Letters: Not this Jesus

The
Catholic Weekly
Online

Sydney
30 May 2004

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Letters: Not this Jesus

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Letters: Not this Jesus

Fr Peter Malone MSC (Overstated metaphor? Entertainment CW 2/5) regards Jesus of Montreal as an

intelligent satisfying film. I saw it in 1989, the first day of its screening.

In the audience was a group of senior schoolgirls in uniform. Their response to the “humour” – foul

language – was at first embarrassed tittering, then loud laughter. The ‘Jesus’ of the film had no perceptible talent nor were his statements remotely typical of Jesus.

In my opinion it was a dead loss.

Leo Noonan
Strathfield, NSW

PIPE ORGAN

The director of liturgy for the archdiocese (Sr Carmel Pilcher RSJ) told us in your newspaper (Easter joy at

St Joachim’s CW 2/5) of the Easter services at St Joachim’s, Lidcombe.

She says the Gloria and our service music sung by the choir and the people “all but lifted the roof”.

While mentioning church ministers, including cantors and servers, she did not mention St Joachim’s wonderful pipe organ (well known to church musicians Australia-wide) and organist.

The pipe organ indeed is fitting for all solemn occasions and is a pity that many churches have embraced secular type songs, out-of-tune guitars, and generally a mediocre standard of musicianship. Let us hope that musicianship, good hymn sense and tradition, surfaces in many more churches.

Dr Stephen Hirst
Stanmore, NSW

UNKNOWN SOLDIER

The new location of the fallen soldier memorial in St Mary’s Cathedral (New home for unknown soldier memorial CW 25/4) is very close to its original site.

My father was a World War I veteran, a French Army interpreter, and my mother was an Australian of Anglo-Celt descent.

As a boy growing up in Sydney between the wars, a visit to St Mary’s always included paying our respects and a prayer at the memorial.

It was then located on a platform just below floor level where the internal stairs to the crypt are now situated. It was surrounded by a grille fence with a gate and a short flight of steps.

It was in full view but not accessible to the public.

It was removed to the crypt when the internal stairs to the crypt were built (or re-opened) and the platform became a landing.

I vividly remember as a schoolboy paying my respects to our late PM, Joe Lyons (1939), and the late Archbishop Kelly (1940) as they lay in state in open casket behind the main altar of the Cathedral.

EM Meyer
Point Clare, NSW

FRONT PAGE NEWS

I congratulate Tony Abbott for raising the abortion issue and The Catholic Weekly for making Chris Lindsay’s article (Abbott calls Catholics to action over abortion CW 2/5) front page news.

As a passionate Catholic I agree with the title of this article as much as I agree with Mr Abbott’s comment – “I wish my department didn’t do this” – referring to the 75,000 abortions funded through Medicare.

I am sure that when he says “What we have in Australia today is abortion on demand, and I think that’s a very different moral animal than abortion in situations like incest” he doesn’t mean to suggest that, objectively, abortion for incest is any less serious than any other abortion.

Surely what he is referring to is the fact that the guilt incurred following abortion is lessened depending on the extent of personal freedom involved?

A young pregnant victim of incest may have very little freedom in the matter.

Adrian Devlin
Fairy Meadow, NSW

CHANGE PORTFOLIO?

Can I suggest that if Health Minister Tony Abbott finds his justification over abortion issues troubles him too much (Abbott calls Catholics to action over abortion CW 2/5), that maybe he should do the right thing and find another portfolio.

Tim Fowell
St Peters, NSW

FOOD FOR OUR JOURNEY

A number of correspondents to Write to us over the past few weeks seem to be convinced that a lot of people going to Holy Communion are not worthy to do so.

How do they know? What right do they have to judge? I suppose they consider themselves worthy recipients.

Holy Communion is not a reward for perfection but food for our spiritual journey.

Alf Zammit
Woolooware, NSW

ASPECTS OF PASSION

As letters referring to the film The Passion of the Christ continue to be published, I felt I would also like

to share two aspects that are, after five weeks, still very strong in my consciousness.

Firstly, that Jesus looked on all those he encountered, during his passion to his last breath, with love and compassion.

Secondly, I was intrigued with the way Satan was portrayed as stalking Jesus, always ready to offer the easy-way out.

This has made me very aware of the daily choices I am faced with and my responses.

After Jesus died, there was a zoomed shot into a barren place where Satan was crouching surrounded by bones.

Seeing this has given me a visual picture of what Satan’s Heaven is like.

I know in whose heaven I want to spend my eternity, even though it means taking the harder-way.

Lorraine Kijurina
Campbelltown, NSW

EUCHRE NIGHTS

Thank you for the Conversation with Fr Terry Purcell of St Benedict’s Church, Broadway (‘Cardinal told me to go back to school’ CW 2/5).

I was baptised at St Benedict’s Church in 1918 by Fr Edward Teehan, an Irishman, who wanted me to be called Roger Casement, after the Irish patriot, to which my father would not agree.

I recall attending fundraising euchre nights at the local hall.

Geoffrey M Prendergast
North Ryde, NSW