Editorials
wmmm
Easter in Year of Faith
Of tbe holidays of the Christian year, Easter is the ‘Crown’ of them
all in Faith and interior peace. It is a festival whose spirit is made more
vivid by contrast with the somberness of its origin.
The never-ending contrasts of Christianity continues as we prepare
to celebrate the day of “Jesus Christ lives” in the year of Faith. The
world thought that the cross would bring death to Christ, instead it
brought eternal life and existence in the hopes and plans of men.
Writers in the popular journals such as LOOK, POST, LIFE and
other popular magazines of tremendous reader interest, as well as some
of our own religious journalist today, see the Church of the cross. The
cross beam of those who fear that die moves too fast is contrasted by
the vertical beam of those who anguish that she moves too slowly. Hie
cross of Calvary was a .stumbling block to some, foolishness to others.
The world sees the Church on a cross today and again prepares to
repeat to sensationally interpret its disciplines in the light of current
expediency or to denature it with humanitarian services.
“Jesus Christ lives.” It is this amazing statement that is the
essence of Christianity. When St. Paul said, “If Christ has not risen,
vain is your faith,” he was not only referring to the Resurrection as a
concluding argument in the claim to the Divinity of Christ. He was
rather stating the essence of Christianity — our God is a living God,
a God who is, not a God who was, a God who is with us still. -
As our Church moves into the mainstream of life, the market
place, as it must, we members run the risk of forgetting the fact of
Easter. That Jesus Christ lives and is in the world gives the Christian a
different attitude of the place where he moves, lives and has his being,
the place where he works out his salvation. This is evidenced in the
eighth grade composition of a parochial school pupil found at the right
side of this newspaper column.
In this Year of Faith 1968 Our God is alive, in His world and in us
— and we know Him when we know Will, we love Him when we love
His brethem, we serve Him when we serve His kingdom.
Catholics in Our Day
While the hopeful diplomatic talks begin in behalf for some sem
blance of peace in war torn Vietnam there are two sad stories in this
weeks news relating to that unhappy country which is of interest to
Catholics.
On page two of this issue we read of the retirement and exile of
the former Archbishop of Hue, the brother of the late president who
was assassinated with a second brother a few years ago. He never
returned to his ecclesiastical post when the military overthrew the
government by the two murderous acts and the Archbishop and his
sister-in-law with her children fled their native country. What sorrow
must fill the being of this prelate who has seen his people suffer mental
and spiritual anguish. A once prosperous city and Archdiocese is now a
mass of war torn rubble mixed with destitution, sickness and death.
The city of Hue had a 25-day preview of what would happen if the
National Liberation Front (Viet Cong) were victorious in South Viet
nam. The character of the occupational movement was true to the
familiar indoctrination of the Red party line. The method was the usual
one-of the code of the terrorists. The communists murdered many
Catholics who were pointed out to them by vengeful neighbors, yet
they took care, to make no general frontal attack on the Catholic Church
in Hue.
A British journalist writing of his findings in the TIMES of
London is quoted in TIME magazine this week as asking, “There are
about 40,000 Roman Catholic Vietnamese in Hue. What happened to
them?” The Catholic News Service tells that at least 14 collective
graves containing bodies of the communists’ victims have been found
in and around Hue. Many were knocked unconscious into a trench and
buried alive.
The greatest setback the communists received in their 25-day
occupation was the failure of the people to rise in support of them.
Victim of Change
The 1932 edition of a textbook entitled “A Survey of Sociology”
and published for use in Catholic colleges, divided the volume into two
sections. The first part was called “Fundamental Institutions” and the
second part was called “Problems and Agencies.”'Of the latter classifi
cation one of the chapters was entitled “The Negro Problem.” A later
revised edition happily changed the offensive title to read “Inter-Racial
Problems.” Today through the indominable efforts of the late Dr.
Martin Luther King, the “Inter-Racial” view has infilterated American
thinking that the nature of the problem is also a matter of the whites.
Public protest, of a non-violent sort has been recognized as a legal
means of asserting justified claims at the court of public opinion. This
was the powerful, moral force which has begun to pry loose traditional
apathy, cultivated predjudice and made a rational readjustment in the
thinking toward granting the Negro his rights. Dr. King was a figure
in the new thinking by which emotions often run high and because of
this he was a victim of man’s basest act of reprisal at a time when our
nation is struggling to implement rights for all Americans.
Dr. King represented the hopes and anticipation of millions of
Americans who saw him carve an effective path of progressive Civil
Rights legislation. More than this his appeal began to touch a responsive
cord on the part of the majority of Americans. They began to recognize
that the present time was long overdue for justice and rights to be
commonly enjoyed. But what Dr. King seems to have forgotten is that
all participants in his program are not non-violent. Nor could the
actions of all bystanders be similarly controlled. Violence breeds
violence. We recognize now that the technique of demonstration, even
with a non-violent intent is impossible.
We are grateful for the accomplishments of Dr. King in effecting
Civil Rights for the Negro and the opening up of the conscience of the
whites. We do believe, however, had he continued in his present policy
of protest his national image would have decreased to a matter of
inconsequence.
We assure our sorrowing Negro Americans of our sense of shame
and distress over this tragic death of one who naturally was held high
in their esteem and gratitude. We are sharing their gratitude for his
mission in life also for the strong appeal to all Americans at large, for
the present movement and future progress of justice and rights for
every citizen. May this man who motivated by a religious vocation, who
fought the good fight of his convictions to this period of his life, rest
N Peace
Rx for Renewal
In Current Thought
‘Turn Not Your Eyes’ Essay
Cites Christian Concern
(The boys and girls of the eighth grade of St. Patrick’s School
in Charlotte have been active in putting the Faith learned in Chris
tian Doctrine classes into practice. Their Christian duties have been
lived as they have been learned. The pupils have become aware of
this by adopting an amputee patient who is served by the Nursing
Sisters of the city who care for patients in their own home. Inspired
by tne direction oi tneir teacn
er, Sister M. Concetta of the
Mercy Community, the class par
ticipated in a Mass offered in the
patient’s small living room. They
presented their new friend with
an orange hostess gown as a
gift.. The boys and girls have had
an opportunity of facing real
poverty and suffering and have
generously responded to deep
need. The following composition
was written by Connie Harris of
the class and is a very moving
thought on the matter of Chris
tian concern and action. Editor’s
note.)
TURN NOT YOUR EYES
All those around us, our own
brothers and sisters in Christ,
are in need. Their deficiency
may be on a material level: they
suffer from a lack of food, cloth
ing and shelter. Or need may
also be found on a spiritual lev
el among those who suffer from
an absence of faith, knowledge,
courage or hope. Many will find
their most urgent need — the
need for love — neglected
throughout days upon days of
loneliness. Theirs is the poverty
of not having a friend!
We are all poor in some sense.
If it is the wealth of this world
that we possess, then giving this
to those who do not have it is a
means of giving ourselves. By
sharing our help and our talents
with others we are stepping out
of a midst of indifference which
shrugs off responsibility; and
thus we are bringing forth Christ
who lives and acts through us.
We become involved and con
cerned with the sufferings of
others. In return for our humble
act of giving, we receive an even
greater gift: that of knowing we
have brought happiness to an
other. We should open out? eyes
and seek those who do not be
lieve in God or know of His
great love for them. We must
share our knowledge of the great
Gift of Love our Father has giv
en to all: Jesus. If one has not
known the love of another per
son, he will not be able to un
derstand the great love God has
for him. We must show him, help
him understand, that as God’s
child, and our brother, he is
loVed.
As the aim of our Civics Club
this year, we ard!diMShg ‘Tb
Legion of Mary
Annual Observance
Has 27 Members to
Continue Apostolate
Raleigh — Twenty-seven mem
bers of the Legion of Mary from
Durham, Chapel Hill, Goldsboro
and this city pledged loyalty to
the Blessed Virgin under the
program of their Apostolic So
ciety. The annual ceremony took
place at the Cathedral here on
March 24 and Bishop Waters led
the procession of spiritual direc
tors and members in making
their pledge before a special
shrine erected for the ceremony.
Earlier in the afternoon there
were reports given by the var
ious local groups.
At the service Bishop Waters
stressed in a spiritual ■ talk the
concern which the Blessed Vir
gin Mary had for her divine Son.
“Christ’s interests' are her inter
ests,” he said. The Legion active
ly shares in the mission of Christ
for the good of souls.
The “Acies” was concluded
with Benediction of the Most
blessed Sacrament.
Harmony Reigns
In Hungarian Church
Bonn — (NC) — There is com
plete harmony in the Catholic
Church in Hungary among the
bishops, priests and laymen, ac
cording to a report in Magyar
Kurir, the Hungarian Church’s of
ficial news agency.
The agency noted that the Hun
garian Church seems to be free of
the dissension that exists in the
Church in many Western coun
tries.
Harmony in the Hungarian
Church, the agency said, is dem
onstrated by the generous finan
cial support given by Catholics,
support which has made possible
the repair of church buildings and
facilities to care for the aged and
infirm priests and Religious.
Learn What It Means To Be
Poor.” When we find poverty, we
should TURNIfOT OUR EYES. 5
New Publication
‘Parish Council' Will
Aid Church Advisoiy
Groups, Said a ‘Must’
Parish Council — published
monthly by The national Litur
gical Conference. First issue:
April, 1968. Price: $2.00 per
year each subscription.
Parish Council will be an open
forum for parish councils and
other groups concerned with
parish renewal. Also short arti
cles, editorials and reprints pre
pared and assembled by The
Liturgical Conference Editors.
A must for every Parish Council
member.
Send subscriptions to: Parish
Council, The Liturgical Confer
ence, 2900 Newton Street, N.E.,
Washington, D.C. 20018.
Bishops Echo Nation’s
Praise For Johnson
Vietnam Peace Move
Washington — In statements
issued soon after President Lyn
don B. Johnson announced de
escalation of the Vietnam war,
several American bishops repeat
ed the nearly universal praise
that met the President’s an
nouncement that he was order
ing a halt to most bombing op
erations against North Vietnam.
Emphasizing that he was not
speaking as president of the Na
tional Conference of Catholic
Bishops, but only as archbishop
of Detroit, Archbishop John F.
Dearden commented:
“The initiative shown by Pres
ident Johnson in deciding to
suspend the bombing of North
Vietnam seems a step in the
right direction. We are all con
cerned about achieving peace. If
this action can open the way to
discussions, as many world lead
ers believe, we may find a solu
tion to the dreadful impasse of
war. And surely we must pray
that this may speedily come
about.” -
From San Antonio, Tex., Arch
bishop Robert E. Lucey, who has
defended the U.S. commitment
to Vietnam as moral, commend
ed the President for taking the
initiative in pursuing an honor
able solution to the war in
Southeast Asia.
The archbishop said that the
President’s address to the na
tion was “well reasoned and bal
anced, because the President
made it clear he is seeking a
peace based on justice.”
Archbishop Lucey added that
he hoped North Vietnam’s lead
ers would “accept the fact that
their war of tyranny and slavery
can never succeed and that they
respond favorably to the Presi
dent’s plea to bring about an end
to the hostilities.”
Supporting the President’s
statement in his address that “if
peace does not now come
through negotiations, it will
come when Hanoi understands
that our common resolve is un
shakable and our common
strength invincible,” the arch
bishop commented.
NORTH CAROLINA CATHOLIC
Weekly Newspaper
for Raleigh Diocese
Second Class postage paid at Hunting
ton, Indiana.
Entered at the Post Office in Hunting
ton, Indiana, U.S.A. at the rate of
postage provided for in Section 1103 of
the United States Act of October 3.
1912 and of February 28, 1925.
Editor
Rev. Frederick A. Koch ,
Address: Bex 9503
Raleigh, N. C. 27403
TaL 919-033-5295
April 14, 1988
VoL XXm, Not. 26