Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

PAGE 4 The Georgia Bulletin December 18,1980 The Riches Of Christmas The Preface of the Masses of Advent tells us that in His love Christ has filled us with joy as we prepare to celebrate His birth so that when He comes He may find us watching in prayer, our hearts filled with wonder and praise. This, then, is the joy and the peace and the happiness that I wish you all this Christmas. Each man, woman and child is called upon to be reborn this Christmas Day in the life of love Jesus brought us. In the manger at Bethlehem, the all-wise God was speechless to show us that we do not need wisdom and eloquence to come to Him; the Creator of heaven and earth was Arckbishop s Office 680 West Peachtree Street, N.W. Atlanta, Georgia 30308 placed on straw in a cave to show us that wealth or earthly possessions are no guarantee of favor with the Almighty; the court of the heavenly king was His Mother, a village maiden; Joseph, the carpenter; simple shepherds, beasts of the field and angels singing Glory. “When He comes, may He find us watching in prayer, our hearts filled with wonder and praise . ” (tjQ****+ii£+* Most Rev. Thomas A. Donnellan Archbishop of Atlanta From Us To You As we gathered the print from the four corners of the earth, from every parish and mission, from every person with a story to tell, during this year of 1980, we did it with you, our readers, in mind. As we collected columns, created ideas, billed advertisers, printed pictures, we did it to keep the message freshly alive. The Word is Made Flesh. That year is almost past. Again we celebrate the graces of the Bethlehem miracle in our lives. May that miracle, retold throughout each family and household, remind us that the news of God become Man must be the headline of every Christian vocation. A merry Christmas from us to you. Msgr. Noel Burtenshaw, Editor Thea Jarvis, Contributing Editor Gretchen Keiser, Associate Editor Sally Nort, Business Manager Leonard Mbrkun, Advertising Director Resound ... Resound ... Working Women Sheila Mallon Less than 50 percent of the American public reads a newspaper of any kind, according to a recent survey. They evidently depend on T.V. and the car radio to keep them informed. That’s a pity, because the print media generally goes into a subject more thoroughly and in much greater detail than is possible with the other forms. The Atlanta Constitution has been running a series on drugs for the past few days and they have certainly shed a great deal of light on a huge problem in our society. Since the end of the Vietnam War, we have heard less and less about drugs. Occasionally we read about a plane full of pot or cocaine crashing on landing - or a field full of marijuana discovered in some remote and inaccessible area of Georgia. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Parents often tend to assume that as long as their children are not involved with heroin or LSD that the rest is a harmless, passing phase. According to Dr. Mitchell Rosenthal, a child psychiatrist and president of Phoenix House in New York City (the nation’s largest residential drug treatment program), “there has been no time in recent or remote history when so much of our society has been stoned or drunk so much of the time. Children use drugs because it is the cultural expectation. It is as much a part of the scene today as 10 speed bikes and roller skates.” As this series has pointed out, drugs have infiltrated the whole fabric of our society. At least 50 percent of our young people are estimated to be regular drug users - three to five times a week or on a daily basis. Those dealing with this escalating problem claim that the youngsters lie regularly to their parents about drug usage and that a conspiracy of silence exists among them to keep adults from being aware of the magnitude and extent of drug abuse. The problem of drugs is a societal problem rather than a school problem, according to experts. There is a terrible pervasive combination of parent apathy, teacher fear of litigation and a general public disbelief about teenage drug abuse which has allowed the drug and alcohol syndrome to proceed unchecked. We, as parents and grandparents, are bewildered and confused by the drug culture - but we need to be aware that many young parents today are themselves drug users. What is going to happen when their children are 10,11 or 12-years-old. Among some of the reasons given for the use of drugs by children were: parents who introduce them to alcohol or drugs; the ease of obtaining drugs; boredom; escape from a difficult home situation; and, most of all, because it is “cool” and friends are using drugs. Children have received a message from rock stars, sports stars and other ‘heroes’ that taking drugs is o.k.; that getting high is something people do and that there is nothing wrong with it. T.V. has been a prime contributor in this area, I believe. I was horrified a couple of weeks ago to see an episode of “Saturday Night Live” in which Elliott Gould extolled the benefits of cocaine. It is often presented in such a matter of fact way that the person watching assumes that this must be commonplace and that if he is not the user that he must be out of the main stream. If we are concerned about the health of our children then we had better take another look at what drugs do to them. Dr. Conway Hunter of Peachford Hospital says that while there is no proof of a relationship, he believes the decline in the SAT test scores in recent years is because the brains of children are being dulled by marijuana. Alcohol today is the main drug of choice and often teenagers use marijuana and alcohol in conjunction. No one is sure of the percentage of young people who have tried “hard” drugs such as hallucinogens, inhalants, cocaine or heroin according to the Atlanta Constitution. They think that the rate must be much higher than the surgeon general’s report of one in twelve. We have seen in conjunction with increased drug use, a tremendous upsurge in teenage pregnancy. All the sex education in the world is not going to take care of a problem that stems from the use of a drug be it alcohol or pot or cocaine, which lowers the barriers of religion and natural inhibition and family teaching. Drug abuse is a contributing factor in adolescent pregnancy. When Planned Parenthood talks about “servicing” our young people with earlier (eight years of age) and better (more) sex education and contraception, the problem is not being reached at its roots. Often drug use is not even accepted by the school system (public, parochial or private) as a problem and certainly the parents have not accepted drug use as the reality it is. We need to take the initiative with our young people and in our school systems - we need to make our feelings known to school administrators and most of all to our children. We need to take more responsibility ourselves for our children’s lives and how they are lived. There are success stories out there and we need to know how others have faced the “enemy” and won. (continued next week) To the Editor: Mr. Dave McGill’s flippant treatment of a significant and important topic (the publication of an inclusive-language Bible) in the Dec. 4 issue betrays the very cause of the disease which this new translation aspires to cure. Not only does he fail to take seriously the plight of those who have been so subtly oppressed for centuries, but he overtly ridicules and mocks their initial attempts to remove some of the oppression. Language is a very powerful tool, as Mr. McGill’s own profession avows. The incessant use (whether conscious or not) of a subversive dialect which reinforces a history of first and second-class status has indeed * X THINK WE CAN EXPECT QUITE A LIVELY SERMON TO PAY." been the most incredibly powerful weapon ever. One would think that Mr. McGill, as a professional journalist, could not deny the power of such language. Apparently he can. What is even more amazing is that his article is printed in prime-reading space in the Bulletin. I admit he is entitled to any view he cares to hold, but I imagine that if he wrote from the point of view of a white supremacist, the editors of the Bulletin would judge his material unfit for this particular paper, at least without a disclaimer of some kind. Why then do they pass on such a highly-charged male supremacist point of view - unless, of course, that view is more widely held than the Catholic Church will publicly acknowledge? Robert J. Reimer To the Editor: In this beautiful season of Advent, Christians look forward with anticipation to the natural venting of the Christ Child from the Virgin’s womb. What a great opportunity to aid millions of young innocents who may not be given the opportunity of natural venting from their Mother’s womb as did the Christ Child. Perhaps, the simple appeal relayed to Mothers everywhere would help - “Mama, Please - give me a chance.” Mr. and Mrs. C.V. Chelena, Sr. To the Editor: God, the Father, would not give His Son a stone if He asked for bread. He gives His Son only the best of gifts. And what did He give Him? He gave Him flesh - flesh of our flesh. He made His Son a man, not an angel, but a human person. The gift the Father gave His only Son was a human body, thus forever wedding earth and heaven; humanity and divinity. We at the Natural Family Planning Office have been meditating on this during Advent. How sacred we are to Go(f! Impressed with the value and holiness with which God views the human person, we make a deeper commitment to renew and dedicate ourselves to Christ-God. Aware of the sacredness of the human body, we make a deeper commitment to come into harmony with ourselves and His creation ... Natural Family Planning Teaching Couples (uses) 574 aao) Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta Most Rev. Thomas A. Donnellan - Publisher Rev. Monsignor Noel C. Burtenshaw — Editor Gretchen R. Keiser - Associate Editor Thea K. Jarvis — Contributing Editor Member of the Catholic Press Association Business Office U.S.A. $8.00 S80 West Peachtree, N. W. Telephone 881-9732 Canada $8.50 Atlanta, Georgia 30308 Foreign $10.00 DEADLINE: All material for publication must be received by MONDAY NOON for Thursday's paper. Postmaster: Send POD Form 3S79 to THE GEORGIA BULLETIN 601 East Sixth Street, Waynesboro, Georgia 30830 Send all editorial correspondence to: THE GEORGIA BULLETIN 680 West Peachtree Street N.W. Atlanta, Georgia 30308 Second Class Postage Paid at Waynesboro, Ga. 30830 Published Weekly except the second and last weeks In June, July and August and the last week In December at 601 East Sixth St., Waynesboro, Ga. 30830 Hobert’s Happiest Christmas Dave McGill There has never been a worker like Hobert Revere. I knew Hobert well when I was growing up in Louisiana. My dad would hire him for a few days or a weekend, and together they would build or fix something; I would do as I was told and help them. When I was six, I’d bring them coffee; at eight or nine, I’d hand them tools; as a teenager, I’d help them work. I’ve known a few people in my life who are “jack-of-all-trades” types, like Paul Hernandez and Sal Calabrese and Lonna Beth Krai - I call them “fixers”; they all have two things in common: (a) they like for things to work better and look better; and (b) they aren’t afraid to tackle something difficult. But if these people are jacks, Hobert was the king. He called himself a carpenter, but he was also the very best painter, plumber, roofer, electrician, gardener, and brick mason in the whole parish (county). One day I asked him, “Hobert, how come you know so much about so much?” His answer was, “So far, David my boy, I haven’t ever stopped learning.” Hobert could also teach others. Three of his sons learned from him, then went into business for themselves. Hobert proudly told me once that his son Andre had become a successful contractor who would take on “those funny houses” (of unusual geometry) that nobody else wanted to build. When I was 13, I helped Hobert build a porch onto our house. To this day, the skills he taught me have made owning a home a joy instead of an expense and a worry. They have made upkeep and improvements an enjoyable hobby for me. In our first house, I built four brick planters which, if I do say so myself, were more beautiful than the flowers that grew in them. I finally stopped when I realized I was using up all my yard. My folks bought an old house and moved into it about 15 years ago. Shortly thereafter, the masonry columns it was sitting on began to crack and otherwise deteriorate. My dad and Hobert held a conference on the problem, and the next thing I knew, they were jacking up the whole house and replacing the columns. The precision was so fantastic that when my dad and brother bought an old pool table a year later, it didn’t even need any adjustments to make it level! Hobert had both high blood pressure and heart trouble, but he never complained. On the contrary, he was without a doubt the happiest worker I ever saw. Around him, you would feel like you were letting the world down if you didn’t at least try to match his smile. He was also honest. He kept his time to the minute, and I often heard it said that he was the only worker in town to whom you could entrust the key to your house, without the slightest worry, if you were going to be away when he came to work. Hobert was a Catholic, but we didn’t attend Mass at the same parish; he went to St. Genevieve’s, “down the bayou” near where he lived. He was as proud of his Christianity as he was of his big family. Here is one example of how he lived it out: He had an elderly aunt who lived alone and, one night, was beaten and robbed. In his pickup truck, Hobert moved her and her belongings to his home, then took some time off and used it to build her a permanent room on the back of his house. My family was spending a few days at my parents’ home last Christmas. One morning we were sleeping late, and I was half-awakened by voices. Drowsily, I recognized them as belonging to my mom and dad and Hobert, who were chatting and laughing in the driveway outside the window where we slept. I hadn’t seen Hobert in a number of years, and I remember thinking: “Get up and go on out there in your p.j.’s and say hello to your old friend, and wish him a Merry Christmas, like he did to you every year of your life until you left home. Ask him if he has any idea how much he taught you.” I didn’t act on my thoughts - sleep got the best of me, and I dozed back off. I didn’t know it then, but I had lost my last chance. Hobert had a rare accident with his skillsaw last summer, cut his hand and was taken to the hospital. He seemed to be recovering nicely, but then something went wrong and he died ... I never talk with my mom or dad any more without them telling me how much they miss Hobert. He always brought them a smile and a good job. Who could ask for more than that? Hobert taught me one other thing, something far more important than how to lay bricks. By the kind and the color of man he was, he taught me not to hate. Hobert was one of the best persons the Lord has produced to date. He loved Christmastime, and always stopped by with a Yuletide greeting for us. He will be celebrating his happiest Christmas next week. May the peace, the joy, and the hope of the Bethlehem manger be in your heart next week and throughout the years ahead. John Lennon Joan Cassels John Lennon was a poet. Perhaps not in the way of Keats and Shelley, but his musical poetry touched the very human side of us with all its flaws and inadequacies. Sometimes his music reflected what was surely a gentle and peaceful soul although Lennon had not always been regarded as such. He had his times of rebellion as do we all. Handling the pressures and demands which enormous success bring is not without its difficulties. Lennon made some changes in his life, doing his best to adapt to being a superstar and legend. Our parents’ generation looked skeptically at our adoration of Lennon and his fellow Beatles. Today John Lennon’s music is played by Leonard Bernstein and sung by virtually every established singing artist. Like most truly great artists his work is now universal. Remembering 1964 and the advent of the Beatles, those of us who were in our teens can recall the excitement generated by them. It seemed that their music was a salve helping to heal the wounds caused by the death of a President a year earlier. Lennon and the Beatles became our heroes and like all heroes would surely survive. In recent years John Lennon was not the long-haired, anti-establishment rebel of the Sixties. He became less visible to the public, choosing instead to stay home and raise his son, Sean. But Lennon had just begun a new phase of his life before he was gunned down in New York City last week. He was working on a new album the night he was killed. Earlier that day he had autographed his recently released album for the man who would later kill him. He had become accessible to his fans again. We mourn the loss of his genius and we are saddened by the void which will be left in the music world. Lennon had written these lines in one of his best songs: “Let it be, Let it be. There will be an answer. Let it be.” How difficult it is to find that answer now, but perhaps Lennon himself had already told us how in the beautiful message: “All You Need is Love.” John Lennon is gone, but he has left us a treasure. We cherish it. We are grateful for it - and for him.