Exercise for Our Faith

Dear Reader,

Any Catholic, whether the parishioner who sits at the end of the fifth pew in church or a distinguished bishop presiding at the altar, needs ongoing formation, even if at different levels, much as the body needs regular exercise to thrive. The Southern Cross is one means of providing formation and catechesis. And on our cover this month is Prof Jaime Waters, who during June will offer formation, through the Winter Living Theology (WLT) series of lectures.

The Jesuit Institute, which arranges the annual WLT in association with the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference, must be commended for consistently offering relevant themes of great variety, and identifying suitable experts to present them. No doubt Prof Waters, who is interviewed on page 10, will deliver a fascinating lecture series on the subject of the Old Testament.

The Old Testament provides the basis the exciting year ahead of us: the Jubilee Year 2025. Pope Francis has called a Year of Prayer to help us prepare for that special time of grace. On page 14, Fr Runaine Radine explains what that entails. And on page 16 we learn how to start a spiritual prayer journal.

On the back-cover you may have spotted a new feature: a series on Marian shrines around the world, which we hope you will enjoy. This means that after 44 issues we have brought the “History in Colour” feature to a close. On pages 22-23 we showcase some of our favourite colourised pictures in the series.

On page 29, Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI reflects on the question of whether Jesus had a sense of humour. St Francis de Sales, whose writings usually exhibit such common sense, once suggested that Jesus never laughed because, knowing everything, he anticipated all the punchlines.

But surely human beings laugh even at familiar punchlines. Just witness any family reunion, when all the well-worn anecdotes and memories are recycled to great laughter. And, as Fr Rolheiser notes, who would want to follow a man who lacks the appealing emotion of laughter?

Religious Sisters have done so much for our Church and our country. In this issue, we feature one of these great servants in the consecrated life. Sr Biddy-Rose Tiernan is well-loved by many Catholics, especially in the areas of education and Justice & Peace. Daluxolo Moloantoa interviews Sr Biddy-Rose about her life and experiences.

As we were producing this issue, we received news of the passing of two priests who were great friends of The Southern Cross. Franciscan Father John  Allen Green wrote a weekly reflection on the Sunday readings on our website, which came to be used internationally. His remarkable life-story was featured in our December 2023 issue

Dominican Father Joe Falkiner wrote several reflections for us over the years, always from a perspective of social justice. We reviewed his autobiography in our March 2022 issue (read it at https://t.ly/IUooj). May both priests and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in perfect peace.

Meanwhile, another book we have reviewed, Reluctant Prophet: Tributes to Albert Nolan OP, has been awarded the prestigious Andrew Murray-Archbishop Tutu Prize. We congratulate its three Dominican editors, Fr Mike Deeb, Fr Mark James and Br Philippe Denis. The review of the book ran in our October 2023 issue (read it at https://t.ly/54wUe).

Thank you for reading The Southern Cross, and please tell your friends about your monthly Catholic magazine.

God bless,

Günther Simmermacher
(Editor)