The Sacred Readings - Fr. Tom O'Mahony Presents

MOST HOLY TRINITY PARISH

10,000 PHEASANT RD.

EL PASO, TEXAS 79924

FR. TOM O’MAHONY, PASTOR

FR. PAUL D. O’TOOLE, ASSOCIATE

“This then is my own deepest hope today for the pastors of the Church in America as well as for all the pastors of the Universal Church: ‘That the sacred deposit of Christian doctrine should be more effectively guarded and taught’ (John XXIII). The sacred deposit of God’s Word, handed on by the Church, is the joy and strength of our people’s lives. It is the only pastoral solution to the many problems of our day.” – John Paul II

“Let the practice of the sacrament of penance be revived.” John Paul II, 16 December, 1979

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“The EVER-VIRGIN MOTHER OF JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD AND GOD, she is in the Church in a place highest after Christ, and also is very close to us as OUR SPIRITUAL MOTHER…. The special veneration due to MARY THE MOTHER OF CHRIST – MOTHER OF THE CHURCH – OUR SPIRITUAL MOTHER – should be taught by word and example.”

– BASIC TEACHINGS FOR CATHOLIC RELIGIOUS EDUCATION, N. 24

(U. S. Bishops – January 11, 1973).

THE SACRED READINGS (C)

This is one of the oldest feasts in the liturgical calendar, older even than Christmas. It originated in the East about the beginning of the Third Century. The word “Epiphany” comes from a Greek word meaning “appearance or manifestation” and here means that the Savior manifested Himself to the Gentiles as the Redeemer of all mankind without exception.

1. Isaiah 60, 1-6:

(a) Isaiah was born in or near Jerusalem about 765 B.C. and received his prophetic mission from God about 740 B.C. According to scholars, his writings rank among the world’s great literary masterpieces. He is praised as a highly gifted poet and master of a majestic prose style, and was capable of sustained brilliancy of style, highlighted by a gift of magnificent imagery. He was also a theologian of no mean attainments and a very holy man.

Some modern scholars question the Isaian authorship of the entire book. According to them, Isaiah authored Chapters 1-39; Chapters 40-55 are the work of an unknown 6th Century B.C. Jew and were written just before or immediately after the destruction of the Babylonian Empire by King Cyrus who permitted the Jews to return to their homeland; while Chapters 56-66 were written by another unknown Jew immediately after the return of the “remnant” from Babylon in 538 B.C. However, other scholars support with strong arguments the traditional view that Isaiah is the author of the entire work.

(b) Today’s reading is part of a long poem describing for the consolation of the faithful remnant, who were to return to Jerusalem, the future glory of the city. However, it is quite obvious, as history shows, that the prophecy could not have referred to the earthly city of Jerusalem, since at no period of time between its restoration by the returned exiles up to the present day did it attract to itself the nations (Gentiles) of the earth.

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Biblical scholars remind us that as Jerusalem and the Davidic dynasty were destroyed by the King of Babylon, its citizens deported and its lands laid waste, the prophets began to use “Israel” and “Jerusalem” (often called “Zion” because it was built on a hill called Mt. Zion) as theological or messianic symbols. The future “Son of David”, the “Emmanuel” of Isaiah, would set up a new Jerusalem, a new Israel or People of God, no longer geographically or racially. confined, but a Kingdom embracing all mankind, called the Catholic Church. The word “Catholic” comes from a Greek word meaning “universal”.

Hence today’s prophecy must be understood in what is called a “universalist sense” meaning “a world-view of salvation”.

“Gold and frankincense” – used in barter trading at that time as well as gifts worthy of a King.

2. Ephesians 3, 2-3 and 5-6:

(a) This letter was written by Paul from his prison in Rome to the Ephesians, whom he had converted between 53-56 A.D.

(b) It should be read as a whole in order to see how fully developed St. Paul’s theology was.

Today’s passage is almost a repetition of Chapter 1, 9-14 of the same epistle and is really a summary of his doctrinal teaching on “God’s secret plan” (Mystery) of God to call even the pagan Gentiles into His Kingdom became fully revealed.

(c) “In Christ-Jesus” – this expression should be familiar to readers of St. Paul. It is a reference to the beautiful doctrine of the Mystical Body of Christ, into which Gentiles are incorporated and become co-heirs with the Jews. This incorporation is effected by the sacrament of baptism.

3. Matthew 2, 1-12:

(a) The event mentioned here has come to be known by a word from the Greek meaning “manifestation” i.e. the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles and their call to belong as first-class citizens to the new Chosen people of God.

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(b) Both Matthew and Luke see in the infancy narrative a sign of things to come – Christ’s rejection by the leaders of the Jews and His acceptance by the Gentiles, symbolized by the Magi.

(c) “Magi” comes from a Greek word “Magoi” which means “wise men”, a name usually given to astrologers or priests, whose learning was highly respected. They probably lived in the district beyond the Jordan and the Dead Sea or present-day Arabia, where Jews and Arabs lived together. Other scholars say they were Persians. Undoubtedly they were aware of the Jewish expectation of a great Messiah – King of the House of David.

The gifts they brought were expensive and of the kind usually offered to Kings. Frankincense and myrrh are resins. Myrrh is a perfume and was used in powdered form for burials (see John 19, 39) as well as a narcotic (see Mark 15, 23), while frankincense is a precious incense used in divine worship.

Note that Isaiah mentioned that the Gentiles (nations) would bring gold and frankincense to the King of the New Jerusalem, Jesus Christ.

Though the gospels are silent as to the number of Magi who came on this visit, an ancient tradition holds that they were three in number, more than likely because three used to be regarded as a perfect number, as well as the fact that only three gifts were offered.

(d) Was the “Star” mentioned in Matthew real or fictional?

Some modern scholars, even Catholics, who have become disciples of three Protestant German scholars (Schmidt, DiBelius and Bultmann) have uncritically accepted their method of “form-criticism” or, more accurately, their scientific study of the history of literary forms or types of tradition to be encountered in the N.T. Though a useful tool, it has its dangers as Bultmann shows when it led him to deny that of Jesus of Nazareth, as He actually was in history, we know hardly anything at all. The gospels, in this view, are not historical documents but the result of the theological reflection of the Early Christian community.

This false view has been thoroughly refuted by scholars, and the Pontifical Biblical Commission (established by Pope St. Pius X in 1909) issued several decisions relating to it between 1905 and 1941. According to these decisions Matthew was an eyewitness of the events he narrates, so was John, while Mark wrote what Peter, another eyewitness, preached and Luke, a disciple of St. Paul, wrote what Paul preached and what he learned from other sources, as he informs us.

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The historicity of the Magi event, therefore, is denied by the form-critics, who classify it as an example of the Jewish literary form known as “Midrash” – in other words, pure fiction. The story, they say, reflects the popular belief that each person’s birth, especially the birth of an important person, is marked by the appearance of a star in the sky. Besides, they add, since Matthew intended in his gospel to show the Jews that Christ was the promised Messiah, he naturally used a legendary device of this kind since in the Book of Numbers 24, 17 a star is mentioned as a sign of a King.

In reply it may be stated briefly that the story of the Magi is quite obviously related by Matthew as a historical event, and the facts he relates concerning Palestine and King Herod have been established by historians as perfectly true. Undoubtedly, God could have led the Magi to Bethlehem “by an inner light”, as some Catholic scholars say, but this is a mere presupposition without a factual basis. Other biblical scholars hold that it was not a special star created by God, but a natural phenomenon. This view has received substantial support from the findings of modern scientists depicted in the Christmas Show at the Hayden Planetarium in New York City. In it the night sky of Bethlehem at the time of Christ’s Birth is projected onto a domed ceiling.

Working on the data of biblical scholars that Christ was not born in the year 1 A.D. (which was a false calculation made in the Sixth Century by Dionysius Exiguues), but before Herod’s death in 4 B.C., possibly between 8 and 6 B.C., they discovered that at that period there had occurred a conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn and Mars in the constellation of Pisces. A conjunction simply means that these planets appeared to be at the same point in the sky, superimposed on each other, as it were. This would cause an unusual brightness in the sky.

These are the series of events in this rather startling and unusual conjunction. First of all about May 27th, Jupiter and Saturn formed a planetary conjunction. Later in the same year, October 2nd, about 7 B.C., they came together again, and for a third time during November. Astronomers say that such a conjunction takes place about once every 250 years.

This was not the end. A few months later, in February, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn formed a conjunction. According to astronomers at the Smithsonian in Washington, D. C., there is no record of any similar event, which has occurred since then. Dennis Mammana, an astronomer at the Smithsonian, says “it is very unlikely that the same close conjunction of the three planets in the constellation of Pisces has happened in the last 2,000 years.”

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Could the Magi, who were astronomers, learn from this conjunction where the Christ-Child was? According to Fr. George Coyne, S.J., an astronomer at the Vatican Observatory, this is possible. Astronomer Mammana agrees.

Another interesting item is that in the time of the Magi the constellation Pisces was regarded as the home of the Hebrews in the heavenly universe, Saturn was thought to be the planet controlling Jewish history, and Jupiter was believed to be the King of the Gods. (See article STAR OF BETHLEHEM, Paul A. Fisher, TWIN-CIRCLE, January 1, 1978).

(e) Historical records show that Christ was born before King Herod died in 4 B.C. This means that His birth occurred between 8 and 6 B.C. The present day method of dating was established in the Sixth Century by Dionysius Exiguus and is based on a false calculation [see footnote to Chapter 2 of Luke in the JERUSALEM BIBLE]

(f) The visit of the Magi took place after the purification of Our Lady or the Presentation in the Temple, as it is called nowadays, which happened when the Child was forty days old. Most commentators say that the Child was nearly a year old when visited by the Magi.

Were the Holy Family still residing in the cave? This is disputed. Some say that they were, while others maintain that it was a house.

(g) The prophet mentioned by Matthew is Micah 5, 1-4.

(h) The gifts offered to the Child were expensive and of the kind usually offered to Kings.

The Magi “adored” the Divine Infant, according to Matthew. This does not mean latreutic worship, since Christ’s divinity was not revealed until He began His public life. It was offered to a King, whom, as the Magi knew, was the expected Messiah of the Jews.

4. PSALM 72:

This is classified as a “Royal Psalm”. Such psalms help us to express our loyalty to Christ the King.

5. REFLECTIONS:

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(a) In His infinite goodness, God has gratuitously called all mankind to be His sons and daughters, sharers of His Divine Nature.

To accomplish this He founded a new People of God, called today the Catholic or Universal Church, which is His Kingdom on earth.

This new people through the sacrament of baptism are united with Jesus Christ into a Mystical Body. Hence, His church is not an organization but an organism.

Are we always conscious of our personal union with Christ, Our Head and with the Blessed Trinity? Do we live as children of God or followers of the Evil Spirit?

(b) God’s secret plan is now revealed – all mankind are called to become His children and members of His Kingdom on earth. Parents, do you realize that your children must be brought up with a consciousness of their dignity as children of God and reminded of their duty of loyalty to Christ, Our King?

What are you doing to bring others to come to know, love and serve God – by prayer, good example, and a willingness to tell others of Christ? Do you contribute to the missions? Do you pressure your Congressmen to bring legislation into conformity with Divine Laws?

(c) We should be warned by the mistakes made by the Israelites of old and the contemporaries of Christ. They were punished for them, but we will merit greater punishment because we live in the full light of the N.T. The pursuit of wealth, power and pleasure caused the downfall of the Chosen People of the O.T., yet we are accused of being as materialistic and pagan as any of the ancient peoples.

King Herod was frightened by the news that a new King was born, whom he thought would contest his throne. We too are frightened by Christ because He is a disturbing element for us who prefer a life of ease and pleasure to walking the road to Calvary.

NEXT WEEK’S READINGS (B)

(1) Isaiah 42: 1-4, 6-7.

(2) Acts 10: 34-38.

(3) Mark 1: 7-11.

(4) Psalm 29.

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The Rev. Rob Yeomans of Pontesbury, England, bounced up and down trying to get more life into the choir’s rendering of I WONDER WHERE I’M BOUND. The iron grid gave way under him and he vanished into the church’s central heating duct.

THE HOLY MASS

From time to time Catholics are called upon to explain to their non-Catholic friends the meaning of the mass, but, unfortunately, only the few are really capable of answering such a question. Young people in particular, according to college surveys, have only a hazy notion of what this sublime act is all about, and, as a result, say they get nothing out of it and prefer to stay away, thereby forcing some of the clergy to invent gimmicks, like the Folk Mass and worse, to bring the teenager to church. But this has only temporary value as experience proves. Unless we fully appreciate what this divine act of worship is, laxity will inevitably creep in.

To forestall any objection, let it be stated at once that church teaching on what actually the mass is cannot be considered so arcane as to require the skills of the biblical scholar and theologian. It is within the competence of every Catholic to acquire a clear understanding and appreciation of it. So, if you find mass boring unless you are regaled by banjos, guitars and catchy tunes, remember that this means that you are as ignorant of this divinely revealed doctrine as Burke’s cows were of metaphysics.

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The term “mass” does not convey the meaning of this sacred rite, but since it has centuries of usage behind it and church documents have canonized it, it is perfectly lawful to use it. Actually it is an example of the common tendency to put a simple and convenient name-tag on everything.

At the end of the sacred rite it was the common practice for the priest or deacon to tell the people: “Ite, missa est”, which was usually translated to mean “Go, you are dismissed”. Though “missa” was part of the verb, it began to be used as a noun and so in Latin we use the name “missa”, in Spanish “la missa” and in English “mass”.

Another word that may need explanation is “liturgy”. It comes from the Greek and in the usage of the Catholic Church since apostolic times meant “public worship of God”. Pope Pius XII in his famous encyclical on the liturgy, defined it as “the whole public worship of the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, head and members.” (N. 25).

The “Liturgy of the Eucharist” is, in the words of Paul VI, “the heart, so to speak, and the center of the sacred liturgy”. (Encycl. ON THE HOLY EUCHARIST, 1965). This liturgical action is the re-offering of the sacrifice of Calvary, instituted by Christ at the Last Supper “in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the Cross throughout the centuries until He should come again” (Paul VI, ibid, N. 4)

“Around it are held other rites for the sanctification and the glorification of God. Among these rites are, in the first place, the sacraments, the seven principle fountains of salvation; then the celebration of the divine praise by which the faithful united to each other, obey the exhortation of the Apostle Paul: ‘In all wisdom teach and admonish one another by psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing in your hearts to God by His grace;’ then the reading of the Law, the prophets, the gospels; and the Epistles of the Apostles; and finally the homily or sacred instruction with which the president of the assembly comments practically upon the precepts of the Divine Master which have been recalled to mind, recalling the principal events of the life of Christ, and counseling those present with timely exhortations and examples” (Pius XII, ibid., Nos. 26-27).

III

The Sacred Rite called the mass is conveniently divided into two parts called the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. We will touch on each part separately always bearing in mind the statement of Vatican II: “The two parts which, in a certain sense, go to make up the mass, namely, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist, are so closely united with each other that they form but one single act of worship.” (CONSTITUTION ON THE LITURGY, N. 5).

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THE LITURGY OF THE WORD:

This part of the mass is undoubtedly a relic of the synagogue services with which Christ and His Apostles were familiar. So it is no surprise that it should have become part of Catholic worship.

It is preceded by the Entrance Song, if sung, or by the Entrance Antiphon, if recited. The priest then greets the people and together they say the penitential rite. This is followed by the Gloria and the Opening Prayer of the mass.

After this the Liturgy of the Word begins with two or three readings from sacred scripture. As Vatican II says, in this part of the Mass “God speaks to His people and Christ is still proclaiming His gospel. And the people reply to God both by song and by prayer.” (Vat. II, ibid, N. 33). This, as is evident, is an act of divine worship, which is completed by a public act of faith (the Creed) and by petitions for the needs of mankind (the general intercessions or prayer of the faithful, as it is called.)

Notice that during this liturgy the priest does NOT approach the altar, which is the place of sacrifice.

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST:

During this part of the mass, which takes place at the altar and begins with the preparation of the gifts and ends with the Doxology before the ‘Our Father’, the priest acting “in persona Christi” (i.e., as Christ’s representative and speaking in His name) carries out what Our Divine Lord did at the Last Supper. During this part of the mass, then, the sacrifice of Calvary is renewed on the altar.

Why is this part of the mass called the “Liturgy of the Eucharist”? The word “Eucharist” derives from the Greek and means “to give thanks”. Contemporary scholarship shows that this word means much more than giving thanks in the sense of expressing gratitude for favors received. In the O.T. “to bless God” or “to give thanks” (both have the same meaning) meant that man was to thank God for favors received and at the same time express joy, wonder and admiration for all His gifts to mankind. It also contained an explicit, or at least an implicit, request for the continuance of these favors. Here are some examples: “Blessed be Yahweh, God of my master Abraham, for He has not stopped showing kindness and goodness to my Master” (Genesis 26, 27); “Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel; who has allowed my eyes to see one of my descendants on my throne today” (1 Kings 1, 48). In both texts “Blessed be God” is the same as returning “thanks” to Him by praising Him for His merciful kindness.

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A eucharistic or thanksgiving prayer, which was the usual prayerform of the Israelites on solemn occasions, can be said, therefore, to contain four elements: (a) joy, wonder, admiration and gratitude at the display of God’s goodness. In his letter to the Ephesians St. Paul says: “Blessed be God, the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all the spiritual blessings of heaven in Christ”; (b) a detailed account of these blessings. See the letter to the Ephesians for an example; (c) the explicit, or at least implicit, desire for the continuance of these favors; (d) a hymn of praise to God.

The “Gloria in Excelsis”, which we say at certain masses, is interesting because it gives us a beautiful example of what “Blessed be Yahweh” expresses. It says: “We praise you, we bless you, we worship you. We glorify you. We give you thanks for your great glory.” All these phrases are contained in “we bless You”. The reason for the repetition in the ‘Gloria’ was no doubt to make explicit what was implicit.

Now, at the Last Supper Jesus celebrated the annual feast of the Passover with His apostles. A eucharist or thanksgiving prayer was said by Him, as was the Jewish custom. Notice how St. Matthew tells us this by saying that Jesus “said the blessing” and “returned thanks”.

Hence, it is no surprise that the early Christians, in formulating the principle prayer of the mass, followed Christ’s example and composed a Eucharistic Prayer. See the four eucharistic prayers we now have and you will notice that they contain the four elements just mentioned. The Doxology (“Through Him, with Him, in Him ….”) is the fourth element, namely a hymn of praise.

In ancient times it was the practice for the people to come to the altar table and eat the cooked flesh of the animal offered in sacrifice to God. So in the mass we have the communion service. This partaking of the flesh of the victim from God’s table (the altar) signified God’s invitation to friendship with Him and the acceptance of it by the people. Among Orientals in those times an invitation to dine at the host’s table signified exactly that – an offering of friendship. For this reason heaven is often described in the Bible as a “banquet” or “supper with God”.

Is it any surprise that Christ should introduce this element into the sacrifice of the mass? He invites us to approach His table and gives us Himself to eat, under the appearance of bread. By receiving Him we accept His extended friendship and love and offer our loyalty and allegiance in return.

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It is usual to call this part of the sacred rite the Communion Service. This must be properly understood. The reception of the consecrated host is for the purpose of establishing a “communion” between Christ and ourselves. “Communio” in Latin has two separate though related meanings. It means a sharing by the people in the Eucharist and also refers to the effect of eating of the victim through partaking of the Sacred Host. This latter effect is a close personal union with Christ. As a result of being united to Christ, the Head of the Mystical Body, which is the Church, we are all united to each other. Consequently, the sacramental graces given have for their goal our union with Christ and with our brethren by the bonds of supernatural love.

VII

THE NOTION OF SACRIFICE:

It is defined dogma of our faith that at the consecration there occurs a true and proper sacrifice, the sacrifice of Calvary renewed by the power of and at the command of Christ to “do this in remembrance of Me” In his ‘CREDO’ issued June 30, 1968, Pope Paul VI repeated this age-old doctrine: “We believe that the mass, celebrated by the priest representing the person of Christ by virtue of the power received through the sacrament of orders, and offered by him in the name of Christ and the members of His Mystical Body, is the sacrifice of Calvary rendered sacramentally present on our altars. We believe that as the bread and wine consecrated by the Lord at the Last Supper were changed into His Body and Blood which were to be offered for us on the cross, likewise, the bread and wine consecrated by the priest are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ enthroned gloriously in heaven, and we believe that the mystical presence of the Lord, under what continues to appear to our senses as before, is a true, real and substantial presence. Christ cannot be thus present in this sacrament except by the change into His Body of the reality itself of the wine, leaving unchanged only the properties of the bread and wine which our senses perceive. This mysterious change is very appropriately called the church trans-substantiation.”

To truly appreciate this sublime dogma of our faith, let us take a brief look at the notion of sacrifice. We must understand, of course, that it is not used here in the loose sense of giving up something of value in order to achieve a greater good or to express our love for another. Sacrifice, in the Biblical and theological sense of the term, is a public act of worship by which we acknowledge God’s Supreme Domination over us.

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Of course, man is obliged to inwardly accept his total dependence on God for his life and activities as well as for his very possessions: “The Lord’s are the earth and its fullness; the world and those who dwell in it” (Psalm 24), but sacrifice is the only way he can outwardly fully express this inward realization of total dependence and thus honor God. In O.T. times something of value was set aside (e.g. a lamb) and was destroyed or slain by the priest in the name of the people. This was called “Immolation”. The animal represented man and in taking its life and removing it from human use, man visibly testified that he himself belonged to God.

Sacrifice, then, is the highest act of worship a creature can offer his Creator.

It was stated above that the primary purpose of sacrifice was to express our total dependence on God and thus to glorify Him. But, unfortunately, man is a sinner and needs to make satisfaction or reparation for the dishonor he has given God. He can have this intention when offering a sacrifice. Gratitude is another virtue that needs to be expressed and this too can be included among the intentions of the sacrifice. Finally, by sacrifice man can petition God for new graces and blessings.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

At the police station the indignant drunk demanded, “What I want to know is what I was brought in for.”

“You were brought in for drinking,” the sergeant replied.

“Well now, that’s different,” the drunk responded. “When do we get started?”

******

“How much are the hearing aids?” asked the customer

“Oh, it depends,” said the salesman. “They run from $2.50 to $1,500.”

“Let’s see the $2.50 model,” said the customer.

“Certainly, let me show you how to wear it. You just put this button in your ear and this string in your pocket.

“How does it work?”

“It doesn’t work, but when people see it on you, they’ll talk louder.”

NEWS AND VIEWS:

1. Labor support for a nuclear freeze is growing, according to reports. The latest union to endorse the Kennedy-Hatfield freeze plan is the AMALGAMATED CLOTHING AND TEXTILE WORKERS. The two others are: THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MACHINISTS AND THE NEA. Needless to say, the union bosses don’t speak for their members.

2. The Dioceses of Portland and Madison, Wisconsin have no permanent deacons.

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3. During the summer a study Congress was held at STANFORD UNIVERSITY in Palo Alto, California. It dealt with the question of the “news crisis” and was attended by more than 100 editors and a large number of other news media personnel. The concise judgment of the Report on the Congress issued was that “after Watergate, the U.S. Press aims ever more at scandalizing journalism, but it is losing its credibility”. The title of the Report was: THE ‘MEDIA’ OF LIES”.

4. Based on his committee’s continuing investigation, Senator H. John Heinz (R-Pa) estimated “waste, fraud and abuse (in the MEDICARE and MEDICAID) cost government health programs as much as $10 billion a year. This is a staggering loss.”

The Committee has investigated the pace-maker programs, excesses and abuses by hospitals and nursing homes, kickbacks and bribes, abuse and neglect of patients, excessive manufacturers’ profits and excessive physician’s fees. For example, the Committee “found some hospitals had charged MEDICARE for inappropriate administrative expenses, including gourmet food bills as dietary expenditures, and riverboat cruises for the benefit of employees. We found excessive charges for supplies and ancillary services and complicated ‘related party transactions’ designed to drive up the cost of services, for the benefit of a few enterprising individuals” … “Nursing home operations were found to have charged MEDICARE and the taxpayer for mink coats, airplanes, yachts, elaborate vacations, college tuition for children, renovation to private residences and works of art, including paintings by Matisse and Renoir.”

5. Last Fall (1981) the prestigious National Academy of Sciences hosted an important conclave in the Capitol, with delegates from most of the nation’s leading scientific, educational and humanistic societies, as well as many leading universities. From this meeting, held October 19, 1981, a number of plans to fight Creationism emerged. They intend to avoid public debates with Creation Scientists, if possible, because the Creationists always win. Instead, a vast flood of propaganda in the form of articles, books and classroom materials will be prepared and distributed.

Readers should remember that SCIENTIFICALLY there is absolutely no proof that evolution ever took place. Therefore evolutionism is a myth and those atheistic scientists, who support it, haven’t a leg to stand on.

6. The CIVIL LIBERTIES COMMITTEE was identified in the 1950’s as a Communist front organization by the House Committee on Un-American Activities and the Senate Internal Security Sub-Committee.

7. California voters have thrown out Wilson Riles, a liberal, as state superintendent of schools, and put in his place hard-line back-to-basics Bill Honig. “The voters have clearly signaled” said the newly elected Superintendent, “that they want a rigorous and demanding education for their children. They want homework, discipline, required courses and high standards.”

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8. The U. S. now has overwhelming evidence that high Cuban officials are paying smugglers as well as granting them protection to bring narcotics into this country. The route is from Columbia via Cuba into the U.S. Several arrests have already taken place in Florida. Purpose of the drugs: to finance subversion and terrorism and to encourage drug abuse here.

These smugglers are also paid to bring arms to the guerrillas in Colombia.

“BY GEORGE, JENNIFER, GOD IS STILL IN HIS HEAVEN AND ALL’S RIGHT WITH THE WORLD’ TODAY I SAW SOMEONE WHO WASN’T WEARING JEANS.”

PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR THE RECOVERY OF FATHER TOM. HE WILL RETURN TO THE HOSPITAL TODAY AND HAVE SURGERY THIS COMING TUESDAY.