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t } PAGE 4—The Southern Cross, April 20, We Take Them For Granted It was a stunned and grief-stricken na tion which last week received the news that the submarine Thresher had been lost with all hands aboard. At almost the same time Chatham County was shocked by the sudden violent death of Savannah Beach’s police chief, David McCutchen. But, from the standpoint of the loss of life involved, several airplane crashes in recent months were tragedies as great or greater than the sinking of the Thresher. And the news media carry stories of shootings, deliberate and accidental, every day. Why, then, such widespread shock and grief over the loss of a naval vessel and the death of a police chief? Perhaps the answer is to be found in the fact that we take the demanding and dangerous work of our military service men and law enforcement officers too much for granted. Cardinal Leger, Archbishop of Montreal, spoke last week at funeral services for three firemen killed in the line of duty at a major Montreal fire. His appeal for a greater community aware ness of the daily sacrifices of policemen and firemen might also be extended to in clude a deeper appreciation of the daily hazards faced by military personnel on our behalf. He said, "This tragic event carries with it a lesson for us which we should not neglect. We forget that peace and or der in a city is the fruit of the humble work and hidden devotion to duty of many social groups which go unnoticed in the tur moil of daily lining." Peace Is The Work Of God To some, Pope John XXIII’s latest ency- cyclical, Pacem in Terris, will seem to be an exercise in futile optimism. And there can be no doubt that just as the communist press has already sought to distort its mean ing, ignoring the Pope’s plea for freedom for all men, and reading into the encycli cal their own preconceived ideas, so there will be others who will ignore the Pope’s call for prudence, and declare that his plea for negotiations instead of war is a victory for the communist world. Beginning with our next edition, The South ern Cross will carry the text of the encycli cal as a weekly series. We urge all to read it carefully and prayerfully, in the light of His Holiness’ Easter message, disre garding the cries of its detractors. "It is true that nothing is easy, and We do not hide this fact from Ourself. But with the help of God and with a sincere tribute of subjection to Him, true progress in bro therhood and peace is possible. "A good start has already been made, and this should encourage all to continue and have confidence . . . We must not underes timate the difficulties to be met in such a tremendous task, and the frequent obstacles, due to man’s disinclinations, which are so often dominated by egoism . . . "... Our heart beats with a more vivid sympathy for those who are suffering; for those lacking secure work and to whom the needs of their families bring burning anxiety tempered only by trust in Providence; for all those struggling heroically in adverse situations, exposed to pain known only to the Lord; for all those who are suffering in body and spirit . . . • • • O Prince of Peace, Risen Jesus, Benign Guardian of the entire human race, to Thee alone man looks for help and healing for his wounds . . . Keep us in Thy peace, O Lamb immolated for our salvation . . . Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world, grant us peace. "That, O Jesus, isOurPray- It All Begins With Faith God’s World If someone were to ask you, "What is your most precious possession?” would you ans wer, without a moment’s hesi tation, "My Catholic faith?” That Tfi §hp.i)ld. be your answer. Nothing that you have— a ~frT rT'y” r i e n d s, e a 1 t h r material o s s e s- i o n s— compare can in value, even faintly, with your re ligious faith. Faith is the very foundation of your spiritual life. It is faith which gives meaning to your present existence. It is faith which is your passport to heaven. Without faith, right and wrong are empty words. Morality is a matter of convenience. Suf fering is an unmitigated dis aster. Self-sacrifice is stupid, and whole-hearded selfishness is the most sensible course for a man to pursue. We who have been Catholics from infancy tend to under appreciate our faith. Never hav ing known what it is to live without religious convictions, we take our faith for granted. We do not thank God often enough for this most basic gift. We do not often enough fortify our belief by making conscious acts of faith. We even may grow careless in protecting our faith and may expose it to unneces sary dangers. In baptism God infused into our soul the virtue of faith. This means that we have a special ability, a supernatural talent for believing. We shall not lose our faith easily. We shall not lose it except it be by our own fault. It is almost inevitable that we should be afflicted with temptations against faith. Ours is a limited and imperfect in telligence , trying to cope with the limitless depth of God. An ant, if it had a mind, could more easily understand the world of humans than we humans can understand the infinite reaches of God. If religious be lief were a body of self-evi dent truths, always in plain har mony with every other facet of human knowledge and ex perience, faith would be no pro blem. In fact, faith would not even exist. By its very definition, faith is belief in divine truths on the authority of God Who has made those truths known to us. If the truths were demonstrable, such as the truth that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points, there would be no need to invoke the authority of God. There would be no need for faith; no merit in it and no reward for it. We expect, then, that we are going to meet with temptations against our faith. (Although, as Arnold Lunn has observed, the intellectual difficulties of a be liever are as nothing compared to the intellectual difficulties which beset the unbeliever.) However, it is important that we do not increase our tempta tions by courting unnecessary hazards. Unwise reading, for example, easily could pose a threat to our faith. , Authors of books, like uni versity professors, have about them an aura of learning which frequently far exceeds their actual attainments. We tend to over-respect their opinions and pronouncements. Thus, we read a book by an eminent "thinker” (or we hear him lecture). He loftily assumes that no inteli- gent , person today really believes “the outmoded dogmas of medieval minds.” Inwardly we squirm a bit at being con victed of lack of intelligence, because we still do believe that God created the universe and that Jesus Christ is God. We begin to wonder whether we may not be mistaken. If we deliberately expose our selves to very much of this high-level sniping, the day may come when it is too late to run for cover. We may find that our faith is shattered and that we cannot put the pieces back together again. This is more likely to happen if we neglect to seek the answers to our difficulties. If we but have the humility to ask, any priest easily can puncture the sophis tries which trouble us. Of this we can be certain: a faith cherished will never be lost. It is only our own neg lect, our own needless exposure' to peril, our own intellectual pride or our own abuse of grace which can rob us of this price less gift. LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF Pope’s “World Authority” Not Supernation It Seems to Me One of the first things that needs to be done about Pope John’s Peace on Earth ency clical, I think, is to clear away confusion concerning the world authority which he says is in- dispensable to deal with certain world - level problems of the univer sal common good — the welfare of all nations and of all mankind. A dispatch published in the New York Times said that the pope advocated "a kind of supernation to which all na tions should belong.” This is an unfortunate and mistaken interpretation of the Holy Fa ther’s thinking, and can lead only to gross misunderstanding of his meaning. If I may simplify for clarity,, what Pope John is suggesting is something more like a Turn pike Authority created by pub lic authority to see that a turn pike gets built; more like a County Commission set up by the people of a metropolitan area to handle matters which affect all the cities and towns in the county—storm sewers, say, or limited-access high ways, or bridges. Pope John said emphatically that the world authority must be a voluntary, cooperative crea tion of the nations, and that far from infringing on their authority it should create an environment in which their authority will operate more ef fectively and in greater secu rity. JOSEPH BREIG The nations, therefore, would not "belong” to the world au thority; the world authority would belong to the nations. It would be their servant, not their master; but it would have powers given to it by them for certain purposes which the nations would agree that they want to see achieved. It is up to the nations to decide what those purposes are, and what functions should be handed over to the world au thority. Offhand, it occurs to me that the purposes might include, for example, solution of problems of migration, of disarmament, of refugees, of brushfire wars, of internation al misunderstandings and the like. The matter is complex only in the sense that the interna tional community is complex. In essence, though, it is as simple as the establishment of the first tribal or village government. The heads of the various householders get toge ther and agree that there are things that need doing which no one household can do. And so they elect a chief or a mayor —call him what you will— to coordinate affairs in the ser vice of all. Soon enough, common sense leads to further conclusions. The community expands; more villages come into being; you need services for a number of towns. You set up, say, town ship supervisors; then county commissioners; then a state legislature and various state authorities to deal with pro blems of health, highways, wel fare, public works and what not. Worsening Situation In Laos Is Marked By Armed Conflict, Assassinations By Father Patrick O’Conner Society of St. Columban (N.C.W.C. News Service). SAIGON, Vietnam,—The sit uation in Laos has gone from uneasy to disturbed totenseand turbulant since the coalition government was installed last June 23. That much is clear from re ports of travelers arriving here from Vientiane, the administra tive capital of Laos. The "coalition” was bound to end in collusion, collapse or collision. Which it will be, and when, is not clear yet. The rightists, the neutra lists and the communist Pathet Lao are represented in a cabi net that seems designed for deadlock. Each party controls a separate part of the country and a separate armed force. The troika formula has proved tricky. An "immediate task” of the coalition government was to unify the three armies. It is clear to the whole world they have not been unified. In fact, two of them are more sharp ly divided from each other now than they were last summer. A section of Maj. Gen. Kong Le’s neutralist troops has ap parently left him and come closer to the communist Pathet Lao. He and the main body of his men have moved further away from the communists. The split has led to bloodshed, which has developed from assassina- (Continued on Page 6) Third Glorious Mystery THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT Our Hi Father When the days of Pentecost were draw ing to a close,/ they were all together in one place. . Acts 2:1 Hail Hi Mary And suddenly there came a sound from heaven,/ as of a violent wind blowing. Acts 2:2 Hail Hi Mary And there appeared to them parted tongues as of fire,/ which settled upon each of them. Acts 2:3 Hail Mary And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit/ and began to speak of the wonderful works of God. Acts 2:4, 11 Hail ||| Mary Now there were staying at Jerusalem devout Jews/ from every nation under heaven. Acts 2:5 Hail Hi Mary Scriptural Part 3\osar? 13 And Peter, standing up with the Eleven,/ lifted up his voice and spoke out to them. Acts 2:14 Hail fH Mary 'Repent and be baptized;/ and you will receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.’ Acts 2:38 Hail Mary Now they who received his word were baptized,/ and there were added that day about three thousand souls. Acts 2:41 Hail Hi Mary Send forth thy Spirit, and they shall be created;/ and thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Ps. 103:30 lary Come, O Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful;/ and kindle in them the fire of thy love. Pentecost Alleluia HailH|Mary Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit./ As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Editor’s Note: This is one of the 15 decades of the Scriptural Rosary, a modern version of the way the Rosary was once prayed in the Middle Ages. We are presenting the complete Scriptural Rosary in 15 install ments as a service to our readers. You are invited to save these meditations for future use. Or you may obtain the complete set in illustrated prayer-book form by sending $1 to the nonprofit Scriptural Rosary Center, 6 N. Michigan Avenue, Chicago 2, Illinois. Eastern Church RAVENNA, Italy, (NC)—Bis hops and Vatican Council ob servers of various separated Eastern churches are expected to join Catholic participants in a week of prayer and studies here next fall. Archbishop Salvatore Bai das sarri of Ravenna will be hosts to the ninth National Week of Prayer and Study for the Oriental Church here Sep tember 22 to 27. The session begins two weeks after the op ening of the second session of the Second Vatican Council. The prelate scheduled to pre side is Ernesto Cardinal Ruffini, Archbishop of Paler mo, who is president of the Ital ian National Weeks of the Chris tian Orient. 6 Bishops Confirm 1,000 LINCOLN, Neb., (NC)—More than 1,000 persons were con firmed by six bishops in a ceremony here attended by 9,000 people. Every seat in Pershing Au ditorium was occupied and many persons had to stand during the ceremony, a highlight ofe the Lincoln diocese’s 75th an niversary. The demonstration of faith was believed to be the most colorful religious cere mony ever held in Nebraska. Bishop James V. Casey of Lincoln said in remarks for the occasion that “for our ju bilee celebration we chose this particular event in order to em phasize the role of the lay man in the mission of Christ on earth.” Sunday Sales Measures Such developments have been taking place through history. The interdependence of states and nations keeps growing. In the Roman Empire, the problem was met by the Roman legions of force. Pope John rightly says it cannot and must not be met by force in our time; the forces at our disposal have become too destructive t o be used by rational human beings. The Red Chinese are living in a world that no longer exists. Neither the East nor the West can impose a world order by force. If either should try, the result would be world chaos and a return to new-barbarism. If Mao Tse-tung imagines that Red China would escape these fearful consequences, Mao has another think coming to him. Neither morally nor ration ally can we escape the login of scientific and technological events which demand voluntary creation of a world authority to which the nations can hand certain world tasks. The na tions have made a beginning in the United Nations. The UN has proved itself indispensable and the value of its work in such fields as refugee prob lems, food and agriculture, and keeping the West and East from each other’s throats in crucial areas, can hardly be overstated. Pope John voiced the hope that the UN can be strengthened to become the world authority we need, able to cope with world-level situations. I think it can be; but if not, then some other authority must be devised if we are not to end in global lunacy. All-Africa Conference B0ST0N - (NC)-The Massa- chusetts State Senate has voted KAMPALA, Uganda, (NC) — down two bills to permit Sunday Five Catholic observers, inclu- business operations, ding one from the Secretarial identical votes of 17-4 for Promoting Christian Unity, will attend the All-african Church Conference starting in nearby Makerere April 20. Catholic observers at the 10- day conference will be: Father Jerome Hamer, O.P., Consul- tor to the unity secretariat and assistant to the Superior General of the Dominican Or der; Father Killian Flynn. O. F. M. Cap., of Lusaka, Nor thern Rhodesia, secretary to the Interterritorial Episcopal Board of East and Central Af rica; Father Salvatore Ndetiko of Moshi, Tanganyika; and two observors from French-speak ing Africa. the Senate rejected a bill whic would have allowed store operated by one or two person to remain open on Sunday an a bill which would have per mitted persons who observei another day of the week as thi sabbath to do business on Sun day. Pilgrims Drowned AMMAN, Jordan, (NC)— A Catholic priest and 22 women pilgrims were killed when a flash flood roared through a ravine they were studying at historic Petra, the French em bassy here announced. A Jordanian guide and a Leb anese busdriver also lost their lives in the sudden deluge 125 miles south of here (April 8). Only two persons in the party of 27 survived. One of the women victims was Dutch, the rest French. The embassy said that King Hussein himself flew to the site with the Jordanian rescue squad. Cardinal In Protestant Church WESTWOOD, Mass., (NC)— Richard Cardinal Cushing, speaking for the first time in a Protestant church, cited the importance of inter-Christian cooperation in the quest for world peace. "What a power we would have if all Christians united for a just and lasting peace!” he told a capacity audience at the Islington Community church in this suburb of Boston (April 5). The Archbishop of Boston, in* vited to speak at the church by its minister emeritus, Rev. Edwin P. Booth, said he in tends to speak at other Pro testant churches in the Boston area. Language School SEOUL, Korea, (NC) —The Franciscans will open a new language school for mission aries here similar to one they now run in Tokyo. Father Apollinar van Lee- uwen, O. F. M. , Franciscan Delegate for Japan and Korea, said that spokesmen for the Benedictines, Jesuits, Co lumban Fathers, Maryknoll Fa thers and Paris Foreign Mis sion Society have all said they will send newly arrived priests and Brothers to the school. Several societies of Sisters also plan to use the school. Pa rish Program ST. LOUIS, (NC)—A parish here has launched its own neigh borhood ecumenical program. St. Roch parish held its first * * Interfaith Conversation” bringing together Catholics, Protestants and Jews, April 7 and scheduled another for May 12. Some 470 members of the three faiths attended the firsi "conversation” and heard a f priest, a minister and a rabbi discuss ecumenism. It was es timated that between 25 and 40 per cent of the audience were not Catholics. QUESTION BOX By David O. Liptak Q. I’ve been wondering: Is it possible that one’s sins could be forgiven through attendance at Mass? A. In a restricted sense one’s sins could be pardoned through Mass, but not directly and (where serious sin is concer ned) not without reference to the Sacrament of Penance, which was instituted by Christ as the ordinary means for the remission of post-baptismal mortal sins. "BY THIS oblation of the Mass,” declared the Council of Trent, "God , being appeased grants grace and the gift of penance. . .” The key words here are grace and penance. The Sacrifice of the Mass re mits sin only mediately, by be stowing grace, for example, to lead the penitent to the kind of contrition which will restore him to God’s full friendship. Where mortal sin is involved, this contrition must be related to sacramental confession (which is explicitly brought out in one formula for the Act of Contrition: "I firmly resolve with the help of thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance ...” etc.). Father Francis Connell ex- (Continued on Page 5) 5HJ The Southern Cross P. O. BOX 180. SAVANNAH. GA. Vol. 43 Saturday, April 20, 1963 No. 31 Published weekly except the last week in July and the last week in December by The Southern Cross, Inc. Subscription price $3.00 per year. Second class mail privileges authorized at Monroe, Ga. Send notice of change of address to P. O. Box 180, Savannah, Ga. Most Rev. Thomas J. McDonough, D.D.J.C.D., President Rev. Francis J. Donohue, Editor John Markwalter, Managing Editor Rev. Lawrence Lucree, Rev. John Fitzpatrick, Associate Editors