Tar on My Heels by dale francis
Anyone for Prophecy?
There was an article I read the other day that gave
me some cold chills; maybe I get cold chills too easily, I
don’t know.
This writer said there are prophets among us. Not the
kind of prophets who tell you what is going to happen in
the future, but prophets in the Biblical sense of those who
proclaim the word of God, who come to lead men closer
to God by calling for a change in the ways of the people.
Now I’m all for such prophets, I believe there are such
prophets, I believe such prophets are needed. What gave me
the chill was in the author’s description of the prophets
and how you could recognize them.
True prophets can be recognized, he said, because they
attack the “establishment,” they oppose institutions. There
are false prophets, too, he said and they can be recognized
because they attack the true prophets and they support the
“establishment.”
As I read the article I kept wondering where he got
*■ > his definition of true prophets. My Old Testament studies
led me to believe that they called for strict adherence to
the law, they weren’t so much innovators as they were men
who called the people to stricter observance of God’s law.
This word “establishment” bothers me because it is
one of those imprecise words that can mean whatever the
reader decides that it means. When you speak of religion
it almost certainly has to be interpreted as meaning the
establishment we know as the Church.
As a matter of fact, the writer went on to make plain
he had in mind that part of the hierarchy that was not
progressive enough. That’s another imprecision—what is
progressive? For one reader it may mean only making
religion a force in the world so that Christian principles are
applied to the problems met in the world; for another it
may mean changing the whole structure of religion.
Those who read this article and believe the author
would come to the conclusion that those who criticize the
Church most are the truest prophets. And those who sup
port the Church are the false prophets.
* But unless God has been misleading us, the Church has
existed since it was established by Christ. It is certainly
true there have been human errors by those in the Church,
there have been Christians who have been sinners in their
actions. It is also true that we have often tended to do too
little to make our religion have meaning in the world, we
have stood aside too long.
That doesn’t mean, however, that all in the past has
» been in error, has been wrong, that the answer is discard
everything. Yet when you read some of those who fit this
author’s description of prophets you would come to the con
clusion that there must t>e a complete change.
Maybe I’m a little sensitive about this article because
I fit his description of a false prophet. I do criticize some
of what I believe to be extreme views, I do defend the
Church. I don’t think I can properly be called a conserva
tive—I was busy bringing about communication between
Protestants and Catholics before Pope John. Back in 1947 I
wrote an article for Information in which I said we needed
to work toward re-formulations of old truths in a language
that could be understood by people today. But I didn’t mean
we should come to a place where we would say—as one
Catholic editor did in an editorial—that the differences be
tween Protestants and Catholics didn’t matter because Cal
vin and Luther were, after all, seeking the same goal we
were. And when I spoke of the need for new language, I
meant new language to describe old truths, not a search for
new truths to supplant old truths—truth is never either old
■ nor new.
What I fear is an attack on the “establishment” because
some believe the “establishment” is to be interpreted as the
Church as it now is. I do believe that it is still true that the
only way the Catholic Church can be substantially harmed
is through a breaking down of its structure—destroy the
shepherds and you can scatter the sheep is still true.
. And about that chill, I got it not entirely because of
what was said but by who was saying it. The article was
written by a priest and not only a priest but one who has
the responsibility for preparing other priests, the head of
a seminary.
Season’s Greetings
MAIN STREET MOTOR COMPANY, INC.
RAMBLER
Sales & Service
Phone 456-9092 800 N- Moin St
Woynesville, North Carolina
Byzantine Liturgy
Is Celebrated at
Parish in Havelock
Annunciation parish of Have
lock participated in the Byzantine
Liturgy offered by Reverend
George A. Maloney, S. J. on Christ
mas day and again on the follow
ing Sunday. The parish choir of
thirty voices under the capable
direction of Albert Francesconi
sang the responses in English.
The Byzantine Liturgy of St.
John Chrysostom is one of the
most ancient liturgies in the Cath
olic Church, dating from the 4th
century. Today about 150 million
Eastern Orthodox and approxi
mately 7 million Eastern Catholics
follow the ancient Byzantine Rite.
Father Maloney is a Jesuit of the
John XXIII Center for Eastern
Christian Studies of Fordham Uni
versity, New York. He teaches Ori
ental theology and is editor of the
Orthodox-C a t h o 1 i c ecumenical
journal Diakonia.
One of the distinctive features of
the Byzantine Liturgy in which the
parishioners of Annunciation Par
ish were able to participate was
the reception of the Holy Eucha
rist under both species. Consecrat
ed leavened bread, different from
the unleavened hosts used in the
Roman Rite, dipped into conse
crated wine were giver, by the
Priest to the communicants by
means of a golden spoon.
Strange But True
CJ& Remarkable CARDINAL
MERRY DEL VAL, SECRETARY OP
STATE TO TOPE ST PIUS X, CAME FROM
A SPANISH-IRISH FAMILY, WAS BORN
IN ENGLAND,EDUCATED IN BELGIUM
AND SPENT MOST OF HIS LIFE IN
ITALY. 'A TRUE EUROPEAN/
Known as our jadv of
* K.OZIELSK, THIS BAS-RELIEF
WAS MADE IRA RUSSIAN PRtSO*
CAMP By A POLISH OFFICER DURING
WORLD WAR a. THE RELIEF IS
.NOW INM POLISH CHURCH
IN LOUDON.
hi
v^%ht°,,aSLGk>od
g/JR!' IN A CONVENT
near todi, italy, after
A BENEDICTINE MONK HAD
APPEARED IN A DREAM TO
-me MOTHER SUPERIOR,
REQUESTING PRAYERS
FDR MIS RELEASE PROM
l PURGATORY. TMT PIKS
\ w nrwv o /vc/ir wf i
A HOLY SOULS'CHURCH tN BOM* .
CJ& SOCIALIST PEER LORD LONGFORD is the first catholic"
SINCE WE REFORMATION TO MOLD WE POSITION OF LEADER. OF
BRITAIN'S -HOUSE OF LORDS .
■ii =5=
Nursing Scholarships Aid
Church-Related Schools
HARRISBURG, Pa.—(NC)—For
the first time in Pennsylvania his
tory nurse training programs con
ducted by church-related hospitals
will be supported through state
funds.
Gov. William W. Scranton sign
ed into law a bill appropriating
$2 million for scholarships to
Pennsylvania residents who are
students in approved schools of
professional nursing conducted by
hospitals in the state.
The Pennsylvania Catholic
Conference hailed the measure
as “a breakthrough in meeting the
problem of the shortage of qual
ified nurses.”
“Under provisions of the Penn
sylvania Constitution prohibiting
r
appropriations to sectarian institu
tions, the sectarian hospitals of
the state previously were barred
from participating in state-funded
nurse training programs.
“This made no sense, in view of
the great public need for nurses
and in view of the fact that the
many religious hospitals in this
state do in fact afford excellent
nurse training,” commented Wil
liam B. Ball, general counsel of
the Catholic Conference.
The new law, Ball said, “reme
dies that unfortunate situation. It
is an excellent example of the con
stitutional doctrine that public
funds may be used to support pub
lic purposes which are achieved in
sectarian institutions.”
1
BROOKS LUMBER
COMPANY, INC.
Phone 272-3193
302 West Lee Greensboro, North Carolina
“In the spirit of ecumenism,
we are happy that our own efforts
on behalf of this measure will now
redound to the benefit not only of
nurse trainees in Catholic hospitals
but in Protestant, Jewish and oth
er private hospitals as well. As in
other forms of schooling, nonpub
lic agencies contribute vitally to
the American society’s needs. And
the state’s recognition of these
agencies is also a stimulus to lib
erty in that society,” Ball added.
The nurse scholarship program
is effective retroactive to July 1,
See Scholarships, page 6A
PARUER
PLUMBING
HEATING CO.
& CONTRACTORS
Plumbing—Heating
Air Conditioning
Phone TR 2-2421
fl8 Stockton St.
Statesville, N.C.
Manufacturers of Quality Controlled.
Textile Chemicals
and
Commercial Testing Laboratory
Products:
Carriers
Coning Oils
Detergents
Fixing Agents
Leveling Agents
Penetrants
Softeners
Weighters
Located in
Charlotte, N. C.
"Heart of the Textile Industry"
CONSOS, INC.
Since 1947
• Shirt-Sleeve assistance for your Technical problems
• Rapid delivery — emergency service
• Inquiries Invited
P.O. Box 973 Charlotte, N. C.
Tel : 596-2813