IRISH FRANCISCAN MISSION MAGAZINE No.3 APR/MAY 2009 €1.00

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SpiritandLife

2 St Anthony Brief

You are a Christian only so long as you

constantly pose critical questionsto the society you live in,

so long as you stay unsatisfied

with the status quo,and keep saying

that a new world is yet to come.

– Henri Nouwen

SST ANTHONT ANTHONYY briefbrief4 From the Editor.

5 Near the Cross: Women of Courage. The papal preacher,FR RANIERO CANTALAMESSA, OFMCap, reflects on theoften-forgotten role of women at the Cross and Resurrection.

8 Newcomer in Guatemala. After many years teaching inGormanston College, FR BILLY HOYNE, OFM, has begun anew life as a missionary in Central America.

10 A New Call in the Desert: “Serve the Weakest.” In the Sahara desertin Algeria, a Franciscan Sister, SR ASSUNTA SHINODA, FMM,and her sisters live among the poorest. There she serves the handi-capped children and their families.

12 Church Brief.

14 Creation: A Mystery That Unfolds. This year is the 200thanniversary of Darwin’s birth. CARDINAL CORMAC MURPHY-O'CONNOR looks at Christian faith and the theory of evolution.

16 At the Crossroads. FR FRANCIS COTTER, OFM, looks at thedeeper significance of the economic crisis that has engulfed the nation.

19 A Franciscan Prayer.

20 Gratitude: An Antidote to Depression? ERIC GUDAN, a therapist,looks at how the virtue of gratitude may counteract the effects ofdepression.

22 News from Around the Franciscan World.

23 The Big Sick. Fr Edward Lennon, OFM, a missionary in Namibia,sees the ravages of the Aids pandemic in his parish.

24 I Have a Dream. Dreams figure prominently in the Scriptures andin the story of St Francis. FR TOM RUSSELL, OFM, looks at someof these momentous dreams.

27 Another World is Possible. FR GEARÓID Ó CONAIRE, OFM,looks at what brought Franciscans from around the world to theAmazon earlier this year.

30 Mission Digest.

31 Letters to the Editor.

Volume 69 No.3

Missionary Magazine of the Irish Franciscans. Published bi-monthly by the Franciscan Missionary Union, 8 Merchants Quay, Dublin 8.

Editor: Fr Ulic Troy, OFM.

Production: Fr Francis Cotter, OFM.

Subscription & Distribution Secretary:Helen Doran. Tel: (01) 6777651.

Design, Layout & Printing:Corcoran Print & Design. Tel: (053) 9234760.

Subscription including Postage:Ireland – €12.00 per annum Britain – Stg£12.00 per annumOverseas – €15.00 per annum

Apr/May 2009 3

GOOD NEWSThere is an old Welsh proverb that says: “Bad news goes about in clogs, good news in stocking feet.” Over the pastnumber of months the sound of clogs has been deafening, especially in the media. Day after day different commentatorskeep feeding us with dire warnings – what will happen, what won’t happen, while keeping us informed of the strangepractices in our banks and elsewhere. There is little good news, a huge shortage of the positive and very little light at theend of the tunnel. All of this talk, all these revelations create confusion and make it difficult for the ordinary person toabsorb daily doses of consistently depressing news. The end result is fear, a sense of hopelessness and a loss of faith invarious institutions. While all of the above is depressing enough, sadly, it doesn’t end there. We now find ourselves travelling down a verydangerous road called the “blame game.” A scapegoat has to be found. Not for one moment can one condone the fiscalrecklessness that has taken place in certain quarters or exonerate those responsible – those who felt they had a divineright to manipulate and mismanage the hard-earned money of ordinary men and women. Calling out for sackcloth andashes and uttering other dire warnings is not the full answer to the many questions and challenges that this country isnow facing. Coming on phone-ins on TV or radio in order to give vent to one’s anger or hate or to burst into rage is oflittle value in helping get the country out of this crisis. In fact it can be most unpleasant and, at times, harmful. Little isachieved by blaming or scapegoating one another, and sometimes the scapegoating that we engage in is simply anotherway to safeguard or cover ourselves. Let us look at the bigger picture, and learn from what has taken place. If we arehonest with ourselves we will admit that all of us in one way or another bought into and contributed to the now infamousCeltic Tiger. Sheer greed has cost us dearly! No doubt with time the pain and confusion will pass, leaving a trail ofdevastation in hearts, heads and homes.We are now in the Lenten Season. Lent is a journey with Jesus towards the God who is awaiting us as we travel towardsthe greatest feast of the Church’s year. It is a time of grace, an opportunity to take stock of the path we are travellingdown, as individuals and as a society. Rather than becoming bogged down on the road of blame, there is another roadthat can and should be travelled – that of rising above our selfish agendas and seeking God’s agenda. We may pray thatpeople in the world be changed and converted by God, but it will only happen when the prayer ends with the words:“Begin with Me.” If we fail as individuals, we will fail as a society. What is urgently needed is to rise above ourselvesand look beyond ourselves for the good of all.Over two thousand years ago things didn’t look very bright or reassuring for two men who walked down a road fromJerusalem to a place called Emmaus. Faces downcast, they were dejected and their dreams of a brave new world lay inruins. Not much light at the end of the tunnel. All was lost. Then into their company came a man who spoke to themwith passion and courage. All of a sudden things were changed. “Did not our hearts burn when he talked to us on theroad and explained the Scriptures to us?”He is still talking to us. But are we listening? “Watch, and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’slife is not made secure by what he owns, even when he has more than he needs. That is why I am telling you not toworry about your life and what you are to eat, nor about your body and how you are to clothe it. For life means morethan food and the body more than clothing.” Already there are green shoots of recovery appearing in different placesaround the country. Once more people are beginning to look at their neighbour with more compassion and care. We areonce more returning to the values that we lost for a while – support, help, compassion, visiting the sick, caring for oneanother, along with a renewed emphasis on the importance of community. Christ rising from the dead should give usthe grace to live life from the inside out, not vice versa. By this I mean making positive decisions not to allow externalinfluences to affect our peace of mind. There may be nothing we can do about some of these forces, but we can dosomething about how we respond to them. Do we want to let them get us down, to make us bitter, resentful, full ofrevenge, or self-righteous? Let us rise above our differences, be bigger than those things that divide us and appeal tothat which binds us together. Above all else accept the gift that Christ offered many years ago: “What the world cannotgive, peace I give you.”On my own behalf and that of all the staff here in the FMU Office, we wish you every blessing and joy of the RisenChrist this Easter.– Ulic Troy, OFM (ulic@eircom.net)

From the Editor…

St Anthony Brief4

Fr Ulic Troy

5Apr/May 2009

““NNear the Cross of Jesusstood His mother andHis mother’s sister,

Mary the wife of Clopas, and Maryof Magdala” (John 19:25). Just thisonce, let us not be thinking of Mary,His mother. Her presence on Calvaryhas no need of any explanation. Shewas “His mother,” and this says itall; mothers don’t abandon a son,even one condemned to death. Butwhy were the other women there?Who, and how many, were they?The Gospels give us the names ofsome of them: Mary of Magdala,Mary the mother of James theyounger and Joset, Salome, motherof Zebedee’s sons, one calledJohanna and a certain Susanna(Mark 15:40; Luke 8: 2,3). They hadfollowed Jesus from Galilee; theyremained by His side, weeping, onthe way to Calvary (Luke 23:27,28),on Golgotha hill they stoodwatching “from a distance” (inother words, they were as close asthey were allowed to be) and in alittle while they would accompanyHim from there, downhearted andsorrowful, to the tomb, with Josephof Arimathea (Luke 23:55).

This fact is too well attested,and too much out of the ordinary,for us to pass it over and hurry on.With a certain male condescensionwe refer to them as the “piouswomen,” but they are a great dealmore than “pious women;” theyare, rather, “Women of Courage!”They despised the danger of

Near the Cross: Women of CourageFR RANIERO CANTALAMESSA, OFMCap, the papal preacher, reflects on the often-forgotten role of women at the Cross andResurrection.

St Anthony Brief6

showing themselves so clearly in favourof one condemned to death. Jesus hadsaid: “Happy the one who does not losefaith in me” (Luke 7:23). These womenwere the only ones who did not losefaith in Him.

The Risen OneFor some time there have been livelydiscussions about who it was thatwanted Jesus dead: was it the leadersof the Jews, or was it Pilate, orperhaps both. One thing, in any event,is quite certain: they were men, notwomen. No woman was involved, evenindirectly, in His condemnation. Even apagan woman — Pilate’s wife —mentioned in the accounts, distancedherself from the sentence (Matthew27:19). Certainly, Jesus died forwomen’s sins too, but from thehistorical point of view they are theonly ones who can truthfully say: “Weare innocent of this man’s blood” (seeMatthew 27:24).

In this, we have one of the surestsigns of the honesty and historicalcredibility of the Gospels; the pitifulfigure they portray of the authors ofthe Gospels and of those who providedits details, and the wonderful picturethey paint of the women. Who wouldhave allowed the ignominious story ofhis own fear, flight, denial, made somuch more shameful by the contrast tothe very different behaviour of a fewpoor women, to be preserved, inimperishable memory? Who, I sayagain, would have allowed this, if hewere not constrained to remain faithfulto the story of something that was seento be infinitely greater than his ownmiserable behaviour?

We have always asked how it wasthat the “pious women” were the firstto see the Risen One and to be giventhe task of taking the news to theapostles. This was the surest way tomake the Resurrection hardly credibleat all. The testimony of a womancarried no weight whatever in ajudgement. Perhaps for this veryreason no woman is mentioned inPaul’s long list of those who had seenthe Risen Christ (see 1 Corinthians

dehumanised. We need to give moreroom to “reasons of the heart” if,while the globe is physically warming,we do not want the planet to fall intoan ice-age of the spirit. The big crisisof faith in our modern world is rootedin the fact that people don’t listen tothe reasons of the heart but only tothe twisted reasons of the mind.

The enhancement of intelligenceand of humankind’s cognitive powershas, unhappily, not been matched byany enhancement of our capacity for

15:5-8). The apostles themselves atfirst took the women’s words as purewomanly “nonsense” and gave them nocredence (Luke 24:11).

Reasons of the HeartWe need to ask ourselves why did thesewomen remain firm despite the scandalof the Cross?Why didtheyremainclosewhenallseemedto be overand eventhose whohad been Hismost intimatedisciples hadabandonedJesus and weregetting ready to gohome again? It wasJesus Himself who gave usthe answer, in anticipation,when He replied to Simon,saying of the sinner who hadbathed and kissed His feet:“She has shown great love!” (Luke7:47). The women followed Jesusfor His own sake, out of gratitudefor the good they had receivedfrom Him, and not for any hope ofmaking a career out of followingHim. No promise of “twelvethrones” was made to them, nor didany of them ask for seats on Hisright and His left in His kingdom.They followed, it is written, “to lookafter Him; to provide for them out oftheir own resources” (Matthew 27:55;Luke 8:3). They were the only ones,after Mary His mother, that truly madethe spirit of the Gospel their own.They followed for reasons of the heart,and these did not deceive them.

Because of that, their presence atthe side of the Crucified and the RisenOne contains a lesson that is vital forus today. Our society, dominated bytechnology, needs a heart if humankindis to survive without becoming totally

Capacity to love: the world needs an era of the heart

Apr/May 2009

love. It seems, in fact, that thiscapacity for love counts for nothing,even though we know that to be happyor unhappy depends not so much onwhether we know or don’t know, as onwhether we love or don’t love, areloved or are not loved. It is easy to seewhy this is so: we are created “in theimage of God,” and Godis love. Deuscaritas est!

It is notdifficult tosee why weare so anxiousto increaseour knowledgeand so uncon-cerned aboutincreasing ourcapacity tolove:knowledgeautomaticallytranslates intopower, but loveinto service.After the manyages namedafter man, welong for an eraof the woman:an era of theheart, ofcompassion, whenthe earth canfinally cease to be, as the poet puts it:“The little threshing floor that soincites our savagery.” On all sides theneed is arising for us to give morescope to women. Woman too needs tobe saved by Christ. But it is clear thatonce she has been “set free,” on thehuman level, of all the old subjections,she will be able to do much to save oursociety from certain inveterate evilsthat threaten us: violence, the will topower, spiritual aridity, the lack ofregard for life.

To Be ImitatedHow grateful we ought to be to the“pious women!” On the way of theCross, their sobbing was the onlyfriendly sound to reach the ears of the

7

Saviour; while He hung on the cross,their eyes were the only ones to reston Him with compassion and love. TheByzantine liturgy honours the piouswomen, dedicating a Sunday in theliturgical year, the second after Easter,to them; it is known as “Sunday of thePerfume-Bearers.” Jesus is happy to

Passion is prolonged in the members ofthe Body of Christ. The many women,religious and lay, who stand on the sideof the poor, the sick, those afflicted byAids, the imprisoned, the many ofevery kind that society rejects, areheirs of the “pious women.” To them —

believers or not— Christ saysagain: “You did itto me” (Matthew25:40). It was not onlythe part theyplayed in thePassion, butalso the partthey played in theResurrection,that make thepious womenan example forall Christiansof today.Throughoutthe Bible, inchapter afterchapter, weread theimperative:“Go!”,spoken byGod to thosewhom He

sends. The word was spoken toAbraham, to Moses (“Go down, Moses,way down in Egypt’s land!”), to theprophets, to the apostles: “Go into thewhole world; preach the Gospel toevery creature.” Yet all of these callswere addressed to men. There is onlyone “Go!” spoken to women: the oneJesus spoke to the perfume-bearers onEaster morning. To them was given thegreatest mission of all — the procla-mation of the Resurrection. “ThenJesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid;go and tell my brothers that they mustleave for Galilee; they will see methere’” (Matthew 28:10). By thesewords He appointed them the firstwitnesses to the Resurrection,“teachers of the teachers” as one ofthe ancient writers has called them. ����

Witnesses to Christ today: Sisters of St Clare in El Salvador

see them honoured in the Church, thewomen who loved Him and whobelieved in Him while He lived amongthem. About one of them, the womanwho emptied a jar of perfumed oil onHis head, He uttered this extraordinaryprophecy, one that has proved true alldown the ages: “I tell you solemnly,wherever in the world this Good Newsis proclaimed, what she has done willbe told also, in remembrance of her”(Matthew 26:13).

Yet the pious women are not only tobe honoured and admired; they arealso to be imitated. St Leo the Greatsaid that: “Christ’s passion willcontinue to the end of the ages,” andPascal wrote that: “Christ will be inagony until the end of the world.” The

St Anthony Brief8

NEWCOMER INNEWCOMER INGUATEMALAGUATEMALA

MMy diary tells me that I arrived inEl Mezquital, a huge parish on theoutskirts of Guatemala City, at

the end of September 2008. Having spentover thirty years teaching in the shelteredenvironment of Gormanston College, Iwondered how things would go for me ina new venture. The warm welcome of thelocal Franciscans and of the people havemade the transition relatively easy. Thearea has been in the spiritual care of theFranciscans since people began to arrivehere in the late 1970’s, fleeing povertyand seeking a safer place to live during acivil war which claimed the lives of manytens of thousands.

When one arrives at the parish centrein El Mezquital one is greeted by thelarge mural of Fr Luis Rama, OFM, thelate founding father of the parish and itsschool. He stood shoulder to shoulderwith the people in their struggle to get adecent site (6 X 12 metres) to build theirlittle houses. The school he set up alsoproudly bears his name. The parish alsohas a kindergarten run by the FranciscanSisters of Saint Anthony, a medical clinicand a much-appreciated service whichsupplies pure drinking water to thepeople at almost a quarter of the pricecharged by its competitors.

Celebrating St FrancisI arrived in the middle of the spiritualbuild-up for the feast of St Francis andeach night in one of the parish’s elevenchapels the friars presented a theme ofFranciscan spirituality. It was good tonotice the Franciscan greeting Paz yBien! being used by both the friars andthe people at these gatherings. Anothereffective way the friars teach theFranciscan message is to refer to theThree Loves of Saint Francis: his love forthe humanity of Christ — the Crib; hislove for Christ crucified; his love ofprayer, especially his devotion to theEucharist.

We had an early start on the feast ofSt Francis — 5.00am! But I wouldn’t have

missed it for the world as we wereentertained by a group of mariachimusicians down in the church of ElBucaro. A couple of the Franciscanstudents also entertained the congre-gation! In the afternoon the ApostolicNuncio, Mons Bruno Musarò (who hassince been appointed Nuncio to Peru)came to celebrate Mass for the feast and

some new members of the Secular Orderof Franciscans made their profession.The celebrations ended with a fireworksdisplay. The Guatemalans love theirfireworks! To mark the love of St Francisfor nature, the following day there wasan ecological march from one end of theparish to the other, and some unusual

pets made the journey, including arecently bought chicken and sometortoises!

Struggle People really have to struggle to survive.There is much unemployment, and thecost of basic foodstuffs has increaseddramatically. The minimum wage of $240

a month barely covers the needs of afamily of four. Work is found in theclothes factories, many get involved instreet trading and there is a lot ofcontract labour. Unfortunately quite afew young people get involved incriminal gangs and there is a lot ofextortion of local shopkeepers, kidnap-

After many years teaching inGormanston College, FR BILLY HOYNE,

OFM, has begun a new life as amissionary in Central America.

Fraternity: Friars in El Mezquital including Fr Gerry Moore(centre) from Dublin. Fr Billy took the photo.

Apr/May 2009

pings and deaths from violence. At theend of October we were confronted withthis tragic reality when one of ourConfirmation catechists, young KevinLacan (17), was singled out by a gunmanduring a catechism class and shot dead.You can imagine the trauma, the griefand anger, the fear felt especially byKevin’s family, fellow-catechists andfriends. The leadership and inspiredpreaching of our parish priest, FrGerman Tax, OFM, helped people to dealwith their grief and anger.

On cue the rainy season gave way tothe winds of early November and on theFeast of All Souls the friars had anouting to Sumpango, which is famousfor its festival of kite-flying! Around thistime the Guatemalans make a big effortto visit the graves of their dear onesand clean and decorate and paint thegraves.

On 7th November fifteen young friars(including five who are concluding a yearin the parish at El Mezquital) renewedtheir temporary vows in the Franciscanbasilica at Antigua. The basilica containsthe shrine of Santo Hermano Pedro, aFranciscan tertiary who did great workfor the children of the streets and forthe sick. The friars continue his workwith the hospital of Hermano Pedro inAntigua, where many sick, poor peopleare able to receive necessary expensivesurgery which otherwise they mightn’tbe able to afford.

Mid-November we had a visit from SrPatricia Rogers, Abbess General of theSisters of St Clare, who was doingvisitation of the several houses theSisters have in the Central Americanregion, including one here in the parish.

Sharing Good NewsAs a follow-up to theparish mission back inJuly, a determinedeffort has been made tobring the Good News toothers in the parish and900 lay missionariestook on this task withenthusiasm. The resultis that now there arearound seventycenaculos or smallcommunities, whichmeet once or twice aweek to share the Wordand give each othermutual support. We are

now in the course of visiting each ofthese small communities to celebratestreet Masses.

On 6th December, in the novitiate atMonte de San Francisco, eleven youngnovices made their first temporary vows.

The patron of the parish is Dios conNosotros or Emmanuel, God with Us,and so during the week leading up tothe First Sunday of Advent, a number ofevents and activities were organised.These included a night of historicalmemory, a cultural night of traditionaldances from different parts ofGuatemala and from El Salvador, and amarch for peace. The celebrationsended with an outdoor Mass and buffetlunch. Afterwards the people danced tothe music of a typical Guatemalanmarimba band.

During the two weeks beforeChristmas I experienced the posadas,which are a very effective way toprepare for the coming of the Lord. Eachcenaculo or small community carried itsposada or portable crib through thestreets and lanes, arriving at a pre-arranged house each night, where theywould ask for shelter for the Holy Family.On entering the house a livelycelebration of the Word took place,followed by punch (non-alcoholic!) andcake for all the visitors. The plan forLent is for each small community to praythe Stations of the Cross in the street,arriving at a different house for eachstation!

Other good news since my arrival wasthe decision of our Archbishop, CardinalRodolfo Quezada Toruño, to form a newparish from five of the current elevencommunities which El Mezquital takes in.Although the people in the new parishwill be sorry to see the friars depart,both parishes should gain from the newopportunity to provide the people with abetter service. The new parish wasofficially established on 24th January.

The schools have been closed for thelong summer holidays since October and,as I finish these few words, teachers,pupils and parents are preparing for thestart of a new academic year in earlyFebruary. The school started by Fray LuisRama has no shortage of applicants. Let’shope and pray that all the new pupils willpersevere and find an improved economywhen they seek employment. ����

Visitor from Ireland: Sr Patricia (centre)with Sr Ann and Fr Billy

Blessed memory: painting of Fr Luis Rama, the first parish priest

9

10

TTwo years ago we founded afraternity of our congregation inthe small town of Ain-Sefra, in

the midst of the Sahara desert andgreat sand dunes. In this isolated placethe people live very simply and arepoor, but they are very religious anddignified. Their life is far from moderntechnology.

One day, shortly after thefoundation, a man on the road askedme: “Come and see my daughter. She ishandicapped in the house.” A few dayslater, another person: “I need yourhelp. My mother is paralysed in thehouse, come and see her.”

St Anthony Brief

In the Sahara desert in Algeria, a FranciscanSister, SR ASSUNTASHINODA, FMM, and her sisters live among thepoorest. There she servesthe handicapped childrenand their families.

In this town there is neither clinicnor physiotherapy. Many sick peopleremain in the house with traditionaltreatments. I felt this was a call forme. Then I began to visit the sick. Eachtime that I visit them they are waitingfor me, also the family. The family tellme all their sufferings, their past andpresent anguish, their concerns for thefuture.

Caring for the SickThe parents want to do something fortheir sick children. But what? How?Here it is very far from everything.There is one particular case: because of

her sick mother, the daughter whocares for her, day and night for the pastfour years, cannot marry. This daughteris sacrificing her life for her mother.Sometimes the mother feels guilty andis in anguish.

Here many of the women stilldeliver their children in the house. Andthe lack of necessary assistance causesaccidents during the delivery. As aresult, children can be severely handi-capped. But the mother thinks it isbecause of the medications she tookduring her pregnancy. She blamesherself and is very troubled. Moreoverthere are families with two handi-

A New Call in the Desert: )Serve the Weakest*

Lord, I thank you. You sent me to theweak and the little ones in order to under-stand better the mystery of life and yourlove for them, to console and encourage.At each session, we take courage togetherto continue the path of life, of accompa-niment in peace and love. ����

11Apr/May 2009

capped children. What a burden for thefamily! What social, economic andfamily suffering!

Longing to LearnI visit the sick regularly. It is like thepresence of Jesus within me at theheart of human suffering. Sometimesthe houses of the sick are far apart. Iget tired from the long distance andthe intense heat. But it is all worthit. I bring the handicapped throughthe routine of physical exercises,according to their ability. I also helpthem to learn to read, write, count,draw, speak, do manual work, etc.The children are longing to learn.

On their faces and in their bodiesthey express their joy in being ableto do something. And when we find alittle progress — what bursts of joy!Then my tiredness is changed intojoy. I cannot cure the sick but I canhelp to improve their situationaccording to the strength which thesick person still has. But above all, itis for me to listen and share with thesick person and the family, to remaintogether, to be in solidarity withthem, and to rejoice when we cansucceed in doing something!

Why Lord?At times I say in my heart: “WhyLord?” Faced with these sufferings Ican do nothing. In the evening, when Ireturn to the house, during prayer Ibring them to the Lord and, with mysisters, I give thanks for thesemeetings of solidarity. I give thanksfor this sharing which helps us tounderstand what it means to havecompassion, while listening, sitting onthe edge of the bed of a paralysedsick person, remaining side by side.

And what can we say about theperson who remains always with thesick? What concern for the parents ofseverely handicapped children! Whenthe parents speak to me, I cannot find

the words; but, of course, they donot need my words. Often also, thepresence of gravely sick persons inthe house creates unity in thefamily. The other children in goodhealth learn tenderness and love forthe weak and the little ones.

Sr Assunta: sent to the weak and little ones

WE ARE LOOKING FOR PROMOTERS OF OUR MONTHLY DRAWWe are looking for supporters of our mission who will take one book of tickets a month.

Please help us. Buy a book yourself. Write for a book to sell to your friends.Will you buy or sell for us:

Book of 20 Tickets =€16.00. Return €10.00; keep €6.00. Thank you for supporting us in all the ways you do already. Our Address is: 8 Merchants Quay, Dublin 8.

Please send me ............ Books for Next DrawName: ...............................................................................................Address:.....................................................................................................................................................................................................Phone No: ........................................................................................

A New Call in the Desert: )Serve the Weakest*

Church BriefChurch Brief

St Anthony Brief

Philippines: Mining or FloodThe different Churches in thePhilippines are opposed to destructivemining on its islands. The mining ofgold, nickel and other minerals iscausing large-scale ruin of islandenvironments and people's livelihoods,particularly undermining riceproduction and poisoning water. Evenwhole mountains can be destroyed toaccess precious minerals, harming thecountry's tribal peoples. The Filipinocampaigners and the country's Catholicbishops are calling for theMining Act of 1995, whichopened the country up to foreignmining companies, to berevoked. "The Church joins inthe collective and continuouscall against the uncontrolledplunder of our natural resources.""Above all" the bishops added, "itcalls on a moratorium on miningactivities until the governmentand the mining companies learnto uphold the right of theindigenous peoples, compensatethe affected communities for pastdamages, and ensure responsiblemining practices." The campaign ismeeting with severe opposition.Bishop Doe, of the AnglicanChurch, says that he haspersonally known Churchpersonnel, including one bishop,who were murdered because theyopposed mining projects. Supportfor this work of justice has beenreceived from around the world. Amessage from the Catholic Bishops ofCanada was sent to “encourage ourconfreres in the Philippines, and allthose who collaborate with them, intheir important and timely efforts toprotect our planet as a gift from God."

Synod for AfricaA Synod of the Bishops of Africa is totake place later this year. The Popepresented the working document forthe Synod to the African BishopConferences during his March apostolic

From Horror to HorrorZimbabwean refugees, fleeing thehumanitarian crisis in their own country,have found an equally "horrendous"situation in the South African campwhere they are being held, says CaritasInternationalis. Caritas reported that anestimated 3,000 men, women andchildren are living in "dire conditions" inMusina, a South African border town. SrAine Hughes of Caritas said: "Thesituation for Zimbabwean refugees in

Musina is horrendous. People areherded together with no thought fortheir dignity as human beings. Thereis no shelter of any kind provided tothe people. They sit in the blisteringsun during the day and huddletogether under the stars at night forsafety and warmth." TheZimbabweans fled from deterio-rating conditions in their owncountry, including a crumblinghealth and sanitation system, acholera epidemic, astronomicalinflation, famine and politicalunrest. The South Africangovernment classified them as"economic migrants," reportedCaritas, which means that theymay be denied asylum, bedetained and deported. Sr Aineasserted: "The situation of theZimbabwean refugees in Musina isin contravention of all the conven-tions and principles for humani-tarian assistance and should beaddressed with the utmosturgency." Those Zimbabweans who

have attempted to join the localcommunity are meeting rejection dueto the lack of asylum documents.Children have been driven from theschool, or threatened with expulsiononce their asylum permit terminates.Some refugees who have found jobshave been cheated out of wages, andthreatened with jail and deportation fornot having the appropriate documents.Approximately 270 receive food parcelsdaily in the camp from the localCatholic Church. ����

12

as well as of society." Pope John Paul IIconvoked the first Synod for Africa in1994, which was the basis for PopeJohn Paul’s apostolic exhortationEcclesia in Africa. This second Synodhopes to promote the conclusions ofthe first, as well as "to give effectiveanswers to an African continent thirstyfor reconciliation and in search ofjustice and peace."

journey to Cameroon and Angola. TheSecond Special Assembly for Africa ofthe Synod of Bishops will be held from4th—25th October this year in theVatican on the theme: "The Church inAfrica, at the Service of Reconciliation,Justice and Peace: You Are the Salt ofthe Earth; You Are the Light of theWorld." The working document states:"The Church wishes to contribute, inkeeping with its mission, to a harmo-nious development of man and woman,

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St Anthony Brief14

SScience is a friend rather than anenemy of faith. The theory ofevolution explains how, but not

why, we are here. This year wecelebrate the 200th anniversary of thebirth of Charles Darwin, one of Britain'smost extraordinary scientists. Histheory of evolution, one of the greatestdiscoveries of all time, gives us a wayof understanding the connectedness ofall life and the uniqueness of humanlife within it. Together with otherbranches of scientific exploration,evolution begins to unfold andilluminate the interplay of forces thatmake our universe such an extraor-dinary dynamic reality. In this sense,science is itself a journey of learningand exploration. This I find exciting andhumbling.

Towards the end of his life Darwinwrote: "It seems to me absurd to doubt

that a man may be an ardent Theistand an evolutionist." Science opens menot only to puzzles and to questionsabout the world I live in; it leads me tomarvel at its complexity. Here, I findscience is a good friend to my faith. Italso calls me to a journey of learningand understanding. One of the thingsthat mars our culture is the fracturebetween faith and science. It impover-ishes our inquiry into the realities thatmake up our life and world. This is afalse opposition.

The Story of CreationIf we see the two as fundamentallyopposed — science endangering andundermining faith, or faith obstructingknowledge — then distortions areproduced on both sides. For example,some Christians argue for "Young EarthCreationism" or Intelligent Design as an

alternative to evolutionary theory.Creationism is the belief that thebiblical stories of creation as describedin the Book of Genesis are literallytrue. Is genuine Christianity obliged toadopt any of these positions? No, it isnot. Belief in creation is not equivalentto any one of them. It is a mistake totreat the theology of creation in theBook of Genesis as a scientifictextbook. It does unfold a profound andvalid truth about the world in which welive, its order and purpose.

The Book of Genesis speaks aboutthe relationship between God andcreation and especially about the placeof humanity in that relationship. Thatwonderful narrative of creation offersus a first vision of an "ecology ofholiness" in which every material andliving thing has a place and itscreativity is consecrated in goodness by

This year is the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birth. CARDINAL CORMAC MURPHY-O'CONNOR looks at Christian faith and the theory of evolution.

Creation

: AMystery That Unfolds

Apr/May 2009

God. The account of creation in Genesisis pointing us beyond the question"how?" to the question "why?"Ultimately, science as well as faithmust come to that most fundamental ofall questions: the question of meaningand purpose.

Misusing DarwinIf there are ways of misusing Genesisand the Christian understanding ofcreation, there is also a danger ofmisusing Darwin. We should be worriedwhen his theory is distorted into "thesurvival of the fittest" and becomes away of legitimising policies that discrim-inate against the weak and vulnerable. Ithink the majority of us believe it isgrossly wrong to use Darwin's theory tojustify social engineering or eugenics.There are also those who argue that,from an evolutionary perspective, moralattributes are merely the product ofevolution and our moral sense is nomore than a survival strategy. Yet thetheory of evolution does not entail thedenial of moral truth. It leaves thegenuinely free agent confronted withmoral choice and the question of howwe ought to live.

Are humans only to be compre-hended in purely materialist ways? Isthere not something that exceeds thisand makes it an inadequate descriptionof human life? Is there not something inus that speaks of transcendence, thathints at being not only matter but alsospirit? We are part of an evolutionaryprocess; but we are also free agents;able to influence its future direction.Science gives us immense power, butwe need to use all our material andspiritual resources to use that powerfor the good of all creation.

The Search for UnderstandingThe anniversary of Darwin's birth is aninvitation to renew the conversationbetween science and faith. Christianitycan contribute to the progress ofscience, not only by encouraging scien-tists in the search for truth, but byinviting them to consider these widerquestions that go to the heart of ourcommon and necessary search forunderstanding. These are questions thatpush us beyond the desire forknowledge alone and direct us to the

need for the gift of wisdom. Without itthe deeper moral structure of truth isdenied. Instead of serving humanity,science becomes an instrument ofoppression and destruction. The past twocenturies have seen such marvellousadvances in science; they bear witness toits great benefits but also to dangers.This alerts us to the question that lieswithin all our other questions: the choicethat humans alone have to makebetween good and evil. It is a questionplanted at the heart of Genesis's accountof creation. It is as much a question forthe scientist as for the believer. It, too,is about our freedom.

Darwin's theory does not take awaythe reality of that freedom and themoral responsibility it gives us. It alsoteaches us a certain humility before thewonderful complexity and process thatlife is. Yet because humanity is a freeagent in this, we cannot ultimately

predict the future. Christianity under-stands human freedom. It knows thatall life, but especially human life, issummoned to a perfection that itcannot attain through natural processesor through human agency alone. Thatfuture is God's gift and it summons usto a new spiritual and moral maturity.Could it be that this is the next stage inthat evolutionary adventure? Thediscovery that God is the destiny oflife; that Christ is not only the Alpha,the one in whose image we are made,but also the Omega, the one in whomwe are completed. Science and religionare not mutually exclusive. They arepartners on the journey of a mysterythat unfolds, a truth that is everywherepresent in the very creativity andvariety of life itself. As St Augustinewrote: "Let us seek with the desire tofind, and find with the desire to seekstill more." ����

Creation: humility before the wonderful complexity of life

15

SPIRITUALITYFOR LIFEAt the Crossroads

St Anthony Brief16

FR FRANCIS COTTER, OFM, looks at thedeeper significance of the economic crisis

that has engulfed the nation.

YYou don’t have to be told that, asa nation, we stand at an economiccrossroads. The decisions and

choices that are made now will have alasting impact, for good or bad, on ourlives and society. But I believe that wealso stand, as a nation, at a spiritualcrossroads.

Times of crisis or trauma in our livesplace us at a crossroads. The biblicalterm kairos expresses this reality. Thecrisis becomes an opportunity, thetrauma a call to wakefulness, theconfusion and fear an opening to deepertrust in God. I am writing this article inLent, a time when the image of thedesert is prominent in the Church’sliturgy. The desert symbolises a place ofstruggle and testing, a place where weare stripped of all the usual comfortsand securities, a place where weexperience loss of certainty and control.In this unfamiliar, fearful place we aregiven the grace, if we but receive it, tosearch the soul, to recognise our idols,and to return to the living and true God.

Our idols can be many and varied.Frederick Buechner describes well thistendency of the human heart towardidolatry. “Idolatry is the practice ofascribing absolute value to things ofrelative worth. Under certain circum-stances money, patriotism, sexualfreedom, moral principles, familyloyalty, physical health, social or intel-lectual pre-eminence, and so on, arefine things to have around. But to makethem the standard by which all othervalues are measured, to make them yourmasters, to look to them to justify yourlife and save your soul — that is sheerest

happened and is happening in Ireland hasadded to that reality and has alreadyburdened with disastrous debts andterrible consequences the citizens of thisnation, their children and indeed theirgrandchildren. Now the malpractices anddishonesty, now the injustice and thecorruption are being exposed to the lightof day. But they were never hidden fromGod’s eyes. God is as interested in whathappens in the banks and in thegovernment offices of this country as inthe churches and monasteries becauseGod’s priority is His children. He knowsthat injustice and sharp practices arenever neutral, never victimless – theyalways impact on other people’s lives.Behaviour that was and is fundamentallyimmoral has had a destructive effect onour society. Let’s be clear about this: justbecause something is not illegal does notmean it is not seriously dishonest; justbecause something is not judged a crimedoes not mean it is not appallinglyunjust; just because something is notpunishable by law does not mean it is notgravely sinful before God. There is under-standable anger in the country at thepowerful elite who seem to run thesystem for their own benefit.

But we need to be honest. We cannotput all the blame on those at the top. Attimes it seemed the entire country hadgone into a frenzy about acquiring thelatest, the biggest, the best. There wasa wholesale abandoning of wisdom,prudence and common sense. Manysimply lost the run of themselves, livingfrantically by the mantra: produce more,get more, consume more!

Wakening UpThe day of reckoning has arrived. Andhopefully there is a bit of sanityreturning now. For more that 25 yearsthe Redemptorists have held a novena inthe Galway cathedral each February.This year during the novena I met some

folly.” Through the prophet, God speaksof His people, His bride: “I will lead herinto the desert and there I will speak toher heart... I will remove from hermouth the names of her idols, her Baals,so that they shall no longer be invoked...You will learn to know the Lord” (Hosea2:16,19,22). A desert time! It canhappen in all our lives at differentstages. Now we, as a nation, are beingbrought into a desert time.

Celtic Tiger — Golden CalfSome years ago in the full heat of theCeltic Tiger, the Irish bishops in astatement, while being grateful for ourprosperity, warned of the dangers ofgreed, of rampant materialism, and offorgetfulness of God. I remember themedia commentators dismissed the ideaof caution and self-discipline; theysneered at the bishops for beingoutdated spoilsports. The warning fell ondeaf ears. Scripture tells us that greed isa form of idolatry, taking the place ofGod in a person’s life. Greed can becomea self-devouring process — turning theheart ravenous: never satisfied, nevercontent, never grateful. The Celtic Tigerbecame a Golden Calf for many, manypeople. These worshippers placed blindfaith in the false god of the market,assuming that whatever market forces domust be accepted. Ever-rising profitswere put before people; financial gainahead of family life; amassing wealthjudged more important than justice andfairness.

Of course, there is the wider contextof the global economic crisis to what istaking place now. But what has

17Apr/May 2009

positive anger that gives energy to movebeyond the acceptance of the status quoand to seek change. John Templetonargues: “If we had been a holier people,we would have been angrier oftener.” Itis always so much easier to sit down andbe resigned rather than to rise up, beindignant and do something. Now thatour high speed economic train has comeoff the tracks there is a chance to lookseriously at the ideology of the marketsthat created this crisis. There is achance to critique our society andpresent a new vision where people arenot defined by possessions or consumedby consumption. The financial crisisexposes a deeper spiritual crisis and amisguided set of values. For one, thesense and value of human work has beenpushed to the background in the generalstruggle for profit by playing themarkets. We failed to regulate oursociety in the interests of communityahead of capital. In addition, the oldorder that got us into this mess was notonly unjust but also unsustainable. Aneconomic model that is based on thecontinued and unlimited consumption oflimited resources can only end in tears.

Pope Benedict has said on severaloccasions we are not just facing aneconomic crisis. Above all, “this is acrisis of a society that has pursued themodel of easy and quick gains, at timesto the detriment of justice, solidarityand even the most fundamental ethicalvalues.” What we are experiencing is thefruit of false paths taken by individuals

people who had felt, some 10 years agoor so, that really they were a bit toosophisticated for popular piety; they hadoutgrown the novena. But this Februarythey were back. Not that attendance atthe Galway novena or any novena is thecriterion of Christian commitment. But itcan be an indication of people beginningto look at life from a differentperspective. Nor is this a question of “alittle bit of recession is good for thesoul.” This economic crisis will bringmost suffering to the poor and thevulnerable. The loss of employment willput terrible pressure not only onindividuals, but also on marriages andfamilies. The cut-backs in education andhealth will hit the weakest in our societyfor that is what we are — a society. Weare not simply an economy. We are morethan Ireland Inc. We are citizens of anation, people forming a community, notto be reduced to mere consumers in acapitalist market system.

God did not will this economiccollapse and the suffering it is bringing .But God can turn to good what seems tous to be a disaster; He can use times ofdifficulty to teach and correct us. He canuse set-backs to move us forward on thepath of truth and justice. God has a wayof bringing something new out of theruins of the old, whether in our ownlives or in our society. He can allow us tobe stripped of what keeps us from Him.We, as a people, are being led into thedesert. This is a time when God tearsaway the pretence of earthly powers and

false securities; a time when He shattersthe sham of arrogant policies and phoneyidols; a time when He exposes the liesand half-truths that were spun for thesake of the powerful; a time when Hepurifies the heart and redirects our gazetoward Him and His purposes. Nowmaybe we will be willing to listen onceagain to Christ’s teachings: “You cannotserve both God and wealth.” “Themeaning of a person’s life does notconsist in the abundance of possessions.”“What use is it to gain the whole worldand to lose your very soul in theprocess.” The Bible may say little aboutthe financial implications of riskyeconomic practices. But it has a lot tosay about justice and generosity, fairplay and care for the weak, a lot to sayabout trusting in God before and aboveall else.

A Christian ResponseAs a believing people we now have aserious obligation to pray that the graceof this hard time will not be lost to us asa people. Now we should pray earnestlyfor our government, our leaders, for allthe citizens of this nation for fortitudeto strengthen us, vision to inspire us,and integrity to guide us. We are calledto intercede for those who are sufferingmost, those recently unemployed, forthe poor and forgotten, for the fearful —that they may not lose heart and thatGod may be their hope and courage.

But our response as Christians mustgo beyond prayer. There is a time for a

False god of the market: wealth more important than justice

1818 St Anthony Brief

and groups. These individual sins, inturn, can be formed into permanentstructures that keep sin in being andmakes its force to be felt by themajority of people. The Pope was blunt;we will not arrive at utopia but we mustwork for a more just society. “As long asthere is original sin we will never arriveat a radical and total correction of theeconomic system. Nonetheless, we mustdo everything to make at least provi-sional corrections, sufficient to hamperthe domination of selfishness, whichpresents itself under the guise of scienceor national or international economics.”

Another WayThe Pope also rightly said: “The Churchmust denounce, but it must also announcewhat can be done and what must bedone.” Christ spoke out against the socialrealities of His time that were not inaccordance with God’s will, but He alsopresented the alternative. “This is not tohappen among you,” He tells His disciples.There is another way of relating, of livingand working together. The command tolove one another has profound socialimplications. As someone put it: “Justiceis what love looks like in public.”

Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor spoke ofthis practical issue recently. “Faced withthe current global and economic crisis, itmay seem that the Church’s socialteaching is the last place to look forideas. While the Church does not offer ablueprint for economic policy, it doesargue that if the market is to serve thecommon good of all then it demands astrong ethical framework and effectiveregulation. The worker is not acommodity purely subject to economicdemand or lack of it, but a human beingfirst and should be treated as such. Ifthe economy forgets this, it becomesdestructive of the very good it isintended to serve.” Wealth must helpmore than the wealthy. Good fortunemust serve more than the fortunate. Themoral test, the spiritual health of anynation is how the least, the lost and thelast are faring, how they are beingtreated. Pope John Paul in CentesimusAnnus said that Catholic social teaching“demands that the market be appropri-ately controlled by the forces of societyand by the State to assure that the basicneeds of the whole society aresatisfied.” Market economies must havean underlying moral purpose.

Justice Made DailyBut economic models alone cannotovercome the injustice that the presentcrisis has revealed. The Pope reminds us:“Justice comes about only if there are justpersons. And good structures are not practi-cable if they are opposed by the selfishnessof even competent people.” ArchbishopHelder Camara, who worked so tirelesslyfor social change in Brazil, used to say: “Itis useless to dream of reforming the socio-economic structure as long as there is not acorrespondingly deep change in our innerselves.” It is a case of us re-evaluating ourpriorities about what components form agood life and a good society.

We are at a spiritual crossroads. Nowwe can learn together, as a nation, what itmeans to be faithful to God and to ourbetter selves. Now our very need can openus to His liberating truth about what reallymatters. Now, in this time, we can chooseto let our lives be governed, not by stockmarkets and house prices, but by graceand generosity, goodness and gratitude.Marge Piercy, a Christian writer, puts itwell: “There is no justice we don’t makedaily, like bread and love.” ��

fjcofm@yahoo.com

Galway's Franciscan Float: Celebrating St Patrick and Franciscans800

19Apr/May 2009 1919

Most High, almighty, good Lord,as we Franciscans celebrate 800 yearssince the foundation of our fraternity,I bring them all before you:

- Those who joyfully live the Franciscan vocation,so that you may confirm them in the path undertaken;

- Those who are tempted to look back,so that they may feel your closeness.

- The old, so that they may not diminish in their faith, their hope and their love for you.

- The young, so that they may placetheir mind, soul and heart in you,supreme goodness and richness to sufficiency.

- The healthy, so that they may never forgetthat their strength comes from you;

- The sick, so that they may findtheir consolation in you.

Lord, enlighten the path of our Order.May we all rediscover the beauty of our vocation,and be able to sing of your wonders with free and pure heartsand share your Gospel with otherswith grateful joy.Lord stay with us, now and forever. Amen

– Jose Rodriguez Carballo, OFM, Minister General

1209 – 2009A Prayer for Franciscans onthe Order’s Eight Centenary

St Anthony Brief

GGratitude is the positive emotionalexperience resulting from therecognition that another person

has given you a benefit. Gratitude is apositive moral effect. In other words, itis a pleasant feeling arising from thegood action another has done to you,from judging that it has been good foryou. Almost everyone has experiencedgratitude and regards it favourably, butsome people are more grateful thanothers. A more grateful individual willexperience gratitude toward morepeople, for more events, more deeply,and for a longer period of time. Multiplestudies have shown that gratitude caninspire people to "pay it forward,"responding to the gift of a good deed bygiving another person the gift of a gooddeed, in addition to another giftreturned to the original benefactor.Thus, a grateful person is sensitive togifts and goodness in the world. He seesgood things around him and it lifts himup, moving him to action for others.

Studies have shown that most peopleupon making an expression of gratitudefound that it contributed to feeling"extremely happy" or "somewhat happy."A growing number of studies have linkedgratitude with higher general feelings ofhappiness and have found that moregrateful persons are more satisfied withlife. This includes people who may notnecessarily feel grateful, but attempt toarrive at the virtue by mental exercisessuch as thinking about the gifts that theyreceived. Thus, whenever you feelgrateful you are happier, and when youpractise gratitude you are happier.

remember bad things that havehappened to us rather than good things.Depressed persons think that "they aregetting a raw deal from life and justdon't have the ability to get what theywant." Gratitude, on the other hand, isthe uplifting feeling resulting from therecognition that another person has donesomething good for us. Instead of anegative self-focus, gratitude has apositive other-focus. Furthermore,gratitude naturally pushes us to act.Depressed persons have difficultyfocusing and mustering the energy to domuch of anything. Gratitude helps us tobe altruistic, which has multiple positiveeffects.

Sometimes, a person who isdepressed has trouble taking that "firststep" toward getting better. Depressioncan be like a dark cloud that darkensthought and makes all movementssluggish. Little sparks of gratitude seeminsufficient to start a blaze of positive

20

Multiple CausesDepression is a complicated thing, aninter-related web of multiple causes andconsequences involving genetics, brainchemistry, attitudes, behaviours, andinterpersonal relationships. It is difficultfor psychologists to distinguish what isthe cause and what is the consequenceof the various aspects of depression.However, one way of confrontingdepression is seeing the power thatnegative attitudes have upon ourexperience of the world and ourrelationships, affecting our behavioursand ultimately even our brain chemistry.Depressed persons generally have anegative attitude and are frustrated withall the bad things that are happening tothem. They feel like "they just can't geta break, that they just can't get whatthey want." This negative attitudebecomes a filter that focuses andamplifies all the bad things that happen.For some reason, it is far easier for us to

Gratitude: An Antidote to Depression?ERIC GUDAN, a therapist, looks at how the virtue of gratitude maycounteract theeffects of depression.

A grateful person: sensitive to the good in the world

healthier and getting more exercise;character strengths make us psycholog-ically stronger and help us to flourish.

Created to LoveSome saints have been able to feelgratitude toward their persecutors, attimes, because the sufferings theyendured allowed them to show their lovefor God. With this perspective then, itcan help to consider something like: Is itpossible to "reframe" the situation of theperson who cut me off in traffic as anopportunity to learn patience? In a moregeneral way, every person that exists is agift for you. Starting, of course, withyourself. You did not have to exist, butGod chose to give you the gift of life.Any other benefit you may possibly have,including eternal life in heaven, ispossible because you have been givenexistence. Have an attitude of "gift" tosee the good things that have been givento you. We have been created to loveand be loved. There is a way to considerevery person you come into contact withas a gift, an opportunity to love in orderto become the person you were made tobe. In addition, any love that you haveexperienced through another person is agift. Thus, with this attitude, there isalways something to be grateful for. ��

activity in this damp environment.However, I believe gratitude acts in apositive spiral. The depressed person canstart by simply attempting to recognisegifts from others in order to begin tofeel more grateful. The "fake it 'til youmake it" can be very effective.

Gratitude ExercisesGratitude is not a "Pollyanna-ish" rose-coloured glass that makes all of ourproblems go away. The depressed personshould not expect that feeling gratefulwill, overnight, turn around his negativeattitudes or habits that his depressionhas been pushing him into for weeks.First, I tell someone to take realisticstock of where he is. Yes, life is not asgood as you would like. Yes, there arethings you don't like about it. But thisattitude simply leaves you less motivatedand less happy. Would you like to try adifferent way to look at things? Then, Ipropose gratitude exercises, to build thevirtue of gratitude by repeated practice.Again, although gratitude will not solveall your problems, it does help you seethe problems in perspective as well ashidden resources and benefits. Since thedepressed person usually has weakgratitude muscles, it will take somebuilding up to feel gratitude more easily,more often, and more intensely. But it isdefinitely something we can get betterat and will make us happier if we do.

Sonja Lyubomirsky, a well-respectedresearcher on happiness, has theorisedthat while external circumstances andgenetics account for a good portion ofour happiness, 40% of our happiness istotally within our control. A firstexercise that I recommend is keeping agratitude journal every day for a week,and then once a week after that. Simplylist three things you are grateful for, andthe person responsible. Allow yourself tofeel positively because of these littlebenefits, which could be as small as achance encounter with an old friend, thebeauty of a sunset, or dinner made foryou. Another exercise that is particularlypowerful is a gratitude visit. Reflect

21

upon someone in your past who hassignificantly helped you, such as ateacher, whom you have never reallyexplicitly thanked. Then, write thatperson a letter. For maximum benefit,deliver the letter in person.

Gratitude builds up the resourcesthat help a person out of depression. Itshould not be seen as a cure foreveryone, but it is helpful for anyone.Gratitude improves a person's relation-ships with the human community andeven with God so she can receivestrength from others, includinganother person as well as the divinePerson. Furthermore, I believe itimproves the person's resilience sothat circumstances that wouldotherwise start a depression do notovercome her. Tough times will comeand the person will not always beeuphoric, but gratitude is a personalcharacteristic that anyone can work onto feel better and be better. A gratefulperson is more psychologically healthy.Building virtues like gratitude is thepsychological equivalent to eating

Apr/May 2009

Gratitude: An Antidote to Depression?

Happier: Happier: more grateful people more grateful people are more satisfied are more satisfied

with lifewith life

The Minister General of the Orderspent time with the friars inZimbabwe in February. The followingare extracts from his letter to thefriars there after his return to Rome.

Dear Brothers of the beloved Custody ofthe Good Shepherd in Zimbabwe,

May the Lord Give You Peace!

As I was returning to Rome, mythoughts were with you. I desire, onceagain, to draw close to you through thisletter. Above all, I want to thank youfor your fraternal hospitality. As I toldyou before, I felt at home among mybrothers. Thank you for so beautiful agift! With these words, I also want tothank you for all the good you are doingfor the people entrusted to your care. Iwitnessed your generosity in your parishministry and how close you are to thesimple people. This made me reallyglad and gave me reasons to see withgreat hope the future of our Entity inZimbabwe.

Within this framework, I want tothank the Province of Ireland for allthey have done in your dear country inthe last 50 years of Franciscanpresence, especially with regard toimplanting the Order. If it were not forthe sacrifice of so many brothers wholeft their land for Zimbabwe in these

St Anthony Brief

Franciscan WorldNNeewwss ffrroomm aarroouunndd tthhee .. .. ..

22

last 50 years, perhapstoday there would notbe such a young,viable, and hope-filledpresence in your landas the Custody of theGood Shepherd. Mysincere thanks againto the Irish Provincefor what they arecurrently doing toaccompany theCustody as it grows asmuch in the field ofleadership as inadministration. As youyourself have madeknown to me, theCustody is goingthrough a period of transition. You,dear brothers of Zimbabwe, areassuming responsibilities for adminis-

tration and, chiefly,for the field ofpastoral work andformation, while, atthe same time, youcontinue to beaccompanied byforeign brotherswho decided toremain with you. Tothem, I extend mypersonal gratitudeand that of theentire Order.As with all periodsof transitions, inorder that it canbe a time ofgrowth, yourtransition must belived out with aclear vision of thefuture. This clearvision is providedfor us in ThePriorities: 1) aspirit of prayerand devotion;

2) fraternal life in community; 3) minority, poverty and solidarity; 4) evangelisation; 5) formation. Theseare key truths by which to live ourcharism today and respond withfaithful creativity to the demandsplaced upon us by today’s society. As Ialready said to you before whenmeeting all the brothers, ThePriorities are not optional, rather anoption of life as Friars Minor (lesserbrothers)…

I conclude by asking you, my dearbrothers, to stay close to your peopleespecially the most simple and poor.During these difficult times yourcountry is going through, walk withthem, sharing the hardship of theirjourney. Give them the bread of boththe Word and the Eucharist, and, whenpossible, material bread too. Togetherwith them, work hard so that all mayhave dignified conditions of life.

Dear brothers, above all, as Ireiterate my gratitude for yourFranciscan witness in Zimbabwe, Iinvoke the blessing of the Lord uponyou. ��

Your Brother and MinisterJosé Rodríguez Carballo, OFM

Minister General

Young friars: a viable, hope-filled presence

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Apr/May 2009 23

The Big Sick

FR EDWARD LENNON, OFM,a missionary in Namibia, sees the ravages of the Aids pandemic in his parish.

SShe was standing outside the doorof our church hall. Her motherhad told me on Sunday that the

reason she was absent from churchwas that she had been sick. It was nowThursday evening and I was happy tosee her up and about. She was going toattend a choir practice and I greetedher and asked how she was. She toldme: “People will say that I have thebig sick because I have lost weight.” Isaid nothing and she continued to tellme in very forceful terms that she hadnot got the big sick.

Since coming to Namibia I haveheard people using this term. Sometime ago I was asked to visit a youngwoman in her 30s. She was very tiredand weak, I spoke to her and heardher Confession, gave her Communionand anointed her. As I left the houseone of our local church leadersaccompanied me to the gate. Whenwe are out of earshot of the familymembers she told me in a low voicethat the young lady we had justprayed with and for had “the bigsick.” I looked at her with a face thatwas expressionless but with somequestions in my head.

A short time after this incident,we at the church were preparing forthe funeral of a young man. He wasnot yet thirty years old. He had twochildren. One of the church memberswho lives near his home told me “it isthe big sick that got him.”

It took me some time to realisethat the big sick in fact is the way

people here refer to someone who isaffected with an Aids-related illness.The words Aids or Hiv-positive are notused. When it comes to buryingpeople who die because of such anillness, the cause is not statedpublicly, though many privately willspeak of the big sick.

Great EffortsThere are great efforts being made tomake people aware of this illness, itseffects, its causes and how it can betreated. People are being encouragedto go for testing and counselling, tofind out are they positive or negative?We have a centre in our parish which isrun by an organisation called CatholicAids Action. Some months ago therewas a nationwide call for people to goand be tested, two days were setaside, and we spoke about it in manyof the churches. The governmentencouraged people to go and find outtheir status; they put adverts in thenewspapers and ran them on TV andon the various radio stations.

In our centre the testing went onfor three full days from earlymorning to late at night. It is asmall step in responding to thispandemic which has killed manyyoung people in this country. Manypeople in the various Churches areasking how we can help to reducethe level of infection. In this regionof the world, it seems to alternatebetween Namibia and Botswana asto the country with the highestpercentage level of infection.

Many people in this part of thecountry are on treatment, anti-retrovirals are available and someare receiving this course oftreatment. Others are not, eitherbecause they have not presentedthemselves for testing or have comewhen the infection is too faradvanced. Many children have lostone or other parent to this diseaseand efforts are ongoing to provideaccommodation, food, schooling andemotional support for these youngpeople. ��

THE SPIRIT’SSURPRISES

St Anthony Brief24

Dreams figureprominently inthe Scriptures

and in the storyof St Francis.

FR TOM RUSSELL,OFM, looks atsome of thesemomentous

dreams.

I Have a Dream

A Red Light Warning DreamWe join Francis as a young man in hismid-twenties. Young men rightly dreamdreams. Francis too had such a dream offame and glory. In his dream he foundhimself in an immense palace surroundedby shields, swords, spears, saddles, andall the trappings of war. This would allbe his, the dream voice told him. Firedwith such an assurance of glory Francisprepared to win renown and fame as avaliant knight on the field of battle. Sowe find him one morning in 1206 ridingout from Assisi perfectly equipped for hisdream future. His journey took him downthe Valley of Spoleto, past Foligno to thetown of Spoleto. He slept the night thereand was stunned by a major dreamsequence. That same mysterious voice ofhis previous happy dream now spoke tohim again in his sleep:

“Francis, where are you going likethis?”

“I am on my way to fight in Apulia,” hereplied.

PPatricius was sprung from slavery inIreland. He must have been verygrateful to God for his escape. He

must also have been startled by astunning dream he had one night. He sawa messenger from the West of Irelandarrive carrying a letter inscribed: “Thevoice of the Irish.” The people imploredthe holy youth to return. This dreamshaped his life and he would become StPatrick.

Patrick was brought, not withoutpain, into a pattern found in the Biblewhere God sends messengers ahead ofHim to prepare His way. Joseph had beena great dreamer in biblical narratives.He too had once been sold into slavery,in Egypt. This tragedy would help pavethe way for help to be given to his ownpeople in a later famine. “It was for thesake of saving lives that God sent mehere ahead of you” (Genesis 45:5). Whilein Egypt his ability to interpret dreamswas crucial to his destiny. As indeedwould be the key role of dreams in the

life of St Joseph and the Three Wise Men“warned in a dream” (Matthew 2:12).

The Letter to the Hebrews reads: “Intimes past God spoke in partial andvarious ways to our ancestors throughthe prophets” (1:1), but finally throughHis Son, whose coming was indeed adream come true. Dreams were onechannel of communication used by Godwho gives us the ability to dream. Thepath of St Francis of Assisi will also proveto be signposted with significant dreamsat each vital turning point.

As Fr Tom now begins towrite for St Anthony brief,I wish to thank Fr KieranCronin for all his excellentarticles over the years.

– Fr Ulic, editor

Apr/May 2009 25

“Tell me” — the voice persisted —“from whom can you expect themost, the master or the servant?”

“From the master, of course.”“Then why follow the servant insteadof the master on whom he depends?”

“Lord, what would you have me do?”“Return to your own country, all willbe revealed to you.”

Francis retraced his steps the next day. Agreat new future would unfold beforehim as he now turned to the Lord.

A Green Light Encouraging DreamFrancis, in full conversion to God,inspired followers. When they weretwelve in number he decided they shouldall go to Rome and ask Pope Innocent IIIto bless their simple Gospel way of life.But there was a ferment of discord andreform abroad in the Church. It mightnot be easy to win a hearing. Francis’friar-biographer Thomas of Celanodescribes this 1209 journey: “When theyhad gone to sleep one night he seemedto be walking down a road and alongsidestood a tree of great height. That treewas lovely and strong, thick and exceed-ingly tall. It came about that whenFrancis approached the tree and stoodunder it and marvelled at its beauty andheight, the holy man rose to so great aheight that he touched the top of thetree. Taking it with his hand, he easilybent it to the ground. It really happenedthis way when the Lord Innocent, a veryhigh and lofty tree in the world, benthimself kindly to Francis’ wish andrequest.”

By God’s providence, what resultedfrom the meeting between the Pope andthe young man from Assisi was to be ofmajor importance for the Church. So weare not too surprised to learn that thePope had been prepared for it by adream he himself had. He had seen themother church, St John Lateran, aboutto collapse when a religious of small andshabby appearance came and supportedit on his shoulders. Thus reassured, PopeInnocent gave Francis and his bothersverbal approval of their way of life. Itwas now over to them.

The Enigma Machine: Deciphering the CodeCarl Jung says that our dreams are asgold dust. They can be as strange to usas Russian, Arabic or Chinese. The task isto learn the new language, to decipherit, to probe so as to get to the meaning,the hidden gold.

Time moved forward and the newOrder was growing like the proverbialmustard tree. Such growth meantblessings, problems and opportunities.Francis felt secure enough to travel tothe Holy Land. He returned in 1220 tohear of new ideas and developments hemight not necessarily approve. Thomas

of Celano takes up the story: “As heslept one night he saw a small black hen,similar to a common dove, withfeathered legs and feet. She hadcountless chicks which kept runningfrantically around her, but she just couldnot gather all of them together underher wings. The man of God woke up and,

Joseph’s dream: God’s guidance given

Come FollowDreams are a chequered commentary madeIn sleep along the deeps of our desires,Moving like riddles through a magic gladeLightly they touch the leap of hidden fires;Yielding to fickle fancy’s custom, dreamsPursue impossibilities with zest,Essentially ephemeral their themesRecount us the worst or for the best;Clarity oft they lack, disparagementEnters their border softly as they part,Indeed they feed upon defeat’s intentVying for victory amidst the heart:

Ensured by dreams some gleaming schemes come trueDivinely from a human follow-through.

– John Bradburne, SFO

26 St Anthony Brief

remembering his concerns, interpretedhis own vision: ‘I am the hen,’ he said,‘small in size and dark by nature.... thechicks are the brothers multiplied innumber and grace. The strength ofFrancis is not enough to defend themfrom human plotting and contradictingtongues. So I will go and entrust them tothe holy Roman Church.’”

This dream made Francis seek anaudience with Pope Honorius III in Rome.He requested that the Bishop of Ostia behis Protector. The future Pope Gregory IXcarried out this task to perfection.

Rescued by a DreamAnother story of a dream that changed alife is closer to our own time. On 2ndJuly 1902 Maria Goretti was 12 years old,living in Nettuno, south of Rome, whenshe was attacked by Alessandro Serenelliwho was about 20 years. He threatenedto kill her with a knife if she did not givein to him. In the past when heapproached her she had rebuffed himsaying: “Because it is a sin; God forbidsit.” She now refused yet again and madwith rage Alessandro stabbed herfourteen times. She would live longenough to name him and to forgive him.Alessandro received a long prisonsentence. He was quite hard, callous andunrepentant. But one night in 1910 theguards came rushing to his cell.Alessandro was screaming: “I saw her. Isaw her. I saw Maria dressed in dazzlingwhite, gathering lilies in a garden andhanding them to me. As I took them theybecame small lights glowing likecandles…” He correctly interpreted hisdream as a promise of forgiveness. Hewrote: “I have taken a life of aninnocent girl whose one aim was to saveher purity, shedding her blood ratherthan give in to my sinful desires.” Hewould become her chief witness at hercause of canonisation. When releasedfrom prison in 1937 he promptly askedpardon of Maria’s mother Assunta. Theyboth received Holy Communion togetheron Christmas Day. They would also bepresent at Maria’s canonisation duringthe 1950 Holy Year in Rome. Alessandrolived out his years as a gardener with theCapuchin friars. He died on 6th May 1969aged 87. Rescued by a dream mostmerciful.

By the LakeThe late Pope John Paul II saw oursituation in this new millennium as beingby the lakeside, tired and weary, yet

hearing the invitation of Jesus to cast outthe nets once again. He had expressed hisvision in Redemptoris Missio, his 1990encyclical on the missions: “I see the dawnof a new missionary age which will becomea radiant day bearing an abundant harvestif all Christians respond with generosityand holiness to the calls and challenges ofour times.”

Dreams helped and guided SaintsJoseph, Patrick, Francis, Therese, Don

Bosco, Maria Goretti agus daoine eilenach iad. Perhaps we too might alertourselves to the voice of the Spiritcoming through our dreams in theseearly years of the new millennium.

“When I am old and tutored by the grim experience of days;when I have proved men in their ways,Oh, do not let the dreams die.”

— Enid Dinnis ��

Dream most merciful: Maria Goretti rescued her murderer

FAITH INACTION

27Apr/May 2009

IIimagine that you are all familiarwith the image of the Amazonregion being compared to the lungs

of the earth. It is estimated that nearly20% of the Brazilian Amazon has beendestroyed. Deforestation accounts foralmost 20% of the world's annual carbonemissions, and Brazil is probablyresponsible for about 40% of that.Earlier this year many Franciscanstravelled to Belém, one of the principalcities in the Brazilian Amazon, toparticipate in the World Social Forum

Another World is Possible

FR GEARÓID Ó CONAIRE, OFM, looks at what brought Franciscans fromaround the world to the Amazon earlier this year.

(WSF). One of the organisers of theFranciscan delegation was Fr JoeRozansky, a friar from the Holy NameProvince, New York, who is the directorof the Franciscan Justice, Peace andIntegrity of Creation (JPIC) interna-tional office in Rome. He is now doingthe work I used to do until 2003. Icaught up with him on his return to findout for readers of St Anthony briefwhy he went and what would beimportant for you to hear about thisinternational gathering.

Gearóid: What was the World Social Forum?Joe: The World Social Forum (WSF)defines itself as an open space which isplural, diverse, non-governmental andnon-partisan. Its goal is to encourageactions that promote a world which ismore democratic and fair, as reflected inits slogan: “Another world is possible.”It encourages debate, reflection, theexchange of experiences and theformation of alliances among organisa-tions engaged in concrete actions towardthis new world.

St Anthony Brief

This year, 2009, there were 2,400programmed activities offered duringthe Forum, including workshops andlarge conferences given by well-knownspeakers. Issues covered economicsolidarity, public policy debates,gender, equality, indigenous questions,race, land, water, human rights,children, human trafficking, and manymore.

It was the ninth edition of theForum. The first three (2001, 2002,2003) and the fifth (2005) were held inPorto Alegre, in the south of Brazil. Thefourth WSF (2004) was held in Mumbai,India. The sixth WSF (2006) was heldsimultaneously in Caracas (Venezuela),Bamako (Mali) and Karachi (Pakistan).The seventh WSF (2007) was held inNairobi, Kenya. The eighth WSF (2008),also called the Global Call to Action,was not held at a particular place, butglobally; it was organised by thousandsof autonomous local organisations on oraround 26th January.

Participants, mostly people andorganisations that have difficulty withthe current model of globalisation,have grown dramatically over theyears. There were about 20,000delegates at the first WSF in 2001 atPorto Alegre. This year in Belém it wasreported that there were about 120,000registered participants.

Gearóid: What do organisers andparticipants hope to achieve?Joe: Their hope is to create a model ofdevelopment where all people and

nations will have a say in theproduction and distribution of wealth,where the gap between the rich andthe poor will be addressed, whereglobal disputes will be settled throughdialogue and not by war, and where thehuman rights of all peoples will berespected.

Gearóid: How does it differ from otherinternational events, such as Davos?Joe: The WSF was created as acounterpoint to the meeting of the G8countries, which are held annually inDavos, Switzerland. Participation inthese meetings is restricted to the

most developed countries, and issuesof development are dealt with fromthe top down, with little regard forthe effects of such development onthe great majority of the world’spopulation. The WSF deals withquestions of development from thebottom up, giving voice to theconcerns and difficulties of the poorestand least powerful in our societies,and creating a space to discuss alter-natives to the way societies areorganised today.

Gearóid: Why did the WSF take place inthe Amazon this year?Joe: The 2009 Forum was held in theAmazon region to highlight theecological crisis we are facing today,which is connected to our model ofeconomic development. Scientificresearch is increasingly certain that theclimate change occurring in the world isrelated to human activity. The Amazonrainforest is a symbol of the challengeswe are facing. Lumber, land, agricul-tural and mining interests continue toinvade the rainforest of the Amazon,destroying long-term security for short-term profit. Concern for future genera-tions is an important part of thereflection at the WSF.

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Ritual: sharing the vision of St Francis

Children of the Amazon: human rights and theenvironment are intimately connected

the Gospel of Luke (4:18,19), He saysthat He has come to bring Good News:that the blind may see, the deaf hear,prisoners are freed and the poor havethe Gospel preached to them.Franciscan mission is all about bringingthis Good News to people, all aboutpromoting life in their midst. As ever,we are called to share the Word of Godand the sacraments with the people towhom we minister. But we are alsocalled to enter their struggle for life.Participation in the WSF helps us toreflect on how we can work at a morecomplete evangelisation, a missionaryeffort that includes both the spiritual

and the material. For St Paul, when hespoke about spirituality, he wasconcerned with LIFE IN THE SPIRIT. Thatis, he felt that all aspects of our lifemust be seen in light of the Spirit whosustains and guides us. St Francisunderstood this well, and he loved thematerial world as a sign of the love ofGod for us. Franciscan mission thusurges us to be concerned with a spiritu-ality that touches all aspects of humandevelopment.

Gearóid: Any particularly interestingstories or characters you heard or metwhile participating?Joe: One of the places that manyparticipants of the WSF visited was asettlement called Marighela. The sitewas originally a forested area,populated by thieves. A number ofpoor residents from nearby decided to“occupy” the land and develop it for

29

Gearóid: Why are the Franciscansparticipating? Tell us a little about whatthe Franciscans have done and theirplans for the future in regard to theWSF.Joe: When people think of St Francisand the movement that formed aroundhim, they expect that Franciscans willbe involved primarily in three issues:poverty, peace and ecology. The WSF isa space where we are able to debatethese issues, to share our vision inregard to them, and to network withothers of good will in promoting actionsthat will make our world a better place.

Since the beginning of the WSF,Franciscans have been present in oneway or another at the event. Over theyears, our presence has become moreorganised. For the last five years, atthe time of the WSF, the FranciscanFamily has come together for theFranciscan Solidarity Seminar. It isjointly coordinated by the GermanFranciscan organisation Missionszentraleand by the OFM JPIC (Justice, Peaceand Integrity of Creation) office inRome. Participants come from allbranches of the Franciscan Family andfrom all parts of the world. They gatherto share the reality of their owncountries, to visit projects sponsored bythe Franciscans of the region where theWSF is being held, to reflect on ways torespond to the problems we are facing,and to participate together in the WSF.

At each WSF the Franciscans lookfor a way to share our message withthe participants of the Forum. This yearat Belém we prepared a conferenceentitled Environmental Justice:Suffering of the Earth, Suffering of thePeople. The idea of environmentaljustice helped us to show how questionsof human rights, human developmentand environment are intimatelyconnected. It is not enough to beconcerned just about nature. LikeFrancis, rather, we must see therelationships between human life andnature, between our lifestyle and thewell-being of the entire planet, andbetween the very rich and the verypoor of our societies.

Gearóid: How does an event like thislink in with Franciscan mission?Joe: In the Gospel of John (10:10),Jesus says that He has come to bringlife, and to bring it in abundance. In

Apr/May 2009

themselves. Their first attempt wasturned back by the police. In theirsecond attempt, a week later, theywere able to stake a claim to the land.Little by little they overcame obstaclesand develop the area. One of the mainreasons for this success was a smallwoman whose name is Solange. Sheworked untiringly to organise thepeople, to lobby the authorities sothat together with the Church theirefforts would produce fruit. Solangecontinues to struggle together with thepeople. She is a sign of hope, perse-verance and strength to all those whomeet her.

Gearóid: Is there anything the ordinaryperson can do to promote this event intheir own country?Joe: As should be evident from theabove, organisers of the WSF want it tobe a decentralised and popularmovement. The more people thatbecome involved, the better thechances that we will be able to build aworld that is more just and democratic,a place where people are in solidaritywith one another. To encourage thispossibility, organisers have promotedregional and local social forums in orderto include as many as possible in thisprocess. Not everyone is able to attendinternational meetings. But everyonecan become involved in their owncountry and in their own region. Formore information on the WSF and itsregional organisations, in variouslanguages, please go to:www.forumsocialmundial.org.br ��

Environmental justice: the well-being of planet and people

St Anthony Brief

Mission DigestMission Digest

30

Celebrating the Feast of St Francis

GGGG UUUU AAAA TTTT EEEE MMMM AAAA LLLL AAAA

Preparing for Christmas with Posada (portable crib) brought to homes

First Profession for eleven novices

A traditional dance

Decorating familygraves in November

Snapshots from the Parish in El Mezquital

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LLEETTTTEERRSS TTOO TTHHEE EEDDIITTOORR

Dear Editor,I was reading the Dec/Jan ’0

9 edition

of your magazine and came across

the title ‘A Mexican Surprise’ by Fr

Gerry Moore, OFM. I found this

extremely interesting as I had visited

San Diego, Mexico, three years ago

and passed the friary on a bus.

Unfortunately, at the time I did not

go in, and so I had not realised the

Irish history involved. I found this a

very interesting article from Fr Gerry

and was delighted it brought back

fond memories of my trip to Mexico.

Yours sincerely,Mary

Dear Father,

As a regular reader of your mission

magazine, I wanted to let you know how

much I enjoyed the article on St Anthony

Centre, South Africa, in the last issue. I

am sure that there has been lots of great

work done there over the years. It was

great to read that so many children

turned up for the Christmas party and the

fact that all the people gave some of their

food so that all the children had

something to eat and toys to play with. We

should all take this and try to do

something nice for others. I look forward

to the next issue.

Yours,Philomena Ryan,Lucan, Co Dublin.

Praise be Jesus Christ

Dear Father,We are happy to renew our subscription for your

magazine which we love and find so interesting.

We find it of high quality and its contents very

informative. When it arrives and is put in the

library almost all the professed sisters want to read

it. Some of the articles we read in the refectory

with our novitiate sisters. We enclose a surplus for

the wonderful work you are doing. We continue to

pray for you and the staff, offering all your inten-

tions and ministry to the Lord.

With grateful love,

Your Poor Clare Sisters,

Monastery of St Clare,

Lusaka, Zambia.

Please write your letters, comments and suggestions, to: The Editor, St Anthony Brief, Franciscan Missionary Union,

Merchants’ Quay, Dublin 8.

Dear Father,I have subscribed to your mission magazinefor the past thirty years. The format of themagazine has changed so much over the pastnumber of years, always improving butnever forgetting where it all started. I mustsay I really look forward to receiving everyissue. I always enjoy reading Fr PatrickConlan’s articles on the history of theFranciscan Order. I find his articles veryinteresting, informative and easy reading.And he really has the gift of the gab (as theold saying goes).

Yours sincerely,Philip Leonard,Bray, Co Wicklow.

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