Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta Vol. 19 No. 10 Thursday, March 5,1981 $8.00 per year 90% IN 1981 Drive A Success BY MSGR. NOEL BURTENSHAW The goal was $625,000. Reported in on the evening of the Charities Drive was a whopping $556,042 or 90 percent of the total. Another successful effort in the history of the Charities Drive. “We were especially delighted with the results from our rural parishes,” said Father James Miceli Assistant Chancellor. “The level of participation really reflects the outstanding job done in all the rural areas.” Monsignor Jerry Hardy, Chancellor, commented with great delight on the results. “Although the goal was raised, the people came through most generously. Led by our priests, who know the need in a growing Archdiocese, the work was carefully and successfully completed.” Reports were still coming in to the financial office in the Catholic Center as the Georgia Bulletin went to press. There was little doubt in anyone’s mind that the total goal would be surpassed by next weekend. The Charities Drive, begun twelve years ago, is an annual cash drive for funds to assist the different projects of charity and expansion in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. Every department of outreach, service and education gets some benefit and support from this once-a-year collection taken up in every parish in * north Georgia. A committee of priests and laity plans the Charities Drive each year and then analyzes the results. Chairman for this year’s Drive was Bill Crawford, a member of the Cathedral of Christ the King. POPE SINGS - Pope John Paul II sings a Polish song as little girls dance around him during a meeting with young people at Budo-Kan, a martial arts center in Tokyo. Later, in Hiroshima, he appealed for disarmament and world peace. (Story, page 7). Inspiration And The Bible BY FATHER THOMAS L. LECLERC, M S. The Reverend Curtis Hutson, a fundamentalist preacher, recently refused to appear on the same platform with Catholic speaker Phyllis Schlafly because, Hutson maintains, Catholics don’t believe that the Bible is the inerrant, inspired Word of God. Is that true? Don’t we, as Catholics, believe that the Bible is God’s inspired Word to us and that, as such, it is free from error, that is, inerrant? Let’s take a look at both the fundamentalist and the Catholic understandings of inspiration and inerrancy. A fundamentalist approach holds that each and every word in the Bible is directly inspired, even dictated, by God. Inspiration and inerrancy go together. God, the source of all Truth and Knowledge, speaks His Word directly to the human writer without mistakes or contradictions. Therefore, fundamentalists maintain, the Bible must be believed literally, at face value; the words mean exactly what they say. For example, when the first chapter of Genesis says that God completed creation in seven days, it means exactly that -- seven, twenty-four hour days. Furthermore, creation occurred exactly as the text describes it -- first light, then the heavens and earth, vegetation, sun-moon-stars, water creatures, birds, animals and, finally, man-and-woman, all created by the Divine Word. Because God inspired the sacred author, we can be sure that is exactly how it happened. A fundamentalist approach is nicely summarized in the expression “The Bible says it; I believe it; that ends The Catholic understanding of inspiration differs from the fundamentalist approach. In the Catholic understanding, God doesn’t simply take over the mind of the writer and dictate His message to him. Rather, God uses the insights, creativity and limitations of the human author as tools through which He communicates with His people. And this is as it should be: the Incarnation of Jesus - His coming as a man - tells us something of how God communicates with us. By His life among us, Jesus tells us that God involves Himself in the essence of the human situation; He shares in and subjects Himself to our history (Phil 2: 6-8). God takes our humanity very seriously (Psalm 8) and expresses Himself through the gifts He has given to His people. Quite simply, “inspiration” refers to God’s special influence on the human writer. God gives the writer an insight - a message - and allows the author to convey the message within the context of his culture and by using the means and understanding available to him. Let’s go back to the story of creation as an example. The message is that God is the source of all creation and that nothing else can be His rival. The “how” of creation isn’t what God is telling us. This becomes clearer when we read on to chapter two in Genesis which tells us the story of creation in a different way. In Genesis 2, God first creates the earth and the heavens. Next, he creates “Adam” from the dust of the earth (not by Divine Word), then plants and finally animals. Because Adam still doesn’t have a companion, God takes from Adam’s side a VJcripture k-/ for our people rib from which he forms the woman, “Eve.” The “how” of creation is very different, but the message is still the same: God is the source of all created things. And, in both stories, God expresses His intense desire to live in intimate union with His people. His desire is so intense that the rest of the Bible goes on to tell us the story of our salvation. Inspiration is God’s special influence on the human writer which allows him to provide us - God’s people - with an insight into how God is acting on our behlaf. Clearly, the sacred author in telling the story of Noah and the flood isn’t writing an almanac. He is telling us that God punishes sin and saves those who are just. Divine inspiration allows the human author to see this event as it affects our salvation. Inspiration then shows us how God is at work in our history. And God works in only one way - to bring about our salvation. Salvation is the overriding concern of God. Therefore, God inspires the human author to tell his story from God’s point of view. The author is looking at what is happening in society and culture and saying: “This is how God is at work in it.” With this understanding, (Continued on page 6) Halt In Salvador Aid Urged WASHINGTON (NC) - Recalling the assassination last year of the archbishop of San Salvador, three Catholic agencies have urged again that all U.S. military aid to the El Salvador government be ended. The three agencies - the U.S. Catholic Conference, the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious - said in a joint statement that they believe a political solution “is both possible and preferable to the continued fratricidal conflict” in that Central American country. The statement, released March 2, was issued in connection with the first anniversary of the assassination of Archbishop Oscar Romero of San Salvador by an unknown assailant on March 24,1980. (Later on March 2, the State Department announced that an additional $25 million in military aid would be sent to El Salvador along with twenty more U.S. military training advisors.) “We use the anniversary of Archbishop Romero’s death to call again, in the name of the bishops and religious communities of the United States, for the termination of all military aid to El Salvador and for new efforts to facilitate a negotiated Official Archbishop Donnellan extends a warm welcome to the Archdiocese of Atlanta and announces the appointment, effective immediately, of Reverend Joseph E. Ellison, C.SS.R., as Assistant Pastor of Saint Gerard’s Church at Fort Oglethorpe. The Archbishop also announces the appointment, ^ T'l «+■ n *»rt k OK rtf IgSjKgjf * *. v v v * * v-*.»*«»* *** Reverend Kenneth M.S.F.S., as Pastoi Lawrence Ch political solution to the conflict,” the statement remarked. The U.S. Catholic Conference is the public policy arm of the U.S. bishops. The Conference of Major Superiors of Men and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious are respectively the national organizations of heads of religious orders of men and women. The statement noted that one month before his death, Archbishop Romero wrote then President Carter asking that the United States not “intervene with military, economic, diplomatic or other pressures to determine the destiny of the Salvadoran people.” The statement said, “In light of this position we found profoundly disturbing the decisions taken in the last two months to renew military aid to the Salvadoran junta, to increase this aid through the delivery of weapons and ammunition, and finally, to propose even more significant increases for the future.” While saying they were aware of the complexity of the Salvadoran situation, the three organizations said that providing military assistance to the junta has three negative consequences: - “It identifies the United States, at least symbolically, with the repressive role of the security forces whose actions have been consistently criticized by the church in El Salvador; - “It increases the risk of wider military intervention, and - “It jeopardizes a constructive role the United States might play in the conflict.” The statement said the groups supported the assessment of church officials in El Salvador that the “principal responsibility” for the violence in the country rests with the government of El Salvador. The statement also remarked that the organization’s judgment of the situation does not constitute “an endorsement of other political forces in El Salvador.” The statement was issued only a few days after a U.S. Catholic Conference representative told a House subcommittee that the recent “redefinition” of the El Salvador conflict into an East-West power struggle downplayed the quest for justice of the Salvadoran people. A Dollar For The Children BY MONSIGNOR NOEL BURTENSHAW Congressman Wyche Fowler of Atlanta has an idea that he is proposing to the city and to the nation. It is this: give one dollar to assist the Task Force investigating the murdered and missing children in Atlanta. The Congressman from the 5th District is asking that the funds be sent to a P. O. Box so that the city can be helped in the continuing investigation of Atlanta’s tragedy. Chris Riggall of the Congressman’s Office said, “The money will be handled by the Metropolitan Atlanta Community Foundation, an organization headed by Dan Sweat and made up of community leaders to assist these special projects.” Mr. Riggall further stated that the Foundation has tax-exempt status and all donations can be considered tax deductable. “The Congressman is asking for one dollar from everyone,” said Riggall, “but, of course, we will take all donations - big or small.” Fowler outlined his plan on the Sunday News Conference, a Sunday afternoon show on WSB Television. However, his plea is not just to Georgians; he will also appeal to the nation. “About a week from now,” said Chris Riggall, “Congressman Fowler will appear on the Today Show on NBC Television and bring to the nation notification that this effort is underway. We hope it will do some good.” The one dollar, or the many one dollars, may be sent to Missing Children, Box 150, Atlanta, Ga. 30301. LENTEN ALTERNATIVES W. Bayer, of ' urch in Dropping Out Of The Easter Parade BY THEA JARVIS In order to properly celebrate Lent and Easter, the contemporary Christian should: a. give up alcoholic beverages, ice cream and purple jellybeans b. buy new clothes and arrange for a big Easter dinner c. fill Easter baskets with enough candy to last till Pentecost d. watch a television special on the year the Easter bunny forgot to deliver his eggs e. all of the above If you picked letter “e,” you are a prime candidate for Lenten/Easter overkill. This holiday syndrome is characterized by knock-down, drag-out battles in the Sears girls’ department (“But Mom, I don’t like that dress!”) and a mad dash for the Russell Stover counter on Holy Saturday afternoon. If you chose any other letter, you might consider the “Alternatives” approach to the Christian season of Lent and Easter. Alternatives, a national, non-profit resource center for simpler lifestyles with headquarters in Forest Park, views celebrations as starting points for clearing away the debris that can clutter up our holiday/holyday feasting. “As our manner of celebrating both symbolizes and embodies our lifestyles, changing the ways we celebrate can be the beginning for changing those lifestyles .. . the development of personal, family and institutional lifestyles is what Alternatives is all about,” according to the attractively concise brochure that defines the eight-year-old organization’s goals and purposes. The Alternatives network views Easter as a time to celebrate the fact that “love is more powerful than evil and violence” and that “in loving God and serving humanity a person overcomes the power of death.” Alternatives remains wary of the “second Christmas” approach to the Easter season and realizes the PO Bo» t70? Po'es! P»rk. Georgia S00S0 difficulty in keeping the real purpose of the celebration in perspective when retailers vie for first place in the spring marketplace. For those willing to stem the commercial tide, however, Alternatives suggests that “dropping out” of the Easter parade might be the start for a simpler season. “Wearing common work clothes on Easter Sunday would be a truer expression of a commitment to follow the example of Jesus and His ministry to the poor and oppressed” says Milo Shannon-Thomberry, an ordained Methodist minister and executive director of Alternatives. He and his small staff at the Alternatives center in Forest Park offer catalogues, calendars and books that include a wide variety of ideas for simplifying the Lenten/Easter experience while enhancing a sense of true celebration. Some Alternatives approaches might appeal to the contemporary Christian this Lent and Easter season: NEW CLOTHES - Instead of buying new clothes, divert this money to a worthwhile charity or social justice movement. EASTER EGGS - Blow out Easter eggs (scramble the innards) and insert a slip of paper that describes a gift of (Continued on page 6)