Christmas: Overture to Eternity My Dearly Beloved: in Peace, Joy, and Gratitude, I Offer You Every Blessing, Every Good Wish of a Tender, Loving Father
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Vol. XXIV No. 25 Catholic Archdiocese of Miami Friday Dec. 25, 1987 'Glory to God on high!' Devotedly Yours Christmas: overture to eternity My dearly beloved: In peace, joy, and gratitude, I offer you every blessing, every good wish of a tender, loving Father. His infinity makes it possible for Him to care lovingly, this Holy Season. personally for each of us~for you. At times the true gift that Christmas is for us lies like and unopened present Glory to God on high! under the tree. Christmas means that you--that we-mean so much to God that to prove it There is the danger that we miss the point of the celebration He became one of us~took on human flesh at Bethlehem. of the Feast. We think of Christmas as a time for parties, Glory to God on high! decorating a tree, shopping, getting out greeting cards, receiving Christmas means that this God love us~loves you so that His Son redeemed gifts, having a day off at work, family reunions, special meals. us for our sins, to heal us. He wants us to become like Him and so gave us They are all good things-but the best is still like the unopened, baptism to be transfoimed, to share forever His divine life, gave us the Eucharist unexplored package under the tree. to nourish our friendship with Him. If we really stop to open Jesus' present under the tree Glory to God on high! Christmas is mind-blowing, is heart-blowing. How tragic, how tragic for the Christmas is the overture of an everlasting Alleluia, for it was the first step in our being with God in the ecstasy of all eternity in heaven. Christmas means non-believer who misses the true meaning of Christmas. the lives we are now living are but the waiting room of the most marvelous, Christmas means that the wondrous Almighty God who could bounce the unbelievable future awaiting us in heaven. earth like a rubber ball, the God for whom the stars of the universe are but snow Devotedly yours in Christ, flakes, the God for whom a million years is but a twinkle of the eye, the God who says of Himself in the Bible,". .my hand laid the foundations of the earth, Edward A. McCarthy my right hand spread out the heavens," (Isaiah 48)-that God is, at the same time, Archbishop of Miami, Pope's U.S. visit still being felt WASHINGTON (NC) — Enthusiasm over Pope Pope OKs sainthood step John Paul II's U.S. visit in September lingered across the country as 1987 drew to a close. Dioceses on the for Fr. Junipero Serra papal itinerary cited a boost in Mass attendance and VATICAN CITY (NC) — Pope John Paul II reception of the sacraments, an influx of new cleared the way for the beatification of Fran- Catholics and increases in vocations as evidence of ciscan Father Junipero Serra by approving a the trip's impact. The lingering impact was also miracle attributed to the 18th-century founder of financial as dioceses worked to meet unpaid bills. nine California missions. The Vatican announced Local churches also began incorporating the pope's the pope's decision Dec. 11. The decision is the messages into parish renewal and evangelization ef- latest step in a canonical process which began in forts as well as the Rite of Christian Initiation of 1934 in the Diocese of Monterey, Calif. Born in Adults. Father Robert Lynch, National Conference of Spain in 1713, Father California in 1769, even- Catholic Bishops' associate general secretary and tually establishing nine missions and evangelizing overall coordinator of the pope's visit, said in an in- local Indians before his death in 1984. Some In- terview Dec. 7 that long-term effects would be dian representatives have protested beatification "directly conditioned" by what the NCCB does as a efforts, claiming Father Serra beat Indians who follow-up. tried to leave his missions. But his defenders sav no proof has ever been supplied of Indian ACLU entering new arena, mistreatment by the missionary. opposes prayers at college rites WASHINGTON (RNS) — Broadening its cam- Mother Drexel sainthood paign against school prayers, the American Civil Rights award Liberties Union has asked a federal court in Cardinal Juan Francisco Fresno Larrain of nearer after medical review Baltimore to ban prayers to be said ai the University Santiago, Chile, is congratulated by former ROME (NC) — A board of medical experts of Maryland's mid-year graduation ceremony on President Jimmy Carter after the cardinal was ruled it was unable to find a medical cause for a Dec. 22. In what attorneys described as one of the presented the second annual Carter-Menil cure attributed to the intercession of Mother first challenges to prayer at the college level, the Human Rights award in Atlanta. Houston Katharine Drexel. The meeting of the board of ACLU charged on Dec. 3 that the invocations and philanthropist Dominique De Menil, center, medical experts resulted in a "very favorable out- benedictions at the public institutions amount to presented the $100,000 award. <NC photo) come," the postulator for the Drexel cause, Jesuit "state- sponsored delivery of prayers" and therefore Father Paolo Molinari, said. The medical review violate the constitutional separation of church and does not determine whether a miracle has taken state. Art Spitzer, an attorney for the civil-liberties Jews for Jesus evangelizing place, but only examines whether there is a group, said he did not know of any previous court medical explanation for the alleged miracle. For challenges to prayer at college ceremonies but that in national magazine ads Mother Drexel to be declared "blessed" — a step he expected other ACLU affiliates to begin taking NEW YORK (RNS) — Jews for Jesus, in a move toward sainthood — a miracle must be attributed on the practice. that some view as offensive to Jews, has taken out to her intercession. This effort to verify a miracle full-page ads in several major newspapers and follows an extensive review of her life and works magazines for a new evangelistic campaign using the which resulted in the pope declaring her "vener- L.A. prelate urges aliens slogan, "Christmas would be impossible without the able" earlier this year. The case under study in- Jewish people." Susan Perlman, communications volves the allegedly miraculous cure of a boy's to seek legalization director of the San Francisco-based organization, hearing loss. LOS ANGELES (NC) — In a strongly worded said the ads have already been published or are plea, Los Angeles Archbishop Roger M. Mahony slated to appear in newspapers like The New York has called upon qualified illegal aliens to "im- Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and mediately" apply for legalization. "It is urgent — Chicago Tribune, and magazines like Time, News- Pope urges religious freedom urgent — that persons eligible for amnesty prepare week and Parade. She said U.S. News and World their cases immediately," the archbishop told 7,000 Report and McLean's Magazine in Canada turned in communist, Moslem nations people at a celebration honoring Our Lady of them down because they felt the ad would be offen- VATICAN CITY (NC) — Calling religious Guadalupe in the Los Angeles Sports Arena. The sive to Jewish people. liberty a "measure" of all other human rights, 1986 immigration law allows aliens who have resided Pope John Paul II urged legal protection world- illegally in the United States since before Jan. 1, wide for believers and religious associations in a 1982, to apply for legalization during a one-year Court protects book defaming message that included an apparent challenge to period that began May 5. Fewer aliens than expected Vatican Archbishop Marcinkus communist and Moslem nations. "Every violation have applied for legalization through church-run NEW YORK (NC) — A New York judge has of religious freedom, whether open or hidden, "qualified designated entities." rejected a request by Archbishop Paul C. Mar- does fundamental damage to the cause of peace," cinkus for an injunction against further sales of the pope said in a 3,000-word message for World Harris poll shows religion "In the Name of the Father," a novel that depicts Peace Day. The message was published Dec. 15 at the U.S.-born Vatican official as an instigator of the Vatican. Titled "Religious Freedom: Condi- 2nd highest in quality of life the 1984 death of Soviet leader Yuri V. An- tion for Peace," the document did not mention NEW YORK (RNS) — In a study of the dropov. Justice Ethel B. Danzig of the New York the religious policies of specific countries or American home done by Louis Harris and State Supreme Court, the lowest of three levels in regions. Instead, it described a worldwide Associates for Pier 1 Imports, "being committed to the state judiciary, issued the decision Dec. 3. panorama of religious repression affecting your religious or spiritual life" ranked second high- Archbishop Marcinkus heads the Vatican bank, "millions of people." est nationwide in elements which contribute to quali- formally known as the Institute for Religious ty of life. Thirty-six percent of the respondents Works. His New York attorney, Alan Gelb, had termed this category "absolutely essential." It was charged that use of Archbishop Marcinkus as one Vatican backs INS treaty, outranked only by "having good friends," which of the principal characters in the novel was a drew a 45 percent response. "commercially calculated" invasion of privacy. reserves judgment on future ROME (NC) — The Vatican supports the U.S. Canadian bishops' unit urges — Soviet treaty eliminating short- and interme- Brazilian Church accused of diate-range nuclear weapons but is reserving judg- halt to 'market' government ment about the long-term effect of the agreement, 'interfering with state' TORONTO (NC) — A coalition including an said Cardinal Agostino Casaroli, Vatican LONDON (NC) — The head of the Brazilian agency of the Canadian bishops has called for na- secretary of state.