Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, November 2, 2000
The Southern Cross, Page 4
Open Wide the Doors to Christ
By Father Michael H. Smith
his saying, “Open Wide the Doors to
Christ,” chosen for our celebration of the
Jubilee year, captured my imagination: “Yes, I
want to, but how?” Every All Saints Day the
Gospel proclaimed is the eight Beatitudes. Last
year at this time I had the very clear sense that
each one of them is a key that opens our lives to
Christ and all that he has promised. I would like
to explore this with you in a four-part series,
leading up to November 29, the day when
Bishop Boland will reopen the doors of our
Cathedral to celebrate its 100th birthday and the
150th anniversary of the founding of our
Diocese.
Each of the first three beatitudes is a key to
that initial but ongoing openness that allows
Jesus Christ to enter our lives, be welcomed, and
at home. I will try to identify more concretely
each of these blessed attitudes that open us to
receive God and inherit his promises, and its
opposite. Then pose a question to help us reflect
whether this attitude is ours, or not?
The Poor in Spirit are those who are at ease
acknowledging their need for God, for help from
outside themselves, those who have become
comfortable with their dependence. This is the
foundational step in the very effective 12 step
process to enable people to cope with addictions.
Being “independently wealthy” and able to satis
fy all my needs and desires seems to be the
opposite of being “poor in spirit.” But one might
wonder if this is not a secretly cherished hope
for most in our society. For that great majority
who are not independently wealthy, an insatiable
greed for more and more material security is an
available substitute. Where am I? How easy is it
for me to ask others for help?
Those Who Mourn are those able to let their
hearts be deeply touched, sometimes truly bro
ken, by their losses—most of all of those deeply
loved, but also of jobs both needed and cared
about, of health, or money, or a long treasured
home or even a pet. Those who mourn are not
stoic, trying to cut their losses, but truly sad and
grieving what was deeply desired and appreciat
ed, but now gone, lost. Jesus grieved over the
fate of his people and their Holy City. Each day
we are confronted visually with tragic happen
ings all over the world. How readily do you shed
a tear?
The Meek are the lowly and humble who rec
ognize they have little under control and much
they do not know or understand, and so are
ready to listen and learn, to be gentle and recep
tive to others: both to God and to other humans.
Sometimes our most gifted scientists have found
themselves in awe of what they have discovered
and stand humble before how much they know
they do not know. The opposite is the arrogant
person, who always knows it all, and who must
always be in control, and so is very prone to be
abusive, violent, oppressive, who must rape and
ravage the earth and all that is in it. How easy is
it for you to really listen and take to heart, as
Moses did those famous Ten Words he heard
from God on Sinai (see Numbers 12:3)?
Notice how being poor, mourning or meek-
all touch into an emptiness or a vulnerability
that is simply the truth about our human condi
tion. We are created from nothing. We are only
what we have been given. Thus to be open to
receive is the beginning, is that fundamental atti
tude, which enables us to be blessed.
Father Michael H. Smith is pastor of Holy
Redeemer, McRae, and Saint Mark,
Eastman.
601 E. Liberty St.
Savannah, GA 31401-5196
ore on chewing gum in Church
Dear Editor:
I would like to comment on the letter
“Chewing Gum in Church” by LaVeme South,
Jr., in the 26 October issue of The Southern
Cross.
Right on! Add to the “hands in pockets” guy,
the one who takes the host in his hands, whirls
around and then pops the host into his mouth
on the way back to his pew. You might also
include those who bring the gifts forward in
attire that is more suitable for the baseball park.
And, the male “extraordinary ministers” who
do not bother to even wear a tie, let alone a
coat. The same can be said of many ushers.
But let’s not put all the blame on the individ
ual. A few days before the subject letter
appeared, our youngest daughter (43 this
month) wrote to say that she had just discov
ered in the Catholic newspaper, The Wanderer,
an article explaining what the term “Real
Presence” meant!! She never knew that the
Church teaches that what we see as bread and
wine is in truth the Body and Blood of Christ!
So much for the CCD of the late ’60s and early
’70s. My wife and I accept part of the blame as
well. We just never thought to check on some
thing that, to us, was so basic!
In my early days as a convert it didn’t matter
too much if my instruction had been faulty. The
much maligned (today) Latin Mass never left
Letters
me in doubt. As I followed the priest in my
pocket missal, I came to the consecration of the
bread and the priest’s words, “For this is My
Body”.
A footnote told me that “Instantly the sub
stance of the bread is gone; it is changed into
Jesus Christ, true God, true Man. The person of
the priest recedes. It is Christ who speaks
through the lips of the priest and offers Himself
in the hands of the priest to His Father for our-
sakes.” The bell then rang, not just once but
three times! At that point my missal directed
me to “Look at the Sacred Host and devoutly
say: ‘My Lord and my God’.” You may note
that pronouns referring to the Godhead were
capitalized, another small item lost to us today.
Strangely, today’s missals, from the paper
back seasonal ones found in some church pews
to the elaborate, 2000+ page, “Daily Roman
Missal” don’t bother to even mention these
“details”. No wonder we see what we are see
ing in our churches today! If the people don’t
know what happens at the consecration, then,
of course, they are going be somewhat less than
reverent in behavior as well as dress.
How many Catholics today know why the
candle bums in the sanctuary? If their church
has that old-fashioned “Benediction of the
Blessed Sacrament”, how many of them really
know what all the fuss is about?
Even more elementary, how many, today,
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know to Whom they genuflect on entering the
pew? If He can be found in that church, of
course.
What to do about this lamentable lack of
basic knowledge? We don’t have missals that
tell it like it is anymore. Instruction outside
Mass reaches only a few and those few are usu
ally the most knowledgeable.
Therefore, it is strongly recommended that
(1), we have a course of instmction in all the
churches of the diocese in the basic tenets of
the Catholic Church, and (2), the instmction be
given from the pulpit or whatever it is called
these days.
William C. Scholly
Evans
Dear Editor:
Please let me take a moment this morning to
thank you for including the pictures from our
“Summer Program” in the October 5 issue of
The Southern Cross. We are grateful for your
kindness in helping us spread the word
throughout the Diocese about our ministry at
Saint Mary’s Home. Our prayers are with you.
May God bless you!
Sister M. Alvin Seubott
Administratior
Saint Mary s Home
Savannah