The Georgia bulletin (Atlanta) 1963-current, November 21, 1963, Image 4

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The Georgia bulletin, November 21, 1963, Image 4

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Newspaper Page TextPAGE 4 GEORGIA BULLETIN THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 21,1963 SIIVING 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 EDfTOR Rev. R. Donald Kiernan 2699 Peachtree N.E. P.O. Box 11667 Northside Station Atlanta 5, Ga. Member of the Catholic Press Association and Subscriber to N.C.W.C. News Service Telephone 231-1281 U.S.A, $5.00 Canada $5.00 Foreign $6.50 Second Class Permit at Atlanta, Ga. Clothing Thanksgiving Day is this coun try’s oldest and, without doubt, best-loved and most widely ob served holiday. Thanksgiving Day is, moreover, the closest we Americans come to having our own national religious holiday. In proclaiming the first Thanksgiving Day in 1621, the Pilgrims meant “to give thanks to Almighty God for His good ness, mercy and bounty.” After 342 years, the basic and hallo wed purpose of Thanksgiving Day is still to honor and thank God for the blessings we as a nat ion have received. Even the Su preme Court cannot change that. On that first Thanksgiving Day, the Pilgrims, in a gesture of true charity, invited the Indians living in the surrounding wilderness to join them and partake of the fr uits of the first year’s harvest. For those pioneer Americans th ere was no color bar, no segre gation. Consistent with the relig ious motivation and the sharing- with-others tradition of Thanks giving Day, the Catholic Bishops of the U. S., each year during November, conduct a nationwide appeal for used clothing, bedding, blankets and shoes for the bene fit of the millions of destitute and ill-clothed persons in the im- impoverished and underdevelo ped areas of the world. Now in its fifteenth consecutive year, this appeal is known as the Bis- Freedom Freedom of action within the Church and a call to action by all her members are important considerations being developed in Vatican Council II. Both are an answer to pressing needs. Non - Catholic observers have remarked upon the freedom of expression within the council. The Council Fathers certainly have not minced words, even th ough council “secrecy” has yie lded greatly to demands’of the press. Isolated statements com ing from council participants oc casionally may seem harsh whe reas in proper context they are merely frank. Plain talk is for the good since determining the truth is the aim of free discus sion. Although differences appear to be stressed at times, the inten tion is to avoid friction by de fining spheres of action that may overlap somewhat. The ultimate aim, of course, is harmonious cooperation in the work of the Ch urch, VATICAN I defined the infall ibility of the Sovereign Pontiff but was unable to complete its work of determining the function of the Bishops and their rela tion to the Holy Father. Vatican II is treating the Bishops’ role thoroughly. The structure Christ gave the Church must be maintained. “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church,” He told the first Pope (Matt. 16; 18). But He also said to the Apost les: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptiz ing them in the name of the Fa ther , and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obs- Drive hops’ Thanksgiving Clothing Col lection. All clothing and other mate rials donated in the Thanks giving Clothing Collection will be shipped and distributed by Cath olic Relief Services -- the over seas aid agency of AmericanCa- tholics to needy persons in the 67 countries where the agency operates relief and welfare por- grams. Distribution is made un der American supervision, sol ely on the basis of need and without distinction or regard to race, creed or color. During November, the nearest Catholic church or rectory will gladly accept a contribution of serviceable used clothing or bed ding, and guarantee its dispatch overseas for distribution to the destitute and needy in the world’s most distressed areas. This worldwide operation of American charity and concern for the less fortunate is a fit ting and efficacious fulfillment of the spirit of Thanksgiving Day, and worthy of approval and sup port regardless of one’s religi ous affiliation. Those sponsoring the Thanks giving Clothing Collection this year urge that we “give thanks by giving.” That is a mighty fine way in which to observe and give meaning to America’s oldest nat ional holiday. Of Action erve all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28: 19-20). THE FAR-FLUNG Church ob viously needs an administrative body. The question is whether ad ministrative functions concent rated in the Roman Curia may not be better handled to some degree by national conferences of Bish ops. Some fear that this change would interfere with the powers properly belonging to individual Bishops by setting up national II . M curias. The U. S. National Catholic Welfare Conference, though a consultative rather than an ad ministrative body, has operated with great success and similar groups have been established in a number of other countries. Popes and other prelates have appealed to the laity for help in furthering the work of the Chur ch. Some have called the present era the “age of the laity” as they are exposed to the “profane re alities” of the world and can pen- erate fields in which the clergy cannot readily enter. Changes in the liturgy voted by the council, such as the greater use of the vernacular in wor ship, intend to bring to the people more vividly the thrillirlg message of the Church, to make them realize the riches of the faith so keenly that they will ea gerly help extend them to oth ers. This “updating” is a two- way concern. Along with the gre ater importance justly accorded the laity goes a grave obligation to fulfill their share in the mis sion given to the Church -- at home, in their community, and in the missions. Clarion Herald OUR lady /n women to tAe counctf • K r 1 u. I LITURGY AND LIFE Christ’s Final Coming BY REV. LEONARD F. X. MAYHEW The liturgy of the final Sunday of the Church year is a masterful example of religious drama. The Church causes to pass before our mind's eye on this final day of the liturgical cycle, the finale of all history, the final act of the drama of re demption, the return of Christ. Depite the fact that we seldom concern ourselves with Christ's final coming, except in an occa sional sermon on the judgment, traditionally this has been a cen tral element in the over-all pic ture of the Christian faith. Christ’s eschatological (con cerned with the last things) ser mon, part of which is used for next Sunday's Gospel reading, takes up two chap ters in the Gospel of St. Matthew, for example. Our Lord was not interested in satisfying our curiosity. The burden of his sermon is that the hour of his coming will be uncertain and that we must live in a spirit of readiness. The early Christians concentrated on the triumph which Christ’s return would spell for his kingdom. They longed for the final day to arrive and many of them, beyond doubt, felt that it would not be delayed for long. The aspiration with which the Apocalypse ends, "Come, Lord Jesus,” was a refrain in their prayers. The Middle Ages saw the final day from a dif ferent viewpoint. A healthy fear of the judgment rnpde men tremble at the thought of Christ’s appearance "in power and majesty”. The beau tiful hymn, "Dies irae - Day of Wrath," of the Mass for the deceased gives us an idea of the in tense emotion of the medieval Christians at the thought of the final day. "When the Judge his seat attains/ And each hidden deed arraigns/ Nothing unavenged remains/ What shall I, frail man, be pleading/ Who for me be interceding/ When the just are mercy needing?" The dominant thought of the final Sunday after Pentecost, which will carry over the first Sunday of Advent, is the same that dominates the sermon of Christ in the Gospel. It is readiness. Life is to be lived in the light of the second coming of Christ. We believe in his second coming and it is this faith upon which the Church meditates in the litur gy. She reminds us of the possibility of becoming, due to our consideration of Christ's return at an unexpected hour, rich in the fruits of good works, of growing in patience and long-suffering. The Epistle has been chosen to make this moral clear. The Sacrifice of the Mass is a kind of anticipa tion of the return of Our Lord. This is true of every Mass but particularly on this coming Sun day as the sacred drama of the liturgical year ends in anticipation of the final act of the drama of history. This is the meaning of the prayer af ter the Consecration in which we recall the "bles sed Passion. . .the resurrection from the dead... and the' glorious ascension into heaven” of Christ. Formerly, and still in some of the Eas tern rites, this prayer mentioned also the return of Christ. The Church means to remind us that Christ is present at the Mass with his entire re demptive work, which reaches from one end to the other of time as it should also for the span of our lives and the horizons of our awareness. LITURGICAL WEEK Thanksgiving Day BY REV. ROBERT W. HOVDA NOV. 24, TWENTY-FIFTH ANDLASTSUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST. The advent theme of God’s "coming,” of His saving deeds wrought within the context of the world’s history, has appeared frequently in the liturgy in recent weeks. It is strong in today’s Mass, the last before the four Sundays of Advent. Matthew’s description of the destruction of Je rusalem (painted in true prophetic tradition on a heroic scale) is used in the Mass as a sign of God’s final visitation in the last coming of our Lord. Man is in misery (Alleluia, Offertory Hymn), oppressed by hostile forces, and God in tervenes to set His people free (Entrance Hymn, Gradual Hymn). Finally, this deliverance is iccomplished at the end of time. But every deliverance in time, •very evqnt of salvation-his- •ory, both points toward and contributes to that consumma tion. The Mass itself is such a sign, a sacrament of the hea venly banquet. MONDAY, NOV. 25, ST. CATHERINE, VIRGIN, MARTYR. The First Reading is a lyric of thanks giving for God’s saving deeds. In this Mass of a martyr it expresses the joyous and deliberate yielding of life itself to God which ideally is the Christian's approach to death. Is this not the most important part of that vigi lance which the Gosepl recommends in such strong terms? That we in Christ achieve so firm a mas tery of ourselves and the conditions of our lives that we are able not only to suffer death but also to offer it. TUESDAY, NOV. 26, ST. SYLVESTER, ABBOT. Today we honor an abbot who became a hermit, and we note the analogy between the offering of the religious vows of renouncement and the offering of death. Many of the services of religious profes sion refer explicitly to this relation, seeing in the vows a kind of "little death.” And for the same purpose as death—to open a person in this par ticular vocation to God's freeing, saving action. WEDNESDAY, NOV. 27, MASS AS ON SUNDAY. "This generation will not have passed, before all this is accomplished” (Gospel). Then it was the destruction of Jerusalem, that symbol of the pass ing of the old order, and the birth of the new or der in the Church, in Christ’s kingdom, where all things are new. Now (for this is a living Word addressed to us as well as to the first generation Christians) it is die perennial newness of Christ’s creation through the sacraments. THURSDAY, NOV. 28, MASS AS ON SUNDAY. The newness, the everlasting newness of eternal life, has its foreshadowings and even beginnings in our sacramental encounters with Christ and His life, from Baptism to Viaticum. Christ’s new creation is a creation of grace. "Grace is the beginning of heaven,” someone has said. And the sacraments, are means of grace, particularly that greatest of the sacra ments, the Eucharist. Every time we participate in Mass we are new creatures, sharing freshly in that glorification of which Christ’s Resurrec tion and Ascension are causes. FRIDAY, NOV. 29, MASS AS ON SUNDAY. We thank God our Father "for rescuing us from the power of darkness and transferring us to the king- CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 NCCW PROGRAM A Valuable Report BY GERARD E. SHERRY ROME, Italy—The American Bishops have just concluded their annual meeting here at the North American College. The usual site for these meet ings is the NCWC headquarters in Washington. However, because of the Vatican Council they met in Rome. These meetings produce an abundance of re ports to the bishops from the various organi zations under their spiritual care and guidance. Much is routine and is hardly reportable. However, the annual report of the National Coun cil of Catholic Women contains a section which is a great interest to readers of this column. It will be recalled that a Reapings in May ur ged support of the NCCW program "Focus: Latin America," a project prepared with the cooperation of the Foreign Policy Association. THIS COLUMN BROUGHT heavy mail expecially from the "fright pedd lers” who repeated the unusual charges that the F.P.A. was Leftist and even subversive. Photostatic half-truths and innuendo were circulated all over the country land the "patriots" were urged to make sure their 'bishops did not back the Catholic Women’s pro- lgram. The Apostolic Delegate, and even the Holy lOf ice here in Rome, were inundated with slanted J material and charges which contained very little •truth. To put the matter at rest for good, the fol lowing observations are made in order that any doubts on the loyalty of the F. P. A. can be dis pelled. A Latin-American priest expert was ask ed by the American bishops involved to invest igate the project. He reported that it was bas ically sound, although there were some ina ccuracies which are being corrected. FURTHERMORE AN official request was made to the House Un-American Activities Committee for any negative information on the FPA. The late congressman, Francis Walter, then Chairman of the Committee, replied: "The Foreign Policy Association has never been cited as subversive by this Committee or by any Federal authority, and it has not been the subject of a hearing by the Committee. While scattered references to the organization appear in our publications, the information has no t been deemed sufficient to characterize the organization in any way what soever.” THIS SHOULD HAVE been sufficient, but offi cials of the NCCW then checked with the Inter nal Security Division, Department of Justice. Here is what it said; "There is enclosed the only list available for distribution from this Department of all organizations that are now or have been desi gnated pursuant to Executive Order No. 10450, relating to the Federal employee security pro gram, the only authority under which we may characterize organizations. Membership in, or affiliation with a designated organization is one factor to be considered by the departments and agencies of die Federal Government in connect ion with the employment or retention in employ ment of individuals in federal service. You will note that the Foreign Policy Association has ne ver appeared on this list." I do not know what else one can do to make sure than an organization with which one is coop erating is not subversive or un-patriotic. A num bers game of charges and counter charges ab out the FPA doesn't help one bit. Indeed, from my talks with quite a number of U. S. bishops, I find that as a result of this NCCW research with top government agencies, less attention will now be paid to those pillorying worth-while pro jects. TO BE SURE, the Apostolic Delegate, and the Holy Office, will be apprised of these Congres sional and Governmental statements- on the F. P. A. Further, special note will be taken of the comments of Archbishop Clarizio, Apostolic Nun cio to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He officially congratulated the NCCW-EPA project and said: "Let me congratulate you on a really magnificant work. The bulletins are packed with information and are beautifully presented. . . May I suggest that you concentrate some of your skill and dedicated labors on the prepar ation of literature of this calibre in the Span ish language. . .1 am sure that your publicat ions would be of enormous benefit in these countries. Even to demonstrate to the people of Latin America how much you in the North appreciate their history andproblems, that is already a big step in the right direction. This Apostolic Nunciature would gladly undertake to offer advice on the best way of distributing and ensuring maximum usefulness of such liter ature." THERE IS NO doubt, from my conversations with informed persons here, that the fright- peddlers have had a field day in charging Cath olic editors, priests and laymen, and various groups, with all kinds of falsehoods. If it is said enough times(and there is no rebuttal) then it comes to be believed, even by some persons in high places. I spoke to one prelate and was astounded at his views on a perfectly respec table group in the United States. I was sadd- ended because I knew this group was not as it was described to me here. However, I find no cause for despondency. The climate at the Council is one of sincere renewal. One may argue about the correct la- tin translation of a schema document, but un der the quiet guidance of the Holy Father, things are being accomplished. Change is in the air, even if you are one of those who prefers to trans late it as reorganization rather than reform. Be cause of this, we can expect extremist views to have much less influence in the future. REAPINGS AT RANDOM