Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 4—The Georgia Bulletin, February 10,1977
Baby Snow
We all have been upstaged in the great
City of Atlanta recently by a charmer
called Baby Snow. Only last week this
tough little customer was, as we all
know, plucked from the clutches of a
dumpster. He found a home in every
heart in the city and for awhile, so great
was his fame, that he belonged to us all.
The callousness of such an act is hard
to forgive. Help was surely at hand for
the unwilling parent. The traditional
basket on the doorstep would easily have
brought compassionate action. The
many hospitals of the city would seem
to have been the obvious place to lay
this precious bundle. But a dumpster was
chosen. It is food for thought.
We were aghast at such wickedness.
The media had a field day. The air waves
and the pages of our one paper were
aflame with indignation. A lynching
could have been the end result, if the
culprit had been found.
Shameful it was and condemned it
should be. But is it not the case of a
ghost returning to haunt? We cannot
teach one thing, say one thing and
expect another.
Baby Snow happened to be nine
months and a few hours old. That’s why
he got our sympathy. But babies exactly
like him, with the same right to live and
the same will to live are condemned to
death without any sympathetic support
or rigorous protest every day. A quarter
of a million last year, to be exact. The
merest measure of a few months denied
them our tears and our public outrage.
We cannot afford to teach that life is
cheap and then expect respect for life.
The poor demented unfortunate who
dumped her baby acted only within the
logic of our misguided society. Other
warning signs are on the horizon. The
Georgia House backed off a Mercy
Killing Bill this session. We are going to
experience more tragedies as this legal
neglect continues.
--NCB
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Don’t Hide Your Light
Dave McGill
These are the words to a funny little song
called “Advertise” (the tune is the same as that
of “Auld Lang Syne”): “The fish it never
cackles ‘bout / its million eggs or so. / The hen
is quite a different bird. / One egg, and hear her
crow. / We scorn the fish, but crown the hen, /
which leads me to surmise: / Don’t hide your
light, but blow your horn. / It pays to
advertise.”
There is something interesting about
advertising. It even gets a plug in the Good
News: “You are the light of the world. A city
built on a hill-top cannot be hidden. No one
lights a lamp to put it under a tub; they put it
on a lamp-stand where it shines for everyone in
the house. In the same way your light must
shine in the light of men, so that, seeing your
good works, they may give the praise to your
Father in heaven.” (Mt. 5:14-16)
Obviously, Jesus was aware of the value of
advertising when he said those words, even
though there was no Madison Avenue or TV or
billboards or classified ads then. He seems to be
telling us not to hide the fact that we are
Christians, lest whoever is watching might miss
an opportunity to see WHY we do good works.
It does pay to advertise. I have an
“ADOPTION, NOT ABORTION” bumper
sticker on my car, which a young man working
at a service station noticed one day. It
happened that his girl friend was pregnant, and
they were trying to decide what to do. Because
of the bumper sticker, he asked me my opinion
out of the clear blue, and I was able to put in a
word for life and to give them some literature
about Birthright.
I saw him one more time after that, weeks
later. I asked, nervously, “How is your girl
friend?”, fearing that bad news was coming. (I
don’t know why I’m like that - always steeling
myself for the worst.) He proudly showed me a
brand new wedding ring, and told me that they
had just gotten married, and were excitedly
expecting the baby in the summer. We gave him
some money to buy the baby a gift, and drove
away, thanking God for the gift of life.
But what of the seemingly contradictory
scripture, from elsewhere in Matthew (6:1,6):
“Be careful not to parade your good deeds
before men to attract their notice; by doing this
you will lose all reward from your Father in
heaven . . .Your Father who sees all that is done
in secret will reward you.” Are we to keep it
secret, or shout it out from the housetops?
I think the answer lies in attitude. Between
the verses Mt. 6:1 and 6:6, Jesus makes it clear
that He is talking about showing off, bragging,
hypocritical acts performed to gain the
admiration of men. But in the lampstand
reference, He is speaking in a different light. If
we are motivated in our actions because “the
love of Christ impels us”, then the ego is either
absent or at least not in control. And if this is
the case, then the reasons for actions done for
the love of Christ and our sisters and brothers
should be acknowledged, if this can be done in
a loving way that gives credit where it is due -
to the Lord.
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fooT YotiR
HORN
So we walk a tightrope. It is a fine line
between “letting our little lights shine” on the
one hand, and parading our good deeds before
men on the other. If we find ourselves looking
for praise and acknowledgement, then we’re
leaning the wrong way. If, however, it’s a joyful
witness we give, our lights are shining brightly.
"\The
Gejorgia
Catholic Archdiocese <>j Atlanta
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‘It’s an invitation to a Saint Valentine singles mixer.’
His Kindness
Created Love
Teresa Gernazian
When Pope John XXIII was told he had
terminal cancer, he replied, “My bags are
packed. I’m ready to go.” At the death of a
loved one, how consoling it is to know that he
or she was ready to meet God. On June 17,
1976, God called a young boy home who had
served Him well - this boy’s bags were also
packed; he, too, was ready to go.
Seventeen-year-old Bill O’Connor was hit by
a speeding driver while crossing North Druid
Hills Road with his sister and friends on June
15. Witnesses stated Bill had looked carefully
before crossing. This was Tuesday afternoon
and Bill was rushed to the hospital.
When Father James Sexstone entered the
Emergency Room to anoint Bill, he was very
alert and aware. Father related a touching
incident regarding this visit in his homily at the
Wake Service: “As soon as I came into the
room, he looked up and said, “Hello, Father
Sexstone, did you come to say some prayers?”
Later that evening Father Burtenshaw, our
Pastor, visited Bill. Again, words that revealed
his strong faith . . .“Wouldn’t you like to say
some prayers?”
Wednesday, complications set in and
Thursday, Bill picked up his bags and headed
for his real home - 10 days before his 18th
birthday. Although I was on vacation, the
services must have been beautiful from all the
comments. There are so many lessons to be
learned both from Bill’s sudden departure and
from his wonderful family.
The O’Connors - Frank, Eleanor and six
children, Chris, Mary Ellen, Patrick, Bill, Tom
and Mary Beth - moved to Immaculate Heart of
Mary in 1962 from Stamford, Connecticut. Bill
was three at the time. Eleanor’s name has since
become synonymous around town with St.
Vincent’s, Central State, and Girl Scouts. Frank
has been active in school and church affairs and
I’ll never forget his testimony at the Public
Hearing on behalf of the unborn in 1968.
For many years, before we moved, we lived a
block away from them and several of our
children have gone through school together. Bill
always felt secure in the neighborhood and
around the Church even though God had
chosen him to be one of His special ones. It was
obvious his security sprang from a loving,
close-knit family.
When he was nine, he attended a vacation
religious ed program and Carol Ann Ros, (now
in North Carolina) was teaching the children
the commandments. When she asked was there
any one law that was the most important, Bill
quickly raised his hand, his eyes lit up and he
said, “Well, it’s to love everyone.”
The last eight years he attended Scottdale
Center for the Trainable Retarded where he was
quite involved. Hy was a good swimmer and so
proud of his Special Olympics ribbons and
medals. He enjoyed the greenhouse, handling
the plants with special care; a whiz in
geography, and the most active in collecting
papers for the P.T.A.
But beyond any shadow of a doubt, Bill’s
triumphal achievement was being an altar boy!
Because of his faithfulness and dedication, an
annual award will be given in his name to 7th or
8th grade junior acolyte who demonstrates the
most outstanding performance during the year.
Generous to the end, Frank and Eleanor
donated Bill’s eyes so that someone else might
receive the gift of sight. A special project of
mine is encouraging in the parishes, in memory
of Bill, an educational meeting on the retarded
and handicapped. You can contact Atlanta
Association for Retarded Citizens for films,
speakers, etc. You know, Bill would like that.
Mary Ellen, the oldest daughter in the family
had artistically fixed up a scrapbook with
pictures and fitting quotes for each of them.
For Bill, she had chosen this: “His Kindness
Creates Love.”
What One Person Can Do
Rev. Richard Armstrong
PEGGY WILLIAMS, CLOWN
Rhinestone teardrops highlight Peggy
Williams’ white-face makeup. The first woman
graduate of Ringling Brothers and Barnum &
Baily Clown College, she brings her femininity
to the ancient art of making people laugh.
As a speech pathology major at the
University of Wisconsin, Ms. Williams thought,
“Maybe the art of clowning would help me
communicate nonverbally with foreign people
or stroke patients or deaf people - whoever I
would be working with. So I went to Clown
College.”
At that unique school, she learned the
traditional skills: walking on stilts, falling,
juggling, cycling, costuming, makeup. And for
five years, Peggy Williams has toured with “the
greatest show on earth,” treating audiences
everywhere with her favorite medicine, laughter.
“It seems to be the one thing that separates all
of us from any lower state of living beings,” she
says. “It draws us all together. It’s one thing
that automatically jumps across all the
boundaries that we set up by verbal language.”
She feels “at home” in her world. “The
circus is made by everybody. It doesn’t have
any boundaries as far as politics or religion or
countries or nationality. The teeterboard artist
would come from eastern Europe . . . Cat acts
from western Europe . . . Flyers from
Mexico . . . Big bears from Russia . . . Put them
together and you make a circus.” And she goes
on: “When I was growing up it was stressed that
you had to have a place, a car, a thing to call
yours. To own, lock up, defend. I don’t feel
that way . . . I’m not afraid of different kinds
of people . . . They have the same needs and
wants as I do.”
Truth breaks down barriers and THAT truth
shines through the greasepaint world of Peggy
Williams, clown. It speaks in silence and
laughter.
For a free copy of “There’s Nobody Like
You,” send a stamped, self-addressed envelope
to The Christophers, 12 E. 48th St., New York
N.Y. 10017.
Called
By Name
Georgia Carolina Ministry
Sr. Patricia Blaney, OLM
Vocation Director — Sisters of Charity
of Our Lady of Mercy
Charleston, South Carolina
St. Thomas More —
A Man For All Seasons
The poet, Samuel Johnson, once said of St.
Thomas More, “He was the person of the
greatest virtue these islands ever produced.”
Thomas More was born in England on February
6, 1478. He was the son of a respected judge
and received many opportunities for education
and advancement. He soon distinguished himself
as a scholar and author. He corresponded with
the greatest minds in Europe as the
representative and acknowledged champion of
the New Learning in England. He was a clever
lawyer and friend of the King. More was
admired by his contemporaries as “a gentleman
of great learning, in law, art and divinity.”
The father of four children, he welcomed
religious and learned visitors to his home. More
was a deeply religious man. He frequently
fasted, attended daily Mass and required that
the Scriptures be read aloud daily in his home.
He befriended the poor and represented their
causes. He was eventually appointed Lord
Chancellor of England. From all appearances it
seemed that More would live out his days as a
respected and renowned gentleman of England.
It was his involvement with the royal court
of Henry VIII, however, which was to be the
turning point of his life and which eventually
led to his martyrdom. King Henry sought
Thomas’ counsel on the annulment of his first
marriage so that he might be free to remarry
and hopefully produce a male heir to the
throne. Henry refused Rome’s statement on the
validity of his first marriage to Queen
Catherine. He proclaimed that as Bishop of
Rome, the Pope could not decide on this
annulment. He divorced Queen Catherine,
married Anne Boleyn, and legislated that the
populace must, by oath, agree to the Act of
Succession. This Act would provide for the
heirs of Anne and Henry to ascend the throne.
There are two points here that witness to the
integrity of St. Thomas More. First, despite
More’s love for his king and his country, he
knew that the English Kingdom was subserviant
to a larger society, the Church of Jesus Christ.
More loved God and his Church more than he
loved the King of England and he was bound to
obey the laws of his Church.
Secondly, More believed that a man takes an
oath only when he wants to commit himself
quite exceptionally to the statement, when he
wants to make an identity between the truth of
it and his own virtue; he offers himself as a
guarantee. Robert Bolt, in his play, A MAN
FOR ALL SEASONS, interprets More’s
position by stating: “When a man takes an
oath, Meg, he’s holding his own self in his own
hands. Like water. And if he opens his fingers
then - he needn’t hope to find himself again.”
More could not possibly take an oath to
something he felt was not true to what he
believed in and against the law of the Church.
At first, he tried to remain silent on the
position. Eventually he resigned as Lord
Chancellor of England, losing his salary,
prestige, and favors of the Crown. He was a
prominent figure in England, however, and
King Henry and his officials tried unceasingly
to force him to approve of the Act. His enemies
missed no opportunity to harass him. Even his
family misunderstood him. He was finally
accused of treason and sent to prison, was tried
and beheaded.
Thomas More was an exceptional person for
he truly knew himself and believed in and
valued his word and his decision. He could not
be untrue to himself and his beliefs. He lived
fifteen months in the Tower of London in quiet
serenity under such unjust captivity. Thomas
More is a saint because of his martyrdom, and
yet he is also a hero of selfhood. He was a man
consistently faithful to God and to himself, not
in a cloister but surrounded by home and
family, among scholars and lawyers, in
tribunals, council chambers, and royal courts.
He was a man for all times and all seasons who
lived and died as “the King’s good servant but
God’s first.”
Resound
CHAMBLEE — I promise to write also when
I have something pleasant to say. As for the
BULLETIN of January 27, 1 consider it
offensive that a Catholic paper should quote a
statement by anyone from the American Civil
Liberties Union. This organization is blatantly
pro-abortion, is seeking to eliminate any
mention of God in public life, has sponsored
lawsuits to permit nudity on public beaches and
seems generally determined to participate fully
in the moral decay of this country. (P. 7
“Death Penalty . . .)
Furthermore, in all the hand-wringing over
the execution of an admitted murderer, I failed
to read anything concerning his victims and any
form of restitution to their families.
Also, the inclusion of a picture of Frank
Sinatra, thrice divorced, is quite unappropriate.
Frankly, I would rather you included the
picture of someone who is doing something
positive for Catholic life.
NANCY A. MOLESKY
(EDITORS NOTE: We will hold Mrs.
Molesky to her initial promise.)
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