Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4—The Southern Cross, July 22, 1965
The Southern Cross
P. O,, Box 180, Savannah, Ga.
Most Rev. Thomas J. McDonough, D.D.J.C D., President
Rev. Francis J. Donohue, Editor John E. Markwalter, Managing Editor
Phone 234-4574
Second Class Postage Paid at Waynesboro. Ga.
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Subscription price 85.00 per year.
Sign Of The Times
Nothing is more essential to the welfare of
both religion and civil society than the integrity
of the family. The way the news is pointing
these days, both religion and civil society are
in greater peril than we had imagined. For
example, consider three releases of the week
gone by:
The first was a comic piece entitled “Re
turning Boy — Send Flood.” When the raging
waters threatened to descend on Colorado last
month, a young couple played it safe and sent
their son to stay with an uncle in the western
part of the state. A letter explaining the reason
for the visit accompanied the boy. Several
days later the parents received a telegram
from the uncle; “Am returning your boy. —
Send the flood.”
Good for a laugh? Sure, until you reflect.
How many youngsters are in fact less manage
able and nearly as destructive as a flood?
We find more and more parents infected with
the strange belief that their children are hard
ly ever to be corrected and never spanked.
And we see the results of this abdication of
parental authority: twelve-year-olds who choose
whether or not they will go to church, four
teen-year-olds who decide when they will come
home at night, and sixteen-year-olds whose
only relation to their parents is one of fear—
the fear the parents have of their offspring!
“Danish Minister Says Abortion Is Murder”
— so ran the headline for the second article
bearing on modern family life. We used to
smile about the inanity of a preacher’s de
claring himself in favor of goodness and
against sin. Nowadays a preacher with enough
gumption to buck the slaughter of innocents can
make headlines.
A still more telling commentary on the
diseased condition of family life was contained
in a news item from Denver. There a district
judge annuled a marriage on the grounds that
the wife had broken a premarital promise to
use contraceptive pills.
In recent years Catholic theologians have
been re-evaluating the purposes of marriage.
The fostering of genuine conjugal love, mutual
spiritual and psychological assistance and simi
lar benefits of marriage are no longer treated
as insignificant when compared with the role
of begetting new life. Yet when our society
accepts as married a man who has absolutely
excluded the idea of fatherhood and grants a
divorce because a wife wishes to be a mother,
what hope is left for the family life?
Sometimes we hear Catholics complaining
of the hardships which must be endured in
guiding their marriage according to the laws
and ideals of the Church. Were the alternative
more often considered the grumblings would
be less often heard.
NORTH CAROLINA CATHOLIC.
Religion In Russia
Apparently Russia has even more trouble
with religion than with agriculture. Keeping in
mind that farm problems have given Red lead
ers a chronic case of insomnia for years,
one can imagine that the “problem of religion”
has become not only embarrassing but demora
lizing.
Here it is nearly 50 years after religion
was officially declared an enemy of the State
in Russia and every child and adult forbidden
to study about God or to mention His name
except in ridicule.
Despite this flood of militant propaganda
against faith and spiritual realities, Red offi
cials still have to organize atheism crusades
and spread themselves thin in keeping closer
watch on believers.
Apparently the evil of religion has spread
enough so that there is no use in attempting
to hide the facts. The Soviet magazine, for in
stance, has published a surprisingly frank
account of religious icons on the walls of
Soviet workers’ homes. It admitted that one-
third of their homes still have religious icons.
This surely proves once again that man by
nature is religious. By instinct he turns to
God, no matter what the opposition from the
State or from an individual. Despite the dread
ful history in Russia the past fifty years, there
is something heartening in the knowledge that
many homes must reflect the conviction of
one Russian woman who told the magazine
research expert: “I am a believer and I tell
the children to believe, so don’t you butt in”.
THE VOICE, MIAMI, FLA.
IS YOURS AN UNEASY FAITH?
God’s World
Rev. Leo J. Trese
Currently there is quite a bit of discussion,
in Catholic intellectual circles, about a so-
called “crisis of faith” in the Church.
At the risk of oversimplification, this “crisis
of faith” may be described as the awakening of
Catholics to the fact that every man must
face the decision as to what, in reality, he does
believe.
We live
in an era of rapid change, of
intellectual and scientific fer
ment. Even within the Church
we have been going through a
period of reappraisal and re
vision. Ceremonies, attitudes
and points of view which we
had come to look upon as ir-
reformable have been dropping
away like feathers from a
moulting bird.
However, the unsettling effect of change and
the questing nature of an educated mind really
are triggering mechanisms rather than causes
of the crisis of faith. The real reason why
some of us may experience such a crisis is
that we never did make a personal act of faith—
of faith in God, that is.
We grew up in a Catholic home with parents
whom we loved and respected. Because they
said that the Catholic Church is the true
Church, we accepted that fact without question.
Our acceptance was further fortified by the
respect and affection we felt for the priests
and nuns whose lives touched ours. We never
really did make the transfer of faith in parents
priests and nuns, to faith in God. We never
made an act of personal, irrevocable commit
ment to God and especially to our Lord Jesus
Christ. Our faith remained human faith, even in
adulthood, instead of maturing, as it must, into
divine faith.
Changes always are unsettling, especially
when they touch us so personally as do changes
in our religious environment. If we fail to
distinguish between what is incidental and what
is essential in our religion, we can find our
selves shaken.
Another element in our crisis of faith is
the higher educational level of the average
Catholic. Until quite recently the priest was,
with few exceptions, the best educated person
in the parish. His opinions were listened to
with respect and “Father knows best” was
pretty generally the attitudes of parishoners.
Now, however, a large percentage of Catholics
are university graduates. They have been trained
to ask questions and to think for themselves:
“Is it really so? How do we know? What are
the arguments on the other side?” In almost
every parish there are dozens of parishoners
whose education, at least in secular matters,
exceeds that of the priest. The pastor no longer
is the oracle he once was.
It perhaps is not surprising then, that if and
when we encounter a false prophet, perhaps
an eminent but unbelieving writer or lecturer,
we find our faith shaken. It does not take much
wind to raise waves on a shallow lake--and it
does not take a very big difficulty to disturb a
superficial faith.
Even the best of us can expect to be tempted
against faith. By His very nature God and His
ways are hopelessly beyond our total com
prehension, while our human mind is stub
bornly determined that it must understand before
it will assent. If we never experience this
tension between our proud and inquisitive mind
and the mysteries of faith, then we are not
much given to thinking.
It is good to want to understand. It is good
to try to undertand. But when the outer limit is
reached and the struggle begins, we must depend
upon God Himself to help us resolve our crisis
of faith. In the person of the Holy Spirit He
dwells within us--and He never fails the person
of good will.
ECUMENISM-•
ECUMENISM—
IT'S STARTING
TO BUS ME!
DIALOG NOT MONOLOG
It Seems To Me
CABBAGES AND KINGS
Rev. William V. Coleman
On Deadwood
One thing that the reforms which are pre
sently taking place in the Church teach us is
the necessity of questioning many of the prac
tices we have followed in the past. Saying
Mass with the back of the priest to his con
gregation seemed quite natural and, indeed,
a sacred way of doing it. Today we realize
that it was something which had application
for another age but was not in keeping with
the needs of our own.
We could go on and on in
listing things which seemed
quite natural and necessary only
a few years ago but, today, are
already beginning to fall back
into another era.
While we are looking over
some of these hold overs from
other ages, I wonder if it
wouldn’t be good to question the existence
of some of our American Church organiza
tions for the laity. One hundred years ago
fraternal organizations were all the rage. Many
of them were secret, fraternal organizations
which led Catholic men into difficult positions.
The Church in its wisdom, incidentally through
a priest from my own home town, established
a fraternal order for Catholics.
The days of fraternal orders are at an end.
They are kept alive solely by external pres
sure and accumulated wealth. Their purpose
as fraternal is long gone.
To forestall objections which are almost
bound to come, may I quickly admit that these
organizations through their accumulated wealth
and power structure still do good work. How
ever, their purpose as secret fraternal organi
zations is past. We wonder if it isn’t time to
change their character and to ally them, in
deed, integrate them, with alert living and
vital young organizations which are presently
providing leadership for the Church.
How much profit could be gained by the
NCCM for example if it had the resources
of the Knights of Columbus!
JOSEPH BREIG
Sometimes I disagree with the
conservatives in the Church,
sometimes with the progres
sives. Much of the time, no
doubt, both groups disagree with
me without ceasing to disagree
with each other.
We Catholics, in oiner words,
have emerged from our siege
m e ntality
period, and no
longer feel that
we must parrot
one another, lest
we give aid and
comfort to the
enemy.
For the most
part our disagreements are
stimulating; they show forth the
vigor and youthfulness of the
Church. But I do suggest that
there are several things on which
we ought to take special plans to
see eye to eye.
For one thing, if we are going
to have dialog, then let it be
dialog and not monolog; let us
remember that conservatives
have as much right to voice their
opinions as anybody.
For another thing, let us learn
to listen to one another, with great
humility, patience and considera
tion.
Finally , let us cast out the
temptation to divide folks into
good guys and bad guys.
Conservatives are no less de
voted to the Church than pro
gressives, and some of them
are in spiritual pain because
they do not see the reasons for
changes, and also because the
changes have brought with them
some temporary clumsy fumb-
lings which are profoundly of
fensive to orderly-minded people.
“The poor old Tantum Ergo,”
writes one of my women readers,
“is impossible. Everybody
clumping up the aisle at Com
munion time singing ‘Adam’s
son thou art’ gives me chills.
“When our commentator says,
‘Stand and hear the good news of
your salvation,’ I feel like run
ning for the exit. Then later,
after a pretty mediocre sermon,
we hear ‘Now that God has spo
ken.’
“You mentioned that you are
always astounded at someone
talking of losing his faith. I could
have sounded as sure as you a
few years ago, but you’d be
surprised how wobbly everything
gets once the infallibility of the
Church is shaken.”
Allow me to interject that the
C hurch’s infallibility has not been
shaken in the least. But for a
very long time, the scope of
infallibility was exaggerated.
Now we are getting a more pre
cise understanding of what in
fallibility means. And by ceas-
'ing to spread it into areas where
Christ never intended that it
should go, we contribute greatly
to progress toward Christian re
union.
My reader says that “it seems
the Church is going crazy about
externals now.” She finds es
pecially annoying the concern
shown by such writers as Mary
Perkins Ryan about “grinding
the wheat and chewing the host,”
and putting hosts in the cibo-
rium with “head-scratching
hands.’’
I know exactly what this reader
is feeling. I would merely so
licit her patience and good hu
mor. If some things are being
overdone, they .will.be.corrected
in time. >•
Furthermore, better hymns
will be written, and we will
become better singers. Also,
commentators will cease to be
asked to utter gooey pieties.
The Church is simply try
ing, sometimes awkwardly, to do
what Pope John urged: to let
the spiritual beauty of the lit
urgy be made more visible and
attractive in actions, words and
signs.
“I ve stopped going to Com
munion,” this reader writes,
“because there’s no use going
up there angry. I still say pray
ers for the dead but I’ve got
an awful feeling there’s no God
or hereafter. . .Wher e was the
Holy Ghost when this mess was
concocted?”
By faith we know that the
Holy Spirit is mysteriously ac
tive as always; Christ never
leaves the Church unguided.
: “Feeling” that “there’s no God
or hereafter” can happen to any
body; faith is not a matter of
feeling. And annoyance over com
mentators and hymn-singing is
no great fault, and certainly
shouldn’t keep anybody from
Communion. After all, Christ is
waiting at the altar for each of us.
CAPITALIZE ON “DEBATES^
Capital Report
WASHINGTON—Public debate
in this country of United States
foreign policy has produced de
bate as to whether or not it is
a good thing. Meanwhile one thing
is obvious; our enemies abroad
are using what we do and say
as ready made propaganda.
Talks, “teach-ins,” rallies,
picketing, demonstrations, and
so forth have not served to clear
the atmosphere in the U. S., but
have led to subdivisions, sharp
differences of opinion between
individuals and groups, and pos
sibly more confusion, study of
the phenomenon has shown.
On the other hand, those who
oppose us on the international
stage pick and choose from what
is said and done in this coun
try, and pass it on with their
own interpretation to wide areas
and many people.
Radio broadcasts originating in
Hanoi in North Vietnam and
beamed into South Vietnam, and
elsewhere, are a case in point.
A Hanoi broadcast dealing with
the much publicized “teach-in”
in this country and with demon
strations at some American uni
versities told listeners in Asia
that “the anti-U.S. policy which
has shaken U. S. embassies and
agencies in over 50 countries
throughout the worldnow is shak
ing the very den of the U. S. im
perialists so violently that John
son himself had to admit” it
had “reached a climax”.
Hanoi told its listeners that a
good majority of the members
of the U. S. Senate committee
on foreign relations disapproved
of the Johnson administration’s
policy, and quoted one senator
as saying “it is the United States
and no other country which has
violated the U. N. Charter and
sabotaged the Geneva accords.”
The American people don’t see
these public discussions in this
light at all. But the people who
hear the Hanoi broadcasts would
hardly know this.
We have found that letting go of the past
in the Liturgy has proved to be a wonderfully
refreshing experience. Perhaps our Church
organizations could feel the same wind of
the Holy Spirit in their ranks, if there was
a similar purge of the old leaven.
The Scripture does say, “Behold I make
all things new.”
QUESTIONS
Our F aith
Msgr. Conway
Q. Recently I read a story of an American
Catholic young lady who married a Greek
Orthodox young man. They were married
in a Catholic church one day and a Greek
Orthodox the next. Both ceremonies took
place in Athens. I was always under the
impression that a Catholic could marry only
in one, Catholic, ceremony unless a civil
one is required by law.
A. Your impression ac
curately reflects the law of
the Church as stated in the
first two paragraphs of Ca
non 1063 But there is a third
paragraph to that Canon; it
states that it is not forbidden,
when the civil law requires it,
to go before a non-Catholic
minister so that the marriage
may be recognized as valid by the state.
This third paragraph does not apply precisely
to your case because it supposes that the
minister is performing a civil function only,
not a religious one. The Orthodox priest
performed a religious ceremony, and prob
ably did not consider the marriage of the
Orthodox man valid until he had done so.
But I believe this is tolerated by J:he Church
because the Greek state does not recognize
as valid the marriage of Orthodox Christians
unless celebrated by an Orthodox priest.
The Second Vatican Council in its Decree
on the Catholic Churches of the Eastern Rite
shows a tolerant attitude towards the par
ticipation of Eastern Catholics in Orthodox
ceremonies. And it recognizes as valid the
marriage of an Eastern Catholic before an
Orthodox priest. It does not permit such
marriage however, naming it illicit.
Q, Would you piease explain why—in the new
liturgy—the word “died” has been deleted from
the Nicene Creed? (“crucified . . . and was
buried.”)
If taken literally, could this not help to sub
stantiate the heretical view that perhaps Christ
was not really dead when He was laid in the tomb?
A. There has been no change—no deletion.
The word “died” was never in the Nicene
Creed. Get the oldest missal you can find and
look it up! It is in the Apostles Creed that we
make explicit expression of our faith that Jesus
died.
Certainly the fact of our Lord’s death is
clear and evident in the Gospels. His obe
dience unto death is an essential feature of
our redemption, and so of all Christianity.