Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4
GEORGIA BULLETIN,
THURSDAY APRIL 11, 1963
the
Archdiocese of Atlanta
GEORGIA BULLETIN
SERVING GEORGIA S 71 NORTHERN COUNTIES
Official Organ of the Archdiocese of Atlanta
Published Every Week at the Decatur Dekalb News
PUBLISHER - Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan
MANAGING EDITOR Gerard E. Sherry CONSULTING EDITOR Rev. R. Donald Kiernan
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Sue Spence
Member of the Catholic Press Association
and Subscriber to N.C.W.C. News Service
Telephone 231-1281 U.S.A. $5.00
Canada $5.50
Foreign $6.50
Second Class Permit at Decatur, Georgia
2699 Peachtree N.E.
P.O. Box 11667
Northside Station
Atlanta 5, Ga.
Easter 1963
What would you think, if you
buried a good friend on Friday
and suddenly he stood before you
after supper on Sunday ? You
would think that you were seeing
a ghost. So did the Apostles.
Good Friday was all horror
but for this reason it passed
quickly.
Holy Saturday was agonizingly
slow, but apparently safe.
Easter Sunday brought fear.
The missing body -• the empty
tomb would lead to reprisals by
the police -- the wild babbling
of the women merely snapped
over taut nerves. Huddle toget
her in a rented room only be
cause to be alone heightens the
fear. Eat supper, if only from
mechanical habit or because the
strings of a shattered existence
must be picked up sometime.
Then suddenly, after supper,
He is there. Not brutally bruised
and scarred, not pallid and life
less, but luminously alive. He is
there. No door opens, but sud
denly He is there, in the room
with them.
Of course they thought they
were seeing a ghost. What else
could frail human minds think?
But He showed them His hands
and His feet -- ghosts have no
flesh, nor bones. He ate their
food, some fish and honey even
shared some of it with them --
ghosts eat no food. Then they
knew that it was the Lord. And
their joy was exceedingly great.
The gall of the apostles’bitter
ness became the guage of their
joy; the darkness of their fear
became the measure of their hap
piness; the depth of their des
pair set the height of their con
fidence.
Their Jesus, beloved Teacher
and inspiring Leader, had con
quered death--but evenmore im
portant, He had returned to them.
The little flock, scattered by de
feat, was gathered again around
the Shepherd. From here on out
there is no need for fear, for
timidity, for uncertainty. From
this moment on, this fact “He
lives,” --will be the clear spring
from which they will draw se
rene confidence. The only thing
for them to do is to spend their
lives being witnesses to this fact,
spreading the good news to the
whole world. This will be the bur
den of The Apostles’ preaching:
“He died, but now He lives
again.”
He had preached paradox and
parable, and it was difficult at
times to follow Him. At times
it was impossible to believe that
He was serious. His orders were
just the opposite of the world’s
ideals; Blessed are the poor in
spirit--the pure in heart--the
peace makers. Only the eyes of
needles for the rich--implied
contempt for the fighters--and
pity for the lustful. But in the
light of this fact-- “He died,
but now He lives”--it is ob
vious that it was the world that
was crazy, and He alone who was
sane. The world was topsy-turvy,
and He walks, right side up.
A new vision had to flow from
this fact.
Illumined by the light of this
tremendous victory over death,
The Apostles would go out and
preach liberation. Freedom from
blind chance--freedom in the
hands of a loving and provident
Father--freedom from the need
of wealth,--because one can now
make free with God’s treasures,
which are rustless and moth
proof--freedom from the chains
of the flesh, because we live by
the Spirit.
The Apostles challenged the
Roman Empire -- and established
paganism --and the encrusted
habits of ages. They had the aud
acity to tell men that Caesar
is no god, that the State is
not the end all and the be all.
They had the nerve to overthrow
idols, so that men could worship
in Spirit and in Truth. They made
bold to challenge the fundamental
assumptions of their time and
their society.
They challenged. And they died.
But they also won. Where is Im
perial Rome today? Where is the
old paganism today? Where are
those ancient habits?
Where also is their victory?
Each generation of apostles must
come to grips with this fact--
that He died,--was buried --but
also rose again from the grave.
The Peters, the Johns and the
Andrews of each gene ration must
realize that it is their Lord.
We must break through the veneer
of routine--the many coatings of
repetition--and come back to the
freshness of that startling fact--
He died, but now He lives. In
1963 we must discover this
radical liberation. In 1963 our
joy must be exceedingly great.
In 1963 we must be witnesses
to THE fact.
The world of today is as much
enslaved as it was then. Tyranny
is the rule. Idolatry may be more
subtle, but this only makes it
worse. Habits still dominate.
Liberation can come only through
Christ, preached by the witnesses
of His Resurrection. In His Light
we must see our world as it
really is--we must judge it by
the same paradoxes that He
preached.
Someone must stand up and
tell the world that it is all wrong
Continued On Page 5
’ .-*/• ’ ‘ •jjf' *. , T • ' •* v rf 5 *,* .v * y
" ■ v* • -v- >v •
HOPE
BIRTH CONTROL
Personal Morality
BY REV. LEONARD F. X. MAYHEW
Understandably, one hesitates to discuss
publicly delicate questions of personal morality.
This is particularly true regarding the number
one problem of marital morality - birth con
trol - as it affects sincere Catholics. And yet,
compassion and a sense of obligation compel
us to realize that continued reticence will only
augment confusion and real anguish. Ironically
enough, it is the conscientious, those who sin
cerely desire to abide by the moral law, who
suffer most intensely from any ambiquity. The
lax and the callous do not
expose themselves to the con
flict between *the pressures
of everyday life and the dic
tates of right reason and moral
authority.
In terms of the number
of individuals concerned, in
terms of the stakes involved
- the salvation of souls, the
well-being of marriages,
families and society - this particular problem
of marital morality must be ranked as fore
most for the Church. Facing this fact is the
first step toward dealing intelligently with the
very real crises it creates. A recent theologi
cal treatise on marital morality states it in this
way: “The most serious problem posed by con
jugal chastity is without doubt the dilemma with
which a large number of spouses will one day
be confronted: the obligation of choosing between
the burdens of fertility and the rigors of
continence." (The Theology of Sex in Marriage,
Daniel Planque, Fides Publishers.)
For countless Catholic households the need to
set a limit on fertility is the occasion of a
genuine crisis of conscience. The categories
of reasons which may dictate such a necessity
are familiar enough. There are often potential
threats to the life or health of the mother which
it would be seriously imprudent to ignore. It
would be willful to limit this consideration only
to physical problems and to exclude the equally
LITURGICAL WEEK
real psychical and emotional distress which so
frequently results from family tensions. As the
costs of daily living and adequate education
continue to squeeze those in middle and lower
income groups, more and more conflicts arise
between the legitimate aspriations of parents
for their children and the demands of continued
fertility. Pope Pius XII listed as well "eugenic
and social" causes which could dictate a morally
justified "regulation" of fertility. Even for those
married couples who are physiologically able to
use the rhythm method with a reasonable de
gree of security (and infinitely more so for the
many who are not) the occurrence of such a
situation demands a serious and painful de
cision. If we translate the abstract statement
of the problem into terms of real concern and
the strain placed upon the always delicate inter
personal relationship of the spouses, we begin
to see the true dimensions of the dilemma.
The first thing owed to those who must cope
with such a dilemma is understanding.
Besides understanding, there are other forms
which aid to such marriages may take. An in
tense effort to broaden and deepen the under
standing of marriage - both in the preparation
of the young in our schools and parishes and
in counselling those already married - could
be a powerful weapon for the many who must
face this dilemma now and in the future. Marri
age is a state entered in to not only by indivi
duals subject to a social purpose but also by
persons divinely destined to seek and achieve
their own particular fulfillment. Married love
and livine ought to contribute to the many ends
represented by this feality. A balanced under
standing of these co-ordinate ends of marriage
should inform every level of the union of husband
and wife, including the sexual. Such a view will
produce an attitude toward fertility and the use
of marriage that is moral in the strictest sense,
that is, governed by reason and will, disciplined,
moderate, proportioned to its purposes. Such
an attitude in the married - and instilled in
the young before their marriage - will offer
far firmer ground for solving the problem almost
all will face.
Sacrament Of Our Salvation
BY FR. ROBERT W. HOVDA
(Priest of the Pittsburgh Oratory)
APRIL 14 EASTER DAY. The night that in
troduces that day is for the Christian a sacra
ment of his salvation. Primitive symbolism of
fire and light and water and food; the recounting
in word and song and ceremony of the purpose
of existence as God has revealed it; the rites
of Baptism and the Eucharist by which Jesus
Christ shares with us a full human participation
in that purposefulness and meaningfulness—these
are the chief constituents of the Easter Vigil,
the year's great central service of Catholic public
worship.
The meaning of Christ, His coming, His teach
ing , His death, His Resurrection, His sharing
His life with us in Church and sacrament through
faith—all this illumines our minds and sparks
our wills to a renewal of commitment. A com
mitment we pledge by repeating the sacred words
of our baptismal promises, "We do believe."
Believing, we find our secure place both in
God's love and in the history of the human race.
We rejoice that we are being built up in Christ,
"putting on" Christ, toward an ultimate realizat
ion of the kingdom of God. And the later morning
Mass echoes the same joy and triumph, the same
unconquerable hope.
APRIL 15 EASTER MONDAY. The First Re
ading of today's Mass is Peter's classic ex
ample of Christian preaching, from Acts. What
is a sermon but a proclamation of the events
we have just celebrated? So Word and Sacrament
go together in the Catholic view. The Word and
the truimphant Lord in sacred reading and preach
ing. We see Him also in the sacred act, the Sacra
ment, as they did at Emmaus "when he broke
bread" (Gospel).
APRIL 16 EASTER TUES
DAY. The liturgy of this week
sings with the "Evangel" —
the good news. Today we hear
Paul's preaching in the First
Reading and the Gospel again
points to the deeply significant
fact of Jesus' sharing a meal
with His disciples. Entrance,
Gradual, Offertory and Com
munion hymns all have special
reference to the newly baptized members of the
Church, for whom we pray in the Collect.
APRIL 17 EASTER WEDNESDAY. Collector
"Opening Prayer"), Secret and Postcommunion
are three important prayers unique to each day's
Mass which the community makes its own by
its "Amen." The first is an expression of what
the Christian people ask of th e Father as they
gather for worship.
The second is prayed over their gifts as the
gifts have been prepared on the altar for the
action of Christ. And the last is the assembly's
joint thanksgiving and request for the Father's
constant assistance. Look at today's Secret:
“In Easter happiness, Lord, we offer this sacrifice
in which your Church so wonderfully finds her
food and growth."
APRIL 18 EASTER THURSDAY. We sing in
the Alleluia verse: "Christ has risen; the world's
Creator has had pity on mankind." Mary weeps
before the tomb, until she sees the risen Christ
(Gospel). The liturgy makes it clear that Jesus’
rising again, His victory over death, is every-
man’s rising and everyman's victory.
APRIL 19 EASTER FRIDAY, "i am with you
all through the days that are coming," is the
Lord's promise as He solemnly charges His
apostles with His mission (Gospel). The mission
is to make disciples (of Jesus) through Baptism
(in Jesus). He is the mediator, the one Priest.
And every Christian act of worship, public or
Private, is in Him and through Him and with
Him.
APRIL 20 EASTER SATURDAY. "You are a
chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated
nation" (First Reading). All of our worship
is in Christ and is therefore acceptable to the
Father, but our participation is real, we do
share in it. For we are a priestly people,
sharing not only His life, grace, but also His
mark of priesthood (character). The communion
hymn sings: "...you have put on Christ as a gar
ment."
TOPPLING SPLENDOR
Did Isiah
Foresee
BY GERARD E SHERRY
Did the prophet Isiah foresee our twentieth
century with its toppling material splendor, with
its world-wide terrors, and its back yard fallout
shelters? Quite certainly he did not. But his
inspired words, written in the eighth century
before Christ, are ominously applicable to the
conditions of this age:
“A land full of silver and gold, with no end
to its treasures... where men worship the devices
their own hands have made... See where the Lord
comes, in all his
terrors, in all the
glory of his ma
jesty; take refuge,
now, in some rock-
carven, hide thee
in some pit I Now in
deed man's haughty
looks must fall to
earth, human pride
must be abated; no
room for any greatness but the Lord's when
that day comes." (Isiah , 7-11).
REAPINGS
AT
RANDOM.
It is discourgingly evident that much of the
modern would is no more hungry for God than
were the corrupt rulers of Judah and their pag
anized subjects at the time of the prophet Is
aiah. Now as then, "Men worship the devices
their own hands have made." They place their
trust in missies and satellites, looking for
salvation from policy decisions, treaties, and
summit conferences.
These things are good and have their place,*
but they are not enough. We must convince dtir-
selves how much we need Christ.
■ J
For die soul must be hungry for God befo£
it can profit from Christ's birth and deaths
just as the body must be hungry for foot if
it is to receive its full share of nourishment
from a meal. (A weak, starving than in the
desert can actually live on a few nuts, ome'
dried fruit, and water. But taken after a ban
quet dinner the same food might as w<d not
be eaten, for die little good it does to the sated
and well-fed.)
Christ’s birth is for admiring the woder and
goodness of God. His death is for assesing the
poverty and need of mankind.
Isaiah Ben Amoz condemned thf people of
his time because they continued to j»ce their
trust in "devices their own hands -tad made,”
confident in themselves and in their wn political
and military skills. He did not ^pose use of
arms and of man-made alliances; tit he insisted
that men must also acknowledge neir total de
pendence on Yahweh, humbly ask*g Him to pro
tect their nation and bless tl*ir endeavors.
For without His protection and bussing there can
be no true and lasting peace.
The angels who announced <*e birth of Christ
to the shepherds carried much the same message
when they sang: "Glory uyGod in the highest
and on earth peace to men ofgood will."
Isaiah's Inspired vision, as it applies to our
own times, reminds us thatno nation —no matter
how powerful, no matter »ow "full of silver and
gold" — can survive if it refuses to bow low
before its God and wo^Wp Him alone. If its
citizens trust in themsaves rather than in their
Creator, then their "fciughty looks must fall to
earth, and human pride mist be abated."
It is human pride vhich has resulted in our
current era of secuarism: in which we have
come to idoliz* mankind and its achievements,
The atheistic naterialist’s slogan that religion
"Is the opium of the people" has been adopted
in many sections erf our so-called respectable
society. Bel.ef in God and love of God have
degenerated to the status of cliches. Modem
man is more impressed with his own omni
potence. i
f ’
Humility and meekness is literally for the mild.
The so-called strong see only pride and covert
ness as the end product of their life. The "or-
ganizatioml man" and the "status seekers" are
the symbols of our success. The world is drifting
towards nental and physical emptiness. Many
of us are discovering, far too late, that the
Hereafter is the only reality which must be faced.
This :ime of crisis is a time of meditation
and preparation; a meditation on the fact that
time is short for what God wants us to do;
a timely preparation for us to carry out our
Baptismal vows; for the judgement is at hand.
It is a somber reflection of our utter dependence
upon God. We can grasp the opportunities pre
sented or we can reject them. Either way, the
responsibility is ours.
j
In this twentieth century we must find an easier
way and a more effective road to humility than
that erf being forced to "take refuge, now, in some
rock-carven, (or hide) in some pitl" May we
find our way back to God's will and God's law
without waiting for it to be imposed upon us
•s we crouch terrified in back yard fallout
shelters, cowering beneath the radioactive cloud
of our own proud folly*
World crisis is a time for Grace, a time of
preparation in which man is led to deepen his
awareness of how much he needs Christ. May
it lead us to sharpen the edge of our hunger
for the Grace of Christ, that, hungering for the
things that are above, we may be nourished in
deed by His gift of Himself at His birth.Hls
death at the Cross, and his Resurrection.