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The Georgia Bulletin
March 19,1981
Scripture For Our People
The Scripture series, which
concluded in last week’s issue of the
Bulletin, drew responses from you
both favorable and critical. We are
grateful for all that have arrived and
for any comments which may turn up
in the days ahead.
Several hopes prompted the series:
that it would respond to the great
reawakening of Catholics to the riches
of Scripture, saying something about
the relationship between Scripture
and the Church’s history, and
Scripture and the Church’s Tradition.
We wanted to encourage Bible study
and, naturally, we wanted to
encourage Catholics to join, vitalize
and grow with Bible study groups in
their faith community, in their
parishes.
In distinguishing what is uniquely
Catholic in approaching Scripture, we
have been criticized for a “negative”
view of Protestant traditions; we have
also heard from people who thought
that, in discouraging private
interpretation of the Bible, we were
also discouraging reading of the Bible.
While it was thought that there was a
need to state the Catholic tradition
clearly, it is also in the nature of
newspapers to lose nuances in a
black-and-white statement. It is, by
nature, a one-way conversation
without opportunities for discussion
and clarification.
Seen in a different light, the
questions underline what is most
important: that the ideas raised in the
series are a jumping-off place for
further thought and talk. We hoped to
suggest the richness of the Church’s
heritage; the variety of responses
suggests that, as members of the
Church, we have much to offer each
other in exploring that heritage
together.
-GRK
Resound... Resound... Resound...
(The following letter was sent to Archbishop
Thomas A. Donnellan.)
Your Excellency:
I wish to express my personal concern and
deepest sympathy to you and the people of
Atlanta during these tragic days that have
violently claimed the lives of twenty-one
young black children.
The violence and fear that has become a
part of the everyday life of the people in
Atlanta probably cannot be fully understood
by outsiders. The nation, parents and
families everywhere share the horror, the
rage and the frustrating helplessness and
crippling sense of vulnerability we feel for
the families and parents in Atlanta.
On behalf of the Church of Washington I
have asked that each parish, family, school
and other institution of this Archdiocese set
aside a special Day of Prayer to:
1) pray for God’s assistance in stopping
and solving the murders in Atlanta;
2) ask God’s blessing and consolation
upon the bereaved parents and families and
upon all in Atlanta who experience the
urgent sense of fear;
3) help us each become peace makers' in
our homes, where we work and in our
neighborhoods.
I have written a letter of sympathy and of
concern to the parents of the deceased
children expressing grief and prayers of
support from this Archdiocese. I have also
asked each parish to include special petitions
in the Prayers of the Faithful for the
children, their families, and the City of
Atlanta.
With sincere sympathy, I remain
Sincerely in Christ,
James A. Hickey
Archbishop of Washington
This letter was accompanied by a check for
$1,000 to help the families of the children.
To the Editor:
Have you ever tried to explain Christian
Love to someone and they try their darndest
to give examples of what most “Christians”
they know do that is unchristian-like? Well
my Mother and I wish to tell of some
works that most people never see, and few
ever hear about, because these Christians are
going about their Father’s business and
expecting no praise or recognition from their
fellowman here on earth.
I am a prisoner serving a fifty-one year
sentence here in Atlanta Federal
Penitentiary, and through the years, I have
had the pleasure of meeting some perfect
examples of “what a Christian is really
about.” Life lasting friendships developed
and even though some of those wonderful
people have not been able to see me, or I
them, for too long a time now, when a need
arose, without asking, those people came to
my rescue.
1 received word from my family in
Philadelphia, that my mother, Mrs. Dorothy
Jones, was hospitalized and that the doctors
surmised that an operation similar to “open
heart surgery” was absolutely necessary.
This would be Mom’s fourth open heart
operation; her last operation she died on the
operating table and was revived.
Upon presenting the request to the
authorities of the institution, first I met with
rejection, followed by possibility, followed
by approval. However, this approval was
accompanied by the prerequisite that I have
two security escorts accompany me if I were
to go.
Word spread of my need for funds if I
were to make this trip. Mrs. Marge
Shoemaker, director of CHAT, (and one of
my very close friends) left word with our
Chaplain that if she could be of any
assistance, just let her know.
Complications kept creeping in until
finally a ceiling of twelve-hundred dollars
was set as the amount necessary for this trip.
This money had to be here at the institution
prior to any final approval. Time was
running out, for the operation was scheduled
for Tuesday February 24, which left only a
few days.
I never heard from Marge after the initial
conversation and did not know of her
accomplishments in the raising of the money
needed. However Marge never rested . . .
contacted a host of individuals, Churches
and organizations and delivered in cash the
money necessary.
On Monday, February 23, I was on a
plane with two Christian guards/escorts on
my way to see my Mother (possibly for the
last time).
Upon arriving at the hospital, I was
counseled with by the surgeon, who gave me
the details and the odds of the operation
being a success, and surprisingly Mom spoke
out and told him “Doctor, God is guiding
your hands, so stop worring.”
I received word today from my family
that my Mother now has all of the life
support tubing removed from her body and
that she is sitting up and eating solid
food . . . today is Thursday F’ebruary 26, . . .
two days after the operation.
My mother sends her love to all of you
wonder faith-practicing Christian Sisters and
Brothers who made it possible for her to see
her Son one more time and who of-course
were praying for her speedy recovery.
I especially thank Marge Shoemaker
because without her none of this would have
been possible.
My special thanks also go to Mr. and Mrs.
Joan Haver, Mr. and Mrs. Helen and John
Puglise, Mr. and Mrs. Ranftle, St. Vincent de
Paul Society, Chapel Hill Harvester Church,
Mrs. Ann Nelson, Personal Prison Ministry,
Mr. and Mrs. Phylis and Dick Alder, CHAT,
Riverside Church of the Nazarene, Mr. and
Mrs. Mary Jane and Leo Ollinger, St. Peter
and Paul Church, (Rev.) Mrs. L. Webb.
I praise God for each of you and may God
forever bless you.
Mr. J. J. Jones
No. 98001-131
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Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta
(USPS) 5 74 ISO)
Most Rev. Thomas A. Donnellan — Publisher
Rev. Monsignor Noel C. Burtenshaw — Editor
Gretchen R. Keiser — Associate Editor
Thea K. Jarvis — Contributing Editor
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March 22, 1981
Third Sunday in Lent (A)
THE Tf7 ORD
THIS n EEKEND
Paul Karnowski
Ex. 17:3-7
Rom. 5:1-2, 5-8
Jn. 4:5-42
Is it ALTAR or ALTER? CALENDAR or
CALENDER? DESERT or DESSERT?
Everyone has problems when it comes to
spelling, and as my well-worn Webester’s will
testify, I am no exception. As is the case
with most people, I have difficulty with the
same words over and over again. For
example, out of the three pairs of words
listed above, only DESERT and DESSERT
bother me. Try as I might, I can never
distinguish between the final course of a
meal and a dry, arid region, without recourse
to my dictionary. If I joined a four-month
caravan in the Mideast I might learn the
difference once and for all: life in the desert
is no dessert.
In today’s first reading, we hear about a
group of people learning precisely that
lesson. The chosen "people are making their
way across the Sinai desert in search of the
promised land. They’re tired, disillusioned,
and worst of all, thirsty. Grumbling to their
leader, Moses, and beginning to lose their
faith, they quite understandably ask the
question, “Is the Lord in our midst or not?”
The desert seems an unlikely place to find
God: there is very little life and even less
water; the days are unbearably hot and the
nights unexpectedly cold. Yet God makes
His presence known through the actions of
Moses.
In the Gospel, the disciples find jesus in
an unusual situation. He is seated at a well,
talking to a Samaritan woman! According to
popular opinion at the time, one or the
other would be bad enough for any
self-respecting Jewish teacher. But the
disciples say nothing, disguising their shock
that the messiah would “waste” his time
with a woman, especially of the Samaritan
variety. They don’t know that the woman
herself has already had a few surprises.
Concerned about whether God should be
worshipped in Jerusalem or Samaria, she is
told that the time is coming when God will
be worshipped in spirit and truth. The
Gospel, like the first reading, teaches us that
God can be found in unexpected places.
Just as there are different varieties of
desserts, so there are many types of deserts.
If we find ourselves stifled by the hot air of
indifference or the dryness of day-to-day
life, we need only raise our voices and ask,
“Is the Lord in our midst or not?” He’ll let
us know.
Lent III: Simplicity
Dolores Curran
Once, when one of our children was
younger, he came home from school and
asked me, “Are we rich?” Having just
dropped a bundle at the supermarket, I
informed him rather strongly that we
weren’t rich. “Oh,” he said, “then Tim is
wrong. He said that anybody who has a
room of his own and goes on vacations is
rich.”
“Well ...” I began, and was immediately
confronted with the dilemma of American
Christians. What is rich? Does it mean having
enough to eat or enough to spend a
thousand dollars on Christmas? Does it mean
not being able to afford a doctor or not
being able to afford tickets to the Super
Bowl?
Jesus gave us so many stories about being
rich that we don’t even want to know about
them. They make us very nervous, especially
when we hear about people like Mother
Teresa, those in Bangladesh, or the elderly
who eat dog food to keep alive. It isn’t fair
to make us feel guilty about enjoying the
fruits of our labor, we say defensively. We
work hard for what we have, as if that is
enough to wipe out of our consciences the
have-nots.
“Sell all you have and follow me.” “Woe
unto you who are rich; you have your
comfort already.” “It’s easier to pass
through the eye of a needle ...”
Gospel values aren’t pleasant to discuss
when we come up against our lifestyles.
Most of us want to pare down our lives but
we don’t know how. Poverty is such an
awful word. It connotes not having security
and control. Or two TV’s, two cars, and
pizza and beer at midnight. It means we have
to give our excess away and trust on the love
of God to furnish groceries, gas and college
at the very time we see our elderly friends
struggling to make it on savings and social
security in inflationary times. What’s a
family to do?
First, let’s get rid of the word poverty.
Jesus never said we had to live in poverty
and destitution. When I looked for another
word for poverty, I came up with some
appalling choices: indigence, pauperism,
beggary, mendicant, destitute, berefit, and
seedy. Who needs those?
Better we work with a word that makes
more sense in our lives: simplicity. How can
be simplify our lives, stripping them of the
constant desire for more goods, experiences,
and wealth?
Each family has to come up with its own
plan. I know a family that gives a thing away
a day just to make themselves aware of the
excess of things in their lives. They’ve been
doing it for two years now and it’s been a
profound experience for them. Sometimes
it’s hard, but they do it - a piece of clothing,
a toy, a tool, a dollar, an extra clock, a chair,
a casserole, a bundle of old National
Geographies lovingly saved through the
years.
Another family began focusing on
alternatives to consumerism about the same
time. They invested in the Alternative
Celebration Catalogue and found themselves
enjoying the holidays more by spending less.
They are now avid members of the
Alternatives movement. (Information: Box
1707, Forest Park, Ga. 30050)
Today’s question: take the remainder of
your time to answer these questions
together.
1. If we gave a thing away a day, how long
would it be before we were poor?
2. If our income was cut in half, what
would we cut out of our lives?
3. What is our family’s favorite
possession?
4. Would we be the same without it?
5. Estimate what last Christmas cost and
write a plan for halving it next year and
having the same amount of fun.
6. What does eating leftovers have to do
with the gospel?
Vocation: An Invitation To Respond In Freedom
Sister Joan Leonard, O.P.
This Lent, many of the Scripture readings
remind us that in baptism all Christians are
incorporated into the death and resurrection
of Jesus, that we are called to begin a new
life with Him. This new life incorporates us
into the body of Christ, His Church, and
enables us to share in the mission of Christ
Himself.
This Sunday’s gospel of the Samaritan
woman dramatically unfolds for us some of
the elements in the mystery of the call to
follow Jesus, once we find “living water, the
fountain within us, leaping up to provide
eternal life.” The call to follow Christ is a
gift, a mystery, a ministrv. a grace as
personal as His words to the Samaritan
woman. When we examine Scripture we find
many similar stories of individual vocations.
Such persons as Abram and Sarah, Moses, the
prophets, Mary, Paul and Mary Magdalen,
have played a unique role in salvation
history. Two outstanding features of the
mystery of their vocation are: the initial
difficulties of listening to the Word of God
and the corresponding response to that call
with self-acceptance and in freedom.
Let us look at two very familiar calls: that
of Moses and Mary - significant figures in
sacred history, larger-than-life symbols of
what it means for God to speak and act and
come alive through human beings - through
a young man and a young woman.
Each one is surprised by God, each one is
well aware of his or her limitations, each one
cannot quite believe God would choose
him/her to lead in this way.
Look first with me at Moses. Five times
he tries to squirm out of God’s fiery grasp,
to move away from God’s all-embracing
presence. We are familiar with his pleas, his
questions, his begging-off. We sometimes
hear them as if they are ours - for they are:
“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh
and bring the children out of Egypt?” (Who
me, Lord? I’m just a plain ordinary
shepherd . . . I’m just a quiet worker . . . me,
go and challenge the government... the
authorities. You must have the wrong
person, Lord.)
“Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent... but
I am slow of speech and of tongue.” (I can’t
speak to that group, or the powers that be;
I’m OK among people I know, but going to
those who don’t even know me . . . ? You’re
asking the impossible, Lord.)
Oh, my Lord, send, please send -1 pray -
someone else. All these replies you and I
have known in our own hearts. At the same
time, the Lord encouraged and fortified
Moses with the assurance that he is to speak
and act not on his own strength and name,
but in the power and authority of God.
Finally, Moses responded, buoyed by the
knowledge that the Lord accepted him as he
was - lisp, extended family and all.
Supported by the Lord, he answered in
freedom.
A few thousand years later, a young
maiden sits spinning and an angel, a
messenger of God, comes to her, greeting her
with reverence and respect. She is troubled
at the saying - for it is at the moment
farthest from her mind that an angel would
come to her with direct greetings from God.
Gabriel tries to calm her and then to bring
her the message that she will conceive and
bear a son -- in fact, the son of the Most
High. Now, she is concerned . . . and raises
the obvious question -
How shall this be, seeing that I know not
man?
Only after a moment of troubled surprise,
only after being assured that her situation is
acceptable and told of the situation of her
kinswoman, Elizabeth only then does
Mary say her ‘Yes’ with freedom.
One of the primary realities in each of
these stories, Moses, Mary and the Samaritan
woman is that Jesus gives freedom in
personal encounter with Him. Each person
heard the word differently. Each person was
accepted in the context of his or her unique
life story. Each had a different mission:
(Moses) to lead God’s people to freedom,
(Mary) to be the Mother of the Messiah, and
(the Samaritan woman) to preach the Good
News.
At first I would imagine the Samaritan
woman had a difficult time accepting things
as they were and, more importantly,
realizing that Jesus took her as she was and
accepted her situation in life.
A second point is that Jesus did not mind,
nor was He ashamed of having this sinner
spread the good news. We are often very
careful in screening our preachers and
teachers of religion lest they scandalize us (I
am not denying that there are situations
when this is necessary). Many times,
however, we don’t want excitement or
controversy - or challenge. But this
Samaritan woman turns out to be the best of
preachers because she led the people to
Jesus. And is this not the task of the
preacher, not to foster a particular brand of
religion, but to lead others to Jesus?
Finally, this fact that Jesus involved
women in his ministry was extraordinary -
and particularly a Samaritan woman at that.
It may be difficult for us today to grasp how
radical it was that Jesus called women to
follow Him as disciples. Women of His day
were not considered candidates for
discipleship by the rabbis. Nevertheless, we
have clear evidence that women were among
those who followed Christ through cities and
villages bringing the Good News of the
Kingdom of God. Just as Peter left his nets,
women such as Joanna, Susanna and this
woman left their assigned roles in society
and took up the transient life-style of their
teacher.
Once they realized that Jesus accepted
them as they were, they were able to accept
themselves. The beauty of such a personal
encounter is that it gives us the courage to
risk ourselves in the service of others - in
whatever calling that may be.
During this Lent, a time of deep reflection
on our baptismal call to live the Christian
life, the Atlanta Council of Sisters invites
Sisters and other women who might like to
join us for a day of Reflection and Prayer on
“Vocation.” It will be held Saturday, March
28, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. Paul of the
Cross Parish. For details call Sister Patricia
Geary at 881-6643.
This opportunity is offered out of the
belief that calls and responses are heard not
only at peak moments in salvation history,
but throughout our lives. Each person’s life
contains doubts and convictions, fearful
interruptions and delightful surprises,
struggling hopes and high expectations - all
the elements involved in vocation and the
continued effort to respond to it in freedom.
(Sister Joan Leonard is treasurer of the A tlanta
Conference of Sisters.)