Newspaper Page Text
The Southern Cross, Page 4
Thursday, November 16, 2000
Open Wide the Doors to Christ
By Father Michael H. Smith
ur needs prompt us to open the door and
humbly welcome Jesus the Savior into our
lives. Sometimes suddenly and dramatically, but
more often little by little over time, Christ the
Lord takes hold of how we think, what we do,
and shapes the way we relate to others. As our
hearts are purified of selfishness and worldly
desires, we become able to say with Saint Paul,
“It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives
in me. The life I live now in the flesh, I live by
faith in the Son of God” (<Galatians 2:20).
This life of faith and the deep peace it brings,
“that peace which the world cannot give,” is
meant for all people everywhere. The Peace
makers and the Persecuted are those committed
to help open doors—in individuals, communi
ties, nations, the whole world—that the Lord
Christ may enter bearing the promised peace.
The Peacemakers: are those who actively,
with determination yet patience, strive to open
others to find the peace of Christ within them
selves, but also at every level of our relation
ships, one to another, and to our God. As a
young Southerner, I began to wonder why our
maid, Bertha, did not join us at table. Much
later, as a university student during the civil
rights movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King,
I found the door finally opening for this to hap
pen. These doors opened so wide that I found
myself serving as pastor in the Black communi
ty, and came to identify with their struggle. My
mother Anna’s first great-grandchild and name
sake was bom of an interracial marriage. I have
a photo on my dining table of these two
Annas—one 88, the other 2—in bed happily
talking together. It continues to give me hope
when I wonder if other doors can ever open. The
Peacemakers are those eagerly about their
Father's business of helping God's children
know, understand, accept, love and leam to
treasure and enjoy each other.
Those Persecuted for Justice’s Sake: Peace
can unexpectedly grow up among new people in
new places and ways. But often much pain and
suffering, even dying, accompany this new birth.
We must be willing to drink the cup, to savor the
taste of that new wine God has prepared. Recent
months have seen the beginning of reconcilia
tion between the long-divided North and South
Korea. The Catholic president of South Korea
was presented this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for
playing a significant role in bringing this about.
President Kim Dae Jung wrote: “All my hard tri
als experienced in the past—imprisonment, fre
quent detention, torture and forced exiles—hap
pened in the process of God's redemptive work,
and in that sense I have also participated in
God’s salvation project.” He asked that the
award be shared with all the victims of South
Korea’s authoritarian regimes. In truth he has
become a light for the world, salt for the earth.
The opposite of the Peacemakers and the
Persecuted are the contented and comfortable,
who have what they want and care little or noth
ing about actively seeking to better the lives of
others. Somehow this attitude is symbolized for
me in our new gated subdivisions of very
impressive homes and elegant gardens which
seem to say: “Keep Out! Leave us Alone.” For
whom and for what will I stick out my neck,
take a risk? Am I willing to sacrifice and suffer,
really put myself out, to better the life of others?
Father Michael H. Smith is pastor of
Holy Redeemer, McRae, and Saint Mark,
Eastman. This is the third in a series of
four articles.
The Catholic Campaign for Human Development
By Sister Jackie Griffith, SSJ
n opening the doors to Christ in a
special way on January 1, 2000,
which he also designated as the
World Day of Peace, our Holy Fa
ther, Pope John Paul II, called on us
to recognize the structural barriers to
full human development faced by so
many poor people in our own coun
try. He said: “At the beginning of a
new century, the one issue which
most challenges our human and
Christian consciences is the poverty
of countless millions of men and
women. This situation becomes all
the more tragic when we realize that
the major economic problems of our
time do not depend on a lack of
resources but on the fact that present
economic, social and cultural struc
tures are ill-equipped to meet the
demands of genuine development.”
Through its mandate of “helping
people help themselves,” the
Catholic Campaign for Human
Development supports “genuine
development” for millions of people
who have been stuck in what Pope
Paul VI described as the “hellish
circle of poverty.” We are coming to
the end of this Jubilee Year—a time
designated by Pope John Paul II for
Catholics to promote justice and to
remove those structural causes of
poverty: lack of education, jobs,
housing and opportunity.
This year, our diocese was recog
nized by the National Catholic Cam
paign for Human Development for
its strong support of the Catholic
Campaign’s anti-poverty mission
and for increasing the annual CCHD
parish appeal. In November of 1999,
we collected $44,553.00, a $6,000
increase over 1998.
Twenty-five percent of the dioce
san collection remains in our dio
cese for local anti-poverty pro
grams. This year we funded two
projects in Albany. Neighbors in
Need, an outreach center for Saint
Teresa’s Parish, began a “Grand
parenting Program” with seed
money from CCHD. Their program
convenes grandparents in the com
munity raising grandchildren pro
viding information on resources in
the area and a supportive environ
ment for those in need. Saint Clare’s
Center, an outreach program for
Saint Teresa Parish and the
Franciscan Sisters received a grant
for educational materials to begin
teaching the English Language to
new immigrants in the area.
In Savannah, “Kids Cafe” aids
families in their fight against pover
ty and poor educational attainment
by their provision of meals to at risk
inner city children. ACTS, Inc. is an
ecumenical outreach program in
Statesboro. Saint Matthew’s Parish
plays an active role in the delivery
of services to those in need.
BROTHERS in Savannah, a project
begun by the late Deacon Frank
Mathis continues to provide support
to single parents raising young
African American men.
For information about the dioce
san and national CCHD application,
guidelines and timelines, please call
the Diocesan Office of Catholic
Social Services, 912-238-2320.
Please give generously in the col
lection in November 18-19, 2000.
Sister Jackie Griffith is
Diocesan Director of Catholic
Social Services
Letters
FAX: (912) 238-2339
E-mail:
601 E. Liberty St.
Savannah, GA
31401-5196
On behavior in Church
Dear Editor:
I am disturbed by the overt hos
tile tone of the letters written by
William C. Scholly and Nick I.
Quintana concerning behavior in
Church. The initial emotions that
the letters elicited from me were
those of indignation and defensive
ness, hence provoking me to re
spond. I do not feel that anything
done in good faith and nature such
as praising the Lord our God in a
communal setting with people of
similar beliefs should ever be ad
monished because of not following
some set of written rules. Rather I
think we should celebrate the fact
that we all know and believe in the
DClark5735@aol.com
love of our God so much that we
feel compelled to come together to
celebrate and share in receiving
him into our lives. I do acknowl
edge the importance of discipline in
the church and in our personal
lives, but as a parent and a Catho
lic, the most important lesson I
want to teach my child is to re
spect, love and nurture others as
Jesus would have done; not to in
sult people by labeling them as
ignorant, socially and politically
motivated in their relationship with
the Church and God, and untrue to
their hearts. That is not what I think
Jesus would have done.
Andrea Morin
Savannah