whose act it was, and in terms of the universe which resulted from God’s act. As to the first question: God willed that things which were not should come to be, simply willed it. He is om nipotent, limitless in power, and therefore requires neither ma terial to work upon nor any process of manufacture. His will The reader might _ l& ___ _ sake is enough. again and again, bloodlessly but profitably linger^on^two^^ex^s truly. If we neglect the Mass, Scripture, how honest are our prayers for unity? It is true that in the sacra- One is from the Psalms “He spoke and they were made; He commanded and they were created” (148.5). The , . . , • , other is from Romans: “He can l he altar, Christ washes ^ ^ ^ tQ that which has no being as if it already was” By Brian Cronin 1. Who wears the signet ring called the Fisherman’s Ring? (a) Cardinals? (b) Bishops? (c) Popes? (d) Apostolic Nuncios? 2. Three of the Evangelists wrote the Gospel in Greek. The fourth, who wrote in Aramaic, was: (a) Matthew? (b) Mark? (c) Luke? (d) John? 3. Boy’s Town, Nebraska was founded in 1917 by: (a) Father Duffy? (b) Bishop Sheen? (c) Father Flanagan? (d) Father Peyton? 4. Paraclete, meaning “advocate” in Greek, is another word for: (a) The Holy Ghost? (b) Confessor? (c) The Pope? (d) Preacher? 5. The Deluge rained for 40 days and 40 nights according to the Old Testament. How long did its water cover the earth? (a) 40 days? (b) 40 weeks? (c) 150 days? 6. A Vicar General is: (a) An army chaplain? (b) One who rules with a bishop? (c) A papal delegate? (d) An abbot? 7. How often are bishops obliged i to visit Rome and report to the Pope? (a) Every Holy Year? (b) Each year? (c) Every five years? (d) Every 10 years? 8. The patron saint of fishermen is: (a) Peter? (b) John? (c) Andrew? (d) Christopher?. Give yourself 10 marks for each correct answer below. Rating: 80-Excellent; 70-Very Good; 60-Good; 50-Fair. ANSWERS: 1 (c); 2 (a); 3 (c); 4 (a); 5 (c); G (b); 7 (c); 8 (c) The Right Of The Clergy in Court THE BACKDROP with all his heart to give Him self to nourish our souls, to make us holy in truth, to en lighten and strengthen us in God’s word. If we stay away from Communion, is our prayer what it ought to be? (iv.17). By revelation we can go fur ther. Creation was the work of the Blessed Trinity, the three Persons acting as one creator. IT IS TRUE that as Christians J ust as Father and Son produce ( our business is to be saints and to help to sanctify society. If we married as Christians but live our home life as if we were pa gans, is not our prayer for Chris tian unity hypocritical? If our very families are disunited, how can we unite the family of hu manity? It is true that giving alms is, a most beautiful form of prayer, the Holy Spirit, so Father, Son and Holy Spirit create the uni- By Rev. John A. O'Brien, Ph. D. verse. Here we should reread (University of Notre Dame) what was said of Appropriation What is one of the greatest (in Section 17). The Creeds things you can do in this life? speak of God the Father as Cre- win a soul for Christ. Share the ator of heaven and earth. But precious treasure of the Holy Scripture is insistent that all Catholic Faith with at least one things were created by the Son person. Then you will not have (John 1.3, Hebrews 1.2). R V ed in vain SHARING OUR TREASURE A Mother's Kindness Wins Two Converts By REV. JOHN A. O'BRIEN, Ph. D. (University of Notre Dame) We have seen how the two When you bringing the blessings of God in truths combine. That something stand before abundance. If we give like mis- should come into existence of God’s judg- ers to our parishes, to the mis- nothing is a work of pure origi- ment seat, you sions, and to the poor, do not nation: as such creation is “ap- we add ourselves to the obsta- propriated” to the Father, who cles in the way- of Christian uni- within the Blessed Trinity is ty? Origin. But the something that It is true that the truly Chris- results is not just anything, it tian heart abides in love of God is an ordered something, order - and fellowmen. If with our ed in itself and in its possibili- tongues and our behavior we re- ties of development: as such it will find this a c h ievement bringing you a reward be yond all rec koning. How you can do this is illustrated by the experience of Mrs. peatedly wound those around is a work of Wisdom and is “ap- Savannah D. Curelon, 724 Blake us or give bad example, what propriated” to the Son, who is Street, Indianapolis, right have we, as apostles of the uttered Wisdom of the Fa- “When I was going to high ther. When the order was sc hool,” began Mrs. Cureton, ‘ I wrecked, it was the Son who to wor k to buy school books became man to restore it. But and c i 0 thes. I was fortunate to this is anticipating. be recommended for ‘baby The second of our two ques- sitting’ to Mrs. George A. Smith, tions was what the creative act a (j ev0 ut Catholic, who took a meant in terms of the universe: p ers0 nal interest in me. Per- divisions among men, to expect that our prayers for unity will be heard? No; we must pray honestly with Christ Who said: “Keep them holy, then, through the truth ... I dedicate myself for start immediately. “When I discovered the divine origin of the Church, her author ity to teach in the name of her Founder, Jesus Christ, her marvelous unity and Christ’s promise to be with her always, I knew that my search was ended. Anthony too, became a Catholic, and with the en couragement of our pastor, Fa ther William P. Ryan, O. M. I., is now studying for the priest hood at Our Lady of Hope Mis sion Seminary, Newburgh, New York.” i Thus Mrs. Smith has two con verts to her credit and with God’s grace she may also have a priest. Her kindness, good example and solicitude for the religious welfare of a young woman and her son have yielded fruit a hundredfold. The right of a person to re fuse to give information to a court of law has recently been the subject of no little comment in the daily press. In one case, two justices of the Court of Appeals of the United States •—one a Cath olic — deplor ed the lack of a rule in the federal courts j| that informa tion confided to a clergy man in the form of a con fidential confession is inadmis sible in evidence. The appellate court reversed a conviction in a lower court on the ground that the lower court erred in admitting testi mony by a Protestant clergy man based upon a penitent’s confidential disclosure. The right of a clergyman to refuse to reveal information re ceived from a penitent has been recognized by statute in most states since the trial in New York in 1828 of a Jesuit priest who had refused to reveal in court information he had re ceived under the seal of the confessional. Catholic priests, as we all know, are bound in conscience to keep absolutely secret what ever they hear in confession. The code of canon law provides that a priest who breaks the seal of confession remains under excommunication reserved “in most special manner to the Holy See.” By JOHN C. O’BRIEN Most Protestants, of course, do not believe in sacramental confession, and few Protestant clergymen are under any disci pline requiring them not to re veal in court what they have been told in confidence by pa rishioners. But in recent, years the prac tice of consulting a clergyman for the purpose of unburdening sins and seeking spiritual guid ance has been growing among some Protestant denominations. Many Protestant clergymen are encouraging such “consulta tions” with parishioners and some of them recognize the ne cessity of observing the same secrecy that prevails in the Catholic confessional. There is, however, no general acknowledgement among Pro testant clergymen of the obliga tion to refuse to divulge infor mation received in confidence. In view of that, the two Court of Appeals Justices already mentioned would not leave the matter to the discretion of the clergymen. They believe the Federal courts should uniformly refuse to admit such informa tion as evidence from any cler gyman, regardless of denomina tion. A DIFFERENT QUESTION Quite a different question, however, has been raised by a New York newspaper column ist who refused recently to re veal to a court in New York the source of information she had printed about a motion picture actress. The actress considered the information harmful to her career and she was suing for damages. The court refused to sustain the contention of the columnist that she was not bound to give testimony because the informa tion sought had been given to her in confidence and that to compel her to testify would be an infringement of freedom of the press. The court held the columnist in contempt of court and sentenced her to a brief term in jail. Some journalists have at tempted to portray the column ist as a shining martyr in the cause of freedom of the press. Nothing could be more farcial. In the first place, no informa tion is given in confidence when it is understood by both the in former and the recipient of the information that it is to appear in the public press. The so- called “confidential” cloak is merely a dodge to permit an in former to give publicity to in formation without accepting re sponsibility for its truth or ac curacy. And when the information may affect the standing of an actress, as was the case in the proceeding against the column ist, (she quoted her informant as stating that the career of Judy Garland was suffering be cause she was too fat), the court was justified in scoffing at the claim that freedom of the press was jeopardized by its insistence upon identification of the in formant or that the confidential relationship between a column ist and an informant was In anyway similar to that between a clergyman and a penitent. THE STORY LADY Maureen Wenk Hanigan Worrywartism View From The Rectory Rev. Robert H. Wharton the course of an hour he would was standing the heat. How A dine old grandfather clock, tick 7,200 times, while in the was I to know he had been dead with whom I am acquainted, course of a day he would tick for two months? If I had an- likes to tell this one on himself. 172,800 times. Then he projected ticipated this incident, I would Shortly after he was finished, his thinking further into the fu- have hid under my bed all day, he was in a rather philosophi- ture, and knew that in a year he and never set foot outside the cal mood He got to thinking would tick 63,072,000 times, rectory. But here I am, still ask- how many times he would tick When he got to that high figure, ing ladies how their husbands if he lived ten years. Realizing he collapsed from nervous ex- he would tick twice every sec- haustion. ond, the clock knew he would That’s the way it is with wor- tick 120 times every minute. In r y- After all that, the clock lived 1 out the ten years and is well on his way toward becoming a their sakes, that they too may had we been looking at the time, reiving that I had to struggle are standing the heat! Our Savior knew that many terrible things can happen to us, and He knew that we know it too. That’s why, in His Sermon on the Mount, He tried to con- great-grandfather clock. If you vince us that we should put our roll up into one worry all the trust in Him. “Look at the birds things you have to go through of the air,” He said. God takes in a few years, it’s enough to care of them, and we are of be dedicated through the truth.” (Continued on Page 5) Jottings... (By BARBARA C. JENCKS) (By David Q. Liptak) Q. Really how serious is the rule about not eating between meals in Lent? It couldn't be a mortal sin just to eat a little bit, could it? How about a piece of candy, for example, or a few cookies? 1 A. The Lenten Fast is not a matter of choice, but for our own spiritual welfare binds un der sin. Hence any deliberate violation of the Fast, such as eating between meals, would constitute a sin. Thus any person bound by the Lenten Fast (i.e., every Catholic over 21 and under 59 who is neither excused or dispensed) would surely be guilty of sin if he were to eat any food out side of the three meals permit ted (one full meal, at which meat may be taken, plus two light meatless meals sufficient to maintain strength). By food is meant not only solids eaten for nourishment or dessert, but also those liquids which are general ly considered more as nutrients than beverages; i.e., eggnogs, malted milk shakes and the like. Examples of liquids which do not break the Fast are: coffee, tea, cocoa, soft drinks, so-called chocolate milk, fruit juices and milk (which is commonly served in this country as a beverage). WHEREAS IT IS ALWAYS WRONG for one deliberately to violate the Fast by eating be tween .meals, every violation is not a mortal sin. A slight viola tion (to eat a few cookies or a piece of candy, for instance) would not exceed venial matter in itself. BUT A SUBSTANTIAL VIO LATION of the Fast in the same manner would certainly consti tute grave matter. It would be difficult to see, for example, how one bound by the Fast (Continued on Page 5) • IT WOULD BE too bad if good reading had to be taken as a form of mortification. But sometimes people who do not read a book all the rest of;a year will dutifully select one and manfully plough through it during Lent. As for me, the amount of good reading all around me is a point of frustra tion. There is so much yet to read and it seems there is so little time left in which to de vour the long list. However, I never selected a book for read ing from any Lenten list com piled in a newspaper of maga zine. Someone had to sell me on a book. A teacher or friends had to make it appealing and it had to answer a need. A good review once and a while also sells me on a book. If I were asked to prepare a Lenten reading list. I would not know where to stop. My gallery of writers would make a literary Hungarian goolash with their variety and backgrounds. Only a few would be considered spiritual writers in the strict sense but all have won me by their inspritional value. The fact that an English Anglican and a French existen- sialist would be included would not make it quite “kosher.” But all would be topped by St. Paul and his epistles or St. Francis deSales and his “Introduction to the Devout Lift.” For un diluted spirituality, I would re commend the reading of both in large doses during Lent. * * * • A TITLE or author is not enough to convince me a book is worth reading. Advertise ments rarely sell me. I want to see a miniature outline or hear a quotation from it and only then do I begin to warm. My Lenten book list necessarily does not contain all my favorite authors. This in a way is a good test of literature worthy of the eye-strain. While sifting and v sorting my odd gallery of writers, I left out this one and that one because I thought that he inspired me to want to write only but he does not make me or take me any closer to God. My criteria of a good book is that either it takes me to the typewriter or it brings me to my knees. Sadly enough many of the writers I have on my hit parade do not do the later. Even though there are names here which are not “kosher,” they hold an element of spiritual depth and inspiration. May I introduce: Anglican T. S. Eliot’s “Murder in the Cathedral”; French existensialist Albert Camus’ “The Fall”; Charles Peguy’s “God Speaks.” Cardinal Newman’s “Dream of Geronti- ous” and “Second Spring,” Myles Connolly’s “Mr. Blue,” Bede Jarrett’s “No Abiding' City,” C a r y 11 Houselander’s “Way of the Cross” and Gerard Manley H o p k i n s’ “Collected Poems.” Only a few of these books will you find on any other Lenten book list. “Murder in the Cathedral” and “Second Spring” are both plays. “Dream of Gerontious” and “Murder in the Cathedral” are both avail able on record which would be a novel manner of Lenten meditation. * * * • IF YOU care for a brief samDling from some of these writings as a follow up, listen: Peguy’s “God Speaks”: I don’t like the man who doesn’t sleep, says God. Sleep is the friend of man. Sleep is the friend of God. T. S. Eliot: “Ash'Wednesday”: (Continued on Page 5) to make ends meet, Mrs. Smith would buy clothes for me and not allow me to repay her. “I began to help her with other jobs about the house and thus got an insight into the beauty of a genuinely Catholic home. The atmosphere was one of reverence, kindnesss, peace and love. God seemed to dwell in that home. I doubt that I could have finished high school if it were not for the kindness of Mrs. Smith who enjoyed doing things for others. “A few years after graduation I married, but still' kept in touch with her. On February 10. 1944, my son Anthony was born, and wilh him came new responsibili ties. Six years later Anthony was ready for school, and Mrs. Smith stressed the importance of having him get a religious education so God would be a vital influence in his life from his early years. Her own son George graduated from Notre Dame. “At her suggestion I called on Father Robert Hartman, O. M. I., then pastor of St. Bridget’s Church and with his help got Anthony enrolled at the Sisters’ school. He liked it from the start. Although I had been baptized a Baptist and had attended various churche.s somehow I did not feel that I belonged anywhere. “Then I thought of Mrs. Smith, of her piety and faith and how in times of trial she would remain calm and serene. I thought too, of the many times she would tell me to trust im plicitly in God because with our finite minds we could not always know what is best for us. I then realized that if the Catholic Church taught one to live as Mrs. Smith was living, surely it was what I had been seeking. “I phoned St. Bridget’s rec tory and Father Hartman an swered. ‘Father,’ I said, ‘I would like to take instructions. When would it be convenient for you to see me?’ ‘It’s not when it’s convenient for me/ he replied, ‘but when it is for you.! I never forgot that considerate answer, and it gave me the incentive to THE LOST BIRTHDAY PARTY Billy was a very nice little boy, and everyone liked him. Most all the time Billy was good. He would always come leave, without even having a chance to talk with Billy’s mother at all. When Billy’s birthday came case j n tbe divorce courts wear anyone down. If a mother of 12 children stopped to figure up all the dishes she would have to wash in a year, there would be an- he was all excited! “Mother,” he called “Today first time his mother called him, j s my birthday! Am I going to and he almost never spilled his have a birthday party, and a milk at the table. There was just cake and lots of presents?” one thing that Billy could not “n 0 dear, you are not,” said seem to remember. He could not bis mother. “We wanted you to remember that he should not have a lovely party, and that is interrupt! When he heard his w b y Aunt Mary came to see mother on the phone, Billy m6j so that we could plan it would run to her and ask her together. But you kept inter- all kinds of questions that could opting us all day, so we didn’t really wait. He would ask if he. have any time to arrange h could eat some cookies or if he par ty for you this year. Come might let his pet bird out of here, and I will whisper a secret the cage, or sometimes if he j n your ear> and if you learn it, could use the ink. Over and over an d remember it, you will be Schoolboys have a little custom of figuring out, along about May 1, exactly how many days, hours and minutes they have left until vacation begins. That’s really foolish, though: they are really intensifying their suffer ings. NEEDLESS WORRY It’s fortunate that 90 per cent of the things we worry about much more value. Even Solo mon in his glory was not ar rayed like the lilies of the field, He pointed out. So why should we be anxious about our cloth ing? And here's His statement that should clinch our confidence in God: “Do not be anxious about tomorrow: for tomorrow will have anxieties of its own. Suf ficient for the day is its own trouble.” Sure, there are wars and ru mors of the war today. Earth quakes and hurricanes, also, and automobile accidents and can cer. But the human race has put never happen and we some- UD w ith those things ever since how get through the other ten Adam and Eve left a cozy Para- ner cent and keep on living. d j se f or a crue ] W orld. Centuries Take mv case, if you don t mind. a g- 0 Mohammedans threat- If I had known when I began ened the Christian world, and Billy’s mother explained that sure to have a party on your Writ, " S this column a few years the Turks too. Now the Commu- it was not polite to interrupt next birthday.” older people when they are THE SECRET talking, but Billy always forgot. Thig ig the secre t that Billy’s One day a neighbor lady came mo ther whispered to him: to have a cup of coffee with Polite folks never interrupt, Billy’s mother. Every time they tried to talk Billy would run into the kitchen and interrupt them. He would ask what day it was, or when would Christmas come or why the clouds were in the sky. He kept right on inter rupting until his mother and the neighbor lady were quite tired out with his interruoting. After the lady left Billy’s mother sat down and talked to Billy again. PREDICTION “Some day,” she said, “You are going to be a very sorry little boy. No one can visit or That’s very rude you see— When someone else is speak ing, They just wait quietly. But if there’s something they must say, That really can’t stand keep ing, They always say, “Excuse me please.” Before they begin speaking! Billy said the little poem over and over, until he could remem ber every word. Then he de cided never to forget again. And he never did! ago that we would get to 120 (current figure), I would have suffered nervous prostration on the spot. But here we are, still ticking. Lots of horrible things can happen to you, too. You know, life’s embarrassing moments. Just last summer I asked a dear old lady how her husband nist.s. But I’ll venture a guess that we’ll survive these difficul ties as past generations did. LACK THEOLOGY The trouble is that the world doesn’t know its theology. The pagap world doesn’t know it, that is. We know it, but find it (Continued on Page 5) 416 8TH ST., AUGUSTA, GA. Published fortnightly by the Catholic Laymen’s Association of Georgia, Inc., with the Approbation of the Most Reverend Arch bishop-Bishop of Savannah, The Most Reverend Bishop of Atlanta But one day when his baby and the Rifiht Reverend Abbot Ordinary of Belmont. Subscription make plans or talk about any- sister started to play too near P r ' ce S3.00 per year. thing when you keep inter- the road, Billy knew that this g econd c i ass mail privileges authorized at Monroe, Georgia. Send notice of change of address to P. O. Box 320, Monroe, Georgia. REV. FRANCIS J. DONOHUE REV. R. DONALD KIERNAN Editor Savannah Edition Editor Atlanta Edition JOHN MARKWALTER Managing Editor Saturday, February 21, 1959 No. 19 rupting them. It is very rude, was very important, and that his and I know you want to be mother needed to know right polite, so please try hard to re- away. She was talking to the member.” grocery man, but Billy didn’t Billy did try hard, and he did wait. He said, remember, but just for a little “Excuse me please, Mother. while. One day, just before but our Baby is playing too near Billy’s birthday, his Aunt Mary the road.” Vol. 39 was visiting, and Billy forgot “Thank you. Billy, for telling ARROOTATTON OFFTOFFR FOR 195« 1Q5Q again! Every time his mother me right away.” said his mother, ASSOCIA J.1UJN UJJMULKb * OK lJ5»-L)o9 and Aunt Mary started to talk and she hurried right out to GEORGE GINGELL. Columbus President Billv would interrupt and ask bring the baby back into the MRS. DAN HARRIS, Macon Vice-President a silly auestion. yard. TOM GRIFFIN, Atlanta Vice-President He asked why the,leaves were Billy never forgot again to be NICK CAMERIO, Macon Secretary blowing, and where was the polite, and the next time his JOHN T. BUCKLEY, Augusta Treasurer ocean and why did a dog run birthday came he had the ALVIN M. McAULIFFE, Augusta Auditor through their yard? biggest party of anyone on the JOHN MARKWALTER, Augusta Executive Secretary Finally Aunt Mary had to whole street. MISS CECILE FERRY, Augusta Financial Secretary