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PAGE 4—The Southern Cross, January 1,1976
Reflection And Resolution
1975 was a year of continuing
religious-political controversy
throughout the land and the world.
- Right-to Life was prominent in the
news as unsuccessful efforts were made
to secure congressional committee
approval for a Right-to-Life amendment
to the U.S. Constitution.
- Right-to-Die was given headlines
during the month-long trial of the Karen
Quinlan case.
- The blood of many was shed
throughout the world in religious
conflict.
But 1975 had its brighter moments.
- A successful Holy Year drew millions
of pilgrims to Rome.
Nearly 130,000 Vietnamese
Refugees were resettled.
- Highlight for America’s Catholics
was the canonization of Mother
Elizabeth Ann Seton, this country’s first
native born saint, on September 14.
- Regional Bicentennial Hearings,
conducted by the Catholic Church, have
provided the opportunity to reflect on
all sorts of social justice problems.
- U.S. Bishops, at their November
meeting, issued a pastoral plan for
pro-life activities by American Catholics.
- Pope Paul and Orthodox Patriarch
Dimitrios I announced the formation
of a Pan-Orthodox commission to
prepare the way for dialogue with the
Catholic Church.
Traditionally New Year’s is a time for
reflection and resolution. 1975 has given'
much reason for somber thoughts, but as
it ended showed promise of a brighter
tomorrow.
1976 will * provide unique
opportunities for U.S. Catholics. We will
be joining fellow Americans in the
celebration of the nation’s Bicentennial
and will be hosting a world-wide
Eucharistic Congress next August.
Let us resolve to do our part to help
make 1976 an outstanding year in the
history of our nation and of the world.
JEM.
Critic Promps
Clarification
John Reedy, C.S.C.
I was very favorably impressed by a
letter-to-the-editor which sharply criticized my
earlier column on the single-issue evaluation of
candidates.
The correspondent was clear and direct. Her
argument was that there are some positions
which most of us would see as disqualifying a
candidate from our support, regardless of his or
her other qualifications.
The argument was clearly one which needs to
be considered by anyone holding the position I
had advocated.
(Incidentally, the next paper I picked up
contained an almost identical letter - same
phrasesj same examples - from a different
region, aimed at a different editorial target. The
Right-to-Life groups are making use of the
materials being sent to them.)
Still, regardless of source, the argument
needs to be considered. Are there positions, on
abortion or on other matters, which would
disqualify a candidate from my support, no
matter what opponent faced him?
Clearly, the answer is yes. Personally, I see
George Wallace’s prevailing attitude toward
segregation as being one such example. To me,
this attitude, which could relate to a whole
series of presidential policies and decisions, is
unacceptable to our nation in its present
challenge to deal with the evil of racism.
I don’t expect all readers to agree with this
judgment; it happens to be my own and
therefore I must reconcile it with my earlier
judgment or else reject one of these positions.
Do I see abortion as being the same kind of
an issue? Here I would make a distinction. If a
candidate were actively, ideologically
committed to the promotion of abortion
practices, the answer would again be clearly,
yes. For example, if he were committed to
public efforts to have welfare programs used as
pressure to force poor women to choose
abortion ... or if he were committed to an
effort to force all hospitals and all doctors to
offer abortion service, regardless of
conscientious objections, this conviction would
disqualify him from my support.
Would every opposition to an anti-abortion
amendment disqualify the candidate? For me,
the answer would be, no. I can see plenty of
reasons, many of which would not conform to
my own thinking, for an official to
RESPONSIBLY oppose such an amendment.
He might judge that this law would be simply
unenforceable (like prohibition) and therefore a
bad law. He might be of the opinion that such a
change in constitutional law should represent a
national consensus which does not presently
exist. He might be firmly committed to the
principle of states’ rights and believe that such
decisions should not be made on the national
level. (This last conviction would probably lead
one to support the Burdick amendment.)
Therefore, my answer to the letter-writer
would be that I do accept the principle that one
basic conviction might disqualify a candidate
from my support, but I don’t think this norm
should be applied simplistically - which I think
is being done by some of the right-to-life
groups.
There is a big difference between the
underlying conviction which guides my thought
and judgment and the prudential decision about
what concrete action I take regarding specific
options which are available to me.
On basic convictions and principles, our
differences can be fundamental and clearly
identified. On prudential judgments, which are
the raw materials for most political actions,
people with the same principles can arrive,
legitimately at widely different judgments.
On these prudential judgments, I consider
the single-issue disqualification to be
unacceptable. And I am grateful to whoever
formulated the original letter for this stimulus
to clarify my thought.
A Happy-
New Year
From The Staff
Of
The Southern Cross
The Southern Cross
Business Office 225 Abercom St., Savannah, Ga. 3 1401
Most Rev. Raymond W. Lessard, D.D., President
John E. Markwalter, Editor
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OUR PARISH
“I’ve been a little disappointed with the fuel collection.”
Ashamed Of America?
Joseph Breig
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Dr. Robert McAfee Brown is a Protestant
clergyman and theologian for whom I have
always had a large measure of respect and
admiration. But I must say he blew one (as the
expression goes) in his keynote speech to the
fifth assembly of the World Council of
Churches in Nairobi, Kenya.
What Dr. Brown did was to attempt to make
a public confession for the American people.
And that won’t do. It never does do. Nobody
should ever try to go to confession for even one
other person - much less 200 million others.
Confession is good for the soul only when it
is a matter of pointing the finger at yourself,
and owning up to your own sins and failings.
Beating your own breast is okay if you’re
sincere; beating somebody else’s breast is
absolutely out. It is bound to make the listeners
conjure up a vision of a Pharisee standing in the
temple and telling God what a great guy he is.
“I love my country and I am deeply
ashamed of it,” said Dr. Brown. He was
addressing himself to the so-called Third World
countries which were represented at the
assembly. Perhaps he thought he would earn
their favor; but I am sure they cringed.
Indeed, apparently almost everybody cringed
- no doubt because there was no other delegate
present who would so much as dream of saying
that he was ashamed of his country.
Dr. Brown then proceeded to drag in the late
war in Vietnam, and to beat America’s breast
over it. Which brings up an inevitable question:
when are our lambasters of our country going
to drop that subject? It is becoming
exceedingly wearisome.
Maybe America’s effort to defend the human
rights and freedoms of the people of South
Vietnam was a mistake - and maybe it wasn’t.
Maybe it was a mighty well-intentioned and
noble endeavor. I for one happen to think so.
But if it was a mistake, must it be belabored
endlessly by our public breast-beaters? Is there
nothing else about America they could discuss?
Seems to me it might occur to a clergyman
like Dr. Robert McAfee Brown that never in
human history has any nation poured out its
resources to help fallen enemies as America did
after World War II.
This is one of the strangest and yet most
effective of Christ’s injunctions - the
commandment that we are to love our enemy,
and if he asks for our coat, give him our cloak
also; if he demands that we walk a mile with
him, walk two miles, and so on.
After we defeated the
Japanese-Italian-German forces in World War II,
we spent our wealth like water to restore their
battered cities and industries and put their
people back on their feet, financially and
psychologically. But our public breast-beaters
never mention anything like that about
America.
Go back to World War I. We poured out our
resources then, too, to save the Russian people
from starvation.
Go back farther, and you can find example
after example of the American people rushing
to the rescue when people were in trouble. We
are still doing it, and we will continue to do it,
because that’s the kind of people and nation we
are. But Dr. Robert McAfee Brown stands on
the platform at a world assembly and says he’s
ashamed of us. Ugh.
Called
By
Name
“Georgia-Carolina
Ministry”
Rev. Robert Mattingly
VOCATION DIRECTOR-DIOCESE
OF SAVANNAH
Spirituality of the Diocesan Priest
All God’s children are called to holiness. The
diocesan priests’ call to holiness expresses itself
in a response which involves his whole person.
Therefore, Spirituality is the means by which
the call to holiness is answered.
The goal of any spirituality is to provide a
means whereby a person can grow in love of
both God and his neighbor. The Prophet
Jeremiah’s doctrine of a new covenant written
in the heart teaches us that we were meant to
be oriented toward God. (Jeremiah 31) The
Prophet Isaiah spells out the meaning of being
God-oriented. In chapter 58 when discussing
fasting, he stresses breaking unjust fetters,
feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and
taking care of one’s relatives. The call to love
one’s neighbor is so important that Christ
teaches to be reconciled with our neighbor
before offering our gifts before the altar. (Matt.
5) Therefore, the diocesan priest is called to a
radical life style which will allow him the
freedom to love both God and his neighbor in a
direct way.
Traditionally, four means have been offered
to the diocesan priest to live out his call. The
first means is poverty. The first beatitude in St.
Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount is a call to
poverty in spirit. Later in chapter 6, St.
Matthew stresses Christ’s teaching on divine
providence. Dependence on God’s help is a
critical factor in Christian holiness. A life style
which in some way embraces the call to poverty
allows the priest to live in a way which does
make him dependent upon God. “Enter by the
narrow gate, since the road that leads to
perdition is wide and spacious, and many take
iit: but it is a narrow gate and hard road that
leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matt. 7:
13-14) “If anyone wants to be a follower of
mine, let him renounce himself and take up his
cross and follow me.” (Matt. 16:24)
Celibacy is the second means given to the
diocesan priest to free him to love all mankind
in a radical way. By living in dependence on
God’s love, the priest can be a light to the
world and salt for the earth. Celibacy is not an
absolutely necessary means; however, it’s a
precious gift which when coupled with a life of
poverty of spirit and obedience to the bishop
provides a special means for loving one’s
neighbor.
Obedience is the third means given to the
diocesan priest to deepen his spirituality. “The
Son of Man came not to be served but to serve
and to give this life as a ransom for many.”
(Matt. 20:28) So too the diocesan priest
through obedience to the Lord, the church, and
his bishop is constantly reminded of his basic
orientation to the Lord and his neighbor. The
priest’s effectiveness as a spiritual leader will be
dependent upon the Holy Spirit’s life within
him. The Holy Spirit, however, works through
the Body of Christ for the Body of Christ.
Therefore it is imperative that the priest be
spirited so as to teach Christ’s message rather
than his own message.
The fourth means for sanctification for the
priest comes through his work of preaching,
teaching, and administering the sacraments. By
serving the people of God, the priest grows in
holiness.
A priest who works at loving his creator and
his neighbor by using the powerful means of
poverty, celibacy, obedience, and service to
God’s people should grow more fully into a
man of prayer. He will gradually realize that he
is never alone because the Father is with him.
(John 16:32) He will see more clearly his role
to unify. (John 17:21) In essence he will
inevitably externalize through his appearance,
actions, and life-style the fruition of his
spirituality.
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Cheerfulness
Rev. James Wilmes
The people who somehow manage to be
cheerful and turn a happy face on a none-too
cheerful world these days are public
benefactors and they should know it! They
carry a torch and light things up. They dispel
the shadows of our own making. They tell the
downcast to believe in themselves more, and
more in their fellowman.
Best of all, they give all who come within the
warmth of their personalities a feeling of
greater strength, greater ability to handle the
difficulties they face. This is the one sure effect
of cheerfulness: more self-confidence, more
courage. Are you not drawn irresistably to
those who come smiling? who bear good news?
who laughingly refer to their own troubles and
problems as pinpricks in an otherwise exciting
world? The answer is “YES.”
On the other hand, are we not all repelled by
whining, pessimistic people whose stock in
trade is hard luck stories and dire predictions?
Again, the answer is yes. The cynic, the
pessimist, makes everybody uncomfortable.
They take the heart out of others, rendering
themselves helpless to help even themselves.
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It is a devastating feeling, and normal people
dread it, and avoid those responsible for it.
If that is the way we humans are,
psychologically, how foolish it is for us to go
through the day with sour faces, nursing a
grudge, weeping on the nearest shoulder! Carry
a torch of good cheer youself and you’ll find it
not only lights the way for others, but illumines
your own as you see their apathy change to
good cheer.
RESOLUTION: If you see someone without
a smile, give him yours. Act against depressing
moods: refuse to ever pity yourself. Think, talk
and smile and you’ll begin to feel better inside.
SCRIPTURE: Jesus said, “When you fast, do
not look gloomy.” Mt. 6,16. Paul said to the
sailors, “For 14 days you have fasted. We will
not shipwreck. Eat.” He took bread and gave
thanks and ate. Then all became more cheerful
and took food themselves. Acts 27,36.
PRAYER: Lord, help me smile often so that
others will smile, and soon there be miles and
miles of smiles. Amen.