Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

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, FAX: (912) 238-2339 E-mail: DClark5735@aol.com 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