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Soundings
BY MONSIGNOR NOEL C. BURTENSHAW
(EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a six-part series on the Year of the Family. Next
week’s article: “The Young Family. ” will be written by Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Golden of
Saint Thomas Aquinas Parish in Alpharetta.)
It was too many years ago.
But I can remember it well. My
mother would order my brother
and myself to accompany her
on Sunday evenings, as she
visited her sister. The visit
would take us to the other side
of town.
When we arrived at the home
of my aunt, we might well find
her not at home. No panic. We
merely strolled back home
window shopping as we walked,
dreaming our simple dreams.
If we found the good woman
at home, then the adults would
cozily sit for the evening, a
large pot of tea would be
provided and the chat would
begin.
They would talk for hours -
non-stop. They talked about
everything and in fact, they
talked about nothing. Without
reference to us, yawning in a
remote corner, they talked. All
too soon, the evening had
ended, it was time to run for
the final bus and the intense
communication was over.
In reality that’s what they
brilliantly established. The most
binding, the most productive
communications possible. They
did it without effort. They did
it without even knowing it.
You say to me, “That was a
long time ago.” Well do I know.
Times and styles were slower.
There was no instant jetting
across the world. Television was
a new and tentative experiment.
Space travel was still a comic
book experience. There were no
microwaves, no instant replays,
no H-bombs and no credit
cards. Times and styles were
slower.
Now, the pace has
quickened. Look at the changes
in a mere 30-year period. We
have walked on the moon, we
circle the earth in hours, we
have instant meals in the home.
Everything is flying fast. We can
bank instantly, buy instantly,
borrow instantly. Everything is
immediate, everything is right
now, except that 30 year old
confrontation. Human
relationships work at that long
ago same speed.
That human interchange we
desperately seek still takes time.
It takes long evenings of
conversation and appreciation
to get to know, to accept and
then to love, someone else.
It takes time. We hate that
thought. It simply takes time.
Time, that we don’t give.
“Don’t write a letter,” says
the telephone company.
“Reach Out.” It only costs a
buck and a half to call long
distance on weekends for three
minutes. So, we communicate
for three minute intervals,
acting like programmed
computers.
So, you do your knowing
quick. You do your loving
the Family, we must assess the
state of our own family life and
the values we are passing along
to the next generation.
This nation of ours has
already decided that the
contract of marriage is a
power. Then we pass those
values on to the new
generation.
It is little wonder that so
often they choose the
non-commitment life that
merely says they share the rent.
The Year Of The Family -- 1980
quick. You have the kids but
never, ever let them stand in the
way of a profession or a
business week. Someone else
raises the child. The school
educates him, the Church
religionizes him and in the
process everybody passes
everybody else in the driveway.
Then we stand back and
wonder why three out of every
four marriages end broken up
on the junk heap of divorce.
Family life today is on a
schedule. We operate marriage
and home on a time clock.
They get the same time and
care apportioned the everyday
business schedule. The only
problem, the one and only snag
is that marriage and family life
won’t accept our schedule. It
can exist only if given your
time consuming life. Here are
the terms it offers.
“I come first or not at all.”
It will not be fed into the
business end of a computer
program. Never.
As we enter the year of
1980, named by the Bishops of
the United States as the Year of
valueless meaningless piece of
paper. Do we agree with that?
This nation has further
decided that pregnancy is a
female phenomenum which a
woman may joyfully accept or
distastefully reject at will. A
baby is born if she accepts. A
terminated fetus occurs if she
rejects it. Do we fully
understand that situation?
This nation has also decided
that the equality of husband
and wife means that
productivity in the marketplace
comes before the human and
emotional good of home and
children (didn’t Karl Marx
expound likewise?) Do we
accept that sociological
doctrine?
We talk a big game about
home and family life but we
allow this society, which works
us like commune farmers in
China and legally murders
children in the womb, to
dictate how we communicate
the everlasting virtue of love in
our homes. We let our society
do it and in return we receive
pieces of silver and promises of
Those long evenings of
conversations of our past,
without TV and without a
plane to catch next morning to
sell toothpaste in Montgomery,
had value. They allowed that
interchange of warm humanness
to take place, to sink deep,
become love affairs of long
lasting value, to become homes
standing firmly never to be
broken.
The Year of the Family calls
us back to values we have
dropped and calls us from the
madness we are practicing. That
slow process, the school house
where we learn to know and to
love must come first or we are
going to be losers forever.
The best spiritual advise we
can take from the advent of this
year of hope is, remember . . .
It takes time. Resolve to give
your home, that time in this
coming Year of the Family.
Official
Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan announces the following
appointments:
FATHER PAUL REYNOLDS, pastor of the parish of Saint John
Neumann, is granted a leave of absence for three months for reasons
of health.
FATHER LOUIS NAUGHTON, assistant pastor at the Cathedral of
Christ the King, is appointed Administrator of the parish of Saint
John Neumann. This appointment is effective January 5, 1980, for a
period of three months.
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Archbishop of Atlanta
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Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
Vol. 18 No. 1
Thursday, January 3,1980
$6 Per Year
Mysterious Magi:
Iranian Kings?
BY FATHER THOMAS
FIDELIS, OCSO
For the past few weeks, the first
pages of our daily newspapers have
carried stories about an Iranian shah
(king), priestly figures, called
ayatollahs, the names of Iranian
cities like Tehran, Qom, Tabriz, and
particularly of a group of American
citizens held captive in their embassy
at the capital. But what do these
contemporary events have to do with
the Maji and the star so conspicuous
in our liturgy of this season? To
answer that question, permit me to
work backwards to the 7th Century,
putting aside for the moment the
spectacular events in Tran.
In the year 614 A.D., Chosroes,
king of Iran (Persia then), began an
assault on the Byzantine Empire of
the East, which turned into a
blitzkrieg. His army swept through
Armenia, Syria, and into Palestine,
wrecking havoc everywhere,
especially to Christian churches.
After the capture of Bethlehem,
Chosroes personally took charge of
the burning of the great Basilica of
the Nativity. As his men were
carrying out the sacred vessels, silver
lamps and other loot, one of the
officers noticed the large mosaic on
the north wall, depicting the Magi
offering their gifts to the Christ
Child. He was startled by their dress,
for they were clothed in the regal
dress of his own countrymen The
king was informed of this marvellous
mosaic, and he too was astonished at
the sight. At once he ordered that
the Basilica be spared, since, as he
thought, it was expressly built to
honor his royal predecessors, those
priest-kings who came to Bethlehem.
Thanks be to God the Basilica of
Bethlehem was spared the torch, due
to the patriotic stirring of King
Chosroes. But let us probe somewhat
deeper into the mysterious identity
of those mosaic figures. They were
called MAJOI in Greek, and the
same, with slight variants, in
practically all the languages of that
time and area. Herodotus, the Greek
historian of the 5th Century B.C.
tells us that MAJOI were Zoroastrian
priests, who were also astrologers and
interpreters of dreams. This type
appears in most of the kingdoms of
the Middle East from the 4th century
onwards.
Since Matthew depicts them as
following a star, it is best to surmise
they were astrologers. Only later, in
the 2nd century of the Christian era
were they considered kings, due to
further Christian elaboration of the
story. The Christian homelists and
teachers rightly concluded that
Matthew had two implicit citations
(Continued on page 3)
1979
ARCHBISHOP DONNELLAN is flanked by
Father Joseph Beltran, (left), pastor and Father
Stanley D. Idziak, SAC, assistant pastor, at the
dedication of All Saints Church. Story page 2.
The People...
And The Times
NC News Service
Few persons in recent times have
so dominated a year’s news, both
religious and secular, as Pope John
Paul II did during 1979, when he
completed the first year of his
pontificate.
He made four trips abroad, the
first to Mexico and the Dominican
Republic, the second to his native
People Of The Year
BY MONSIGNOR
NOEL C. BURTENSHAW
The Seventies began by telling
us once more we could win in
Viet Nam. So the violence
continued and when at last it
stopped on those foreign
apocalyptic fields, it continued
here at home with the approving
nod of the judicial branch of the
government.
In 1973 the Supreme Court
gave to each woman the right to
abort her baby. America had
taken a huge backward leap into
an arena long the possession of
the tyrant. The fight to undo the
awful injustice against innocent
and defenseless human life began.
The North Georgia area, the
Archdiocese of Atlanta has had
strong and courageous voices
crying against the tyrants. Those
voices have sounded a call to
action. They belong to three
outspoken ladies who dared the
rest of us to say as much as
possible but to act more
energetically than our words.
Through the leadership they gave
over the last year to the Pro-Life
movement, many hands have
come forward to toil and many
voices have come from the
shadows to speak out.
They, we believe, the gallant
fighters and inspirers of this
sacred cause are our People of the
Year. To each of them we offer
our congratulations.
Mary Ellen Hughes, originally
from Birmingham, Alabama,
undertook the position of
coordinator of Respect Life
activities for the Archdiocese in
1978. Mary Ellen has been
responsible for the development
of the Natural Family Planning
Program and has organized the
Crises Pregnancy Service for the
Church in North Georgia.
mm
GEORGIA BULLETIN’S People Of The Year
Pompilio (left), Mary Ellen Hughes and Sheila Mallon.
GEORGE
Marietta
Through her efforts 77 volunteers
have stepped forward to be a part
of the program.
Marietta Pompilio came to
Atlanta from Mount Vernon, New
York in 1968. Only last year
Marietta came to the Pro-Life
Office as coordinator. She is
responsible for crowding those
seminars on life related issues
throughout our Archdiocese.
Marietta is in touch with the
parishes on one hand and the
National Pro-Life Office on the
other. She leads us all down the
path that will bring a human life
amendment.
Sheila Mallon is a native of
New York City. For many years
Sheila has been involved in
community action representing
the voice of the Church. She has
been the popular columnist for
the Georgia Bulletin bringing
words of encouragement to
women each week. In 1979,
Sheila began her work for
Pro-Life. She supports the work
of parish groups, works with
Congressional District Action
Committees and acts as liaison
with other churches.
These three ladies bring hope
and inspiration along with
determination that the gift of Life
will survive as a golden right. They
are for the church in North
Georgia, the outstanding People
of the Year.
Top North Georgia
Events Detailed
Next Week
Poland, the third to Ireland and the
United States, and the last to
Turkey, where he took a major step
toward reunion with the Orthodox
Church.
The pope’s trips were
unprecedented media events. Pope
John Paul began to travel abroad
sooner than his predecessor, Pope
Paul VI, the first pope in modern
times to travel outside Italy, and his
four trips in his first year in office
exceeded Pope Paul’s two.
The pope also made news when he
intervened with Iran’s Moslem leader,
the Ayatollah Khomeini, after
Americans were taken hostage by a
group of students Nov. 4, but
Khomeini rejected the pope’s efforts
at negotiation.
From the vantage point of the
United States, the highlight of the
year was the pope’s trip to Ireland
and the United States from Sept. 29
to Oct. 8.
The pope’s basic message on the
trip was that governments and
individuals have the responsibility
and obligation to work for peace.
In Ireland, applying the message
to the civil war in Northern Ireland,
the pope asked for an end to violence
and terrorism. At the United
Nations, he pleaded for disarmament
and more effective cooperation
between developed and
underdeveloped countries. In the
United States, he constantly
emphasized the obligation of affluent
people to help improve the life of the
poor and he stressed the role of
world powers in securing a stable
peace.
The 10-day trip was a huge
personal triumph for Pope John Paul.
His warm personality, lively smile,
youthful vigor and disregard for
official schedules to spend more time
(Continued on page 6)