Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

PAGE 4 GEORGIA BULLETIN THURSDAY AUGUST 15, 1963 DR. ANNIS 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 Published by Archbishop Paul J. Hallinan Printed at Decatur, Ga. 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 2699 Peachtree N.E, P.O. Box 11667 Northside Station Atlanta 5, Ga. U.S.A. $5.00 Canada $5.50 Foreign $6.50 Application to mail at Second Class Postage Rates is pending at Atlanta, Ga. Viet Intolerance Propagation Thanks not be held responsible for those of President Kennedy. It is obvious that the Budd hists have some genuine griev ances against the Diem regime. So have Vietnam Catholics, Pro testants, and Moslems. It should be possible for Vietnam to solve this crisis without religious war fare being artificially stimulated by excessive comments here or elsewhere. As usual, the perennial agit ator against the Church, Prot- estantsi* and other Americans United for the Separation of Ch urch and State (POAU) stepped into the fray. A self-righteous letter from Stanley Lowell, its associate director, to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, protested a denial of “the most elemental religious liberties” in South Vietnam. Alas, Mr. Lowell’s pro test would have had the ring of sincerity, had he also protested Buddhist Government hindrance of Catholic and other Christian activities in Ceylon; and the al most complete suppression of Catholic and other Christianact- vity by the Moslem Government of the Sudan. We cannot condone any ex cesses in Vietnam. But we should not apply double standards. If there is a case to be made for the Buddhists in South Vietnam, then there is surely a case to be made for Christians in Cey» Ion and the Sudan. Yet neither the POAU nor the New York Times seem to be prepared to go to bat for these Christian minorities. Where is their objectivity? is ever present in our people points the way to, and assures, greater spiritual as well as mat erial progress in the future. The Propagation of the Faith is a project dear to the heart of Pope Paul VI. Its all embrac ing purpose transcends national boundaries. We are all propaga tors of the Faith. Back To Essentials Of The THEY TRIED RELIGION TO DEFEAT ME TOO CRITICAL ELEMENT The debate in this country over alleged persecution of the Budd hist majority in Vietnam has ach ieved nothing constructive. In deed, it has generated an incre ase in religious tension at a time when Ecumenism was thought to be on the rise. The trouble, is, the majority of those participating in the de bate are persons or groups who are always willing to picture the Catholic Church as a monolith bent on assuming domination of civic society. The fact that Pre sident Ngo Dinh Diem of Viet nam is a Catholic and that the Buddhists are opposed to him is sufficient for some to accept the charges that Buddhists are be ing oppressed The lack of objectivity in this matter by some national news papers -- notably the New York Times -- has not helped. It is being charged that the president of Vietnam has surrounded him self with a small group of fellow Catholics, including his brother, who is an Archbishop, and is trying to impose Catholicism on the Buddhist majority, there by depriving them of religious freedom. What is being lost in the heat of this debate is that the pro blem in Vietnam is basically pol itical. Religion is only a by product of the Buddhist fight for more freedom from an Authori tarian Regime. The fact that the Vietmanese president is a Cath olic has little, if anything, to do with the problem. The Church cannot be held responsible for his political actions, just as it can- Catholics in Atlanta can indeed be proud of their contributions to the support of the works of the Church. Though small in number, in a vast missionary territory, they have achieved .many notable successes in the building of new parishes and schools. Further more, they have not forgotten the needs of the Church in other ar eas, including the foreign miss ions. The generosity of our Catholic peopLe is brought home in a spe cial way through the publication of the Annual Report of the Soc iety for the Propagation of the Faith. This Report shows that contributions from the archdio cese to this annual collection in creased almost 400 percent over the previous year. When one con siders the many other pressing local needs which are also being met, it becomes a most notable achievement. This universal, and there fore truly Catholic concern for the less fortunate priests and people in the missions abroad manifests in a ve ry practical way the deep spiritual kinship we have with one another. It is all the more worthy of prayerful commendation be cause greater support has been given to the Propagation of the Faith without neglecting the ever present needs of the Churchhere in northern Georgia, The spirit of sacrifice and generosity that By REV. ROBERT W. HOVDA AUGUST 18, ELEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. Our public worship, especially the lessons and prayers and hymns of Mass, calls us back again and again (no matter how we stray) to the essentials of the good news of Jesus Christ. Today’s First Reading, one of the biblical sum maries of apostolic preaching, is a specific illus tration of what the whole liturgy does day in and day out. This is the secret of Christ’s healing power (Gospel) as it is manifested in the liturgy. Through the liturgy He offers a Word, a mes sage, from the sphere of health and fulfillment and wholeness (holiness)—from God. It is a profoundly simple message, which stands in judg ment on its preachers. The priest in the pulpit interprets it, yes, echoes it in our language and in terms of our concerns. But he is not its master, nor does he have the right to dilute it with much philosophizing. MONDAY, AUGUST 19, ST. JOHN EUDES, CONFESSOR. "Blessed are those servants” (Gospel)—the watchful ones, the vigilant, those attentive to the Word, One cannot help but think, on this opening day in Philadel phia of America's annual Litur gical Week, of the laymen and bishops and popes and priests of this century who have la- Assumption BY FR. LEONARD F. X. MAYHEW Today August 15 we celebrate the great fest ival of Mary’s bodily assumption into heaven at the end of her earthly life. In the course of the liturgical cycle this feast holds a position of importance. We can conclude, therefore, that, in the mind of the Church, there is some critical element of Christian life expressed here for the confirming of our spiritual growth. In its signi- fiance, this central feast of Mary parallels the feast of Our Lord’s Transfiguration, which we observed a short time ago on August 6. What Christ did for the apostles on Mount Tabor by the miracle of bodily revealing his glory', he does for us now through the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is a feast of firm hope. THE TRANSFIGURATION occurred not too long before the passion and death of Christ. He realized to what a drastic degree the faith of the apostles would be tested when they saw the horror of his death and apparent defeat at the hands of his enemies. For this reason, he took chief apostles with him to Mount Tabor and gave them sure proof that, even through the humiliation of his death, divine power was still in him and was working toward its own ends. The vision of his glory, although it was trans ient, was intended to reassure them, through the dark days of Holy Week, of his divine Sonship and ultimate glory. He made his motivation clear by following the vision immediately with a pro phecy of his death and resurrection. (Matthew 17:1 - 10) THE ASSUMPTION of Mary bears precisely the same relationship to us as the Transfiguration did to the apostles. Our faith faces daily tests. Frequently the most dangerous tests are the most subtle, the ones of which we are least aware. Faith tells us that what is most real in our lives is grace and that what is most impor- LITURGICAL WEEK bored to wake us up to the meaning and impor tance of our public worship. Habit is still strong in us. St. Paul would call it the "life of nature.” But if any of us are prepared to accept those principles of worship which the Council has al ready overwhelmingly endorsed, we owe much to these leaders. TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, ST. BERNARD, AB BOT, DOCTOR. The Liturgical Week and the Con ference which sponsors it have long been a light in the darkness of an excessively formal, remote, cold, clerical and unattractive practice of Catho lic public worship. Now that the Ecumenical Coun cil has put this light "upon the lamp-stand,” perhaps all of us "in the house” (Gospel) the Church will begin to benefit. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21, ST. JANE FRAN CES DE CHANTAL, WIDOW. The power of God’s grace in human life—that power so evident in the tests of today’s Mass— depends on such provin- dential instruments as the sacramental public worship of holy Church. If man and woman can be "divinized,” as our common prayer affirms, whatever opens us up to the work of Jesus in the sacraments, to full un derstanding of, and participation in, His sacra mental deeds, is a work of unparalleled impor tance. Let us pray today for the Liturgical Week and all similar meetings and efforts. Is Important tant is the love of God and neighbor which will lead to salvation. In the midst of the struggle for material survival and advantage, it can happen that nothing else will hold the same sense of urgency. In the face of almost ubiquitous tempt ation and the apparent inevitability of sin, grace may seem very unreal and very distant, indeed. What frequently appears most real is the solid material world, the pressures of a secularized • society,* the beckoning of pleasures limited by nothing but price and satiety. The danger is all this is a failure of hope. And the antidote is contained in the mystery of Mary's Assumption. MARY IS one of our own. She is a human being, pure and simple. She is our mother, our sister. This is an essential element of the mystery. What God did for Mary, he has in store for us. Mary’s relationship to the rest of the Mystical Body is to be the exemplar, the "exhibit A”, if you will, of the workings of grace. There is no substantial differece between what grace and salvation mean for Mary and for us. The grace of her Immaculate Conception is the same as the grace of our baptism. The glory of her Assumption is the same glory that awaits us, soul and body, in heaven. The extraordinary man ner in which she has been gifted with these privileges is due to her unique relationship with Christ and with us, the members of his Mystical Body. Mary is literally what we call her in prayer; "our hope.” IT IS the role of hope to focus and direct our activity toward its proper goal. Hope does not create in us a knowledge of the supernatural life. This is the task of faith. Hope instils in us, rather, a sustaining aspiration toward the goal set by God for us through all the dis tracting and demoralizingconflicts that try to draw us aside. Hope is not empty wishing. It is convict ion and determination; conviction that the meaning of life is contained in a happiness beyond this world; determination to direct our free activity toward that end. The feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a reminder of the primary importance of our salvation and a reassurance of our hope. Good News THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, THE IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY. "Let us draw near with confi dence to the throne of grace,” is the refrain of our Entrance Hymn. We universalize the Gospel’s "Behold, thy mother,” because Mary signifies this confidence in a unique way. Her uniqueness does not alter the fact that she is fully and only- human and a sign of what God can do, does do, will do, to human nature. FRIDAY, AUGUST 23, ST. PHILIP BENIZI, CONFESSOR. W hat do we value? W hat do we trea sure? These are the questions prompted by today’s Mass. It is because of our values that good Chris tians are ridiculed and sometimes persecuted (First Reading), It is because of the intangible nature of our treasure (persons; divine and hu man) that well-plucked eyebrows and manicured fingers may be luted. And if our greatest value is a who rather than a what, the sacramental deeds of this same who are worthy of even more than an annual Liturgical Week. They are worth;, of the best possible celebration every Sunday. SATURDAY, AUGUST24, ST. BARTHOLOMEW, APOSTLE. He ”chose twelve” (Gospel). He choos es everyone who comes to Him m love, who re sponds to Hun with faith. The whole Christian community is apriesth people. We are all priests, all made holy by the Lord, all ordained to His service (First Reading). But that we might "do this in memory of me,” the :>acfedministry ulth- in this holy community is also His gift and His will. Medicare Distortion? BY GERARD E. SHERRY Dr. Edward Annis, President of the American Medical Association, recently got himself into hot water for alleging that the Catholic press w as guilty of gross distortion in relation to the A. M. A. stand on Medicare. Dr. Annis, who is a Catholic, singled out Monsignor George G. Higgins, Director of the Social Action Department, National Catholic Wel fare Conference, as one of the great distorters of the A. M. A. position. On being taken to.task by an official of the Catholic Press Association, Dr. Annis denied that his was a blanket con demnation; he also declared that he was misquoted on this in an interview he gave the Camden Diocesan Catholic Newspaper, We often hear of public figures deny ing reports of news paper men. Such peo ple "shoot from the hip” and then, when their comments get them into trouble deny ever having made the remarks. Only the other day, Dr. Annis spoke in Cov ington, Kentucky, and again he equated Adminis tration Medicare proposals with Socialism,. This is where most Catholic editors quarrel with him. Doctors have every right to scrutinize any legis lation which involves them. They also have the right to make constructive alternate proposals. But to label it "Socialism*’ simply because they disagree with it destroys the usefulness of the A. M. A. criticism. PEOPLE like Dr. Annis seem to view this whole thing from their own angle only. The com mon good doesn't appear to enter into their think ing. They simply answer critics with the remark that many doctors already dispense charity to needy cases without regard for fees or anything. This is no doubt true, but the answer is not that simple. Only the other day, I got a letter from a gent leman who had read an A. M. A. article on Medi care in his doctor’s office. He commented that "Most doctors (or does the A. M. A. only speak for a few) have no idea what one serious illness can do for a family. My wife recently was con fined to a hospital for six weeks. Hospitalization took care of less than a quarter of the total cost. Hospital room, physicians and surgeon’s fees, drugs, anesthetists, and the like took almost half a year’s salary from me. "In addition, as my wife is still convalesc ing, I have had to hire a woman to come in to. look after our small chidren. I am what you call a middle-class family man. This one illness has now put my family in the very poor class. I don’t even know whether 1 will be able to keep up mortgage payments on the house." Another letter received from an old lady who lives by herself tells me that she can’t subs cribe to my paper because she can no longer afford it. Indeed, she said she cannot afford even to buy a daily paper, because she has been sick for several years and her small annuity has al most gone on doctor’s bills. Both these correspondents emphasize that they do not want charity. They both insist that there should be some form of govenment help which keeps their sense of pride and independence. This means a lot to thousands of persons in the same boat. It is a shocking thing that in a country so great and prosperous as this, there should be citizens whom one illness can wipe out finan cially. There is no question that medical costs are too high. Some doctors will say that such people should thank God that modern medicine has saved their lives; that the cost is worth it. This is no answer to the family affected. Dr. Annis seems to believe any attempt on the the part of the government to alleviate the condition of hard-pressed citizens is Socialistic and un-American. Yet, as an educated Catholic, he ought to be well-versed on the principle of Subsidiary Function. Simply put, this means that when the lower echelons of our society cannot function in particular situations, then the higher echelon should intervene in the interest of the common good. Hence, if people cannot afford modern medicine; if doctors and hospitals can not provide good medicine at reasonable costs, then the government should step in, in the in terest of all. Alas, Dr. Annis uses the English National Health Service as the bogey. He always brings it up as the best example of Socialized Medicine. Not too many weeks ago I asked an English bishop whether he thought his country’s National Health Service was Socialistic. He laughed, and chided me for being a victim of American Medical Propaganda. He added; "There have been many mistakes. Some govern ment srupidity; and lots of doctors have compla ined. The proof of the success lies in the fact that hardly anyone outside of medical services is unhappy. Most of my people are from the mid dle and working classes. They are healthier than they ever were. Whereas, 20 years age, many of them could not afford the cost of living, now their life span i. longer, and the incident o! contag ious diseases insignificant. "If you ask the average Briton whether he would want ot return to the pre-National Health Service days he would give you a resounding ’No.’ The Health Service is not free. Every pay packet includes a dediction for it. But govern ment help and direction brings medicine at a reasonable price to all. If this is called Socialism, then there must be an awful lot of politically immature people in American medical circles.” REAPINGS AT RANDOM